Pandemic

  Part 3

  By Nick S. Thomas

  Copyright © 2020 by Nick S. Thomas

  Published by Swordworks Books

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Chapter 1

  Bobby sipped his coffee as he stared pensively down at the bodies in the street, and then looked enviously at the rifles lying beside them. The sun had just come up, and most of the group was still asleep in the comfort of the bed showroom they were lucky enough to have stumbled upon.

  “They really needed that.” Lisa stepped up to the window beside him.

  “And I really need those,” he said, looking down at the weapons.

  “Is it worth the risk?”

  He sighed, understanding her reservations.

  “I don’t particularly want to, but at some stage we’re going to have to venture out, and those weapons could make all the difference to us making it.”

  “Whatever we do, we have to be careful.”

  “Damn right. We’re not here because we’re paid to be. This is life or death.”

  “You think that?” There was sadness in her voice.

  “I know it.” There was no sign of life on the street, only bodies. He turned back to see most of the others rising, and Kurt wandered over to see what the fuss was about.

  “You want to go after those guns, don’t you?” he asked before even reaching them.

  “We need ‘em.”

  “I guess, but badly enough to venture out there?”

  “We can’t stay here forever, and how many other chances are we gonna get to find military grade firearms? They could make all the difference.”

  “I guess.”

  “Do you know how to shoot?”

  “A little, cadets and some range stuff, but I’m no soldier.”

  “You are now, because the only way any of us are getting to see the other side of this is to fight our way out.”

  “I get that, so how are we gonna do this?” Most of the others gathered around and waited for him to tell them what to do.

  “We need those guns. Right now, it’s the quietest it’s been. No sign of any Crazies. But the longer we wait, the less chance there is we can get our hands on them, and we need that kind of firepower.”

  “Playing the stereotype a little, aren’t you? The American wants to go for the guns?”

  “I want the tools that are going to make us all safer. That’s not American, Wallace, that’s goddamn sense. Save your gun debate crap for when you aren’t in a survival scenario, huh?”

  “You really want to go out there?” Roger asked.

  “No, but someone has to, and I’m the one with the most weapons experience, but let’s not risk any more than we have to with this. I’ll take Kurt with me, and we’ll need two on the door to let us out and back in again.”

  “I’ll do it,” replied Adam.

  Nobody else responded, and so finally Roger stepped forward.

  “I’m in,” he said, holding up the axe he’d gotten from Bobby.

  “Thanks, but keep it. You might need it if we come in hot.”

  “Come in hot?” Roger asked as if Bobby was speaking a different language.

  “With those Crazies on our tail,” added Kurt.

  “Ah, right, yes, let’s hope not.”

  “Damn right,” Bobby agreed.

  “What about the rest of us?” Lisa asked.

  “Have another dig around this building. We know it’s secure. See what else you can find. Food, weapons, anything that could be of help.”

  “Will do.”

  “Here.” Adam passed Bobby a workman’s hammer.

  “Thanks,” he said in appreciation but also amazement as he slapped it into his palm.

  “What is it?”

  “I can’t believe I’m facing all this with common tools, Kurt. You know how many guns I have back home?”

  “But you aren’t back home, are you?”

  “You think any of us are? We’ve been living in a hotel,” replied Roger.

  “Yeah, and what are you here for? Cheating on your wife, were you?”

  “That is none of your business,” he replied sternly.

  “Oh, you really were?” Adam laughed and Kurt joined in.

  “All right. None of us wanted to be here, you don’t need to rub salt in the wound,” said Bobby.

  “Yeah, at least you’re in the right country,” replied Kurt.

  “You sure about that? Seems like this is entirely the wrong country to be in right now,” replied Adam.

  “The grass is always greener, huh?”

  “In this case, yeah, can’t be any worse than what we’ve got.”

  “Don’t do that, Adam,” Bobby said sternly.

  “What?”

  “Assume you’ve got it worse than everyone else. Things can always get worse.”

  “Well aren’t you a ray of sunshine,” said Adam as he went on toward the stairs.

  “You think it can be worse than this?” Kurt asked Bobby.

  “Sure, a safe location, snacks, and a comfy bed? You take it all for granted till the moment it gets ripped away from you.”

  “You’re still talking about all this, right?”

  “Yeah, sure,” he replied in an unconvinced tone as he started towards the elevators.

  “Well, shit,” Kurt followed him with his bat in hand. They got in with the other two, and there was a glum tone about them. They’d all faced the Crazies, and the prospect of having to do it again was daunting.

  “I still don’t understand what the hell is happening here,” said Roger.

  “None of us do,” replied Kurt.

  “Yeah, not even the guy working with a top scientist involved in this crap,” snarled Adam.

  “I told you, I worked protection and was laid off weeks ago.”

