Free The End by G. Michael Hopf Page A

see far. He looked from left to right seeing if anyone was still in there. He started to knock loudly. After a full minute of knocking, someone finally emerged from the darkness and walked up to the doors. The gentleman looked like he might be a manager. He pointed at the handwritten sign. Gordon acknowledged that and then held up a wad of cash. The man stared at Gordon’s hand, wide-eyed, paused, and then pried the doors open.
    â€œWhat can I help you with, sir?” the grocery store manager asked.
    â€œI need to get some supplies. I understand you’re closed but I have cash and I can pay extra . . . if you know what I mean,” Gordon said quietly, leaning in close to the manager for the last part.
    The store manager looked left and right then whispered, “You aren’t an Albertson’s employee or something are you?”
    â€œNope,” Gordon replied.
    â€œWhat do you need?”
    â€œCanned food, batteries, a few propane tanks and whatever else I see. I have plenty of cash to go around,” Gordon said, waving the stack of bills.
    â€œListen, put the cash down and step inside,” the manager said after looking left and right again.
    â€œCan I bring my bike and trailer in? It will help to load up everything directly,” Gordon said, pointing toward the rack to which his bike was chained.
    Looking over Gordon’s shoulder, the manager said, “Sure, but hurry.”
    Gordon didn’t hesitate; he turned around, unlocked the bike and trailer, and walked them into the store. He put on his headlamp, knowing he’d need it as they got farther into the store. He was familiar with its layout and went right for the canned food isle. He started to fill the trailer up with canned vegetables, tuna, chicken, and fruit. The manager showed back up with a notepad and was writing everything down. Gordon didn’t say a thing to him. He took every battery he could get his hands on. He found the nuts and grabbed all the dry roasted almonds, peanuts, and cashews they had. He then proceeded to the pharmacy area. Most of the over-the-counter drugs were locked up, but he was able to grab bandages, band aids, antiseptic ointments, painkillers, and antihistamines. He essentially grabbed anything he thought they could need to last them for years.
    â€œLooks like you’re stocking up for the end of the world,” the manager quipped.
    â€œWell, you never know. I like to be prepared,” Gordon replied without slowing down. He darted over to another aisle and grabbed every box of powdered milk and powdered Gatorade in stock. He finally paused for a moment, just to pull his checklist from his pocket. He then inspected the trailer and all the contents he had so far. He needed a bit more room for some propane tanks but then decided it would be better to have more food than fuel for cooking. He returned to the canned food aisle to grab more and more. He cleaned off the shelves of tuna, meat, sardines, and salmon.
    After a solid forty minutes of “shopping,” the trailer, basket, and backpack were full. The tires on the trailer stressed under the weight.
    â€œWhat do I owe you?” he asked the manager.
    â€œLet’s go to the customer service desk and I’ll grab a pad.”
    Gordon followed him toward the counter where he saw a display of Albertson’s baked goods. He paused and looked at the doughnuts and ginger snap cookies. He had always had a sweet tooth and any sort of treat would be scarce soon. He grabbed as many doughnuts and packages of cookies as he could squeeze into the limited space of the trailer.
    While the manager scribbled numbers on his pad, Gordon checked and double-checked his trailer and the store shelves around the customer service area. He noticed a few pegs filled with lighters and tossed the whole lot onto his pile of goods.
    â€œSir, your total is one thousand, eight hundred and seventy-five dollars,” the manager said