The Diapered and The Dead Ch. 10
Fran’s heart felt as though it would burst at any second. She wanted to scream as she took cover inside the small locker across from the women’s fitting rooms. She wasn’t angry about being set up by Corey and the others, she wasn’t mad at Sophia’s betrayal, she wasn’t worried about the others who had come with her into the sporting goods store. She was simply sacred for her life at the moment as the mutated zombie creatures clawed at the flimsy metal door of her hiding place.
These were not like the Zombies on the highway. These were the mutants the security guard had warned them about last night. The virus was changing those it infected. Only the barest of human resemblance remanded in the creatures waiting outside the locker, Fran trembled in fear as they clawed at her with their elongated boney talons that had once been fingers.
The scratches soon turned to pounding as the creatures shook the wall of lockers fiercely. A whimper escaped from her lips then as she met the terrible demon like eyes of the monster awaiting her surrender. There was only hunger in them, no sign of reason or humanity, Fran knew she was going to be eaten alive and whatever reminded of her afterwards would quickly turn into one of them. It was a fate worse than death truly, yet it was all that remained to her now.
Then suddenly the shaking stopped. The creature fell back with a start as a thick metal cylinder fell down on its head. Its growl turned into a thud, as again the object fell this time striking home with a splatter of blood as the creature outside the locker turned lifeless.
“Get off a me, ya freaks!” exclaimed a familiar voice and again the sickening sounds of organ mush filled the air.
“Fran! You in there?” called the voice as it dispatched of the final monster. It was Max, somehow he found her just in time to save her life.
“Max!?” said in Fran in disbelief.
“Come on, we’ve got to find Lily and Ron.” He said crouching down to help her out of the locker.
Fran trembled as Max helped her to feet. A shiver ran down her spine releases the contents of her bladder out of fright and exhaustion and Fran was powerless to stop it. She held tight to her crouch in vain, whispering “No,no,no” as she stood in place, her pants growing ever darker.
Max said nothing as she pissed herself in front of him. It was becoming an all too common occurrence among their littler group and while Fran had done a great job of keeping herself dry compared to the others there was no point in making a big deal out of It now. Her fear was quickly replaced by anger as the urine pooled at her feet. She was mad at Sophia for her betrayal and furious at the boy’s from her class for setting them up to day.
“Fran, snap out it, we’ve got to move” said Max offering her his hand.
“I’m sorry,” was all she said removing her gaze from the enormous wet patch on the front of her pants.
Max led her though the room of fallen creatures back out on to the store’s main floor. It was quiet, but neither one of them doubted they were alone at this point. Fran scanned each aisle they passed for any sign of Lily or Ron, now more than ever they needed to stick together, and she hoped beyond all hope, the pair of them were okay. The thought of them both falling victim to Corey’s maniacal scheme made her sick to her stomach.
Somehow Max had managed to gather up a plethora of needed supplies before coming to her aid back in the dressing rooms. He brought Fran to his stockpile of food and energy drinks all neatly packed away in a few simple to carry duffle bags.
“I’m thinking this should be enough for the both of us, maybe even enough for Lily and Ron too. In case they didn’t get a chance to gather supplies.”
Fran said nothing as she gathered up what supplies she could help carry out.
“Once we get back to the camp, they’ll have no choice but to let us in… we’ve got to warn them about this.”
“You can’t be serious,” stated Fran then. “You want to go back to Corey and the others after all this?” she asked shocked.
“We don’t have a choice,” answered Max.
"Actually we do…"said another voice from behind them. Fran felt het bladder release once more from the startle of this new arrival, though this time she was able to maintain some control.
“Ron! Lily!” exclaimed Max “Geeze, don’t sneak up on us like that.”
Fran let out a sigh of relief as both Ron and Lily appeared before them. For a moment she attempted to cover the tell-tale sign of her accident, but quickly noticed how thoroughly soaked Lily was as well, and thought better of it.
“Thank goodness you guys are alright.” Said Lily “I heard screaming and saw Ron go after the creatures–”
“We don’t have much time,” Ron cut in. “We need to get the hell out of here while we can, we’ve got a clear shot out the back entrance if we hurry.” He added taking up the remaining sack from Max’s supply pile.
