The First Days (As the World Dies #1)(8)

Pulling into the gas station slowly, Katie leaned forward over the steering wheel to stare across the expanse of the parking lot. There were no cars parked in the lot or tucked under the metal canopy over the gas pumps.

It looked utterly deserted.

"If we're lucky, the pumps are still on. I'll use my credit card, "she said.

Jenni looked up, rubbing her lips against the dog's ear. "You should fill up the gas can, too."

"Good idea. And if we can get into the store, we should load up on food."

Katie slowly released the brake and let the truck glide up to a pump.

Once more looking all around her, she turned off the truck. Reaching down, she picked up the shotgun.

"Here is the plan. I'm going to pump the gas. You are going to keep a watch out and hold the shotgun. Obviously, you can use it. You see any of those things, you tell me immediately." Katie handed Jenni the shotgun, studying her intently. Now that Jenni wasn't looking like a zombie herself, Katie could see she was quite pretty with deep, alert eyes.

"Okay. I can do that. But we should leave Jack in the truck. He's really groggy," Jenni answered. She looked frail in her pink nightgown and robe and bare feet.

"Agreed. Now listen, again, carefully, we don't take any risks. We don't shoot anything unless we have to. That box at your feet-those are the only shotgun shells we have."

"Oh," Jenni answered and frowned. "We need more."

"I know, but a convenience store is not really the place to find them. So no fancy shooting, okay?"

"Gotcha, "Jenni answered and slid out of the truck.

Leaping out of the truck, Katie quickly slid her small wallet out of her trouser pocket. In this moment, she was so glad she despised purses, otherwise the wallet would have been far away in her old car. Swiping the card, she watched the digital display anxiously.

It flashed "Authorizing" over and over again.

"You have to come in and swipe it. The scanner isn't working out there," a disembodied voice said.

Both Katie and Jenni started at the sound of a young man's voice.

"What?"

Jenni whirled around, shotgun ready.

"You have to come in and swipe the card," the voice persisted.

Katie realized the speaker on a column next to her was hissing. For a moment, she could not believe what she was hearing. The world was falling apart, Lydia was dead, and some teenager was still working his shift at the gas station?

"I'll be right in," Katie answered and looked at Jenni. "He mustn't know."

Jenni just blinked at her.

Mystified, Katie strode swiftly across the parking lot and into the convenience store. The dimly lit interior threw off her vision for a moment, then she saw a very tall, scraggly teenager standing behind the counter beside a very short Hispanic girl.

"The reader outside broke and we have to swipe inside," the boy explained again.

"You don't know, do you?" Katie arched an eyebrow and the boy looked at her warily.

Suddenly the Hispanic girl gasped and backed away from the counter.

Katie ducked from the door, then realized it was Jenni holding the shotgun.

"Look, please don't hold us up! We don't have that much money!" The boy held up his hands, his eyes huge.

"We're not holding you up. You really don't know what is going on, do you?" Katie walked swiftly to the counter, still clutching her credit card.

"Uh, no." The boy was trying to look calm and brave, but he was sweating profusely.

The girl behind him was holding onto his arm so tight that Katie could see blood pooling under nails.

"The city has gone insane. It's burning! People are dead and…and…"

Should she tell him that the dead apparently were getting up and eating everyone?

"Zombies. It's zombies, "Jenni said.

Katie sighed, rolled her eyes and exhaled slowly. "What she said."

"Yeah, right," the boy said sarcastically.

"I don't know if they are really zombies, but there is something going on that has people attacking other people like maniacs," Katie explained.

"Kinda like you two?"

"No. With their bare hands." Katie watched the look of disbelief on the boy's face grow deeper. "Look, swipe my card. We need gas to get the f*ck out of here."

The boy frowned. "You're really not good with this holding up stuff, are you? You're not supposed to pay."

"Just swipe the gawddamn card already!" Katie waved it in his face.

"We really should get lots of food. And some more gas canisters," Jenni said behind her.

The boy swiped the card and looked at them with growing unease. "You guys are on the run, aren't you?"

"Yes, like I told you. The city has gone insane-"

"With zombies," Jenni added helpfully.

Katie really didn't think the Hispanic girl could get any paler.

Suddenly there was a screech of tires outside and they all turned to see two cars pull up. Both were fully loaded with people, all Hispanic. Men with guns leaped out and ran into the store.

"Papa!" The Latina girl looked relieved and ran toward one of the men.

A flurry of Spanish followed and suddenly the girl looked like a ghost.