At least he’d be able to take a few of them down with him.
And he’d never see the ocean. Or feel it. It bothered him slightly that he’d be breaking his promise. Hopefully Chickadee would understand this was the only way he could truly punish himself for his wrongdoings.
He didn’t think. Instead he ran straight at the crowd.
ARIES
Aries didn’t stop to think. Grabbing one of the baseball bats, she took the stairs two at a time, her sneakers barely touching the concrete. Behind her she could hear Jack and Nathan struggling to keep up. At the bottom, she unlatched the lock, shoved open the metal door, and stepped out onto the street.
When she saw his face, she knew the stranger wasn’t Daniel. But who was he? And why was he doing something so bloody suicidal? Stopping just beyond the door, she watched the stranger attack. He was in the middle of the monsters, lashing out as the crowd swarmed him. Punching blindly, he still managed to hit targets—she saw someone’s nose connect with his fist, blood spurting onto the street. Another one took a kick to the side, collapsing, only to get trampled as the others closed in on the hunt.
“Come on,” she heard Jack say from behind. “Get out of here while they’re distracted.”
It was the opportunity of all opportunities. Silently, her friends poured out of the building and split in different directions. Nathan grabbed Eve and they disappeared into the alley. Colin and Joy headed off behind the building toward Crab Park. The monsters were so distracted by the stranger, they didn’t even notice. She turned to Jack, surprised to realize that he was the only one left. The others had vanished into the night.
“We have to help him,” she said.
“We owe him that much,” Jack agreed.
But what could they do?
From out of nowhere, another figure slammed his way into the group. This time it was Daniel. She recognized his black hair and slender frame. He obviously had a weapon of some sort in his hand, and two of the monsters crumpled to the ground. One of the mob members got behind him, raising a baseball bat in the air.
She didn’t think about it. She charged the group, aiming for the guy with the bat, and using her own weapon to slam him hard in the side. Someone tried to grab her by the hair and knocked the bat out of her hands, so she twisted her body around, tightened her fingers into a fist, and planted a punch right into his jaw. Her knuckles popped and cracked, and pain flared up her hand, but it was one of the most fantastic feelings she’d ever experienced in her life. She’d never punched someone before. Who knew it could be so amazing? A female got right in her face—black-veined eyes wide, teeth bared—and practically bit her nose off. Aries pulled her arm back again, felt the crazy woman’s nose break under her knuckles. Only this time it hurt a lot more.
Professional fighters and movies made it look easy.
She turned around to see hands coming straight for her throat, but Jack stepped in front of her, tackling the body to the ground. They were all involved now, a fight to the finish.
The crowd started to go crazy. They were too close together. The stranger ducked a blow, forcing a monster to punch another. Soon a bunch of them were fighting among themselves, a full-blown mob of crazies, and no one seemed to know what was happening anymore.
Daniel reached for her through the mob, grabbed her by the elbow, and pulled her back. “Are you nuts?” he shouted. “What the hell are you doing? You’re gonna get yourself killed. Get out of here. Go join your friends.”
“I’m not leaving you,” she said. “And I’m not leaving that other guy, either. He just saved everyone’s lives.”
Daniel pulled her farther back from the crowd and pushed her behind a parked car. “Stay there. I’ll get him.”
MASON
A sharp punch to the stomach and all the air was sucked out of his body. As he tripped over someone’s head, Mason’s knees went in opposite directions, bending in ways nature never intended. Hitting the ground hard, he felt someone kicked him twice in the side, and he instinctively curled up into the fetal position to try and withstand the blows. A boot pressed down on his fingers and he felt them snap, and his teeth clenched down tightly to keep him from screaming.
All he needed now was a good strong kick to the head and it would be over. He would not close his eyes. He’d face death head-on.
A hand reached out through the cluster of bodies. A face appeared along with it. A guy around the same age as him grabbed hold of his arm and yanked him forward.
“Come on,” the guy said. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Trying to kill yourself? There are better ways to die, my friend.”
“Get lost,” Mason wheezed. He breathed deeply, the air beginning to return to his lungs.
“This isn’t an option,” the guy said. He dodged a blow and kicked out, sending the assailant flying through the crowd. “Whatever you think you did, well, get over it. You don’t deserve to die.”
“What do you know.” It wasn’t a question.
The guy pulled Mason closer until their noses were practically touching. “I happen to know a hell of a lot. Now get your ass up off this ground and follow me. I’ve got a girl over there and she’s gonna be pretty pissed if you don’t come back with me.”
Something in his eyes made Mason believe it was true. This wasn’t the time or place to be dying. He allowed the stranger to help him to his feet. Together they fought their way out of the crowd and over to where a girl and guy were waiting.
“Come on,” the girl said. “We don’t have much time. They’re gonna notice they’re just fighting each other soon.” She turned to the guy beside him. “You’re coming too, Daniel, don’t you dare think you’re gonna just run off right now.”
The stranger named Daniel gave a coy smile. “I wouldn’t dream of it,” he answered.
He’s lying.
