Rain, to many people it is a bad sign as it either means death, or a terrible omen. Jack leaned his head back as he quite enjoyed the warm water sliding down his face. He looked too his left at Brock as the man was adjusting his rifle. Four days have passed since the trio entered the town and Jack could feel something was up as a member of the trio was squirrelly and it was really off setting. Jack sighed as he looked out too the field, "I don't think we are going too catch much today. They have been doing a good job catching boars and other slow moving critters that the town has actually been having some protein problems."
"Yeah," Brock sat up with a groan. He looked at Jack with a smile. "So quick question, why are you sitting here in a tee and shorts."
"Georgia weather," Jack began too climb down from the tree. He got too the ground and landed in a small one inch puddle of water that has accumulated over the squall. Jack's senses were telling him too keep his rifle up more and more as the rain came down harder around them. Brock dropped down and he fell too one knee as it was obvious he was sprive for his age. Brock stood up and the rain was coming down to Jack it felt like hail and the deafening covered Brock's sentence leaving the two just standing trying to figure out what to do next. Visibility fell too nothing as the rain blocked their sight.
Jack's eyes were now on high alert as he tried to see their surroundings suddenly his fox like senses kicked in and he could smell rotting flesh. Pulling his knife from the belt his eyes were darting from side to side trying to find it. Little warning was all Jack got as a walker dove at him. From first glance it wasn't a fresh one as it's face was sagging due too the rain, and the snow did damage too it's body as well. From it's clothing it used too be a woman, Jack's nose twitched and he sunk his blade into it's face seeing another get dropped from Brock's rifle butt smashing it's fat face in.
The rain began to lessen and Brock was laughing, "Georgia weather huh? Well I now know why you are wearing shorts, my cargo pants are getting heavy."
"Yeah well next time you should keep that in mind old man," Jack smiled as the two started too walk through the drizzle. It wasn't much that the rain was soaking them that made the two slow down, it was the fact that the rain flooded most of the area around them saturating the earth too a point where they began too sink in the mud. They finally got too their destination, a small camp site that they found on their hunting party as a meet up point. Nathan and Mitchell Jr were already waiting for them with only a few rabbits. "Hey any sign of Garrett and Darius?"
"Most likely strangling one another," Nathan chuckled. The bushes beside them rustled and both Sandy and Barker showed up. Following them was Martinez and a rather hefty man they picked up in their merrily band of misfits that Barker was always leading around. "Sup Gabe see you guys scored a Buck."
Jack looked past the burly man too see that the two had in fact picked up a seven pointer. Gabe who seemed fact was actually a well decent mix of fat and muscle so with Martinez's help they had it tied up on a sled, "Yeah popped him before Martinez could."
"-see I told you it was this way," Garrett said angrily as he ducked out of the bushes. Darius stepped out with a small doe across his shoulders and he looked at the others before dropping it at his feet. "Sorry for being late.
Jack was about too respond but his radio caught his attention, "Oh Jackie boy."
"Yeah go ahead Gabby."
"Sorry to bug yah Hun but we have a problem with one of our generators and seeing you guys are the closest too the Homemart I was wondering if you could be a dear and pick us up a new one," Gabby's personality was a slice of fruit cake just like the way she was too everyone outside the walls. Gavin had the heavy set woman man the radios since she was working for county dispatch back before the turn.
"Sure thing," Jack confirmed it with Barker. "We will be sending back some guys from the hunting trip with some venison and three sets of rabbits feet. You want some expired ding dongs while I am out there?"
"If you would be so kind," Gabby laughed on the radio bringing a smile to Jack's face. "Alright there Sugga you be safe out there."
Jack watched as Gabe picked up the doe and dropped the body onto the sled then both he and Martinez began to walk off. Jack patted Darius' arm signaling that he should take lead with barker. Nathan got behind them whistling occasionally now through the mist like rain. Jack turned too his left and smiled when Sandy caught up to him while Garrett and Brock took position behind him. The group walked in silence not really wanting to talk to one another due too the warm rain but they knew their march of silence had too break sooner or later, "Hey Jack when is Sara's birthday?"
"Dunno, by now it might be either tomorrow or next week," Jack said up too Darius as he asked the question. "Why do you ask?"
"Wonder if she has kept track of the days," Darius asked as they kept their pace.
The group fell silent once more and Jack guessed as Nathan began to hum ninety nine bottles of beer. They group came up too the highway and stopped at a quadcab dodge ram. Brock busted the window unceremoniously and Nathan got too work on hot wiring the vehicle. It roared too life and Barker climbed into the driver seat while Nathan too the passenger seat with Garrett in the center since the shifter was on the wheel. Mitchell, Brock, and Darius took the back seat while Jack and Sandy climbed into the back. Jack's rifle rested on the side of the truck and he held it with one hand and rested the other on the flooring. Sandy sat down and her hand was next too Jack's and with each bump it jumped farther and farther up his hand till it was completely on top of it.
