Survival

Chapter 8 Attention Shoppers

A large jeep roared as it tried to pass through the debris in the middle of the street, splashing up water, blood and unknown substances against the curbs as it gained speed. Gunnar noticed three men with bandannas and wooden planks eye the other survivors. He could tell from the observers open mouths and pointed stares that everyone around was thinking of ways to get their greedy hands on a seat in there. The survivors looked like the crack-heads that used to sleep on the front steps of his apartment building. 

It's not the powder that's got you this time, it's life, he thought. 

The jeep couldn't offer a quick escape since the awful streets piled high with crap. Still, there was hope to having a ride; you could go real far with a beast like that. Maybe he could find an angle to play to earn their trust. It would have to be quick.

Following the Jeep's movements by inch by inch, he spotted a familiar red star logo outside on a diagonally hung post. The pumps were pretty destroyed so there was little chance of getting a full can of gasoline. 

With half an idea, he ran into the gas station, stepping through the broken glass that used to be a front door and headed to the back. He scanned the displays until he found two jerry cans. While he doubted there was enough to fill both cans, two would be far more convincing than one so he had to find a way to bluff his way through. The containers were empty, so he poured in a decent quantity of those big cans of flavored teas before heading outside to see what he could salvage from the pump wreckage. He filled half a can with a dripping hose and added just enough to the tea mixture so that it smelled like gasoline. The second can got a lower ratio of tea.

Running up to the jeep, still plowing through the awful street, he saw others trying to jump on. The small man whose face was covered with a red bandanna caught his eye. Gunnar knew he was being watched as he approached. He held up the jerry can as a peace offering and the red bandanna-wearing guy nodded, extending his hand as if to call him forward. As he got closer to the car, Gunnar thrust the can toward the man. He grabbed it and poured a drop onto a rag to sniff it.

The moment the man nodded at him, Gunnar pulled himself up over the side. He kept the container actually filled with gasoline at his side. Luckily the fuel gauge sat high enough to buy him some time before they realized he was a scammer. The people crowding around the jeep swore at him, grabbing for the cab. Gunnar kicked their hands away with his boots before he was handed a two-by-four.

"You're clever, kid," red bandanna spoke with a hint of a Spanish accent.

More than you'll ever know. Gunnar nodded in recognition.

"Much worth looting here, kid?" The man with prominent eyebrows said in a deep voice.

"Nothing," he said, relaxing in the back as the road began to clear of debris and the jeep picked up speed. He let his eyes wander to what was left of the concrete jungle. Storefront after storefront had been smashed in and robbed.

An hour later, he hopped off the jeep, managing to keep his jerry can of real gasoline, as the group headed for another far away city. He didn't want to be in the car when their only hope was his gassed tea. He landed near a large box store that he hoped hadn't been looted just yet. A few cars still sat in the parking lot from people who were caught shopping all those weeks ago, but there weren't many. He walked closer, and it looked pretty promising.

He went through the broken doors, needing to pry open the second set with a broken bench leg. The store was dark, and he listened for signs of people. He found two dead near the entrance from blows to the head. A large overhead sign lay in pieces on the floor only a few feet from the two.

Gunnar walked to the mini fridges near the check out to grab a couple bottles of water. A large flashlight had been left on one of the checkout counters so he helped himself. The light clicked on and he looked around the building that was now his for the taking. He grabbed a cart that had been overturned, full of rotting produce and meat. He left the garbage on the floor and began to wheel the cart through the store. With a smile, he rolled down the aisles filling the cart with bags of chips, crackers, soups, beans and everything he could find that might keep a few weeks. He rolled through the clothing section, picking up a couple jackets and sweaters and a hat.

Electronics was a mess of smashed TVs. He grabbed packs of D batteries, as many as he could find. He could hear his mother's yell in the back of his mind when she was too broke to pay the power bill. Get the gawd-damned batteries, Gunnar. That fucking power company is at it again, stealing 'ar lights. Someone was always wronging them, in her eyes it could never be her fault for wasting their money on drugs.

Once he reached the recreational section, Gunnar grabbed a tent, a chair, a propane stove and fuel. He had never been camping, but it looked pretty easy on all of those car commercials on TV. A bunch of rich people sat around a fire eating marshmallows and sleeping on the ground. Maybe it was more appealing when you had a real bed to come home to once the weekend ended. The feeling didn't stop him from grabbing a sleeping bag and fishing rod. Survival was important, and there had to be some fish left out there. Beef jerky could only do so much.

He was looking at the brand new skateboards when he heard footsteps approaching. He grabbed one, ready to use it as a weapon, and clicked off the light.

"I thought I heard someone rummaging through the aisles," said a man's voice.

"Stay back," Gunnar warned, gripping the board tightly.

The average-sized man kept walking forward. "It's hard to tell what's real and what's imagined anymore. Have you been here long?"

Gunnar blinked. He had no idea what to do next. His eyes kept darting around the aisle looking for something more powerful. His competition didn't look very intimidating size-wise. He was used to taking down guys at least his weight or more.

"Take whatever you like. There are only the two of us here now."

Gunnar wasn't buying this man's crap story. There had to be others waiting around the corner for his guard to go down. As soon as he let go of the skateboard they would swarm him.

"You look like you could use some food," the man said with a smile.

"I don't need anything from you," Gunnar spat the words at him.

What kind of an asshole did that man think he was? His thoughts wandered back to Rob and his condescending attitude. Everyone had an agenda and Gunnar wasn't going to risk his skin on this guy being genuine. People weren't any better now than they'd ever been in the past. Gunnar took a threatening step toward the man and gave the skateboard a hard swing.