Chapter 13: Fool In The Rain
Boomer's POV
"How'd I get suckered into this?" I muttered. Took about a minute before I realized how far I had sprinted into the rain. The wall of water kept me from seeing beyond ten feet in any direction. Luckily, I knew my way around town well enough to find the store. For the next thirty minutes, I trudged through the suburban swamp, clearing a good half-mile between me and the house. Only thing that could make this worse is zombies.
As the torrent continued, my mind began to wander. My jeans were soaked. My shirt, mop of hair, and everything else was drenched... had been drenched, from the moment I stepped outside. Squinting through the hydro-curtain, I was able to make out a set of lights about fifty yards ahead. "Boy, I feel bad for that sucker!"
As I sluggishly dragged through the hell and high water, the vehicle became more and more familiar-seeming. I squinted to read the license plate, but the entire damn bumper was submerged in murk. I shifted my focus to the windshield in a desperately curious attempt to see the driver. Nobody. Shame. The owner must be snug in their house, waiting this out, while I'm stranded in a futile attempt to navigate this meteorological miscarriage. "I'd better get a kiss when I come back."
I kept trudging for what felt like an eternity longer, not lifting my head and barely paying attention to anything besides the dancing black water that hugged my knees. Purely by accident, I bumped into another parked car. I had wandered into a darkened parking lot. Looking around, it appeared as though the sudden storm caught everybody off-guard, for most of the lot was taken up with dead sedans, pickups, and SUVs. The Malph's sign was dark, as was the store, save a few lanterns and flashlights from the trapped. No power, I assumed. Weird, considering the store is within the same power grid as Bubbles' house... which had power, last time I saw it.
Easing my way toward the front entrance, I spotted the Professor's flashy coupe in one of the middle aisles. Good. That at least means he's here, unless the store patrons cannibalized him.
Unfortunately, the doors were barred and locked to keep the floodwater outside with me. My legs took a mind of their own and began shuffling around to the loading bay in back. Lo and behold, there was an Ultra Cola semi, parked close enough to a window that I could hopefully climb through into the loading dock. Stepping up onto the bumper and climbing onto the hood, I found the window to be unlocked and slightly opened. Lifting the bar and hoisting myself through, I fell almost fifteen feet onto a pile of boxes. The lifting latch slapped shut.