Among The Dust

Chapter One: Awakening

I hear leaves rustling outside. It was probably just the neighbor’s dog – he always got out of their fence and ran around in our yard. Whatever it is, it could wait another few minutes. It’ll probably go away soon, anyway. But it doesn’t, it persists.

Opening my eyes, I immediately reach for the glove compartment of this abandoned car, where I kept my pistol. It doesn’t matter who it is – I don’t like being snuck up on, let alone have someone watch me while I’m asleep. I retrieve the Colt M1911, load in a mag and slide out the trunk of the car. I pop around the side and look – no one. I do the same around the whole car, and the trees surrounding it, but find no one. It must have been the wind playing tricks on me again. I slide the pistol into my belt and grab my backpack out of the car. I open it, taking inventory of my supplies, what little I have left. For food, I have four packs of saltine crackers, a tin of tuna fish, and the star of the lot: a whole can of frank and beans. I have two canteens, one of which is full, the other halfway, a can of Pepsi, and a half full bottle of energy drink, but the label is so faded I can’t even tell what type it is. I have the Colt, which always has a magazine loaded, and I have three extra ones in my backpack. I look up from my pack at the car, and sigh. It’s a good shelter, but I haven’t seen any game around here and I’m going to have to move on soon, because this place is miles from any towns I could attempt scavenging from. I thought about trying to fix it, but realized how ridiculous that is; if I could find all the parts, I’d have a hell of a time figuring out how to put them on, and even more of one trying to find gas for the thing. Even if I did, I’d get about two miles before everyone in the area came charging out to steal it from me. I’m better off moving on foot, I wouldn’t be able to get this thing through any towns anyway. I don the backpack, take one last look at the car, and start walking out of the woods.

After about a fifteen minute walk, I come back to the interstate. I follow it, still in the woods a little bit, until I come to what appeared to have once been a small shopping center. There was a pharmacy, a fast food joint, clothes store – the usual. Better to start with the pharmacy, since it’s probably the only thing that would yield something of use. I try the front door, which is surprisingly still locked. I cup my hand over my elbow and smash a window in, cleaning the jagged shards off the edge with my pistol and stepped inside. The place is practically untouched! I immediately rush to the back, and hop the counter. I open my backpack – the only medicines I have is a small travel bottle of ibuprofen. I grab some more of that, some antibiotics, some stuff I don’t even know what it does, and put it in my pack. Better to be prepared. I climb back over the counter and walk over to the food aisle, which is still nearly full. I don’t know how this place hasn’t get raided to hell like everywhere else, but it’s only about a half hour from where that car was. Since food and drink were really my only problem, I could go back and live out of that thing and just come here for supplies. I open my pack and grab some cans of baked beans, chicken noodle soup, green beans, corn, anything I can get my hands on. I don’t wanna take too much at first, in case someone comes here – hopefully they would just take a few things and go if they don’t think they have any competition. I even grab a bag of chips and a candy bar to go with the practical foods, and also some bottles of water and Gatorade. I close the backpack and start to head back to the front where I broke in, when I hear two car doors slam.

“Was that window broken the last time we came?” A voice asks from outside.

“How am I supposed to know?” Another answers. “It’s not like there’s anyone else here, it was probably just the wind or something.”

“How would the wind break a window? I think someone else found this place,” The first voice replies.

“And so what if they did? Then we take them out.” The second one says. “Let’s just grab some food and get outta here.”