Lovers And the Dead

20

River surprises us by making breakfast sandwiches, handing one to each of us as we grab our weapons and head for the truck. Aj keeps brushing his hands over me, like he needs to make sure I'm with him. It's cute, and annoying at the same time.

"Ollie you ready?" Rupert says, since Ollie is our other driver.

"Yep, let's go. Real soon we need to clear those cars from the road." Ollie responds.

I nod, "After we get everything started at the new house. I call the back seat."

Aj smirks at me, "Like you'd keep an eye out for zombies."

I give him a sassy glare, "I'll spot them before you."

"Get in." Matt yells at me from the escalade.

Locklin and Jack get the gate for us and we're off down the narrow steep road. I see the metal gate with a car crashed into it, we barely have room to maneuver around the edge of it.

"I wonder when that happened." I muse.

Rupert shakes his head, "We do need to clear this all up and get another gate and fence off the openings on the side to make it safer."

Unlike the first time we drove up this way, there are zombies wandering the mountain highway. They give chase as we cut through the median going up the east bound side.

"Am I the only one freaked out that this side has no cars like at all?"

Aj chuckles, "They're in the ditches." He points a car out that crashed into the trees just off the road. "Damnit, though we forgot to look at the other side to see if there was another entrance to the ridge house."

"We'll do that on the way back." Rupert assures him.

It takes us fifteen minutes to get to the Walmart in Woodland Park. "I don't think we should go in there." I look at the big open store warily.

Cars are parked in a circle around the entrances blocking off easy access to get in. "Didn't the emergency channel say something about gathering at grocery stores? What if there are people here?"

"Shit, I didn't think about that." Aj mutters.

As Ollie's escalade approaches the half circle of cars, someone comes out with a rifle trained on us. Ollie veers back out to the parking lot, we follow him up the road to another Natural Grocers. I sigh, not my favorite place to shop, but hopefully it's locked up still, and safe.

They park both vehicles so it's easy to get out and back to the main road. As a unit we check all exits of the building, the back rear door is ajar. Which doesn't sit well with me, seriously though what were the chances of finding another store that hasn't been looted when obviously there are living people nearby.

Rupert goes in first pistol raised, very quietly Aj tells me to watch the door and stay here until they give the all clear. And run like hell and get safe if anything happens to them. Do not come in if there is trouble. Psht, whatever, I'll totally come to their rescue.

For the moment, I wait. They went in together clearing the place. I keep my eyes trained on the nearby buildings, some offices and the like. Everything is quiet. I can only see the backside of the building so that really doesn't help keep an eye out on the main road.

Movement in the tree line nearby, has my eyes snapping up. My heart pounds as I wait to see what is coming out of the brush. I let out a sigh of relief when a couple of deer prance out sticking to the edge of the woods as they travel.

I jump, as Wally is suddenly next to me. "Shit." I whisper, "You scared me."

He grins, "It's clear inside, only one zombie inside. Not much has been looted. Can you keep an eye out while we load as much as we can into the trucks?"

"Yes, I've got you." I grin at him.

His lips meet mine for a quick kiss then he ducks back into the building. Aj is the first to rush out with arms full of boxes. They take everything frozen and perishable, that's still okay first. Then start in on the can and boxes. When the trucks are nearly full, I stop Ollie.

"Can you grab me a few canned coffees or something?"

He chuckles, "Yeah, sure. I mean I guess if it's here we can take it."

Once again, I see movement, this time from the main road. At least five zombies lumber this way. "Guys!" I whisper shout. "Zombies!"

All five rush out, once they are past, I find a cinderblock nearby to block the door so none can get in. Just in case we decide to return. Aj snags my wrist towing me back to the safety of the truck just as the group reaches us.

"We're out of room for chickens." Rupert tells me.

I nod, wincing as the zombies' pound on the truck as we follow Ollie back down the mountain. "It's okay getting food was a little more important at the moment."

Aj chuckles, "Here." He hands me a can of cold brew.

"Thank you!" I crack it open, sipping the bitter smooth goodness. "This just made my day."

"I did get more coffee beans and a hand grinder they had." Rupert smirks at me.

"Life feels a little better." I grin back at him in therearview mirror, "Thank you."