AN: REVISED

7: Road Trip

The very next day I began the process of moving the extra supplies to the sheds while Daryl took over the watch duty. I didn't rush. I made sure to keep an organized inventory of everything I had and made frequent notes of the things I would need if there were going to be ten extra bodies on this compound. It was mainly food, but I also considered weapons, various over-the-counter medications ,as well as prescription grade antibiotics, not to mention clothing and blankets for the coming winter. It took two days to get everything sorted, including the garage, which had started to become a mess. Even if no one else but me was going to be living here it would still be nice to stock up on everything, replenish my stores and with that have sometime away from this place. As much as I loved the safety and the routine, I felt like I needed a break. A vacation. Even if it just meant getting out of here for a day or two. Once everything was chronicled and accounted for I referenced my medical textbooks and made a complete list of what I needed to take from the hospital. I found myself hoping he would come back. Not just because he could hunt, although that was a big selling point, but also because our small conversations were actually enjoyable. Talking to someone else was significantly better than talking to myself. I even felt human again almost.

I set the table for dinner and called him down, "It's ready." When we began to eat I popped the question, "Do you think you can watch over this place for the next couple days while I go get some supplies?"

He nodded, "Where are you going?"

"There's a place I saw on the way here, hospital, a few supermarkets, a sporting goods store. I figure I can take one of the SUVs in town, fill it up with everything I can find, be set for a long time even if there are more mouths around here."

"Alone?" Was that a trace of concern on his face?

I raised my shoulders nonchalantly to match to tone of my voice, "I've done it before."

He just kind of nodded and finished his food.

-o0o-

Getting ready in the morning for an outing was different than for everyday work. First off, I always woke up far before I normally would. Maybe it was the excitement, or the worry, or maybe it was just because I wanted to get the whole thing over with. Then I put on my thickest pants, sturdy boots, and a leather jacket to prevent scratches and bites. If it got hot during the day I'd rather be sweating than bitten; what's a little discomfort if it means not becoming an animated corpse? I even wore my hair up in a bun, tucked under a beanie as an added precaution. Don't want a zombie getting me by the hair, then I'd really be screwed. Weapons were important too; two silenced pistols with four extra clips of ammo in holsters, one of the axes that I stole from a fire department, and my brother's baseball bat. It might've been overkill, but it was always better to be safe than dead. I grabbed the seven extra large duffle bags and slung them around my back. The plan was that I'd take one of the mountain bikes I had lying around the few miles down to the town and steal a big car from there. That was the plan, it was a decent enough plan, and I was sticking to it.

The sun wasn't even up yet when Daryl followed me to the gate. I unlocked it and handed him the keys. "In case I don't make it back." It was strange being without their weight. I wasn't sure I liked the feeling. I wasn't sure I should trust him, but I had this gut feeling. Gut feelings and the apocolypse didn't nessecarily mix, but who says it had to be that way.

"You'll make it."

"Can never be sure." I was about to get on the bike when a thought ran through my head. I might die today. I might die and turn into some monster or be eaten alive or a thousand other things. Today might be the last day I live. This might be the last time I see another living face. I looked at him for a second, deciding instantly what to do, or maybe I didn't decide at all. Maybe it just sort of happened like a lightning storm. "One more thing." I stepped over, closing the gap between us and giving him a hug. I don't know if he noticed the desperation in my limbs, but I got an awkward pat on the back in return. A part of me wanted to kiss him then, too. Just go all out, just in case. I can't say exactly if it was the looming death or the fact that for the first time I wanted to come back to someone, but I wanted my lips on his. I didn't act on it though. I just got on the bike and made my way down the hill.

-o0o-

I had been in this small town many times. It was virtually cleared of all supplies as well as any undead, but the only way to survive is to always be on guard, always be thorough. Thorough to the point of obsession. I always kept my eyes open for anything, everything. I always looked over my shoulder. It was how I made it this long. I checked out a few of the larger cars, but didn't find anything too promising.

Then I saw her.

A big and beautiful school bus was just sitting there in the road waiting for me. I rode over to it in awe, then I got off my bike and stepped in. "Perfect," was all I could say as I looked her over. I scanned the rows for people, or those things, but only found a couple bodies that were eaten away; the driver was still in the seat, at least what was left of him. I opened the emergency exit and plopped the corpses onto the concrete before checking the engine, "And a near full tank… Oh baby, we're a match made in heaven." I grabbed my bike, pulling it up the steps and setting it in the front row.

Then it was all on the road again.

