Young Writers Society

Thanks to his focus on the low rumble, and Queenie having already surprised him once, he barely registered that she was next to him for a few seconds. "I was hoping I was the only one who heard it," he mumbled. Then, blinking, he glanced back and almost jumped at seeing Queenie and the bag she was carrying. It was a lot easier to stifle a yell this time, however, as well as start moving again. "Well, if we have everything we need," he said, beginning to push the cart towards the doors.

It was only when he bumped his cart against the said doors that he realized Queenie hadn't forced the doors far enough apart for him to squeeze his cart through.

And, with a few popping sounds, the lights in the grocery store blinked out.

Well then.



Thytes took a deep breath. "He should not have gone," he said. "I know he wanted to keep Queenie company, but he should have been full well aware of the dangers to himself, as well as Queenie's willingness, or lack thereof, to assist him. I have half a mind to drag him back here and-"

The lights over his head flickered. When he looked up, they blinked out, plunging the room in a darkness only tinged by the faint light streaming from the slightly ajar door.

"What's going on?" Mal said, voice rising. "What happened to the lights?"

Queenie jumped at the sudden loss of light and suppressed a scream. On instinct, she moved a little closer to Zech, her hands inching toward her weapons. She would draw her gun first. The knives were always supposed to be backups.

She circled around to the front of the cart, toward the light, and tried to pry the doors open further. They wouldn't move.

She grit her teeth in frustration and turned to Zech, giving him a look, any ideas?

----------

Briar blinked at the sudden lack of light, "No," she agreed, "he shouldn't have."

She walked toward the door, hesitating. She should go find Queenie. Her sister didn't do well in the dark, not after...that, and if there was anything out there it would get to her much easier in the dark, especially in the weakened mental state Queenie would inevitably adopt.

"We should find them," she said, hoping the implied invitation was clear enough.

In the light that filtered through the door, Zech could see Queenie reaching for her weapons, and he swore he could just about smell the fear on her. Which was perfectly fair; he could feel his fur stand on end as he tried to block out the faint noise and focus on getting out of the store. It was just, strange to see Queenie so afraid. Maybe he'd ask about that later, if she didn't snap at him.

Fortunately, after Zech took a couple of shaky breaths, he found the escape he was looking for - some boxes had fallen off of piles on either side of the entrance, blocking both doors. The tiger quickly got to work, tossing boxes out of the way. Though he flinched when he bumped his head against one of the doors, he took care of the blockage quickly enough.

Reaching over the cart to force the doors open, Zech quickly pushed the cart outside of the store. Back into the (dim) light. The tiger let out a breath of relief as he wheeled the cart halfway across the space with the wagons.

He looked back; he couldn't see anything inside the store. Maybe he'd been overreacting.



Thytes didn't even need to hear Briar say it; as soon as she started talking, he made his way to the door, throwing it open.

"Let us be off, then," he said, staring into the building as he leaned against the door. "We do not have any time to spare."