As soon as Evan heard the burning squeal of tires upon pavement, he realized what was going wrong. Without a moment's delay, he ran to obstruct the escape, but with an energetic swerve and a near-miss, the vehicle broke away at a good clip. Futilely, he shouted, dashing down the asphalt and arriving at the ramp into the garage several seconds behind the car.
Pursuing after the sounds of frenzied, erratic driving, Evan believed he would sight the vehicle ahead until the moment he could see it tear onto the street. Slowing his pace to a walk, then resigning himself to failure, Evan came to a halt midway towards the slope leading to the first floor. Nothing he could do now but salvage the outcome.
As the sounds of the vehicle diminished Evan tried to set his mind on what could be done. He warily eyed his surroundings and called out to the others. "He's gone. I'm coming back!" A shout of recognition returned. Now they were only accompanied by the low hum of the nearby river.
Evan had made a terrible mistake. With uncanny clarity, the sudden shriek of rubber combined in his memory with Lucas's declaration that 'someone like him' could survive here. In retrospect, the eagerness to help out despite the seemingly morose mood made a lot more sense now. In his own way, Lucas had almost given a warning of his intention. But as aggravating as it was to know his trust had been woefully misplaced, being angry with Lucas right now could not solve any problem.
Careful to remain wary of his surroundings, Evan ascended to the top floor of the parking garage. The others were waiting anxiously just at the peak of the ramp, weapons drawn and ready. Leon spoke out when he spotted Evan walking up the sloping ramp to the roof. "Wasn't that guy a friend of yours?"
Evan exhaled wearily as he brought the white hood of his coat over his head. "Yeah. Lucas is- uh, he's a really good guy. He's just..." Sighting the keys he had been tinkering with on the ground, Evan moved to retrieve and pocket them.
"When things get tough, people show you what kind of person they really are." Leon shook his head in exasperated fashion. "Damn it, I left my backup ammunition clips in there."
Evan made a sound as if to reply, grasping for a response. He believed his friend was better than that action would indicate. Certainly, once Lucas returned to his right mind he would realize this was a terrible mistake. Evan just realized it wasn't the time to tell that to the others right now.
"We don't have lights! What should we do?" Minoko spoke as she fidgeted with her blue coat.
Leon sighed heavily "I don't think we'll be able to make it all the way back before the sun sets." He gazed off in the direction of the university grounds, over the Willamette river and many city blocks distant. "Shit, do you think zombies can see in the dark?"
"They have the same eyes we do." Evan wasn't certain, but even at a quick pace he thought it would take about an hour to return the way they had come. Lengthening shadows of evening were crawling across the landscape. Glancing up, Evan saw dark clouds littering the sky in artful smatters, threatening rain. "But it's still probably not a good idea to travel in the dark. We should find shelter somewhere as soon as we can."
"Sounds like a good idea." Leon approached the edge of the structure and gazed at the street below. "I don't see any zombies down there. But I hear something." He gazed in one direction away from the river.
"That's not the Willamette?" Minoko's eyes became wide with sudden alarm. She turned towards the direction Leon had subtly indicated. Evan knew there was a mall somewhere close by over a gentle hill, though it was obscured by trees and buildings from this vantage point. He could see a big hotel and an office building over in that direction, though.
"It does sound like the river... But it seems like there's something else too, I think whatever it is must be a ways off." Leon added.
Now that someone had suggested something more sinister, Evan began to reevaluate what he had been idly dismissing. Being more skeptical, he couldn't discern the direction of whatever the source was... "Hurry then. First thing that might work, we go for it." Evan glanced sideways towards Minoko, giving her a chance to speak. She shook her head, remaining silent, apparently content to let him and Leon decide their course of action. She still seemed genuinely uneasy with the firearm she carried, nervously inspecting it now and then.
"Well, if either of you see somewhere that might work, say something." From their vantage point, Evan examined the nearby blocks in the direction they had arrived from. They didn't have much time to delay, so he scanned hastily.
They needed somewhere suitable to hide from whatever would be lurking in the dark. The majority of structures in their vicinity were considerably smaller than the dominatingly large convention center. Dismissing the larger structure, Evan examined what else laid around, reasoning that the smaller buildings would be more likely to be safe. Yet as far as he could see, the businesses nearby were also broad-windowed in design, easily providing a view of the interior.
Trying to recall the recent sights upon their arrival to the area, Evan sighed. Each business he remembered within a minor walk, from a bank to coffee shop to fast food restaurants and a marijuana dispensary all seemed unsuited to their needs. Every place he could recall had big windows so they seemed impractical for hiding. They might have to just return along their course of arrival and duck into the first suitable building they found.
Just as Evan turned back to face the others, Leon gave a cautious shout and waved. The slightly older man had progressed a little ways along towards the further end of the structure. He pointed downwards, to something very close. "Hey, what about there?"
Leaning over to better see what was indicated, Evan peered at a flat-topped squat building with crimson walls just on the other side of the street and hugging the far intersection. The layout was rectangular with one section in the middle sticking out. "What is that place?"
"I don't know, but it doesn't have huge windows." Leon stood up tall and reclaimed his weapon from his shoulder strap. "Just very small windows. It looks like."
"Well, the sooner we begin..." Evan motioned to the others as his voice trailed off.
