Patrick D'Orazio - Into the Dark

“Those things aren’t human anymore, boys. They only care about one thing, and that’s ripping you to pieces. It’s just that simple.”

Ray looked like he was going to offer up a smart-ass rebuttal when Jeff moved his hand from the teen’s shoulder to the back of his neck. The adult gave it a squeeze as he pulled Ray around until their faces were inches apart. Ray let out a little yelp and stared at Jeff with fear in his eyes.

“Listen,” the reluctant leader said, glaring at the pimple-faced kid, “I don’t have any idea how you got lucky enough to survive this long, but the fact is that you won’t last much longer if you keep thinking those things are a joke.” Jeff squeezed both Ray’s and Teddy’s shoulders harder until they both winced. He moved his eyes back and forth between the two boys.

“You think because most of them are slow and stupid that you can outwit them? There are millions of those freaks out there. Millions with nothing better to do than hunt you down and rip your heads off. And that’s if you’re lucky. Because the alternative is a nightmare you don’t want to face.”

Jeff pushed the boys away and glared at them. He was trembling with rage as images of his dead family filtered through his mind. Ray and Teddy looked at him, their faces pale as the desire to retort fled in an instant.

“Do I make myself clear?” Jeff almost snarled.

They nodded solemnly. As Jeff stared at them, the headache flaring up worse than ever, he rubbed his eyes gently.

“Good.”

“Can we get going? Where there’s one of those things, there’s probably more.”

Jeff opened his eyes and looked at George. The pale blond man’s skin had a light green tint to it, and he had his hand clamped over his stomach.

Jeff nodded and took a deep breath to clear his head. He gave Teddy and Ray a small smile. They still looked a little frightened of him, but both tried returning it.

“Well, we all know what to do. Let’s get to it.” Jeff turned to the store again. They moved past where the woman had fallen. Just as Jeff had suspected, she was pretty ripe. The smell was overpowering.

“Jesus Christ, that’s foul.”

They moved to the front door. Jeff glanced inside and saw that much of the contents of the shelves were gone, at least toward the front of the store. There were still plenty of darkened aisles and the storeroom to check out. The fact that he saw nothing moving inside was an added bonus.

“Okay, give me your backpacks, boys. We’re going to try to fill them all.”

Teddy looked past Jeff, staring inside the store as he handed over his bag. “You sure no one is in there?” He looked almost embarrassed for asking. “I mean, there was one up on the roof, so you never know where they’re hiding, right?”

Jeff shrugged. “I have no idea.” He lifted his bat. “That’s why I plan on bringing my good friend here.” He glanced up and down the street. “Keep your eyes open and stay close by, and you should be okay. Just let us know if you see anything, and we’ll come running.”

Jeff turned back toward the door.

“Do you want my rifle?”

Jeff stopped. Teddy was holding the weapon in front of him, ready to hand it over. He was looking at both of the men, waiting to see who would take it.

“I don’t want it. I’m crap with guns anyway, but thanks for the offer, Teddy,” George said. He looked over at Jeff expectantly.

Jeff groaned inwardly. It was a tempting offer, but he knew how Michael would react if he returned to the van with the rifle in hand. They were already at each other’s throats.

He shook his head and sighed, regretting the words as he spoke them. “Nah, but thanks anyway, Teddy. We’ll be fine.”

Jeff set his hand on the door, testing it. It wasn’t locked.

“Okay. The two of you hang out in the parking lot. If you see anything, bang on the door or… whatever.” Jeff threw his hands up, not sure what signal they should arrange. He was beginning to feel like this whole thing was one giant snafu waiting to happen.

The boys nodded, despite whatever reservations they might have. Jeff looked over at George. “You ready?”

George was busy squinting through the door, trying to see inside. He was leaning forward, moving his head as if tracing a path through the aisles with his eyes. He looked skeptical but resigned to his task. When Jeff nudged the big man, he straightened up. Taking a deep breath, George nodded.

Jeff looked back at the teens one last time and winked, realizing it was his turn to show a little false bravado. He pushed on the door, holding it open with his back. George cracked his knuckles before he moved past Jeff and went inside.

They crept forward, the door following Jeff until it swung shut. He held his bloody bat like a sword and handed George one of the empty bags with his free hand. They spoke quietly as the boys watched. George nodded as they moved off into the depths of the store.

Teddy leaned forward, cupping his free hand against the glass to try to catch a glimpse of the men as they descended into shadow. When Ray nudged him, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Don’t do that!”

“Take it easy, man!” Ray laughed as he backed up.

Teddy gave his head an angry shake and gripped his rifle possessively. “Man, I almost shot you!”

“I’m sorry!” Ray’s smile faded. Teddy had not swung the rifle around, and Ray knew that there was little chance he would have done much more than shoot himself in the foot. The greasy-haired boy moved back even farther and gave his Berretta a reassuring touch.

Ray was the bigger and older of the two teens, and he guessed that was probably the reason Michael had given him the handgun. Teddy had the Springfield Model 70.30–06 that he had snagged from his father’s collection, but Michael confiscated it the moment he realized Teddy had no experience with it or any other firearm. After a while, he gave it back, commanding the boy to learn how to use it.

Teddy forced himself to calm down and smile at his friend. Ray returned the grin, and all was forgotten.

The two had become fast friends from the moment they met at the old factory where the group had hidden at first. That was before Michael had come across the RV dealership and the glistening, titanic motor homes they had commandeered.

Ray knew he was the geek in their relationship, and it was likely Teddy wouldn’t have given him the time of day before things had fallen apart. But being the only kids their age in the group made it pretty easy for the slightly rotund, acne-scarred boy to find a connection with the smaller but incredibly athletic Teddy.

They shared little in common. Ray loved Mystery Science Theater 3000 and World of Warcraft, while Teddy’s passion was for soccer and wrestling. Still, their differences didn’t seem to matter to either of them now that their new hobby was just trying to stay alive.

“You want to go exploring?”

Teddy gave him his best fisheye. “What?”

Ray’s smile got larger. “Come on! Let’s just look around the building a little bit. There’s nothing out here.” He casually waved his arm in front of him, taking in the street and the rest of the town.

Teddy pulled the rifle close to his chest and wrapped his arms around it. “Since when are you so brave?”

Ray rolled his eyes and laughed. “Yeah right. You think I’m being brave? Bullshit.”

“Bull true!” Teddy countered, matching the grin on his friend’s face. “You’re trying to act all macho and shit just to show Jeff you can handle yourself.”

“No I’m not.” The words were not defensive. Ray looked at Teddy and dropped his grin. “I just don’t want to get ambushed is all.”