As they traveled through the afternoon, the wind picked up significantly. Any warmth that lingered from the overhanging sun was quickly snatched away by the wind, leaving the small group shivering. Lexi had found a light jacket in the days after first joining the group. She unzipped her bag to put it on.
Law consulted the map a few times, but eventually they passed by a green mile marker, displaying that they were only 6 miles away from the nearest town. If they kept at the pace they had maintained, it would only be a few more hours before they arrived. Even then, they'd have to secure a safe house before it became too dangerous in the dark. No one relished the thought of being outside while it was pitch black and still plentiful with the dead.
Lexi wasn't worried, but she could tell Law was. He glanced around at the sky often, no doubt wondering if the wind that had picked up was bringing a storm with it. It certainly looked like it had. The sun had disappeared behind the clouds at this point, rays poking out through the occasional gap in the cover, but didn't do much for overall light or heat. The air felt cool. The wind made it colder.
None of them were looking forward to trekking through cold rain. But it seemed the threat of having an uncomfortable and cold walk through harsh weather was as good a motivator as they needed, because their pace inexplicably quickened enough to get them to the town faster than anticipated. The sky progressively turned grayer and grayer, until the sun couldn't be seen at all through the thick clouds. By the time Law spotted the highway exit signs, the impending smell of rain was heavy on the air, their skin chilled by the moisture growing in the atmosphere.
Behind them, Lexi spotted the dark clouds and shadows of a heavy rain looming over the direction they'd come, slowly making its way towards them. It was heavy and foreboding and, normally someone who loved rainy weather and thunder and lightning, Lexi was worried about it catching up with them. "I'd say we've got half an hour before that storm hits us." She said, uncharacteristically initiating the conversation but feeling like the warning should be verbalized.
Law turned to glance behind them, seeing the storm she'd been keeping an eye on. "Hopefully we'll have found a safe place by then."
"As long as it's got a roof and 4 walls, anything will do. No use being picky." The redhead said, zipping up his jacket a little higher. The rest of them thought the same, and pushed a little further to make it to the town.
While the number of cars they'd seen on the long stretches of highway had been in the single digits at most, they came upon the highway exit and spotted several vehicles crashed into one another at the very bottom. The car doors were rusted open, and some sort of fabric flapped out of one of the car's windows, its edge caught on something inside.
Half a dozen zombies milled about without purpose, just beyond the wreckage. Small wonder who they had been. Most still retained the clothing they'd died in, the coverings soiled and tattered from years of weather and the wearer's own decomposition. Lexi only wondered if it had been the crash that killed them, or something else.
Lexi and the others didn't slow at the sight, even as the zombies caught their scent and groaned that ugly, disturbing whine that meant they'd sniffed out some food. The undead lurched and shuffled and dragged and cantered themselves closer to the humans, intent on having their next meal.
Law simply took out his sword and readied himself, bracing his legs on the concrete. Shachi and Penguin took up positions on his left, while Lexi decided to take his right, branching out to give space between them. Being so close to the city, they all gripped knives instead of their guns, knowing that the noise could royally screw them over if they weren't careful.
The first of the zombies approached, hands outstretched to catch them, but Shachi stabbed it in the brain, pushing the dead weight off of him with a grunt. The others weren't too far behind, but Law's group wasn't inexperienced. Blades stabbed and slashed, zombies fell and stumbled back from the blows, until only one remained. The last one seemed unconcerned or unaware that its brethren had fallen. These disgusting creatures lacked any empathy or intelligence beyond searching for their next meal. Therefore, it gave no hint of self-preservation as it watched Law sweep his sword across its neck, decapitating it and causing it to collapse to the concrete where the others lay.
The bodies oozed puddles of blackish-red liquid and the group took pains not to step in it. The last thing they wanted was the stench of death on their shoes. They'd have to look for new ones, and they didn't have time for that right now.