It was then that Fran got a chance to really take in the sight of him. Ron had transformed. He wore the handgun the man had given him tucked into his belt right in front for anyone to see, while on his back sat a quiver of arrows and lethal looking crossbow. Fran couldn’t really believe it, even Lily had managed to gather a few items on her own, out of the Four of them Fran had come up the weakest somehow.
Ron lead them through the rear of the store like a true solider, and when they finally made it out into the open with the sun quickly fading around them Fran could not help but feel incredibly thankful for the little group she had fallen in with. Sophia was dead to her in a way, while she couldn’t blame her one time friend for what she’d done, she wasn’t going to dwell on the unpleasantness that was sure to head her way. Fran spent a half-though pondering what would happen to Sophia when Claire found out she was wearing a diaper, she doubted it would be nice.
“What are we going to do now?” asked Lily
“We’re going to stay well clear of the others,” answered Ron
“We ought to make for the Jeep, and get the heck out of here.” Fran found herself saying. She was eager to pull her own weight among the others, if she couldn’t gather supplies the least she could do was offer some level-headed suggestion.
“It’ll be dark soon. I don’t know how far the jeep is going to be able to take us.” Said Max
“I don’t either, for now our best bet going to be to find a place we can call our own. We’ll keep our distance from the others. Maybe head to the other side of the strip.” Replied Ron, “Either way we need to get out of here.”
A trio of creatures had found them out in the open then. Ron was quick to act with Max right by his side and in no time at all the monsters were down. Again Fran had to marvel and the killing machine Ron had become, while she and Lily stood behind wetting themselves like a pair of children.
Not much was said after that. Ron led them forward cautiously and the group carefully made its way across the abandoned shopping plaza without further incident. They stirred around the way they had come before, making it a point to avoid the areas surrounding The Bed, Bath and Beyond their former classmates had come to call home. They moved in quiet and slowly the sun sank on the horizon above them.
The north end of the plaza was littered with empty storefronts and appeared relatively untouched. Of course the pickings were slim as among the vacant shops were a Barnes & Noble’s, a Victoria Secrets, a Gamestop and a simple Coach store, nothing even close to a Bed, Bath and Beyond and worse still, nothing open to them.
Fran’s stomach let out a howl of hunger as they passed a small Pretzel Shop with a smashed window. The other’s hungry as well, Ron called a halt so they could take the opportunity to take in some food. They dined on stale pretzels and cold hotdogs while seated on the stores’ floor. It was the closest thing they’d had to real food in days, and Fran felt all the better for it, despite the fact that her pants were still soaking wet and beginning to smell like piss.
Renewed they set out again and an hour passed in their search to find lodging before they’d come to agreement on shacking up inside an unassuming Ann Taylor Loft, Lily had managed to squeeze through and open up for the rest of them.
As they settled in Ron decided to make a quick run to the jeep despite an unanimous protest from the others. However the water they’d brought with them from the road was probably they’re most valued resource at this point, and Ron wasn’t going to risk it falling into Corey’s hands.
He set out on his own after making sure everything else was in order. He even handed over the handgun to Max, just to be safe. Fran was confident in Ron to get done what he needed to, but she could see the worry on Lily’s face and the growing unease from Max.
At first glance The Loft seemed like the perfect place to spend the night and Fran was thankful for the chance to change out of her wet clothes. However the store wasn’t exactly stocked for her size, nor were any of the clothes really meant to endure the apocalyptic journal of survival she’d suddenly found herself in.
After some searching however she did find a few outfits she was certain she could make work. More than anything she was eager to get out of her peed-in jeans and damp panties, the dry clothes felt good after everything that had happened. It was a small comfort she meant to share with Lily yet she was stopped short by the return of Ron much sooner than anyone had anticipated.
“We can’t stay here. We need to keep moving,” he said out of breath as he returned to the group.
“Ron what is it?” asked Lily waddling over to him.
“Are you crazy? It’s nearly dark out.” Said Max.
“We need to move…now.” Stated Ron in the matter of fact tone the others had learned not to question.
Thinking quickly Fran stuffed the outfit’s she’d found into the duffle bag with the other supplies. She had never seen Ron so spooked before, and knew it was in all of their best interest to heed is warning.
