3 years ago...

Maple stuck close to her father. It was rare that he would allow her to venture so far out from the Underground. The outskirts of Marlow possesed little cover, and it was hard telling who exactly could be watching. They were getting desparate for supplies though, and they had nearly eliminated all the resources within the immediate vicinity.

The sun was already beginning to set, and they were feeling the pressure of time on their shoulders. They still had enough to last them, but that didn't mean that they would last forever. Without a way to keep some form of food coming in, they would eventually have to leave or starve.

Maple glanced around her, taking in the surroundings as they crossed each street. It was likely she wouldn't be seeing much of this area of the city. Deserted homes lined the streets, street lamps were overturned, and vegetation was beginning to creep up through the concrete walkways. It looked like a scene out of an apocalypse, if one aruged that the current state of the world wasn't one itself.

She pondered what it would've been like to live in one of the homes before the world plunged itself into chaos. She thought about what could've been, what should have been. Her mother would still be smiling everyday, her father not having to struggle to provide for so many people. The thought made her sick to  her stomach. Nothing had been fair in her life.

Marcus stopped a ways in front of her, and pointed out ahead. There was what seemed to be a small corner store at an intersection. It was small, most likely family owned during its time of operation, placed simply for convenience instead of profit for those that lived in the neighborhood. Hopefully there was something useful inside.

It was likely that the store wouldn't contain the stockpiles of food, medicine and water that they were hoping to find, but anything was better than nothing at this point. As they approached the store, Marcus flattened himself out against the wall next to the single door that served as an entry and exit. 

Marcus motioned for Maple to take up position on the other side, a breaching method where one person would enter and the second would follow, covering the first if any enemies were waiting in ambush. Maple pressed herself against the wall, placing a tight grip on the small caliber handgun her father had handed her. Marcus gave a quick nod, and the two burst through the door, weapons at the ready.

Marcus spread out to the left side of the store while Maple covered the right side. As suspected, it was a small store with only a few aisles and a small counter that stood to serve would be customers. A shuffling noise from behind the counter drew the attention of both Marcus and Maple.

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Marcus crept up to the ledge of the counter, peering over trying to see what the noise was. He looked across the walk area behind, but saw nothing. Again they heard the rustling noise. Maple glanced down at her foot, realizing that the noise was coming from directly under the counter.

She motioned to her father, pointing directly at the bottom of the counter. It had a curved wall with the shelf mounted directly to it. They had failed to realize the backside of it was hollow, able to store things such as a small safe, a computer tower, etc.Whatever was making the noise was hiding directly underneath the counter.

Marcus circled over to the side, rifle raised to his shoulder. He glanced over at Maple, "Be ready. Who knows what's there." Maple gave a quick nod and Marcus sprang into action. He gave a burst of speed and slid down onto his side, using his momentum to carry himself. As he came to a halt, he was to face to face with someone.

Her eyes were round as saucers, her hair and face dirty and mangled. She threw her hands up in front of her face and let out a scream. She wasn't armed, and quickly fell back, bumping her head as she did. As she began to wimper, Marcus lowered his rifle. She wasn't an enemy.

Marcus reach his hand out and called out to the girl, "Shhh. You're okay. We're not here to hurt you." Regardless, the girl kept her face hidden and refused to respond. Maple glanced around the corner, and upon seeing her father with his weapon lowered, slowly approached.

As she stepped to them, Maple peeked under the counter and saw the girl. She looked like she was around Maple's age. Her hair was a platinum color, short in length but was severely matted. Her face was small, and her stature was short. Maple noticed her arms and legs, rail thin. It was clear she hadn't eaten in a long time.

Without saying anything, Maple reach out and touched the girls knee. She let out another wimper, but pulled her hand back slight, peering from one eye between her fingers. The girl looked Maple up and down, focusing on the bright red bandana on her head. 

Maple extended her hand, reaching out to the girl. She slowly extended her hand in return, and placed her hand in Maple's palm. Marcus watched the two. It was an interaction Maple had never had. She had always kept to herself, often despising alot of the refugees that they sheltered. Why she had chose to act this way here and now was beyond him.

As the girl placed her hand in Maple's, she muttered out in a small voice, "My...my name's Alyssa. I didn't...didn't mean to scare you. I just thought you were...the...the bad people." It was obvious that starvation was beginning to get to her. It was that or shock one.

Marcus reach over and placed his hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry. I think we've got a place you can go."

The girl looked up, like a light had suddenly flickered to life in her eyes. With help from Maple and Marcus, she struggled to her feet. The three walked out of the small store, and while they were still empty handed, Maple felt as if she had found something worth more to her...