Surviving

Chapter 9

It was about lunchtime when we arrived at the small town off the mountain. There were a few jewelry stores and boutiques with smashed windows, but most of the stores appeared to be intact.

"I'll take the grocery store with Roland and grab as much bottled water and food as we can. You go get medical supplies. We'll meet up here in about half an hour and go get clothes and stuff," Travis directed. I nodded and took off towards the nearest pharmacy.

The door was locked, so I found a big rock and smashed through the glass. I reached in and found the doorknob, slowly opening the door. It creaked slightly, but otherwise made no sound.

I crept inside, keeping an eye out for any trouble. I got to the first aid supplies and loaded everything that was left into my bag. I also filled up on antibiotics and whatever toiletries I could find. It would be nice if we didn't reek of sweat.

I walked behind the counter, and heard the low growling of a corpse. I quickly pulled out my knife and walked behind a y'all shelf. The corpse had on a filthy dress, with clumps of hair sticking out randomly. I went up from behind and stabbed it in the head, watching as it hit the floor with a THUNK! If the apocalypse does anything, it helps to dull some emotions.

There was nothing of use to us in the back, so I left the pharmacy, gazing through the mostly decent shop windows as I made my way to our starting place. The displays were lovely and would have been bright when they weren't covered in dust, and it was obvious they were meant to attract tourists. It was sad, how much was left unkempt.

Luckily, I didn't see any corpses on the way back. Travis and Roland weren't there yet, so I sat on a bench by the sidewalk. It was silent, which would have been a rare luxury before the apocalypse. But now, it just felt lonely. There didn't seem to be a single bird in the sky, or any other forms of life anywhere.

The silence was starting to drive me crazy just as Travis and Roland returned. I rose to my feet to greet them, but stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the amount of blood sprayed on their clothes.

"What happened to you two?" I asked, wide eyed.

"Well, the grocery store was a bit more infested than we had expected. But, it was full of supplies." Ran shrugged.

"Yeah, well we don't have everything yet. Let's get going." Travis started walking again, obviously angry.

"What's your issue?" I asked as we began to follow him. Travis has a temper, but usually didn't get this angry.

"He's in a bad mood because he almost got bit. Twice," Roland replied.

"Well, the job got done, so it doesn't matter, right?" Travis retorted. We went the rest of the way in silence (which was only about five minutes).

We arrived at a small clothing store, still mostly intact. We broke through the door the same way I had at the pharmacy, walking into the light building. There were plenty of windows, so it wasn't pitch black.

"I'll go get clothes for all the girls while you get stuff for the boys," I said, mainly talking to Roland. Travis was still pouting. "If you roll the clothes up they will fit in your bags better."

I took off down the women's isles, pulling out another backpack that was packed away in the one I had on. I filled it with women's t-shirts, sweatshirts, shorts, jeans, sweatpants, socks, and undergarments. There was an idle with a variety of bags, and I grabbed two duffle bags, one with more women's clothing and the other with girl's clothing.

There was a low growling, followed by some loaning, on the next isle. I crept around the corner to see a corpse crouched over a figure. I walked up quickly and stabbed the corpse, watching it fall to the side. Laying there was a woman, probably in her twenties, drenched in her own blood with her insides coming out. She was moaning slightly, looking around as if she couldn't tell where she was. I knelt down beside her, feeling for a pulse. She was still human, but not for long.

"Hey. You're safe now. It's okay," I lied.

"End it," she croaked, her eyes eventually finding my face. "I don't want to turn. To become one of those. Put me out of my misery. Please, end it."

A tear rolled down my cheek. "Don't worry. You'll be in a better place," I whispered.

Would you— would you hold my hand?" I nodded, taking hold of her clammy palm. I looked away as my dagger sunk into her head, trying to save myself the pain of reliving it. Reliving having to keep someone from turning while they were still alive.

I stood back up, numb, and grabbed the bags I had. I made my way back to the front of the store, wiping tears from my cheeks.

"You good?" Roland asked when I met them at the front.

"Fine. I don't want to talk about it." I looked down, feeling as if I'd committed a terrible crime, even though what I did was better for everyone.

"Let's get going. I'm sure everybody's waiting for us to get back," Travis said, and we left the store to hike back up the mountain.