The Dead Years Series Box Set Read online

  . . .

  April met Adam as he moved out into the open area behind the aisle of running shoes with Justin right behind her. She knew he wouldn’t have much information about Mason; it was too soon for that, although he may be able to fill them in on what was going on inside the stockroom. She hated having her husband’s life in the hands of two people she’d known less than a day, even though they were his best chance.

  “Adam… that is your name, right?”

  “Yes, and you guys are April and Justin?”

  “Yeah, my husband is the one they are working on in there. You wouldn’t happen to know how he’s doing… would you?”

  “Your husband seems incredibly strong. I think all they’re doing is making sure the bleeding is stopped. He’s going to be fine.”

  Adam had no idea if this were true, although he knew they needed to get the bleeding stopped and this woman looked like she needed some good news.

  “Adam, thank you for everything. If it weren’t for you we’d still be out there looking for somewhere to hide from this mess.”

  “No worries, I needed you all too. I was beginning to think no one would come by and I’d be stuck here.”

  “Well, you’re kind of stuck with us now.”

  “That’s good because the last of my co-workers took off earlier today and never came back.”

  . . .

  William shifted to the side, letting the slightest sliver of light shine into the wound as he lowered his head next to the Mason’s shoulder and searched for the small piece of brass still remaining. Karen continued to hold Mason’s right hand as she dabbed her husband’s forehead every few minutes, keeping his sweat from dripping into his eyes.

  “Karen, how’s he doing?”

  “His pulse is getting stronger, although he passed out again. Is that because of the pain?”

  “Yes, I think so, although his pain tolerance is unbelievable.”

  “Did you get the bleeding to stop?” Karen asked.

  “Yes. It had almost stopped on its own already. I cauterized it just to make sure. I just need to get this last piece out and sew him up before he wakes up again. Did you thread the needle?”

  “It’s just to your left… in the pan.”

  “Thanks…”

  William took a deep breath and steadied his hand as he slid the blade of the knife gently under the fragment and withdrew it without touching any part of Mason’s exposed flesh on the way out. Setting the blade to his right, he reached over turning off the still burning stove and let out a sigh of relief.

  Karen smiled and wiped his brow once again. “You did great seeing as how you haven’t been around any of this in years.”

  William let out a little chuckle. “Yeah, it’s been quite a while. Just like riding a bike though. Now let’s sew him up. You ready?”

  “Sure. He’s still out. Is the wound still clean?” Karen asked.

  “Yes, I made sure to sterilize it twice.”

  William took the stainless steel pan containing the two needles that Karen threaded and set it on the ground to his right and just above his injured friend’s shoulder. He asked Karen to let go of Mason’s hand and to be ready in case he woke up.

  They rolled Mason onto his side and made short work of the exit wound, stitching up the entire length in just a few minutes. Surprisingly Mason remained motionless, as William thought he certainly would have already come to. They covered their work with the makeshift bandage William fashioned from medical tape and gauze and then slowly rolled him onto his back again.

  William pulled back what remained of Mason’s shirt, nodded at Karen and began to thread the needle back and forth through the skin on the entry wound, carefully pulling each strand tight. With only two passes of the needle left, Mason began to twitch and moan. Karen moved in over on top and gently held his shoulders down. Mason began to kick his legs and scream out in agony.

  “Hold him steady,” William said as he slid the needle through the skin and pulled tight once again.

  She was fighting a losing battle from her current position, so Karen slid up onto Mason’s stomach and pushed his shoulders back to the ground, just as her husband pulled the thread tight, trying to finish the job. Mason lurched forward, breaking the thread and sending the needle rocketing toward a pile of boxes in the corner of the stockroom.

  “William, tie it up. I can’t hold him down any longer.”

  41

  Frustration began to overtake April. She couldn’t stand to hear her husband scream in agony a second longer. Something needed to be done. Looking around at the others didn’t help; they all had the same look of fear and desperation on their faces. She stood and walked toward the stockroom, only to stop herself. “What would I do? I can’t help them and from the sound of it, I wouldn’t be able to help Mason anyway.”

  As the ear-piecing sounds of distress coming from the next room quieted and then ceased altogether, everyone stopped and looked at April. She ran to the doors, pushed them open just enough to stick her head through and saw Mason on the ground in a sweaty mess with Karen straddling him.

  William looked up as the others now stood behind April, hoping that some desperately needed good news would follow. Justin pushed past the others and then around his mother standing just feet from where Mason lay motionless.

  April covered her mouth and gasped at the sight. The others one at a time peeled off and returned to the store, waiting for news.

  Justin and April came closer as Karen stood and hugged them.

  “Is my Dad ok?”

  “Yes, he’ll be fine. William got everything taken care of. He just needs to rest.”

  “Really?” April said.

  “Really!” Karen said as she looked at April and then over to Justin. “Your dad is a very strong person. He will probably sleep for a while, but you can talk to him if you want.”

