Same Song, Different Album | Dean and Lisa
“Pharmacy. Better to just get the important things first then hit the bar later.” Lisa gave Dean an appreciative smile at his attempt at humor. In reality, she hated everything about making runs into town; they were a thing of ritual dislike. It was difficult to go around town undetected back in Battle Creek because those damn walkers had started crawling in all sorts of places. Rations were scarce and the roads were always heavily littered with debris. The soles of her shoes were so worn down from running that she could now feel every dip, rock, and bump in the ground she walked. She reminded herself to keep an eye out for a nice pair of boots so she could replace her fading boat shoes with something a little more durable.
Lisa no doubt had some feelings of anger towards Dean since he left them but those feelings were constantly quelled by her steely determination to protect herself and her son. But now that Ben was gone, so was the edge of that determination. Inside she was completely destroyed by the loss but she needed to keep going. There was no one but Dean now. And Lisa would do everything she could to make it work.
The pharmacy was not hard to find. It was one of the few buildings left intact, for whatever reason, although the glass on the door had been smashed in. Stepping carefully over the debris, Lisa followed Dean inside. They scanned the area to make sure no walkers were around and quickly bagged the essentials and a few extra goodies, like Lisa’s favorite conditioner. “Alright, I think it’s time for the fun part, don’t you?” she said as she and Dean hopped back over the broken door frame.
Dean kept an eye on Lisa as they separated to grab different things. He made sure to bag plenty of pain meds, bandaids and gauze. He always needed the pain stuff for his muscles: the months of real hunting and fighting hadn't gotten them used to the rigorous work that surviving entailed. In a different place, he'd ask Lisa to work the kinks out. But he was ever unsure of where their boundaries lie now. He just tried to keep it to himself, and popped a few ibuprofen when it got bad.
He followed Lisa out the door and into the open air. He grinned, striding to walk beside her. "I do. We can get some booze and see if they have any non-perishables. Mostly booze though." Alcohol was great for a lot of things in this brave new world, like disinfectant and accelerant.. But Lisa had him pegged: he was in it for the fun things. "I can watch you get drunk, since I have watch and shouldn't be under the influence."
The door was shut. Dean wiped some dust off the old glass windows with his sleeve. It was still hard to see, but he didn't see any movement. Or anything standing. Both good signs. He looked at Lisa and nodded, and carefully pulled open the door. The floor creaked a bit beneath their feet, and their shoes left prints in the dust. It was deserted, just as they thought. And fully stocked. They were in luck. For once. He grinned at her and waved an arm out. "Lady's choice tonight."
