"It's Lexi." Shachi proclaimed, immediately lowering his weapon and shouldering it. "Jeez, you scared us half to death! We thought you were one of those-oh my god, what happened!?"
A cool wave of relief washed over her, so thankful that it hadn't been anyone other than this group, that she shakily dropped the pistol to the counter and slumped in her chair. "Thank god…" She whispered to herself, too low for any of them to hear.
"Are you ok?" Penguin did the same as his friend, and only a moment later, after that flicker of hesitation, Law sheathed his sword and stepped forward to crouch in front of her and inspect her wounds.
"I sort of…fell." She replied vaguely in an unsteady voice, not really wanting to admit that she'd mistakenly thought she could easily scale the side of a building. "And then some guy shot me."
"That guy on the roof, right?" Penguin asked, and she nodded. A confident grin spread across his face, and he shrugged nonchalantly. "We took care of him already."
"Caused us quite a bit of trouble." His friend added.
"That second shot must have been at you." Lexi heard Law mutter as he looked over the wounds on her leg. Gently, his fingers probed the sides, and she winced at the pain. His eyes narrowed, and then he stood. "When did this happen?"
"About…fifteen minutes ago?" Lexi couldn't be sure. How long had she been sitting there? In all the excitement she sort of lost track of time.
Law continued to inspect her wound, then nodded slowly. "You'll need stitches."
"I know." She reached for the fishing line and dirty needle. "I was just about to try-"
Before she could finish the thought, he picked up what she'd had on hand and critically examined them both. Law looked at the needle and frowned deeply. Shaking his head, he sighed. "I'll do it." Placing them back on the counter, he said nothing and began to search the drawers and cabinets that had already been cleared.
"I already looked as much as I could." He still didn't reply. "Do you even know how to?" She asked, watching as he silently left the room and went in search somewhere else. Turning her attention back to Shachi and Penguin, they only grinned. "What?"
"Don't worry, Law knows what he's doing." Shachi nodded in agreement.
"He used to be a doctor at a clinic like this." The redhead spread his hand out. "Well, a surgeon specifically, but he would visit other hospitals and stuff and demonstrate new procedures."
"Oh really?" Lexi questioned, grimacing as another shot of pain stabbed through. "How lucky for me then."
"We used to work at a mechanic shop together, and did construction on the side." Shachi indicated the both of them. Lexi cocked her head, massaging her temple slowly to try to reduce the pounding.
"Is that where you two met?"
Shachi waved a hand in dismissal. "Nah, we've been friends since…what, fifth grade?"
"Fourth grade." His friend corrected, pulling his pack closer to him and opening the zipper. "We both liked the same girl and, naturally, were mortal enemies."
Lexi smiled. "What happened?"
"You better let me tell you the story, or else he'll lie about it." Shachi jumped in waving his arms to draw attention. Penguin crossed his arms in a pout.
"Will not."
"You totally will."
"He's the liar. Don't believe a word he says." Ignoring his friend, Shachi continued on.
"This is what happened. I liked Elizabeth first, and obviously-"
"I've heard this conversation a dozen times too many." Law interjected as he entered the room again, carrying a small box in his hand. Raising a brow, he approached Lexi and set the box on the table before looking to his friends. "Does she really have to hear it?"
"Uhh…I guess not…" Penguin muttered, looking anywhere but at Law. Shaking his head and sighing, Law pointed at the chair in the corner.
"Hand me that chair."
Doing as he was told, Penguin pushed the chair over and Law turned it to face Lexi. "I have to cut these away. Do you have an extra pair?" He gestured to her torn and bloodstained pants. Lexi pursed her lips, but eventually nodded.
"Could you hand me my bag?" She asked Shachi, who nodded and grabbed her pack from the counter. She rummaged inside before pulling out a second pair of jeans, slightly frayed at the ankles but in relative good condition.
Lexi set her bag back on the table and held the jeans to her chest, watching as Law pulled out a knife from somewhere on his person. Reflexively, she gulped, feeling a little on edge with a weapon so close to her. Law must have noticed her apprehension, as he lowered the knife to her jeans and waited for her to give him permission to start.
