The Rot: Book 2

Chapter 19

The pharmacy was only two blocks away and across the street from us. Janice, Ang, and I had to wait for a group of stenches to wander away from the area before we headed towards the pharmacy. As soon as the eaters were out of range, we darted across the street and made for the drug store.

"Watch the buildings," I told Ang and Janice as we jogged down the sidewalk. "Biters can be inside." We didn't need one or more stenches reaching out from one of the buildings and pulling us inside.

The three of us stopped at the corner across the street from the pharmacy's parking lot so we could get a layout of the area.

Once Janice got a look at the parking lot, she turned to me and Angie, "Are you sure you want to go in there?"

The parking lot was loaded with abandoned vehicles, but I didn't see any biters that were mulling about.

"I say we go in there," Angela muttered. She tired her hair back in a high ponytail.

"Well, aren't we ready for action?" I replied.

"Shut up, Reid."

"I can run up there and check things out," I told Ang and Janice. "No sense in all three of us going and seeing what's happening in there."

Angie and Janice thought about it. "If you want to, Reid. But please be careful," Janice told me.

"I will."

I jogged across the street and up to the lot. With every car that I moved past, I tried to look into the vehicles to see if there were any stenches laying in wait, but there weren't any biters that I could see.

Once I made it through the maze of cars, I snuck up to the entrance of the pharmacy. The two sliding glass doors were wide open, like they had been stuck in place. Before I looked into the building, I glanced over the tops of all the cars, back towards Ang and Janice. They were still sitting there, crouched on the street corner.

I turned to my left and peered into the pharmacy. Of course, it was dark as shit in the place, and I could only see things near the counter. Which, in case you were wondering, the cash register was gone here, too.

Just as I was about to head back towards Janice and Ang, I noticed that those two were headed in my direction. And rather quickly I might add.

"What's up?" I asked the two of them.

"S-S-Stenches," An almost out of breath Angela replied.

"Yeah," Janice added.

I gasped, "Oh shit."

And 'Oh shit' was right. The group of biters rounded the corner and were now heading right towards the parking lot. The three of us had no choice but to run into the pharmacy to avoid being spotted by the stenches. Janice, Angela and I ducked down and scurried into the pharmacy.

"Stay close," I whispered to Ang and Janice.

Angie and Janice huddled together on one side of the entrance while I stayed on the other side. I took the quickest of glances back out into the lot: the biters were moving around the cars and looked to be heading towards the entrance of the building.

I looked at Janice and Angela and pointed into the pharmacy. We had to get away from the entrance. The three of us met in the center of the store.

"Okay, do either of you mind telling me just how that happened?" I asked the ladies, pointing out into the parking lot.

"The eaters wandered down the side street and rounded the corner," Janice replied. "They saw me and Ang sitting there."

"Shit."