Torn Apart (Book 1): Terror In Texas (24 page)

“Yeah,” Matt answered. “We’ve got a job to do that’s for damned sure.” He slowed the Humvee as he neared the rental store.

The yard was fenced and the only access blocked by a wrought iron fence with a padlock on a chain. The storefront next to the gate advertised specials on short-term rentals and accepting all major credit cards.

“There’re three private vehicles in the parking lot.”

“That’s a bad sign,” Matt muttered. “There’s probably one or two for employees and a customer or two. Most likely the customer will have someone with him.”

“So we have at least four infected to deal with,” Jenkins answered.

“Yep. Ain’t no choice.” Jake shrugged. “Keys will be in the office. Dis brotha’ don’t have a clue how to hotwire a truck.” He laughed at his own attempt at ghetto humor.

Jenkins smirked at him and groaned.

“Let’s do this as quiet as we can,” Matt ordered. “Don’t use a gun unless you have to. I don’t want to advertise we’re here.”

Matt backed up to the office and all four men exited the vehicle. Jake and Matt pulled machetes free of scabbards. Jenkins held up a tire iron, and Ramirez- a three-foot piece of rebar.

“Same drill Ramirez. You watch our six.”

“Yes, sir.”

Jenkins and Jake waited by the vehicle while Matt walked to the building. He stood at the side of the door and peeked around to look into the gloom of the office. Shadows moved around in the open reception area. Matt ducked below the sill and made his way to the side of the glass door. There he pressed his back against the brick wall and motioned Jenkins and Jake to his side.

Matt whispered. “There’re at least three on this side of the counter. I’ll open the door and take out whatever gets to me first, Jenkins, you go left, Jake right. Take ‘em out quick and quiet.”

Matt raised a hand to quickly count off three fingers one at a time. He jerked the door open and the three men exploded into the room. Matt first, then Jake darted through the doorway with Jenkins on his heels.

Jake used his machete to cleave the top of an infected man’s head. He fell like a stone knocking over an end table and one of the two chrome and plastic chairs in front of a window. Matt took out a fat man in a white shirt and turned just in time to see Jenkins bash in the side of a woman’s face. The infected woman slowed for only a heartbeat and Jenkins swung again. The second swing embedded the crowbar into the temple of the woman. She fell to the floor behind the counter taking the crowbar with her.

Jenkins pushed open a side gate and leaned down to retrieve his crowbar. His wrist was captured by a hand covered in blood and gore. He yelped in alarm and fell back on his backside kicking at the head of the infected man pulling himself up Jenkins’ leg. He jerked his wrist free and kicked at the body covering his left leg. The body rolled aside and Jenkins crab-crawled back until his hand met a previously downed infected body.

Jake stepped on the offending appendage and used the machete on the infected man’s head. “That bastard is really in bad shape.”

Matt leaned over the counter. “Fuck. They did a real number on the counter guy.” Matt swung the gate open and stepped around the body. “Let’s get busy.”

Jenkins jumped to his feet and shivered. “That was nasty. Fuck!” He snorted nervously.

Jake slapped Jenkins on the back. “You move pretty fast for a white guy.”

“Fuck you.” Jenkins snorted. “You move pretty slow for a black guy.”

Jake chuckled and punched him lightly on the arm. “I’ll try to do better next time.”

Suddenly Ramirez stuck his head in the door. “I don’t want to interrupt this bonding moment, but we got company stumbling this way.”

Matt grabbed a key on a long stick with a tag identifying it as the gate key. He tossed it to Ramirez. “Get the gate open then be ready to drive the Humvee. Jake, cover him.”

Jenkins looked out the window. “There’s a fifteen foot moving van near the gate. Only one out there.”

Matt opened a metal wall cabinet and studied the array of labeled keys. Each one bore a unit identification number.

“What’s the unit number?” Jenkins called out.

Jake called back the number. Matt picked up the keys and sorted through the tags one by one. Finally, he jerked up a key and headed for the door. He tossed the key to Jake and raced toward the Humvee.

