Only Human

Walmart

Finally, the destination was on the horizon. Will had never walked so much in his life and was pretty sure his feet were starting to blister. After crossing the parking lot they made their way inside. It was glorious. There was a warm, welcoming sign that read, "Welcome to Walmart!" and each aisle went on as far as the eye could see. Everyone readied their bags to gather as many nonperishables as they could carry. Will was planning on looking for tomato sauce and fruit cups, but it seemed everyone else had the same idea. No big deal. He could go find some walkie-talkies or maybe some dog food. Venturing off on his own had not gone so well last time, but he thought nothing of it. It wasn't like he was going to ask Heath if he could piggyback off of him for safety.

He couldn't tell how long it had been but after a while, he had filled his backpack with quite a lot of stuff. It was going to be hard to carry it back. He realized how far he had actually gone when he couldn't remember the twists and turns that he took to get there. After about fifteen minutes of panicking, he decided that now would be the time to start calling out for help. Sure he would look pathetic to the rest of the group, but it would be better than dying.

"Um- GUYS?" he called out. There was no answer. That terrified him. Suddenly it felt like everything around him was out to get him. That display of twinkies was no longer welcoming. There had to be exit signs somewhere. There was no way he could be stuck wandering here forever. There had to be an end. Finally, he found a map kiosk that would be able to lead him out.

B.E.N.S.O.N.'s had been introduced to Walmarts across the country sometime between 2050 and 2055. They were minimalistic robots that had arms and hands, but only one leg with a wheel to move around. Their screen was on their chest and had a happy little smile on the facial area.

"Hello, I'm B.E.N.S.O.N. How can I help you today?", it asked politely.

"I need to get to the north exit please,"

"Certainly," The B.E.N.S.O.N. loaded, and Will waited. Finally, it showed a map and directions. Will pulled out a piece of paper to copy it down. He was almost done when the screen flashed and turned off. Shit, Will thought. He was about to turn and find another B.E.N.S.O.N. when he heard it start talking again. Only this time, in a different voice. Instead of the pleasantly robotic voice of B.E.N.S.O.N., it sounded like someone who had been smoking for twenty years. Someone who was so tired, they couldn't even have a single coherent thought.

"What are you doing here," it said. Will was dumbfounded. He didn't even know what to say.

"W-what?"

"I asked a simple question. What are you doing here?"

"W-we're getting supplies. For our camp, camp 35c,"

"So you're stealing?"

"No, I'm sorry are you from a camp?"

"But you are breaking and entering,"

"No, we're not,"

"Yes, you are,"

Just then one of the other scavengers turned the corner across the aisle Will was in. He recalled her name was Susan. She was holding a pair of pliers and looked frustrated. Will looked back at the B.E.N.S.O.N., but it had gone back to its normal loading screen.

"Where have you been we're about to leave," she said.

"Sorry I was having trouble finding my way back," Will responded. He was about twenty or thirty feet away from her when he saw her facial expression change from frustrated to horrified. She was looking at something behind Will. Will turned and saw a tall figure that looked to be wearing a black and white striped long-sleeve T-shirt with a Walmart employee vest on. As his gaze moved up he saw what had put that look on Susan's face. On the left side of this person's face, his cheek was caved in. Will could see every single one of his molars. His skin was the same shade as the woman back in that house.

Will jumped back and started running. Before he could make it back to the girl he felt his shirt collar jerk back with almost impressive force. Will was launched backward and onto his ass. Which hurt a lot, obviously. He looked up to see Susan had already run to save her own. Which, Will understood, but come on?

The surprisingly strong person turned back around to face Will. Will scooted back on his hands and butt to get away from it. It stalked closer and closer until finally, it was almost right in front of him. It positioned its red converse on either side of Will's waist and squatted down so noses were almost touching.

"I thought us humans were supposed to look out for each other," it said. Will did not respond. He only stared, petrified.