“Come on,” Michael said. “We got to get to the back.”
Clementine knew what that meant. They would have to hide in the storeroom. But without electricity, the place would be a pitch-black maze. Much darker than where they cowered now. It might be their only chance of remaining undetected. The Baggers wouldn’t likely bother when the aisles offered enough sustainment. At least that’s what Clementine hoped. Either way, they couldn’t stay in their current location if they wanted to survive.
Michael led the way and Clementine pushed the kids behind him, leaving herself last to bring up the rear. Janey walked in the middle, holding Andrew’s hand tightly. A few of the other smallest kids clung to her like glue.
I don’t even know all their names, Heath. Five kids and I haven’t even bothered to ask. What’s wrong with me? Some mother figure I’m making. Janey has outshone me and she’s a good six years younger. I can only imagine what Mom would say. This is a lot different than babysitting, not that I was any good at that. Remember the time I tried taking care of the Olson’s newborn daughter? I never told you or Mom this, but I couldn’t even do it right. Mrs. Olson left the baby on the couch and told me she’d be fine there. She’ll sleep all night, she said. Well she wasn’t. She rolled off the damn couch and hit the floor. That’s why I never went back again. I thought I killed her. I swore I’d never have a baby. Now I have five kids and one of them thinks she’s a forty-year-old adult. And the worst part is, she’s doing a hell of a better job than I ever could.
How was she going to pull this off?
As they moved towards the back of the store, she could hear the Baggers closing in. They were already in the electronics department, knocking over the televisions from the sounds of it. She heard a sound to the right, a few aisles over, someone running full speed towards the back. Clementine paused. Were they were being surrounded? Had the Baggers heard Andrew? She held her breath and waited, but the racing Bagger didn’t appear. The space in front of them continued to remain clear. Casey’s hand tightened on her wrist, the poor little girl squeezing for dear life. Clementine wanted to reach down and comfort the girl, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. As tense as she was, she worried that it would only make Casey worse.
The back of the aisle grew dimmer until they were almost in absolute blackness. Although her eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness, she could barely make out any shapes at all. She clenched her flashlight tightly in her fingers, resisting the urge to turn it on every time she heard a noise. The shadows danced and played tricks on her mind.
“Wait here,” she whispered to Casey. She shook herself free of the child and went over to Michael as he crouched down low. Together, they peered around the corner. She could make out the occasional shape moving in the distance. But none were close enough yet. Most of the noise seemed focused in the entertainment section. The Baggers seemed content enough with destroying the electronics for now.
“There.” Michael pointed off to the side where Clementine could make out a set of big double doors. “If we can get there, we can hide. Maybe even find an exit. There’s got to be a loading door.”
“Can we do it?” It was only fifty feet, but they’d be completely exposed.
“If the kids stay quiet.”
Both Clementine and Michael turned to look at Janey. She knelt on the floor, surrounded by five children, her face full of determination.
“Janey,” Michael began.
“I heard you,” the small girl snapped back. “I’m not stupid and neither are they. Stop pretending I’m not here.”
“You’re right,” Michael said. “We’re all in this together. Now come on, follow me.” He turned to Clementine. “I’ll go first. Once I’m there, I’ll signal you. Send them over one at a time.”
He disappeared before she could even give him an answer.
Clementine didn’t like this. Michael had no right making the decisions like that and then leaving before she could even agree or disagree. They should have gone together. One at a time would take too long. She shouldn’t have let him go. She should have yanked him back. Reminded him that they were a team and supposed to work together.
Yeah, sit down on the floor and have a big discussion about the best escape route. Why not include the children too? I’m sure the Baggers will wait it out until we come up with a plan.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
She couldn’t fault Michael for acting. He did that more often than not, but with him, it tended to work. Most of the time.
Sadly, this wasn’t one of those times. Although Clementine could see where Michael had disappeared, she couldn’t see him. The spot where he’d crouched down by the loading doors was covered in shadows. Clementine could barely see anything, let alone a signal. Sure, Michael must have a better view of the store, but it was useless to her without the communication. Seconds passed and Clementine realized she’d have to make the decision herself. She had no choice, but to send Janey. But one at a time? Not possible. From the look on Janey’s face, the girl agreed.
“I can’t let them go alone,” Janey snapped. “Your boyfriend is dumb. I’m not doing it.”
“I agree,” Clementine said. “You go. Take Andrew and two others. I’ll take Casey and whoever is left.”
They looked over towards Michael, but still couldn’t tell if he was motioning them or not. Clementine squinted. He might be waving his hand, but she couldn’t be certain. From the distance in the darkness, Michael was a big shadowy blob.
“I can’t see him,” Janey said.
He’s there, I think,” Clementine said. But now that she thought about it, she couldn’t even say for sure if it was Michael. What if they were looking at a display? Or a Bagger? What if she sent these kids to their death?
She scanned the area, listening for sounds of nearby Baggers. A crash came from behind her and when she turned, she could see two shapes move into their aisle. They had to go now before they were spotted.
“Here.” Janey pulled her knife out of her pocket and thrust it into Clementine’s hands. “You take it. I need to keep hold of the kids.”
