In the Lone and Level Sands (43 page)

“Maybe just a few of us should go into town,
for now,” Garrett said. “Sneak in, get some supplies, and then head
back here and stay the night. I think most of us could use some
rest, anyway.”

“I don’t know,” Layne said. “Whoever’s left
out here may be sitting ducks.”

“They’re probably safer out here than in
town,” Katie said. “Nothing is going to come snooping around two
more parked cars, especially in a town this small. Hell, if there
aren’t too many zombies around, maybe we can even find a place to
stay down there. I’d kill for a warm bed right now.”

“Okay. We’ll send some people out to scout.
I’ll go.”

“You sure, man?” Garrett asked. “You look
tired.”

“I’ll be fine. How about you?”

“I think I’ll sit this one out. I’ll try to
keep the people back here safe.”

“All right. Turn off the lights and lock the
doors. Wait for me to come back. Have any guns?”

“We have a nine. Maybe twelve bullets,
tops.”

“Then don’t waste them.”

Garrett nodded, then got back into the car.
The lights went out, and Layne heard the doors lock. He leaned back
into the minivan and turned off the lights, then turned to the
others.

“I’m going into town to get supplies. Does
anyone need anything?”

“I’d like a number 12, extra pickles, no
onions, and can I get that in a supersize?” Dex said. Lacie
giggled.

“No, you can’t,” Layne said, as seriously as
he could. Lacie stopped laughing, and the smile faded from Dex’s
face. “They don’t do supersize anymore.” Dex laughed.

“We’re getting some dry clothes, if we can,”
Katie said.

“Shopping spree!” Lacie said.

“You’re all waiting here,” Layne
replied.

“Ah, man!” Dex said. “I hate it when people
buy me clothes. They never get anything I like.”

“I’ll try to keep your tastes in mind,
Dex.”

Katie fished around in the glove box and
found a pen and some paper.

“Okay, what are everyone’s sizes?”

“Are you going, too?” Layne asked.

“Of course,” Katie said. “I’m not going to
let you have all the fun.”

Katie took down everyone’s sizes, then went
to the other car to do the same. Layne remained with the others. He
tapped lightly on the roof as he leaned against the car.

“Guys, I’m not going to promise anything,
but if this town seems safe enough, and if we can find a place to
stay, we’ll do it. But I think we’re probably going to end up
sleeping in here, tonight.” A collective groan followed.

Katie returned to the minivan, pocketing the
pen and paper.

“We’re also going to get a map and see if we
can’t figure out where the hell we are,” Layne said. “Don’t wait up
for us, okay? Lock the doors, keep the lights off, and stay safe.
Kyle, do you have a gun?”

“I have a shotgun. Not many shells.”

“Sit in the middle, and keep these guys
safe, okay?”

“Aye-aye,” Kyle said. He unbuckled himself
and moved to the middle row with his shotgun. To their dismay, he
plopped down between Dex and Lacie, smiled to them both, and made
himself comfortable.

“We’ll be back soon, I hope,” Layne said.
“Try to get some rest, and stay warm.”

“We’ll huddle together like water buffalo,”
Dex said.

Layne shut the door, and he and Katie headed
toward the town.

****

“How many bullets do you have?” Layne
asked.

“Not many,” Katie said. “We should see if
there are any weapons around here.”

“Good idea. Maybe we should do that first.
Just in case.”

They reached a welcome sign that identified
the town as Naselle, Washington. The place was sparse, with only a
few houses spread widely apart. The first corner Layne and Katie
came to held a supermarket and a liquor store.

“Well, I guess we’re in for some luck,”
Katie said.

The two entered the supermarket. It was dark
inside, but they couldn’t hear anything moving around. Layne found
some flashlights on a register endcap. He opened one up and turned
it on. He tossed another flashlight to Katie.

“Thanks,” she said. They looked around the
store.

“This place must be the only shop in town,”
Layne said. “They have clothes
and
guns, here.”

“That probably means it’s the only town for
a while, too,” Katie said. “I’ll get started with the clothes. You
find us some bags and weapons.”

Layne found a duffel bag easily, but most of
the guns and ammo were gone. There was a shotgun, a few handguns,
and a small amount of ammunition. He put it all into the duffel
bag, loaded a handgun and tucked it into his pants, then grabbed
some food.

