“Will do and you do the same,” Arthur said and the man shrugged.
“I’ll be dead in a day,” he answered. “I’ve watched too many die after they started coughing up blood.”
“You’re still alive now, and I haven’t heard of many making it a day or two and you have to drink fluids,” Arthur told him and the man just nodded. Pulling away, Arthur watched the man in the mirror as Shawn drove past. When Shawn was passed, the man grabbed the shopping cart and steered it back to the proper lane and continued on.
Only when he’d rounded a curve did Arthur take his eyes off the mirror. “He’s got Rudolph,” Vicki said in a small voice from the backseat.
“Yes, he does,” Arthur said, knowing they had all been exposed long before now. “I want both of you to notice how neither Donald nor Daisy growled at the man. They knew he posed no danger.”
“They were both looking out the window at him,” Vicki noted, looking around at the houses.
“Yes, just in case he became a threat. That’s what you do. Keep ready and if someone poses a threat, pull the trigger until they go down,” Arthur instructed, driving across a major road and back into a subdivision.
“I saw a car to our three o’clock when we drove over that road,” Jim said, glancing over at Arthur.
Looking over at Jim, “Which way were they heading?” Arthur asked and Jim pointed north, the same way they were going. Thinking for a second, Arthur turned right at the next street and stayed in the subdivision. Rolling down his window, Arthur heard the high-pitched whine of engines off to the east getting fainter.
“I heard engines,” Shawn said over the radio.
Letting the pistol rest in his lap, Arthur lifted the radio up and pressed the transmit key. “I heard ‘em,” Arthur called out. “That’s why we are taking back roads.”
A few minutes passed, then Shawn came back over the radio. “Think we should head home?”
“Not unless we are attacked. Guys, it is going to take us weeks to pull in all the stuff we need to fortify our place. The longer we wait, those that aren’t sick will start to group together,” Arthur said over the radio and to those in the Suburban with him.
“Like the man who said I had a kitty cat,” Vicki said and Arthur felt his blood pressure rise, just thinking about the man.
“Yes, he wasn’t sick but wanted to hurt you,” Arthur replied in a tense voice and then lifted the radio. “Shawn, just keep your eyes peeled and let’s get this done.”
“Copy,” Shawn answered and Arthur set the radio on the center divider, seeing a large road ahead they were going to cross. Barely slowing, Arthur looked each way as he crossed over the road and back into another subdivision.
Driving slow with the window down so he could hear, Arthur kept looking around as the houses slowly gave away to an industrial park. Pulling onto a main road, Arthur rolled up his window as he sped up.
Turning off onto another big road, Arthur looked over at a large bookstore. “Might need to visit you,” he mumbled, driving past. Passing vacant lots, Arthur looked ahead and saw the red and white sign of their destination; a large agriculture supply store.
Pulling into the parking lot, Arthur pulled to the gate of a fenced-off area on the side of the store where equipment was stored outside. Putting the Suburban in park, Arthur climbed out. Leaving his door open, Arthur trotted to the back and opened the cargo door. Grabbing massive bolt cutters, “Donald, Daisy,” Arthur said and the dogs jumped out.
Pulling on the cargo door, Arthur trotted off as the door slowly closed automatically. Reaching the gate, Arthur cut the lock and pulled the chain out before dropping it on the ground. Grabbing the gate, he glanced at the bicycle chain at the bottom that electronically rolled the gate open, but Arthur just forced it open.
When the gate was open, Arthur moved around and cut the bicycle chain, then ran back to the Suburban. Nicole opened her eyes up as Arthur climbed in and drove inside the fence while leaving his door open. Glancing in the rearview mirror, Arthur stopped when he saw Shawn’s trailer was inside the fence.
Putting the truck in park, Arthur jumped out and jogged back to the gate. With the bicycle chain cut off, Arthur didn’t have to fight the dead motor this time and the gate easily rolled shut. Picking the chain up off the ground, Arthur fed it through the gate and fence so it looked like it was still locked.
With all the banners on the gate, nobody could see through it and with all the stuff stacked along the fence, no one could see them from the side. Glancing around, Arthur thought the tops of the vehicles could be seen in a few places over the fence but that was it.
Patting Nicole in the sling, Arthur walked back as Shawn stepped out, holding his AR. Putting the loop of the sling over his head, Shawn let the AR hang down as he helped Beth out. “We are checking the building before letting the little ones in, right?” Shawn asked, turning to the west and hearing engines in the distance that seemed to be racing.
“Yeah, you stay here. My rug rats are still in the Suburban,” Arthur said, patting Beth on the head.
Walking back to the Suburban, Arthur grabbed the back-hatch handle and stepped back as the door opened up. Putting the bolt cutters back, Arthur grabbed the mini jaws and headed for a side door. Holding Beth’s hand with his left, Shawn gripped the AR and then heard the whine of the mini jaws and grinned, looking over just as the pedestrian door popped open.
“That thing
