Surviving The Zombie Apocalypse (Book 1): Sanctuary (31 page)

“I can
probably get the trucks working,” said Alec.

“You a
mechanic?”

“No,
worked at Burger King, but I do, did, tinker with my own car a lot. I’m good at
the basic stuff.”

That was
more, way more, than I knew. “Go for it,” I said. “See if you can get any other
trucks working, pickups, vans, and Jeeps of course.”

“Can’t
forget the Jeeps,” laughed Mary.

“I’d
like to take a few extras back if we could. If nothing else we can store things
in them or use them for parts when the others break down.”

He
nodded. “There are some delivery vans over there too. They’d be good for that.”

Okay, we
had a plan, and it was working out. No laughter from God yet.

“Get to
it then.”

*
* *

Briana
stared at the door to the pharmacy. “No windows,” she observed. It’ll be dark
in there. You have the flashlight?”

I held
it up. “This will be lots of fun. I just know it.”

Lizzy
grunted and jerked the glass door open – it was covered with advertisements –
gun at the ready. “Hello, zombie monsters!” she shouted. “Come out and get us.”

We
waited nearly a minute. Nothing.

“I’m
going in. Hold the light over my head.”

I
complied, and Lizzy moved inside.

“Looks
empty Jacob.”

“Let me
prop the door open.” There was a rubber doorstop lying on the floor nearby.
“Better, well, at least we can see a little.”

“Looks
creepy.” Briana crinkled her nose. “Smells funny too.”

I
sniffed at the air. “Yeah, it does. Bodies?”

Lizzy
shrugged her ample shoulders. “Don’t know. Stay behind us Briana. Wouldn’t want
your tender parts getting eaten, unless Jacob’s the one doing it.”

“You
can’t resist, can you?”

“Nope. I
don’t work that way.”

The
banter ended as we began our search. There was a single large room with a few
aisles and freestanding displays. In the rear was a stockroom and small office.
All were empty, which we considered a good thing. The ladies restroom, however,
had a corpse hanging from an overhead pipe. The body belonged to a man.

“Now,
why would a guy go into the girls’ bathroom to kill himself?” asked Lizzy.
“Doesn’t that seem a little perverted to you?”

“At
least his pants are on.”

“He
shitted himself though. Must be what’s stinking. Rest of him looks all dried
out.”

“Better
than rotting,” I suggested.

“And
he’s been shot up – look at all those bullet holes – and stuff is sticking out.
Who would have done that?” asked Briana. “And why?”

I
shrugged. No clue whatsoever.

He was
disgusting, very much so, and I had no idea why he looked mummified. Maybe it
had to do with the humidity or heat or something.

“Should
we cut him down? We may come back, and we would just have to see this again.”

“Sweetie...
No, leave him.”

Both
looked at me.

“We
don’t need anything from this restroom. Out of sight, out of mind and all.
Besides, I really don’t want to touch that thing. By the time we come back,
there’s bound to be someone who’s annoyed me. I’ll make him do it.”

“Good
enough thinking,” said Lizzy.

“I would
have said annoyed us,” I continued, “but everyone annoys you.”

She
scowled, then smiled again. “You and Briana only annoy me a tiny bit, and since
that’s the case, I want details about what you’ve been doing. I know you’re
doing something. You weren’t before, but you are now. It’s all over your faces.
Mary says so, and she’s the one to tell.”

“Mary is
observant,” I agreed, “but I’m going to have to refrain from answering.”

“Good
choice,” commented Briana, firmly.

“Why the
fuck not! Are you worried she’ll cut you off? Or maybe cut something off?
Possibly with a knife, or hedge clippers, a saw, a chainsaw, a tree saw, one of
those two-handed lumberjack saws?”

“Enough
Lizzy. You know that you have issues, right?”

After a
series of escalating comments, most of which are unfit to print or write,
really to talk about in polite company, but suitable for a locker room, we left
the restroom and grabbed a pair of small shopping carts. I hit the actual
pharmacy while Lizzy loaded hers up with bathroom items. The newcomers had been
running short on soap and shampoo and the like. The pastor also asked for
whatever we came across.

Lizzy
made several trips in short order. With Briana watching the front door, and the
others all locked – we checked – there wasn’t any worry of attack, so it went
fast. Pretty much everything she took was dumped in the back of a pickup. We
had some tarps and bungee cords which we would use to secure it. The best items
ended up in Lizzy’s and my Jeep, with Cherie taking her pick as well. There
were benefits to being the ones looting, always were and always would be.

Among
the drugs, I seized all the Tylenol, aspirin, and every other over the counter
type I found. Most had expiration dates a couple years away, so we were good
till then, probably longer. I don’t think they’ll go bad, but rather just
become less effective. I might be wrong on that point however. I also grabbed
bandages, band aids, gauze, and the like, but I hesitated by the real
prescription medicines.

A few
names I recognized and knew about, yet the bulk were alien to me. I didn’t know
what they did or dosages or side effects or anything, but then, someone else
might. Maybe we’d find a book outlining their use. There were pamphlets
aplenty. Those might even be useful, although I was guessing they were probably
advertisements. In the end, I went ahead and grabbed everything. The place was
small and the stocks limited, so when we were done the back of the pickup was
not even a quarter full.

“I
grabbed some condoms,” said Lizzy. “Found them on a corner rack, next to the
toothbrushes. Stupid place to put the things.”

We were
on our way to the grocery store. It was privately owned or part of a chain
whose name I did not recognize.

“I don’t
know what you and Lois are going to be doing with those,” said Briana, “unless
there’s something you’re not telling us, maybe something really icky. Do I have
to ask Mary?”

