I came back out and waved at the survivors. They left the trees and headed toward me. Ben looked at the store with watchful eyes, "Are you sure there are no more zombies in there?"

I nodded, "I checked every aisle and the back area. Chloe was with me and she didn't find anything either."

Ben nodded at Hank, who drew his sword and entered the store. We waited by the entrance with an eye on our surroundings. A minute later Hank reappeared with his sword sheathed and waved us over. We all entered the grocery store and Hank ensured that the door was closed and secured behind us. He had ripped a metal handle off a mop bucket and twisted the piece of metal around the handles like a twist tie. I was somewhat impressed at his ingenuity.

I also made a mental note to dodge any punch he may throw my way. That big boy could possibly do some damage. The group enthusiastically scoured the store to pick out their favorites. We all seemed to gather in the open produce area just to the side of the main door. Hank had shoved the produce stands to form an open square in one corner. As soon as I sat down on the floor, Liz came to take up residence in my lap.

Marissa had a big pot of noodles soaking in cold water. I glanced at the Mr. Noodle wrappers, that type didn't really need cooking and I had even eaten them dry on some occasions. I grabbed my scavenged can opener and picked out a can of pineapple. It had been a long time since I had found pineapple.

I slowly savored the fruit while Tom and Marissa talked with Ben. Nicky occasionally put in her two cents, usually with a sarcastic twist. The children, Hank, and myself remained silent and simply listened. Ben looked over at me, "Do you plan on ever taking off those sunglasses?" He had been glancing at me on and off all evening.

My answer was short and clipped, "No."

He frowned, "And why not?"

I exhaled in irritation at his obsession with my sunglasses, "I have some eye damage and any reflection of light causes me problems. Even the glint of the sun reflecting off of those shiny cans on the shelf would be an issue if I took them off."

He snorted, "Right. I bet it is just your way of looking cool."

I had to clamp down on my temper. His tone was setting off my instincts and they wanted to put him in his place. I turned my head to face him and kept my voice aloof, "I lured four zombies into a spray park and lived in a remote cabin for months, why would I need sunglasses to look cool?"

Nicky snickered, "I think I have to get some sunglasses. Perhaps it will give me that dangerous aura that you somehow give off while just sitting there."

I knew I wouldn't be able to manage a poker face with her comment so I simply smirked at her. Which she found hilarious. I thought that I had been hiding my Nightstalker side very well, so I was surprised when she had mentioned that I had a dangerous aura. Guess I had better work on that if I wanted to blend in.

Ben shook his head, "You two are just far too alike." Nicky grinned at his comment while I kept the smirk plastered on my face as I wondered what the hell he meant. Other than being a bit grouchy, I didn't think Nicky and I had anything in common other than the fact that we were short.

Nicky finished her trailbar and got up to walk over to the turning display of sunglasses.

Nicky tried on a couple pairs and struck a pose, "Hey Hank, do these make me look sexy or dangerous?"

Hank merely shrugged with disinterest. I noticed that Marissa was turning red in embarrassment. Ben shook his head with a grin, "Like an old granny."

The pair of sunglasses bounced off of his head as Nicky turned back to the display. She talked to herself and to us while she debated the pros and cons of each pair of sunglasses.

After half an hour she finally settled on a pair with reflective blueish lenses that hid her eyes completely and fit comfortably. I was glad when she finally picked one. Her constant sarcastic remarks and pointless comments were wearing on my remaining shreds of patience like a grater on a block of cheese. She headed off for the cleaning supplies so she could clean her new accessory.

Marissa stood up, "Liz, Josh, come on, let's go to the bathroom before we get ready for bed."

Tom tagged along with them, which left me with just Hank and Ben. Ben seemed to be a player and I bet the absence of the children would bring it out. Oh, Joy. Ben turned to me with a smirk, "I bet you wear those glasses as a shield, because deep down you are just shy and scared."

His theory wasn't even in the same solar system as the truth. I snorted in derision, "Not even close."

He frowned, "You sure have a chip on your shoulder, don't you?"

I shrugged in dismissal, "Put it down to me being antisocial." My tone plainly said that I didn't care about his opinion.

"What do you think you are going to do in a Stronghold? They often hold a couple hundred people. You keep acting like that and someone will clean your clock for you."

I gazed out the window, "I won't be staying. I am simply making sure that the children get there and I am heading back to my cabin in the remote forest."

He shook his head in disbelief, "You may be able to trick and evade those common zombies, but a Runner can chase you down. If you cross the path of a Nightstalker or a Terror, nothing is going to help you."

I shrugged in indifference; I wasn't overly concerned. Feral Nightstalkers traveled alone and my control gave me the upper hand against them since I could use weapons. If I played passive, they wouldn't even challenge me. I had never seen a Terror before and if they were feral, they would count me among the zombie population and ignore me if I didn't challenge them.

"Maybe if I give you a kiss you will change your mind?"

I turned to level a glare at Ben before glancing at Hank, "Will you object if I knocked your friend out? He seems delusional and some sleep might help him."

Ben made some sort of unidentifiable noise as Hank pretended to consider my question. Hank eventually nodded that he would object and Ben grinned triumphantly, "Ah ha, I knew Hank wouldn't let me down!"

I rolled my eyes and looked up at the ceiling in exasperation since they wouldn't be able to see my eyes. My voice dripped with sarcasm, "This day just gets better and better..."

Ben grinned at me, "Come on, don't be like that. A kiss or two from a handsome guy would cheer you right up!"

