CHAPTER TWO - THE GIRL IN THE BLACK DRESS
"Sorry, Herb,"
Ash emptied several rounds into his old boss, exploding his head and chest in a rainbow spray of blood. Satisfied that the creature was dead, he turned on the girl in the black dress.
"Who the hell are you?" he demanded for the second time.
"I'm Zoe," she replied. "I go to school over in Asheville. I was passing through on the way back to school. And you could say thank you."
"For what?"
"You killed it, didn't you?" Zoe rolled her eyes and went back to her nails.
Ash gestured his three co-workers to the side. Alicia was paler than usual, and Bill was shaking. Shawn looked disturbed, but Ash decided he was too dumb to be scared.
"Have you ever seen her before?" he asked them.
All three shook their heads.
"Nice rack, though," Shawn observed, looking over at her.
"Oh, please," Alicia retorted. "She looks like another of those gothic vampire-witch wanna-bes."
"As opposed to a Daisy Duke-wearing redneck airhead?" Bill said, giving Alicia a look that showed he clearly meant her.
"I am not a Daisy Duke. whatever you said!" Alicia cried.
"Will you two shut up," Ash shook his head. "News flash - there are demons running about, and we don't even know that the store is safe."
"Oh, the store is safe, now,"
Everyone turned at the sound of Zoe's voice.
"Excuse me?" Ash asked as she approached.
"I am not gothic, or a vampire, or a wanna-be," Zoe exclaimed, venom in her voice as she looked at Alicia. "But I am a witch. And I just cast a spell. The store should be safe, but I don't know how long I can hold it, so whatever we're going to do, we need to hurry."
"You cast. a spell?" Ash asked, his laughter, simultaneous with Bill's, coming too fast for him to contain. Zoe shrugged.
"Fine. Don't believe me," she said, and walked out of the storeroom.
Still laughing, Bill asked Ash, "Should we follow her?"
"Sure," Ash shrugged. "I need more ammo."
Ash walked out first, with Alicia and Bill hanging on to his every move. Shawn brought up the rear, his huge figure towering above them. However, they all stopped dead.
They could see, at the other end of the aisle, Deadites crowded around the front entrance, peering inside through the glass. Inside was well-lit, and silent. A quick check through the store, followed by his newfound shadows, revealed a few corpses, but no Deadites. Just Zoe.
"Hi!" she popped out at him cheerfully from around the grocery aisle, munching on a piece of chocolate cake.
Ash caught his breath, letting his guard down. "Never do that to a man with a gun," he said.
"Pretty nifty spell, huh?" Zoe replied, her lips brown with chocolate.
"Yeah. Sure. Groovy," Ash replied. "How long did you say we had?"
"Well, if you're gonna grab ammo, you'd better do it now," Zoe said. "And fill a few backpacks up with food, some bandages, first aid stuff."
"Are we going camping?" Bill asked, looking up at Ash.
"No," Ash looked at Zoe, narrowing his eyes. "Where ARE we going?"
"Someplace with more people,"
"This is North Carolina, there's no place like that here," Alicia cried desperately.
"Well, we can't stay here. We need to find somewhere with more people. living ones," Ash said. "There's more safety in numbers. How do you know so much about this?" This last was directed at Zoe.
"I heard you telling the story to Bill," she replied. However, the manner with which she busily began collecting the bottled water in their aisle bespoke other sources. Ash decided not to press the issue; survival was the first priority.
"Alicia, why don't you help Zoe gather food," he said. "I'll go get some other gear. Bill, get a cart for us. Shawn - "
Everyone looked up in alarm as Ash suddenly stopped talking. Since no one could see him anywhere, Alicia asked the obvious: "Where's Shawn?"
They all began calling for him, spreading out as if to fan through the store, when Shawn turned up. He was pushing a cart into the massive central aisle of the store, casually propping a few shotguns over his shoulder. The cart was loaded down with assorted rifles, shotguns, ammo, archery equipment, and camping gear, as well as a myriad of household items that included cleaners, bleach, several boxes of assorted cooking and cleaning powders, and a lot of PVC piping.
"Thought we might need a few things," he announced.
"We're not moving into a house, Shawn!" Alicia replied.
Ash grinned. "You're not as dumb as you look," he said, striding over to the tall man.
