Decimation (Ianthony Apocalypse AU)

day four

zombies seen: about a hundred
zombies killed: 0
near-death exeriences: 2
human deaths witnessed: 0   

We were running out of water. Four days in, and we were already going thirsty.

I should've expected it, though. Just a few full bottles wouldn't last thirteen people in the middle of a deserted city with no running water long.

I liked the group so far. I really did. But I still couldn't get used to travelling in a pack with a bunch of strangers. I wasn't sure if I ever would.

"The good thing about living in California," Ken was saying, "is the beach."

"Endless water," his wife, Martha, finished for him. "As long as we have plenty of firewood, we'll have plenty of water."

Anthony and I were helping Jonah pile some logs in the back of the pickup. It did make sense, and it wasn't a bad plan. I was just worried about having enough gas to get there. We'd found a few more gallons at the other gas station yesterday, but not much.

"We'll have to stop whenever possible and look for more gas on the way. Maybe even another vehicle, if we can access it," Ken continued. He seemed to be taking on the leadership position of the group, which I wasn't complaining about. I still wasn't sure if I trusted him, but we definitely needed someone to make the decisions, and he seemed the most qualified.

Everyone else was already piled in the back of the truck. Ken knew where we where and was certain he knew where he was going. So, I guess I had to learn to trust him now or never.

I squeezed into the truck between Anthony and the lady of the Silent Couple (she still hadn't spoken and I'd forgotten her name.) It was mid-afternoon, and I had a feeling we wouldn't get there for at least a few hours.

I just hoped we wouldn't seen any more big zombie mobs on the way.

~

We stopped in three towns along the way, and found, surprisingly, quite a bit of gas, food, and even some medical supplies. I got in a few minutes of rest, and spent some time getting to know my new friends. We all shared our stories of how we escaped the beginning of the apocalypse and a little about ourselves. We even laughed a few times.

When we arrived at the beach just before the sun began to go down, we found that we weren't alone. Apparently, someone else had the same idea.

Ken parked the truck while we got a better look. Right out on the sand were two large tents, with a makeshift firepit and some broken folding chairs around it. A moment later, a head appeared from one of the tents: a middle-aged guy with short-cropped hair.

"Looks like we'll be making some new friends," Anthony muttered, and I was glad he was on the same page as me. Having a large group during the zombie apocalypse seemed great, but also seemed wrong for some reason.

We all got out of the truck, grabbing our bags and supplies. For some reason I couldn't quite understand, I had a bad feeling deep in my gut. The beach seemed like a great idea at first, but after realizing we had absolutely no protection from any sudden zombie hoards, the plan seemed a little flawed. 

"How many are there?" Jonah asked; I looked over to see a few more bodies out on the beach. The group definitely was large, and I didn't like it.

"Looks like a dozen, at least," I muttered, following the group forward. Ken was already almost to the group, once again assuming the leadership position.

The beach was relatively small, and I'd never been to it before. It was a sort of oasis from a moderately large city we had just passed through minutes before.