Sighing, she nodded, and he began to cut away at the ripped denim. His cuts were only a few inches above the wound, giving her plenty of material to modestly cover herself. At least she didn't have to worry about them seeing her underwear. Suffice to say they weren't exactly attractive.
He was very gentle, or as gentle as he could be given the situation, especially for one who looked so stern and rough every time she'd seen him. The knife only ever grazed her skin, too light to leave a mark or cause any harm. After a few moments of hearing the knife cut away at her jeans, Law ripped the excised piece away and threw it to the side, fully exposing her wound out in the open. Without the majority of the bloody clothing in the way, it looked a lot worse, the edges inflamed and red.
"I couldn't find any antiseptic solution around. Do you have anything that could work?" He asked, grabbing the bloody towel from before and using it to wipe away some of the excess blood from the edges.
"Umm…I think I have a little bit of rubbing alcohol left. I found it awhile back. Been using it as sparingly as I could." So saying, she once again shuffled through her bag. It took a moment of searching, but she did indeed find the small bottle of alcohol with an inch or so of liquid left in it.
She handed it to Law, who inspected the label in the back carefully. He sighed softly, before putting it beside him on the counter. His grip adjusted on the towel, folding it in half, before he looked back up to Lexi.
"This will probably hurt." He supplied, before pressing down gently on to the wound itself to soak up more blood. The brunette tensed, grabbing onto the counter's edge like a vice. Teeth clenched, she stopped herself from groaning out loud at the pain. It wasn't as bad as actually getting the wound but damn, did it still hurt like hell.
Lexi kept her mouth shut until he was done. Now that most of the blood was cleared he could see the wound a lot better, though it was still bleeding at a steady rate. He put back the towel and chose the bottle of rubbing alcohol, uncapping the lid. Swirling it's contents around, he poured about half of the bottle straight onto the wound. The effect was immediate.
"Shit…" She hissed out breathlessly, the sting of the alcohol content killing away the bacteria that had gotten into the wound. It stung like a bitch, and caused her whole chest to tighten. Other than that she made no other noise of protest or pain, wanting to preserve her dignity and not cry like a baby.
"So what have you been up to since last time?" Shachi asked suddenly, thinking that perhaps they could get her mind off the pain by engaging her in conversation. Glancing their way, she swallowed hard.
"Just…drifting, I guess you could say. I haven't stayed anywhere more than a few days. There just aren't that many supplies to find anymore so holing up in one place is difficult." Her sentence was punctuated with gasps of pain and staggered breaths, a testament to the alcohol doing it's job.
"Similar luck with us." Penguin added. "Not too much to find nowadays. So much time has passed that most places have already been ransacked."
Lexi nodded her agreement. "It's getting tougher."
Law, satisfied that he'd cleaned out the wound as best he could, grabbed the small box he'd retrieved before and opened it, revealing a neat line of two or three clean needles. This drew her attention.
"Where did you find that?" Lexi asked critically, shocked that he'd actually managed to find something so valuable nowadays. He shrugged, picking one from inside and digging in his pocket for something.
"When you work in a clinic like this you figure out all the places doctors stash their favorite tools."
"Doctors have favorite tools?" Her incredulous tone and that raised brow made him glance her way with a pointed look. She smiled, and he finally directed his attention back to the needle. In his other hand was a lighter, and with a click it produced a small flame at the top. Hovering the needle over the flame, he heated it until it became blackened, then red hot at the tip.
"I forgot to ask earlier. What did you used to do? You know, before people started coming back from the dead." Penguin asked, jumping up to sit on the counter a little further away. Shachi only sat on another chair in the room.
"I was training to be a nurse. I was only a few years into getting my degree before everything pretty much ended." She admitted. The feeling of lightheadedness was growing stronger, now that the adrenaline of fear was beginning to wear off. Her vision swam, and she held her head in her hand.
"Hey, hey. You alright?" Shachi's concerned voice asked, leaning forward to get a better look at her. "Don't you pass out on us now. We only just started fixing you up."
"Sorry, just really tired and…today has been hectic." She laughed humorlessly, the black dots slowly beginning to fade away as her sight returned to normal. It wasn't apparent just how bad a shape she was in until she blinked rapidly to clear the rest of her vision.
