After walking for a while and hearing nothing more, the pair reluctantly let it go. There was only so much they could do to avoid others, especially when they didn't know if there were others or where they were.
They could only wait in the building next to the hardware store for around thirty minutes, hoping that whatever was making noise was gone. Mara had calmed down but stayed on high alert, sharing a wary look with Jimin.
Mara was first to enter the shop, her eyes scanning for anything inside as she wielded the machete, Jimin standing by the entrance behind her. She saw nothing inside, stepping in. Once both entered, they took in the dark and dusty place.
"It's mostly empty," Jimin commented, skeptical eyes shooting Mara a glance. The girl nodded, "Yeah, but it's better to check. Just in case something's left."
The shop extended far back, the tall ceiling adorned with dysfunctional lights and ceiling fans. Along the glossy varnish of wooden walls were the mounted heads of several taxidermy animals. Goats, deer, ducks and many other animals watched with their glass eyes as Mara and Jimin looked around the dark interior. Light filtered through the windows up front, though not enough to fill the back end of the shop, leaving leaving the rest in partial obscurity.
Racks that once held display shotguns and hunting rifles were cleared, as were most of the display cases. There were miscellaneous remains, which were practically useless, scattered on the ground and left abandoned. Canoes were once stacked together beside where the tents used to be — all gone, too.
Mara felt a slight disappointment, but nevertheless made sure to check everywhere. The clothing section was important to her, but not as important as finding Jimin something to protect himself with.
Jimin stepped forward, but was stopped by Mara's hand. She held him back, knocking the blade of her machete on a cart laying beside her. Jimin and Mara waited patiently as the sound reverberated, silence following suit. A minute rolled by and Mara began with giving the place a quick sweep, stopping occasionally to listen for any noises. Jimin stood by the entrance, eyes flitting from the entrance to the shop and back and forth.
Can't be too careful.
Mara walked back towards Jimin, giving a nod before the two were off. Jimin followed beside Mara, not too far from her, as they both searched the aisles. Every now and then he would glance at the girl, her busied eyes and hands urging him to look further.
Mara took a gander at where the tents were, hoping that maybe something was left behind that could possibly serve a use. When she saw nothing, Mara decided that looming over everything was not enough.
Mara dropped to her knees, hands and cheek pressed against the floor. She looked under the shelves, finding scattered items, perhaps shoved and kicked in the initial chaos. She reached for them, sweeping them out into the dim light. Amidst these items were dead rats, but Mara got passed the rodents with a disgusted grimace and rummaged around them.
"Broken fletching...Cup holder...air freshener-" Mara paused, giving the small can a long hard look before shrugging and shoving it in her bag.
Jimin watched from afar with amusement as he said, "Looking to make your place smell nice?"
Mara was still avidly swiping her hands under the aisles, far too occupied to feed into the conversation. Jimin waited patiently for her to respond, but he was left hanging.
"Just get on your knees," Mara muttered, paying no mind to Jimin's grin or at the unintentional risqué demand.
He wiggled his brows suggestively, "Yes ma'am."
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.
He, too, looked at his reflection, touching his stubble and staring into his eyes.
"I think I need a good shave," Jimin muttered, turning to Mara with a snort.
"You didn't tell me I looked that bad," he said, looking around at the shattered glass and what was left of that particular area.
"You look like a man now," Mara teased, trying to hide her smile as Jimin turned to her, looking her up and down with attitude.
"I've always looked manly."
"Mhm," Mara looked over the counter of the display cases, "A beard would-"
Mara fell silent, eyes falling on what lied on the floor. Mara quickly vaulted over the counter, slowly kneeling down.
The girl stared at the dirty brown duffel bag, it's contents spilling out and scattered on the floor. She noticed the splatter of blood that trailed from the floor to the wood of the display cases. Mara stood up, head swiveling around as if the person whom the bag belonged to would suddenly appear to reclaim their belongings. So many thoughts flooded her brain, and many feelings overwhelmed her.
She wondered if this was the person who had followed them, stalking them until they hid from that person's sight. The blood looked fresh, and the sticky residue back at the fishing gear area was more evidence of something recently happening.
Then again, it could've just been anyone.
But why the blood?
What happened?
"Mara?"
Jimin approached Mara, concerned eyes studying her frown. She looked up at Jimin, then bent down to pick up the items that had fallen out. There were things from lighters to a single flashlight, to water bottles and a half empty bag of trail mix. Mara dug through the bag some more, finding a first aid kit. It'd been used, but not enough to make it useless.
Mara felt her hands shake with a weird form of relief, but she would soon find that the day had more to give when she quickly lifted the bag, placing it on the counter for Jimin to see. A clink echoed in the large empty store, causing Mara to look away from what she held in her hands and back at the floor. Mara felt her stomach drop, her eyes widening significantly at what sat discarded on the floor, hidden under the bag she'd held.
Mara knelt down, taking the wooden handle of the axe and holding it tightly. The blade was bloody but it looked almost brand new. The person who had it must have barely gotten their hands on it before...they left everything behind. She assumed that this person had gotten to the hardware store before them, looting the last things available worth grabbing and attempting to make an escape.
Things must have not gone so well.
Holy shit," Jimin whispered as he caught sight of what was in Mara's hands.
Both were in shock, staring at the item with growing smiles and a glint in their eyes.
"I know right?" Mara looked at Jimin, "Well, there you go, it's yours," she chuckled, handing it to Jimin, who held it like he didn't know what to do with it.
"Mine?!" He exclaimed, clearly shocked.
"I'm better with machetes. Maybe you'll be good with it," she explained, shrugging. Jimin seemed nervous, his eyes scanning the axe with apprehension. Mara knew he could get adjusted, and his nervousness would come to pass. It was just a matter of time.
