Survive

Chapter 10 - More?

"I asked you a question."

"Uh I-I'm alone," you could hear him audibly swallow after he spoke, "there's n-n-no one else." He was nervous, he spoke extremely fast.

"Name?" Thomas lowered the bat. The boy took a breath, if was like he thought it'd be the last one he'd ever take.

"Uh Carter, I-I'm just here for food, I c-c-can leave, uh y-you can take it, you won't see me ag-g-gain, I'll go, y-yeah I can go." he stuttered and stumbled over his words.

"No," I spoke before Thomas had thought through his reply. "You don't need to," I bent down between the Carter and his bag and put the tins back in that had fallen out when he dropped it. I handed it to him and looked up at Thomas who was giving me a face that looked as if he was question what the fuck I was thinking.

I stood back up, took Thomas by the arm and turned to Carter. "Stay here, don't even think about moving." admittedly, I am no where near as threatening as Thomas , but with him beside me I doubted that we'd get any trouble. I took Thomas a few feet away so that we couldn't be heard.

"What the fuck are you thinking!?" called it  "For all we know there could be twenty other guys in this place and he's just the bait!"

"Or.. he could just y'know, be a scared collage student being threatened by a grown man with a baseball bat? Just a theory, mate." he looked like he was too tired to even try and fight me about that.

"So Euna, what do you suppose we do with him? He's clearly useless so he'll die on his own, but not really an asset to the team either is he?"

"Asset to the team? Since when did that matter?"

"Since you suggested we use up space in that truck for a fifth person when we have barely enough space for supplies as it is." He, thrust my bat back into my hands. "You clean up your own mess when it happens Eu, okay?" He broke his stern façade to give me a sympathetic smile, "I like you Eu, I wouldn't like to see this blow up in your face." With that he walked towards the food aisles, I guessed he was carrying on with the list while I sorted Carter out.

I walked back over to the nervous wreck, that was now staring at the floor in front of him, and sat next to him.

"I'm Euna," I held out my hand for a shake, he reluctantly shook it without saying a word, "that seems like an awful lot of food for just one person, Carter, my friend doesn't seem to think you can make it alone."

"You're friend is correct." he was blunt, to be honest it was unexpected. He sighed, not of relief this time, it was something heavier.

"You're not alone are you?" I moved an inch or so further away, he noticed, it was the first time I even thought about being cautious around him. I thought that maybe, just maybe, Thomas was right, but I didn't want to admit defeat, I wanted to prove to him that I could make good calls.

"It's not like that," I think he guessed what I was thinking, "I'm not part of some elaborate gang plan. There's only one other person." He gripped tighter on the bag he was holding and threw it onto his shoulder as he stood up. "In actual fact, they'd be wondering where I am," he started to walk away but stopped for a second, thought, and turned back to me, "Thanks for the offer, but you can tell your friend he doesn't have to worry about me being an asset." with that he took off. I guess I didn't take Thomas far enough away.

I had to options as he walked away, give up and go back to Thomas, or follow him. Following him would of arguably been the stupidest idea, but it was the one I chose.

I tried to stay behind corners and be as quiet as I could I didn't know what type of person was keeping Carter company and I didn't really want to run into them alone. I mean, I had my bat sure, but I still wasn't comfortable with it.

I followed him to what looked like a staff only area but the sign had been knocked off and you could just see the four screw marks that were its remains. He knocked on the door quietly, looking over his shoulders both ways as he did, I ducked behind a shelf not to be seen.

The door opened, it wasn't a friend like I was expecting, wasn't a parent, wasn't anyone who I thought could be helping Carter survive out here. It was a girl. A young, teenage, girl. He wasn't the one being looked after. He wasn't scared for his own life. He was scared for hers.