“How are we on fuel?” Eric asked as Mike killed the engine.
“Still over half,” Mike responded, looking down at the gauge.
“Looks like gas pumps on the opposite side of the parking lot unless my eyes are messing with me. Let’s hope the back-up generator is fueled or we’ll need to find a seriously long hose to siphon what we need to top this thing off,” Eric said, staring hard into the night.
“We’ll worry about that tomorrow.” Mike exited the truck, anxious to check on Marlee.
“Let’s hope there is a tomorrow,” Eric said to the empty space that had been Mike moments before. “Let’s just hope, my friend.”
Walking around the back of the truck, Mike arrived just as Julian and Davis were helping Marlee and Reid down. Aggeles was already walking the area looking for signs of anything they would need to deal with before settling in for the night.
Marlee melted into Mike’s arm, silently sobbing. “That poor man, he was so kind. All he wanted to do was find his wife and little girl. He pushed me to the top so I could hold on, and he fell ….”
Mike realized now that Garcia’s last act had been one of sacrifice. He would be forever indebted to a man he barely knew but would remember every time he held Marlee in his arms.
“It was a selfless act, one we’ll remember for the rest of our days,” Mike said, sadly thinking about just how selfless the sacrifice was Garcia had made for them.
Julian called everyone to him and quietly laid out the night’s plans. “We’ll sleep in the truck and take turns on watch. I’ll go first, followed by Davis and then Aggeles. Mike and Marlee will sleep in the cab and be ready to pull out on a moment’s notice. Tomorrow we stock up then find Garcia’s family, so grab a quick meal and get some rest, and for God’s sake, stay alert, people.”
Watching the activity below with a pair of old surplus field glasses, Markus Johnson and Jack Bush, or JB as his friends called him, sat quietly atop a tree-lined grassy hill not far from where Mike and his group were settling in for the night.
“They’re better prepared than the others we’ve come across,” Marcus said peevishly to JB.
Marcus had a reason to be irritable; they were assigned to the most dangerous job on the work list and it was boring as hell to boot. Marcus had reiterated this point to JB no less than one hundred times tonight while they sat in the chilled evening air hoping the people they were watching didn’t spot them and none of those freaky creatures came across their makeshift camp. They had painstakingly set up their trespasser warning system and hoped it worked as promised. To Marcus and JB it looked like a bunch of tin cans and string, but they had been assured it would give them ample time to get away or hide from the Changed.
“The Boss said to see if they was a threat to us and that’s it. Far as I can tell there’s just a few of them and they be looking like they plan on going in the Walmart tomorrow so they mustn’t be very well stocked,” JB responded in an uneducated Southern drawl.
Where JB was a shabby looking country boy with the stereotypical blue jeans, flannel shirt, beer gut, and John Deere cap planted over top of long, greasy hair, Marcus was anything but. Standing six-foot-six with a muscular build most pro-athletes would be jealous of made Marcus an imposing figure to behold. He was very dark and obviously of African descent. The two of them together made for a very strange couple.
“They appear down on their luck, but everything about them screams structure and training. Police or military types I’d say if I was a betting man, which I’m surely not,” Marcus said, quickly performing the sign of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
“They’re armed to the teeth. Looks like to me they best be left alone, not worth the trouble,” JB gummed.
“Perhaps not,” Marcus slowly drawled, thinking this time his partner might be right.
Marcus stayed silent and continued to stare down at the group below blissfully unaware of the scrutiny they were receiving. He hadn’t decided if he would tell the Boss about this well-armed group or not yet. There was no point in jeopardizing his current standing in the church if they ended up being unable to handle the people below. This particular Walmart wasn’t listed on the map they were using so he assumed it was newly constructed. Marcus was keenly aware that it only drew in the occasional individual or group looking to scavenge for supplies. The Boss might get angry with him for passing up a prize like this.
Gone were the days of cell phones and GPS in the palm of your hand. Cell service either was down or had been commandeered by the government, if it still existed. Power was becoming sporadic and they hadn’t seen a live newscast nor a working television in over a week. Even NOAA’s weather channel wasn’t broadcasting emergency information as it had been the first couple of weeks after the Rapture started.
Rapture
, Marcus thought.
After all the talk and preparation, it was finally here. Marcus knew he was blessed to have been afforded the opportunity to witness the Second Coming of Christ. He felt doubly blessed for the simple fact the Boss was the chosen vessel that would accept Christ’s Holy Spirt here on Earth and pave the way for a new world order.
The Church was cleansing any non-believers they came across on their way to Charlotte, where they were to meet up with more true believers. At first it was difficult because many were just women and children, but Marcus and JB had been reassured a sinner was a sinner and it was their duty to rid the Earth of the ones the Risen had missed. Only true believers were to be spared.