Law stared down at the group of corpses, absentmindedly flicking his sword to the side to get rid of the excess blood. As they passed by the rotting and fading cars, he snatched the cloth that waved in the wind and used it to clean off the rest of the blood from the blade. He'd taken great pains all this time to keep it without rust and wear. It was his most prized possession.
Lexi blinked reflexively when a cold drop of rain landed on her nose. She brushed it away patiently, looking up towards the sky. Sure enough, the gray clouds that had followed them for the past several miles were right above them, appearing darker than ever. Another drop hit her forehead, and she sighed.
Law must have noticed too, because he sheathed his sword after discarding the now blood-soaked cloth and held out one hand to feel the drops land. "Let's hurry. The first place we find will have to do." He said evenly. Thankfully, they'd at least made it to the town before the sky had started it's sprinkle.
The group ignored the increasing frequency of raindrops landing on them as they systematically searched the street for a place that looked secure enough to hole up in. Options were limited. Most store-fronts were broken into with shattered windows and doors hanging off their hinges. Others looked even less secure than just remaining outside, barely more than a husk of a building with all the rotting wood and broken stone.
Zombies were dispatched left and right even as it grew darker. Lexi and Shachi searched on the left side, watching each other's back while Law and Penguin took the right, desperate for any sort of shelter at this point. The rain was coming down in a steady pour, soaking them through even their jackets. It felt clammy and uncomfortable, but there wasn't anything they could do about it besides finding a shelter quickly.
Lexi peered inside the in-tact windows of a post office building, looking for any sign of undead within. It was difficult in the dark, but there wasn't any movement that she could see. Shachi tried the door, yanking it open with a jerk, and holding his gun up for anything that might jump out from the interior. Nothing.
Lexi and him exchanged a look, before nodding. She turned to the others on the opposite side of the street. "Hey!" She called, waving them forward. "We've got something!"
Law and Penguin joined them in front of the post office, all together making their way into the building and doing a sweep through the rooms one by one. There were a few stragglers at the back, but these were easily dispatched without much trouble.
Lexi guessed that as an apocalyptic choice for scavenging, the post office was pretty low on the list, so no one had bothered to try looking inside for anything. Envelopes and boxes weren't much help against dead things trying to kill you, and it wasn't like anyone was going to be writing any letters any time soon. The interior was almost untouched. Exactly as it would have been had the world not ended. Things were placed in such a way that someone had put it down to come back to later.
There were only a few rooms in the building, so the sweep was quick and produced no zombies. Shachi made sure to lock the front entrance behind them with a thunk and a nod. For the first time since they'd stepped foot in the city, they all felt safe enough to relax.
"Finally…" Penguin muttered, setting his knife down on the closest counter.
"Don't get comfortable just yet." Law reminded, gesturing to the wide windows that looked out upon the street. "A handful of them could easily break through that. We need to barricade what we can."
With tired and drenched nods, they spread out through the building once more, this time searching for anything that could be used to reinforce windows or doors or any other means of an entrance to the outside. At least one zombie could be heard banging on the front entrance, no doubt having seen them go inside earlier. Its groans were grating on the ears.
Lexi found herself in the mailing room, full of canvas bins where a multitude of letters and packages would go had it been up and running like back in the day. Dozens of unopened packages with names and addresses were scattered about the tables and floors, and hundreds of letters in addition.
Along the far wall was a few large, metal filing cabinets, as well as heavy-looking shelving. It wouldn't be easy to move, but it would probably help keep one of the doors secured. Lexi put her knife back into the slot at her belt and stepped up to one of them. She gripped each side of the shelf and tested its weight, pulling with a grunt as hard as she could. It only moved about an inch on its own, even with her best effort put into it. Damn.
She released it with a huff, stepping back to reassess her options. She'd definitely need more manpower to move it. Hearing sounds of things moving in the other room, she wandered back to the first room to see Shachi and Penguin pushing a metal table up against one of the windows, the surface facing the street to block the view. Thunder boomed overhead as they grunted and pushed with curses under their breath.
Lexi stepped up to help, but Shachi shook his head when he saw her approach. "Nah. We got it!" He said through gritted teeth. So Lexi stepped back again, letting them do what they needed to.
