Trudge Runners

by ROBCakeran53

12: Search and be Rescued

The door to the building was closed; originally glass the top window had been broken out and was now boarded up. The handle, a simple twist knob, seemed to be intact, and using her hoof she managed to turn it and to her shock the door opened, swinging inside.

It was extremely dark, save for where a few cracks of sunlight shone through the boarded up windows, and the doorway she’d just opened up.

To her left looked to be a counter with a bit register on the top, and some empty displays for odds and ends. To her right were shelves, long since ransacked and holding nothing but molding cardboard boxes and several emptied wrappers of candy she didn’t recognize.

Straight ahead was a wall of glass doors, lining from one end of the building to the other.

Stepping inside further, she squinted her eyes to try and make out any sort of switch to turn on a light, if they even worked. Her hoof kicked an empty soda can, causing it to go sliding away with a clatter.

From the shelves, another sound echoed in the store, of falling debris and a mouse-like skittering.

The mare hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until she let out a sigh, shaking her head.

“Come on now, probably just a lil mouse lookin’ fer some crumbs,” she said to herself.

She walked up to the counter, rearing onto her hind legs as she placed her hooves along the dusty top to look for anything useful. Nothing immediately screamed at her, as even the open and discarded drawer to the register was empty.

Looking behind the counter found her little else useful, but did pique her curiosity.

A discarded box, empty, looking just like the one they had in the bag filled with shotgun shells. Surrounding the box was about a half dozen spent shells. Leaning down, she poked one of the shells with a hoof, and noticed there was a thinner layer of dust under it than on the rest of the floor.

Someone, or somepony, had been behind this counter in recent times, and had resorted to violence.

Finding little to nothing else, she turned around, just in time to hear the skittering from before, and something plastic rattling on the floor.

“B-Bill? That you, sugarcube?”

No response.

Now a shiver ran down the mare’s spine, causing her to flick her tail to settle her nerves.

Taking one step, then two, she walked towards the glass paneled doors, although it was hard to see through the dust and grime that coated the glass. Picking the door that the light from outside focused on, she approached to investigate.

There were long, vertical handles over half way up the door, making it a challenge to even reach them unless she stood upright. Instead she took a foreleg and wiped at the glass, peering inside the best she could.

Empty holders lined the two shelves she revealed, looking like they held things such as canned or bottled beverages, considering the discarded empties that littered the floor.

Looking down the row of glass doors, the natural sunlight coming through one of the boarded up windows shone and reflected off one of the glass panels, and something caught her attention.

Stepping closer, she saw dark streaks running along the door, covered in dust, but as she followed them with her eyes she took a step back in horror.

There was a hand print, left by a human.

And then she realized the dark stains were dried, old blood.

Something clattered to the floor to her right, at the shelves, and she had enough time to turn and look when something lunged at her.

Applejack screamed, not in a girlish fear, but genuine shock and surprise, as a small rodent of some type landed on her back and bit down hard.

“Goll darn in, get off!” Applejack yelled, and began to buck around, kicking wildly and stomping her hooves in an attempt to remove whatever was on her back.

Her left hind hoof caught the glass door, shattering it and sending glass all over herself and her assailant, which seemed undisturbed by anything going on.

Finally, the mare turned her back to the shelves, and lunged, sending herself into the heavy steel shelving. It didn’t fall over from her impact, but it rocked in place, sending debris to the floor, as well as her assailant.

Moving quickly, and doing her best to ignore the dribbling of what she assumed to be blood down her back, she spun around and went to stomp whatever it was.

She froze, this time in horror.

It was a large rat, nearly twice as large as a typical Equestrian one. Worse yet, it was covered in several bald spots, those naked areas looking to be half decayed. Blood dripped from its mouth, half the little whiskers gone. Its eyes, glowing a sickly dark red, bore into her, causing the mare to choke on her own scream of terror.

“Applejack!?”

A tall silhouette shaded half the doorway, whom exactly by appearance it was impossible to tell but by voice alone it was obvious.

Before Applejack could say anything, the rat hissed and launched for the mare again. Defensively, she put up her foreleg, which the rat had no issue with biting down onto.

