Chapter 64: 64
“Do we take the freezers too?” Mark said.
“Not for now, we already have several at the bas.e.m.e.nt. If we got more solar panels I’ll reconsider. More electronics at home might make the panels give out.” I said.
We placed everything in the truck and it was more than half-full. I gave one more glance at the store and then I placed my hand under the counter.
“HAHAHAHA!!! I KNEW IT!!!” I exclaimed.
“Shh! You’re too loud Sky!” Kaley said.
“What the f.u.c.k! You found another one?!” Jared exclaimed.
“Hah! I have the nose of a hound! Still a shotgun though, I hope for something like a pistol but this thing is perfect for defense in a store like this.” I said.
“I hope we find a few more in other stores.” Mark said.
“Gonna be hard though. It’s lucky we found this thing here. If it was me, I would’ve taken this when I left this place!” I exclaimed.
I found a pump-shotgun beneath the counters and I remember that it’s called a Maverick 88. It has a 5 round tube magazine though there are no extra ammunition box left. I placed it behind the passenger seat and we left the place.
“Where do we go next?” my uncle said.
“Hmm? Go there. We will need the stuff there for everyone in the compound.” I pointed to a laundry shop that still has the roll-up down.
We cleared the area of the close zombies first and then we raised the roll-up and the glass door of the laundry shop welcomed us.
“What are we gonna get here?” Tatiana said.
“You know, a few washing machines to help with the clothes. I only have 2 of this back home. Bringing a few more at home could help the people with the laundry. We go home with blood in our clothes and they really do a good job of removing it, this is the least we could do.” I said.
“You’re really kind.” Tatiana said.
“Well thanks, I try.” I replied.
We opened the door as the rest guarded the truck. We placed 5 more washing machines on the truck and several sacks of powdered detergents and bottles of bleach and fabric conditioners. We closed the roll up though we never locked it. We kept the padlocks and we went home. I made a mental note of other places to take from when we get back.
“That was faster than expected.” Jared said.
“Yeah, that backroom was a lucky find. People would just tend to get what’s in front of them first when they are in a panic. They would never bother checking the other doors.” I said.
“We had a few runners but none of those sprinters.” Tatiana said.
“Yeah, I hope they are rare as finding diamonds on the lower levels.” I said.
“What?” she was confused.
“Oh, it’s a gaming reference.” I said.
Kaley once again facepalmed and the look she gave me says, ‘of course it was!’
I just smiled with Jared since he knows what I’m talking about.
We reached the fences and the guys working there were surprised because we were outside for a little less than two hours.
“Good haul kid?” Oscar said.
“Yeah, more food and water. I brought a couple of washing machines too.” I said.
The guys unloaded the truck while the housewives’ eyes lit up when they saw the expensive washing machines being unloaded. Rin was busy tallying everything once more.
“Is that from across the street?” my aunt said.
“Yeah, you’re saving up to buy one, right? Consider this a birthday present! It’s in a few weeks, right?” I said.
“You little… Thanks!” she said while smiling.
It took a bit to unload the trucks so I refilled the ammunition that they used. It’s only a few 5.56s and a few slugs.
“Ready for another run?” I said to them.
Everyone seems to be excited from the haul earlier and they are eager to get more again.
We took the truck for another spin and I decided where to go next. We aimed for the closest ones first where we could get the most yield. We drove past from the ones that already looked barren from anything. We then stopped to a small bakery at the left of the elementary school.
We found a couple dozen of canned goods and a few sacks of flour and a few bags of bread where some of them are already stale but still edible. ‘No bread will be too hard for a hot cup of coffee’ as my grandfather says. Aside from that, we also found a few cases of sodas and we took them too. We also took the two gasoline tanks that are under the oven.
“How about we bring this oven? We could make pandesal at home, right?” my uncle said.
“Oh yeah, that is good paired with coffee in the morning.” Jared added.
“Let’s leave it there for now. Let’s consume the food that are quick to spoil first before we gather this oven. It’s a good idea though, it’s very easy to make those. Besides, we have a bakery much closer to our compound.” I replied.
“You can bake?” Tatiana asked.
“I dabble on a little bit of everything. I can make simple pastries, pandesal is very easy to do than the ones I tried to make before.” I said.
“Show off.” Kaley joked.
“What is pandesal?” Tatiana asked.
“They’re a fist-sized bread that is a staple here. It’s made with simple ingredients and always paired with coffee. It’s only made in the morning though.” I explained.
Across the street is a cheap burger shop who sells burgers for 3 pieces a dollar. We opened the place up however the patties are already smelling funky but we found a few jars of different condiments like mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard and hot sauce. There are also a few trays of eggs that is still good for eating. There’s a propane tank at the bottom of the stove so we loaded them up and we drove off.
A few blocks from it is a shop called CDO who sells different sorts of meat products but the place is already looted. Although, right next to it is a pet shop that has several sacks of pet food. I hauled a few sacks for our pets and I grabbed some feed for the animals we breed at home. I also took 6 boxes of treats for Zeus, Peanut, and Rio and placed them inside the passenger seat.
The aims of the guys shooting the zombies is getting better since I am hearing fewer pops than before I trained them. Them being able to do that releases us on the burden of looking after them while we are outside. In the future, I hope that we will be all side to side fighting and not this babysitting thing that we do for now.
“Experience will always be the best teacher.” I said to myself.
So far, we haven’t met any people outside yet. I saw the appliance store that recently opened and it is barren and a few zombies are inside. The few who got close has been dealt with the group outside and sometimes me when I let them haul the stuff while I guard outside.
“142…” I counted in my head.
We stopped next to a mineral water station. Although it’s already open, we still found a few containers of water inside the office. We placed them in the truck along with the water filter in the corner.
“We’re near the public market…” I said.
“Are we going inside there too?” my uncle asked.
“Not yet. Let’s go for the ones by the side of the road first. Let’s avoid places that we need to walk for a while inside. We might get surprised if we go inside.” I said.
“Alright where do we go next?” he said.
“Let’s stop for the owner of this place first.” I said.
“Who?” Kaley said.
“The owner of the majority of the shops here.” I said.
We stopped by a huge gate with a small one on the side. From the top of the truck, you could see three houses inside after a short drive.
“Hello? Dave, you there?” I shouted.
After a moment, I saw a head peeking out and he has a shotgun on his hand.
“Sky?” the guard said.
“Hey Dave, you guys alright here?” I asked.
“Damn, you guys are looking good! The family are inside, they are resting though, want me to call them?” he asked.
“No just tell them I stopped by and said hello. You guys still good on supplies?” I asked.
“Yes, thanks to you. Good thing our landlord believed you, we have food that could last us for a long time.” he said.
“That’s good. We’re going now, we’re gonna stop by a few more stores. Stay safe yeah?” I said.
“Sure! You too! Hey Zardon! Drive safe!” he shouted while my uncle honked.
I gave a small salute and we went to another shop.
“Who were they again?” Kaley asked.
“The guy there is Dave, he’s the guard at that place for almost three decades now. The family residing there is the one who holds the titles to some of the land here. They are a cool bunch, I invited them to come to my place but they decided to build something of their own. They’re filthy rich too. If nothing too serious happens, they could last until this pandemic ends too. They were the few people that believed me when I told everyone. They’re the closest ones to me location-wise.” I explained.
We arrived at a small pharmacy who sells OTC drugs. We slowly cleared the area first before I picked our way in.