Tares City

20. Someone From My Past

JENSEN CARTER

Jensen slowly makes his way through the grocery aisle, his eyes roaming the shelves for the product he was looking for. He drowns out the sound of the radio station playing on the overhead speakers - Instead, humming a tune of his own, his fingers tapping the cool metal of the cart as he pushes it. It was a particularly busy day, with multiple squeaks of grocery cart wheels echoing throughout. The whooshes of the electronic doors opening and closing sound constantly. The air conditioners and fridges all add their sounds to the symphony of noise. On another day, Jensen would have found all the noise and the bright fluorescent lighting to be annoying - But today, he was in a great mood. A small smile was constant on his face.

Jensen stops in front of the meat freezer, browsing the options when hears the sound of cans falling to the ground, followed by someone muttering a curse beside him. Stepping back, Jensen picks up the two cans nearest to him before turning to the person. He places it gingerly in the person's overflowing basket as they scramble to pick up the other three that were strewn across the floor. Once the cans were collected, they return to the basket, "Hey thanks so much man... Carter?" The man says dropping the cans in his hands once more.

Jensen's face scrunches up in confusion as he stares at the man.

"Jens?!" Jensen's eyes widen in realization at the sound of his old nickname. "Dalton?!" he asks in return, his voice hardly above a whisper. "I thought you were dead!" He exclaims.

"You were dead!" The man, Dalton, replies.

"I've lost my damned mind!" Jensen says, still staring at the man before him - His old best friend and second in command from when he served.

"Maybe we're both dead," Dalton says. "But that's impossible, 'cause you got uglier since I last saw you!"

"Hahaha!" Jensen breaks out in a loud laugh, pulling the man into a bear hug. Dalton hugs him back tightly, laughing out loud. "Brother, I can't believe it's you. I thought for sure you were gone," Jensen says to him.

"I could say the same to you! Man, I saw your body, you weren't movin'," Dalton replies releasing Jensen from the hug but still holding onto his shoulders.

"I cannot believe this. But- wait," Dalton says stopping to think. He steps closer to Jensen, lowering his voice, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you're a wolf too right? I can sense it and it's the only thing that makes sense - But it might just be my mind playing with me. Because I still can't believe you're alive!" he says to Jensen softly.

"Yeah man, I'm one. Guess that's how we survived, huh!" Jensen replies.

"Holy shit brother! Holy shit!" Dalton exclaims.

"What are you doing here in Tares?" Jensen asks curiously.

"Got a big promotion. I'm going to be running the Max Fitness Center here,"

"Excuse me," A lady says gesturing to the meats Jensen and Dalton were standing in front of. The two move out of the way, before returning to their conversation.

"How about we finish our shopping and find someplace we can talk uninterrupted."

~

At the Max Fitness Center, Jensen and Dalton sit in his office, two boxes of food on the table between them. The gym was empty - The grand opening was not for another two days. Talking to each other, they learn the circumstances of their turning. Dalton turned from the bite he received. The wolf that bit him never finished the job as it got distracted by something else. "I thought I was going to bleed out right there and then, but a few days later, I woke up in a military hospital. I was told everyone else was dead, including you," Dalton explained.