The Past (2)

Jackie watches as her companion's broad shoulders disappear into the establishment. After a brief hesitation, she begins to follow the confident man.

"Ahhh," His voice screams out the moment her foot crosses the threshold, causing her to freeze in place.

"Jim? JIM!? Are you okay?" The timid girl yells to her companion as she raises her pistol in front of her.

There are only a few steps between the main entrance and the first corner, 'What could have gone wrong?'

"Hahaha, Red, you're so uptight!" The man suddenly pops back around the corner, laughing hysterically as he sees the shaking gun in her grip, "The coast is clear. Just don't shoot me on accident."

Jackie accepts that she may have been a little jumpy and exits her firing stance.

"Seriously, Jim. Please." She appreciates the older man's attempt at soothing her nerves, but it didn't work as he had thought. With more concentration than before, she steps into the abandoned shop, trying to observe all of her surroundings.

Jim notices the frightened girl and moves toward the center of the sales floor. Useless merchandise littered the floor as the man kicked the items aside to clear a path. After reaching the center, he kicks a shelf over, causing a crash and sprinkling more things throughout the room.

"Hey, anyone here wants to eat me? Anyone at all?" His shouts echo as they bounce off the walls of the interior. "See? We're alone."

His outrageous behavior brings Jackie a sense of relief.

"Why don't you jump behind the counter and grab the medicine? I'll see what I can salvage up front. It's not like Jame's will get upset at some extra supplies." Returning to the task at hand, he becomes serious as he starts sifting through the trash piled on the floor.

'He really isn't nervous?' She watches as he leans his makeshift spear against a pillar in the center of the room and begins ignoring his surroundings.

Accepting that she needs to finish her task before she will be allowed to return to the safety of her apartments, Jackie picks up a small basket from the ground and heads straight for the Pharmacy door.

Her eyes glance over the counter, spotting scattered pills, as she reaches for the handle of the half door that bars her way. 'They must have left in a hurry. They didn't even lock up.'

The door pops open with a slight click when she turns the handle, granting her easy access.

The first step into the Pharmacy was a confusing one. Surrounded by giant containers of various medications, she felt overwhelmed. 'How am I supposed to know what is useful? I just took one class…'

Whining isn't going to get her very far, so she steps into the first aisle and reaches for the first container she sees.

Opening the bottle reveals that it is filled with a small blue capsule with tiny markings on the side. Not sure of the pill's use, she reaches up and opens another container filled with a yellow and brown tablet.

"Damn it, Jim! I can't tell what these are!" Jackie racks her brain, trying to connect any medications with ones she has seen in her past.

"It doesn't matter, just grab everything you can. We can sort them out when we find a book or something." The calm man reassures her from beyond the counter. He's carrying a case of water that must have been missed when the first looters cleared out the store.

'So why did I have to be assigned to this?' She sighs as she accepts his advice.

She begins filling her basket with a medley of medications that she found in the front, more accessible, part of the Pharmacy. After she runs out of room in her basket, she begins pouring new medications into the old containers to fill any remaining space before placing them on the counter and grabbing a new one from the sales floor.

'The ones out here should be the most commonly used… But, I bet the important stuff is behind there.' She stares at a windowless door near the rear of the Pharmacy before reaching for the cold handle. 'It's unlocked!'

Turning the handle, she braces for the worst as she pulls the heavy door open.

On the other side, a dark-haired man wearing a lab coat stands with his back toward her.

"Oh shit, sorry!" She quickly pushes the door closed, but the man has already moved.

His pale arm is caught as she attempts to force it shut. Jackie grunts as she slams her hip into the side of the thick door. 'Oh fuck, is that one of them?'

A distinct crack is heard as the protruding hand hangs limply. Thick blood begins to stream down the limb as it continues to push into the room relentlessly. The obvious break is not slowing it down at all.

Unable to seal the entrance, Jackie retreats backward as she jumps away from the threat and scrambles to reach the gun she left sitting on a shelf. It was only a few steps, but each one felt like an eternity.

A sense of security overtakes her as she feels the cold steel of the pistol in her grip.

Pivoting on her feet, she doesn't finish turning before the first round is released. The bang of gunfire echoes through the small building as the first round connects with the security door.

The door swings fully open, revealing the white lab coat once again. Other than the blank expression in his eyes, and the broken arm, he looks no different than a human as he shambles across the floor.

A second shot rings out, and a bright red spot appears on the chest of the pristine white coat of her target.

He continues to step forward, raising his hands toward her.

Jackie continues to back-peddle as a third shot is fired, striking a pill container on the shelves. Panicking, she raises her weapon to shoot again but slips on medication that had been scattered on the floor.

The fourth shot strikes the light above her.

The man lunges toward the fallen prey and grasps her ankle with his remaining hand. She raises her pistol to fire again when her vision is suddenly blocked.

"Run!" Jim shouts as he crashes into the creature from above, allowing her to break free from its grip.

The middle-aged man and the lab coat freak tumble on the ground and slam into the shelves as Jim wraps his arm around the new foe to buy her time.