Jon and I say goodbye to Kelly, and we exit Jon’s house.
Jon and I make it back to my house and we are waiting for Matt.
Jon looks at me and says, “I think we need to get some paper maps of the area around here and keep track of what’s clear, what’s safe, what’s not safe and what areas we need to clear still.”
“Good idea. I know there are a couple of tourist places that usually have maps of the area. I think we start there first.”
“When are you going to see William again?” asks Jon.
“I don’t know. Hopefully within the next week or so.”
Jon replies, “Let me know when you are going. I want to trim down Silencer and see if they can repair my shield.”
I look at Jon’s shield, and I see a crack in it.
“I guess those zombie skulls are pretty rough on your shield.”
Jon says, “Yeah. They are pretty hard headed.”
Matt exits his house and walks over to us.
I see that Matt still has an angry look on his face.
“You okay bro?”
Matt looks at me and says, “Yeah.”
“Dude, I know you are pissed about Nicole, but it’s a good thing. I need your mind clear and right for this trip and going forward.”
Matt says, “I’m fine. Nicole is doing what she wants to do.”
“You clearly aren’t fine with Nicole’s decision. I need you focused on the run today. Don’t let this bullshit with Nicole cloud your head. Jon and I need you for this trip.”
Matt replies, “I’m good.”
“You better be. Don’t be sulking and shit with us. We could die during this trip.”
I look at Matt’s face and see that he partially improved his demeanor.
Jon looks at Matt and says, “Nicole is moving down the street bro. Your house is too small for all those people. Those babies are getting pretty big. Plus, you are going to have a baby pretty soon.”
Matt smiles.
“There’s that million-dollar smile,” I say to Matt.
Matt asks, “You want me to take the truck that is parked in Bobby G’s driveway?”
“Yeah.”
“Good, cause that’s the keys that I have,” says Matt.
“You got your gear and weapons?” asks Jon to Matt.
Matt checks his gun and knife holsters and says, “Yeah, I’m ready to go.”
Jon says, “Good, the plan for today is to check out a couple places, find some supplies, but also start making note of the streets and buildings.”
Matt looks at me and asks, “When do you plan on meeting Jacob?”
I look at Matt and say, “I hope to run into his group today and tell them that we want to meet in a couple of days.”
Matt says, “That could get messy. I think I’ll need my bulletproof vest.”
Matt runs back to his house.
I look at Jon and say, “That guy is never prepared.”
Jon and I laugh as we watch Matt run back into his house.
CHAPTER 2
FISHER SPORTING GOODS
“How are we looking back their Matt?” I ask Matt over the radio as I’m driving down a road.
Matt replies over the radio, “Good, it’s all clear back here.”
I reply over the radio, “Good, our next stop is Fisher Sporting Goods. It should be coming up on the right-hand side.”
“Roger that,” says Matt through the radio.
Jon looks down at a paper map that we recently got.
“This map will do nicely. It shows the streets pretty clearly. I’m glad the welcome center wasn’t destroyed,” says Jon.
“How many did we get?”
Jon says, “I don’t know an exact number, but probably like fifteen or so.”
“Very nice, we will have to make note of the areas on the map and communicate with each other about trouble areas for when we go out.”
“Yeah, we need to have regular meetings and keep track of the areas that people clear out and mark them on our maps,” says Jon.
I drive through a nonfunctioning traffic light and see the parking lot to Fisher Sporting Goods.
“That place is pretty big. I was thinking it was some small mom and pop sports store,” says Matt through the radio.
I pull into the parking lot and see a handful of zombies aimlessly wondering around the parking lot.
Jon looks at the front entrance to Fisher Sporting Goods and says, “It looks like the metal protective doors were lowered to protect the front door. We should check out the back.”
I pick up my radio and say, “I’m going to check out the back of the store. You stay here. Keep a lookout.”
Matt replies, “Okay, let me know if you want me to meet you guys in the back, or if we are trying the front entrance.”
I drive towards the back of the store.
Jon picks up the radio and says, “We will let you know Matt. Keep us posted if any problems arise.”
I drive around to the side of the store and see some abandoned vehicles, fallen tree limbs, and a couple of crushed zombie bodies.
Fisher Sporting Goods is a stand-alone store that is not connected to any other stores.
I make my way around to the back of the store.
As I turn the corner of the store, I see four zombies huddled together eating two bodies that are lying in the street and a large tractor trailer that has a shipping container attached to it.
Jon and I look at the back of the store as I park my SUV.
I pick up my radio and say, “Matt, come around to the back. The back looks pretty good, I think we try our luck with getting inside back here.”
Jon looks out the passenger side window.
Matt replies through the radio, “I’ll be right there.”
I park my SUV near the back-loading bay of the rear entrance of the store.
Matt comes speeding around the corner, towards the back of the store.
Matt narrowly misses the four zombies eating the two dead bodies.
Matt parks the electric truck next to my SUV.
