The night sky above her was slowly beginning to bleed back into that lighter blue shade that said the sun was on it's way over the horizon in the distance. That purplish-blue, with a tint of black still in it that meant night wasn't all the way over. Her favorite color. The moon still shone brightly on the opposite end of the sky, displayed in it's full glory and giving quite a bit of light to the cityscape down below. The usual wreck and ruin was illuminated, casting long and dark shadows in alleyways and along broken walls.
Now that the light pollution was gone from the entire country-scratch that, probably the entire world-the night sky twinkled with millions of vibrant stars up above. They were much stronger, boasting their many numbers now that they didn't have to fight against the manufactured light on the ground to shine. Lexi's eyes filled with the sight, and if it wasn't for the low and insistent groans of the undead on the street below reminding her just where she was, she could almost convince herself everything up to that point had just been a bad dream she had yet to wake up from.
Too bad nothing was that easy anymore.
She sighed, slowly drifting her gaze downwards to the darkened forms of shambling zombies as they wandered the street. She only had a partial view from the railing of an abandoned upper-floor apartment ledge, but it was enough to show a pack of the undead things wandering aimlessly left and right, seemingly content to go wherever the wind directed them.
A few strands of her dirty, wiry hair fell into her line of sight, and she gently pushed them back out of her face. The dirt on her fingers was probably transferred to her face with the movement, but there wasn't much to be done about that. Running water was a little scarce nowadays.
A deep impulse made her dig in her pocket and pull out her trusty little compass that had helped her so much in the past few years. She held it up chest-level, watching the tiny needle wobble back and forth until it pointed steadily off to her left. She narrowed her eyes, wondering just how true she'd stayed North up to that point. Her nose hadn't been glued to the small tool during her travels, but every once in awhile she'd redirect her course to maintain North as best she could.
Not that the exact location of the air force base was ingrained in her brain or anything. That would be a problem she'd face once it came down to it. All she was running on was that it was North. The journey was taking a lot longer than she'd expected or wanted with all the setbacks and surviving and all. What she needed now was a map of the area, or a map of the state to help her along her way. Something she didn't have.
A warm wind blew past her into the open door to the bedroom beyond. Despite the pleasant temperature, it still managed to send a chill down her spine. Deciding that getting some rest was the best move at that moment, since no matter how long she thought about it it wouldn't present a solution to her problem, Lexi hopped off the railing onto the cement patio and headed back inside. The jump down made her wince, and she unconsciously snaked a hand down her leg to rub the area her wound had been.
It still bothered her a little, but it wasn't unbearable. Law really knew his stuff. For the first week and a half, when it had been too painful to move from that bed, it had sent stabbing pains up and down her body from even the tiniest movement. She'd been as careful as possible not to ruin the stitches the former doctor had kindly applied, not even daring to bend her leg at the knee, lest it stretch and pop the fishing wire. She doubted she had the stomach or the materials to redo his handiwork.
After that time when she was comfortable enough taking out the stitches, she was able to gingerly walk around, hoping that moving would aid in the recovery process. It had helped to some degree, but the wound itched something fierce. It was all she could do not to scratch the inflamed skin.
Somehow she'd avoided a major infection. The worst symptom that had presented was the inflammation and swelling, but that was to be expected. That vaseline stuff Law had found had proved to be invaluable as it happened. Yet another thing to thank him for.
Now, a month or so later, the leg was feeling a lot more flexible and numb to the pain that had become a very constant and daily reminder of her stupidity so long ago. At least she knew better now than to go mountain climbing and nearby buildings.
Silently wandering over to the bed that had been her home for the past few hours, she plunked down onto the dingy covers and stretched out on the mattress. God, her back was killing her. She let out a groan as the strain was taken off by laying flat. It felt amazing just to be off of her feet though.
Placing her knife on the side table, still within arm's reach in case of emergency, but not on her person so it wouldn't stab her in her sleep, Lexi reached up and tucked her hands behind her head, staring up at the ceiling in thought, returning to her previous problem.
Where on earth was she going to get a map? The logical part of her doubted there was anything genuinely useful lying around the closest department or outdoorsman's store. She'd seen something similar in town on her way to this apartment, but the windows had all been broken with graffiti sprayed on the door. Nothing screamed 'ransacked' like the blood splatters along the walls and knocked over shelves inside.
