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He slammed it shut and opened the other door.

All the food inside looked in good condition. He pulled out lunch meat, cheese and mayonnaise. Next he checked the cabinets. Bryan pulled out a loaf of bread. He placed it on the counter top and then looked back inside the fridge for extra ingredients. Looking back at the bread he saw what was in it and then tossed the loaf out the back door. Ants had already crawled inside.

Bryan replaced the food and grabbed a juice pouch. He decided to tour the house.

It was empty, no bodies and no signs of people. He figured they must have tried to clean up before agreeing to leave. Bryan looked around the only thing he found of use was a bow and arrows. He didn’t have the practice to be able to use one of them. Bryan figured he would try it one day. He made sure and remembered where it was.

The next house was locked shut. All the doors and even the windows were closed Bryan pushed and tried each one. No of them moved. He figured there was no one in the house. Bryan smashed a window in the back room of the house.  He waited and listened for any sounds. There weren’t any.

He climbed into the house and saw his first real body up close. The remains of an old man lay on the floor. The person seemed to have rotted quickly with purple fungus covered exposed flesh. Bryan walked pass him and into the living room.

Other than the unusual furniture the only thing of interest he found was a have empty bottle of scotch. Bryan sniffed it and then checked the rest of the house. He found plenty of things to take with him.

Other than a good loaf of bread and an unopened jar of mayonnaise he found something he was afraid to use himself, but self defense is important. Bryan carried the .38 and ammunition in a box under one arm while carrying the food.

He put the food in his fridge and returned to first house with a plastic bag and grabbed the sandwich supplies. Bryan fixed himself a couple of sandwiches and then sat down in front of his computer. There was no new message. He decided to play a game.

After finishing the level Bryan turned back on the internet. A yellow shape blinked. He knew what it meant. He clicked on it. A message displayed.

Bryan clicked on it, "System online. Wait further messages."

He knew he would have to wait longer. Bryan decided to take a few beers from the nearby store while he checked out the last few houses. Each were empty of bodies, but only one had food he could steal. Bryan loaded up a reusable grocery bag with cans of vegetables and carried them back to his house.

The next houses yielded only a few other items of value. Bryan wanted to find guns incase he needed them, but the closest weapon he found was a machete. He carried it back along with some packages of noodles.

Bryan sat down in front of his computer. A flashing light on the screen signaled a message. He clicked on the icon. A message popped up on the screen. Bryan read it twice before clicking it off. All it said was to wait for another message in a couple more days.

He knew he would have a long couple of days of wait. Bryan suddenly had an idea. He saw it was nearing dark and didn’t see any need to try it until the next morning. Bryan would have a few drinks then sleep.

The local farm supply store had a few four wheelers outside. Luckily the door was unlocked since people took out most of the valuables. He headed for the back office. It took him over and hour of digging and searching before he managed to find both the key to the vehicle and chain holding it in place.

While the gas tanks didn’t work right Bryan managed to find a car he siphoned gas out of. He drove the vehicle back to his house. With little driving experience Bryan took his time and became used to the small vehicle. He was at his house in less than an hour.

He wondered what to do. He decided to check the houses the next block over. Most yielded canned goods that would serve him later he figured, but also he found an axe. The houses were empty of non perishable foods. Bryan retreated back to his house.

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