Penelope was getting a bit daring. She knew it was safer for her to stay at the medical center. She knew it was probably better to travel and scout with a group. But she had survived this zombie mess long before Austin. Yes, she was now aware of the higher stakes for her. But Penelope apparently had this heart condition for a long time and didn't even know it. She hadn't let it stop her before, and didn't intend on letting it stop her now.
Although they had given her some medication, it wasn't enough, and it was never a guarantee the medical center would have any. Although the center did have a considerable amount of medical equipment and supplies, there were some things that were harder to get, and others they seemed to constantly be running out of. Wanting another break from the place, Penelope tied up her boots and pulled back her hair to head out for supplies.
Vet clinics and pharmacies were always places she felt she had to stop at. At one pharmacy in particular, she was taking everything she could get her hands on. Penelope figured she could always sort through it and examine things closer when she got back to the center. Condoms, vitamins, band-aides, she shoved them all into her bag. In her effort to not take too much time in any specific place, Penelope had been so focused she hadn't realized another had entered the store until she heard the footsteps.
Ducking down in the aisle, she tried to listen closely, wondering if it was a person or a zombie. The steps were to clear and even to be a zombie. But was the person friendly. Penelope glanced at both sides of the aisle and realized there really was no way of getting around this. She had to talk to the person.
Standing up again, she moved out of the aisle and awkwardly waved at the guy, trying to show she meant no harm.. "Hey, not a zombie," she said. "In case you were wonderin'. I'll get out of the way in a sec here if you want."