As We Know It by Carrie Butler

Author:Carrie Butler
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Carrie Butler
Published: 2014-03-16T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 15

Convenience store, my ass.

What’s left of this building is a full-blown catchall. Signs behind a caved-in canopy advertise the two G’s of roadside shopping—gas and groceries—making it the perfect place to ride out a natural disaster. “So, are we going to try it?”

Vincent stares ahead, as if calculating the risk. “Do you remember how far the next store is? I don’t do a lot of driving these days.”

“I came through Astoria.”

“Well, shit.”

I don’t see the problem. Even if jerks are swiping things that don’t belong to them, they couldn’t have taken everything. We’ll just leave some of that cash wad behind. In and out. “We’re going to need food, unless you plan on us fishing, hunting, and foraging three times a day. That’s a lot of spent calories and not a lot of ground covered.”

“You’re saying you want to check it out?”

“Why not?”

The windows give jagged views of a dark interior, but for the most part, the place looks structurally sound. Viva wood construction, I guess.

Vincent looks up and down the road before ducking back into the shade of the tree line. With hasty, paranoid motions, he digs out some money and shoves it into his pocket. “If there are other people in there, we don’t want them to know we have supplies. In fact, you might want to lose the bling while we’re at it.”

My ring? As much as I resent what it stands for, I’m not eager to leave it unattended.

“I promise not to pocket it,” he adds, with a hint of humor.

“Fine, fine.” I hand it over and turn away. “If you think this is what we need to do, I’ll keep a lookout. You do your thing.”

Silence.

I glance over my shoulder, and he’s staring at me with something akin to awe. “What?”

“Just thinking.”

“Thinking… ?”

“Maybe it’s a good thing you came along, after all.” He heads back into the brush without another word, as if he hasn’t just dropped a compliment bomb on me. How did we go from bickering to appreciation?

My cheeks burn, so I refocus on the road. Thankfully, he doesn’t take long. Within minutes, he’s back at my side, surveying the lay of the land. “So, food. Any food, right? Anything else?”

“Toilet paper.”

“What? We have leaves.”

“You don’t know.” I make creepy eyes and point down there. “You don’t know…”

“Toilet paper’s going to take months to biodegrade.”

“Maybe the earth will open up in an aftershock and it’ll disappear.”

He facepalms and strides toward the store. “Come on, then.”

Victory!

We pick our way through the debris of what used to be a canopy for cars to drive under. My lungs choose this moment to start aching again, but I press on. The things we do in the name of quilted comfort.

“Hello?” Vincent calls in the doorway, his hand hovering over his right hip. “Still open for business?”

Voices from somewhere in the back fall into hushed whispers, followed by quick footsteps. “H-Hello?”

An older woman in Capri pants and a button-up top steps out from around the counter—hardly what I’d expected, but a welcome sight.

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