A/N: I decided to give you a bit more, this is all I've got for the story right now. Reviews will determine if I go on or not! :)
Oh and yes, in a post-apocalyptic world, I would trade jewelery for tampons.
And also, I own nothing but my characters.
Tears streamed down my face as I drove, my brother, Josh, fiddled with a gun in the back seat, and Alex, my boyfriend, stared emotionlessly out the passenger window. My knuckles were white on the steering wheel, I hadn't wanted to come, but the boys had insisted that they needed my help. I pulled up behind a seemingly deserted store, killing the engine before putting my hands in my lap and staring down at them. "Okay, Sarah, you're going in to distract the store clerk, we're going to sneak in the back and see what we can get, okay?" My brother put his hand on my shoulder gently, I looked up, Alex hadn't moved.
"I don't get it, what's the gun for then?" I almost whispered.
"Just in case things go badly," my brother answered, motioning for me to get out of the truck. I got out slowly, watching as he pushed the seat forward and wiggled out of the small back seat. It was a wonder to most people that we were twins. He was a whole foot taller than I, as well as having dusty blond hair, while mine was deep brown. Our eyes, however, were quite similar, a dark swirling hazel. I sighed and was saddened to find Alex still seated in the truck. I went to his door and opened it wide, quickly wrapping my arms around him, "Come on baby, we have to do this," I murmured in his ear. He looked up at me for a second before giving a slow nod and climbing out of the truck. My brother had already jimmied the lock to the back door of the store and as soon as Alex was next to him he nodded to me, I swallowed hard as I turned and walked towards the front doors.
It was Alex's grandpa. He hadn't made it through the night, and yesterday, Michael had passed; he had gotten sick from drinking dirty water from a stream he found four days earlier. My chest tightened and I tried to clear my head, I needed to focus. A bell tinkled as I opened the door, causing a small elderly man behind the counter to look up. "Good afternoon, little lady, and how may I assist you today?" Oh no, he was so cute and polite!
Cover story, cover story, goddamn it why didn't Josh give me a good cover story…"Uh…I need…" My mind fumbled for a few seconds, "Tampons! I need tampons." I exclaimed. The old man's cheeks reddened slightly as he bent behind the counter and retrieved a box, holding it up for me to see. "Oh thank goodness," I said, reaching for them, only to stumble slightly as he pulled his arm back swiftly.
"Now, now, little miss, nothings free here, what have you got to give me in return?" He questioned with a frown. I let my eyes widen before slowly patting the pockets of my jeans, and then the pockets of my flannel jacket before pulling out a small golden ring, a birthday gift that was worth much more than a box of tampons. The old mans' eyes lit up immediately, I sighed, "This is all I've got, I'll give it to you for six boxes of tampons." I stated.
"Bah! I'll give you two for it!" The old man scoffed
"Six," I said, "this is 18 carat gold, those can't cost more than four dollars a box, it's perfectly reasonable." As I stared into his milky blue eyes I could almost see the gears turning in his mind.
I could tell from the greedy look that he really wanted the ring. Even so, a full minute passed before he spoke. "All right, you got yourself a deal little lady." He picked up and bagged six boxes of the tampons, holding out his hand for the ring as he extended the bag to me.
I reluctantly placed the ring into his palm as I took the bag, "Pleasure doing business with you," I said sarcastically, counting the boxes once more before turning to leave. Pft, cute and polite, more like dusty and wily! I walked slowly to the truck, happy to see the two boys already seated inside. I jumped in and started it up, throwing into drive before I asked how it had gone.
"We got enough to keep us all well for at least a month," Josh said, he looked upset and Alex looked…the same as he had before, so the ride was spent in silence.
That was the first time I bartered, as well as the first time I aided in a robbery. A lot of other unsavory firsts followed those, the worst of them being the first time I took a human life. It was four years later when I was staring down the barrel of a BL/ind issue ray gun, and it came down to his life or mine, and I chose mine.
I woke up to Grumbles licking my face and whimpering at me, I was on the hard ground next to the dying fire. I cursed under my breath and pulled myself up, groaning as I tried to pop out a kink that had developed in my neck. The sky was pitch black, so I kicked dirt over the fire and picked up Grumbles, earning a loud grumble for my efforts, once I tossed the garbage from dinner, I shuffled into the back of the blazer. I locked the doors and fell asleep under a green sleeping bag with Grumbles curled up by my belly on the small seat.