Dannie entered the storage closet. The light from the entrance flowed into the room as he stepped away from the door. He approached the crate nestled in the corner. It was resting vertically on the dolly. He grabbed the handle and tilted it back, lowering the crate down flat. He looked at the girl. Her black hair hung past her shoulders. Her dark blue eyes caught his attention. "How long have you been cuffed to that pipe?" he asked.
The girl responded with confusion on her face. "I don't know, since this morning, I guess. I told Dan I wouldn't run. I have nowhere to go."
Her response put Dannie on guard, "Is someone looking for you?" The girl shook her head at his question.
"No. I was half dead when the guys found me." Suspicion grew on the girls face. "Did the guys send you, Why else would you have the key?"
Dannie gauged her reaction as he responded. "No. They tried to kill me this morning. One of the slavers mentioned this gas station before bleeding out."
The girl laid her head against the pipe and sighed. "I told them I was bad luck, just like my mama always said. Good thing they was bad."
Dannie found her behavior odd. It could just be shock, he thought. The girl spoke after a pause. "What happens to me now?"
Dannie looked at her and answered honestly. "I came looking for supplies. I didn't know I would find you." Dannie looked behind him and then back at the girl. "You don't seem bothered there dead."
The girl raised her shoulders. "I got food, they gots their dicks sucked. But we wasn't close or anything. I don't feel any type of way about em."
Her answer made Dannie vigilant. This girl might be trouble. "So what's your name?" The girl looked at Dannie and said, "Nira. You?"
Dannie focused on opening the crate after talking with Nira. She observed him in silence. He popped the two latches holding the top closed. He lifted the lid. And to his utter shock, the crate was a jackpot. It was packed with all kinds of food: canned beans, tuna, jerky, and soups. A 9MM was also in the crate. And boxes of ammo. Dannie could not believe it. Bullets were very rare. He took out the gun and popped out the magazine; it was filled. Dannie smiled as he looked upon his discovery. He closed the lid and placed the gun in his pants. He got up and walked to the front of the gas station. He peered out the glass entrance and saw the dozens of zombies shuffling outside. The day had already grown darker, as the sun was low in the sky.
Dannie would have to stay the night here and make his way back in the morning. He returned to the closet and asked Nira, "Are you hungry?"
Nira nodded her head at Dannie, "Ya, Im starvin. But first I need the bathroom." Nira pointed at the counter. "They left the key next to the money thing." She lifted her hand and shook her cuff. "Unless you wanna watch?"
Dannie removed the cuffs and handed her a flashlight. She left for the bathroom to do her business. He wheeled the box out of the storage room and placed it near the entrance. He threw the cuffs onto the crate. Dannie had a few taper candles in his bag, so he removed one. The glow would be enough to allow both of them to eat without sitting in the dark. Dannie opened two cans of tuna and sat next to the candle, waiting for Nira to return.
Nira sat down next to the candle and turned off the flashlight. The sun had set, and nothing could be seen past the flames radiance. Nira handed him the light. "Thanks, using the toilet in the dark is the worst."
In return, he passed Nira a can of tuna. "It's not much, but I have to make these supplies last. In the morning, I can give you some food. And you can go wherever you want."
Nira looked at him with a weak smile and said, "It's a good thing, sending me away. I'm just bad luck." She started eating from the can. She spoke again while chewing. "The guys should have just let me die. But there dicks did the thinking."
Dannie asked Nira as he finished chewing, "How old are you?"
Nira answered slowly, "It's been two winters since the fall, so I'm 19."
Her demeanor left Dannie uncertain. "Why were you alone?"
Nira stopped eating and lowered her head for a moment. She slowly raised it and spoke in a melancholic tone, "Bad luck. Ever since I can remember, people close to me get hurt. My dad died of a heart attack while pushing me on a swing. Mama lost her job not long after." Nira shifted her body weight as she sat Indian style. "Money was always tight after that. My brother Ed died shortly after. We burned him cause money was tight." Nira let her head lean to the side. "When the zombies came, I lost my best friends. My brother Mike died last winter. We went scavenging in a store and got surrounded. He died making sure I got out." Nira closed her eyes for a moment, before returning her gaze at Dannie. "My mama just gave up on me after that." Some tears flowed down her cheeks. They shone in the candle light. "The last thing she said to me was that I was sent by the devil." Nira took a heavy breath and sighed, "I woke up the next day, and she was gone." She sniffled and smiled. "I don't blame her, she did what she thought right."
Dannie listened and concluded that she was emotionally scared. But more dangerous to herself. After finishing the tuna, Dannie let Nira know he was settling down for the night. He laid down, his chest pointed in her direction, with the gun nestled on his stomach under his jacket. To his surprise, Nira stood up and approached Dannie. He lifted himself with his arm and leaned on his elbow. Dannie spoke hastily, "What are you doing?"