Thursday, July 28, 2011

Old Navy: A Zombie Story (part 4)

Disclaimer:  This is a work of fiction. The events that take place are for entertainment purposes ONLY.  Story written very quickly.

And now….

Before Noon Presents

Old Navy: A Zombie Story
Part 4
The Twelve Footer

Every one is Awake now awake in the Men’s stockroom.   Josh looks up from the couch.  There is some sort of commotion around Shawn.   He sees that Shawn is on the phone and every one is asking questions.  Josh hears a few.  “How many are there?” “Who is dead?”

Josh shouts out “Have you seen Katie?”

The questions continue to fly at Shawn. “Is any one hurt?” “Did any one get bitten?”  “Where did they come from?”

Scott is standing to the left of Josh and shouts out “Are there any Giant Squid out there?”

Josh punches across his body with his right hand and hits Scott in the arm, hard. Scott shuts up and just rubs his arm.


Shawn speaks into the phone again, “Alex repeat what you just said”

“You want what? We’re the ones in trouble here.” Alex Screams into the phone. He looks up to the group, “he wants me to repeat my self.” Alex talks back in to his phone. “We are alive.”

“Ok, you’re where?”

On top of the booths”

“On top of the booth sets?”

Yes! Again with the repeating!”

“How many of there are you?”

“Six, well, five but Kendra was bitten or something and we had to toss her on to a t-stand”

“Ok”

“Did you guys hook up with Steve’s group though the fitting room?”

“No, we came in through the first door in women’s?”

Damn”

“And how many Zombies?”

“Well we have killed three Zombies, so I would say, around two hundred, maybe more.”

“Wow, that’s a lot. Ok man we are going to try to get you down and in here some how.  Just hang in there. We will come to get you soon.”

“Thanks, and hurry up.”

Alex turns to the group, “They are going to come and get us.”

Shawn hangs up the phone and looks up.  Amy H looks at Shawn and ask, “So how are we suppose to go and get them.”
“Well I did say soon.”

No one else says a thing for fifteen minuets while every one thinks.  Nick gets board and starts to play Pac-Man.  Scott is bouncing a high bounce ball off of the wall.  Aaron is walking around the back room pacing.

Shawn snaps up and Grabs the ball from Scott.
Scott snarls, “Hey!”
“Sorry Scott but these are the answer.” Shawn answers. “We get all of those bouncy balls out of the back and roll them under the feet of the Zombies. They will trip and fall all over each other and we can use that time to get the gang down from the top of the booths.”

Patrice looks at Shawn, “So where do we get the ball from?”
“From the Kids Stock…” Shawn trails off.
“Right through the herd of Zombies.”
“Well it’s a start.”
Patrice Shouts, “WE NEED AN END NOT A START!”

Every one is quite. All they hear is the ‘dew, dew, dew’ of Nick Dying on Pac-Man.

Jason snaps his head around, “That is it, Pac-Man!” He runs in to the Men’s stock room and start grabbing empty fixtures and putting them together like MacGyver with an Erector Set.  Every one just stairs at him for a few moments, Aaron and Josh walk over to him concerned.

Aaron starts, “Hey J, what the heck are you doing?”
Jason replies franticly, “Building a maze”
“What?”
Jason stops to catch his breath and then starts to explain. “Ok in Pac-Man the ghosts have to follow the paths though the maze.”
“Jason, we’ve all played Pac-Man.”
Jason is starting to get excited while he is explaining, “Right, well the ghost can’t go through the walls of the maze. That has never made any sense to me they are ghost, they can go though things, like walls.”
“Jason!” Josh shouts. “What are you trying to do, build a maze?”
“Close,” Jason replies. He is now starting to pant from being so excited. “WE are going to build walls, so the Zombies can’t get to us.”

On top of the booths Krissy is just sitting there rocking back and forth with her knees in her chest. She shouts at Alex. “Did he say how long it was going to be?”

Alex shouts back, “No he just said soon.”
“OK, how long has it been?”
“A little more than an hour!”

Fitz, Martha and Austin are looking down at the Zombies.

Martha notices something, “Do you think the Zombies are moving faster now then they where before the sun was all way up?”
Fitz answers, “well it did drop below freezing last night maybe they got cold.”
Austin chimes in, “You mean like a snake?”
“Yeah like a snake. Did Kendra feel cold when you grabbed her?”
“I don’t remember, it all happened so fast.”

Just then out of the door in Women’s four burst Josh, Scott, Patrice and Caroline.  Scott and Josh are carrying an H-fixture that looks more like a fence with as many jet rails that was jammed across it.  They zip tie it to the spine between the first two booths on the non-dom wall and then they flip the tables on their sides and run back into the back room.  As this is happening Patrice has a bakers rack full of boxes full of shoppers, she struggles to place a row behind the H-fixture so it won’t move. Care run over and grabs the floor ladder that is in the shop and jams it next to the non-dom wall. She locks it and runs back in to the back to help Josh and Scott.

Aaron, Jason, Amy H and Shawn come barreling out of the back door of the fitting room. With two more super H-fixtures. Shawn and Amy connect them to the other super H-fixture. Aaron and Jason push the two tipped over tables in to the aisle and zip tie them down to the out side of the accessories cage and the end cap. Amy wheels another ladder in to Shop 4.  Aaron, Jason and Shawn start placing accessories fixtures end to end and zip tying them together and Jason starts securing them to the inside of the Accessories cage. 

