5: Assault and Batteries

        Once we were away from the flaming gas station—or what was left of it anyway—Michael slowed down, but we continued going straight for the time being.

        “That was a close one,” sighed David.

        “Yeah, we would've been killed if we stuck around there any longer,” said Lori.

        “Awesome driving,” complimented Jake.

        “Thanks,” replied Michael.

        “So are you from around here?” inquired Lori.

        “No, I'm from Texas.”

        “What are you doing all the way up here?”

        “I was visiting some relatives when the infection hit.”

        “Oh. How long were you sitting there in the intersection?”

        “About an hour or two.”

        “Does your radio work?” asked David.

        “Not the car one, no,” replied Michael. “But there should be one in the back, although I'm not sure if you can get a station on it. All of them's been out.”

        David nodded. Him, Jake, and Lori looked around. Jake was the one who found it. He turned it on and started to go through the stations.

        “Wait, go back,” said David. “I think I heard something.”

        “Jake went to the previous station and a word was said, but then it stopped.

        “Oh snap,” said Jake. He turned it off and then back on, but nothing else came. He repeated this, but only to get the same results. “This junk be broke.”

        “It probably needs new batteries,” stated Michael. “I've been leaving it on a lot lately.”

        “And I take it you don't have any spare batteries?” I said.

        “No, sorry,” he replied, smiling apologetically.

        “Great,” groaned David.

        “We should go get some,” suggested Lori.

        “For a radio that we mainly only get static on?” said David.

        “But there was something there before it went dead,” Lori pointed out. “You noticed it yourself. It could be important.”

        “Yeah, I guess so,” sighed David. “Alright, let's go get the batteries then.”

        “We should be close to a Targets and a Walmart,” I said. “We could get them from one of those.”

        “Let's go to Walmart,” Jake advised. “The prices are cheaper there.”

        No one else argued about this decision, so we went there for the batteries. Michael pulled the car into the parking lot—it was empty, which, to me, was a rare sight—and parked it in front of the doors that had “Retail Center” above them in white letters. Fortunately, a couple of the doors had been smashed open, meaning we wouldn't have to worry about any kind of an alarm setting off. However, that also meant there were probably infected in the store, meaning the trip for batteries could possibly be slow and difficult—but since when had anything been that easy for us? Regardless, David, Jake, Lori, and me got out of the car.

        “I'm coming with you,” said Michael. “Just in case you need help with those zombies.”

        We all nodded. Michael climbed out of the car after turning it off, but he left the keys in the ignition so it would be easier to start the car again in case we needed a fast getaway. Besides, it wasn't like we had to worry about someone stealing it while we were gone. He took a pistol with him as he followed us into the store. The lights were off in there, so we had to resort to using the flashlights built into our guns, the light spilling out and onto the tiled flooring in front of us. There was also that loud sobbing sound that I had heard in the nature trail last night.

        “A Witch is around,” stated Jake.

        “You mean a B***h is around,” corrected David.

        “Yeah, I guess she is pretty bitchy.”

        “We might not have to worry about her anyway,” I said. “There should be batteries up here in the front. So long as she isn't up here, then we'll be fine.” Of course, I wasn't sure how dangerous she was since all I've seen her do was cry, but I was sure it was safe to assume that she was just as dangerous as a group of Common Infected if not worse.

        The five of us continued through the store, walking alongside the rows of cash registers. There were a few Common Infected standing around and we took them out before they would be given a chance to come after us. Unfortunately, we wasted out time coming this way. There were no batteries up here. Just our luck.

        “Alright, let's go to the back of the store and look there,” I said.

        We began making our way back there, walking down the aisle that separated the men's and women's apparel. As we did so, the sobbing got louder. Jake warned us to be careful, and we were forced to turn our lights off so that we had to make our way through the dark store until we thought it was safe to travel with our flashlights again. But turning off our lights wasn't enough to be safe from the Witch. She was apparently closer to the aisle than we had thought. We were probably about halfway down it when the sobbing was replaced with a growl. I snapped my gaze to the right, seeing glowing red eyes peering up at us in the dark. Then I saw an armed arm automatically outstretch towards the Witch.

        “No, don't—” began David.

        But it was too late. Whoever the arm belonged to had already fired their gun, a single bang ringing out and echoing throughout the large store. But the bullet appeared to have missed. The Witch let out a shriek.

        “Run!” David yelled at whoever fired the weapon.

        The Witch was on her feet in half a second and the sound of footfalls on the tiled flooring could be heard going away from us, but they disappeared about a second later as the enraged Special Infected chased after her target. The remaining four of us tried shooting at the Witch, but we only appeared to be missing. Then there was a crashing sound off to the left and the Witch stopped, probably standing over her victim. Cursing under my breath, I turned on my light so I cold see, the others doing the same, before shooting the Witch. She gave a cry of pain as she fell over.

        I rushed over to the fallen clothes rack, seeing Michael laying there on his back, a pool of blood underneath him and dying the blouses red. Large gashes were on his chest, one going over the area where the heart was located, and his eyes were wide open, showing the fear and pain he experienced before his untimely death.

        “Damn, we couldn't kill the Witch in time,” I muttered sadly.

        There was a moment of silence.

        “Well, at least he doesn't have to deal with this living hell anymore,” murmured David.

        “Yeah, I guess you could say he's in a better place now,” agreed Jake seriously with a hint of sadness in his voice.

        “He won't be forgotten,” said Lori.

        I sighed before turning to face the direction we had been going in before the Witch attacked Michael. “Let's go.”

        We resumed walking before making a right at the end of the aisle. After taking out a few more infected, we found the batteries.

        “Anyone know what kind of batteries the radio takes?” asked David.

        No one did, so we took every type of battery they sold. Afterward, we made our way back to the front doors, spending the rest of the trip in silence aside from the occasional gunfires and the gibberish cry of the Common Infected whenever they charged at us. When we reached the car, I got into the driver's seat and the others got in the back. I got the car started and drove out of the parking lot while Jake put in new batteries in the radio. Afterward, he turned it on.

        And then a message played.

        “Attention all survivors in the Cincinnati area, the military is parked up at Kings Island amusement park. Please go there to be escorted to safety.”

        A flame of hope lit up inside me. All four of us gave a cheer from what the message said, but then David threw out a grave possibility after the message repeated two times.

        “What if they aren't there anymore?”

        “But the message –” began Lori.

        “It repeats. We don't know how long it's been playing. I mean, what if they're dead? The broadcast could still play without them being alive, so we can't be sure we're going to find any help there.”

        “Yeah, but it's better than just driving around here,” I replied. “I say we go and have a look anyway.”

        There were no other disagreements on this decision, and so we began making our way up to Kings Island.

 

Reviews

[Eidolon Michael]

Haha that fit me so well. I'm usually the dummy that does accidently shoot the witch lol