~ 11 ~ New Friendships

In the front of the store were Desirae and Alan sitting at the table, eating some chips from the aisle. Mrs. Christina walked down each aisle with a waddle, looking for some suitable food for herself. Dan and Dani were patrolling outside. Sofia and Lucy walked to the front of the store, and Sofia noticed that Desirae wasn't wearing her uniform anymore. Desirae wore a white long sleeved shirt with thick black leggings. She dressed in black winter boots and a white fur winter jacket. The jacket rested on her lap as she nibbled on the cheesy chips. Alan wore the same purple shirt and black jeans. He chewed on salty chips. Next to each other them was a bottle of water.

Desirae turned to Sofia and Lucy as they walked in. "Oh." She said surprisingly. "I don't think I've seen you much in sweatpants, Sofia. You look very different as well, Lucy." Desirae smiled lightly as the pair walked closer to her and Alan. "You both look very nice though."

"Thank you." Sofia giggled at her friend. She patted down her hair, remembering how messy it was in the mirror. "I just wish I had a brush for my hair."

Lucy stroked Sofia's hair, as if memorizing it. "I like it. It suits your look." At this, Desirae and Lucy laughed loudly, causing Sofia to feel flushed.

"Whatever!" Sofia stuttered. She crossed her arms and turned away from the small group of young adults. "I'm going to get something to snack on. I'll be right back." She walked over to Mrs. Christina, not noticing Alan's stare.

Mrs. Christina stopped at the canned food's section, looking between the canned corn and the canned beef. She hummed softly. She wore a long peach dress that reached her knees, long socks, and black dress shoes. Mrs. Christina wore a long white cardigan to match her overall elderly aesthetic. It honestly amazed Sofia that Mrs. Christina was still able to move around while she looked to be at least in her 80s. Sofia walked over to Mrs. Christina with a small smile.

"What are you looking for, ma'am?" Sofia softly spoke.

Mrs. Christina looked at Sofia then back at the canned food. "I'm trying to watch my diet for as long as I can, so I am trying to decide between," she picked up her two options and presented them to Sofia, "canned corn and canned beef." Sofia tilted her head. 'She has the luxury to think about these things?' Sofia wondered to herself and Mrs. Christina pouted to herself. "What do you think dear?" Mrs. Christina looked at Sofia, expectantly.

"Uh." Sofia hesitated as she looked at the two options. "Maybe the canned beef, to keep your strength up." Sofia suggested. "Protein, am I right?" As if telling a joke, Sofia put her hands out with a smile planted on her face.

Mrs. Christina grew quiet at the scene in front of her before letting out a small laugh before putting the canned corn back on the shelf. "Good answer. Bonus points for making me laugh with that awkward… Whatever that was." Mrs. Christina struggled for a moment trying to open the canned when a small pop of air escaped the enclosed cap and opened. She teared open the aluminum cap and placed it on the shelf before gesturing at the can. "Would you like some?"

"No thank you." Sofia shook her head. "I'm going to settle for some chips."

Mrs. Christina nodded and dug into the canned beef with her hands as neatly as possible. "I see." She chewed slowly at the beef. "It hasn't been long since the apocalypse started and yet, my mental health has dropped significantly." She sighed at this and looked up at Sofia, a sad smile on her face. "I lost my husband before the apocalypse started you know." Sofia immediately frowned at this. "So when the apocalypse came, I thought it was just a cruel way for me to see my husband." Mrs. Christina looked over at Alan. "Then that young man found me in the hospital and decided to help me." Sofia looked over at Alan. 'Alan?' "He fought our way out of the hospital and we just walked and walked for days. I felt like my knees were going to give out, but he was very patient. We slept in the grass, in abandoned houses, in not so abandoned houses." The elder chuckled at the last statement. "When we arrived here, Dan and Dani were outside, wondering whether or not they should go in. Alan introduced us and the three of them came in and killed all the zombies. Once it was clear, we stayed and just started making this place our home." Mrs. Christina looked at Desirae. "Desirae came here a few days ago, limping. She sprained her ankle. Dan was wary of her, but she proposed a deal. She said that if she helped with protecting this place, she can stay. So Dan agreed and she's been with us ever since." Mrs. Christina looked at Sofia. "Do you get it?"

Sofia looked at the elderly woman, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Dan and Dani lead us, Alan fights and supports us, I provide wisdom, and Desirae protects us." Mrs. Christina summarized. "So," she placed a hand on Sofia's arm, "what will you and Lucy contribute to the group?" The question silenced Sofia. She didn't know. 'What can I do for this group?' She looked around at the members, seeing everyone happy. "Don't worry." Mrs. Christina reassured Sofia, who looked at the elder. "You'll figure it out eventually." Mrs. Christina nodded as a greeting before retreating to the back room.

Sofia stood in place for a moment, reflecting on what Mrs. Christina said. 'I want to get better.' Determined, Sofia went to get a bag of chips. She spent some time talking to Alan, Desirae and Lucy about small stuff like school. After they ate, Sofia waited by the front door for Dan and Dani to finish patrolling. Mrs. Christina and Alan grabbed some wooden planks from the back of the store and started boarding the windows.

Desirae and Lucy walked over to the front door, ready to explore. Desirae had on her jacket this time, and carried a shovel. In her pocket was a barely noticeable pistol. Lucy held a baseball bat, with the shotgun she found the other day on her back. Sofia turned to the pair.

"Please be careful guys." Sofia urged. "We don't know what is out there anymore."

