We drove down the road for what seemed like forever. Country roads, with no sign of civilization—and no sign of zombies—it was like whatever deity ruled our world picked us up and dropped us in a world of our own where no one else existed. It was all ours, and we were left to it for months. It was strangely wonderful, but extremely boring.
“Light’s fading, folks. Do we find a place to stop for the night, or just keep driving?”
“Keep going,” Dawn said. “I don’t think I can sleep in this van.”
“Bull! I’ve heard quite a few snores from behind me. A few of them must have been yours.”
She reached forward and smacked me on the arm. “I do not snore!”
Several chuckles burst through lips trying to hold back full-out laughter.
“Fine!” Dawn said. “Pull over. I’ll drive.”
I spotted a gas station and pulled in. The van was still three-quarters full and we had a few full jerry cans in the back, but I never passed up the opportunity for more.
Murray and I found the access to the underground tank and worked on prying it open.
“Might as well check the store,” Jack said. Dawn and Ferguson followed him.
Murray dropped a rope into the tank and pulled it back up to find a good portion wet with gasoline. We unloaded the gas powered pump and started filling our empty cans.
“Strange, isn’t it?” I said.
“What’s that?”
“To get gas we have to use a pump that needs gas. If we have no gas, we can’t get any gas..”
A gunshot sounded from inside the store followed by a scream. Dawn’s scream.
“Stay put.”
I ran into the store, with my machete in hand. Dawn and Ferguson were staring in horror at a zombie that dead on the floor with a caved-in head. Jack was busy wiping brain off of his baseball bat.
“Everyone good?” I asked.
Jack nodded and put his arm around Ferguson’s shoulder and led him out of the store while explaining, “If you’re going to use a gun, Fergy, you’ve got to go for a head shot. Basic knowledge, man!”
Dawn couldn’t take her eyes off the zombie. Her breathing was rapid and shallow. The male in me couldn’t help but notice the way it made her chest heave. A layer of sweat covered her chest and her lips seemed permanently parted. She began making noises. Some of the even sounded like the ones she made when we were intimate.
I stepped close and wrapped my arms around her. She leaned into me. I kissed her, and drove the kiss deeper and deeper with each passing second. Then she shoved me, hard.
“Get off of me! What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“I don’t know, I just…”
“You thought that after almost getting killed by a zombie I’d want to have sex in a gas station? If killing and zombies gets you off that much, there’s something seriously wrong with you.”
She stormed out of the store, which I guess I understood. To say I read the situation wrong was a bit of an understatement.
I climbed into the back of the van and we continued down the road. The silence felt awkward, but that could have been me.
Between the long day of driving and the late hour, I was asleep in a matter of minutes. I got to sleep through the rest of the night, too. It wasn’t until late morning that I woke up to the van screeching to an abrupt stop.
