Zombies Happened

Chapter 8

Amidst the maze of cereal boxes, Stacy spotted a hidden basket. Curiosity piqued, she approached and discovered a baby—no older than five months—serenely sleeping. The most adorable little girl she had ever seen, with light brown curls, a cherubic face, impossibly long eyelashes, a dimple on her chin, and plump, pouty lips. She looked like she’d just stepped out of a Gerber ad.

Stacy’s heart sank. She couldn’t just leave the baby there, alone, surviving against all odds. But if the mother was coming back, finding her child gone would be devastating. Yet, if the mother had abandoned her baby, where was she?

“We’re taking her with us,” Stacy declared, carefully lifting the basket without disturbing the baby. She handed it to Matt and grabbed her walkie-talkie. “Jesse, do you copy?”

A crackling, garbled response came through. “Jesse, listen up. Forget about searching for my dad. Dump all the useless food and load up on baby formula and baby food. Got it?”

After receiving a muffled reply, Stacy pocketed the walkie-talkie. Her gaze fell on the small gold bracelet on the baby’s wrist, engraved with the name "Sophie."

“Matt, we need to get out of here. We can’t keep searching for my dad while taking care of Sophie. We’ll head home and hope he shows up or calls soon,” she said, her voice heavy with defeat. As much as she wanted to find her dad, Sophie's safety was paramount.

She started toward the baby section, and Matt followed, looking confused. “Do you really think this is a good time for shopping?”

“We’re not shopping,” Stacy snapped, “We need essentials for the baby. Car seat, diapers, and anything else we might need.” She veered into the storage section, searching for a suitable container. After finding a large, sturdy orange bin with fat tires, she began loading it with diaper boxes.

“How many of each size should I take?” Stacy asked, eyeing the shelves. “Maybe one box of each? They have 200 diapers per box. What do you think?”

Matt, nervously glancing around, replied, “Yeah, that sounds good. Maybe grab some washable ones too?”

Stacy grabbed a few boxes of washable diapers and continued her search. Just as she neared the end of an aisle, two zombies ambled past, seemingly aimless. She froze, signaling Matt to stay still. The zombies drifted away, oblivious to their presence.

After the threat passed, Stacy and Matt moved quickly. They found a car seat suitable for Sophie’s growth, ripped open the box, and carefully transferred the baby into it. Stacy buckled Sophie in, covering her with a blanket. Matt hefted the car seat, and Stacy grabbed baby clothes and more blankets, tossing them into the storage bin.

They hurried to the baby food aisle, hoping Jesse had followed her instructions. Stacy spotted him, surrounded by scattered cans of baby food, and he gave her a thumbs-up, pointing to an almost empty shelf.

Jesse looked at Matt, confused by the car seat. Stacy shrugged at him, signaling they could discuss it later. She packed as much food and formula as the bin could hold, then began dragging it towards the exit, praying her mom hadn’t gone home in a panic. She was not in the mood for carjacking today.

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A/N:
Ok so that one was a bit longer, not too much action there, but I promise more on the next chapter. If you liked it, please don't forget to vote and comment. Thank you to everyone who is still reading it.
xo -Cinttie