Everyone nodded and did as they were told.
***
“Right,
let’s get cracking. I want to be home with a hot cup of tea by 4 p.m.,” insisted Will, resting on the butt of his rifle. “I’m not too keen on this idea either, believe me. The idea of going into a library for books is beyond me, but this is what we’ve been asked to do, so here we are. Don’t take any risks and if there are any zombies in there, we’re getting out fast. I’m not risking my life for
Little Mouse on the Prairie
or
War and pissing Peace
, and I don’t imagine any of you lot want to do that either. We’ve seen enough action for one day. The administrator can get off her bony arse and get the books herself if she wants them so badly!”
“I second that,” said Martinez, flicking his cigarette to the ground. “I don’t read anyway.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” asked John, prodding him in the ribs. “You just look at the pictures.”
“Cos he just reads skin mags,”
Ian joked. “Big collection, I hear.”
“Really?” asked Marcus. “How do you get them? You got some secret supplier?”
“Guys,” grumbled Sylvia. “Come on! This ain’t the locker room.”
“She’s got a point,” commented Will with a laugh. “Come on, the sooner we get this done, the
sooner we go home. This time I want two men to wait outside as it’s later in the day. Any sign of ugly fuckers, come get us. Volunteers?”
John pointed to
Jake. “How about him? He’s too ugly for ugly.”
“Fuck you!”
“Guys! Seriously?” Will groaned.
Marcus and I
an put their hands up, to which Will nodded. He then led the way over to the entrance of the library. The front consisted of two wide windows. Looking in and seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Will found the main door unlocked. Shrugging to his soldiers, he opened it while everyone else readied themselves. As the door opened, Will peered inside to the left and right where the building led off in two directions down corridors lined with bookshelves. The main area stretched ahead with the librarians’ desks and service area in the centre. A couple of upturned chairs made him wary. Everything else stank of normality. Nodding to the others, he walked inside the building, holding the door open for Martinez who took it. One by one, everyone entered.
Will closed the door without
making a sound. Taking a few steps forward, he gestured for everyone else to follow his lead. When they reached the group of desks, he stopped and scrutinised the room. Marla listened out, but the place was soundless. She noticed how the items on the desks were arranged neatly, as if the librarians were about to come back. A book lay open alongside someone’s membership card and a pair of glasses sat there, waiting. She pointed them out to Tommy.
Will picked up a stapler and let it drop to the floor,
anticipating a response if they had company, but none came. After a few minutes, he smiled. “Seems to be clear, so let’s split up and get this place covered quickly. John and Leroy, collect the boxes from the bus, come back here and leave them by the entrance, but with the exit clear in case we need to leave in a hurry. Then I want you to head off to the left there. You’ve all got lists of the books we need, so use your brains.”
The two guys nodded and
left the building in haste. Will then turned to the rest of his team. “Sylvia and Tommy, I want you to take the right,” he told them. “The administrator wants books for the children and educational stuff – check your lists. Marla and Martinez, you’re with me. We’re going straight ahead. Everyone, any sign of trouble, just fire your gun and we’ll all come running to wherever you are. Don’t take any risks, as I said before. These are books goddamit and, really, who gives a shit?” He shrugged and strode ahead.
Marla glanced at Martinez out of the corner of her eye as she walked alongside him.
“Thanks for not shooting Jakob that time,” she said eventually, wishing to break the ice.
He winked. “No sweat. I had your back and you made a good call. I hear that guy’s doing pretty good.”
She nodded. “He is. Thanks.”
“Quiet, girls, less of the chit-chat,” said Will.
Marla bit her lip and listened out for anything unexpected. The building looked safe enough to her, but who knew what lay hidden, waiting. It seemed the staff had vacated the place in a hurry and there were no signs of bloodshed or a struggle. Perhaps everyone had managed to escape to somewhere safe. She wondered if any of them had been among those rescued from the church.
“Looks clear to me,” Will announced when they reached the windows at the far end of the library. A flight of stairs led upwards and he
ran his eyes up them. “Ladies first?” he offered.
“I don’t really go in for that chivalry thing, so you can go if you like,” Marla replied with a half-
smile.
Martinez chuckled and raised his eyebrows at Will, who responded with a “
Touché,” before making his way up the wooden staircase. It curved slightly all the way to the top.
“Looks like the reference section,” Marla remarked over Will’s shoulder.
“Really? Guess you’ve been in more libraries than me,” he said, surveying the space.
Bookcases lined the walls
, and the area was taken up by row upon row of tables with chairs placed around them. Books, pens and papers lay here and there, but everything was so neat, as if their owners had only stepped away. Doors led off to the toilets and staff areas, and a service desk rested to the side.
“Should we check through those doors?” asked Martinez.
Will nodded and Martinez strode quickly towards them. Marla walked slowly, taking in the entire floor, on guard for any fleeting shadow. When Martinez reached the men’s toilets, he pushed the door open confidently and disappeared inside. He reappeared grinning before heading into the ladies’. Within seconds he re-emerged wearing the same expression. “All clear, sir.”
“That just leaves the staff area,” said Will. “What would be in there?”
Marla shrugged. “No idea.”
Will pushed the door open. Raising his gun
, he entered a carpeted room with a table and chairs, and cooking facilities. There was a black sofa as well, and even more books. As if there were not enough already, he thought; didn’t these people do anything except read?
Marla discerned the aroma of gone-off milk and guessed it had probably turned to cheese by now
, so she opted to leave the cupboards and fridge alone. A couple of doors led off from the room, and Will headed towards the first one and checked inside. “Cloakroom, looks like. All clear.” He pushed the other door open and disappeared inside. Marla bit her lip at his lack of wariness and followed Martinez cautiously.