That was a no-go. Which left few other options, really. Unless there was a big state map lying around in a permanent location somewhere…
She narrowed her eyes, memory locking on something she'd seen in the past. Back in the day, she'd often taken the public transportation to her medical college, trying to reduce her cost in gas consumption. At the bus station, there had always been a big map of the area posted, showing the bus routes to and from major points in the city. Back in her home town, there'd been one at each bus station…
Perhaps if there was something similar around here, it could point her in the right direction, or at the very least she could figure out where exactly she was. Without google, this proved to be more difficult than she'd thought possible.
"Sleep now. Find a map tomorrow." She said aloud groggily, forcing her eyes shut as she shifted to find a more comfortable spot on the bed. It creaked with protest at each shimmy.
Not too worried about zombies finding her on the eighth floor, behind two different locked and barricaded doors, Lexi found a rare moment of deep sleep that came with the kind of exhaustion only survivors of great strain could get after days without.
There really was no way to ensure that she'd wake up at a certain time anymore. Clock and phone alarms obviously were of no use. The watch she'd once owned had broken long ago. The search for a replacement had proved fruitless; most of the batteries that had been included on the display models had run out of juice ages ago.
So it was some time in the mid-morning that Lexi assumed she finally arose from slumber. Without working clocks anywhere telling the time was almost impossible. She blinked rapidly to clear her vision, grabbing for her knife and cast a sweeping gaze around the bedroom just in case. There was nothing. Still, the brunette took an extra moment or two to simply listen. After a full minute or so of complete silence, save for the ever present groaning of course, always there at the edge of your hearing no matter where you were, she finally relaxed a little and swung her legs to the side of the mattress.
There was no need to undress or change clothes. She had no other things to wear anyway, and she'd simply worn her usual pants and shirt to bed. It made things easier that way.
A quick perusal of the bedroom found her a hairbrush, complete with old hair from the original owner. Making a face, she carefully pulled the leftover hair from the bristles, dropping them in disgust on the floor by her feet. With a brief prayer that whoever it had belonged to hadn't had lice or some other affliction, she tried pulling her own brown locks into order before tying it up around a hairband. There was only so much she could do, but it would do for now.
Once she was more put together she wandered over to her pack on the dresser. Another bland and unfulfilling breakfast.
"Not like there's much else…" She muttered to herself as she pulled out the half-eaten sleeve of saltine crackers. Most of them were crushed or broken, though still edible. Taking three out of the remaining handful left, she twisted the top of the plastic wrapping and replaced it in her pack, searching for one of her water bottles.
The weight of the water inside the bottle was lighter than she was comfortable with. Grimacing at the low amount sloshing at the bottle of the see-through container, another sigh escaped her lips. Supplies seemed to run out far too quickly.
Lexi spared herself only a sip or two, capping it and putting the rest away for 'emergency.' Whatever that meant nowadays. Her stomach growled in protest, demanding the nourishment it was being denied. Lexi ignored it as usual.
The sun was beginning to shine through the window, casting light across the room and warming her skin. A few steps carried her back to the small patio outside the apartment, and she looked out over the street. Nothing out of the ordinary, oh, besides the zombies. But that was normal compared to everything else. Now that the sun was peeking above the horizon, it was much easier to see the street and the threats that occupied it. Moving around would be much less of a hassle.
Returning to the inside of the apartment, Lexi double checked all of the containers and drawers one more time, packing the pair of socks and an item or two in her bag to take with. There wasn't much. Really, there never was anymore.
Hiking the strap further up her shoulder, Lexi grabbed her knife and stuck it in the holster on her hip, patting down her pockets before nodding in satisfaction. With one more deep breath she began taking down the barricade in front of the door to go on her way.
With two more sweeps of his sword, Law decapitated the remaining undead that approached them, watching as they fell with thuds to the ground with the other three bodies. Shachi and Penguin relaxed from their defensive stances, knives in hand, before sheathing the small blades and looking down at the pile of killed undead.
"Does it seem like these guys are getting slower?" Penguin asked with a tilted head, stepping over a puddle of dark red blood oozing from the head wound of one of the bodies. He'd rather not get the stuff all over his shoes. "Either that or they're just getting stupider."
