This was written at 1.57am when I was eating a s'mores pop tart and I was overcome by how much I love them.
You snuck through the aisles, weapon raised. The grocery store was so huge that a zombie could be waiting to get you in any section, and it was important for you to be prepared. Addy followed behind you, weapon raised as well. You had all split up to cover more ground.
You were passing the toiletry section, where Doc and 10k were searching for toothbrushes and deodorant. You walked up to them, wanting to swap partners as Addy wouldn't stop talking about your crush on 10k.
Why had you told her again? That girl does not give up.
You passed the condoms on your way to the duo, and Addy nudged you and went, 'ooh.' You nudged her back, harder, and willed your blush to go away. Doc looked up and smiled at the sight of you.
'Doc, we're swapping partners,' You announce. Doc shrugs his shoulders and Addy whines. 10k pretend sighs.
'Sorry Y/N, but I actually like being buddies with Doc.'
You glare at him, and then grab his hand, pulling you with him.
'Bye!' You call to Addy and Doc. You shake your head as Addy replies, 'Have fun you two! But not too much fun!'
'Okay, where are we going?' 10k asks. You're still pulling him, leading him to your favourite aisle. The breakfast aisle.
'Well, this is was my section with Addy, but she was being annoying, so I wanted to swap with you.'
He hummed in understanding, following you. Your eyes gaze over the shelves, until they spot something that makes you gasp and squeal in excitement. 10k, however, doesn't know what that means and thinks that you're in danger. He holds up his pistol and shoots the shelf.
The bullet pierces a cereal box, making it fall from the shelf and burst open on the floor, the pile of cereal around it looking like blood. You scream in surprise, not expecting it. He turns to you, his eyes wide.
'Did I get it?'
You narrow your eyes in confusion.
'Did you get what? Why would you do that?'
Now he looks at you in confusion. He gestures to the shelves in front of you.
'You saw something there, and you screamed. That's why I shot there. Did I get it? Was it a Z?' His face is so full of confusion and innocence that despite the shock you feel from the situation, you laugh.
'No, silly. I just saw these!' You pull down a couple of boxes from the shelf above. You hold them up to him and he reads them, before looking up at you in confusion.
'You screamed because you saw.. pop tarts?'
You grin and nod vigorously, which makes him even more confused. You look at the front of a box and sigh in nostalgia.
'Hmm. Frosted S'mores. This was my favourite flavour ever. In fact, the day that the whole world went under, I was eating one of these.'
10k's still confused.
You sigh. 'Pop tarts are my absolute favourite. There are so many different flavours. Look!' You point to boxes on the shelf.
'Brown Sugar Cinnamon - my favourite fall flavour, Cookies & Creme - an amazing flavour by the way, Frosted Strawberry - so delicious! Oh, and there's Wild Grape. Trust me, don't eat those and then go on a rollercoaster. Because you will throw up. It's a guarantee.'
10k looks at the boxes in wonder and thought.
'What the heck is a confetti cake? Dutch apple? How can an apple be dutch and why would they make them into a pop tart? French toast? Oh, so now there's international bread? These don't make sense to me.'
You laugh loudly at 10k, wiping tears of laughter from your eyes. Once you've calmed down, you start to put boxes in your bag, encouraging 10k to do the same. He cautiously reads every label, tossing away the ones he finds unappealing and still staring at the ones he finds appealing, wondering if he should really try it.
'Take as many as you can fit. Trust me, even if it sounds gross, it will taste good.'
His face twists in thought and confusion. 'How does that work?'
You laugh again. 'It's the power of the pop tart!'
' ¬ ¬
'Okay, how did it all go? How much food did we all get?'
The opening of bags and slight crackling of packaging joins the sizzling of the fire as the atmospheric soundtrack. You pull out your boxes of pop tarts, and 10k does that same, while sighing.
The group stare at your haul in awe and disappointment. Warren sighs and then chuckles.
'Seriously? Well, okay.'
'Hey! I wasn't the one who wanted to get all of this!'
You narrow your eyes at 10k, harshly glaring at him. The rest of the group look at you both in amusement.
'I haven't seen these in years,' You defend. 'They were my absolute favourite food. In fact, when the apocalypse began, I was eating one. That's why I got so many. And hey - look at this!'
Taking off your coat, you reveal a secret bag inside. It's filled to the brim with pop tart boxes, but they're all the same flavour. S'mores.
'Wow. You must really like that flavour,' Cassandra comments. Murphy laughs.
'Great. So did you get any... real food? I can't eat all of that, you know. I still need to be in shape and look the part. I'm the zombie messiah.'
You roll your eyes and Addy nudges him with her elbow.
'No, silly. This was my favourite flavour. And... Doc, you were talking about how much you wanted s'mores last week. Well, this is the next best thing. Trust me.'
Doc reaches for a box, unwrapping a pop tart. He skewers it with his knife, causing grossed-out gasps. Then he holds it over the fire.
'Don't worry, I cleaned it.'
Once the frosting looks melted, he takes it off the flame and bites into it. His face is a dead giveaway and you can tell that he loves it. A big grin explodes on his face.
You grab a pop tart and your knife, wiping the blade before you skewer it. You hold your knife over the flame and your eyes meet the rest of the groups' over the fire.
'Well, are you gonna try it?'
The rest of the group grin and reach for a pop tart.
