A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.

Arriving at the grocery store, she released a long sigh. It would keep her away from the house, but she worried about certain food items. Anything red seemed to set her off. Thankfully, she had dealt with her monthly nuisance last week when she had been recovering some. Otherwise, that would've been a nightmare for her. Just the thought of that occurring at the present time sent a chill up her spine.

Getting out of her car, she grabbed her purse before she locked the door and headed over. There didn't seem to be too many cars in the parking lot, so she wouldn't have to worry about concerning anyone as much. She scanned over the list again and decided that she would need a cart for everything. From the looks of it, her mother was going to be making some sort of chicken dish with vegetables.

Pushing the cart in, she hid her right hand in her coat and headed over to the produce section first since it was the closest. Throughout the whole trip, she would only take out her injured hand when she no one else was around. Arriving at the section, she saw that there was only one other person there, but they soon left onto another section of the store, so they didn't see her quickly grab some raspberries and toss them into the cart. She didn't even glance into the cart after she had put them in. Almost, she thought that she had heard Brent or Dean say something, but she brushed it aside as a powerful air conditioning system even though she was nowhere near a vent.

As she retrieved the rest of the produce items, she managed to calm herself down some to the point where it looked like she just needed to get somewhere quickly. Her behavior, though, changed when she headed to the meat section. She looked over the selection and saw the chicken. Involuntarily, though, her gaze diverted itself to the red meat.

Gulping, she told herself mentally that there were no humans in those packages. The recollection of what lied in her freezer didn't help. "Are you finding everything okay?" She jumped and looked to her right. It was a courtesy clerk who appeared to be new. At least, she hadn't seen them in the store before. Her startled expression, though, caused the clerk to give her a worried stare. "Are you feeling alright? You're (f/n) (l/n), right? You survived the tunnels?"

Trying to compose herself, she nodded before she attempted to speak, but she didn't get a word out. Instead, the clerk beat her to it. "Ah, well, just take it easy, then. The stories about that place are ... disturbing. And, with the creature on the loose ..." The clerk shivered before she smiled. "Just make sure to take care of yourself." Her more routine smile took over. "And, do you need help finding anything?"

(F/n) nodded in appreciation, but she wanted to shout that she could do no such thing. Well, she was attempting to by setting up her plan, but in the meantime her health wasn't exactly getting the care that it needed. "Thanks. I will." She returned the smile. "And, I'll be fine. Thank you, though." The clerk gave her a nod before she walked off to continue her sweeps.

The clerk's distraction had been enough to allow her to bag a chicken hurriedly. I wonder if she'll die, but my money is on Haley. Oh wait, I didn't get that reward money. (F/n) pushed the cart faster and reviewed the list again so that she wouldn't focus on him. Luckily, she wasn't seeing him, and she hoped that wouldn't change.

To her benefit, there were no more instances. If she saw something red, she would swiftly avert her gaze to some other object. Occasionally if she was feeling confident enough, she wouldn't, though. She had to push her mind's games away. Otherwise, she would only get worse. Thankfully, no one had seen her staring contest with a thing of red sprinkles.

At the register, a different clerk bagged her groceries while she paid. He wasn't talkative, but the cashier was. As he scanned her items, he examined her, and his eyes looked like they lit up. "Ah, (f/n), I was wondering when you would come in." She didn't know the cashier, but she wasn't puzzled by his casual address. Escaping the tunnels had turned her into somewhat of celebrity, but it was a kind of fame that she would happily dispose of if she could.

"I've wanted to ask you directly what your experience was like." Almost, her mouth opened. Her eyes turned to the clerk as if to confirm that she had really heard the cashier correctly. The clerk mouthed an apology before they went back to work.

"I'd rather not talk about it. I ..."

"But, you must want to get it off of your chest." Noting that all of her items had been scanned, she saw the amount and pulled out the cash immediately. The cashier didn't even take it. It was like they hadn't seen her move at all. "My wife would love to hear me tell her the details." (F/n) could care less about what his wife desired.

