I take my cart to the car and then decide I can do better than this. I recheck my list and see I forgot batteries, so I make sure to grab those. I also remember I wanted to look for that zombie book but don’t find it, so I pick up a few other books for entertainment.
I see some warm blankets that may come in handy and also grab a warm jacket and some clothes.
In my second trip through the food aisle, I grab a few boxes of chips, crackers, and all that other bad stuff you’re not supposed to eat. I figure it’s better to eat bad stuff than nothing at all. I also stock up on a ton of mixed nuts. Why didn’t I think of this before? They’re healthy and filling.
Other than that, I can’t think of anything else I could possibly need or want for the trip. Sure, if the electricity worked I would go hog-wild on the electronics section. But, considering big screen TVs and other electronic gizmos are useless right now I don’t bother; my thoughts are only geared toward survival.
I start cramming all the stuff in the car and wonder how this weight is going to affect my fuel mileage. Food and water trumps getting a few more miles in the car though.
The entire backseat and trunk are filled with stuff. I leave the front passenger seat available for easy access to weapons in case of a zombie attack. I wouldn’t want a massive group of zombies coming towards me, ready to eat my brains when my pellet gun is stuck in the trunk.
Just as I’m closing my dismantled trunk — which still works despite being dinged up — is when I see it. Actually, I hear it before I actually see it. It’s a car. A black car driving down the road!
Chapter 9
It’s far in the distance, but I can tell this car’s going fast, much faster than the speed limit. I jump in my car and chase after it, but by the time I even make it out of the parking lot the car is out of sight. This road goes on for three miles before there’s an exit ramp taking you onto the highway. During those three miles there’s really nowhere else to go. Just a couple back roads and a small little town where a cop is always out pulling people over.
I slam on the gas and speed toward the black mystery car. Why were they going so fast? I suppose I’ve been driving everywhere faster than normal too.
If I can just get within viewing distance, I’m sure they’ll slow down and be as delighted to see me as I am to see them. That’s assuming they also think they’re alone. If not, I’ll look like a crazy person chasing after them. I’m not sure how I’ll explain the several cases of bottled water, a lifetime supply of cereal, and a pellet gun sitting in the passenger seat. Hopefully they won’t see that.
The road has a few twists and turns that I’m quite familiar with. The car was going fast and had about a forty-five-second start on me but with Abby’s BMW and my knowledge of the road I might be able to catch up.
Time is against me as it’s only a couple more miles until the highway. After that it’s pure guesswork whether or not they went on the highway.
One mile to go. I would have thought I’d see a glimpse of the car by now. They must be going really fast! I make my way into the speed trap town where the speed limit drops from forty-five to twenty-five miles per hour. There’s a semi-hidden spot where the police car always hides.
I see the exit ramp in the distance and guess that’s where they’re going. I remind myself to continue looking around just in case they don’t make it onto the highway. If they are headed there, I’ll almost certainly see them because both sides of the highway stretch for a few miles before there’s a turn to take them out of sight.
I take the first exit ramp and head east. It’s a coin toss whether they went east or west so I choose east because it’s the first exit. As I make it onto the highway, I see nothing but emptiness in front of me. I look behind me but there’s nothing in the other direction either. Did they continue on and not go on the highway?
With nothing in front of me, I turn the car around and head west driving on the opposite side of the road. Even though there aren’t any cars, the feeling is quite exhilarating. The fear is still there that a car might come around and crash into me head on. I step on the gas anyway and see I’m going ninety-five miles per hour. After the bend I can see two miles ahead but don’t see any sight of the black car. It’s at this point I decide to give up.
As much as I hate driving away from the first sign of human life I’ve seen, I turn back east knowing the car is long gone by now. If they were desperately searching for human life, they would have looked over in the parking lot and seen me. Instead they drove carelessly without even glancing over. Still, I wonder what compelled them to drive so fast?
It seems wise now to get home and hide my stolen goods. I was convinced I’ve been alone, but now I know that isn’t true. There’s at least one other person and maybe more.
Now that I know someone is here, I wonder if leaving town is such a good idea. After all, I do have food, water, and my own bed to sleep in here. I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before I see someone again. I have the rest of the day to think it over. I wasn’t planning on leaving until tomorrow anyway.
As I drive home, I find myself in a great mood. Seeing that car convinced me everything is going to be all right. I look around everywhere almost anticipating seeing another car. I never do but it doesn’t depress me like it did before. I know it’s only a matter of time before I see one again.
The ride home has the same scenery I’ve become accustomed to. It still feels like those early morning weekend drives to the grocery store when nobody else is awake yet. I pull into my driveway and push the garage door opener again, expecting it to open. When I realize it still doesn’t work, I go through my new garage-opening routine and make sure to close the door so Cujo can’t get in.
The moment I step in the door I realize how exhausted I am. I’m also very hungry; committing felonies seems to work up an appetite.
I do feel bad about breaking the department store’s front door. I’m sure that will cost a lot to repair, not to mention all of the goods I stole. I wonder if I should own up to the crime. After all, I’m going to have to get the trunk repaired and I’m sure they’ll ask questions. If they do find out I did it, I think I have a valid excuse.
I go to the garage and grab some cereal and water. I haven’t been this hungry in my entire life. When I’m done, I lie down and fall asleep.
When I wake up I instinctively try to check the time, forgetting again the power is out. I go to the garage to check the car’s clock. It says it’s just after one o’clock, which means I must have had a really long nap. Now seems better than ever to start siphoning some gas. I’m still not 100% committed to leaving in the morning, but either way I want to have more gas at my disposal. I grab the siphon kit out of my car and bring it inside to figure out how it works.
As smart as I am with computers and programming, I’m a complete moron when dealing with handiwork. The siphon kit doesn’t seem to too tough though, and after a couple minutes, I think I have it set up correctly.
Just to make sure, I grab a couple bowls out of the kitchen and pour a bottle of water into one of them. After just a few pumps, all of the water has transferred from one bowl to the other. Wow, that worked better than expected!
I get an empty gas tank as well as my pellet gun and ax. The pellet gun is something else to figure out before I leave, although, like the syphon, it seems simple. I figure out how to load it then decide to go in the backyard and test it out. One of the neighbor’s trees seems like a good target. I could aim at one of my own trees, but why mess up those when I know the neighbors aren’t home?