Cooper gave him a wide eyed look then dropped the smoke to the ground, squishing it out with his shoe. “Not worth it.”
“What’s he doing out there?”
“Watching the festivities?” Cooper offered. “Who the hell knows? He’s batshit crazy. Hell, he may have been the one that led them to us.”
Hatcher shook his head. “Not this time.” He lowered the spyglasses and blew his breath out hard. “I’m sure it was the explosion that—”
A piece of stucco beside the gate erupted as the rifle round shattered the cement mix, sending bits of debris flying and cutting him off mid-sentence. Hatcher dove for the ground and screamed, “DOWN! Gun shots!”
Bodies dove for cover as more shots thudded against the sides of the adobe building and exterior wall. Cooper rolled to his side, cupping his hands to his mouth. “Take cover! Incoming!”
Hatcher reached out and grabbed the man’s hand. “You’re bleeding.”
Cooper rolled to his back and looked down at his white t-shirt, stained red with blood. “Well, ain’t that a kick in the nuts.”
Carol pushed the rear steel security door open and blinked at the early evening darkness. It was like being under a spotlight after maneuvering the lower levels of the building in the dark. She smiled as the pair exited into the alleyway. “I’m glad you shut off the flashlight now.”
Broussard whispered as he fell into step behind her. “We need to get out of downtown. Find a secure location to lay low in until the military call off operations here.”
Carol ran her hand along the rear of the building until they came to the corner. She glanced out and saw nothing in either direction. “They have night vision. Won’t they be able to see us?”
Broussard shrugged. “It’s one man on the roof. He’s supposed to be watching the front.” He sighed heavily and shook his head. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
She nodded slowly then squared her shoulders. “This way.” She darted across the street then turned toward the coast. She could smell the salty sea air and turned into the cool breeze.
“Funny how the wind smells different along the coast then out at sea.”
She turned and glanced at him. “We’re running away from the only secure place we know of and that’s what comes to your mind?”
He shrugged again. “Just making an observation.” He smiled at her. “I am a scientist, you know. I used to be paid to notice differences.”
She pulled him into another alley and they continued to zig-zag farther away from the building. She stiffened and stopped when her radio crackled to life. “I’ve got three figures moving toward our location–coming in from the south. Over.”
She turned the radio down and stared at Broussard. “What do I do?”
He reached out and took the radio from her. “How far away are they? We’re almost set up down here.”
“Two…two and a half blocks. Over.”
Broussard keyed the radio again. “Notify us when they reach the end of our block. If they don’t turn away, let us know and we’ll take cover. We’ll lay low until they’ve left.”
“Copy that. Over.”
He shoved the radio into his pants and hefted his bag again. “I suggest we now put as much distance as we can between us and that building.”
She glanced around then pointed to a car. “Maybe we can find transportation? Surely somebody left their keys?”
Broussard raised a brow at her. “This is California. I doubt that anybody would leave their car unlocked much less leave keys in it.”
“The world ended, remember?” She shrugged. “It can’t hurt to try.”
Broussard shrugged. “Perhaps, as you say.”
The pair continued toward the coast, checking doors on various vehicles as they went, doing their best to remain quiet. Carol pulled the handle on a small import and nearly jumped when the door opened and the interior light came on. “I got one!” she whispered excitedly.
She stuck her head in the car and looked around for the keys. She pulled the visor down to no avail. She lifted the floor mat and even checked the ashtray. She shut the door as quietly as she could. “Maybe the next one.”
“Maybe we should stick to our feet? We will arouse much less attention that way.” Broussard turned and began walking down the road. Carol fell into step beside him.
“Come on. Don’t give up on me yet.” She reached out and grabbed at door handles as they walked.
“I think you are wasting your—”
Both researchers froze when a car alarm went off, lights flickering and the horn blasting in the evening shadows. Broussard grabbed her by the coat and quickly dragged her across the street and into the darkness of an alley. She stood trembling by the entrance as screams echoed off of the surrounding buildings.
Broussard pulled her deeper into the shadows, his hand reaching to cup her mouth. “Shhh,” he whispered in her ear.
The pair turned to make a break for the end of the alley when Broussard came up short, his hand falling from her mouth. “Oh, no…”
Carol stared at the Zed standing just feet away, his head cocked to the side as he stared at the pair.
Simon worked the action on the bolt action hunting rifle and peered through the scope at the front of the compound. “…Let my people go you sons of…” He squeezed the trigger and felt the 30.06 rifle jump back into his shoulder again.
He worked the bolt then bent to peer through the scope. “Come out, come out, wherever you are.” He squeezed the trigger again and watched as one of the wall sentries grasped at his shoulder and spun away from his post. “Bingo, muthafucker.”
He worked the bolt again and scanned the top of the wall for another target. He placed the crosshairs on his next victim and squeezed the trigger.
CLICK.
Simon pulled away from the rifle and stared at it in disbelief. “Son of a BITCH!” He threw the weapon into the bed of the truck and reached into the
