InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "What are the 39 steps?"

Leah Stone (reapinghavok) wrote in immune_ic,
@ 2011-11-23 03:49:00

Entry tags:

# 2011 [11] november, leah

WHO: Leah & O'Brien
WHEN: November 26, 2018; around 6:00PM
WHERE: Out and about; Fancy Pharmacy (close to City Hall)
WHAT: Undead hookers! Oh, and raiding a pharmacy.
HOW: Foul language and possible nudity ~~because of the hookers, of course...~~
STATUS: Complete

Daylight Savings Time had become another pointless thing of the past; one of the few things Leah was glad to know it was no longer enforced. If it was, the hour would be dark by now and Brandon would no doubt be giving her hell for being out after dark on her own. As it was, she still had at least an hour of sunlight left to continue scavenging for medical supplies. That new dog of Lilah's would no doubt be needing flea medication, and Leah knew several doctors willing to trade useful items in exchange for whatever she found.

This particular pharmacy, the now ironically named Fancy Pharmacy, was located on a fairly quiet block, populated by what looked like the sickliest-looking group of shufflers she'd ever come across. Clothing hung in tattered strips over what was left of the body, skinny cadavers that looked more like walking skeletons and less like something that used to be alive. Their movements were even slower than normal shufflers (if that was possible), each step an enormous chore that looked beyond painful. Fortunately for them, thought Leah, they don't feel.

Pausing in the entrance-way of the pharmacy, Leah dug in her pocket for her flashlight, resisting the urge to snort when her eyes caught sight of what appeared to be her only major threat on this block. A group of three female shufflers, all of whom had more flesh on their bones than the others, stood more or less on the curb across the street. Judging by the remains of their already scanty wardrobe — short skirts, bosom-bearing tops, one six-inch high heel and the matching no-inch high heel (in one zombie's case; the other two were bare-footed) — it didn't take a rocket scientist to determine what they did when they were alive.

Lit flashlight in one hand, machete in the other, Leah ducked into the pharmacy, pushing the door closed behind her. It wouldn't do much to prevent the zombies outside from coming in — there was no lock, and the display windows were broken — but it would slow them down a little, and every second counted.

Light streaming in from the front windows illuminated the front of the store, the flashlight serving to help her see at the rear. She could hear grunts coming from somewhere beyond the shelves. Quietly, Leah walked along the store, keeping the wall at her side, her machete at the ready. Bottles, empty and not empty, were scattered about the floor, making her steps all the more treacherous.

She was nearly to the source of the noise when her foot nudged a full bottle of pills, sending it rattling down an aisle. Leah halted, her breath catching. The chomping that had gotten louder the closer she got, stopped. Leah felt her heart pounding. A hand appeared around the corner of a shelf, followed by a rotted face, its eye (one missing), staring at her. It was the anticipation that affected her the most. One zombie, a sight she had looked upon countless times, was barely worth the adrenaline rush anymore. As it reached for her, hands groping, she swung her arm back and sliced it through the forehead. It fell back onto the floor, and she finished the job.

After a full inspection of the rest of the store, making certain all the present corpses weren't going to get up, Leah commenced searching through what items were left in the pharmacy.

(Read comments) - (Post a new comment)

reapinghavok
2011-11-28 11:28 pm UTC (link)

The softest scuffle of shoes coming to a stop on the marble floor told Leah only one thing about her visitor: it had heard her. It was unknown whether or not a zombie's ears were still capable of hearing sounds like the living. There were countless theories on the subject, but the only thing that Leah considered important was the fact that they were, indeed, drawn toward the slightest of sounds. That damn creaky door had given her away.

Had she not been listening for them, the slow, calculated footsteps advancing on her hiding place would've gone unnoticed and she would've most likely found herself in a tricky spot. Not that this wasn't tricky enough, skulking among the shelves, keeping to the darkest areas of the pharmacy, but it was worse knowing that her presence had been detected. Zombies could see in the dark — or at least sense things — but humans could not. There was no flashlight beam directing the intruder, either, so that gave her a little comfort.

Leah peeked around the corner of the farthest aisle, noting the position of the intruder. The contents of a small cardboard box rattled — sounds like something found the Band-Aids. Either the zombie had paused for a "rest" and had leaned against a shelf, knocking over the box, or else it was a human snatching supplies.

She let out a quiet huff of annoyance at not being able to tell whether her visitor was decomposing or looting. It started moving again, a little more quickly this time, as if maybe it could sense her there and was eager for a meal. Zombies were always eager for a meal. Good thing they weren't fond of fast food.

By the sound of it, whatever it was was heading for the door she'd left open, which was good because the distraction of the empty room could be just the thing she needed to further her advantage. However, that was before the intruder honed in on her hiding place. Leah jerked her head back, but too late, the thing's footsteps were already approaching. Nor did it help that her sudden movement had caused the shelf she was hiding behind to rock. She'd just lost the advantage of surprise.

Releasing a calming breath, Leah, crouched between the aisle of ointments and lotions, readied her flashlight and machete. The instant the footsteps were near enough to her hiding place, she sprang up, raising her machete and shining the flashlight's beam on the intruder's face. Her body tensed for the lunge of rotted hands, the excited gurgling sound that came whenever a zombie located a fresh meal.

Neither of which came.

	↓ started us on a new line reapinghavok 2011-12-18 02:07 am UTC (link)
	(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: ↓ started us on a new line detectiveobrien 2011-12-18 02:19 am UTC (link)
	:) (Reply to this) (Parent)