“There’s the airport.” Jase pointed. “Looks okay from here. No cars around. That’s a good sign.”
Tyler slowed as we approached the small municipal airport. Up ahead, the road became a roundabout, with turns in three directions. To the right were two large corporate hangars. To the left stood a row of T-hangars, each one large enough for a single airplane. Straight ahead was a single building surrounded by a wide tarmac that was unfortunately empty of aircraft. The pickings would not be so easy here.
Tyler stopped at the roundabout. “Which way do we go, Cash?”
I sighed. “Straight ahead. We need to hit the terminal building first. Lucky for us, it’s a small enough airport that there probably weren’t many people around when the outbreak hit, so there wouldn’t be much reason for zeds to stick around here.”
“Except for the ones still stuck in buildings,” Jase tacked on.
I nodded. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we find at least one in the FBO building.”
“FBO?” Jase asked.
“Fixed Base Operator. Whoever ran the airport.”
“Can we skip the FBO and go straight for the hangars?” Tyler asked.
“The keys to get into the hangars will be in there.” I pointed at the building standing ominously alone just beyond the open airport gate. “We have to check it out.”
“You sure?” Griz asked.
I shrugged. “I’ve never seen hangars left unlocked before.”
“All right. We’ll take it slow.” Tyler stepped on the gas ever so slightly. The car crept through the open gate and he parked about forty feet from the FBO. It was an escape trick we all knew well. Zeds kept getting slower as they rotted away. If we had to leave in a hurry, putting a little distance between us and them made it easier.
I climbed out and breathed in the fresh morning air. No one moved far from the car. We took our time to scan for zeds. Jase was the first to head toward the building after taking several steps in a wide three-sixty. I followed him across the tarmac, crossing the white T-line marked for airplane parking and stepping over cracks in the old pavement. He stopped at the red door and looked through the glass pane.
“How’s it look?” I whispered as Griz and Tyler joined us.
“Not sure yet. Give me a minute,” Jase replied, taking a step back. “I’m going to check the other windows.”
With that, he took off at a run around the building. Jase was Camp Fox’s fastest runner. He was his high school football team’s first-string tight end and a state track hurdler for a reason. Nothing could catch him.
I looked through the window and saw some papers scattered on the floor by the front desk. No blood or stains marred the walls or floor.
I heard a rustle and turned to find Jase returning from the opposite direction he’d left. He slowed down and then stopped. “I couldn’t see any zeds through the other windows.”
“We’re burning daylight,” Tyler said.
I grabbed the door handle. “You guys ready?”
“You open, I’ll go in first,” Tyler said from right behind me.
I twisted the handle and pulled. Fortunately, the door was unlocked, and Tyler went in, holding his sword before him. Griz went in next, followed by Jase. I stepped inside and closed the door with only the quietest click to signal someone had entered.
The air didn’t stink of death, which was a good sign. Still, we moved through the building to make sure no zeds or bandits were lurking in shadows.
“This wouldn’t be a bad place for a small group to hole up,” I said after we cleared the building. “I mean, there’s the fence on the side facing the road, which would deter looters, and on the other side gives a full view of the airport to see zeds coming from a mile away.”
Glass shattered, and I jumped around to see Griz rummaging through a vending machine broken wide open.