To Be A Runner

Chapter 33: Not Just A Corner Shop

My breathing is coming out in quick pants as I run. The chopper has flown out of sight, but it's still around as we can still hear it. Whether it's following us or not Sarah and I both know we have to get to that Corner Shop as quickly as possible.

Sarah twists around as she runs, firing her pistol and taking out two of the zombies that are still chasing us. We've managed to lose a few when we made it into Hurtston, but some of these undead fiends are persistent. After Sarah takes the last one down she looks at me with wide eyes and sweaty face.

"We're almost there. If that chopper's waiting around for us they'll know where we're going but-"

Her voice is cut off as the ground rattles and a very loud boom fills the air. Not once, nor twice, but three times. The two of us stagger on our feet at the loud sound of the explosion, and my eyes wander upward where fire and smoke can be briefly seen, and I can see the top of the building going up in flames before collapsing completely.

What the hell?

"What the-Runner Five, Runner Eight, are you alright?" Sam questions through the headset, his voice sounding frightened and worried. "Respond. Check in, Runner Five, Runner Eight."

"We're okay, Sam. We're okay," She replies, breathing heavily. "It's about a kilometer away. We can see partially see it, but that explosion was nowhere near us."

Sam mutters something along the lines of, "Thank God," and I raise a brow in question.

'Can you of see anything through our head cams?'

"We had to turn them off since it started to become blurry and out of sorts. I think the chopper might have something to do with it."

As soon as he says the word 'chopper' I see that said thing fly around the building-or what's left of it-and continue to circle it, as if it wants to just watch it burn.

I have a bad feeling about this.

"What was it? What was destroyed?" Dr. Meyers asks.

"It's the chopper," Sarah answers. "It's destroying a building about one K from where we are now."

"What are the chances?" Sam sighs. "It's the Simpson's Corner Shop."

I sigh heavily, knowing that most information we could have found is destroyed; And since someone was sent to literally blow the place to smithereens, I know there must've been something there that would have been useful.

"We can see the smoke from our position," She states.

"Who'd have thought there was someone who actually hates over priced curly-wurlies and bean-boxes that much?"

I keep my eyes on the helicopter, watching as it finally stops circling the building and starts flying off into the unknown, and Sarah is quick to tell this to the doctor and the radio operator.

"If you feel safe to go on might as well what is left there and if anything is salvageable," Maxine says in a voice that is dripping with disappointment.

"Looks like the place is still on fire," Sarah says, and I feel the almost uncontrollable urge to smack her upside the head.

It was literally just blown up. What the hell did you think would happen after that? Did you seriously think the fire would die out that quickly?

"If we want to see anything, Five, we'd better get moving, and fast. I guess it's a good thing we're only half a click away."

We keep going, sprinting down the streets in hope to reach the burning building before it's gone completely. My feet pound into the ground so hard I feel the vibrations shoot up my ankle, making me wince in pain.