As Jason moves to secure the far right side of this new wall in accessories two Zombies round the corner, Martha and Caroline scream. Jason looks up just in time to see Aaron put a t-stand face out in the first one’s head. The hollow thud and splash of blackened blood startle him. This drops the first Zombie. The second Zombie goes after Aaron. With a T-stand face out in each hand Aaron puts one through each temple of the other Zombie.  He helps Jason up.  “Come on man, we need to get out of here.” The two men make it back to women’s four. Shawn, Josh and Scott secure the last of the ‘fence’ that now blocks off the shop.  Every one from the back room jumps up and down in joy. 

Fitz shouts across the building, “That was great. Now what?”

Scott and Shawn are the first up the floor ladder to the top of the booth set.  They see Krissy.

“Krissy get your butt over here and get down the ladder.” Scott shouts.

Krissy bounds over to them on top of the both sets and she makes it over to them with ease. The Zombies are starting to pool around the accessory cage and the front corner of the fence.

Shawn looks at Krissy, “Why the hell did you not get down this way earlier?”
“I, I, I just don’t know. But thank you.” Krissy climbs down.  Care and Erica take her to the back to get some food and water.  Aaron and Jason carry out the first twelve foot ladder, followed by Josh and Patrice with the other one.  They pass the first ladder up to Shawn and Scott; they struggle getting the ladder across the opening and under the lights.  Shawn and Scott pull the ladder up and smash it though a couple of light fixtures. By doing this they knock the track lighting off and it splits a Zombie’s skull with a loud Crack.  Shawn walks over the ladder and using even more zip ties straps it down.  Scott, Madeline and Aaron start sliding shelves across the ladder to Shawn. Shawn places them across the top of the cage to make a little platform. It wobbles a little.

Shawn shouts down at Jason, “It’s a little shaky but it might work.”

Jason walks to the back and grabs a bunch of walkie talkies. He passes some up to Shawn and the group.  Every one puts one on.
Jason talks over the walkie to Shawn, “I am tired of yelling. Toss one over to those guys.”

Shawn tosses a walkie over to the other group and Alex puts it on.


Scott and Madeline walk the other twelve foot ladder across to Shawn. Madeline looks down and sees the Zombies snapping like baby birds that need food. She takes a moment to catch her breath on the platform. With the big inhale that she takes the smell overwhelms here. It smells like a dead animal that was wrapped in old bacon fat and put in a dumpster in the middle of the summer.  The smell makes her vomit. Most of Madeline’s puke hits the Zombies. They don’t flinch. By now Scott and Shawn have placed the other latter across the second span to where Alex and the rest are waiting. Shawn goes to strap down this ladder and fumbles a bit and he drops the Zip ties.

“Shit,” Shawn says under his breath.
Scott hears this and leans down, “What’s up?”
“I dropped the zip ties, the last zip ties.”
“I guess we will have to hold it down then.”

Shawn Shouts “OK let’s go.”

Shawn walks across the ladder to the others and holds it down. He starts to help the others on to the ladder.
“One at a time guys,” Shawn says.  Austin is the first to cross; he then takes Madeline’s place holding down the ladder.  Fitz is next she makes it across with ease. As Martha starts across a Zombie hits the Emergency Exit door in the back corner of baby.

The noise startles everyone. They all snap their heads around and look at the door. Fitz not watching where she is going, steps in the small pool of Madeline’s vomit, slips and falls off of the platform. She catches her self on a cross post of the cage. With her feet dangling Fitz starts to kick the Zombies who are grasping for her legs.  Austin lets go of the ladder and starts to pull Jen up. The entire accessories cage shakes. Martha has frozen in the middle of the ladder. The ladder falls with Martha hanging on like a scene out of and Indiana Jones movie. The ladder smashes down on a bunch of Zombies. A few of their heads squash like Zits. Martha falls off as the ladder hits the floor.

Aaron sees Martha hit the floor and runs to aid with face outs swinging.  Moving like Morpheus, Aaron smashes in the heads of the first two with two t-stand face outs. The Zombies fall like rocks.  He pulls a jet rail out of his back like sword and takes a mighty swing. The swing knocks the heads off of three Zombies. Aaron stumbles over a body, regains his balance and tries to find Martha.

Martha has fought her way to the top of the table in Men’s shop 3.  She has taken a face out from a t-stand with her and is hacking away at the members of the undead who try to use her as a snack. With her focus on the group in front of her Martha does not see the Zombie crawl up behind her, but Aaron does. He takes the long jet rail he is using as a club and chucks it across the store like a spear.  The jet rail zips by Martha’s head and catches the Zombie in the left temple and comes out its right ear. 

With Aaron and Martha both on the table fighting off the Zombie horde and Austin, Madeline, Scott and Fitz getting off the top of the booths into Women’s Shop 4 , Jason Gets on the walkie with Shawn and Alex. “You guys are going to have to jump down and make it in though the fitting room. You should be able to either kill or run by the five Zombies that are banging on the door to the kid’s stock room.”
“Right,” Shawn responds. “How do we get down?”

Aaron hearing thins over his walkie Shouts, “Just jump I don’t know how much longer we can keep this up.” 

Shawn and Alex jump down and start past the Zombies in the fitting room. The last one grabs Alex’s Shirt.  Aaron goes to help.  Martha is there hold her own for about 30 seconds, with a face out in each hand she crushes a skull then another, in that same motion she pulls the first face out of the first zombie and smashes it in to a third then a fourth there is a break she turns to see Aaron body tackle the zombie that had a hold of Alex. Martha turns to run to catch the group but she is over run by mass of undead souls. 
There are no screams from Martha, over the alarm from the emergency door a laugh that can only be described as the laugh of a woman going mad can be made out.  Then it is gone, to be replaced by the sound of snapping bones and ripping flesh.

