A New World: Chaos (12 page)

From this position, I can see the far wall of the back room.
 
The flashlight has a pretty intense beam so there is little radiant light splashing around the room; just a circle of light where the light shines.
 
From this vantage point, I see the back door and part of the back wall with the room opening up on both sides.
  
Shelves are filled with cardboard boxes, cans, and such with more on the floor next to them.
 
My current angle prevents me from seeing the room entirely although I see the door of the cooler.
 
With trepidation, I venture slowly up the small hallway leading to the back room.
 
The light reflects off the cooler doors so I cannot see what is behind them.
 
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice the small line of light at the bottom of the back door darken momentarily as something flashes between me and the door.

“Oh shit!”
 
I half breathe to myself.

“Get out!
 
Get out now!”
 
I yell bringing the light and my gun around as the sound of footsteps quickly heading my way explodes into my consciousness.
 
My light seems to take forever to sweep around whereas, in truth, it is only milliseconds.
 
A loud shriek pierces the once silent room and I see something large flying in the air toward me, caught in the light as my flashlight finally comes around.

I fire and shift to the right attempting to dodge the thing coming at me, the action coming instinctively.
 
My round must have hit as I notice its trajectory alter in mid-air before slamming into my chest and left shoulder.
 
The impact spins me around and drops me to my knees.
 
It knocks the flashlight from my hand and I hear it hit the floor with a metallic thunk; thankfully not breaking and the light still shines.
 
I feel like I have been hit by a truck and put my hand out to catch myself from falling completely over.
 
I begin to rise and glance up only to be met with the sight of something large once again hurtling toward me; temporal distortion causes everything to appear as if in slow motion.

I make it to my knees but can’t get the gun up in time
 
I do manage to bring my left arm up in front of me before the impact hits me square on; blanketing me.
 
The impact is so hard that I become airborne momentarily before slamming down on my back and skid along the linoleum with this thing on top of me.
 
Looking beyond my feet, I see Robert and Michelle silhouetted against the light from the front door.

“Get the fuck out of here!”
 
I yell while attempting to twist out from under whatever it is on top of me.

The flashlight, somewhere on the floor, casts a pale light around revealing the outline of a human form on top straddling me.
 
My left arm is being twisted and shaken violently around as this thing has taken hold of my forearm with its teeth.
 
Shock must be preventing me from actually feeling its teeth ravage my arm let alone the damage it must be doing.
 
A dank, musty odor assaults my nose; a mixture of body odor, wet dog, and breath that hasn’t been introduced to toothpaste in some time.
 
The weight and violence of the tugging on my arm brings the now growling thing down close to my face.

I tilt my face slightly to the side and notice the flashlight has come to rest against the wall and facing it.
 
With this feeble light helping me see, I raise my right hand with the gun and lock the muscles of my left arm.
 
I need to slow down the twisting and shaking movements so I don’t actually shoot my own arm.
 
I bring the gun closer, putting the barrel against the head of the snarling and growling thing and pull the trigger.
 
The muffled gunshot is followed a millisecond later by a wet sound on the floor beside me.
 
There is a second explosive-like sound and then the full weight of the thing settles on top of me.
 
Something wet and warm trickles down the side of my face and neck.
 
Gunpowder and burning hair are now mixed in with the musty body odor along with the iron-like smell of blood.
 
There is another smell in the air.
 
It is hard to describe but is associated with death.
 
Not decomposition or anything like that, just the smell of death.
 
If cold and nothingness had a smell, it would be similar.

I push against its shoulder, rolling it over and slide out from under it.
 
Crawling to the flashlight, I shine it around, the light shaking slightly because of the adrenaline still coursing through my body.
 
Breathing heavily, I check the back hallway and then focus the light ahead.

The body is lying on its back against a shelf, staring with bulging, lifeless eyes at the ceiling.
 
The exit wound just above the right ear stares back at me.
 
The once shoulder length, blond hair is matted with blood and gore on the side; a flap of skin and hair hangs down with blood leaking out, forming a slowly widening pool on the floor beside.
 
A trickle of blood runs from the nostril and over the cheek.
 
In the light, I see this was once a woman but the skin appears to be a pale, mottled gray with darker veins showing through the skin on the cheek as if the skin were translucent.

Continuing to pan my light, I see her right arm extends out from a red, flowered, short-sleeve blouse over tan slacks.
 
Blood covers the shoulder of the blouse, causing it to stick to the skin.
 
The first three fingers twitch spasmodically and I notice the same pale, mottled skin with dark veins running down her arm.
 
I place my fingers on her wrist.
 
No pulse.
 
As I rise, my light shines on the shelf above her which is now covered with the spray of blood and chunks of bone, hair and brain.
 
There is also a spray of white, foamy liquid mixed in and slowly running down part of the shelf.
 
Curious.
 
Raising my flashlight, I notice that a can of shaving cream has exploded, apparently being hit with the round or part of the round exiting her cranium.

I look back toward the front and see only the sun shining through the front door and windows.
 
The door is still open and blocked by the concrete block.
 
No sign of Robert or Michelle.
 
Good
.
 