"Idiot. Stupider isn't a word." Shachi defended, chuckling at his friend's…stupidity.
He scowled and shook his head. "It totally is. Look in the dictionary."
"Oh yeah, I'll get on that. As soon as I find one." Came Shachi's sarcastic reply. "It'll be right next to 'Supposably' and 'Expresso.'" He air-quoted, rolling his eyes in amusement.
"Hold up. Expresso is totally a word." Penguin looked affronted, almost offended even.
"Nah, it's espresso. Not expresso."
"Lies."
"Es-press-o. It's not that hard." Shachi articulated, gesturing with his hand on every syllable. One would think he was talking to a five-year-old who couldn't understand.
While his two friends continued to bicker between themselves, Law sighed inaudibly and cleaned off the blade of his sword with a stray piece of fabric. Normally he'd be worried about all the noise attracting more zombies, but seeing as they were simply walking down the middle of the highway, a city in the distance with no apparent threat around, he wasn't too concerned.
His eyes scanned the cars on the opposite side of the road barrier, seeing dark patches of dried crimson stains on almost every vehicle. Windshields were broken, smashed, even missing completely in some cases. Rusted metal. Doors lay eternally open. Side mirrors broken. Tires flat. Odds and ends had long sat on the concrete, abandoned during whatever horrors had taken place so long ago. There wasn't a body to be seen, long ago eaten away.
At first, the sight of seeing the endless line of cars forever abandoned away from the direction of the city was almost comical when you compared it to the side of the road heading into the city; desolate, bare, and completely clear of cars. During the outbreak, the initial panic had caused waves of people to attempt to flee by vehicle. Along with the rest of the citizens in the entire country. Where they had expected to escape to was beyond him. Nowhere was safe enough to run or hide. In the end, the highway ultimately created a much higher casualty count than it had done good, providing a perfect scenario for the zombies to come through and devour humans by the thousands.
He blinked, hearing a particularly loud outburst from Penguin somewhere behind him. The sound pulled him from his thoughts, and he frowned as he realized he'd been standing there, staring at a tipped over carseat for several minutes. With a roll of his eyes, Law sheathed his long blade and began walking in the direction of the town, leaving the other two behind. The sooner they got off of the road and into a temporary shelter, the better.
"How did you ever pass an English class?" He could hear Shachi ask incredulously, further away with every step he took.
"Well it's not like those things even matter nowadays anyway…What? Don't roll your eyes at…Hey, Law! Wait up!"
The sound of running feet behind him made his smirk just a little, and he turned his head to watch Shachi and Penguin catch up to him, slowing down as they approached. "You just gonna leave us like that?" Penguin questioned with a wounded expression.
Law shrugged. "If it gets me some peace and quiet? Perhaps."
"Hmph." Shachi crossed his arms and shrugged, deigning not to respond to that comment. After that they at least resorted to bickering quietly under their breaths as they walked closer and closer to the city looming ahead. It saved Law a bit of his patience, if only a little.
Law's eyes drifted upwards to the tops of the large office buildings, standing taller than all the other businesses surrounding it. Once upon a time the windows would have gleamed against the sunlight, and the noise of cars and the cityscape would have been heard all the way from where they now stood. Now, it was no more than an empty shell of what was once a hub of human activity, decaying as time went on.
Just like everything else that was left over. Dilapidated, old, worn, and broken.
They passed the fading green sign on their right.
One mile to Morgantown.
It took most of the morning, dodging zombies and keeping to the less dangerous alleys, to find the bus station she'd been looking for. Of course, it had to be on the very opposite end of the city, and that was after having to backtrack a few times on the same streets just to be sure she didn't miss anything. Thankfully most of the signs for bus stops and simple city facilities were still around, otherwise it might have taken several days just to find. It was a strange place for it, considering you'd think it to be smack dab in the middle of a city, but things had never really been built to make sense regardless.
The bus terminal took up the whole end of the block, with large awning-style structures set up where the buses would have waited, neatly lined for the passengers to board. Now all that remained was a few crookedly-parked buses with their doors wide open. Most of the side windows on them were busted.
