Mordecai and Hugo had left the house and walked down the neighborhood streets of Bakersfield in search of the abandoned pharmacy. The streets got dirtier as the two got closer to downtown. Weird smells of drugs and smoke lingered through the alleys and the odd house or two.
“So what’s the plan when we get there?” Hugo asked, he kept his head straight on. “Start slashing wanderers until we get inside?”
“Yeah, seems like it,” said Mordecai, plainly.
Hugo’s brow curled slightly, “No, that’ll actually kill us. We need to draw them away with sound.”
Mordecai looked away and whispered, “Look at you, Mr. I Know everything.”
“What?” Hugo turned to him, annoyed.
“I didn't say anything,” Mordecai answered.
Hugo took a moment to think, questioning if he should start prying for answers. “You wanna start giving me some answers, now?”
Mordecai thought for a second, “Not yet. We’re not done with this job.”
“Yeah but I’m already here. And it’s not like I can outrun you.” Hugo countered.
Mordecai took another second. “The people in the helicopter were taken as soon as they landed. Where they were taken, I don't know,” he said.
“Who took them?” Hugo continued.
“No idea. It looked like two different gangs came and fought for the loot. The people inside were put in the back of some cars and they drove away.” Mordecai answered. He held out the knife and pointed it to Hugo as they walked, “You better not run,” he threatened.
Hugo took Mordecai’s wrist and pulled him forward, snatching the knife as Mordecai fell.
“Wait wait wait!” Mordecai said, holding out his hands to Hugo as he kneeled before him.
Hugo chuckled, but his smile quickly faded. “Calm down.” He held the handle of the knife out to Mordecai. “I want in on that pharmacy.”
Mordecai got to his feet, taking the knife from Hugo. “You don't have to mess with me like that.” He dusted off his knees.
“Then stop trying to intimidate me,” Hugo answered, raising an eyebrow. “How old are you again?”
“19,” Mordecai answered.
“Huh,” Hugo responded. “How old is Genesis?”
“24,” Mordecai answered.
“Uh-huh,” Hugo answered awkwardly. He had other questions in mind like ‘how were you able to survive while being this weak’ and ‘what is Mordecai and Genesis’s relationship’ but he decided to refrain.
The two didn't speak for another few minutes and there was not a wanderer in sight.
“That’s weird,” said Mordecai.
Hugo looked at him, expecting him to say something else.
“There should be some teethers by now,” Mordecai said.
Hugo looked closer as they turned a street corner. Several yards up the road was the locked up pharmacy, no sign of break-ins. It sat in the corner of a parking lot to a strip mall, facing an intersection with the lights still blinking. The area had other corporate buildings scattered about as well, but still not a wanderer to be found. The day began to get partly cloudy.
“What’s going on?” Hugo asked. The two stopped walking and glanced around at the seemingly empty downtown area. “Also, why has no one tried to break in? It looks so easy.”
“Shut up…We’re not alone,” said Mordecai. He quickly glanced around at the buildings of the area.
The front door of the pharmacy was covered in rubble, but the doors seemed unmoved. From behind the rubble, a man stepped out wearing all black. He had a tactical vest, padded pants and a ski mask that went over his nose. He held a pistol in one hand.
“Well lookie here,” the man’s voice was rough, like a stereotypical goon in 90’s movies, “I like that knife, care to hand it over?”
Mordecai gripped the knife tightly, Hugo glanced at it with a side-eye. He kept the smaller knife hidden in his pocket.
“Where’s all the wa… teethers?” Hugo asked the goon.
“Wouldn't you like to know…” the goon responded. The corners of his eyes wrinkled, they could tell he was smiling under his mask. “Gimmie the knife and I’ll let you walk away.” The goon pointed the pistol at Mordecai’s head.
“Wait,” Hugo said, slightly holding a hand out to the goon. “How about a trade?”
“Kid, just hand over the knife,” the goon said.
“Hey!” said Jacob.
Hugo and Mordecai turned around, seeing Jacob being pinned down by another goon with a pistol.
“Ah so you had back up, ey?” the first goon said. He fixed his stance while holding the gun.
