Grocery Store I

Quietly I moved towards the light at the end of the tunnel. The warmth which the sunlight brought felt completely different to the constant cold of the subway tunnels.

At the exit of the tunnel lay a group of survivors asleep. One man and two women. The man was of average physique and not particularly handsome. He had a rather common face with no distinct features. On the other hand, the two women next to him were extremely attractive. One was tall, had long brown hair and a beautiful face. The other was short, had shoulder-length blond hair and a cute face. They laid down around a campfire which seemed to have died out a few hours before now, canned food spread across the ground.

"How did these weaklings survive so long" I wondered now that I could see them more clearly. I was not being mean but instead was genuinely curious.

This wasn't the same world as two months ago. It was now a world where the dead roamed the streets and once friendly people became murderers and rapists. They just didn't fit in.

The tunnel had lead me out of the main city of Chengdu and into the grassland which bordered the residential district.

Cautiously I approached the group. looking around there were no weapons other than a steel pipe.

"Seriously how have these people survived," I thought to myself a second time.

Making sure that there were no other weapons around the camp or on any of the survivors, I sat down grabbing a can of corn in the process. I hadn't eaten in two days so I definitely wouldn't miss this opportunity.

as I opened the can and began to enjoy the food within, one of the girls woke up.

This girl was surprised to see me. Right then screamed as loudly as she could waking up the other two survivors.

All three got to their feet, the two girls behind the man. In his hand was the steel pipe which I had seen while searching the camp.

The man stepped forward, pipe in his hand and a stern look on his face. "Who the fuck are you?!" the man yelled.

I couldn't believe how dumb these people were. Did they not realise that sound attracts the dead? Nevertheless, I needed to stop them from yelling quickly.

"Just a passerby. Don't worry, after I'm finished I'll be gone" I stated as I continued to eat the corn.

"He stole our food Zhang Li, stop him!" the short blond girl yelled at the man.

With no other option but to listen to this beauty, Zhang Li moved forward. "put down the can and run before I make you regret this" he said while shaking.

It was obvious that he was intimidated. I was a 6ft tall muscular guy and he is just a normal looking guy.

I stood up and finished the last of the corn, emptying it into my mouth. Taking a step forward made him stumble backwards and fall.

Putting out my hand to help him up made him retract inwards and protect his face. "Come on bro, I'm just trying to be nice..." I said followed by a slightly awkward smile.

Hearing this the man took my hand still holding a little caution. "I'm sorry, we're just not made for this world..." the man said seemingly disappointed.

Seeing how the guy looked I felt bad for him, "don't apologise, nobody was ready for this world. My name's Crow, I already know Zhang Li's name, so what about you two?"

The two girls looked at each other and then back at me. The blond one opened her mouth and began to speak, "I'm Ying Yue and this is Zhi Ruo. Sorry for overreacting. It's like he said. We really didn't know what we were getting into by coming out from the supermark-"

Ying Yue was quickly interrupted as the beautiful Zhi Ruo covered the girl's mouth. Realising what she had just done the girl quickly regretted what she had said.

"Supermarket huh? So that's why you people are still alive" I thought out loud.

The group looked a little worried again, but knowing that I had heard the girls words there was no way to take it back.

"Are there more of your people then? Why aren't they with you?" I questioned. If there was more of them, wouldn't it make sense for them to be together? After all, it wasn't easy to survive, especially when you're like these people. These are the things I wondered.

As I thought about it more deeply, however, I remembered the American men from last night. They said something about a shop. Maybe they were connected somehow.

Finally, Zhang Li spoke, "Yes. There are a lot more. But we're in trouble. A group of Americans are holding us captive. We barely escaped and were on our way to find help from the military."

"Haha" I let out a small giggle. Did they seriously think the military would still help them? Actually, it wasn't so surprising that they didn't know that since they had been held up in that shop all this time.

Now I knew that these people were connected. "Maybe I should help them," I thought.

As I pondered that, Zhi Ruo spoke up, "It's not funny, our friends are gonna die without help!"

"I'm sorry for laughing, it's just that the military won't be of any help. I know these Americans. I killed three yesterday." It's best I help them out. They live in a supermarket, and food is a valuable resource.

