It’s natural instinct to want to help. And before I knew what I was doing I had turned to the left and toward the man. The man came running over and I lowered my window.
“Thank you. Thank you for stopping. We haven’t seen a living person in 24 hours.”
“Who’s we?”
“I’m Michael. My wife Lois and son, Mike Jr. are in the RV over there,” said Michael.
The RV was a rental, one of the smaller ones that you see on the road.
“Get in,” I said. “Let’s get back over to them.” When Michael climbed in, I stuck out my hand. “I’m Ryan.” Michael shook my hand and we headed the 200 or so yards to the RV. At the RV, Michael got out of the Land Cruiser and stood by the RV’s door. His family came out to join him.
“Lois, Mike, Jr. this is Ryan.”
“Hi.”
“Hello.”
“Can you help us?”
“Probably not, Lois. I’m on my way to Savannah to get my mother in law. I really want to get back to Charleston before dark. What do you need?”
“Everything,” Michael answered. “Food, water and we’re out of gas.”
“Uh, guys? You’re right outside of a convenience store…”
“That’s stealing,” said Lois.
I shook my head and smiled to myself. Some people really are sheep. And sheep are not going to survive this. They are a favorite food of the zombies.
“Look around Lois. The world as you know it is gone. Circle K and Seven Eleven don’t exist anymore. There’s no more TV, no more electricity, no more running water. No police, no bills to pay and your cash is now worthless. Either you want to survive or you don’t. There is not going to be an in between. Survive or die. What’s it gonna be, Lois?”
“Those things are in there,” said Mike Jr. He looked about 15. Probably played sports. But he was scared.
“How many?” I asked.
“Three.”
“Well, there’s four of us. What do you have for weapons?” I asked. The family just stared at me.
“Look,” I said. “I don’t have time for this crap. I have my own family to think about. You guys have to think for yourselves.”
“Ryan, please,” said Michael. “Just show us what to do. We can learn.”
“Michael, three days ago I was giving a ghost tour to a group of tourists in Charleston. Today, I killed two neighbors with a hammer and two more with a gun. And, I’m nobody. I want everyone to live through this. But, I don’t want to be responsible for your family.”
“Then help me be responsible for my family.” Michael seemed sincere. If nothing else they wouldn’t be zombies.
“Okay, we need weapons. Something you can bash a skull with. What’s in there?” I asked, pointing to the RV.
“I know we have a hammer,” said Mike Jr.
“There might be a tire iron,” offered Michael.
“You have a gun, why not just use that?” asked Lois.
“Too loud. It’ll attract every one of these things for a mile around. The gun is the last resort. We need to be quiet.” The hammer was alright, but the tire iron was really heavy. “Let’s take a look in some of these vehicles and see if we can find some other weapons.”
The closest vehicle was a pickup truck.
“Make sure it’s empty. We don’t want any surprises,” I said.
It was. And Michael searched the cab while Lois and I looked in the bed. Mike Jr kept watch. There was a toolbox in the bed and it wasn’t locked. Bingo! Another hammer and a screwdriver with a long shaft. The screwdriver wasn’t perfect but it would do in a pinch. It would be really awesome to find something with a longer reach.
“The hammer is good,” I said. “But the screwdriver is just a backup. Let’s look some more.”
The next two cars were mostly empty. Just people on their way home. Maybe the owners of the cars were the ones in the store? No time to worry about that now. The only other vehicle right here at the convenience store was a minivan. It, too, was empty of people and zombies. But, it must’ve been owned by a soccer mom. There were several pieces of athletic equipment. We found cleats, shin guards, a mitt and finally, a baseball bat.
“That’ll do nicely. Two hammers, my crowbar and a baseball bat for Lois I think. Here’s the plan. I don’t want us to go into that store. There’s no place to move around and too many places for something to sneak up on us. We go up to the door and get their attention as quietly as possible. We’ll open the door if we have to but we’ll do better I think, if we can get them out one at a time.”
The four of us moved up toward the storefront. There were three zombies inside that we could see. They paid no mind to us outside until we got to about 15 feet from the door. Then they started moaning and staggering towards the glass front of the store. Only one actually made it to the door. The other two apparently had forgotten what a door was and walked right into the glass, knocking over a few displays. It seemed like they were trying to make a bee line to the food like the ones in my backyard had done. The zombie that hit the door didn’t notice it. He walked through it rather that opening it.
As the zombie came through the door, I stepped up and bashed his skull in with a mighty swing of my crowbar. He fell immediately, twitched a bit then fell still. The other three living people just stared. And the two zombies inside still hadn’t remembered what a door was. I opened the door and stuck my head in to get their attention.
“Here zombie, here zombie, zombie.” I couldn’t resist.
The two zombies began staggering toward me and then ended up at the door. As the first one came through I stepped back and said…
“Next.”
Then I turned and started walking away.
The family froze for a moment, looking shocked. Then Michael stepped up and with a mighty swing and a yell, bashed in the brains of the zombie. Mike Jr. did the same and they both stood ready to strike again if necessary. But, all three zombies were down for good. Lois dropped the bat and sank to the ground crying. Michael walked over to his wife and knelt down to put his arms around her.