“Marcus, you drifting again; pay attention to the surroundings or we’ll get eaten. Tell me again why the Risen can’t tell us from the non-believers. I always be confused about that part.”
Marcus shook his head. “The Risen were born of the Creator to form an army that will destroy the non-believers, but only God or his chosen can see a person’s true faith. Because of this we have to practice diligence to safeguard ourselves and the Boss until he is reborn. This is why we are allowed to kill the Risen; they are mindless creatures whose only purpose is to destroy. They are unclean like a non-believer so if we kill them to protect ourselves we shall fear no heavenly reprisal. They are tools to be used as we see fit, a gift from the Creator.”
“Amen, Marcus,” JB said with a sickly fervor.
Marcus looked up and noticed a dark shape hovering a little ways above the tree line close to their camp. Then it seemed to move off into the distance.
An owl maybe
, Marcus thought as he brought the field glasses back up to his eyes.
Looking down at the people camping in the dump truck Marcus thought he saw someone standing outside the cab of the truck looking directly at him. That would be impossible, he knew, as they had selected this spot due to its heavy tree cover and the thick underbrush. Even though Marcus was certain he couldn’t be seen, something in the back of his mind told him he was the one being watched.
Marcus started to let the field glasses drop to his chest when he saw something that made his blood run cold. It was only there for a second, but he could swear the shapeless form below flashed a set of red piercing eyes. Then it was gone.
Staggering backward at what he thought he had seen, Marcus called urgently for JB, “Hey, I think I saw the sign!”
“What sign, THE SIGN?” JB said disbelievingly.
“I’m telling you I saw the sign, it was just like they said.” He paused to get it just right then continued, “The sign of the Second Coming will present itself when one of the Risen walks amongst the Living.”
“How does you know you saw the sign,” JB asked skeptically.
Handing the field glasses to JB, Marcus pointed at the shape that seemed to be looking up at them. JB pulled the glasses to his eyes and looked down at the figure and then gasped suddenly.
“Holyy shit, Marcus, you is right. I see it with my own eyes. We need to get back and let the Boss know right away.”
“Pack up and let’s not get ourselves killed on the way back. We’re going to be elevated to higher positions, JB,” Marcus said excitedly. He could not believe he was going to bring the news back to the Boss about the most holy of signs.
Within minutes, both men were packed and headed back to the church’s outpost, eager to give the Boss their unbelievable news.
A solitary figure stood watch, intently scanning the surrounding area for any sign of danger, as dawn broke, spilling light onto a newly broken world. The night had been quiet and blissfully uneventful. Fatigue held a fast grip on the small group. Other than Mike, who had drawn the night’s final watch, everyone was fast asleep. Mike continued to scan the area, deciding to give everyone a few additional minutes of sleep before waking them back into the nightmare life had become.
The time had come. He gently called on them to rise and prepare for another day. As a group, they began to stir. Mike then made his way to the cab of the truck where Marlee and Eric were still fast asleep.
“Rise and shine, people, we have some Z stomping to do today and let’s not forget our shopping trip at the local Walmart.”
Eric only groaned, while Marlee briefly flicked open her eyes. Mike noticed they were back to red so she must not have the ability to keep her natural color while sleeping. Mike made a mental note to let her know later in the day, as he didn’t want to start her day off on a negative note. With Marlee and Eric on the rise, Mike walked back to the rear of the truck where the others were now up and starting to assemble.
“I wish I could shower,” Daniels was saying wistfully.
“You need a shower bad; if you don’t get one soon I may feed you to the Changed,” Davis said, wrinkling his nose at Daniels’ stink. Davis sounded dead serious and continued to stare at Daniels’ blood-stained and filthy clothing.
“Damn, you smell like shit. If we find a working shower anytime soon you WILL be taking advantage of it,” Aggeles said, pointing back toward the Walmart, sounding equally as disgusted about the ripe odors emanating from the young man as Davis.
Julian seemed preoccupied and irritable. “I want everyone ready to go in five minutes. Everyone goes in on this one, I’m not going to worry about coming back out to find someone dead or worse if we get hung up inside.”
Mike looked at Eric with raised eyebrows but couldn’t find fault with Julian’s plan. He knew he was needed inside if they ran into trouble, but he didn’t like the thought of putting Marlee or Reid in harm’s way. Reid especially, who still seemed hesitant around the Changed. Better, he decided, to have them where he could keep a watchful on them.
“We should park the truck as close to the front doors as we can in case we need to leave in a hurry,” Eric suggested.
“Not a good idea. The sound of the engine will be like trumpeting our arrival,” Julian said flatly, then walked off, muttering to himself and gathering his gear.
