Rewrite the Apocalypse dream (by Dee Cari) novel Chapter 96

Chapter 96 Ryan the store owner

Finted

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Once refreshed, the team grabbed the heavy nylon bags loaded with diamonds, emeralds, watches, and precious metals. With Joanna leading the way, they slipped back through the warped, broken frame of the employee entrance, leaving the hollowed-out fortress of the mall behind.

The cool night air hit them instantly. They moved quickly and quietly, keeping their flashlights clicked off to avoid drawing attention. They had managed to make it about half a block away from the perimeter when the unmistakable, wet sound of shuffling footsteps echoed down the cracked asphalt.

Six zombies emerged from the shadows ahead. A few of them had been mindlessly banging against the boarded-up windows of a nearby house, the muffled, terrified gasps of survivors trapped inside audible from the porch. But the moment the creatures caught the scent of the moving group, they abandoned the house and swerved, locking onto the team with low, guttural snarls.

“We take them out now, fast and quiet,” Joanna commanded, her voice dropping into a razor-sharp whisper. “Don’t let them surround you.”

Nobody hesitated. The team jumped into a synchronized attack. Julian surged forward, his aluminum bat whistling through the air as he cracked the skull of the lead undead. Allen drove his heavy shovel blade straight through the neck of another, dropping it instantly to the pavement. Rachel and Uncle Nate moved in tandem, using heavy blunt tools to systematically crush the flanking threats.

Even young Raven didn’t back down. With Titan, and the feisty little corgi, securely strapped to her front chest-rig like a furry piece of tactical armor, she stepped right into the fray. Titan bared his teeth, letting out a fierce, muffled growl of encouragement. Raven swung her custom electric bat with perfect form, connecting hard with the jaw of an approaching zombie. A brilliant blue spark erupted with a sharp crackle, sending volts of electricity coursing through the creature until it collapsed lifelessly onto the street.

In less than a minute, the skirmish was over, leaving the dark street silent once more.

The team moved with hushed urgency toward their final destination: a connected commercial strip containing the pet store Joanna had visited the night before, a gardening center, and a massive outdoor recreation warehouse. Because the three buildings were completely attached, a single breach would give them access to a massive treasure trove of hunting rifles, generators, boats, ammunition, and survival tools. Strangely, the interior lights of the complex were still blazing, casting a creepy, sterile glow onto the empty

streets.

As they drew closer, they realized the front entrances were heavily barricaded from the inside with flipped counters and shelving units. Movement flickered behind the glass. A group of about ten terrified survivors was holed up inside, peering out into the darkness.

“Get out of here!” a man hissed through a crack in the door, his voice tight with panic. “Go away before you draw more of those damn zombies to us!”

Before Julian or Allen could react, a middle-aged woman pushed her way to the front of the barricade. It was the same kind store clerk who had sold Joanna pet supplies just twenty-four hours earlier. Her eyes widened as her flashlight beam washed over the group.

“Wait-I know them,” she gasped, recognizing Joanna and Jake from the night before. Turning to the hostile survivors, she pleaded urgently, “They aren’t a threat, they came in last night to grab pet supplies.”

After a tense, whispered argument, the woman turned back to the glass, gesturing frantically toward the side

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Chapter 96 Ryan the store owner

Finished

of the building. “The front is completely sealed, but I can unlock the back employee door for you. Hurry, around the side! Don’t let anything follow you!”

The team didn’t need to be told twice. Slipping along the loading alley, they rounded the corner where a heavy steel door clicked open. One by one, Joanna and the group slipped inside, throwing the heavy deadbolt back into place.

The tense silence dissolved into the low, anxious murmurs of the survivors gathered under the bright fluorescent lights. The middle-aged shopkeeper offered a frail, trembling smile to Joanna and Jake. “Thank God. I didn’t think I’d see a familiar face again. I’m Beckah Branson. We’ve been trapped here since the main avenue collapsed.”

Beckah quickly gestured to the anxious group around her, introducing the other nine survivors. “This is Marcus, my co-worker from the pet store. Over here are the plant store workers from next door: David, Elena, Todd, and Chloe. And these four are from the outdoor warehouse: Sarah, Liam, Vanessa, and their owner, Ryan.”

“How are your supplies?” Joanna asked, her eyes sweeping the room.

“We have pet food, water from the grooming bays, and some warehouse vending machines,” Marcus explained, gripping a crowbar. “But if a real horde notices these bright lights, our front barricades won’t hold.”

Julian glanced through the open double-doors connecting the pet store to the gardening center and the massive outdoor recreation warehouse beyond. The gleaming rows of hunting rifles, generators, and tactical gear were fully visible. “You’ve got a goldmine of firepower right through there. Why haven’t you cracked the display cases?”

“The keys are in my manager’s office at the very front of the showroom,” Ryan, the outdoor store owner, whispered fearfully. “But a few of those monsters got into the front aisles before we dropped the security shutters between the shops. We locked the connecting doors, but it’s been scratching at the glass all evening. The police line is busy too.”

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