C532 Loading up & Setting out

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The next morning, the group awoke to the aroma of makeshift breakfast in the police station's break room. Joel, Tommy, and Sarah, who was now walking fine thanks to MJ's magical healing, followed the smell and found Peter and MJ concocting a meal from what appeared to be leftovers from the station's fridge with the help of a microwave and a toaster oven.

"Good morning," Peter greeted them with a wry smile. "Hope you're ready for a gourmet police station breakfast."

Tommy chuckled. "I've had worse. At least it ain't an MRE."

As they sat down to eat, MJ joked dryly, "Who needs a five-star restaurant when you have a toaster oven and a microwave?"

This may be the hardest part of Peter and MJ's little apocalypse honeymoon… the lack of tasty food. But thankfully, they weren't normal survivors. They could cheat wherever they felt like it.

So while everyone slept, Peter sneakily portal'd over some usable food and stashed it in the stations fridge for their breakfast. He even got some bottled water since he doesn't know if the towns water supply has been infected yet.

Shrugging his shoulders, Peter added, "Be thankful the power's still on. Without it, we'd be enjoying some very cold and probably expired meals..."

As everyone sat around and ate, they began to realize that in their situation, simple joys like a warm meal were to be cherished. Joel, despite his reservations about Peter and MJ, which were swiftly diminishing as time went on, found himself appreciating the help and company.

After all, they'd be in a much worse situation without Peter and MJ. That was a cold hard fact, which he couldn't refute.

After the meal, Peter cleared his throat, drawing attention. "So, last night, Tommy and I found the key to the armory and moved all the weapons to the cars that we'll taking."

Of course, they didn't find the key. There's no way that the police would just leave it lying around for anyone to find.

Instead, Peter had to work a bit of magic whilst also fooling Tommy, who refused to trust Peter with the guns whilst his family was sleeping. Of course, he and MJ were gaining Tommy and Joel's trust little by little, so it would t be long before they were considered trusted friends.

Joel raised an eyebrow, curiosity evident in his expression. "Cars? What cars?"

Peter grinned. "Follow us." The group trailed Peter and Tommy through the dimly lit hallways until they reached the underground garage. The cavernous space housed a tiny fleet of police vehicles.

Peter pointed to two police SUVs, already loaded with the supplies from the armory. "We'll be taking these. More space for weapons, and we'll need even more room for the supplies we'll be gathering today."

Joel surveyed the cars and the provisions with a nod of approval. "Alright, what's the next move?"

All eyes turned to Peter as he seemed to have taken a leadership role within the group. Reaching into his pocket, he produced a map of the town he had found in the station and spread it across the hood of one of the SUVs.

Pointing to a nearby location, he explained, "This is the closest supermarket, and our next objective. We'll gather non-perishable item's like canned goods, dried fruits, nuts, and bottled water. Energy bars and snacks too, for quick food on the go and the occasional craving. But remember the list I gave you. We want to avoid anything infected."

The group nodded in understanding, aware of the importance of securing food without falling prey to the deadly infection. The mission was clear, and Peter's practical approach reassured them.

Raising her hand, as if she were at school, Sarah spoke. "How are we going to avoid the infected? I mean, the whole town is probably full of them by now…"

"We don't." Peter answered matter of factly, surprising everyone. "It's literally impossible to avoid running into them. We can do our best to take a less populated route, but in the end, we'll be fighting our way in and out of everywhere we go."

As Peter's words settled in, everyone realized that this wouldn't be as easy as your average grocery shopping. It would be more akin to a military extraction than anything else.

Seeing everyone's mood turn somber, Peter smirked as he quickly opened the trunk on one of the cars, revealing all sorts of weaponry and ammunition. "Thankfully, we have enough firepower to go to war, so we should be fine."

MJ smirked alongside him. "God bless America…"

Tommy couldn't help but smile as well. "No, God bless the great state of Texas."

As the mood turned much lighter than before, Peter began detailing his plan so there wouldn't be any confusion later on…

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After a quick planning session, everyone gathered their belongings and hopped into their respective cars. Peter and MJ took one SUV, armed and ready, while Joel, Tommy, and Sarah occupied the other. Before opening the garage doors, Peter communicated over the police radio, "You guys ready, over."

Tommy replied, "Yeah, ready to go…"

"…" Peter paused for a moment before taking again. "What was that? I didn't quite hear you. You have to say over, over."

MJ couldn't help but roll her eyes at her husbands behavior, whilst in the other car, Sarah was chuckling in the backseat. Even Joel snorted in amusement.