  “Yeah? Why the hell are you still in the country, then?” Adam demanded.

  There was silence.

  “You know that makes you seem guilty, right?”

  “I don’t give a shit what it sounds like, Kurt. I don’t have to answer to any of you.”

  “But you want us to trust you? Maybe a little in return would be nice.”

  Bobby sighed. Had it come from either of the other two he’d have punched them in the face, but Kurt had been a solid ally since the madness began, and that had to count for something.

  “I’m a former Marine who has nothing and no one, okay? I go from job to job to pay the bills, that’s it. I was getting some good work here. Thought I’d stick around and see what else was on offer. I never thought we’d go into complete lockdown.”

  “Seems reasonable to me. A liar would weave a far more complex and intriguing tale,” said Roger.

  Adam grumbled, knowing he would have to accept that, for now.

  “You might be handy in a fight, Marine, but something is off about you being here.”

  “Everything is off about this situation. You let me know when things return to normal, and I’ll be out of your face, forever.”

  The door opened, and they stepped out into a lobby. The lights were on, but the shutters were down so they couldn’t see out onto the street. The shop stock was sparsely displayed and was decadent and lavish.

  “Look at this stuff, who the hell shops here?” Kurt asked.

  “Rich people,” snarled Adam.

  “Hey, I shop here.”

  “Of course you do, Roger.”

  “You don’t run a furniture shop in the middle of a city without robbing fools for all they’ve got,” replied Bobby.

  “Hey, they have some great stuff here,” protested Roger.

  Kurt couldn’t help but laugh as Bobby went on to one of the front doors in a business like fashion.

  “How can you be so eager to get out there?”

  “I’m not, Roger. I’m just keen to see the other side of it and get back in here with those weapons and ammunition.”

  “You know guns don’t solve every problem?”

  “Not all, but plenty.” Bobby reached a smaller door that led out onto the street. He peered through a small porthole window of the door to check for any sign of trouble before testing the lock.

  “Right, we can open it without a key from the inside. That’s good. Roger, you keep this door shut, but don’t take your eyes of the street. And make sure you’re ready to open this back up when the time comes.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m serious. I don’t wanta be left out there with those things, you hear me?”

  “We’ve got it,” said Adam angrily.

  “You ready for this?” Bobby asked Kurt.

  “Not really.”

  “So let’s get this do ne quick and quiet. No drama.”

  “Sure.”

  Bobby opened the latch and pulled the door ajar a little, looking back at Adam and Roger one last time. “None of those things get inside, no matter what, you hear?”

  “We’ll keep it safe,” replied Adam.

  Bobby nodded in agreement and opened the door. He peered outside, quickly turning from one side to another as he surveyed the scene. There was no sign of movement, just debris and rubbish blowing past. He stepped outside cautiously. Kurt followed, clutching his bat in both hands and ready to swing for the fences.

  “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to step outside again? Now I’m not so sure,” said Kurt.

  “We’re all in the same boat. I don’t want to be in this nightmare any more than you do. Watch everything like a hawk. If we need to run, we run. Those guns are important, but not more important than surviving. If at anytime things look bad, we run for the door, got that?”

  “Hell, yeah.”

  Bobby led them forward cautiously as he took his first steps out onto the road. He froze when he spotted movement down the street. Three Crazies ran past across an intersection in the distance. Kurt took a deep breath and exhaled as he tried to calm his breathing.

  “This is intense,” he whispered.

  Bobby didn’t reply, but he felt it, too. Just as in the tense moments before and during combat, although he’d never felt so vulnerable as this. He looked down at the hammer in his hands and shook his head in disbelief at how ill equipped he was for the situation. He regretted not taking his axe back, but he looked across to the weapons that were now in sight. A small truck was beside the bodies, and Bobby approached it with suspicion. He stopped for a moment and looked up and down the street. There was nobody close. He could see figures running in the distance, but they were far enough away not to concern him. He went back to the truck and walked about it carefully with his hammer held at the ready, but he was relieved to find no one on the other side.

  “All right, let’s do this. Grab the plate carriers.”

  Kurt looked confused.

  “The body armour, it’s carrying all the ammunition,” he said as he knelt down by one of the bodies and began to pull open the Velcro enclosures.

  “Stop!” The voice was stern but not especially loud.

  Bobby froze. A soldier was beside the truck that hadn’t been there before. Her face was uncovered, and there was a look of dread on her face. Her rifle was pointing right at them.

  “Hey, we’ve just come for the hardware,” declared Bobby.

  “It’s not yours to take,” she replied angrily.

  Tears trickled down her face as she looked at the bodies. She clearly knew them well, as she lowered her rifle slightly and looked upon them with sadness.

  “I’m sorry you lost people here, but we’re trying to survive,” added Bobby.

