100 Days in Deadland (11 page)

He felt around the back of the display case, then around the edges. When the glass didn’t slide open, he grabbed Jase’s axe.

“It’s locked. Get ready to move fast,” Clutch whispered. “Know what you want, and grab it. Don’t try for everything. We head straight to the truck two seconds after this breaks.”

He stood, laid an empty duffel against the glass, and then brought down the heavy end of the axe. Even with the fabric, the sound of breaking glass echoed through the store.

Clutch grabbed a couple small axes in one swoop, and then got out of the way. Jase and I were smaller and could reach in at the same time. We both went for the machetes, and then I grabbed an axe, sliding both into my belt.

“Let’s go,” Clutch said aloud, and we headed down the aisle.

We made it two rows over before we hit a roadblock of a half dozen zeds. We turned to the left and ran. Jase pulled ahead, though Clutch was quick. I struggled to keep up, my shorter legs a clear detriment in outrunning zeds.

The guys came to a screeching halt in front of me. The zeds had discovered the opened door, and had flocked toward it, moaning as they pressed through. That was, until they saw us, and their moans grew in volume as they changed direction en masse toward us.

A quick glance at the entrance door proved no better option.

Clutch looked around. “There’s a door to the lumberyard on the side.” He took off at a run. We followed, weaving around stray zeds. Clutch kicked the door open, and we burst outside.

I sucked in a breath.

At least fifty zeds turned our way. They must’ve fled outside when the outbreak happened, only to be corralled in the lumberyard. The herd moaned and came at us. We ran toward the front gate, only to find it locked with a big ass padlock.

“Oh, shit,” Jase said. “We’re so dead.”

We couldn’t go back inside because we’d already drawn the attention of every indoor zed. The herd closed in. Some were wearing orange vests with nametags, others in casual jeans and T-shirts.

“We need to get to higher ground. Stay with me,” Clutch called out and led the charge.

He ran toward the herd, and then cut to the left to dodge outstretched arms. Jase was insanely fast and moved ahead of Clutch in no time. By the time I reached the corner, the herd had blocked off the aisle the guys had taken, and I cut to the right, jumping over a stack of hoses. A zed stood in my way, and I swung the crowbar, smashing its head and knocking him to the side. I kept running, dodging zeds, swinging only when I had to, until I found the guys again.

Jase was climbing the lumber stacks on long shelves lining the back wall. Clutch had climbed into a forklift and was headed straight toward me. I ran to the side as Clutch skewered the closest zed. He jumped off the still-moving forklift and quickly caught up to me. “Get your ass in gear, Cash!”

With one final surge, I flung the crowbar onto the second shelf before leaping for a stack of two-by-fours. I’d been working out, but one week of strength-building didn’t cut it. I awkwardly held on to the end of a two-by-four and prayed it wouldn’t give. When it didn’t move, I swung, trying to get my leg over the edge. A zed grabbed onto my foot, and I kicked out. Its grip relaxed, and I used its head to step off, pushing myself onto the shelf.

Clutch had also leapt onto the shelf, though he made it look easy.

Gasping for air, I got back on my feet, and followed Clutch. I grabbed on to a metal shelf post, and pulled myself up to the next level. A gloved hand reached out from above, and I grabbed on, letting Clutch pull me up to the stack he and Jase were on. I hugged on to him as soon as I felt the solid surface under my knees.

Still on a knee, Clutch pulled back and looked me over. “You all right?”

I nodded. “Yeah, thanks.”

“Come and get us, you stinky zed bastards!” Jase yelled out, flipping the zed the bird. Jase was on his knees, panting, looking over the edge.

“Jesus,” I said. “You’re a freaking mutant, Jase. I’ve never seen anyone run that fast.”

He grinned. “State 100-meter and 400-meter relays. Twice. Not to mention Fox Hills’ varsity football team’s best tight end.”

I couldn’t help but smile. Until I looked over the side. The zeds gathered below, looking up, reaching and groaning, as though begging us to come back down. Some tried to climb, but they fell back after the first step.

