A while back, I talked about how the
world is getting quiet. All the hustle and bustle of the modern world has faded
away to a silence without all the noise of technology rambling away. I will say
this; it makes it a lot easier to appreciate the sounds of the birds flittering
in the trees and when the conditions are right in the evenings the cicadas put
on concerts of their own.
Quick
Side Note: The fact that the birds are still around and
chirping continue to reinforce our theory that humans are the only animal
affected by the Kharon Virus. It has not seemed to have mutated to a point
where it can spread to other animals.
One of the advantages of the world
switching to “inside voice” mode is that you can hear a rumbling car long
before you see it. It is not just the engine. Those big pickups on their super
tires have an effect that is called “tire whine.” The sound of rubber running
against pavement makes a pretty audible noise.
Add in the fact that we have most of
the security cameras in place pretty strategically, we can see people coming
and can watch them without having to expose our people.
Now, I will grant you that we do not
look very inviting to an outsider. We still have the flag hung out in distress.
The front of the store is barricaded with cars to prevent zoms from making
direct contact with the glass doors. And those glass doors are then reinforced
from the inside with pallets of stock. You aren’t getting through the front
door without a tank.
So, it was two guys in a pickup. They
pulled up to the back and eyeballed the roll up doors to the Produce
Department. The call was made pretty early that these guys were up to no good.
And it was clear that they were coming at the door with these long pry-bars.
The last thing we wanted was the door damaged since the Produce dock is out
main entry point in and out of the store.
Try to imagine these guys’ surprise
when that door was flung open as they were about to pry the door open. Now, the
catch to this is that they had their pry-bars. We had rifles and pistols. It
was one of those action movie moments where Fred told the two, “We would much
rather put our bullets in a zombie than in you.”
It was not exactly a Mexican standoff
but it was clear they were making their decisions. The story was cut off
because that rambling engine from their truck started drawing some zoms out of
the back woods. Seeing the zoms shambling towards them and realizing that they
were not getting in the store, the two raced to get in their pickup. Before
they could drive off, Janet and Judy came forward and placed a couple of “care
packages” in the back of their pickup. If they were desperate enough to try to
break in, they clearly needed some supplies. Janet said later that they didn’t
want them to drive up empty handed.
There is a chance that if they might
have presented themselves better, we could have let them in. Oh well, I wish
them the best of luck…
