Survival of the fittest - AmyMarie and Shadowfax

[Shadowfax]

As they pulled into the car park, Ashelin studied every part of it. No cars in the car park, nor on the roads when they entered. Nor were there any concealed in the bushes. Having spent three years in the army, she knew how to spot an ambush and how to look for signs.. However that had not saved her at the last station she was at. Shaking the thought and ignoring the stabbing pain in her hand she resumed analyzing.

When George pulled up and turned off the engine, Sam immediately went to jump out the car. He was so excited to be getting more food and undid his seatbelt before they had even come to a halt. As soon as his hand touched the handle though, a voice stopped him.

"Don't. Just, wait" Ashelin said to the boy firmly.

She looked up at the building ahead and carefully looked for any movement inside. Nothing. She then decided to risk it. Ashelin clipped the gun into place, wound down the window and aimed at a window. She lazily flicked her finger and the bullet shot out of the end and shattered the glass into a million pieces. The gun shot rang in their ears for a moment and after about ten seconds Ashelin placed the gun back in it's holster.

"Right, it's all clear. Shall we?"

[UncoordinatedPisces]

Aimee watched on in interest. She had to admit it, she would of walked in there without checking the place througholy. There was something about Ashelin. Something about the way she did things, the way she acted. Aimee wanted to know more about her. George seemed quite content with her presence, Aimee was too to a certain degree. She liked to know about people, and their past. Ashelin acted as though she had been in the military, but Aimee wasn't quite brave enough to ask yet.

"We shall". George opened the car door and got out. Aimee got out as well, and George locked it as soon as the other two had exited the car as well. Aimee slipped an arm through her brother's, and he shot her a smile as they began to walk towards the building. "Why the link?" he asked
"Just...wanted to" she replied, resting her head on his shoulder momentarily. George didn't ask further questions.

[Shadowfax]

Ashelin stepped out the car and touched the guns handle once again as if checking it was still there. She took her backpack with her, even though she knew they were only going in and coming straight out. Ashelin still had trust issues and didn't want to risk losing all her possessions, especially some very sentimental ones. She did up the draw strings on the bag and slammed the door shut.

Sam walked to Aimee's left. He had left his pack in the car and smiled as the thought of food was exciting him. Ashelin meanwhile stayed behind the three of them feeling very out of place. Every now and then she would check over her shoulder cautiously, but she heard or saw nobody. When they reached the doors, Sam rushed forwards and pushed the door open.

Inside was a small cafe infront of them and a corridor behind it. The corridor led to a small arcade with mostly out of order machines. To the right of that was another cafe and a little way up the long and wide corridor was a supermarket. Ashelin gave a sigh of relief for she didn't spot it for a time. Then, opposite the shop were the toilet facilities which looked rather run down. There was light in here too which was helpful so they could navigate easy enough.

"We best stick together" Ashelin said as they entered the building.

[UncoordinatedPisces]

George was content enough with what facilities they had, cafe's that probably still had in-date foods, a supermarket which almost definitely did. He pulled the door of the complex open and held it open for them all. He looked at Ashelin when she spoke
"Yeah...as long as we're all with someone though, not toddling off on your own" he replied. "Except for obvious reasons" he added, motioning towards the toilets.

Aimee slipped through the door and looked around curiously. The sleeves of her jumper were covering her hands, so she pulled them up and began to walk towards the toilets.

"George, wait outside for me?" she asked. Her brother nodded and watched her go through the doors. Aimee, while in there, didn't feel extremely safe. She was cautious. The teenager tip toed inside and then opened each cubicle door before actually using a toilet. George had lent against the wall, but a coffee machine that was still powered up was catching his eye. It was a few steps away so he approached it.

Everything seemed in order. It could be completely empty though. Sighing, he thought he'd try his luck. He dug around in his pocket and got out some change. He got himself a regular coffee, and was pleasantly surprised when it worker, and better yet, it tasted alright.

[Shadowfax]

Sam saw the arcade and immediately made a beeline for it. Ashelin grabbed him firmly by the arm however and the nine year old nearly lost his balance. He turned his head and went to argue like a child, but Ashelin's gaze silenced him.

"Leave it. We stay together, get some supplies then we leave" She told him shortly.

Ashelin watched as George and Aimee went off towards the toilet facilities. It appeared she would be stuck with Sam, so she motioned to the boy to follow her, which Sam did reluctantly. They made for the super market and Ashelin saw that it was sealed by a metal caged like door. Typical. She then began to look for the small bolts clamping the door down.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked as he saw Ashelin running her hand along the door.

"Opening the damn door" She said stepping back a few steps.