"When is the last time you ate?" Law's voice cut through, peering up at her face. Her skin looked unhealthily pale, the color from her cheeks faded and practically nonexistent. The only color left to her was the deep brown of her hair and those bright green irises.
Lexi raised a hand to her head slowly, closing her eyes. "This morning?" After a brief silence, she cracked an eye to see Law's expression which very clearly conveyed his doubt. He wouldn't be fooled that easily. With a sigh she shook her head. "Probably…last night. Or it might have been two days ago…I can't remember honestly."
"Penguin, get her something to eat." Law ordered, and his friend was happy to comply, rummaging through his own pack to find something. "Honestly, it's a wonder you're still alive…" He muttered under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear. She smiled ruefully.
"I like to believe it's my stubbornness still holding on." Her chuckle was low and quiet, as if she couldn't manage more than that. She probably couldn't, Law figured, glancing up at her ghostly pallor and unsteady breathing.
She'd probably lost a fair amount of blood before they'd gotten there, judging by the wound. Without any blood bags or equipment to perform a blood transfusion, Law could only hope that she hadn't lost too much to be life threatening. Otherwise no amount of field surgery or treatment could help her at this point.
Threading the fishing wire she had through the clean and now-sterile needle, he tied the end and lowered it to her leg. Immediately, Lexi shut her eyes and bowed her head away. Law had to grin a little at that. "A nursing student who can't handle the sight of stitches?"
"It's not stitches by themselves. It's stitches on me that I can't take."
"Hmm." He hummed with that smile, beginning to pull the needle through her ruined skin. She made no sound of pain, and he was willing to bet she was losing feeling in her leg anyways. At least for the first few. After that, she winced with each tug of the needle.
"Oh yeah, we haven't forgiven you for just ditching us like that last time." Shachi pouted. "That was uncool."
Penguin stepped forward with a granola bar and a canteen, presumably with water. "Here, have some of this. And yeah, what's up with that? Why'd you leave?"
Hesitantly, she reached for the food, glancing up at Law just to be sure it was ok. He nodded before going back to stitching up her wound. Her hunger and thirst getting the better of her, she grabbed the granola bar and practically ripped it open with a desperation she hadn't known she was feeling, relishing the chocolate taste. It was stiff and stale after so long without having been eaten, but to her it was the best meal she could have asked for at that moment.
"I uh…" She started through a mouthful of granola. "I'm a loner, you know? Don't do well with groups long-term. Besides, didn't you see the fireworks I left you? I payed for my stay."
"They were quite handy awhile back. Shachi almost lit himself on fire though." Law supplied, glancing at his friend. The man in question sputtered.
""H-hey! You promised you'd never bring that up again!"
Law simply chuckled under his breath. He was about halfway through stitching her up, and Lexi was surprised by how little time he'd taken to do that much already. Well, he had been a doctor.
"I'm glad they were useful to you." She said, taking a long drink from the canteen. She wouldn't be greedy. They probably needed it much more than her. After she'd eaten the granola bar, she capped the lid to the canteen and handed it back to Penguin. He raised a brow.
"Don't you want more?"
"I'm fine. That's all I needed." She waved a hand in a dismissive gesture, all the while avoiding looking at her own leg.
"And what do you mean you aren't good with groups?" Shachi questioned. Lexi sighed. They asked too many things all at once.
"It's a hassle having too many people around…" She muttered, unable to look their way. Really, she was ashamed of her own cowardice, but she couldn't help it. They wouldn't really understand even if she did explain, right? Or maybe they would? It was hard to tell.
Shachi and Penguin were so open and honest, they wore their hearts on their sleeves. She was willing to bet that if their fearless leader wasn't around they wouldn't have survived long. Any attempt to gain pity or sympathy from them would be too easy. They'd probably fall for anything that presented itself in front of them. Maybe they could understand, or just chastise her for being stupid. Either way.
Law was a completely different person altogether.
So quick to distrust other people, it was no wonder he had survived this long, much less become the leader of a small group. If she hadn't crossed paths with him positively in that apartment, there was a large possibility that he would've killed her on site without a thought in any other situation. Getting on his bad side was not on her list of things to do.