"Can you help us?" questioned Ying Yue with a sad face.

Seeing her face I immediately felt bad. It strangely reminded me of my little sister whenever she felt down. Remembering these past feelings made a single tear roll down my cheek. I was quick to wipe it away, however.

"Yes, I can. But in return, I will receive all the food I want" I replied. This was my only request so they would surely agree to it.

"We aren't in charge, so I can't say yes. Don't be wary however, our leader will repay you" said Zhang Li with desperation.

I comforted him by putting my hand on his shoulder. "Let's get going now. You lead the way" I said with a slight smile.

Zhang Li stood up straight, "guys pack up and let's get going."

Hearing his words the girls started packing their bags. The once messy campsite was cleaned up. Not even one can of food lay on the ground.

Once the girls and Zhang Li were ready we began to walk in the direction of the supermarket.

...

Along the way, there was nothing but fields of grass, a few farms and the occasional gas station. We had moved away from the tracks a while ago and were now walking alongside a road.

"So how many were there?" I asked out of curiosity. Even if there were twenty I shouldn't have too much trouble dealing with them. I doubted they would all have guns, but if they did then it could be bad for me... Even with my healing capabilities.

"There were 14 of them. They came in the night and before we knew it, we were tied up and our food was being stolen" replied Ying Yue with a frown.

I continued, "and what weapons do they use?"

This time Zhi Ruo took the initiative and answered, "they used a few guns, maybe five or six of them. The rest had knives and other handheld weapons."

"Thanks," a said before giving her a smile.

In response, she blushed and covered her face. I had what could be considered an attractive face and she didn't really seem like an extroverted person. On the other hand, Ying Yue was the polar opposite.

Understanding the situation, I began to plan out how I would infiltrate the store. The best way might be to sneak in. But I knew very little about the building itself.

As we walked, I went over different plans in my head. In the end however, I decided the best plan was to simply get caught and taken in. When inside I could quickly kill anyone with a gun followed by taking out the rest. I had come up with this plan after realising that with my AI, this wouldn't be that hard.

...

After walking for at least an hour we could finally see a small town in the distance. Coming one part of the town were multiple railways which piqued my interest.

"Perhaps it's a mining town or something," I thought to myself. That would make sense as to why railways were heading into the town.

As we got closer however it became obvious that this town was an industrial town.

When entering the town, it was clear that this place had been hit hard like the rest of the world. The few dead that we're left roamed the streets and so we had to stay in the shadows, moving as quietly as possible.

It seemed as though the Americans had partially cleared out the town while looking for supplies. I wouldn't be one to complain however.

I could now see the grocery store just a little further ahead. Out front was two men, one with a rifle and the other with a metal bat. It was now time.

"Listen to me, I want you to take my stuff go hide on that building's roof. Don't come down until I've killed them" I said quietly pointing to a building with a ladder.

The three were shocked. "You didn't want our help?" asked Zhang Li with a confused but also thankful face.

"Not to be mean, but you would only get in the way. Go now" I whispered.

After giving Zhang Li my bag, the three left and headed towards the building. Once I could see that they were safe a stepped out into the open and walked up to the two men.

"Who are you?" said one of the men with an American accent. It seemed as though they were questioning if I was one of them. After all, I wasn't Chinese so it was possible.

I hadn't expected this to happen, nevertheless still stuck to my plan. "I just need some food please" I begged.

After picking up on my distinctly different non-American accent I was hit in the head with the butt end of a rifle. I purposefully stopped my AIs healing and fell to the ground to look more convincing. Blood dripped down my cheek which added to the effect. The AI had kept me conscious after the hit to the head. This was perfect as any normal person would have been knocked out cold.

"Take him in and put him with the others," said the man with the metal bat.

Hearing that, the one with the gun, a rather big man, picked me up and took me into the store. When we entered there were four other men with guns who had all come after hearing the commotion outside. The shelves of the grocery store were almost completely stocked with all kinds of food. No wonder these Americans wanted it all to themselves.

Five of the six guns were now present and now would be my best chance. If I could take out these five men, the rest would be easy. Knowing this I made my move. I let the AI heal my wounds as I reached out for the gun on the big guy's waist.

*Bang*

*Bang* *Bang* *Bang*