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burning entrance and would remain unseen from people exiting or undead arriving.
     

Chapter 7
     
    Maria checked on Jack as soon as she woke. She’d managed to nod off for a little yesterday while Zaun kept watch. The day had crept along and the excitement level was equivalent to snails racing, but she’d take it that way. Her worry for Jack was high and kept her from truly being able to rest. 
    Jack’s skin was pale again, his face gaunt. She removed the bandage from his neck wound and saw that it was nothing more than a scratch, letting her know the bots were still active in his system. She didn’t need to check his thigh.
    “Damn it,” she said.
    “What?” Zaun asked, sitting up, yawning.
    “Jack’s wounds are almost completely healed,” Maria said. “Which is good, but it also means the bots are still active.”
    Zaun was fully awake now and got to his feet. “What do we do?”
    “Shock him again.”
    “Wow, he looks terrible,” Zaun said, running a hand over his hair. 
    “Yeah, the little devils are eating him alive while they heal him. Stupid fucking things.”
    Maria grabbed her Taser.
    “Are you sure his body can handle it?”
    Maria shrugged. “We have no choice. He’s probably in the best shape he’s ever been in, considering the bots healed every piece of him. But at the same time, they’re taking away from his healthy parts. I really have no idea what’s going on inside him. Just get your Taser ready.”
    “We’ve got to wake him. He probably needs to eat. Give the bots what they need.” He moved toward Jack.
    Maria held him back. “First, we kill the things. He’ll wake when he’s ready. To do so now might kill him, if he’ll even respond.”
    Maria pointed the Taser at Jack and fired. His body tensed. She held the trigger until the charge died. She imagined the bots squealing in agony as they fried, but at the same time wondered if she was even hurting them. Jack had been Tasered twice already and the things were still functioning.
    She checked Jack and found that he was still breathing. Zaun handed her his Taser. She fired again, holding the trigger until the charge was depleted. When she checked him, he wasn’t breathing. She then felt for a pulse, found none, and began CPR. A few seconds later, he was back.
    “Damn it,” she said, kicking a cardboard box in frustration. “This shit’s getting old.”
    “What if . . .” Zaun began. “What if we can’t kill them?”
    “Then we keep trying.”
    “Should we shock him a third time?” Zaun asked. “You know, because two didn’t work before.”
    Maria shook her head and exhaled noisily. “I want to, but I’m afraid we’ll kill him. Maybe in a few—” She stopped, her head cocked. “Do you smell that?”
    Zaun sniffed the air like a dog smelling its owner’s dinner cooking on the stove. “Smoke. That can’t be good.”
    They looked at each other, worry spreading across their faces.
    “Something’s definitely on fire,” Maria said.
    They grabbed their M4s, sidearms already on their person, and headed out of the office. As they worked their way to the front of the store, the smell of smoke grew stronger, and then they saw the flickering of orange-yellow light along the walls.
    Exiting from the aisle at the far right side of the front of the store, they saw the flames from afar and rushed to the cashier area. The barrier they’d built was an inferno, flames licking the white-painted cinderblock wall above where a banner caught fire.
    “What the hell?” Zaun said. “How did this happen?”
    One of the paint cans exploded, sending arches of liquid flame over the area. Smaller fires ignited in the checkout aisles. A withered and dead fern went up in flames.
    “Cable,” Maria said. “It’s got to be him.”
    Zaun shook his head. “No way. He’s dead.”
    “We didn’t see a body.”
    “I’m telling you, I shot him. He crawled off to die. No way he survived, and even if he did, he couldn’t be in any