Free Into the Badlands by Brian J. Jarrett Page A

shape.
    They adjusted their goggles and masks to ensure they were properly seated. Ed chambered his first round, Zach did the same, then he took the lead. The boys fell in behind him as they entered the store one after the other. The door creaked when Ed pushed it open, but it otherwise opened without issue.
    Once inside he glanced left, then right. On both sides were scores of blackened, desiccated bodies. Many were lying down, others were sitting with their backs against the wall. Sitting just as they'd died, their darkened skin clinging tightly to their skulls. Many were partially eaten, either by wild animals or by carriers. Or by both.
    “Ignore the bodies,” he told the boys. They nodded, but he saw their eyes dart to and from the bodies as they walked. Those images would stay with them their whole lives.
    Much of the store had been raided, but they were still able to find some things they needed. They picked up some light and compact food such as beef jerky, potato chips, and some chocolate bars. They compacted the chips by opening the bags, crushing the chips, then rolling the bags up tightly. They also found some cans of tuna, sardines, and spam along with two jars of pickles. The glass jars could be useful after they consumed the pickles. It wasn't as much as Ed had hoped, but it was better than nothing.
    The floors were lined with the empty packages of supplies opened by survivors who'd used the building for shelter. No doubt many had holed up in large department stores shortly after the infection began to spread. Others had used the place as a rest stop on their way to the coasts. And many others, as was evidenced by the multitude of of decaying bodies near the entrance, had simply come there to die.
    Despite the food aisles being mostly picked over, they made out well enough to get them to the next exit at least. There they might find nothing, as was often the case. That they'd have to deal with then. He held out hope though. He had to; he had little choice otherwise.
    They moved on to the clothing aisles, but found only a single boot in Jeremy's size. There were some coats left over, and Zach was able to replace one of his outer layer coats with a new one. It was covered with dust, but otherwise in good shape. Zach discarded his old, worn-out coat, then Ed ripped the tags from the new coat and placed it on his son. He then placed a hand on his son's head. Zach smiled. Ed felt a tear start to form in the corner of his eye and he looked away. He could remember school shopping for his son, purchasing that new winter coat for the coming winter. He'd never imagined then he'd be where he was now.
    He pushed the feeling back and attempted to remain focused. They found Jeremy a new stocking cap to replace his old one, and they found some wool socks to replaced the ones with holes in them. Spending their lives walking made short work of socks.
    During their search they ended up near the electronics section. Dozens of now-useless digital cameras sat on the display shelf. Behind the digital cameras he found a rack of disposable film cameras. It was likely that the film had been damaged by exposure to extreme temperatures over the past few years, but he grabbed one anyway. He lined his sons up side by side, checking first to ensure they were still the only ones in the store.
    “When was the last time we used one of these?” he asked them.
    “A long time ago,” Zach replied. Jeremy nodded in agreement.
    Ed smiled. “Say cheese.”
    Both Zach and Jeremy smiled their best and said 'cheese'. Ed raised the camera to his eye and snapped the picture. Surprisingly the flash still worked. He rolled the film forward, then dropped the camera into his backpack. He doubted the film would ever be developed, but it was more a gesture of hope than anything else. An old ritual that brought comfort.
    “I wish Mommy was here for the picture,” Jeremy said.
    Ed looked at his youngest son and smiled. “Me too, buddy.”

    They spent a