Apocalypse Bohol

CHAPTER 4: Acquiring resources

"Alright, this is your stop guys. Everyone out." Luke said as they parked close to the crashed armored vehicle. The driver's door was open and there was no one there. He looked at his watch. It was 2 o'clock in the afternoon. They still had enough time to proceed with their operation, but the dark sky might mean that once the clock hits 5 pm, it would get really dark.

"I want you guys back home in three hours. With, or without Mrs. Rheena. You got it?" Luke told them. "This is non-negotiable."

"Got it!" Carlos and the rest answered in unison and left to check on the vehicle.

"Check the gas first! See if it's diesel or gas." Luke called out.

"It's diesel!" Ervan answered, checking on the gas valve. "It looks empty. We should probably get it filled for a bit."

"Got it." Luke replied. "Ervan, climb in. Guys! We'll be right back!" With that, they left to find the nearest gas station.

Carlos, Jeb, and Jay Arr cautiously approached the crashed vehicle. It seemed that the drivers died on impact, their rotting corpses still stuck in the driver's seat. Jay Arr and Carlos pulled them out of the front seats.

"Ewwww." Daryl complained as he covered his nose. "That smells. Gross!"

"Look!" Jay Arr pointed at their waists. "They're armed."

"They're also wearing Vests." Carlos added. "We have to get these!"

"9mm ruger pistols." Jay Arr silently commented.

Gingerly they took off the armored vests and their holsters (Which carried both the pistols and at least 3 magazines of ammo for them)

"I'll check the back!" Jeb called out. He opened the rear door. Everyone inside were also dead. There were two armed personnel who were still carrying their shotguns.

"There's more weapons here." Jeb said. He climbed onto the van and pulled the soldiers out. "Jackpot! A couple of old M-16s and three magazines each." He said. Jeb removed the guns from their dead owners and proceeded to sling one for himself.

There was a hiss behind them. Three zombies had noticed them and were lumbering towards them.

"Ah shit." Jeb said. "Alright guys, no need to panic, they're just normal, slow zombies... let's get to formation and – "

Trish grabbed Jeb's fire axe and walked towards them. She swung her axe and decapitated the first zombie. The second zombie's head was split in half, and the third was knocked to the ground. Trish swung the axe high and bashed the zombie right in the head.

She turned around. The boys just stared, mouth wide open.

Jay Arr broke the silence. "Well shit, remind me to not piss you off." He laughed. "I mean... fuuuccckk"

They proceeded to strip the dead guards off their armored vests. Carlos and Klaudine disinfected the seats with alcohol and a rag dipped in a mixture of bleach and water. Trish removed the ceramic plates of the bullet proof vests.

"Don't wear them yet." Trish warned the group. "We'll clean them up first before equipping them. Just use the guns if you have to. Besides, your leather armor is a better protection against bites and scratches than these heavy ceramic plates."

Luke and Ervan came back a short moment later. They were carrying a gallon of diesel, and filled up the car. Carlos climbed into the driver's seat and turned the key. Nothing.

"What's the matter?" Luke called out.

"Nothing. Battery's dead."

"Is it a manual or automatic?"

"Manual!"

"Great! Let's tow the car to the road first." Luke said, climbing out of the vehicle. They tried to tow it with the car but it wouldn't budge.

"Check the emergency brakes?" Luke called out.

"It's off." Carlos answered

"What about the gear?"

"It's on neutral."

"It's too heavy for the car!" Luke said. He undid the cables and scanned around. There were no other large vehicles in sight, just a couple of light cars as well.

"I don't have jumper cables." He sighed. "Does the armored truck have a set?"

Jeb went back in the truck's cabin. He rummaged inside to check.

"They do!"

"Good, that'll have to do." Luke maneuvered the Adventure beside the armored car and popped open the hood. He connected the cables to their batteries. "Go for it!" He called out to Fourth.

The Armored truck sputtered for a moment and roared back to life.

"Great! Remember to gas it up before going." Luke said. He looked at his watch. It was 3:05 pm. They had wasted time trying to get it to start. "Klaud, Jay Arr, you're with me."

The three of them climbed on the Mitsubishi Adventure and backed up into the highway.

"Wait!" Jeb called out. "Take this!" He handed Luke an M16 rifle, plus a couple of magazines. "You probably won't need this, but take it anyway, just in case."

Luke grabbed the weapon. In a mission that required stealth, this was probably the last thing he needed. However, if there were more things than that... Draugr... then perhaps the gun might come in handy.

"You know how to use it, right?" Jay Arr asked.

"Me? Pfft duh, I was an officer during my ROTC training. Of course I know how to use it!" Luke said. It was an exaggeration. He never fired a gun before but they had taken several training courses and classes on how to take care of it. While most of it had been forgotten, he still remembered each stance and the firing position he must take to shoot the gun properly.

"Okay. I trust you." Jay Arr said.

"Are we going or what?" Klaudine asked.

The Mitsubishi Adventure revved up and left Carlos, Daryl, Trish, Ervan and Jeb.

"I guess we better go now as well." Carlos said. Everyone else climbed up and headed on to save Mrs. Rheena.

"I hope she's alive." Daryl prayed.

No one else said a word. The armored truck sped over to Mrs. Rheena's place, but they were still an hour away from her home.

It was 3:15 in the afternoon.