Day 14

Rounding the corner onto Lyon Avenue, Danielle was relieved that there were no cars in front of the Family Storage that her parents owned. Had owned. She steered the Focus into the small lot in front of the building and parked the car at the gate. There appeared to be no power to the complex, as nothing appeared on the code readout and the keys did not beep. She would need to open the gate by hand. 

She was beginning to despise rolling gates.

She wondered about the people who used to work here. Her parents more or less had just given up on managing the business themselves years ago, instead letting an older woman named Sandy Gunderson live on the property as the manager. They were content to let her run the business and simply collect their checks.

Then, of course, was old Bob the security guard. He used to show Danielle his collection of Vietnam stuff. He even taught her how to shoot at her father’s insistence.

She hadn’t seen them in years, even though they were around the corner. She didn’t use the storage unit her parents kept on hand, either. It was their stuff, then. She hadn’t heard from her parents, since all this went down, even during the final hours when it seemed obvious communications were going down. There was no cavalry. She didn’t care to think about their fate.

For what it was worth, Danielle also hoped that Sandy and Bob were still alive, somewhere safe. There was no sign, though. The world was so quiet, the storage units equally so.

She cut the ignition and stepped out of the car. She looked around – down Lyon were some older houses and in the distance, she could make out some figures that were already approaching. In the other direction, past Acacia and down toward Esplanade, the main street of the city, were more figures who were also heading in her direction. Behind her, across from the storage yard, was the district nutrition center for the schools – she would need to see if she could find some food there later. There were a couple of Ghouls within the gated facility who were already lurching toward the Family Storage, lured by the sound of the Focus.

She shut the door of the Focus and walked to the gate. She hooked the end of the gate with the crowbar and began to pull.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Dani whirled around toward the sound of the voice and saw an old man, shotgun raised. He’d come from just around the corner, where the office and residence met the entrance gate. His wrinkled, black skin and white beard were instantly familiar.

“Holy shit, Bob!”

Bob lowered his shotgun and laughed. 

“Danielle? Is that Danielle Kim?”

Danielle lowered the crowbar and grabbed at the gate with her fist. She was laughing. “Bob, Jesus, help me open the gate, please.”

Bob stepped forward and placed a worn and wrinkled hand on hers. “Kid, just punch in the code in about a minute.”

“You have power?”

“Only as long as I got fuel. I got that generator hooked up so I can get some food here and there when we need it.”

Bob shuffled over to his right, following a power cable that was hooked up to the gate control box. He vanished behind the outbuilding that served as the main office and on-site manager’s apartment. Soon enough the sound of a gas generator filled the area. Danielle hurried back into the car, punching in the code. The gate slid open and she drove in. She was parked just in front of it as it closed and the sound of the generator fell silent. Bob walked toward her and wrapped her up in a hug.

It was the most comforting hug in her goddamn life.

He was deceptively strong for how frail he looked. The man was close to his 80s by now, she had figured.

“Bob, you’ve been here the whole time?”

“Danielle, I live here. Your parents hired me as security, remember?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t know you fucking lived here. Did you marry Sandy?”

Bob laughed and shook his head. “I can’t stand that woman, Hell no. I was living on the lot in my R.V.” He jerked his thumb back behind him, a few rows back she could make out the large area where customers were able to store their vehicles.

Danielle raised an eyebrow. “This isn’t an R.V. park.”

She paused and rubbed at her temple. “I can’t believe I said that like it fucking matters. I am just so glad to see someone who isn’t covered in blood or trying to kill me.”

Danielle wrapped her arms around Bob. The old man gave her back a reassuring pat.

“C’mon, kid, let’s go have some tea with Sandy.”

…

Sandy Gunderson sat at the kitchen table, staring at Danielle Kim, the daughter of the owners. She wasn’t aware Danielle even still lived in town. Bob sat next to the young woman, pouring some alcohol into her mug of tea. Danielle smiled and took a sip.

“I’m so glad you’re alive, Danielle.” Sandy took a sip of her tea. She set down the cup. “Bob and I have been keeping this place locked tight. Nobody was coming here when everything went south.”

Bob scratched at his eyebrow. “Well, nobody living, that is. I’ve mostly been killing those bastards as they come and dragging the bodies over to that old drainage pit near the railroad tracks next to us.”

 “We’ve been keeping quiet, so they’ve not been coming around as much.” Sandy sighed. “But, well, since you got here you’ve probably dragged a few of them behind you. I suppose it can’t be avoided.”

Danielle set her mug down. “I’m sorry if my coming here is a problem.”

Sandy smiled. “Not at all, it’s just that I hope you’ll do us a favor and help clean up before you leave.”

Bob’s eyes met Sandy’s. “Before she leaves? Hell no, it’s her place, she can stay if she wants.”

“I’m just saying we only have enough supplies for myself and you, Bob…”

“We can get more supplies.”

Danielle removed the hair tie that had kept her ponytail up, and she let her hair fall to her shoulders.

“Look,” she said, “as far as I can figure it’s finders keepers now. I barely had any involvement with this place since my parent’s divorce, so as far as I am concerned, this is your place. I am just here for my Dad’s gun. I’ll gladly help take care of those things taht I brought to your door. I am planning on leaving town after.”

Sandy smiled. “That’s perfectly fair, your dad’s unit is locked up. Let me find the key for you.”

Sandy rose from the table and went downstairs. Bob leaned toward Danielle. He smelled of cigarettes, booze, and body odor. It was comforting compared to the mess that was her neighbor’s remains as she left. The rot set in fast.

“Danielle, please, we have this place locked down, you can rest up for a while. Don’t let Sandy push you around here.”

Danielle smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder. She squeezed it reassuringly and he placed a hand on her hand.

“I’ll think about it, Bob. I just need to get that gun, first.”

The pair sat in silence for a moment, happy to see one another.

The scream from downstairs, though, sent the old man and the young woman scrambling to their feet from the table.