The Eruption of Time

Chapter Seven - Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid

Tiffany stood still, the man gripped the ends of his hood and pulled it back to reveal loose brown curls. He reached down to his face and pulled off a scarf-like cloth from around his mouth and nose-Tiffany was in shock. She knew that face more than anything, she still remembered that face. She put the rifle back on her back and ran to him. It was Henry. His blue to green eyes, the smile he showed, the face she had held so many times before. "Henry!" she yelled out in excitement as she hugged him.

"Where have you been? Are you somewhere safe?" she asked as she took in the warmth. "I haven't made it home yet, my mom was at the hospital when everything happened and my dad said he was trying to make it home. I haven't heard from anyone since. The phone went out, the only thing I can still see about it is the time, but the second the phone dies it won't do anything." he said as he hugged her and patted her head. "Come with me then. I've been working on getting extra supplies. We are going as far as Colonial Heights." he didn't even take a minute to think about it. He got into the car as he closed the door. He was walking by. Tiffany was excited about not having to do the trip on her own. She clicked her rifle to safety and got in.

"Where's your truck?" she asked as she pulled out of the auto store. "Recked. The learkers were everywhere and I couldn't get around them. Luckily, I'm a fast runner," he said with a smile. "You call them Lurkers? That's good, they are not super fast, but they kinda lurk around." She giggled a bit as she drove the car out of town. "What did you find for supplies?" he asked as he stretched, it was obvious he had been out and about for a while. "Batteries, lightbulbs, and radios. Even different types of screws." he didn't say anything. "The kids. Everyone at your house..." he mumbled. Tiffany stood quiet for a moment. "The kids are safe, they picked up on being quit quickly. The animals have been staying quiet when there is danger around, even the birds. My parents are fine, just stressed. Annabella is fine... Jefferson's leg had to be removed from the knee down, he was bit by one of those things. When you get bit you turn. I had to take care of it to insure he kept his life, and he did. No fever and he's been talking. At least when I left that was the case." Tiffany could feel him staring at her while she drove.

The roads were quiet, the driving is smooth so far. "Any ideas?" she asks as she slows down and pulls into the Waverly Pharmacy. "Maybe we could go find a library, find an Atlas. Plenty of maps means plenty of places to go and check. We could travel the world as we wanted." he says as she laughs, "I don't think it's the time to pack a bag and hop on a plane and travel the world. Lets get as many medications and first aid supplies as possible. You never know what's going to happen, it's a dark time and period."

They stepped out of the car slowly, Tiffany gripping her rifle. She turned to look down the street. There were monsters on both ends of the street, "Let's stay here for the night." She said softly as she looked at the door to the pharmacy. Not a single sound within the place, she closed the door and locked it behind them. As she went to take another step, Henry stopped her and whistled, not a sound. There wasn't anything but them in the building. They shared a look of agreement about it being safe and set their empty bags down.

"What kind of medication did you have in mind?" he asked as he walked toward the shelves. "Everything, my dad had the idea of us building the place and having people there. Thus, we'll need medication. Annabella is learning what she can so she can take care of people." He nodded and started filling the bags with anything and everything. Tiffany grabbed her empty bag and jumped over the counter so she could grab the restricted medications, needles, and even 100 percent alcohol.

As she finished filling the bags she saw Henry peaking out the window. "The cars are almost empty Tiffany... We won't make it to Colonial Heights. We need to head back and re-think. My truck isn't an option, but others are. Maybe we can find a delivery truck. There is a peanut plant not far from here, there has to be one there, plus we'll be out of gas before we get there. We have enough to get back to your house and maybe to a gas station." She looked around, the place was pretty empty to begin with and it was likely everything is going to start getting pretty empty soon. "Alright, we'll head home in the morning. We'll take the back road. It makes it easier since we won't have to go through towns. Now, get some sleep. I'll take the first watch."