At first I try not to look back over my shoulder to see if there's anyone following me. I left in a hurry before they could stop me. So I don't want to look like I'm looking back and regretting it. After I reach the town center I survey my surroundings. There might be some random zombies like before so I look out carefully. No one seems to be following me. I head towards the supermarket to stock up on things a little bit more. Such dark memories here. I almost killed a pregnant woman here. But she did attack me first! AH! Just forget about it. I won't be coming back here anyways. Rest of my life I will avoid this place. No harm done.
I grab canned food as much as my bag allows me. It'll be a hassle carrying all of them but it's better than starving to death. I'm willing to risk my shoulders in exchange for a long safe journey. Wow, there was coffee here. I heard it goes bad after a while but I'm willing to try it out. It tastes like shit anyways. As long as it can give me strength I'm willing to carry it. My bag got considerably heavy after I added the supplies. I might need to rest frequently, there's no need to push myself that much.
I go outside and start to head south. After going for maybe 1 or 2 days in that direction just in case, I'll head to my original direction. I grab my bag and get up. On my way to the mountain I'll stop by the park river Jerry told me about and get more water, since I'll be walking non-stop until dark. I'm so determined to get out of here it's weird. I was trapped in a zombie infested building 2 years ago, I was hiding in the office kitchen for 3 whole days and had to pee in the sink. Even then I was not in this hurry to run away like this. Yes, the worst thing I could encounter out in the world will always be people. Always been that way.
I reached the park. It's as quiet as ever. There had been no encounters with any zombies so far. I sink my water bottle into the river with its lid upside. The air bubbles to the top and stops when I know it's full. I drink almost ⅓ of the water and refill it again. It's been almost 30 minutes since I left Jerry's. I look to my back and luckily there's no one following me. I reassure myself that there will be no reason for them in the first place anyway, and even if they did I will not give them any excuse to follow me.
Today's weather is so ideal I love every second of it. Cloudy with a refreshing breeze. It might rain at night but I wouldn't mind that. Rain washes my footprints away and disorients the zombies. That means I could change my course to the originally intended without having to wait for 2 days. Such a lucky day.
The mountain looks so close now. Just a few blocks and I'll be out of reach. I walk following the empty roads and I notice one shop sign. I could not believe it. It was a bright red colored shop with 2 Victorian windows each on the side of a classy wooden door. Almost all their branches have this appearance. I would never mistake one even from a distance. The sign said "Markus's Art supply". And it's right on the corner of the next block! I know I'm stopping by, 10 minutes would be enough. Oh, I just know God blessed me on this day, everything is going perfect.
I opened the doors only a little so I could take a peek. Gouaches and watercolors on display were untouched and heavy with dust. All of them had the distinct red stamp logo's on them. Signature sign of the Markus's. They have such high quality pencils and pens their price has always been over the moon. Now I could raid it for FREE! I'm so giddy with excitement. As far as I can see from peeking, the inside is not messy at all. I'm sure nobody thought to raid this place after the apocalypse. And with the artistic fragile doors nobody thought to take a shelter here anyways. It's so nostalgic to be in a place that hasn't been messed up, I'll be respectful to the shop and take only the things I need.
I used to visit one branch close to my university and just used to look around without buying. The only thing I could afford were the charcoal pencils and some of the cheap pens. I would literally save up for months just to afford one of their watercolor sets. My student self would not believe me if I said I'd be taking things from here free of charge in just a few years.
I go straight to the sketchbook aisle. Their notebooks are the top of the industry with such beautifully designed covers. I grabbed 2 small sketchbooks that caught my attention. Believe me, I would love to take more, no, I would love to take all of them with me but there's no space left in my bag. I swallow my greed and look for the watercolor sets. I grab 48 color pencil sets and water colors. The paint brushes were all on display begging to be taken. I'm literally drooling as I take one of each.
After looking around a bit, I found the most convenient bag that would fit perfectly with the bag I'm carrying now. It was a flat leather case that had pockets to hold pencils and my paints, it can even fit A3 sketch books! My current sketchbook is a little smaller than A3, but whenever I keep carrying it in my current bag the edges get all dirty and whenever I take it out it always looks more worn out than before. I can strap the leather case to my waist and wear my backpack over it so it won't fall to the side. I try running and walking with it on and it's such a perfect fit. I decided to keep all my art stuff in the case and it feels so much comfortable now.
Damn it. It took way too long. I thought it would only take 10 minutes but here I am, organizing all my bags on the floor. I didn't realize it because of the excitement, it must've been at least 30 minutes since I've been here. My bags are organized and comfy, all the weight have been distributed evenly, it feels so comfortable. Time to head out the mountain and keep going until it's dark. I feel so confident today for some reason.
But when I opened the door to head outside the first thing I saw was Jerry in his overcoat, sitting on the sidewalk across the building playing with his swiss knife. I was so shocked to see him I couldn't move. "What does he want?!" I scream the question in my head. When he looked up at me his glasses flash with light and I get the most ominous vibe.
- "Hey gorgeous", he says as he gets up. "I believe you forgot something," he takes something small out from his pocket and brings it up close to his face. I can't see what it is but my hands reach out my knife in my belt instinctively. He sniffs the thing with a deep breath, and says "You need this right?". I can see it clearly now. It's pink and small, there is only one thing I carry with me that's pink. It's my vibrator. And this sick fuck just sniffed it.