“Gah! Damn varmint!”

The mare began waving her hoof wildly, and using her other to smack the rat into releasing her. Before she could get a third hit in, like a flashbang the overhead lights flickered to life, casting the room in a dull fluorescent glow, with several of the fixtures flickering and humming.

The rat, suddenly in the light, let out a shriek and released the mare’s leg, and attempted to scurry away.

“Oh Hell no you don’t!”

Still trying to regain her vision, Applejack heard something be hit with a thwack, Bill grunting, and then a loud squish sound.

After several blinks, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder, causing her to instinctively flinch back.

“Hey, hey Jackie it’s okay, it’s me. Calm.”

“Right, right, sorry Bill. Just…”

“Oh wow, that thing did a number on you.”

“Where is it?”

Her eyes finally adjusted to the light, the human pointed a bloody crowbar towards the counter, where a very squashed rat laid, and a single bloody boot print coming towards them.

“It tried to get away, but I wasn’t about to let that thing eat and run.”

Applejack blinked, then looked at Bill with a horrified expression.

He too blinked, then cringed at his own words.

“Okay, so too dark of humor then?”

She nodded her head. “Too soon, at least.” Applejack went to put her weight on her injured hoof, only for some pain to shoot up her foreleg.

“Hang on, sit tight. I’ll go grab the first aid kit in the bag,” Bill said, and left before getting a response.

Sitting on her haunches, Applejack let out a shaky breath, holding her leg up as it bled. She could feel the blood running down her spine and towards her dock, and knew showering tonight would be a major pain.

Bill quickly returned, and kneeled once again beside her

“Okay, let's see what this thing actually has.”

Undoing the belt-like clasp, he opened it and dumped the contents on the floor.

One roll of gauze, a few unopened gauze squares, several empty bandaid wrappers, a pair of nail clippers, and a half empty pint of vodka fell onto the floor.

“Honestly, I’m not sure what I expected, so I can’t be surprised,” Bill said, tossing the bag to his side.

“Well, hopefully there’s enough gauze there fer my leg ‘nd back.”

“Right, and if that’s still alcohol, it will clean the wounds.”

Applejack took the bottle in her uninjured hoof, twisted the cap off with her teeth and spat it to the ground, then took a swig.

“Yeah, still vodka a’right. Cheap stuff, too.”

“I should be scared you did that without any hesitation, but for now I’ll ignore it.”

With all of that out of the way, Bill got to work. First was her leg, which wasn’t as bad as it looked. Cleaned and wrapped, he had her stand, which her leg gave only the smallest bit of protest to. With the wound on her back, near the nape of her neck, he cleaned the wound the best he could, using up the last of the bottle of vodka (after AJ took one last swig for good luck). Then placing the last of the squares over her wound, he looked at what was left of the gauze roll.

“I don’t think it will need stitches, which is good because the last time I sewed was the fifth grade for arts and crafts.”

Applejack chuckled. “Been doin’ it fer most of my life. I could talk ya through it.”

“Yeah, well, let's just hope it doesn’t come to that.”

There was a brief bit of silence.

“I wish we had something to tape the wrap with, but I might have to use what’s left and wrap it around you, then tie it.”

“That’s good, otha wise ya gotta shave the fur off so the tape, if we had any, would stick.”

“Which I’d rather not, nor do we have any.”

“Yeah, last time I got hurt ‘nuff fer a shavin’ everypony couldn’t look at me without laughin’.”

“Where was it?”

“Nu uh, I ain’t tellin’.”

“Oh come on, now you really have to tell me.”

As Bill wrapped the cloth bandage around her barrel and back, the mare finally let out a huff.

“My left flank.”

“Remind me again, what’s the flank on a horse? Er, pony?”

Reluctantly, Applejack pointed to her left cutie mark.

“Snerk.”

“Bill!”

“I’m sorry, I was not expecting that!”

As much as she wanted to smack the human, he was still busy dressing her wounds, and figured it would be a bad idea to bite the gift human on the hand.

After tying a knot the best he could, Bill began putting the little remains of the emergency kit back into the red cloth satchel.