Aaron is still in a life or death struggle with just one zombie. Shawn and Alex grab a couple of face outs that where just lying on a table in the fitting room. They charge the Zombies to save Aaron. Alex hits the zombie that is struggling with Aaron so hard in the head that the face out blows out of the Zombie on to Aarons body.  Aaron kicks the corps on to the ground. Shawn has missed with his face out but has pinned a Zombie to the wall next to the door by its shirt.  The three young men run to the back of the fitting room where Jason and his group had earlier set up another wall of h-bars. They scale it with ease. Looking back down the fitting room Alex notices that none of the Zombies have followed. They make it back with the others.

Patrice asks, “Are you guys ok?”
“Yeah I think we all are.” Aaron answers as he hides his left arm. Blood drips off of his finger and hits the ground. Madeline sees that Aaron is bleeding and she runs over to him.
“Holy crap! Aaron, you’re bleeding.”
“Oh, Yeah I’m ok, I, I, Just cut my arm on something…” Aaron starts to sway back and forth.  Madeline pulls up his sleeve.
“You’ve been bit.”
Aaron jerks his arm away and starts to roll down his sleeve, “You know you’re not a nurse yet…” Aaron is fading in and out.  Josh runs over.
“You’re missing a chunk of you arm. We need to take care of this.”
Aaron falls to the floor. While fading in and out he can almost make out what is being said. People are yelling.

“…bitten…a Zombie…”
“…help…kill him.”
“Yeah…through his skull.”
“What…”
“Ok…your way.”

Aaron blacks out.  All he can hear is the blood rushing though his body and his heart pounding.  The world is spinning he can’t make it stop. All he can do is scream, “AGHHHHHHHHHHHH!”


Soon Part 5 Same Zombie time, Same Zombie channel……

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Old Navy: A Zombie Story (part 3)

Disclaimer:  This is a work of fiction. The events that take place are for entertainment purposes ONLY. This written very quickly.

And now….

Before Noon Presents

Old Navy: A Zombie Story
Part 3
On Top of the World

            The rain was beginning to pick up a little. Alex, an extremely tall guy with short black hair, is an Archeology major at the University of Kansas. He was folding some shirts in boys feature. The store was slow today that he had folded this same stack of shirts about 5 times, just so he had something to do. Alex looks up and stretches a bit. He really wishes that he could have a waist high work station so he would not be hunched over as much.

            After he finishes stretching he sees Katie W smile and wave at some one that just came in.  He asks over to ask, “Who was that?”
            Katie W replies, “Josh and Jason.”
            Andy walks over, “What about Josh and Jason?”
            “Oh Katie just waved to them as they came in the door.”
            Andy smirks, “Jason is gunna love this.”
            Andy starts to walk away when Nick and Patrice walk though the door. He waits for them, says something to Patrice them follows them to the back.

Alex walks back over to boys. He scans the shops for any straitening he might have missed. He goes into the fitting room where Krissy, another supervisor, is helping Lindsay process some go backs. Krissy is from Chicago, and sounds like it when she talks, most of the guys find her annoying due to a lack of brain power and hot in that Lois Griffin way. Lindsay is about 6 months from being a 3rd grade teacher. Martha is back there as well grabbing the last of the running. Alex helps her run the rack. Alex gets along with Martha just great they both like to party but Martha is a little wild for his tastes. After they finish the running Alex goes on his fifteen minute break before the meeting starts. He passes Andy and Jason as he goes to the back. Jason is ranting about something, “…sixteen t-stands! I can’t believe this. Of all the stupid things…” Alex looks at all the food. He asks Danice “so is all this for us?”
            Danice replies, “Yeah but not right now. You can have some Cookies though.” She hands him a package of E.L. Fudges.
            “Thanks,” He takes them and goes to break.

About and hour later the meeting starts. There is a gust of wind that shrieks across the roof of the building. Andy is trying to lock the doors but seems to be having trouble with the left door.
Alex turns to Jen Fitz, “You know we are always having trouble with that door.”
Robin walks over and slips, “Crap.”
“Are you ok Robin?” Alex ask.
“yeah, I got these new shoes and they are just really slick. I have been falling all day.”
“Oh.”

The door slams open. Knocks Andy down and it cuts his face.

Robin covers her mouth to muffle the scream. 
            “Damn, that looks like it hurt.” Jen Fits says.

With Andy on the injured reserves Krissy is now running the game.

Alex is winning the game, with Austin a close second.  Austin is a stereotypical high school jock. Alex is enjoying his lead that he barely notices the rain. Laughter comes from register six after Steve said something.

Just then a guy starts pounding on the windows. He runs away screaming.
            Alex looks at Fitz “what is that guy’s problem.”
            Jen Fitz replies “I don’t know. I think he is on drugs or something.”
            The wind gusts and smashes the left door. Alex hears Andy mumble something as he gets up to close the door. Andy steps outside in the pounding rain. From Alex’s Point of View, Andy just stops, and looks into the sheets of water that are pounding down. He takes a few steps out into the rain.

            Jen turns to Alex, “Why is Andy just standing there?”
            Alex replies, “Maybe he needs a shower?”

Jen snickers. Alex hears Steve say something but he can’t make out what is said over Jen’s Snicker.

Some one from the other group shouts, “Is that blood!?” “Oh my God, There are tons of them!!”