I snorted, "Yeah, well those are in rather short supply since the outbreak. Let me know if you see one walk by."

Hank chuckled as Ben cringed. He set himself up for that one... Ben finally fell silent. I pulled one knee up and slung my arm on it before resting my chin on my arm. The peace and quiet was short lived as Nicky's voice broke the silence, "That is one hell of a pose! You look like you don't give a shit about what those two think and yet you look ready for action!"

I lifted my head to examine the slender fighter who was staring at me as if committing my pose to memory. I glanced at Ben, "What did you spike her water with?"

He sighed, "I wish that energy was something we could bottle. She is either a little spitfire of energy or Miss Crankypants—and we don't get to choose which, so enjoy this while you can."

He barely managed to dodge a can of soup as it whizzed past his head. The second one clipped his shoulder. The third one bounced off the wall above his head as he ducked and ricocheted toward me. Some days Nightstalker reaction times were an excellent asset. I had time to see it coming and raise my hand to catch the spinning soup can before it could hit my head.

Nicky stopped her assault to gape at me, "Shit! Awesome catch!"

I lightly tossed the can back at her and she caught it in confusion. I stood up and walked toward her, "It works better if you pretend to throw it like a knife."

I kept walking past her. She looked back at me in confusion, "Where are you going?"

I chuckled darkly with a glance back, "To get you more ammo. Hank may not let me knock Ben out, but he doesn't seem to object to you throwing stuff. Besides, if you practice on him, it will be easier to peg slower zombies."

A wide grin split across her face before she looked back at a wide eyed Ben, "Okay, I like her."

Hank started chuckling again. I rounded the shelf as I heard more thunks as cans missed.

"Hey!"

"Ouch! That one-"

"Ah!"

By the time I headed back his complaints had become more frequent, showing that Nicky's aim was improving. I dropped my haul on the now empty shelf. Nicky turned to examine what I had brought as her grin somehow got even bigger. Hank started chuckling again, I noticed that he had moved away from Ben to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

"What the hell is that for?!"

I grinned maliciously at Ben, "It is amazing what you can use against a zombie. This will help improve Nicky's aim. Just look how much better she got in just a few minutes."

His eyes were round, "You want her to whip one liter cans of tomato juice at me?! I am not even sure I want to know what the bars of soap or the cans of pringles are for."

Nicky rubbed her hands together gleefully before she tested the weight of one of the large cans. Ben watched her with a rather nervous expression.

I chuckled, thoroughly enjoying his predicament, "The bigger the can, the more damage it can do, but it takes a lot of practice to throw one properly. Bars of soap are common missiles found in any house or bathroom. Get one in a zombie's mouth and it will be distracted for several minutes as it tries to get the taste out of its mouth. One can of chips is for me, since I prefer pringles over popcorn. One is for Hank so he can also enjoy the upcoming show and the other is for Nicky once she is done."

Ben jumped to his feet and bolted down an aisle seeking safety, "Get me away from these crazy people!"

"Hey! Get back here! I haven't had a chance to throw one of these big cans yet!" Nicky took off in hot pursuit with a large can of tomato juice in her hands.

I went back to my original seat. I tossed one can to Hank, who caught it easily. I opened my own can as I leaned back to watch the spectacle. I popped one in my mouth and Chloe came to sit by me. That surprised me, she was well within reach, which was highly unusual. I offered her a chip, which she took greedily. I dug around in my backpack for those dog treats that were near the bottom and handed her one. This one would take her a while to chew.

Ben rounded the corner of the aisle and ran down another one. Nicky had backtracked and cut him off. She threw her can, which Ben managed to dodge. "Shit! I missed! Get back here! I obviously need more practice!"

I commented idly, "She really is a loose cannon, isn't she?"

Hank's deep amused chuckle told me that this wasn't exactly a new situation. Ben managed to lock himself in the bathroom while Nicky turned the can into a mini battering ram.

"Open up the door! I can't throw shit at you if you are hiding in there!"

"That is the point!"

I looked out the window before calling out in a low voice, "Nicky, there is a zombie on the street. Please keep the noise down while you kill him, we don't want to attract too much attention."

"Will do."

The loud banging was replaced by quieter noises as she tried to force the doorknob while attempting to convince Ben to show himself. Marissa and Tom were sure taking their sweet time in the other bathrooms. Perhaps they didn't want to be in the store front while Nicky was on a rampage. I turned to look at Hank and kept my voice low, "Do we tell her that the keys for those doors are hanging behind the till?"

He shook his head, "Nah, if she gets grumpy it gives us a safe spot." His voice was very deep. I was somewhat surprised that he had spoken since he hadn't said anything yet. I nodded and ate another pringle. The silence between us was comfortable, neither of us really liked talking. Having Ben in hiding put me in a better mood as well.

Nicky eventually gave up and came over to claim the last can I had brought before she sat against the wall beside me. She turned to me with curious eyes as she opened up her can, "So where did you learn to lure zombies off like that?"

I shrugged, "Watched another group of people do it."

"Any tricks for a Runner?"

I sighed, "Have good aim and throw a crowbar, it can crush their skull enough to knock them out. In a tight spot, a glass of bleach in the face gives you a few seconds."

She mumbled, "I will have to remember that one. I was wondering why you were carrying so many crowbars."

I didn't bother answering. I wanted a breath of fresh air untainted by their scent, but it simply wasn't possible tonight. The back doors had been chained shut by the previous owner and they would see me leave the front. Good thing I had hunted every night so far, one night without hunting shouldn't be too bad.