Jack noticed Sandy's hand but he didn't say anything about it as he ruled it off as the truck bouncing around. The vehicle turned off to a small industrial street with a few strip malls and two gas stations. Slowly maneuvering through the vehicle wrecks Sandy drew her 357 while Jack stood up placing one elbow on the roof he scooped out the area. Spotting the Homemart was easy, few walkers wandering the parking lots and the occasional standing face first against the building caught Jack's attention. Jack patted the roof and Barker pulled off allowing everyone too unload, "How do you want to do this Barker?"
"Shoot em up," Barker pulled out his rifle and slapped a fresh magazine in it. Brock Darius and Garrett looked at Jack and he nodded. "What's wrong?"
"We make too much noise and we attract what's around here in a one mile distance," Jack said voicing his opinion. Barker walker up too him and smiled. Jack pondered for a minute what the back lash would be if he tied Barker up and left him outside. The thought left his mind as Barker pushed him against the truck.
"Listen to me you shit," Barker pushed harder and Jack's hand went up too his pistol. Brock raised his M16 and Darius' camo pistol was leaving it's holster. "I'm in charge, not some washed up cop, but a real, all American bad ass you got that."
Jack's hand went up and he motioned for everyone too stand down, "I got it."
Barker sneered and roughly pushed Jack against the truck walking away. Jack adjusted himself and he started too follow. Everyone was silent not really sure what too say or do as Barker seemed too piss everyone off with that stunt. Everyone got too the parking lot and Barker raised his rifle squeezing the trigger for a three round burst dropping a walker. Jack reluctantly brought up his 700 and fired a round into the skull of a teenage walker. Brock's M16 fired in single round shots taking down one walker at a time. Sandy and the others joined the firing line and the walkers were quickly dispatched as far as Jack could see.
"Get moving," Barker said stepping over a walker's body. Brock's eyes were trained on the walkers on the ground, sometimes a good 7.62 round can sever the spinal column but the walker's head could still bite. Jack felt the rain let up but that didn't stop his determined glare at the Homemart, why was the walkers hanging around the door and windows? He kept his weapon trained on it while watching his step. Sandy's revolver barked and a walker that was pinned stopped moving, "Your good with that revolver."
"Was my dad," Sandy sneered as they kept walking towards the Homemart and Jack wished he was looking at a side door because something darted out of the corner of his eye behind a dumpster. His rifle snapped too it and more movement at the door and he brought his rifle too the source. A middle aged man stood in a long coat looking at everyone.
"Oh thank you," he started to walk towards them and Darius brought his pistol up. "We have been locked in there for two weeks just trying too keep away from the biters and my people started to get antsy and well… Your standing over half of them."
Jack looked down and then looked up. Some of the walkers looked a good week or two old but that didn't mean that Jack fully trusted the guy. He began too lower the rifle and Sandy as well. Barker looked at Jack, "What the fuck is your Major malfunction?"
"You let us in," Garrett frowned not sure if this was the right idea was written on his face.
Jack turned too the man and his heart sank as he saw some planks and boards moving exposing a few people with guns. Bullets began to fly and Brock was the first too return fire as Jack tossed Sandy and Garrett behind a burnt out car. He turned too see Jim plunging a knife into Mitchell's neck and looking the poor boy in his eyes as he pulled it out and dropped him onto the ground. Nathan roared as he fired his shotgun wildly towards Jim. Jack tackled him behind a road barrier as Darius took cover there. Nathan's rage filled eyes glared at Jack, "You killed Mitchell!"
"He's right Jack," Darius glared at his friend forming a knot in his stomach. "We should have told him too fuck off."
"Now's not the time," Jack watched a chunk of debris fly off of the barrier and he growled adjusting his rifle. Brock's M16 was still barking after a quick reload the retired military man was reverting too his old ways making his way up too the building. Jack squeezed the trigger dropping a gun man at a window and he gave Brock and Barker the chance to get too the building. Barker stuck his rifle into the window and let out a large burst from his rifle followed by screams of terror. "Sandy Garrett cover me!"
"Gotcha," Sandy called out and when a trio of rounds came from her pistol and a good spray from Garrett's SMG Jack used that time to make a sprint for the right side of the building where the only exit was a fire exit.
Jack's back ground against the concrete building and he kept his rifle up. Two bodies lay in the alley between this building his back was too and a wood fence. He kept moving till a small alcove was visible. Keeping his back too the building he saw a sole a second too late. A tan man dove from out the side of the building with his knife ready to strike, jack's instincts kicked in and the butt if his rifle connected too the elbow of the man then he used the hole weapon too push him too the ground.
Jack brought up his rifle and the man that attacked him dropped the only weapon he had on him, a screwdriver, "Please don't… Jim he forced us too attack you guys, it's either that or we were fed too the walkers. Please…"
Jack lowered the rifle slightly and he looked briefly behind him. The man seemed like he was ready to fall over dead. He shivered slightly and Jack crouched down, "You stay here, and you might get hurt, any place for you too hunker down at?"
"Oh thank you yes yes I know of a place," the man seemed happy that he wasn't going too die today.
"Then go," Jack stood up and took the screwdriver with him. The man seemed too take the words like they came from the mouth of whatever holy being he believed in because he was running off the second Jack made his way too the door. Jack paused briefly as he took a deep breath glad he didn't pull the trigger. He readied himself as he brought up his foot too kick in the inward swinging door.