Jon and I exit my SUV. We grab our swords and kill the zombies that were eating the dead bodies in the middle of the road.
Matt exits the electric truck and walks over to us.
“These two bodies look pretty fresh. I wonder who they were and what they were doing,” says Jon.
Matt says, “I don’t know, but they might have been trying to get away from someone.”
I look down at the bodies and I see gunshots in the legs of the two bodies that the zombies were eating.
“You think someone shot them and left them to die?”
“Yeah, they were only shot in their legs,” says Jon as he stabs both dead bodies in the head with Silencer.
Matt, Jon, and I look around the street and the back-loading bay of the store.
We don’t find anything unusual, and the area is clear.
I look at Jon and Matt and say, “I have a set of keys that will hopefully get us inside.”
Matt and Jon get their gear and weapons ready.
I walk up the ramp to the back entrance of the store.
I see a lock hanging from the rear entrance door and I pull it.
The lock is secure and needs a key to unlock it.
I look around the back-loading bay of the store and think this door is the best way to get in the store.
I check the lock on the rear entrance door and I look down at the keys I got from the Fisher house.
I try a key, and it doesn’t unlock the lock.
I try another key, and that key doesn’t unlock the lock.
Matt and Jon walk over to me.
Matt asks, “Do you have the key to this lock?”
“Not yet, but I have a couple more keys to try.”
I try two more keys, but they don’t work either.
I have one last key to try.
I place the key in the lock and turn the key.
The key unlocks the lock, and I open th
e door.
Matt tries to walk inside the backroom of the store.
I put my arm up, stop Matt from walking inside the store, and shout, “Wait! We don’t know what’s in there!”
Jon turns on a flashlight.
We all listen for any movement in the store.
Nothing is heard as we look into the dimly lit backroom of Fisher Sporting Goods.
I shout, “Hello! Anyone in here?”
I hear the echo of my voice in the store.
“I think it’s clear, but let’s be safe. They don’t have power in the store. It’s super dark in there.”
Matt puts his bag down and pulls out a LED flashlight lantern.
I take out my flashlight and shine it in the dark backroom.
Matt picks up his bag and shines his lantern into the backroom.
I push my keyless entry remote to my SUV and lock my SUV.
BEEP!
Matt does the same to the electric truck.
BEEP!
Jon and I enter the backroom, followed by Matt.
Matt closes the rear entrance door.
“Damn! I wish I could just turn on some lights!”
Jon says, “It’s quiet in here. We are the only ones in here. If zombies were in here, they would be making noise.”
Matt says, “People could be in here though.”
“Keep your eyes peeled.”
Jon, Matt, and I check the big backroom of the store and it’s clear.
“Let’s check out the rest of the store and the offices.”
Matt, Jon, and I enter the store through the backroom entrance.
“Hello! Is anyone here?”
The store is silent besides our walking and breathing.
“I think it’s clear Ry,” says Jon.
“Let’s check out the front of the store and the offices.”
Matt and Jon walk to the offices, and I check out the front of the store.
I walk down several aisles and check the main entrance.
The store is clear of any danger and looks to be in good shape.
Jon and Matt check out the offices.
“No one is here! The store is all clear!” shouts Jon.
“Good, now let’s see what we can get here. I have a list of items we could use.”
“Me too,” says Jon.
I grab a shopping cart and find the flashlights and lanterns.
I grab a lantern and pop open the battery cover.
“D batteries! Damn, this thing better put out a ton of light!”
I find the battery section and luckily find a lone box of four D batteries.
I put in the four D batteries and turn on the lantern.
The lantern is super bright and blinds me for a second.
I turn down the lantern, and I start walking around the store.
Suddenly, a loud bang is heard against the wall.
BANG!
I look at the wall.
Matt starts laughing.
“What are you doing over there?”
Matt throws a football at me, and I can barely see it.
I catch the football and shout, “Watch it! You are lucky they don’t have a basketball hoop in here! I’d have to beat ya ass again for old times’ sake!”
“Oh, we are playing again! I want my rematch!” shouts Matt.
“I gave you a rematch! I beat you twice!”
Jon says, “I see a ton of items we need here.”
“Me too. Let’s fill up these carts and get out of here.”
Matt walks over to the gun section of the store.
Matt sees a couple of guns left on a shelf, but a lot of the section is cleared out.
Matt grabs a shotgun, two rifles, and a handgun.
I walk over to Matt and see him looking at the guns.
“Do they have any ammo?”
“I’m going to check, but I think someone took some of the weapons here,” says Matt.
“Take it all, I’m going to grab some knives, machetes, and some other stuff.”
I meet up with Jon and see that he has some fishing poles, gear, clothes, and hockey helmets.
“Let’s go load up the vehicles. We will need to take several trips.”
Jon and I exit the store, while Matt clears out the gun section of the store.
As Jon and I exit the rear entrance of the store, I see the large tractor trailer with the large shipping container on the back.
