Kick at the Darkness by Keira Andrews Read Free Book Online

here, we really need to get some weapons. Please? We won’t hurt you.”
    Adam looked to the left and tensed. “Open the door. We can help each other.”
    As the girls exchanged another glance, the chattering swelled. Parker was about to tell Adam to smash the damn glass after all, and Adam was tightening his grip on the tire iron when one of the girls flicked the lock. With a long exhale, Parker opened the door and held it so Adam could wheel the motorcycle inside. They locked it quickly and backed away from the glass. The front wall of the store was fortunately brick with windows near the roof too high to reach. The double glass doors were the only weak point.
    Silently, they watched the infected twitch their way down the street. A few wandered into the parking lot, but were more interested in the cars, reaching for the gleaming metal with bloody fingers. They ignored the store, and after a few excruciating minutes, Parker, Adam, and the young women were alone again.
    Parker took in the dark aisles. The sun through the doors and high windows, and an emergency light at the back of the store cast just enough glow to see. “Did you guys come in here for guns?”
    A blonde with a pink stripe in her long hair shook her head. “I’m the night cashier. It wasn’t busy, so the manager left me to close up.” She indicated her friends, a petite Asian with her hair in two braids, and a tall brunette with the kind of pixie cut Jessica had tried in middle school and regretted instantly. “Lauren and Daniela came to pick me up. We were going to the Sigma party. Then everything went crazy outside. We turned off the lights and hid. We thought it was some kind of riot. Then we looked online and it seems to be happening all over the place. We saw some videos on YouTube that were…bad. Really bad. San Francisco and Oakland looked like something out of a horror movie. The bridges were blocked with cars, and there were…bodies. And all the news sites said to stay locked inside. They said it was some kind of pandemic or something?”
    “Yeah. Apparently.”
    Daniela spoke up. “But how is this happening? What kind of virus or whatever makes people batshit crazy? This is insane, right? They have to do something. Someone will come help us, won’t they?”
    “I hope so,” Parker answered. He wanted to believe it, but with each passing hour it felt less likely. “Well, thanks for letting us in. I’m Parker, and this is Adam. My boyfriend.” He tried to smile, and likely failed spectacularly.
    “I’m Carey,” the blonde answered. “As in Mariah, not Underwood.”
    Lauren’s voice wavered and she tugged on one braid. “What the hell happened? We tried calling nine-one-one a million times and it just kept beeping this loud noise, and now it won’t connect at all.”
    Sweat beaded on Parker’s forehead. “What about your cells?” He pulled his out and swiped his finger across the screen.
    “They have bars, but no one’s picking up anywhere.”
    Parker paced up and down the football aisle and tried all his numbers again. Then he tried his roommate Chris. He barely knew the guy, but would love to hear that he was alive. Straight to voicemail. He left a message just in case. Chris is probably dead. They’re all probably dead. Please don’t let them be dead.
    We’re dead too. It just hasn’t happened yet .
    He took a deep breath and blew it out. He couldn’t panic. That wouldn’t help anyone. Eric was in some bomb shelter. He was okay. Their parents would be safe at the Cape house. They had to be. Dad would have been at work, so maybe he’d left early. Maybe Mom had picked him up on her way out of the city . Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe .
    He rubbed his face and rounded the hunting aisle, calling to Adam. “Want to try Tina again?”
    Carey was showing Adam the shotguns while her friends watched. Adam took the phone and tapped in the number. After a minute he silently handed it back, unmistakable resignation pinching his