in a busy city. She may have once been beautiful but life had worn her down. The blond hair that hugged her cheeks was faded at the roots and wrinkles stretched from her eyes and cheeks.
"And what is this? Swords? You can't bring weapons into my store!"
Dan wasn't in the mood to take crap from anybody. "Why don't you try and do something about it, see where that gets you."
"How dare you. Get out, get out now!"
"Please calm down, ma'am," said Randy, turning to see all the commotion.
"Calm down? Calm down?" the manager stammered. "Get out of my store!"
Barns stood up. "But we would be dyin’ out there."
The lady looked disgusted to be in his very presence. "I don't care what you are doing, but you can be sure you won't be doing it here!"
"You want to bet?" asked Dan.
"We can't go back out there," said Zoey.
"You can and you will."
"What seems to be the problem?" said a man about Barns's size with a buzz-cut.
He had tanned skin as if he had lived on a beach for the past year and his shirt clung to his muscles. Where Barns had fat, this man had none.
Lady Rose stepped out as if to block the man's path. "There is no problem, just a minuscule misunderstanding, that’s all."
The man ignored her as he passed, brushing her aside with one hand.
"These people have been causing trouble and damaging store property," said the manager. "I am trying to make them leave but they refuse."
"Is that so?" asked the man. He looked at Dan and Zoey as if he were getting ready to physically toss them out of the store.
Dan hopped down from the table and walked up so he was face to face with him. He only came up to the man's chin so he had to look up. "Yeah, that is so."
Dan was ready to take whatever this guy could throw at him. There was no way he was going to allow their group to be tossed back out onto the street.
Barns walked up and stood at his side, he was eye-level with the man. "You best be on ya way now. We just looking for a safe place. You ain't gone take it from us."
He could feel Zoey stand up behind him. Even Lady Rose and Randy moved closer.
"You can stay," said the man, glancing back and forth at the people standing before him. "Just don't make any more trouble."
"What?" demanded the manager.
"Come on, Mary," said the man. "As long as these people agree to behave, I'm not throwing them out."
"But they have weapons!"
"Maybe we should consider getting our own, I don't think it is getting any better outside."
The manager had turned red faced but didn't say anything as she walked away with the man. Her tendons stuck out as she squeezed the hem of her dress.
"I told ya Dan," said Barns. "People like dat don't like me around."
Zoey patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, big guy, we like you around."
"Quit being so egalitarian ," said Lady Rose. "We need to find him some clean clothes if he is ever going to fit in. Perhaps we can find him something here." She began looking around as if she were about to pluck something off one of the racks.
Barns followed her, acting like he was really interested in her opinion. Whether he actually was or not, only he knew.
"You plan on using that backpack?" Dan asked Randy.
Randy looked at the backpack sitting by his leg. "Nah, I just didn't know what to do after the helicopter crashed. It didn't feel right leaving the poor guy’s stuff sitting in the street.”
Dan picked up the backpack and unzipped it. The thing was filled with college level textbooks, mainly on vector spaces. He dumped it all out on the floor, the books fell open to random pages as they spilled into the aisle. Randy eyed him suspiciously as he slid his briefcase into the backpack and put it on.
"I don't think he is going to need that stuff anymore," he said.
Randy nodded, "I would assume not."
Dan looked over his shoulder and down at the street when he heard a scream. The scream had come from a lady in the store, she was pointing at one of the cops. The guy had been overwhelmed by two zombies and
"And what is this? Swords? You can't bring weapons into my store!"
Dan wasn't in the mood to take crap from anybody. "Why don't you try and do something about it, see where that gets you."
"How dare you. Get out, get out now!"
"Please calm down, ma'am," said Randy, turning to see all the commotion.
"Calm down? Calm down?" the manager stammered. "Get out of my store!"
Barns stood up. "But we would be dyin’ out there."
The lady looked disgusted to be in his very presence. "I don't care what you are doing, but you can be sure you won't be doing it here!"
"You want to bet?" asked Dan.
"We can't go back out there," said Zoey.
"You can and you will."
"What seems to be the problem?" said a man about Barns's size with a buzz-cut.
He had tanned skin as if he had lived on a beach for the past year and his shirt clung to his muscles. Where Barns had fat, this man had none.
Lady Rose stepped out as if to block the man's path. "There is no problem, just a minuscule misunderstanding, that’s all."
The man ignored her as he passed, brushing her aside with one hand.
"These people have been causing trouble and damaging store property," said the manager. "I am trying to make them leave but they refuse."
"Is that so?" asked the man. He looked at Dan and Zoey as if he were getting ready to physically toss them out of the store.
Dan hopped down from the table and walked up so he was face to face with him. He only came up to the man's chin so he had to look up. "Yeah, that is so."
Dan was ready to take whatever this guy could throw at him. There was no way he was going to allow their group to be tossed back out onto the street.
Barns walked up and stood at his side, he was eye-level with the man. "You best be on ya way now. We just looking for a safe place. You ain't gone take it from us."
He could feel Zoey stand up behind him. Even Lady Rose and Randy moved closer.
"You can stay," said the man, glancing back and forth at the people standing before him. "Just don't make any more trouble."
"What?" demanded the manager.
"Come on, Mary," said the man. "As long as these people agree to behave, I'm not throwing them out."
"But they have weapons!"
"Maybe we should consider getting our own, I don't think it is getting any better outside."
The manager had turned red faced but didn't say anything as she walked away with the man. Her tendons stuck out as she squeezed the hem of her dress.
"I told ya Dan," said Barns. "People like dat don't like me around."
Zoey patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, big guy, we like you around."
"Quit being so egalitarian ," said Lady Rose. "We need to find him some clean clothes if he is ever going to fit in. Perhaps we can find him something here." She began looking around as if she were about to pluck something off one of the racks.
Barns followed her, acting like he was really interested in her opinion. Whether he actually was or not, only he knew.
"You plan on using that backpack?" Dan asked Randy.
Randy looked at the backpack sitting by his leg. "Nah, I just didn't know what to do after the helicopter crashed. It didn't feel right leaving the poor guy’s stuff sitting in the street.”
Dan picked up the backpack and unzipped it. The thing was filled with college level textbooks, mainly on vector spaces. He dumped it all out on the floor, the books fell open to random pages as they spilled into the aisle. Randy eyed him suspiciously as he slid his briefcase into the backpack and put it on.
"I don't think he is going to need that stuff anymore," he said.
Randy nodded, "I would assume not."
Dan looked over his shoulder and down at the street when he heard a scream. The scream had come from a lady in the store, she was pointing at one of the cops. The guy had been overwhelmed by two zombies and
Similar Books
