Page 26 of Amaros
Chapter Fourteen
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GRACE SLITHERED THROUGHthe window headfirst and landed on her feet.Glad her leg had healed, she examined the storeroom.Cardboard boxes were crammed into the metal shelving.The room was huge and contained all kinds of sporting goods.Her night vision was pretty good, but she stumbled over a box as she went in search of the door.
“Are you okay?”Zoe asked in alarm, keeping her voice down so it didn’t carry.
“I’m fine,” Grace replied, feeling a warm fuzzy sensation in her chest.Finally, after eighteen years on this hellhole of a planet, someone actually cared about her.The concept was so foreign, she didn’t really know what to do with it.
Forcing the emotions she didn’t want to examine away, she located the door and eased it open.The smell of putrefaction wafted to her.“Ugh,” she complained softly.“There’s at least one dead person in here,” she warned her companions.
“Hide if you see anyone moving around,” Amaros said.“Whistle and I’ll come to your rescue.”
“Okay,” Grace agreed, then pulled the door open.The knight didn’t care about her as much as Zoe apparently did, but his concern was still touching.
Holding her breath as best she could, Grace noiselessly crept out into the main part of the store.Her eyes adjusted to the gloom and she pinpointed the source of the smell.
A man wearing the store uniform had hanged himself from a basketball hoop that was attached to the wall.“That’s just sad,” she muttered, giving the corpse a wide berth.
The office was on the far side of the building, of course.Grace kept to the dark and quickly made her way over to it.Shelves were full of merchandise that begged to be stolen.It was a sportsperson’s delight.Guns were on display in one corner.Clothing for all types of sports was at the back.The rest of the room held more sporting and camping equipment.
Grace reached the office to find the door was locked.“Of course it is,” she said with an eyeroll.“I’m not searching the dead guy for the keys,” she added.Her trusty lockpicks did the job and she opened the door.It was easy to switch off the alarm, since it was so prominent on the wall.
“The alarm is off!”she called out.
“We’ll meet you at the front door,” Zoe replied.
Flicking the light switches on, Grace strolled over to the front door.She had to use her lockpicks again.Amaros was guarding Zoe’s back like a faithful hound.Grace hid her amusement from the new friends she’d made.It was painfully obvious that they were lusting after each other.Privately, she thought they should bang and get it over with, but she kept her notion to herself.
“Good job,” Amaros said in praise as he guided Zoe inside with his hand on the small of her back.
Grace flushed in pleased surprise.“Thanks,” she mumbled, unused to people treating her like she actually mattered.“Do you want me to bring the truck around so we can load it up?”she joked.
“Sure,” Amaros surprised her by saying.
She almost fumbled the keys when he tossed them to her.“Crap,” she whispered as the pair began searching for supplies they’d need.It was daunting to think about trying to drive the huge truck, but she would at least attempt it.
Leaving the store, Grace trotted to the parking lot.No one was around to witness her possible shame.She climbed into the driver’s seat and shifted it as far forward as it would go.Her toes just reached the pedals and she had to sit forward to depress them.
“I can do this,” she said, giving herself a peptalk.It would help if she was wearing three-inch platform shoes, but she would have to make do.
The seatbelt managed to stretch around her as she buckled herself in.Starting the truck, she gingerly drove it around to the front of the store.Proud of herself for not hitting a parked car, she was glad to switch the motor off and climb out.
“I knew you could do it,” Zoe said with a grin.
“My legs are too short,” Grace complained.“I’ll need to wear platform shoes to drive it properly.”
“We’ll come up with something,” Amaros told her.He’d just returned from disposing of the dead guy.She threw the keys to him and he caught them deftly.“You should find some winter clothing,” he suggested.
“The kids’ section is over there,” Zoe said, pointing off to the side.
“Very funny,” Grace said when her friend doubled over in laughter.Sadly, Grace was wearing kids’ shorts and tights right now.Her oversized t-shirts were made for adults, hence why they didn’t fit her.
Amaros remained vigilant as they all searched for appropriate winter clothing.They filled duffle bags with everything they’d need.He packed the clothing into the truck, then went back for more supplies.By the time they were done, they had sleeping bags, propane tanks, a small BBQ grill, hotplates and other necessary items.