The city I went to was a ghost town, unlike the last time I'd passed through. The dead things must have migrated once their food supply ran out. And by food supply I mean people. And by people I mean stupid people.

The first, the furthest, and the most dangerous stop was the hospital. I wanted to get it out of the way as soon as I could. I backed up the bus as close to the door as I could, which was difficult considering that it was a bus and I was never a bus driver. Then I slung three of the duffles around my back. Ax in hand, I entered. I killed everything that moved, sweeping through the wings. It was all hack and slash, and it all was effective. This was how I did things. Go in. Kill everything. Make sure that I've killed everything. Get what I need. Get out. Once steps one through three were complete I did a complete raid of the pharmacy, getting everything on my list and then some. I found a few extra bags lying around and filled them up, setting them out so I could grab them on my way out. Then I went through the surgical supplies and grabbed everything I could carry, even some patient gowns. I found a reasonably sized defibrillator that I could just manage to lug out. So there I was on the final step, waddling out, heavily laden with the giant bags of equipment and medical goods when I saw the locker room. I set the bags down and squeezed in to look into an open locker. Scrubs, a white coat, and a stethoscope: the marks of a doctor. They were the things I had always dreamt of having, and I would never get, never for real. It didn't matter how many times I stitched myself up or how many medical procedures I learned from books, I will always be just some pretender, never a real doctor. I grabbed them anyway, shoving them into one of the bags that still had the smallest amount of space as I made my way back to the bus. "At least I can look like a doctor," I mumbled to myself while stuffing the bags in. I hopped in myself, did an inspection, and started towards my next destination.

Next stop was the supermarket. Then the sporting goods store. Then the Target. I got everything from food, to clothes, to seeds, to anything I thought might serve a purpose. The sporting goods store was filled with things that I could use, and I did well on grabbing it all, making multiple trips out to the bus even though I was looking daylight. Then finally, the last stop was the little gun shop at the edge of town.

I backed up to it with ease this time and opened the emergency door. Inside the store there were two very large undead jerks. Ax to face. Ax to face. Correction, make that two very large dead jerks. I took everything that was left. Guns to blades to everything, even the ammunition I wasn't sure I had the right guns for. It didn't matter. The sun was going down when I shut the door to the now empty store and pulled myself up through the back door and into the bus.

"Nice haul you got here, girl." I looked up at the man standing at the front of the bus, hiding the surprise from my face successfully. He was in his mid-to-late thirties by the look of it, the salt-and-pepper hair, and he had an assault rifle slung casually over his shoulder. His crooked smile spread wider as he continued in a drawl, "And you're quite a prize yourself. The boys will just love you back at camp. And all this… this is just what we needed.."

I laughed for a second, not nervous but angry. I had very few rules now, but the ones I did have I followed to the 'T.' If I were going to die, I wouldn't do it as a walking rotting corpse. If I were going to live, I wouldn't do it as some sick victim of any asshole. And if I had to, I would kill someone who threatened to do me harm. The man before me was currently threatening to harm me. Whatever kindness I had for strangers was used up on Daryl, and I had no time for this creepy motherfucker, so the second and third rules came into effect. I quickly pulled my gun and shot him straight in the forehead before he could even blink. We were so close that I couldn't have missed. "Shit." I holstered the gun with a heavy sigh. I didn't want to kill him; I didn't want to kill anyone, but the rules were the rules for a reason. They kept me safe this long. I shut the emergency exit tight and paused. I could feel something. I made my way to the front of the bus, looking outside for any sign of movement. None. But something was here. Something was definitely here. I looked around the bus once more.

Just supplies and seats and a dead man.

While pulling the dead man out onto the street I had an idea. He said he had a group. This was bad news. I didn't want them to come looking for him, or anyone to follow me. I didn't want any weirdos to bother me in my little slice of heaven. All I wanted was peace. I pulled out my ax and with two chops I cut off his head. There was a mangled car in the middle of the street with a tempting jagged piece of metal at the top. I put the head on the spike and dragged the body nearby. I scooped at the neck wound and scrawled on the car 'JUST RUN' and 'TURN BACK' in blood. This was very high up on the list of things I thought I'd never do in a million years. I tried to remain unmoved. I tried to be clinical. Doctors faced fucked up shit worse than this, right? I could feel the slightest amount of heat behind my eyes as they began to water, but I knew I did what had to be done. I took a few paces back and looked at my terrifying work of art. "It's all about effect with these people," I said to myself as I wiped my hand off on the guy's clothes before making my way back to the bus. As I stepped into the bus I wiped the tears from my face as they were starting to fall and made my way home.

It had been a difficult day, to say the least.