Jenkins stood between the Humvee and the truck looking from one to the other. Finally, Matt pointed at the van. “Ride shotgun.”

Jake cranked the engine and it roared to life. Jenkins jumped in and Jake slammed the vehicle into gear. When Jake gave Matt a thumbs-up, the Humvee took off.

In the panel van, Jenkins shifted through the glove box and found a map and a couple random pieces of paper. He looked behind the seat into the back of the vehicle. It was dark and empty. “We can carry a lot of supplies in here.”

Jake laughed. “It’s got a full tank of gas, too. You gotta love an efficient business model.”

Matt directed the Humvee to the large box store with the truck following close behind. They parked at the edge of the parking lot and Matt rolled down his window just as Jake pulled up next to the Humvee.

“Single entrance. Could be good. Could be bad.” Matt commented.

Jake shrugged. “Your call.”

“Jake and I go inside. Jenkins, you and Ramirez stay at the front door when we get it open. Jake and I’ll bring supplies in carts, one of you cover the other while supplies are loaded into the vehicles.”

Jenkins made a curt nod and grinned at Ramirez. “If you see any beef jerky, can you grab it? Oh, and some clean underwear.” He laughed.

“As opposed to dirty underwear?” Matt remarked. “Okay, let’s do this.”

With a nod from Matt, Ramirez released the break and made a wide circle across the parking lot to stop with the back of the truck and Humvee facing the front of the store.

All four men opened doors and the men walked to the front of the store. Jenkins and Ramirez opened the back of the vehicles then stepped to the outside to protect Matt and Jake.

Matt turned to Jake. “When we get inside you’re on clothing and bedding detail. Pick up shoes, underclothes and whatever else you think we need. Get a variety of sizes for the kids but don’t get too picky. Clear a shelf or two then get bedding, sleeping bags preferably but blankets will do. I’ll get as much food as I can. We’ll fill baskets then drop what we find at the front door for Jenkins and Ramirez to load in the vehicles. I’ll hit the drug department, pick up shampoo and soap and shit like that last.”

“With the cots in the attic of the rec center, I know exactly what we need.” Jake answered.

Matt nodded at Jake. “Let’s clear the place then get busy. I don’t want to be here more than twenty minutes.”

Matt and Jake peered into the gloom.

“I see someone in there,” Jake whispered. “Maybe more.”

“Half a dozen vehicles. Two were parked at the side of the parking lot. Probably employees. The rest are right up front. That blue Fiesta has the door open and no one around.”

Jake nodded. “I can see blood on the door and if they let an infected person inside.” His voice trailed off.

Matt pushed on the door and it opened easily. “Not locked. Not a good sign.”

They peered into the dark for a moment and heard the first moan of an infected.

“Shit.” Jake cursed. “Can’t any of this shit be easy?”

Matt shrugged and answered. “You two watch the door. We’re going inside. We’ll take out the infected before we start bringing up supplies. Just in case, don’t get sloppy. Watch the fucking door too.”

Jenkins nodded then helped slid the door back. “Got it.”

Matt strode toward the sound of shuffling feet with Jake at his side. They faced two infected customers. Both had been working men in life, one with a thick body in blue coveralls while the other dressed like a construction worker. Coverall man had a bandaged arm while the construction worker had limbs horribly damaged with gaping holes and open wounds. They each began shambling and reaching toward their intended prey.

Jake and Matt unsheathed machetes and stepped several feet away from each other. It seemed to confuse the infected men. They froze, undecided which man to attack first. Finally, both seemed to forget about Matt and faced Jake.

“I know dark meat is sweeter than white, but boys this doesn’t work for me.” He swung the machete and took the head from the closest monster. The body of the construction worker fell with a hollow thud.

At the same time, Matt stepped up and brought his machete down at the second infected man’s head. The blade glanced off the skull and drove into the collar bone of the man. The infected man remained focused on Jake and took a step closer pulling the blade from Matt’s hand.