Lizzy
rolled her eyes. “Don’t try that. These are for you. I got every box they had.
I figure several hundred at least, should last you, what, a week, two maybe?”

“I’d hit
you,” laughed Briana, “but you’d probably shoot me. Nah, give them to the
church people or Cherie – she’ll probably want them, damned lying...”

“You
sure?” asked Lizzy, surprisingly serious, after Briana trailed off. “Things
being the way they are.”

“It’s
been discussed,” I said, simply.

What I
didn’t mention was that I am highly allergic to latex, couldn’t even wear the
rubber gloves that doctors used. Briana had thought it funny until I pointed
out that my skin started to blister and peel if I touched it for too long.

“Fair
enough. I’d maybe like kids myself someday. I wonder if there are any
artificial insemination clinics still working.”

“I doubt
it,” commented Briana. “You’ll have to get your sperm donation the old
fashioned way. Think you could tolerate that?”

“I bet I
could, if it was Jacob helping out.”

Briana
rounded on her. “Don’t even think it! He’s mine!”

It was
good to be considered the personal property of a beautiful seventeen year old.
No stress involved. No potential conflicts or troubles. It made life so very,
very simple.

“I’m
kidding, and you know it.”

“It’s
not funny.” Briana was not at all amused.

“Zombie,”
I said.

Both
looked up immediately.

“Where?”
Lizzy had her gun extended and ready.

“Nowhere
ladies. I just wanted you both to get off that topic. Besides, I’m sure we
could use a turkey baster on you instead.”

That
defused matters entirely, and we resumed our looting.

*
* *

The next
day was spent within the Nebraska National Forest. Dean had brought back an
incredible load of lumber, far more than we needed. We also had plenty of
shovels and other tools. Best of all, it had rained the night before making the
ground nice and soft. Putting in the post holes proved easy.

Miranda
filled Simon and the pastor in on our success regarding Hemingford and the
progress we were making, and I later sent Cherie and her over to the lake camp
to drop off some soap, medicine, and food. I also instructed them to make it
clear that we weren’t going to keep supplying the church group indefinitely.
They would need to contribute to the work at some point in the very near
future.

“I just
love digging holes,” said Briana. She was wearing a tank top and shorts, both
damp with sweat. “And while I love you staring at me, I rather you help more
instead.”

“I’ve
noticed that even though we have been alternating, I end up doing about double
what you do.”

“You’re
twice my size, so that makes perfect sense.”

“I’m not
quite that big Briana, and you’re younger, not to mention in much better
shape.”

Her
smile became a scowl. “No bringing age into it. I don’t like those
conversations. I’ve told you this before.”

There
had been some whispering about us, not too much considering the circumstances
and the fact we were both generally liked, but Briana found it disturbing and
insulting. Her point of view was that she was essentially an adult and could do
what she wanted. It wasn’t as if she was thirteen like Mary. Besides, Briana
turned eighteen in three months anyway, that magical and completely arbitrary
milestone.

“No age
comments then,” I agreed.

Just as
well. It still bothered me somewhat that I was so much older. Actually, that
wasn’t it. The problem was that she was so young. That’s what it was. It was
all Briana’s fault for being born so late. What am I thinking?

“Another
few inches and this one’s done. I’ll start the next hole.”

“How is
it,” she began, pausing, “that Cherie doesn’t have to work? Ever?”

“She works,
just not physical labor.”

“You
never even ask.”

“Do you
think she’ll do it Briana? Maybe, but she would be pissed off and
uncooperative. So instead I have her run errands, keep watch, which she is very
serious about paying more attention than most others, and keeping an eye on
Miranda. Cherie is good at these things.”

“Everyone
should sweat Jacob.”

“In a
fair world, yes, but this isn’t fair. Besides, I don’t trust Cherie all that
much. I know she’ll stay with us since she doesn’t want to be alone. I trust
her to watch for zombies and warn us so we can kill them because she doesn’t
want to be bitten. That’s about it. Lizzy agrees with me. We’re going to keep
her to the side. It may mean less work for Cherie, but she’ll be out of the
planning as well.”

Lizzy
was the de facto second in command. I’d never really sought a leadership
position, but it somehow ended up that way. While Briana, or most anyone, was
more diplomatic and easy to work with than Lizzy, the woman was very capable.
She’d never be in charge however. People didn’t like her enough to tolerate
such a thing, and she knew it. This didn’t bother her though, another point in
Lizzy’s favor.

“How is
it that Lizzy hasn’t dropped more weight?” asked Briana. “She pushes herself
even harder than us.”

I looked
over to where she was working with Lois. Lizzy was still every bit as big as
before.

“I’d
been noticing that as well. Maybe we should put her on a diet. You get to tell
her.”

“Not a
chance. We’ll have Mary do that. Lizzy won’t bash her in the face, no matter
what she said or did. I do think she’d hit me, especially if I told her no more
junk food.”

“She’s
trying to eat as much of it as she can, before we run out entirely.”

“She
tell you that?”

I shook
my head. “My theory. Or she might just be a natural glutton.”

Briana
finished the hole and stepped back. Someone else would plant the pole. “At
least she’s not diabetic.”

“Probably
be dead by now if she were. Lack of those kinds of medicines will have taken
down a bunch of survivors.”

“How
many do you think are left?”

We moved
to the next spot. Dean had calculated and was marking the ground with a can of
yellow spray paint. So far the holes had lined up correctly.

“I think
there are hundreds, maybe thousands of little groups hiding in the wilderness like
us or established in small, rural towns like Edwin’s band back in Oklahoma.” I
stepped on the shovel, pushing it deep into the soil. “I think there are still
tens of thousands in the cities, hiding in apartments or offices. Some might
even have big bands that secured large areas, maybe on a neighborhood level
even.”