She pointed the gun at the two little metal grids on the floor and let fly two bullets. She aimed them perfectly and the doors fell off the hinges. She smirked with satisfaction. Sam was confused however as the door was still closed. Rolling her eyes, Ashelin retrieved a trolley and pushed it over to the door. She then bent down, placed a hand under the door and lifted it up. The noise rattled across the whole of the station as she did this, but once it was at the height of the trolley she pushed it underneath so they could enter and exit the shop.

"Let's go shopping" She called to George and Aimee as she looked upon the freshly stocked, non raided market before them.

[UncoordinatedPisces]

"Aimee hurry up" George began to call impatiently, for he had finished his coffee. Aimee was washing her hands at that point, disappointed at the fact the water was cold.
"Two seconds!" She fixed her hair in the mirror for a moment and walked out. George gave her an unimpressed look

"Gosh, you don't take your time do-" he was interrupted by two gun shots, and then the sound of metal rattling. He winced at the unpleasant noise. "Lets hope that was Ashelin firing" he murmured "Come on".

He half jogged and half ran, Aimee running along behind him. George gave her a glance, she seemed to be running okay at the moment considering the problems in her leg. "She could of been a fast one" he thought. He heard Ashelin's call and was comforted. The siblings slowed and both shot each other a smile. "Yes, lets". He crouched a little to get under the barrier. Aimee followed him and picked up a basket.
"High energy long lasting foods first" she said, giving herself a priority. "Then stuff we want".

[Shadowfax]

Ashelin waited for them to catch up before she began to look for food. She walked over to the chocolate aisle and grabbed a boost bar from off the shelf. She pulled it out it's wrapper and swallowed the chocolate. Never before had food tasted so good and she sighed with contentment as she stuffed more chocolate into her bag.

Sam on the other hand followed Aimee and kept picking up tins of fruit, soup and meats before putting them in the basket she was carrying. His eyes lingered hungrily over the cakes, but he knew they would be stale by now. Then it hit him that he might not be able to enjoy such comforts again and his eyes saddened. He tried to remain positive and happy though. He was alive and among friends.

"Can we get some sweets and chocolate now? How about some crisps for George?" He asked Aimee, tugging at her jumper.

Ashelin was inspecting the fruit. Some of it was still palatable, some not so. She picked up an apple and ate. Sugar was what she needed right now and she felt energized already. Then she remembered that she was meant to also be looking for weapons. She dropped the apple core onto the floor and strode off towards the staff room.

"Im going to look out back. Come with me or keep an eye on them" Ashelin said as she walked past George.

[UncoordinatedPisces]

Aimee, once satisfied with the haul, finally nodded at Sam's request.
"Come on then", she said, taking his hand in hers almost suddenly. She hadn't expected it to happen, but she liked this little boy. Many would find him annoying, but she found him comforting. He was a little ray of light, and innocent young child, in this dark new world.

She walked with a spring in her step to the confectionery aisle, and with a grin, began putting a few personal favourites in the basket. It consisted of Cadbury's chocolate for the most part.

George hesitated. He wasn't quite sure what to do. Surely Aimee would be fine for a few minutes?
"I'm coming" he called, catching up and walking alongside her, hands in his pockets.

[Shadowfax]

Sam allowed Aimee to take hold of his hand and willingly followed her to the sweet aisle. His eyes widened with delight as he saw what was infront of them. Sweets, chocolate and all sorts. He ran over to the pic and mix section and took a handful of white mice in his hands before looking at the other selections, but soon grabbed a bag and stuffed it full of sweets.

"These sweets were always so expensive. I guess it doesn't matter now though.." Sam paused and suddenly felt guilty about taking all the food "Will it?" He asked Aimee for support.

Ashelin pushed the door open and held it for a moment for George to come through. They had come to a sorry looking little kitchen with a few computers, tables and chairs. She looked around for a moment untill she saw in the far corner what she had intended to find. A safe.

"Help me look for keys" She said, opening cupboards and inspecting inside them.

[UncoordinatedPisces]

Aimee stopped for a moment. Sam's guilt made her think. Did it matter? She supposed to herself that if she had been younger she might of thought the same way as Sam did. Of course it didn't matter. Aimee couldn't imagine society being the same, and right now was a struggle for survival.
"No" she said, placing a packet of Mini Eggs for George in the basket, "It doesn't matter".

George passed through the door and gave a little 'thank you' before doing as she instructed. He went over to a promising set of drawers, knelt down, and began plowing through them. One drawer was full to the brim with items, so with a strong pull, he soon had the whole drawer on his lap. He began digging around through the various items, tape measures, pencils, pens, until a jingle arose.

He had a bundle of keys in his hand. He didn't bother putting the drawer back inside.
"Not sure which one it is but...there's not that many" he said, handing them to her.