They were s
tanding inside a storeroom. Rows of metal shelving units stretched all the way back, filled from top to bottom with dusty boxes, old computer equipment and a myriad other items. Marla took in the bare wooden floorboards and grey painted walls. The place smelt musty.
“Looks clear,” said Martinez.
Will nodded. “Still have to check.”
“I reckon this is the storage area for the reference library. Guess there’s probably more downstairs,” Marla suggested as they
headed towards the back.
Will did not
reply, his concentration fixed on checking every single space between the shelves. A dull creak made them halt. Marla’s pulse raced and she sought the source of the sound. Martinez was the first to the back of the room. “Clear, sir,” he announced.
“So what was the noise?” asked Will.
Martinez shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. Rats maybe?”
Will pursed his lips and wandered back to the entrance of the room. “Let’s check downstairs. I want to know this place is safe while my team is in this building. Dumb enough goose chase as it is.”
Marla gave Martinez a slight smile. He winked back at her before opening the door, allowing her to wander into the staffroom first. “Gee, thanks,” she said, and he grinned.
Once they were all back in the reference area, they
carried out one last check before heading back downstairs. Marla noticed Sylvia packing some books towards the entrance of the library. She turned when Will said, “Over there!” After pointing to some doors to the right, he strode off purposefully.
“He doesn’t believe in waiting, does he?”
Marla whispered to Martinez.
He
shrugged. “Seems that way. I reckon he’s trying to impress Caballero. He hasn’t been at Haven all that long.”
Will
stopped and peered over his shoulder. “Less talk, more speed, ladies,” he informed them before opening the door marked ‘Storeroom’. “Let’s check here, the other two doors opposite, and we’ll be done.” Without waiting for a response, he opened the door confidently and entered. Martinez headed in afterwards and held the door for Marla. She took it and closed it silently.
Darkness shrouded the area beyond
. Will took out his torch, and Martinez and Marla raised their weapons as he shone the light around. Rows of shelves greeted them, filled with boxes and equipment, and on a table to one side there was a computer, which Marla presumed to be the server for the library system. It was switched off. The place smelt damp and dusty, and a flight of wooden stairs led downwards. The fact there was a basement made Marla’s hackles rise. As Will spun the light around, she checked the switches on the walls, but the lights failed to come on. Her face clearly fell, because Martinez nodded to her before glancing at Will for further instruction.
Marla had a sinking feeling
that Will would head down, which he did without saying a word. She turned on the light on her assault rifle and waited for Martinez to move down the stairs. After adjusting his light, he did so, and she stepped down after him, planting each foot slowly and surely as she made her way down. Will disappeared from sight, followed by Martinez and then Marla reached solid ground. Feeling her pulse quicken, she did a 360-degree turn.
The
area was dotted with metal shelving and boxes, as far as she could tell in the dark. Down here the smell of damp increased, accompanied by something else that she could not put her finger on. The basement stretched out in all directions, the furthest reaches blurring. With every sense raised, Marla advanced towards the other two guys who had wandered straight ahead. There was no real reason for them to check this area, she thought with a frown. All they had to do was block the door from outside. She quickened her pace, intending to tell Will. As far as she could tell, they were taking unnecessary risks, which she was sure Caballero would not have taken under the same circumstances.
“Sir,” she said as she came level with
him, “Why don’t we just secure the door to the library? I have a bad feeling down here. We can’t see far.”
Will turned and shone the full
glare of his torch in Marla’s face, forcing her to look aside. “Soldier, we need to make sure the entire building is secure, for everyone’s safety. Do you have a problem following orders?”
She swallowed. “No, sir.”
“Then don’t question me.”
Marla nodded and glanced at Martinez, finding his expression unreadable.
Rubbing the top of her mouth with her tongue, she let her eyes sweep the area, left to right, and then over each shoulder, as she followed the two men towards the blackest part of the basement. The air became drier and dustier, making her want to sneeze, but she stopped herself. Ahead, Will kept on going until a rush of breathing brought him to a halt. He raised his hand, and Martinez and Marla stopped. She surveyed the area from left to right again as a cold finger seemed to run across the back of her neck: it belonged to fear.
Deep sighs cut through the air, sliding in from the distance. Somewhere in
this pitch the sound had its origins, but it did not choose to show itself, not yet. Experiencing the feeling of being watched, Marla peered over her shoulder. The breathing sounded laboured and heavy. She guessed its owner to be a man, but there was nothing human about it. Marla looked at Will. Why had he paused so long? They needed to go back. He was risking their lives and for what? All they had to do was secure the door upstairs. The seconds passed like long, drawn-out minutes as she listened to the subdued sighs, breathing in and out, in and out. Something shifted in the shadows and then it was still once more, only to be joined by a lower moan. Her eyes widened, trying to penetrate the gloom.
Will
stopped dithering and turned around, to Marla’s relief. At last he was going to see sense. “Sir?” she whispered. He smiled and took a step closer to her, without lowering his gun. “Give me your weapon, soldier.”
“What?” she gasped.
“This is where we part company. Give me your weapon.”
“Sir,” Martinez cut in, “you can’t be
s...”
Will scowled.
“Martinez, shut it, unless you want to give me your weapon too.”
Martinez
stepped back, avoiding Marla’s eyes. She stared from one man to the other. “Why?” she asked.
Without answering
, Will raised the barrel of his gun to her cheek. Replacing his torch in his pocket, he opted to rely on the searchlight on his weapon. He held out his now free hand, waiting. Marla hesitated for a second and relented. There were two of them, and she felt certain Will would blow her head off and then lie about it, but why? As he took her rifle she tried in vain to catch Martinez’s eye. Why didn’t he stand up to the man? Then they could get out of here together.