“One down, a dozen to go,” Billy called out.
Juan hurried toward Leon and began calling to the infected now concentrating on the black man. “Hey, dead fucks!”
Two of the infected changed directions and headed for Juan. The huge fat man continued toward Leon. His folds of flabby flesh swung from side to side with each step. He lumbered forward but was quickly left behind by a tall thin man with raw open wounds dripping a puss from his face, arms and along one shoulder, the arm hung limp but the infected man still reached with the other while gnashing his teeth.
Leon side stepped and swung the machete. It entered the side of the man’s head and he fell to the ground in a heap. The fat man stumbled forward. He got to the body and both feet caught the man’s legs. He fell forward looking like a beached whale. Legs extended, knees unable to bend so his feet floundered off the ground. His arms extended in front of him still reaching for Leon. Leon stepped closer and raised the machete over his head and swung it into the crown of the head splitting the scalp of thinning, greasy, black hair and driving the metal into the skull and brain. The whale’s arms and legs collapsed into stillness. Leon stood staring at the gouges down the back of the man.
Brian took out two more infected, then walked to Leon’s side. “You okay, man.”
“Look at him. Someone did that to him, deliberately. He was tortured.” Leon observed.
“As time goes by I’m afraid things are going to get a lot worse. Let’s get this nest cleaned out so we can settle down for the night.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
The four men moved forward, taking out the remaining infected one at a time. Paula and Margo followed in the van at a discrete distance. When they got to the building, Brian walked around to the driver’s door and spoke to Paula.
“Stay here until we clear the place. The place looks like there might be infected inside.”
Paula sighed. “It’ll stink. They always smell up a place.”
Brian laughed as he pointed to the darkening clouds overhead. “I don’t really want to spend the night in the van. Maybe we’ll be lucky and it won’t be too bad.”
“Sure.” Margo groused under her breath. “Been real lucky so far, I started my period today.”
“Yeah, that is really going to suck from now on,” Paula admitted.
They watched the men enter the building through the gift shop. The store seemed intact. No windows were broken and the door opened to the outside. It explained the infected not being inside. Once they walked out, there was no getting back in.
Brian led the trio inside. Leon moved to the right and Juan to the left. Billy followed looking toward the dark corners of the open space now cluttered with overturned displays and racks. The place had an underlining smell of spoiled food. Brian glanced toward the eatery at the side of the convenience store. The sandwich shop was separated from the store by a security gate from the ceiling. The shop seems to have been empty when it was closed. As they got deeper into the store the aroma of dead bodies overpowered the aroma of spoiled food.
“They’re in here,” Billy announced.
Juan grunted. “Sí. The back, I think.” He pointed to a narrow hall obscured in the shadows at the back of the store.
Brian glanced over his shoulder. “Watch outside, Leon.”
“Sure thing, boss,” Leon answered as he stepped back outside the gift shop.
Brian turned to Billy. “Let’s do this.”
Charlotte Hoaks. . . .(C. A. Hoaks) 