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Late Night Convenience Run

Strange Occurrences at Shaw's Supermarket

By Randall HildPublished 3 years ago 5 min read
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Late Night Convenience Run
Photo by Mehrad Vosoughi on Unsplash

It was a dark and stormy night. Christian's windshield wipers beat quickly as the downpour of rain came at speeds he had never seen before. Such was the way of Portland, Maine in early winter. Rain, rain, and more rain.

Christian turned right to pull into the Shaw's parking lot to pick up his weekly groceries. No cars were in the parking lot, and Christian did not expect any. Since the virus wiped out nearly every last human being on the planet, Christian never expected to meet another human. However, this one night would give him a lucky surprise.

Christian parked right in front of the entrance to Shaw's. This would be a violation of traffic laws in a normal world, and Christian still felt guilty for it for some reason.

Christian put on a raincoat and hopped out of his high sitting truck. He turned on his flashlight and walked into the Shaw's, knowing that all electricity would be down without upkeep.

He pushed open what would normally be the automatic double doors. He scanned the area with his flashlight, relieved to see nothing out of the ordinary. He then took a shopping cart from the front and started pouring the store's contents into that cart.

It was in the middle of Christian's cart rampage that he heard something unusual. It sounded like the engine of another truck coming into the entrance. Christian paused for a second, confused, then continued on his theft spree until he heard a loud car horn. Was there another person around the Shaw's?

Christian ran back outside with his flashlight in hand. He squinted in the rainy climate to see a bright yellow truck parked right next to his, lights on and engine running. He heard the engine turn off, driver's side door slam, and a figure appear from behind the truck.

It was not just any figure though. It was a human being, a woman, unaffected by the virus. It had been a very very long time since Christian had seen another person, let alone have a conversation. He did not want to admit it, but he longed for an interaction since the plague's deadly frenzy sent humanity into a downward spiral.

As the woman came striding into the Shaw's, Christian could obtain a greater glimpse. She wore a rain poncho similar to the one Christian wore. She had on black jeans and outdoor sneakers for rugged tasks. She had long dirty blonde hair extending down to her lower back. Christian could see one piece of jewelry on her neck, with a pendant resembling a heart-shaped locket.

Although she was most definitely not Christian's type, he could not help but be infatuated by the presence of a woman. After all, it had been nearly 3 years since the last wave of the virus in 2063. He had not seen a single person in that time, so her presence made him take a second to regain his balance.

Once she came close to him, she started speaking in a long-drawled southern accent.

"My, my, looky here, another survivor."

Christian stuttered for a second. "W-w-why am I supposed to trust you?"

She clicked her tongue. "Oh, silly, I most definitely don't trust you any more than you trust me. Where you from?"

Christian paused for a second, then said, "California."

She paused and clicked her tongue again, then responded, "Well then, California. I'm Arkansas."

She reached her hand out to be shook, and Christian slowly responded by reaching and shaking as well.

She clicked her tongue yet again. Christian was growing annoyed by the constant tongue clicking. "Out for a late night convenience run?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Watch this."

Arkansas walked into the Shaw's, flashlight in hand, and walked to a table with all colors of apples. She waited for a moment, then kicked the table with full force just for sheer enjoyment.

"Fun, right?"

"Um, yeah, I guess."

"Go ahead. Try it."

"Um, ok."

Christian walked to a table containing expiring bananas near the now-destroyed apple basket. He stared at the table of bananas, not really wanting to kick it down. He waited for a while.

"C'mon! Just try it. It'll be fun."

"Really?" Christian stuttered.

"Yeah, what are you, scared?"

Christian paused, then lied, "N-no."

"Then knock 'em down already, will ya?"

Christian waited another second, then kicked the table with as much force as he possibly could. He did not want to admit it, but it sure did release some built up anger. It was kind of cathartic actually.

Arkansas chimed in. "Good. Felt good right?"

"Um, yeah."

"Wanna do some more?"

Christian shrugged in agreement.

The two of them continued to rampage the store for an hour or so. They knocked over all of the tables, the cash registers, the desks, the glass, the aisles, and the out-of-service refrigerators. Christian had to admit, it felt kind of good.

When the store had been completely torn down by their shenanigans, Arkansas asked a question.

"Whadda say, California? You wanna team up?"

Christian felt confused. No one ever wanted to partner up with him, not in a land post-virus where no one trusted each other. However, he felt like he had a bonding experience with Arkansas, and he missed the human companionships he had from his previous life.

"Why not," Christian stated.

"Good. Where ya stayin'?"

"Oh, just at the Hilton down the road."

"Can I come with?"

Christian was still surprised by this question. "Um, sure."

Arkansas clicked her tongue again. "Alrighty then. I'll follow you there."

Christian went back to get his shopping cart of stolen groceries and hauled the items into the bed of his truck. He looked over and saw Arkansas hauling some groceries into the bed of her yellow truck before hopping into her front seat. Christian finished loading, then hopped into the front seat of his truck. He turned on the ignition, put the truck in reverse, turned around, and drove out of the lot.

Christian did not realize just how much a human connection meant to him, but it seemed impossible that he lived without one for more than 3 years. His loneliness was an epidemic that spread throughout his entire body, much like the virus had done to many people beforehand. Just one connection, and he could see the effects it would have on him psychologically.

Christian drove off into the clear night, glad that he could find one other person to share his experience with in this very unpredictable world.

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