But the girl bought into it and the four of them headed off around the corner of the building. They ran for a few blocks without stopping.
Mason tried to keep up, but he’d been hit too many times. His throat and lungs burned and a stitch in his side threatened to tear his entire body into strips. After the fourth block, he stumbled and fell to his knees. He hadn’t eaten the entire day and it was a good thing. If there had been food in his stomach it would now be leaving his throat and hitting the sidewalk. He stayed there a few moments, his palms flat on the pavement, his head hovering close to the ground while he coughed his lungs out.
“Go on without me,” he said. “I’m seriously screwed.”
“That’ll teach you to take them on by yourself,” the girl panted. “Whatever possessed you to try and be a hero, anyway?”
“I’m no hero.”
“You saved our lives,” she said.
Mason looked up at her, and for the first time noticed how big and green her eyes were. The expression on her face was concern, and for a moment he actually believed that she cared, even if she didn’t know a single thing about him.
“I’m Aries,” she said. She nodded to the guy beside her. “He’s Jack. And the guy over there is Daniel.”
“And are you?”
“Huh?”
“Are you—an Aries?”
She laughed. “No, I’m a Gemini.” She held out her hand to him and he took it, allowing her to carefully help him to his feet and into the shadows of a darkened doorway. Once he was standing, the pain in his lungs started to disappear, and soon his breathing returned to normal.
“I’m Mason.”
The three of them stood squashed awkwardly for a few moments while Daniel continued to watch down the street. Finally he turned around and faced the group.
“I hate to break up this happy get-together, but they’ve noticed we’re gone. I think it’s time to start moving.”
Mason could hear shouting in the distance. Sure enough, shadowy figures were moving in their direction from a few blocks away.
“Can you run again?” Aries asked him.
“I’ll manage,”
he said. “Where are we going?”
“The ocean,” she said. “That’s where we’re meeting the others. But we’d better lose this crowd first.”
He didn’t believe in fate or destiny or any of that crap they talked about in the movies. But when Aries mentioned the ocean, he couldn’t help but wonder if Chickadee had somehow found a way to bring him to this girl.
CLEMENTINE
She heard the pounding footsteps but didn’t actually expect the guy to run right into her. She and Michael had rounded the corner, about to check out the four-leveled parking lot to see if they could find a way to get inside the Bay department store. It was late and they were looking for a place to crash for the night.
The moment her feet stepped around the building, a guy with disheveled black hair ran straight into her. Knocking her head against his chin, she fell backward into Michael, who just managed to catch her.
She saw stars, but before she had time to count them, the guy grabbed hold of her hand.
“I’d follow if I were you,” he said. “They’re right behind us.”
“Baggers,” Michael said.
Clementine looked over the stranger’s shoulder, and sure enough, off in the distance, at least twenty or thirty of them were closing the gap.
“We need to hide,” a girl with long auburn hair said, joining them. Beside her were two other guys, both of whom looked extremely winded. One of them was pretty battered, too. He was holding his mangled hand against his chest.
“We were heading to the parking lot,” Michael said. “Just right there. Thought maybe we could get inside the Bay.”
The girl and short-haired guy exchanged looks.
“We’ll be trapped,” she said.
“It’s a good hiding spot,” he said. “We can’t outrun them forever.”
“But how do we know they’re cool?” the battered guy said as he eyed Michael warily.
“How do we know you’re cool?” Clementine snapped.
“We are running away from them, in case you didn’t notice.”
“We don’t have time for this,” the black-haired guy said. “We’ll just have to take our chances.”
The girl turned to Clementine. “Let’s do it.”
They ran straight across the street and into the lot. Beside the ticket booth was a tiny concrete stairwell that led straight up. Above their heads was a skywalk. If they could reach it, they might be able to gain access to the store.
The skywalk was three flights up, and by the time they reached the top, everyone was breathing heavily. The girl introduced herself as Aries in a whispered, breathy voice. She then gave out everyone else’s names.
“I’m Clementine,” she whispered back. “And that’s Michael.”
“Are we done with introductions?” Daniel asked. “I’m getting really tired of all these new faces. How many others am I going to have to endure tonight?”
“Don’t worry,” Aries shot back. “As soon as we’re safe you can go find another hole to crawl into.”
Michael and Clementine exchanged glances. What sort of fight had they literally crashed into?
Down in the street below they could hear shouting as the Baggers spread out to search. It was only a matter of time before they found the stairwell.
“We’re boned.”
Clementine didn’t know what Daniel meant until she glanced over at the skywalk. It was in shambles, the windows broken, the floorboards uprooted and cracked. In the middle was a hole big enough to fall through. The structure seemed to be barely holding on by a thread.
“That’s not gonna take our weight,” Jack said. “That wouldn’t even hold a baby.”
“Maybe if we go one at a time?” Aries suggested.
“It was such a good idea,” Clementine said. “I forgot about the earthquake.”
“You couldn’t tell it was damaged from below?” Daniel said. “Why didn’t you just look up then?”
“Hey, don’t snap at her,” Michael said. “It’s not her fault.”