Jon sees me looking at the shipping container and asks, “You think it’s got supplies in it?”
“I don’t know, but I want to find out.”
I walk over to the shipping container, and I see that the container is closed but there is no lock on the door.
I look around and back at Jon.
I’m nervous to open the shipping container.
I bang on the container door and don’t hear anything but the sound of my banging.
I take out my handgun as I reach for the handle.
Jon sees that I’m nervous about opening the container.
“Wait, I’ll open it and you take aim!” shouts Jon.
Matt comes walking out the back of the store.
Matt asks, “What are you guys doing?”
Jon looks at me and asks, “Are you ready?”
I nod my head yes.
Jon grabs the door handle of the shipping container as I aim my handgun.
Jon slowly opens the shipping container door.
I aim my handgun into the shipping container, and I see that it’s full of boxes, goods, and sporting equipment.
Jon says, “No way. This thing is loaded. We can’t fit all this stuff in our vehicles.”
“Yeah, we will have to come back another time. Let’s lock this bad boy up.”
I unlock my SUV, look at Jon, and say, “You and Matt start loading up the vehicles. I’m going to find a lock inside.”
I run back inside the store and find a lock that is unbreakable and can only be opened with the supplied key.
I grab the lock, take the lock out of the packaging, and run back outside with it.
Jon and Matt are loading up our vehicles.
I close the shipping container door, place the lock on the shipping container door, and secure the lock.
I place the key to the lock in my pocket.
Suddenly, a speeding car is heard in the distance.
Gunfire fills the air.
BANG!
BOOM!
DAKKA!
Jon, Matt, and I duck down.
Another speeding vehicle is heard in the distance, followed by more gunfire.
Jon looks at me and says, “I think it’s coming from the street over there. They went by us.”
Matt says, “Shit is getting crazy around here.”
“Let’s load this stuff up and get another cart full of stuff for each of us. Then we can go.”
Matt and Jon meet me back inside the store.
I fill up another shopping cart with tons of athletic gear, hockey pads, football pads, shin guards, and other sports equipment.
Matt fills up a shopping cart with coolers, thermos cups, beef jerky, a basketball, and tons of small miscellaneous items.
Jon fills his cart with a variety of items such as knife sharpening kits, lanterns, flashlights, jackets, and some more fishing gear.
Matt, Jon, and I exit the store through the back entrance and I lock the backdoor.
Jon and Matt load up their items, and I do the same.
Several loud cars, trucks, and vehicles go speeding down a roundabout near the sporting goods store.
“Things are getting crazy around here. Let’s finish up and leave.”
Matt and Jon finish unloading their carts and get into Matt’s truck.
I finish loading up my SUV and get in my SUV.
I start up my SUV and speed away from the store.
Matt follows behind me, and I lead the way home.
During our trip home I think about who was driving and shooting around th
e store.
“I think we have a tail Ryan,” says Jon over the radio.
“How many?” I ask over the radio.
“I see two cars. They are gaining fast. We can’t outrun them,” says Jon over the radio.
I hear the engines of two loud sports cars.
“We are almost home. If we run into trouble, one of us has to get home and tell everyone,” I say over the radio.
A bright orange sports car passes Matt’s truck and is coming up on my left-hand side.
I look in my rearview mirror and see a yellow sports car speeding behind the orange sports car.
The orange sports car speeds through a stop sign and keeps driving.
The yellow sports car slows down next to me.
I look at the driver.
The driver of the yellow sports car looks to be very young, most likely a teenager.
I flash my police lights on top of my SUV and the yellow sports car speeds away.
“They were just some crazy kids out for a joy ride,” I say over the radio.
“Good, I didn’t want any trouble today,” says Jon over the radio.
I arrive at the South entrance to Citrus Oaks and Brody opens the gate.
I wave to Brody as I drive through the South entrance.
Matt parks the electric truck in Bobby G’s driveway.
Shaun comes out of his house and walks over to me as I exit my SUV.
“What’s up fellas?” asks Shaun.
Jon, Matt, and I unload the supplies and gear that we got from the store.
“What did you guys get?” asks Shaun.
“We got some awesome stuff, plus the sporting goods store is in good shape. There are tons of things left in the store that we couldn’t fit in our vehicles.”
Shaun helps me unload some things from my SUV.
“You coming with me back to World of Trade?” asks Shaun.
I place a bag on the ground and start filling it with clothes.
I look at Shaun and say, “Yeah, I’ll go with you.”
Shaun replies, “Awesome, my guns should be finished by the modification place.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot about them. I want those guys to modify my handgun and my shotgun if possible.”
Jon and Matt finish unloading Matt’s truck.
Bobby G walks over to Matt and Jon.
Shaun looks at Jon and asks, “You want to come to World of Trade with us?”
Jon replies, “I’m good. I don’t need anything right now, but maybe next time.”
Fight 4 Us (Book 7): Weaponize Page 2
