They tell me their names T-Dog and Morales had been the guys in the baseball get-up then Andrea and Jacqui and finally Glynn. After a few minutes of everyone catching their breath "So how many are in your group? I don't have any room in the Humvee but by the looks, I can give you guys some stuff to make room."
Morales who seemed to be the de facto leader looked at me "there are the four of us and another on the roof." Nodding "Umm T-dog was it?" at the man's nod "do you mind giving me a hand?" going to the door checking the load in my rifle I peek out the door seeing another pair of walkers I look over my shoulder as I attach the Bayonet "there are two more out there ready?" with a quick look to the others he throws his vest back on and readies his bat.
They dash out and quickly stab and bashed the walkers' heads in silently that done rick reaches in and pulls out five ready loaded combat vests from the back going to the passenger side and pulls a case of rifles already loaded. "pssshhh" T looks over and his eyes go wide at the loaded vest "grab those and let's get back inside."
The look on the faces of the others was PRICELESS as we came back inside and started handing out the vest and rifles to everyone the only one that didn't take one was Jacqui shrugging as everyone is putting their vest on and checking out the 16's in their hands "T-dog cover me as I put the extra back" smiling he picks up his rifle I show him the safety and the charging handle.
Coming back inside with no trouble the door shuts just as the first echoing gunshot from the roof sounds off everyone looks around before Morales and Andrea both lookup and say "Merle" at the same time frowning I follow them up the stairs to see Merle pointing a scoped rifle over the ledge and fired again cackling as he worked the bolt looking for another target as T dog opened the door merle turned and was about to start on his racist tirade but stopped as he saw them all carrying M16s and wearing loaded combat vest.
Looking at him I smirked really didn't like this guy as T-Dog started calling him out on his stupidity for calling more down on them after their new friend just cleared the majority of them out. Merle seemed emboldened that only T-dog was the only one yelling at him and decided to press his luck.
"bad enough I got this taco-bender on my ass all day. You must be fucked up if you think I'm going to start taking orders from you, mister YO. That will be the day"
Pissed off at what must have been a lot of off-screen racist shit T-dog looked at Morales who shrugged "just let it go man." But T's patience was at its end "What's that supposed to mean if you got something to say then say it"
Merle looked around seeing everyone but me break eye contact he laughed "the day will be when I start taking orders from a N..(we all know what he said I ain't righting that shit) and he didn't say it this time as my rifle comes up and puts a round right over his shoulder "That's enough of that you will drop your weapon and kiss the roof hands behind your back." Merle looked like he wanted to try it but the look in my eye and the emboldened others who had also started pointing their rifles at him made him rethink tossing the rifle over the ledge with a cocky smirk on his face "Oops my b..." he doesn't get to finish as I bring the stock of my rifle down on the back of his head "Oops my hand slipped" even though he was knocked out and didn't hear me the others did and to see their bully taken down they all smiled cuffing his hands behind him we use a tarp to carry his fat ass down the stairs to the sales floor.
Downstairs a group of walkers are at the doors attracted by merles shooting What a fucking moron I think as I see a walker approach with a rock and begin slamming it into the outer glass door I wonder how it thought to pick up a rock shrugging
"Do you guys have a car or truck to get out of here or were you going to walk out on foot?" I ask the others
"No we were worried the sound would cause them to fall on us so we had planned to find a car on the way out and just carry all that we had found until then," Morales said
"what all have you managed to find? And can we get started on moving it to the ally door so when we have a way out of here we can load up and get out fast?" I put out into the group
Nodding they led me to an office on the second floor with a dozen stuffed backpacks and a half dozen milk crates with what looks to be several vending machines worth of chips, cookies, soda, and bottled water nodding at the haul. "Not bad then let's get started moving this stuff down to the door Morales, the Ladies and the inbred can carry stuff down leave him cuffed he can carry the backpacks Glynn and I will go to the roof and see if we can find anything to drive out of here." Everyone nodded and went about their ways.
And Glynn and I worked up the stairs he told me what had happened in the first place how he had been to this building several times by himself grabbed a bag or two of food and drinks and gotten out no problem but his first time with a group and Jacqui he was quick to say it wasn't really her fault but accidents now can get you and everyone around you killed had tripped and knocked a desk chair out of a window had caused the whole fiasco Well that explains it they had never told us how they got trapped in the first place nice to finally figure that out I think as we take the last few steps and open the door.
