The Last Infection: A Post Apocalyptic Thriller (4 page)

5.

There was a
defiant look on the woman’s face as she braced for an unnecessary last stand. Chris’ guilt wrestled with his common sense for half a second before he settled on what he had to do. He waved his hands above his head as he stepped away from the side of the building. The infected rushed across the parking lot as their vulgar hissing growls rose to a hurricane.

“Come on,” Chris yelled. “Follow me.”

His words trailed off as he headed around the front of the building. He caught the woman’s attention, but unfortunately, several of the advancing infected took notice. He would have sworn one of the blood lustful creatures motioned toward him as a portion of the pack broke off from the main force, but Chris didn’t have time to process it. He made it past the main entrance of the lawn care store before risking a look back. He caught sight of the woman with the kids in tow as they leapt into the store through one of its many busted out windows.

“Not in there
.”

H
e leapt in further down the storefront and tried to locate the trio through the dark interior with no success. The entire pack of infected regrouped in the lot, then sprinted towards the store, baying with furious rage. Fear pushed Chris’ legs to the brink. He spotted movement beyond the registers and caught up with the kids after several lengthy strides. The woman was in the lead, pulling the group down the center aisle.

“Nice plan,” Chris managed between panting breaths. “Now we’re trapped.”

She looked back, but didn’t respond. She was sucking in air as deeply as the kids were. Her dark brown hair clung to the sides of her face, held by the sweat running down her forehead. They were near the rear of the store when the rushing sound of their pursuers pouring into the storefront echoed down the aisles. The woman reached the end of the row, and then came to a sudden stop. Chris nearly bowled over the kids as he tried to pull back his momentum.

“What the hell are you doing?”

The woman gasped a few deep breaths before acknowledging him. “You want to lead?” she asked then motioned toward the back wall.

Chris scanned the row and found the best chance they had left. “Come on.” He didn’t explain before taking off at a full sprint
. He was headed for a wide door exit in the far corner against the back wall. He’d seen the store from the rear while crossing Fifty-First Street and if his sense of direction was correct, he figured they might survive if they could get outside.

The volume
of nefarious sounds continued to grow until a roar of shrieks rose to the point of madness. The long aisles of wares rocked and toppled over. The sparse light cascading through the storefront windows was disappearing, giving a hint at the sheer immensity of the infected pushing into the building. The fear consuming the intended victims quickly swelled to a heightened terror. Chris knew before the first of them burst out onto the rear row that he and his new followers wouldn’t reach the exit door in time.

Something told
him that his bat and the woman’s sidearm weren’t going to be enough to save them. The shadows of the infected overtook them like a death grip tightening around the neck. They were two aisles from the exit when Chris turned his attention to a rear shelving unit. He shifted his aim and slammed his shoulder into the tall display making contact over a row of flowerpots that had apparently been on clearance. The initial thudding impact told him he would regret it later, but for now, he hoped there would be a later to regret it.

“Push,” he yelled.

The woman and kids responded and the shelving tilted and gave way. The result was a deafening crash which left the last two aisles blocked, but it did nothing to the eight or so rows behind them. The woman fired two rounds before Chris turned to see what was coming. The wall of infected running toward them was beyond counting. He’d managed to buy a few precious seconds, but little else. Chris grabbed the kids by the collars of their jackets and pushed them towards the exit door. He was already running when he called out to the woman.

“
We’re only going to get one shot at this. Don’t be on the wrong side of the door.”

The kids reached the exit and slammed into the emergency bar, opening the way in time for Chris to run through.
He swept them out of the way as he passed, then pulled them outside with him. He took one last look for the damsel and found her right on top of them. Chris slipped out of the way and his last view of the interior of the store was of an indiscernible mass of the infected frantically charging toward him.

“I’m not going to be able to hold this,” he said, slamming his shoulder against the ou
tside of the door as it closed.

The others made a frantic search of the immediate area for anything that might help.
Chris peered over his shoulder and recognized at once the tall fenced in area behind the store he’d seen on his approach. It hadn’t meant much to him then, but now, it stood as another hurdle to any hope of survival. He didn’t remember the roll of razor wire strategically placed across the top of the fence. The interior of the outdoor space was crammed with a wide assortment of plants, tree saplings, crates of bags stuffed with an array of colored rocks and mulch, and every type of yard fencing imaginable.

“Start grabbing those bags,” he ordered,
trying to motion with his head.

Jake and
Alicen worked together, while the woman dragged a bag alone. The trio’s strength was not up to the heavy lifting and there was only a stack of four against the door when the blow came. The shock radiated through Chris and rattled his bones. He managed to absorb most of the initial hit and kept the door closed. The following assault cracked the door a few inches and several fingers slid through the opening. A smell of week old meat left out in the sun hit Chris square in the face. He forced his weight forward and sliced off the festering digits as the door slammed closed.

“Hurry
.”

The trio threw bags of rocks with everything they had, following it up with the
mulch, and anything else they could get their hands on. The deed was done and Chris was left pushing up against a pile of quality gardening material taller than him. The tower appeared to weigh enough to give them some time, but he stepped back, knowing it would not hold for long. The mountain shook from a constant assault on the door. He gathered his group together in the center of the fenced in space.

“Nice to meet you,” Chris said with a
well placed grin.

The
woman offered an awkward nod. “You have a plan on how we’re going to get out of here?” she asked.

“A plan?”
His grin faded. “Honey, I’m making this up as I go.” The kids looked up at him with wild eyes. “Fancy meeting you here,” he said.

