Read Human Extinction Level Loss (Book 1): Nicole's Odyssey for Free Online

don’t know what your problem is but you can’t come into the store and start creating fire hazards,” Sam said. 
    Nicole was not listening as she turned off and locked the glass doors.  Sam rushed up.  “And don’t think I don’t recognize you, either.  You stole from us, not fifteen minutes ago,”  he said. 
    Nicole looked down the aisle to her right.  Another set of doors, these also leading to the greenhouse area outside, received the same treatment, switched off and locked.  As she turned around, Sam blocked her. 
    “I will call the Police, ma’am,” Sam said. 
    Nicole looked at him, her disbelief growing past the point she thought possible.  “The Police!?  What are you talking –”, she blurted. 
    “Ma’am, I need you to stop and listen to me!” Sam shouted. 
    Nicole’s frustration boiled over.  “Look!  I don’t know what planet you have been living on, and I don’t care what your scene is…” 
    Nicole looked down at the Name-tag on Sam’s apron, “…Sam J, but we have to make this place secure, understand!?  They’re coming and if they get in…”  Nicole let her words trail off as she brushed by him on her way to the ax handles. 
    She grabbed one as Sam came up.  “Who is coming?” he asked. 
    Nicole gripped the ax handle and looked at it.  From the front of the store a loud bang sounded.  She whipped her head in the direction of the sound.  “Nobody’s coming,” Nicole said.  “They’re already here.”

  Eight
     
    “What do you mean, they’re already here?  Who’s here?” Sam asked. 
    Nicole did not answer as she ran to the front of the store.  His frustration mounting, Sam followed her.  Pressed up against the glass doors by Customer Service was a Runner.  The glass doors held, but the zombie continued to work its legs, its feet finding little traction as they slipped in a perfect mix of puss, blood and gangrenous flesh that oozed from its upper body.
    Nicole stared at the glass doors.  “They are,” she said. 
    Sam looked from her to the doors.  To Nicole’s surprise, Sam did not seem impressed or shaken in the least. 
    “Aw, that’s just a bug.  We get them from time to time.  I’ll show you how we handle them,” Sam said as he snatched the ax handle out of Nicole’s hand. 
    “But not with this one, that’d be stealing,” he said as he turned and walked to the back of the store. 
    Nicole stood watching, as behind the Runner, another appeared.  This one was not so fleet of foot.  It shuffled up to the glass dragging a mangled and useless foot behind it.  The flesh on both arms had been stripped down to the bone.  Reaching the glass, it stopped.  It worked its lipless mouth and tried to bite through the door, its teeth making a nerve-rattling click as it tried to bite through the glass.  Sam jogged up to Nicole, all smiles.  In his hand was the ax handle he had checked out of store inventory. 
    “This one is a little worn, but it’ll still do the job,” he said.  Sam stared at the side of Nicole’s head, waiting for her to share his confidence. 
    When Nicole did not answer, he turned to see what she was staring at.  “Two of them, huh?  I’ve never seen more than one at a time,” Sam said. 
    A crash from the doors down by the registers caught their attention.  Nicole ran over and Sam followed.  Both stood aghast as they saw two more Shufflers pounding on the glass.  Behind them, a Runner slammed into the door.  The impact knocked the zombie back and it fell.  Slowly, it got up and charged the glass, and then it too was on its own treadmill of bodily fluids.  In unison, Nicole and Sam raised their eyes past the ones at the doors.  Streaming into the parking lot like holiday shoppers on Black Friday was the bulk of the advancing horde.
    Within moments, the parking lot was lost to view, as the Dead pressed up against every square inch of glass.  The doors were holding, but they bucked and swayed