The Long Road Home

Chapter Two

Pig woke with a start. She got to her feet and looked around panicked not knowing where she was. A thump made her heart jump into her throat. She wanted to laugh when she realized it was the atlas had falling onto the floor. Rubbing her eyes she sighed and looked around the store. It was much darker then it had been before. Her watch’s glow in the dark hands informed her it was almost five am and she had been sleeping for almost nine hours.

            Pig sighed and sat on the cot and picked up the atlas and note pad she had written out her route on. She had a few hours before the sun came up and knew she should use this time to prepare for her long trip.

            After grabbing her flash light she went to the camping section. She replaced the small led light with a powerful head light so that both of her hands could be free. The first thing she grabbed was a huge external frame backpack she had seen on one of those extreme survival shows. Pig took a great deal of pleasure in filling up the pack with items she had always wanted, but could never afford.

            Her mind wandered to the cabin and the miles and miles of woods that surrounded it. She and Mic had spent countless summers playing in those woods. They had even placed a bet with each other to see who could live longer off the land. She had lasted two days before she had gone back to the cabin. Mic had thrived in the woods for a little over a week before their parents went in to the forest to get him.

            Pig frowned at the bag in her hand and then to the supplies on the shelves. If Mic was here he would get a good knife and some fishing tackle and he would be good. She wished she could be more like her twin. He was strong and capable. She was a housekeeper with no survival skills at all. Pig shook her head free of the thoughts. If she kept thinking like this she would get nowhere. She took a moment to make sure she had the necessities. So far she had gathered an expensive first aid kit, fire kit, a flashlight with batteries, rain poncho, a canteen with water purifying tabs, two wire saws and a good hatchet. Pig added a diner kit next and attached a brand new overpriced sleeping bag and tent to the packs frame. She nodded. It was a good start. Looking around she discovered a good fishing section on the other side of the camping area. Pig added a retractable fishing kit and a good supplies of hooks and new line.

            The pack was getting heavy so she took it back to her makeshift camp. She noticed a display for camping stoves and went to it picking up one with one burner on it. The packs of propane tanks for the stoves were there as well and she took four of them.

            Pig sat on the cot and picked up one of the bags of camping food. It said it was a southwestern omelet. Following the directions she added water and resealed the bag. She then squeezed the bottom of the bag where she felt a pebble sized lump. Pig squeezed until it popped. A moment later the bag warmed up. Pig smiled. This was a nifty little idea, but at over five dollars a meal, they had better taste like momma’s home cooking.

            Five minutes later she opened the bag and tried the eggs. Pig was impressed with how good it tasted. She had not expected the powdered substance to be so good. Once she had her fill Pig grabbed a led lantern and she explored the store.

            In the back, next to the massive archery section, was a gun area. Pig knew from her previous trips the store had a gun range down stairs. So long as the door was kept closed, the room was sound proof.

            Her parents who had both been Marines, tried to teach her and Mic how to use a gun when they were younger. At the time she had not been interested. Now however, a gun could come in handy in this new crazy world. She opened the gun case and pulled out the only gun she recognized.

            The .357 magnum was heavy and felt awkward in her hands. She held it with both hands and aimed it at a stuffed raccoon.

            ‘Bang’ She whispered then looked around panicked not meaning to speak out loud. There was no one there however. She sighed and looked under the display and found a box of ammo.  

Pig took both down stairs to the gun range. The range was down a set of narrow concrete stairs. The door to the range was open and led to a massive room with three firing booths in it. Pig set the box of ammo and lantern down on the table of the first booth. She then went back to the door and closed it. The bar that locked it slid into place with a loud click. She had seen her father load his gun dozens of times and he had even let her load it once. Sliding the six bullets into place she closed the chamber.

            Six shots, just like the old west. The thought brought a frown to her face. Would six shots be enough though? The first days of the chaos she had seen men with big hunting rifles and revolvers like this shooting non stop at the monsters. Some of the monsters took seven or eight rounds before falling dead. She would worry about it later. For now, she would see how good she was with this gun. Pig took aim at the paper target at the end of the ally and tried to pull the trigger. She frowned confused when nothing happened. She checked the gun and blushed realizing she had the safety on. Sliding the safety off with her thumb, she again took aim and fired. The world went black.

            When the world came back, her head was pounding and she realized she was laying on the floor. How had she gotten on the floor and why did her head hurt so much? She tried to get up, but her skin was sticking to the floor. That’s when she realized her head was resting in a pool of blood. She jerked back fast and the world around her spun. Her stomach reeled and she felt like vomiting. The pounding in her head increased and she had to close her eyes and fight to get her breathing under control.

Her stomach settled and the pounding eased. Pig got to her feet and was hit with a wave of dizziness. She stood with her eyes closed until it passed. Once she was sure she would not pass out, she grabbed the lantern and opened the door. The few stairs proved to be her biggest challenge. Using the hand rail, she pulled her self up each step. At the top of the stairs she stood trying to catch her breath. Pig went to where the restrooms were and went inside. She set the lantern on the counter and looked into the mirror confused. She had a gash running vertical between her eyes stopping on the top of her nose. Both her nose and the gash looked like they had been bleeding for a long time, but had stopped. She frowned confused.

            What the hell could have happened? Did the bullet bounce back and hit her? It then occurred to her and she felt like an idiot. The gun had recoiled and hit her between the eyes. She sighed and tried the faucet. The water back at the clinic still worked even though there was no pressure. She was happy to see the weak stream come from the faucet. Cupping her hands she washed her face with upmost care. It was clear her nose was broken, but there was nothing she could do about that. She had broken it once before falling out of a tree and the doctors said it would head fine without help. With any luck this would be the same.

            Once her face was as clean as she could get it, she used the wall and shelves for support to make it back to her camp. Pig sat on the cot wanting to fall asleep, but forced herself to stay awake. She grabbed the huge first aid kit from her pack and pulled out the antiseptic cream and a mirror.

            As Pig bandaged her self up she knew once thing for sure. She and guns did not mix and she would not be looking for another one. She knew with this wound she could not leave anytime soon. Once she recovered, she would go to the bow section and see if she could find a decent bow.

            With a new plan laid out and her head covered in bandages, Pig took two

ibuprofen and lay down to get some sleep.