Two Alive, стр. 49
“You ready?” Antonio asked his brother.
“Yeah.” Miles finished tying his boots and they both pushed their way out the door and past Carver.
“Hurry the hell up! My men are already about to head out to go through with the plan you came up with!” Carver spit the words at them and went into a fit of coughing.
“Well tell ‘em we on the way and don’t do nothin’ stupid until we get there.” Antonio rolled his eyes as they headed towards the doorway to the store.
Miles stopped and turned around to the major. “Can I get my phone back?”
Carver wiped spittle from his chin and felt Julia’s eyes on his back. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the dead device. When he tossed it to Miles, the small boy caught it with glee and hurriedly put his earbuds back in his ears and connected them to the phone. They were gone and out the door as soon as it was done, with Lincoln and the other soldier following.
Ben tried to protest but his calls fell on deaf ears. “We can’t let them do this! We can’t let them go out there!” He pointed at the screen. “Look what’s going on out there!”
A loud bang from the back door reverberated in the monitor room. Nadine clutched her chest, feeling her heart pounding.
“If we don’t do something, what’s out there will be in here.” Julia crossed her arms. “The boys have a plan, and something has to be done.”
Now at the front of the store, Baker was waiting while Anderson and Castle used the chains on the side to pull up the steel shutter.
“Baker, sir, let me come with you,” Bates pleaded standing behind the captain. “I’ve been itching for the chance to get out there. Do somethin’ other than be a glorified security guard.” Bates of course was referring to the simple assignment of occasionally dealing with the infected, if they gathered outside the shutters. It was a cake walk compared to taking care of the hive at the back docks.
Baker scoffed at the comment. “You watch the door and protect the community as a whole. Your assignment is a bit more complex than that Bates.”
“I know, but please. I gotta go out there wit y’all. I can help!”
Baker looked Bates in the eye and measured him for a second. Bates was of the few actual soldiers the captain still had from his first platoon. There had been fifty when he was first stationed to protect the quarantine site at the store years ago. Now he only had seven real army men and five community members who wanted to carry a gun and help.
“He can take my place and I can stay here and watch the door for you guys.” Anderson said. He grunted as he pulled the chain with Castle and the door rose higher letting light shine in.
Contrary to his behavior, Anderson was also a fellow military man. However, after all they had been through and the horrors they had encountered, Anderson had gone soft and was a mess when it came to the infected. He never was much of a war dog or gung-ho type, but most recently, Anderson was becoming more of a coward than anything else. It made someone like Henry Castle look like Rambo in comparison. Castle wasn’t a soldier or wasn’t officially trained as one, but he took to taking orders like a true marine. Baker felt more at ease going out there with someone like Castle while he was uncertain about the major’s choice to bring Anderson on this task.
“Door’s almost open captain,” Castle yanked the chain to pull the door higher.
“That’s good. Anderson, Castle, Torrez… Bates, on me.” The captain could see Bates light up at the opportunity. “Rico, you stay here and watch the door. Bring down the shutter and close the sliding doors after you head back in.” Baker crouched down to slide under the shutter when he heard banging at the sliding doors behind him.
It was Antonio and Miles with Lincoln and Bryant. They were banging and calling for the doors to be opened. Baker sighed and motioned for someone to let the boys out then told Bryant to stay with Rico. Behind the brothers, a small crowd of the community members was starting to form, still trying to get answers to the questions they had. Baker had the glass doors slid back shut before hearing any more inquiries as to what he was doing.
“What the hell took you two so long?” Baker asked the boys.
“We had to go get ready. We had to… we had to go get ready.” Miles pounded his chest, slapping the heavy-duty vest he was wearing.
Baker regarded the extra layers of protection on the boys and was impressed. The captain took the gun from his waistband and gave it to Antonio. “Alright, you ready?”
“I want the Beretta!” Miles whined to his brother.
“Hell naw! I got the Beretta.” Antonio replied.
“C’mon, I want the gun. I want the gun. I’m a better shot than you anyway.”
“No you not. It’s only eight bullets in here anyway.”
“I want it!”
“Miles! No!”
“Boys!” Baker shouted over the two and they both turned to him. He shook his head in frustration and the other men started sliding under the shutter door. Antonio and Miles went next and the captain followed.
For the first time in two days, the boys were outside and back in natural sunlight. They shielded their eyes but were ecstatic.