Black Sun by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 31

There were still cars in the parking lots, all of them with holes torn through their hoods by batteries that, without warning, surged and exploded as a result of the same event that had killed so many unsuspecting people. This only served to prompt Abigail’s fear of what waited inside. She had seen enough death for several lifetimes and the thought of, again, confronting that reality brought terror to her mind and sickness to her soul. But there were things that had to be done, and it would take both of them to accomplish the goal they had set out for themselves.

Crossing the road that circled the mall, they walked through the parking lot in front of J.C. Penny’s, occasionally pausing to scan their surroundings. The last they needed was to run into trouble, survivors who had lost their humanness and lived for the pleasure of taking what they wanted, no matter who got hurt. Yet, there was one thing neither had considered. Some cars in the parking lot were still occupied and Abigail, driven by the reflex of curiosity, glanced through the windows of the first car they passed and quickly came to regret it.

“Oh, Jesus Christ,” she said.

Ryan was only a few steps ahead of her when she began to panic. “Abby, what is it?”

Stepping back away from the car's passenger window, she put her hands over her face as her eyes welled up. In the driver’s seat was a young woman, thin almost to the point of being gaunt. Even though it did not enter Abigail’s mind, the woman’s appearance could have been the result of the beginnings of decomposition, especially when her body had been trapped in a car for several days.

Looking in the window, Ryan saw what had upset her. The woman had obviously been on her phone when it exploded, leaving a gaping hole where her right ear used to be. Higher capacity batteries carry more potential for greater injury, and what Ryan saw left him weak in the knees. Unlike other explosive wounds they had seen, this had penetrated far beyond the woman’s ear, shattering bone from above the ear as well as the hinge of the jaw. He had only glanced, but what struck him most was a substance hanging out of the hole in the side of the woman’s head. It looked like toothpaste and Ryan, having no medical knowledge, assumed the worst but made the mistake of commenting on it. “Jesus fuck, is that her brain?”

Immediately, Abigail turned away as she vomited violently on the window of the car behind her. With both hands on its roof, she tightly closed her eyes as the contents of her stomach ran down the laminated glass and further down the door panel. “God dammit!” she said. “Why did you have to say that?” Ryan failed to consider Abigail’s response to such a gruesome sight, much less a comment that was just as graphic. Turning around, he put his hands on her shoulders then lowered them and began rubbing her back.

“Abby,” he began. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. Come on, we should keep going. We’ll get you some water when we get into the mall.”

Spitting out the last bits of vomit, Abigail sternly asked him not to offer any further comments regarding such horrific sights.

With a protective arm around her, Ryan walked Abigail the short distance to the double glass doors of J.C. Penny. Naturally, there were no lights, but there was enough natural light for Ryan to get a good view into the store.

“Alright,” he began. “All we have to do is get in.” He tried the door but found that in spite of the power being out, the door's magnetic lock had engaged and refused to open. “Shit,” he said.

Abigail stood back, watching his frustration mount. She had an idea, but waited to see how long it would take for Ryan to figure it out while watching him struggle with the door. “Hey,” she said. “Why don't you just smash the window?”

Ryan stopped suddenly and let his head fall against the glass, realizing that his attempt to open the doors had been as idiotic as it was futile.

“Yeah,” he said. “That's a great idea, isn't it?” Abigail covered her mouth as a silent laugh began to overtake her. But Ryan could not be fooled and, turning around, inquired about her reaction.

“Well,” he began. “I'm so glad you think this is funny. Tell you what, why don't you do the honors. Just pick up a rock and go for it.”

After upsetting her to the point of physical illness, he decided to let her have a little fun and expend some nervous energy. Now, a broad smile came to her face as she celebrated what she believed would be an easy conquest.

“Really?” She asked. “Fucking awesome!” Ryan stood back as she searched for a rock, something big enough to smash the glass but not so big that throwing it would be awkward. However, Ryan was aware of something she wasn't. After all, he had been an engineer and realized that all the glass in the mall was tempered and laminated. This would make it difficult to shatter unless Abigail could strike it with the smallest point of whatever rock she chose.

Abigail continued searching, picking up several rocks, checking both their weight and size. Finally, she selected one. It was roughly the size of a melon with a rough surface, and taking it back to where Ryan stood waiting with a slight grin on his face. “Alright,” she began.

The grin on her face broadened with the anticipation of committing her first act of vandalism.

“Let's fuck some shit up.”

Abigail returned and stood squarely in front of the glass doors, and backing up a few steps brought the rock back behind her ear. After taking a deep breath, she launched the rock at the middle of the door on the right. Upon making contact with the glass, it made a loud crack as the rock bounced back, striking her shin.

“God dammit!” She yelled.

Holding her shin, Abigail limped over to the wall to the right of the doors with her eyes tearing up and an angry expression on her face. Ryan couldn't help but feel a bit guilty, having talked her into breaking into the mall without telling her about the construction of the doors. Fearing an angry response, he decided it would be best not to mention it.

“Shit that hurts!”

With a mix of guilt and concern, Ryan went up to her and putting a hand on her shoulder tried to be comforting. However, she would not give up and in her determination she refused Ryan's consoling approach.

“I got this!” She said.

Ryan had never seen this side of her before and backed away, offering her a suggestion.

“Why don't you find a rock that has a point on it? Something that will...”

Her frustration quickly reaching its peak, Abigail turned and interrupted him with continued determination. “You know,” she began. “I think I can figure this out, okay?!” Ryan raised his hands defensively as she limped back to find another rock, but soon discovered that they had been placed for decorative purposes, and they were all round. “Shit!” She yelled. “These rocks are all the fucking same!” She paused to rub her aching shin, taking the time to clear her head. Anger would be of no use to her and would, in fact, cause her to become more emotional. But then, there came an idea and picking up the rock that sent her into a rage, Abigail brought it up over her head and flung it to the sidewalk. At first, it refused to fracture but after a few more attempts, it broke cleanly in half. This, she thought, was enough and, picking up the larger half, threw it with every ounce of vengeance she could muster.

As luck would have it, it landed point first in the middle of the right-hand door, shattering it into millions of tiny shards. Having accomplished what she suspected might not be possible given her lack of strength, Abigail stood back, raised her hands in the air and celebrated wildly.

“Oh, fuck yeah! Fuck yeah!”

Ryan stood off to the side, applauding with a proud smile on his face.

“I got to admit it, Abby,” he began. “I didn't think you had it in you.”

Avoiding any comment about her emotional response, he motioned toward the gaping hole that shortly before had been a nearly impenetrable tempered glass door.

“After you,” he said. “Just watch the edges.”