“I don’t hear anything,” Henry spoke. “Maybe it’s still upstairs.” His voice sounded eager and wary.
Raven shifted fractionally, looking at her brother from the corner of her vision. “Is the door locked?” she asked, still watching the trees.
The dell they’d driven into was heavily wooded. She could see maples, alders, birch, and myriad variations of fir trees. Some of the trunks were covered in soft green moss, thick at the base then it thinned out as it traveled upward. Raindrops collected on the moss, causing it to shimmer with refracted light.
She heard Henry twist the knob.
“No,” he answered.
“Well, that’s good at least.” Her voice was breathy with fear. Raven knew how to harness that fear and turn it into focus. Grandfather had taught them that early on.
You fear is your enemy’s best friend, he would say in his gravelly voice. You must take hold of your fear and focus it. Only then will you conquer your opponent.
Raven did that now. Things took on a sharper focus and colors were brighter. The falling rain turned to a cacophonous din. Raven turned to her brother. “You ready?” she asked. Her voice was stronger.
Henry nodded and took a deep breath, gripping the knob. He turned it and opened the door.
Raven’s heartbeat spiked, pounding rapidly, and she took a deep breath to calm it. Focus your fear, Jasper’s voice whispered through her mind.
Nothing charged out of the door and Henry peeked cautiously in. “I can’t see much,” he said. “There’s little light.”
Raven looked in and saw outlines of stacked boxes and slatted crates. “This must be the storage room,” she said. “Did you bring a flashlight?” Raven mentally kicked herself for not thinking of it.
“I did,” Henry responded and she could hear the smile in his voice. “I brought two as a matter of fact.” He reached into the pocket of his jacket and handed her a thin silver flashlight.
“Thanks,” Raven said, taking the proffered light. Clicking the button, she shone it inside. “Yup,” she spoke. “It’s a storage room.”
A loud crash and a distant moan sounded from upstairs. She could hear it though the ceiling. A shiver ran down her spine.
“I think it knows we’re here,” Henry said. “Let’s get this done.” He walked inside, switching on his light. The beam illuminated boxes and crates with gentle light.
Raven followed and shut the door behind her, twisting the knob to make sure it remained unlocked. If they had to get out fast, she didn’t want to fumble with a locked doorknob.
Their flashlights swept the room, sending it into alternating swatches of color and darkness. The beams revealed crates full of slightly wilting vegetables; the leaves of carrots and beets could be seen through the wooden slats. Raven shone her light across the veggie crates and onto a large stack of boxes. “Powdered milk,” she whispered, making a mental note to grab a few of those on the way out.
Henry had reached a wooden door that led, presumably, into the store proper. He put his ear up to the boards and listened, gesturing for Raven to be quiet.
She held still and waited. After a few minutes her brother’s shoulders relaxed and he let out a long breath.
“I don’t hear anything,” he said, glancing at Raven. “I think we should check it out.”
“Do you want to load any of these now?” she asked, gesturing to the boxes and crates.
Henry pursed his lips. “No,” he said. “Let’s look through the rest of the store first.”
“Okay,” Raven agreed. She guessed it didn’t matter either way. If there were undead lurking in the store they would dispatch them quickly and take what they needed. The handle of her axe was smooth against her palm and she squeezed her fingers around it.
Raven shifted to stand by the side of the door, just like when they entered the cabin. Henry mirrored her. She nodded and he pushed the door inward, holding his knife ready.
It swung open with a squeal that made them both cringe. Light streamed in from the windowed front and Raven shut off her flashlight, stowing it in her coat pocket. She peeked around the corner of the door jamb. Henry did the same on the other side, exhaling audibly. She could see shelves of goods, Band-Aids, toiletries, light bulbs, and many other desirable staples.
“It looks clear,” Henry spoke. “Let’s spread out. Not separate.” He added when Raven drew breath to speak. “You take those aisles and I’ll take this side.”
The store wasn’t large. She could see six aisles in front of her and five that ran parallel to them on the other side. It looked like the cash registers were by the front windows on the left.
“Okay, fine,” she answered, not happy. It would be faster though. She squeezed her brother’s hand and headed down the first aisle. Peeking through the shelves, she didn’t see anyone on the other side and that was good. Passing rows of cleanser, she turned down the next aisle. She saw stacks of jeans, sweatpants, underwear, shirts, and shoes. Most of them looked like kids clothing but there were a few adult sizes. Raven touched the hem of a black thermal top. Feeling impulsive, she grabbed it from the rack and folded it, shoving it into another coat pocket. She kept moving.
It only took then a few minutes to ascertain that the store was clear and they met at the front. Raven glanced out of the window and saw, to her relief, that there was not a soul outside, just the ever-present rain falling through the trees.
“Well that was easy,” Henry sighed, leaning against the wooden table where the cash registers sat.
There were two and they looked old fashioned, large buttons and non-electric screen, almost like odd typewriters.
Raven opened her mouth
