Meanwhile…
Constitution Hall
Cpl. Anthony Miller
New York Army National Guard
"So, windshield glass." Finnigan says, reading from the list the mechanics gave us. "Rear window glass, door window and motor, side view mirrors, new radiator, tailgate…. Jesus are they just building Sarah a new truck?"
"We saw firsthand how shot up it got." I reply as we approach a long abandoned traffic jam. "And they said 'If we at least find most of the parts, it's fine.' I'd say a new radiator is the first priority."
"What happened to the old one?" Lazka asks curiously.
"Hit and run." Upton replies. "Hyena versus 2 tons of steel."
"Nice. Wish I could've been there for that."
In the line of rusted and rotting cars, we find a truck that's similar to Sarah's. Same make and model, but likely a different year.
"Most G.M. cars have mostly universal parts." Lazka says, diminishing our concerns. "At least this'uns windows are in decent shape." Finnigan gives the door handle a tug, to no avail.
"Locked." He muses. "That's weird. You'd think in a nationwide emergency, people would be more concerned about themselves instead of their vehicles."
The windows of the truck are dark, as if coated in dirt, but the outside is nearly spotless. Upton tries looking in, uselessly wiping on the glass.
"Ugh, something reeks in there." He says. "Hopefully no animals tried to make a home out of this thing."
I take out a screwdriver for the lock, Tyler and I being rather well versed in...exploring things that aren't exactly open to the public.
"If they are," I say. "Consider them officially evicted."
The lock pops and I pull open the door. To everyone's horror, the partially decayed body of a man falls out onto the pavement at my feet.
"Oh...sweet Jesus." Lazka says, covering her mouth and nose.
We all step away, coughing up a storm as the foul stench of rot pours out of the overheated cab.
"Back off, Lazka!" Upton calls, pulling her further away. "It could be contaminated." She nods and frantically dons a mask.
"Holy shit." I say, voice muffled by my sleeve. "That's worse than Central Park."
"Well… what do we do now?" Finnigan asks.
I look at the truck-turned-grave in front of us, thinking for a long moment.
"We can at least take the engine bay parts from here." I say finally. "As for the glass… You could probably soak it in a Purell-Clorox cocktail for a month and the smell still wouldn't be gone."
"Didn't they try something like that on Mythbusters once?" Upton recalls.
"They did." Lazka replies after a moment as I take a step towards the truck, her voice muffled by the mask. "If I remember, all they were able to do was sell it for parts."
"So someone dies in a car, it sits for a long time, then they clean it and try to sell it?" Finnigan asks.
"Yes."
"So that would be myth...plausible." I say, reaching in for the hood release handle. The hood pops open and Upton quickly gets to work, wrenching the radiator free.
"Anything else, my good sir?" He asks Finnigan, who looks down at the shopping list.
"They want more coolant, since most of it leaked out or evaporated." He looks up at Lazka. "Any idea where we could find any?" Shelby thinks for a moment, then a rather dark expression crosses her face.
"At the D.C. Cab Company's garage." She says. "Further west. It used to be one of our control points, but now...the Outcasts have it."
"Oh no." I quickly shoot the idea down for her sake. "We AREN'T going there."
"We'll probably be here until all the factions go down." Upton points out, lifting the radiator out of the truck and looking it over. "Just like Manhattan. There's no real rush. That control point can wait for the big push against the Outcasts."
I notice Lazka shudder slightly, likely at the very thought of fighting them again. "If it really comes to it, we can just use water." I say, taking a somewhat protective stance next to Shelby. For some reason, it feels instinctive. Like it's the right thing to do. "It does pretty much the same thing."
"As long as it doesn't get cold." Upton replies.
"Cold." Lazka echoes. "I honestly can't remember the last time the temperature went below 90…"
"I do." Finnigan grumbles. "When all this shit started. It wasn't fun, but I'd honestly take that over losing five pounds in sweat every hour."
"I'll get to work on the tailgate." I say, taking the small toolbag from Derek. I head towards the rear of the truck, Shelby following after a moment. She gives the open door a wide berth and watches my friends go to the passenger side to try their luck there.
"You see anythin' like this in New York?" She asks timidly.
"All too often." I reply simply, opening the truck bed. A small amount of water pours out as I get to work. "Back then, there was nothing we could really do, other than mark it for CERA or the CDC." I stop working for a moment of thought. "That's still sort of true, now that I think of it."
"Poor guy. I wonder where he was goin'?"
"CERA Field Hospital, maybe?" I suggest. "Or just trying to leave the city, but the Flu caught up with him."
While working on the tailgate, I notice a compartment in it that would otherwise be overlooked.
"Hey, Finn!" I call out. "This truck have its keys somewhere?"
"Yeah." Comes the reply a moment later. "Why? You looking to take a joyride with the stiff?"
"No! Just give 'em here. I found something."
After a few moments of fumbling around inside the disgusting cab, Tyler emerges with the truck's keys. He tosses the rather large keyring my way and Upton helps him wipe himself down. A few different keys later, the compartment pops open, revealing a somewhat dirty 12 gauge shotgun.
"Perfect" I say to myself.
"Hey, Shelby." I say, getting her attention. "You ever work with shotguns before?"
"Where am I from, again?" She asks.
"Good point." I chuckle. "Here." I lift the gun from it's rack in the compartment and offer it to her.
"Nice find!" She says excitedly, taking the gun from me and looking it over.
"Think of it as a way to say 'Thanks for last night.' The beers and good company. I think I needed it."
Lazka looks up at me for a long moment.
"I did to." She says warmly. I can almost see the smile forming under her mask.