Free First Date- a Novella by Thomas A Watson, Christian Bentulan, Amanda Shore

the infected that are running around. The other I want to watch that TV in there to see what anyone is reporting. I want to know how fast they move, and are any of the…” He paused, not knowing what to call them. “Sick people, or sierra papas, or SPs, using intelligence. From what we’ve seen so far, they seem pretty stupid thankfully. You have two hours.”
    He looked at the others. “You have to cut this fire hose in half, giving us a one-inch-wide canvas strap. Cut along the side crease, and do it neatly because this is what you are using to get down.”
    “I’m going to need Malik and another to help with the batons and spears,” Ginger said.
    “Okay,” Daniel said, and everyone moved as he unrolled the fire hose out on the floor. Four of them grabbed scissors, and two moved to each end, where one from each pair started cutting. When they were several yards down, the other person on their end started cutting, making two separate straps.
    Looking at the two rolls of para cord, Daniel shook his head. “It’s not enough.”
    Ginger looked over at him and grinned, remembering Mr. Barron’s memo. “If it wasn’t for you, we would have yarn,” she said, pulling out the mouse pads and grabbing a roll of duct tape.
    Looking around, Daniel stopped at the metal blinds. Walking around the table, he went to the two leads that hung down. Each ended at a metal loop that he could stick his hand through. Looking at the cord that formed the lead, he saw it was a little bigger than para cord.
    Moving the blinds as he looked up in the tract, he saw the cord running back and forth, connected to each blind. Closing the blinds and pulling his knife out, Daniel grabbed a chair and reached up, cutting the cords where they connected to the tract housing.
    Pulling the one that rotated the blinds open, he was shocked as he kept pulling and pulling until the end came out. He looked down at the pile and figured it was close to thirty yards. Pulling the other one out, he found it was half as long. Moving the chair, he cut the cord for the second blind.
    “There are the blinds in the other offices,” Teresa said, coming over and rubbing her hands. The scissors weren’t really made for cutting thick canvas.
    “We’ll get them if we need them,” Daniel said, coiling up the cord and looking around the room. Everyone, even Gary, was working.
    Stepping closer, Teresa lowered her voice. “Daniel, I’m begging you; will you please get me home to my kids? Ginger said she didn’t care but you had to agree.”
    He glanced around and saw everyone was too far away to hear and turned to her as he continued to wrap the cord. In all reality, Daniel had to admit he liked Teresa as a friend and knew she loved her kids more than anything. Glancing at the table, he saw a map of Chicago laid out with several X-es placed with names of people. “What’s with the map?”
    “Malik asked where everyone lived so we could figure out how to get them close to home,” she said, and Daniel saw an X to the south with Teresa’s name. He and Ginger lived to the south, and it wasn’t really out of the way.
    “We’ll get you home, and then you’re on your own,” he said, tying the coil of cord off. Letting out a huge sigh, Teresa smiled and hugged him.
    “Thank you,” she said and went back to the group cutting the fire hose. Not even halfway done, three scissors were on the floor because they couldn’t cut the hose anymore.
    Finished wrapping the cord, Daniel grabbed a crowbar from the cart and moved over to the huge copy machine at the back of the room. Tossing the paper drawers on the floor, he started popping out flat pieces of metal until he could reach inside.
    “Man, if this shit ends, your ass is fired,” Malik said, helping Ginger wrap cut-up mouse pads around one end of the brass poles from the lamp. The mouse pads made good grips and shock absorbers on the batons they were making.
    “I quit,” Daniel said, pulling out a black loop.