14. Ripe pears
1166 Words
After telling them that they plan to go to the city on the fifteenth, she let them decide themselves.
"I'll talk to my wife. Going to the city is not a bad idea. I heard there are many things we can get and bring back home. She is pregnant so we could use some diapers." Mike was serious. "And baby formula." If it didn't go bad.
Hearing that, Fran smiled brightly. "No problem. Steven?"
Steven was silent. He really hated leaving far from the city. The last time he went out just because he hoped to get some food from a nearby farm and halfway through he found those three girls.
With Fran, it was four, but he didn't count her as she fought better than him.
"You are scared?" Henry asked. "Do you think we are not? But one thing is to be scared and the other thing is to give up on fighting fear. Zombies are scary, but they are now much slower, didn't you notice? In a few years, they will rot and die. Humanity will have to fight to survive at that time."
"Not all will die," Steven spoke now as he glanced in surroundings even more cautiously. "I have a friend that works for the military. They found out that every second zombie somehow evolved and will stop rotting. Do you know those with blue stones? They already started to evolve."
Mike sighed. "Their evolution started long before. Last year the zombies had no stones at all. Then they had those crystals and then white stones. The more those things changed, the stronger they got. Military killed many in hotspots with bombs, but when nuclear plants blasted, they stopped. I fear we will soon have even worse kinds of zombies running around. Those that have radioactive energy in their bodies might harm us more."
Steven paled. "Then it's safer in the city."
Fran agreed. "Yes. But we still need basic supplies to stay in the city before those things don't evolve even more. Didn't you see many people barely surviving? I think the military is buying off the food as they fear that we might get raided soon and they plan to have every single soldier to protect the city."
All became silent as they entered the forest and went to the spot from the day before.
The sun already spread its tentacles over the forest and she started looking around. "Grapevines are not easy to find, but they are not the only thing to eat. Let's go."
Everyone started looking up and down and soon Mike pointed at nearby bushes. " Look, blackberries."
"Apples!" Fran was looking up the trees. She realized that this place was probably someone's private yard, but no one thought about it.
"We need baskets for blackberries. Let's get apples first and then get baskets for berries." She took a few big clothes out and pointed at the tree. " We will gather some from here."
Apples? They looked up and saw really an apple tree. And not only apples.
"Fran, here are pears. Oh my God." Lucia grabbed one ripe yellow pear and just a bit down. Sweet juice entered her mouth and she happily smiled. "Can we keep these?"
Fran glanced at pears and sighed. "We can keep few. They are ripe and will start to rot soon. Look at those hard ones on the side. Those we can put in the cellar and let it ripe for winter. Let's gather things that we will eat first. Each of you gets full bags with apples and pears. The ripe pears we can bring straight to the store and sell to them. These are big and heavy. They wouldn't mind."
All agreed. Half bag of apples another half of pears and cloth bags filled with ripe yellow fruits were carried straight to the military store.
Luckily the military store was not far from the main gate so they didn't have to carry it far.
The provision officer blanked as he saw ripe fruits. "Pears?"
"Yeah. We found two trees and thought that these are ripe and won't hold for long. So, wanna buy it?"
"Of course." Even he was itching to eat some right away as the smell was truly enticing. Should he tell the commander to send people out?
But then he remembered what the commander said. Humans need to stop depending only on them and working as well. That is why they put a point system.
For one year military was supporting and feeding people, but now it's time they do something and work. Like this small group.
They just left the city and found food.
Fran looked around and pointed at something she saw in the back day before. "Give me ten."
Baskets are perfect for all kinds of berries.
Commission Officer knew right away why they asked and smiled sweetly. If they really sell them berries, it will be big deal for them. Berries have lots of vitamins.
Fran almost could read his mind and almost laugh loudly. But then thought about it. They need berries for their own use as well. She glanced at nearby marmelade glasses and had an idea. What if they make their own marmalade?
Or better not? Marmalade glass is just fifty points while they need to buy sugar and make their own marmalade. Too messy.
Five bags had between ten and twenty pounds as the two couldn't carry heavy. Each bag was weighed and she realized they carried more than she thought.
They had hundred sixteen pounds of ripe fruits and got twenty-three thousand two hundred points. Shared on five was four thousand six hundred fifty points each.
Even Fran got dizzy by the number. But then became serious and went forward. "We plan to go to the city. But we have no vehicle. Can we rent a vehicle or buy gasoline?"
He rose his eyebrows and smiled. "Give me a thousand points if you want an answer."
She blanked and with a grudge put a thousand points into his hands while the others shook their heads.
But they got stunned by the answer.
The commission officer became serious. "We can't give you military trucks, but I can sell you a map of that city with gas stations that still have gas and I can tell you where to go and get new vehicles. The plan of the city has as well pointed out where are stores we still didn't touch or had a chance to raid."
Map... Such a map would be precious
With gritted teeth, she glanced at him. "How much for the map?"
He sighed and pointed at a nearby counter. "The maps of the city were whole time on the counter, but no one bought them."
She glanced at truly saw a map. "C city. With all the important details." It was written in big letters. But she gasped as she saw the price.
Twenty thousand points!
Then she remembered something.
- Writer
