By the time it got dark, Taylor’s efforts had resulted in a few coins over $7. They decided to walk to the closest store they could find. Having spotted the giant blue letters and yellow spark logo of a Walmart, they cut through the crowd of other shoppers dallying in the aisles until they reached the pharmacy section. They examined the shelves for the cheapest solution to Aria’s predicament. Aria soon realized that she would have to choose between them eating that night and buying pads. She evaluated whether she wanted to be clean, or whether she wanted to be full.

“Let’s get something to eat instead,” she said dejectedly.

“Well, what are you gonna do?” Taylor chided, as if suddenly broken from the rhythm of his mission. “I don’t want you to have to be bleeding everywhere.”

Aria mustered up a look of enthusiasm to mask her true feelings and responded, “Nah, I’ll figure something out. It’s not like I can just come in here every time I have a problem. Besides I’m starving, aren’t you?”

Taylor looked at her suspiciously, but soon agreed to walking to the other end of the store. After some deliberation about what to buy, they decided in favor of practicality. They eventually walked to the checkout stand with bananas, the cheapest protein bar they could find and a can of tuna on special.

After setting out on foot again, Aria and Taylor sat on a strip of lawn outside the Walmart, watching the cars come and go. Taylor struggled with his pocketknife to open the lid of the tuna can. When it finally opened, he offered some to Aria but she declined and peeled back one of the bananas instead. She was determined not to give up her principles for the sake of her own survival. She could not find it in herself to choose her own wellbeing over the death of another being. She was already thin, but, looking down at her forearms, she could see that her hunger had stripped away all unnecessary flesh. It had worn her down to the sinew, and, having seen her face in the bathroom mirror so frequently that day, she knew her face was gaunt.

Not wanting to take the risk of ending up somewhere worse than where they were already, Taylor and Aria spent the night behind the Walmart, hidden between a collection of blue crates, topped with compacted cardboard boxes. Aria left Taylor sleeping and made trips to the bathroom to wash out her socks that were serving as a substitute menstrual pad.