Page 47 of Once Upon an Apocalypse

A single tear escapes from Amos’ eye, which I gently brush away with my thumb. The weight of his guilt disintegrates under my touch. “I will always fight for you, Lori.”

Chapter 31

“Isthisreallywhatpatrolling is all about?” I ask Olivia. Amos finally assigned me patrol duty, looking for feminine hygiene products. Freaking lame. I expected…well honestly, I don’t know what I expected, just not this. It makes me think of the times Jonah and I would raid our neighbor’s houses, which was an essential part of our survival. So I get it.

Olivia has driven us to at least a dozen different pharmacies and stores in search of menstrual cups, pads, and tampons. Nearly every one of these places had a huge supply. Perhaps feminine hygiene is the last thing on everyone’s mind when they are being chased by flesh-eating monsters. But it has been nice to have these supplies available at The Valley. In the bunker, we had to use reusable cloths, which were eco-friendly but very difficult to maintain.

“For today,” Olivia responds. “We are going to hit up one more place, then head back before it gets dark.”

“Okay,” I sigh. Am I really craving action? I should have had enough. Or maybe I just want to find something I can punch to a pulp.

The last place we stop is at a CVS that looks untouched for the most part. Olivia had explained that most of the nearby towns evacuated so quickly there was no time for looting. So our job of looting is that much easier. The only thing we really have to worry about out here is the stray deadie or two.

We hop out of the car and cautiously walk into the already open doors of the pharmacy. Once inside, we bang on the inside of the door and run for cover under the registers. A strategic move I learned quickly today, which lets us know if there are any zombies inside. They hear a noise and it’s like flies to a light. Nothing comes out from within the store after five minutes, so Olivia and I head for the feminine hygiene section.

Like with all the other stores, it’s fully stocked. As Olivia fills our basket, I browse the sexual wellness section. Condoms would be a good thing to have in stock, not that I’m planning on using them. I grab a few boxes, then pause when I see a vibrator. What kind of CVS is this? In the middle of Pennsylvania, of all places. They sell—or sold—personal stimulators. I can’t help myself. My hand moves on its own to pick one up.

I’ve never used a vibrator, being a teen with very little sexual experience when the world ended. And the bunker sure didn’t have any in stock. It’s heavier than I expected, more solid. My finger slides down a button and it vibrates. Loud. Olivia reacts to the sound, ready for a fight. But when she sees the cause of the noise, she snorts with laughter.

Laughter that is cut short when a deadie appears around the corner of the aisle. Shit. Behind me, Olivia drops her basket gently and reaches for her weapon. But the deadie has me on his radar, attracted to the sound of the vibrator in my hand. So I give the vibrator to it, shoving the curved end right into its cloudy, gooey eye. With one more shove, the vibrator reaches the zombie’s brain, putting it out of its misery.

“Did you just off a biter with a fucking vibrator?” Olivia whispers, careful to keep her cool in case there are others hiding in the dark store.

I simply smile back before grabbing a few more vibrators. Even if the batteries eventually run out, it still looks like a fun toy to play with.

The next day at lunch, I’m sitting with Cal and Mina in the cafeteria. They cannot get over the vibrator story. I hadn’t even been the one to tell it. Olivia has been going around telling literally everyone. It’s a little embarrassing, even if they all think it’s badass.

“Can we talk about something else, please?” I beg Cal.

“Okay, okay. But you will now be known as vibrator girl.”

The three of us cackle at that. In this moment, I feel oddly normal. I don’t come with any baggage. My mind is fully sane. I don’t have a mutation that makes me immune to zombie bites. I don’t have some kind of inhuman power to heal incredibly fast. I’m just Lori.

“What are you three laughing about?”

And there goes my happy moment. Katie sits down at our table as if she still belongs in our little roommate club. Cal and Mina’s faces go rigid with vile hate. If those faces were directed at me, I’d be terrified. Katie brushes it off, flicking her hair back as she turns to me.

“I heard you went on the tampon run with Olivia yesterday. Fun.” The sarcasm in Katie’s voice is obvious. What’s not so obvious is the venom behind it.

“What the fuck to do you want, Katie?” Mina asks, trying to move Katie’s attention from me. It doesn’t work.

“I just want to hear all about this story everyone is talking about. How Lori killed a biter with a vibrator? So original. I bet Amos is so proud of you.”

“Get over it, Katie.” Cal looks as if they are about to leap out of their seat. Both Cal and Mina look more pissed than I feel. It puts a smile on my face to know I have loyal friends. Unconditional friends. All because we got paired together in a dorm room.

Katie doesn’t even look at my friends though. Her eyes are fixed on mine. “I used to be on tampon duty. It was the easiest patrol run. Is that why Amos assigned you to the task?”

“What does that mean?” I ask, feeling myself deflate.

“Don’t listen to her, Lori,” Cal says. “She’s trying to bait you.”

“It means,” Katie drawls. “Amos doesn’t think you are up for the big fight. He thinks you’re weak. Just a silly girl killing biters with vibrators. Hilarious. I bet he keeps you at an arm’s length too, just like with me.”

“What do you mean, just like with you?” Mina snorts. “Amos never even looked your way.”

“Not after she showed up. And now Amos is using Lori just like he used me.” Katie’s anger is so vapid and crazy, but some of the words she says fuel my own kind of crazy anger. I’m teenage Lori again, letting Lexi’s mean words get to me. Doubt settles in and I know that’s what Katie is trying to do, but she’s right. I am weak. I am the tampon and vibrator girl. That’s what Amos thinks of me.

I stand up, ignoring Cal and Mina’s protests as I storm out of the cafeteria. In a whirlwind, I find myself back in my dorm room as Amos is about to head out. We nearly collide with each other, but I use the momentum to push him back into the living area.

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