Katie stuffed the bag of ammo in her backpack, grabbed the cooler, and followed Ralph.
"Nerit will toss the decoy in five minutes. You head out the back door.
She'll cover from up top. I'll cover from the door. Both of you, keep your eyes sharp and head for the truck. "
Katie and Jenni looked at each other and that gaze steadied each other.
They were ready. Backpacks adorned both their backs. Katie slung the cooler by its long strap over her shoulder. Each had a gun in their hand. In Jenni's extra hand she carried another backpack, that she would drop if she had to.
Katie held the truck keys.
A few minutes later a lot of noise erupted in the front of the building. A man's voice talking loudly about the zombie infestation quickly drew the attention of any of the undead milling behind the store. Through a slit in the curtains, Ralph saw most of them head around the side of the building.
"Now!"
Katie flung open the door and ran. The truck was parked under a small carport about 15 feet from the back door, but it seemed an eternity away. She could hear Jenni right behind her, Jack bringing up the rear.
Shots erupted almost immediately. Out of the corner of her eye she saw something drop.
A man came running around the truck, screeching with his hands flung out. Katie raised her gun and fired. It seemed like an almost point blank shot.
His head exploded in a volcano of gore, and he was down. Another shot to her side told her Ralph and Nerit were covering them.
Her finger kept pressing the button to unlock the truck as she ran and finally she heard the singsong sound of the alarm flicking off and the click of the doors unlocking. Jenni reached the truck first and opened the passenger side.
"Jack, in," Jenni ordered and turned to see a woman coming around the side of the building. It was a very old woman, still clutching a cane in one hand, but still running at a surprising speed. The retort of Jenni's gun stabbed her eardrums, but the woman went down. Flinging the extra backpack in, then shedding her own swiftly, Jenni was momentarily clear of any zombies.
Katie reached the truck and started to open the door when someone grabbed her. A baby, on the ground, had her foot.
"Shit!" She flung the cooler into the truck, trying to shake the baby off her foot. There was no way it could ever bite through her boot with its baby teeth, but it was hissing and trying hard to crawl up her leg.
"They're coming around, Katie! Just go," Ralph's voice ordered and she heard the door slam shut to the store.
Katie shook free of the mutilated baby that was maybe eleven months old and slammed her foot down on its head. Using it as a step, she slid in backward, backpack first.
Three zombies were closing fast on her side and she raised her gun and fired. The first one went down, the second spun around as the shot took it in the shoulder, but the third was on her.
At the last second, she managed to raise her gore-splattered foot and slam it into its chest before it reached her. Its hands scrabbled at her pant leg, but it didn't seem smart enough to bend down and bite it. Its eyes were strictly on her face, its hands straining for her. Its face was so mangled she wasn't sure if it was a man or a woman.
The truck door on the other side slammed shut. Over her shoulder Jenni's hand appeared holding her gun. Katie twisted her torso to the side as Jenni rammed the gun into the thing's face and fired.
Katie felt her ears go numb.
Blood splattered both of them and Jenni reached out and slammed the door shut just as Katie drew her legs all the way in.
Hitting the button on the side panel, Jenni locked them safely inside the cab.
Katie shrugged off the backpack and tossed it into the backseat where Jack already sat, growling and barking out the back window at the swiftly approaching zombies.
More shots rang out and Jenni looked anxiously over one shoulder. "I think the radio in the dummy ruse is over. "
"There are more than we expected," Katie said.
Katie's fingers were trembling so hard she could barely get the key into the ignition, but she finally managed to slide it in and twist. The engine roared to life and she quickly reversed.
She could feel the thunk of several bodies hitting the back end of the truck. She shifted and aimed for two runners trying to head her off as her foot pushed down on the accelerator. They bounced off the deer guard in a graceful arch.
"Nailed 'em!" Jenni laughed and clapped her hands.