The door shatters and Andy is pulled through. Alex is frozen in fear. Jen pulls him toward a ladder.  They both trip and fall through the forest of t-stands.  As they help each other up Alex turns back and sees a leg in Brian’s hands. Alex turns and vomits.
            “That is gross. We need to get out of here.” Jen says.

Josh and Jason are yelling something. Jen sees Austin and Martha scramble up a ladder in Men’s feature, they try to follow. The front of the store is now teeming with zombies.  Like killer bees they swarm over any one who is in there way.  Alex and Jen just make it up the ladder.  The Zombies try to follow up the ladder. Austin kicks the ladder to the ground.  Alex looks to the kids’ side and sees a group of people lead by Steve and Lani running toward the fitting room.  Alex snaps his head around when he hears the door slam on the Women’s side. Krissy was too late to get into the back room. She pounds her fist on the door.
            “DAMN IT!” She yells.

She turns with her back to the door marked ‘employees only’. She looks up and spots Alex and Austin watching her. She looks to her right and scrambles up the ladder to the upstock in women’s shop two. 

            Austin Yells “Kick the ladder over.”
            Krissy shouts back “What!”
As Austin yells at again Krissy sees a zombie climbing up the ladder toward her. She kicks it in the face. The Zombie falls. Krissy then kicks the ladder over.

Thirty minuets later the Zombies have calmed down.  They are just bumping into the door first door in women’s two.  The zombies stand about three feet back from the walls where people are on top of them. The zombies just kind of sway like wheat in the wind and moan like an obese family leaving all you can eat crab leg night at the Ameristar. In the fitting room about half a dozen zombies that followed the group to the kids stock room. The zombies are just bumping into this door as well. A few Zombies are ‘stuck’ on some fixtures in the baby section.

            Martha shouts across the store to Krissy, “Are you ok?”
            “Yeah, how is everyone over there.” Krissy shouts in reply.

They look around. “Everyone seems ok, except for Kendra,” Austin replies. “She cut her hand climbing into upstock.”

Kendra looks at her arm. The cut is really a bit mark. The flesh around it has started to turn a pail shade with the veins starting to enlarge.  She lies down and falls asleep.

The moans from the zombies put the group to sleep.  Alex awakes to a sound of running water and laughter. He looks over and sees Austin peeing on to the zombies.

            “Ha, ha, Take that you undead crap holes” Austin is whispering as not to awake the others.
            Alex asks him, “What are you doing.”
            “This is great, if you have to go you should try this.”
Alex looks around, every one is asleep. He stands up and starts to urinate on the zombies.
            Alex starts to chuckle, “this is awesome.”
            “Oh yeah, try to hit their eyes it is like a little bulls eye.”

About the time that Austin and Alex run out of pee the ladies start to wake up.  Kendra is coughing now.

Martha looks over, “What the hell are you guys doing?”
They say nothing.  She just glares at them.
            “Oh, I am jealous. That looks like it could be fun.”

Kendra continues to cough.
           
Alex and Austin both just smile. 
Jen wakes up and vomits a little, “What the hell is that smell.”
“If it smells like urine then blame the two knuckle heads here.” Martha replies.
“No,” Jen continues. “It smells like a dumpster on a hot and sticky summer afternoon.”
Alex sarcastically says, “You spend a lot of time around dumpsters in the summer?”
“No,  and your new name is Lex.”
“What?”
“or Lexy.”
“I don’t think that this is the time…”
“Oh Lexy your so sexy.”

Clank, Clank, clank. Every one looks across the store and sees Krissy picking up hanger rods off of the top of the booth sets and chucking them like spears at the Zombies. She is missing badly with every shot. She gets a little closer to hitting the head of one of the zombies. She stops and tries to aim, pointing the rod at a Zombie then pulling it away like she was churning butter. She hits one with a sound that was like an echoing crush of a watermelon.

“Ha, ha! I got him. Take that Target zombie in the red shirt.” Krissy yells with a bit of rage. “I was supposed to at a bar-b-q! I’m gunna get another pole and line all of you friends up besides you. Aaaggghhhhh.”
Martha Shouts across the store, “Hey Krissy. Those used to be humans.”
Krissy pauses a minute, she looks blankly toward the front of the store, sets down the rod, it falls to the floor. She sits down about the same time the rod clanks to the floor.
            “Oh, you’re right.” Krissy just shuts down and weeps a little.

Martha and Alex try to calm down Krissy as Kendra rises up and starts to moan. Now a pasty white color you can see the blue vein through her skin. Her eyes are sunken in and glazed over. Austin notices something is not right. He tries to get Alex’s attention by tapping him on the shoulder.
            “Um, guys.”  Alex and Martha just keep trying to calm down Krissy.
            “Guys I think something is wrong with Kendra.”
Kendra is slowly tripping over the bars and climbing toward the group. Jen turns around and screams.  Krissy looks up just as Austin grabs the back of Zombie Kendra’s shirt and hurls her off of the top or the booths. Zombie Kendra’s undead body soars and becomes impaled on a t-stand in men’s feature. She wiggles around, a lot.

