As Isabella heard the fast and heavy pounding coming from deeper inside the store, her whole body locked up. She'd made too much noise, she'd lost Mateo, and now, something was coming. It was running towards her with its feet slapping against the tile, echoing up and down the empty aisles.
No. No, no, no. Please, not now. Not again.
As the footsteps seemed to be rapidly getting closer, Isabella had no time to think. Feeling like her heart was in her throat, Isabella scanned for any escape. All around her, shopping carts and toppled baskets made an obstacle course out of the whole store.
Isabella ran for the cashier lanes, hoping to use the different conveyor belt areas as barriers between her and the approaching creatures. As she rounded the corner by the middle checkout area, her shoes slid on a dirty tile, making a squeaky noise and nearly sending her sprawling.
Seriously? Now the shoes want to make noise? Just fucking perfect. She gritted her teeth, angry at everything: her shoes, the floor, herself for not being quieter. Could you be any louder, Isa? Good job.
Panicking, Isabella searched for a hiding spot until she spotted a hollow cubby hole next to where the cashier usually stood. It was by the bagging station at the end of the counter. It was the only space with enough cover between her and whatever was chasing her.
She ducked her head, sucking in cold air, and took a quick glance over her shoulder. As she saw a blur of motion flashing near the shelves, Isabella didn't wait to see what it was; she fully dropped to her knees to avoid being seen and inched herself into the shelf under the conveyor belt. Her hand slipped through something sticky. She didn't even process what it was, blood, spilled soda, or melted candy, all the same now. She didn't care what it was, she was just focused on moving and hiding.
Above her, bunches of white plastic bags dangled like a flimsy curtain. She hoped it was enough to hide her from the creature's view.
She squeezed her knees to her chest and covered her mouth with her trembling fingers, and began to hold her breath, desperate not to make a sound.
While she couldn't see the creature, she could hear it, closing in just beyond the counter, with its wet gasps and scraping along the counter.
Every instinct screamed at her to move, to run, but she held perfectly still, trying to cover her mouth to even silence her breath.
She counted to ten, then twenty, then lost count altogether, waiting for the thing to either find her or give up. The pounding in her ears drowned out almost everything.
As the seconds stretched into an eternity, her mind spiraled through thoughts of failure and regret.
Mateo's gone. I lost him. I promised Mom I wouldn't, but I did. I always do. I ruin everything. I'm sorry, Mat. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
The creature's footsteps slowed, then stopped. The air felt thick and cold. Isabella squeezed her eyes shut.
Don't look. Keep holding your breath. If you don't move, maybe it'll go away. Please go away.
The creature staggered closer. It paused, looking around and for a moment, it pressed its clawed hands to the counter, leaving a trail of bloody streaks. It twitched, like it couldn't help itself, and slammed a hand into a jar of candy canes, shattering it, then it paused again, just listening.
As the creature lingered, it stopped right in front of her hiding spot, just on the other side of the counter. She pressed herself tighter, with her knees to her chest, and her fingers digging into her arms until it hurt.
In the midst of her fears, she closed her eyes, hoping not to be seen, but her mind kept spiraling through all the worst thoughts.
You're alone now. You let him go. You let Mom die. You said you wouldn't leave, but you did. You always do. You're a liar. You're a coward. You're worse than the monsters out there.
Then the creature bumped into the conveyor belt where Isabella was hiding, making her jump in fear and temporarily snap out of her negative thoughts. She could hear the creature's slow movements. It seemed to be sniffing or looking around quietly, scanning for movement to attack. As the creature slowly moved towards her aisle, she felt a sob rising in her throat, but she bit down on the inside of her cheek, shut her eyes, and pressed her face into the crook of her elbow.
Then, the creature turned toward her hiding spot. Through the curtain of plastic bags, Isabella saw the creature's silhouette. Then she caught a glimpse of its thin vest, which was stained with something dark and crusted. It had a nametag still pinned crookedly to the front. It was Linda.
Even beneath the rot and the glaze of infection, Isabella recognized her. She recognized the familiar shape of her jaw and the silver streaks in her hair. Now, her face was twisted, the skin too tight over bone, and her eyes milky with fever and hunger, but it was Linda, the cashier from yesterday, the one who'd helped her, Dolores, and Mateo just yesterday, before everything went to shit. She was the one who'd smiled, who'd joked, the one who'd handed Mateo the candy cane at checkout, and told him to take care of her, making Isabella feel seen, like she was more than just a bratty kid dragged along on errands.