Behind the main lot of parking spots was the main terminal building, a mostly-glass structure with two stories. Surprisingly, it looked relatively intact for being made of what it was. And from her spot across the street there didn't appear to be a huge interior mess of debris and/or blood and gore like she'd expected. Maybe everyone had simply overlooked the place. On the outside it certainly didn't look like it'd be a location of great value anyways. All the better for her.
Zombies roamed the area, of course, but there'd been more in the heart of the shopping district she'd passed on the way there. Most of the undead wandered the edge of the bus lot, or straggled around at the edges of the nearby street. A few had found their way close to the glass building, but if she was quiet and careful they wouldn't pose too high of a risk.
The zombie she'd killed just a moment ago lay dead on the ground beside her, blood from the stab wound in it's head trailing onto the concrete wall. She glanced over across the wide expanse of the road, pursing her lips with distaste at simply walking out and attracting all that attention. The noise wasn't the main problem, but the smell. They'd sniff her out fairly easily if she decided to waltz right over.
With another glance at the dead undead, she sighed deeply and stooped to take off the jacket of the man who'd once been human. He was bigger in stature than she, and the vest drowned her in the fabric, but it smelled like death itself, which would hopefully mask the stench of her own tender flesh.
It had taken her awhile to figure out that if you smelled like the zombies they would feel less inclined to attack you, perhaps a lot longer than she'd care to admit. It was a disgusting and unsavory tactic anyways, and Lexi tried to avoid using it whenever possible.
Donning the sticky and foul vest over her already-dirty clothing, Lexi took out her knife once more and steadied her breathing. One step than two, out into the open. Then a few more. A couple dozen steps towards the bus station and still, the unmistakable sound of zombie groaning at the sight or smell of a meal was nowhere to be heard. The hair on her body stood on end as she got closer and closer to the terminal, now no more than a few hundred feet away. Less than a minute and she'd be just a tad safer. Assuming there wasn't a horde of zombies waiting for her inside the glass building of course.
The seconds felt like days, each step seemingly thunderous in her own ears, as if each crunch of dead grass under her feet would alert the horde surrounding to attack, but nothing happened. Nothing, even as she passed the first abandoned bus and angled towards the front entrance of the station.
It was only once her hand touched the handle of the door that she let out the pent up breath she'd unwittingly held, pulling it open with a loud creak. The sound made her jump, and before any nearby undead could investigate the sound, she was inside and locking it behind her, twisting the little knob to click the metal tumbler into place securely.
Lexi placed her back to the door. The interior was dark, but the light of the sun streamed in from the walls of glass, so it was easy enough to see. Besides stacks and stacks of papers detailing bus routes and other information scattered about on the floor, there wasn't much in way of ruin and disaster. Looked almost normal.
With a glance behind her as she quickly shrugged out of the man's coat, confirming that a few of the zombies had indeed heard the creak of the door and wandered closer, she double checked the lock and wandered a few steps inside. Once they were intent on getting to her, she was certain it wouldn't take much to break through, especially if they piled up. They didn't seem aggravated enough to go banging on the glass quite yet, so that was a relief. She was still safe. At least for the moment.
Tightening her grip on the knife, Lexi looped around to behind the reception desk, scanning the mess of black computer screens and binders tossed about for any indication of a map. When the initial search turned up empty, she frowned and shook her head, crouching down to look at the floor of clutter. No sign.
"Dammit. Come on, it's gotta be somewhere…" She muttered softly, standing again and searching every inch of the front lobby, including the mess of paper that had been overturned and flung across the room. Still nothing. This was looking more and more like a waste of time with every useless bit of paper she crumpled and tossed aside in frustration. What kind of bus station didn't have a simple map?
From the roof of a nearby building, a man grinned behind a pair of binoculars, watching the young woman steal the vest from the dead man and put it on, nervously making her way across the open street before sneaking inside of the bus station. His two companions stood beside him expectantly.
"Well, well…" Law muttered in amusement, finally lowering the binoculars and standing to his full height. "You were right, Shachi. It is Lexi."
"Totally called it. There was no mistaking that brown ponytail." The man fist bumped Penguin, the both of them looking decidedly happier to learn that they'd been right. "Didn't I say she'd make it no problem?"
"At least she's not afraid to get down and dirty or anything. That vest was probably disgusting. Ew."
"Smart woman." Law whispered under his breath, loud enough only for him to hear.