An hour or so goes by when Alex perks up. “I wish we had a way to get some food.”
            Martha replies, “Yeah if we could just get some one to deliver a pizza.”
            Jen sits up. “Or we could just call the guys in the back!”
            Martha, “Yeah and how would we do that? If someone had a cell phone we could have called about 5 hours ago. I mean the damn sun is getting ready to come up.” Jen looks at Alex.
            “What?” Alex says defensively.
Jen just looks at Alex. Then she looks at Martha. Martha nods and they both look back at Alex.  “What?!” Alex once again is defensive.
The two ladies say nothing.
            “Oh,” Alex says bashfully. “I guess I do have my phone in my pocket.” 
            “Alex I swear to God, if I was sure that you where not one of the last men on the planet I would kill you now.” Martha says with a wink.

            “Right,” Alex replies as he pulls out his phone.  He looks down at it.  He chuckles.
            “What is so funny?” Jen asks. 
            “Oh I have a text from Lacero, Beer at the O.C. J
           
He starts to dial Shawn’s phone. “It’s ringing…Shawn its Alex there are 5 of us alive on top of the booth sets and we are starving and don’t want to be eaten. Did Steve and his group make it back there?”

There is a pause.

“You want what? We’re the ones in trouble here.” He looks up to the group, “he wants me to repeat my self.” Alex talks back in to his phone. “We are alive…on top of the booths…Six, well, five but Kendra was bitten or something and we had to toss her on to a t-stand...did you guys hook up with Steve’s group though the fitting room…Damn…Well we have killed three Zombies, so I would say, around two hundred, maybe more… Thanks, and hurry up.”

Alex turns to the group, “They are going to come and get us.”


Coming soon Part 4…………

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Old Navy: A Zombie Story (part 2)

Disclaimer This is a work of fiction. The events that take place are for entertainment purposes ONLY.  This was written very quickly.
And now….

Before Noon Presents

Old Navy: A Zombie Story
Part 2
The Back Room



After Aaron and Madeline race into the Men’s stock room Aaron grabs the door from Josh.  Madeline wipes the bits of Zombie off of her. Aaron just leans against the door hoping his heart does not pound though his chest.  The pounding so hard he does not feel the pounding coming from the other side of the door.

Josh asks “What the hell was that”
Jason replies “I think your worst fears have come true.”
Josh “No.”
Jason “Zombies. The store was just over run with Zombies.”
Aaron catches his breath, “how many of us made it?
“Well.” Scott looks around.  He sees that Caroline, Anne and Lauren made it. Nick, Patrice and Erica helped Shawn into the back room after he hit his head trying to save Andy. Madeline and Aaron just came though the door Jason and Josh where some of the last ones in. Oh and of coarse himself. “There are about twelve of us so far.”

Patrice looks around. “Damn is every one OK.”
Shawn moans, “Degobah…Yoda…Degobah system…”
Patrice continues, “Ok is every one else besides Shawn Ok.”

“I’ll go get Shawn some ice.” Anne says. She goes over to a cooler full of Coke and Diet Coke. Grabs a hand full of ice looks around for a bag. “Damn it.” She splashes the ice back in to the cooler walks over to the stacks of boxes holding the poly bags yanks one down, rips it open goes back to the cooler fills the bag and helps Shawn with the ice.

Patrice runs to the office and tries to dial 9-1-1. No answer. She hangs up this time a busy signal. “Damn” She slams the phone down.

Scott walks around the corner. “Patrice, was any one there?”
“No.” she answers.  
“Huh, so I guess that we’re just on our own then?”
“Yeah.”
“Jason and Josh are checking the other doors to make sure that they are not open.”
“Good.”
“Madeline and Erica moved Shawn to the couch. He seems to be doing better. I think he was more shook up by seeing Andy get ripped apart than the bump on his head.”
“Ok.” Patrice just stairs at the phone.
“Patrice?”
“Yeah, what?” She just has her head in her hands with her elbows on the desk. Still starring at the phone.
“Did you hear any of that at all?” Scott starts to get a little worried about her.
“Josh and Jason are checking the doors. And Shawn seems to be fine.” She just sits there silent as a mouse and is rocking a bit.
“Ok, we will be out here if you need us.”

Scott walks out of the office and every one stands with a can of soda-pop or a bottle of water in there hand. No one is drinking. No one is talking.  The only sounds come from the rain and the hum of the machines.  Nick is trying to get the TV to work.  There is a rerun of Friends is on, it’s the one where Ross is a fake host of a game show type game between the team of Chandler and Joey and the team of Monica and Rachel over who gets the ‘good’ apartment. But nothing else comes in.

Caroline and Lauren still in shock just stare at the TV.  Aaron hops up and goes in to the Men’s stockroom. He picks up a couple of t-stand face outs and starts swinging them around like Jackie Chan.  He clangs them together and shouts, “Yeah, Zombies you got nothing. Aaron one, The Undead ZERO!”

Jason and Josh come from the Women’s stock room.
Josh starts to talk. “Ok the doors are shut and locked. I think we are safe, for now.”
Jason looks in to the Men’s stock room and sees Aaron kicking and jumping around.  “What the hell is he doing?”
“Well,” Madeline replies. “To get in here he had to put a face out in the skull of a Zombie.”
“Oh, well I am going to try to calm him down a bit.”
By this time Aaron had noticed that his shirt was covered in blood. He grabs a fresh shirt off of the back stock rack and rips the sleeves off. The then takes one of the sleeves and tears a strip off and wraps it around his head. 
Jason interrupts Aaron’s dress up time. “What the hell are you doing? You look like Larry the Cable Guy meets Rambo.”

