A Day In September - BTS Zombie au

11: Until the Very End

The boy did as he was told, following in her footsteps and searching through other aisles, eyes squinting to make out everything in dim lighting. The only sounds in the shop were the scraping of lost objects and the shuffling of the two that searched with determination.

Mara coughed when breathing in dust, deciding to stand up to get away from it only when she found nothing even mildly practical. Just as she did, an impressed Jimin stood from his spot, just a few aisles away.

The glint in his wide eyes was enough to draw her to him, and she did so eagerly. He watched her approach with a smile as he waved something in the air.

Her eyes widened as well, and despite the mild disappointment, she still felt joy.

"Look, Mara!" Jimin whisper-yelled.

She reached for the item, gripping it's cool plastic in her hands.

A solar path light, bearing a built in panel above the small bulb — nice. It was a sigh of relief for them both. Mara smiled at Jimin, "I'm so glad you found this."

Mara was still staring at the object, holding it like a rare treasure.

"I think you mean these," Jimin suggested, smile growing wider. At this, Mara frowned in confusion. Jimin, who had his hand behind his back, extended another light towards her, making it two solar path lights in her hand. She couldn't help but scoff in amazement, "You're better at this than I am. And there you thought it was empty."

Jimin laughed, voice growing soft, "Mhm. No more darkness."

Mara looked up from the objects in her hand, blinking at Jimin. Endless, sleepless nights in the dark alone flashed in her mind, and the objects in her hand became more than just solar path lights.

"Yeah..." Mara whispered.

Jimin nodded, bouncing on his toes, "Let's keep looking."

Mara turned to the back of the store, heading towards the darkness cautiously. She made sure to keep watch, knowing that brutes could be hidden anywhere. The thought of reaching under an aisle and drawing back only to find your fingers have been bitten off was enough to send chills up her spine.

Mara reached the section beside the clothing, finding fishing gear along with bait and bucket hats. There was a mysterious substance—black, gooey and sticky—Mara avoided, stepping over it. Her guess was as good as any (she hoped it was spilled worms or whatever bait had fallen over). It was too sticky for comfort, and Mara knew that someone or something had recently been here, and staying for too long would be risky.

Mara looked through the fishing gear, not wasting any more time. Though it proved pointless, the girl stopped when she came upon a stack of hats. They were a dark color with a bright embroidered logo of a fish at the back. She smiled, taking two and shaking the dust off of them. Mara walked into the jewelry and accessories section, walking around the shattered glass on the floor. Every display case had been broken into, and mostly everything was gone except some sun glasses.

Mara saw the mirror, the dirty and blurry mirror towards the other side. She cleaned it with the hem of her shirt, blinking at the sight of her reflection.

I can never get used to that.

I look so...tired.

Mara shook the thoughts away, putting the hat on and even reaching for some sunglasses. Their price was still visible, and she raised her brows, unimpressed at the tag with $45.99 printed at one side.

"You no longer have value," Mara whispered, aware of the fact she was talking to an inanimate object and proceeding to look at herself in the mirror.

"Lookin good," Jimin chuckled, appearing behind Mara's reflection and startling the poor girl. She sheepishly grinned in embarrassment and took the sunglasses off, throwing a hat towards Jimin. He caught it, turning it over with a shrug.