"I've only ever used guns," Jimin hesitated, glancing at Mara and slowly attempting to hand it back to her.
"Well, we don't have guns, Jimin. I've never had to use one, so you gotta get used to it. At least for right now," Mara pressed, pushing the axe back towards him and watching him sigh. She smiled triumphantly as Jimin nodded, turning the weapon in his hands and holding it tightly.
"It was someone's, right?" He asked, quietly.
"Yeah," Mara nodded, "I don't think they got so lucky...You should clean it. It's...dirty." Mara was thrown off by the blood, unsure if it was from the person who it belonged to or whoever they were trying to fight off. Brute blood was black-ish, almost like awful smelling tar. The one on the axe was bright red, beginning to turn brown.
It was worrying for Mara to consider the thought of there being two people, or even more, out there, waiting for the right moment.
Jimin stepped away, opting for a t-shirt laying on the ground. As he cleaned the axe, Mara knelt down again, hoping to find more hidden gems. Mara was hoping for another food item, her stomach rumbling at the thought. But on the ground, there was only thing left.
A bead cross necklace, painted black wood with a layer of dust covering it. She gave the cross a hard long look, not sure whether she had the strength to take it. Her thoughts were jumbled, and she couldn't help but feel slight bitterness.
Nonetheless, she relented and swiped it off the ground, dusting it off and quickly putting it on. She hid it under her shirt, feeling the cross land at the center of her chest.
Whoever it was, they believed until the very end.
Jimin watched her curiously through the display case, but didn't say a word. He approached the counter just as Mara stood up, her attempt at being inconspicuous failing when noticing Jimin looking at her.
He didn't mention it, instead pointing at the bag.
"I'll use this bag to store my things," Jimin said, gently taking the bag off the counter. Mara nodded. She felt a twinge if guilt, but if she didn't take it, somebody else would. Not everyone felt as guilty as she did when taking things, so Mara was better off just doing it.
The person who left this behind might be dead, and you need whatever could be in there, Mara told herself.
"You good?"
Mara cleared her throat, "Yep."
Mara watched as he put his arms through the straps, adjusting the bag on his shoulders and nodding when comfortable enough.
"I think we're done here, no?"
"Let's get some clothes. At least a shirt and jeans for you. I think mine are a little too worn out. And I bet you want your own clothes," Mara chuckled. She looked down at her clothes, the greying and dirty material making her grimace. She was used to wearing the same clothes for days, but finally taking a look at how grimy they were was eye opening.
"I have to admit, I'm really digging this shirt," Jimin said, pointing at the design of the shirt he was wearing. It was a Doberman, staring off to the side with a sharp glare. It's ears were pointed high on alert, a hint of a snarl pulling at its jowls.
Mara snorted, "It's yours."
Jimin blinked, "Really?"
He looked surprised and honored. Mara wondered if it was really that big of a deal, but considering the way he took it, she let him have his moment.
It was my favorite shirt, she thought, was.
"Mhm," Mara hummed, leaving the jewelry section and heading towards the clothes. She couldn't waste time on browsing for anything of her liking, so Mara chose three plain t-shirts and two jeans. She tried, to the best of her ability, to guess what size she was, since the jeans she currently wore were a bit loose on her. Mara shrugged and looked over to Jimin, about to ask him to not look. He appeared to be too busy on his own, even momentarily taking his shirt off to try on another. Mara quickly looked away, sighing to herself and knowing that respect was a two-way street.
Mara giggled to herself, quickly trying on another separate pair of jeans to get rid of the ones she wore. She felt so clean with a fabric so fresh, despite the dust. She imagined herself back in the times before the brutes, when you were excited to try on new clothes. Now, it wasn't really that much of a necessity. They were just...clothes. Nothing was more valuable than weapons and food and water.
After she was pleased with the amount of clothes in her hands, she walked towards Jimin with her head down, not sure if he was done yet. Mara covered her eyes, looking up.
"You almost ready?" Mara asked, hearing Jimin lightly chuckle in front of her. She fumbled with her shirt nervously, not quite liking the silence.
"You can look," Jimin spoke, and though she'd gotten the go-ahead, Mara could only make sure by peeking through her fingers. She met Jimin's stare and noticed he was back to wearing the shirt she'd given him.
Mara cleared her throat and let her hand fall to her side.
"Right..." Mara awkwardly stood, "Can I put my clothes in your bag?"
Jimin snorted, "For sure."
Mara nodded to Jimin, wielding the machete as he held his axe tight in his grip. He looked ready, almost as if the feeling of finally having a weapon was exhilarating in itself, regardless of what it was.
Both stood by the entrance as Mara lead the way again, eyes peeled for any sudden movement. Jimin acted as her peripheral vision, meanwhile Mara focused on looking forward.
"It feels too quiet," Jimin whispered. Mara noticed too, surprised that they hadn't run into any brutes. Brutes were always around, and even if you tried to kill them off, they would find a way to reappear.
"I've got a funny feeling," Mara muttered, eyes narrowed at the windows of the buildings around them. The wind had ceased to blow and silence filled in the spaces. Mara felt the overwhelming eeriness down to her bones.
"Honestly, me too."
"Paranoia is a gift these days," Mara smiled, half joking and half serious. Jimin agreed, eyes narrowed out the door.
"I second that."
Mara didn't want to say it, but keeping them on high alert was necessary.
"If something harmed that person, it or they could still be out there, so we should be careful," she muttered. Both shared a wary glance.
Jimin adjusted his hat, "You don't have to tell me twice."
——
wethenaive