| Chapter 10
Valerie ran out of the store.
"What was all that shooting about?"
She saw the bloody zombie on the ground by Ron's feet.
"Oh."
Ernie looked back at her.
"There's more."
He flicked his head past the truck in the direction of the small zombie horde. Valerie looked up and saw several zombies bumbling towards them.
"Okay, Valerie I need you to rip the hose off of this pump so we can siphon gas from that semi truck."
"Okay," Valerie said.
She grabbed the gas hose and gave it a tug as hard as she could. It ripped off the top of the pump.
"Great. Now rip off the nozzle."
She grabbed it and held the end of the hose tight then tore the nozzle off with ease.
"Awesome!" Ernie said. The zombies were now ten feet away.
"Now, push me to that big semi over there. Ron try and hold these guys off for us will you?"
Ron nodded and watched them roll toward the semi. The zombies were close now. Close enough to make Ron start backing away towards the store. He wanted to lour them away from the others, but he wouldn't be getting himself stuck in the store with no exit. As he backed up he planned to head around the store and aimed his pistols towards the few zombies that had turned towards the truck. He pulled the triggers. He hit one in the leg just below the knee. It crashed onto the pavement. The one next to it was given the gift of three new holes in its abdomen. It staggered, and then turned toward Ron and started stumbling towards him. The sound was attracting most of them to him, but one still followed the truck. Ron aimed for her legs and shot. Two holes blossomed in the back on her thigh sending her to the ground. He kept shooting as he walked backwards towards the store. As his back hit the store window he noticed that most of the zombies would be right next to a couple of the gas pumps in a moment if they kept coming towards him. It gave him an idea. He ran into the store.
At the semi truck Ernie told Valerie how to help him.
"Here's the gas tank door. Pull it off."
Valerie pulled it off with ease and tossed it to the ground. Ernie stuffed the tube down into the gas tank.
"On second thought, and you rip off a small length for me?"
Valerie ripped a couple feet of hose off the end and handed it to Ernie.
"Thanks."
He grabbed the end of the hose and popped it into the gas tank of his truck. Then he shoved the small section into the semi truck gas tank next to the longer section of hose. He ripped part of his shirt off and wrapped it around the small hose, then put his mouth to it and blew as hard as he could. Gas started to flow into his truck.
"Hey it's working!" Valerie said.
"Yes it is. How's Ron doing?"
Valerie looked over but didn't see Ron anywhere. She did see the small horde heading into the store.
"Where's Ron?"
Ernie looked over.
"He must be in the store. I wonder what he's doing. He better not get himself stuck in there."
"I'm going to go make sure he's okay."
"You sure? He must of had a plan. Maybe if we just wait a minute we'll see what he's up to."
"No. He saved us, I'm going to go make sure he's okay."
Valerie looked around for a weapon but the gas station parking lot was empty. Then a hundred yards away she saw a stop sign. She took off.
"Where she going?" Ernie said to himself as he kept the fuel hose secured into his truck.
Valerie ran to the stop sign and ripped it from the ground, then she headed for the mini mart. She could see through the windows that Ron was inside rooting around on the shelves.
"Ron what are you doing?" she yelled.
This made a couple of the zombies turn and start towards her.
"I'm getting some gas cans so we can fill them as use them as bombs!" Ron shouted.
"Okay well you've got yourself stuck so, why don't you just forget about that and lets get you out of here. Ernie should be done filling his truck any minute now. Come on Ron let's go!"
A zombie was within reach of her. She wound up, thankful for her year of softball in junior high, and took a swing. She connected and the zombie went flying into the building hitting hard with a crunch then falling to the ground. Another stepped toward her. She swung again, this time aiming. She hit it dead in the chest and the zombie flew backwards knocking two others to the floor making a bit of a clearing.
"Come on Ron! Now!"
Ron could hear the panic in her voice. He ran for the door with his arms pushed through the handles of three gas cans like huge red bracelets. His hands held the pistols. He ran for the door but before he could make it one of the zombie's hands shot up grabbing his foot. Without hesitating he spun and shot the arm. The hand released him and he ran through the doorway following Valerie to the truck. He put the guns in his pockets and began unscrewing the caps of the gas cans.
"Fill these too Ernie. We can use them as bombs or on the truck I guess so we don't get stranded again."
Ernie took a jug from Ron.
"Good idea but you guys are going to need to buy me some time."
He nodded his head toward the mini mart. Zombies came out looking around with their dead eyes. They spotted the three and tripped over each other as they walked towards the truck.
"Too bad they can't just read the sign," Valerie said as she leaned on the hexagonal sign dripping with red.
"Why don't I try and hold them off and if it gets hairy then come and help me, okay?" Ron said.
"I wouldn't want you to run out of bullets."
"We have plenty."
Ron began slowing his breath and walking towards them. He raised the pistols taking careful aim. Slowly, deliberately, he shot out their legs. Ernie kept pumping the gas, filling the jugs. Ron kept the zombies at bay. Then Valerie noticed more coming from somewhere behind the mini mart. She waited for Ron to start shooting them but he didn't see them. He was too busy with his own group.