She almost refused, but thought better. Janey was right. She’d do a better job keeping the little ones in line. Clementine was the stronger and more experienced when it came to fighting. She knew how difficult it must be for Janey to hand over her weapon like that. It indicated trust. Janey had just put all their lives in Clementine’s hands.
“Okay,” Clementine said. She pointed in what she thought might be the right direction. “Together. Come on.”
She did the exact same thing Michael did. She grabbed Casey and another little girl and didn’t even bother to check if Janey planned to follow. Now wasn’t the time for a debate. If any of the children refused to listen, they’d pay the price. Janey obviously agreed, because she passed Clementine quickly, her arms spread out to keep Andrew and the others in front of her.
They moved forward, keeping low to the ground, and as fast as they dared. Something darted out of the corner of her eye, a Bagger about thirty feet away. But instead of charging them, it turned and raced towards the produce section.
The darkness was turning out to be a blessing. Although the store was full of Baggers, they couldn’t see her anymore than she could see them. Another ran straight past them, not even noticing, heading straight to a pickle display. It knocked the whole thing over and the scent of dill filled the air. Clementine watched as the Bagger slipped in the pickle brine, toppled down, smacked its head on the floor and knocked itself unconscious.
They’re acting weird, she thought. Different than Baggers normally act. They’re not looking for supplies. They’re here just to destroy the store. Those pickles could have fed them for months. It’s like they’re not thinking at all.
It’s like they’re…
No.
Baggers that killed Baggers.
“Come on, Janey. Run.”
Clementine yanked Casey into her arms. She reached down and grabbed Andrew, scoopi
ng him up too. Janey didn’t complain. How she managed to get those kids to follow unconditionally wasn’t Clementine’s concern, but she was thankful as hell that Janey was there. They raced straight for the back, Clementine praying silently to herself that they were going the right way. She finally saw a shadow waving at them from the left and she pushed herself into Janey to get the child to change direction.
She nearly ran right into Michael. He reached out, taking Andrew into his own arms.
“They’re ferals,” Clementine gasped.
“Here? In the city?”
“Look at them. They’re not normal.”
Michael paused. Even through the darkness, she could tell he figured it out. “Come on,” he said. Pushing the big double doors open, they escaped into the absolute blackness of the storeroom.
She wanted to immediately turn on her flashlight, but they couldn’t, not when the doors had big round windows. They’d be spotted in a second. Instead, she put Casey down and reached out into the darkness until she found another child. She pulled both of them together and forced the to join hands.
“Hold on to each other,” she ordered. “We can’t get lost.”
The whole thing was pointless. Looking around, Clementine knew instantly this wasn’t going to be easy. What were they going to do? Wander around blind until they accidently bumped into the loading doors? Clementine took a step forward, hands reaching out towards where she thought Michael might be, but grasped only at air.
“Michael?”
“I’m here.” His voice came from behind her. Startled, she turned around, getting so disorganized; she couldn’t tell which direction was which. Her lungs began to deflate, making her head dizzy and fuzzy at the same time. Panic welled up inside her chest. She had to turn the flashlight on. But as she reached for the button, the gadget slipped from her fingers and hit the floor with a loud bang.
She froze, waiting for the awful moment when the feral Baggers rushed through the storeroom doors, not that she knew where they were.
Instead, a soft glow appeared in front of her.
Michael had taken his flashlight and shoved it beneath his shirt. It didn’t give off a lot of light, but enough to instantly calm her, as she was able to see all the children surrounding her, looking up at her with concern.
They were handling this a lot better than her.
Michael found her flashlight and handed it back to her. Their fingers touched, along with a surge of energy that calmed Clementine instantly. Maybe it was the soft light glowing from his bellybutton, or maybe it was his familiar touch, but either way, Clementine felt all that tightness leaving her body.
I’m better than this. Heath, I can’t believe I just let myself panic like that. I’ve travelled half way across the country for you. I’ve killed Baggers. I’ve slept in a ditch and been peed on, and lord knows how many other awful things have happened. I am Clementine White. I used to be a daughter, a cheerleader, and I had a family that loved me. I had friends and we giggled over boys and went to parties and I thought I lived in the dullest place on the planet. And now I’m so much more. I’m a survivor and a fighter and I finally understand what it means to love someone so much that their touch can bring me indescribable joy. I understand what it means to never give up. I am not a coward and I’m not going to crawl into a corner and let this darkness beat me. I’m going to stop feeling sorry for myself, quit being scared, and bloody well do something. It’s just another day in my life and the sooner we get it finished, the sooner I get to go home.
Screw the Baggers. How dare they make her feel helpless like that?
“You okay?” Michael reached out and touched her cheek. A tender moment that made her stomach fill with butterflies. He cared for her so much. Sometimes she couldn’t understand what she’d done to deserve it. No matter how bad things got, she could always depend on Michael to be there for her. And in return, she’d never leave him to wander alone. Never.
“I’m good,” she whispered.
She placed her own flashlight beneath her shirt and turned it on. It would be enough to keep them moving, but not enough to instantly give them away. Looking around, she could see the rows of boxes stacked on pallets. Although she couldn’t see, she assumed they reached high towards the ceiling, rows upon rows, untouchable except for the motorized pallet jack collecting dust by the wall.