Footsteps announced Law's approach from another room down the hallway, and he came in carrying a few rolls of duct tape. Lexi gave him a raised eyebrow, wondering what duct tape would do to stop a mob of undead from getting through. He must have seen her critical expression. "It's not much, but it's something." He said with a shrug.
Lexi nodded. "I found a shelf in the back we could prop up against a door. It's pretty heavy, though, so I can't move it by myself."
"We'll take a look." Law said, stepping forward to start pressing rows of duct tape to the other window, intent on blocking the view from that as well. They could still hear that one persistent zombie pounding at the front door.
It took about half an hour before they were satisfied with their additions to the post office. It wasn't zombie-proof, but it would certainly prevent a mob from spotting them passing by the window, or from just knocking the door down. It had taken all four of them to move the shelf with any sort of ease, and even then, they were out of breath after it was successfully blocking the door. They all felt safer, but much more exhausted. And of course, they were still soaked to the bone, clothes drenched and dripping onto the floor.
"Ahhh…I could sleep for a week." Shachi said, out of breath and flopping onto the ground unceremoniously. His chest heaved up and down as he caught his breath back. "Why don't we just crash here for awhile and call it good?"
"Yeah, my legs could use some rest. We've been walking for miles for several days now." Penguin added, sitting with his back up against the wall.
Law couldn't help but smirk, leaning against the counter at the front desk where customers would have approached. "Did those weeks at Woodsfield make you go soft? We used to do this everyday and you never complained before."
"Still…it sucks. Let me bitch about it just this once." Shachi chuckled despite himself, throwing an arm over his eyes as he lay on the ground.
Lexi watched with a smile, finding them amusing. Since joining their little group, she was infinitely more entertained on a daily basis. It was so nice to just stand here and relax for a brief moment. She was certain that Law would want to have a watch be posted anyway, despite their safety measures, since you never know what could go wrong in a world like this. But at least they were behind 4 walls and under a roof for the night. The rain would help her get some sleep, too. It had always calmed her.
"There isn't much to use as a place to sleep, so I suppose we should just pick a spot. Any will do." Law proposed, knowing that they'd be in for a mostly uncomfortable night.
"Too bad there aren't any pillows. My neck is killing me." Penguin said, rubbing at his sore neck just for good measure. Lexi perked up.
"I could try to see if there's some in a next door building. We could sleep a bit more comfortably that way." She offered with a smile. "I don't mind going back out there again."
"No." Law decreed without hesitation. He turned to Lexi. "It's dark now, and a supply run of any kind would be extremely dangerous."
Lexi shrugged. "It's not like I haven't done it before. I know the risks, Law. I'd be quick."
"That's not the point. You're not by yourself anymore, so there's people worrying about your safety and wellbeing. You can't put yourself in unnecessary danger like that."
The brunette blinked in surprise, somewhat surprised by that statement. Well, she supposed he wasn't wrong. Had one of the boys offered to do the exact same thing, she would have probably warned against it. Because she'd worry about if they were ok. It shouldn't be that much of a surprise that the feeling would be mutual on their part. Huh. Lexi just wasn't used to having...others to go back to.
"Ok." She eventually agreed with a nod.
They slowly went about their business of securing their own little corner of the post office to themselves. Lexi's first instinct was to find a room at the back somewhere, away from any points of entry that could possibly let zombies in, but she had a feeling that Law would want them all to stick together in the same room. It would make keeping watch a lot easier, and she doubted he wanted anyone straggling out on their own. In the short time they'd traveled together, she'd come to understand that Law was always very concerned about their wellbeing. All the time.
It was…sweet.
Lexi chose a spot against the service counter, and she peeled the light jacket she'd been wearing off of her body. Her shirt underneath was just as wet, but at least there wasn't two layers making things cold. The air was chilling her body and she shivered at the lack of warmth. Hopefully their clothes would start to dry by morning, because if they stayed in them too long, they ran the risk of getting sick. And in a building like this, they couldn't risk starting a fire in the middle of the room. Nowhere to vent the smoke, and no guarantee they wouldn't burn the place down.
