A piece of candy

The windows were smeared grey with grime. Hummer approached the building quietly, pistol at the ready. There was no telling what might turn up here. Shades perhaps. Maybe the monsters they called Wraiths. There was no telling.

Wraiths. Strange word. He thought as he closed in on the glass displays. There was a strange sense of detachment, with one mind running through the standard procedures of securing a building and checking for any signs of movement at the same time, while another mind was quietly sorting through the data he had accumulated.

The data that they had given him on these creatures were mostly vague recounts. But from sifting and matching the information, he concluded that it was somewhat of a higher species of Shades, the name they gave to the changed humans. Those were easy to eliminate, they made for you directly, not caring for any obstacles in their paths. They weren't like the zombies they showed in the movies though, they didn't make moaning noises, and that made them slightly more efficient. But something disturbing that was they sometimes looked like perfectly normal humans, and that brief indecision of a second worked to their advantage.

Overall though, they were easier than any human targets he had came across.

He looked around for a moment, pausing before the grimy glass. There wasn't any other sound, except his own, hard breathing. Nothing else.

He raised a hand to rub the glass, then stopped before he touched it. Something didn't feel right here. He pulled his hand back, then hesitated for a moment, before moving it forward to its previous position.

The fingers stretched and relaxed. He looked about again. Nothing.

Hummer laid his hand on the glass and rubbed a small circle.

Inside seemed untouched, the items still on their shelves and neatly placed, although they seemed to be gathering dust. He rubbed a bigger circle with his arm and peered into the store. It seemed as though nothing had been moved in four years, or was it five?

He shrugged, it didn't matter. Looking about again, and deciding that picking the lock on the front shutters was too troublesome, he proceeded to smash the window with the butt of his pistol. He snapped back almost immediately when the window shattered, pistol at the ready to shoot anything that might creep up behind him from the noise, but he doubted it. The monsters, much like their cousins, relied on what seemed to be their sense of smell rather than the usual senses, such as light and sound.

Nothing, silence.

He readied his torch in his hand, the other wielding the pistol. Despite the light of the day, the grocery store was sure to be dark. He crossed over the broken, jagged glass and into the shop.

The dust rose, stirred by his feet. It was a thick layer, and that indicated how long this shop had been left empty. Hummer moved around, the beam of light revealing expired items still on the shelves. He stayed away from the refrigerators.

Snacks... Instant food... Drinks... Ah canned foods

He unfolded the small packet that he had carried along. It became a small but strong bag, prefect for storing cans of essential food. He quickly selected a few that didn't seem expired, although everyone knew that the expiry date was just an excuse to throw out food so that you would have to buy more, but he couldn't take any chances on this one. Having a stomachache in the middle of a freezing wasteland wasn't the best of plans.

He zipped up the bag and hoisted it over his shoulders. He stuck back the torch into his belt and gave a last glance about lest he had forgotten anything.

No nothing.

He turned around and headed back for the bright sunlight of the day.

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