Thanks for the reviews and alerts guys, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. :D Anyway, here's the next(and lengthy) chapter.
It was outside of a lone general store near the four corners where the study group had planned their next raid. In the two weeks since the outbreak, they had adjusted quickly to the situation and discovered that each one of them had a special skill.
Jeff and Shirley did well with close range melee weapons. Jeff's particular favorite to have on hand was a long-bladed machete that he snatched up on an earlier raid of a weapons shop. Shirley preferred the blunt objects. Baseball bats, tire irons, and the occasional steel pipe just to name a few. While she did stay behind on most raids to take care of Ben, Shirley had shown she could hold her own while holding him. If Ben was able to show it, he'd be proud to have Shirley as a mom.
Troy's previous years of being a quarterback had paid off by making him an expert at long-range throwing. If it was sharp or flammable(or both, which he liked the most), then it was the perfect thing to toss at rotten ones.
Abed, Annie, and Britta had become the group's sharp shooters. Annie and Abed with guns, Britta with a bow and arrow. The group was skeptical when she picked them up at the weapon store raid, but surprised them all when she proved to be very adept at archery. She also knew a little too much about fire and what one could do with it, which meant making a lot of molotovs and other flammable items for Troy's arsenal. Annie had upgraded her tiny pistol for a long double barrel pistol, an older gun that caught her eye during the previous raid, and carried a sniper rifle that typically hung off a strap on her shoulder. Abed had a shot gun strapped to him at all times with a handgun housed in holster at his hip, a bandolier of ammo for both him and Annie strung across his chest.
Six of them gathered around the small table within the RV, something else they had acquired on the road(and fixed up thanks to Shirley), to plan out their raid on the gas station.
"Shirley, what does Ben need and what are we low on food wise," Jeff asked, picking up two dark blue duffle bag.
"Wipes, diapers, and getting more baby food wouldn't hurt," Shirley replied, "As far as food, we're good on beans. Try to find anything other than beans and get snack food to tide us over."
Jeff nodded before looking to Annie, "Do you need any more medical supplies?"
"Just the normal bandages and band-aids," Annie answered, "but we're running low on aspirin and ibuprofen. Having cold, fever, and allergy medicine would be great if you can get some. Oh, hydrogen peroxide and alcohol too."
"Alcohol," Jeff raised a brow.
"Vodka would be good to have in case I'm stitching up someone. Takes the edge off a bit."
"Right," Jeff glanced around at the others, "anything else we should pick up?"
Everyone remained silent.
"Abed, you're coming with me," Jeff pointed to Britta, Troy, and Annie, "you three are lookouts. Have your weapons at the ready."
The three nodded.
"Shirley, hold the fort."
"Roger," Shirley replied.
Abed sprung up and followed Jeff to the door.
"Don't forget these," Abed passed out walkies for everyone, "communication is vital."
"We'll try to get this stuff," Jeff said, clipping his walkie to his belt and turning back to the group, "I can't guarantee anything."
"Just pick up what you can," Britta said, picking up her bow, "now go, we'll be right behind you."
Jeff nodded to her and went out the door with Abed trailing behind him.
"We should enter from the back," Abed suggested as he handed Jeff a handgun, "and take this."
"Good idea," Jeff responded, taking the gun and situating it in the waist of his jeans.
The two quietly went around to the back of the store, finding the back door off its hinges.
"Either rotten ones or it's already been raided through," Abed said.
"Let's find out," Jeff stepped inside first, making sure the coast was clear.
He gestured for Abed to follow him inside. The store, while damaged, still was fully stocked with various items ranging from decaying bananas to children's puzzle books. Once they made sure they were the only ones inside, Jeff picked up his walkie.
"Honey, I think we'll be able to get everything on the list."
"Don't take too long, sweetie," Troy answered, "you might catch death out there."
Jeff tossed a duffle bag to Abed, "We'll be home soon, sweetheart."
"I'll start at one end, you go to the other," Abed said, "we'll meet in the middle."
"Sounds like a plan," Jeff said before the two split.
Jeff started shoving things into the bag right away. Soup, beans(you can never have enough), canned meat, water, bandages. He even managed to find a few bottles of hydrogen peroxide. As he started putting a third bottle in the bag, he heard a click from behind his head. Jeff froze, trying to decide whether to get the gun or the machete.
"I wouldn't try anything if I were you," A female voice said behind him, "give me the bag and your weapons."
Jeff obliged the voice, not wanting a hole through his head. He passed the gun and the unsheathed machete before he gave the bag over.
"Walk to the register," The voice demanded.
Hands raised, he started toward the front of the store where he found Abed in the same situation as he was.
"Both of you, turn around."
They turned and found a group of four people, two men and two women, gathered around them with weapons raised. One of the women walked forward, the same one who had him at gunpoint Jeff assumed, and pressed the barrel of the gun against Jeff's chest.
"Don't shoot," Jeff said calmly to the woman, assuming she was the ring leader, "we were just passing through and we needed supplies."
"These are our supplies," The woman said sharply to him, "we came here first."
"Can't we work out something," Jeff asked, "you take half and we take half?"
