Two

Twenty minutes later, I heard the whistle, and headed to the front of the store to meet Bruce. When I arrived, I saw we had two new members of our party.

                “Who are they?”

                “This is Cat,” said Bruce, pointing to a shaken twenty-something with long, dark hair and near-black eyes, “and this is Black,” she said as she gestured to a boy who looked like a younger Cat with shorter hair. Each of them had a cart. Cat’s and Black’s were full of non-perishable food, but Bruce’s was full of medicine from the pharmacy.

                “Found them in the office of the pharmacy. Not bitten,” she added, seeing my suspicious look. “Well, let’s get all this stuff in the car.”

                “We don’t have a car,” I said, confused.

                “Then we’ll have to find one.”

                Leading the way, Bruce grabbed her cart and left the store the three of us following close behind. She wandered down the rows of the parking lot, inspecting each car, until she came across a very large truck.

                “Aha,” she said, abandoning her cart and going to the driver’s side door. “Go ahead and load everything into the truck. Use the bungee cords in my cart to hold down the cans and heavier dairy.”

                Cat, Black, and I remained motionless as Bruce pulled a punctured tennis ball from her bag and firmly pressed it against the lock on the door. Bruce smiled as the lock popped into the unlocked position, and she opened the door. She swung her bag into the seat and rummaged around inside until she found a small black bag. She set it on the seat, opened it, and pulled out a Phillips head screw driver and start disassembling the steering column. She was going to hotwire this truck. Astonished that she knew these things, I started to load the groceries.

                As we finished loading the food, the engine roared to life.

                “Get in, kids,” Bruce yelled from the driver’s seat.

                “Do you know how to drive?” asked a rather nervous-looking Cat.

                “How hard can it be?”

                Cat gulped as Bruce swerved out of the parking lot. But as we pulled onto the main road, it became apparent that Bruce was joking, since she was actually an fine driver. We were on the road for no more than ten minutes when she pulled into a gated neighborhood where the gate had been torn down. She parked in front of the demo house and led us inside.

                “I just have to tell Leo we’re here. He’ll take care of the stuff, and he’ll assign you three to your houses,” she said. “Leo! Leo, I got the food! And three survivors!”

                A man who looked about fifty came appeared on the foyer. He had shoulder-length brown hair that stuck out everywhere. His face was shaded by stubble, and he wore small, rectangular glasses.

                “I hear you, I hear you! Are these the survivors? What are their names?” said Leo, heading down the stairs to meet us.

                “This is Finnick, Cat, and Black,” said Bruce, pointing to each of us as she said our names.

                “Skills?”

                Bruce nodded at us to indicate that we could speak for ourselves.

                “I’m pretty strong. And I know how to use this,” I said, pulling my gun from my pocket.

                “I can cook,” said Cat, “and I’m fast. Black is immune. He’s been bitten, but he didn’t change at all.”

                “Ah, a carrier. Interesting. Would you consent to a study, my boy?” Leo asked, obviously intrigued. Black nodded.

                Leo approached a large dry-erase board on the wall, which seemed to be a map of the neighborhood. Each house was represented by a square with address and specs written in. He scanned the board until he found one labeled, '2/1.'

                “Very good. Cat, Black, you two will stay in 1241 on Elm. It’s smaller than some of the houses, but it should be enough space for you. Two bedrooms. You will obviously have your own kitchen, but I’m afraid any food you may want you will have to request, and if your request is approved, it will be delivered to you. We have community meals here every morning and evening, but you’ll have to fend for yourself when it comes to mid-day. If you’re interested in being a cook, we could use a few more. I assume you were on the grocery run with Bruce? Any snacks you picked out for yourself, you can take to your home with you. Finnick,” Leo turned his attention to me, “you seem like a capable young man, and we could use another Bruce around here. You and she will go on supply runs and rescue missions, and you will live with her. Unless, of course, she objects?” He looked to Bruce, who nonchalantly shook her head.

                “Perfect. Cat, Black, I’ll lead you to your new home. Bruce, I’ll leave you to your business.”

                Leo led Cat and Black out of the house, and Bruce turned to me.

                “Well, we need to run out and get some refrigerators. Do you want to go now, or would you rather see the house first?”

                “Why do we need refrigerators?”

                “For all the food we just got. What’s it gonna be?”

                “Might as well go now.”

                She nodded, and we left the house, heading south.

Reviews

[FuMiko]

It's good to be aware of how often you use words like "said".
I love your imagery.