"Who said I looked dumb?"
The stern gaze Shawn was emitting said, Tell me, so I can go step on them. Ash decided he wasn't going to press it.
"Uh, no one," he said. "Where'd you learn all this stuff?"
"Home," Shawn said, monotone.
"Ah," Ash nodded, inwardly wondering what kind of home life Shawn must have to know how to make so many explosives out of household items. "You must have lived with MacGuyver."
"Yeah, that's it," Shawn replied, neither his face nor his tone budging an inch.
"Well, we need to get some first aid supplies, and the ladies are getting food, and that's about it," Ash said, turning and changing the subject. Then, with a start, he added, "No, wait! If there are Deadites about, I have to get my sword!"
Shawn's face finally moved, his eyebrow raising with interest.
"Sword? You mind if I get mine?"
Ash grinned his patented Ash grin. "I'll bet yours is nothing like mine."
"No, not if you're right-handed," Shawn agreed, prompting a glare from Ash.
"And I suppose you're going to call me 'Stubby,' too, right?" he quipped.
"No. Righty."
Ash gave Shawn a long, even glance. He was dressed like a typical redneck farmboy, like everyone else, except his tee-shirt, rather than being plain white, advertised some science fiction event that had taken place in neighboring Knoxville. It couldn't even be read too well, so it really wasn't noticeable.
However, Ash decided he was going to keep an eye on Shawn nonetheless. Redneck farmboys didn't learn to make home explosives unless they were in paramilitary groups, and Ash had already tried to form one of those; this wasn't that kind of town. Everyone everywhere was intimidated by Ash, except Shawn, and that Zoe chick, but give her time.
Shawn, however, had worked at the S-Mart nearly as long as Ash had, usually in his official-looking guard's uniform. That he still wore the pants told Ash he had changed clothes somewhere along the line, making him wonder how long he'd been out cold. And why he'd passed out to begin with.
It bothered him for the same reason Shawn's total lack of intimidation bothered him - he wasn't used to it. He didn't pass out. Everyone was scared of him, ever since he came out of the woods that separated North Carolina from Tennessee. What was Shawn's story that he was so blasé?
Ash hated surprise enemies. He hoped Shawn was a friend.
"Sorry, Herb,"
Ash emptied several rounds into his old boss, exploding his head and chest in a rainbow spray of blood. Satisfied that the creature was dead, he turned on the girl in the black dress.
"Who the hell are you?" he demanded for the second time.
"I'm Zoe," she replied. "I go to school over in Asheville. I was passing through on the way back to school. And you could say thank you."
"For what?"
"You killed it, didn't you?" Zoe rolled her eyes and went back to her nails.
Ash gestured his three co-workers to the side. Alicia was paler than usual, and Bill was shaking. Shawn looked disturbed, but Ash decided he was too dumb to be scared.
"Have you ever seen her before?" he asked them.
All three shook their heads.
"Nice rack, though," Shawn observed, looking over at her.
"Oh, please," Alicia retorted. "She looks like another of those gothic vampire-witch wanna-bes."
"As opposed to a Daisy Duke-wearing redneck airhead?" Bill said, giving Alicia a look that showed he clearly meant her.
"I am not a Daisy Duke. whatever you said!" Alicia cried.
"Will you two shut up," Ash shook his head. "News flash - there are demons running about, and we don't even know that the store is safe."
"Oh, the store is safe, now,"
Everyone turned at the sound of Zoe's voice.
"Excuse me?" Ash asked as she approached.
"I am not gothic, or a vampire, or a wanna-be," Zoe exclaimed, venom in her voice as she looked at Alicia. "But I am a witch. And I just cast a spell. The store should be safe, but I don't know how long I can hold it, so whatever we're going to do, we need to hurry."
"You cast. a spell?" Ash asked, his laughter, simultaneous with Bill's, coming too fast for him to contain. Zoe shrugged.
"Fine. Don't believe me," she said, and walked out of the storeroom.
Still laughing, Bill asked Ash, "Should we follow her?"
"Sure," Ash shrugged. "I need more ammo."
Ash walked out first, with Alicia and Bill hanging on to his every move. Shawn brought up the rear, his huge figure towering above them. However, they all stopped dead.
