You'd think a military base would put more effort into hiding their armory. And while I did end up driving around aimlessly for the better part of the day, when I did find it, it was a big ol' sign pointing me to all the guns and ammo I could want.
Well, I tell a lie. If I had wanted that, then I could have visited Wal-Mart's hunting section. I was after stuff to defend myself with, from a distance. I didn't know when I would ever meet another person, but I couldn't assume they'd be friendly.
Same deal as the truck stop. Pull up to the checkpoint for the armory, search the pile of clothes for the keys, and try every one out on the door to the guns. Got it right on the third try, which was two more than I was willing to do with these claws of mine.
And boy oh boy, did I have options. I always was an indecisive kid. So I took a little bit of everything I thought I might need. That eventually boiled down to a shotgun, in case of close-range emergencies, a handgun, for not-emergency short-range situations, and an assault rifle, for middle-length threats barreling down on me. Took as much ammo as I felt comfortable with, loaded them into the truck, and drove back to my neighbor's home.
Internet finally gave up the ghost today, which is a crying shame. Before, it at least tried to be useful. Now I was on my own. On my own with a big old truck and more space than I could hope to fill. I dumped the guns and ammo in one of the bedrooms before closing the door and telling Skippy to stay out of it. Dumb mutt actually woofed and nodded once I said that.
Made another trip down to the grocery store and Wal-mart for kibble for him, because if I could avoid having him starve to death, I would. Picked up a few more jugs of water and managed to fill them up as well, before I started loading things into the trailer truck. Wasn't that an experience. My setup is roughly this:
All the way in the back is the kibble for Skippy, along with the non-perishable food for myself. In front of that are all my water jugs, triple-checked to be sure they're sealed tight. Don't need any water getting loose and making me look like a fool. In front of that is my gas-powered generator, along with the gas for it in cans nearby. I'll keep the coolers of meat and dairy plugged into it, and I'll start it up when I start tomorrow. And right in arm's reach of the open door are the guns, with the ammo just beyond them.
Didn't do any raiding of my neighbors tonight, though I did put out a message on the truck's radio before I knocked off.
"If you can hear this, you're not alone. My name is Henry. Henry, and I used to be human. I'm some sort of...griffon now, though. If you've been changed like me, or if you haven't, either way. I have supplies. I have a little knowledge. I am willing to help anyone who is out there to hear me. Please...please don't let this message be in vain. Tomorrow I travel up the highway to Denver. I will be monitoring this frequency tomorrow, with updates for the major exits as I pass by them."
Yeah, you got the right idea, Skippy. We should knock off early.
...I just hope somebody heard me.