“Well, that’s the best I can do. Your back has a lot of blood stuck in your coat, so it’s gonna be a tedious cleaning with that wound.”

“Jus’ hope I don’t get no infection from that thing.”

Both looked to the still very squished rat.

“I really hope it can only turn other rats into zombies.”

“Yeah…”

Both then looked to the other.

“Don’t be mad if I gotta, you know…” Bill said, then gestured with his hand, making a gun and pointing it to his head, followed by making his thumb move down and crossing his eyes, tongue out.

Applejack frowned.

“Still too soon?” Bill asked.

“Yeah, still too soon.”

With a shrug, Bill picked up the first aid bag while he stood up.

“Well see if I ever try to lighten the mood again.” He looked around the store. “So, since I’m here already, I’ll help you look around.”

“Sure, thanks.”

“Of course. Having another set of eyes in case you overlook something, or heaven forbid, another zombie rat appears.”

“Bill.”

“Why, me and my trusty crowbar can defend you from their evil zombie ways.”

“Bill…”

“I could be like John Freeman! Or wait, is that his brother?”

With a crack in the air, Applejack’s tail whipped around and smacked Bill on his butt, causing him to jump forwards and nearly drop the crowbar.

“Holy shit that’s smarts! I didn’t know you could whip that thing like… like a whip!”

“My tail is very talented, and DON’T take that in a dirty way.”

Bill blinked, then zipped his lips.

With a deep sigh, the mare began walking down the aisle with the coolers to her left, looking for anything useful, while Bill took the next aisle over.

At first they searched in silence, which lasted for maybe all of two minutes.

“So, ya got the gas?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah, even topped of the truck. Our truck, that is. I was about to investigate the other one but then I heard you scream.”

“Well, thanks all the same fer comin’ to my rescue.”

“Of course. Just, don’t expect a fedora tip from me.”

“Huh?”

Chuckling, Bill waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it.”

And then silence took over once more, until going down the third aisle Bill began laughing.

“No way. No flipping way.”

“What did ya find?” Applejack asked, then abandoned her aisle to investigate.

She found Bill at the far end of the farthest forward aisle, looking away from the wall.

“Well, I found the goods. We can go home now.”

Confused, Applejack walked closer, then inspected what had the human’s attention.

It was a magazine rack, mostly covers she couldn’t read, however there was one shelf that housed sealed magazines, covered with black paper.

The mare facehoofed. “Don’t tell me…”

“Oh yeah, nudie mags. Better yet, some of these are even in English.

Bill reached down to hand her the magazine, but she made no such movement to take it.

“I don’t want that!”

Laughing again, Bill shook the magazine in front of her face. “Oh come on, aren’t you at least a little curious?”

“Hay no! Get that away from me.”

Laughing still, Bill placed the magazine back into the sleeve and set it, alarmingly to Applejack, a small pile already started on the floor.

“Suit yourself,” he began, then reaching for another magazine on the rack, “more for me to-”

Suddenly, the human froze. Now it was his turn to look disgusted as he slowly, carefully, placed the magazine back into the sleeve.

“What? Find a dude’s only copy?” Applejack let a chuckle out, but much to her surprise the human offered the enclosed magazine to her.

This time, simply for the joking nature, she took it and drew it out.

On the cover was a hunk of a stallion, much similar build to her brother, only with mutton chops, Haywaiian button up shirt open, and sporting his equipment on full display.

“Yeah, you could say that…” Bill said with a shudder, then turned around.

“Huh, well… impressive at least. This is some vintage PlayMare.”

Now with roles reversed, Applejack removed a couple of other magazines, looking them over.

“And here’s an older PlayColt. I know this ‘cause my brother has this one, was one of our Pa’s.”

“It was bad enough realizing you’re just always naked, but now this…”

“We all gotta grow up eventually,” Applejack placed the magazines back onto the shelf. “Welp, in for a bit.”

Curiously, Bill turned back around to watch the mare take one of the magazines he had grabbed, then pull it out to look at it.

“Huh. Wasn’t expectin’ that, but okay. I can see it,” she said as she looked between the magazine cover and Bill.

“Okay, this entire joke backfired. I surrender.”

“Atta boy.”

