"Okay, so Morgana, Jaxx, Gwynth and I will go tonight. Lyria, are you okay to stand guard?"

Lyria nodded. She wasn't quite ready to venture outside again, not after Rebeka's death, but Katherin knew she would protect the rest of the group at all costs.

They weren't taking the others. It was stupid to force the others to return to dangerous conditions when they were still petrified from last night. Katherin was terrified too, but she clenched her fists and worked her jaw. This was for Esther. She would make up for the sin she committed last night.

The fog had dispersed. There was no noise outside apart from the lapping of the waves. It was almost peaceful. Katherin looked out towards the docks. The boat still wasn't there. Ttod hadn't returned. He might have gotten lost.

Katherin shook her head. There must have been problems with the boat. Ttod took it out to sail, just so he could ensure that everything was working fine. He wouldn't place Morgana on the boat, not if he couldn't guarantee their safety. It would make sense. The boat had only recently been fixed. Survivors could have ransacked it for parts and left. That's what had happened, that's all. Ttod would be back soon.

Jaxx was leading the group. There was a shopping centre a few kilometres away. Food, water and supplies would be there if it hadn't already been looted.

Katherin wondered if many people were surviving by moving through abandoned homes. Most of the homes were still boarded up, but that didn't mean people weren't living in there. Katherin and Esther had lived for months in their boarded-up apartment building. It wasn't impossible. The thought sent shivers up Katherin's spine. She glanced back at one of the homes. Someone could be watching them. The zombies could be lurking in the shadows.

"Up ahead." Jaxx murmured.

He pointed to the hazy lights in the distance. The faint outline of the grocery store was illuminated. There was no reflection from the windows. Someone had boarded them up. Katherin shivered. The building seemed to warn her to turn back. Something horrible had occurred within the concrete walls.

Katherin jogged to keep up with Jaxx. An empty pack bounced hard against her back. They'd found the backpacks in the staff lockers. Some were embroidered with initials and patches.

There had been belongings in the packs, but Lyria had tipped them out onto the floor. The owners of the backpacks wouldn't return. They were dead. Ivory waited until Lyria left the room, before scooping up the items and returning them to each locker. Just in case. They didn't know for certain that the staff hadn't survived.

"Which store first?" Gwynth asked.

They stood in front of the grocery store. Lights flickered inside, but there was no movement in the darkness.

"You and Morgana go to the grocery store and fill your packs with food. Jaxx, grab as much bottled water as you can. If there's none inside, there should be some in the backroom of that pizza place. We'll need as much as you can carry. I'm going to go through the rest of these stores. There's a pharmacy down the road. I might head there afterwards to grab some medication."

Jaxx nodded. The automatic doors of the grocery were slightly agar. Something had obstructed the doorway when the lockdown was initiated. The people inside wouldn't have survived. They already knew why the lockdown would have occurred. A zombie would have been outside.

Jaxx pried the door open with his hands. The doors squealed in protest as the gap was widened; just enough that they could squeeze their shoulders through. An overturned rack blocked the entrance. Magazines, chocolates and gum were scattered over the floor. Jaxx kicked the rack, but it didn't budge.

"I'll climb over and jump down." Jaxx frowned. He pulled himself over the rack and disappeared into the darkness. There was a crash. Then silence. Everyone held their breath.

What if the zombies were lying in wait? Jaxx could be in trouble. She counted down from ten in her head.

Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven.

Six. Five. Four.

Three.

Two.

"It's safe."

The rack groaned as it was dragged from the entranceway. Jaxx appeared in the light. He grabbed a handful of chocolates from the ground and chucked them at Katherin.

"Got you something to eat. Now come on."

Gwynth grabbed Jaxx's hand and squeezed through the doors. Their footsteps echoed as they delved deeper into the shopping centre. Cans clinked as they were pulled off the racks and dropped into backpacks.

Morgana still hadn't moved. She stood frozen; glancing between Katherin and the door.

"Do you need me to come with you?" She asked softly.

Katherin shook her head. She understood. No one knew when her blood sugar would drop drastically again. She could fall unconscious or have a seizure. Besides, scavenging alone was never a smart idea. She wouldn't have someone as backup if the zombies ambushed her.

"We need food. Besides, I have chocolate, don't I?"

Morgana nodded hesitantly. She disappeared into the darkness of the store. Jaxx's murmured voice could be heard from the inside. The lights buzzed laboriously.

Katherin turned away from the grocery store. She hoped that they'd find some seeds. Rosabelle had already made plans to start a farm. They'd drain the pool and plant a farm in the ballroom, or maybe fill the pool with soil to plant on top. It would provide them with enough fresh fruit and vegetables to survive. They just needed seeds or some cuttings from trees. The soil could be gathered easily.

Katherin kicked the café door open and stepped inside. Everything appeared as it should be. There were no toppled tables. No dead bodies littered the floor. Katherin wondered whether the café had been closed at the time of the announcement, or whether someone had returned to clean up since. The latter sent shivers down her spine. She didn't want to confront anyone or anything tonight.

There were bags of coffee beans and chocolate powder under the bench. Katherin put them in the bottom of her bag. They weren't necessary items, but coffee would help the night shift go by easier. Ivory would find something to do with the chocolate powder. It would give the rest of the group some hope. A sense of normality in their lives.

Pretty cakes and whipped cream, almond milk and fresh fruit cluttered the fridge. It was all expired. This store had been cut off from the power. They didn't have a backup store. Katherin looked at the food wistfully. She would have loved to bring Esther some cake.

Katherin entered the back room. She put her pack on the bench and began rummaging. There were plenty of bags of flour, and other baking items too. Katherin filled her pack to the brim.

It'd be enough to last them months.

Katherin opened the drawers. There were knives and blowtorches. Katherin grabbed a produce bag from the shelves and began sorting through the items. The blowtorches would be useful to start fires. If necessary, they could be used as a weapon too. She threw two into the bottom of the bag.

The knives would help Ivory cook, and the small ones could be concealed as a weapon. They could use them as a last resort if a zombie came too close. Katherin threw those in too.

There was a rustling in the main room. Katherin grabbed the closest object. A potato peeler. Useful for preparing wedges, but not much else. Certainly not from disarming an intruder.

There wasn't enough time. It'd have to do.

Katherin held the peeler firmly and set her feet.

The figure entered the room. Katherin moved without thinking; pressing the peeler against the throat of her attacker.

"Calm down. It's just me." Jaxx grunted. He gripped Katherin's arm, prying the peeler from her stiff fingers. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just came to find you. We're using shopping carts to take more stuff. There's a cart for you too if you think you can manage it. We'll go to the pharmacy on the way home."

Katherin nodded. Adrenaline coursed through her veins. Her body shook; legs buckling as she tried to calm herself down. She'd had almost killed Jaxx.

Well, not killed. Injured. Minorly.

Even so, Katherin couldn't wipe the image of Jaxx bleeding out on the concrete floor; Morgana and Gwynth huddled around them as they tried to stem the flow of blood. They would walk home. It was too dangerous to carry his body back. Raven would never forgive her. Esther wouldn't be able to look her in the eyes.

Katherin shook her head. She needed to get a grip. This wasn't the time to be falling apart.

Hi everyone!

How did you find this part? 

It's almost embarrassing to admit, but I spent hours googling types of knives - just to decide that Katherin would attack Jaxx with a peeler. I wanted something that couldn't kill Jaxx, but my original plan was to wound him (just a bit!). I think this ending was much more humorous though. 

Do you think it's good to incorporate humour into stories like these? 

Happy reading x