Free The Survivor Chronicles: The Risen by Erica Stevens Page B

noticed, and if they are…"
    "The sick ones will probably go for the
department store first," John finished when Donald's voice trailed
off.
    "Yeah," Donald said as his gaze continued to
search the night. "I just hate being so far away from the truck and
cars."
    "I don't think we have a choice. Let's go,"
Xander said.
    He hurried to the car and slid inside. He
couldn't see the ignition well, and it took him a couple of tries,
but he finally slid the key into it. John was already driving out
of the parking lot when he turned the ignition over. The sound of
the car firing up set his teeth on edge but he shifted it into
drive and searched the night as he cautiously drove it forward.
    He didn't dare turn the lights on, but the
other vehicles headlights had come to life automatically. The
automatic headlights were a feature he was beginning to despise as
he followed the others onto the road, and into the vast parking lot
across the street. There were about thirty other vehicles in the
parking lot. He slid the car in between two others and turned it
off.
    Feeling as if he was leaving a little bit of
his salvation and security behind, he reluctantly shoved the keys
in his pocket, climbed out from behind the wheel and locked the
doors. He jogged over to join Donald and John next to the truck. "I
don't feel good about this," Donald whispered.
    "We don't have much of a choice," Xander
said. "There's nowhere else for us to hide them and we have to get
them out of that parking lot. If Jim and his family can hear the
sick people outside at night that means they're roaming through the
parking lot over there."
    He'd said the words but his feet stayed in
place as he glanced at the vehicles that had gotten them this far.
"We can probably keep an eye on them from the florist shop and no
one can take them without the keys," John said. "I'm going to grab
some more food first, I'm starving."
    Xander almost argued that they should just
go back, but the rumbling in his stomach silenced him. He followed
Donald and John to the back doors of the truck and held one open
for John to climb into the bed. His eyes rapidly scanned over the
parking lot as he searched for anything out there that could be a
threat. John sat on the edge of the truck and jumped down with a
bag clutched in his hand. Xander took the bag from him so John
could close and lock the door.
    Slinking through the shadows next to the
department store, Xander spotted someone moving by the building. He
seized hold of John's arm and pushed him against the doors of the
truck as the loud grunts of some of the sick people drifted through
the night.
    The beat of his heart accelerated, his head
began to pound with the rapid pulse of his blood. Xander released
John; he brought his gun before him and clutched it with both
hands. John placed the bag of supplies under the truck and moved
toward the side of it. Following behind him, Xander stayed low to
the ground with Donald on his heels.
    The strange grunts grew closer and the
scuffling sounds of those things feet slapping against the asphalt
filled the air. Xander knelt down on the asphalt to peer under the
truck, but he saw no movement below the surrounding vehicles.
Lifting his head, he shook it no in response to the questioning
look he saw in John's eyes.
    He jumped and spun toward the back of the
truck when something behind them shattered. A loud crash filled the
air seconds before a woman began to scream in a loud continuous
wail that would have pierced his eardrums if he'd been any closer
to her. The agony and terror behind those screams made him long to
go to the woman, to try and save her, but he knew it was already
too late and he didn't even know where to start looking for
her.
    The scream abruptly cut off and then one
more high-pitched wail resonated through the air. This time the
silence that followed stretched into seconds that seemed to extend
into hours but was probably no more than minutes. His hand trembled
as he lifted it up to