Pushing the money forward more on the small counter between them, the cashier finally took it, but he retrieved her change slowly. She wouldn't mind if the creature targeted him next. Briefly, she froze as she realized what she had just thought. A chuckle sounded right behind her, but she forced herself not to look back. "So, are you going to tell me?"

Resisting the urge to hit the man, she reached over the counter and grabbed her change before she put it into her wallet. The clerk had placed all of her bags in her cart, so she speedily walked off. She could hear him calling after her, but she didn't give him any more of her time. (F/n) was simply happy to be out in the parking lot again.

After she loaded up her items, she put her cart away and entered her car. She relaxed against the driver's seat and draped her left arm over her eyes. Her eyes glanced down, and she saw that it was only around noon. A groan left her, but she could simply drop the groceries off and leave the house again. The creature wouldn't come out since he had voiced that he didn't want to lose her home. Hopefully, he was asleep and not causing more trouble with Nick.

Driving off, she made it home safely and without any visits. Once out of the car, she peered up at her bedroom window. The curtains were closed, and she didn't stare long enough to see if they would open. She picked up the bags and made her way inside. Her mother was behind the front desk working, but she looked up upon seeing her daughter. Grey eyes traveled to the bags before the woman stood up and came quickly to help her daughter. "Thank you, (f/n)!" She took a few bags, and her daughter gave her an appreciative smile. "I thought that you would be back sooner, though. Is everything alright? You do look a little drained."

"I ... there was a nosy cashier. Nothing more than that."

Understanding who her daughter was referring to, her mother released an annoyed sigh. "I don't know how he's still working there. All he wants to do is gossip, and it puts everyone in uncomfortable positions ... Well, most everyone." Her mother adjusted the bags on her left arm and rested her right on her daughter's shoulder. "I'll have a word with the manager when I'm in there next." She moved her hand to her daughter's back and guided her up the stairs. "I think that you should relax for the rest of the day. Watch some television or simply sleep."

"Well, I think that I'm going to go to the park after I put these down. I hope that it'll clear my head a bit." Her mother didn't object, but she sent her daughter another smile. (F/n) returned it, but hers expressed her tiredness. They entered the kitchen and set the groceries on the counter. Her father wasn't in sight, and her parents' room door was open. He must've been on the grounds. (F/n) stretched her arms. "I'm going to head back out. I'll be back before dark."

"Alright, just be careful. The park is in the middle of town, but there are a lot of trees there. That thing could be hiding in the shade or up in one of them." Her daughter was about to mention the many trees on their property, but she decided against it. Worrying her mother more wouldn't be in either of their best interests.

"I really wish that we just knew where it was. The chief and his officers have been working hard, and I can tell that he's frustrated with not knowing." Her mother began to unpack the bags. "But, this isn't peace. That thing could come back at any moment. It's looming over our heads, and we can't do anything against it!"

Nearly, she had slammed the carton of raspberries against the counter, but she calmed herself and set it down gently. The woman gazed to her daughter and seemed exhausted. "I just want to know that you'll be safe. I know that you want the same. Your father and I should've talked to Laura and convinced her not to go. That would've prevented all of this."

Closing the distance between them, (f/n) shook her head and rested her hand on her shoulder. "You don't know that, Mom. It wasn't your responsibility to persuade her. I'm sure that her parents attempted to talk her out of it. I tried too, but it didn't work. I don't think that any of us could've changed her mind. She had been determined to explore the tunnels." She squeezed her mother's shoulder. "And, Dad and you have been doing enough for me." It looked like her mother wanted to say something more, but (f/n) shook her head. "I'll be fine. You focus on what you need to get done for the day. I'll be back before it gets dark." She gave her mother a hug before she left; though, it was hard to leave her mother with the creature so close by, but she just had to maintain her deal with him until things were in place.