Placing the magazine back into the sleeve, she laid it back down on his stack. The two then stared at each other, and occasionally the stack of magazines. With a huff and roll of her eyes, AJ grabbed several of the Equestrian magazines, no specific ones just at random, and placed them on his pile.

“Carry those, would ya? My back still hurts.”

Sighing, Bill leaned forward and grabbed the stack of magazines.

“Well, nothing else looks to be worth anything in here,” he said.

“Yeah, shame, but now we know. Close this place up and never come back.”

“Except for gas,” Bill added, the two now walking towards the open door.

“Right.”

“And if we run out of our reading material.”

“Pfft. Doubtful.”

“Well I’m pretty sure we will know when one or the other is done with them.”

They stepped outside, and using her tail AJ closed the door with a slam. “How so?”

“We are next to each other, our rooms I mean. And we share a bathroom.”

“So?”

Bill stopped, magazines still in his hands and crowbar slung over his left wrist. He looked down at the mare with a raised brow. At her continued confused look, Bill wiggled the magazines, then did a motion with his tongue against the inside of his cheek.

It took Applejack several seconds before she gasped, her face turned red, and her tail flicked in agitation. “Now that ain’t funny!”

“Why else are we taking them then?”

“Ta read, numbskull!”

“Who the Hell reads porno mags?”

“We will, since we can actually understand ‘em!”

“Oh, right. That’s actually a fair point. Damn, can’t believe I’ve fallen so low. My father would be disappointed.”

“My brother would just laugh himself silly.”

Another round of chuckles, and the two returned to the truck and placed their goods on the back seat.

“So, we got some gas. What’s our game plan then?” Bill asked, looking around them and noting where the sun was positioned.

“I’d say we got about, oh, two hours of daylight left.”

“I thought the same. So, about that gas truck,” Bill started and thumbed behind himself at said vehicle, “two flat tires, one of the rear axels are bent which I didn’t even know was possible. I didn’t get to even touch the cab because I heard you shout.”

“So, in other words, it’s a basket case.”

“Yeah, but I mean, could be worse? Might be able to change the tires out here, and if we get that other truck going, use it to pull this one to the shop and finish it up.”

With a pensive nod, Applejack began making her way towards the refueling truck.

It was pretty obvious, the drivers side was all battered and beat up. Both tires on that side were also flat, and she didn’t know which axel was bent but took Bill’s word for it. The human opened the cab door and jumped in, and turned the key, surprised to see gauges move and lights come on.

“Well, that’s kinda cool.” He went to turn it over, and it gave a slow crank over, but then stopped and started clicking. “Nope, dead. Well, I could pull the battery out and bring it back with us, charge it up for next time we come out here. Maybe load up a couple of tires.”

“Just one tire, Bill. There’s a spare here between the cab and the tank.”

Surprised, Bill looked behind himself in the window, and sure enough he could see the top edge of a tire.

“Huh, how did I miss that?”

“Small, squinty human eyes maybe?” Applejack said with mirth.

“Hey now, I’ll have you know we have some amazing eyesight.”

“Uhuh, sure Bill. Lets just look fer this battery ‘dn head back. By then it’ll be time fer dinner ‘nd we can plan the next day.”

With a nod, Bill stepped out of the cab, then began circling the truck. “So, uh, any chance you know what a battery might look like to help search too?”

Comments

[hyperiumon]

Sheesh just about 2 years for 2 chapter. Glad you're still working on it and hope you're doing good irl just please let us know if can't continue I hate to be stuck in suspense.

[RoboRed]

Nothing like a healthy dosage of social awkwardness to bring people closer together, eh?
That and, well...life-threatening situations. That rat was bad news spooky business.

“Why, me and my trusty crowbar can defend you from their evil zombie ways.”

“Bill…”

“I could be like John Freeman! Or wait, is that his brother?”

This was slight and unexpected change from the usual outcome of where this gets headed and I lol'd.

[Animal]

It’s back!

[Eversong]

Yes! New chapter

[TheGreenGoblin]

Oh BOY we’re back!! Great to see you again! Oh my gosh this is monumental!

[Rat Smacker]

LET'S FUCKIN GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO