We drove back slowly discussing what had transpired. On arriving at headquarters I sent David to gather the others which arrived shortly.
“What do you think the military were doing? Where they looking for something? Did they find what they were looking for? Why set such a huge fire? And what crazy S.O.B. jumps from a five story building?” Kurt was throwing out random questions that were on his mind.
“Even though that was a military chopper it doesn’t mean they are military. I could fly the helicopter. Yes, I’m ex-military but there could be nonmilitary with the capability or aptitude to learn how. It could have been stolen from one of the abandoned bunkers for all we know. The fire was likely started by a grenade or other explosive. They likely got surrounded by large number of
Fallen
in a building that size. I know if I had no other choice I would probably have done the same thing. That goes with jumping off the building when it’s the only option of survival.”
We continued to talk for around an hour. We all decided it was probably safest if we stayed hidden for a while. There was no way to know if they were friendly or if they might pose a large threat. We did not want to take our chances. It was decided that we would stay in the neighborhood inside most of the time for at least a week. If there was no sign during that time then we would assume they had left the area. We would take precautions to be mindful during our outings after that just in case we were wrong. We also thought it would be wise to stay off the radio after David suggested they might be scanning for signs of activity. That gave us the same idea of using a scanner to see if we could pick up any chatter they were broadcasting.
A few days later late at night the sound of a chopper woke me with a start. Peeking through the curtains in the living room I saw the same helicopter from a few days ago heading towards our neighborhood. It flew directly over my roof with search light on a second after I drew away from the window. For several days following that night we could hear the chopper flying throughout the city at various times.
“Any idea what they are doing Jessie?”
“They seem to be scouting. Not sure if it is to get a count on the
Fallen
, to look for survivors, or if they are just doing basic reconnaissance. We should probably go check in to see if David was able to rig that scanner to work with a different power source. Maybe we should move to one of the vacant cabins to be closer to the others. It’s been a couple days since we have even heard from them.”
“You’re probably right. Are you going to break the news to Amy or do I have to? She is probably not going to enjoy the small hike carrying luggage.”
“No worries I’ll let you carry my luggage Rye,” Amy said walking around the corner into the kitchen joining us at the table where we had been eating cold oatmeal.
“Actually Rye, I think we should take my S.U.V. once it gets dark. It will be pretty much camouflaged since its black. We can drive with the headlights off to be on the cautious.”
“Works for me. I won’t have to carry Amy’s luggage.” We all laughed.
Around ten that night we drove with the windows cracked so we could listen for the helicopter. As we neared the neighborhood a red laser was momentarily focused in our direction before turning off. Jerod appeared out of the dark holding a rifle. Dan showed up next rushing to open a garage of one of the vacant cabins for Jessie to pull into. After unpacking while using a small flashlight we huddled around out front of the cabin with the door wide open.
“What in the world were you driving around at night with the headlights off?”
“Sorry would have called first if we had a phone. We were attempting to blend in with the surroundings to keep the ninjas unaware of our presence. We missed you guys so much that we decided to make the long trip from California using the last of our vacation time.” Everyone was smiling at my witty banter.
“Rye you are quite the character. You did come at a good time though.”
“Oh? Is tomorrow the pancake festival?”
“It can be if you want to run the griddle funny guy. I have the pancake mix, just needs water. Actually we have been doing our best to avoid sending out smoke signals for the helicopter to spot. The thing I was trying to mention though is that David is close to completing a solar powered device with enough output to run the scanner. He tried explaining the details. I was pretty much lost after the first sentence. I did catch that he needs a small part from an electronic store. Was about to come find you. What do you want to do?”
A trip into the city was probably the worst thing to do. Unfortunately, we really needed that part if David could get the scanner working. Tonight was as good a night as any if David was awake. Star answered the door looking perplexed to see all of us standing out front.
“Everything alright Rye?”
“Everything’s fine. Sorry if we woke you. Is David awake?”
“Sadly yes, he’s been doing his best to keep me awake playing Pokemon.”
“Well, we can get him out of your hair for a while so you can get some sleep. We need to take a trip to the city. Pretty sure even if David described what he needs to get the scanner running we would end up bringing back the wrong part.”
‘I’ll go get him. You realize that I definitely won’t sleep until you make it back safely right?”
“We’ll make it a quick trip then.”
She walked off into the darkness. David appeared shortly with a backpack ready to go. It was decided that Jessie, David, and I would make the trip using the S.U.V. Knowing that the Alluring Gadgets near Main Street was out, David suggested a smaller electronic store in a more secluded part of town.
As we drove the previous experience I had with Jerod the night we drove into town was apparently not a fluke. Fallen began to follow us as we drove. Nearing the electronic store I was about to suggest abandoning the mission altogether. David must have read my mind.
“When you get there pull around the back real quick. I’ll jump out while you continue driving to distract them. Come back in ten minutes at the front door. I’ll jump back in really fast and we’ll be done.”
“It’s too risky David. If even one of them sees you then you’ll be up a creek without a paddle.”
“Trust me. I’ll be fine. I’ve done this a hundred times. I only got trapped that one night because Starlette and Michael were with me making too much noise. I’m a fast runner and an excellent climber.”
“I don’t know. Anything could happen.”
“Sweetie, I know you’re being protective. We do need that part though as you pointed out. If he says he can do it maybe we should let him try. Our options are somewhat limited. Before you suggest going with him I have to say that statistically his chances are better on his own given the circumstances.”
