The shelves had been picked over pretty good; she could tell others had been through the store before they had gotten here. Ceara made her way back to the front of the store and found a bag of Gummy Bears that had been kicked under a display. Smiling she reached down, plucked them up and added them to her take. She saw the cash register sitting open and empty, “Why take the money?” Ceara really didn’t see a need to take money what good would it do now? Suddenly a movement caught her eye, someone moved outside. She ducked down and hurried down the aisle looking for Alden, he stood in the back guarding over Beth as she worked at getting things they needed. In a loud whisper, “ALDEN, we have to hurry! There is someone out there, I didn’t see them good so I don’t know if they are alive or not.”
Alden looked back at Beth, she was still getting things, and he turned back to Ceara, “W
atch her! I’ll go check it out”
Alden watched Ceara rummaging through the store as Beth was behind the Pharmacy counter. His eyes scanned both the front and the side door to the store. He also took time to just look around where he was standing. A grin came upon his face as he reached down and grabbed two boxes of condoms and shoved them in his pockets. He turned and headed towards the front of the store as Ceara took
his spot next to the counter.
Dropping down behind the front register he tried to look out the window. His line of sight was limited. He could see his truck and some of the shops across the street but his view was blocked by parked and wrecked vehicles. Looking around he found a round hand mirror. Alden moved to the door and held the mirror out first one way then the other. Still he could see nothing, but something told him it wasn’t right. Just then he heard the unmistakable sound of Humvee’s. “Shit.”
He turned to Ceara and Beth, “Ceara get behind that counter and tell Beth we got company stay down and stay quiet.”
Alden slipped out the front door and kept low till he got to his truck. It was then he caught the first glimpse of a glitter of sunlight off a scope on the roof of the old theater down the street. He moved just as a shot rang out. The bullet landed all the way at the other end of the street. He heard voices from behind a wrecked, van up the street and the sound of the Humvee’s coming from where the shot had gone. “Goddamn it. I’m caught in the middle with my ass hanging out here.”
He looked into the
p
harmacy and saw Beth and Ceara looking at him with worried eyes. He motioned them to just stay put. Just then the Humvee’s came around the corner one from the right and one from the left joining together. As they did
,
shot
s
from automatic weapons rang out from the theater and from the wrecked van. Alden laid down under his truck as the two groups converged on each other.
The loud braaapp from the 50 caliber machine guns on Humvee’s let Alden know that the other
group was definitely outgunned.
“Fuck, let them kill each other and I kill what’s left” is all he thought as he tried to get closer to the truck. Hearing a commanding voice giving orders from the Humvee’s he knew the man in charge was no fool. The Humvee on the left jumped the curb and started down the sidewalk coming up on the back side of the van. Fifteen men dressed in civilian camo poured out from all directions trying to get away from the onslaught. The Humvee on the right had trained
its
50 cal on the rooftops and was making quick work of not one but four snipers that had spread out over two buildings. Alden thought nice plan boys but you didn’t get enough distance between each other.
The battled was violent and short lived. The Humvee’s stopped and nine soldiers got out of the vehicles. Alden heard a young voice first, “WE GOTTEM SARGE
, WE GOT THOSE SONS OF BITCHES.”
The next voice was more calm, “Yeah we got’em but stay alert they may have more.”
The soldiers began to spread out. A third
voice added to the conversation,
“I make it 19 total, Sarge, the young girl said she thought twenty but she wasn’t sure.”
The Sergeants voice spoke again, “She may have be
en wrong but I want to be sure.”
Alden had to make a decision and quick as the squads were starting to disperse and search for survivors. He heard one coming around the truck so he laid his weapon next to him and closed his eyes. A young private walked up to him. “SARGE,” he called out, “I GOT
ONE MORE HERE,”
Just as he finished his sentence
,
Alden swept the young man’s leg and then was on him quick pulling him up to his feet along with himself he had grabbed the young private
’
s sidearm. Alden Had the young man in front as his buddies all turned and cocked their weapons.
Alden called out, “WHO’S THE SERGEANT IN CHARGE?”
A man in his late twenties stepped forward. He was wearing the new digital fatigues. His uniform was soiled but that was from days in the field. The others around him stayed their posts which let Alden know they were well trained and well disciplined. The man spoke up, “Easy there mister. Your friends are all dead and no one else needs to die.”
Alden looked to the bodies then to young Sergeant, “Do I even look like someone who would associates with a bunch of undisciplined maggots. Tell you what
,
you tell me what’s goin
g on and we can go from there.”
The sergeant looked to his men
,
then went on to explain to Alden what was happening. “Those…. maggots over there attacked a group of civilians back in West Plains. The killed a father and mother of a young girl then raped and plundered the rest of the group. We came up on it just as they were pulling out. We chased them over to this town. They had big pick-up trucks and had some heavy shit, a couple of RPG’s, some hand grenades, but they didn’t know how to use them effectively. We pulled back because Randy here grew up in this town
,
he knew what they would plan.
”
The sergeant point to private Alden was holding, “He knew
way the street was laid out we knew they would try to ambush us. That’s why they got here ahead of us. We let them set up then we took them down.” He looked at the bodies, “They’re fucking leaches
,
S
ir preying on innocent people.”
Alden could just tell by the way the young sergeant
spoke he was telling the truth.
Alden looked at the sergeant and read his name tag, “Well Sergeant Cline, My Name is Master Sergeant Godfrey U.S. Army retired. We need to talk, but as you can see
you’re
outnumbered. So
,
I want your troops to lay their weapons down in the middle of the street and back off towards the theater. I want you to come up here with me and to show my good f
aith you can keep your weapon.”