"I'll take first watch. Won't be able to fall asleep for a bit anyway." Shachi offered with a raised hand. He looked just as tired as the rest of them, but no one was going to refuse the offer to immediately crash and rest. The wet was leeching more of their strength away.
Despite wearing a soaking wet outfit, and using her soaking wet jacket as a pillow for the night, Lexi felt relaxed and at ease as she sank down to lay on the ground for the night. They'd been walking for hours and her feet were begging for rest. How she wished she had her pair of comfy running shoes from back in college. They'd been the softest things in the world for walking anywhere.
Sleep came quickly and hard. For once, she was so exhausted that Lexi couldn't have been awakened by an explosion across the street. For one normally so easily woken up during her sleep—not to mention, so used to sleeping alone and now surrounded by people-she was somehow able to get at least a few hours of good, deep, sleep before Law shook her from her slumber.
"Hey. Your turn for watch." He said quietly, trying not to wake anyone else up.
Blearily, she looked around her to get her bearings. It was still very dark, but they'd been getting used to the lack of light for the few hours before falling asleep, so she could still mostly see around her. Shachi and Penguin were both passed out in their corners of the room, looking all but dead to the world. Shachi was sleeping with his mouth open, but thankfully wasn't was sprawled over as large an area as he could subconsciously cover. It made her smile.
With a groan, she shifted off the floor into a sitting position. The long hours of sleeping against the hard floor wasn't doing wonders to her joints, but there wasn't anything to do about that now. She rubbed at her eyes and stood carefully, watching where her feet were as she walked to the window so as not to cause a noise.
"Everything's been quiet." Law told her, showing her a small patch of the window he'd taped that he'd left uncovered so they could watch through. There were no streetlights that worked anymore, but the rays of the moon left some sort of light to see by outside. Enough to distinguish zombies shuffling around the empty streets. "A few wandered close but didn't notice us inside."
"Ok." Lexi said, taking the spot where Law had dragged a chair over to sit and watch. She yawned and shook her head to try waking up a bit more. "Thanks, you can get some sleep now." She offered with a small smile. But Law didn't immediately leave the post.
"In a moment." He said, crossing his arms and leaning back. "I wanted to ask how you were feeling. About being in the group."
She cocked her head, looking up at him sleepily in the darkness. "I already told you yesterday. I'm doing alright."
Law grinned and shook his head. "Great. Now how are you really doing? And don't just tell me what I want to hear."
Lexi gave a halfhearted slant of a smile, and gave a tiny huff of a laugh. "What, you don't trust me?"
"I do. Just not when it comes to how you're really feeling because I know how you are."
"Oh really, and how is that?" She inquired, curious as to how he thought he knew her so well for not having known each that long.
"Because you and I are remarkable similar when it comes to showing how we feel."
Law gave her a knowing look, recognizing the same expression on her face that he used when trying to convince someone he was just fine, but in reality there was something under the surface.
Lexi turned back to the window, watching through the small hole in the duct tape to see a distant zombie walking past. "I really am ok. Just...getting used to having all of your around. And I don't want to be a burden to any of you. I don't want you to regret letting me stay with you." She admitted, somehow finding it easy to talk with Law about these things. "I don't want to be the cause of losing my friends again."
Law nodded evenly, tilting his head to the other side as he thought about what to say. Then, something caught his attention. "'Again?'"
He saw her tilt her chin down, as if chastising herself for letting that little bit slip out. He heard her small sigh, then turned to look at him.
"Yeah. I, uh…I've been in a situation like this before. With a group, I mean. A long time ago."
Law frowned, recalling something she'd said the first day they met. "You told me you've always been a loner." He reminded.
"Well, yeah. For the majority of the time, I've travelled alone. But when the world first ended, I teamed up with my best friend. Brittany." Lexi rubbed her forearms uncomfortably. "It…didn't last that long. Maybe a few months."
