All Together Now: A Zombie Story Read Free Page A

Ernie's.
    We could see it from the last few fields before Harrington proper starts. It was a small building with an awning stretched out over six pumps, and neither humans nor zombies milled around outside.
    Atop the awning were bold red letters spelling out "ERNIE'S." The sign was neon, but Harrington hadn't had power for days and the red letters were as dull and dark and lifeless as the rest of the world.
    In a backyard three houses down from the jail, two adult figures stood beside a swing set. They weren't moving or talking, just standing and staring in that mindless way of the dead.
    They were far enough away from Ernie's not to be a concern.
    Michelle had her gun out and Levi and I had our axe and bat at the ready, but it was unnecessary. We were able to creep right up to Ernie's and around to the front without being seen.
    Or so we thought.
     

6
     
     
     
    I STARED THROUGH ERNIE'S FRONT windows until I was sure nothing was moving inside.
    "How do you want to do this?" I asked, but Michelle was already opening the double doors.
    "Hello?" she called into the food mart.
    No response came, spoken or snarled, so she went inside and let the glass doors swing shut behind her.
    "Stay out here," I said to Levi. "If something's coming, we need to know about it. And keep an eye out for Chuck."
    Levi stared blankly at me, then looked away.
    "Or just stand there not saying anything," I said, and went inside.
    I was so used to the smell of rotting corpses, both walking and non-walking, that at first I didn't register the stench coming from Ernie's office.
    Michelle was crouching in an aisle, stuffing cans of tuna, bags of chips, and beef jerky into her backpack. I took my own pack off and set it down. I wanted to fill it, but first I wanted to make sure we were alone.
    I took a flashlight from one aisle and batteries from another. When I had it working, I went first to the men's room and found it empty.
    In the women's room, I raised my bat before I realized the figure coming toward me also had a flashlight and raised bat. For the first time in a week I really looked at myself. I had streaks of dirt on my face and my blonde hair looked brown.
    Below the left corner of my mouth was a giant zit, gorged white. In 6th grade I had a bad case of pizza face and my mom bought me heavy duty soap. But I hadn't bathed in days, and Ernie's didn't sell Neutrogena.
    I checked the sink's faucet, but nothing came. There was clean water in the toilet, though, so I popped the zit and freshened up.
    Aside from my reflection, the women's room was vacant.
    Next, I checked the office. That's where I found Mrs. Ernie.
    I never did know Ernie's last name, but I'd been in there enough times to know his wife was a short Vietnamese woman named Sue. She was slumped against Ernie's desk, a perfectly round, blackened hole half an inch above her right eye.
    There was plenty of daylight in Ernie's office, making it easy for me to play detective. Against the wall was a ladder that led up to the roof. The hatch at the top was open.
    I could tell by the dried blood and skin beneath Mrs. Ernie's fingernails, that she'd been dead before getting shot.
    I went back into the mart to gather supplies.
    Levi stood inspecting the row of dark refrigerators on the back wall.
    "Anybody want a soda?" he said, grinning, but neither Michelle nor I laughed.
    Levi produced two bottles of water and tossed one to Michelle and one to me. For himself he took a beer, which he chugged. "Warm as piss," he gasped when he finished, but that didn't stop him from grabbing another.
    "Thanks for standing guard," I said, moving closer to the glass doors so I could see the street out front.
    Michelle tossed a deodorant stick to each of us and took one for herself. "If you expect me to stay around you guys, you'll hang onto those," she said.
    Levi moved behind the counter to get a pack of smokes. He had them open and was lighting a cigarette before Michelle saw what he was doing.
    "Put that out,"