They all looked around at each other before Reid grabbed his bag in a nervous huff. “Gotta get killed eventually, I guess. I don’t much like this world now anyways,” he said as he walked off after Julian.
“Marlee, I’ll be right next to you the entire time. If we’re separated or something happens in there we meet back at the truck, okay? That’s goes for everyone,” Mike said loud enough for everyone to get the message.
“I think I can take care of myself, but thanks, sweetie.”
Mike understood that tone implicitly. “I know you ,can dear, but I do have to live up to my reputation as a man and it would be nice if you give me at least that little bit.”
Within minutes, they were dragging feet toward the main entrance of the store in hopes of securing enough supplies to see them through the next few days, if not longer. The sun was fully exposed now and it was starting to warm up. The parking lot was home to many mature trees peppered throughout, with pine straw and flowers ringing each tree. Mike really liked the lush greenery and woodsy environment in this part of the country compared to the scrub-centric landscape Florida was famous for. Even the Walmart had a mountainous park-like feel to it. Good clean living, this was.
As soon as they reached the front of the building, Mike, with Eric at his side, walked up and looked through a set of windows near the entrance. Nothing was moving inside and the store looked to be intact. Today was shaping up to be a good day. Mike looked at the rollback sale signs plastered here and there and wondered if the world would ever return to the way it was. Deep inside he knew the days of swinging by a store or grabbing a pizza were long gone, in his lifetime at least. Now every day would be a lesson in survival.
Turning around, he gave a quick thumbs up. “Looks empty.”
Eric walked up to the main slider and, as expected, it didn’t budge without power. He reached out with those wiry muscled arms of his, squeezed his fingers as far between the doors as he could, and pulled. Slowly the doors opened, giving Davis and Aggeles enough space to dart inside where they took position behind the quick-checkout registers. As soon as they waved the all clear, the rest of the group entered. Eric let the doors close as soon as the last man was through the door. The last man in this time was actually a woman, Marlee, and once inside she tucked in close to Mike.
The store was deathly quiet and humid due to a lack of air circulation. Reid was looking around as if he expected to see a horde of Changed appear any minute, but it was Marlee Mike watched. She closed her eyes and when they reopened moments later her eyes were glowing a crimson red again. She appeared to be concentrating on something and he watched her draw a sharp breath. Closing her eyes again, she went through whatever process it was to revert them back to their natural color. As Mike leaned in to give her a comforting hug, he noticed Julian intently watching Marlee as well with a look of dissatisfaction on his face. So engrossed in Marlee was he that he didn’t see Mike’s stare. When he finally did notice Mike watching he lowered his eyes and looked back into the store, searching for anything that seemed out of place.
Looking up at Mike, Marlee seemed shaken. “I felt one of them close by and I think it knows I’m here now. Its aura felt like Ashley’s, with the rage and hunger consuming it, except this one has a trace of self-awareness about it or it kept some of the instinctual traits with its Change.”
She looked genuinely frightened and now Mike knew why Julian was irritated. He probably felt Marlee had taken an unnecessary risk and alerted whatever was out there.
“Do you think it’s one the Mingled like we saw back at the resort?” That thought gave Mike the chills. “Did you get any sense of what or where it is?” he asked, hoping for some sort of clue. She shook her head.
Alerting the rest of the group, Mike said, “We may not be alone in here so don’t go off without a buddy, and be careful. I’ll take the left side of the store and Julian will head down the right. Look down every aisle and when we reach the back, and if it’s clear, let’s get what we need and get the hell out of here.”
Mike and his team slowly crept off to the left while Julian and his men went right. Mike noticed Julian took all the experienced shooters with him, perhaps an oversight or they were simply used to following his lead.
Mike, Marlee, Reid, and Eric headed into the supermarket side of the store, coming across the produce section first. Most of the fruits and vegetables were still on the shelves, but they could smell the stink of it all rotting in place. The lack of air and an overabundance of humidity had sped up the process. They stopped once they made the main aisle that went all the way down to the back of the store. Bins full of meat products coupled with neatly organized shelves of prepackaged cheeses and other processed foods lined the exterior wall to their left. It was the aisle openings to the right that had them concerned.
“I say we keep to the left and as far away from the end of the aisles as possible, move slow … and be ready to shoot or run if we come across more than we can handle,” Eric suggested.
Mike didn’t have a better idea so he started the mental prep on what promised to be a stressful stroll when Reid, with a sudden burst of speed, took off down the main aisle like a madman. Mike started to go after him, thinking he had finally cracked, but before he could go after him Eric put a hand on his shoulder and whispered, “Wait.”