"Half of what? The store," The woman shook her head, "not a chance. We're going to take what's in the bags here and your weapons and you're going to leave."
"What if we don't leave," Abed asked.
"Then we're going to have a problem," One of the men said as the jabbed a pistol into Abed's side.
"Jeff, Abed, I've got them in my sights," Annie's voice crackled over the walkie.
"I do too," Britta said, "I'm ready to fire."
"I have molotovs today," Troy said, "ready to throw."
The woman glared at Jeff, "There's more of you?"
"Of course there is," Jeff scoffed, "did you think it was just me and him?"
"I didn't see them," The woman said, "and how do I know if they're actually there or not? You could be bluffing."
"I'll prove it to you," Jeff said, "if you'll allow me to reach my walkie."
"Go for it."
Jeff quickly unclipped the walkie and held it up, "Britta, fire a warning shot. Our friends here think I'm bluffing."
An arrow suddenly whizzed by, piercing a bag of organic chips near the woman's head and making her jump.
"Thanks. I'll make sure to grab a bag of those for you," Jeff said before he clipped the walkie back to his belt.
"How many," The man asked.
"Six," Abed answered, "The two of us, the three outside and one in the RV. Actually seven including the baby."
"A baby," The man questioned.
"You saw the diapers in my duffle bag," Abed pointed out.
"How old?"
"A little over a year."
"You're lying," The woman said to Abed, "I need to see this baby for myself."
"I'm not letting you near that RV," Jeff said.
"Regina," The man turned to the woman, "let them go. They have a child."
"No Pablo, I don't believe them."
"We have been completely honest with you," Jeff said, "we have no reason to lie about having a child with us."
"Jeffrey," Shirley's voice came over the walkie, "do you need me to go out there and help?"
Jeff reached for his walkie again, "No, stay in the RV. How's Ben?"
"He just woke up," Shirley said, Ben cooing in the background.
"Don't worry about us," Jeff said, "we'll be back in a few minutes."
"Don't take too long."
Pablo looked to Regina again, "They have a baby to take care of. A family. Let them go."
Regina sighed, "Fine. Only on the condition that if we do give your weapons back, you won't attack us."
"We'll just take the supplies we need and get out," Jeff said, "we have no plans of attacking any of you unless you strike first."
"Sonja, give them their weapons. Armando, the bags. Pablo, you and I are going to supervise them and make sure they don't take more than their share."
"You can lower your weapons," Abed spoke into his walkie, "we worked it out. We'll be outside soon."
"We'll be waiting," Annie answered.
"Same plan as before," Jeff asked Abed.
Abed nodded, "We'll meet in the middle."
Pablo followed Abed back to where he found him, Regina and Jeff following suit in a different aisle.
"Sorry about that," Regina said as she watched Jeff threw medicine in the bag.
"I understand," Jeff responded, "your family right?"
"My brothers and sister. I'm the oldest. What about you? Your baby and your wife?"
"No, it's not like that. We were a college study group. It's a friend and her baby."
"You all seem like family though."
"We met each other three years ago and we grew into this family."
"By bond."
"Exactly."
The two wandered up and down the aisles, Jeff stopping every now and then to put something in the duffle bag.
"Pablo lost his wife and two kids a few days ago," Regina explained, "the dead ones got to them."
"That explains why he had a change of heart. My condolences."
"Where are you from and where are you heading?"
"Colorado and as far away from there as possible. You?"
"Vegas and we're heading to Texas."
"How bad is it?"
"We almost didn't make it out. I'm sure it's clear by now."
"Good to know."
"Was it just as bad for you?"
"Yep, we lost a friend before we even left."
"I'm sorry. My condolences."
Jeff and Regina ran into Pablo and Abed in the next aisle.
"I have a full bag," Abed patted it.
"I do too," Jeff looked between Pablo and Regina, "thank you for not killing us and giving us these supplies."
"Don't waste them," Pablo said.
"We never do," Jeff replied.
"Wait," Regina ran back to the front of the store and returned with two bags of chips, one of them being the punctured bag with the arrow still in it, "don't forget these."
Jeff took the chips, pulling the arrow out as he stuffed them in the bag. Abed and Jeff left through the front of the store, waving back at the group of brothers and sisters.
"Good luck," Abed said.
"You too," Regina replied.
The two only walked a short distance before they were joined by Troy, Britta, and Annie on the way back to the RV.
"I believe this is yours," Jeff handed the arrow back to Britta.
"Are you two okay," Annie asked.
"We're fine," Abed answered, opening the door to the RV.
As soon as Jeff pulled the door shut, the group along with Shirley had jumped on him and Abed, embracing them tightly.
"Guys, Abed and I are okay," Jeff said.
"You could have been killed," Britta said.
"What happened in there," Shirley asked.
"Some other group of survivors found them and had them at gun point," Troy explained.
"How in the world did you even manage to get them to let you go," Annie asked.
Jeff looked over at Ben in his carrier, giggling happily at the small dangling toy above him. He wriggled out of the group's grasp and took Ben into his arms.
"It was Ben," Jeff looked down at him with a smile, "Ben saved us."