Surviving?

                “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!" Octavia repeated as she drove down the interstate, Jester sat next to her in the passenger seat, panting heavily. Steven was checking his firearm, levitating it along with a trio of bullets and there magazines. They'd made it out of Hoofston by the skin of their teeth, hell Octavia nearly had her throat ripped out by one of the walkers. Five minutes into the drive, everything had toned down, Jester had his crowbar on his lap, Octavia focused on the road and Steven set his Glock on a box of provisions. But there driver didn't seem too calm, she seemed erratic as she hunched over the wheel, eyes wide with fear.

                   “Octavia," Jester caught on," calm down." Octavia nodded quickly, nearly making her slam the back of head on her seat. She was obviously on edge from the entire even that took place, so Jester put a hoof on a shoulder; she looked at him and began to calm down sinking into her seat. Satisfied, Jester hoped into the back with Steven, who was leaning back, pistol now in holster.

                   " So when we hit Pegasus," Steven asked," what spots are we going to hit first?" That gave the planner something to think about. There were the high population areas downtown that will have a ton of cars, along with the casinos that could supply us with some food along with some grocery stores, hotels and- Jester snapped back to reality with the clack of hooves.

                  “What," Jester looked at the unicorn a bit dazed," Oh, we should go downtown first, gather gas and such there. Then go uptown were most of the grocery stores are." Steven nodded, climbing over to the passenger seat. The back was very roomy as only a couple boxes filled with water and food filled the re-purposed ambulance. So the EMT had plenty of room to stretch his legs and prop his hind legs up on the seat opposite of him. Other than the few bumps in the road, the teal stallion began to relax, his eye lids drooped a bit but he remain alert.

                   “Octavia," Steven whispered.

                   "Hm"

                   "Jester asleep?" The fully awake colt, heard a shifting of seats.

                  "Yes. Why?"

                  "We need to get rid of this guy, the first chance we get." The 'sleeping' equine was surprised and confused. Why would he all of a sudden want to get rid of Jester? He resisted the urge to interfere but he didn't want to thrown out in the middle of the desert , so he kept up his act.

                   " Why? What has he done, all he's done is help us so far?"

                   "Nothin'. but two ponies are easier on our supplies."

Are they fucking serious,Jester thought,they can't just throw me out, I mean Octavia can't approve of this, I was literally her shoulder to cry on. There was an awkward silence, Jester was a bit relived that Octavia didn’t respond, maybe she remained undecided. He wouldn't know for sure, all he could do was remain sprawled out on the two seats, remaining alert as he rode with two possible enemies

.

Surviving?

                     “You mind setting that crowbar down?" Steven asked as he levitated a small barrel full of gasoline, strain in his voice," I could use some help." The group had made a stop at a small abandoned gas station, their destination on the horizon. It was around noon, the sun was high in the sky, the season of autumn doing little to deter the hot weather of the desert. Jester had his crowbar in hooves, sitting on the hood of a old sedan, watching the unicorn as he struggled to hold up the newly scavenged fuel from the few resident vehicles.

                      Steven had assigned the earth pony to cover him as he looked through the abandoned cars and the gas station shop, Octavia sitting in the driver’s seat, ready to evacuate the group at any time," Hey you said to cover you, well I'm doin’ it." Jester had been wary of his two part-well he didn't even know if they should be called that anymore, but he tried to keep an eye on them if he could.

                       The maroon equine grunted as he placed the barrel inside the back of their vehicle, “I didn't mean for you to take it so literally." They had about two gallons in that barrel, five in the tank. Jester quickly trotted over to the ambulance, weapon now slung into his pack, demolishing the possibility of them speeding off. In the process of climbing into the back, he nearly knocked over Steven, Hey, watch it. You alright." Jester tried to muster the straightest face he could muster, rendering it into a light scowl.

                      “Just peachy." He mocked, shutting the ambulance doors in the betrayers face. This caught their driver, who turned to see the scowling Jester, setting his crowbar beside him.

