Voodoo Plague - 01 by Dirk Patton Page A

and continued into the garage.  There were no hiding places to
check or worry about so I jumped out and released the garage door from the
automatic opener track then pulled it down.  The truck was still running,
quickly filling the garage with stinking diesel exhaust fumes so I rushed to
disconnect the wires and shut the engine off.
    The fury of the
storm lashing the aluminum garage door was so loud I could hardly tell the
truck was no longer running.  I made a mental note to find an electrical switch
to wire into the truck so we didn’t have to twist two wires together every time
we wanted to start it.
    It was dark in
the garage, but I brought out my looted flashlight and pulled the pistol.
    “Dog,” I called,
and he jumped to the front seat then down to the garage floor through the door
I’d left open.
    Rachel stepped
out of the truck, Glock in hand.  I looked at her and she glared back at me. 
“Don’t say a word, Mr. Bad Ass.  I’ve saved your life twice now, and I’m
getting a little tired of being left behind in the truck.”
    I looked at Dog
who seemed to be smiling at me, shook my head and moved to the door into the
house.  Dog came up beside me and gave it a good sniff then stood still looking
at me, waiting for me to do something.  I didn’t know how he’d react if there
were either people or infected on the other side of the door, but I didn’t
think in either case he’d be as calm as he was.
     
     
     
     
     
     

16
     
     
    Clicking the
safety off on the pistol I quietly turned the door knob and eased the door
open.  All was quiet, or at least any sounds within the house were masked by
the raging storm outside.  As the door swung open I paid attention to Dog,
trusting him to be an early warning if the house was inhabited.
    Dog just stood
quietly at the open door, nose twitching.  I stepped into the hallway and Dog
stayed by my side.  Rachel brought up the rear, padding silently in her bare
feet.  We quickly checked the entire house and found it empty.  With that out
of the way I made sure all the doors were securely locked and all the windows
were covered.  I didn’t want any visitors.
    The house looked
like it had been home to a couple.  There were three bedrooms, two of them
musty smelling and being used for storage.  The master was a shambles with
drawers pulled out of the dressers and left lying on the floor amidst heaps of
clothing.  It looked like someone had packed and left in a hurry.
    The kitchen was
small and not particularly clean, but the cupboard was well stocked with canned
foods.  The range was gas burning and I was happy to hear the hiss of natural
gas when I turned the knob.  The gas didn’t ignite because the range used an
electric starter and the power was off, but a simple match would solve that
problem and we’d have a hot meal.
    Rachel checked
the water and it was still on, and it even got hot as she let it run.  Must be
a gas hot water heater with a pilot light. 
    “First shower!”
She grinned across the room at me.
    I grinned back. 
“I’ll make dinner while you clean up.  Keep your pistol close and leave the
bathroom door open.  If you hear me shout…”
    “Got it,” She
answered, still smiling.  Apparently not even the end of the world could dampen
her spirits when a hot shower was available.  Rachel went down the hall to the
bathroom and moments later I heard the shower start up.
    The storm still
raged outside as I started pulling cans out of the pantry.  A large can of
chunky beef stew went into a bowl on the floor and Dog devoured it in less than
a minute, licked the bowl spotlessly clean and went over and laid down in the
corner with a contented sigh.
    I found a large
skillet and after getting the stove top lit put it on the burner and started
adding the contents of several cans.  I wouldn’t win any culinary awards, but
as I added two cans of Spam, a can of baked beans and another of corn I thought
the aroma coming from the