They could see, at the other end of the aisle, Deadites crowded around the front entrance, peering inside through the glass. Inside was well-lit, and silent. A quick check through the store, followed by his newfound shadows, revealed a few corpses, but no Deadites. Just Zoe.
"Hi!" she popped out at him cheerfully from around the grocery aisle, munching on a piece of chocolate cake.
Ash caught his breath, letting his guard down. "Never do that to a man with a gun," he said.
"Pretty nifty spell, huh?" Zoe replied, her lips brown with chocolate.
"Yeah. Sure. Groovy," Ash replied. "How long did you say we had?"
"Well, if you're gonna grab ammo, you'd better do it now," Zoe said. "And fill a few backpacks up with food, some bandages, first aid stuff."
"Are we going camping?" Bill asked, looking up at Ash.
"No," Ash looked at Zoe, narrowing his eyes. "Where ARE we going?"
"Someplace with more people,"
"This is North Carolina, there's no place like that here," Alicia cried desperately.
"Well, we can't stay here. We need to find somewhere with more people. living ones," Ash said. "There's more safety in numbers. How do you know so much about this?" This last was directed at Zoe.
"I heard you telling the story to Bill," she replied. However, the manner with which she busily began collecting the bottled water in their aisle bespoke other sources. Ash decided not to press the issue; survival was the first priority.
"Alicia, why don't you help Zoe gather food," he said. "I'll go get some other gear. Bill, get a cart for us. Shawn - "
Everyone looked up in alarm as Ash suddenly stopped talking. Since no one could see him anywhere, Alicia asked the obvious: "Where's Shawn?"
They all began calling for him, spreading out as if to fan through the store, when Shawn turned up. He was pushing a cart into the massive central aisle of the store, casually propping a few shotguns over his shoulder. The cart was loaded down with assorted rifles, shotguns, ammo, archery equipment, and camping gear, as well as a myriad of household items that included cleaners, bleach, several boxes of assorted cooking and cleaning powders, and a lot of PVC piping.
"Thought we might need a few things," he announced.
"We're not moving into a house, Shawn!" Alicia replied.
Ash grinned. "You're not as dumb as you look," he said, striding over to the tall man.
"Who said I looked dumb?"
The stern gaze Shawn was emitting said, Tell me, so I can go step on them. Ash decided he wasn't going to press it.
"Uh, no one," he said. "Where'd you learn all this stuff?"
"Home," Shawn said, monotone.
"Ah," Ash nodded, inwardly wondering what kind of home life Shawn must have to know how to make so many explosives out of household items. "You must have lived with MacGuyver."
"Yeah, that's it," Shawn replied, neither his face nor his tone budging an inch.
"Well, we need to get some first aid supplies, and the ladies are getting food, and that's about it," Ash said, turning and changing the subject. Then, with a start, he added, "No, wait! If there are Deadites about, I have to get my sword!"
Shawn's face finally moved, his eyebrow raising with interest.
"Sword? You mind if I get mine?"
Ash grinned his patented Ash grin. "I'll bet yours is nothing like mine."
"No, not if you're right-handed," Shawn agreed, prompting a glare from Ash.
"And I suppose you're going to call me 'Stubby,' too, right?" he quipped.
"No. Righty."
Ash gave Shawn a long, even glance. He was dressed like a typical redneck farmboy, like everyone else, except his tee-shirt, rather than being plain white, advertised some science fiction event that had taken place in neighboring Knoxville. It couldn't even be read too well, so it really wasn't noticeable.
However, Ash decided he was going to keep an eye on Shawn nonetheless. Redneck farmboys didn't learn to make home explosives unless they were in paramilitary groups, and Ash had already tried to form one of those; this wasn't that kind of town. Everyone everywhere was intimidated by Ash, except Shawn, and that Zoe chick, but give her time.
Shawn, however, had worked at the S-Mart nearly as long as Ash had, usually in his official-looking guard's uniform. That he still wore the pants told Ash he had changed clothes somewhere along the line, making him wonder how long he'd been out cold. And why he'd passed out to begin with.
It bothered him for the same reason Shawn's total lack of intimidation bothered him - he wasn't used to it. He didn't pass out. Everyone was scared of him, ever since he came out of the woods that separated North Carolina from Tennessee. What was Shawn's story that he was so blasé?
Ash hated surprise enemies. He hoped Shawn was a friend.