Viral Survival

by Pete Thorsen

  They shook hands and started talking. I thought it was a good time to check out the guns with them busy. I looked through the racks that were still mostly full of guns (though there were empty spots here and there). When I saw a cheap Hi Point carbine I picked it up. It was heavier than I expected but Bea is strong and I thought it might be a good choice for her.

  The little compact carbine was in the same caliber as our twin pistols were which would be nice. Though it was a cheap gun I had read about them and they got pretty good reviews for functionality. I figured for the price we couldn’t go wrong. I did notice a problem though. None of the guns on display had magazines in them. We would have to go find the gun boxes which could be quite an issue. Or at least find some replacement magazines from somewhere. I laid the short carbine on the still intact countertop.

  I then found a couple of short barreled carbine length AR rifles with flat tops and laid them on the counter alongside the Hi Point. Then I went to the gun accessory area looking for additional stuff. I found some of the lower priced reflex sights and I grabbed four so we would have a spare. Extra batteries were next to them and I took four packs of those also. Next were four tactical lights with mounts that went into the cart. I took four of everything so there would be a spare and one for each of the rifles that I had put on the counter.

  Then over to the ammunition section where I got many bulk packs of two twenty three ammo and several of the hundred packs of the nine millimeter ammo. I also took more ammunition for all the calibers I had at home, including a bunch of shotgun shells in several different shot sizes, including buckshot.

  When I saw that they even had some twenty two ammo I grabbed a bunch of that as well, even though we already had quite a bunch at home. I had seen a Ruger ten twenty two in the rack and I went back and laid that on the counter with the other three rifles. I would not even take any of them unless I could find the magazines for them.

  The women were still talking so I kept shopping. I found the area with magazines and had no trouble getting some for the ten twenty two and the ARs rifles. But I had to look for a bit until I found the ones for the Hi Point carbine. I took many for the AR and five for the Hi Point. I also got three ten-rounders and three of the double twenty-five-rounders for the little twenty two.

  I went back to the counter where the guns were and, seeing the women had not let up talking, I ripped all the magazines out of their packages and filled many of them with ammo. I loaded full magazines into each of the rifles we would be taking but did not rack a round into the chambers yet. I put all four new guns in my cart. With that done I finally walked over to the two women.

  “You two done gabbing yet?”

  “Things are bad in town. You were right about the violence.”

  “That was expected. Is there any food left in any of the grocery stores?”

  Mary answered. “There still is a little I think but that is where it is the most dangerous. I would stay away from there if I were you. Unless you left Bea here and went alone, but even that would be very dangerous.”

  “No, we stick together. Always.”

  “Can you pick a better gun out for Mary and show her how to use it?”

  “I guess I can give her a five minute crash course but I don’t think it would do too much good without some practice.”

  “Why don’t you come to our house for a few days? Jim can teach you how to shoot and you can have some time to relax in peace.”

  I looked at my wife. I did not think that was a very good idea.

  Chapter 10

  “I better not. If someone finds my stash of stuff I’ll lose everything. I’ll just take the five minute crash course instead. Thank you for the kind offer though.”

  So I led her and Bea over to the gun rack and grabbed another of the slightly heavy but compact Hi Point carbines from the rack. I excused myself and grabbed a couple of magazines for her and two boxes of the proper ammo. Then I showed her how the magazines went in place and how to rack the action to put a cartridge in the chamber. I showed her the safety and the sights and how to use those sights.

  Then I showed her how to fill the magazines with ammo. I showed her the end of the box of ammo where it said nine millimeter so she would know what caliber to look for next time she wanted more. After I filled one magazine she filled the other magazine. I let her put the loaded magazine into place in the gun but did not have her put a shell in the chamber just yet.

  I had her aim towards the front of the store and use the sights. I adjusted her stance a little and had her lower the gun and raise it and aim a couple times. I told her she should do that on her own until she was fast at doing so. I also said she should get used to releasing the safety as she brought the gun up each time.

  Then I asked her to wait a minute and went and found some rifle slings for all the rifles and put one on her carbine so she could carry it easier. I showed her how to use the sling also.

  Mary thanked me for the lesson that lasted way longer than five minutes. But now at least she had a better chance at survival. And she knew just enough so she could practice some on her own now.

  All three of us talked a little more then we split up and went back to our shopping. Bea and I each got a pair of good hiking shoes and each of us got a pair of insulated hunting boots for winter (though we each had winter boots at home). Next we went to the camping section. I grabbed a couple of hiking style water filters in case we ever needed them. Then, seeing some backpacking food, we filled the remaining room in both of the carts with it.

  I went to the front of the store and grabbed another cart, which we had no trouble filling with articles of clothing for each of us. We got all camouflage clothes. We could wear them anytime and we would have them if we ever needed them for actual camouflage. We also got lots of socks for each of us, both light ones and some heavy wool socks for winter.

