Supermarket - Bobby Hall Page 0,82

“You guys, he’s here!” I raced to the front where I had left Red and Mia together, only to find . . . they had gone.

The lights went out. It was pitch-black and completely silent.

“Mia!!” I called out. “Mia, Red?!” I took a few steps, but my shin collided with a wooden table I knew held pies and different baked goods. “Goddamn it!” I cried out. “I can’t believe they still haven’t fixed these lights! Where the hell is everyone?” I screamed. I couldn’t see a fucking thing.

And then I remembered. I had the Zippo in my pocket! I struck the lighter open, revealing a bright and steady flame.

I headed back to the break room, toward the ladder. Using the flame to illuminate my surroundings, I realized the maintenance tools were for the breaker. DayDay must have been working on the lights again due to bad weather. That was probably why only half the aisles were lit when we’d walked in a few minutes earlier.

First, Dr. Cross’s husband had an accident on the icy road, and now this. I was starting to hate the winter.

I put my left hand on the ladder, holding the lighter with my right—the ladder was twelve feet high. While nearing the top, I realized I would be able to see the whole store from up there if I could actually fix the lights. It was a perfect vantage point.

My hands reached the breaker. I opened it up and gripped a switch that said POWER/LIGHTS. I pushed it down. CLICK. I pushed it up to an even louder click and . . . nothing. I tried again, nothing. My arms grew heavy. It felt like I was holding a bag of cement over my head. I decided to get level with the breaker box. I climbed one step, then another, and lastly a third, finally reaching the top of the ladder.

I held the lighter high over my head. I was now able to read another button that said EMERGENCY BACKUP POWER. Then suddenly—

“Oh, shit!” Water began spraying everywhere. “You fucking idiot!” I yelled at myself. I had held the flame under the fire sprinklers! My flame immediately went out and I was now in the dark. Drenched in freezing cold water, I reached out my hands to the last thing I had seen before the flame went out—the emergency backup power button. I pushed the button down on the breaker. Click! Then I pulled it up as hard as I could. CLICK! Instantly, I heard a generator starting, the system booting, and . . . the power came back on! Each aisle began to light up, one by one. I looked at the entire store from atop the ladder. Aisle one, two, three, four . . . all had lights. Then five, six, and before I knew it, the entire store was back in business.

I looked around.

“Mia!” I screamed. Where the hell was she?

“Get out of your fuckin’ head, man!”

Frank. It was Frank, yelling.

“Where the hell are you?” I yelled. The call was met by the sound of the sprinklers still raining overhead. I began to descend the ladder. “What have you done with them? Answer me, Frank!” Hopping off the last step onto the floor, I looked around.

“This way!” Frank yelled. I grabbed the gun from my pocket, pulling it out.

“Where the fuck are you?!” I screamed, making my way past the aisles.

It was like a hurricane inside Muldoon’s Grocery! I wiped the water from my face, searching for Frank.

Aisle four! I saw him. Wait . . . aisle six! He was running down aisle six . . .

I shot in his direction. A loud blast. “Show yourself, you coward!” I screamed.

“Shoot me already!” Frank said. I turned. He was standing in front of aisle nine, dressed in his supermarket uniform.

The water in my eyes blurred everything around me. He ran up the aisle, and with my gun pointed at him, I ran after him . . . but I couldn’t see him! I turned around to face him, and he was running, nearly at the end of the aisle. Gun in hand, I raised my arm, took aim, took a deep breath . . .

This was it, I could feel it.

I exhaled, and a calm I had never felt came over me. I squeezed the trigger slowly. BANG. And then . . .

Frank hit the floor! I wanted to run up and shoot him again and again. But I knew the bullet had been