“Hold on!” Hugo said, holding his hands out to both of the goons. “Give him the knife,” Hugo said to Mordecai.
“No,” Mordecai responded, shaking his head.
Hugo glared at him with more annoyance, and said through his teeth, “Give. Him. The. Knife.”
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Mordecai slightly frowned. He rolled his eyes and tossed the knife to the ground between him and the goon.
“Okay, now back up. Get out of here,” the goon said, flicking the gun at them.
Hugo and Mordecai began backing up. The second goon got off of Jacob and stepped back, allowing Jacob to get up. As Hugo passed by the second goon, he took the small knife from his pocket and got behind the goon with the knife to the goon’s neck. The goon raised his hands in submission. Mordecai and Jacob got behind Hugo as well. Jacob snatched the gun and pointed it at the first goon.
The shuffling of feet alerted the first goon, who pointed the gun back at them, “Hey! Stop that!” said the goon.
“Nah!” Hugo shouted. “Let us in that pharmacy!”
“Okay!” the goon complied, pointing the gun upwards along with his hands. Hugo kept the pocket knife at the second goon’s neck, and began shuffling toward the pharmacy with Jacob and Mordecai behind him. Mordecai picked up the combat knife as they passed by it.
Closing in on the rubble at the front door, Hugo held tightly to the goon. “Get it open,” Hugo commanded Jacob and Mordecai. The two began to push the rubble aside, revealing the fenced off doors. There was a heavy duty lock stuck on the fence, but it felt like it was jammed elsewhere as well.
“I don't think we’re getting these doors open,” Jacob said.
“You’re not,” said the first goon. He bashed Hugo’s knife away from the second goon’s neck, who then elbowed Hugo in the gut and escaped Hugo’s grasp. Jacob and Mordecai got up from the rubble, pointing the gun and combat knife at the goons. Hugo rested on the pile of junk, recovering from the elbow to the gut.
“Now boys, let's not do anything rash,” said the first goon with a smile under his mask.
Through Hugo’s pain, he looked at the goon and tilted his neck. “Why…” He paused to catch his breath, “Why haven't you fired yet?” he asked the goon.
“It’ll attract the hoard,” Mordecai interrupted.
“What?” Hugo asked.
“They didn't kill the teethers, so they must be around here somewhere. A gunfight will draw them right to us,” said Mordecai.
Jacob’s grip loosened on the gun. The second goon’s eyes darted from Hugo to Jacob, and Hugo noticed the movement. After a second, Hugo and the goon moved for Jacob’s gun.
BOOM
As the goon tried to grab the gun, Jacob accidentally fired into the man’s chest. The sound echoed across the streets of Bakersfield. Blood dripped from the bullet hole as the second goon looked at the first goon with a dying stare and fell to the ground, dead.
“Big mistake buddy,” said the first goon, shaking his head. Mordecai and Hugo turned their heads to Jacob and a hurricane of BOOMS sounded, with bullets flying from the surrounding rooftops at the boys. The goon ran around the corner as the outer walls of the pharmacy were polka dotted with bullet holes. A bullet whizzed by Hugo’s head and shattered a window beside him, triggering the building’s security alarm.
BEEP…BEEP…BEEP…BEEP
The group jumped through the broken window. Jacob was last to enter but a bullet grazed the top of his right shoulder as he stepped inside. He put his hand on the wound and fell to the tile floor.
“We need to hurry, now!” Hugo said. Mordecai darted off into the aisles of the store. Hugo tried helping Jacob sit against the wall, but he refused.
“No, no! I’m fine! Just hurry!” he said. He pushed Hugo away and got up on his own. Blood dripped down his shirt, but the flow slowed as he gripped the wound. He shuffled over to some shelves and started grabbing what he could.
Hugo went and took whatever baby supplies he could find, but realized he hadn't seen Mordecai in the aisles. Quickly peeking above the aisles, he spotted Mordecai behind the medical counter. A glass protector was shattered and Mordecai was downing handfuls of pills.
“No!” Hugo shouted. He dropped the baby supplies and started running to Mordecai. As he passed through the light of the window, a shadow crept in from outside. The first goon was stepping through, holding out the pistol ready to shoot. Hugo ducked behind a counter out of view, but realized Jacob was still wounded out in the aisles.