Reid made it to the back of the store and was now walking calmly back, allowing Mike to breathe a sigh of relief. “What the hell happened there?” he asked when Reid was back within earshot.
“I figured if there were any of those things in the aisles they would see me and give chase and that is when you and Eric would have bravely saved me from the clutches of certain death. Besides, creeping around every corner would have worn down my last nerve.”
“Welcome back, my friend. It’s so good to have the Reid we all know and love back with us; believe it or not, I’ve missed your nutty antics and inappropriate sarcasm. Mike, I’m not so sure having the old Reid back is such a good idea,” Eric said, tussling Reid’s mop of hair affectionately.
“Well, I for one am super happy he is feeling better,” Marlee said, giving Reid a big bear hug and causing his face to turn a bright shade of red when he realized how many finely crafted lady parts were pressed against him.
“I could get used to that,” Reid said, to which Mike quickly responded, “Not in the cards, buddy,” but he smiled at Reid as he said it to let him know he took it for the joke it was.
“Reid’s badass recon aside, let’s keep our eyes open and go see if Julian ran into any trouble,” Mike urged them.
Cautiously walking through the store now, Mike was struck again at how well the shelves were stocked. He could not believe they hadn’t been wiped clean by the locals. His gut told him something was out of place. Perhaps whatever Marlee had sensed earlier was the cause, and if so, he wondered if they should hurry up and find Julian so they could get out as soon as possible.
“I hear them now,” Marlee said, sounding relieved. The rest of the group shared a look; not one of them had heard a thing.
“Who?” Reid asked her with a funny look on his face.
“Them, silly,” she said just as Julian and his team rounded the corner a few aisles away. Davis, who was on point, stopped for a second, rifle raised, until he realized it was Mike and his friends looking back at him, then dropped the rifle and waved them over.
“Thank God for the man’s calm under pressure
, Mike thought.
“We found something over near the fish tanks I think you should see,” Davis said to Marlee specifically, and before anyone could get a word in edgewise started toward the pet supply sign in the distance.
When they arrived what they saw both horrified and sickened them. Lying on the floor in front of the fish tank was a boy about seven years of age who had Changed. His breath came in ragged, sucking gulps. Marlee looked away and started to cry. Even the soldiers had a hard time looking directly at it. The boy’s face was still discernable, but the body was a mix of human and fish, with a slimy layer of scales covering him from head to toe. He wasn’t mobile now due to the amalgamation of his arms and legs onto his decidedly fishy shape, but his reddish eyes still glared at them with that unquenchable hunger to kill.
Julian broke the silence and looked directly at Marlee with a face void of emotion. “Is this what you felt earlier?”
“It must have been. This poor kid must have been playing with the fish when his Change occurred. We should show him some mercy and put him out of his misery. He was someone’s little boy once,” she pleaded with him, glistening tears streaking her beautiful tanned face.
No one stepped forward, but Reid chimed in as always with a wildly inappropriate idea. “We could use him as food. I love smoked grouper and he looks like he would last for days.”
Marlee started to cry even harder and Mike gave him a glare that would have melted steel.
“Just saying,” Reid finished meekly.
Aggeles, who had traces of a grin on his face at Reid’s comment, went over to the Mingled child, nature’s ultimate penalty for fucking around with the natural order, and smoothly slid a wicked-looking knife into the thing’s brain just below where its ear had once been. The sucking sound gurgled to a stop. The silence was deafening.
“Start grabbing what you need and meet back at the front entrance in fifteen. I don’t want to drag this out all day,” Julian ordered, sounding impatient. Something really seemed to have gotten under his skin. Mike assumed it was the loss of another of his men.
Marlee made a beeline toward the clothing area. “I’m not so sure we have time to peruse the latest fashions, Marlee,” Reid said, half-seriously.
“I need some new panties, Reid, I’ve been wearing the same ones for days and I feel gross. Do you have a problem with that?” she asked, arching her eyebrows and daring him to respond.
Stuttering for a second, Reid got himself pulled back together quickly. “Well, I could use some new tighty whities myself, and socks, now that you mention it.”
“You’re impossible,” she laughed and they headed off to look for a change of clothes.
Mike found it interesting, the items and creature comforts people missed the most when they were in a bad situation. When Mike was the owner of a small business, pre-apocalypse of course, he would get custom orders from preppers looking for the stuff they couldn’t live without when the shit finally hit the fan. The strangest item ever requested was a set of super-realistic blonde-haired Asian sex dolls. They got quite the laugh out of that request, and when they had to call the man back to tell him they didn’t source sex dolls the customer wasn’t embarrassed at all, in fact he was extremely disappointed. That made them laugh even harder. Mike reminded Eric of the incident as they walked off in search of camping supplies, grinning like two schoolchildren at the memory.