Who even knew what he was thinking half the time? She'd been surprised when he even began to trust her just a little all those months back at the cabin, sharing dinner and saving her life. Ah, that's right. This would be the second time he'd done so.
Jeez, when she really thought about it, they'd done so much for her already. What had she done for them? Given them medicine? Some fireworks? How valuable would those be down the line? Not enough to call them friends most likely.
In the time she'd retreated to her thoughts, Shachi and Penguin had begun to converse between themselves again, leaving Law and Lexi to their tense silence. Realizing she'd been staring at Law this entire time, she looked away to the side before he noticed.
Unfortunately, he already had, not that she would know. Nor would he bring it up. Though, he did wonder what exactly she was thinking with that sad look in her eye.
After a few minutes, he pulled the last stitch closed and took a moment to inspect his handiwork. Grabbing the bottle of rubbing alcohol, he poured a small amount over the top to make sure nothing was left unsterilized. Making sure to keep a little bit left in the bottom, he capped the lid again and stood. "That should take care of your leg. Now let's see your arm."
Slowly turning in place so her arm faced him, she let him untie the crude bandage that was all she could manage. With expert fingers, he grabbed his knife and reached for the towel again. While most of it was soaked through with blood, there was still a large section on the side that was clean. Using the blade, he cut away the edge into a long strip.
"I'm not going to be able to walk for awhile with those stitches, huh?" She asked quietly, watching him use the rest of the alcohol on her bullet wound. At least it had gone all the way through, so there was no shrapnel or leftover metal to dig out.
He nodded, grabbing the strip of towel and wrapping it around her arm. "Did you expect to be back to running through the streets as soon as I fixed it?" Came his incredulous question. Lexi shook her head a negative.
"No, I just…needed to hear it I guess…" She shrugged noncommittally. "Don't know what exactly I'm going to do now, seeing as I can't walk."
There was silence for awhile, even Shachi and Penguin having gone quiet at the realization that Lexi was immobile for at least a few days. Staying here in the clinic without any supplies and zombies still roaming the streets was just as dangerous as being out there running through them. And leaving her alone to fend for herself felt wrong.
Lexi went silent for awhile as Law finished cleaning her arm and tying the bandage around it. What was she going to do now? Her situation was pretty fucked either way. Nor did she want to become a burden to them. They'd already done so much for her, how on earth was she supposed to repay them?
Staying here seemed just as bad though. Left in the dark to defend herself while immobile. But she didn't want to ask to go with them temporarily if they weren't going to offer it themselves. It just didn't feel right.
"We'll move you to a safer place." Law's voice cut through her thoughts, and she looked up in surprise. He'd stood and was putting the bottle of rubbing alcohol back into her own pack, zipping it closed.
"Y-you don't have to do-"
"One of us will have to help her walk." He continued, basically ignoring her half-hearted protests. "That body won't have lasted long, so the zombies have probably dispersed by now."
"I'll help her." Penguin offered, raising a hand and walking over beside her. She looked up and he sent her a reassuring smile, adjusting his pack so it was more comfortable. Somehow she couldn't help but smile back at that infectious gesture. Lexi stood and allowed him to wrap her arm around his neck. However it quickly became apparent that her lack of height would make this an issue.
"I'm probably gonna have to carry you. Is that alright?"
Sighing quietly to herself, she nodded. Penguin crouched down and slowly brought an arm underneath her knees, picking her up slowly so as not to rip the new stitches. "It doesn't hurt too much, does it?"
"No, it's fine. Thank you." Truth be told, she had to fight the urge to wince in pain, with the stretching of her skin around her leg, but it was tolerable and she would rather not waste too much of their time with her complaints.
Law double checked they'd grabbed everything and nodded, pulling out his sword at the ready. "Shachi, you're with me." They started heading towards where the boys had come in, but Lexi remembered one detail.
"There's an entrance at the back. That's how I got inside. It might be less dangerous, since it exits into an alleyway." Debating that a moment, Law nodded and turned the other way, finding the other entryway by her guidance.