Hugo looked back to Mordecai, who had just taken another handful of pills. He ran at Mordecai, bent over, and tackled him. The two struggled to get a grip of the other. Hugo was trying to hold Mordecai down, and Mordecai was trying to push Hugo away.
“What are you doing?!” Hugo aggressively whispered to Mordecai. He held Mordecai down and quickly peaked above the counter to check on Jacob. Seeing no significant movement, he ducked back down. Mordecai tried to reach for his knife, but Hugo snatched it and threw it to the counter.
The two continue to struggle and Hugo clocks Mordecai in the cheek, almost stunning Mordecai. Hugo shoves two fingers into Mordecai’s throat, inducing a gag reflex, and Mordecai throws up all over the tile floors. Hugo glances at the puke, seeing a large number of mostly in-tact pills. “Don't you dare get more,” Hugo threatened to Mordecai.
BOOM
The gun was fired. Hugo glanced over the counter again, seeing Jacob and the goon fighting for the gun. Hugo got up to run. He took the combat knife from the floor and vaulted over the counter. Seeing the gun get dangerously close to firing at Jacob, Hugo threw the knife at the goon. The blade cuts across the right side of the man’s face, getting a piece of his eye.
“Agh!” the goon shouted. In a final burst of energy he pulls the gun away from Jacob and aims at Hugo.
BOOM
He missed. Jacob had taken the combat knife and stabbed it into the goon’s neck. When he had fallen to the floor, Jacob took the knife out.
“You okay?” Hugo asked. He kneeled down to Jacob and helped him up.
“Let's just hurry,” Jacob answered, clenching his right shoulder tightly..
“Oh man,” said Mordecai. Hugo and Jacob looked back at Mordecai, who’s left ear and cheek had been blown off by the first bullet. Hugo sprinted to Mordecai and caught him as he fell.
“Come on. Dammit! Dammit! Stay with me!” Hugo said.
Mordecai’s breathing started to get erratic.
Hugo looked up at Jacob, who was still holding his wounded shoulder.
“No! No!” Hugo shrieked. He started looking around, finding a small medical box under the counter. He reached for it, and dug inside. There was nothing of use that Hugo knew about, and his hands were too shaky and bloody to make use of the stuff inside. He looked back at Mordecai, who’s eyes were quickly fading away as a waterfall of blood came down his left cheek.
“It’s alright man,” Mordecai said. The exposed muscles in the wound moved unnaturally. He held Hugo’s forearm. “Keep going. Find what you’re looking for.” He coughed and some blood squirted from the wound.
From the broken window, wanderers had begun reaching through and rubbed against the broken glass. Between the beeps of the security alarm, they heard a roaring of a sea of wanderers outside.
Hugo closed his eyes and lowered his head as Mordecai laid limp in his arms.
RRRRNNNGGG went the humming of engines drawing near at high speeds. It was within seconds, loud cars and gunshots blasted from the outside. The wanderers against the window were shot to smithereens. After a moment, bright lights came closer to the window, illuminating the inside of the pharmacy. When the lights spotted Jacob and Hugo, they retreated.
“Come out with your hands up!” shouted a strong, thunderous voice from outside.
Hugo and Jacob came to the window and slowly stepped out into the open. The lights were blinding. They could only see the silhouettes of giant cars with large accessories, and people surrounded the area. To their left and right were more people fighting off the rest of the hoard.
“Do not move!” shouted the thunderous voice. He continued shouting commands, but Hugo had tuned out from what he was listening to. From the security alarm, gunshots, and the groans of wanderers, it all blended together. He noticed that he could see through a certain spot between the bright lights, and he squinted at it. He could barely make out the rooftop of one of the strip malls, and on top was a person.
“That’s weird,” Hugo thought to himself. “Why is there someone up there?”
Then from that person on the rooftop, a small bright flash happened.
ZZZZIP
It was like he was shot in the chest, because he was. He looked down to see a bloody hole right there under his collarbone. For a second he felt like a bag of maggots. People emerged from behind the lights and caught him as he fell. He closed his eyes, and went to sleep.