Chapter 23

I had just cleared the area near where I had shot the others when I heard the crunch of gravel to my rear and right. I swung around in that direction and saw a woman come around the side of the small tourist store. She saw me and I almost froze in place, watching how fast she moved towards me. I aimed and shot her in the head, noticing the dried blood all over the front of the blouse she had on. Damn, I thought, those things are fast. No wonder we were warned about them hunting anything alive. I had just dropped the muzzle towards the ground when a man came around the same building with blood all over his front too. I didn't hesitate this time, but dropped him as soon as I got the sight centered on his head. I waited a few minutes to see if any more were going to show up, but I didn't see or hear anything. I moved on towards the gas pumps, staying out of sight of the open doors facing the pumps.

I waited a few minutes before moving towards the doors. There was a small RV sitting next to the entrance and as I passed it, I heard a thump. I froze in place while looking around, trying to see if I missed one of those things, and if one was hiding behind the camper. I didn't hear anything else so I slowly moved around the front of it. I slung the AK and pulled my pistol, sliding the safety into the fire position. I quickly peeked around the front and it was clear. For some reason I looked up towards the front window of the camper and got the shit scared out of me. There was a little face pressed up against the front glass staring at me. I almost had a heart attack as she waved at me. I made the universal sign of silence by putting my finger across my lips and she nodded at me, moving back away from the glass. I motioned for her to stay down as I moved towards the doors.

I went through the first set and flattened against the wall, looking into the store area. It was clear so I moved inside, putting my back against the counter looking around the rest of the store. I could see three of those things, all bent down, eating from what looked to be two badly mangled bodies. From what I could see, there wasn't much left of either one of them. I figured they were the little girl's parents. I got ready and made a whistling noise. They all three looked up and started to move towards me. I waited, delaying my shots to make sure I dropped them close to the door. I dropped all three within a few feet of where I was standing and breathed a sigh of relief when the last one went down. I waited, listening with ringing ears to see if any more were going to show up. When nothing happened, I moved across the store, looking down the aisles to make sure that was all of them. It was and after I checked out the restrooms, I grabbed a couple of tarps off the shelf. I covered the bodies; wrapping them so I could move them outside where they wouldn't pollute the store as they rotted. After I finished wrapping them, I dragged all of them outside and then went back in and washed my hands at the sink by the coffee pots. I shut those down and then popped the cover off the air conditioning control, turning it down to 40 degrees. I went to the store side and grabbed a short length of chain and a pad lock. As I went out, I got three large Cokes then closed the inner doors and chained the outer doors. I put the lock on them and pushed the emergency shut off button for the pumps.

I looked around carefully before I moved to the camper and knocked on the door. "Sweetie you can come out now, it's safe."

"Are you sure those things out there are gone?"

"Well, I don't see any more of them."

"I think they got my mommy and daddy. They went inside to get some food and water and never came out. I heard mommy scream and then nothing. Mister, are you sure you're not one of them?"

"Well, I don't think they can talk and if you were looking out the window, I am sure you saw the helicopter I got out of." I knew I was wasting valuable time, but I wasn't about to leave her here all by herself. I heard the door lock click and then the side door opened slowly. She looked to be about five or six years old and had long black hair. She was wearing a blue snap up western shirt and a pair of Wranglers with a matching vest. She was a tiny little thing and as cute as a button.