Locking the last door, I sighed in relief. The steel shutters were down and we were safe. We were one month into the apocalypse and things weren't exactly swell. It was nothing like the movies. There was no zombies and unnecessary gore, just a fallen nation. Yes there was killing but not too often. No one trusted each other enough to let themselves be murdered. Small parts of our state were abandoned, the people left to find better living conditions elsewhere. Before they left, they rioted and stole mostly everything they could to help them survive. Luckily they'd missed this store.
I walked around the large Walmart in search of my friends. They were hungry and I wouldn't let them starve to death. I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing I'd let them down. This Walmart was stocked up, like the employees just quit right after a new shipment. We would last maybe a few months or so on the food and supplies. I found Lauren sitting in a chair, nearly bawling her eyes out. Kneeling next to her, I rubbed her back comfortingly. "Lauren? We'll be just fine, I won't let anything happen to any of you," I vowed. She wiped her eyes. "I'm fine, I'm just worried about my family. I've tried contacting them but the service just goes in and out. This fucking sucks," she sniffled.
I hugged her tight. "We're in this together--all of us. We will make it out of this alive, I just need you to keep it together. We're safe here," I reassured her. Nodding, she stood up, accompanying me in my search for the others. We found Camila wondering around each isle, picking up different snacks. "Get somethin' to eat Laur, I'm going to find the others. You two stay together," I said. Nodding, she walked over to Camila.
I continued in search of my friends. I knew they were scared, and so was I but I couldn't let them know that. Survival starts with bravery. "Dinah, Mani, Ally?" I called out, walking past isle after isle. Walking past another isle I was startled seeing Ally's head pop out. "Ally, you scared the living hell out of me," I breathed. "Sorry, but Dinah isn't taking any of this well. She's been crying for nearly ten minutes now," she replied. Concerned I walked into the isle. Normani sat next to the crying woman, desperate to cease her tears. "Mani, you and Ally go find something to eat. I'll handle the...her," I said.
As they trailed off, I sat next to the sobbing girl. "Dinah," I said, lifting her face from her knees. Her eyes were red and her face was dripping from tears. "Listen to me, you are alive and your family is too. Crying your soul away isn't going to make things better. It's okay to be scared but you can't let fear control you," I said. She remained silent, reaching out to hug me. I grabbed her in my arms, holding her to ensure safety. Our hug lasted a few minutes, soon interrupted by her stomach. Helping her to her feet, she and I trudged to the food section.
While the girls picked food for them to eat, I set up our living arrangements. Walking around the store, I found blankets and pillows. In the clothing area, I moved the racks aside to give me space to set up. Placing down several blankets until the floor was comfortable, I put down pillows for each of us. I went a found bean bag chairs, teddy bears, and picked up a few cases of soda and water.
Lastly, I struggled to carry a giant tv. Yes a giant tv, with the modern technological advances I was sure I could figure something out. It was mounted to the wall, so I took it down and unplugged it. I carried it to our area I'd set up, leaning it against the shelf of t-shirts. I ran around the store grabbing extension cords, occasionally being questioned by one of the girls. I plugged the extension cords into each other until I'd reached an outlet. I plugged the tv into the long line of extension cords, going back to the electronics section for batteries. Before I left I took a cord to connect my phone to the tv.
Being the tech savvy person I am, I was able to get the store's wifi system up and running. Changing the wifi password to something easy, I was able to get Netflix working. It took a few but I was able. After finally finishing my set up, I went to find them. I was so excited to show them what I'd done, I nearly pissed myself. I found them, talking and eating in the chairs where Lauren had been earlier. "Guys," I said, running up to them. "Oh hey, you finally done running around like a maniac?" Normani joked. They snickered, poking fun at me. "Yes, I want to show you guys something," I said, jumping around from unbearable excitement. After convincing them to follow me, I lead them to our temporary domain. "Well, this is our little bedroom, welcome home," I smiled, turning to face them. They stared in awe, which completely melted my heart. After all I'd done this for them, I vowed to protect them so I was going to.