"Ron!"
He was firing too fast to hear her shouts of warning. He was getting brave with his gleaming pistols. They were extensions of him now. A power that allowed him to protect Valerie. He was shooting one down after another, and then starting in again on the ones that were able to get up. He had them pinned down but they just kept getting up. As soon as they all seemed to be done with, another would stagger on it's freshly healed limbs and bob towards Ron with its gnarly outstretched hands and bared blood soaked teeth.
"Ernie!" Valerie shouted.
"Yeah?"
"Are you almost done?"
"Just one more, why?"
"I need to help Ron. There's more of them. I don't think he sees them."
"Alright. Be careful. We'll go soon. When I'm done I'll honk and you two jump in and we'll get out of here."
"Okay."
Valerie walked towards the zombies creeping towards Ron. They didn't notice her. They were focused on him and his deafening guns. She walked right up to one, drew back her weapon that had more stopping power than a desert eagle .50 cal, and took a swing. The zombie crumpled and flew backward at the rest of them. There were a lot of them. She knocked six of them to the ground but she knew that wouldn't keep them down. She took the opportunity to run over to Ron.
As she got close the gunfire hurt her ears. She bellowed to him between shots.
"Ron!"
He took aim and shot one more in the throat. Valerie looked away, barely able to hold back the bile rising in her stomach.
"What's up? Oh. There's more of them."
"Yeah. A lot more. We need to go. Ernie said he's almost done and will honk once he's ready."
"Ok. Go back to the truck. I'll listen for the horn."
"Ron you can't stop all of these things. They just keep getting up. I've been watching them."
"I'll be fine!"
A zombie staggered towards him, lunging for his leg. He screamed, hopped back, and aimed for its head.
"No!"
Valerie stepped forward and kicked the zombie 10 yards away then turned to Ron.
"These are still people. It's not their fault they were turned into these things. There's got to be a cure. You can't shoot them in the head. They might not get up from that."
"Okay, I'm sorry. Look out!"
Another zombie had gotten to its hands and knees and was right behind Valerie. She didn't turn however, but shot past Ron and took a swing at one coming at him from behind. Ron watched as the zombie's arm broke from the stop sign and was flung around its body, its hand hitting itself in the face drawing blood. He cringed, then remembered the zombie behind him who had almost grabbed for Valerie. It's hand clutched his shoe and just as its grip started to tighten Ron shot its wrist weakening its hold on his foot enough for him to pull it away. He took a few steps back and then shot its kneecaps out. The zombies pelvis fell to the ground and it kept coming, pulling itself toward Ron with its one good arm.
"They just don't stop coming!"
As he said this another group of zombies began to come from behind the mini mart on the other side where Ernie was. He saw them just as he was putting the cap on the last gas can. He stopped twisting it and slid it towards them. He ran to the truck and saw that Ron and Valerie were too busy to notice the new arrivals. He got inside. He pumped the gas pedal and turned the key. It didn't start. The zombies were close now, walking over the red jug soaked with fuel. He lifted the shotgun to the broken passenger window. He aimed for the gas can and shot. It exploded, blowing the front of the pack backwards igniting their ravaged clothes, skin, hair, and anything it could swallow up. Ernie knew it wouldn't be enough to stop them but he hoped it bought him enough time. Ron and Valerie heard the explosion and looked back. They saw the zombies, they saw that Ernie was in the truck, but it wasn't moving. They brought their attention back to the threat in front of them and kept fighting. Valerie stopped swinging and tried thrusting the stop sign at the nearest zombie. It was a corpulent man in a ratty tank top that no longer covered much of his swollen stomach. The sign sliced right into his fat, sinking in with a slurp. Valerie pulled it out, then bent over and vomited. Ron heard her and ran to her.
"Hey are you okay?"
He rubbed her back as he looked over at Ernie.
"Oh no! Valerie! Come on. We need to help Ernie! I'm sorry."
Valerie stood up and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She looked over and saw that the truck was surrounded by zombies and one was leaning into the passengers side window. A bright blast exploded in the truck and the zombie fell back from Ernie's shotgun blast. She looked at Ron. He had sympathy and urgency in his eyes.
"Okay let's go," she shouted.
They raced to the truck.
Another zombie was climbing in the passenger window but they couldn't get to her until they cleared a path. Ron began shooting the legs of the zombies directly in front of them. Valerie waved her hands at him motioning for him to stop.
"This is just easier, and I don't want you hitting the truck or Ernie," she said raising her ghastly stop sign. She swung, knocking three of them ten yards away.
"There you do the rest from there," Valerie said; and he did. He ran over to them strategically shooting them in places he knew would keep them down the longest. His bullets shattering their arm and leg bones. A radius and ulna here, a tibia and fibula there. Screams, gunshots, and then the sound of breaking glass.
A zombie had snuck around the truck to the drivers side and broken through the glass. Ernie screamed as it pulled him out of the truck. Valerie's head jerked at the sound and saw Ernie's boots as he was pulled out of the truck through the broken window.