“I think we can do it,” Mason said. He didn’t even hesitate. Clementine held her breath as she watched him walk briskly straight out onto the skywalk, keeping to the middle where the supports might be the strongest. When he reached the hole, he simply stepped over it as if it was a pothole in the road instead of a three-story drop to the street below. Once safely across, he waved at the others to join him.
“Show-off,” Daniel muttered.
Jack went next, then Aries, followed by Daniel. Jack had the most difficulty, freezing by the hole for a good thirty seconds before his legs started working again.
“Your turn,” Michael said.
She stepped out onto the skywalk, immediately feeling the breeze through the broken windows against her face. The platform seemed to move beneath her, but she tried to convince herself that it was all in her head. The metal creaked under her weight, but it held. When she saw the hole, her legs began to quiver.
Dear Heath, I think I’m going to throw up.
The thought almost brought her to hysterics. But it also gave her strength. When she found her brother, they’d look back on this and he’d be proud of her for having the guts to pull off such a dangerous stunt.
She cleared the skywalk, and Michael followed without incident.
“Store’s open,” Mason said.
“There could be more of them in there,” Jack said.
“We’ll have to take our chances,” Clementine said. “They’re on the stairs. I can hear them.”
They ran along the hallway, past the flower shop, and into the store.
The Bay was full of light.
“What the …” Clementine paused, her hand on her flashlight. Fluorescent lights glowed above her head, the entire store laid out in front of them like a brilliant shopping paradise.
“Generator,” Aries said. “It has to be. The power’s been out for weeks. But who did this? The crazies?”
“Maybe,” Daniel said. “Hard to tell. The only windows are on the first floor. You could stare at the store all day and not see anything. Could be others hiding.”
“But why here?” Jack said. “Why the Bay? There’s no food here? Kinda pointless. Are they planning on getting their Christmas shopping done early?”
“And it’s not even Halloween yet,” Michael said.
“This isn’t good,” Daniel said. “I’ve got a bad feeling. Let’s find the Granville Street entrance. I think we should have left ten minutes ago.”
“Agreed,” Aries said. “This is too creepy.”
They headed for the middle of the floor, where the escalators were. As they ran past the activewear, Clementine knocked over a bunch of mannequins, sending hat-covered heads and tank tops flying. A badminton racket sailed through the air and a plastic arm bounced down the escalator steps.
“I’ll say this much,” Jack said as they raced downward. “I’m never gonna look at another mannequin the same way. Those things are spooky. Even the ones dressed in bras.”
They made it only to the second floor before they were spotted. At the bottom of the escalator, someone screamed, a female Bagger wearing a bloodstained sundress.
“Change of plans,” Michael yelled.
“Follow me,” Aries said. “We’ll take the stairs.”
They ran off toward the women’s purses. It wasn’t until they reached the hosiery department that everyone stopped dead in their tracks. Jack raised his baseball bat up in the air.
“What the hell?” Mason said it best.
The area had been completely cleaned out. Hundreds of sleeping bags lined the floor, pressed tightly together like sardines. Empty cans, packaged food, and discarded bloody clothing covered the space. In the corner, piles of uneaten groceries and survival goods were stockpiled. Without thinking, Clementine reached down and picked up a discarded rag doll. Dried blood was smeared across its rosy cheeks.
“That is one big slumber party,” Michael muttered. He kicked at a pile of discarded laundry.
“That explains the generator,” Mason said. “They’re living here. And we just walked right into their nest.”
From behind them, back at the escalators, the scuttling noise of several people running echoed across the store.
“The Baggers are in the building,” Clementine muttered.
“I’d ask you why you call them that, but I don’t think we have time for a chat,” Jack said. “I think the proper thing to do in this situation is run.”
There were no disagreements.
They headed toward a glowing exit sign and found the stairs. There was only one more flight to go before they reached the main floor. Then they raced toward the makeup and perfume counters. Clementine had always avoided these areas in the past. She had allergies to perfume and hated the way all the scents mixed together. Even now, weeks since the store saw its last real customer, the heavy smells assaulted her nose. Suppressing an intense urge to sneeze, she ran straight for the doors, pressing hard against the latch to try and get it open. It didn’t budge.
“Door’s locked,” she said.
“Same here,” Michael said, pressing both his hands against the glass in frustration. “We need something big to break it.”
“I think we need another exit,” Daniel said. “Look.”
She hadn’t seen it at first because it was dark outside and still in the light. But looking out onto Granville Street, she saw that the pavement was lined with Baggers. Dozens of them, maybe even a hundred. They stood quietly, waiting, watching the store.
“That’s it,” Mason said quietly. “Game over.”
“No,” Clementine said. “There has to be another way out.” She turned to look back at the perfume counters, but the Baggers were already there. Walking down the rows, at least twenty of them were spreading out across the floor, grinning.
“We’re surrounded,” Aries said.
“It’s been a good fight,” Michael said.
“It’s not over,” Clementine snapped. “There’s gotta be another way.” She looked back over her shoulder to see that more Baggers were appearing in the street.
Michael reached out and took her hand.