Infected

Raise

Mike

We were sitting in our beds, just doing nothing except thinking about what he said at the meeting.

"I feel bad." Ben said, looking out the open door. Some of the people were walking around, uneasy. It wasn't like Ben to think out loud, but we couldn't do much lately, so talking seemed like the only thing we could do.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"He was that kid we played with our first day, and I got annoyed. All he wanted to do was play, and now he's Infected."

"It's not our fault." I said. "The Infection was already here. It was just a matter of time before someone who wasn't immune would get sick."

*knock knock knock*

Silver appeared at the doorway.

"Hey, guys. Let's have a short chat." He said, sitting next to me, a little too close. I moved over a little bit.

"What about?" Ben asked. He put his hands together and didn't look at us.

"I need you to be runners."

That was a shock.

"Why?" I asked.

"We're going to supply and extend the compound until we don't have to scavenge anymore. After that, we'll only be going out to find other survivors. But I need as much help as I can get. I need able-bodied people to go out on runs for us. Everyone will carry a pack and fill it with as much supplies as possible. We're going to build the storage even bigger to put our supplies, and we're going to make the compound bigger. A lot bigger. Pretty soon, things are going to start changing around here. I need you two to come on runs with us."

"I'll do it." I said without hesitation. He looked at Ben. "Ben?"

He nodded.

"Alright. We begin early tomorrow. Your packs will be in front of your door with the things you need. Get lots of rest. We're going to need it tomorrow.

~~~

I was up early before the knock. After the footsteps left, I opened the door and pulled in the packs. They had a granola bar, my knife, a small canteen, and a flashlight. Ben's pack had the same, except for his box cutter. We left early to wait outside. Jeremy was there, too. He left us alone, but he had a grin that said I told you so. Creeper.

Silver let us walk through the woods, occasionally taking down a Infected. I didn't take my walking stick this time. He said, before we left, that we were hitting the Walmart in town. Apparently, it wasn't far away. After the long walk, we came across the wreck. This time, though, there was another vehicle. A truck. It looked pretty banged up, and all of the doors were open. It was completely empty.

"What's that doing here?" I asked him.

"This," He said, putting his hand on it, "is our miracle."

I looked over at some runners, and they were pulling a battery out of some bushes and brought it to the truck.

"We beat it up some and made it look as if it was already raided. We hid the battery so it couldn't go. No battery, no movement." Collin said, hooking the terminals back onto the battery.

"It was my idea." Tank said, rolling his eyes.

"Okay, I'll have to admit. Tank might be all brawn, but he still has the brains." Silver said, patting his back.

"'Your miracle?'" Ben said.

Silver held up a key. It was the one from the wrecked car.

"This is what got us an emergency kit and this truck." He said. "A key, your key, came from a completely different vehicle and worked."

"It was unbelievable." Jeremy said.

"We drove it here to use in the future. Today, we're going to Walmart and try to loot what's left."

"Walmart? You mean it hasn't been looted yet?" Ben asked.

"We don't know. We didn't try going in there in case there was someone inside. We got as close as the parking lot when we heard gunfire from the store and bolted out of there." Collin said.

I gulped.

"You think there's still someone inside?" I asked.

"I would expect it. Come on, we need to get going, a.s.a.p." Silver said, climbing in the driver's seat. The other five guys; Jeremy, James, and the other three; climbed in the tailgate. Collin got in the passenger, and we got in the back seats with Tank. It was really hot in the vehicle, so Silver turned up the AC full blast. It felt great to feel something cold for once. I watched as we went down the highway, passing a few houses and a lot of trees. I also noticed a few Infected every now and then. We made a right turn onto a road next to a gas station. Down the road, we passed a high school.

"That was where we used to go." Tank said.

"At least something good came out of it." Ben said, trying to cheer him up, but Tank had sadness in his eyes.

"I was a football player. It was my senior year. I was going to do college football. At least, until the Infection started."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Ben said, and looked away.

"We're almost there. Get ready." Silver said. Tank tapped on the window, and the other guys nodded. We went past the college to an open area. There were some small shops, a car dealership, and to the right was Walmart.

"Here it is. Let's be quick in case there's someone inside." Collin said. Silver nodded and approached through the parking lot slowly. A couple of Infected were wandering the parking lot and followed the sound of the truck. When we got out, the other runners already took care of them.

"Should we have our knives out in case of an ambush?" James asked.

"No, but keep your hand close to your knife. We want to look peaceful. We're either walking into some friendly people or a bunch of wackos." Silver said.

Well, that was reassuring.

When we reached the front of the store, it was hard to tell it was abandoned. All of the doors were closed, except for one. It was pushed open like something forced it. Silver peeked inside the door. The skylights didn't let in much light, and the clouds didn't help. He pulled his flashlight out of his bag and shined the beam around. No sign of Infected or other people. Maybe it was deserted.

"All clear." Silver said. Then, he added, "So far."

We all walked in the entrance. Some machines with toys and stuffed animals were on the side. There were also some carts in lines. I walked over and tried pulling one.

"Wait!" Ben hissed, but it was too late.

*creak*

The sound cut through the loud silence. I blushed.

"Sorry." I said.

"No, wait. This is good." Silver said, pulling one out, even louder than me. "Everyone, grab a cart. We'll fill them up. Good thinking." Silver said, patting me on the shoulder. I'm pretty sure he only did that to make me feel better, but I was glad he did it anyway. Everyone grabbed a cart and started pushing them in a line.

"I'll go for the batteries. Ben and Mike, go with James to get some toothbrushes, shower stuff, and other things. James, you'll have to show them where they are. Jeremy, Tank, Collin, and Drake, go for the food. Things we can store and keep, like canned and jarred food. Brice and Chase, look at the registers. There are little things we could use, like laser pointers, chargers, or some of that 'As Seen On TV' stuff. There are a lot of those that could be useful. We'll come back later after we pack the stuff up. We're going to make constant trips every day to get the supplies. In the meantime, I've gotten some men from the compound to start building the storage bigger and extending the compound. Much bigger. The storage will be bigger than a house."

"Stop!"

We all jerked at the sudden shout. The voice echoed in the large building. It sounded very close.

"Don't move!" It said. I saw Silver slowly reach for his knife.

"I said stop moving!" Silver froze. We watched as a man emerged from the shadows, pointing a gun.

At me.