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Justin reached in through the hole he’d made and turned the lock button on the inside of the door frame. He pulled the door open and gave Carly a little bow. “After you, my lady.”
Carly bobbed a little curtsy with a small smile. “Thank you, my lord.”
“I could get used to being called that.” Justin’s grin was infectious.
“I wouldn’t count on it happening.”
“Ah, but a man can dream.”
“Can you lift Sam over this glass? I don’t want his paws to get cut.”
“He’s a lot tougher than you think he is,” Justin said, but he picked up the puppy and carried him inside before depositing him on the tile beyond the shards.
Carly pulled a cart out of the line and laid her shopping tote inside the child seat as Justin turned on his flashlight and shined it around in a swift arc. The vestibule was littered with discarded sales fliers. There was a corkboard beside the entrance door, which had been used to hold notices of garage sales and free kittens, but currently was covered with fliers asking people to call if they’d heard from missing relatives or had news about other cities where their loved ones lived. Carly had to look away from it quickly. It hurt too much to remember the desperation of those days.
“Stay beside me,” Justin said. Carly nodded. What happened with Merle was still fresh in her mind.
The store was in the same condition as the one near Carly’s apartment building, and had a similar stench. Carly gagged but continued inside behind Justin, her hand cupped over her nose. The shelves were almost bare, and what was left was in shambles. Cans and boxes were scattered on the floor. Justin picked up one. “Ooh! Jackpot! A box of Lucky Charms!” He tucked it into Carly’s shopping cart.
“Now all you need to find is a cow for some fresh milk.”
He shook his head. “Condensed milk or powdered milk will work just fine.”
Carly wrinkled her nose. “Powdered milk? Gross.”
Justin cast an amused glance at her. “You must not have gone camping much.”
“No, Mom wasn’t into that kind of thing. Dad took me fishing once, but that’s about as much as we enjoyed the great outdoors.”
“Well, trust me, powdered milk is great when it comes to weight, and when you’re carrying a pack for twenty miles, every ounce counts.”
“Jeez, you used to hike twenty miles? For fun?”
Justin chuckled. “I once did the entire Appalachian Trail, all twelve hundred miles of it.”
Carly grinned at him. “I once walked all the way to the Food Mart from my apartment building.”
“I’m so happy I could be part of the momentous occasion.” They entered the drug aisle, which was cleaned out of cold medicines and fever-reducing medication. It made Carly sad to see it, for it was silent testimony to the number of people who thought cough syrup could combat the Infection.
Justin tossed boxes of bandages, eye wash, and topical antibiotics into Carly’s cart, along with all of the bottles of iodine on the shelf.
“Peroxide stings less,” Carly said.
“It’s not for cuts and scrapes. You can use it to purify drinking water.” Justin had moved on to anti-diarrhea medication, of which he took every bottle and box.
“Expecting an upset stomach?”
“This stuff is going to be worth more than its weight in diamonds.” Justin waved a box of tablets before he dropped into the cart. “Trust me.”
At the end of the aisle, they approached the pharmacy counter. The place was in shambles, even more so than the rest of the store. Justin, surprisingly lithe for such a large man, jumped over the counter and began to read the labels of boxes and bottles, tracing his finger under the lettering.
Sam bumped Carly’s leg with his head, and she saw he had something in his mouth. She put down her hand, and he spat out a can of beans. “Good boy!” She rubbed his ears, and Sam wagged his tail, delighted. He started searching the floor beneath the shelves again.
“Are you on birth control?” Justin asked.
Carly felt her face flame and was glad it was so dim back there. “Excuse me?”
“Don’t be embarrassed. I’m asking because there’s a fuckload of the pill back here, and we should grab it if you need it.”
