"Your such a geek Normie." Chris laughed lowly as he took a bite from the butter burger in his hands as he sat at the empty Geek Support counter. The entire place was dead that night, than again the entire town was sort of like this. For as long as either of them had lived here there was hardly anything in regards to crowds. It was expected really, a town with less than seven hundred people, it was understandable. Still, even the phones were dead tonight and that was unusual.
"I am just saying that the new DLC that dropped was the bomb dude," Chris would shake his head as Norman stuffed his face full of fries and took a huge gulp from his Gut Buster soda.
"I never under stood all these games you play, dad didn't either. That one summer, do you remember? When he got you a job at that farm up the road, said he wanted to make a man out of you?" Normans face soured at the mere mention of it, it had been a hundred and five degree's that summer, the humidity made it even worse. That first day Norman came home and his entire body was red, like a balloon, he walked through the door and feinted on the front carpet. Mom had damn near went into cardiac arrest.
"I nearly died that summer, I think the real low point was where I feinted in the manure pile. Mr. Roberts wasn't able to lift me by himself so he had to get the neighbors sons to help heave me into the house." Chris spit burger out of his mouth by accident as the sudden laugh couldn't be held back. He remembered that, Dad had gotten a call from old man Roberts, it was so vague though when he explained it.
"Yeah, he said you ate some manure and it took three of them to roll you into the house afterwards." They both let out a laugh in damn near perfect unison to that memory.
"The look on dads face was priceless, ya brother ate some manua, gotta go pick em up." Chris imitated his fathers voice when he relayed the phone call to him which started an even harder chorus of laughter as the two brothers laughed and chatted.
"You gotta admit though a few weeks in you had that farmers tan going on, although those milky white moobs always made me cringe."Chris was going to squeeze Norman's moobs but he quickly slapped Chris's hands away forcing him to laugh again as he took a drink from his own soda.
`Beep` Chris looked up as the electronic beep went off signalling that someone had entered the store. Norman looked as well at the man standing in the entrance way, he looked really pale and sweaty at that too, neither one of them really recognized him so they figured he must be from the larger city up the road away.
"Welcome to the Electronics Nest, if you need any assistance with your shopping today, please call." Norman spoke cheerfully as Chris watched the man slowly look in their direction, there were black rings under his eye's. He looked bloody sick and badly at that, the man would proceed to saunter over towards them slowly. As he got closer Chris would see the blood that soaked through his shirt, the entirety of his chest was covered in it.
Chris instinctively placed his hand to his hip where the Beretta 92 was in its holster concealed at his side. The man continued in their direction, he raised his hands out towards them as his legs seemed to be like jelly.
"Sir are you okay? Do you medical attention?" Chris asked the question doubting the answer would be anything he wanted to hear given the mans appearance.
"Stay behind the counter Normie." Chris hopped off his seat and approached the man slowly, he was about to ask him if he needed help again but when he reached out his hand like he was going to grab at him Chris's throat so he spring into motion. He grabbed the mans arm and sidestepped to his back, bringing his foot forward he swept the mans legs and took him down to the ground placing a knee in his back.
The man yelped weakly as Chris kept him on the ground, he could feel the sweat, or at least he hoped it was sweat soaking through the mans shirt. His body felt like a hot iron even through his clothes, he must be delirious or something.
"Normie call 911 I think is sick, possibly delirious." Norman quickly nodded as he grabbed at the phone but would put it down seconds later.
"Says all lines are busy," Norman spoke a bit worried as he redialed the number getting the same results. Great, Chris thought this to himself as the man underneath him struggled weakly.
Hospitals... full up... sickness." The man on the ground sputtered out some words suddenly, something hospital and sickness.
"What are you talking about?" Chris asked the question as the man wheezed before going into violent jerks, oh shit he was going into a seizure!
"Try 911 again Norman, hurry!" Chris wrenched the man up onto his side so his head wasn't hitting the floor as he shook violently.
"All lines are busy again!" There was panic in Norman's voice as the man continued to seize until he suddenly stopped, he snorted lowly before he took a final breath and his breathing just stopped. Chris quickly lay the man on his back and checked his pulse, there wasn't one.
"Shit!" Chris sword loudly as he quickly climbed over the man, he leaned his head back clearing the air way and started to compress his chest, holding his nose closed he would administer mouth to mouth every seven compression's.
"Oh my god! Whats happening!? Is he going to be okay!?" Norman was asking questions a mile a second as he came around the corner in panic mode.
