PANIC ROOM • KENJI KON

XVIII. If The Shoe Fits

Chapter Eighteen: If The Shoe Fits

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Eva wandered around Main Street in search of the beacon, but there were two problems. Firstly, she had no idea what the beacon looked like, and secondly, she was too hungry to focus on anything besides food. It plagued her mind: cheesy mac n cheese, fall off the bone baby back ribs, creamy mashed potatoes... Food flooded her mind, her thoughts.

She found herself standing inside of a Jamba Juice, inspecting the area behind the counter. The air smelled sweet and tangy, like a tropical paradise. Digging around, she pulled forth a hand of bananas. Her stomach rumbled at the view of food, and she pulled the hand to the ground, before proceeding to eat all six bananas.

Eva sat back against the counter, surrounded by banana peels. She pushed around the counter, finally finding a stash of apples. Without standing she reached forward, fingers grasping at the little red balls of fruit. Her hand finally wrapped around the tray they were sitting in and pulled it forward. The tray fell before she could catch it, and it crashed to the floor next to her. She cringed, waiting, listening for something to jump out next to her.

Just when she found it safe to dig in, a voice nervously said, "H-hello?"

Eva stood quickly just as Kenji rounded the corner, the two teens coming face to face and screaming.

"Kenji! What the hell?"

Kenji clutched his chest, wheezing. "What the hell, me? What the hell, you? Why were you hiding behind here?"

Eva swooped down, picking up a piece of fruit. "Apple?"

His eyes lit up and he took the apple from her hands into his own. He opened his mouth, then hesitated. "Wait, is this poisonous?"

"Who do you think I am, the Evil Queen?"

"If the shoe fits?"

Eva rolled her eyes and took the apple back, taking a large bite out of it. She chewed and swallowed, then said, "See? Not poisonous."

After dropping the apple back into his hands, she picked up the other apples and set them in the tray, then picked up the tray and set it on the counter. Kenji began eating the apple, moaning in pleasure as Eva looked around for bags to carry the fruit in.

Dropping the fruit into a bag, Kenji reached out for another, but Eva smacked his hand away. "We have to feed the others," she said, sliding the bag up her arm and to her shoulder. "Come on, might as well look for more food."

Kenji followed her on a scooter as she walked across Main Street, heading for another restaurant. Restaurants meant prepared food, which meant there was a chance of something edible still being good enough to eat.

It had been a few days since they were left behind, and in turn a few days without electricity, which meant all the restaurant level food would be going bad soon.

Eva ducked into Margaritaville, the windows of which were shattered. Kenji came to a stop behind her, leaving the scooter propped up against the building's wall.

The two teenagers wandered around the restaurant, the scent of half eaten food that had been sitting out for days on end filling their nostrils. Eva gagged at the smell, heading into the back to the kitchen. The two began digging around, finding an array of canned goods, sharp knives, and a disgusting amount of dirty dishes.