Bite

The Convenience Store

We eventually had to stop for gas. Rayford demanded that everyone stay in the car, but Hailey, Davey, and I all needed to use the restroom.

With a sigh, Rayford told us to wait for a moment, and pulled a small gun—a type I really didn't recognize, nor could describe—and loaded it, turning on the safety and tucking it into the belt of his pants. Then he slid out to pump the gas, consistently giving furtive glances over his shoulder and around the darkening city corner.

Down the street, I could have sworn I heard a desperate scream, overcome by ferocious snarling and the screams turned into gurgles and were soon silenced. I didn't know if it was a product of my traumatized imagination or not, because no one mentioned hearing anything.

Rayford soon finished and then leaned over the car door. "We can go into the convenience store," he said. "But we need to make sure it is empty first. If the manager is still human, he would've run away. If he's not, he'd probably be hanging around the back of the store waiting for someone unsuspecting. That's just a guess. I never watched zombie movies."

"I'll go in first," said Wayne, rather bravely in my opinion. "And make sure everything is okay. Mr. Rayford, if you'd stay, and guard the car?" He awkwardly managed to roll over the back of the seat, and slipped out the drivers door. The way he spoke made him seem younger than he really was. The inexperience made his bravery so child-like.

Rayford gave him a strange good luck pat on the back as Wayne took his revolver off safety, walked over to the door, and opened it to the sound of a cheerful bell.

It seemed like ages of an intense, sweating wait before he appeared at the front door again, waving us in, a grim smile on his face.

"Lot of it has been cleared," he said. "But there's still a lot of stuff that ain't food we can take."

"Isn't that stealing?" Hailey asked, eyes round, getting out of the truck.

"It's not stealing anymore," Helen said stiffly, following. "Who'll prosecute us?"

"Actually," I said sadly, hopping out. I noticed the air felt oddly cool, too brisk for the hot summer weather we should be having. "It IS stealing. The difference is, not even God probably won't think any less of us for it."

"I dunno about that," said Helen.

"Well, if God's okay with it," Hailey shrugged. "These places always have nice sunglasses..."

"Okay, I've changed my mind," I said, a bit annoyed. "Maybe WE'RE off the hook. But not if you steal a pair of useless sunglasses."

Hailey rolled her eyes and imitated my expression, stalking off toward the door and ducking under Wayne's arm, holding the door open.

Helen and I glanced at each other and waited for Davey and Pedro to struggle out of the back. Pedro gave me a flirtatious sup nod as he walked by. I just raised my eyebrows, wondering, did he lose anyone? He's not acting like it.