Bloodlines of Survival

Chapter 14: Shopping

As they drove away from the gas station, the weight of the next challenge settled on Gwen's shoulders. They had fuel now, but their food supply was dwindling. The jerky might help curb her monstrous hunger, but it wasn't going to sustain them all for long. The kids needed real food, and she needed something to keep herself from slipping further into the abyss.

Gwen kept her eyes on the road, scanning the horizon for any sign of a grocery store. The landscape was a mix of devastation and eerie calm, with abandoned cars and empty homes dotting the sides of the highway. Occasionally, they would pass a small group of infected, but Gwen avoided them, swerving around obstacles and taking detours when necessary.

Eventually, she spotted what she was looking for—a grocery store just off the main road. The large sign, now faded and cracked, read "Morrison's." The parking lot was mostly empty, save for a few scattered vehicles. The building itself looked relatively intact, a good sign considering the circumstances.

"We're stopping here," Gwen announced, glancing back at Kohl and Samantha. They were quiet, tired from the long drive, but they both nodded in understanding. The idea of food, even in a world as broken as theirs, still brought some comfort.

She pulled the SUV into the parking lot, stopping near the entrance. Before getting out, she turned to the kids, her voice firm but gentle. "Stay in the car. Keep the doors locked. If anything happens, I want you to hide in the back, under the blankets, okay?"

"But what if something happens to you, Mom?" Kohl asked, his voice trembling slightly.

Gwen reached over and squeezed his hand. "Nothing's going to happen to me. I'll be quick. Just remember what I said, okay?"

Kohl nodded, and Gwen gave them both a reassuring smile before stepping out of the vehicle. The door clicked shut behind her, the sound unnaturally loud in the silence. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for what she might find inside, and headed toward the entrance.

The automatic doors were shattered, glass crunching under her boots as she stepped inside. The store was dark, the overhead lights flickering sporadically, casting long, eerie shadows across the aisles. Gwen moved cautiously, her senses heightened, every sound and scent amplified by the virus coursing through her veins.

She grabbed a shopping cart from the entrance and began making her way through the aisles. The shelves were ransacked but not completely empty. She found canned goods, bags of rice, and a few boxes of pasta. She grabbed everything she could, loading it into the cart, her movements swift and efficient.

As she moved deeper into the store, Gwen's thoughts drifted to Jamie. She hadn't let herself think too much about him since... since that night. It hurt too much. But now, in the quiet of the empty store, the memories came flooding back—his touch, his voice, the way he'd always been there for her, for the kids. She could almost feel him beside her, a phantom presence that made her heart ache.

And then the guilt hit her, hard and sudden. This was her fault, wasn't it? She had been infected first. She had hidden it, thinking she could control it, but she'd been wrong. The kids were showing signs now—the sensitivity to light, the heightened senses. It was all because of her. She had done this to them.

Gwen stopped in the middle of an aisle, gripping the handle of the cart so tightly her knuckles turned white. The darkness within her stirred, sensing her despair, tempting her with the promise of release, of giving in to the hunger. But she fought it back, biting her lip until she tasted blood.

She wouldn't let it take her. She couldn't. The kids needed her, now more than ever. She would find a way to keep them safe, to keep them human, even if it meant sacrificing herself in the process.

She pushed forward, grabbing more supplies—crackers, dried fruits, a few cans of soup. Then she spotted something at the end of the aisle: a large freezer chest, the kind that usually held frozen meat. Gwen's heart skipped a beat as she approached it. The power might be out, but if there was any meat left inside, it might still be edible, still... raw.

She stopped in front of the freezer, staring at it as if it were some terrible, forbidden treasure. Her hands trembled as she reached for the lid, the hunger clawing at her insides, urging her to open it, to take just a little, just a taste.

But then she thought of Kohl and Samantha, waiting in the SUV. Thought of their small faces, their innocent eyes. She couldn't afford to lose herself now, not when they needed her.

Gwen yanked her hand back, forcing herself to turn away from the freezer. She hurried back to the front of the store, cart piled high with whatever supplies she could find. As she neared the entrance, she spotted a rack of jerky near the checkout counter. Without hesitation, she grabbed every bag, stuffing them into the cart, the hunger inside her quieting at the sight.

She pushed the cart outside, the daylight momentarily blinding her as she emerged from the gloom of the store. The SUV was still there, and the kids were safe inside, watching her intently. Gwen felt a wave of relief as she unloaded the supplies, packing them into the back of the vehicle.

Once everything was loaded, Gwen climbed back into the driver's seat, her hands still shaking slightly. She caught a glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror—her eyes dark and hollow, the blackness creeping in around the edges. She quickly looked away, starting the engine and pulling out of the parking lot.

They had food now, enough to keep them going for a while. But as they drove away from the store, the nagging thought remained: how long could she keep this up? How long before the darkness took over completely, before she became just another monster in this new, twisted world?

Gwen shook her head, trying to push the thoughts away. She had to stay strong, for Kohl and Samantha. They were all that mattered now. And as long as she could fight, she would keep them safe, no matter the cost.