The loading dock had to be somewhere. Left or right. The sea of boxes disappeared into the shadows. They would have to pick a direction and start moving. If things got bad, they could always climb up the metal beams and find a place to hide in the rafters above them.
“That way?” She pointed in the direction that led away from what she thought might be the front of the store. She couldn’t tell, but Michael nodded, so it gave her more confidence. She turned to Janey, who somehow still managed to keep the children together and perfectly quiet. Clementine decided that Janey had the most gifted talent in the world.
“You’re amazing,” she said. “They never would have survived without you.”
“Thanks,” Janey said. Through the soft glow of the flashlight, the younger girl smiled at Clementine for the first time.
“Think they can keep it together a bit longer?”
Janey shrugged and then nodded. “They’re good.”
Clementine hoped so. As long as Andrew didn’t burst out into tears or announce he had to go to the bathroom again.
Michael led the way again. Janey and the little ones went second and Clementine found herself heading up the rear again. It was much quieter in the back, they could no longer hear the Baggers destruction, except for the occasional crash or muffled scream. With the entire store spread out for their enjoyment, the Baggers apparently had no interest in the storeroom. But she knew that all it would take was one Bagger to venture through the doors and the rest would probably follow. They needed to get outside before that happened.
They moved slowly and methodically. Each step took forever, but after about ten minutes, they found it as they passed a desk filled with abandoned paperwork. The loading bay opened up before them, a mountain of unwrapped pallets and dusty flooring. She heard the scuffle of rodents as they passed through the doors.
Janey spotted the exit doors first. She tugged on Clementine’s sleeve and pointed. A bright line of light spread across the floor, leading them towards freedom. After spending all that time trapped in the store, she’d forgotten that it was still daytime. Seeing the light startled her. And once she remembered it was there, every fiber in her body fought to find it. Keeping close together, they crossed through the maze of boxes, some of which had been chewed and opened by the rats, until Michael put his hands down and pressed the latch.
Bright light spread throughout the loading docks, bathing them all. Clementine inhaled deeply, the fresh air clearing her lungs. She’d spent too much time inside; she’d forgotten how stuffy and moldy the store was. This was beautiful. Breathtaking. She inhaled again, unable to get enough of that freshness into her body.
Michael took Andrew into his arms and carried him down the metal steps. Janey ushered Casey and another girl through next.
“We did it,” Janey said with a quivering voice. She took the hand of the final child and started walking down the stairs. Halfway down, she turned back to grin at Clementine.
But her smile faded.
Clementine was halfway out into the light when the hands reached around her waist, pulling her back in.
“Michael!”
The door closed in slow motion as another set of hands circled her face. As she struggled, her flashlight dropped, bounced off her shoe, and rolled against the wall. Fingers dug into her hair and hot breath burned her neck.
When the teeth closed around her shoulder, she screamed. The pain tore through her body, paralyzing her. She wasn’t even aware she’d slipped from the Bagger’s grip until her knees hit the floor. Wetness soaked through her shirt and down her skin.
“Clem!”
She could hear Mi
chael, but she couldn’t see him. Something slammed against her, knocking her sideways and into a pile of boxes. She tried to climb to her feet, but she couldn’t get her arm to work properly. Pressing her palm against the floor, her hand slipped in an unknown sticky substance. It took a moment to realize it was her own blood. Spotting the flashlight a few feet away, Clementine reached out to grab it with numb fingers. She brought the light around and right into the eyes of the Bagger as it closed in on her.
Using the metal object, she slammed it into the Bagger’s face. The man jerked backward. Through the beam, she saw Michael come up from behind, grab the Bagger by the neck and shove his head into the wall. She heard something snap as the monster’s face connected with cement.
Hands reached out and grabbed at the flashlight. The second Bagger tore it away from her. He grinned at her with bloody teeth before switching it off. Once again she was plunged into blackness. Reaching into her pocket, Clementine pulled out Janey’s knife.
Clutching the weapon tightly in both hands, she waited for the inevitable moment when the Bagger would come for her.
Nothing happened.
“Michael?”
“I’m here.”
“Where?”
She heard scuffling from the right. And then from behind her. She swung the knife blindly at nothing. Listening to the darkness, she swung again when she heard the heavy breathing. Not fast enough.
The Bagger came from the front, launching itself through the air. The force pushed her back against the wall, her head smacking into cement. The pain vibrated through her shoulder, and for a terrifying moment, her whole body grew fuzzy and light. Teeth pressed against her skin again and something sharp went into her leg. She couldn’t even scream this time. She had no more air to spare. Any second the teeth would open up against her jugular and silence her forever.
No. Biting down on her tongue, she swung the knife outwards, listened to the grunt as the blade tore through muscle.
The body collapsed on top of her. Too much weight. She couldn’t breath. Pulling the knife out, she stabbed at the Bagger again. And again. She pushed the foul smelling man off her, scrambled to her knees and thrust the knife in one last time. Clementine wasn’t taking any chances.