Death by Shopping

[Annie Hollie Wynne]

Annie was starting to have enough of shopping. Each month, her mother would call her up and say that she needed to shop. So, once a month, Annie dragged herself into town and into the stuffy, hot shopping centre, only to walk out hours later laden down with bags of clothes. Right now, Annie wanted a pair of decent trainers, the only thing that before today, she knew she had needed. She was carrying three bags by now, one carrying three tops and a pair of combat pants, one carrying some underwear and the third carrying some stuff for her bathroom and a few bits of the make-up she actually wore. Walking into the sports shop, she was hit immediately with the smell of new leather and rubber. The shoe section was near the back of the shop, and Annie had to walk past the football equipment, then tennis stuff and a bunch of other things that she was sure she'd never even go near.

When Annie reached the shoes, she slid the handles of the bags onto her wrist and used both hands to look at the shoes, picking the ones that looked good off the little shelves they had been on before replacing them moments later, deciding she didn’t like the look of them. A mother and a five year old boy were trying on little trainers. Annie glanced at them, knowing the child was having a better childhood than Annie had as a child. Her parents had trained her for the war she would one day take part in when she was a child, not letting her have her say in anything or letting her do what she actually wanted to. Annie tore her eyes off the mother and child and onto a pair of Nike, black running trainers that also helped to tone the legs as you walked. Annie pulled them down from the little shelf before looking at the shoe, smiling, her lips pulling up.

Perfect, she thought as she turned the shoe over in her hands and looked at the sole.

The bottom of the shoes were perfect for running, good grip by the looks of it and the Nike tick set into the rubber. These would be good if she was just running to keep herself in shape, or chasing after a vampire or werewolf, or – god forbid – running away from a vampire or werewolf. So it never hurt to have a decent pair of trainers with good grip and even better if they helped toned her legs when she ran. Annie had recently taken up running as a time filler, since the vampires and werewolves hadn’t been causing much trouble lately... or so she thought, anyway. They hadn’t caused any noticeable damage. The running helped her keep fit, and shed the few pounds she’d put on over the past few months. It was good in several ways, she got time to herself without having to walk the empty halls of the base, she could listen to her music in piece and she could keep herself fit as she did it encase a vampire decided to chase her one day in the future.

Annie glanced around the shop as she held the trainers in her hands. The shop was pretty empty, apart from the odd person and the mother and child, who were now making their way to the checkout near the football equipment. Annie tucked her hair behind her ear and placed the show back on the shelf, looking under the stand for the right box with her right size.