章節 29: The Past (5)
Garret sprints across the street with three rifles slung on his back. The companions following him to the Sporting Goods store trudged behind him, lugging multiple weapons and carts full of ammunition.
"Where the fuck is he?" He catches Jackie's throat in his grip and applies pressure on the young woman.
"He s-s-saved me" She gasps between breaths, attempting to explain what happened.
Garret's face grows red with anger as his rage builds. Releasing the girl from his grip, he begins sliding a rifle off his shoulder. He needs an answer, and he needs it now. The deranged man would do anything to get it.
"Hey! Cut this shit out!" A voice barks from inside the apartment building, causing Garret to hesitate. "Jackie, come inside. Wait for me in the office."
James steps onto the sidewalk wielding a rifle of his own. He must have found it while performing his own searches because he didn't have one previously. The arrogant Garret deflates as he notices his change in circumstances and places his weapons on the ground.
Jackie slowly slinks past the leader with his raised rifle, entering the safe haven.
'Wow! James really worked hard, didn't he?' Her eyes widened as she saw an assortment of damaged vending machines tossed about in the former empty lobby. A faded yellow forklift is stationed next to the pile of machines. Multiple crowbars lay on the floor. 'Does he plan on emptying them?'
Following her leader's instructions, she quickly scampers to the office on the side of the lobby and places her basket on the desk. Thankful for a chance to sit down, she relaxes in the only chair in the room.
Time passes as her tension builds. She expected the kindhearted James to follow quickly, so the feeling of hours passing caused her stomach to tie into a knot.
'What if they are blaming me?' Her mind goes dark as she imagines what Mike might be telling the others.
Not satisfied with waiting for her judgment, she moves toward the door. As her hand reaches for the handle, it begins to turn. The moment has arrived as Jackie jumps backward and reaches for her pistol, still sitting in the basket.
"Whoa! Calm down!" James quickly approaches Jackie and prevents her from aiming the pistol at him. "I just want to know what happened out there."
His calm voice reassures the anxious Jackie and causes her body to relax.
"Please, take a seat and tell me what you saw." The charismatic man motions toward the chair with one hand as he guides Jackie into it.
Time passes as the events that transpired in the Pharmacy are explained. Embarrassed about the confrontation with Mike, it is omitted from her telling of the events. She focuses on what happened after the other two disappeared and how she destroyed the creatures between her and her supplies, emphasizing that they were no longer human.
"Damn it. I had hoped we wouldn't have any casualties yet." James bowed his head as if the passing of Jim hurt him personally. "I didn't think they had made it to this area yet… Are you okay?"
"I.. I think so… but I don't think I can stay here." Jackie struggles as she conveys her intentions to James. 'If they are actually zombies, this area won't be safe for long.'
"I understand. You should lay low for a couple of days, though; Garret is pretty upset. His brother died, after all. You should head back to your apartment while I try to calm him down." James doesn't blame her for what happened as he reaches for the basket of pills that she had brought back, "You did great returning with the medicine. We'll do our best to identify it."
'It seems Mike didn't screw me over after all.'
Jackie walks back into the lobby and avoids eye contact with anyone. With her head hung low, she shuffles toward the stairs to return to her apartment on the higher floor. It isn't a magical place that will change what happened, but she hopes to rest her weary mind.
Days pass while she locks herself in her room like a hermit. The supplies in her kitchen are enough to sustain her for a while, and there isn't a single request for her to join any more parties.
'Did they forget about me?" She questions herself one afternoon before she hears a knock on her door.
The sudden interruption causes her to perk her ears.
"I'll be right there," the rested woman yells as she jumps to her feet and runs to the door, "Is it fine for me to come out now?"
As soon as her hand turns the knob of the door, it flings open as a man comes barreling through. With a quick grab, he pushes Jackie to the wall and pins her arms in place. The quiet companion seems to have turned against her.
"Bruce? What are you doing?!" Jackie struggles and kicks with her feet as she attempts to break free.
She assumes the worst.
"Mike needs to look for contraband. It's just us now," He explains to the struggling woman, not attempting to calm her.
Mike and Garret enter her apartment and walk straight toward the bedroom. She kicks Bruce in the knee, but it is ineffective. The older man holds firm as she spits in his face.
"Mike! What the fuck are you doing!?" Her high-pitched scream falls on deaf ears.
She hears her window shatter as the sound of her room being torn apart reaches her. Not a single word is spoken as the drawers of her dresser smash into the walls.
Shortly, the two men return. Garret heads into the kitchen and begins taking the remainder of her food from the cupboards as Mike approaches her. Still pinned against the wall, she can't resist as Mike's hand caresses her cheek.
"Where's your gun, princess?" He runs his hand down her face and onto her neck.
"Fuck you!" She spits in the disgusting man's face.
Dodging the incoming saliva, Mike isn't angered. He chuckles before releasing her, "Let's see how long you can keep up this attitude now that James is gone."
'James is gone? What happened?' Her face stiffens at the thought of the building's leader disappearing.
"What happened to him?" Jackie begged.
"Not just him… everyone. It's just us now. We'll see how long it takes for you to become a team player now that you depend on us." Mike simply walks out of the room after giving the vague answer, followed by Garret with an arm full of her food.
"I'm sorry," Bruce utters as he bows his head and releases his grip. He steps through the doorway and slams the door behind him as Jackie stands in confusion.
'What is going on? I need to get out of here…' She immediately runs into her bedroom to prepare to escape from the situation.
Seeing her room completely torn apart causes her to drop to her knees. The window was wide open, allowing a warm breeze to cross the room. Her dresser is empty; not even the drawers remain, and her bags in the closet are missing.
Looking out the shattered window, she saw her clothing lying on the pavement below. It had all been ripped to shreds, and pieces were scattered across the ground. On the bed, a single outfit remained.
Everything had been destroyed.
Her eyes tear up as she begins to cry.
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