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BP Connivance store, Osage City. 7:00AM Central Time, Z Day + 1.
"Should we wake him up?" asked Demitri as she peered out through the windows. Sunlight had just started to stream in through the windows. Luckily, none of the infected or anyone else was out on the street.
"Might as well. Leave Brice alone for a little longer though," answered Ryou. Demitri sighed as she walked over to wake Tom up. The teen was sleeping in a small booth with his legs hanging over the edge of the seat and his shotgun crattled in his arms. She paused for a moment as she tried to figure out how to wake him up without touching him. Then she spotted the mop nearby. Reaching over, she poked his leg with the tip of the mop. Tom suddenly shot up out of the booth, racking his shotgun in the process.
"Jesus Christ you gave me a heart attack," he said as he lowered the shotgun. Demitri shrugged as she went back over to the counter. Ryou was busy bouncing a hacky sack off the floor while Kotone petted the white cat Demitri had brought with them. Tom rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before he stood and stretched. In the booth next to him, Brice slept, cradling his bow and knife.
"Brice hear anything over the radio last night?" he asked as he walked over to the many glass doors and pulled out an orange Gatorade.
"Dust, echoes, and static is all he told me before he crashed," said Ryou. Tom sloshed the orange liquid around in his mouth, attempting to get some moisture back.
"We didn't eat anything for breakfast," said Kotone as she picked up the cat and walked to the counter. Ryou shot her a look.
"We did to, your just gripping because you didn't get to have your cereal," he said. Kotone stuck out her bottom lip like she was pouting before she returned the cat to Demitri. Tom opened a plastic container and pulled out a few strips of beef jerky. Sticking one in his mouth, he walked over and stuck the other under Brice's nose.
"What's this?" Brice asked groggily as he slowly came to his senses.
"Breakfast," said Tom before he walked back to the counter. Ryou suddenly went tense on the counter. Outside, a small group dressed in camo with AR15s strode in the direction of their vehicles. Tom cursed under his breath as he double-checked his weapons.
"It's the Army!" said Kotone with glee as she raced for the doors. But Tom quickly caught her and dragged her back.
"Stay down and don't make a sound!" he hissed as they began to retreat from the doors.
"Who the hell are these guys?" asked Brice as he knelt next to them behind the counter.
"It's the Silos," said Tom as he peaked over the counter.
"Who are they?" asked Demitri, trying to stay down while keeping her distance from the other guys. Tom shot her a look of bewitherment.
"You've lived here how long and you never heard of the Silos?" he asked. She nodded. Tom sighed before he peaked over the counter again.
"They're a local militia, very short tempers and very racist," he said. Brice peaked over the counter as well.
"Why didn't the cops take care of them?" he asked.
"It's like fighting an insurgency, you can sever the head of the organization but you can never quite stop it out." Outside, the militia members were starting to look over the station wagon and the truck, even opening the doors. Tom sighed before he gripped his shotgun a little tighter.
"Lets play this cool, Brice and I will go outside while you three stay here. If any shooting starts Ice can come out and back us up," he said. Demitri put her hands on her hips, making her look awkward while she squatted.
"Why do we have to stay behind?" she asked.
"Racists, remember?" asked Brice as he and Tom stood, went over the counter and walked outside.
"Hello boys," said Tom as they walked out. Brice strung one of the explosive tipped arrows as they came to a halt. The militia members quickly took aim with their rifles.
"Stay back or we'll shoot!" said one of them. Neither Brice nor Tom so much as twitched.
"Are you infected?" asked another militia member.
"Do we look infected dumbass?" replied Brice. But none of the rifles were lowered.
"Last person who said that turned and we lost half our number," said the one who had first spoken up. Tom searched each one of their faces, and could only find one emotion: fear. He slowly inched towards the shop and the vehicles. Just as he thought, the militia retreated from the vehicles and out onto the street. Brice slowly followed him, keeping his bow at the ready.
"Now!" shouted Tom. Moving quickly, Brice hit the big red button that shutdown the pumps before spinning on the spot and releasing the arrow. The arrow flew between the two pumps and struck the leader. With an almightily explosion, the few surviving members were thrown to the ground. Tom dove under his truck and fired the shotgun, killing one of the members as he tried to stand.
Brice released a normal arrow, striking one of the members that were taking aim at Tom in the eye. In a panicked hurry, another member started to fire randomly at the store, shattering several windows and forcing Brice to dive behind his station wagon. Inside the store, Demitri cried out as bullets struck the counter in front of her.
"Hey! They got bitches inside the store!" called out one of the members. Tom crawled back out from under the truck and sat with his back propped up against the driver's door, facing the shop. A militia member ran up and passed through the truck and the car in his attempt to get to the store. But the shotgun thundered and the man hit the ground, his kneecap shattered by the buckshot. Standing quickly, Tom tossed the empty weapon to the side and scooped up the man's rifle. Brice stood and shot arrow after arrow, covering his friend.
"Jesus, we're fighting Rambo and the Indians!" cried out one of the men.
"Fall back!" called another. But Tom and Brice stood, cutting down the few remaining men with their weapons. Silence cut through the air like a knife, with only the few screams of the wounded to fill it. Amazingly, the only damage the two vehicles had received was a bullet hole in the passenger side of Brice's car. Tom went around the shootout area, using his revolver to put down all but one of the injured men. Slowly, Ryou, Kotone, and Demitri came out of the store.
"You guys ok?" asked Brice as he recovered his arrows. Ryou kept Kotone's eyes covered at all times while this was going on.
"Shaken, but fine," said Demitri. Tom walked over, threw the weapons and ammo he had scavenged into the bed of his truck before he recovered his shotgun and knelt infront of the man who's rife he had taken and kneecap he had destroyed.
"Listen up Tunnel Rat, I know that the world may be ending and all, but I still don't like it when someone wants to take advantage of a woman. So here's what you've won: a free, all expense free trip to hell by the teeth of the undead," he said. Sure enough, several of the infected were advancing down the street. The man's eyes filled with terror when he saw them.
"No, No! Come on man don't do this to someone like." But he was silenced with a scream when Tom gripped his wound. He would never admit it, but he kind of enjoyed the feeling of making someone suffer for doing something bad.
"Say hi too the devil for me," Tom hissed before everyone piled into the vehicles and tore off out of the parking lot. The man looked back at the advancing tide of bodies and began to scream with fear, then pain as they began to tear him apart. Just outside of Osage, Tom motioned for Brice to pull over.
"Do we have a destination?" he asked. Brice nodded slightly.
"There's a safe zone near Lindsborg," came the reply. Tom thought for a moment.
"Alright, better then hanging around here I guess."