"I don't know! He just stopped breathing" Chris would continue to compress the mans chest, trying to get his heart going again. But it dawned on him that it was useless, it wasn't working, something had clearly been wrong before he stumbled in here. Eventually Chris would stop and leave the body be as he climbed up slowly to stand by his brother.
"Oh my god... is he... dead?" Norman sputtered out the words as a couple tears were starting to stream down his chubby cheeks. All Chris could do was nod his head at Norman, he would push his brother away from the body.
"Its okay Norman, don't freak, there was something wrong with him long before he came in here. Okay? Were gonna call the police and get this straightened out." This time Chris would walk behind the counter after he softly comforted Norman, picking up the phone he would dial in the number to the local Sheriff's office. Chris would hear the busy tone on the other end of the line, her sighed heavily as he hung up the phone and than went to dial again. It was sudden, when he heard a weird noise behind him, turning around the phone quite literally dropped from his fingers as his eyes ripped open in horror. Norman was on the ground now, his eyes were milky and drained of life staring at the ceiling, the man who had died moments before was over him now. Norman's stomach was ripped open and his intestines were spilled out all over the floor.
"Normie!!!!!" Chris screamed like a child in pure fear as he grabbed at his gun, pulling it up he pulled the trigger until the gun clicked empty as bullets tore into the dead man's body and head. The dead man would fall sideways and go limp as Chris jumped the counter with tears streaming down his cheeks as he came to Norman falling to his knee's.
"Norman..." Chris was shaking as he said his brothers name weakly, his jaw was quivering, he could feel the scream catching in his throat, trying to exit his body as he could feel his breathing become ragged.
"Chris.." Upon hearing Normans voice Chris would look down in time to see Norman's hands come up and grabbed him on side of his head just before he would lean up to bite him in the neck.
Chris flew forward yelling loudly as he fell out of the shitty bed and slapped the floor bare chested.
"Fuck me.." Chris said the words miserably as he picked himself up off the floor slowly, he had smacked his jaw, right on the kisser. Just a damn nightmare... something of which was accented by his brother snoring loudly in a corner, unphased by what had just transpired. Chris shook his head as he sat on the edge of the unfamiliar bed, he wished like hell he could sleep that peacefully. As it was, he hardly slept anymore, something of which he was becoming accustomed to. It wasn't as much the random places he found himself in, he had been military, learning to sleep in new places was a basic requirement, it was everything else that kept him up. He wasn't sure anymore how long it had been since that night in the store, it was hard to keep track of time when everyday is just a fight to stay alive.
The incident in the store was unknowingly at the time just a prelude to the hell that was to come. Hospitals, filled up, sickness, in other words, the end of the god damn world. Unlike the dream though, that man didn't come back, at least not that Chris knew. It turned out that he had come from the city down the road, he was looking for a hospital, a clinic, anything really. But he was pretty sure the man had died of something else, not that it mattered with such small details. It didn't take much time after though, the world went to complete shit within weeks. Major cities going in smoke, riots, conga lines of cars trying to escape the epidemic in motion. Everyone was fleeing, their small town had lite up like a Christmas tree, people lined up and down the road for as far as the eye can see.
That was probably why their little town was destroyed in the first place, when the infection hit, it hit fast and hard. Before anyone knew it the military were in town trying to contain whatever the hell was happening. It failed though, it always failed, Chris and Norman got the hell out as soon as they could, bought all the non perishable shit they could carry, well and stole, and got out of town. After that they became like nomads, trying to escape the hell that was trailing on their heels. An it was NOT easy, not at all, Chris looked up at Norman who was still snoring away in the corner. Truth was, with Norman it was so much harder, he hated to say it but... Norman was far from being made for a world like the one it was becoming. Hell Chris didn't think he was long for this world either now, but Norman was not one that could easily adapt, hell he still couldn't even pull the trigger on them damn walkers.
He was glad to have Norman, he really was, he wasn't sure who he would be at this moment if his brother had died already. If he admitted it or not, Norman kept him honest, kept the worst of him from coming out. Thats why he worried so much, worried that a moment would come when he wouldn't make it in time, he wouldn't be able to save Norman. His worst fear was that he would die himself and leave Norman to a fate worse than death. Chris reached down beside himself and yanked the pack of crumpled smokes off the nightstand and plucked one from the pack lighting it and putting it between his lips. He blew out a puff of smoke as he picked up the pillow from the bed and threw it hitting Norman in the head. With a loud pig like snort he leaned up looking around wearily as the light from the window hit his eyes.
