Eric's Search for Toast

Eric yawned, stretching his limbs under his cotton blanket. After a second he sat up slowly and let the blanket fall off of him. Without a blanket coldness engulfed him. 

Moving slowly, Eric began to get dressed. He pulled on his grey hoodie and some baggy jeans, trying to shield his body from the cold. 

Eric stepped out of his room and shuffled into the living space of his apartment, sleepily. He migrated over to the kitchen and put on a cup of coffee. 

He opened the refrigerator and stood there for a minute, running his eyes over all the food trying to make a decision. Finally he settled on toast. 

Opening the bread cabinet, Eric was shocked to find it empty. He vaguely remembered eating the last of the bread two days ago. 

He let out a low, deep sigh as he closed the cabinet. He walked over to the front door and wrapped a scarf loosely around his neck. Picking up his keys, Eric opened the door. 

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As it should be at noon on a Saturday, the local grocery store was busy and crammed full of middle aged women dragging their kids through the store. Eric parked his Ford in the nearest spot to the front doors, which was still very far away, and walked in. 

He picked up a shopping basket as he passed. Turning left, Eric entered the isle bread should be in. He passed by the cereal section, then the syrups, then he arrived at the end of the row. 

In the place where bread should have been was nothing. The shelf was completely empty. 

Eric stood there for a few seconds, completely baffled by his bad luck. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an employee walk by. 

"Sir? Sir?" Eric called out, jogging to catch up to the man. 

The employee turned around, "yes? Do you need something sir?"

Eric nodded. "I need bread and the shelf seems to be empty. Do you have any in stock or something?"

The employee said, "No. Sorry. We ran out earlier this morning. There'll be more tomorrow when the shipment comes in."

Eric groaned, shaking his head. "Thanks anyways."

The employee waved. "No problem."

Eric slid back into his car and leaned back in the chair. The second closest store was the bakery, and that was all the way across town. 

Shaking his head, Eric knew he should just go home and find something else to eat. But he had a real craving for toast, and now that he had come this far he knew he wouldn't give up now. 

Eric sighed as he pulled out of his parking spot and drove off in the direction of the bakery. Speeding down the road, Eric made his way towards the store with record timing. 

Then, just before the bakery came into view, Eric noticed the plume of smoke billowing in the distance. The smell of charred pastries wafted through the air. 

Turning the corner, Eric groaned in a mixture of self pity, disbelief, and sadness. Where the bakery used to stand was nothing but a pile of bent metal and ash. 

Near the aftermath of the fire the traffic was slowed down, as it tends to do. Eric pulled a u-turn and changed direction, aiming towards the local, family owned store. 

Once he arrived, Eric walked through the doors and quickly walked towards where he remembered them keeping the bread. Before he could get there, though, all hell broke lose. 

With ear splitting loudness, a gunshot went off. Eric turned around to see quite a scene. 

A masked gunman stood in front of the checkout line clothed in all black. His right hand was extended upward, holding a gun. The shattered remains of a ceiling tile rained down on him. 

The man lowered the gun to chest level and swung it in all directions. At the top of his lungs, the man bellowed, "ALL RIGHT PEOPLE, LISTEN UP! THIS IS A ROBERY! HAND OVER ALL PURSES, WALLETS, AND ANYTHING  OF VALUE AND NO ONE GETS HURT!"

"Jesus Christ...," Eric muttered under his breath. 

Two more black clothed men in masks walked in and began going from one shopper to the next demanding anything from necklaces to nose rings. 

The lady behind the counter looked small and frail (and quite similar to a frightened mouse) as she slowly and with shaky hands emptied out the cash register.

The man waved the gun, "HURRY UP WOMAN!"

The woman let out a little squeak and dropped the bag in her hands. Dollar bills spewed out at her feet. She looked on the verge of tears as she stuttered out an apology. "S-s-so sorry, s-sir," she let out in a squeaky voice. 

The man looked irritated behind the mask, but didn't say anything. 

The two men were slowly working their way towards Eric, getting closer and closer with every passing second. But before the men could reach Eric, blue and red lights filtered in through the windows. Sirens filled the air and looks of hope appeared on the hostages' faces. 

The gunmen grabbed what they had gotten from the shoppers so far and cash register and scrambled to get away like cockroaches. 

After the robbers had left and the police interviewed everyone, Eric made his way towards the bread. The shelf here did have some bread and Eric took two loafs. 

Walking up to the counter, Eric smiled at the man who was taking over for Lisa, the mouse like woman. 

"Is Lisa gonna be okay?" Eric asked as he handed over the bread to be scanned. 

"She's just a little shocked but she'll be fine." The man answered. "Five fifty."

Eric handed over his debit card. The man swiped it and frowned. "Sir?"

"Yes," Eric asked. 

"You don't have enough on your card for these." He said, pointing at the bread.