It was 11:56pm, day not quite sure but it’s believed to be Thursday. All duties have long been finished. Only people still working are the security watching the front, and one posted on each of the four doors in the back. Carlton, Hooty, Leo, Hersh and Flash were inside the bathroom preparing to leave.

“Yo,” Carlton whispered, “why can’t we just leave without explaining anything? This isn’t prison!”

Hooty replied, “Because as long as we’re under this roof that provides us food and water, we will have to share our stuff. But if we can sneak out and back without them noticing, then we can hide our loot and no one has to know anything.”

What Hooty said was true, the better weapons go to those who were in charge before the incident. They control the resources that provide the necessities of survival. Any oreferred weapon brought back that the store is aware of, will be removed from the person, processed and then given to superiors.

“No more questions then? Alright so let’s go,” Hooty ordered,

“Ah yes,” Flash splittingly interrupted, “May I recommend a plan as averse to hoping for the best… and then getting the worst.”

Hooty glared at Flash with much annoyance, “Ya know-- why it feels like every time you open your mouth, you trying me?”

 “I don’t know, low self-esteem, troubled past, didn’t have a mommy or daddy to play UNO with-- you take your pick.”

Hooty clenches his fists, “….this nigga.”

 “Alright!” Leo firmly interjected, “Here’s the plan: remember, all the security cams are fried so all we need to do is avoid the human eyes. First we’ll force a diversion unto someone in a different department. Once that happens they’ll cause a ruckus and cause the front door guard to check it out. When he runs toward the commotion, we break for the door!”

Flash then spoke, “….OR,” Hooty sighed. “We could just promise the guard a gun if he lets us pass. The three men thought about it and mumbled, “hmmm yeah, that could work.”

“Good, because he will be expecting it the minute we get back.”

Flash stood up and begin to walk to the door; the others were speechless at how Flash placed everything in order without telling anyone.

It’s Twelve o’clock… The four men walk out the store with the guard tipping his hat to them. After it was clear, “Now,” Leo announced in much more serious tone than before, “we run!” As they left the parking lot, Benjamin, a fellow geek, was urinating on the side of the building noticed the team leaving. Benjamin, being a round fellow looked over his shoulder, after they left his sight he turned back around while whistling. The whole group was sprinting North but it didn’t last long because Hersh started to complain saying in a high pitch, “dammit! Why do we have to run!? No one’s ever heard of power-walking?”

“Yes Hooty,” Flash hinted, “he was an excellent choice for a life threatening mission.”

“If you don’t like it, you can run back,” Hooty replied.

So the team……power-walked North all tensed up mainly because there are no street lights. The moon was gracious enough to light a decent amount for them but flashlights were still needed. Leo, Hooty and Carlton’s guns had a flashlight on it, while Hersh and Flash had a pistol with a separate flashlight. After nearly five hours of walking, they finally saw the weapon store miles off, it stood out because of the large pistol that stood on top of the building.

“My, my...” Flash said with a grin, “Who would have thought it would be this easy…”

*Spark, Spark*

 As soon as that was said, a weird assembly of sparking noises echoed throughout the street. With each second the sparks got closer and closer, the stories about these sounds were well known… The sounds of those infected by the virus from the EMP bomb! Soon they could see the glowing figures surrounding them, several mellow blue humanoid figures approached. There was no moaning as they thought, no sluggish drag to their walk, and most importantly, aside from the glowing eyes and skin, they looked normal. The team then formed a circle with their backs to each other.

“Amazing!” Hersh mumbled while fixing his glasses,

“they look pretty alive, no decomposition, no proof of starvation, nothing…”

“Meaning?” Hooty asked,

“These may not be some Rise of the Dead type deal here. They may all be alive, just controlled.”

When the group of infected erased any chance of escape they stopped, and in unison, all the infected spoke, “It wasn’t supposed to happen like this... Now even I am overwhelmed. In order to save this nation, you must make any sacrifices necessary! Do it for the future! P-P-P-PLEASE!” The voice seemed to distort, then fade away… Seconds later the infected began to walk again. While everyone was confused about the message, they had no time to ponder as the team must make a decision. Hooty raised his shotgun...

“Yo man,” Carlton nervously whispered, “what are you doing?”

“Sorry dawg,” Hooty replied with a demanding look, “But these people could be alive! We know they’re not zombies!”

“Doesn’t change the fact that we’re in a life threatening situation”

“But—“ “What do you suggest we do my nigga!? Just die!?”

“We can help them.” “No, f*** that, you’re cool with God, tell him to me forgive me on this one!” Hooty couldn’t be reasoned with, so with a last thought Carlton quickly pushed Hooty knocking him into Flash. Flashdropped the flashlight and when it hit the greound, the infected responded to it. They froze in place and their eyes followed the light. Carlton caught on to thier entrancement and picked up the flashlight. Carlton then swirled it around toying with thier cordiantion. He threw over the crowd in the opposite direction of the gun store. As the flashlight rolled on the ground, it surprisingly didn’t break.

"Turn off your flashlights..." Carlton whispered.

The team did so and the infected then casually walked after the thrown flashlight. As they brushed shoulders against some of the team, Leo signaled everyone to not make a move no matter what… Time passed and you see the infected crowding the device that prevented bloodshed.

“Um, that was rude…” Flash mumbled to Carlton. Leo ordered the team to move out and they ran to the building through the broken window that probably caused by the last visit.

“Welcome,” Leo said with a comforting tone, “Toys R Us for apocalyptic survivors!” Leo lit a flare and stood it up in the middle of the room. Everyone gasped in amazement in the large arsenal of weapons hanged on the walls. “Take all you can and let’s get out of here.”

As Hooty scanned the guns Carlton approached him, “Yo Hooty, do you really have no problem killing them people?” With a pestered sigh he replied, “The next time I see them coming at me, I will pull the trigger. I don’t know what to make of that message but it was made plain man. Kill a hundred, save a thousand, kill a thousand, save a million—Them being alive or zombies doesn’t change anything. In order to not be infected, we need to mow down whomever. You can’t save shit if you get infected too.” Those last words stuck in Carlton’s head, the truth in it conflicted with his belief so much that his heart skipped a beat.

“You know,” Hooty concluded, “I know you’re the holy man, but I don’t think the man upstairs would be keen on you becoming a brain-dead.

“Oh,” Carlton remarked, “surprised you still have faith after all this mess,”

“I do but… Your God and mine are different..”

“How so?”

“You believe God does and allows everything for a reason. I believe God just took off the training wheels, and we’re just trying to recover from falling off the bike without any help. But help or not I know one thing: You my nigga but if you bumrush me during a gunfight because of some pussy reasoning, again.. me and you go have some problems.”  Carlton took his words to heart - a smart move.

The team rummaged through the store while Leo and Flash went searching for specific type of weapon.

After searching the back door, they found what they have been looking for, “My, my…” Flash said aloud as he took off his glasses for the first time…

(What did Flash find!?) To be contiinued!