Free Floyd & Mikki (Book 2): Zombie Slayers (Dawn of the Living) by Joseph Tatner

Nothing could match what Zeke had made, and most of it was impractical for zombie hunting. Still, it was great to look around. Unfortunately, they didn’t have a lot of time before the sun set and they didn’t feel like spending a few days looking at stuff they didn’t need or couldn’t use.
    Everything was covered in dust. Again, there were no bodies anywhere, dead or undead. Floyd started wondering whether the Rapture really had come and he did miss it. But he couldn’t imagine that Southern California, of all places, would be emptied out by God before the Apocalypse. Either way, it didn’t affect his current situation. He was still stuck in a deep pit full of shit, trying to claw his way out.
    They found the ammo shelves behind the main counter. Boxes and boxes of every kind of ammunition they could want! Well, except for the exotic stuff like anti-armor or antipersonnel shotgun rounds, but Floyd did find several cases of slugs tucked away in the back. They briefly looked over the holsters, firearms, magazines and other items, but ended up ignoring all of them to start grabbing cases of ammunition. They stacked them inside the door, checking outside for any sign of activity with every trip they made. Nothing.
    Moving into the next part of the building, they scoured the shelves for camping gear. Here they found a lot more useful stuff. Mikki found a shopping basket and it didn’t take long to fill it with a small portable propane stove, propane bottles, extra-warm sleeping bags, blankets, heavy overcoats, a dozen pairs of soft, warm socks, and a number of other prizes.
    They pretty much cleared out the food aisle, grabbing dried fruit, beef jerky and a wide assortment of other camping foods. MREs were great, but even beef stew and lemon poppy seed muffin tops got old after a while, when that’s all you had to eat. Floyd stocked up on water bottles and water purifying tablets as well. Behemoth wouldn’t last for more than a few days, but it would work as a storage locker after that, for as long as they remained in the area.
    Moving on to the clothing section, they found a wide variety of Western Wear. Cowboy boots and shirts, Stetson hats and work gloves. Oh, if only they didn’t need to be covered up in body armor all the time! Some of it looked really sexy.
    Mikki pointed to a red flannel shirt just like the one Floyd used to wear. Floyd found a pair of pink cowgirl boots. They both felt nostalgic for a moment. From such humble beginnings! They had both been through hell and back, with several return trips. Nostalgia was a luxury they could not afford, however. Ever focused on the future, they left this part of the store without taking anything.
    Heading outside, Floyd climbed on top of the vehicle while Mikki ferried boxes to him and he plopped them inside. Back and forth she went until everything was loaded. They had quite an arsenal now. Soon, Bonnie and Clyde would be fully loaded and back in action!
    Floyd jumped straight down into Behemoth, ignoring the metal ladder as Mikki picked the store lock again to lock the door from the outside. Then she took one of the red spray cans she had grabbed from the store and tagged the door with their logo. As she turned from the door to join Floyd, she stopped. After thinking a bit, she got a big smile on her face. She drew a huge logo on the top of the hatch and each side of the vehicle in bright red paint. Behemoth was now officially the Floyd-and-Mikkimobile.
    After reentering the vehicle and closing the hatch, Mikki spent the next few hours loading every magazine while Floyd organized their gear. Long after the sun had set, they finally pulled open the cots and settled in for a zombie-free sleep.

Chapter Fourteen
    “Well, I’ll be damned.”
    “I really wish you’d stop sayin’ that, Floyd.”
    “What do you want me to say? I’ll be dipped?”
    “OK, never mind. Stick with what you know.”
    “Thank you.”
    “So what’s the big deal now?”
    They had been