Serenity wasn't certain how far down they had gone, but it was pitch black when they finally reached the bottom of the stone steps. The delicious smell of fried food was much more intense, now, and her stomach growled in anticipation.
"Small steps," Justin said quietly, leading her away from the stairs. "The floor looks rough down here."
The pair slowly crept through the room, the smell of food their only guide in the darkness. Their soft steps echoed against the walls as bits of gravel crunched beneath their shoes.
"I feel like we're in a cave," Serenity whispered.
"Or a parking garage," Justin agreed. "It can't be too large, though, because I think I see something up ahead. Something against a wall."
Justin quickened their pace until they reached a row of metal shelves lining a concrete wall. The shelves were overflowing with a variety of plastic bottles and glass jars.
"What is it?" Serenity asked, squinting her eyes as though it would somehow help her see in the dim light of the flashlight.
Justin took a dark bottle off of the shelf and held it directly in front of the flashlight. Serenity couldn't make out the smaller print on the label, but she clearly saw the large print across the center of the bottle.
"Vitamins!" she exclaimed. "Open them!"
The pair swallowed two pills each, then grabbed a dozen more bottles and put them into their rucksacks. Serenity didn't know why the Dark One had led them down this path, but she now wished she could thank him. It seemed their luck had finally taken a turn for the better.
This freewrite is part 4 of an ongoing story. If you would like to read more, use the links below to navigate.
As always, thanks go out to @mariannewest for providing this prompt. If you would like to see her original post, you can find it here.
Image sourced from Pixabay.