Evan led the two at a brisk pace, keeping just enough of an eye upon them to make sure he wasn't leaving the others behind. They progressed through the parking structure and emerged onto the street. Leading them along the center of the road hurriedly, Evan turned towards the near corner. Hastily edging forwards he proceeded into the intersection, checking in all directions before waving the others towards him.
Directing his attention towards the structure, it appeared as if it had been closed for a while. Something about the exterior coat of paint looked old, but it wasn't yet cracking or peeled. The tiny fraction of interior he could see through the small window on the door had a peculiar air of disuse. A sign on the door indicated it was available for lease. Evan tested the handle before facing the others. "This could work for tonight. Given the window, I think we can keep the lock intact."
"Got it." Leon stepped forwards and motioned the others away. Evan watched him take steady aim at the window and deliver a crack of violence to the glass. Once more, and the spidery web that had formed had a secondary webbing. Leon frowned and took another step back, firing twice more. Then he raised the butt of his rifle, bringing it down hard on the tiny window with heavy blows. "We're lucky we have these guns. Sheesh."
Evan looked around, pausing to nod confidently at Minoko, who seemed quite anxious. He didn't like the way that cascading series of echoes had seemed to fill the city. But there was nothing he could do about it but remain alert. Still nothing in the area from what he could see. When Leon finally forced a few chunks to loosen, he breathed a deep sigh of relief.
Leon paused briefly to inspect the tattered, uneven fracture, and turned to look at the others. "Shit, anyone have gloves still?"
Evan flinched slightly as Minoko replied. "They were in the car."
"Right." Leon set down his rifle carefully and flicked off his heavy sweater. Now with the grey thermal undershirt, he wrapped the black fabric quickly over his arm and hand. Gingerly pushing through the opening of glass, an audible click came after a moment. Withdrawing his arm just as cautiously as he had pushed it through, he shoved the door open and stepped back.
Although Leon had already ventured his hand in there, Evan was ready for the signal; entering the small structure with his pistol drawn. Quickly walking through the open, dim interior, he looked around what corners and hidden spaces there were in the mostly open structure. Slightly discolored regions on the white walls were the only shapes he saw and there was nothing moving he could see. There were a couple of doors, but Evan only checked they were secure before moving on. A faint scent of musty paper wafted in the air as he stepped over a few scraps. A fine sheen of dust laid on basic furnishings too old or cheap for the former user to want. As he turned back, Leon and Minoko were already inside the doorway, alert but hopeful.
"Safe. Looks like it's been empty for a while." A look of eager relief passed over the others. Leon reset the lock and walked inside to look around. Minoko placed her rifle aside, taking a breather against the wall. Evan exhaled slowly, suddenly aware how it felt easier to breathe.
Holstering the weapon, Evan proceeded to a worn but sturdy table and tested its weight with one arm. Zombies seemed to capable of operating door knobs and handles, but he wasn't sure if reaching inside a door's broken window to twist a deadbolt lock would be similar instinct. It seemed at the very least to require a little thought to be capable of such a thing.
As if knowing what he was thinking, Minoko had come to the other end of the table and positioned herself as if to move it. After a moment of what must have been a confused look, Minoko spoke. "Just in case, right?"
"Right." Together, they effortlessly moved the table into the entryway at an angle to obstruct the door. They worked with it until it was wedged tightly against the door and wall, creating a barricade for the door. Minoko took a step back and leaned against the wall.
Just in time, Evan thought as he looked around. Although it hadn't been too long, they had just about lost the last of the light. Shuffling over and standing up tall, he peeked through one window. From it he could see the parking garage across the street, but visibility was very poor. It was definitely the right call to find somewhere to shelter during the night. In a few more minutes it would probably be almost completely dark.
Leon returned and set up a few folding chairs. "Looks like this used to be an art gallery. I found a storage room in the back. Also, there's an access to the roof."
Evan slumped into one of the chairs, allowing nervous tension to fade which he had not realized was present. Hopefully, Lucas would survive on his own until he either escaped or decided to return.
Leon carefully checked on the door, ensuring the lock and barricading table was in place. He took a scrap of paper he had found to the tattered, torn sections of bullet resistant glass and taped it to drape over the cracks. The extra effort made them completely concealed.
"So what do we do in the morning?" Leon's barely visible outline returned to a chair.
"Probably head back. Let everyone know we're okay." Evan replied. "How much ammunition does everyone have?"
Leon checked his pockets and tossed something against the nearby wall with a jingle. "Whatever's left in the rifle. I think it's something like six or eight bullets. The rest was in the back seat."
"I only fired a couple times." Minoko added as she watched the door.
"I think I have a couple shots left." Evan sighed as he unclasped the holster for the pistol and set it aside.
"What do we do with the keys we still have?" Minoko whispered.
"That was just a trick to get us out here to steal the car." Leon gestured.
"Maybe..." Evan briefly considered the idea. Lucas had once told him that the best deceptions were the ones partly based on truth. "But I don't think he would have suggested it in the first place if he didn't think the plan was reasonable."
"We have less than half of what we started with." Leon continued. "Good idea or not, we're less likely to get a hit now."
"On foot, it would take us longer to search..." Evan began, but shook his head. "No, I think we should head back in the morning. Maybe we can come back to this when we're better prepared." Or maybe, Evan thought to himself, if Lucas returned with the car they could get back to their plan.
The three of them sat in the dark quietly for some time, listening to the steady white noise in the distance. Idle talk came now and then in whispers before they finally decided it was time to try sleep. Evan tried not to think too deeply about the soft noise that lulled him to sleep.
