The Run

Refueling The run #2

The swarm of crazed people was rushing toward them. Mac turned the keys in the truck's ignition.The engine sputtered but refused to turn on. "Try again," said Dennis. Mac turned the keys again.Again the engine coughed, and the emergency lights flickered before it cut out. Mac tried to staycalm, but he felt a wave of cold panic.

 "Keep trying the engine," said Dennis. "I'll hop out and try to push the truck to start." 

Dennis jumped out of the truck and ran to the back. He shoved the truck's bumper, pushing all ofhis weight against the vehicle. Inside the truck, Mac kept turning the key in the ignition. Denniscould hear the angry roar of the mob as they grew closer. Dennis gave one final push and felt thetruck move. He scrambled into the truck's bed. "Go, go, go!" he screamed at Mac.

 Mac turned the truck into a U-turn. The wheels screeched as the back of the truck swung around.In the truck's bed, Dennis directly faced the people running at them. He no longer neededbinoculars to see their wild eyes. The crowd was only twenty feet away.

 "Go!" Dennis screamed again, and Mac slammed on the gas. The truck sped forward and Dennisclung to the sides of it to keep from falling off the back. He was drenched in sweat, and his handswere still shaking. 

Mac and Dennis drove back the way they had come, away from the city and the hordes. Oncethey had driven far enough that they thought it was safe to stop, Mac pulled over to the side of theroad. He paused the truck just long enough for Dennis to jump back into the passenger seat.

 "Were those zombies?" asked Mac.

 "I don't know," said Dennis. "Whatever they were, they didn't seem completely human. That mustbe what the plague does to people.

The young men talked over their next move as they drove. Big cities seemed dangerous but thesmall towns were abandoned. Should they head back to the ranch? Go deeper into thewilderness? Or try to find other survivors who were also on the run? There was no easy answer.No matter what decision they made, it would be risky. 

"Let's stop at the next gas station and fill up some extra containers," said Mac. "We need to getmore gas. I don't want to be low on fuel the next time we come across a group like that." Dennisstared out the window silently. He was hoping they would never come across a group like thatagain. 

They passed a gas station a few miles down the road. They approached the gas station slowly,checking for signs of life, but there were none. Dennis hopped out and opened the gas cap. Thegas pump seemed to be working so he filled up the truck's tank. Once the tank was full, Dennisbegan filling up extra containers and putting them in the truck's bed.

 Mac decided that he would go inside the gas station to look for additional food and supplies. Theystill had some cornbread and apples from the ranch, but he didn't know when they would be ableto stop again. Mac was beginning to realize that life as he knew it was over. They needed to beready to survive. 

"I'm going to head inside to find extra food," Mac said to Dennis. "Here are the keys to the truck.Be ready to get in and drive away quickly if we have to make a fast escape." 

Dennis nodded and took the keys. "Be careful, Mac," he said. "Who knows what you'll find inthere." 

Mac opened the door to the gas station slowly. The inside was dark and silent. "Hello?" he called,"Anybody there?" Mac flipped a switch on the wall and fluorescent lights flickered on. He lookedaround at the empty store. There were signs of a struggle. Bags of chips and candy were trampledon the floor. One of the glass refrigerator doors had been torn off its hinges. Mac stood, holdinghis breath, listening. All he heard was the hum of the refrigerators and the sound of Dennis fillingup outside. 

Mac grabbed a few plastic bags from the counter. He filled them with enough supplies for a fewmore weeks: trail mix, bottled water, medicine, granola bars, and jars of peanut butter. Macwondered if he should pay for these things. He wasn't sure if the owner of the gas station waseven alive, and Mac and Dennis might need the money later. Then, Mac remembered AnnGreerson's goodbye back at the ranch. She had told them to remember their manners. Mac didn'twant to let her down. He reached into his wallet and found a twenty-dollar bill. He had just placedit on the counter, when he heard a sound behind him. Mac froze. He wasn't alone in the store.

 Outside, Dennis had filled up six containers with gasoline. He climbed into the front seat and putthe keys in the ignition. He turned on the radio, but all he could find was static. Dennis keptmoving the dial and searching for a station. Suddenly, the static cleared and he heard a voice.

 "Is anyone out there?" the voice said. It was a girl's voice. "My name is Anna Johnson. This is myfather's radio kit. He's gone now. The plague arrived in Sunnydale one week ago." The girl's voiceshook with sobs. "I just want to know if there's anyone else out there. Anyone who's still human."Dennis felt horrible for her. He and Mac had each other, but Anna was all alone. Dennis looked atthe clock. It had been fifteen minutes. He felt uneasy; it shouldn't have taken Mac this long to graba few supplies.

Suddenly he heard his name. "Dennis! Dennis!" Mac was crying out for him from inside the store.Dennis jumped out of the car and ran toward the entrance.