Satellite

Chapter 24 - Honesty

     The group of six placed their four baskets filled with as much as they can find in the ransacked market.

     Most of the items were canned goods and whatever dry foods were left after the raiding. Everything else in the market was already spoiled, melting, and rotting from the fridges having no power.

     Cheng looked among the baskets and bent down to inspect each one. It wasn't much considering how many people they had to feed but it was something. "Could be worse. This should hold us off for another week or two."

"At this rate, we're going to be eating crumbs off the ground." One soldier sighed.

     They were down to their last box of MREs. With as many people in their group now, it was going to be hard to ration for everyone. Between the 14 soldiers, the two nurses including the three survivors, and Kelly and Rockman at the Station, food wasn't going to be easy.

     (Y/N) looked around the market in disappointment and the amount of food that has gone bad. If only the power stayed on just a bit longer...

"As long as we divide it all up and not be greedy, we should be fine." Cheng spoke and got to her feet. "Between the 21 of us-"

     Cheng was cut off as they all began hearing something in the distance. Several loud and rumbling engines drove threw the streets of the town. It was only when the sounds grew closer did they sounded like motorcycles.

     Immediately Drake and the rest of the soldiers forgot their 'no guns' rule and grabbed their weapons. (Y/N) nervously stood back as Drake and Cheng approached the market entrance and hid along the sides. She and the other three soldiers moved to hide in the aisles.

     (Y/N) peeked out from where she hid and saw the blurs of four bikes drive past the market. The engines were so loud that she could feel the vibrations on the ground. But even as they drove past, they seemed to circle back once they spotted the truck parked outside.

     Drake and Cheng kept their eyes on the bikers as they circled back and observed the truck. They couldn't hear what they were saying over the engines but Drake watched as one of them pointed at the truck and then turned their sights onto the market.

'This isn't good.' He thought to himself as he glanced back at where the others were hiding. He met Cheng's eyes and she motioned for them to stay quiet. See what these guys will do first.

     But after a brief talk among the bikers, they all turned in the direction they had come in and looked to be amused. They hollered obscene words over their engines and quickly rode off together deeper into town. Two of them even pulled out pistols to shoot into the air as if they were purposely trying to be loud.

      Drake made sure that they were truly gone before moving to poke his head out, seeing that the bikers were gone. (Y/N) watched him make sure the coast was clear but he saw something in the direction the bikers came in and hurriedly rushed back inside. "Shit!"

     Cheng saw it too and they both hid out of sight. Their guns clutched close to their bodies and made no attempt to create noise.

     The nurse wondered what they saw but her question was quickly answered.

     About a dozen fiends came rushing past the market in the direction of the bikers. They snarled and violently moved as they followed the noise of the engines, tripping over each other's feet and shoving one another in an attempt to be the first to catch the bikers.