"Hey…think she's willing to get down and dirty in another sense?" Penguin's voice asked. A thump. "Ouch!"
"Honestly, what's wrong with you?" Penguin questioned in disgust. Then, a moment later. "Lexi's a classy lady. You'd probably have to save her life or something."
"We already did once!" Shachi reminded.
"Oh. Right. Think of something else then."
"You think she has any lace…you know…"
"No way, why would she have any with her right now? It's not practical." Penguin propped his chin over one hand, tilting his head curiously. "Besides, I can see her as being more of a silk and satin kind of woman…I mean, back in the day of normal she probably had stuff like that."
Shaking his head at the strange conversation, Law dusted off his clothes and began walking towards the fire escape leading down to the alley below. "Are you both going to stand there talking, or would you like to go down and see her?"
Both men stopped in surprise, staring at the retreating back of their leader. It was a little hard to believe that the suggestion was coming from him in the first place. After all, he was always going off about how they couldn't trust her readily despite having helped them in the past. Maybe as time went on he'd had a change of heart.
After a moment of their silence, Law turned and raised his brows. "Well?"
"A-ah, right! Coming!" Shachi agreed, trotting after their leader with Penguin only a step behind him.
No amount of searching the lobby was going to find her a map, she eventually came to realize. With a deep sigh, she stood and walked towards the bathroom at the end of the room just in case. Which, rather obviously, ended up having nothing of use inside either.
"What a fucking waste…" She kicked the receptionist's desk in anger, spilling a few more loose papers to the floor in the process, where they landed with a flutter. Leaning her elbows on the edge of the counter, she ran dirty fingers through her hair, frustration being let out with the annoyed breath of air she'd sucked in. Why couldn't just one thing go her way? Just one thing was all she asked.
Far away down the street, Lexi suddenly heard a distinct pop of some kind, and she tensed against the counter. It seemed too small and high-pitched to be a gun, but one never knew. A popgun? Airsoft rifle? It didn't echo as far as a normal bullet would. Even as she searched her thoughts, another one popped in the same direction. Just to be safe, she ducked behind the reception and crawled under the desk, knife at hand prepared for anything.
The groans that was constant background noise began to lessen, and Lexi was willing to bet the noise had gotten their attentions even from this distance. They were probably all being drawn to whatever had made the sound as she waited. Well, at least that solved her problem of escaping this place. Small blessings.
Hesitantly crawling out from under the counter, she peeked around the corner to look out the glass entrance, seeing a stray zombie or two walking towards something to the left of the bus station. Frowning, the brunette hesitated in moving. Stay or go? So far she couldn't find anything of use in the bus station. Perhaps it would be better to simply search somewhere else.
Movement further down the street caught her eye, and she watched three figures appear from an alley, making their way towards her location. Eyes widening, she scrambled to hide behind the counter again, clutching her knife to her chest in panic. Shit, there were three of them against one of her. Maybe they were friendly? Doubtful.
Heart pounding against her ribcage in a painful rhythm, Lexi dry swallowed several times to calm her nerves. She'd locked the door. Unless they were willing to risk causing a loud racket by breaking the glass, if they even could, then she was safe. At least, that what she was trying to convince herself.
The sound of metal catching against metal indicated they had reached the door and were currently tugging on the handle, only to realize that it was latched. She heard them struggle against the barricade, before the sound of someone knocking on glass could be heard.
"Lexi? You in there?" Someone said in a harsh whisper, trying to remain quiet enough not to attract the zombies' attentions. Before she could really process how in the hell they could know her name, the knocking continued. "It's us! You know, Shachi, Penguin, and Law!"
Daring a glance around the edge of the counter, Lexi took in the three forms of the men that had become somewhat of her friend during the past many months, and with an amused shake of her head she came crawling from behind the desk and stood, jogging over to the door to unlock it.
With a flick of her wrist the twisted the knob and opened the glass door. With a low chuckle, she watched them hurry inside. It took only another moment to lock it once more, before she turned and inspected her unexpected companions. "Honestly, I shouldn't even be surprised anymore. How'd you even know I was here?"
"We saw you sneak you way across the street over to here, and thought we'd drop by and say hi." Penguin admitted, glancing down at the discarded vest by the door. "Bet you were so excited to wear that."
