Chapter 5: Hunger
I've never been one to keep a lot of food at home. I'm a accustomed to eating out at least one a day. It's been five days since Codey died, and I'm already nearly out of food. Barely any television stations are left. A few news channels are simply showing the repeated government warning, no actual people are being shown. The internet and GPS system is still working, for now at least. There's been an extreme drop in uploaded videos online and barely any social media posts. It's usually the same account if there are multiple posts. (Stay inside as long as possible, huh? I'm now on the verge of reaching impossibility.)
Out of respect for Codey, I didn't go into his apartment. Something feels wrong about doing that. It was time to go out.
I armed myself with a knife. I've never owned a firearm, nor have I ever shot one. Something was telling me that I'll need to learn how to in the future. The building was quiet. (I haven't heard an explosion in a day. Is it over?) I decided against taking the elevator. You couldn't see what was behind the doors. The stairs were open and the doors to the stairwell had windows. My heartbeat got faster with each echoing step I took. Opening the door to the lobby, I saw didn't see anyone. The automatic doors were locked, as if the staff had been trying to prevent people from leaving. Or coming in. After unlocking the doors, I took my first breath of fresh air in nearly a week.
The nearest convenience store was about a five minute walk from the apartment building. I didn't see a single person during my walk. I'd assumed the windows would be broken and the shelves would be gutted in the store, but the lights were on and it was completely intact. (Are people too afraid to go outside? Does everyone have enough supplies to last longer than me? Or- or am I all alone?) The doors to the store were also automatic, so anyone could be inside. They were never locked. As I strolled into the store, I couldn't help but notice how normal it seemed. The low volume music from the speakers was still playing. It looked like a normal store. I first grabbed luxuries that would expire quickly. I might never be able to eat these again. Eggs, dairy, and fresh bread were my highest priority targets. I didn't grab too many, as I knew canned goods and things with far away expiration dates. At this point, I was using two carts. I had a ton of bottled water. Then I heard a crash.
I pulled out my knife and held it in-front of me. "Who's there?" I called. No response came. I walked towards the isle I heard the crash from. And began to pick up the sound of a low whine or whimper. Ran over to the isle, thinking someone might be in danger. It occurred to me that it could be a trap, and I slowed down. (Damn. I really am thinking like it's total anarchy right now.) I peaked around the corner and saw a dog. It appeared to be a German Shepard. A bag of dog food had fallen on top of her. "It's ok girl!" I ran over and pulled the bag off of her. I then opened it and gave her some food. She gulped it down in no time. (All of the pets who's owners have died- they're not gonna make it either.) After the dog was done eating, she wouldn't stop following me around. I smiled, picked up a couple of new food bags and threw them into the cart. It wouldn't hurt to have a dog with me. It would take some effort to provide for her, but she could keep me company and offer some protection. I bent down and looked at her name tag. "Good girl, Amy." She wagged her tail.
When I was finally ready to leave the store, something caught my eye. It was a manual flashlight, one where you could crank it and it would produce energy for the light. It also had a solar cell and a USB output. I decided to take all five that were left. This also reminded me to grab batteries. I left the store without even thinking about paying. It really was anarchy.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone