Lazarus looked at the food and he was so famished he didn't know where to start eating first. He had a pair of roasted chicken legs in his mouth while Sammy was hunched on the ground tearing up a large roast. The food was better than good. It was incredible. Soda cans and water were also next to it and Lazarus started to drink in large gulps. Bob floated to the ground and joined them in an ecstasy of gluttonous enjoyment. Bob smacked his lips in excitement as he waved his hands and desserts of all kinds appeared in mid-air. Lazarus grabbed a white cupcake and bit into it. The flavor was so intense and sweet he was taken aback for a second. None of this should be happening. He didn't even consider if he was getting poisoned. He trusted this large, red-faced man, Bob. His eating was infectious and Lazarus gobbled so much food that he had to stop for fear of getting sick.
Bob said, "Was that enough, my friend?"
"Yes," he said.
Sammy also howled and kept on chewing on a piece of broiled chicken. Lazarus sat on the ground and stared up at Bob, who floated up into the air.
"How did you survive the hurricane?"
Bob waved his hands. "I don't know. I was working at the Yamaha building. I was a customer service rep there. I didn't see the first wave until it struck my office. I blacked out and end up waking up a block away from here."
"So, you have this power to create food."
It was more of a statement than a question.
Bob nodded his head. "Something came over me. A short of shock, I think, but I'm not entirely sure. The first thing I did was float. I love it. So, do you have any powers?"
Lazarus said, "I have some type of energy to fight the Grogs."
"Those are nasty creatures. I saw a woman change before my eyes. Do you think there was some type of radiation fallout from the nuclear reactors down south?"
"I don't know. But I don't think radiation would give us powers."
Lazarus pointed to Sammy. "This dog a day ago was just a small, harmless mutt. Now look at him. He is a war beast. He protected me from the creatures."
Bob floated. He waved his hand and a large pie floated next to him. He took a handful of the cherry pie and stuffed it into his mouth. He chewing was very audible in this structure.
"Bob," Lazarus said, "are you going to leave this place?"
"Nah, I can create food out of the air. I’ll stay around here."
"Well, I have to meet somebody. Will you go with me?"
Bob stopped eating and looked at him. "You have to meet somebody?"
"Yes, I have this feeling that I have something important to do."
Bob looked at him in a crazy way. "No, I want to stay here."
"What about the Grogs? They will eventually come here."
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Bob shook his head. "I can defend myself. I have conjured food and used it to distract the creatures. I also made a large pie and threw it at them."
Bob laughed. Pieces of the cherry pie were smeared across his once blue button-down shirt. He took out something from his shirt pocket. Lazarus couldn't tell what Bob was holding since it was covered in pieces of chicken, cherries and something he couldn't make out. Bob threw the object at him. Lazarus tried to catch it. The object hit the floor on a discarded bag of potato chips.
"I don't have any use of it, but you are free to take the jeep."
Lazarus grabbed the object, realizing it was a set of keys with a FOB attached to it. "Thanks. Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?"
"Yes, I can always find another place." Bob waved his hand and a buttered croissant appeared. He took it and stuffed it down his gullet. Lazarus wanted to tell him that if he kept on eating like this he would grow bigger than this building, but he let that thought disappear. Bob would not listen to him. He had found his place in this new world.
Lazarus said, "Where is the jeep?"
"I parked it in the front somewhere. It has an alarm. I drove it here and I am sure it will still work. Do you know who you’re supposed to meet?"
Lazarus shook his head. "I have no clue. I hope this is worth it. I hope somebody will come along and help you."
"Nah, I’ll be fine. I have more than I need. I sleep in the back."
Lazarus looked out the front of the broken building and saw that dusk had finally darkened the sky.
He said, "I think Sammy and I will stay here until tomorrow, if that’s fine with you."
Bob shook his head, already knowing they would stay. "Sure, I have room in the back for you and your dog. Go ahead and look around. Just be careful and don’t stray too far from this area."
"Yes," Lazarus said. He nodded to Sammy who started to sniff around the store.
Bob said, "Do you want a short tour?"
"Sure," Lazarus replied, "but I don't think there is much to see in these ruins."
"Ah," Bob said, "you’re wrong. Come over here."
He floated over to part of the building that was still intact. The food was cleared from this area. Bob moved down an aisle. It was clear of debris and cans and such.
"Did you clean up this place?"
"I tidied a little, but I think somebody was here before me."
Lazarus said, "Have you seen anybody else besides me?"
"No, I thought I saw somebody, but I’m not sure."
"How about dead bodies?"
Bob said, "Only a few bodies outside but not in here."
They came to a corner of the building which had several stacks of wood piled up around it like a fort. It was surprisingly clear and almost looked cozy. Beach chairs were stationed inside. He spied something that looked like a table and the remains of a chair and blanket. But everything looked old, as if it was there years ago.
Lazarus walked inside. He saw around the perimeter food and cans, stacked as if stockpiling to stay here for the long run.
"Did you do any of this?" Lazarus asked.
Bob shook his head. "I don't need to stockpile food. I can make my own. Somebody was here, but they left. I only stumbled in here because it was the first market I found."
Lazarus said, "Was this place dry when you first got here?"
Bob floated next to him and didn't say anything for few seconds. Lazarus looked at him. Bob nodded his head, with a surprised look on his face.
He said, "Well, I never thought of that. Yes, this building and everything around here was dry. How can that be?"
Lazarus went inside the small enclosure and sat on one of the beach chairs. "I have a theory, but I wouldn't know. It’s just an idea."
Bob moved closer to him, but his bulk was so large that he almost filled the small enclosure. His body smelt like sweet pies and rotting meat. Lazarus was trying not to gag. Sammy stayed outside the area and began to move down another aisle, sniffing the floor.
Bob said, "Tell me."
"Well, I think the giant wave was magical. And once it hit and destroyed everything it disappeared."
"That's fantastic. But it doesn’t make sense, although it would explain some things."
"Yes, Bob, like how you can float and are able to conjure food out of mid-air."
Bob smiled. Lazarus saw chicken gristle on the man's teeth. The air was cooling and he wondered how he kept warm during the nights.
"Do you create a small fire at night?"
"Nah, I always keep warm. It must be from my excess."
He patted his stomach.