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He managed to find one single item that interested him. Unfortunately it didn’t have anything else he needed for it. The thirty-eight caliber pistol felt real and was lighter than he expected, but unfortunately he didn’t find any ammo for the weapon.  He would held back to the hunting stores the next day, but first he would check a few more houses.

His search expanded down the street. Luckily the police and military moved out most of the bodies of the people who died during the first week of it happening. He only saw a couple. The men lay on the floor. They both seemed to have died hanging out together drinking. He figured like so many other people they actually died of the fungus or it’s spores.

Bryan checked their pantry and fridge. Their bread was fresh and they had ground meat and Sloppy Joe mix. Well he thought it would be a good idea to eat something he like before he lost power. Bryan carried everything back to his house.

He cooked a large meal for himself with enough left for leftovers. Bryan ate and listened to music. He thought about what to do next. Exploring the town and collecting food and perfecting how to drive seemed like the best ideas.

The next week and a half passed almost without incident. Bryan managed to teach himself how to drive on almost empty streets. Several times during his trips he thought he saw movement. Bryan paused and waited. He watched the tall grass and bushes. They moved in the wind. Bryan figured it must be an animal and headed to the store he checked out, but hadn’t been inside.

The front window was busted from the outside. Bryan stepped through it and felt glass crunch underneath his feet.

"Hello," he asked. His voice echoed through the empty building. Feeling safe Bryan walked inside.

Items fell down. Bryan heard foot steps running across the floor. They disappeared out of his hearing range. He rushed into the room. It was silent. Clothing was pulled off racks and piled into the floor. Bryan walked closer to the pile and realized some animal made it.

He bent down to see if he could figure out what kind of animal it was. Short gray fur made him think of it was a dog. Bryan went to the book shelves. He searched for the ones that were most interesting sci-fi, fantasy and adventure and made a pile of the other ones in the floor.

Bryan exited the store. Looking out into the sky he only saw clouds. He was used to seeing cars drive along the road. Bryan took a deep breath before heading over to the store.

Like many others it was abandoned before someone considered looting it. Bryan walked inside. He only visited once during the last few weeks. He filled a cooler with his preferred beer and drove back to his house.

Bryan sat down at his computer. He started up music and opened his first beer. Sitting back he prepared to spend the rest of the night relaxing. A red light shone a message was for him. Bryan clicked on it.

"Sorry. We haven’t had time to talk lately, but we’ve had to quarantine zone boundaries several times," said the man. "Stay posted for the next update."

Bryan read the time. It said six in the morning. He figured he would just stay up and wait for it.

He woke up at five in the morning. Bryan didn’t remember going to sleep, which was good. He did feel well rested enough to wait up for the message. Bryan sat up and waited.

Minutes passed and time clicked away. Bryan grew impatient. He stood up and walked to the kitchen. After microwaving a meal he returned to his chair. It was now just after six. A light flashed showing he was now online. Bryan put the bowl down.

"Good you’re on," said the sergeant. "We’ve been attempting to contact everyone we have in the quarantine zones."

"Zones?" asked Bryan. "I thought I was the only in the country."

"There’s been some developments," said the man. He rubbed his eyes. "I need to get some sleep."

"How bad is it?" asked Bryan.

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