Chapter 6

As I pull into the small town that's about half an hour from my parent's house, it seems deserted. There are a lot of empty cars on the road that I must dodge as I make my way deeper. I see a small dollar store and stop and get a feel of the place so I might get a few supplies. I pull in and shut the car off, looking around before making my next move. Stepping out, I dump my backpack into the back floorboard to make room for quick essentials and slowly push the door closed and slip the keys in my pocket.

I walk around the building slowly, to ensure nothing is waiting for me, and by the time I make my way back to the front, I am feeling better about the situation. Walking in, the door chimes, and I stop, backing out of the store and moving to the side. I didn't even think about the fact that stores usually have a door chime. So much for the element of surprise. It only takes a moment before an undead makes its presence known. Throwing itself violently at the window I am stuck standing still and staring in awe at the pure animalistic nature of the being behind the glass. This used to be a woman. Probably just grabbing some groceries after work on a normal afternoon before all hell broke loose in the world. Her shirt and jeans are in tatters, the cardigan she was wearing flapping wildly as her arms flail to get to her next meal, me. I ready my knife and drag the door to the side for her to leap out. As she does, I throw my weight using my grip on the door for momentum and slam my knife through her abdomen, but it doesn't slow her down.

Suddenly I am on my back with her growling body on top of mine, limbs flailing as I try to keep her at bay. I didn't pull my knife out of her stomach and her rapid movement causes it to slide from her flesh and it clatters to the ground beside us. My arms are burning but I keep the pressure on her shoulders steady enough to keep her from getting to me. With a sudden burst of adrenaline, I push her to the side as hard as I can, effectively rolling us over. I jump up just as she lunges up towards me and grab the knife from the ground, putting a few feet of distance between us. She watches me for a moment, her lifeless eyes staring through me, not at me. Her skin is beginning to slide off from the level of decay. Every time she moves, some parts slip down more and more, exposing the rotting flesh beneath. It is unlike anything I have ever seen before.

My body is shaking from fear, I'm not much of a fighter and my stomach isn't so tough either. She comes at me again, tattered clothes billowing and jaw snapping, but I raise my arm and slam my knife down atop her head just in time. My knife slides right into her soft skull. A feeling I will likely never become accustomed to. Her body twitches another second before she falls to the ground, my knife sliding out of her head as it happens. I wait a moment and look around before sheathing my trusty knife and stepping carefully over her now peaceful body. Then I proceed to empty my stomach of its contents right beside her for several minutes before stepping into the store again. I don't know if I can do that again. My stomach and throat hurt from retching violently in front of the store and I am clammy as well now that the adrenaline is wearing off. That was horrifying. I had never killed anyone before. I was just thinking about how this could have been a normal day for her. What if they find a cure but it's too late for her because I went and killed her? I swallow the guilt down and start looking around instead. Even if they do find a cure, it will probably take a while and be expensive.

Flickering lights cast an eerie glow over the blood-streaked floor and messy aisles. It truly looks like some horror movie type shit. Just the thought has me visibly shuddering. I listen intently but hear nothing as I move towards the back of the store. The first thing I need to do is grab more protein bars and hit the medicine aisle since those will be quick and easy to throw into my backpack. Nothing out of the ordinary, for this new world anyways, happens as I grab as many protein bars as I can and shove them into my pack. Feeling a little more confident I walk to the medicine and aisle and grab things like Tylenol and ibuprofen to add to my supplies. Surviving with a headache was hard enough during normal times, I think to myself.

Just then a muffled thump comes from the direction of the restrooms. Immediately all my senses are on high alert. I still need to grab some things and so I decided to take my chances and check out the noise. Wiping my palms on my pants and zipping my backpack and situating it on my back I sneak over to the restroom doors. I put my ear to the women's room and don't hear anything. I move to the men's room and just moments after putting my ear to the door a very powerful force knocking into the door scares me. I bite my hand to keep the scream of surprise inside. A slow growl comes from inside the room. Looking at the doorknob I weigh my options in my head. So, I can either attempt fighting what's in there or risk losing my chance to gather more supplies, or I can quietly get what I need and hope that this dude can't manage to get out of the door or attract anything else. Mentally sighing I decide to take the latter option; I need to be prepared so I can make this trip as quick as possible. The thumping and growling have stopped for the moment so I head for the front of the store as quietly as I can. I grab a case of water bottles and set it by the front door. To reach the bell at the top, I must stand on the water, and I lose my footing just as my hand grazes the bell system. Cursing under my breath I try again and manage to disarm it by unhooking the chain.

Setting the water bottles in front of the door to prop it open I grab another case and carry it to my car and set it in the trunk. After doing this one more time my stomach reminds me that I need to grab some food too. Grabbing a handbasket, I put a few cans of soup into it when footsteps from behind me cause me to freeze. The click of a gun's safety has me scared all over again and I slowly turn to face a new threat.