"Good morning sleepyhead." Stanley shouted cheerfully as I walked into a makeshift cooking area set up around a fire pit. The other four were gathered around, chatting amicably. It seemed they had mostly recovered from their shock. Pete waved at me and motioned for me to join them.

"Stanley decided he was going to cook us all grub this morning." Pete said, "Ain't that just the sweetest of him?" Stanley wasn't much of a cook in the time that I knew him, although we hadn't exactly had the time or ingredients to do anything fancy. Maybe it wouldn't turn out as bad as the last time he tried to make breakfast.

"Oh really? What's he making?" I asked.

"According to him, eggs. Although at this rate we might be eating char." Pete said. I had spoken too soon, there was already smoke starting to come out of the pan. "Hey Stanley, remember we ain't got the ability to order takeout any more. Looks to be bout time to get that puppy out of the pan afore we got nothing for breakfast."

"Shit dude, my bad. I'm on it. I just got a little distracted is all." He quickly grabbed the pan, dumping it onto some plates someone had scrounged up. The eggs were a little burnt, but smothered in ketchup they went down easy enough.

"It seems introductions are in order with our fearless savior." Pete motioned to the others eating around the fire pit. "Obviously, I'm Pete, your friendly neighborhood cowpoke and the delightful peach over there who was talking about betraying you yesterday is Eve." She glared at him, but didn't deny it. "The other two are Sam and Sarah. They don't talk much on account of the Collector getting angry and making sure they wouldn't make a sound if you know what I mean. They had lived a couple doors down from me before all this. Married and kids all grown and moved on." The two smiled and waved. "That's our merry little band, and of course we got all the details about you from good ole Stanley." We continued chatting for a while.

During breakfast I looked over at Stanley a few times, and he was back to zoning off slightly, his eggs barely touched.

I wasn't sure if Stanley had told them about his condition, so after we finished eating I pulled him aside. "They still sending out the all call?"

"Unfortunately dude. I feel like I can't focus, like there's a constant buzzing behind my eyes"

"You gonna be okay? We need to be at the top of our game today, since we are hitting one of the last places you marked out as probably not completely cleared out."

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"I could ask you the same thing. You still look, and probably feel like shit bro. I'm not sure you should be going out."

"Touche. But it wouldn't be right for me to hang out here all day while you guys risk your lives to get food and other supplies for the rest of us. So I'm going, I'll be fine, it's just a few bumps and bruises."

"And a bum leg that hasn't healed up yet. Don't go forgetting about that one."

"Right.... and that. Look it will be fine. You said yourself you didn't feel anything from the building while passing by right?"

"That doesn't really mean anything. You and I both know that my psychic radio is spotty at best. There could very well be something chilling inside, waiting for a couple of tasty morsels to wander by who can't feel whether or not...."

"Feel what exactly?" Pete shoved his way into the conversation. "We are packing up if y'all are ready to hit the road. Figure it will be best if we went to the location together since it hasn't been cleared yet. Afterwards we can split off and get the easy stuff from the houses. Non spoiled of course, since electricity has started to get a bit spotty. Won't be long til something goes wrong with the generators and all we are left with is non perishables."

"Um, nothing important, Pete. We will be there in a second dude." Stanley said a little too quickly to be completely natural.

"Okay then. I see I've interrupted something here. Y'all got about 5 minutes to figure your shit out afore we leave so git to it."

"Nah we were just finishing up anyway. Right Stanley? It's no use talking about it anymore anyway." I said, looking directly at him.

"I guess so. Just... take it easy. Please. If not for your sake, then the rest of ours."

I walked over to the group, who were all waiting on us already. Eve looked particularly annoyed at how long we were taking, rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically.

"About time. I thought we we're gonna fall over and die from old age and with how long that little chat was taking. Did he say yes, Stanley?"

"I don't know what you mean Eve."

"I mean... you had to be asking him something pretty personal, so naturally I assumed you were proposing or something. Unless there's something else going on that I should know about hmm?"

"Eve, knock the dumbass talk off. It's time for us to get moving, and the two of them aren't required to tell us everything, especially when you've tried your best to make it clear they can't trust you." Pete jumped in defending us as final preparations before setting out were completed.

An hour later, we stood outside one of the stores Stanley had claimed wouldn't be looted. It was an old mom and pop restaurant that looked more like an old run down house from the outside. He had sworn up and down that it would have been stocked with a bunch of canned food, since he knew the owners, and they not only had a garden, but canned most of what they grew, aside from what they used in the restaurant.

As we pushed open the door, I heard movement coming from inside, and a shadow made itself seen as something started creaking up the wooden stairs to the basement.