The World Left Behind

3. out of the frying pan

Me, Nick and Chloe have not been out of my house for three weeks since coming back from the police station. All we've done is sit here and watch the same emergency broadcast on the TV telling us to stay inside and stay away from the virus carriers and we are almost out of food, Chloe is sick with the flu or something and me and Nick decided we are gonna make a trip outside to the local Ingles to get some food and medicine. While Nick was sharpening the butcher knife he grabbed from my kitchen I went into my mom's room and dug around in her nightstand until I found her pistol she kept in there for emergencies. I grabbed the magazine for the gun and headed outside to start my truck, when I looked around I saw a few houses had burned down and some bodies in the street. Nick let's go I yelled, I watched as Nick came out and got into the truck you ready to go I asked. Ready as I'll ever be he said. We pulled out and drove down the highway towards Ingles, it was weird how deserted the town of Marshall felt now, I guess when the virus really started to take its toll everyone hunkered down like we did, except they probably didn't have a sick girl like we did. As we pulled in the parking lot it was deserted except for some abandoned cars, I spotted one of those air drops the government said they were sending and me and nick decided to load it up into the truck. When we got it loaded I drew my gun and Nick brandished his butcher knife and we walked into the store, we turned to the left and headed toward the pharmacy. I hoped over the counter since the door was barricaded but some idiot didn't think and forgot to pull down the shudders. I searched the the pharmacy until I found the medicine I was looking for, looking down I saw a a black man covered in blood and what looked like bite marks but I paid him no attention, he wasn't going to harm anything. I turned to go back over the counter and then I felt the breathing. I turned around and the dead man that was just on the floor was looking me dead in the face. He snarled and ran at me and I fell, the next thing I knew the man was on top of me and he went for my neck. I kneed him in the groin and threw him off, I jumped up and put three bullets in between his eyes. I watched Nick skid to a halt in front of the counter what the fuck was that he said, I don't know man I thought he was dead but the next thing I knew he was on top of me trying to kill me. With that we went to leave the store but when we walked out it looked like half of Madison County was staring us down in the parking lot, all of them had blood red eyes and bite marks all over them. Me and Nick ran back into the store and all the way into the back room while being chased by the infected horde. We barricaded the door with boxes and shipping full of food but I knew it wouldn't last long. We sat there for awhile and Nick actually fell asleep, either that or passed out from exhaustion. I pondered how we could escape from the horde outside, we could go out the loading dock but would we be fast enough to get to the truck. At that thought I felt icy cold metal around my throat and a voice that said don't move or your a dead man. That voice sounded familiar, if I was right that voice belonged to my old friend George. George? Is that you? At that he slipped the knife away and I stood up to embrace him and I asked how he had been. Apart from the zombie dudes outside I've been fine he said. Well we need a way outta here, got any ideas? Yeah go out the loading dock dumb ass and use the trolleys like scooters to get away. We decided to put that plan in motion but we needed a distraction so the others could get away, that meant someone had to stay behind. I volunteered but Nick heard us and said I wasn't staying behind. You have a girlfriend to get back to man and George is big use him as bait if you have to. HEY! George snapped. I'm just kidding man you two go and when the freaks leave come back and get me. If you want there's a ladder that leads to the roof maybe you can get up there and distract them by firing a few shots off in the air George said. We decided to do this and George and Nick both got those trolley things and jumped out of the loading dock while I ran around the store to the ladder. When I got to the top I fired at the crowd of freaks gathered outside and George and Nick took off to my truck then down the road, leaving me on the roof of Ingles with only my thoughts and the hungry moans of the damned to keep me company.