Ashes to Ashes (Book 1 of 2) A ZOMBIE FICTION

Sense of Smell

We spent a week using what we could from around the construction site to fortify the fencing around the store. Using bricks and sand to stack against the fencing and then using steel poles and shoving them at an angle against the bricks. We made damn sure that they wouldn't come down.

"Alright, everybody else stay here. We've got our radios so if you find trouble or it finds you, call." Josh told everyone as I put my 98 Bravo against a wall.

It would be the first time that I had, 'A' taken the ghille suit off and 'B' not taken that rifle with me, in a while. This time I was wearing a pair of stonewashed black jeans with my USMC boots and a dark green T-shirt. I wore a pair of black aviators and a plain dark blue baseball cap.

Of course I still carried my bag and other weapons, but my bag was lighter now. It turns out that only taking enough food and water for a few days rather than a month as well as dropping unneeded ammunition does that.

I jumped into the bed of the truck, Josh, Drew, and Veronica, sitting up front. We took the small pick-up because it was probably the quietest thing we had.

Josh drove out of the gate and I hopped out and re-locked it, then returned to the truck. 

"Alright, everyone remember to check your corners. If you get caught by the infected, stay away from your firearms. Use anything else unless it's required." Josh told us.

"Alright... this is my first time doing something like this..." Veronica told us.

"Thought so, alright, we'll go in pairs. You with Alex, Drew you're with me. Just stick with him." He said, beginning to slow the truck, "He says that he isn't fit as a survivor, but he can hold his own with the best of 'em."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he's tough, a great shot, hella' strong. He'll keep ya' safe." 

Our first stop was a small grocer, I jumped out first and cleared our surroundings. Making sure that none of the Zombies were close enough to hear us. The rest of them got out and silently shut the truck doors. 

It was a small store, a single front window and door with security bars over the glass. The door was locked, but easily picked. From the look on Veronica's face, she was wondering why I knew how to do that. The bell over head chimed as we stepped inside.

"Alright, lights on." I ordered as I flipped mine on, looking around the store. 

Despite being told not to shoot, I still kept my rifle at the ready, mostly for the light.

"We need to get you an actual flashlight man, just so you're not tempted to fire." Drew joked as he pulled his Mini LED flashlight out of his pocket.

"Yeah, or get me a bayonet." I chuckled as I listened in on the store. Silence.

I took the first step further into the store, looking through the rows as I cleared the small building. The shelves were missing a few items, but the non-perishable things remained. It was almost like whoever owned this place hadn't know how bad it would be.

I looked down the last of seven isles and heard a scurry, my light hitting something miscolored. Like infected flesh.

I flipped my light off, then my vest light on and grabbed my hunting knife. Slowly, I made my way down the isle and towards the unknown. Two steps from the end and it jumped at me. Whatever it was, made a grave mistake.

I reached my left hand out and caught it by what I think was it's neck, then thrust the blade into it's skull and it went limp. It looked like one of the larger Nosalis' that we had seen, but different. About the size of a chihuahua with the agility of a monkey. I heard the others shout state 'clear' and then I walked from the isle and tossed the monkey onto the floor.

"Don't know what it was, but it's dead now." I told them as I jumped over the sales counter, nearing a metal door labeled 'Employees Only'.

I could hear the others chatting about the thing, then Josh told Veronica something along the lines of 'Buddy time' or something and she ran to my side.

"Alright, open this door and I'll clear it, you come in behind me." I explained and she replied by nodding. "Alright."

She opened the door to reveal a small office with a thick wooden table and a monitor on top. Beside it was a small couch and a mini fridge. On the ground sat a long dead corpse, nothing but bone and long dried blood. 

The skeleton was gripping a 9mm in one hand and a set of keys in the other. That's when the smell hit me like a ton of bricks, or shit. It smelled like gasoline, motor oil, heat decayed turkey or ham, dead skunk, and decomposing something.

"Oh shit!" I coughed as I covered my nose, trying to block the smell.

I knelt down by the corpse and grabbed the keys, then looked around and spotted a large safe. I jammed the keys into the safe and opened it, inside was a giant wad of cash and a box of 9mm rounds.

"Veronica," I started, my voice sounding nasally, "Grab his gun." I ordered as I grabbed the box. A thirty round box.

We walked out of the room and I closed the door. "What's this for?"

"You. You don't have one yet, and now you do. You ever shot one before?"

"O-once." She replied, stuffing the small pistol into her pocket, and the bullets into her bag.

"Alright, I'll find a way to teach you. Grab some of the bags and follow what they're doing." 

We both grabbed the remaining shopping bags and began to fill them with anything left on the shelves, then hauled them out to the truck. We quickly cleared the store and moved on to the next location. A police station.