Back in the break room Shawn has sat up and Scott and Josh share the couch with him. Josh seems catatonic.
“So,” Shawn says. “Now what?”
“Well we have plenty of food and drink with all of the food for the meeting still there.”  Amy replies.
Scott chimes in “If we need to we can use the back door.”
“Ok, so how long was I out” Shawn asks.
“Oh about ten minutes” Scott replies “but most of that was back here.”
“What.”
“Yeah, from the time Andy was pulled through the door till the time we got back here took maybe three minutes.”
“Andy gets ripped in four and you look at your watch.”
“No, I was thinking ‘man it’s getting late’ I look at my watch, it reads 8:05 Aaron slams the door in the Stock room I look at my watch its 8:08.”
“Oh so what time is it now?”
“It’s around eleven.”

Patrice walks out of the office grabs her huge jug of water and takes a big drink. “Man I was hoping in all of this craziness that my water would have been vodka. Sorry about that every one I was just…”
Anne interrupts, “we all are PJ, we all are.” She stands up and hugs Patrice.  Patrice wipes away a lone tear.
Jason comes in from the other room.  “Hey, Double A and I where thinking about eating and, ah, if any one would care to join.”
Erica replies “Oh, I almost for got about eating. I am starving.”
Lauren jumps at the chance, “oh we have food thank the maker.”
Everyone slowly gathers around the pizza boxes in the men’s stock room. The Pizza is cold but it best pizza that they have ever had.  They start to forget about the worst moment of there lives. Or the fact that they are trapped in a dark and cold back room with a fake sun set painted on the wall.  Well every one except Josh.  He is still on the couch; gazing at the television with a glazed look about it him. Caroline notices him and grabs a few slices of pizza and a bottle of water and walks it over to him.  She sets the plate and the water on the table and sits next to him on the couch. 
“Josh, are you ok? Here I brought you some food.”
“Oh thanks, I just…” He digs in.
“What the heck are you watching?”
From the TV “set it and forget it!”
Josh pushes the food in his mouth to one side to say “it was the only thing on.”
“Ok”
They just sit there awkwardly while Josh eats. 

A few minuets later Scott comes in, “So this is a lively group in here. You know we are having a pretty good time in the other room you guys should…”
Josh cuts him off, “Thanks Scott but I don’t know if I would be much fun right now.”
“You know every one has to face their fears at some time. Just most people let a spider crawl on them or go to the top of a building.  But you’ll get through this.”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what is...Oh you’re worried about Scopes, Katie. She was with the other group.”
“Yeah, but…”
“Hey Steve was leading that groups activities. Remember the whole thing about the Zombie contingency plan. The Kids Stock room, you hiding Ensure, granola and beef jerky back there.”
“Well, it was Andy who brought up the Ensure and Granola so there is probably no food or water over there.”
“Right but Steve was there! He knows that, that is where you go in case of Zombies.”
“We where joking around. You don’t think…”
“You have to keep hope alive Josh. That may be the only thing we have left.”

Every one walks back in to the break room.
Lauren “I am stuffed.”
Patrice “Any one know what time it is?”
Nick “Yeah it’s 12:37”
Patrice “We should all get some shut eye. It could be a long time before we can peacefully sleep.”
Nick “Hey, we could make some beds out of the cardboard in the other room.”
Scott “I’ll help you bring that in here.”
Madeline asks, “What about blankets? It’s cold back here.”
Shawn replies, “We have all of those Logo prize towels in the office. I’ll get those down.” 

The first dozen survivors are starting to act just like that, survivors. They are working together and caring for one another. As the beds are being made Patrice sits down at the table in one of the office chairs. She starts to jot down on a piece of paper what needs to be done.  She writes:

More Food (we may run out soon)
Water (can we get to the bathrooms or mop sink)
Where can we go potty?

She stops. Giggles to her self, “potty, tee he.” She continues to write.

Can we get to the roof to signal for help? 
Did any one else survive out there? Can we get to them? Could they get to us?
I hope WE survive this thing!

She dots the exclamation point, lays down the pen and falls asleep.

Patrice is awakened by a song. She can’t place it at first. It’s a phone ringing. She looks up and Shawn is scrambling around looking for his coat. He picks up his phone.

“Hello?” Every one is awake now and looking at Shawn.
“Alex, hey it’s great to hear some one else is alive are you in the kids stock room.”
A flood of questions fly at Shawn.  “How many are there?” “Who is dead?” “Have you seen Katie?” “Is any one hurt?” “Did any one get bitten?”

Aaron is in the front stock room and makes his way to be next to Shawn to see what is going on. He looks at his watch. It’s 7 AM. The sun should be up by now. 

“Would you guys shut up? I can’t hear Alex.”
Lauren “Sorry Shawn.”
Madeline “yeah sorry.”

Shawn speaks into the phone again, “Alex repeat what you just said….Ok…you’re where?...On top of the booth sets?...How many of there are you?...Ok…No, we came in through the first door in Women’s?…And how many Zombies?…Wow, that’s a lot. Ok man we are going to try to get you down and in here some how.  Just hang in there. We will come to get you soon.”


Stay tuned for Part 3………

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Old Navy: A Zombie Story

I wrote these a few years ago and thought I would finish it. But first we need to get every one up to speed. 

Disclaimer:  This is a work of fiction. The events that take place are for entertainment purposes ONLY.  This was written very quickly.

And now….

Before Noon Presents

Old Navy: A Zombie Story
Part I
The Meeting

It was a cold and windy afternoon in Olathe, Kansas. The Kansas City Chiefs where 4-3 and on a role, they where playing in St. Louis against the Rams so every one was Glued to a television or radio.  Well except for a few dedicated workers at an Old Navy in the eastern part of Olathe.  This part of the city was so new that many remember when the plot of land that is now covered by a parking lot and shopping center was used to grow soy beans and corn.