Sighing in annoyance, Tommy replied. "We're ready… over."

Smirking smugly, Peter answered back. "I hear you loud and clear. Rolling out, over."

Since everyone was ready, Peter tapped a remote in the car, causing the garage door to open. The convoy of SUVs rolled out into the desolate town, the doors closing behind them, enclosing their once-safe haven.

Driving through the town revealed a scene of devastation… abandoned cars, burning stores, pools of blood, and an eerie absence of dead bodies. The silence was shattered by the distant sound of their vehicles, and soon, the answer to the missing body's became apparent.

Following the convoy's noise, a group of fungus-riddled zombies emerged, chasing the SUVs. They were slow compared to the cars but numerous. Tommy, over the radio, asked Peter if he should start firing.

Peter's swift response echoed, "are you dumb? Just ignore them. Unless you want to draw the whole town to us… over."

As the convoy navigated through the town, the trailing pack of zombies grew, a grotesque parade accompanying them towards their destination, the supermarket.

…

Arriving at the supermarket, the group found the parking lot littered with cars, a testament to the numerous attempts by others to secure supplies. The radio crackled with Peter's voice, "Well, looks like a popular spot. Everyone, be on guard. We're not the first ones here."

"Though it doesn't look like anyone survived…" MJ remarked as she eyed the many infected wandering the area.

As they parked their SUVs at the front of the supermarket, trunks wide open for easy loading, Peter barked orders. "MJ, Tommy, you're on shopping duty. Joel and I will cover you from out here. Let's make this quick and efficient. The longer we stay here, the more infected will swarm the area."

Exiting the vehicles, the group faced a swarm of infected approaching from the supermarket's entrance and parking lot. Without hesitation, Peter, MJ, Tommy, and Joel opened fire, the booming gunfire echoing through the once-bustling parking lot.

After cleaning the entrance, MJ and Tommy rushed inside to clear the rest of the building before starting their shopping spree.

Inside the supermarket, MJ and Tommy navigated the aisles, methodically clearing out infected before collecting supplies.

Back outside, as Peter and Joel continued their assault on the undead, who were drawn by the loud gunfire, Sarah, still in the car, peered out and asked, "What should I be doing?"

Joel, concentrating on eliminating threats, replied, "Stay in the car, Sarah. We've got this."

Undeterred, Sarah protested, "I can help! I don't want to just sit here." She says as she eyed one of the many guns in the car. "I can shoot with you-"

"No!" Joel exclaimed as he continued to fire. "Stay in the-"

Before Joel could continue, Peter interjected, "I agree that she shouldn't be using a gun, at least not yet. But she could load the cars when MJ and Tommy bring the supplies. If it's okay with you, of course."

Joel hesitated, glancing at Sarah. "Fine, but you follow orders, understood? If I say get in the car, you get in the car. No arguments, no delays."

Sarah agreed, a determined look in her eyes. As they spoke, the sound of gunfire intensified, drawing more and more infected towards them.

As the horde closed in, Peter and Joel continued their defensive onslaught. Peter's precise shots seemed to find their marks effortlessly, providing cover for Joel, who was less accurate but no less determined. The onslaught of zombies proved relentless, but the group's firepower prevailed.

Finally, MJ and Tommy emerged from the supermarket with carts loaded with food and water. They left the carts for Sarah to load into the cars and swiftly returned inside for more. The process repeated until the SUVs were overflowing with supplies, even utilizing the rooftops alongside some duct tape to take even more.

(A/N: Duct tape is an apocalypse necessity.)

With their shopping spree complete, the group hastily returned to their vehicles. The once-desolate parking lot now lay strewn with the remains of the undead. Driving over the sidewalk to avoid the gruesome obstacle course, they left the now-silent supermarket behind.

As they drove away from the once-bustling town, the weight of their success mingled with the somber reality of the world outside.

"Oh my god!" Sarah yelled as she dug through the supplies in the backseat.

"What?!" Joel asked, alarmed.

"They got chocolate!" She exclaimed as she pulled out big boxes full of candy bars.

Rolling his eyes, Joel picked up the radio. "Hey, where are we going now?" He asked as he closely followed Peter and MJ's SUV.

Seconds later, Peter replied, "North." After all, the outbreak originated in South America, so it wouldn't be good to remain so close to the source.

In the rearview mirror, the town shrank, and the group pressed on, their makeshift convoy laden with the spoils of a perilous, yet successful, grocery run.

A/N: 1734 words :)

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