Chapter 4 : Supermarket

POV : Aiden Yeun

[Klamath, California 17 December 2020]

Hopkins, the officer who do the wheel, take us through the Klamath. We have intention to help, but the people who... Insane are too much for three officer. My sweat can't even stop flowing since the Bearcat start moving. We're going out of Klamath, but leaving is not an answer. We need to make a radio call with base, in case if they have any other order.

"Sir, there's a Well-Mart over there." Says Hopkins as he pointed to a not-too-big supermarket.

I nod. "Bring us there."

He turn to the right and lead us to the Well-Mart. It's surprisingly pretty crowded, at least there's around seven to nine car parked in front plot, maybe they already know all of this has happening, or maybe they're just innocent people who need to do groceries. It only take us only some second to found a parking lot for us. And then Hopkins raise the handbrake.

"Try to radio back to the base." I says as pointing to the CB Radio, and give shoulder pat to Hopkins.

I quicky get out at the same time as Sean met me. He push me to the side of Bearcat. He use his forehand horizontally to hold my neck "Care to explain what the fuck just happened?!" He give me deadly stare, and I gave him some too. I know him for long, and he's temperamental.

"Can you guys chill out?!" Shout a woman. It makes me and Sean glance to the direction of the voice's owner. She's the hostage with black hair. "I just safe from the kidnapper, and then all of this crazy things happened, and then my savior just fighting with each other?!" Protest her the second time, while moving her hand in depressed way.

Sean glare back to me before release his neck lock. He take a step back before brushing his hair. "Talk now." He said and trying to not meet my eyes directly.

"We can't save them." I says in bold tone.

"Yes, we can't save them cause of you just leave them behind."

"You don't unders-"

"What you mean I'm not understand?!" He raise his voice again, and pointing to me. "I see you leave them with my bare fucking eyes!"

"They're contagious, you see the insane bite others? It just gonna make people turn out like the insane. And all of them including our Captain, is bitten! If we bring him to the base, he may not dead... But he gonna kill all of us." I say in front of his face.

He stride back, as if thinking my words. "That can't be right! There must be-" A series of shouting and groaning can be heard.

Two of us glance at the same spot, the supermarket. Some people scrambled out of the supermarket with or without trolley. Even from the distance, I can see some of them have bloody part, but can't make out where is that from. The insane also can be seen from here, the mess they created is not different. They need to be stopped.

I look over Sean. I'm thinking to take him with me, but that's mean leave hostages with one officer and one thugs. "Sean, I need you to stay put."

"Don't tell me, what, to do." He look at me with angry but doubtful face.

"We can't leave the hostages with one criminal and an officer, Sean." I point out.

He thinks for some second, before kicking dust. "Alright, fine," He stretch his back. "I'll stay." He says quickly before walk for the Bearcat's side to lean on.

I take a deep breath while checking my ammo. After filling my chamber, I raise my confidence. All of this things.. is impossible to be that bad, right? After some second, I start walking for the supermarket, but stopped by another voices.

"Officer!" I look to my back, just to found the hostages with red hair. "You can't go against them alone.. sir.." She says as walking closer to me.

"It's going to be fine, I'm trained for th-"

"I'm going with you." She cut my sentence. That obviously make me surprised. "I'm a baseball player if that'll make any difference."

"Woah, hold up," I hold my left hands up as if stopping her. "It's too risky, okay? I'll be back here in any sec-"

"You should at least bring her, you can't be alone there, and there's no other people you can bring." Says Sean without looking to my faces.

The red head look at me with hope in her eyes. I'm trying to say no, but my mind says yes. I'm saying nothing until I gave her my folded baton. "Don't lost this.. for the second time." I says as nod to her once, and then lead her to the supermarket.

"Victoria." She suddenly says when we're on our way.

"What?" I ask her back.

"Victoria Wallgreen, that's my name."

"I'm Aiden Yeun, nice to meet you when all of this happening." She chuckles a bit even if her face back to terrified.

We're running in the same pace, even though sometimes I'm little bit faster than her. It's our halfway when we met three people with their trolley, and two insane following them.

"Stand back!" I says to the customer, as pointing my M4 Colt Carbine to the insane. I released one and second shot to both of their chest, but it doesn't make any difference. I shot many more to the heart, and they're still moving. "Fuck, what the hell are they." I said as the insane move closer to me.

"The head!" Says Victoria. I assume she want me to shot the head. It's hard for me since I never shot someone on the head before, but I do it anyway. One of them get two bullet stay on his brain, and then drop unmoving. I quickly do the same things to the other one.

"Good inspection, girl." I says before nod to her, and then running for the supermarket entrance.

There's no more people around the entrance like before, but my concern is to safe whoever stuck inside the supermarket. We move closer to the double automatic door, and still heard nothing. But as soon as the door opened, the sounds of mess can be heard. Shelves falling and blood everywhere, as if decorating the floor in Halloween style. I heard screaming from all directions. My glance can't stop at one object, knowing all of this is confusing.

"Watch out!" Says Victoria from my right, but instead of make me cautious, it makes me turn to her direction. She says nothing but swing the baton from her side, aiming for my head. I'm quick enough to duck, and then somehow, the baton hit something.

I'm back to standing position and look to my back. There's an insane, blood flowing from head, lying unconscious. I look back to Victoria. "Thanks." I gulped before I say that.

I see a movement behind Victoria, someone is running from far right to the left. Victoria seems notice that I'm distracted, and look to same spot as me. The person that was running is gone cause by the shelves. To my curiosity, I move forward while checking every row of corridor. Victoria stay close behind me, even though there's many shouting in every corner.