There were a few zombies lingering outside of the back entrance, but other than that there were no other immediate threats. They tried sticking as close to the edge of the sidewalks as they could, skirting the further undead and never gaining their attentions.
At one point there was a group of six or seven that began to horde together towards them, but thanks to one of the last sticks of Lexi's fireworks that she'd saved for emergencies, they were able to misdirect most of any undead that tried going after them. Any that weren't deterred quickly lost their heads to Law's sword, or were stabbed in the brain by Shachi.
There was a large apartment building a block or so away, one with many stories, and Law chose that as the best place to bring her to. Several times during the trip there, Lexi asked Penguin if he needed her to try walking on her own, but he was adamant that she was light as a feather.
Shachi and Law took care of any zombies that got too close, and in no time at all, with a lot less hassle than Lexi had imagined it would take, they made it to the side of the apartment building. Through the window of the front entrance, they could see several zombies lingering around in the downstairs lobby, so Law decided that their entry method from earlier that day would be the safest.
"You just love fire escapes, don't you?" Lexi joked, glancing up at the metal contraption on the side of the building. This one had a ladder that reached all the way to the ground, thankfully.
"They're convenient and safer." Was all Law said.
It took a moment for Penguin to switch Lexi to his back so he could climb the ladder, and then they were going up to the top-most floor. Shachi and Law went first to clear out any zombies that might be in the room they emerged from, while Penguin held back in wait.
"Clear!" They heard Shachi call, and Penguin climbed up the rest of the way and entered the window that had been opened. He made sure not to let Lexi hit anything as he dropped down to the floor below and stood.
Law and Shachi were moving through the apartment and searching for supplies, leaving Penguin and Lexi in the bedroom alone. It was pretty simple; a desk, small bed, and an attached bathroom. It didn't look to be ransacked or scavenged, as most of the drawers were still closed and looked relatively untouched.
Penguin let Lexi down and she moved to sit on the bed. Her leg had begun to itch, but it was all she could do not to touch it. Her own medical knowledge prevented her from even attempting to break them. There was a 100% chance that Law would not appreciate her undoing all his work.
Penguin dropped her pack onto the bed beside her and she pulled out the spare jeans. Seeing what she'd grabbed, Penguin began to shuffle around awkwardly. It didn't take long for her to notice.
"Uh…do you want me to watch the door or something while you get dressed?" He pointed a thumb towards the door, scratching the back of his head. She almost laughed when he was unable to look at her.
Glancing down at the stitches for a long moment, she finally shook her head and placed the jeans to the side again. "I think I'll just keep these ones on a little longer, at least until it stops itching or I don't have to clean it."
It wasn't hard to see the relief that swept his face, and he returned to that easy grin. "I'm going to go help the others look for some stuff. Be right back. Shout if you need anything."
After a nod, she watched him leave the room. The sound of rummaging and shuffling feet around the apartment overpowered any of the groaning that came from the street below or in the floors underneath this one. It almost made her forget that the world had gone to shit. Almost.
One glance around the room didn't indicate a whole lot. It was pretty sparse for being a bedroom. The table surfaces held few personal affects, and there weren't any stray clothes lying around so it was hard to tell who exactly had lived there before. From the lack of decor and style Lexi was willing to bet it was a man, as anything that was on the counter was purely for functional value.
If the bedroom didn't solidify that fact, the near-spotless and clutter-free bathroom definitely did. Not once in her entire life had the brunette ever seen a woman's bathroom not stacked high with perfumes, toiletries, hair curlers, dryers, and straighteners. Her own included.
Law walked back into the room after several minutes holding something in his hand. "It isn't much, but this was all I could find that might help prevent an infection, unless you have some generic antibiotics with you." He said, holding out a half-used tube of vaseline. She took it gratefully and slowly shook her head.
"No, I used up most of my medicine forever ago."
"Keep it dry for the rest of the night, but in the morning and as often as you think you can spare, put a thin layer over the stitches. Too much and it may not allow it to breathe." He instructed, sounding very much like a normal doctor would at any regular checkup. Lexi grinned, then realized that she hadn't yet thanked them for everything they'd done for her.
"Thanks," she started, looking to the ground in embarrassment, "for, uh…saving my life. Again. And bringing me here."