  “Try somewhere else,” she grumbled.

  “Please, we need these weapons,” replied Kurt.

  She took a few steps forward and lifted her weapon once again.

  “Get away from him!”

  Bobby took his hands away and backed off from the body, even leaving his hammer there beside them.

  “Look, I’m sorry for your loss, but we’re trying to get through whatever insanity this is. We need those weapons,” he said firmly.

  She didn’t even acknowledge him as she continued to look at the bodies.

  “How did you get left behind?” Kurt asked.

  “I…I tried to help them, but I got cut off. I had to go to shelter.”

  “Is someone coming back for you?”

  She shook her head.

  “Come with us. We have a group of survivors. It’s safe.” Bobby reached down to the body once more.

  “Stop!”

  There was a crashing noise from behind Bobby and Kurt, and they turned to see a Crazy fall over a bin. It staggered to its feet and ran at them. Two shots rang out, and bullets whistled past them. The Crazy crashed down onto the road.

  “We aren’t the enemy. We can help each other,” insisted Bobby.

  But the soldier was already shaking her head angrily. She clearly didn’t want anyone near the bodies of her comrades, but Bobby wasn’t willing to leave without the weapons.

  “Come with us. We all need to stick together.”

  “All who?”

  “Survivors.”

  She fell silent as she thought it over, but she looked stubborn. Then they heard a crashing sound. Several Crazies took the bend fifty metres away. The soldier dropped to one knee and took aim, killing the first instantly with a shot to the head.

  Bobby and Kurt didn’t hesitate to go back to the bodies and strip their body armour. The soldier was no longer in a position to stop them. Bobby threw the plate carrier over his head, slipped his hammer into a loop, and picked up a rifle. He dropped the magazine to find it was empty. He pushed it into the webbing and drew another, priming the first round. Kurt was still fumbling to get the armour from the body, disgusted at having to deal with a dead body.

  “Get it done!” Bobby roared as he took up position beside the soldier and took aim. He fired off two shots in to the centre body mass of one of the Crazies, and the soldier looked over in surprise. She knew he was a fighting man, for everything in his skills and body language in the use of the weapon told her so. Yet she looked back in horror as dozens more Crazies took the bend up ahead.

  “It’s a horde. We’ve got to move. Come with us!” Bobby yelled at her.

  She looked back at the bodies, not wanting to leave them.

  “They’ve gone, but you’re still alive. Come with us. You’ll be safe!”

  She finally nodded in agreement as she came to the realisation she was all out of options. They each shot down another before Bobby got to his feet and hauled Kurt up. He’d just got the vest free, and he picked up the other rifle as he was dragged on. The three of them sprinted for the door to the shop.

  “Open the door!” Bobby shouted as they approached.

  They reached the door to find it was still shut. Bobby slammed his hand on it.

  “Open the damn door!”

  He could see Roger through the small porthole, and he was fiddling with the lock. Gunshots rang out behind him as the soldier opened fire on those pursuing them. Kurt was fumbling with his rifle trying to get it working. Bobby took up position beside the soldier and joined in the shooting. Their accurate fire was easily knocking down the Crazies who ran straight at them, making no attempt to spread out or seek cover, but more and more poured around the corner where the first ones had come from.

  “We can’t stop them,” said the soldier in despair.

  “Get that damn door open!” Bobby screamed.

  “Come on!” Kurt hammered on it.

  Finally, the door swung open, and he rushed through with the bat, plate carrier, and rifle awkwardly stacked in his arms.

  “Let’s move!” Bobby jumped through and turned back to cover the soldier. She fired two more shots but could see it was doing nothing to stem the flow. She backed away and through the door as Bobby fired several more shots. Yet still the Crazies came. She got through as they reached the door, and Bobby heaved it shut, but one got into the doorway before he could seal it shut.

  “Help me!”

  Kurt and Adam pushed up against the door and held it firm, but could not get it the final way. The Crazy was stuck in the door, reaching out with the one hand it had gotten through the door to lash out against them. The soldier lifted her rifle and fired a single shot point-blank into its head. It slumped down dead.

  “Out of the way!” Roger shoved her away and used the end of his axe to push the body back out of the opening. Finally, with one last push Bobby and the other two slammed it shut, and the lock activated.

  Bobby breathed a sigh of relief as he slumped back against it. He could still hear the Crazies beating against it.

  “They aren’t getting through that,” said Roger.

  “How can you be so sure?” Adam asked.

  “Because this place spared no expense on its shop front.”

  Kurt couldn’t help but laugh and the rest of them soon joined in, even the soldier chuckled a little.

  “Thank God for high-class furniture,” said Roger with a smile.

  Chapter 2

  “We should get away from the door,” said the soldier.

  “What? Why?” Kurt asked.

 

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