Lexi shuddered, thinking back to the dead guy she'd snagged it from. "Overjoyed." Came her sarcastic response, and she toed it with her boot with a curled lip.
"How's your leg?" Shachi suddenly asked, looking down at where she'd been injured the last time they'd met. Following his gaze, Lexi displayed her jean-covered leg, turning it this way and that and even bending it at the knee.
"A lot better. Still hurts sometimes and there's gonna be a permanent scar, but if not for you guys it would have been a lot worse." She smiled a thanks, looking them over each in turn. "You guys don't look too bad yourselves."
Law crossed his arms and slowly perused the lobby of the station. "Supply-wise, we've been better. Though this isn't the worst we've had to deal with." He gazed around at all the crumpled paper and frowned, but didn't say anything about it.
Recognizing the curiosity in his eyes, Lexi kicked at a few closer paper balls with a huff. "I was looking for a map of the surrounding area or something. Anything, really. I honestly have no idea where I am or where I'm going. All I've got is a compass."
"Still trying to find that base?" He guessed, and she nodded. "Any idea what city?"
"Dayton. Somewhere in Western Ohio. I think." She gave a little chuckle. "I don't even know if I'm in Ohio yet, to be honest. That's how lost I am…"
"Shachi?" Penguin asked, turning to his friend with an expectant look.
Shachi unhooked his pack from his shoulders and crouched to the ground, unzipping the top. "Well, let's check, shall we?"
"You've got a map?" She asked with relief, so glad that her luck seemed to turn from piss -poor to unbelievably good in a matter of minutes.
"Of course we have a map." Shachi replied smugly, grabbing the folded up piece of paper and unraveling it into a large map of West Virginia and a few surrounding states, Ohio included. "Alright, let's see what we've got here."
After it was unfurled, the map took up several feet of space both ways, and Shachi knelt before it to lean in, smoothing down the paper to inspect the names printed there. From what Lexi could see, it was very detailed, and she wondered to herself where they had gotten such a valuable thing.
"We're in Morgantown, West Virginia right now." Law muttered as he recalled the road sign from earlier that day, gazing down at the map along with the others.
"Not even in Ohio yet?" Lexi deflated a little, slumping her shoulders down. She'd expected to be further towards her destination, but she hadn't even left her home state yet. Suddenly her endlessly long journey seemed all the longer with it put into perspective.
"Don't worry, you're pretty close." Penguin offered, seeing the look of defeat in her face and hoping to alleviate it if only a little. She recognized his attempt and smiled gratefully in return.
Shachi placed a finger on the town they were in and on Dayton, Ohio, next referring to the distance examples in the key down below. "Looks like you've got another…200 miles or so."
Lexi let out a groan, rubbing her face. "Do I keep North?" She finally asked.
Shachi squinted at the map and calculated the best way to travel to get there the fastest. "Nah, it's almost directly West." He waved her over to look closer at the map. Crouching down beside him, she followed his finger along a bold red line, indicating a main roadway. "If you follow I-70 up until 235, right here," he tapped the map, "then you should be able to find your way there. That's the fastest route from what I can see."
"Too bad there aren't any usable cars around. Otherwise this'd be a lot faster…" She bemoaned, standing from her crouch to stretch her legs. Putting all that weight on her previously injured limb was beginning to make it ache.
Shachi shrugged as he refolded the map, finally placing it carefully back into his bag to close again. "Even if you don't stick completely to I-70, keep heading West and you'll eventually find your way there. Just don't stray too North or South and you should be ok."
"Thank you, really. You just saved me a lot of trouble." She smile sweetly, looking in his eyes sincerely. The hatted man blushed, looking away sheepishly.
"It's no problem. It was just cool to see you again." Penguin offered, and Lexi turned her smile towards the other man.
Subtly, she spared a glance at Law, who was keeping a watch on the empty bus terminal outside silently. A part of her was a little disappointed he wasn't paying attention, but she ignored it. It didn't matter anyways.
Unbeknownst to her, Penguin saw the tiny, hopeful gleam in her eyes with that one look at their leader, but he hid his amusement at that development well. This was new. He wondered just what she felt for their friend and how far she would be willing to take it, under the right circumstances.
