The Rot: Book 2

Chapter 24

While we waited for the stenches outside to stop pounding on the office's back door and wander off, the group started to devise a plan. Ang, Nicole, and Janice would stay behind and keep an eye on the building. Mick, Cynthia, and I would venture out when it got dark and pay Carter a little visit. That is, if we had sufficient light out there and the biters decided to piss off.

I was getting pretty nervous sitting there in the lobby and waiting for the sun to go down. I hoped that there would be no moon or stars in the sky and I actually wanted the stenches to stick around until morning.

At some point in the evening, Angie noticed that things had fallen silent around the office. "Man, it's gotten pretty quiet out there." I noticed it too, but I wasn't about to call attention to it. Thanks, Angie.

Cynthia listened for a moment, "Yeah." She looked at Mick and I, "You guys ready?"

"Yeah," said Mick.

"No," I answered.

"Then stay here, Reid," Cyn told me.

"Nope. How's the arm?"

Cynthia moved her bandaged arm around," Hurts a little, but I'm good to go." Damn. I did not want Cynthia to tell me that.

"Before we do anything, we have to make sure the biters disappeared out there," I told Cynthia and Mick.

Mick nodded. Him and I walked over to the back door and cleared out the barricade. Man, those examination tables are a bitch to move. No wonder the biters gave up on trying to get into the office. Unfortunately, me moving the heavy table away didn't cause a few discs in my back to slip, which meant I would be going out there with Cyn and Mick.

Mick cracked the door open about an inch. None of the corpses grabbed him and pulled him outside, so Mick opened the door a little further.

"What's going on?" I whispered.

"There's nothing," Mick whispered back to me. He popped his head out into the alley and looked both ways. "Corpses are gone."

Piss. Thanks for nothing you undead assholes. "How about light? Is the moon out?"

Mick looked skyward. "Oh yeah."

Again, piss.

Mick and I went back into the lobby. Cynthia was ready for action.

"Well? What's the situation like out there?"Cyn asked us.

"No stenches outside and almost a full moon, Cyn," Mick answered.

"Are we doing this?"

"Better now than never."

As Cyn, Mick, and I were about to leave, Ang said, "Be careful. And, Reid?"

"Yeah?" I replied.

"You watch out for my big sister, okay?"

"I will, Ang. I promise. If anything, she'll be looking out for my sorry ass."

"We'll be back," Cyn told Angela. And with that, Cyn, Mick, and I were heading out of the back door.

The moon was shining brightly in the sky and there was a chill in the air. It was very quiet out that night; the three of us couldn't even hear any stenches moaning and dragging their feet on the pavement.

"Are you sure we're doing this?" I asked Cyn and Mick.

"Yeah," Cyn answered bluntly. She was probably tired of me asking that. Mick merely nodded.

"Okay. Then, how are we doing this?" I asked them both.

"Like we did earlier, Reid. Go from yard to yard until we get into Carter's place," Cyn replied.