asleep, but the four of them had been disorganized and slow in getting their stuff to the basement. Part of the problem was everyone grossly underestimated the amount of crap they would want to haul down the fifteen flights of stairs to the parking garage. Matt put a nix on the beds and mattresses, but they still had to carry down sleeping bags, clothes, food, beer, weapons, ammunition, and general supplies. Luke made two round trips with his gear, plus his entire stash of smokes, enough for a few days, and decided that whatever else was still his on the top floor could stay there.
As Luke sat smoking the last of a cigarette and waiting for the rest of them, he looked around at their vehicle. It was a crappy delivery van with double doors at the back and was the only thing in the parking garage which was easy to hotwire while still being big enough for the four of them and all their supplies. A shame, Luke thought looking around the large space at all the nice cars and SUVs. His eye landed on a new, midnight blue Ford mustang. I’d much rather drive that one , he thought. Oh well. Beggars can’t be choosers. He pulled another cigarette from his dwindling pack and made a mental count. Seven. I really need to layoff. Screw it, he thought and lit the new one with the butt of the old one, breathed in deep, and went back to contemplating the van. He could see why Matt wanted to put together a new ride before making the trip to Eastern Oregon. The van had seen better days. Still, it had worked well enough on their scavenging runs for the past three months. It had an extended ceiling, so a person could stand up in the back, and the engine ran as long as the driver took it easy. If not, the stupid thing would overheat and threaten to die, which was not good outside the hotel in zombie ground zero. Add in the four bald tires and Ted’s modification of cutting holes into the sides to shoot through, and the thing was quite frankly a piece of shit.
Should get us to the boatyard though , Luke thought. But I’m not taking any bets on it going any further. He finished his cigarette, thought about having another one but talked himself out of it. He really needed to ration himself until he found a fresh supply. After a minute, he lit another cigarette anyhow before he sat back and closed his eyes while he settled in to wait for the rest of them.
Matt was the only one organized enough to have to make only one trip down, but he went back up to help Pete and Ted. Luke watched the three men come across the garage with arms full of stuff. Holy crap, that is their third trip. What the hell are they bringing? Luke hopped out of the cab and helped them load the final boxes and bags. Pete’s crap alone nearly filled the back of the van. Luke watched Matt shake his head in irritation but the man held his tongue. Smart move, Luke thought . Getting Pete crying right now would not speed up the process . Finally, everything was loaded. Matt got into the front passenger seat, what Pete called the “Boss's Seat”, and Luke started up the van. After a few backfires and a big plume of black smoke, Luke drove the van to the exit. Pete and Ted, walking along behind, opened the security gate and then jumped in the back. As Luke drove away, he looked at the hotel in his side mirror and wondered if they should have gone back and closed the gate one last time. He still had a couple weapons and supplies stashed inside and he didn’t really want any innocent people sneaking inside and blowing their feet off on one of their traps, but Matt didn’t seem to care and Luke didn’t want to sound like a wimp, so he drove on without saying a word.
There had been light rain earlier in the morning, but as Luke drove, the sun was bright and shining. When was the last time I needed a pair of sunglasses? he wondered. If someone had told him way back when that Seattle got so much rain, he’d never had made the trip in the first place. With a sigh, he pulled out a
As Luke sat smoking the last of a cigarette and waiting for the rest of them, he looked around at their vehicle. It was a crappy delivery van with double doors at the back and was the only thing in the parking garage which was easy to hotwire while still being big enough for the four of them and all their supplies. A shame, Luke thought looking around the large space at all the nice cars and SUVs. His eye landed on a new, midnight blue Ford mustang. I’d much rather drive that one , he thought. Oh well. Beggars can’t be choosers. He pulled another cigarette from his dwindling pack and made a mental count. Seven. I really need to layoff. Screw it, he thought and lit the new one with the butt of the old one, breathed in deep, and went back to contemplating the van. He could see why Matt wanted to put together a new ride before making the trip to Eastern Oregon. The van had seen better days. Still, it had worked well enough on their scavenging runs for the past three months. It had an extended ceiling, so a person could stand up in the back, and the engine ran as long as the driver took it easy. If not, the stupid thing would overheat and threaten to die, which was not good outside the hotel in zombie ground zero. Add in the four bald tires and Ted’s modification of cutting holes into the sides to shoot through, and the thing was quite frankly a piece of shit.
Should get us to the boatyard though , Luke thought. But I’m not taking any bets on it going any further. He finished his cigarette, thought about having another one but talked himself out of it. He really needed to ration himself until he found a fresh supply. After a minute, he lit another cigarette anyhow before he sat back and closed his eyes while he settled in to wait for the rest of them.
Matt was the only one organized enough to have to make only one trip down, but he went back up to help Pete and Ted. Luke watched the three men come across the garage with arms full of stuff. Holy crap, that is their third trip. What the hell are they bringing? Luke hopped out of the cab and helped them load the final boxes and bags. Pete’s crap alone nearly filled the back of the van. Luke watched Matt shake his head in irritation but the man held his tongue. Smart move, Luke thought . Getting Pete crying right now would not speed up the process . Finally, everything was loaded. Matt got into the front passenger seat, what Pete called the “Boss's Seat”, and Luke started up the van. After a few backfires and a big plume of black smoke, Luke drove the van to the exit. Pete and Ted, walking along behind, opened the security gate and then jumped in the back. As Luke drove away, he looked at the hotel in his side mirror and wondered if they should have gone back and closed the gate one last time. He still had a couple weapons and supplies stashed inside and he didn’t really want any innocent people sneaking inside and blowing their feet off on one of their traps, but Matt didn’t seem to care and Luke didn’t want to sound like a wimp, so he drove on without saying a word.
There had been light rain earlier in the morning, but as Luke drove, the sun was bright and shining. When was the last time I needed a pair of sunglasses? he wondered. If someone had told him way back when that Seattle got so much rain, he’d never had made the trip in the first place. With a sigh, he pulled out a
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