We’d use up all our ammo to clear out the herd below. And who knew how many more the noise would draw out. Already, the zeds from inside the store were filtering outside to join the soggy herd surrounding us. Why were there so many here? It had taken Alan nearly an hour to turn. That should’ve given most of these folks time to get home and turn there. Though, I remember the news had said that the worse the injury, the faster they turned. Many of the zeds below had serious bites.

And they looked ravenous.

I glanced at Clutch, who seemed to be thinking the same thing.

“C’mon,” he said. “Let’s get to the top.”

I poked my head out and looked up. There were three more shelves to climb. The fact that I was scared of heights did nothing to help my nerves. Jase took the lead. He climbed like a monkey, amped up on pure adrenaline. Clutch went next. Even with the heavy duffel and being laden with weapons, he climbed like he carried little extra weight. I double-checked my weapons to make sure they were secure, and I started to pull myself up the side. It was like climbing a rope on a jungle gym, except the bars were unforgiving, and if I fell, I’d get eaten.

At each level, Clutch helped pull me up, and we took a few minutes to rest, although I think it was mostly for my benefit. If it hadn’t been for the gloves, my hands would’ve been raw. Even with the gloves, I felt blisters forming.

Once we reached the top, I lay down on the stack of thick plywood and panted. Clutch scanned the area, and I pulled myself up to gauge the situation. Large shelves holding stacks of wood, blocks, and boxes lined the three walls. We had plenty of horizontal movement up here, but getting to the ground without becoming zed-food would be a challenge.

Clutch set down the duffel. “You two stay here. I’m going to check things out.”

I pulled myself up as Clutch leapt onto the next shelf over. He moved slowly but with a gracefulness that belied his size as he leapt from one shelf to the next. I looked out over the wall to see open countryside. A zed shambled along here and there, but otherwise, it was wide-open. The problem was we were a good twenty feet up, without any ladder or rope to get down the wall.

“We’re so dead,” Jase said at my side. “We’re going to die, aren’t we?”

I punched him in the arm. “I don’t ever want to hear you say those words again. Clutch will figure out something.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied quietly.

We sat in silence after that. When Clutch finally returned, Jase didn’t complain, not once.

“Find anything promising?” I asked.

Clutch pulled off his helmet and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s a hell of a jump, but the roof of the elementary school looks like our only shot. Our other option is to wait it out and hope these guys move on.”

“You think they’ll move on?” I asked.

“No chance in hell,” Clutch quickly replied.

I slid my gloves back on. “I guess we’d better get going then.”

The shelf we needed was four over from the one we were on, and I moved more cautiously than Clutch. Once I reached the shelf, I looked over at the school. “For once, I wish you were exaggerating,” I grumbled. When he’d said it was going to be a big jump, he should’ve said it was going to be an Olympian feat. Not only was the roof nearly a good five feet lower, there was what looked like an eight-foot gap between the shelf and the roof. If I didn’t make the roof, the fall would likely kill me.

To make matters worse, a lone zed was stuck in the alley, blocked on one side by the playground fence and the other by a car. It was on the ground, its legs mangled as though it had been caught between the car and the fence at some point, and it had dragged itself around in circles, if the brown trail was any indication.

“Oh, Jesus—”

My glare cut off Jase’s words and he clamped his mouth shut.

“If I go first,” Clutch said. “One of you will have to throw me the duffel.”

I almost chuckled at the absurdity. There was no way I could throw a fifty-pound bag two feet, let alone fifteen. “I’ll go first,” I said. “I’ll catch.” What I meant was,
I’ll use my body to block the bag’s momentum and hopefully not die upon impact
.

He nodded, and I backed up to the edge of the shelf overlooking the lumberyard. If I thought about it, I knew I’d freak, so I didn’t wait. I took three big breaths before sprinting forward. At the other edge, I kicked off into a scary-as-shit long-jump. Just when I thought I’d never reach the edge of the roof, I landed on the flat surface, falling forward instantly. The air whooshed from my lungs, and my teeth snapped shut painfully when I hit my chin. I slid down a couple feet before coming to a stop on the abrasive shingles.

