The Ruins Of Tomorrow

21. The Girl

My eyes followed the roaming body meters away. I tried to remain silent as the walking corpse focused on an animal moving in the bushes. From the distinct noises it made, it could have been a skunk or a squirrel trying to find a safe place for the night.

The biter hadn't noticed me yet, not until a crunch came underneath my shoe and I instantly looked up. Its head snapped, as I saw its head twitch and let out a growl. The frightened skunk poked out its little head, scurrying away and dashed through the woods.

Good idea, little guy.

I was safe on the other side of the fence as I also had my bow aiming its head. It was just one of them for now. I didn't know how long it would take us to get what we needed, but nightfall was slowly approaching.

I kept a firm grip on the bow. Although one meaningless biter was nothing compared to what was left in the world. It still meant saving a life, for that little skunk at least. It pressed its face on the fence and I saw the bite mark on its neck. It leaped forward as the fence slightly rattled.

"You won't be able to get me this way," I taunted, slightly grinning at the biter.

"You're slouching too much, you know that?" Noah said, snapping me from my thoughts.

I looked down at my feet and stood upright. I could hear something shifting behind me as I glanced to see Noah trying to open the glass door with a crowbar. He held an ex in his left pocket and kept a foot planted on the door, trying to wiggle the knob open. He dropped the tool as he sighed, appearing frustrated.

"If you keep making enough noise, more of them are going to find us," I said.

Noah didn't respond. He popped open the trunk and took out a duffle back. I looked back at the biter who kept trying to claw its way through. It wiggled its tongue out as it bit through the fence.

I let go of the arrow as it shot forward. The body flopped to the ground as everything went quiet for a minute. I walked back to Noah, who was already waiting for me. He pulled back the door just as I went forward. I felt his hand tug me back as he pointed at the floor. My foot just barely touched a round metal object. There was a pressure plate on top and a tiny ring-shaped key over it.

As I got a closer look, there were a lot of them scattered in corners and some hidden underneath the carpet as I saw a bump.

I almost stepped on one.

"You need to watch where you're going," he said, pulling me around a counter.

It was rather dark as Noah pulled out a flashlight, waving it around the area. We both saw the security camera in the corner of the corridor. It hung loosely as the lenses were shattered.

Noah kept his eyes on his steps, as I tried to follow him without getting us both killed. The stark walls were bloody with handprints and there was a horrible smell coming from the back.

There was a mirror sitting on the back wall of the pawn shop. It was cracked with faint marks smeared over. The aisles were narrow as I squeezed through one of them, scanning the merchandise on the shelves. The guy had everything: radios, microwaves, toaster ovens, hard drives, purses, and leather jackets. But we still haven't spotted the gasoline or crates.

"Stay close," Noah said. "I'll search for the fuel."

I nodded and found a labeled box with old, dusty records. Most of the music was out of date for me, ranging from the early sixties to early nineties. I found The Beatles and Elvis stashed in the back of the box. Though the pricing on them was a little too much for nowadays.

I guess Dean's friend had to make money somehow.

I went to another aisle that contained other items that were lined perfectly on the shelves. My fingers froze where they settled. I dragged my index finger down, feeling the shape of the bow and gripped it with my hand. I looked over my shoulder and saw Noah's flashlight in another room on the other side of where I was. I glanced back at the bow and pulled it out of the rack where it used to hang.