Now Linda's eyes were empty, and blood dried in the corners of her mouth. She wore filthy sneakers. One had a red Christmas sock, while the other one was bare and swollen.
Linda shuffled back, then shambled down the next aisle. As Isabella watched her go, her mind stayed stuck in the past, replaying the way Linda's face had changed in just one day. From warm, to nothing.
Linda. She was alive yesterday. She was funny. She made people feel good. She called me brave. Brave. What a joke. Look at her now. Look at what's left. Just a monster, hunting anything that moves. No more smiles, no more jokes. Just hunger. Just rage. Just noise. Is that all we become?
Linda didn't go far. She drifted in a slow circle and was coming back again, like the registers were her territory now.
Isabella couldn't hold her breath any longer, she released a gulp of air, slightly echoing in her tiny space. She sucked in another desperate breath, hoping that Linda didn't hear her. Please don't look down. Please, please, please. She closed her eyes again, with tears leaking out as she pressed herself harder against the cold metal. But monsters like Linda aren't the only monsters around here, are they, Isa?
Her brain wouldn't stop. It threw sharp memories at her. She saw herself at the kitchen table, spitting, "I HATE YOU" at Dolores for making her miss Jenna's party because she had to do homework. Mateo's body slamming against the wall when she shoved him, with his bottom lip quivering before he erupted into sobs that made Dolores come running. The venom in her voice every single day, the contempt in her eyes whenever Dolores tried to hug her. And now, Mateo's look when she promised, "I'm not leaving you," his terrified look as she left anyway, abandoning him. His desperate face burned in her memory, with his tears visible even from twenty feet away, and still she ran. And then, she remembered his shattered voice echoing: "YOU LEFT ME!" before he left her, preferring to be alone against the dangers within the store.
Maybe I'm the worst monster. Maybe I'm worse than Linda. At least she doesn't know what she's doing. I do. I could have been better. I should have listened to Mom. I should have been nicer to Mateo. I should have—
Linda then turned around again and continued to patrol around the cashier's area, with her lips twitching. Her swollen fingers dragged along the edge of the counter, catching briefly on a stapler. She paused, with her milky eyes fixed on some middle distance. Her chest expanded with a rattling inhale, then collapsed as she released a low and guttural sound, like something dredged from a drain.
Would you be proud of me now, Mom? Look at what I've done. I lost Mateo. I left you to die. I'm hiding like a coward while he's out there, scared and alone. Some big sister. Some hero. Some "brave" girl. You'd be so proud, right?
Then tears prickled her eyes, but she squeezed them shut, refusing to let them fall. Not here. Not now. If she started crying, she'd never stop.
Still, her mind continued through her internal thoughts. She continued to think about her mother.
What am I even worth without you? Without Mateo? I'm nothing. I'm just a mistake machine. I ruin everything I touch. I wish I could go back. I wish I could fix it. I wish I could be the daughter you deserved. The sister Mateo needed.
She then pressed herself even tighter into the cubby, and her hands continued to clamp over her mouth. "Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry." She repeated it like a prayer, but the words just made the ache worse.
Her body didn't listen anymore. The tears leaked out anyway, sliding down her cheeks and blurring everything. She blinked hard, but it didn't help—her eyelashes just got heavy with it, and her chest kept doing those shallow, shaky breaths that made her ribs ache. She wiped her face with her dirty sleeve and didn't even care about the gross mix of tears, snot, and whatever else was on her. Her eyes burned. Her vision faded in and out like she was looking through dirty glass. She was so tired. Tired of running, tired of hiding, tired of thinking, tired of being her. Everything in her felt heavy, like her arms and legs belonged to someone else, like her whole body was slowly shutting down.
Then from within her hiding spot, she pushed the dangling plastic bags aside. Her movements were slow and clumsy, and her hands were barely cooperating. Linda was still there, about 15 feet away, still twitching, but her back was turned. Isabella stood up, knees popping, but she didn't really feel it. She didn't feel much of anything. She just stood there, exposed next to the cashier's register with her arms hanging limp at her sides.
Her mouth opened, but nothing came out at first. Then, barely above a whisper, she mumbled, "Mom."
Linda's head snapped toward her. The monster's body followed, locking onto Isabella. She saw the hunger, the rage, and the emptiness.
Then time went strange, slowing down until every heartbeat felt like it was a century. Isabella wanted to scream, to run, but all she could do was stand there and watch as the monster lunged. She could even see the nametag "LINDA, Team Lead," gleaming in the strobe-light hell of the checkout lane.
And then, as Linda closed in towards her, Isabella felt her world falling into darkness.