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.It was the small items, the items that made life just a little sweeter, that always seemed to be bumped further down the list.Books, candy, toys, and games.The items that made this life bearable.Now here she was, looking at the sparsely populated parking lot of the only chain retail store in a 50 mile area.If this place wasn't gutted by the panicked masses, the lower list items would all be in there.Such a terrible idea.Such a needless risk, taking on possibly dozens of those creatures for some sodas and magazines.Each step she took she reminded herself why this was a bad idea.Each step putting her one step closer to danger, all for a chance.A chance at something to get her mind off of how dangerous this life was.Something to remind her why everyone struggled to make it one more day.Her hands shook.It was the fear of what she would find beyond the broken glass doors.The fear of not taking this chance, and returning with just enough to survive, rather than live.She hadn't had a substantial meal in weeks, and it was starting to wear on her.Does she even have the strength to bring even one of those things down, if it stepped in her way? Only one way to find out.She took a mental inventory of her weapons.The Point of No Return, the P226 on her hip, and a Ka-Bar fixed-blade fighting knife that hasn't even left the sheath since she started this adventure.Without a sound suppressor the pistol was a last resort weapon.Even with the suppressor, it only prevented the report of her firearm from reaching much further out.It would still be easy for anything in the building to hear.The knife was something the guys at camp seemed to really love.It was a light, single-hand weapon that could be used for many things, other than sinking into the skull of any creature reaching out to touch someone.She didn't have the strength or experience to use rely on it.That left her trusty makeshift rebar spear.She spent hours training in its use.It has saved her life more than other weapon she has ever carried.But it was heavy, uncomfortable, and both too long and too short in various situations.Still, its heft and sturdiness was much more comforting in her calloused hands.She weighed the pros and cons of leaving her pack here to come back for it later, but she had no idea how much she would have to carry.She didn't even know if she would be coming out the front door.If she needed to make a quick break through an emergency exit, it was best to have everything with her.The toughest decision was to fully secure the backpack, waist strap and all.The risk was great, giving a much larger surface area to grab onto, and bring her down.But she had to be able to move without readjusting constantly.Taking a long pull from her canteen, she held the lukewarm liquid in her puffed out cheeks.After three slow even breaths through her nostrils, she swallowed the water and started circling out along the right side of the parking lot.There were hardly any cars, but most of the ghouls were gathered around them.Their last meals had been pulled from the shattered windows of those unlucky few that were unable to get their vehicles started.She had no choice but to stay along the edge, close to the bushes that could possibly hide her movement.Kneeling behind the shrubs with the best vantage point to the door, she looked through her monocular.The path was mostly clear, nothing coming in or out.Timing the ebb and flow of the crowd on the far side parking lot, she moved as the majority of them faced away.She bolted to the side of the building, and peered around the corner, waiting for the next wave to make her move.Nothing greeted her beyond the shattered glass entryway.She kept low, ducking into the mini food court, which gave her a good position to see what awaited her deeper in the store.With no power or lights, the darkness swallowed the back half of the store.The entrance was on the clothing side, so anything she was looking for was on the opposite end of the building.Great.At least she could start in the small kitchen, and perhaps hit all the impulse racks at the registers.The place had been torn apart, everything of use already pilfered.Her heart sank, as she dropped to her knees in despair [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]