Papers

Percy POV

"Jason, I can't believe you didn't let me follow the other group," I pouted. "As my friend, you're supposed to support my decision to spy on the other people."

"Bro, listen to yourself for a minute," Jason commanded. "I'm not going to let you spy on Luke and Annabeth because you want to know what's happening in South Sector. I already let you off the hook once. Don't push my good graces."

"Your last name is Grace. You're supposed to gracefully accept my decisions."

Jason rolled his eyes while stabbing another zombie. Jason and I are standing guard in the front lobby of the Walmart. Piper and Thalia were going around the store gathering food and resources. We fortified the other entrances, but we can't fortify the front entrance. The series of glass double doors are too large to block from view.

The store was dimly lit. There was no electricity here as per usual. Most of the buildings in the world lack power right now.

I hate standing guard like this. I'd rather be in the store gathering resources. If you haven't guessed already, I have ADHD. Essentially, it's very hard for me to stand still. Even terminating zombies can become monotonous.

I stabbed the seventh zombie in the eye before retracting my knife.

I hope I'll get some free time after raiding the store. I still have to pick up an engagement ring for Grover. There's a jewelry shop two blocks away. I just have to go there. Also, there's a state government building next to the jewelry store.

I intend to make a trip to both facilities.

Of course, I can't make the trip as long as I'm needed on the raid. I can't leave Jason high-and-dry to guard the entire store. We make a good team though.

"Guys, we're ready with the food," Thalia exclaimed. Her shout attracted the attention of two zombies on the street. They groaned while stumbling towards the doors. I rushed forward and stabbed them before they could even enter the Walmart.

"Can you be a bit more subtle, Pinecone Face?" I retorted.

"Nothing about me is subtle, Kelphead," Thalia countered. She was lugging two large trolleys packed with ingredients.

Piper rolled up with two additional trolleys. She was sweating profusely because of the heavyweight of the carts. This is a lot of food, yet it would only fill half the jeep. We'll have to go on another run to a different store.

We took the carts out of the store. Jason helped Thalia and Piper with pushing the carts. Meanwhile, I took care of shooting any zombies that came near us. They came from both sides of the street, but we were moving quickly. The zombies are slow, so we made greater progress than them.

Plus, it's fun to shoot the zombies. I treat it as a video game because it's easier to shoot them down under the pretense that they're no longer humans.

I played a lot of violent video games when I was a kid.

The skills are coming in handy now.

"Guys, where did the moving truck go?" Piper asked. We came back to the jeep to find the truck missing. We started loading the food into the jeep.

"They probably took the truck to a different location," Jason suggested. "We shouldn't worry. They are great at surviving; I'm sure they're fine."

Thalia agreed before shoving a nearby zombie. I shot it in the head.

Jason and Piper worked to load the jeep. Thalia and I worked together to terminate the swarm of zombies coming at us. Since we're positioned in the same place, the zombies were accessing us much more easily.

"GUYS, GET INTO THE JEEP," Jason instructed loudly. "There are too many zombies here, and we have to go to another store anyway."

Thalia and I climbed into the trunk before Jason started driving. Piper was sitting in the passenger seat, but she rolled down the window. I leaned against the side and yelled at her to take the next right. We drove two blocks away, and a giant eagle was waiting for us a couple of minutes away.

Jason barrelled into the parking lot. We parked next to the store and rushed inside. Giant Eagle is a much smaller grocery store than Walmart. There was a single set of double doors, and it was very easy to barricade.

Thalia locked the metal doors just as zombies pounded into the glass.

"We're clear for now," Thalia panted. While Thalia and I grabbed a few shopping carts, Jason and Piper spread through the store.

There were only four zombies. Easy work.

Before we could start gathering the food, I pulled Thalia to the side. She looked confused while she waited for me to talk. "Thalia, I need to go outside."

"They probably have restrooms in the store, Kelphead," Thalia smirked. I rolled my eyes before deepening my gaze.

"I have to pick some stuff up from the buildings across the street. Grover asked for something, and I have to get some documents." I looked at the jewelry shop and state department building through the glass windows. I ignored the grumbling zombies and fixed my gaze on the store signs.

"Percy, material things are irrelevant in this world," Thalia stated.

"I have to do this. Please understand."

"Okay, but please be careful and hurry back. I know that we joke around, but I care about you a lot. You're practically equivalent to Jason in my eyes," Thalia expressed. I smiled at her before giving her a quick hug.

"Thanks, Thalia. I'll be back within a half-hour."

I ran to the left side of the store. The employees' lounge door was open. Jason and Piper had already cleared the room, so I stormed inside. Just as I thought, there was a door leading outside. I locked the door behind me before leaving the Giant Eagle. The backside of the parking lot was empty.

I ran across the street after a group of zombies passed. The doors to the jewelry store were locked. I had to smash my way through the glass doors. Some of the glass shards scratched my arms, but I ignored the low-level injuries.

Small scratches don't affect me anymore. I've dealt with much worse.

Since the store was locked, there weren't any zombies inside. It was dark inside the single-level jewelry store, so I pulled a flashlight out of my backpack.

I flashed the light over the boutique.

The rings, necklaces, and jewels were placed inside glass holders. If you're not familiar with jewelry stores, then you must be stupid. Anyway, the jewelry is presented on the tables with a glass covering. Usually, only the employees have the keys to open the tables.

