Ground Zero by Rain Stickland Read Free Book Online Page A

its own set of doors if I remember correctly, but there would’ve been other items worth looting in the main part of the mall. Thankfully security cameras wouldn’t have been high on anyone’s looting wish-list, but that’s assuming the local stores even carried them for sale. I’m betting most of the people were dead within the first month in town, with the exception of those who considered other people a food source.”
    Mac didn’t respond. She hated to think of all the people that had once lived in Huntsville. It had been a beautiful town. Too damn crowded in the summer with all the tourists, or terrorists as she and her friends had called them, but beautiful all the same. Well, at least there were no crowds now, and tourism was a thing of the past. Aesthetically-speaking, Huntsville could still be considered beautiful. Just really empty, with a lot of long, brown grass no one had been able to cut at the end of the previous summer, which had withered during the winter months.
    The sadness crept up on her. It wasn’t until that moment that she’d realized how much of the beauty of the town had come from the people living there, peacefully enjoying small-town life. Since she’d spent such a large portion of her life avoiding people as much as possible, the sentiment caught her completely off guard.
    “Why is it that it’s only now, when people are either dead or crazy, that I’m starting to think they weren’t so bad after all? I guess I’m like everyone in that respect, not appreciating something until it’s too late. It’s not just that, though. There’s a rhythm that’s missing in the world now. Kind of like someone blowing air across the top of an empty bottle, rather than a whole band playing. I think we were supposed to be a part of this world, but we went too far with it, and now we’re not playing the part we should have played,” she finished softly.
    “Honey, that’s just what humans do. We overreach. And it’s not just with bad things, either. Even when we’re doing something for a good cause we overreach, like with activism. People would go too far with it, alienating others who might have been a help to their cause. Humans just aren’t that reasonable or rational, and we sure as hell don’t think ahead very much about the consequences of our actions. Or inactions,” he added ruefully.
    “Ain’t that the truth. At any rate, you were right not to bet against me. Looks like both big sets of doors are broken. It’s a good thing, too. I want to make as little noise as possible. Hopefully the sound of the truck hasn’t caught anyone’s attention. Thankfully that furniture store is such a long way from the mall.”
    Neil pulled up to the doors and turned off the motor, while Mac looked up at the big signs over what used to be Zellers, before the large department-store chain had gone belly-up. Walmart moving into Canada had certainly had an impact on their bottom line.
    “I always wondered what they put in here after Zellers crapped out. It’s not easy finding big-name stores to take over those giant leases. Target took over some of the stores in the cities, I know, but then they pulled out of Canada. I’m surprised to see Winners and SportChek here, though. There aren’t even a lot of Winners stores down in the bigger cities.” Winners was a clothing store that sold new, but discounted, name-brand stuff. She’d seen cashmere for a fraction of the cost in some of them, but their stock wasn’t consistent. Neil just shrugged.
    “I was just thinking it was too bad they’d only have summer stock,” he said. “Not that it’s getting all that cold these days. We sure as hell don’t need down parkas anymore.”
    “Well, we’ve got everything we need for clothing anyway, and that’s not what we’re here for. I mean, if you see something in the electronics store that you think will be useful, by all means grab it, but I don’t want to be spending time looking into the other