Sergeant Cline shook his head and looked to a Corporal standing next to him. “What ya think
Tom?”
Tom
shook his head, “I don’t know. He looks okay
,
he’s definitely not one of them, and he does have
Randy
.”
Sergeant Cline stood for a
m
oment
and searched Alden’s eyes. His training had taught him how to read a man but Alden was unreadable. He finally spoke up, “Alright men
,
lay the weapons down behind me and back off. Sergeant Godfrey and I are going to have a chat.”
The men grumbled but did as they were told. As Cline moved forward he got to the front of Alden’s truck and spied the Green Beret inside on the seat and the Arkansas license plates. His eyes went wide as he suddenly realized who was standing in front of him. “Your Alden Godfrey, You were with Colonel Lansky in Grenada in 83’ and Libya in 85. I’m Staff Sergeant Jeff Cline
,
I served under Colonel Lansky in Iraq he talked about you…. A lot.”
Alden grinned, “yea Flo
yd had always had a big mouth.”
Cline looked at Al
den, “Sorry His name was Car..”
Before he finished Alden Finished
for him “Carl Johanson Lansky.”
Sergeant Cline smiled and Alden let the young man go. Looking to the kid he smiled, “Go join your buddies.”
Turning to Jeff he said
“
You come with me. They stay outside for now.” Jeff turned, “POLICE YOUR AMMO AND SECUR
E THE AREA. I’LL BE RIGHT BACK”
Alden and Jeff turned and walked into the store
,
“
BETH, CEARA, It’s okay
,
I’m coming in with a friend you k
eep going about your business.”
When Beth saw Alden walk in with the Sergeant she smiled and nodded her head in a acknowledgement. However, Beth did not want to waste any more time, looking over to Ceara, “Ok girl, let’s do this and get this done quickly so we can get the hell out of here. Now, we can work quickly if you take one side of the back room in the pharmacy where they keep all of the prescription antibiotics. There will be a ton back there and you will probably get overwhelmed when you see all of the bottles wondering which ones I need.”
Beth chuckled and winked then continued, “Hell if I had the room I would take all of it but we will take only what we need right now.” Beth turned and walked into the back room with Ceara following close behind. “Follow me over here to the left where the aisle begins in alphabetical order. I will show you how to do it and if you h
ave any questions let me know.”
Beth found the first bottle Amikacin and showed her the bottle with the grams, “This right here is a very important antibiotic used for treating severe, hospital-acquired infections. Now many of the infections in a hospital will be able to be cleared up by this. So if something is a little more infected and that penicillin won’t be able to cure it or if say the patient might be allergic to penicillin this is an all-around good antibiotic to help treat one.”
The look on poor Ceara’s face seemed really confused and Beth then realized that with two guys from the military were guarding the doors out front, Beth could take her time. “Tell ya what hun, follow me and I will teach you everything I know.”
As the girls went to the back Alden looked to the young man, “Jeff is it?”
Sergeant Cline nodded, “Well tell me what’s going on in the world. Our little group as had no information for over two weeks.”
Jeff took a drink of water from his canteen, “Well Sir.”
Alden held up his hand and grinned, “Sergeant you know better.”
Jeff began again, “Sorry Alden, force of habit when around some one of your stature. Well let’s see, you’re aware that CDC is basically closed down. Their done for, all their offices and labs were overrun within the first week and those who were not infected were basically murdered by a bunch of pissed off civilians. The President was bitten by one of his aides so he’s gone now too. I heard they shot the Vice President too, along with that congress women from California.”
Taking a breath he smiled, “No loss there
,
as far as I’m concerned
,
that bitch hated us. Anyway
,
as the Government basically fell apart the military began to try to takeover. At first we were simply trying to keep some sort of civility going
,
but that did not work. The virus, that’s what they called it, spread like wild fire. We lost units in all the major cities. The last I heard the only organized units left were Special Forces and the S.E.A.L.S. along with groups like ours.”
It was Alden’s turn now, “So what is your group? Are you just a bunch of guys who went A.W.O.L. or are you a unit dispatched?”
Sergeant Cline looked down at his
boots;
there was no sense in trying to hid the truth from this man. He’d see right through the lie. “Well we’re what you’d call and independent fighting force for what’s left of our country.”
That raised an eyebrow with Alden. “You see
,
our post commander over at
Fort
Lost in the Woods, well he went nuts in our opinion
,
and began what one would call genocide. He started of course
,
with those that were infected
,
but pretty soon he became paranoid. He was giving orders to sho
ot people who even looked ratty,
which by then
were
a lot of
us. We
had been through the literal hell as it were.”
Alden looked down
,
spit
and
his voice a
lmost a growl, “Go on” he said.
Jeff became to feel a bit uncomfortable
,
he could see the look in Alden’s eye’s and knew the stories Lansky had told were true. Alden when pissed; was a cold killing machine till there was more evil to kill.
Jeff stood straight, “That’s when we left. We took what civilians we could and left in the early morning one day. We got them to a safe place and made sure they were armed and could defend themselves. Some of our initial group stayed with them. The rest of us broke up into smaller units based on whose family lived close to whose. You see
,
all we want to do is get home to our loved ones, if their still alive. Then try and go on from there. Randy’s Dad and grandma lived only five miles from my wife and kids. I sent her a text of their address and did get a reply that she would head over there. Randy’s Dad was a former Marine so I figured she’d have a chance.”
Jeff trailed off as they both watched the girls raid the pharmacy.