Mindy's

“Hmmm.”

Axel made the sound as his eyes wander over the sunglasses display. He had already spun the rack around twice and the only thing that catches his attention is a pair of aviators.

‘Am I really an aviator’s guy though?’ Axel thinks to himself. He calls his Buddy for the week. “Connor what do you think? Can I wear aviators?”

Connor meanwhile is trying to break open the gas station’s restroom. “Why -” Connor thrusts downward with his rifle. The heel of the gun misses the lock altogether and bounces off the rattling door. “ - wouldn’t you be able to wear aviators?”

Axel shrugs, “Always thought aviators were more for pilots than anyone else.”

Connor scoffs “When was the last time you saw a plane?” Axel thinks about it as Connor tries hitting the lock again.

“There’s that crash sight ten miles north of here. I was there two months ago.”

“Okay, I mean a plane in the sky. Actually flying.” Connor corrects.

“Oh.” Axel thinks about it again. “Probably stopped seeing them a year after the Spread so- about two years?”

Connor replies, “I think it’s safe to say there aren’t many working pilots nowadays. They're everyone's sunglasses now- shit” Connor misses the lock again. “Anyway stop looking at aviators, you're supposed to be the lookout.”

“Oh please the only thing that’s out there is the stupid billboard for that movie, ‘Brain Dead’. Uggggh. Pisses me off. We’re never going to see the end of those ads. You know what we are not going to see? The actual movie!”

Connor doing his best impression of the movie trailer voice. “GO SEE, BRAIN DEAD! OCTOBER 31st.” Connor makes contact with the padlock, but it just spins painlessly.

Axel continues “It’s been three years pal! Where’s the movie? When the kids born after the Spread get to that annoying phase in life where they ask a billion questions, they’re going to look at all these signs and ask me, ‘hey what’s that?’ And I’m going to go ‘eyy, no idea.’ And then they're going to ask ‘why? Aren’t you supposed to know these things? Wasn’t that your time old man? Why don’t you know? Why? Why? Why?’ And then I’m going to say ‘BECAUSE THE MOVIE NEVER CAME OUT! The world ended. You weren’t there, ya fuck’”!

Connor stops trying to hit the padlock and stares at his Buddy. Axel stares back, frozen in place, strangling imaginary future children by the collar. Connor had never seen a man piss himself off before.

“So why are we here again?” Axel asks after a moment.

Connor sighs while looking back at the rattling door. “Hannah is… angry with me.”

Axel laughs, “Considering you called her a fat cow in front of the entire Clan. Yeah, I understand why you're not with Hannah at the moment.”

Connor tries to defend himself. “Oh come on. It was a joke! We’re in the best shape of our lives. There’s not even enough food for us to get fat.” Connor hits the lock, but with too little force. “It was obviously a joke.” Connor mummers.

“What’s obvious is that you should understand your girlfriend’s insecurities. Yeah, no, you being an idiot is not the question. The question is why you being an idiot meant that we had to walk miles out of the Safe Zone just to break into the restroom at Mindy’s Gas & Repair?”

“I was up here about 5 months ago with Daniel,” says Connor.

“With Daniel?” Axel exclaims.

“Yeah, he wanted to look for car batteries. I drew the short straw that week and was assigned to be his Buddy. And as you know, when you're Buddies ’

They both say in monotoned unison. “Buddies have your back.”

“So it turned into us searching for car batteries.”

“Ah, classic Daniel.” Axel chuckles. “That dude needs to learn that the old world ain’t coming back.” Connor tries smashing the lock again.

Connor says “Yeah well, so we were up here and this hunter-drone came through and we had to take shelter here in Mindy’s.” This time the butt of the gun makes solid contact with the lock. Denting it slightly.

“And?” Axel prompts.

“And turns out Mindy was still working here,” Connor responds.

“What?” Axel frowns. Connor points to the increasingly rattling door.

“Ohhh... Shiiiiit!” Axel realizes what is behind the door just as his Buddy finally breaks the lock apart.

Connor took a step back and withdrew his knife. Her five-month confinement in her own restroom did not seem to do Mindy any good. Mindy lunges at her captor as soon as the door opens, teeth ready to meet flesh. Connor simply raises his arm, as if he is pointing to some far-off wonder.

Mindy rams herself into the blade, eye first. The once snarling corpse starts making a sucking, groaning noise. Connor takes the knife out right before Mindy’s body falls to the ground and with a shudder, goes still.

“And that's what you get for hiding the key.” Axel chides Mindy mockingly. “Why anyone tries to enforce their “customers only” bathroom policy much less with a padlock is beyond me.” Both of them look at Mindy now. Broken fingers, a smashed-in nose, green ooze that trickles out of her mouth and ears, gray skin that barely holds the bloated body together, and one good eye stares back at them. It is hard to tell how much of Mindy’s appearance is due to the Spread or due to her confinement in the restroom.

“So what’s so special about Mindy?” Axel asks.

Connor says. “Well Mindy, just like those pilots, I doubt will mind whose hands her fashion passes to.” Connor leans over the corpse and places his hands behind Mindy’s neck. After a moment of fiddling, Connor unclasps the necklace he’s been looking for. A simple silver chain holding onto a heart-shaped locket. He shows the necklace to Axel “Hannah will like this.” Connor says with a grin. “Let’s get going.”

Axel walks over and looks at the one-eyed Mindy. “Are we really going to leave her like this?” Connor looks down at his work.

“Fair point.” Connor takes the aviators from Axel’s face.

Axel protests “Hey!” yet doesn’t stop Connor, who delicately lays the glasses over Mindy’s new blemish.

“Ehh Axel, you couldn’t pull off the look anyway.”

Axel rolls his eyes. “You really think Hannah is going to forgive you because of a necklace?”

Connor shrugs and says “Well, while the world might have changed if there's one thing that hasn’t- it’s people.”

Axel looks back down at Mindy. Connor sees what he’s about to say. “Well, people who are alive haven’t changed. Whatever. Hannah has always been a sucker for shiny shit. The necklace will work. Now, let’s get out of here.”