Most weekend days in November and December the workers who went to lunch or arrived in the middle of the day to work would have to park by the Hallmark store, but not today. The building that Hallmark shared was on the other side of the parking lot that could easily hold eight football fields side by side, today the parking lot was almost empty. 

Josh, a big guy he would say he was Samoan but really he is half German and half Aztec, pulls in to a parking spot in the middle of the lot.  There is a very light rain coming down.  Josh gets out of his truck pops the collar on his coat, lights a cigarette, jams his left hand in his coat pocket. Looks around and sees a man stumble into the dumpster area behind the Popeye’s Chicken. The wind gust and Josh thinks he hears a scream.   He starts to walk into the store when he sees Jason getting out of his full size pickup wearing a racing tee shirt and a pair of cargo shorts. Jason is shorter than Josh and seems to have a permanent five o’clock shadow on his round face. Jason is as close to a good old boy that works at this Old Navy.

Josh looks up “Jason what’s up man”
Jason “Oh not too much, are you just getting here too?”
“No, I’m getting back from lunch.”
“That sucks”
“Yeah, why the hell are you wearing shorts? It’s like 40 degrees and raining.”
“Oh you know”
“Is it laundry day?”
“That too.”

          As they reach the door Josh stomps out his cigarette.  They walk into the store.  Over the speakers Justin Timberlake is playing.  The store is incredibly quite. Jamie, who is still in high school, is up at the registers hanging up a few returns.  She smiles and waves to Jason and Josh.  They wave back and continue through the store hang a right and get to the first door marked “employees only” with four beeps on the key pad Josh and Jason walk through still looking cold.  In the first part of the back stock room to the right of the door are a ton of men’s goods; to the left are random metal fixtures and signs. Also there are tables set up for meetings. Today however Danice a blonde, who has the build of a Bratz doll with small lips and Steve with is salt and pepper hair, a body of an aging bicycler and the demeanor of Danny Kaye are the two mangers and are setting up food and drinks for an all store meeting.

          Jason sees the goodies and shouts with joy, “Hey, Pizza!”
Danice slaps his hand away. “We are not ready yet. Just wait till every one gets here.”
“Sorry,” Jason lowers his head and walks away in shame.

Jason continues left into the next room that functions as the break room.  It is divided in half by a row of two vending machines and full size refrigerator. There is a round table with chairs a couch a bench with no back that has become a coffee table of sorts and a media cart with a TV, stereo, DVD player and a little Pac-Man joystick game. Josh is standing. Around the table is a group of people some on break some waiting for the meeting to start. Madeline a cute girl next door blonde, Aaron an ex-jock, Lani (witch is pronounced Lonnie) a northerner, Katie, some call her Scopes, is a brunette. She is dating Josh. Scott, a tenor, is telling a joke.   Jason walks in at the end of Scotts jokes. 

          Scott ends the joke, “so the Bar Tender says to the guy at the end of the bar. Rectum him it nearly killed him”
The whole room busts in to laughter.

Jason keeps on laughing as he walks around the vending machines pass the time clock and in to the office. Brian, the general manger, is leaned back in an office chair and on the phone. Brian, some would call him a giant NASCAR fan, but he is not quite a red neck. He is from Indiana and also has a love of collage basketball.

          Jason ask, “what did you need me to come in early for?”
          Brian replies, “We need some t-stands cleared off for a game.”
          “Right, so you want me to empty off some t-stands, then at the end of the night put all of the stuff BACK on them.”
          “Yeah.”
          “Ohhh Kaaayyy”
          “Andy knows what’s going on with the game. Find him to see what is going on.”

Just then the office door slams shut. BAM! Both Jason and Brian jump.

          In unison. “Holy crap.”
          Jason continues “Damn Shawn.”
          “Sorry,” Shawn replies. “Just starting to count down the drawers.”
Shawn is a shorter guy that loves most Science Fiction. He works so many jobs the 6 hours of sleep he gets a day does not come at one time.

          Back in the break room Nick and Patrice walk in shivering. Patrice is a supervisor. She has long black hair and Nick is a tall guy. Nick starts to talk.

          “Has any one come in recently?”
          “I have,” Josh answers. “Why?”
          “Did you see the group of drunks over by Popeye’s banging on some guy’s car?”
          “No, but I did see some pasty white guy stumble into the dumpster.”

Andy walks into the break room whistling the song Closing Time. Andy is tall and hairy and has the honor of working at Old Navy for his 8th Christmas.  He gets to do things that no one else likes to.

“Maybe they are Zombies” Andy says sarcastically.
“That’s not funny man,” Josh replies with and unseen intensity. “You know I am deathly afraid of zombies.” 
“If we are lucky they eat brains so it would be a quick undeath.”
“Shut up.”
“Those flesh eating ones could take a while to bite into you.”
“I am serious dude shut up.”
“It could be worse it could be a giant squid.”
“You joke, but the jokesters are always the first to die. You’ll get cocky and BAM, you’re lunch.”

Jason walks in. “Andy what the hell is this game I get to help you set up for?”
“It’s like that dot game where you make the boxes.” Andy replies.
“You mean we empty off God knows how man t-stands to play a game that could play on a sheet of paper.” Jason rants.
“Yeah, and Jason”
“What!”
“God does know and it’s sixteen.”
“Son of a …sixteen…I can’t believe…” Jason storms off and his voice trails off. Andy laughs and tries to catch up.