Katie met him at the front of the store.

“There wasn’t much for style, but it’ll keep
them warm,” she said. “I got some blankets, too.”

“Great, now we can get the hell out of here
before something shows up.”

“Just a second. Mind if I change here? I’m
tired of these clothes.”

“Yeah, good idea, I think I’ll do the same,”
Layne said. Katie handed him some dry clothes. He walked a few feet
away and turned off his flashlight.

“Even after all of this, you’re modest,”
Katie said from somewhere in the darkness. “I wish none of this
ever happened, but I’m really glad to be with you, through it.”

“Me too,” Layne said. He took off his shirt,
and felt a tug of resistance from his right hand. He looked down,
and remembered Alex’s bracelet. Layne closed his eyes and took a
deep breath.

Hope perseveres
.

He left the bracelet on, and continued
changing.

“I’m done,” Layne said into the
darkness.

“Just a sec,” Katie said. He heard her
shuffling around. “Okay, go ahead and turn on the light.”

Layne turned his flashlight on and saw Katie
putting her wet clothes into a bag she’d found. A zombie stood
behind her.

“Shit, stay down!” Layne said. He grabbed
his gun from the ground and aimed. Katie ducked and put her hands
over her head. The zombie lurched forward, and Layne shot it in the
chest. It stumbled backward, moaned, and then Layne shot it in the
head. It fell to the ground.

Layne hurried over to Katie, who was getting
up. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Katie said. “But hey, here I was
thinking I’d have clothes with no blood on them for a few hours.”
She stared at the splatter on her shirt.

“Sorry,” Layne said. Katie hugged him.

“Don’t be sorry, Layne. Thanks.” She let him
go.

“Want to find something different real
quick?”

“Nah. It’s only a matter of time anyway.”
She handed him the bag containing her wet clothes. “Put your old
stuff in here, and let’s go.”

****

Katie and Layne walked to the corner and
looked down the nearby roads. They didn’t see any place that looked
big enough for them all to sleep, and after their encounter in the
store, they didn’t want to investigate much further.

“Well, I guess we’ll be camping out in the
van,” Katie said.

“Want to stop by the liquor store?” Layne
asked.

“I don’t think being drunk is a good idea,
under these circumstances. But God, would I love a drink.”

“I was thinking more along the lines of
cleaning wounds and homemade explosives,” Layne said. Katie
blushed.

“Okay, I guess we can grab a few
bottles.”

They made a quick trip to the liquor shop,
got what they needed with no trouble, and then headed back down the
road. It was dark, and to keep from being seen, Layne only turned
the flashlight on every few minutes to make sure they were still
following the road.

Layne did a random check with the flashlight
and almost walked directly into the front of the van. He went to
the side door and knocked. The door unlocked, and Kyle opened
it.

“Welcome home, Dad,” Kyle said. The
survivors had folded down all of the seats and were lying down on
the flat, open floor.

“We brought you presents,” Layne said.

Katie opened the bag of clothes and started
handing them out. She gave Dex his shirt, and he unfolded it and
looked at it.

“Ah, man! Pink? You did this on
purpose.”

“I did,” Katie said. “I think you’ll look
simply dashing in pink.”

“I think I’ll look simply stupid, but at
least it’s dry.”

“Come on, Dex,” Lacie said. “It’s not so
bad. Maybe you should get in touch with your feminine side.”

Dex faked a laugh, then glared at Lacie. He
took off his pants.

“Whoa, hey! There are ladies present,” Ralph
said.

“Yeah, pervert,” Lacie said.

“Well, where do you want me to change?”

A few minutes later, all of the girls from
both cars were inside the minivan, and the men were changing
outside, in the middle of the road.

“This is some bullshit, right here,” Dex
said as he slipped his pants on. “I can see my breath. It’s fucking
freezing out here.”

“Then it’s a good thing we brought you dry
clothes,” Layne said. He was leaning against the hood, staring up
at the sky.

“I can’t see a damn thing,” Garrett said. “I
think my pants are on backwards.”

“I think mine are on sideways,” Kyle
said.

“Maybe that’s your shirt,” Ralph said.

“Hard to say. I can’t see two inches in
front of my face.”

