The Living Dead Boy (The Living Dead Boy #1)(25)

One of the counters was pushed into the back wall by the wrecked SUV. The end had punched through the plaster, so it was tilted at an awkward angle. Several adults climbed over it and disappeared into the storeroom. No one seemed to be looking out for the kids gingerly making their way through the debris.

Finally, the children crawled over a jumble of wire racks that once held souvenirs – now scattered all over the floor – and arrived at the counter. Sweaty palms made it hard for Josh to grip the slanted edge and pull himself over. Corina was faster despite the heavy bag still hanging from her shoulder. She jumped to the other side, clasped his wrists, and dragged him over the buckled surface.

There was a loud crash, and Troy yelped as more of the ceiling caved in a few feet from where he stood. “We need to gogogogo!”

Josh hurriedly helped Sam over the slanted surface. The bigger boy’s eyes were round with fright, and he moved faster than expected. Troy followed, vaulting effortlessly over the obstacle. His football training had him in the best shape of all the kids. His parents had been diehard Dallas Cowboy fans and had dreamed of one or both of their sons playing professional football one day.

“Get out of here,” Josh ordered.

“What about you?” Corina asked.

“I’m going to help them,” Josh replied, pointing to three figures struggling over the wire racks.

It was Chad and two other kids. Josh thought there had been more children with Chad, but he couldn’t see them now in the fiery rubble.

“Okay, but don’t wait too long.” Corina pushed Sam into the storeroom, and Troy followed.

“Hurry, Chad!” Josh yelled.

The older boy’s feet tangled in the racks and he fell forward, but caught himself on the counter. The boy and girl behind him floundered on the uneven pile, but Chad didn’t pay attention. He vaulted over the counter and dashed into the storage room.

Josh hooked the neck of his t-shirt over his nose and considered climbing over to help the two kids. An older man staggered out of the smoke from behind the SUV, blood pouring from his head. Josh froze, afraid the man might be a zombie, but then the scrawny guy picked up the short Latino boy off the racks and swung him over the counter.

“Hurry, kids. Got to getcha out of here,” he said in a thick Texas twang.

“We’re going, mister,” the boy answered, dropping down beside Josh.

The bleeding man hoisted the teenage girl over the counter. She clasped hands with the younger boy and dragged him out of sight without a word.

Josh turned to follow, but a voice stopped him.

“Someone help my husband!”

Josh could barely see Clare through the smoke and fire. Her blonde hair had finally lost its puffiness and lay flat against her head. She was kneeling in the rubble.

“C’mon, ma’am! We have to go!” Josh called to her.

“Someone help him!” She was holding her dead husband’s hand that was sticking out from under the SUV.

“Go, son. I got her,” the older man said, waving a hand at Josh.

In the man’s blue eyes, Josh saw surrender to the possibility of death, but also determination to try to save Clare.

Gagging on the thick air, Josh darted into the darkened store room. It was hard to see at first, but then the door on the far end opened and sunlight spilled inside illuminating stacks of boxes. Josh wove through the long room toward the light. The walls shook and behind him came the terrifying sound of another part of the building collapsing. The shelves rattled on the walls and boxes toppled over.

“It’s falling down! Hurry!” Corina shouted from the exit.

The two kids ahead of Josh raced outside and the door started to swing shut behind them. Afraid to be trapped in the dark, Josh sprinted the last few steps even though his lungs felt raw and he was gasping for breath. He hit the closing door with so much force it swung open and slammed into the wall. He almost fell out onto the blacktop, but Corina caught his arm and he regained his balance. Together they hurried away from the burning building.

All his friends were waiting for him along with the three other kids who’d escaped.

Sam pulled him into a sweaty hug. “I thought you were dead, Josh!”

“I’m okay. Just breathed in too much smoke.” Josh pulled away from Sam, trying to stifle his rough coughing. He looked toward the storage room door and loading dock, but there wasn’t any sign of the Clare or the man who’d tried to rescue her.

“Which way do we go?” Troy asked, gesturing to either side of him.

The blacktop behind the store connected to the side road that intersected with the frontage. There was a small employee parking lot, dumpsters, and enough room for trucks to back up to the loading dock. The blacktop ended abruptly at the edge of the building even though the fence continued on to the far corner of the parking lot.

“Kids! Kids!”

Josh whipped about to see Beaux waving at them. “This way!”

The janitor was at the far end of the drive near the road.

“Okay, that way,” Josh decided.

“Hurry it up, fatty,” Chad said to Sam, poking his belly.

Clenching his hands into fists, Sam ran after him. “I’m not fat!”

It was hard to run when still gasping for air. The group of children and teens coughed violently as they fled from the burning wreckage of the building. Josh wondered if the gasoline pumps were going to explode, and the thought terrified him almost as much as the zombies. He could still hear the crack of gunfire and the sounds of the convoy escaping.