Day 29: Loose Ends

“Looks like we’re not the only ones under attacked,” Troy said, motioning towards the bodies. “This place got wrecked!”

Matthew continued up the stairs, stepping over blood and detached limbs. “Hey! Is there anybody in there? Let us in,” he shouted, banging the shutters fiercely, hoping to get the attention of someone inside.

An odd humming sound was coming from behind them and Natalie glanced back over her shoulder. At least two dozen zombies were heading their way, groaning and hissing as they gathered closer. “Oh my god, they’re coming.”

“Open the door!” Matthew shouted again with Troy and Natalie joining in. The metal began to shake and pretty soon the three of them were staring blankly at a large group of people inside the store. Moving Natalie into the door first, Matthew turned and fired off a couple rounds at the incoming group. Three zombies fell before he jumped backwards inside the store and watched the shutters fall into place. “Thank you,” he said, as JC helped him stand. “The world’s gone to shit. It’s a madhouse out there.”

“You can say that again.”

“Those things are growing in numbers. I think it might be a smart idea to figure a way out of here before we get surrounded,” Dominic said.

“It may already be too late,” Katrina sighed. “They’re closing in around us.”

“We passed a ton of abandoned vehicles all along the road,” Troy suggested. “Any number of them would be ideal for transporting us.”

“Too far. We’d never make it on foot,” Josh said.

“I have a truck,” Johnathan spoke. “I mean it needs gas but it could get us down the road to other available options.”

“Wait a second, you have a truck?” JC asked, “What kind of truck?”

“Just a company vehicle,” he answered. Veronica took a step towards the window and looked outside. Instantly her heart dropped to her stomach at what she saw.

“You mean that thing you rammed into the car outside? No. I’m talking about something big enough to get us the hell out of here.”

“And go where?” Richard laughed. “If you hadn’t noticed, there is a massive group of those things out there. We wouldn’t make it two feet out the door before they ripped us apart!”

“He’s right. We’re trapped. And it’s only a matter of time before those people out there make it in here,” Liz agreed.

“Maybe you forgot but we have guns,” Jake said, flashing an automatic rifle from one of the bags near his group. “If we can get on top of this building, we can take out enough of those things to get through.”

“T-there’s an access through the stockroom,” Veronica said, stepping away from Johnathan and tightly clutching Dominic’s arm. She was shaking and her hands were cold to the touch.

He turned to her in concern and moved her towards the wall. “Are you ok? You’re shivering.”

“No,” she whispered and glanced over his shoulder. “I don’t think some of these people have very good intentions.”

“What? What do you mean? Who doesn’t have good intentions?” he asked following the direction she looked.

“That guy there, I think he…” 

“Well will someone make a decision soon?” Richard nearly shouted.

“The problem with shooting them,” Matthew started, “There are so many out there that you might run out of ammo before you even make a dent. No. We need a better way to clear them back.”

“FADIL!” Liz shouted excitedly. “He’s really good at gadgetry he made a flamethrower once before.”

“Um…yeah…but that was with a leaf blower which I’m pretty sure we won’t find here. Granted I could substitute cornstarch or liquor for gas but I’d need other components to get it to work.”

“Squirt guns,” Elise suggested. “We could use squirt guns for the body of the weapon, there are a few on the rack beside the door. And as far as more fire items, look around, there are bottles for days. We could just Molotov them all.”

“That’s good,” Troy nodded. “I like that plan.”

“It’s not a plan,” Richard croaked in a derisive tone. “It’s you spinning your wheels. Even if you kill enough of those slimy bastards they’re just going to keep coming back.”

“THAT’S IT! I’ve had enough of you, you son of a bitch,” Dominic said rushing over to where he sat. “JC grab a leg.” The two men lifted Richard in his chair and took him off to the stock room. “If you have anything else to say, tell it to your new neighbors,” he shouted through the door.

“He had a point,” Jake said. “We saw a huge group heading this way when we got here. And now with the arrival of Matt’s group, there seem to be even more. What the hell is bringing them here?”

Liz and Fadil instantly turned to Johnathan, waiting, hoping that he could explain. He sighed as he stepped into the light. He and Nina were hiding near the back of the store; away from the doors and windows. “They’re not 100% defective. Early testing indicated these…people could still think to a degree. While we know their basic desire is to feed it appeared they did so by locating areas of high traffic. In test cases it was cages with the most rats. In our scenario, it would seem they know there are a large number of us inside. They can function at the lowest cognitive processes and just recently I witnessed them begin grouping.”

“Wait a second, so you’re saying they’re forming packs to become more efficient hunters? What the hell did you people create?” Jake yelled at Johnathan. “Everyday world violence wasn’t enough, you had to go and make more reasons for people to lock their doors at night?”

Fadil fainted, collapsing onto a shelf. He managed to keep himself on his feet as his body shivered from head to toe. “Fadil? Are you ok?” Liz asked, helping him to a chair.

“Yeah…uh…I’m fine,” he stammered, clearing his throat. “I think I’m just coming down with a little fever is all.”

“Oh my god, you’re burning up.”

“Let me see,” Natalie said, stepping from Matthew’s side.

Liz backed away as Natalie moved in. “Are there any cold compresses? Even a Ziploc bag of ice would be fine. How long has he been sick?”

“I don’t know. He seemed fine when we were at the restaurant. ”

“Did he come into contact with the zombies?”

“Yeah there was a small fight. His arm was bleeding a little but he was fine. He said he skinned it on the sidewalk as he fell.”

Natalie looked up at Matthew and watched his hand tighten around his weapon. “At the hospital, we learned that the infection can be transmitted through scratches too. It’s not just the bites.”