Law only stared at her for a long moment, but whatever he was thinking behind those gray eyes was a complete mystery. The man would never cease to confuse her. For the life of her, she couldn't seem to look away, and the few seconds it did last felt like a lifetime to her.
Shifting on the bed, she looked down to the makeshift bandage around her arm. In the transit to the apartment, it had begun to loosen. "Um…could you tighten the bandage? It started to come loose on the way here."
Law nodded and moved beside her. One knee rested on the bed, he leaned down to reach for the ends of the fabric. Lexi watched his fingers work on the ties, mesmerized by that serious expression he always seemed to wear. What a mysterious guy.
This was probably the closest he'd ever been to her. And maybe it had something to do with the fact that she'd been alone for so long. Perhaps the lack of human company had caused her to feel a little stir-crazy, or loopy, but a part of her instinctively leaned forward and placed a quick, gentle kiss on his cheek. It was the barest hint of a kiss at all, a peck which trailed her lips against the stubble on his skin.
The effect was immediate. Having finished the bandage, Law's hand reached out to grab her neck with lightning speed, pushing her back out of reach. The click of a gun sounded just below her jaw, the cold circular tip of the barrel pressed into her delicate skin. His grip tight, he leaned closer with narrowed eyes.
He said nothing. As though through his stare alone he could discern what her intent had been with that kiss, the silence stretched on for a long time. Lexi wasn't too worried, but it wasn't exactly comfortable with the pistol being pressed into her chin, forcing her head back.
"It was just a thank you." She admitted quietly, watching him easily and slowly forming a small smile to stave off his suspicion. She knew she should be freaking out, terrified of him pulling the trigger, but because of some kind of reassurance she couldn't explain, besides the shot of adrenaline that shot through her at the action, there was no other cold spike of terror like she would expect.
In fact, it was somewhat thrilling. The heat of his hand on her neck, his face so close to hers, their breaths mixing in the space between them. You know. If you were into that sort of thing. Lexi couldn't exactly tell. Maybe the high of her bold move just then was fueling this desire to be so close to him. Maybe she was simply going a little nuts.
They could still hear Shachi and Penguin moving through the apartment not too far away, and perhaps that's what eventually snapped him out of the trance they'd both fallen into. Law eased up on the pressure against her jaw, lowering the gun and clicking the safety back on.
"Shachi and Penguin both seem to think you're their friend." He spoke in a whisper. Lexi blinked slowly, a sad smile alighting her face.
"Friends, huh?" It was a serious effort to fight off the sign that threatened to burst forth. She couldn't be sure how he'd take that reaction. "I already told them I'm not good with groups. I don't know why they trust me so much."
"I don't know either." He admitted, holstering the pistol to his belt. That grip on her jaw never let up, and he leaned forward a little more. "I still can't understand what makes you so…likable.
"No matter how illogical it may seem…you make people want to bring you closer." Law finished in a whisper. "And that makes you dangerous."
Lexi frowned, looking to the side as she contemplated his words. Now that he'd spelled it out fairly clearly, it all pretty much made sense why he was so hesitant to trust her. Not that she blamed him for it or anything, it just fit with Law's mentality perfectly. "I never really thought of it that way…"
Distracted by her own thoughts, she missed the flick of his eyes to her lips. It lasted only a single moment, before he chuckled under his breath and stood. She looked up with surprise at his amused expression, and he released his hold on her chin.
"Stay alive." Was all he said, straightening and turning to leave the room. Lexi watched his back as he left, never looking back and shutting the door behind him. A few moments later, Shachi and Penguin came in to say their goodbyes, sneaking her extra food and water without Law knowing. They'd compiled a good stack of supplies for her, piling them on the table beside the bed so she wouldn't need to get up to reach them.
They'd been nice enough to leave her with a long kitchen knife to possibly protect herself with if need be. It wasn't much, but Lexi appreciated it all the same. With one last wave and grin from the two friends, they shut the door and made their way out the front of the apartment. She could hear their footsteps for a few moments afterwards down the hall before they disappeared entirely from her hearing.
Smiling, she wondered the next time they would meet. Because she sincerely hoped they did.
ns 15.158.61.55da2