Once I find a good ring, I'll have to pick the lock. I pulled a paperclip out and got to work.

The flashlight reflected against the diamonds.

"What kind of engagement ring would Juniper like? She likes nature, so that's a place to start," I muttered to myself.

Finally, I came upon a tray of rings from a nearby display. Looking at these rings, I had been wasting time with the rings on the other side of the store. The main feature of these rings was that they have a certain earthiness.

For instance, one ring had an oval-shaped diamond with a gold band. It looked like a leaf, and the cuts of the diamond further emphasized that shape.

Juniper and Grover would love this ring.

Groans and bangs reverberated through the room. I stared at the glass doors to see a fat zombie trying to get into the store. Damn it. I don't have much time. I sent a bullet into the zombie's head and officially ran out of bullets.

I quickly picked the lock and grabbed the beautiful engagement ring. It was perfect for Juniper. Hopefully, my best friend will like my selection.

My eyes spotted another raindrop sapphire ring.

I grabbed some engagement ring boxes and placed the two rings inside them. I pocketed the rings into the backpack before leaving the store. I had to push the fat zombie out of the way before running to the building next door.

A car was slammed into the building. During the initial apocalypse, many drivers and people lost control. Car crash evidence is abundant all over the city.

I ran into the state department building before any zombies could interact with me. I stabbed my way through the group of zombies. One zombie, in particular, sprayed me with dark liquid. It was disgusting and cold.

I wiped my face and resisted the urge to throw up.

I ran through the facility looking for a documents room. The state department headquarters is where marriage certificates, birth certificates, and child custody papers are located. I'm looking for a few documents.

I know a marriage contrast is stupid in the world we live in. However, I also believe that some things need to be preserved. I'm here for selfish reasons.

Finally, the documents room came into view.

I opened the door to a high shriek.

I yelped while the large zombie barreled toward me. Based on his clothing, the zombie used to be a security guard. I took a few steps back before throwing my knife at him. It sunk deep into his head, but the zombie didn't crumble. I missed his brain. I dodged under his waving arms before grabbing another knife from my holster.

I twirled on my heel and stabbed the guard's skull. I jumped up to deepen my jab into the zombie's brain. He let out a final groan before crumbling.

I grabbed both my knives and rushed into the room.

Rummaging through the boxes was easy even in the dark. Each box was labeled with a red sharpie. Specifically, I grabbed two boxes.

My backpack came off, and I carefully took two packets of documents out of the boxes. I stared at the marriage license forms. Those are for Grover and Juniper. Whether they'll use them or not is up to them.

The other packet is filled with child custody forms.

Those are for me.

I know that it's stupid, but I want to legally confirm my relationship with Stella. Maybe, someday, we'd get through this apocalypse. Maybe, we won't. Regardless of that, I want everyone to know that baby Estelle is my family in every way.

BOOM. WHOOOSH.

Suddenly, a loud explosion rocked the building. The facility radiated with vibrations and almost knocked me down. What the hell?

The explosion had to be close. I rushed out of the room and ran toward the front of the building. My first thought was that something happened to the Grace siblings and Piper. I strapped my backpack and ran into the street.

All the zombies were rushing toward the fire near the back of the Giant Eagle.

Oh. My. God.

Then, I saw them. Our jeep drove out of the front side of the parking lot. This is a busy street. There were hundreds of zombies. They rushed toward the source of the explosion near the back of the parking lot.

Jason swerved the jeep onto the street and drove to me.

Thalia pulled me into the trunk. The jeep was now full of food and ingredients. I'd call this raid a success in terms of gathering resources.

"What's with the explosion?" I shouted.

"There were way too many zombies. We needed a distraction so that we could load the jeep and get out of the parking lot. This was the only option. We set off a grenade next to the gas tanks in the store. All the zombies went there, so we escaped," Thalia explained.

"That's genius. I'm assuming it was your idea," I surmised.

"Of course. Jason's too much of a goodie-goodie to set off a bomb for no reason. Piper was on my side, so we out ruled my brother," Thalia smirked. I nodded.

Jason quickly drove back to Columbia University.

The moving truck was driving out of the basement of the bio-lab. It stopped a few feet away from our jeep. The surroundings were free of zombies. I bet every zombie in a five-block radius was rushing to the explosion site.

"Did you guys set the explosion?" Annabeth asked loudly.

"Yup. Thalia's idea," I exclaimed.

Annabeth got out of the moving truck's passenger seat. Luke also got down and walked over. They told us that Beckendorf and Silena are in the back of the truck. Luke is going to drive the truck back while Annabeth joined me and Thalia in the back.

I didn't understand why Annabeth transferred vehicles. However, I didn't mind Annabeth's presence near me.

Regardless, the jeep's trunk was very crowded. We drove through the streets of New York quickly. I wish we hadn't though because of what happened next.

The moving truck was driving behind us, but it abruptly skidded against the road. Annabeth shouted at Jason to stop the jeep while banging on the hood. The truck skidded to a halt with a loud screech.

Two tires were blown thanks to the bumpy rocks on the road. We officially only have one driving vehicle now.

My gaze locked onto Annabeth's.

Her stunning gray eyes sparkled in the sunlight, and strategy shined in the storm clouds.

We knew what had to be done. Some people would have to drive back to the museum. They could bring another truck. The other group can wait with the equipment inside the truck or try to fix the truck in the meantime.

Either way, our group of eight will have no choice but to split up.

Dam it.