I looked back seeing that at around ten
Fallen
where lurking behind us.
“Fine. We need to make some distance from the group behind us though.”
Arriving at the block with the electronic store Jessie gunned the accelerator flying into the parking lot. At an unsafe speed she swerved around the corner to the rear of the building. David shot out of his door springing into a dumpster before we took off back the direction we had come from. We surprised the gathering
Fallen
that had been tailing us driving straight for them. We veered off after striking one that was sent airborne. Watching in the mirror I saw that none attempted to head towards the back of the building. They all continued to follow behind us since Jessie had slowed down to keep their attention. When they tried to run after us she sped up until they slowed down. I kept an eye on my watch as the seconds dragged by sluggishly. At eight minutes I told Jessie to give her time to make it back. Speeding a little we arrived back right at ten minutes. Parked out front for a full minute the
Fallen
would be catching up any second. I threw open the passenger door jumping out.
“Come back in exactly thirty minutes. If I’m not here go back to the cabins. If I don’t show up in a day make everyone pack. Tell Dan to take everyone to my house in Texas.”
Two of the Fallen were now five feet away. They began running towards me. I shot both in the head after slamming the door. Jessie gunned the engine taking off down the street making noise to get their attention. I ran around the side making my way to the back. As I turned the corner I came face to face with a
Fallen
. Not having time to think I kept running knocking him down. I slid to a halt putting all my weight into crushing its skull beneath my boot. It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. I found a broken window above a parked car that David had probably used to get inside. I made my way up and through the window into a rancid smelling restroom. On exiting the bathroom I heard a loud scratching noise coming from across the store. Crouching I made my way towards the noise. A loud thud made me freeze momentarily. I continued moving forward until I was an aisle away from the sound. I crept as silently as I possibly good until I reached the very end. Barely peaking around the corner I saw a female
Fallen
clawing on a door. Deep scratches were covered in blood on the wood from where she had broken off her finger nails trying to tear through the door. As I started to creep up from behind the thing slammed its head against the door making a thud like I had heard earlier. Something crunched under my right foot when I was about two foot away. It spun around seeing that I was pointing a gun in its direction. Before I could get off a clear shot it took off down one of the aisles.
“David, you in there? You alright?”
“Rye! I’m fine. It was in the restroom when I broke in. She grabbed ahold of me. In the struggle to keep her from biting me I dropped my gun. I barely got away. I was too fast for her to catch again even though she tried for a good five minutes around the store.”
“Listen she is still running around. Stay in there for now. I’ll be back.”
“Will do. Be careful it’s one of the smart ones.”
I had figured as much from how it reacted to seeing the gun. I turned on a small light and the red dot laser on my gun. Making sure the silencer was snuggly in place I stood up. A foot away from the aisles I began side stepping to check each row. Ready to pull the trigger at a moment’s notice I continued all the way to the end without any sign of the thing. Goosebumps started rising on my skin. My instincts told me that it was extremely close by. A million horror movies flashed in my head. I never spun around so fast in my life. It was crouched in the corner of the store hissing at the light from my gun. It swiftly came at me with a unhuman bloodlust. Taking careful aim I shot her right as she came in reaching distance. A pool of coagulated blood oozed onto the floor. I went back to the door telling David it was safe to come out. He opened the door eating from a bag of peanuts.
“What? It’s a break room. I was hungry. Running burns off a lot of calories.”
I simply shook my head. I told him to hurry and find whatever it was that he had come for. He took off with a flashlight for five minutes before returning.
“Is Jessie coming back for us?”
“She is supposed to be in about fifteen more minutes. Are there any more of those peanuts?”
“There’s a whole box. I also found several boxes of Skittles and cheese crackers without expiration dates. Stuffed it all in my backpack. Which one you want?”
“Now that there is an option I’ll take Skittles. You’re probably too young to remember but several thousand people were killed by some illness from peanuts. Never really trusted them since then regardless of what the media or government said.”
“Yep, before my time. That was around twenty-five years ago according to the science book I read it in. Peanuts are one of Starlette’s favorite foods so I never shared the story with her. I learned to like them so we would have another thing in common.”
“Sounds like you have liked her for a long time. Why haven’t you ever asked her out?”
“Mostly the fear of rejection for many years. Then we became such good friends I was afraid to lose that. Just when I finally got up the courage to ask her the world went apocalyptic. Her parents died followed by her brother here recently. Seems like fate doesn’t want us together I suppose.”
“Kid, fate is only what we make it. It’s true you can’t control every aspect of what will happen in the world around you. However, every action we choose defines us. Think of it this way. On one hand you could express your feelings. Maybe spend a short time or a long time in love. On the other hand something bad happens. You lose the one you silently loved and never even shared the secret of how deeply you cared for them. It eats away at you for the rest of your life.”
“Rye, I think I’ll tell her if we make it back.”
“You mean when we make it back! I choose to live. I choose to do whatever it takes to make it home to those I love. That’s how you should always think. Be the glass is half full type of person. Not the glass is half empty.”
“You know I think your words are better than any of the fortune cookies I ever read.”
I couldn’t help laughing which made David break into laughter also. At two minutes until I told Jessie to return we headed out of the break room for the front door.
“There she is! She just stopped at the end of the block.”