The Earth Underneath Us

Ch. 7: Gas Station

                "Do you want to go look in there?" I ask looking at a gas station to our right. It was completely destroyed. The roof was about to topple over, the windows shattered, the gas pumps all on the ground. 

"Yeah, just be careful." He says to me walking towards the gas station. We go through the front door that has no door. Looks like it flew off. Inside there were isles and isles of empty shelves. Everything was on the floor. The cash register was empty like someone went through it. The walls were all breaking apart like it could all fall over any minute. 

"We could use some of this food,"  I say grabbing handfuls of cans and boxes off the ground.

"Good idea." We pick up as much as we can and put it in our bags. While we were doing this, a loud clang sound came from the bathroom.

"What was that?" I say all panicked. Was someone there? 

"Stay back." He says walking towards the bathroom in the back. He grabs the pipe in his hand ready to attack at any moment. 

"Be careful." 

"Who's there?" He yells out. "Come out if you're in there!" Out of nowhere, an old man jumps out of the bathroom out of breath. His eyes wide with fear. His teeth all yellow and rotten. His face pale white. His white hair all over the place. Blood all over his shirt and jeans. 

"Get out while you can!" He says between heavy breathes, like his going to attack.

"Who are you? Where is everybody else?" I manage to say.

"Run, run! It isn't safe. They're going to do this again, they're going to do this again, but worse." He says terrified. What was he talking about? Whos they? What are they going to do again?

"What are you talking about?" Ethan says still ready to attack at any moment. 

The old man had a knife in his pocket that he pulls out. 

"Hey, hey! Don't try anything!" Ethan says putting the pipe between us. 

"Run while you can." He says before he slices his own throat with the knife. His cold body falls onto the gas station floor. Blood grows around him, dripping from his neck. My eyes grow big, in fear. He...just...killed...himself. My mouth wide open, no words coming out. Ethan turns to me and grabs me by the arms. 

"Lia? Lia? Are you okay?" My focus was still on the man. I was frozen in fear. He just killed himself. "Lia come on let's go!" But my legs don't move. I'm completely frozen staring at the guy on the floor. Finally, Ethan yanks me by my arms. "Let's go!" He yells at me.

"He...he..." I manage to say my eyes big with tears. I start to sob. "Why? Why?" 

"Lia, I don't know. I really don't know. But he did tell us to run from something, I don't know what, but I think it's best to get out of here." He was right. We needed to get out of here from whatever he was talking about. I finally run out the door, my face in my hands. My head was spinning. I felt sick. This could not be happening. I just saw a guy kill himself! I start to sob even more. 

"Lia..." Ethan says once were outside. He wraps me in his arms and lets me rest on his chest. "I know, I know." He says softly. I can tell by his voice that his hurt, as much as me. "Listen to me, what just happened we can't let stop us. I know it was terrible, horrible. But his decisions won't let us stop from finding your mom, my dad, and everyone else okay? But you have to understand that we have to keep moving if we don't...who knows what will happen next." He had a point, we did have to keep moving. But what just happened was horror. I've never seen someone kill themselves, and tell us to run away. What was he talking about? 

"Ok...okay," I say wiping my nose and eyes. "I'm sorry, I've just never seen...that." 

"Me either." He says finally letting go of me and looking down at his feet. For some reason, I don't believe him. 

"Why were you so calm?" I ask. 

"I was...not. I was just trying to get out of the situation." He says looking away. I don't ask any more questions. We start grabbing our bags and walking up the road while more thoughts roam through my head. What just happened?