#bandaidbites

The grocery store looked like every apocalypse movie Jun had ever seen, minus the creative touches Hollywood liked to throw in. It sat four blocks from the mall, close to where most of the scavengers worked; he and Rae had walked over quietly. He had needed something to do, honestly. Anything was better than sitting around thinking about everything that had gone wrong with the world, or that had been going wrong for months now.

The plan was quick and easy. They would take what was left and head back before anyone had reason to worry. He kept Rae where he could see him while he worked down the aisle, checking each corner before he committed to it. Old habits from training, but they were good ones.

Most of the shelves had already been stripped. What remained came down to a few boxes of crackers, one of them opened, and some chips that had gone stale in the bag. It wasn't much, but it might get them through to morning, maybe, if they decided to stay out. Which he wouldn't recommend.

They ended up in the bakery section, where he stopped in front of the croissants. They sat there golden and flaky, as if nothing had happened to the world outside. He frowned, picked one up, gave it a sniff. Fresh. That couldn't be right. These things had a shelf life measured in days, not months. He cracked open one of his water bottles, rinsed his fingers, then tore off an edge. A buttery flake stuck to his palm.

He tried a piece, grimaced, and spat it into his hand. "Yeah, that's... that's not good." He set the rest back down the way he'd found it, which was a strange courtesy to pay a dead grocery store, but it felt wrong to just drop it. No point finishing it, either, or handing it to Rae. One of them getting sick was bad enough. He was willing to bet that his constitution was stronger.

@bandaidbites / mickey

"hey,  kid."

the  greeting  came  with  a  lift  of  two  grease-stained  fingers,  wyatt  leaning  against  the  railing  overlooking  the  lower  level  of  the  mall.  he'd  spotted  him  a  minute  ago,  somewhere  between  hauling  a  toolbox  across  the  concourse  and  getting  distracted  by  a  storefront  gate  that  still  wasn't  sitting  quite  right  on  its  track.  there  was  always  something  that  needed  fixing.  always  something  making  a  noise  it  shouldn't  be  making. 

he  shifted  the  toolbox  onto  the  floor  beside  his  boot  and  hooked  his  thumbs  through  his  belt  loops.  "got  a  favor  to  ask  next  time  you're  out  scavengin'."  the  request  was  delivered  casually,  as  though  he  were  asking  him  to  pass  the  salt  instead  of  potentially  remember  some  obscure  piece  of  machinery  while  navigating  the  end  of  the  world.  "don't  go  outta  your  way  for  it,"  he  added  quickly,  already  shaking  his  head.  "but  if  you  happen  across  an  old  auto  shop,  warehouse,  somethin'  like  that..."  a  pause  followed,  blue  eyes  narrowing  slightly  as  he  searched  his  memory.  "fleetguard  oil  filter.  white  canister.  says  LF3345  on  the  side."  another  beat.  then  a  crooked  grin.

"and  if  that  sounds  like  complete  nonsense,  don't  worry.  i  wrote  it  down.  i'd  really  appreciate  it."

@bandaidbites / for murphy

"i've  been  trying  to  determine  whether  you're  avoiding  people  intentionally."

cassian  motioned  vaguely  towards  the  bustling  food  court,  their  current  position  tucked  just  far  enough  away  from  the  worst  of  the  crowd  to  escape  the  constant  noise  without  entirely  removing  themselves  from  it.  a  faint  smile  lingered  at  the  corner  of  his  mouth  as  he  balanced  his  tray  against  one  arm,  the  other  making  a  small,  almost  absent  gesture  in  the  direction  of  the  gathered  survivors.

"or  whether  you're  simply  wiser  than  the  rest  of  us,"  he  added,  a  quiet  chuckle  following  as  he  set  his  tray  down  on  the  table  nearby.  part  of  him  considered  waiting.  once  upon  a  time,  he  would  have.  his  upbringing  had  all  but  guaranteed  it.  one  did  not  simply  sit  down  at  another  person's  table  uninvited.  then  again,  the  world  had  ended,  and  if  society  insisted  on  collapsing,  it  seemed  only  fair  to  borrow  a  few  liberties  from  its  remains.

even  so,  he  left  an  empty  seat  between  them  before  settling  into  the  chair.  "you  don't  mind,  do  you?"  the  question  came  after  the  fact,  polite  enough  to  acknowledge  the  possibility  that  he  might.

“you're  remarkably  quiet  out  there,  i've  noticed  that.”  cassian  had  spent  most  of  his  life  around  animals,  reading  them,  handling  them,  learning  the  subtle  differences  between  nervousness  and  confidence,  between  caution  and  outright  fear.  his  profession  had  demanded  a  certain  awareness  of  movement,  of  space,  of  things  left  unsaid.  finding  someone  who  moved  with  the  same  sort  of  quiet  precision  had  been  unexpected.

"most  people  make  far  more  noise  than  they  realise."

tucker liked the bustle of the metrocenter it was a nice change of pace from an empty house with him just him. him and his father might as well have been strangers, passing each other and barely speaking before everything went down. so when he had gone with the survivors to the metrocenter he had claimed himself a nice little store which had a good view of everything. well everything interesting to him. plus it used to be a book store.

he has spent the time he wasn't hunting looking through books and rearranging the store so it was more comfortable for him. making walls with the shelves and books he didn't want to read though he had no doubt that in no time he would be forced by bored to go through them all. and of course he made it a mini library- so many books. anyone could come and take one if they wanted.

"       behind,       "                       kodi   says   with   a   grunt   as   he   hauls   another   box   of   supplies   from   the   truck   into   the   kitchen,   which   runs   with   a   soft,   almost   peaceful   hum   despite   being   two   hours   from   opening.   usually,   especially   back   in   the   earlier   months   when   the   panic   was   still   fresh,   the   kitchen   staff   would   have   been   busy   and   clamoring   as   lines   began   to   form   outside.   there   would   have   been   shouting   and   people   throwing   things   as   food   got   delayed   due   to   the   rush;   it   would   have   been   the   most   dangerous   place   in   the   whole   mall.

but   now?   now,   he   can   barely   hear   a   peep—just   the   low   hum   of   appliances   and   the   sizzle   of   food   being   prepared.   some   would   consider   this   a   blessing,   but   kodi   doesn't   like   how   normal   it   almost   feels,   as   if   people   are   truly   embracing   this   new   world.   some   would   say   he   should,   too,   but   no.   this   hell   is   not   the   world   he's   used   to.

just   as   he   turns   back,   the   sight   of   a   familiar   face   makes   him   stop   in   his   tracks.   for   a   moment,   he   is   actually   glad   to   see   him,   but   it   lasts   only   a   second   before   his   face   sours;   he   only   sees   him   now,   not   when   they   were   out   there   scavenging   for   the   settlement.        "       mickey.   where   the   hell   were   you,   man?       "        he   says,   his   voice   level.   he   only   wants   to   know   why   he   wasn't   with   them.        "       you   were   supposed   to   be   with   us.   what   the   fuck?       "