At some point during the night, Helena fell into a weary sleep, the crackling radio filled the comfortable silence.
She woke up again early in the morning. The air felt damp on her bare arms.
Helena's eyes widened in an attempt to see through the darkness. She could make out James' outstretched body, Emily sleeping alongside it. Her arms were wrapped around James' waist. Rory was curled into a ball on the lounge chair, his head lolled back. Sam had sprawled out on the floor, using his bubble coat is a pillow.
Helena was laying on the couch, her head on Brendan's outstretched arm. Her coat was draped over the two of them. She was about to sit up when one of the sleeping figures started to rustle. Helena kept very still and shut her eyes. She could feel Brendan's slow breaths on the back of her neck. She forced herself to pay attention to the rustling and the soft grunts as someone got up. Helena opened an eye and watched the dark figure stretch and rub their head. Helena noticed the lounge chair was now empty. The figure must be Rory.
Helena waited until Rory had left the staff room before pushing herself upright. She made sure not to disturb Brendan, who was still sound asleep beside her. He was on his side, but fell forwards when Helena's body shifted from beside him. His face was pushed into the couch cushion and Helena wondered if he could breathe like that.
She got up carefully and checked her phone. The harsh light stung her eyes and she squinted hard against it. It was 3:46AM. Where was Rory going?
Helena stretched her back and grabbed her automatic pistol, just in case, which was on the ground next to her and Brendan's couch. She left the room with haste, making sure she hadn't woken anyone.
Once outside, Helena realize how much colder it had gotten. Goose bumps rose along her arms. Her band shirt and jeans weren't enough to keep her warm.
Helena looked around for signs of Rory. She walked down one of the aisles, already longing for the warm couch back in the staff room. Or at least her coat.
The silence of the Walmart (not Wall mart) scared her. She gripped her pistol tighter, holding it like her grandfather had taught her. She wondered if any zombies would come at her from the dark, and summoned the month of karate she had taken. She didn't really remember much, except that 'song' was number three in Japanese
Yeah, she probably didn't stand a chance.
Helena had become so zoned out that she all but missed the figure that sped across her vision. She jumped back and nearly dropped her gun, waving her arms frantically.
"Fucking shit," Helena jogged after the figure, not really wanting to get too close but not wanting to lose him. She hoped it was Rory. Really really hoped.
She ran as lightly as she could, following the echoing footsteps. It was awkward, running with her pistol held out in both hands. She nearly fell over random products littered on the ground, letting out a colorful stream of curses along the way.
The footsteps had all but faded. Tired and cold, Helena stopped running and leaned against a shelf. No longer on the move, a big ball of fear rolled its way up Helena's stomach and into her throat. She obsessively thought about the staff room where her friends slept.
She passed the food section, and reached the refrigerated drinks. She stopped and looked over, distracted. She peered inside curiously, looking for the familiar vitamin water ZERO label.
There. Little bottles with pink liquid sitting inside. Her favorite flavor. She would have to come back later to pick up some bottles.
Satisfied, Helena walked more slowly through the store, running song lyrics through her head as a calming mechanism.
