The sound of duct tape being ripped from the roll snapped both of their heads toward the office. “May I suggest you tape me to a chair? Otherwise it could look suspicious when the colonel joins us.” Maggie dangled the duct tape from one hand and raised a brow at the pair.
Mitch glanced at Hatcher who simply shrugged. “She’s your friend. Go tape her up,” Hatch said. “I’ll watch the door.”
Mitch kept low as he crossed the bank of windows and came back up at the office. “Want the padded chair?” An impish grin crossed his features.
“Why not.” Maggie smiled at him. Lowering her voice, she shot him a sideways and somewhat sultry look. “I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I used to wonder what it would be like to tied up by you.”
Mitch paused and studied her a moment, then ripped off a piece of the duct tape. “Maybe you should have said something back in the day.”
“You know officers aren’t supposed to fraternize with the enlisted,” she replied, shooting him an evil grin.
“Who said anything about fraternizing? Trust me, you’d be lucky to walk once I was done with you. There wouldn’t be any fraternizing.”
Major Chappell actually blushed with that one as Mitch placed the piece of tape over her mouth, removing her ability to try to one up him. As Mitch finished taping her feet to the legs of the chair he stood up and admired his work. He smiled and rolled the chair to the corner of the office. He glanced over his shoulder and noted that nobody could see them from where they now were. He stood straighter and stared down at Maggie taped to the chair.
Lowering his voice, he smiled at her and whispered, “Yeah, I could do some serious fraternizing now and ain’t nobody could stop me, huh?” He could see her trying to smile beneath the duct tape covering her mouth. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Yeah, I don’t know exactly what’s up with you yet, but I know that this ain’t how the Maggie Chappell I once knew and respected would ever act. So, if you got some kind of secret end game you ain’t telling me about hidden up your sleeve, or maybe you’re just playing me…well, let’s just say that fraternizing will be the least of your worries.”
Mitch stepped back and studied her. He allowed her to see the hardness of his eyes before he stepped back out of the office, duct tape twirling around his finger.
As he approached the door, he nodded to Hatcher. “Anything new?”
Hatcher shook his head. “Nothing yet.” He nodded toward the trailer across the parking lot. “Pretty sure Vickers went in there with some asshole in a white chemical suit. The asshole was carrying something that looked like a ray gun prop from a bad 60s science fiction movie.”
“Something tells me that weren’t no prop,” Mitch said as he took his position on the other side of the door. Hatcher turned to him to add another smart aleck comment and noted the look of concern on the man’s face. “You don’t look so great, buddy. What’s up?”
Mitch snapped out of his deep thoughts over Maggie and shook his head. “I dunno. I’m just…something ain’t right about her.” He motioned toward Major Chappell in the office.
“What do you mean?”
“She ain’t acting herself. Like…she’s off or something.”
“Like she’s zombie infected off, or—”
“No, just…not acting right.”
“Okay. How so?” Hatcher asked.
“Like, she was all coming on to me and shit.” Mitch scratched at his head, obviously confused.
Hatcher’s eyes widened and he stared at him. “And this is a problem because—”
“Because she was my handler back in the day, that’s why.”
“I’m still not seeing the problem.” Hatch shot him a silly grin. “The girl is hotter than a three dollar pistol.”
“Exactly!” Mitch pointed at him excitedly. “My point.”
Hatcher shrugged and gave Mitch a dumb look. “You lost me somewhere.”
“The girl is just too—” Mitch’s argument was interrupted by a loud bang against the rear door, startling Candy and the kids, and causing Skeeter to yelp. Both men turned simultaneously, training their weapons on the rear door as Candy ushered the kids farther away from the area and closer to the storeroom. “What the hell was that?”
“Beats me,” Hatcher replied. He cast another furtive glance out the window and verified the coast was clear. “Maybe a guard heard us talking?”
“They’d be storming the front doors, guns blazing,” Mitch replied.
The bang repeated, followed by a loud thump. Both men studied the door and Mitch motioned he would check it out. Hatcher stole another glance out the window, then motioned him on. Mitch sprinted to the rear of the center and pressed his ear to the door. After a moment, he pulled back and shook his head. Hatcher shrugged, and the motion was met with another loud whump against the back door.
Candy stepped forward, leaving the kids huddled against the storeroom door. “Do you think it could be one of the crazies?”
Mitch cursed lightly and nodded. “Possibly.”
Hatcher approached and shook his head. “We can’t shoot them if it is. The gunfire will attract more soldiers and we’ll lose our advantage.”
Another loud bang against the door followed by a muffled scream sent shivers up Hatcher’s spine. “We have to stop them, whoever it is.”
Mitch set his jaw and motioned to the door. “Let them in. I’ll put a stop to ’em.” He pulled the knife from his boot sheath.
“Mitch, this isn’t some unsuspecting guard…,” Hatcher began.
“And this ain’t my first rodeo with these ungodly sons of bitches. Open the door.” He narrowed his eyes and crouched.
Hatcher motioned to Candy to get back with the kids and he settled in next to the lock. Mitch got lower and prepared to take the bastard out the