Lexi, of course, had no idea what was going through the man's mind and was therefore unconcerned as she stretched out her back with a loud pop.
"Well, figuring out where to go was the only reason I even came to this place. I should be on my way, but it was nice seeing you guys again."
"Have you searched the back rooms?" Law inquired, nodding in the direction of the employees-only door behind the reception.
"No, I figured there wouldn't be anything of use in a place like this." Lexi shrugged indifferently, resignedly stooping to retrieve the bloody vest from the floor. It would be better safe than sorry. By now, the zombies will have become disinterested in whatever had made that noise from before. Frowning, she halted on that thought.
"What were all those loud pops from before? I'm assuming they came from you guys."
Law reached in his pocket and pulled out a small cylindrical object. After a moment she recognized it as one of the fireworks she'd given them before. "These things are more valuable than I first thought." He smirked.
"Wow, you've rationed them well if you still have some left."
"This is the last one, actually." Then, he sighed. "If you're not going to scavenge, then we'll see what we can find." He made to move towards the back but Penguin jumped up with a start.
"We'll go have a look around. You take a rest, Law. We've got this covered." Penguin raised a hand and tugged on Shachi's sleeve, pulling him in the direction of the door. Lexi watched him send a secretive grin her way, before hurrying away and out of sight with his friend in tow.
Confused, she raised a brow in Law's direction, but was met with an equally bewildered arched brow. "Uh…what's up with them?" She stuck a thumb in the two companions' direction but he merely shook his head.
There was a moment of heavy silence, slightly awkward. "So where are you guys going to go? Have you even had a destination in mind this whole time?" She asked curiously.
"Who knows?" Law shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "We'll go wherever our feet take us, I suppose."
"Hmm." Came her noncommittal reply, content with his vague and yet firm answer. In the short time she'd known him, she'd come to quickly discover that he was not one to disclose information so readily. You apparently had to earn every little scrap he threw you, regardless of it's relevance.
Lexi readjusted her pack and watched the outside for a moment, feeling a strange hesitation to leave this place. It was probably because her…friends were here, if she dared use that word. But even if they didn't feel that way with her, she knew she would always consider them as such. They'd earned her trust and respect a few times over. It seemed getting your life saved a few times did that.
With a rueful smile, she slowly shook her head. "Guess this means I owe you yet again."
Law hummed, stepping forwards until he was parallel with her a few feet to her right. They both watched a solitary zombie walk the furthest edge of the opposite sidewalk.
"Makes you wonder how I'm ever gonna be able to thank you for everything you guys have done."
Law spared her a glance. "You're not going to try to kiss me again, are you?" He asked seriously, though when she risked a sideways glance at his face, she could see the amusement glinting in his eye. Not even his usual stoic countenance could hide it. Maybe that was on purpose, simply to watch her squirm.
"You know, there are nicer ways of telling me I'm bad at saying thank you. Or kissing. Or both." Came her sarcastic quip. It took more effort than she cared to admit to prevent a blush from rising on her cheeks. Instead, she chuckled to herself to brush it off, as if he'd made a joke, but shook her head slowly. "Even if I were to kiss anyone, it'd be Shachi. He's the one with the map, yeah?"
His silence was his only reply, but Lexi was already feeling vulnerable enough already to look over again. Her confidence only got her so far, and this was far enough. Still, she didn't want to leave without a goodbye this time.
"Tell the others I said bye." After a pause, the brunette gave him one more stare, a genuine smile gracing her lips. "You've got a good group here, Law. A nice little family. If anyone's gonna survive in this hell, it'll be you guys." She hoped the envy and sadness wouldn't leak into her voice as she said it.
He said nothing, and she gave one last slanted smile. "See ya." With a little sigh she turned and stepped closer to the door, reaching for the handle.
A hand on her shoulder halted her progress, and she looked back to see Law much closer than before. She turned to face him, stepping back to inadvertently hit the door behind her, and Law closed the distance to prevent her escape. Opening her mouth to ask what was wrong, his hand holding her chin stopped any words that threatened to leave her lips.
His proximity made her heart clench, and that her breathing came out uneasy, though she tried to hide it.
Her eyes searching his gray ones for any sort of sign of what he was thinking, but nothing was evident behind those colorless orbs, which flicked back and forth in time as he studied her face carefully. The amusement from before had all but disappeared, replaced instead by a strange and distant curiousness and…some deeper, unknown emotion that Lexi couldn't name.
