“Let’s stop in the pharmacy first. I want to see if anything is left.” Asher nodded, and Mason continued leading them toward it. They stopped in front of it, but the door hung from the hinges. They listened and slowly stepped inside. The interior was dark where the light didn’t penetrate it through the windows.
“Let’s make this quick. I don’t want to spend a lot of time in town.” Mason kept his voice low. There were only two aisles, with a long shelf between them running along the center. Because it was so small, they stuck together and made a sweep of the whole place. They stopped at the counter in front of the pharmacy, but they could see down each small aisle and didn’t spot anyone.
“I’m going to see if there is anything left that might be useful to take.” She looked between them. “Any allergies?” She smiled, but apparently the men didn’t think it was funny, since they just stared at her. She shook her head and moved around the counter to step up into the small box-like drug dispensary. The shelves were still standing, but there were boxes and bottles scattered all along the floor.
The room was murky with shadows, but there was enough light coming through the windows that she could at least see well enough. She got on her haunches and pushed some of the pill bottles around. Stool softeners, pain relievers, and cough suppressants were some of them. She grabbed a few bottles of the pain relievers and shoved them in her bag. Standing and going over to the shelves, she scanned what was left. A lot of stuff and been picked through, but she did manage to find some antibiotics, grabbed the bottle, and put it in her bag. She took a few more things and headed back around the counter.
“Get what you needed?” Asher asked.
“I grabbed some things. Let me see if there are any first aid supplies.” She went through the two aisles, feeling the two men following behind her. There wasn’t much of anything left, but she found some medical tape, gauze, a few bottles of sterile water, and several other supplies that would come in useful if one of them got injured. “Okay, I think I got enough.” They made their way out of the pharmacy and headed toward the grocery store.
The grocery store was smaller, but she supposed for the town it could have been considered large. The sign stating the store was called McMillian’s hung right above the front doors. The once red lettering had a few holes littered in it and had a washed-out look to it. A lone shopping cart was tipped over in the center of the parking lot, and grass and weeds were starting to make their way through the numerous cracks in the pavement, but aside from a dented and old blue Toyota Corolla sitting in one of the parking spots near the front, the place was still and silent. They did a quick scan of the lot and then slowly moved toward the front doors. Asher leaned forward and looked inside through the dirty and almost foggy-looking front window.
“Looks pretty bare in there, but we might be able to find a few things, maybe even some stock in the back.” He turned and looked at her. “You ever done a search before?
“Yeah, but mainly in houses. The only store I ever went into was with the first group, and it was a 7-Eleven.”
He nodded once and pointed to the pipe she had a death grip on. “Stay on the alert until we make a thorough sweep.” Asher said it gently.
“Keep your head up and stay out of the way.” Mason said his statement coldly and didn’t look at her when he spoke. Sparrow gritted her teeth but didn’t bother responding. She saw Asher clench his hand around his knife so hard his knuckles turned white. Mason opened one of the doors and stepped in. Asher was next, and she looked behind her at the empty parking lot before following them. The inside was dark aside from the light coming through the huge glass windows, but it didn’t penetrate the inside the building, and the grimy, grungy quality made the rear of the store look murky and frightening. They waited a few minutes and listened to see if they heard any grunting or moaning.
When silence greeted them, Mason faced them and said, “I’ll take the right. Ash, take her with you to the left. We can meet up in the center. Grab what you can find and fit in your pack.”
“I can take the center, and we can meet by the supply door.” She kept her voice low then pointed to the door that could just be made out in the back center.