I point my rifle to my front as slowly but sure. I flick to the left as I pass first row of shelves, and found nothing. I turn back to the right and check other row. Second, third, fourth and then shout and crying. It's the same person I saw earlier, but now he's eating a little child that already lay unconsciously. I raise my gaze and found a woman, mid twenties crying and terrified. I quickly shot the insane on the head twice, and then aiming for the little child.

I'm about to pull the trigger when Victoria gently push my rifle down. I look at her, and her eyes glazed while slowly shake her head. I obey her and look back to the woman I see earlier, that possible to be the mother of that poor little child. She already kneeling beside the little girl, and burst her sadness out. I turn my rifle to the ground, while my left hand absently trying to reach for the woman.

"Ma'am I know this is hard to accept, but it's too dangerous out here, I need you to get home." I try to calm her down, but she seems doesn't heard me. I try to move closer. "Ma-" Suddenly the girl bite her mother. "Fuck it." I point and shot my rifle to both of them, and quickly regret what I just did. I can safe them both if I act quicker and bolder. Why am I this dumb.

"Don't feel guilty.." Says Victoria from beside me.

"You're right." I swallow it hard. "You're right." I said and then move away from this corridor. As soon as I get out of that row, I think I don't hear scream anymore. All of them must be running outside and make a cluster.

I run my hand through my hair, thinking about what else to do after all of that. But the only things on my mind.. is the fact that I can't save them all.

Someone pat me on the shoulder. I look over and see Victoria pointing to one door behind the cashier. "What if we talk to the manager, maybe they can help us." I nod to her and walking to the very same direction she pointed.

I don't need to use my rifle anymore since there's no more direct threat. I move pass the cashier, and then moves to the 'staff only' door. I'm not even knocking and just push the door open. I found there's one body in a two pieces suit, laying on the ground, blood flowing from the mouth and forehead. There's also two other people, a woman and a man.

The man quickly throw cutter from his hand. "Look, I didn't meant-" his word fade from my hearing system as soon as I spot a blood mark on his back arm.

He trying to get closer and convince me to not sue him. "Stop right there!" I shout and aim my rifle to him. My hands clenches hard on my rifle.

"What's wrong?! I told you he trying to kill us!" He says innocently.

"Your arm." I said while still pointing my gun. Victoria seems understand what I meant, and she gives me nod from my left. "Did he bites you?"

"Yeah.. he did, how'd you know that?"

"Did he bite her?" I nod my head to the woman, and don't care about other things he ask.

"Yes..?"

I swallow hard again, before shot both of them. "Fuck!" I curse before throw my gun away. "This is nonsense!" I'm kicking debris and leaning on the wall. Victoria do nothing but watch me swallow all of this.

No longer after that, the back door opened and four people rush in quickly. I quickly notices all of them.

"What take you- woah?!" Sean try to not step on the dead body. "What's happening?"

I move pass him and head for the door. "Bitten." I said as using a nearest chair to block the door. "What about you? Why you're risking life to goes in?"

"There's too many of them on the front, so we quickly move the Bearcat to the back of building, head in.

"Just great." I says and then look to the Hopkins. "Have any news from station?"

He looks worried as shaking his head. I'm thinking for some second before sitting on a chair behind a desk. I lay my back as running hands through my hair.

"We need to stay put." I suddenly say.

Sean's eyes meet mine. "You sure?" He leaves a hard breath. "We should at least go for the base, waiting for another order."

"We can do it, but as soon as we get there, there's nothing we can do." I'm being realistic, make him thinking for second time. "It's either hunt or hunted." I pause for some second. "We need to keep up with the news, help people who need help, contact with the base."

All of them nodding in approval. I look at their face, including the mobs we got, and then nod. I hope this is the best option we got.. and choose.

POV : Aiden Yeun

[Klamath, California 20 December 2020]

It's been fourth day since all of this started. We've seen military pass the road, but we don't hear anything more since then. There's a civilian car crashed our window yesterday, and flying rounds from them make our light broken. There's nothing we can do but stay. During this hard day, we tried to contact the base but still got no response. But at least we know what's happening.

We've watched the news on TV and heard some from radio. All of them talking about Safe Haven. There's some city that's still stable and under the government help. San Francisco, Nebraska, Atlanta, Texas, DC, New York. Our closest hope was San Fran, our only choice. But how we can manage that? I don't know.. we don't know.

There's a sounds. Two people or so talking outside of our room. Sean notice same things like me. We quickly get to the door that lead to main supermarket. I cup my ears to the door.

"Two people." I whisper to Sean, and he ready his handgun up. They're not the first one came here, but doesn't mean they're not hostile like some people before them.

My handgun empty after using it too much, so the baton and fist was my only choice. I look to the others, all of them has filled the room with worried face too.

"Clang!" There's sounds from our room. I look back and found the mobs, the same criminal I found, standing beside a broken vase. "I'm sorry.." he whispered when I can only swallow hard.

I keep my ear on the door, but there's no other voices. There's a very long pause untill I can hear a step closer. They've notice us. I slowly back away from the door, nod to Sean and hold my baton up.

There's a pause again, as if they checked the door up. I can barely heard someone whisper something, and then a sound from mechanical things, possible to be a weapon. I look at Sean who's ready on my back, I look at others, and they're just standin there as if this is a show.

"One.." I heard someone says from outside. "Two.." This isn't going to be good.

"Three!" The door bashed in, I'm about to hit them when nobody move at this situation.