Martyn maneuvered the car around the Zeroheads.
"This thing is seriously smooth, yo!" Martyn told Aron. "Hear it go!"
"Yeah, loud enough to catch the attention of each and every Zerohead in a five-mile radius," Aron rolled his eyes. "We gotta make a stop at the general store at the end of the street."
"But that's the other way," Martyn pointed out.
"We must make that stop," Aron insisted.
Martyn drove around the Zeroheads that walked the streets. Aron appeared silent. He had occupied himself with the iPad.
"Dude," Martyn glanced at Aron. "About you and Robin."
"What about it?"
"Were you guys in a relationship?" Martyn inquired.
"No," Aron looked out the window. "We were not. She was just playing around. She knew where I was living. She knew you were my roommate-"
"You are reading too deep into this," Martyn shook his head. "I think she was into you for reals. She didn't give this car to me; she gave it to you!"
"Yeah, sure," Aron scoffed. "You can take it however you want."
"Hmph, fine," Martyn shrugged. "But you are an asshole for not offering help."
"Offer help?" Aron narrowed his eyes.
"Yeah," Martyn said. "Ask her to come with us!"
"Well, she was very clear when she said it," Aron spoke nonchalantly. "She's already got help coming for her."
"Dude!" Martyn stared at Aron in disbelief. "She could have been bluffing!"
"I don't think it was a bluff," Aron muttered.
"Even if it wasn't," Martyn continued. "We don't know what kind of people are coming for her!"
"She can stand up for herself," Aron shrugged.
"I cannot believe you!" Martyn slowed down. "I'm going back for her."
"You are not!" Aron gritted his teeth.
"Why should I listen to you?" Martyn shouted.
"Because I call the shots!" Aron looked him in the eye. "You said it yourself! We know nothing about her. Nothing! Wanna play the knight who saves the princess? News flash! She's not the princess! Now get us to the damn general store!"
"Damn it all," Martyn hit the steering wheel. "You are responsible for this. You hear me?! Don't you ever forget it!"
"Yeah, whatever," Aron sat back.
Martyn floored the pedal. Aron got back to messing with the iPad. Martyn pulled up to the general store and killed the engine.
"We're here," Martyn muttered. "We're looking for weapons and shit, right?"
"Among other things," Aron pointed to the sports store nearby. "Yes."
They got out of the car and approached the sports store. The store appeared abandoned from the outside. A couple of Zeroheads staggered toward them with their arms wide open but not the welcoming kind. Martyn led the way, his baseball bat held high. Aron followed him.
BONK!
Down went the zombies with the bonk.
"You are getting good at this," Aron complimented.
"Don't remind me," Martyn muttered a prayer under his breath. "Video games don't teach you how to deal with the psychological trauma that comes with killing."
"Well, an experience is an experience," Aron shrugged.
Martyn didn't reply. He threw open the door to the store and peered inside. He found it abandoned. Aron followed him inside. The door closed behind them. They looked around; Aron's eyes fell on a metal baseball bat on a shelf.
"Okay," Aron muttered to himself. "Demand and Supply, just the model of price determination in a working market. This is an extraordinary situation. Demand and Supply no longer work here. You take whatever you want, and no one says nothing!"
"Just pick up the damn bat!" Martyn frowned. "Why the fuck are you doing Economics in the middle of an apocalypse?!"
"Sorry," Aron held up the bat. "Force of habit by a law-abiding citizen."
"Well, congratulations!" Martyn slow clapped. "Achievement unlocked; First Steal."
"Welp, let's go," Aron said.
They left the sports store and entered the general store. They encountered five Zeroheads in the store; three men and two women.
"Oh boy," Martyn sighed. "Here we go."
"Woo-hoo," Aron muttered.
Aron bashed in the faces of the ones wandering about the left aisles, while Martyn rushed at the ones on the right.
A Zerohead reached out to grab Aron but got kicked hard in the stomach instead. The Zerohead lost his footing and fell back onto the one behind it. Aron didn't waste another second.
THUD!
Blood with a shade of maroon splattered all over the aisle. Martyn was done with the zombies on his side. He held his bat up to Aron. Chunks of their brains were stuck to the nails.
"Whoa," Aron murmured. "Didn't think a spiked baseball bat would work this good."
"Bleh," Martyn looked disgusted. "Alright, what do we need to grab from here?"
"Okay, lemme see," Aron walked over to the electronics aisles. "Solar chargers."
"Solar chargers," Martyn murmured as he looked around the aisles. "Okay, found them. How many?"
"At least four,"
"Okay," Martyn said. "What else?"
"Nails guns," Aron picked up a nail gun.
"Uh-huh,"
"A power drill, wireless,"
"Okay, got it."
"Bluetooth speaker, the biggest you can find."
"Seriously?"
"A 42-inch LED TV,"
"Dude,"
"No, scratch that. Add a microphone set–for karaoke nights."
"Nope,"
"C'mon, man. You're no fun!"
"Can you get serious?"
"Then what else would we need?" Aron wondered. "Flashlights!"
"Okay,"
"A lighter," Aron picked up a cigarette lighter.
"Cool," Martyn nodded. "Is that all?"
"No, masks,"
"Masks?" Martyn scratched his head.
"Halloween was just the day before yesterday," Aron said. "They gotta have some left in stock."
"Why would we need masks?"
"So that none would identify us," Aron said.
"Oh-kay," Martyn shrugged. "I don't see how that's relevant at all."
"Hm," Aron murmured. "At least we shouldn't go underprepared."
"I don't see any masks on the Seasonal aisle," Martyn said. "They are already filled with Christmas stuff!"
"Unbelievable," Aron sighed. "Check the back of the store. I'll go look for satellite phones, walkie-talkies, and those GPS thingies that look like cellphones."
Martyn nodded and left.
"Now, how do I set up one of these?" Aron picked up a satphone. "Not that there is someone I could ask around here,"
Aron read the instructions.
"I don't think we could find a use for these; it needs registered sim cards. But no harm in grabbing a couple, I suppose,"
Aron looked around and found the walkie-talkies.
"Cool," Aron read the back of the cover. "Needs double-A battery. Wouldn't be a bad idea to grab a recharger or two for those. And what else do we need?"
He spotted the camping gear aisle.
"Of course!"
Meanwhile, Martyn found himself in the middle of a standoff at the back of the store.
"Do you remember me…?" the Zerohead hissed at Martyn.
Martyn was frozen stiff with fear. He had recognized his adversary. It was one of their neighbors.