we would go our separate ways without any lasting impression. Like I was bouncing around outside of them this whole time and it meant nothing.
We finished with
Breaking Bad
and Rocky left forbed in Camping World. He kept a tent in there with a mattress on the floor. For a while it was a blow-up plastic one like he had in Target. When we realised, Taylor and I dragged in a pillow-top from Bed Bath and Home and got him the hell off the cold lumpy air. Rocky slept more than any of us, yet he always looked tired.
The three of us stayed on the couch in an early-evening daze while the DVD menu screen looped through.
âDid you look in those storerooms?â asked Taylor.
I nodded.
âNo good?â asked Lizzy.
I shook my head, but couldnât get rid of their gazes.
âI didnât look in all of them. So there might still be something,â I added.
They nodded.
âHow is Rocky?â I asked Taylor.
âWho knows,â she replied and was silent for a moment.
âWe almost got a door open today,â she said, matter-of-factly.
Lizzy and I looked at her.
âHoly shit. Where?â said Lizzy.
âIn the corridor beside Just Jeans,â replied Taylor.
âWhat happened?â I asked.
âIt just moved. None of the other ones have. Rocky was using a crowbar and the door slipped a little. He didnât know what to do and I wasnât watching. By the time I raced over, the door had slipped back and we couldnât wedge it open again.â
âWow,â I said.
âYeah,â said Taylor.
âSo thatâs it?â asked Lizzy.
Taylor looked at her for a moment. Something passed.
âWe only had some small tools with us. With a bigger crowbar and mallet it might open,â she replied.
âWhere do you think it goes?â I asked.
âWhat do you mean?â asked Taylor.
âStoreroom? Cleaners cupboard?â
âI think it goes outside,â she said.
The words resonated.
âWhy?â asked Lizzy.
âSome of the doors have this feeling. Like a kind of pressure or weight. And others donât,â said Taylor.
âDoes this one have that?â I asked.
âYeah,â said Taylor.
The three of us sat there for a few moments, just staring at the looping faces of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman.
âWhat do we do if it opens?â asked Lizzy.
âGet the hell out of here,â said Taylor.
âDoesnât it depend on whatâs out there?â I asked.
âWhat do you think is out there, Nox? Zombies? A nuclear holocaust? Youâve heard the noises,â said Taylor.
âIâve heard something that sounded like a harmonica. And some dogs barking. I havenât heard anyone come to do their shopping or catch a movie,â I replied.
âWe have to go out there. All the food in this place will be out of code eventually. And Iâm worried about Rocky,â said Taylor.
Lizzy put a hand on her shoulder. I stared hard at the floor and wondered why the hell the idea of a door opening freaked me out so much.
âWe need to take supplies,â I said.
The two of them looked at me.
âWe canât just expect to go out there and catch a taxi to Pizza Hut,â I said.
âHeâs right,â said Lizzy. âWait. Are we all going?â
Taylor and I looked at each other. She nodded. So did I.
5
I left JBâs and cycled through the half-lit centre to put some supplies together and think over Taylorâs news. We had agreed to head to the door after breakfast tomorrow and I had volunteered to gather supplies for whatever we might face outside. I didnât often cycle around alone at night. The mixture of shadow and light, as some shops shut off and others stayed on, tipped Carousel over its creepy threshold. Plus with so many areas on different timers you never really knew when the place you were in would black out and send you into momentary panic.
Tonight I felt numb
We finished with
Breaking Bad
and Rocky left forbed in Camping World. He kept a tent in there with a mattress on the floor. For a while it was a blow-up plastic one like he had in Target. When we realised, Taylor and I dragged in a pillow-top from Bed Bath and Home and got him the hell off the cold lumpy air. Rocky slept more than any of us, yet he always looked tired.
The three of us stayed on the couch in an early-evening daze while the DVD menu screen looped through.
âDid you look in those storerooms?â asked Taylor.
I nodded.
âNo good?â asked Lizzy.
I shook my head, but couldnât get rid of their gazes.
âI didnât look in all of them. So there might still be something,â I added.
They nodded.
âHow is Rocky?â I asked Taylor.
âWho knows,â she replied and was silent for a moment.
âWe almost got a door open today,â she said, matter-of-factly.
Lizzy and I looked at her.
âHoly shit. Where?â said Lizzy.
âIn the corridor beside Just Jeans,â replied Taylor.
âWhat happened?â I asked.
âIt just moved. None of the other ones have. Rocky was using a crowbar and the door slipped a little. He didnât know what to do and I wasnât watching. By the time I raced over, the door had slipped back and we couldnât wedge it open again.â
âWow,â I said.
âYeah,â said Taylor.
âSo thatâs it?â asked Lizzy.
Taylor looked at her for a moment. Something passed.
âWe only had some small tools with us. With a bigger crowbar and mallet it might open,â she replied.
âWhere do you think it goes?â I asked.
âWhat do you mean?â asked Taylor.
âStoreroom? Cleaners cupboard?â
âI think it goes outside,â she said.
The words resonated.
âWhy?â asked Lizzy.
âSome of the doors have this feeling. Like a kind of pressure or weight. And others donât,â said Taylor.
âDoes this one have that?â I asked.
âYeah,â said Taylor.
The three of us sat there for a few moments, just staring at the looping faces of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman.
âWhat do we do if it opens?â asked Lizzy.
âGet the hell out of here,â said Taylor.
âDoesnât it depend on whatâs out there?â I asked.
âWhat do you think is out there, Nox? Zombies? A nuclear holocaust? Youâve heard the noises,â said Taylor.
âIâve heard something that sounded like a harmonica. And some dogs barking. I havenât heard anyone come to do their shopping or catch a movie,â I replied.
âWe have to go out there. All the food in this place will be out of code eventually. And Iâm worried about Rocky,â said Taylor.
Lizzy put a hand on her shoulder. I stared hard at the floor and wondered why the hell the idea of a door opening freaked me out so much.
âWe need to take supplies,â I said.
The two of them looked at me.
âWe canât just expect to go out there and catch a taxi to Pizza Hut,â I said.
âHeâs right,â said Lizzy. âWait. Are we all going?â
Taylor and I looked at each other. She nodded. So did I.
5
I left JBâs and cycled through the half-lit centre to put some supplies together and think over Taylorâs news. We had agreed to head to the door after breakfast tomorrow and I had volunteered to gather supplies for whatever we might face outside. I didnât often cycle around alone at night. The mixture of shadow and light, as some shops shut off and others stayed on, tipped Carousel over its creepy threshold. Plus with so many areas on different timers you never really knew when the place you were in would black out and send you into momentary panic.
Tonight I felt numb
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