Outbreak

Chapter 6

Eric

After handing the bewildered teen an extra T-shirt, I sit down on the couch opposite him with Mal. Ezran sits next to the new guy, and Quinn and Ivy sit on the floor. Three people are missing; Taylor just went to bed, Jason's getting a hearty breakfast of beans and canned peaches, and Emmett's sitting at the table going over the list of things that were in the cure.

"So what's your name?" Quinn asks. The teen grimaces as he tries to remember. 

"I... I think it was Michael?" Quinn nods. "Good. Do you know how old you are?" Michael winces again. "F-fifteen? Sixteen? I... I don't..." he starts to shake, and his breathing becomes fast and uneven. I jump up and set a hand on his shoulder. "Michael? Calm down. Try to match my breathing." But Michael pitches forward and Ezran catches him by the chest, laying him on the couch. He looks over at me. 

"Poor guy's passed out. Remembering that much must've used all his energy." I nod. 

"When he wakes up, we'll save more pf the questions for later. He can get to know everyone and learn his way around here first. We can help him to remember over time." I get up and walk towards the kitchen. 

"Mal, Ezran, come with me and get ready. We're going to explore the area, find what access we can to good resources." The two boys follow suit.

After foraging for magazines to use for arm protection, we gather out weapons and climb onto the highest balcony. The air is icy - the season change must be bordering on winter. It's hard to believe yesterday was so humid; it's as if it's a completely different world. 

Even the houses are different; larger, wealthier. We ran further into Norfolk County, not farther out, which should have been our aim - the more civilization, the more zombies. 

I shiver and rub my bare arms; I left my hoodie at the old house. "First we find a grocery store, then we look for a clothes shop," I say, my teeth chattering. "Winter's coming, and it's hard enough with the zombies." They nod, and after a quick calculation I run to the edge of the roof, and jump to the next one. I turn to Mal and Ezran, both who are looking confused. 

"Surely you don't expect us to--" 

I grin. "No other way. Try to only jump on the flat roofs, and make sure the gap isn't too far!" And with that, I turn around and jump to the next house. I can hear the sound of footsteps behind me as I run, and soon I fall into a rhythm of step, step, step, jump! Step, step, step, jump! 

Almost all of the houses here are the same design. Fortunately, the house our group currently resides in is the tallest in the area, so it's easy to spot. We'll just have to make sure the gap in between the roofs isn't too far.

Soon I spot a what looks like the roof of a grocery store - large and flat, with fans poking out. I make the final jump and land on the concrete, and turn to see Mal and Ezran land right behind me. "Alright," I say decisively. "Let's see what we can find."

Malachi

I pull a rope and a pair of night vision goggles out of my backpack. I pull my black scarf over my nose, which is red from the cold. We'll need to maintain maximum camouflage to remain undetected by the zombies; the last thing we need is for someone to get an injury now. I attach the rope to the roof using a hook, strap on the goggles, and climb down the side of the store. I grab my magnum, smash the nearest window, and throw the rest of the rope into it. 

I then descend into the room.

It's small and cramped, with crates and brooms stacked everywhere; probably a storeroom, which is good for storing weapons. I stick my head out the window and see Eric's face peeking over the roof's edge. 

"All clear," I call quietly, and turn back to face the storeroom door. I try the handle, and to my relief it's unlocked. I peek my head out into the store to see that the only light in the store is the daylight peeking in through the main door, which is thankfully sealed shut. I switch on the night vision goggles, and the effect is instantaneous. It's as if the entire store is illuminated by glowing green light that only I can see. I raise my magnum, poised and ready to fight, and tip-toe into the store.

I'm on the far left of the store, where the cards and stationary is. I inwardly groan in frustration - this is the most useless aisle. I carefully listen for any sounds, but the only things I can hear is my own heartbeat and the soft padding of my shoes on the tiled floor. I hear a thump behind me, and spin around with my hand on the trigger. I sigh when I see it's just Eric, who's wearing goggles like me. He signals with his hand to keep moving, and after Ezran lands behind him I nod and keep sneaking towards the back of the store. 

A strange buzzing sound grows closer as I reach the end of the aisle, and gag when I see where it's coming from. Up against the back wall of the store is outdated, spoiled, and rotten packaged meats. I can see thousands of flies swarming what's left of the produce -thankfully my scarf masks the strong and disgusting scent, even though most of the meat packages are empty, eaten by the flies. I look into the next aisle cautiously, the medical and cleaning aisle. I look back at Eric. "It's just medical and cleaning supplies," I whisper. "We're all good for that, right?" He nods. "What's the next one?" I do a forward roll across the gap between the aisles, and peek into the next aisle, which holds -- 

"Jackpot," I whisper, and turn to Eric and Ezran. "Frozen foods. Looks like somehow the generator's been active for the past five months, and all the freezers are still working!" Ezran gasps. "We can feed the group for ages with that! Let's see what food it's holding." I nod and move into the aisle, still cautious of zombies. Then we begin to forage.