“She’s right,” Johnathan said. “Check his eyes. If the whites are turning yellow or there are a large number of petechia it means he’s Stage 3.”

“Stage 3? How many stages are there?” Josh asked.

“4. Fever usually sets in at the end of Stage 2. Followed by abrasions and festering sores on the epidermis, slowed healing, slurred speech patterns and lethargy. At Stage 4, the virus has infected at least 87% of the immune system and your body starts to shut down. Basic functions, such as swallowing, bowel movements, muscle control and even speech begin to cease. Organs start to liquefy from cell deconstruction. Motor skills are weakened but not destroyed. Basically, the heart stops but the brain keeps going.”

“Ok, if he’s infected, he needs to go,” Jake said. “We’ve already seen what happens when those things turn. I’m not going through that again.”

“He’s right,” Matthew agreed. “We can’t let him risk the safety of everyone else here. That goes for the rest of you. If you’ve been in close contact with those people out there, you need to be checked for any injuries so we can be sure you’re not a danger to the group.”

“And who’s going to make that determination?” Liz asked. “No one here is qualified to declare someone a risk that results in your murdering a living human being!”

“If he’s infected, he won’t be living for very long. And I’m not about to wait for him to pop up off the floor looking for brains before I put him down. And if you or anybody else got a problem with that, you can take it up with me. This is about survival. You can’t be weak in the face of adversity or else you’ll end up right where he is!” Matthew explained. “Natalie’s a nurse. She’s fully capable of making that determination. And it sounds like your boy over there, John, knows how to tell if someone’s sick.”

“I’m an EMT,” JC spoke up.

“There you go, three highly qualified medical specialists. Everyone, and I mean everyone, needs to be thoroughly examined.”

“But, what are you going to do to Fadil?”

“Liz, it’ll be ok…” Fadil insisted. Liz dropped to his side and held his hand. It was clammy and shook uncontrollably.

“Fadil,” she sobbed.

He looked down at her with a smile. “It’s ok, Liz. You worry too much. I’m fine, you’ll be fine; everything is ok,” he laughed. “But I do have to pee. Is there a bathroom?”

“Through there,” Veronica pointed. Fadil pulled himself to his feet and started into the back.

“How much time does he have?” Liz asked, glancing at Johnathan.

“It’s different for everyone but without proper monitoring anywhere between 4-12 hours. He’s at the end of the second stage. And depending on his family background and biological makeup, he could turn at any time. .”

The steel shutters shook and a thunderous banging rattled the windows. “They’re here,” Elise said. “Look, we already know how we’re going to deal with Fadil but it’s only a matter of time before we have way more than him on our hands.”

“She’s right,” Dominic said, gathering lighters from the counter near the register. “We need to work on clearing this parking lot. From the number of zombies out there, those shutters won’t withstand too much damage and I’d rather get rid of them now than wait for them to be breathing down my neck.”

Veronica and Jeremiah pulled bottles of liquor from the shelves and moved them closer. Katrina, Elise, JC, Liz, and Troy got to work creating Molotov cocktails while Jake, Josh, Dominic and Matthew loaded a couple of firearms. Johnathan pulled his daughter back from the doors again, clutching her tightly against him.

“Alright, Jake, Josh, Katrina and I will head up to the roof and shoot a few zombies back,” Matthew directed, grabbing one of the automatic rifles from the stash. “Elise, Natalie, Liz, and Veronica will throw the cocktails. Ladies, be mindful of the rags, make sure you don’t light them until you have them angled over the building. If one of them were to drop back onto the others it would spell disaster for us all. Dominic, Jeremiah, JC, and Troy, you guys mind the store. If those shutters come down, be ready to take those brain sucking sons of bitches out as quickly as possible. Alright. Everyone get to your positions. Let’s get this place sealed up!”

Matthew’s team swiftly rushed after him. Troy and JC patrolled the front half of the store while Dominic and Jeremiah kept an eye on the back. The first bottle went over the edge, smashing to the ground with a pop and a whoosh. Flames could be seen through the slats of the door and with it, the crumbling bodies of several zombies. Everything appeared to be working as planned. 

“You hear that?” Troy asked, placing his ear against the door. “The moaning stopped.” Seconds later a loud roar ripped through the glass and he quickly jumped back. “What the fuck?!”

“Fire,” JC said. “They apparently don’t like it much.”

“Well I hope this works. The last thing we need is…” Glass shattered behind him and a car alarm erupted. The door pushed in and Troy dropped his weapon and threw himself against it.

“Shit! The shutter is collapsing! Miah, get up to the roof and let them know they’ve gotta get them back faster,” JC shouted as he pushed with Troy at the bending metal, holding it in place.

A loud explosion rocked the building and Troy could feel the heat of the flames against his hands. “Ahh, I don’t know how much longer we can hold this!” he growled as the temperature continued to rise. Gunfire rattled off and the pressure reduced tremendously on the door. The roof crew was taking care of business.

“They’re done,” Jeremiah announced, rushing back into the store. Moments later the others followed after him.

“That doesn’t look good,” Elise said, noticing the shutter and shattered front doors. “There is no way that’s going to hold up under another attack.”

“It won’t,” Dominic agreed. “It’s taken too much structural damage. It will likely fall completely on the next hit. I think it’s time we figured out a plan of getting out of here.”

“That idea of getting to one of those abandoned cars outside’s not looking too bad now,” Jake said.

“No, it’s not. The only issue now is who’s going out to find one?” Veronica asked.

Continue---->

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*Author’s note: Sorry for the crappy shots but in a solid case of “what the fuck was I thinking?” this lot of 16 Sims was about to drive me insane. I think more should have accidents O.o -- Also I think this story hates fire. It seems whenever I want to use it for effect, things go a little wonky.*

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