“Hi
, Chris,” the kids replied in unison.

“You guys know each other?” the woman asked.

Chris nodded as his eyes worked along the top of the fence. He settled on the rear of the building. “It’s a long story,” he said as he turned and started to move. “We can go over it later.” He reached the wall as a sudden burst hit the back door and the top of the mountain of rock bags fell over. “…assuming there is a later, come on.”

Chris leapt up and grab
bed the bottom rung of a maintenance ladder several feet off the ground, and then pulled himself up. Another hit against the door caused the kids to run with the woman close behind. Chris grabbed hold of the ladder with one hand and leaned down, stretching out as far as he could with the other hand.

“Move it
.”

Alicen
was the first to go. The woman grabbed her at the waist and lifted straight up. She struggled with the weight, but managed to hold still. Chris took hold of the little girl’s fingers as another push at the door sent the top half of the bags down on to the pavement. The door cracked open and a wave of guttural howls poured out through the opening. Chris lost his grip and Alicen’s outstretched hands swayed as the woman’s strength wavered.

Chris readjusted his
hold, and then leaned down as far as he could without letting go. The sounds of the infected trying to get through the door echoed across the open space in a wave of terror. His heart beat wildly in his ears as reached for her. Their fingertips touched, then separated until finally he grabbed a firm hold. A second later, she was up and climbing over him towards the roof.

A scream from Jake pulled Chris’ attention back to the door. Two figures were through the opening up to the waist, clawing at the remaining barricade.
Their weathered faces were cracked and broken in places, exposing the muscle and tissue underneath. Jake didn’t wait for an invitation. He leapt up on a stack of plant pots and jumped. Chris only had a moment to adjust. He slid his legs underneath the next rung in the ladder, then let go with his hand and leaned down backwards. The moment he came around upside-down, Jake’s waist slammed into his face. Chris wrapped his arms around the boy and the two dangled helplessly from the ladder. A ferocious cracking sound from the door told everyone their time was up.

“Climb
.”

Jake
reached for the ladder, giving Chris a knee in the face for his troubles. Chris was left hanging by his legs, his arms dangling toward the ground. A rush of rage pushed the door open and the infected poured into the fenced in space with a booming roar of bloodthirsty lust. The piercing screams of infected madness engulfed them as they climbed over one another to get at the fresh meat.

“Jump,” Chris said, as if the woman needed encouragement.

She bent down and pushed off the concrete with all her might. Chris caught her hands and pulled with everything he had left. She was climbing when the infected bodies swept in below them in a frenzy. They reached out for her as she dangled, climbing over one another to get a piece. The woman reached the ladder and Chris discovered he lacked the strength to reach up and straighten himself. The fenced in space filled with the infected and the gathering resembled a mosh pit.

“A little help here.”

His backpack was dangling and he was sure it was a goner. Only then, did he realize he’d dropped his bat somewhere during the fray. An abrupt grip on his belt buckle pulled his attention up above his position. The woman had one arm wrapped around the top rung of the ladder and the other around his belt. The force of the pull surprised Chris as he rocked his body to help his rescuer. It took two good swings for him to rise up far enough to grab hold of the ladder, then another few deep breaths before they climbed up.

The
infected were everywhere below, like ants swarming on a dead carcass. The figures climbed over one another creating a mound of raging fury. The highest among them grabbed hold of the bottom of the ladder, trying to pull themselves up. Chris looked down over the side of the roof before going to work. He slammed the heel of his boot into the top of the ladder and the woman followed his example. She didn’t have to look over the side to know what was coming.

The metal pins holding the ladder to the roof screeched as the load
increased. The sheer volume coming over the edge of the building was enough to cause the kids to run to the other side of the roof, engulfed by panic. They huddled close together in the far corner as Alicen cried. Chris kicked at the ladder with all his strength, until in one panic filled moment, the device pulled free. The crash that followed was lost within the howling vehemence of the infected below.

Chris followed the woman toward the kids cowering
in corner and each gasped for breaths as they took in their surroundings. Chris considered for a moment how many times he’d come close to being torn to pieces since the infection broke. He was sure this was one of the all-time worst. It was in the middle of his internal debate that Alicen’s voice cut through with a simple question.

“
How are we going to get down?”

#

“You left two kids to fend for themselves?”

This was the third time
Jenn had asked the question, or made the statement, depending on how you looked at it. The introductions had been pleasant enough. They gathered in the corner of the roof overlooking the parking lot as soon as the group considered themselves safe. Light from the remaining operational parking lamps revealed the true extent of the infected and slumbering zombies attracted to the area by the recent chase. It was in this first calming moment that Jake explained how the kids knew Chris.

“How could you do that?”
Jenn asked.

The tone of her voice told Chris she wasn’t re
ally looking for an answer, but he felt compelled to defend himself. “First off, they left me,” he insisted, then he glared at Jake. “…and they stole some of my food in the process.” He conveniently left out the fact that he’d already decided to part ways with the kids before they ran away. “What was I supposed to do?” he asked, now on the offense. “It’s not my job to save everyone I come across.”

Jenn
threw up her hands in frustration. “And why not? You got something better to do?”

Chris laughed at her
, which only made the situation worse. “How about try to stay alive? Keep my ass from being eaten? There’s two pretty good things I can do right there.” He stopped laughing and held a determined gaze. He’d had enough of her holier than thou attitude. “Here’s a little dose of reality, honey. The world’s gone to crap and the infected and zed heads don’t care if their next meal is six years old or sixty.”