One of Us Does Nothing at All

[LoneArcher†]

((B010 Garrett Cobbler continued from And God Said...))

It was a lot like what he'd always imagined death would be like. Garrett sat in the center of a round moveable rack of coats that he had hidden underneath a check-out counter and stared into the darkness around him. There was absolutely nothing around him. If he tried hard enough, he could see slight details of a sleeve cuff or the ripples of some sort of fabric, but that was about it. Nothing at all. He wasn't quite certain if the feeling was somewhat comforting or horrifyingly frightening.

After avoiding contact with the two students outside, Garrett had hurried into the Banana Republic and slowly made his way through the large store. With no lights on and no windows in the shop, each step felt more ominous as the world around him dissolved in an ocean of women's clothes. He had tried to move as silently as possible, but he hadn't heard anyone else in the shop and eventually gave up. If he was going to make his ideal hiding place, he would have to make a bit of noise. He had rested his bag under the check-out counter and paused at the cashier. Not that it would mean much in this situation, but it would be a nice feeling to have some cash on him. After a brief moment of hesitation, he opened the cashier and cringed as it let out a sharp, "Ding!". There was nothing in the cashier. He probably should have expected that.

As swiftly as he could, he grabbed the nearest circular rack and rolled it to the counter. He carefully hid it behind the counter, pushed his bag in and crawled into the rack. He had done it. He would be safe. Maybe. Probably not. But maybe.

But as he sat in absolute silence as his eyes twisted innocuous fabric ripples into malicious threats and the faces of obscene monsters, he couldn't help but feel anything but safe. It was a lot like what he'd always imagined death would be like. A blue screen of death. Forever. He distinctly remembered sitting in the family car on the way home from some trip absolutely terrified at the realization that it would end. That he should appreciate his family more. That one day he would simply stop existing. How was that even possible? Existing was all he'd ever known.

Without truly being able to see his hands in front of him, Garrett almost wasn't sure if he was where he thought he was. How much time had passed since he had seen the student with a shotgun was beyond him. How much time had passed since he had woken up in the park was unimaginable. It could have been weeks ago or hours. Another wave of anxiety washed over him and he felt his heart drop. He couldn't hide forever. And yet, there really was no other choice. Go out and die. Find help and die. Stay here and die. None of them were ideal.

He wished his brother Nate were there with him. Of course, he wouldn't wish the situation on anyone, especially family, but he knew he would be proactive. He would have known what to do. He wouldn't be hiding behind a curtain of fancy coats. But the loss of Nate would have been a tragedy. A high-achieving, well-liked, involved and active student. A young man with a life certainly full of impressive accomplishments in front of him. He could have won. Heck, he would have forced himself to.

Garrett reached into his bag and grabbed a food bar, nibbling just the end of it. There was no winning. At least this way his last moments could be on his own terms. Relaxing. In the dark. He repeated the idea in his head over and over again. There was no winning. There was no winning. But despite the false conviction and his forced deep breathing, he couldn't quite convince himself.

[SOTF_Help]

After a long, long time, however, the silence and stillness got to him. There was nobody and nothing, and had been for hours--days?--and that wore on him. Slowly, cautiously, Garrett left his hiding space and moved on.

((Garrett Cobbler continued elsewhere))