ZPD 8.10

 The trouble with looting isn’t so much what you can find, but how much of it you can carry.  Guy and I could have taken enough guns and ammo to last a few months under warlike conditions.  Both of us had to start throwing out boxes of ammo though, once we realized how heavy it all was, and how much room we actually had in our packs.  I took a box of 500 .223 rounds, and a match witness pistol using the same ammo.  Guy took her shotgun, and a box of slugs.  I also picked up a shoulder-strap for the rifle, and some rags, pipe cleaners, and grease for maintenance.

Food was even trickier.  You know you can’t take anything with you that needs refrigeration, so it makes protein a very difficult puzzle.  Cured meats become your friend.  Pepperoni, smoked salmon, beef jerky, just get used to it.  Bread is impossible, so things like granola bars, graham crackers, cookies, become your sources of grain.  Fruit is pretty bad too.  If you find fresh fruit, just eat it on the spot.  Grab an apple or two to throw in your pack, maybe an orange or a lemon, but forget carrying around a pack of nectarines.  They’ll just go soft and turn to mush.  The bulk food section has a lot of dried fruits though.  Dried apricots, cranberries, and raisins are great, and those fruit leathers that you get when you’re a kid… those are perfect.  They give you plenty of energy, and don’t weigh a whole lot.

Pete really liked getting those trail mixes.  He’d pack a dozen little bags full of the stuff along with his gear.  I didn’t like it though.  The stuff made you thirsty, and water was an even bigger issue.  Of all the things you carry around with you for survival, water is the most important.  You can survive without ammo, you can survive without shelter, or without food even.  Take away a mans water though, and he’ll last 3 days tops without it.  Your best bet is to carry a sizable canteen, or camelback.  Don’t try carrying around bottles.  They take up too much space in the pack, and it’s a hassle to take off your pack every time you need a drink.  It doesn’t do to carry one in your hand either, not when you might need both hands to defend yourself at any moment.

Guy and I did most of our shopping together.  This is a good way to make sure you get a good variety on supply, and don’t end up with all crackers, and no meat.  We passed Pete in the pharmacy.  He was tearing the place apart.

"Hey Pete." I said, " Whatcha doin here?"

"What does it look like I’m doing?  I’m getting medical supplies.  We’ve been pretty lucky so far, none of us has had barely a scratch.  That could change, and if it does, you’re going to be glad I grabbed this stuff."

"So what kinda stuff are you getting?"

"I don’t know.  I’m not a doctor.  I’m just grabbing one of everything.  They have instructions on the box.  We can figure out what to use when we need it."

For survival, the pre-apocalyptic medicine counter wasn’t stocked with practicality.  About half the stuff was to counter allergies to things like dust, and flowers.  They had drugs for the common cold which did little more than numb the senses, or put you to sleep.  Pills for headaches, muscle aches, sinus pain, arthritis, indigestion, constipation, and of course impotence.  A lot of the stuff Pete picked up did help us out, but we really didn’t need most of it.  If you find yourself in the same situation, just get some bandages, iodine, heavy painkiller, burn ointment, and sutures.  Rubbing alcohol is handy, but more often as a firestarter instead of an agent to soothe aching muscles.

"My packs getting heavy." Guy said eventually.  The poor girl was swaying back and forth with droopy eyes.  I felt my own exhaustion through aching shoulders and legs.  My eyes were tired.  We needed sleep.

"Time to call it a night" I agreed.

"It’s probably almost morning."

"I’m guessing three more hours before the suns up."

We dragged our bodies back to the outdoor department, and crawled into one of the big family tents that was already set up.  There were sleeping bags laid out, as if we had been expected.  Guy crawled into one, and I crawled into the one beside it.  We were both still wearing all our clothes, but were too tired to care.  I rolled my bag in tight, and let out a sigh as I enjoyed its warmth.  Guy mumbled something I didn’t catch, and rolled into me, putting her arm around my back.  Being on my stomach, I tried giving her a funny look, but she was already fast asleep.  I let her arm stay where it was, and fell asleep dreaming of happy possibilities.

I didn’t hear Pete come into the tent that night, and I didn’t hear him leave either.  He tells me that he came in "basically the same time (we) did", but I was too exhausted to tell.  The first time I heard him, was in the morning when he yelled:

"They’re here"