[b] Finn Loughty - Gift Shop - Nathalie Soltero[/b]

“Look, we’re here, Nicole. This was the mall that I was talking about.” Finn promptly turned the ignition off to save as much gas as possible and put the truck on brake. 

    Gently nudging his sister who managed to fall asleep in the ten minute drive there, he had taken the time to observe their surroundings for any sign of walkers. Parking beneath some trees, Finn practically camouflaged his evergreen truck in the midst of the woods. He didn’t know who would be out there and he didn’t want to show it off just in case someone decided to steal it - which, unfortunately, was a popular course of action around these parts.

    “We’re here,” Nicole announced, half-asleep. She saw the abandoned, disgusting buildings and frowned a  bit. “Doesn’t look like much. Pretty sure it got looted by now. Let’s just go look for something else.”

   “Look, there's not another mall for miles,” he sighed. “Let’s just try, ok?” Finn said patiently, getting out of the car. He slipped his pack on, swinging with his machete and gun and a little bit of water. “Stay close.”

   “Yeah, yeah. I know.” Nicole padded after him quietly out into the open. They were hungry. Back at the building that Finn had built in the trees, they had run out of food and bullets. This made it hard for them to hunt and they had looted all the remaining things left in the gas stations closest to them. It was ferociously hot today. She had opted for just a black tank top, shorts and her one pair of boots which was held together by the sheer power of duct tape.

   They walked on for a bit and then Finn began to sense something was off. Mind alert and eyes sharp, he shuffled to the side of one the buildings closest to them. He lowered himself and gave Nicole a silent signal to stay quiet. Their eyes met and he knew she sensed something. As if on cue, a horrific scream shrieked out into the quiet and two haunting gunshots followed. Nicole gasped as she covered her mouth.

   “Shit.” Finn whispered, flexing his jaw. What were they going to do now? He needed a plan. Those two gunshots were going to call every walker to this place from all directions. They were leaning on the wall of a store, near a window. He glanced at it. Maybe he could pry it open and get in, praying that there were no walkers in there. 

   The window opened with ease and he went in first, machete in hand. Quiet. No walker signs or sounds. Maybe it was alright. He put his hand out for Nicole to take and she followed in after him. The different knickknacks and pretty things caught her attention as she whispered to her older brother, “Hey, I think this is a gift shop.”

   “Great.” He murmured. “Nothing here for us, then.” He added, walking about the store to make sure they were safe. He was almost at the other side of the store when he saw a figure near a window. At first, he thought it was a walker and was about to throw his machete right at its head. But it’s movements were much more gentle and less abrupt and it’s clothes were actually decent compared to those dead things. It was a human being. He hadn't seen one of those besides his sister in a long time.

   “Who are you?” He demanded, not realizing how rough his voice was sounding when it came out.