Wichita's P.O.V
I quietly walk up and down the aisles of the grocery store, making sure to look for Twinkies. A few minutes later I meet up in the middle with Columbus. My sister had decided to go with Tallahassee. Not a few seconds after meeting up with Columbus, Tallahassee comes around the corner alone. He walks up to us.
"Where's my sister?" I ask immediately. After what happened at Pacific Playland, she had always stayed next to me. The first time she wants to head off with someone else, she gets lost.
"Shit," is Tallahassee's reply, "I could have sworn she was right behind me the whole time." It is unlike my sister to just walk off like this. I will admit that I am starting to freak out. Big sister overprotective mode has kicked in full gear, and I am ready to strangle Tallahassee for not looking out for her.
"Are we positive there are no zombies in the store?" Columbus asks. I glance over and see he is as scared as me.
"Not up front," I say with a quiver in my voice. I clear my throat and say more confidently, "Did anyone check the back?" Columbus and Tallahassee both look at each other. Obviously neither one of them had bothered to look.
"Well, we know she is in this half of the store," Columbus says while pointing to where Tallahassee had just come from. "Should we split up and look?" Tallahassee and I nod our heads in agreement. Before I know it, we have all met by the supply room door. Now my freaking out has gone into overdrive. I realize that my little sister is in the back, by herself, with possible zombies hiding in wait.
"You don't think she went in there by herself?" Columbus asks. I look at Tallahassee.
"Did you tell her that you guys were going to look in the back?"
"Shit," is his only reply.
"She must of last track of you and thought that you had gone to the back." It's the only scenario that makes sense. My sister would never willingly go anywhere alone. She understands the buddy system. Before anything else can be said between us, we hear a scream from behind the door followed quickly by two gun shots. My heart starts to race as my head catches up with my ears. That was my sister.
Little Rock's P.O.V
After what happened at Pacific Playland, I had been sticking pretty close to my sister. In the beginning, I was mad at her for lying to me about it being zombie free. Eventually, I got over it. Columbus had reminded me that my sister was trying to help me feel like a kid again. Tonight, I decided to go with Tallahassee as we searched for more Twinkies.
"After we do a sweep of the aisles, we will go to the back," he tells me before we start. I nod my head in understanding. While walking down one of the aisles, I spot a cereal box of my favorite cereal. I stop and look at it remembering the last time I had a bowl. My sister and I had stopped at a motel on our way to California before Zombieland. She had bought them as a surprise for me. It was only a few days later that the outbreak had started. After not paying attention to Tallahassee, I look up to see that he has walked off without me.
I head off looking for him. After looking down a couple aisles, I head to the back. He did say that we would look there. I cautiously open the door and look around. I haven't gone too far in when I hear movement.
"Tallahassee, is that you?" I ask. I don't get a reply so I walk farther in. I hear movement again and call out, "Tallahassee, please, is that you?" Getting no reply, I start freaking out. Why didn't I just follow my sister in the first place? At least she wouldn't have walked off without me. I hear the movement again, this time closer. I turn around and come face-to-face with three zombies. I scream, take a couple shots, and then start running.
Wichita's P.O.V
Without a second of hesitation, I burst through the door. My reflexes have gone on automatic pilot. All that matters is getting to my sister. A quick look tells me she has moved away from the door. I spot a zombie lying on the floor. Columbus goes up and shoots it again. I hear another scream and then more gun shots. We all take off in that direction.
"Little Rock, hang on, we're coming," Columbus yells.
"Please hurry," she yells back as another shot is heard. I can hear the fear in her voice. We all step it up a notch. I hear two more gun shots, before we finally round a final corner and see her. She has been backed into a corner with two zombies advancing quickly.
"Get as low to the floor as you can!" Tallahassee yells. She drops her gun, lays flat on the floor, and covers her head. We all start firing at the two remaining zombies. After the last one falls, my sister sits up and rests her back against the wall. I can tell she is freaking out. Then realization hits me like a ton of bricks. She is having a panic attack. I immediately run up to her.
Little Rock's P.O.V
I risk a glance behind me. I notice that only two are following me now. I stumble and drop my gun. I quickly pick it up. I scream as I notice how close they are, as I pick up my gun and fire more shots. That's when I hear Columbus.
"Little Rock, hang on, we're coming!" I reach a dead end and turn around.
"Please hurry," I yell back as I take a few more shots. These zombies are bigger and are not falling easily. I fire again with no affect. Finally I see them round the corner. I immediately look at my sister. I can see she is freaking out as much as me.
"Get as low to the floor as you can!" Tallahassee yells at me. I drop my gun and fall to the floor covering my head. I hear tons of shots ring out before everything gets quiet. I look to see both zombies on the ground. I sit up and rest my back against the wall. I start hyperventilating. Before I realize it, I am having a panic attack. I look up to see my sister running towards me.
Wichita's P.O.V
I toss my gun aside and fall to my knees. I take my sister's face in my hands and make her look at me.
"Okay, just calm down," I try to say in a calm voice. "Deep breaths," I say as I too take them. She mirrors me. "Good girl. Just take deep breaths. You're okay." After a few more deep breaths, she starts to relax.
"I got distracted. He left me, said we would look in the back." She says this with one breath. Her voice is small and weak.
"I know. It's okay. You're okay." I reassure her again. I wrap her into a hug and can feel her shaking with each breath. It takes a moment for me to realize that she is crying and I feel her arms tighten around me. I also tighten my hold. "You're okay. I got you. I'm not going to leave you. I'm never going to leave you." I whisper in her ear. The same words I said to her at the young age of seven when our parents walked out and left her in my care.
I look up to Tallahassee and Columbus. They both look relieved to see that she is okay. I feel my sister relax against me and know that she has fallen asleep. Tallahassee must have realized this because he steps up and picks her up. We walk back to the car in silence. I get in the back first and then Tallahassee sets my sister next to me. I pull her close and rest her head under my chin.
I silently curse myself for breaking a promise. I had promised her when this whole Zombieland thing started that I would never leave her alone. I was beginning to doubt my decision to go back on our rule. Trust no one, just you and me. From now on, that would still be our rule. Tallahassee and Columbus were just two people helping me to keep my sister safe. That was all it was ever going to be. That was all it could be.