J. Knoll - Zoe, Undead

He raised his chin to her and asked, "Is that taffy?" When she nodded he ordered, "Open that bag and throw me a piece."

Her tension drained away and she tore the bag open, setting it down on the table as she reached inside. "Um, what flavor do you like?"

"It doesn't matter," he assured. He caught the piece she threw him with one hand and pulled the wax paper from it, popping it in his mouth as he turned toward the door. "Okay, we're going to have to funnel them into as tight a space as we can. I think those vending machines will come in handy for that." He chewed on his taffy for a few seconds before saying, "Stay put. I'm going to go see if I can find a hand truck in the stock room."

She nodded and watched him stride out of the break room.

Smith and Washington returned a few moments later with a coil of rope and some tools, and they looked to the girl who stood by the table where she had put the food.

Zoe drew her shoulders up and asked, "Would you guys like some taffy?"

In short order they had a defensive position set up and the three men sat around a table, chewing on jerky and taffy as they awaited the inevitable. Zoe kept watch out the door, looking sharp for any movement out in the store and fearing what they all knew was to come.

"Found some kegs of powder back there," Washington informed. "I'll bet we can dig up some fuse or something and make us some grenades."

Morris pulled a piece of jerky from what he held with his teeth and nodded. "That could sure take the edge off of them. I think I saw some over in the hunting department. We can also use some wire and light bulbs…" He trailed off as there was a sound outside the door.

Zoe backed away, her eyes wide as she said, "I heard something out there. I think they've come in."

The three men picked up their weapons, their attention locked on the doorway.

They were all silent for a moment.

Another sound reached them, a sound made as if someone was moving something. There was a metal on metal squeak that reminded Zoe of clothes hangers being pushed along a metal rod. Something was dropped on the floor out there nearby.

Zoe looked back at Sergeant Morris, her brow tense and arched high over her eyes.

He motioned with his chin for her to go and have a look, then he took the radio from his belt and showed it to her.

She understood, taking the radio that was hooked on her pocket, then she slowly crept out of the break room.

The store seemed quiet as she padded as quietly as she could toward the sounds she heard, the sounds that seemed to be coming from the hunting department. Her eyes panned back and forth constantly as she searched for the source of the noise.

Almost to the gun section, she saw movement and she stopped. Beyond a circular rack where camouflage shirts and vests hung, she saw three men looking over the remains of the weapons and ammunition. One of them had very dark skin, the other two much paler skin, but their skin was not gray! They all wore blue jeans, but different color tee shirts, and one of them wore a blue bandanna over his head. Their odor was of men who had not showered for some time, not bad enough to be offensive at this distance, but her heightened sense of smell told her they were not zombies.

She dared to go a little closer, tightly gripping the radio and grasping the clothes rack with her free hand as she watched them search for whatever they were looking for. The shirt she touched moved slightly and squeaked.

The three men stopped and looked toward her, and they all looked startled and afraid.

"There's one!" the man in the bandanna shouted. "Get it!"

All three quickly had shotguns or pistols in their hands and aimed their weapons right at her!

Zoe barked a scream and turned to flee, cringing as the first shot was fired. She could hear the men giving chase and panic coursed through her, and for the first time since this ordeal began she could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

"William!" she screamed.

One of the men behind her fired, then another. As she wheeled around a display of duck decoys, a third exploded right into the middle of it and decoys scattered everywhere, some bursting into fleeing shards of plastic.

Another shot hit a metal rack close by and she turned to see more merchandise taking flight, then she stumbled and fell to the floor, rolling to her back as she saw the three men overtake her, and all three were aiming their weapons at her.

"Put 'em down!" Sergeant Morris shouted.

The three men looked beyond Zoe, and the girl turned her head to do the same.

Tex and his two men were in a staggered line, and all three had their weapons trained on the three men who were chasing her.

All three men seemed hesitant to move and just stared back.

Zoe took the opportunity to scramble up and dart behind the soldiers, and she held onto Tex's shoulders as she peered around them at the other three men.

"I said put 'em down!" Sergeant Morris ordered again.

The three men exchanged looks, and the one with the bandanna nodded to the others, and all lowered their weapons.

The man with the bandanna looked to Tex and raised his chin toward the girl behind him. "Why are you protecting a zombie, man? We're supposed to be killing those things!"

"She's with us," Sergeant Morris informed with harsh words. "For right now that's all you need to know. Make a move against her and we'll drop you like a hot rock, got it?"

Another of the men, in a red tee shirt, sneered, "Oh, so now the army's protecting moaners? I thought you were supposed to be looking out for the rest of us!"

Tex's eyes narrowed and he growled, "You'll be told what you need to know when you need to know it. We're out here…" He trailed off as he heard something toward the front of the store.

The three other men wheeled around and raised their weapons that way.

Zoe stepped slowly around Sergeant Morris, her eyes wide and fixed across the store. Breathing in through her nose, she could smell that faint carrion scent and whimpered slightly.

"What do you see, Princess?" Tex asked in a low voice.

"I can smell them," she replied in a little girl's voice. "They're coming in. I think they heard us!"

"Okay," Sergeant Morris said as calmly as he could. "Everybody fall back to the defensive position. You three, come with us."

The three men nodded and retreated slowly with the soldiers.

Right outside the door to the stock room, Tex ordered, "Right here. We'll set the first line here and take the edge off of them, then we'll fall back into the break room. New guys, fire three rounds into them and get into the break room. You'll see where our second defensive line is set up. Get behind it."

With a nod, the man with the bandanna answered, "Sure, man."

"Stay sharp," the Sergeant murmured to them as the first of the zombies came into view. "Zoe, get back to the break room."

Hesitantly, she complied, backing away at first, and then turning to run to safety.

The firefight outside sounded horrible and she sat in the far corner of the room near the emergency exit, balled up as tightly as she could be with her hands covering her ears. Still, as close by bursts would sound and rattle the room she would cringe and tightly close her eyes. Anxiety welled up in her and she found herself shaking, and eventually she started to cry. The zombies did not frighten her as much as the noise did and she found herself wanting to get up and flee. Before, the excitement had overridden her fear. Now, that was reversing.

Even over the deafening sound of gunfire and even with her hands over her ears, she heard the radio blare to life and Colonel Halstead call, "Sergeant Morris, come in."

There was no answer and it was easy to conclude that Tex could not hear his radio over the gunfire.