No one responded, it seemed like common sense was going to be the answer. Don’t shoot anyone that isn’t trying to eat you. Ellie screamed as she was picking them off one at a time, “Just get moving, try and get him, please. He doesn’t look like he’s got a lot of upper body strength going for him right now, if you know what I mean.”
Yassa didn’t waste any time getting across the ladder. He wasn’t crazy, but him and fear were absolutely not friends with one another. Yassa raced across the ladder, not copying the guinea pig that had gone first. The ladder was shaking wildly, and Pete lost grip with his left hand and was just barely able to hang on with the other. He couldn’t keep a hold of it as the ladder was shaking. Pete watched as the long-haired, weirdly dressed man sprinted like a wild man across and towards him. He thought he was going to have a chance when his right hand gave way and he felt the absolute worst feeling he had ever had in his entire life. The dreams he’d had since childhood of falling and being so thankful that he’d woken up covered in sweat, and his heart pounding in his chest would not be the same outcome now. He closed his eyes; he didn’t need to see any more of what was going to happen next. Yassa dived the last three feet, hand outstretched.
Chapter 12
The group had been walking for a half hour. No one was feeling amazing about their current circumstances. Earl was on Clary’s last nerve and Shaun was getting a bit nervous for him. Shaun did think that anything stupid that Greg could do to annoy Clary was currently unmatched by Earl. Earl said, “I know you’ve mentioned this for each time I’ve said it but seeing as I don’t really believe that ya’ll have got a staple gun so I feel like maybe you won’t be able to staple my mouth done shut. I just gotta ask one more time, if you really thought about it. I mean if one of them there things comes up here with a radar lock on your ass, wouldn’t you feel better about me being stocked, locked, and cocked, ready to kick ass and take names?”
Clary looked to Shaun and said, “Other than his fucking gun that didn’t do a helluva a lot for us currently, is there a reason that I can’t just shoot him? I’m sure something would be happy for the meal whether it be alive or dead.”
“I don’t think that’s going to create a ton of trust between the newbies and you guys. But I’m not 100% sure that they like Earl all that much.”
Earl, who somehow had impeccable hearing, regardless of the fact that his past times were loud country and even louder guns, said, “Uh, I heard that. People love my ass, all kinds of people too, not just random strangers. I’m probably one of the most popular guys alive.”
Scott ignored Earl, he knew very well that the man could drive someone to the brink of insanity and had, many times, while they were stuck inside of the CDC building. Scott asked, “How far do you think we are from the base?”
Clary never stopped walking, thinking it’d get him no closer. He replied, “I don’t know for sure, probably a half hour by car. So, we’re going to be walking for a while.”
Earl said, “Glad you remembered the guns and all but if you would have brought the radios, that would have been fantastic. I mean, I know it isn’t easy to tell by lookin’ at me, but this cardio isn’t my foreplay if you know what I mean. I’m more of a heavy lifter, you know.”
Everyone knew that he meant forte but correcting him would do nothing for him. When they made it up over a hill which Iowa had no shortage of, Clary saw a farmhouse. If they had any sort of car which they could borrow, it would be a godsend. Clary prayed that there’d be something, even if there was a CB or long-distance radio, it would be better than nothing.
Earl said, “Hey, why don’t you get your ass moving. There’s a house just standing there waiting for us. I mean come on, there could be cars, there could be food, like good food, I’ve eaten enough chow to choke on in my life. If there’s some good food in that freezer, then I say we take it. I bet you can’t guess how long it's been since I’ve had a steak.”
Clary looked to Shaun who set his gear down. Clary said, “I can’t, not that I care, Earl.”
Shaun kept the cover on his scope closed until he did a quick pass over it. Greg knew that Clary didn’t enjoy going into things blind, and the more issues he could deal with ahead of time, the better. With one eye left, the last thing he wanted to do was go into it with the odds stacked any more against him than he needed to. Shaun slowly walked the scope across the bag. He knew, for the most part, outside of a stupid long shot, that if he could see the target that he could lay his cross hairs on it and put it down without any issues. Earl asked, “Hey, do you see something,
