Chapter 3-The Gas Station

It took him another 30 minutes to get out of the forest, but Eric didn’t know as his digital watch didn’t display anything.

‘Those pocket watches and big grandfather clocks should still work. Too bad they aren’t easy to come by nowadays.’ His grandparents had such a clock in their living room, and his grandfather still actively used his pocket watch, but other than them Eric had never seen anyone one of those.

Eric moved his thoughts away from family as he had to focus on his own survival and can only hope that they survived. Seeing a broken of branch on the ground Eric picked it up, it. was about as tall as him. He figured in a few hours he might be able to cast magic, so he will need a wizard’s staff.

Though Eric doubts that a random stick found on the ground would work well in that regard. He could always use it to hit an attacking creature or if the wolves returned throw the staff in the hopes they would chase after it. Only his strength is so low that he couldn't really injure any creature like the horse wolves, or if the wolves liked to play fetch, they would simply bring the stick back to him before eating him.

‘Yeah, that won’t help, still, better than nothing.’

Upon exiting the forest, Eric sees a gas station. Beyond the gas station there is more forest, so It turns at that he didn’t leave the forest, he simply stumbled on upon the road with a gas station going through the forest.

Incredulously Eric thinks ‘Really…… a gas station, what is this a bad story where the author couldn’t come up with something more original. Not like I am complaining though.’

Eric was exhausted and simply wanted to sleep. As such he did not see that the sign for the gas station read “Open 24/7” and there was still a truck parked at the store.

Inside the store was dark as expected, luckily the windows were big and there was a full moon in the sky, giving off just enough light to see in the dark. Opening the door, he hears the doorbell go off. Which wakes him up enough to realize that if there is a creature in the area then it probably heard that.

Promptly groaning could be heard from his left. In fear Eric jumps to the right holding his staff infront of himself. He sees a zombie behind the counter that is climbing over the counter in a very clumsy and uncoordinated manner.

Before Eric can truly think of what is happening adrenaline pumps through his system, he raises his staff, rushes forward and whacks the zombie on the head. The zombie, falling off the counter hitting head first on the floor lets out a grown which sounds to Eric like a painful zombie groan. The zombie is eager to get up and presumably attack Eric, so Eric continues to hit the zombie with all his strength. After a dozen hits or so hits the zombie's head is completely split open and doesn’t move anymore. Looking at the zombie Eric notices that he is wearing what looks to be the uniform of the gas station, making this probably the clerk who worked here.

‘I just smashed a head to mush, the head of someone who was once human.’ The sudden realization of what he did causes Eric to throw up the contents of his stomach. After reaching for a while a question posp into Erics mind.

‘Wait, if he was a human, what turned him into a zombie? And where is it?’

“Uuuhhhhhh..”

The groaning from behind makes Eric want to jump to the side, but he stumbles and falls sideways, dodging the attack of another zombie, this one seemingly faster than the first. Before he can move away from his spot on the floor the zombie grabs his ankle and pulls on it, yanking Eric towards him. Somehow Eric manages to swing his staff towards the head of this zombie at the same moment, adding the strength of the zombie’s yank to his swing, hitting the zombie on the head.

The zombie lets go of Eric’s ankle, but not before leaving gash on Eric’s leg, luckily due to the adrenalin, Eric doesn’t feel any pain, at least yet. As the zombie stumbles backwards Eric has just enough time to get up off the floor. At which point the zombie is already moving towards him, using his staff Eric tries to push the zombie away, but the zombie is stronger than Eric and keeps getting closer. Trying to back up Eric stumbles over his own feet and falls hard onto the ground. The zombie not have expected this trips himself and falls past Eric crashing into a stand of ropes, entangling himself in them. By the time Eric gets up the zombie still hasn’t freed himself making the next part easy.

Holding his staff with both hands Eric uses his entire body to start whacking the zombie in the head. At the start, his hit barely seem to faze it but being entangled in all the rope prevents the zombie from attacking Eric. After about two dozen hits this zombie stops moving and groaning.

The adrenaline of the fight now starting to drain out of Eric and his previous trek through the forest after escaping those wolves he can barely keep his eyes open, but Eric knows simply collapsing on the ground now would probably invite monsters to attack him. The lack of adrenaline also causes Eric to feel the wound on his leg, but is far too exhausted to care about it.

Eric slowly stumbles towards the back, his only focus being finding a door that he can close behindhimself so he can sleep, the pain from his leg keeping him awake nough to search. He finds what looks to be a break room for employees, happy to find that not only does the door lock from the inside, it also seems to be some heavy-duty door that gives the impression of being difficult to force your way through. After locking the door Eric zones in on the couch and proceeds to pass out.