The following day, Doug woke early and ate breakfast. Today, he needed to find more diesel fuel for his generator and to fill up the water tank. He wanted nothing more than to just dive back into Conquest and turn off the world around him, but he knew that wouldn’t be possible without a source of power. Not unless he’d gotten a NeuReality implant - but at the same time, it seemed mighty suspicious that none of the remaining survivors of the Rapture had one as far as he was aware.
Not wanting to risk getting caught, Doug left his bunker shortly after dawn, heading toward the nearest gas station with a pair of empty 5-gallon yellow plastic diesel cans and a siphon hose. He traveled along the streets of Chicago in relative peace and quiet thanks to his armored suit, though every once in awhile he heard gunshots echoing through the distance. No doubt, someone else trying to survive.
He was tempted to bring the SUV, but knew it would draw too much attention for any onlookers. So he decided that traveling by foot would be his best option.
His destination lay within sight. The gas station was situated near a strip mall surrounded by three big box stores. Making sure to keep the hood of his black armored jacket turned up against the wind, Doug walked briskly toward the station.
At first, he noticed signs of looting everywhere; broken windows, overturned cars, and piles of trash scattered throughout the parking lots. But despite all of that, he didn't encounter anyone. At least not yet.
When he reached the gas station, Doug approached cautiously. Even though he wore a helmet and goggles, he could feel eyes staring at him. Fortunately, there were only five men loitering nearby. They appeared to be drunkards, and probably also high on methamphetamines judging by their erratic behavior. Their faces were pale, sunken, and their hands were stained red. These weren't the kind of men you want to mess with.
One of the men started walking toward him with a menacing look in his eye. Before he could reach Doug, however, another man grabbed hold of the first's arm. "Hey buddy, leave this guy alone." The newcomer said in a thick Southern accent.
"You ain't gonna make me," the man replied in an equally deep voice.
That was when Doug drew his pistol. Pointing it straight at the man's head, he asked in a calm tone, "Do you really wanna die today?"
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The man hesitated for a moment, and then backed off. Doug holstered his gun and walked past the group of thugs and toward the line of abandoned cars that had once been occupied by owners waiting to get gas before they were Raptured. All of the gas tanks appeared to have been busted open, but fortunately he wasn’t seeking to find gasoline. He followed the line of cars for about half a mile until he found a pair of abandoned semi trucks. He unscrewed the cap of the first one, but to his dismay it was dry. The second one however still had half a tank full of diesel fuel.
“Jackpot!” Doug muttered as he inserted the siphon hose.
The hose was specially designed with a steel bearing at the end that would self-siphon by jiggling the hose for a moment. He was grateful that he didn’t have to try to start the siphon with his mouth. With some effort, he managed to fill both cans from the truck, but there was still at least another 50 gallons still in the tank. He knew this opportunity wouldn’t last forever, and his commercial-grade generator could hold 100 gallons at a time. Once he finished filling both cans, he screwed them tight and wrapped the hose back up.
I’ll have to make several trips to get it all, but it’ll be worth it.
Walking back to his bunker with the heavy load, Doug thought about his situation. He'd never done anything like this before - stealing fuel from a stranger's property - but he knew that technically nobody owned it now in this dystopian nightmare. As such, he felt justified in taking what rightfully belonged to him. After all, he reasoned, he deserved it since he was the one risking his neck for it.
With a smile, Doug entered his bunker. He filled the generator tank and cranked the generator back on. Within minutes, the lights came on, illuminating the interior of the bunker. Turning around, he saw the glowing green number on his status board: 11%. That'll do nicely. Now I can take care of my other needs. He read the other stats on the board.
─ Water tank: 3%
─ Power: Running on backup reserves.
Suddenly, Doug remembered that he hadn't eaten lunch yet. Perhaps it would be prudent to go grab something while the generator was running.
Scanning through the many food options, he decided to open a can of Chef Boyardee ravioli. He popped the lid open,poured the contents into a bowl, and took advantage of the power source and used the microwave for 30 seconds. It wasn’t piping hot, but the lukewarm temperature was satisfying. He removed a fork from the utensil holder, and sat down on the couch to enjoy his lunch.
After finishing his meal, Doug stood up to wash his dishes using water heated by the generator. As he did so, he glanced over at the status board. His water tank indicated it was at 1%, and he knew it wouldn't be long until it ran out completely if he didn't refill it immediately.
Satisfied with his accomplishments thus far, Doug put his armor back on. He grabbed his backpack as well as the rifle and ammo clips that he kept stored inside it.
This is going to be a long day.
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