【ｔｈｅ ｈｏｕｓｅ ｉｎ ｏｕｒ ｄｒｅａｍｓ．】 (twd)

Walmart

HUNGER. I hadn't eaten since I finished the last of my canned tuna a day ago, and my stomach was clenching and churning, constantly reminding me of how hungry I was, as I crept through the dark alleys of downtown Seattle. At least what used to be downtown Seattle, now it was just a sad worn down reminder of what the world used to look like, a remnant of a past that was long gone. I winced as another pang of hunger sent my stomach doing flips inside me. I put a hand on my belly and trekked forward, wearing the quiet night like a dark shroud. I'd gone hungry for longer periods of times before, days, weeks even, so not finding food tonight wouldn't be too disappointing, but still, I hoped to find something.

If not, I would have to wait until the next night, because I didn't come to the city to loot in the mornings. The mornings belonged to other people, dangerous people, people I did my best to avoid under any circumstance. The nights were mine to explore alone, well not completely alone. There were still the walkers I had to deal with, but they let me be as long as I was quiet, and I was completely content with that. I didn't need anyone else because I could take care of myself.

I crouched low, careful not to be make too much noise so I wouldn't attract any unwanted attention, as I crossed a broken street towards a large gray building with big blue lettering that read 'Wa-mrt'. I grinned, knowing a huge chain like Walmart had to have at least something left behind. I slowly made my way towards the building, walking towards the sliding glass doors, and pausing right in front of them. They didn't open. Of course they wouldn't open, there wasn't any power in these parts in years.

I glanced around the side, searching for another way in but the moonlight wasn't giving me enough visibility, and turning on my flashlight would risk giving away my position to walkers, or worse; lingering humans. I decided my safest bet was to break through the glass door itself. I stepped back for a moment, surprised it wasn't broken already, until I noticed a small crack near the edge of the door. A weak point.

I quickly pulled off my hoodie and wrapped it around my arm, before winding my fist back and slamming it into the crack on the glass door. The crack deepened and branched out further across the surface of the door but it did not break. I rolled my eyes and reared my fist once more, before swinging it down and crashing it against the glass again. This time, the door completely shattered and tiny jagged daggers of crystal glass exploded into the foyer, scattering across the floor.

Stifling a triumphant shout, I stepped through the door frame and into the dark department hypermarket, cringing as I heard shards of glass crunch beneath my sneakers. I unwrapped the hoodie from my arm and pulled it back on before turning around to peek outside into the night one last time, making sure I hadn't attracted any lone walkers from either direction. Then I clicked on my flashlight and shined it into the dimly lit store, slowly sneaking through isles, looking for canned goods and anything else I could get my hands on that was utilizable, like tape or scissors.

Or a knife... I thought to myself, bringing a hand down to touch the dull old knife holstered to his thigh. This couldn't even cut through butter anymore. A new knife would be nice. I continued moving forward, giving the empty and discarded shelves a disappointed glance every now and again, before looking ahead once more, not wanting to feel down about it. I felt another pang of hunger grip my stomach again, making it feel like a burning fire was raging inside of me.

I grimaced, putting a hand on the shelf to steady myself as a sudden dizziness passed through me. This was bad, I could feel the exhaustion of trekking all day without any source of energy was beginning to weigh down on me. And that's when I saw it, the glare from a tin can, resting on the floor, forgotten as the light from my torch reflected off of it.

A hopeful grin plastered across my face, I walked towards the can and lifted it up, squinting his eyes to carefully read the description. Kidney beans. I couldn't help but let out a soft laugh to myself as I pulled out my knife and sunk it into the top of the can, ripping it open. I had always hated kidney beans growing up, it was ironic that they would now save my life and restore my energy.