Two Alive, стр. 100

At the front of the store, where the grenade had gone off, there were bodies everywhere. Some people still alive. Some horribly dismembered. But many were just gone. Unrecogniz-able splotches and smears of blood and guts and name brand clothes. Captain Baker came to near the wreckage and his ears were ringing. When he could finally hear and make out sounds, he could only hear screams and cries for help from those who were still alive and able to speak clearly. The captain tried to push up off the ground but collapsed when he felt a burning pain shooting through his left shoulder. Then he realized his left arm wasn’t even there. He wasn’t standing close to the blast, but apparently he was standing close enough.

With his right hand, he fumbled with his belt trying to find his radio. When he did, he brought the receiver to his lips and turned over on his back, “This is Captain Baker! Captain Baker…the entrance to the store…” He dropped his radio but heard footsteps and saw movement all around. Then heard more screams and cries.

People were running out of the gaping hole in the shutter door of the front entrance. Freaks were screaming in the parking lot, striking towards the store and chasing people trying to escape. Baker saw Lesly running with a group and trying to find somewhere to hide. She was screaming for people to follow her but no one could make out what she was saying with her high pitched voice.

Some people were trying to escape before the monsters could get them, running out to the parking lot towards the abandoned cars trying to check them. Brandon was fleeing with some of these people but was one of the few who weren’t able to get away from the fast swarming creatures. Brandon went down screaming and begging for his life.

The growls and moaning of the infected was closer to the entrance and Captain Baker tried to sit up and aim his pistol out the door. Maybe he could buy someone some time to get away. He fired once. He fired twice, hitting one striker as it made a b-line for the shutter doors. More followed and they were inside the store scattering in all directions. Screams were everywhere. When a mob ran at the captain, he emptied the clip until the gun was only clicking.

Back on the docks outside, with Antonio and the dying Major Carver, Antonio cleaned out the trailer full of Hostess donuts, cupcakes, coffee cakes and strawberry shortcakes. He filled two shopping carts and tied them together with the shoestrings from his new shoes. Then took off the bag on his front and filled it to the brim with more sweets. He knew he’d have to travel slower and move more carefully but he wasn’t worried. He took clothes from bodies still all around the dock area and wrapped t-shirts and tied jeans to the shopping carts to camouflage the contents. Now it just looked like two carts full of dirty, bloody, old clothes.

Some of the blood and gunk got on Antonio’s sweatshirt but he just wiped his hands on his pants and hoped he wouldn’t stink too bad later. After he was done and closed the trailer back, he got his carts ready then went back to where Carver was. His breathing was shallow and his eyes were low. Antonio knelt down beside the major and looked him in the eyes.

“This was never personal. We just needed supplies. But since it played out like this… don’t act like you wouldn’t do the same shit nigga.” Antonio pulled his knife out of Carver’s side and blood rushed out to pool under him, then the teen went off pushing his carts.

He moved along the edge of the wall and around the dead bodies. When he came to the corner, he peaked around and saw strikers running around in the parking lot chasing people running and screaming. Antonio was practically invisible where he was but still moved out further and further from the entrance as he headed up to where the dirt hills met the parking lot. It took forever to push both carts up through the dirt and it took even more effort to do it and be quiet. But finally Antonio got up to the top of the hill and could see the whole Costco store and the massive parking lot. He spit, checked his bags, the carts, then kept moving.

***

Lance and the others were wrapping their people in plastic, all in somber and solemn moods. Alana sat with Tommy and even after bandaging his leg, he was still crying about the pain. Julia was pacing, looking for Castle and waiting for Miles to come back.

“That child isn’t coming back Julia.” Manson said, a few feet away, examining the recent dead infected that Burrows had shot.

“Well you better hope he does!” Julia shouted.

“He better hope he doesn’t!” Lance shouted back.

Julia turned to him, “It wasn’t his fault what happened to your wife Lance. You have to understand that.”

“That kid is a psychopath, Julia. You can see that.” Manson came back over to everyone else as they lined the bodies up after each was individually wrapped. “He kills people without any remorse.”

“And you would be the best to identify a killer, right?” Julia snapped at him from where she was pacing, a few feet from the others.

“I would be! I’m a scientific genius. And you’re trying too hard to be that child’s mother to realize how dangerous he was.”

“We were traveling with him the whole time. He would’ve just left us to die at any minute.” Alana was shaking her head and holding Tommy as they sat on the ground.

“You weren’t supposed to even be here!” Julia pointed at the girl and the teen shrank. “None of us would even be