                     “Are you alright?" Her gentle tone changed the scowling colt into a sighing one as he leaned back, fore hooves behind head.

                     “Yeah I'm just a bit tired."

                      The musician chuckled," Tired? You slept for the entire ride." Jester blushed, shrugging as Steven took his seat next to the mare. Jester didn't trust Steven but he still had some trust in Octavia, maybe because she never gave an answer to the unicorn’s proposition. Maybe I- The teal colt quickly cast the childish thought aside, for the love of Celestia it was the end of the world, maybe it was just the stress and malnutrition getting to him. But he continued to think about the subject long after the truck sped off back onto the interstate, towards Sin City.

                                                                                              ******

                       Las Pegasus was a city with a pretty interesting history. It first started out as a small town in old Equestria, a small speck on the newly formed nation. It stayed that way for a few hundred years before a farmer discovered a electric shard in his corn field, electric shards the smaller product of electric gems that powered all the machinery in Equestria, it making up backed it's economic growth. Then the Shard Rush occurred, having all fortune seekers heading northwest to try to get a piece of the gem mine that lay in the corn field. Few got their wish, others settled in the nearby town of Las Pegasus, making the small town of hundred into a sprawling city of a thousand. Soon the city expanded, becoming what it is today, casinos and bars dotted the desert landscape, with its grander of neon lights and signs which attracts tourist and high rollers.

                      But the city Jester looked at from out the back window was the just another product of the apocalypse. The many casinos that made the gave the city its popularity now lay in ruin, there signs black in the afternoon sun and there glass entrances and windows smashed, their fragments spread out toward the unfortunately abandoned streets. Emergency signs lit by personal generators, led to nonexistent evacuees toward an unheard of evac center. Few cars littered the streets, those that did were either scorched or left with nothing but there aluminum shell. Black body bags were piled high on the side walked on every corner, even more populated the hospitals.

                       “The city of the dead." Jester whispered, watching the slow passing of some buildings. The dead that were ever present in his past dwelling were nonexistent here, odd.

                       They were circling one block downtown, trying to see if anything worth risking their lives were outside but that was a useless endeavor. So they began to freely search the city, eventually encountering an entire street pack with cars, even with the knowledge that he could be betrayed at any moment, Jester let a grin spread ear to ear. The street was a small on thought, retaining around ten cars, either side of the street having a store, its display windows smashed and a club, its disco lights long dead.

                       Steven turned to Jester, who turned to him, crowbar in hooves," Me and you will work on the cars first, none of the walkers have showed up but they could so Octavia keep an eye out. Go" Jester knew better than to be alone with Steven, there were a dozen scenarios in his mind relaying how he'd be left behind, maybe shot in the head, or just knocked out in the mob of cars, the next meal for the ever hungry cadavers, who knows. But at this point he had to play along with him, if he acted too suspicious  they might know, and it's two against one so what choice did he have but to let out Steven, sling his crowbar into his back and grab the hose and a small barrel, barrel in pack and hop out onto the street.

                       Once they were outside they began the slow process of siphoning gasoline from each car, ending up with a full barrel, Jester brought it back to the ambulance placed it next to the on from the gas station and placed a new one in his pack.

There was plenty surprise erupting in the colts mind, such as he hasn't been killed by Steven and no walkers have showed up yet, but he never left his guard down as he walked back to the their current car, a purple buggy, Steven levitating a pistol that was level with the car, wary that the dead might show at any moment.

                       " Hey," Jesters ears perked up as he turned to see Steven, gesturing toward the ruins of the grocery store," I'm going to go check out the store over there, I'll be back in a few." Crap, the store was on the side of the street the ambulance was, he was about ditch Jester,they have most of the gas and they are about to ditch me, got to do something? He thee down the hose and empty barrel, replacing it with the crowbar. He quickly put it between his teeth, galloped right behind the trotting traitor and with all the strength he could muster, beat him in the back of the head with the blunt of the crowbar, causing the unicorn to fall to the ground, spread out, unconscious.