I had never been so angry. Why didn’t this woman want to live? Samantha had a gun on her hip and Lois drops the bat? I walked over and grabbed Lois by the arm pulling her up. Michael started to protest.
“You had the best weapon and you did nothing. You froze. We already had this conversation. You do what you need to or you die. What’s it going to be?”
Her husband grabbed her away from me and held her tight. I could see Michael would do what was needed to protect his family. It would be a deadly job unless Lois could pull her weight.
I turned from them, a little embarrassed at my outburst. They were basically good people. They didn’t want to die any more than I did. But, everyone reacts differently in emergencies. Mike Jr followed me into the store as I checked the bathrooms and the back storage area. It was all clear. I grabbed a few Gatorade’s and walked back outside to where Michael and Lois were standing.
“I’m sorry, Lois. That was unfair of me to judge.”
“I’ll do better.” She said. I reached out and took her hand.
“I know you will.” She even managed a weak smile. “I have to get on the road. I’ve got to get back on track so I can get to my family and keep them safe. Go in there and take everything. Don’t forget whatever medical supplies they have. Any pain med, bandages or other medications are now really important. And whatever oil and fluids for the RV you can find. I’ve checked the other areas. It’s safe. Leave Lois as a lookout.”
“I want to come with you,” said Mike Jr.
I think he was embarrassed by his mother’s actions. I had been embarrassed by my parents on more than one occasion when I was his age.
“No, there is nothing, nothing as important as family right now and they need you. Your mother will be fine.” I now turned to Michael. “Water, food, shelter and security.”
“What do I do about gas?” he asked.
“They might have a hand pump o
f some sort. They might have a backup generator. But, don’t forget, it’ll make noise. If you find one, be careful using it. I’m gonna stop at Bass Pro Shop and get a portable hand pump. I’ll get a couple of them and if you’re still here when I get back, I’ll stop.”
The family looked shell shocked from all this. I shook Michael’s hand.
“Thank you Ryan.”
“Yeah, thanks for your help,” said Mike Jr. I took Lois’ hand again and then gave her a hug.
“Live Lois. These guys need you. This isn’t over and it’s not gonna get any easier. But you can do it.”
“Thank you Ryan. You’re a good man in this crazy world. You be safe”
“Aww, it’s just another day in a world gone mad, Lois. I’ll be okay.”
And with that, I climbed back into the Land Cruiser and waved goodbye as I pulled back out onto the road. Except for the, now normal, detours, wrecks and stalled cars, the rest of the journey was fairly uneventful.
“Where have you been, Ryan?”
“Hello to you, too.” I gave my mother in law, Karen a big hug. “I ran into some difficulties. You ready?”
“Yes, it’s all right here by the door.”
“What’s it been like here? I only saw a few zombies down the street.”
“I’ve seen a bunch just outside until about an hour ago. The neighbors across the street tried to get out but the zombies got them at the car.”
“Probably made too much noise. These things are attracted to noise.”
“I’ve been quiet. But, now I want to get out of here.”
“Do you still have power?”
“Lost it about 2 hours ago.”
Karen and I got everything loaded in just two trips. She had two bags like I asked but there were two cases of water and a few grocery bags of canned goods.
“You got your meds?”
“I only take blood pressure meds and their packed in one of the bags.” She went up and locked the door. Seemed silly to me. She got back in the car and we were off.
“How long did the drive take?”
“About 3 and a half hours.”
“We’ll get back plenty before dark then,” she said.
“No, we need to make a stop. I need you to navigate us to the Bass pro Shop.”
“What’s at the Bass Pro Shop?”
“Almost anything.”
The Bass Pro Shop in Savannah, Georgia was in a shopping mall. The exterior entrance took you into the second floor of the shop. Most of what I wanted was on the bottom floor. It was going to be a bitch with the power out. The parking lot was not what I expected. There were only a few cars there and they were mostly up close to the mall entrances. There were just a handful of cars at the Bass Pro Shop entrance.
“All right Karen. Here’s what’s important. Water, food, shelter and security. They’re not going to have a lot of water here but they might have some good water bottles. If you see some grab them. They’re also not going to have much food either. But they might have a few MRE’s and the like, so we’ll get them too. That leaves shelter and security. We might need sleeping bags, thermals, coats or gloves this winter so let’s grab up that stuff. And we need a camp stove and fuel. But, this stop is really about security. We need weapons.”
“Guns.”
“Not just guns. They’re too loud. We need them but a gunshot will be heard for a mile. We need machetes, short swords, long knives, maybe even a hatchet. Enough for everybody plus spares. Security also means mobility. Power’s out and we are going to need fuel. So we need hand pumps. I think they’ll be in the boating section.”
“You’ve thought a lot about this haven’t you?”
“Karen, I have thought of nothing else except the safety of my family since this started. Nothing is more important that keeping my family safe and that includes you. But, no one else. Understand that. I’ll help other people. I did on the way here. I’ll tell you about it later. But, when it comes down to it, no one else is important. Got it?”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For taking care of Samantha and the kids. You’re a good son in law. How are they?”