  Some candy and a lot of jerky and many miscellaneous items from near the front of the store went into the carts. We left the carts near the front and went back with two more carts. In the camping section we got a pair of good sleeping bags, a tent, two back packs, two lanterns with a pile of the fuel bottles, water purifying tablets (just in case), and many more items until those two carts were plumb full also. And then we went back again to the front of the store. I went to the doorway and looked out for a couple minutes before I grabbed two carts and left the building.

  I loaded everything from those two carts into the back of the pickup before returning to the store front where Bea waited and watched with the other carts, including the one with the long guns inside. This time she went with me and we brought the rest of the carts out to the pickup. I loaded all the stuff into the pickup while she watched in every direction.

  The new guns went into the cab along with the gun accessories and ammo. I also put our new binoculars in the cab. Bea kept watch while I made a fast trip to return the carts back into the store. We had filled six carts full to overflowing and now everything was loaded and we were ready to leave.

  On the way home I mostly retraced the route we had taken into town. Along the way we saw another moving vehicle but neither of us stopped as we passed. I made a detour to a propane gas company that was on the edge of town and almost on our way back anyway. We stopped there and this place was still intact and no one had broken into it yet. This was no real surprise because who would want to break in here besides me?

  I knew a little about propane delivery trucks and it was short work to kick in the office door. I found the key rack out in the open with several sets of keys hanging on it. I took all the sets that contained obvious truck keys and went back outside and walked over to the line up of delivery trucks.

  I unlocked each truck as soon as I found a key that fit that particular truck. I turned each truck on for a moment and checked gas gauges for the fuel tanks until I found one that was full. That one I started and I left the other keys in the ignitions on the other trucks in case anyone else wanted one.

  I shut
the broken front door as best as I could on the office and walked towards the big main storage tank. I still had a set of keys and unlocked the gate and also the lock on the big tank itself. That done I went back and pulled the running delivery truck over near the big tank. It took a little time to fill it and Bea was patient and kept a good watch while I was busy. When the delivery truck was full I unhooked the hose and was soon ready to leave with the big haul.

  Bea followed me in my pickup as I drove the delivery truck home. We saw only one person on the drive back and they were just running into a house and seemed not to want any company. We got home safe and now we had enough propane to easily get us through the long Minnesota winter.

  The remainder of the day we spent unloading and putting away all of our new supplies. I installed the reflex sights on the three rifles and also mounted the tactical flash lights on each of them. While it was still light out I took Bea and showed her the two different rifles and how each worked. She had watched when I showed Mary how to do everything with the Hi Point but I went over it again anyway so it was fresh.

  Next I went over the operation of the AR rifles and she watched, listened, and then tried doing everything with them. Next we moved on to some test firing. It was a fairly simple process to adjust the reflex sights on each rifle after adjusting the first one. When they were all sighted in I had Bea try them out by shooting both the AR rifles and the Hi Point carbine.

  I expected her to like the Hi Point but she liked the AR better which was just fine and actually better. The cheap Hi Point would still be a good back up.

  Chapter 11

  We had both missed lunch other than a candy bar and a little jerky so we were both ready for supper. Over supper we talked about our day and the young woman we had met. Bea told me some of the horror stories that Mary had told her. Things were indeed very violent before and it sounded like they still were.

  Mary had known nothing about guns but had figured out enough for her to use the revolver she had taken from the store where we met her. She used to have a roommate and both of the girls had made it through the Fever without dying.

  But trouble still found them. About a month ago while they had been out getting supplies a man had grabbed Mary’s friend, Cindy. The man was armed and the two girls were not. Mary was free and had run, but the man had a solid hold on Cindy so she was not as lucky. Mary admitted that she had been torn as to what to do at that point.

  She desperately wanted to help her friend but she had been unarmed and there was little she could do but watch as the man dragged the struggling Cindy over to his car. Cindy was fighting for all she was worth but was no match for the bigger, stronger man. When he had enough of the fighting he had slugged Cindy once, knocking her out. He threw her in the car and drove away. Mary had never seen Cindy again.

  That was when she knew she had to get a gun no matter how much she used to hate them. She went to the store and found many guns there. She had decided on a handgun and the automatics were just too complicated for her. She did figure out how to work the simple revolver once she found out how to swing the part out that held the shells. The caliber was marked on the barrel and she was able to find the correct ammunition and load the gun all by herself.

  She had driven out to the edge of town and had shot at a big road sign many times until she could hit it with some regularity. She was now ready. And less than two weeks later she shot her first (and only) man.

  She was in a store when he had approached her. She took out her revolver and told him to stop and stay away. He didn’t. She admitted that she was shaking pretty badly and the man obviously saw that, so he had kept coming. She yelled for him to stop several times. When he was almost up to her and was reaching for her gun she pulled the trigger and kept pulling the trigger until the gun just clicked.

