Pit Stop

The next day was used trying to figure out what they should do. They needed a more secure and isolated location. Uncle Money was a little partial to staying at his parents house, but he knew that was just because he had always felt safe there. Waffles and Ninja didn't need much time to convince him they needed to move. They spent a lot of time trying to decide where to go but didn't have any truly great ideas. Supermarkets were probably still to dangerous and they didn't have enough firepower for a major takeover of a large store. Ninja's place would provide them with more guns, but he lived in an apartment which was a little risky. Despite the potential for getting cornered on the 3rd floor the team decided to go for it.

They took the night to plan out the route, using 4 lane roads or larger as much as possible. Using these roads there was less chance of having the route blocked by abandoned vehicles. They also made another rule:

11. Always travel with at least two vehicles.

If one had an issue it could be left behind. Walking through a zombie infested post apocalyptic suburbia wasn't exactly the type of R&R any of them had in mind.

The house was buttoned up tight so it could be used again if necessary and the team quietly loaded all of their supplies in the back of Ninja's Chevy. They drove out slowly, Waffles in the lead, followed by Ninja, Money and his Mustang in the rear. It wasn't a long drive, maybe 5 miles, but plenty could go wrong. They made the main road without an issue and bypassed the gas station they had visited yesterday. This road had a set of train tracks running parallel on the West side, with businesses on the East. There were numerous stores and restaurants along this road, including a few of major interest. The Super-Target was first and most important place they came to. Waffles was the first to notice the smoke pillars of burning cars coming from the parking lot. Their view was obscured by restaurants and they did not have a direct line of sight to the front of the store. The would need to enter the parking lot if they wanted a closer look. Waffles stopped and they all pulled up side by side. With a tilt of the head she signaled the other two and received a solemn nod from each. They pulled in single file with their guns ready. After about 40 yards they had a clear view of the store front, which was a very popular place. A small army of undead was gathered at the entrance, about 200, massed together. Ninja rolled down his window and could hear muffled gunfire coming from the crowd ahead. It was sporadic gun fire, which in all likelihood meant the people inside had limited ammo He pulled alongside Waffles and signaled Money to do the same, and all shared a look of disgust. They wanted to help, but didn't have enough firepower to do much. Uncle Money was particularly angry at the situation. With a rifle he could at least take a few out from distance. As they sat there for a minute trying to figure something out their carelessness caught up with them. Two zombies were at a full sprint towards the group and no one noticed, eyes fixed on the crowd ahead. The creatures jumped on top of Halle's roof and Money had little time to react. He had the shotgun and quickly dispatched the cheerleader despite the tight quarters of his Mustang, but missed the second, firing about a foot wide to the right. Waffles was the only one with a chance to help but couldn't get an angle for a clean shot. With the sound of the shotgun blasts the crowd in front of Target turned on the trio and in about 30 seconds things would get very bad. The second creature was now on Money's roof and trying to rip through the hole created by the shotgun blasts. He gave his sister a quick look, put his car in first gear, pounded the gas, and dumped the clutch. The Mustang smoked and screamed for a few seconds and then the back tires gripped. The car jumped forward, in turn the rather fat zombie flipped over on top of Money's roof, which collapsed under his weight rolling the zombie up like a taco in the back seat. Ninja and Waffles watched as Money did a b-line for the crowd dead ahead. The Mustang plunged into the group, center mass. It made it 1/2 way through before the impact began to slow the car. Money managed to take out 25 or 30 of them, but as the dead piled up in front of the car it strained to push their weight. Eventually they went under the car, but this lifted the front wheels off the ground and the car came to a stop about 20 yards past the group. Money had just enough time to get 2 shells from his pocket and reload the double barrel before the baddies were on him. Just as he drew on his first target near the rear of his car 3 shots rang out from behind him and dropped the zombie. He looked to his 8 o'clock and 2 men from the store front had emerged to provide cover fire. Money reacted quickly and jumped over the windshield and opened up some distance between him and the car. As he neared the men by the store they had run out of ammo and were returning to safety. The new residents of Target waved him inside, which he had little choice but to follow. Money was at a full sprint 30 feet from the door when something made him look over his shoulder. He had heard the exhaust from Ninja's truck banging away and closing fast. As the sound grew louder the scene was like something out of a Jerry Bruckheimer film. In what seemed like slow motion Ninja came blowing through the crowd with zombies flying in every direction. Waffles emerged a second later plowing through the remaining crowd in the same manner. They went on either side of the Mustang, barley missing the abandoned car. Money sprang into action as the second wave of adrenaline hit. He dropped the nearest two zombies and turned right, opening into a full sprint once again. Ninja closed fast and mowed down the zombies giving chase to his friend. He pulled up next to Money, who tossed his shotgun in the back and lunged for the side of the truck. He grabbed the side of the bed but couldn't pull him self up. He slid down the side until his hands met the tailgate, where he finally got a solid grip. Just as he managed to get one foot on the rear bumper Ninja saw him struggling and tapped the brakes. Uncle Money did a full flip over the tailgate and landed on his back, his fall cushioned by duffel bags and cases of beer. (They hadn't had any practice robbing banks, but under the circumstances Uncle Money having a sore back was a price worth paying) It didn't hurt for the time being, he was just glad to be where he was. After a moment Money sat up and gave Waffles a thumbs up while he reloaded his shotgun. Waffles pulled Clark alongside Ninja and he waved her past. They circled around back to the main road and headed for Ninja's apartment. There was no need to consider any more side trips. The trio was all starting to think alike which was a good sign. They would all need to be on the same page from this point forward.