“And what?” Seth asked. “You think it’ll be a walk in the park? Do you even know where the closest supply store is?”
“Yes,” I sniped back at him. “I do know where it is. And no, I don’t expect it to be easy. But it has to be done.”
Meg jumped in, asking, “Wasn’t the helicopter used for transporting emergency patients? Wouldn’t it be full of useful stuff?”
We all looked to Seth for confirmation. We were once again disappointed. “It was, but we stripped her clean of all that stuff early on to fit more people.”
“So then,” I declared. “It’s settled. We need to do some shopping.” I made a list of items we needed and gave each person a hand written copy. With the state of the current world, I had become a realist. If something happened to me or anyone else, the group needed to carry on. Deciding who would be going with the group turned into a heated debate.
After an hour of bickering, it was decided the party would be made up of four people. Seth, Lowell, Adam and I would venture out for supplies. I couldn’t risk Meg getting hurt, and Nancy would stay back and care for Noelle. Finn was obviously distracted and would be no use to us in the field. The fighting was due to my insistence on accompanying the men. Any idiot could see they were just trying to protect me, but I didn’t need protecting.
The map of the city still sat unmanned in the Target parking lot, most likely burnt to ash from the explosion. Our only option was to draw one. Adam and I were familiar with Cape Coral. The soldiers, on the other hand, had been dispatched from a base in Tampa. The closest medical supply store was two miles away. On a normal day, it would have taken us minutes to get there. However, without transportation it would be quite a trek on foot.
Our biggest concern was how to get to land. There was no way to hit the dock nearby. It was teeming with undead. An argument was made to just move the houseboat up the coast but the sound of the engine would just draw them to us again. We decided to take the rowboat and paddle until we found a safe place to dock and tie up the boat.
All we needed to do was out-row the stragglers that peeled off the main group. The entire plan hinged on that tiny boat holding the four of us plus supplies. It would be tight, but luckily the lack of extra food had shaved some of the extra meat from our bones.
After we docked the boat we would need to traverse north through neighborhoods to get to the main parkway. Once there, it was a straight shot east to the strip mall that contained our destination. Then we had to acquire the supplies and figure out how to get them back to the boat safely. Piece of cake.
The atmosphere was heavy with dread. It felt like we were soldiers being shipped off to battle. Which, I guess we were. We set out in the cramped rowboat and it felt like Adam’s skin was burning hot when his arm brushed up against me. We hadn’t spoken since the day before. Sure, we had exchanged tactics and had discussions about our mission, but unsaid words hung in the air around us.
Seth must have noticed my discomfort because he called me on it. “Awkward much? What’s with you?”
“Why does everyone keep asking me that? Nothing is with me. I’m embarking on a mission that could get one or all of us killed. Should I be throwing a party or jumping for fucking joy? Excuse me if I don’t seem excited enough for you.”
He snickered at me.
“WHAT?” I demanded.
“Someone’s on the rag today.”
I rolled my eyes at him. Why is it that every time a woman gets bitchy, men assume she’s got her period?
“Whatever, I’m not discussing my menstrual cycle with you. But for the record, I am not on the rag.” Come to think of it, I hadn’t gotten my period since before all this. I tried to think back and was sure it had been at least two months. I didn’t give it a second thought though, I was never one of those girls who could set a calendar and choose the correct day their period would hit. I’d even gone six months without getting it before. Factor in the amount of stress I was under plus the weight loss, and it really was an expected outcome.
The men stopped rowing as we emerged around a bend in the river. We’d reached the area we estimated to be parallel with the store. It was a surreal scene. There were no signs of the infected, and birds actually sung in the trees. I wondered if it was possible the area had been spared. Maybe there were living people in some of the homes. I didn’t get my hopes up.
We each strapped an empty backpack over our shoulders. Lowell’s pack was bright pink with purple polka dots. We had a field day with that. Things got real as we were leaning against the back of a house while Seth reconnoitered the area for hostiles.
I jumped a foot straight in the air when a loud slap hit the window behind my head. A disintegrating zombie stood behind the pane. It was licking the glass. I had now seen it all. Black pustules had formed on its tongue and with each swipe of the glass another would burst and leave smears of black goo.
“Now there’s something you don’t see every day.” Adam stood transfixed on the ghastly figure, distorting his face with disgust each time another one burst.
“I wonder if the snozzberries taste like snozzberries?” Quipped Seth.
“Yeah,” I replied. “I think I peed a little.” Let them think I was joking. I knew the truth… I really did pee my pants. Thank God for little favors; only a little dribbled out.
We moved away from the window and huddled to hear Seth’s plan. “Okay, we’ve got a small cluster about three houses up the street. Our only option is to make a straight run through the next yard and onto the parkway.”
I gawked at him and raised my hands in a what the fuck gesture. “Hold up there, cowboy. So you’re telling us the brilliant plan you’ve come up with is run and hope for the best?”
“You got something better?”
“No, I was just asking if that was the best you got.”
“Well thanks for double-checking. Hang on, let me check.” He paused and cocked his head to the side. He counted on his fingers and flipped me off. “Yup, best I got.”
“Schmuck.” The playful banter really helped alleviate some of the tension, and we all let out a quiet snicker.
“On three. One. Two. Three.”
We took off around the side of the house, running with every ounce of steam we had. Reaching the sidewalk I tripped over… absolutely nothing. Son of a bitch! I’d done it again. Air had tripped me. I wouldn’t live this one down. Looking up at the group that took notice of my fall, I realized I literally might not live this one down. That lit a fire under my ass, and I got back up and moving.
Passing through three streets, we stopped to catch our breath behind a wooden fence. We were all out of breath and bent at the waist, panting heavily. The three of them looked at me and burst out laughing. Tension gave way to hysterics, and Seth had tears streaming down his face from laughing so hard. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. So I did. I joined in on the laugh at my expense. It took us a few minutes to calm down. We’d lost the group that spotted me and took a breather.
“So, General Custer, what’s next?” I asked. The house we were crouching behind was the last before the main street. There was no way to see what we were up against without risking detection.
“Well, we’ve got one option again. Run for the back of the strip mall and hope this place has a back entrance.” Seth replied.
“Once again, your tactical genius astounds me. Well then, what are we waiting for?” I said. We mounted bayonets onto our carbines and got ready to make our move. We made the run without detection and any unnecessary flesh wounds. I did a little jig when I saw that the medical supply store did indeed have a back door. Of course, it was locked. Given our track record, I don’t know that I should have expected anything less. Seth eyed a small window next to the door and then looked me up and down.