  The man was on the floor and not dead but mortally wounded and crying like a baby. She just left him lying there and left the store. She remembered to reload the revolver after she was back at her home. She was determined not to be a victim.

  When she had heard us in the store she said she had felt more confident. She now knew that she could do what she needed to for survival. She was afraid but she did not give in to that fear. Obviously it turned out better for her this time. She said she had felt safer as soon as she heard Bea’s voice.

  The story had a good effect on Bea I think. Mary’s story showed Bea the awful truth of what was out there and it was tempered by the fact that other good people like Mary were also around.

  Mary had also said that there were many dead bodies around with some on the streets and in some of the businesses. She had seen at least two different dog packs but had been lucky enough to be safe in her car each time. That was another reason she wanted a gun.

  She said she would try out her new rifle the next time she saw a dog pack if she got the chance. But only if she was someplace that she was safe, like in her car or in a building where she could shoot from a window.

  Mary said the dogs had been feeding on the dead bodies of people. She had seen it. They had also killed and eaten most everything else in town. She said you never saw any cats or rabbits anymore and she just assumed the dogs had killed and ate them.

  Bea and I talked well into the evening. We both thought we should go back into town for more supplies even though every trip there was a very real risk. But a very long winter was almost upon us and we would be unable to travel at all when the snow came. No one would be plowing any roads. We had taken care of the propane situation today by bringing home that full delivery truck so we were set for winter as far as propane went.

  So we made plans to go back the very next morning. This time we would be much better armed with the two new rifles and we would still have our pistols. We could make it through the winter with what we had on hand now but we still expected the power to go out for good at any time, and that would bring many problems for us. Without power it would be a very long winter indeed.

  I slept rather fitfully overnight. I was concerned about our trip back into town this morning. We had talked last evening and had written down a list of possible things we wanted to look for and places we wanted to stop at. Neither one of us expected to do and get everything on that list done in just one day.

  It was just a few miles to drive there but the fuel in my truck would not last forever so we wanted to fill my gas tank and, if possible, bring back extra fuel. On the way in I had a brainstorm type of an idea. I knew that the gas now days would not last too long in storage. Over the winter it would possibly be fine, but I wondered if any of the gasoline would still be usable in the cars and trucks by the time summer rolled around.

  The answer I came up with was to get a diesel pickup. Obviously we could get one at a car dealership but I had another idea and it was on the way anyway. When we got to the place where a big excavation project was going on I pulled in. I wasn’t sure if what I was looking for would be here or not, but it wouldn’t hurt to check. There were dump trucks and earthmovers and several different machines with buckets on them for digging, but that is not what I wanted.

  Then up near the office trailer there was a newer pickup. I drove over to it and it did have the cross bed fuel transfer tank in the back like what I was looking for. I wanted the ability to carry a lot of fuel for a possible future project that I had in mind. It was just what I thought we could use. I stopped and got out. The pickup was a four-wheel drive one ton. It looked good and hopefully I could find the keys for it.

  Planning ahead I had brought a two-foot crow bar with us today and it made short work of the door to the office trailer. I was inside in just a couple minutes and after finding some keys and trying them in the truck door I found they were indeed for the diesel pickup out in front. We were in business.

  Bea and I talked over whether we should just leave one pickup here and stay together or take them both and drive separate. There were some advantages both ways. We decided to take them both at least a little farther so hopefully b
oth could be filled with fuel.

  We drove to the first gas station on our side of the town. With the power still on we thought the pumps should still work. I knew that inside at the counter they could switch individual pumps on and off. I hoped that other people had already turned those switches all to the “on” position, which I thought was very likely. The next thing was if the underground tanks still had any fuel in them or not. I kept my fingers crossed.

  We drove up to the pumps, stopped, and got out. Bea was the guard again and would stay on watch while I tried to fill tanks. I filled my regular gas pickup first and while the regular pump would not work (it must have been empty) the premium gas worked just fine and I filled the tank without any problems.

  The diesel also worked but it took a lot longer to fill the tanks on the diesel pickup. I had not noticed but the truck had duel fuel tanks plus the big fuel transfer tank in the box. I pumped diesel fuel for quite awhile to get them all full. Once finished (and while we were still there) I went inside to see if there was anything in the convenience store we could maybe use.

  It had also been trashed inside and about all the food products were long gone. I got a couple quarts of motor oil, a gallon of antifreeze, a gallon of windshield washer fluid, a bottle of power steering fluid, and finally a quart of transmission oil so I could top off all the fluids in each vehicle. I doubted that I needed all of that and I likely had some of those items at home in the garage but as long as I was here I got them all.

  I looked at the large supply of gas cans but decided not to bother with filling and taking any of them right now. I did look for some fuel stabilizer but did not see any. When I was all done I went over and talked with Bea. We decided to leave the “new” diesel pickup here (she didn’t know why I even wanted it) and would now continue on with just our regular pickup. We both wanted us to stay together.