Decay: A Zombie Story by Joseph Dumas

found some good stuff,” Mike explained.
    “Sam’s on her way out,” Pete said. “We’ll tell all of you together.”
    Soon, Sam came out from the back room looking mentally exhausted, but also curious about what was going on. She walked over and I gave her my seat.
    “Hey, Sam,” I said.
    She looked up at me and attempted to smile, but couldn’t seem to produce one. I rubbed her back and looked over to Mike and Pete.
    Mike placed a large box on the cashier’s counter next to a smaller box that Pete had placed there. Mike began to open the large box as Pete looked through the small one that was already opened.
    “We’re running low on food that we’ve recovered from the office and vending machines,” Pete said. “However, Mike and I found some very useful items in a big camping pallet of stock that was just sitting there in the back.”
    Mike pulled out a white packet from the large box and said, “Voila! Chicken Parm!”
    “What?” I asked anxiously.
    “Dehydrated food!” Peter yelled.
    “Seriously?” I asked again, overjoyed.
    “That stuff will last a long time,” Tara said.
    “For sure. Unfortunately, we have a limited supply,” Pete replied.
    “How many?”
    “A dozen packets,” Mike said.
    “Yeah,” Pete chimed in. “Mike and I were talking and we’re doing okay right now, but we could really use some more supplies.”
    “All right…” I replied cautiously.
    “If we head out soon, we can make it to the gas station and back before dark.”
    “You’re going to have to walk there?” I asked.
    Pete looked at Mike and nodded.
    I shook my head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
    “We’ll be okay,” Mike insisted.
    “What about what happened when we put up the signs?” I asked angrily.
    “We’ll go fast, not staying in one place too long,” Pete said. “And we’ll have the gun and some other tools with us.”
    Suddenly, Mike quickly ran to the back room and said, “I forgot something!”
    He returned, holding a small plastic package. “Look, we can use these!” he said.
    He handed the item to Pete; it was a set of walkie-talkies with a range of five miles. These were a Godsend for our situation.
     
     
    PETER
    M ike and I began getting things together for our little expedition to the gas station. It was weird; I had been to this gas station dozens of times without giving it a second thought. But, now our whole day would be centered on getting there and back without any problems.
    We loaded up a couple of shopping carts with one and two-gallon canisters that would be used to collect the gasoline. At the same time, Jen and Tara figured out how to use the walkies so we could all keep in touch. Also, we gathered up a couple of shovels—which was becoming our go-to weapon throughout all of this—and the shotgun.
    The gas station would be about a half a mile away from the hardware store. If we left now and didn’t have any problems at all, we would return a little after noon at the latest. However, I fully expected us to hit a few speed bumps along the road.
    Soon, Jen came up to me and gave me a brief lesson on how to use the walkie-talkie, instructing me to leave it on channel two at all times, and make sure to wait one second after I press the button to speak. I could tell she was ecstatic at the idea of being able to reach us. I have to admit, I was pretty fond of the idea myself.
    So, after loading up our gear, we got ready to go and decided we would test out the walkies every couple buildings to make sure we didn’t lose the signal or anything.
    Jen ran up to me as we approached the doors and hugged me for a long time—like something out of an epic war movie when the girl hugs the guy as he is about to head into battle. The streets were clear so I hoped we weren’t heading into any kind of a battle.
    Mike was getting quiet but didn’t seem too nervous. I tried to focus on the task at hand and not think about what was happening. Thinking about everything, I came