Read The Last Infection: A Post Apocalyptic Thriller for Free Online

movement beyond the registers and caught up with the kids after several lengthy strides. The woman was in the lead, pulling the group down the center aisle.
    “Nice plan,” Chris managed between panting breaths. “Now we’re trapped.”
    She looked back, but didn’t respond. She was sucking in air as deeply as the kids were. Her dark brown hair clung to the sides of her face, held by the sweat running down her forehead. They were near the rear of the store when the rushing sound of their pursuers pouring into the storefront echoed down the aisles. The woman reached the end of the row, and then came to a sudden stop. Chris nearly bowled over the kids as he tried to pull back his momentum.
    “What the hell are you doing?”
    The woman gasped a few deep breaths before acknowledging him. “You want to lead?” she asked then motioned toward the back wall.
    Chris scanned the row and found the best chance they had left. “Come on.” He didn’t explain before taking off at a full sprint . He was headed for a wide door exit in the far corner against the back wall. He’d seen the store from the rear while crossing Fifty-First Street and if his sense of direction was correct, he figured they might survive if they could get outside.
    The volume of nefarious sounds continued to grow until a roar of shrieks rose to the point of madness. The long aisles of wares rocked and toppled over. The sparse light cascading through the storefront windows was disappearing, giving a hint at the sheer immensity of the infected pushing into the building. The fear consuming the intended victims quickly swelled to a heightened terror. Chris knew before the first of them burst out onto the rear row that he and his new followers wouldn’t reach the exit door in time.
    Something told him that his bat and the woman’s sidearm weren’t going to be enough to save them. The shadows of the infected overtook them like a death grip tightening around the neck. They were two aisles from the exit when Chris turned his attention to a rear shelving unit. He shifted his aim and slammed his shoulder into the tall display making contact over a row of flowerpots that had apparently been on clearance. The initial thudding impact told him he would regret it later, but for now, he hoped there would be a later to regret it.
    “Push,” he yelled.
    The woman and kids responded and the shelving tilted and gave way. The result was a deafening crash which left the last two aisles blocked, but it did nothing to the eight or so rows behind them. The woman fired two rounds before Chris turned to see what was coming. The wall of infected running toward them was beyond counting. He’d managed to buy a few precious seconds, but little else. Chris grabbed the kids by the collars of their jackets and pushed them towards the exit door. He was already running when he called out to the woman.
    “ We’re only going to get one shot at this. Don’t be on the wrong side of the door.”
    The kids reached the exit and slammed into the emergency bar, opening the way in time for Chris to run through. He swept them out of the way as he passed, then pulled them outside with him. He took one last look for the damsel and found her right on top of them. Chris slipped out of the way and his last view of the interior of the store was of an indiscernible mass of the infected frantically charging toward him.
    “I’m not going to be able to hold this,” he said, slamming his shoulder against the ou tside of the door as it closed.
    The others made a frantic search of the immediate area for anything that might help. Chris peered over his shoulder and recognized at once the tall fenced in area behind the store he’d seen on his approach. It hadn’t meant much to him then, but now, it stood as another hurdle to any hope of survival. He didn’t remember the roll of razor wire strategically placed across the top of the fence. The interior of the outdoor space was crammed with a wide assortment