"Let me get one of those!" Johnny said.
"Last one." Roosevelt replied, taking a big bite, "We got regular Fritos and Classic Lays. A loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter because I'm tired of tuna."
"No jelly?" Johnny asked.
Roosevelt slowly shook his head.
"I don't wanna talk about that. Let's just gas up and get going." He replied. The two stuffed all their food into bags and started for the door. Johnny stopped and turned back to the bare shelves.
“Hold this.” Johnny said, handing his bag to Roosevelt. He headed back into the store and knelt in front of a set of shelves. When he stood back up, he had several five-gallon gas cans under his arms and in his hands. Roosevelt eyed him with a confused look on his face.
“Small tank. We’ll be stopping every few hours if we don't take extra with us.” Johnny said, answering the question that had never been asked. He walked past Roosevelt and back out to the UTV, setting the cans down in a row next to the pumps. He pulled the handle free of the pump, pressed the button for premium fuel and stuck the nozzle into the UTV’s gas tank.
“Getting that good gas huh?” Roosevelt chuckled.
“Might as well seeing as it's free.” Johnny replied. Ten minutes later he was topping off the last can and securing it in the back of the side by side. He wiped his hands on the baggy denim overalls and climbed back into the vehicle.
“We have got to find some new clothes somewhere.” Johnny said as he got situated to drive.
“Yeah man I am with you there!” Roosevelt agreed. Johnny started the UTV and pulled up to the edge of the road. He looked left, seeing open road and then right.
“Shit! Time to haul ass!” He said as he punched down on the throttle. A crowd of zeds sprinted down the road, their snarling faces and milky white eyes giving both men an uneasy feeling. The crowd was a mix of young and old, fat, and skinny and of all colors. Some were fresh, only a few bite marks on their faces or arms while others were torn to shreds, parts of their faces missing completely and a few with missing limbs.
“Can’t this piece of crap go any faster?” Roosevelt asked, his voice growing with panic as they sped down the street.
“I have it to the floor already. All the weight is slowing us down.” Johnny replied as the UTV slowly got up to speed.
Chapter Thirteen
2:03 p.m. January 3, 2049
Southeast Tennessee
“Looks like we got company again.” Roosevelt said as Johnny pulled to the edge of the road. A crowd of zeds headed toward them, moving like a pack of starving wolves.
“Damn things are relentless. I’d sure like to know how this happened or find out who let it happen.” Johnny said, looking at the disgusting faces moving towards them.
“Jesus! Look at those things! How in the hell are they still moving?” Roosevelt asked. The crowd of infected were in rough shape. Some had missing limbs while others had loose, torn, flesh hanging from their faces and torsos. They sat and watched the things move closer and noticed one zed in particular at the front of the crowd. Its stomach was torn away leaving long bloody intestines dragging behind it. The ones behind it steadily stepped on the mushy looking entrails as they continued forward.
“Come on man get us out of here before I vomit!” Roosevelt said after seeing the long ropy entrails. Johnny chuckled.
“We should see about finding some bratwursts later.” He said, glancing over at his friend. Roosevelt started to heave at the thought.
“Oh, you’re an asshole for that!” He said, trying not to throw up. Johnny laughed louder this time before pulling out onto the road and driving away from the disgusting creatures. An hour later they passed under a bridge, stopping on the far side. They both climbed out of the side by side and stretched as they peered at the small town ahead of them.
“Think they have a gun store? We need to try and upgrade to something better then these old west guns.” Roosevelt said, holding up his shotgun.
“I seriously doubt it. Looks like very few people lived here.” Johnny replied pointing his chin at a sign that read Sweetwater Population 342.
“That’s it? 342 people? I bet the damn Mayor is also the Sheriff in this shit hole.” Roosevelt said, shaking his head. The sound of a distant growl getting closer extremely fast caught their attention and they spun around to see a zed falling headfirst from the bridge. The things forehead impacted with the pavement sending its brains exploding in every direction. Three more followed seconds later and the two men had to take a few steps back to avoid getting splashed with the disgusting slop that was once a human brain.
More coming over the edge!” Johnny said, cringing at the horrific sight. An entire group of the infected fell to the ground below leaving brains and blood smeared all over the road. The few that tried to get up again couldn't move as their broken legs, shattered hips and crushed spines wouldn’t allow for it.
“Should we take out the rest of them?” Johnny asked. Roosevelt shook his head emphatically.
“Hell no! I’m not going near that disgusting pile of slop.” He said moving back to the UTV. Johnny shrugged and climbed in. He turned the engine over and put it in gear before pressing on the throttle. The UTV rolled forward, the engine groaning under all the weight as Johnny guided the machine into the small town. The place looked untouched by the sudden zombie outbreak as they cruised down the main drag through the town. Store fronts quickly turned to home fronts as they continued down the road stopping only when they ran into a police barricade in the middle of the street. Several different weapons lay in the middle of the street with spent brass
