Abeyance

I kept thinking about Oli. He was truly remarkable.
I tried to not think about that though and to focus on things to do with the girls. Lights held Valerie, and I stood guard with my magnum.
"So which way, loves?"
"Whichever you think." Lights replied. Valerie obviously didn't care either.
We passed a clothing store, and I got an idea...
"Why don't we get something new to wear?"
My clothes were filthy. Lights' were ripping. And even Valerie's were getting messy, too.
"That sounds good. What do you think Val?" Lights smiled down at her.
"Shopping!" She grinned.
I chuckled. "Yep, shopping, Val."
I pushed open the door open to an Old Navy. It would work, because they sold kids and adult clothes there.
Lights stayed against the door with Valerie as I cocked my gun and started to scope the place out. There was no electricity in this store, so it was harder to see the farther I traveled from the door.
I heard a faint tapping against the ground, and I looked around at my feet. A few feet in front of me, I saw tiny crawling creatures on the floor. Babies. Shit, these aliens reproduce!
I stomped on them, and they died instantly. Easy enough.
But I figured if the babies were here, mamma had to be too...
I looked around again. It was empty. Weird.
"It's all clear."
Lights put Valerie down and held her hand, and the two walked to me.
"We're safe."
She nodded.
"Want me to help you, Valerie?" Lights asked and smiled. Val nodded, and the two disappeared off to the children's section.
I went to the men's section. It was getting hot, I'd need shorts if I was going to spend most of my day running around in the heat. I found denim ones, and figured they'd do. It was hard to find my size since the lights were off which made the writing on the tags nearly invisible, but eventually I did. I found the t-shirts and picked out a few. I'd need them. Boxers and socks were next. That was also a simple task.
Lights and Valerie walked over with clothes for the 4 year old. A pair of jeans and a few shorts, and a few short sleeved shirts and tank tops. She also had underwear and socks.
"Beautiful!" I grinned at Valerie.
We walked to the woman's area where Lights did the same as all of us. Got a few t-shirts and shorts. She got one pair of jeans, as well. Valerie let go of my hand and started running. "Lets play hide and seek! I'll hide!"
I chuckled. "Okay, you hide."
She looked around for a hiding spot. "No peaking! Close your eyes!"
"I won't, I won't." I continued to chuckle. I played along, she needed some fun.
"Got everything?" I asked Lights. She nodded. "Yeah, but I want to get sneakers for Valerie. She's wearing sandals."
"They don't have them here?"
She shook her head.
"Then we'll take a trip to the mall. Plus, there we can get you something sexy." I winked and gently gave her rear a slap, then walked off to find Valerie. Lights shook her head laughing.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are..." I grinned.
I figured she'd be hiding behind clothes racks, but instead I spotted her trying to pose with the mannequins. I pretended I didn't see her.
"Hmm... You're a really good hider, Val..." I looked behind racks and under tables.
"Lights, come help! I can't find Valerie!"
Lights tisked. "That little hider..."
We both looked around and stayed clear of her hiding spot. After looking again, we both sighed.
"She's nowhere!" Lights frowned.
"I guess we'll have to leave without her." I winked. Lights caught on, and we started walking to the door. We were just about to open it, when Valerie yelled "No! Don't leave me here!"
She ran to us and started crying. She must have been genuinely afraid.
I frowned and picked her up. "We'd never leave without you, Val. It was only a joke."
She cried into my shoulder. Oh yeah, she's only 4. That must have honestly terrified her.
Lights kissed her head, then I did.
"We'd never leave you behind, Val. You're our baby!" Lights smiled.
Valerie slowly stopped crying.
"That wasn't funny!" She growled.
"I'm sorry." I kissed her head again, "Lets get you some new sneakers to make up for that."
She smiled and nodded. "Shoes!"
I chuckled, and we walked down the street again and to the mall.
Lights kept an eye out while I held Valerie. I honestly didn't want to let her go. I'll admit it, I was attached. I always wanted a kid. Tay and I, we planned on having kids. We were going to start soon, maybe even before we got married. I was supposed to propose that day we went out to eat, anyway...
I thought about Tay for a while. I hope she's okay. I really, really do. I still...
Lights shooting something snapped me out of my train of thought, and I gripped Valerie. I saw she shot down a creature similar to the one that killed Jack.
"Good aim, honey."
She laughed. "Thanks. I'm gonna need more amo."
I nodded. "Okay, we'll find some."
It's not like there were gun shops on every street. We'd have to find one.
We reached the mall after a few more creatures put a dent in our travels.
"And we're here."
I handed Valerie off to Lights, as much as I didn't want to, and walked inside, scoping the place out.
I would have let Lights scope, but it was dark. More dangerous. I put my life before theirs.
Inside I found us a Stride Right. Conveniently a few stores away from a Victoria's Secret...
"Why don't you go shop in the store three over to your right, and I'll get shoes with Val..." I winked.
She caught on and smiled. "Better be worth it, mister."
We kissed, and she walked out of the store to get me a little special something.
"Where'd mommy go?" Valerie asked, frowning.
"She had to pick something up, she'll be back. Now lets get shoes."
I let her pick out a few pairs of socks, then shoes. They were Princess shoes. In the dark, we couldn't see the color. But she didn't care as long as they had Princesses.
"Some Princesses for my Princess." I grinned. The shoe fit perfectly.
I had her stand up and walk around in them. "How do they fit?"
"Great!" She grinned.
"Can you run?"
She ran across the store, then back to me, no trouble.
"Great!"
I put the sandals into my backpack, then picked up Valerie. We walked out of the store.
"We're going to change our clothes tonight when we find a place to stop and sleep, okay?" I told her.
She nodded. "Okay, Daddy."
We played 'which hand' with a penny we found on the ground until Lights exited the store. She knew to tuck those deep into her backpack.
"I'm ready." She smiled.
I smiled back and picked up Valerie again. Then I took Lights' hand, and the three of us used the bathroom, then exited the building. It was a successful day in the sense that we got things we'd need. But we found no survivors. But we still had a few hours left. Maybe something would happen.