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taken them two careful hours to walk to within a block of the dealership and they’d seen only a single zombie. That had been Roy Joy’s ‘Jimbob’ right outside their safe-house. He couldn’t quite shake the feeling that they were being followed. Even though no zombies could be seen, or more importantly, heard.
    The situation didn’t make him comfortable, and he regretted not bringing Roy Joy. The man’s insanity frequently held unique and useful insights into zombie behavior. Percival suspected that Roy Joy simply had a strange way of conveying what he had learned while surviving out in the open, on his own.
    “You’ve been sitting here for nigh five minutes, chief. What’s up?”
    Percival jumped at the sound of Evan’s voice. The kid was almost freakishly stealthy at times.
    “Something doesn’t feel right,” Percival said.
    “Eh?” Evan responded.
    Percival thought Evan’s answers to serious situations were often a little subdued. Not that he could really blame the kid. When they had found Evan, a week prior, he’d been the sole survivor of a ‘last stand’ affair. Percival and company had arrived just as the kid fired his last bullet.
    There hadn’t been many zombies left, but certainly more than Evan could have handled alone. Percival suspected that Evan had made his peace with death and never looked back.
    “It just doesn’t feel right. I can’t put my finger on it, but it feels like…” Percival trailed off. He didn’t know what it felt like. “Something’s off.”
    “Yeah. You said that already.” Evan turned away from Percival and looked toward Karl. Evan motioned Karl forward.
    “He says we haven’t moved because something doesn’t ‘feel right.’ Your turn.” Evan walked away as Karl crouched next to Percival.
    “You feel it too?” Karl asked.
    Percival nodded. He was glad that someone else thought something wasn’t quite level. “It’s… too quiet, you know?”
    Karl nodded. “It feels like the quiet before a storm. Too few zombies outside and on the streets. I noticed it while we were walking. Not enough corpses to justify it being other survivors who cleared the way for us either.”
    “Felt like someone was watching us as well.” Percival frowned. He felt hunted.
    “Well, we can’t just sit here for good, and we both know that, regardless of our feelings, it’ll be safer to search that dealership and the gun shop down the block while the sun’s still high in the sky.”
    Percival nodded. If nothing else, a daylight search would allow them to conserve their flashlight batteries until they got deeper into the building where the sun couldn’t reach.
    “Do you want to go with Sarah or Evan to check the pumps?”
    “That’s awfully kind of you to give an old man the choice.” Karl’s face cracked into a smile. He couldn’t be more than twenty years older than Percival. “It’s been awhile since I had a good chat with Sarah. I’ll team with her.”
    Percival nodded and turned away from the dealership. He walked the short distance to where Evan and Sarah stood talking in hushed tones. They stopped as Percival and Karl walked up.
    “We’re splitting up and going in,” Percival said.
    “Why’re we splittin’ up?” Sarah asked.
    “I don’t want to be here any longer than absolutely necessary. There’s something wrong in the air and I can’t quite put my finger on it. Regardless, splitting into two pairs will let us search the building faster and get gone sooner.” Percival waited for objections. When none came, he continued, “Sarah, you’ll be searching for the gas pumps and checking for fuel with Karl. Evan, you’re with me. We’re checking for anything of use inside.”
    Sarah and Evan nodded.
    “If nothing else, we’re going to meet back here at,” Percival checked his watch, “three o’clock. The usual signals for emergencies and evacuation apply. If the shit hits the fan, make for our safe-house, don’t wait for the other