As we look around calling out possible vehicles because lets be honest a box truck is ok but they could do better but everything else was worse "that construction site they always have keys on site." Looking down at the street there were only about a hundred hundred-fifty "with the weapons and ammo we have that wouldn't be hard three of us with guns and plenty of bullets" said T-dog seeing the opportunity for the blood cover "what if two of us and we probably not fire a shot." Everyone looked confused "how do the walkers Zeeks whatever see us?" Glynn says his peace they are attracted to sound, sight, and smell (there we go)
"They smell us?" Me
"Yes they smell dead we don't its pretty obvious" Glenn
"I have an idea." As we go down the stairs I tell them the plan, to cover ourselves in walker blood and body parts to cover our scent and just walk through them. The look on their faces was hilarious as I grabbed a couple of painters coveralls rubber gloves and facemasks "we open up a walker and rub their blood all over these coveralls maybe hang a foot or a hand off of them for that extra smell and just shamble around in the direction of the construction site." dubious they hesitated "here ill show you Glynn help me drag one from round back inside. As we run out and grab one that I had bayoneted as I arrived we notice another group of four walkers had found their way into the alleyway. They helped me cut it up and lathered the blood and guts all over my suit hanging the severed feet around my neck with a shoelace.
I stand at the door with a fire ax in hand. "Now watch." I open the door and shamble out ax in hand the walkers moved in my direction at the sound of the door and I show no fear as I shamble past them they looked in my direction but continued on as the last passed me I turned and shambled closer brushing the walker's shoulder it showed no reaction seeing the others were watching from the window of the door I slid behind what used to be a rather beautiful woman waving I slammed the ax head into the back of the walkers' skull helping the former female walker to the ground without a sound. The others didn't react as I did the same to the next three as I went to swing on the last it shambled and the ax slammed into its shoulder instead of his head. As the walker turned to look at me with I swear a smile my hand dropped to the bayonet scabbard without hesitation and slabbed the twelve-inch blade into the eye socket. And it dropped like a sack of potatoes.
As I walk back inside I see Glynn already getting lathered up with a pair of severed hands draped over his neck "So anyone have questions?" everyone shook their heads nope "we will be grabbing the Box truck and that water truck behind it from what I have noticed clean water is going to be harder to find then just Turing on a faucet" everyone chuckled at that "T-Dog I want you to be ready in my Humvee we will do a quick load when we get back then get the hell out of the city" loading vest and rifles in the Humvee so they don't get left behind we head out.
Going just faster than the crawl of the walkers around us we make good time to the fence. We get to the gate Just as we hear the rumble of lightning overhead. Standing in our way are about a dozen walkers too close to the gate. Looking around I see a beer bottle laying on the sidewalk. Motioning to Glenn to wait, I shamble over and pick it up slowly before throwing it against the far wall where it shatters loudly. The attention of the walkers grabbed they all start shuffling over in the direction of the bottle.
The gate is clear we get inside locking the gate just as the first fat raindrops start to fall. "We need to hurry before the rain comes down and washes this off of us" I mutter to Glenn he nods and steps up the pace checking the box truck and the water truck for vehicle numbers before running over and breaking open a wall cabinet. The crash of the lock breaking alerts the horde who starts moving on us just as the rain comes down in earnest stripping the now-soaked bloody coveralls off Glynn hands me the water truck keys as we jump in the trucks that turn over without a problem. The others seeing us start to move run downstairs.
As we shift into gear the gate comes tumbling down as the walkers push against it I yell out of the window as Glenn's box truck turns around and stops next to mine "pull off heading around the block go slow enough that they start to follow us we need to make sure we have enough time to load everything before leaving." Nodding he pulls off and I follow.
We creep along leading almost two hundred walkers down the road for about four blocks I think this is enough I muse as I pull up to match speeds with Glynn "We're good to go let's get back to the others lead the way." Nodding he accelerates and I follow him leaving the horde to shamble along in our dust. Coming off the bridge we pass dozens more who turn and try to follow us we circle around the block passing the carpeted street of corpses pulling into the alley I see T-dog and everyone else rush out as we pulled all heavily loaded down with bags and milk crates. Merle still handcuffed came out with bags moving slowly as everyone finished loading.
Merle is still on his way with the two bags in his hands "Hurry up Merle or we will leave you." As I finished getting my vest back on. He looked at me and something in my eyes showed I wasn't kidding as he picked up the pace joining the others in the back of the box truck.
Time to go the small convoy of survivors the box truck in the lead followed by the water truck with the Humvee alongside tore down the empty freeway out of the city.
Note from me the author I hope everyone is enjoying this please read and review