“Ah, shit!” Jake stabbed out and drove his blade into the right eye socket and the monster fell with Matt’s blade still wedged in the head.

Reaching for the weapon, Matt suddenly felt a brush of a hand on his sleeve. He jerked his arm free, spun around and kicked out with his left boot. An infected teen went down in a heap.

Jake pulled his machete from the man’s head and made a wide arc with the blade. It connected with the teen’s neck. Her head flew from her shoulders, hit a register and rolled away.

The head stopped with the face looking at them. The clouded eyes blinked and the mouth snapped and gnashed teeth at them.

“That’s just nasty,” Jake commented with a grimace.

Matt stepped over and slammed his booted foot down on the head just as a nasally voice called out from the store speaker system. “They’re coming from the back!” A voice warned through the store’s public address system. “You have to block the warehouse door on the right side of the back wall or they’ll just keep coming!”

Both men were retrieving their weapons as Jake asked. “Who in the hell was that? And why ain’t he blocking the door if he knows about it?”

They headed toward the back of the store when Matt answered. “Don’t know. Come on. Let’s do it.”

As they jogged toward the back of the building, they heard a tortured moan. It began low and anguished, slowly rising in volume. It was answered by an angry keening of another infected. The pair of infected women saw the men and each changed directions to head straight for them.

Matt watched as a monster that had once been a small woman with delicate of features snarl as she limp toward them. The second monster was nearly as tall as Jake. She was massively overweight and her face was masked by a thatch of orange-red hair, a color that could only come out of a bottle. Her throat hung in shreds around her ample chest. Blood covered her house dress while the wound at her neck still leaked thick drops of blackened sludge with each step. Both women looked ravenous as they stumbled toward Matt and Jake.

“I think the big one likes you, Jake,” Matt called out.

Jake chuckled. “Thanks, asshole.”

They rounded a display case and saw the double doors to the warehouse entrance being held open by a jack with a loaded pallet left half way through the swinging doors. Any time an infected leaned against either panel, they fell into the store. As if to verify the evaluation, one of the panels opened and a monster in a blue uniform fell into the store. It slowly got to its feet and zeroed in on Jake and Matt.

Matt ordered. “Let’s take out Big Bertha and Twiggy then you can dispose of the blue man.”

Matt headed toward the mammoth woman, but she seemed to only have eyes for Jake. He laughed and called out. “See, I told you, she likes you better than me.”

When the massive woman reached for Jake, Matt used his machete to removed her hands. She ignored the loss while she still focused on Jake. Matt kicked out and drove his boot into her kneecap. She fell to her knees giving Matt time to glance at Jake.

He had taken out the petite woman with a blow to the side of her head and without looking back, stepped around the body and headed toward the blue man.

Big Bertha was still struggling to get to her feet when Matt’s next swing connected with the gargantuan woman’s head. Her scalp peeled off with a pin-wheeling flight of crimson tresses. The impact sent her to her knees, but she still didn’t stay down. She pulled her feet under her and stumbled back to her feet. She turned to face Matt with teeth gnashing.

“Fuck!” He cursed as he jabbed at her face. He missed her eye. She swiped it away with the remains of her arm.  He took another swing at her head, but her flailing arm knocked the blade aside again. Matt backed away from the woman in frustration.

Meanwhile, Jake took out the blue man.

Bertha focused on Matt while he swung the machete again and took her left arm off at the shoulder. Still the woman came after him. Matt swung the machete at her face but she turned and he hit her meaty shoulder slicing off a slab of flesh. She moaned and reached out with her stump. All the while, her mouth opened and closed, her teeth clicking against each other.

Matt took two steps back and glanced over to see Jake move the pallet jack against the warehouse door. With the breaks locked, no matter how much weight pushed against the doors from the warehouse, the doors wouldn’t open.

As he walked back toward Matt, Jake called out. “I know it’s been a long dry spell man, but I don’t think she’s your type. Kill her already.”