Today was the day, enough putting it off. Beth strapped her body with the switchblade, the ratty backpack filled with another expired protein bar and a bottle of boiled creek water. Her dainty feet were in the well-worn boots she woke up in, not more than a week ago. She was ready.
She made good time getting back to the rural road and the car she thought was best suited for the ride. Filling the tank with all the gas she found Beth tried the ignition. Bam. It was running like a champ. She was on her way but not sure where she was going Beth made a point to make mental notes along the way. If she wanted to get back to the cabin before nightfall she'd want to be smart about this journey into the unknown.
Coming into a small township along the dusty road Beth saw a general store, a bar and a consignment shop. If the stores hadn't been picked clean and wasn't crawling with the undead she'd found a little piece of heaven. Beth couldn't remember if ever had a drink and she wasn't about to start. But the booze could be helpful for wounds. That was last on the list though. That general store was her first target. Driving around back she parked the car, locked it and made her way around the building.
A few groans and shuffles made Beth very aware of the danger that lurked down the road. If she could bypass these walkers she'd have a clear shot to the door of the shop. A shuffle up the three steps up to the general store and she was at the door. Beth turned the knob and in she went. Stealthy she turned inside and closed the door behind her. Time to make a sweep of the room and get out of there unscathed. A lone walker closed in on her and let out a long groan and went for her lifeless arm. Turning swiftly Beth brought up her knife and grazed the walkers' right ear. Damnit, she was better than this. It snarled back at her with a mouth full of black teeth and decaying flesh hanging off his skeleton. This guy had been out here for a while and it showed. Without hesitation Beth raised up the knife one more time and brought it down with all her might. Right through the skull with a loud crunch, Beth let out a sigh and a sly smile.
Gathering what she could find Beth set out down the aisles. No more walkers, again, she was lucky even in a world as cruel as this and despite her brush with death she was actually very lucky to be alive and well enough to provide for herself. This fact was not lost on Beth.
Making a trip back to the car to fill it with what she had found Beth saw movement down the road. It moved differently than a walker and sped off into the wooded area that surrounded most of the township. She didn't have the time or the energy to explore so she went back into the general store for one more sweep of provisions.
While inside she made her way to the back and found a small pharmacy, carefully scanning the shelves for anything that might help her condition she came across a body. Dressed in a white lab coat and decaying rapidly the deceased body was nothing to be scared of. Skin barely clung to the bones. He must have been here in the beginning. Maybe giving out drugs to those thought to be sick with whatever plague that had hit the world so hard. Beth paused for a moment for the person this body once belonged to. She hadn't lost her sense of empathy after all, she was a kind girl and at times maybe too kind for her own good. While standing over the body she missed the movement behind the shelves of pills.
Gathering what pills looked like antibiotics and a few painkillers Beth was ready to get out of this place and head back home. The other stores could wait until another day. Just as she was walking out the door she heard a noise from the back of the store. She was just back there and heard nothing, what could it be? Reluctantly she stood in the doorframe looking back into the store. "Show yourself", she spoke in an authorative voice, yet not knowing where it came from she was proud of her confidence.
The figure stood still, Beth could make out a silhouette of the stranger. This wasn't a walker this was a human being.