“Then now’s the perfect time to get with
your girlfriend,” Dex said. The others laughed.

“Dex, I’d punch you in the fucking face, if
I could find you.”

“Keep it down, guys,” Layne said.

“Yeah, I’m a little creeped out,” Ralph
said. “I don’t feel safe out here, how much longer do you think the
girls will be in there?”

“They’ll tell us when they’re done,” Layne
said. Soon the side door of the van clicked, and then it
opened.

“You guys ready, yet?” Katie asked.

“We’ve been waiting, actually,” Dex said. He
started to crawl into the van.

“Not so fast.”

“What?”

“Jessi and Kara are in here now, and Kara’s
already asleep. We’re going to have to do some re-arranging. I
don’t think we’ll all fit in here.”

“Oh, this just keeps getting better!” Dex
said. He kicked the tire of the van, then crossed his arms.

“Don’t be a baby,” Lacie said. “You’ll be
fine in the other car.”

“Well, we can’t all fit in the other
car.”

“Nope. Just you, Garrett, Layne, Ralph, and
Kyle.”

“What! What about Warren?” Dex said.

“He can sleep here in the driver’s seat,”
Katie said.

“This is bogus. I hate you guys.”

“We love you too, Dex,” Lacie said.

The five men walked to the other car and
situated themselves inside.

“Sorry I couldn’t find us a house, or
something,” Layne said.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Dex replied. “It’s so
comfortable in here. Who’d want to sleep in a bed?”

“You’re awful whiny tonight, Dex.”

“I joke. Hey, at least with us separate, we
don’t have to watch our language, and we can have some of that
whiskey I saw you bring back.”

“It’s not for drinking, it’s for Molotov
cocktails,” Layne said.

Dex sat up. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No?”

“That’s a horrible idea!” Layne raised his
eyebrow, even though Dex couldn’t see it. “Look, Layne, the only
thing worse than a bunch of zombies running at you is a bunch of
flaming
zombies running at you.”

Layne was beginning to re-think his entire
cocktail idea.

“Maybe not,” Garrett said. “Remember the
church and the bridge? These zombies seem to be attracted to
fire.”

“Yeah, it’s weird,” Ralph said. “I also
noticed they learned what pain is.” The others looked at him. “No,
really. In the beginning, nothing fazed them. They just kept on
coming, like a bunch of human freight trains. Nothing stopped them.
Now, though, they react to it, they… they scream when they get
hurt, and stuff. It creeps me out.”

“He’s right,” Kyle said.

“Maybe your cocktails will work after all,”
Garrett said. “If fire really does attract these things, we can use
it to divert them. Throw one into a clear area, and they’ll all
flock to it.”

“Not a bad idea,” Kyle said. Dex
slouched.

“And I was looking forward to drinking it,
too.”

“You’re just cranky because you’re tired,”
Layne said. “Maybe we should all try to get some sleep.”

“That’s something we can all agree on,”
Garrett replied. He shifted in the passenger seat and drew his
blanket over him.

There was a quiet murmuring, like someone
whispering. Layne sat up, and saw Ralph was still sitting up in his
seat.

“What’s up?” Layne said.

Ralph continued for a moment, then stopped.
“Praying.”

“Oh, my bad.”

“Dork,” Dex said.

“We’ll see who’s the dork at the End of
Days, Dex,” Ralph said.

Kyle laughed. “If this isn’t already the End
of Days, I think I’ve got something to look forward to.”

“Guys, go to sleep,” Layne said. He didn’t
think he could stomach an argument. He just wanted to rest.

“Sure thing, Dad,” Dex said. After a few
minutes, the car was silent.

****

The cars pulled up outside of Naselle Public
Library and idled. It felt far too early, and the sky was just
starting to get lighter. There were only a few zombies around.

“There’s probably a map in there,” Layne
said.

“Want me to get it?” Katie asked. “You’re
driving, and all. And it’s a library, so it’s probably empty.”

“It’s dangerous.”

“Everything’s dangerous.” Katie grabbed a
handgun and got out of the minivan.

It was dark in the library. Katie tried to
shut the door quietly, letting go of the handle just two inches
from the frame. The door still made a loud
thud!
when it
shut, and it echoed through the large room. Katie flinched. She
heard some shuffling on the top floor.