“It’s a mess, but it doesn’t look like much of the merchandise has been taken,” Nancy said. “It appears that whoever did this was mostly interested in the cash registers.”
From where they were standing they could see that the cash drawers on all the registers were open.
“Stupid people!” Jesse commented. “If civil authority breaks down, paper money is going to be worth only what it’s printed on.”
Jesse took one last look around the empty parking lot. He didn’t see a soul. “I wonder why there is no one around here?” he asked. “They all seem to be walking around the rest of the city. But let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth. Let’s do it.”
They stepped through the broken window and headed up the central aisle toward the pharmacy, which was located in the back. The walking was difficult in the half light since the floor was covered with scattered cans, bottles, and boxes of food stuff that had been knocked from the shelves.
The pharmacy section was divided from the rest of the store by a wire mesh grate that rolled out of the ceiling and locked to the floor. Whoever had ransacked the grocery section had also been into the pharmacy. A rough hole was cut in the grate with a pair of chain cutters that were still on the floor.
Jesse held the jagged edges of the hole apart so Nancy could squeeze through. She quickly reconnoitered behind the pharmacy desk.
“What’s it look like?” Jesse asked from outside the grate.
“The narcotics are gone,” Nancy said, “but that’s no problem. The antiviral drugs are here and so are the antibiotics. Give me about ten minutes and I’ll have what I need.”
Jesse turned to Cassy. “Let’s you and I get those provisions,” he said.
Cassy and Jesse went back to the front of the store and got bags. Then they started down the appropriate aisles. Cassy selected the items while Jesse played porter.
They were in the middle of the pasta section when Jesse slipped on fluid spilled from a broken bottle. The fluid had made the vinyl floor as slippery as ice.
Cassy managed to grab his arm to help keep him upright. Even after he regained his balance, his feet continued to slide around, forcing him to walk with his legs wide apart. It was like a comedy routine.
Cassy bent over and looked at the bottle. “No wonder,” she said. “It’s olive oil. So be careful!”
“Careful is my middle name,” Jesse said. “How do you think I lasted thirty years as a cop?” He smiled and shook his head. “Funny, I’d been hoping for one big last hurrah before retiring. But I got to tell you, this episode is a lot more than I bargained for.”
“It’s a lot more than any of us bargained for,” Cassy added.
They rounded the corner and entered the aisle with all the cereals. Cassy had to push through an enormous pile of boxes which included some large cardboard containers. All all at once she sucked in her breath as if shocked. Jesse was at her side in an instant.
“What’s the matter?” he demanded.
Cassy pointed. In the middle of what had been a crude hut constructed from the boxes was the cherubic face of a young boy. He was no more than five years old. His skin was smudged and his clothing disheveled.
“Good Lord!” Jesse blurted out. “What’s he doing in here?”
Cassy instinctively bent down to pick the child up. Jesse grabbed her arm.
“Hold on,” Jesse said. “We don’t know anything about him.”
Cassy made a motion to free her arm, but Jesse held firm.
“He’s only a child,” Cassy said. “He’s terrified.”
“But we don’t know... ” Jesse began.
“We can’t just leave him here,” Cassy said.
Reluctantly Jesse let go of Cassy’s arm. Cassy bent over and extracted the child from his house of cereal boxes. The boy instinctively clung to Cassy, burying his face in the crook of her neck.
“What’s your name?” Cassy asked the child while gently patting his back. She was surprised by the strength with which he held her.
Cassy and Jesse exchanged glances. They were both thinking the same thing: How was this unexpected event going to impact their already desperate situation?
“Come on, now,” Cassy said to the child. “Everything is going to be okay. You’re safe, but we need to know your name so we can talk to you.”
Slowly the child leaned back.
Cassy smiled warmly at the boy and was about to reassure him again when she noticed the child was smiling as if ecstatic. And even more shocking were his eyes. His pupils were enormous, and they glowed as if illuminated from within.
Feeling an instinctive wave of revulsion Cassy bent over to put the child down. She tried to maintain hold of his arm, but he was unexpectedly strong and twisted from her grip and scurried away toward the front of the store.
“Hey!” Jesse called out. “Come back here!” Jesse started after the boy.
“He’s infected,” Cassy yelled.
“I know,” Jesse said. “That’s why I don’t want him to get away.”
Running down the aisle in the half light was not easy for Jesse. The soles of his shoes still had traces of olive oil, making traction difficult. On top of that were all the cans, bottles, and boxes of scattered merchandise.
The boy seemed to have no problem navigating the obstacles and reached the front of the store well before Jesse. Positioning himself before one of the broken windows, he raised his chubby hand and opened his fingers. A black disc immediately levitated off his palm and disappeared out into the night.
Jesse reached the boy out of breath from all the slipping and sliding he’d been doing. He was also limping slightly from a bruise on his hip. He’d taken a fall near one of the cash registers and had collided with a can of tomato soup.
“Okay, son,” Jesse said, trying to catch his breath as he turned the boy around. “What’s the story. Why are you in here?”
Sporting the same exaggerated smile the child gazed up into Jesse’s face. He didn’t say a word.
“Come on, boy,” Jesse said. “I’m not asking much.”
Cassy came up behind Jesse and looked over his shoulder.
“What did he do?” she asked.
“Nothing as far as I can tell,” Jesse said. “He just ran up here and stopped. But I wish he’d wipe that smile off his face. I feel like he’s mocking us.”
Both Cassy and Jesse saw the headlights at the same moment. A vehicle had turned into the supermarket’s parking lot and was coming toward them.
“Oh no!” Jesse said. “Just what we didn’t want: company.”
It was immediately apparent that the vehicle was coming at a high rate of speed. Both Cassy and Jesse instinctively took several steps backward. A screech of tires against the asphalt heralded the car’s sudden halt directly in front of the store. The high beams flooded the interior with blinding light. Both Cassy and Jesse held up their hands to shield their eyes. The child ran toward the light and disappeared in its glare.
“Get Nancy and get out the back of the store!” Jesse forcibly whispered.
“What about you?” Cassy asked.
“I’ll keep them company,” Jesse said. “If I’m not back at the rendezvous location in fifteen minutes, leave without me. I’ll find another vehicle to get back.”
“Are you sure?” Cassy questioned. She did not like the idea of leaving without Jesse.
“Of course I’m sure,” Jesse snapped. “Now get!”
Cassy’s eyes had adjusted enough so that she could just make out indistinct figures climbing down from either side of the vehicle. The headlights’ intensity still precluded seeing any details.
Cassy turned and fled back into the depths of the store. Halfway up the aisle, she turned momentarily to see Jesse stepping out through the broken window, heading directly into the blinding light.