"Time to get going." Norman yawned as he begrudgingly nodded his head pushing himself up and out of the small bed. Chris grabbed the combat knife that was sticking out of the bed post and walked to the door pushing away the large dresser he had placed in front of it and slowly opened it an inch to look out. The hallway was empty and he couldn't hear anything below. Walking back to the bed he had slept on he grabbed the olive shirt and threw it over his head before pulling on his old military jacket. Taking his black pack he flipped it over his shoulder.
"Lets get going." Chris put the cigarette back in his mouth as he opened the door and proceeded to secure their departure.
Norman was silent as they drove along in their old beat up black ford truck. It was cloudy today and looked like rain, he could feel some slight pain in his joints that said that much. He sighed to himself as he plugged his laptop into the charger in the cigarette lighter and flicked it on. A picture would pop up after he logged himself in of him, Chris, and their mom and dad together when they were kids. He smiled at it, but it didn't last all that long. He didn't smile all the much anymore, mostly there wasn't much to be happy about, it seemed like within no time at all life had taken a dramatic plunge into hell. The many passing days had been hard, on both of them, harder on Chris though he had to admit. He wasn't stupid, he knew all too well that his inability to fight those... things was a weakness not only to him but to both of them.
Chris had protected him this far, he would have been dead the first couple days had it not been for him and he knew that well. He felt bad, real bad that he was nothing but dead weight but at the same time, he just couldn't bring himself to shoot a human being. In his head he knew they were gone, what else could they be? But in his heart he felt like it was murder, it was stupid but he couldn't just change who he was just like that. He was just a fat slob who ate all their food and literally gave nothing back in return, he hung his head low as he sighed to himself. When the music hit he was a bit unprepared, he looked up slowly as Rupert Holmes Pina Colada came over the speakers.
"Come on bro. I was tired of my lady, we'd been together too long, like a worn out recording of a favorite song." Norman just shook his head as he tried to say he didn't feel like it, Chris however pushed him with his hand as he continued to sing horribly and off key.
"I am the love that you have looked for, write to me to escape." Chris put his hand out for Norman to take over, he found a small smile as he waited for the next verse and started to sing with it.
"I didn't think about my lady I know that sounds kind of mean, but me and my old lady had fallen into the same dull old routine, so I wrote to the paper and took out a personal ad and even though I'm no poet it wasn't half bad." Chris took over after that as he sung the next set of lyrics, Norman began to sway to the beat as Chris put his hand out again. Norman laughed as he sang the lyrics and than they both sung the last part together.
"YES I like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain, I am not much into health food I am into champagne. Iv got to meet you by tomorrow noon and cut through all this red tape!" As the song ended Norman felt a lot better than he did as the track switched to one of his brothers more preferred songs,
Aint no grave can hold my body down played as Chris knocked his head to it.
Time passed slowly as the two drove along, before long Chris was standing on a small hill with a pair of Binoculars to his eyes in the distance he could see a mall. He the binoculars in different directions as he surveyed the landscape before lowering them.
"Seems pretty empty, I think we could get in and out so long as we don't run into any Walkers or other survivors. You think you can pull up a map on that computer of yours. Lloyd Center Mall" Chris asked the question but he already knew the answer, he wasn't sure how the hell Norman did it but he was still able to connect to the internet. Chris was not a computer man and didn't understand half the shit Norman had connected to that laptop but what he did know, it was very useful. Before too long Norman had a floor plan for the mall itself, Chris climbed off the hood off the truck jumping to the ground as Norman put the computer on the hood.
Hmm, three levels, so it was a rather large mall on the inside. Chris looked for entrances and exits specifically as he viewed the floor plans. Six entrances, three from the parking garages, the other three from parking lots. They would definitely stick to the first floor, he did not want to be caught by some surprise group of walkers and be trapped above ground level if he could help it. The parking garages would give them cover but that brought its own misery depending on what was in them. Parking lot entrance was their best bet.
"All right I say we start here, 913 area, there is a restaurant there, probably looted but worth a look, than we can make our way into the mall interior from there. Lets try and stick to the west of the mall, I don't want to go to far and find any surprises. We get in, we get out, whatever we get, thats it. Got it?"Norman would nod, some sweat dripping down his brow, Norman would take his computer and place it back in the bag zipping it up. They both climbed into the truck and made their way down the incline. They would part a little ways away so they didn't draw too much unnecessary attention and walk the rest of the way. Chris just hoped Norman was up to it, either way they need supplies and he wasn't going to leave Norman by himself so this was the best they had.
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