Page 49 of Night of the Living Manny
“Okay. I want you armed,” Susanna said.
Liam smiled, the expression grim. “I have sidearms.”
“I don’t like this, Liam.” Brenden was frightened and confused and… he wanted to go back a week.
“I’m sorry. We need to get more supplies. This thing is moving too fast. I know this sucks, to put it mildly, but we all have to keep moving.” Liam sighed softly. “We need canned propane, batteries, all the Halloween candy we can carry. Dog food. Canned everything.”
“Got it.” He peered out of the windshield when he parallel parked in the loading zone in front of the store, which was in the old downtown’s storefronts. “Everyone grab the cloth shopping bags at the registers on the way in.”
“Cold medicines, aspirin, cough meds, Pepto.” Liam was muttering to himself.
Brenden got it. “Bandages, alcohol, and hydrogen peroxide. I’ll get the food.”
“Good deal.” It took Liam a shockingly short period of time to crack the doors open.
“Okay, everyone know the plan? Go.”
They went, Moose on a short leash again. He loaded bags in a small cart, and Britt went at the Halloween candy now, no more crying. She was all determination.
Peter grabbed cereal and shelf-stable milk of all kinds; Susanna decimated the soups and then emptied the batteries.
They had a cartful, all in bags, when they met up with Liam, who had two bags of pharmacy, trash and Ziploc bags, and toilet paper. “Let’s hit it.”
“Daddy, is this stealing?”
“When the store opens back up, I’ll pay them, and—”
Something smashed against the glass windows at the front of the store, the sound like a bug hitting a windshield.
Shit.Brenden tugged Moose’s leash, keeping him from barking. Thank God for all that training they’d done with the therapy dog and rescue stuff. Moose pushed against him, and he got it. This was freaky.
“Daddy?”
“Shh.”
There was another slam, then another, and the glass began to crack.
“Head to the other door, fast as you can.”
“Come on.” Brenden got Peter to push a cart while he grabbed bags and slung them on his shoulders. If he had to, he could carry Moose, but he sure didn’t want to.
They opened the door and this… thing came shambling toward them, blood dripping from what seemed like a thousand sores.
“Don’t touch it! Try not to breathe near it! Run to the car and don’t stop!” Liam took up the rear, Susanna right behind Brenden and Peter, who rolled the cart like it was a car in a video game.
Peter slammed the cart into the back of the SUV, dumping everything willy-nilly as Brenden fought to get the kids into the car. Moose grabbed the back of Britt’s shirt and yanked her in with his strong jaws while Susanna tossed Peter up with the groceries and crawled in.
“Dad! Come on!”
Brenden leaped into the driver’s side, keys jammed in the ignition in no time, the motor roaring to life.
He heard the rapidpop-pop-popof gunfire, then the roar of Susanna’s shotgun out the back of the SUV, making his ears ring.
Britt began to scream, the sound shrill and panicked. “Daddy!”
Liam slammed into the passenger seat. “Go! I’m not hurt!”
Brenden hit the gas, gasping as another one of those… things popped up in front of them, making him slam on the brakes.