I rolled over and coughed and wheezed.

“You okay?” Clutch called out, and I held up my thumb.

Once I could breathe again, I pulled myself up and inched my way back up to the peak. “Throw me the bag.”

Clutch held up the bag, and I held out my arms and swallowed. Jase stood off to the side, watching with wide eyes. Clutch swung the duffel in a wide arc and released it with a grunt. I stood there and waited for the smack-down, and Clutch’s aim was dead-on. The duffel hit me square in the stomach, and I fell backward, holding it to me. I slid several feet down the roof, but the duffel’s canvas helped slow my descent. By the time I sat up, I found Clutch on the roof with me.

“Nice catch.”

I coughed and handed him the duffel. “I don’t think I have tits anymore.”

He gave that deep rumble of a chuckle, heaved the bag onto his back, and winced.

“Your shoulder?”

He rubbed it. “Yeah. Twisted it when I threw the duffel.”

He reached out with his other hand and helped me to my feet. We looked over at Jase. He stood there, frozen. The zed in the alley was groaning, reaching up.

I motioned him over with one hand while still holding my bruised ribs with my other. “You can do it, monkey boy.”

He looked down once more and then slowly backed up. With a half-crouch, he rocked back and forth before kicking off. He easily closed the distance and landed solidly on the roof. But his footing gave way, and he kicked out and went tumbling down the side. He grabbed at the roof but kept sliding until he disappeared over the edge.

“Jase!”

Clutch and I moved cautiously down the angled roof to the edge. Jase was on the ground, holding onto his ankle. Instead of the parking lot side, Jase had fallen into the playground.
Shit.
I scanned the enclosed area but saw no movement.

Jase winced. “My ankle. I think it’s broken.”

“Can you stand?” Clutch asked.

Jase grunted, was able to get to his feet, but he favored his right leg.

“Good. Now, do you see a door in the fence? Or, is there anything around you can use to climb back up here?”

As Jase looked around, I scanned the privacy fence, but found only a gate at one end, and it had a large, shiny padlock on it.

“There’s nothing down here,” Jase said, holding up his hands in defeat.

“Jase, do you see any zeds around?” I asked.

“Not out here. I see some inside, though. Oh, God. They see me.”

“Bloody hell,” I muttered. “I’ll handle this.”

Clutch eyed me. “Cash…”

“He’s injured. I’m not. You can pull me up once we get Jase to safety.” Before I had a chance to think about how dumb the idea was, I shimmied down, holding onto the edge until I had to let go. The drop sent shockwaves up my shins, but I landed without twisting anything.

“Godammit, Cash,” Clutch said from above.

I also heard a small pounding behind me. I turned to see children watching us through a classroom window. They were young, one of the earlier grades, and they were no longer alive. They watched us hungrily, smacking their small hands against the glass.

I hooked my fingers together to make a step. “Climb up, and be quick about it.”

Jase didn’t argue. With a grunt, he stepped into my cupped hands with his good leg. I lifted his weight as high as I could, using my legs. Clutch reached down from the roof. It wasn’t quite enough. Jase stepped onto my shoulder, and then his weight vanished. I looked up to see his legs disappear onto the roof.

Clutch reappeared an instant later. “Now get your ass up here, Cash.”

I jogged around the playground, looking for a jump rope but finding only rubber balls and jungle gyms. I fidgeted with the padlock at the gate, but I had nothing to pick the lock with, not that I even knew how to pick a lock. I tried to jump up to grab the top of the privacy fence, but it was too high. With a sigh, I looked at the windows, each filled with hungry, hollow little faces.

“Is there any rope in the truck?” I asked.

Clutch thought for a moment. “I’ve got tie straps.” He moved. “I’ll come down, and you can go grab them.”