Death Count

[Part 8] - Cliché

I DRUMMED MY FINGERS ON THE STEERING WHEEL, keeping a lookout while they all finalized a game plan to that gasoline station. After having three bottles of water and some crackers between the four of us for breakfast convinced us that it is essential to pick a few items while we’re refueling. Pun unintended. And also Cole pointed out that we needed to get ahold of a map while we’re at it.


I sighed again for what seems like a thousand times. Rolling my eyes at my sister’s obvious whining. Turning around to face them, I saw both guys have a helpless look on their faces and evident impatience which they both try to suppress. Chuckling, I tap my sister’s arms which were waving about, trying to prove her point.


She stopped talking a mile per minute at once and turned her blazing eyes at me. “What?” She snapped, peeved of being interrupted with her enlightening speech. I flinch; sometimes she’s really scary when she puts her mind to it.


“Uhh.. Ree, I know it’s terrifying to be the only one left in the car,” I bit my lip to keep from smiling, cleared my throat when her eyes sharpened, “but we need someone on the lookout. I know it’s not much action but when everything else fails and we could be chase by those crazies, you’re the only one we could depend on to get us to safety.” I reason with my palm in front, like trying to calm a wild animal, which was close to the truth, not that I’m voicing that thought out.


Her stance softens as she considered my words. After a few moments her shoulders slumped forward in complete admission of defeat but whipped her head to both the guys. Their relieve posture became alert simultaneously when she pointed her two fingers on her eyes and then pointed it at them. “If something happens to my sister in there, I’m gonna castrate both of you… slowly and painfully.” She promised.

With both their eyes wide, they nodded mutely.

Successful in intimidating the guys, she smiled sweetly. “I’m counting on both of you. Now chop chop!”


*

Ree slowed the car down a few meters from the station. It was eerily desolate of any form of life, alive or otherwise which is not very surprising considering the situation back in our hometown. This thing could possibly be affecting the whole world. I put a pause in my depressing thoughts.


The place is like the ones in a movie where it’s the only building in a few miles radius making it isolated from the town proper. It’s a good thing, I thought, less crazy to face in this mission.

“Okay,” Olie started, “everybody got their weapons ready?”

I raised my knife, Cole nodded and Ree patted her pan in her lap. I cringed. I just don’t think that thing helps much in fighting a crazy, but it’s better to have something in hand than going hand to hand with one of them. Seeing both the guys’ faces makes me think that they agree with me too.


“What?” she demanded.


We all shake our heads.


Without making any sound, the four of us exited the car and formed into two teams. One is doing the refueling and the other is going inside the small grocery store, Cole and I are doing the latter. I nodded at my sister before taking a few cautious steps toward the small building, Cole is not far behind.


Seeing two cars in the parking lot almost make me groan but I kept it in, afraid of attracting the owners. I throw Cole a look. Seeming to get my message, he walks faster and led the way. Reaching the doors, I crouched behind him like some sort of military which made him roll his eyes. I furrowed my brows at him and silently fumed. Jerk.


He tried the door and discovered it was open. Dread spreads on my nerves as I thought that it might never had a chance to close the place, which means that whoever owns those cars is still here and I could bet on Ree’s pan that we wouldn’t find them alive. I shuddered.


Cole poised his biggest knife in front of him in a ready stance and steps inside the store. My heart felt like going to explode at the rate of its beating as I copied him and followed behind.


The first thing that I notice is the smell that assaulted my nose as I walked deeper inside the store. It smells of rotten meat, leftover pizza with a week’s worth of accumulating moulds and soured milk all rolled into one. I covered my nose to prevent my breakfast from making an appearance. Looking at Cole tells me that he’s not really faring any better than me, making me feel good. He’s not superior to me after all.


After a few seconds we reach the isle that contains canned goods. Seeing that it’s still mostly full saddens me. That could mean that the people in the nearest town is either dead or undead, but on the positive side some of them could be far from this place now and surviving.


I tugged my empty backpack from my back and settled it in front of me. A zipper opening indicates that Cole is doing the same thing. We piled cans inside the bag in haste, making few rooms for other stuffs. Moving away from that isle and away from Cole, I situated in front of the crackers. Putting three bags inside, I look up suddenly when I heard a soft thud in front of me.

With the store’s window giving bright sunlight inside, I saw a grotesque face staring back at me through the gaps. The crazy groans and I applaud myself for keeping my shit together and on impulse stab him in the eye making him dropped dead with a loud thud this time, taking my knife with him.


I froze in my spot. Holy shit. I just killed a person. He was alive once. Like me, walking and laughing and now he’s dead. I killed a man. I’m a murderer, damnit!

I didn’t realize I was hyperventilating but as soon as I felt hands on my back I just reacted. I give one hell of a punch straight on Cole’s face. Double damn.


Eyes wide, I watch Cole endure the pain and just tugged me away from that particular isle. With adrenaline pumping me on, I shake my head to clear it just in time to see the maps that we were passing by. Stepping on my brakes, I yanked my hand back from his hold and turns back to get a map. I pulled three different maps from the stand and raise it for Cole to see.


“Ry!” My heart thudded at his warning. Being the idiot that I am, I look behind me only to see three crazies a few feet from my behind and realizing that I don’t have in weapon with me in hand, I shrieked. No reason to be silent now.


I sprinted to the door and manage to knock a few stuffs just to slow them down. With fear coursing to my veins, I manage to get out and followed Cole towards the car. I saw Ree and Olie recognize the situation and piled inside the car in a flurry.


Don’t mock me now but I never saw the banana peeling lying about on the ground until I slid on it, landing me on my butt. Cliché, I know. If I’m not such in a dire situation, I would be the one laughing my ass out. But hearing the excited moans of the crazies not far behind me spurs me on and dashed towards the car. I dive inside the backseat door and slams it close, not caring that it’s my precious car.


Ree smashes the accelerator and speed away from that dreaded place. I manage to collect a few bumps on the head with her sharp turns and abrupt breaks but after I manage to sit upright beside Olie and put on a seatbelt, I succeeded in telling her to slow down.

When we reach a secluded place in the middle of nowhere, I told her to stop and to regroup. We all got out of the car to get fresh air and calm ourselves. With the fear and adrenaline gone, I began to chuckle. Looking at me, they all followed my example. After a few seconds we were all in a full blown laughing spree. Ree even crouch down in mirth, wiping a few strands of tears that escape.

“Seriously Ry? You even manage to slip while being chased by those bloody things?” Cole sputtered.


“Hey! I didn’t see that banana peeling lying around alright?!” I tried putting a mad expression but I failed as he started another round of laughing his ass out, making me howled in laughter.

“What the hell? That was a banana peeling?” my sister lets out, “very cliché Ry.”


Olie snorted, “She’s the queen of cliché alright.” He smirked at me.

I raised a brow in his direction to which he only ignored.


“There was this time when she--” He started.


“Oh-kay!” I clapped my hands, interrupting Olie’s trip down to memory lane. “Enough about me, Cole how much stuff did you manage to get?”