The car grinded to a halt. An eerie silence hung in the air; a village stood before them. Over the night, the group had not passed directly through a place of civilisation, or any remnants of it. They had expected to see cars overturned, broken windows, blackened buildings, just like the outskirts of London where the children had found their mother. But this place… it was perfect.
"Creepy…" Doyle broke the silence, looking back at Andy and Tammy. He swung his arm over the back of the seat to turn towards them. "Tammy, you okay?"
"Yeah…" She was dismissive of him and looked out the window as they slowly drove past houses that were once immaculate.
"Where'd they all go?" piped up Andy, wide-eyed and suddenly alert.
"Andy, they were all evacuated. They left."
"But why? Tammy, where'd they go?"
Tammy opened her mouth to answer, but Doyle shook his head 'no', mouthing 'there's no need'.
"Is that…" Scarlett motioned towards the end of the street. The building was the only indication of Rage – the windows were boarded up, and one was broken. Above the awning in large letters were the words 'Amy's Corner Store'. It was double-storey, thin, and the once white sliding had now gained a yellow tinge.
"Do you think there'll still be any food, Doyle?"
"Only one way to find out. Let's go." He handed Andy a metal club from his belt, giving Tammy a military ka-bar. "Be careful with these, we don't want anybody hurt." He looked to Scarlett, who was arming herself with a sawn-off shotgun she had found under the front seat of their hi-jacked car. Scarlett brought the vehicle to a halt in front of the store, and the group exited the vehicle clutching their weapons to their chests.