Nothing was spoken between them, and the heavy silence persisted even as Law swept down and placed his lips in a chaste kiss against her forehead, as brief and innocent as hers had been on his cheek the last time they'd met. She barely had time to enjoy the moment for what it was before he'd pulled away again. The excitement that had blossomed when he'd leaned forwards dampened a little in disappointment, but that buzz still wouldn't go away.
"What was-"
"Simply a thank you." He teased with an easy smirk, the amusement suddenly returning in full swing, as if the whole kiss had only been a joke or trick. As if to mock her previous actions in that apartment. Perhaps that was what he'd intended it to be, while she was expecting more.
…What was she even hoping to expect anyways? She was as good as a stranger to him. And here she was hoping for the ridiculous. That little thought doused what pleasure she'd managed to garner from the whole encounter, and Lexi was able to pull off a reasonable grin, hoping it didn't look too forced or fake.
"Stay safe." She finally said, reaching down to unlock the door and pushing the handle open to the outside. Without looking back, she trekked away from the building and pulled out her compass, set on finding West to follow it.
What were you even thinking?
With a scowl in the brunette's direction, Law locked the door behind her and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Damn him. He'd managed to remain neutral on the whole issue of the wandering Lexi up to this point. Despite meeting her several times before, and accepting her help on a few occasions, he'd been able to keep his emotions in check. It was one of the few things he prided himself with.
So why was it that whenever she was around things seemed much more complicated than they actually were? The fact that he'd actually had to restrain himself from flat out kissing her properly was something to say about that particular woman. In a fortunate moment of strength, he'd been able to settle for a more innocuous place than her lips, but still, the urge had been there. And that was worrisome.
A siren. Vixen. Beckoning poison in a pretty package. All things he should take care to avoid described her and yet somehow he found himself willingly bringing her closer despite his best intentions. His emotions were urging him to tread the thorny path of attachment, ignoring any and all barbs that would cause him pain and snake around his mind in the process. Clouded judgement. Misguided trust. That's all he could see it turning into.
He was well aware that humans had basic primal needs that if unfulfilled for too long would begin to consume their every waking thought. Never had he worried that he himself would fall into such a sorry state to actually pine for a woman. One he barely knew, no less.
Resolutely, he reasoned that the less he had to do with the infernally genuine and intriguing woman, the better. Turning away, he went in search of his two companions, for all intents and purposes banishing her very existence from his mind until he could rationally examine the situation.
To hell with her.
Sometime later that day, while wandering the open highway leading out of the city, Lexi found herself once again thinking back to her meeting wth the three men. Well, one of them in particular, the one who confused and interested her to no end in a frustrating and satisfying way. God, why was she so sentimental?
Not for the first time, her hand drifted up to rub at the spot on her forehead he'd kissed, as if she could still feel them against her skin in a phantom sensation. She recalled her own pounding heart, and the way she'd wanted to grab onto his shirt and pull him closer.
It had been over a year since she'd actually slept with anyone, but honestly, what was with her? Her old friends from back then would have probably called her a skank, with love of course. Lexi never imagined herself the type to crave that sort of human interaction. Sure, sex was great, the few times she'd had it with ex-boyfriends, but nothing mind-blowing or earth-shattering. Nothing that warranted this sort of behavior.
It was honestly creepy, the sort of attachment this was turning out to be. Creepy on her part. That satisfied little smirk right after he'd kissed her, that should have been a sign as to what sort of guy he was. As if he could ever feel that same way. Especially in the sort of world they lived in now. Wishful thinking that would only lead her to heartbreak.
Sure, she had this little…thing for him, she supposed. Lexi was not some schoolgirl with a crush who was going to deny it. Obviously there was something there, or else all this excitement wouldn't be there. It just made things very complicated.
Frowning, she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. If she was lucky, she'd never see them again and she wouldn't have to worry about it, even if it made her a little sad that they'd never meet again. It was for the best this way. For everyone.
And, just to make herself feel better, she imagined he was the 'love 'em and leave 'em' sort of guy. It worked to some degree, and she snorted.
To hell with him.
ns 15.158.61.53da2