“They’re holding up I guess. They saw Janice Thompson next door attack me. She almost got me, too. Instead she got the guy across the street.”
“Jesus.”
“I put a hammer through her skull this morning.”
“Oh my God. I’m so sorry.”
“Just another day in a world gone mad, Karen. Okay, it’s time to do this. You need a weapon.”
“Why?”
“Oh, no. You’re coming with me. I can’t do this by myself.”
“We don’t know what’s in there.”
“No, we don’t. But what we need to live is in there. So, we have to do this.”
“Shit. You’re right of course.”
“I know. Now, c’mon. Let’s check these cars.”
The first two were a bust. But the third car had a surprise. A zombie surprise. I walked Karen through it.
“You open the door and stay behind it. When the zombie comes out, I’ll take it down.”
“Whatever you say, Ryan.”
Karen did as she was told and opened the door, staying behind it. But the zombie did something that I hadn’t expected. Maybe I should have. The zombie, a woman, fell out of the car. I had seen that zombies weren’t that coordinated but I wasn’t expecting that. She didn’t seem to even be able to stand up. Or, maybe she didn’t want to. I was thinking about whether a zombie on the ground was dangerous or not, when it reached out, grabbed Karen’s ankles and pulled. I grabbed Karen and pulled but the zombie didn’t want to let go of its meal. Pulling on Karen kept her out of the zombies’ mouth until I could brain it. I hit it once with the crowbar and it let go. Karen fell backwards with a thud when the zombie released its grip on her ankle. I hit it again for good measure, looked around the lot to be sure we were on our own then knelt down next Karen.
“What the hell, Ryan?”
“Sorry. You have to keep out of reach.”
“Now you tell me.”
“C’mon, let’s keep looking.”
The next 2 cars were empty but the pickup truck was lucky again, yielding a nice hammer.
“That’ll do. You want the hammer or the crowbar? The crowbar might be a bit heavy for you.”
“I’ll take the hammer then. How many do you think are in there?”
“Doesn’t matter. We’ll lure them through the door one by one and take them that way.” We were almost to the door. “Ready?”
“No, but let’s do this anyway.”
We walked cautiously up to the door of the Bass Pro Shop and peeked in. Dark. But, I had a flashlight and there was some emergency lighting I could see. What I couldn’t see was zombies. None were visible from the entrance. I tried the door and found it locked. Like and typical consumer, I pulled on it again. Still locked.
“Hey Ryan, look at this.”
There was a small handwritten sign on the door. How did I miss that?
‘Gone home to be with our families in these end times. Please do not loot.’
“How can someone know it’s the end of times and still expect to come back to work someday?” Karen just shook her head. Everyone reacts differently in emergencies.
“I’m more surprised that we’re the only ones here. I guess people really took the instructions to heart and stayed inside.”
“Karen, I’m more worried that they’ll come out looking for supplies soon. We need to have everything we need before that happens.”
“How we getting in?”
“Easy.” I looked around for any zombies I hadn’t seen. The coast was clear. Firmly grasping the crowbar, I raised my hand and swung the bar into the door. The safety glass broke easily. A few more swings to break out the rest of the glass and another look around to check for zombies and I was done. We waited a few minutes in case the noise attracted anything from inside but nothing stirred.
“I know.” With that, I carefully passed through the door. Karen followed. Once inside, we paused but heard nothing.
“There should be flashlights and batteries on the cash wraps. Let’s take a look.”
We grabbed a couple of baskets and two carts. Karen opened one of the better flashlights and loaded the batteries. The rest went into one of the baskets which, in turn, went into a cart. The boating section was on the first floor and we made our way over and found several hand pumps. We grabbed all they had along with some sections of hose in case we needed more length.
“The rest of what we need is downstairs and the escalator isn’t working. Let’s park the carts up here and leave the one basket as well. They should have carts on the first level, too.”
Down on the first level, we went right to the guns. I had never hunted and because of that never spent much time around long guns. But I watched enough TV and movies to know that I wanted the AR-15 platform. Semi-automatic with a standard 30 round magazine, it would fire as fast as you could pull the trigger. There were a dozen on a display behind the counter.
“Karen, get a cart. There were some at the bottom of the escalator. Then come back here and get ammo. If it says ‘.223’ or ‘5.56’ I want it in the cart. All of it. Also, get all the 9mm ammo you can find.”
“You don’t want to leave any for someone else?”
“We come first. Take it all.”
I got to work on the security bar that kept the AR’s from being stolen. There was a padlock and a fairly substantial steel bar but the system was designed to keep people from stealing the weapons during business hours. I had a crowbar and no one watching. It took just a few minutes. Among the dozen AR’s were several with red dot optics and several with low magnification scopes. A couple had only iron sights. They all worked exactly the same though. The red dot optics needed batteries but there were some behind the counter. One of the AR’s was done up in pink camo and I knew right away that I would one day teach Tabby and that would be hers. Karen came back with a cart full of ammo.
“I didn’t find much 9mm but there was an entire end cap of .223. At least a few thousand rounds.”
Dead of Knight: A Zombie Apocalypse Survival Tale Page 8