  William moved aside as they knelt next to Mason. April brushed his hair back; Justin kissed his father’s forehead and told him he loved him. April leaned in and whispered into his ear and then lay down on the floor next to him.

  William told April that Mason was stable and would probably be up and around in the next day or so. He also had a limited supply of antibiotics in his bag that had expired last month if they needed them.

  “Karen and I need to go wash up. We will be right back. If something changes, come get me.”

  “Thank you again for helping my family,” April said.

  “You’re welcome,” William said as he turned and followed Karen out of the stockroom.

  April held one Mason’s hands squeezing so tight her fingers turned red. There were so many things she wanted to say to him, although she sat in silence only watching him breathe in and out. She asked Justin to find Adam and get her some water to drink. Wiping a tear from his eye, Justin stood and walked out of the room.

  . . .

  Randy had taken up a conversation with Adam about how he came to be in the store and why he stayed. The rest of the group gathered around as Adam directed William to the employee lounge that all were surprised to learn even included a shower.

  Adam told them how on the morning the world went to hell, he and his co-workers were attending a staff meeting. It was a pretty uneventful morning with the usual sales figures and daily goals until fifteen minutes in, when the meeting was suddenly interrupted as one of the employees arriving late exploded through the doors. He ran straight to the television, flipped it on and showed everyone what was happening outside.

  He also shared that of the twenty-eight employees and four managers, only two others decided to stay inside with him. Some thought that they could outrun the infected and decided to make a mad dash for their cars all at the same time. Every last one of them met their fate within minutes of leaving the store and a few didn’t even make it twenty feet from the door. Adam had to literally watch as his friends were torn apart right in front of his eyes.

  “What made you decide to stay?” Savannah asked.
>
  “My parents are on the East Coast, and as everyone else was taking off, I ran to my manager’s office and tried to call them. The first few times it went to voice mail and after five minutes the lines were dead.”

  “I’m sorry kid,” Joe said.

  “Well, at least I still have hope. I’ll take that over the alternative.”

  Adam continued to describe the last twenty-four hours and how the two co-workers that stayed behind with him made a food run last night, ransacking the nutrition store two blocks away. They headed out on bicycles and returned thirty minutes later high on adrenaline, carrying backpacks filled with protein bars and energy drinks.

  “We didn’t sleep at all last night. There are way more of those things outside today than there were yesterday and my friends tried to make another run early this morning. This time they wanted gas for the generators.”

  Randy put his hand on Adam’s shoulder. “You mean to tell me that you have generators? We can get some power in here?”

  “Yes, but…”

  “But what?” Randy asked.

  “We only have a few gallons of gas left and they go through fuel pretty quickly. We would have had more, but unfortunately neither of them made it back. I told them not to go both times… that we would be rescued soon, although these guys were not the type to wait around for help. I hope they’re ok.”

  “So how much power can we get out of what’s left?” Randy asked.

  “An hour… maybe two.”

  “Good!”

  Savannah curled up her nose and shot a look at Randy. “Don’t you think we should maybe, I don’t know, save the fuel for an emergency?

  “I was just saying it’s good that we at least have something. Lighten up. Adam, can you show me where the generators are? I’d like to see what we’re working with.”

  “Sure. Follow me.”

  The two made their way around the employee break room, heading toward the far corner of the store. Adam explained that the generators hadn’t been used since there was a blackout three years ago and that they had a hard time getting them running way back then.

  William and Karen rejoined the group in the center of the store and gave them the rundown on Mason’s condition. William also looked over Savannah’s leg and was impressed at the job they had done without his help.

  A rustling sound came from the stockroom as Justin came flying through the doors, startling everyone.

  “Help… my Dad needs help!”

  42

  So many horrifying events had taken place in the last day and he knew this was only the beginning. William had reached his limit of things going wrong. He refused to let anything else happen to this group today. Before even thinking, he followed Justin back to his father’s side. He was going to get his friend back to health and wasn’t going to leave until Mason could stand on his own two feet.

  As he reached his friend, he could tell right away what it was, even before April got through telling him. His breathing was heavy and labored. William asked Karen to have a listen. She knelt over him and put her ear to his chest.

  “There’s nothing internal, at least not in his chest cavity. It all sounds normal.”

  “Why is he having so much trouble breathing?” April asked.

  “I’m not sure,” William responded. “There wasn’t anything that splintered off the main wound. I checked multiple times.”

  Karen put her ear to his chest once again. She looked at William and frowned, placing two fingers on his carotid artery. She shook her head. “His heart is racing as well.”

  April asked Justin to wait outside with the others. “Please tell me what you think it is. I want to know if he’s going to be all right.”

  William began to scan the area. He walked over the racks next to the wall and pulled down an inflatable mattress and a hand pump. Handing them to April he said “Please get this inflated… fast, I have an idea.”

  April tore open the box, laid the mattress out and began to fill it with air. Within a few minutes she was winded and noticed Justin staring in through the windows in the door and motioned for him to come in.