                        Quickly, he stripped the unicorn of his gun, pack and ammunition, placing the contents into his own pack and slinging the unconscious colts pack with his own, grunting under the new weight. He was about to gallop back to car but stopped himself, looking back at defenseless unicorn. Celestia damnit. Out of pity, he slung the heavy pony onto his back, struggling under the extreme weight of two packs and a pony, about to give as he threw him onto the side of the ambulance, conscious that he now has to deal with Octavia. He slammed his crowbar on the side of the truck “Octavia, come over here, there something wrong with Steven!" He yelled.

                         “I’m coming out! What's wrong?" Jester could hear the mare climb out of her seat and work her way to the back door of the car.

                         "I don't know, just come over here!" Jester thought about how he would deal with the musician as he clenched the crow bar in his hooves, he couldn't mentally bring himself to strike the mare. Wait... Quickly, he whipped the pistol back into the stallions holster, set his pack next to him, set his weapon down and put his hoof on the unicorns neck as Octavia joined the two, the scene rather convincing.

                        "Is he alright? What happened?"

                        As quickly as she spat out her questions he answered," I don't know, he just fell, no reason at all. But he's still breathing so he might be fine." The quick answer a rose little suspicion but it was enough to sell the act as the mare let out a sigh of relief. "Help me put him in the truck." If the previous scene didn’t sell the lie then the concern in Jesters voice did as they tossed the large pony into the back, both Jester and Octavia panting afterward.

                        "Well this is going to set us back isn’t it?" Octavia sat on the bumper of the truck for the late nod from her partner, his mind still abuzz with how fast the events that just took place happened. He sat on the out on the street, still panting heavily. This is only a temporary solution, maybe he wont know I knocked him out. I'm an EMT, I could come up with some bullshit explanation. As he thought this over, his partner just looked at him his face with a blank expression. “Um, hello?" But before Jester could even be snapped back to reality, a distant shuffling sound caught both earth ponies’ attentions. They both stood up, and turned to see a lone walker, dragging his upper body up the street, toward the two breathing beings.

                         “At least it's only one." As if the universe sensed the irony in his voice, a huge wave of moans rumbled throughout out the city, all heading toward the survivors location, triggered by yelling," Why, damnit why?!"

                                                                                             ******

                        Jester tried to jump start the car battery but with no avail. Of all the times the car battery of the ambulance just died as the mob of the undead neared, there moans and growls not aiding in Jesters futile efforts. Octavia sat back in the drivers seat, turning the ignition after every slam of the Jester hoof, signaling for her to try to start the ambulance but it still wouldn't start.

                       The dead were less than two hundred yards away, moans escalating as they neared the panicking survivors. The amateur mechanic gave up and went over to the driver, opening the door," We need to get out of here!"

                        She knew that they needed to leave," But Steven..."

                         “We can't carry him without those things eating our hind legs first," Jester pointed over to the club at the side of the street," That place has no windows, and a metal door, let's go." Octavia didn't object as they were about to gallop over to the club but she stopped, looking back at the car," What are you doing, let's go."

                         “I’m not going to let him be eaten alive!" Heroics don't work in this new world, they just get you killed or others killed. So when Octavia went back to ambulance, all Jester could do was run after her but stopped as he understood she wasn't going to carry him, but close the aluminum doors of the ambulance, sealing Steven inside, shielding him from a horrible fate. But the dead were only inches from Octavia, fortunately she was fast enough to evade the snapping maw of the walkers and join Jester as he ran into the club, waiting for the mare to rush in and shut the thick metal door, locking out the undead, as well as trapping them inside a club with no food or water. If the dead didn't get em, starvation would.

On the next Surviving?

                         "Hey, you see that?" Jester pointed on the top of the roof, toward a abandoned casino.

                         "And? It's just..." Octavia gave the scene better inspection, “, there’s military down there. They could help us!"