Panic in Year Zero! Page #2

- What do you want?

- I'd like to buy some groceries.

Business starts at 9:00, stops at 5:00.

And it ain't 9:
00 yet.

What do you gross between 9:00 and 5:00?

$200, maybe.

How would you like to make that

in half an hour?

Come in.

You name it, I'll tell

you why I ain't got it.

- You're pretty chipper today.

- I don't get customers like you every day.

- Are you ready to deal?

- Ready as a crouched cat.

Fine. Well, give us a bag of flour.

Make that two bags. Big ones.

- Couple of pounds of baking soda.

- Are you starting a bakery?

Yeah, a bakery.

You got any cartons to put this stuff in?

- Yeah, right over there.

- Kids, get those cartons, will you?

I think we'll need about

12 pounds of coffee.

- You can have what's left.

- We'll take them.

No, Karen, no liquids.

Get half a dozen jars of honey

and plenty of candy bars.

We need a big bag of dried beans.

Stop, Rick. No eggs, too hard to store.

Get some canned fruit.

We need some condensed milk,

and a big can of shortening.

- You'll find it on the far shelf.

- Thank you.

I think that about does it.

I need some matches

and two boxes of candles.

Karen, pick up a case of soap.

Why do you need all those candles?

We're thinking of opening

a candlelight restaurant.

And all that soap?

Are your customers going to have to shower

before they eat?

We're just going to the hills

to rough it for a while.

For a while?

For the rest of your lives, looks like.

Maybe. What's the tab?

$190.03.

Mister, I certainly appreciate this.

Along with that money,

let me give you some good advice.

As long as I ain't bound to take it.

Lock up the store, take all the merchandise

you can carry and hide it.

- Why? What for?

- You'll know soon enough.

This is my advice and it's free.

But you can't sell goods if you

got them hid. Now, that's crazy.

I gave you some advice, but like you said,

you ain't bound to take it.

- Anything else?

-ls the hardware store open?

Not yet, but I can hustle him down here.

- Will you call him for me?

- Got a dime?

That's it.

Ed, get down to your store right away.

A crazy fellow's been in here,

just bought $190 worth of goods.

Yeah, in cash.

Now he's looking for a hardware store.

I thought of you.

Figured it might be worth, say,

5% of what he buys.

No, I ain't heard no explosion.

Just got up. No, I ain't had the radio on.

Main roads must be clogged.

It's starting to fan out this way now.

I'm going home and pack some things,

we're getting out of here.

Honey, I told you before,

we're a long way from LA.

- We've got nothing to worry about.

- I'm scared.

The radio said it could

be a nuclear attack.

"Unconfirmed," it said.

Look, we're still alive, aren't we?

We'll talk about it tonight.

Now go on, honey.

Morning.

You'd think they'd keep broadcasting.

This whole thing has got my wife

jumping out of her skin.

- Figure LA's had it?

- I don't know.

Where do you keep your handguns?

I don't carry many of these.

This .45's magnesium, light as a feather.

- How do you load it?

-It's real easy. Here.

- Slip it back in.

- All right, I'll buy it.

Take the rest of the stuff

and the ammunition out to the trailer...

while Mr. Johnson runs up the bill.

- Where you going?

- Up north.

I hear action's good around Claxton way.

Let's see now, that comes to $427.66.

Make it $420 even.

All right, I'll give you cash $220

and a check for the rest, all right?

All right. $220 will cover everything

but the guns...

which I'll hold for you

till day after tomorrow.

I don't take out-of-town checks.

- Day after tomorrow? We need them now.

- State law.

Hand guns have to clear records

with the police.

All hell may have broke loose in LA...

but the boys in Sacramento

will still be doing business.

Look, here's my driver's license,

my credit cards...

I've never been convicted of a felony,

I'm over 21.

This isn't enough.

Is this?

Well, just about.

- Give me a receipt for the cash.

- This isn't a holdup?

- No.

- Then what about the balance?

I'll owe it to you. Write the receipt.

Hold it!

We're in an awful hurry, sir.

I owe you $200. I'll pay you when I can.

In my book, you're just a thug.

If he makes one stupid move, shoot him.

Come on.

Get in the car.

I can't get over it.

After all these years, I thought I knew

you, but you turn out to be a stranger.

Robbing and mauling people

like some kind of a cheap hoodlum.

We're fighting for our lives, Ann.

The main highways are completely choked.

They're spreading out

on all the other roads.

Every footpath

will be crawling with men saying:

"No matter what, I'm going to live."

That's what I'm saying, too.

My family must survive.

Intelligent people don't just turn

their backs on the rest of the world.

Under these conditions, intelligent

people would be the first to try.

- Getting your son to hold a gun on a man.

- Drop it, Ann!

We're on our own, Ma.

No rules, no regulations, and no laws.

Don't write off the law.

The law will come back.

I just want us to be around when it does.

- Boy.

- Want me to drive, Dad?

No, not now, son.

Light me a cigarette, will you?

Thanks.

- Getting low on gas.

- I know.

Want to fill up those cans, too,

the next gas station we reach.

Here are the 11:
00 bulletins.

Partial communication

has now been restored.

Among the targets

of this devastating attack...

were New York, Chicago, Philadelphia,

San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

Damages and casualties

are extremely heavy.

London, Paris, and Rome have suffered

almost total destruction, it was learned.

We have retaliated in kind.

Key targets of our counterattack

have not yet been announced.

Those of you who have shelters

are urged to stay in them.

There are reports of looting.

Proceed with caution.

The organization of military

and law enforcement is underway...

but will take time.

We will return with more bulletins

in two hours.

Dad, look, isn't that the car

that almost wrecked us?

Aren't you going to stop?

30 gallons. That will be $90.

-$90?

- Right.

It says 34, right there.

34 a gallon comes to $10.

I didn't have time to change it yet.

It's $3 a gallon now.

- Why?

- Because people have been paying it.

People say LA's bombed out.

I haven't got $90.

Then you just start hauling out

them cans, Mac.

Of course, it don't have

to be money exactly.

I might settle for some jewelry.

Like a nice watch, maybe.

I'll tell you what,

I'll make you a deal on that trailer.

Not much use for it

if you ain't got gas for a car to pull it.

You don't leave me much choice.

Dad, that was quite a belt.

You get in that trailer

with your mother and Karen.

What for?

It's going to get rough from here on.

I may need some cover.

If I stop the car, grab a shotgun.

Don't get trigger-happy.

But don't be gun-shy, either.

If you have to use it, use it.

All right, hold it.

Just one of you come forward.

All right, hold it!

Don't worry, mister. I ain't coming

any closer to you than I have to.

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