Snippet #1759777

Natalie Whittle
Day 6
Downtown-Convenience Store

Nat’s legs were falling asleep. She stretched them out in front of her. It had been over an hour since Jacob had disappeared into the back room. Nat had sat by the rack of chips, watching out the window the whole time. She had given up reassuring herself that he was coming back. Now, she was just trying hard to push the image of his lifeless body being eaten by those things....she preferred to think of him dead as they ate because the alternative was just too horrific.

Her eyes scanned the street. There had to be others out there. No one had passed by the window yet but that didn't mean they weren't going to. Nat knew there would be plenty of other people who had hidden themselves in their homes. It was just so silly to think that everyone had turned into a shambling zombie. Nat grunted out a laugh.

Standing, Nat shook her leg out. At first they were still numb but slowly the sensation came back. Pins and needles, her nose scrunched up. “Oh...ouch....damn it....” Nat bounced lightly on her toes trying to get the feeling back faster and stop the tingling. She turned, thinking she’d walk the aisle a bit.

Nat stopped and held her breath. Noise. Not a yell, not really a lot of movement but it was coming from the back room again. She picked up the fire extinguisher and held it close to her body as if she was hugging a stuffed animal. It was cold and oddly comforting to Nat as she crept close to the store room door.

“Wait...why the hell am I going to look? I should just grab some chips and get my ass back to the library.” Nat brow furrowed. “Well, what if it’s Jacob? Maybe he is fine and just....” The thought died as she peered through the window.

Nothing. There was nothing back there, again. Nat tilted her head and listened carefully. “Nope, not a sound, nothing back there.” Nat shook her head and laughed at herself. The sound of her voice echoed a bit in the empty store. Empty of people but there were some useful things.

Nat’s eyes went wide and she smiled her first real smile in days. Bouncing towards the counter, her hair bobbed a bit with the motion. Nat moved the extinguisher to one arm and grabbed a plastic bag with the other. She’d simply take the things she needed with her. She was in a store and lots of this stuff was still good. Nat walked the aisles picking things off the shelves.

“Box of matches, how are they not handy? Oh, chips and some cheesies. Jerky! Of course.” Nat was giggling and talking to herself. Moving into the toiletry section, Nat stared for a second. She would have never paid their over-inflated prices before but she wasn’t paying now and it was a matter of life and death. What were they going to do? Arrest her? Nat dropped a couple bottles of painkillers and a box of band-aids into her plastic bag. On the end of one of the shelves was a hanging strip with plastic hooks. On each hook was a package of rubber gloves. Nat shrugged. “Meh, why not?”

Taking a look at what she had in the bag, Nat was sure that there was other stuff she should take but there was just no room and she wasn’t willing to abandon her fire extinguisher just so she could carry more. It would have to do. And then her ears caught the sound again.

“That’s it...” Nat marched to the store room door again. There was still no one visible in the window and this time Nat opened the door.

“Hello? Is anyone back here? Jacob? Anyone?” Not saying it out loud, her mind added. “Please, don’t try and eat me....”