Bill looked toward the store from their perch on the wall. “I can't see there being anyone in there if they haven't shown up at the front door. ” He hitched his belt a little higher and looked somber.
&
nbsp; Ed shrugged. “In this world, can't be too sure about nothing. ”
“Amen,” Jenni agreed, and lifted her ax up. “And I'm ready to choppy, choppy. ”
“You're one crazy bitch,” Felix chided with a grin.
“Uh huh. Your point is?”
Felix held up one hand and twirled a finger around to indicate she was loopy.
Jenni grinned.
The road was blocked off on both ends by the huge storage containers and cement bags. Snipers, including Nerit, stood on the corners of the fort wall ready to shoot any approaching zombies. What the small team had to worry about was inside the Dollar Store and abandoned shops.
“We all know Jenni is batshit crazy, but it's okay. She's good at killing the gawddamn zombies,” Ed said with a wry grin. “So let's go in and see how things are cooking in there. ”
Jenni looked down into the fort and saw all the people staring up at them. She waved to Katie and Jason. Juan was up on the far wall and she blew him a kiss. He caught it and pretended to smack it onto his ass. She laughed.
Ed headed down the ladder first, followed by Felix, then Bill, and finally Jenni. She jumped down the last few rungs and landed on the hot road. The entire downtown area was paved in red bricks. A few blades of grass were sticking up around the edges, but otherwise it was in good condition.
Despite the heat, they were all in jeans, boots, gloves and jackets.
Jenni's hair was braided and pinned up on her head to avoid giving the zombies anything to grab onto. Her work gloves were lightweight, but would be a bitch for any zombie to bite through. She was overheated already, but they had to stay safe.
They slowly approached the Dollar Store. It was hard to see inside past the advertisements taped to the windows. The lights were off; the gloom was unwelcoming. Bill went down on his knees before the door and started to pick the lock. Busting the door open would be the last resort.
“Ha. I bet everyone thought the black man would be doing that,”
Felix remarked with a grin.
“You learn things on the job being a cop,” Bill said somberly.
“Don't care if you're black or white or brown or whatever,” Ed said, “just as long as you don't turn green and bite me. ”
Jenni laughed and Felix smiled.
Bill's brow furrowed as he concentrated. After a moment, he smiled. With a twist of his wrist, the lock spun, and the door opened slightly.
They all gagged at once. The smell coming out of the store was putrid.
“Fucking shit,” Felix gasped.
“We got a dead one in there all right,” Ed said grimly.
Bill crawled away from the door, his eyes watering, trying to get a clean breath of air.
Jenni pulled her bandana up over her nose. “Gawd, that is awful. ”
“Enclosed space and rotting dead stuff; not a good combo. Let's do this, people,” Ed said, pushing the door all the way open with one foot.
He stared into the gloom, his rifle with the makeshift bayonet at the end at the ready. “Hey!”
His voice filled the store. A low growl answered.
“It’s dead and talking,” Ed said somberly, and walked in.