The Sun Awaits [Short Story]

Chapter 10: Wonderbars

            We keep walking, my stomach now hurts with every step I take. The smell of rot and bad milk stings my nose. And the knowing that you'll starve to death if you don't find food in less than 24 hours doesn't help lighten the mood either.

"Anything yet, Scratch?" I ask.

He doesn't give me any sign of response and just hurries on with his journey. We walk through another corridor, coated in the same orange walls, creepy pictures, and old furniture until we hit yet another door. When I turn the knob, I'm bathed in the smell of rotten food and milk. The run-down grocery store is hundreds of stories above ground and just happens to be in some sort of an old hotel-like building. But I could very well be only a couple metres above ground, but I've been climbing higher and higher daily for the past years, so my predictions are pretty appropriate. Also the fact that a grocery store is in a hotel is oddly weird, but I'm not complaining.

I walk around shoving all kinds of non-spoiled foods into my bag. I end up with three boxes of granola bars, which is sooo healthy, a couple 'Wonderbars'; the chocolate bar, some canned foods, like soups and broths, and a bunch of snack food. I walk out of the isle, and find Scratch chewing on a bag of beef jerky.

"Guess you found food?" I say, opening the package for him and dropping it at my feet. He gladly takes it and starts munching on it. I'm satisfied that I've eaten, and go on a hunt for some water. I run past a couple isles; and then see some plastic down one, glistening in the light of the crystal. I walk over to it, happy to find a case of 'Dasani' "Natural Spring Water", and crack the plastic open, throwing bottles into my bag.

~

A few hours later, Scratch and I found our way out of the building and are back on the sun hunt again. The floodlights are on now, and are about to go out, they've been on since we got out of the hotel-grocery store thing, and we've been walking and running for what has felt like forever. I feels good to be journeying on a satisfied stomach though.

The lights start to flicker and we find our way into a building just as the blackout starts. I am out like a light in a matter of seconds, Scratch at my feet. I smile a little bit, knowing one thing. The Sun Awaits.