How Many Posters (Grocers) Does One County Need? ||| GenLoss AU

you can't take any gold or rings further than the grave

(YOU BETTER BUCKLE UP BECAUSE THIS IS A LONG CHAPTER, BABEY)

Tired
---------------
in need of sleep or rest; weary.

...

Charlie had figured out pretty early on that it was going to be difficult to carry Ranboo, especially after he decided to make a quick stop to pick up an axe that he'd left behind earlier.

As they left the two... people... over by the Suba, Charlie saw the shop that he and Ranboo had taken refuge in from the ambush of of Employees. He saw that the door Ranboo had previously locked shut was open, almost like something had the strength to rip it in two.

Charlie brought Ranboo into the hunting shop, and laid them against a support and tried to wake him up. He gently shook Ranboo's shoulders, whispering their name. Charlie quickly leaned around the pillar to make sure nobody was there, and gave his attention back to waking Ranboo up.

"C'mon Ran, we don't have much time. Please just wake up."

Ranboo's eyes slowly opened, and their eyebrows furrowed. He stared at Charlie for a few moments, a confused look on their face.

"..Charlie..?"

"Ranboo! Oh my God you're okay- are you okay? What happened? I-I saw you running and then... and I saw you being dragged by these Employ- or uhh... people? And-"

Charlie didn't realize that he'd been crying, but then again, Ranboo was crying too so it probably didn't matter all that much. Charlie pulled Ranboo in and sqeezed the life out of him, and Ranboo held on tight to Charlie.

"I... I thought you were dead, I saw you die..."

Ranboo sobbed into Charlie's shoulder, as the latter tried to hold back tears. Charlie had been trying to keep it together ever since he woke up again, alive, for the third goddamn time, but at this moment he felt like the only thing he could feel was vulnerable.

"And I thought you made it out..?"

"I thought I did too..."

They held eachother for a moment longer, just trying to keep ahold of the other so they would never have to part again. Charlie knew they'd have to get moving soon, as it was definitely not safe in the mall, but they were both scared, relieved, and most of all, tired.

After they finally let go of each other, tears still running down their faces, and began to gather things they might need for the journey away from the mall. Minus the axe, they collected as many supplies as they could that wouldn't weigh them down too much, including two small, metal waterbottles, some beef jerky, & trail mix.

They also collected larger supplies, and Charlie and Ranboo traded bags. Ranboo replaced the fanny pack with a backpack however, and Charlie just kept as much food as he could in the over-the-shoulder back. Ranboo grabbed a large blanket that was already folded and stuffed it into the backpack, leaving little room for anything else.

They searched behind the counter, finding a bit more food and some money left in a cash register. Ranboo had also found another hunting knife, how convenient. Charlie had also spotted a large, camouflage jacket, but decided against picking it up since it might hinder his movement.

Charlie peered out of the doors to the hunting store and looked to his left. He no longer saw the two people, but that wasn't his problem at the moment. He looked to his right and saw an exit, the one the Employees had flooded out of when he and Ranboo tried to flee the mall.

Charlie looked back at Ranboo, who was walking towards him. Once they'd gotten to the door, Charlie nodded his head in the direction on the exit door. Ranboo picked up on what he was motioning towards and they both left the hunting store. They stuck to the walls, sort of between a normal walk and a speed-walk.