“We need to go quickly and quietly,” said Ron once everything was gathered and the group was ready to move out. “We’ve got to get away from the plaza…we’re sitting ducks here no matter where we stay.”
Nobody questioned him as they set out. The sky was a purple haze of orange and twilight as the Sun continued its dissent into the darkness of night. The four of them moved in single file behind Ron, who led them with hand gestures and eye contact. Fran could hear the sound of her heart pounding in her chest fit to burst at any moment.
The reason for Ron’s caution revealed itself just as the group reached the last corner before the parking lot. Fran pissed herself almost instantly and noticed Lily did almost exactly the same.
The zombie’s mutation had bloated it three times the size of a normal human being. It was a giant of hairless rotten flesh and a head full of sharp pincher-like teeth. It was a true creature out of nightmare, on the hunt for its next meal.
Ron motioned for them to stay stalk still as the creature passed by. Fran dared not to look up, focusing her gaze on the overflow of Lily’s diaper as it trickled down the other girl’s leg to form a puddle of urine no doubt mixed with her own.
When it got to be too much for her she closed her eyes and continued to pee. There was no stopping it, she’d didn’t even know she could of held that much in her bladder, yet now she was doing a suburb job of saturating the clothes she’d only just chanced into.
Each step of the creature shook the ground beneath its feet. Its moans echoed down the empty plaza as it went on its way without noticing them.
When finally Fran felt the last of her bladder empty itself, she opened her eyes and stood with the others.
“Come on now is our chance.” Said Ron in a voice barely above a whisper “Follow me.”
They did, and Ron lead them out into the parking lot away from the mazelike deathtrap the shopping center had suddenly become. Dusk was settling in all around them, and they knew that would bring more Monster’s out from their hiding places.
Max was the first to sight a small pack of shambling zombies heading straight for them.
“Ron what do we do?” asked Lily doing her best to keep up with the group as she waddled behind Max.
“We’ve got to make for that building across the street,” said Ron then motioning toward the other side of the parking lot where a lone department store towered over a smaller strip of shops away from the main plaza.
“How do you know it’s safe?” asked Max.
“I don’t…” answered Ron “But its position is better suited for an escape and it’s further away from this madness.” He added before breaking off into a sprit leaving the others to follow.
Fran had little trouble keeping up with him despite the way her thigh rubbed together with the wetness of her accident. Lily and Max on the other hand, were a different story. Max strength was in his size not his speed, and as for Lily, well Fran did not envy the diaper rash that girl was in for once this was all over.
They managed to clear the parking lot and the small highway without drawing a hoarde down on them. Looking back from where they had come, Fran could spot the growing number of shadowy figures out in the distance. She wondered how her other class mates had survived so many nights in the plaza already.
“Damn, we should have just come here in the first place,” said Max as they re-grouped to take in their new surroundings. “This place is empty,” he added between breaths.
“I don’t think this place was even open yet.” Said Lily taking it all in.
“It looks like this was meant to be some kind of expansion to the main shopping center,” said Ron “I bet they were still trying to lease some of these smaller units for stores before everything shut down.”
“Lucky for us,” said Fran examining their new surroundings as well. By all accounts it appeared Lily and Ron were right. The smaller storefronts were empty, while even the anchored department store had a lone semi-truck parked up against its back loading bay.
“One of these things has got to have a way in” exclaimed an exasperated Max.
“No,” said Ron “We’ll make our stay in the store over there,” he added motioning toward the larger department store. “If the other’s can do it so can we.”
They took a minute to relax and note more features of their new surroundings. Fran could hardly believe how deserted it was compared to the area no more than a few yards away. Getting into the department store would be a major win all itself, if anything the view from the roof would help them plan better in the morning.
As they moved towards the larger store Fran was barely able to make out the sign that hung down the side of its exterior Front wall. Lily was in bad shape, every step she took seemed to send an arrow of stinging pain down the inside of her legs. She looked as though she were about to cry from it all so Fran did her best to help her along the way.
Slowly they all made their way together, the taller department store towered over the others like a beacon of sanctuary, nearly within their grasp. And when finally the sign on the store could be read through the darkness Fran was certain none of them had ever been more happy … to lay eyes on a Babies R’ Us.
somehow it seemed a bit slower and easyer to read then the others… Good job!