Lucy ruffled Sofia's hair, always making Sofia feel good. "We'll do our best. We'll be back by the time it's dark hopefully."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Desirae teased her friend. "And tell Dan that Lucy and I took some guns with us." She pointed at her pocket, fully revealing the pistol. Sofia nodded and waved as her closest friends left the gas station in search for her previous group.

Shortly after, Dan and Dani walked in the store, Dani holding her famous smile. "Did the two leave yet?" Dani asked Sofia.

"Yeah," Sofia nodded, "and Desirae told me to tell you that they took a pistol and a shotgun." She looked at Dan, talking to him.

"Alright." He scratched his head. "Let's just get in the storage room, shall we?" Dan suggested, earning a nod from his sister and Sofia. The trio made their way to the back of the store, standing in front of the door.

Dani turned to Sofia. "Do you mind going in one of the lockers and getting the pocket knife from inside? I'd like for you to use it." Sofia blinked and slowly nodded, retreating to the lockers. She looked in two before spotting the knife. She picked it up before spotting a square sheet of paper. She grabbed it and turned it around, revealing a photograph of three children.

"What's the hold up?" Dan called out for Sofia. She panicked, shoving the picture in her pocket from shuffling over to the pair waiting for her. "Did you find it?" Sofia nodded, showing him the knife. "Alright. You take the lead."

"Me?" Sofia asked, shocked. "But why?"

Dani placed a hand on Sofia's shoulder. "Lucy told us about you wanting to get stronger. What better why than to start taking leadership? We'll be right behind you, so don't worry."

Sofia frowned and looked at the locked door. Dani, holding a pistol, aims at the lock and shoots it open, ringing the loud gunshot sound around the store. Sofia flinched at the noise and looked at the siblings, concerned. Dan nodded at Sofia sternly which caused her to ready the pocket knife.

She cracked open the door and held her breath, listening for any sign of life or even death. 'Anything?' A few seconds felt like hours as she waited for a sound. Giving up, she cracked open the door a little wider and hesitantly put her hand in the room to turn on the lights. Her fingers glided across the wall, desperately searching for the light switch.

"Did you get it yet?" Dani wondered. Sofia shook her head as she slid her fingers upward, feeling a thick liquid on the floor.

Sofia gagged a bit, having a good idea as to what it may be. Sliding up a bit more, she felt the light switch and quickly flipped it upward, lighting up the storage room. "There!" She exclaimed as she cracked open the door a bit more and peeked her head inside. Disgusted, she laid her eyes on around four bodies huddled together with their heads exposed with a gunshot wound or bashed open. They laid in a large puddle of blood against the closed back door with shelves filled with taped up boxes and bins. Sofia looked at the hand used to turn on the lights and saw that it was painted in blood. She covered her mouth, shivering in the cooled room.

The siblings walked in and sighed at the sight. "You did good enough, Sofia." Dani said. They both walked in the room and stood in front of the girl, as if covering her from the scene of the room. "You can go help Alan and Mrs. Christina now. We'll call you when we're done in here." She explained.

Sofia shook her head as if waking herself up. "No." She said, determined. "I can help. Just tell me what to do." She looked at Dan, knowing that if he was convinced, Dani would be too. "I need to be adjusted to this world. Please let me help."

After a few moments of thinking, Dan sighed. "Fine," he caved in. "Help us dispose of the bodies to the back of the station." He took the first steps towards the bodies, gently pulling them off of the door. He unlocked and opened the door widely, exposing the group to the outside world. "Come on." He commanded as he started pulling the bodies outside and disappeared with them at the corner. Dani pulled up her sleeves and started doing the same thing.

Sofia nodded to herself, confirming what she needed to do. She grabbed the arms of a dead middle aged woman and started dragging the heavy corpse outside. It reeked of decay and rotting flesh, causing Sofia to feel dizzy. As she huffed and puffed, her breath became visible in the room. She dragged the corpse outside and turned the corner, seeing Dani and Dan piling the bodies on the ground. Sofia placed the body on top of all the others and she stepped back, examining the pile.

"We're going to burn it." Dani said. Dan nodded and pulled out a lighter. He handed it to his sister, who sparked a small fire and threw the lighter into the pile. The pile of bodies engulfed in the flame, slowly burning and turning to ashes.

"Do you think…" Dan started but hesitated. "Do you think that some of the clothes that we found were from them?" Dan looked at Dani.

His sister thought about it for a moment before shining her signature smile. "All we can do is thank them." With that, she walked back inside the station. "Come on, let's sort through the rest of the storage room." With slight tension in the air, Sofia and Dan walked back inside the storage room.

On top of the shelves were labeled boxes and bins. They were filled with frozen meat, drinks, frozen fries, and vegetables. They looked like they were never opened. The trio also discovered a safe that was locked with a 4 pin code. Dan sighed and scratched his head.

Dani looked at Sofia. "Well our work here is done for now." Sofia looked at Dani, confused. "Go help Alan and Mrs. Christina. We'll figure out the safe another day."

Sofia stared at the siblings before giving up and exiting the storage room. She sat at the bench and took a deep breath, calming the adrenaline that unknowingly consumed her body. She took out the photo and examined it again. The three children were three girls. One girl had blond hair, one had brown hair, and one's hair was in a red hoodie. They all wore school uniforms. The environment around them was surrounded by a corn field, and the trio girls were laughing as they looked up at the sky. She didn't really recognized them, but the girls with their hair out seemed familiar. 'Should I show this to Dan and Dani?' Sofia wondered. She shrugged to herself and she stuffed the photo back inside her pocket. She stood up and walked over to the front of the store, helping Alan and Mrs. Christina.