Near one thirty Sunday morning, they reached Sieling to take Rt. 278 west. JR woke when Sam pulled onto the parking lot at the Home and Farm Supply, stopped, and shut off the engine. “Hi, Sleepy Head. Here’s a key for the camper on the back. You can go back there and crawl in bed if you want. I’ll sleep here until the farm store opens in the morning. Then we’ll see what you need in the way of clothing. I watched closely and didn’t see any zombies lurking in the shadows when we pulled in. But be careful now and even more so when you come out in the morning. Be sure you check the whole area first before jumping out.” Still half asleep, she nodded, grabbed her bags, and exited the truck. He stepped from the truck to stretch and checked the area around them under the sparse flood lights along the perimeter of the parking lot. The camper door closed before he entered the cab again. Sam locked the doors, then leaned his seat back as far as it would go against items packed behind it. He kicked off his boots and fit his body to the confined space. After tossing for thirty minutes, he laid across the bench seat with his knees bent high and angled against the seatback.
His dreams were nightmares of zombies, zombies, and more zombies. He woke briefly after fighting and shooting an oncoming pack of them that never stopped. Sweat dripped from his forehead and his body was clammy; the temperature was still warm outside. The dash clock showed four a.m. He checked the mirrors and studied the area under the meager parking lot lights for nearby danger. His eyes closed, and he drifted into another uneasy world of zombie destruction and human annihilation.
At six thirty, Sam stirred briefly as two employee’s cars entered the parking lot within minutes of each other and stopped near the back edge fifty feet from his rig. The first one needed a new muffler. The sky was medium gray as clouds blocked the rising sun. A few showers during the night left raindrops on the truck, and a light drizzle was misting. He closed his eyes, shifted his butt, and drifted off again.
Forceful knocking on the glass beside his head startled him from his fragile sleep. His right hand jumped to his handgun as his feet swung to the floor. JR stood outside. “Let me in, it’s raining out here.” He flipped the lock switch as she scampered around the front of the truck dodging the larger puddles. The dash clock showed it was a few minutes past eight. The rain intensity had increased and drops splattered on shallow pools in the blacktop. He took a deep breath and batted his eyes several times. The store was open, and a half dozen vehicles were parked close to the entrance
Sam asked, “How’d you sleep?” He struggled to pull his cowboy boots on.
“Good enough. I’ve been awake a while and went through the clothes I brought. Mostly I grabbed shorts and T-shirts and a few long jeans. I’m lean on bras, panties and socks too. Plus, like a dummy, I didn’t bring any jackets or coats or boots.” She looked apologetically at Sam. “The zombies were only a block or so away when I grabbed stuff, and I was scared.”
Sam nodded his understanding. “I’m glad you checked already. Now let’s talk about the direction I believe this zombie thing is headed.” JR twisted in the seat and faced him wearing a serious almost fearful expression. “I’ve followed the zombies since rumors first floated here from Asia and Europe about seven months ago, or maybe a little longer. It took a while to learn how to access sites where current information was available before they were blocked or removed. The zombies completely decimated those continents. Humans no longer exist in any meaningful numbers.” JR frowned as if unbelieving. Her hands locked together in her lap. “That’s heavy shit to swallow. It seems impossible.”
Sam continued, “As people were attacked, distribution of all goods was interrupted. Food and water supplies ran out in days, Services like water, sewer, power, and security stopped. Personnel at refineries were depleted and the plants either were shut down or failed and caught fire or exploded. Power plants did the same. Imagine the world we’ve known since childhood with no fossil fuel or electricity. And then think about no manufacturing of any kind. No new vehicles, clothing, food, medicine, nothing to replace what we use daily. Even poop paper and snot tissues will soon be depleted and not replaced.”
JR put her head in her upturned hands and wept. “So what’s the use of going on?” It sounds like we’re all going to die anyway.”
“I’m not ready to die, so I’ll continue to fight as long as possible. I hope you will too.”
“But there’s a chance you’re wrong, isn’t there?
“Of course, slight. But I don’t think I am wrong. The reason I brought it up now is because when we go in the store, we need to stock up on sturdy clothing and boots that will last a long time. Buy more than you need now because it’s got to last a lifetime. I’ve already done that, but I may buy some more. For example, get at least eighteen or twenty pairs of stout jeans, not frilly, thin fashion items. I’m sure this store carries Levi, Carhartt, Berne, and their own line of rugged work clothing”
JR dug in the backpack on her lap and passed him two energy bars. The backs of each hand wiped tears from her cheeks. “Okay, I