"Care to share?" He asked, settling in for a story. If it meant he got to know Lexi a bit better, he didn't mind losing another hour of sleep.
"When the zombies first started rising, I was studying for college with Brittany, at her dorm. We were together when we saw the first reports on the news. It was…terrifying." Lexi shook her head sadly. "At first we thought it was some sort of terrorist attack, but then when things became clearer, that dead people were...attacking the living…we still had no clue what to do."
Lexi shifted in her seat. "We tried getting some stuff together from her place, but there wasn't much. I mean, it was a college dorm room. They don't let you keep pretty much anything with you." She shrugged. "She wanted to go back and see her parents, to make sure they were ok, but I was afraid of going outside into all that madness. There was so much panic and confusion, we could have ended up getting killed by some freak accident, let alone the zombies. She convinced me to go with her, though. So we did."
Law watched as her eyes took on a faraway look, remembering the events of that day in her mind. "Outside was a nightmare. There were people screaming and running everywhere. Brittany kept us going towards her car though, and we managed to get onto one of the side roads away from the highway. It was so congested and slow, but we managed.
"And when we got to her parents house, they were already…gone." Lexi finished sadly.
"Eaten?" Law guessed.
The brunette looked up at him and shook her head. "No. Murdered. Someone killed them to steal their food and supplies. They were known to be one of those disaster preparedness families. They had a cellar full of food and stuff for waiting out hurricanes and stuff. We saw them on the floor in the living room when we got there."
"What did you do?"
"I wanted to leave. It was dangerous, and there was no reason to stay. But Brittany grabbed her dad's gun from the safe and found the person in the basement. She…killed him right there and then. Didn't even flinch." Lexi shook her head in disbelief. It was hard for me to stomach at the time…
"Brittany took charge after that. She'd always been more outspoken and more confident than me, so I was fine with it. But...after awhile…we just didn't see eye to eye. I didn't like a lot of decisions she was making. I thought they were too extreme. So I…left. I wrote a note saying I was sorry and left."
Lexi was silent for awhile after that, eyes returned to the window to stare outside. "It's not something I'm proud of. It's one of the things I regret doing, but deep down I know I would still make the same decision again. It's just...she was my best friend…and maybe my personality or moral code just pushes people away. Maybe I changed into something that she couldn't stand to be around. I don't know."
Law regarded her quietly, before shaking his head. "Your personality isn't repulsive, if that's what you're worried about."
After a moment, Lexi chuckled under her breath, her smile coming back through the cracks of her sadness. "You know, that was a pretty shit compliment if that's what you were going for." She said, eyeing him with amusement.
Knowing she was only teasing, the tall man laughed in kind, straightening up and taking her hand with his. He lifted it up to his lips and gave it a chaste kiss, eyes locked on hers as she stared. He released it a moment later. "Then I hope this apology suffices."
Lexi hoped the darkness would prevent him from seeing the very likely blush forming on her cheeks. Her skin felt hot. She smiled and looked away. "I'll accept it, I guess."
Law enjoyed the sight of her all flustered, but turned away after a moment. He didn't want to leave it too long and make it uncomfortable. "Goodnight, Lexi." He said, carefully making his way back to his sleeping spot.
"Night." She called after him, and he resisted the urge to look at her again.
Carefully, despite the darkness, he was able to find his way around the tangle of limbs that Shachi and Penguin had both individually become, and sank down to the hard floor by his backpack. Once as settled as he was going to be, he allowed the dredges of his previous sleep to return to him.
But of course, now his thoughts were filled with images of a blushing Lexi, and then he was filled with a sense of unease and embarrassment along with it. What had possessed him to do that in the first place? What about her made him feel so comfortable with...hell, that couldn't be called anything other than flirting. He was just glad that neither Shachi or Penguin had seen it. He didn't need them on his case again about possibly liking Lexi. Not that he did...
He just respected her. That was all.
So he tried pushing the images from his head, unaware that Lexi was trying to do the exact same thing from her own perspective. For the exact same reasons.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
