response.
“I promise.”
He nods, and I head back out into the store. I find a shopping cart sitting in an aisle, full of food from the refrigerators and freezers that went bad a week ago. I pick them up and the boxes squish in my hands. They’re soft from when the frozen food thawed out, and the cheese is almost completely green. I gag as I toss them aside.
When the cart is empty, I head to the center of the store where the clothes are. They don’t have a lot, but I grab as many pairs of infant sleepers as I can in every size they have. They’re Carter’s brand, covered in things like frogs and hearts, ducks and princesses. They have some other infant clothing too, so I load up on those. Both boys’ and girls’ clothes, since I have no idea what she’ll need. The other side of the rack has clothes for older kids, so I get some things for Ava before heading to the table next to it and pulling out jeans and shirts I think will fit Jake. If only I could do more.
I move my flashlight around and the beam stops on a huge swing set. Toys. They have toys here, too.
Before heading that way, I glance over my shoulder. The store still looks clear, and it’s as silent as a tomb. The thought sends a shudder down my spine and I chew on my lip. I should head back, but it would be so nice if the kids had a few books and toys to play with. It won’t take long if I hurry.
I’m rushing when I turn the corner, focused on the swing set looming in the distance. The stench of rot hits me just as my cart slams into the body. My flashlight isn’t pointed in that direction, so it catches me completely by surprise. I scream and grope for my knife as the undead man lurches forward. I shove the cart into him as hard as I can, backing away while I desperately try to get my knife free. The damn thing’s stuck.
“Vivian!”
Axl’s panicked voice echoes through the store. My heart is in my throat, and I can’t force any words out. I stumble back and somehow trip over my own feet, falling to the ground just as I get my knife from its sheath. My elbows slam into the floor. Pain radiates up my arms and the knife slips from my fingers. It skitters across the floor and into the darkness.
My elbows throb. The body in front of me gets around the cart and takes a step closer. The pungent odor of the black ooze is so much stronger and more distinct than the stench in the rest of the store. It’s too dark to get a really good look at him, but I don’t miss the way his hands grope the air in front of me. Reaching for me.
I crawl backward and finally find my voice. “Axl!”
My knife is gone and my gun is in my pack. Back in the loading bay. I’m weaponless, and the body is so close that I get a whiff of his rotting teeth every time he chomps at the air. It takes another step forward, and his foot lands on my toe. I shriek again and jerk my leg back, scrambling further away. My legs won’t cooperate, so I can’t get to my feet. My heart pounds and my mind screams run!, but I can’t do anything other than crawl backward.
Axl calls for me again, and my heart pounds harder. He’s getting close. I call to him, praying he finds me or I can get my body to cooperate in some way. The dead man in front of me leans down and wraps his bony fingers around my ankle. I scream and kick, and my foot makes contact with his face. It’s soft and squishy, and my stomach convulses.
The body loses his grasp, and my leg is free. I move back two more paces and bump into someone behind me. My heart pounds and a sob pops out of my mouth when the body is finally illuminated by the beam of a flashlight. His milky eyes move up. A shot rings out, echoing in my ears, and the head of what used to be a man explodes, spraying black goo and decaying flesh all over the surrounding merchandise.
I shake, and tears stream down my face when I look up at Axl. Only it isn’t Axl standing behind me.
The man points the gun at my head. “You
“I promise.”
He nods, and I head back out into the store. I find a shopping cart sitting in an aisle, full of food from the refrigerators and freezers that went bad a week ago. I pick them up and the boxes squish in my hands. They’re soft from when the frozen food thawed out, and the cheese is almost completely green. I gag as I toss them aside.
When the cart is empty, I head to the center of the store where the clothes are. They don’t have a lot, but I grab as many pairs of infant sleepers as I can in every size they have. They’re Carter’s brand, covered in things like frogs and hearts, ducks and princesses. They have some other infant clothing too, so I load up on those. Both boys’ and girls’ clothes, since I have no idea what she’ll need. The other side of the rack has clothes for older kids, so I get some things for Ava before heading to the table next to it and pulling out jeans and shirts I think will fit Jake. If only I could do more.
I move my flashlight around and the beam stops on a huge swing set. Toys. They have toys here, too.
Before heading that way, I glance over my shoulder. The store still looks clear, and it’s as silent as a tomb. The thought sends a shudder down my spine and I chew on my lip. I should head back, but it would be so nice if the kids had a few books and toys to play with. It won’t take long if I hurry.
I’m rushing when I turn the corner, focused on the swing set looming in the distance. The stench of rot hits me just as my cart slams into the body. My flashlight isn’t pointed in that direction, so it catches me completely by surprise. I scream and grope for my knife as the undead man lurches forward. I shove the cart into him as hard as I can, backing away while I desperately try to get my knife free. The damn thing’s stuck.
“Vivian!”
Axl’s panicked voice echoes through the store. My heart is in my throat, and I can’t force any words out. I stumble back and somehow trip over my own feet, falling to the ground just as I get my knife from its sheath. My elbows slam into the floor. Pain radiates up my arms and the knife slips from my fingers. It skitters across the floor and into the darkness.
My elbows throb. The body in front of me gets around the cart and takes a step closer. The pungent odor of the black ooze is so much stronger and more distinct than the stench in the rest of the store. It’s too dark to get a really good look at him, but I don’t miss the way his hands grope the air in front of me. Reaching for me.
I crawl backward and finally find my voice. “Axl!”
My knife is gone and my gun is in my pack. Back in the loading bay. I’m weaponless, and the body is so close that I get a whiff of his rotting teeth every time he chomps at the air. It takes another step forward, and his foot lands on my toe. I shriek again and jerk my leg back, scrambling further away. My legs won’t cooperate, so I can’t get to my feet. My heart pounds and my mind screams run!, but I can’t do anything other than crawl backward.
Axl calls for me again, and my heart pounds harder. He’s getting close. I call to him, praying he finds me or I can get my body to cooperate in some way. The dead man in front of me leans down and wraps his bony fingers around my ankle. I scream and kick, and my foot makes contact with his face. It’s soft and squishy, and my stomach convulses.
The body loses his grasp, and my leg is free. I move back two more paces and bump into someone behind me. My heart pounds and a sob pops out of my mouth when the body is finally illuminated by the beam of a flashlight. His milky eyes move up. A shot rings out, echoing in my ears, and the head of what used to be a man explodes, spraying black goo and decaying flesh all over the surrounding merchandise.
I shake, and tears stream down my face when I look up at Axl. Only it isn’t Axl standing behind me.
The man points the gun at my head. “You
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