Necropolis: Tales of the Survivors

The Gas Station

THE GAS STATION

         The engine of the Jeep roared loudly as Alex tore down the highway, weaving past the ruins and wrecks of other vehicles. Same thing here, same thing the whole ride up from Virginia. Maybe this is the end of the world. A couple of service signs on the highway gave Alex the idea to turn off of the highway and pull into the town of Morrisville. Need to get some gas, tank’s got about a quarter to go before E.


         Pulling off of the highway, Alex immediately noted the numerous gas stations that ran along either side of the road. Most were filled with more cars and trucks; several had their windshields blown out or cracked. One of the gas stations, though, was empty, save for a single car, sitting alone and empty. Guess I know which one I’m going to. Alex pulled into the station and parked at one of the empty pumps. He climbed out of his jeep, picking up his loaded handgun, a Smith & Wesson M&P45, from the dashboard and checking the magazine.


         Alex spotted the pump number, pump number three, he nodded his head and walked towards the gas station. He pushed the door open, holding his handgun out in front of him, finger resting on the trigger guard, he turned on the flashlight mounted to the gun‘s barrel. He slowly scanned the room, moving the gun across the room in a slow arc, the lights were all out, either they were shattered or the power was out, let’s hope for the former, I can kill a couple of zombies, I can’t jump-start the power. Alex crept into the room slowly, he grabbed a can from the floor by the door and wedged it under the door, the light poured into the room, it’s not much, but it’s something.


         He scowled as he stepped into the store, I can smell the bastards, at least two, maybe more. Alex brought his gun down, searching the darkness, looking for any movement or anything else out of the ordinary. With slow, cautious steps, he stepped towards the counter, he placed one hand on the counter and leapt over it. He landed with a soft thud and a loud, sickening squelch. What the? Alex fought the urge to gag, he’d landed in the entrails of what was once a human being. The gender was unidentifiable, the corpse was little more than a broken, headless torso with most of the flesh torn off in large portions, twin stains on the floor where the legs had once been. Fuck, that’s just great, wonderful sign right there.


         Alex spit on the floor and accessed the computer, it was still running, so there was obviously still power. Alex started up the pump, putting two hundred dollars onto pump three. He leapt back over the counter and made his way towards the door. He stopped once the light hit him, wait, I’m in a convenience store, there might still be something useful here, and I‘m running low on supplies.


         He crept slowly into the darkness, passing shelf after empty shelf, grabbing whatever was left; the occasional package of pastries, or the odd can of vegetables or fruit. He threw it all into his backpack before heading towards the freezers. They were still running, the glass, icy to the touch. Alex walked the length of the back wall, pulling whatever was still left out; a handful of energy drinks, four water bottles and a few Snapple bottles, all of it went into the backpack.


         “Uhhh!”


         Alex stood up quickly, gripping his handgun a little tighter, his eyes searching the darkness. He swung the light around, looking for the source of the moan while he crept towards the door. Something moved to his left, faster than his eyes could keep up with. The zombie let out a snarl, leaping over the shelves in its way and landing in a crouch. It charged him, howling loudly as it ran at him, full tilt. Alex had time to register the long claws, the teeth dripping an inky black fluid, before his body reacted, diving to the left. He squeezed the trigger twice before he hit the ground, the first shot went high, missing the zombie’s head by a few inches, the second shot nailed the beast in the throat, knocking it to the ground.


         Alex forced himself to his feet. The zombie let out a hissing sound and leapt to its feet. Alex could make out its face, it was smeared with blood and gore, its eyes large and predatory. Alex fired off two more rounds, both smacked into the zombie’s forehead, dropping it in a bloody heap on the ground. Alex let out a sigh, exhaling the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in. He moved towards the door again, damn my ribs hurt, must have hit a little too hard when I dodged. Alex staggered towards the door, holding his side with his free hand as he moved.


         Alex’s eyes widened as he heard the clatter of two more zombies from the other side of the room. Fuck my ribs! Alex ran, feeling the burning along his side, but he made it into the light, with another half a second of running, he was outside, sitting safely on the ground a few feet away from the curb.


         One of the creatures came barreling out of the store, it hit the light and rolled into a thrashing and screaming heap a few feet away from Alex, clawing at its face with long bony talons. He watched for several seconds before standing up and walking a safe distance away from the flailing creature. He fired two rounds into the creature’s skull and it went still. Fucking things, at least they’ve still got that one weakness. Alex slowly went to his jeep and started pumping gas. Gonna be night in a few hours, I’ll have to find somewhere to sleep, I don't want to be an easy meal. He took the pump out and put it back into its holster.


         He climbed into his car and started up the engine. Should be a hotel or something around here, somewhere I can hide from them for the night. Alex loaded a fresh magazine into his gun before driving down the road, his eyes alert for a fitting shelter. He spotted a small hotel in the distance and smiled to himself before heading towards it. This'll be fun...