The supermarket felt...
Wrong.
My heart wouldn't stop pounding.
Every beat echoed in my ears until it
drowned out almost everything else.
I hated it.
The shelves had been picked clean long before we arrived.
A shopping cart lay overturned near the entrance.
One wheel spun lazily.
I stared at it for a second too long.
Why was it still moving?
...
Don't think about it.
Just keep walking.
There was something black smeared across the floor
Like ink.
It stretched beneath one of the aisles before disappearing into the darkness.
I looked away.
I couldn't stop myself from drifting closer to Lucan.
Not because I trusted him.
Because if something attacked...
It would probably attack him first.
...
God.
What was wrong with me?
Lucan walked a few steps ahead without making a sound.
How?
The floor was covered in broken glass.
Mine crunched beneath every step.
His...
Didn't.
I found myself watching him instead of the supermarket.
His shoulders.
His hands.
The sword hanging at his side.
If he stopped...
I'd stop.
If he ran...
I'd run.
If he drew his sword...
...
Please don't draw your sword.
The silence hurt.
Somewhere deeper inside the building...
Something dripped.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then it stopped.
My breathing sounded too loud.
I tried to breathe quieter.
That only made it worse.
For one stupid, agonizing second...
I convinced myself everything was fine.
Maybe there weren't any monsters.
Maybe the black stain on the floor really was just ink.
Maybe...
Maybe everything would be okay.
Then...
Lucan stopped walking.
Completely.
...
His expression changed.
It wasn't fear.
It wasn't surprise.
It was...
Like he was looking at something I couldn't see.
And then I realized.
We were never really alone in this store.
He made us go in here with the knowledge we weren't alone.
Of course.
Of course we weren't alone.
How could I have believed otherwise?
...
Nothing had been okay since I opened my eyes.