  “I need you to finish this.”

  “You told me to wait…”

  “I know, just please get back here and help.”

  Justin went to work as April turned her attention back to her husband.

  William and Karen had turned him onto his right side and it looked as though his breathing had returned to normal. April could see from where she was standing that the exit wound on his back had stopped pouring blood and for the first time since she was reunited with Mason this morning it felt like things might be ok.

  “Finished!” Justin said.

  “Wow that was quick,” William said. “Good job, I’m sure your Dad will thank you when he wakes up.”

  “What’s the plan?” April asked.

  William smiled at Karen and looked back at Justin and April. “I actually think he’s fine. As soon as we took the pressure off the wound, his breathing returned to normal and his heart rate is almost there as well. I think he’s just in a lot of pain and lying on the hard floor here is not doing him any favors.”

  Holding the inflated mattress up, Justin said, “Is this going to help him?”

  “I hope so, he can’t stay on his side much longer,” William said. “I am going to need both of you to help me get him up on there.”

  Once the mattress was in place and they covered it with the remaining fleece blankets, they turned their attention back to Mason.

  April and Justin each grabbed a leg as William carefully reached under Mason’s armpits; they slowly raised him up and slid him into place. Mason arched his back in obvious pain, and his breathing and heart rate increased momentarily.

  They watched as William folded the corner of the blanket a few times and slid it under Mason’s left shoulder, taking the pressure off the wound and hopefully relieving some of the pain.

  He looked Mason over one more time to assess anything he might have forgotten. “Justin, can you find Adam and see if they have a medical kit anywhere in the store. I think we should gather anything they might have and leave it here in this room, also… if there is any, please bring me some aspirin.”

  “Can he even swallow?” April asked.

  “It’s not for him. I actually need it. I have a massive headache. He’ll get something much stronger when he wakes up.”

  Justin looked at his mother and she nodded. He turned and walked out into the store and stood by as Savannah finished telling Joe about how she escaped her two stepbrothers, and the details leading up to their final conflict at the park.

  “Do you know where Adam and Randy went?”

  Savannah smiled and put her hand on Justin’s shoulder. “How’s your Dad?”

  “They said he’s going to be ok… I guess he’s in a lot pain. We’re just waiting for him to wake up.”

  “Good, I’m glad. Your Dad is a good guy. How are you doing?” Savannah asked.

  “I’m alright. This all just seems like a really bad dream.”

  Joe smiled at Justin and patted him on the back. “You’re doing fine kid. Your Dad will be proud of you. I’ll be sure to tell him how you helped me earlier with her leg… couldn’t have done it without you.”

  “Thanks, I need to find Adam. Do you know where he went?”

  “He went with Randy to check on the generators over there past the break room; do you want me to come with you to find him?” Joe asked.

  “It’s ok, I’ll find him. William just needs to know if the store has a medical kit or something.”

  “Let us know if you need anything.”

  Joe grabbed a beach chair off the floor, unfolded it and motioned for Savannah to sit as Justin ran off in the other direction. “You need to rest that leg… only way it’s gonna heal.”

  As Justin rounded the corner past the basketball section he nearly ran into both Adam and Randy, who were hunched over the two gas-powered generators they had pulle
d out of the electrical room and were now gauging what they had to work with.

  Randy turned quickly and grabbed Justin as he tripped over his own foot. “Easy boss, what’s the hurry?”

  “No hurry, William just wants to know if there is a medical kit in the store. He wanted me to come ask Adam.”

  “Yes, sir, I’ll go find it and take it to him. Does he need it for your Dad?”

  “No, he said he has a headache.”

  Adam laughed as he turned and headed for the break room. “Randy I’ll be back in a minute.”

  As Randy turned his focus back to the generator, Justin walked off in the opposite direction. He turned down the aisle that held the men’s running shoes and noticed an ever so faint light shining in from outside. He kicked past the many boxes lying on the floor and found the source.

  The reinforced Plexiglas door on the side of the building must have been used as a service entrance and was stabilized with a solid metal frame.

  Justin leaned against the door and looked out over the parking lot. There were at least two hundred of those things roaming around out there. He was mesmerized in particular by the two Feeders no more than twenty feet away that were devouring what looked to be an older man. This man was motionless as the Feeders tore at his flesh with their hands and teeth, as if this was the first meal they’d had in months.

  As he continued to watch, Justin grew curious and began to tap on the glass as you would at the local pet store when trying to catch a puppy’s attention. He tapped louder and louder until one of them looked up from their prey and locked eyes with him.

  Justin gasped and fought to catch his breath as the Feeder stood and started toward the door. He was frozen in place. He wanted to run but couldn’t. They stared at one another until their faces were only inches apart on either side of the door.

  The Feeder didn’t react at first. They continued to stare at each other. Justin was petrified as he studied the details of the flesh that hung from its face and the remnants of whatever this thing was eating, still stuck in its teeth.