Those Lazy Sundays: A Novel of the Undead (24 page)

Brent sipped his coffee and nodded. “Can’t argue with that.”

They went silent and enjoyed the coffee, savoring the bitter flavor and the warm feel in their mouths. It wasn’t the best coffee they’d ever had – heck, it wasn’t even
good
coffee – but after the dark, rainy,
slow
drive, they might as well have been sipping a Café Latte in a Starbucks or Coffee Bean.

Two soldiers came out of the far door, where Molina had gone, carrying a wooden ammo crate between them. “You guys need any help?” Brent yelled as they walked past, heading for the door. One of the soldiers looked at him and shook her head. “We’re okay, thanks. We’ll get this loaded up for you pretty quick.”

“Thanks,” Brent said. The two soldiers went outside, then came back in a minute later without the crate. They went back across the gym and into the building, then came back with a second crate, and repeated the process a few more times. After the last trip, Sergeant Molina came back into the gym.

“Looks like you guys are good to go,” he said to Brent. “We gave you a few cases of MREs too. Figured you could use them if you haven’t been resupplied in a while.”

“Thanks again, Sergeant Molina,” Brent replied.  He wasn’t sure that they needed the MREs right now, but he wasn’t going to turn down supplies. “I gotta hit the head before we go. Where’s it at?”

Sergeant Molina pointed across the gym to a door by the serving tables. “Through that door, on the right.”

“Thanks.”

Brent started across the gym and went through the door.

“I’d probably better go too,” Jack said. “I’d rather not have to pull over and take a piss in the woods on the way back. I have a feeling that would just be tempting fate.”

George laughed. “Good point. In that case, think I’ll go too.”

They crossed the gym, getting to the door and stepping into the dim hallway just as Brent was coming out of the restroom. “I’ll be at the truck, boys,” he said as he passed by. Jack and George emerged a couple of minutes later and walked back down the hallway towards the gym.

“If all goes well we’ll be back by sunrise,” George said, stepping through the doorway and back into the gymnasium. “Not looking forward to going back out in that rain, though.”

“Tell me about it,” Jack agreed his clothes still damp from the road-clearing he’d done earlier.

“Hey!” A whispered voice came from their side. They turned and saw Brent standing just to the side of the door.

“What—“ Jack began, but saw that Brent was very subtly gesturing in the opposite direction. Jack looked over his shoulder. It took him a moment to figure out what he was seeing, but once he understood, his mouth dropped open.

“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” Brent said.

“Yeaaahh,” Jack agreed. “Let’s.”