“Jim, keep watch,” Pat snapped, looking out the back and patting Donald on the head.
Turning around, Jim looked at the trees at the back of the store. To him, they were a long way off but in reality, only fifty yards. In a few minutes, Arthur came back out and picked up the machine and flipped a switch. The two arms closed until they looked like one arm again and then the others noticed the sharp wedge at the tip.
Opening the back, “Donald, out,” Arthur said, putting the machine in the back.
“That is so cool,” Pat said, pointing at the machine.
Shrugging, “I wasn’t always a good boy,” Arthur admitted as Donald jumped out. “I grew up in foster homes and didn’t always hang around the right people.”
Closing the back door, Arthur moved to the driver’s door and opened it up. Gently, he picked up Nicole and slung the sling over his head. Reaching under his seat, Arthur held out flashlights. “Use these because it’s dark inside, but stay with me,” Arthur said as Kirk opened his door and jumped out. “Kirk, close your door easy,” Arthur whispered loudly.
Barely closing his door, Kirk walked around the Blazer as Pat and Jim climbed out. They followed Arthur in and he turned around, pointing at the door. “Donald, guard,” Arthur commanded and Donald turned around, looking out the door.
Arthur led them into the store. “Try not to shine your lights toward the front. We don’t want people to know we are in here,” Arthur told them, walking to the front.
He stopped and read the aisle headers and almost took off running for the baby aisle. Grabbing a small shopping cart as he ran past them, Arthur glanced back to see the boys running after him. Arthur stopped, seeing the small diapers and gave a contented sigh.
“Won’t they fly off the trailer?” Kirk asked.
Reaching over and patting Kirk’s back, “Very good,” Arthur told him, glad the boys were thinking. “Yes, they would, but there are boxes in the back we will put them in.”
They watched Arthur rake the shelf clean of the small diapers, filling the buggy all the way up. “Get us another buggy,” he said, pushing that one to the back of the aisle. The boys ran to the front and came back with three buggies. Arthur filled them up with the bigger sizes and then pushed them down the aisle.
Before he asked, the boys came back pushing three more carts. “Boys, you are getting good,” Arthur said as he started grabbing the baby formula. “Grab all those bottles,” he said and the boys started putting the bottles in one of the carts. Seeing bouncer chairs, Arthur grabbed all four boxes thinking he could leave one in the barn and the others around the house. When the carts were full, they pushed them to the back storeroom.
Then Arthur headed back to the store, walking along the aisles. He stopped and grabbed rolls of tape and then headed back to the storeroom. Finding a stack of broken down cardboard boxes, Arthur showed the boys how to fold them up and tape them.
Setting the first one on the floor, “Start filling it, Kirk,” Arthur said, grabbing another box. Soon, the three boys were filling the boxes with the baby stuff. After he’d made a dozen boxes, Arthur moved over to the rolling door and unlocked it. When he rolled it up slowly, the boys all jumped.
“Need more light,” Arthur told them as he stopped the door, only leaving a seven-foot opening. Grabbing a handcart, Arthur pushed the sling to his side and put the boxes the boys had filled up on the trailer.
When they were done, Arthur had them grab the carts and head back to the baby aisle. Not seeing anything else he really needed, Arthur turned to the boys. “Next aisle is toys, you can take what will fit in your packs.”
The boys took off, not caring at that moment if Arthur came or not.
He grinned and then stepped over as the boys were stuffing toys in their packs. “Boys, I’m heading to the front to see if anyone is about,” Arthur said.
“We have our radios,” Kirk said, shoving a small car in his pack.
Grinning at the excitement of the boys, Arthur spun around and headed to the front of the store where he’d be able to see the gas station across the road. Before he had reached the front, he dropped down as a car drove past heading toward town. “I swear that was the car in front of that house that man was sitting at,” he mumbled, feeling his pulse quicken.
Glancing at his watch, Arthur relaxed to see they had been in the store for well over an hour. “They weren’t after us,” he concluded, moving to the side of the large window. He glanced to the south where Clarksville was and saw a few columns of smoke rising in the air.
He was guessing they were on the far side of town near the electric company. In the distance, he heard a pop and knew that was gunfire. “Had to come,” he mumbled, patting Nicole and glanced down and saw her sucking her pacifier and looking up at him.
“Got you some diapers, but we will make you some better clothes; these are cheap,” he smiled at her and Nicole smiled under her pacifier. Lifting his head up, Arthur cocked his ear toward the glass when he heard a hum. Moving to the sliding doors, Arthur reached up to