I’m afraid to check my arm as I don’t feel any pain or injury and flex my fingers while holding the flashlight.
 
They appear to be working fine, however, with my arm having been twisted and gnawed like that, I should feel something wrong.
 
I turn the light on me only to be both fairly amused and relieved.

That thing, I guess I can’t really call it a woman, had latched onto the roll of duct tape around my wrist.
 
The tape itself has bite marks and is shredded in places.
 
I am amazed and thank the spirits for their protection.
 
I feel over the rest of my body, and, except for a sore shoulder where I was first hit and my hip where I hit the ground, I seem to be doing well.

I turn toward the back room and edge once more to the hallway, slipping on the now wet floor and edge into the back room against the cooler wall, exposing more and more of the room with my light.
 
I am only greeted by more shelves and cardboard boxes on the ground.
 
Inside the room is a nook with a desk and chair against the far wall of the opening to the right; a monitor and various sheets of paper littering the desk.
 
I open the back door and notice yet another concrete block on the inside by the door.
 
Blocking the door open, the light now penetrates most of the room.
 
I walk to the cooler door and pull it open, ready.
 
With the adrenaline fading, I now just want to get what we need and be gone.

Shining my light inside, I see cases of various items stacked against the rear walls.
 
The cooler makes a right at the end.
 
Grabbing a case of beer, I set it against the cooler door propping it open and head toward the corner with my light leading the way.
 
Oh my god, there’s not going to be anymore beer!?
 
A quick glance with my light reveals only more boxes so I head out of the cooler and walk out the back door.

Walking around to where the Jeep is parked, I replace the two rounds I fired.
 
There isn’t any sign of Robert or Michelle.
 
I walk towards the front and finally see both of them a slight distance away from the front door by the pumps, aiming at the front door; the tension in them screams outward like physical waves.
 
I am rather glad I didn’t come out that way.

“Expecting something?”
 
I call out standing a short distance away.

The startled way they jump and turn in my direction makes me glad I didn’t follow through with my thought of walking up behind them and asking what they were looking at.
 
Wouldn’t do at all to go through what I had only to be nicked by one of them.
 
Plus, considering what they have both been through today, it just wouldn’t have been a very cool thing to do.
 
Amused me perhaps, but in light of everything, maybe not really that funny.

They walk over with their eyes opening wide as they get closer.
 
“Are you okay?”
 
Roberts asks staring at my head.

“Yeah, I think so,” I say walking to the side mirror of the Jeep to look.

There are streaks of blood drying along the left side of my face and neck with small chunks of other miscellaneous matter in my hair.
 
I walk to the back of the Jeep where I keep several rags.
 
Soaking one with some of the bottled water I keep close by, I wipe the gore from my face.

“Better?”
 
I ask walking back to the front.
 
They both nod.

“The store appears clear now so let’s get some supplies.
 
I’m going to see if I can find the keys to the Honda.
 
If I can find them, then let’s load that up with the supplies.
 
Concentrate on getting canned food and water.
 
You two get the supplies and load the car.
 
I’ll keep an eye out.
 
I wouldn’t highly recommend going up the aisle between the bathroom and the first shelf.

“Oh, and next time I say get out, do so!
 
When I tell you to do something, do it immediately!”
 
I tell them as we start toward the front door.

“What happened?”
 
Robert asks and I give a very brief and non-detailed answer, showing them the duct tape on my arm, as we walk to the front.

The darkness within is a lighter shade of gray due to the doors being propped open allowing us to see in greater detail.
 
I walk over to the corpse still lying on the ground.
 
The fingers have stopped their twitching and I reach down patting the front pockets checking for keys, noticing the slacks have a hole with a large, dark stain surrounding it on the left side at about the mid-thigh.
 
This must be where my first round hit.
 
I feel a lump in the right front pocket and, reaching in, pull out a set of keys.
 
A small amount of change falls out and a quarter rolls along the ground.
 
My eyes follow it as it makes a complete circle around me, falling over only when it hits the pool of blood on my other side and disappears beneath the dark liquid.
 
In the back room, I find a couple of green aprons and cover up the corpse as best I can.

Jangling the keys, I walk out of the side door to see if they are indeed for the car outside.
 
Inserting them into the driver’s door, the lock pops open and the dome light comes on.
 
Good, the battery is still good
.
 
I wonder what drove the woman inside to come to the store.
 
She must have been ill.
 
I’m guessing she came for supplies or some sort, and transformed while within the store.
 
At least I hope that’s the case and these things can’t drive
.
 
Unlocking the rest of the car, I open the trunk then start it.
 
The fuel gauge shows just under ¾ of a tank.
 
Alrighty then
, I think shutting down the car.
  
Back inside, I tell Robert and Michelle we are good to go on the car.
 
Passing the keys to Robert, I tell him, “You’re driving.”

The two of them pack the car with all of the canned goods, water, aspirin and other meds, beef jerky, nuts, plastic silverware, plates, cups, batteries, and other miscellaneous food items.
 
There are several cases of both water and canned food in the stock room.
 
The single items go into empty cardboard boxes we find in back.
 
I grab several six-packs of Blue moon and hand them to Robert.
 
“What’s this for?”
 
He asks smiling.