<strong>S-Mart</strong><br/><br/>Nadia took a cart from the front of the store and slowly wandered around. Soap, shampoo, toiletries. At stores like this, these things all came in bulk packages. Eighteen bars of soap. The 'mega-jug' of shampoo. A gallon of conditioner. A triple-pack of toothpaste. A half-dozen toothbrushes. It was to be her offering to Carrie and the others at Sunset whose only crime was the same fate they were all resigned to. To stand as the city's defense against the gathering darkness.<br/><br/>She thought for a moment of how difficult the last 24 hours had been for her, and how exponentially harder it must be for Carrie. Nadia meandered over to the mismatched clearance clothing section. Most items were under four dollars. She grabbed several shirts, a few skirts, some pairs of jeans, and a few off-season ladies velour track suits. On one rack she even discovered a dark purple hooded sweatshirt. In a normal setting she would have found all her selections cringe-worthy, but she felt that Carrie and Sarah-Jane might appreciate the gesture.<br/><br/>Her next stop was to the hardware department. She'd had a chance to glance at the water-heater back at sunset and noticed that the thermostat was rusted and cracked. It was an easy fix, and as the rest of the water heater was in good shape, she was sure that she could make the hot water output last MUCH longer. It took only moments for her to find the replacement pieces and necessary tools, and she unceremoniously added them to her cart.<br/><br/>As she turned her cart around and ventured back towards the front of the store, an electric burner that was much like the one she used in college caught her eye. Making up her mind, she placed it in her cart as well, and purchased a stock-pot and a case of ramen noodle soup. One could never tell when such a thing might be useful.<br/><br/>Her shopping finished, Nadia approached the checkout counter.