About and hour later the last customer left and Shawn finished counting the drawers. Shawn stops when the wind shrieks across the roof of the building.  This sends a shiver down his spine. He shakes it off. As he walks out of the office and though the break room he snags a slice of pizza. He walks out and talks to Andy who is locking the doors on the adult side of the store.

          Shawn says “having trouble?”
          “Yeah,” Andy replies. “I think I broke the left door.”
Andy is on the out side tinkering with the latch. The wind blows through the trees so hard it sounds like screams.  Then the wind gusts and slams the door open. It hits Andy in the face knocking him down and it cuts his cheek.
          “Holy shit,” Shawn is shocked. “Are you ok man?”
          “What the duce” Andy says stunned.
Shawn fixes the door, as Andy goes in to the store, but it does not shut all the way and there is a little of Andy’s blood on the side of it.

The meeting starts with the door still only shut part of the way. There is a group of about 30 going over some loss prevention stuff by the register six. The “forest of t-stands” that Andy and Jason set up is in from of the pod that holds registers one and two. With the t-stands are numerous bars and face outs.  The other group which about 30 strong also is playing the “game” that Andy is running. He has a bandage on his face.

After some laughter from registers six a guy runs up to the kid’s side doors and jerks on them so hard it almost breaks them. He is soaked to the bone and it is raining so hard you can hear it pounding inside the store. Brian goes to the door and starts to tell the guy that the store is closed.

          “Sir, we’ve been closed for about and hour and a half.” Brian yells through the glass.
          The man yells back “I need to get in and call for help! My Wife, My wife was just eaten alive!”
The man runs to the middle of the glass and starts pounding away.
          “Let me in! Hell has been released!” The man stops shouting. He looks to his left and then out into the parking lot. Then he runs away in terror, screaming.

Lani standing next to Jen Ross asks in her northern accent, “What the heck was that about?”

“I have no Idea.” Jen replies, “You would think people would have better thing to do that try and con their way into a store.”
Lani Ask, “you don’t think that, that guy really needed help do you?”
“A rain coat, yes. Help most likely not.”

BANG! The wind once again rips the door open the left door on the adult side again. Andy walks over and has to fight the wind to get it to move.  With the thundering rain beating down on his head Andy can almost make out figures in the rainy night. Through the deafening roar of the rain he almost hears what sounds like cows mooing. He listens harder. It’s more like people mooing. He just stands there. He has been in the rain so long his fingers are wrinkling like prunes.

          Brian yells through thundering the rain “Andy! Can you close the door?!”
Andy takes a second “What?” Then he shouts back. “Yeah but the glass is cracked on the door!” 
“OK get it closed and let’s get in side it’s pouring out here!”
“Right!”

Andy jimmies the doors shut. Once inside Brian and Shawn are there with paper towels for Andy and a mop for the water

Shawn starts to make fun of him. “so do you think that it is raining cats and dogs out there or was it raining men.”
Andy chuckles and puts his back to the door. He starts to dry off his face and hair.
          “You know I thought I heard Noah out there.”
          “What?” Brian asks.
          “He might have been collecting cows.”
They both just stair at him.
          Andy is very insistent, “I thought I heard cows mooing in the rain!”

There is a dull thud by the other set of doors the three men all snap their heads around. A scream comes from the group. Every one from that side of the store looks sick or like they just saw a corps. Some one yells something but the three of them can not make it out what was said. They see Jason running and pointing toward them. Just then the glass breaks and Andy is pulled though the broken door by his head and shoulders. The sound of the glass shattering and the growls stun Brian and Shawn for just a second. They each grab one of Andy’s feet. Shawn slips on the pool of water where Andy once stood. He falls back and hits the other set of doors. Brian is pulling with all his might to save Andy and pull him back inside. But it is too late. Andy Gets ripped in four. Brian is now stunned by the sight of one of Andy’s legs that now rest in his hand.

          Jason and Aaron grab Shawn and pull him back in to the store. They go back to get Brian but he is engulfed by the “people”. They swarm him like army ants on a fresh kill. Jason turns and almost throws up. The “people” push there way past Brian.

Josh sees this and yells, “Every one to the back!”
Aaron shouts “They’re coming though.”
Aaron and Jason each grab a door and try to keep it shut.

“Hurry we don’t know how long we can hold this” Jason shouts.

Panic in sews. A few people vomit. There are screams. The snarls and growls get so loud you can’t hear the rain pounding on the roof any more.  Jason and Aaron start to loose their grip.

Jason yells “we’re almost done here”
Josh yells back “we’re good over here. Let’s go”

As Jason and Aaron let go the undead slowly pour in. One of the undead grabs Aaron’s shoe. He shakes off the shoe and sees Jamie and Madeline both trip and fall over a knocked down t-stand in men’s feature. He turns and sees Robin take a spill. He thinks to him self I’ll help her on the way back. Aaron helps up Jamie and Madeline. As they run to the door to get to the back room Jamie trips over Robin. They are both engulfed just like Brian. Jamie and Robin’s scream pierce the air. Madeline and Aaron fight their way past a hand full of pasty undead. With only one more in there way Aaron rips a face out off of a T-stand and puts it though his nose. They get past the door and slam it shut.

Josh asks “What the hell was that”
Jason replies “I think your worst fears have come true”
Josh “No”
Jason “Zombies. The store was just over run with Zombies.”
Aaron catches his breath, “how many of us made it?
Scott chimes in “Well. There are about twelve of us so far.”



Part 2 Coming soon…………….