Tara returns

Looking around you notice the pile of lingerie and dresses she carefully picked out earlier. Checking the nearby displays you find a small leather holdall with a price tag of £599.

“Holy shit,” you say under your breath “People pay this much for damn bag?”

Realising you won’t have to pay a penny you snatch it up with a smile, the end of the world has a few benefits. Collecting Taras assorted clothing haul you carefully fold her dresses and begin filling the holdall.

”They may be impractical on the road,” you think to yourself ”but she can wear them in private.”

“What the hell is happening?” Alone with your thoughts you think how bizarre the last few days have been. ”The rapture? Alien abductions? Judgement day? Some quantum level bullshit? Am I hallucinating? Dreaming? There are about 350,000 people in Jericho and I walked three miles to get to this mall, why have I only found Tara? Is there something special about me? About Tara? What the fuck is happening?”

Hearing footsteps you see Tara returning. She is wearing skin tight blue jeans with a barely noticeable bulge at the crotch, a pair of brown leather ankle boots on her dainty feet and a white almost see-through blouse.

“So, how about it?” Tara asks you “Better?”

“Gorgeous,” you respond honestly “Much better!”

Pulling your backpack over your shoulder and grabbing the newly acquired holdall you’re ready to move out.

“What’s in the bag?” Tara asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Your new clothes,” you respond “you took your time choosing them. I figured you didn't want to leave them behind.”

“You figured right, thank you!” she replies walking over to you planting a soft kiss on your cheek, “You probably just want me to put on a lil fashion show for you, right?

“It never entered my mind,” you lie with a smirk. “Shall we head out? Do you need to go home for anything?”

“My home is a tiny dorm room,” Tara says resolutely “there’s nothing there for me.”

“Okay,” you reply, not pushing the subject further “well there’s nothing at home for me either. We need to find answers – people – it can’t be just be the two of us.”

“We’ll find the answers together,” Tara says smiling, grabbing your hand delicately “together.” She repeats, almost to herself.
Looking down at the girl you wonder why she seems to trust you so explicitly. You've known her no more than an hour, part of that was spent stalking and spying on her while she walked through the store half naked… and more. You don’t know if you could be so forgiving and trusting.

”I guess nobody wants to be alone,” you think _”accepting her as the woman she is, even with her extras probably didn't hurt either.”_

Heading out of the mall with Taras hand in yours you reach the main road. The city around you is as quiet and desolate as earlier, the only sounds you hear is the occasional tweet of birds and a far off dog barking. The sounds of a bustling city centre are completely absent, cars honking their horns, the endless drone of hundreds of people talking are all missing, replaced by an eerie silence you've never experienced before.

“Where are we going?” Tara asks, looking up at you, squeezing your hand.

“It getting late,” you say eyeing the darkening cloudy sky, “we should find somewhere to hole up for the night. I guess we can stay where we want.”