"Well," Law started, inspecting Penguin's bullet wound carefully and with a slight grimace, "it's at least still healing properly, but I'd still be worried about infection if nothing else. We don't exactly live in the most sterile environment nowadays."
"Another infection? Dammit, that shit hurts." The hatted man complained, pulling by his arm and rolling down his sleeve when Law released the limb. He returned to his place beside Shachi.
The group was seated beside a small stream about 300 feet from the highway. At night, Law preferred the cover of the trees, in case the weather turned bad or if somehow another group of survivors came traveling by at night, but felt uncomfortable without the sign of an open and readily-available exit route in sight. Plus, sticking close to the road meant they wouldn't get lost or confused as to where they were heading.
"We've just been lucky to have enough antibiotics up to this point." Lexi commented, rummaging through her bag to take inventory. She'd done the exact same thing that morning but, given that we wanted to be sure nothing had fallen out or inexplicably been stolen, she did it again just in case. She grabbed the tube of antibiotic ointment, wincing at just how little there was left. "This only has a few applications left in it. We'll need to try to find some more as soon as possible. That will still take several days to heal."
"We should be coming up on a large city soon. I'll bet a clinic or two might still have stuff in it." Shachi drank a few sips of his water before wiping off the extra with the back of his hand.
Lexi sighed. "If there's anything left..."
"There are so many buildings in a city that big, I bet survivors haven't had the chance to loot them all. There aren't that many people left, anyway." Shachi reasoned with a smile, trying to cheer her up a bit.
Unfortunately, what was supposed to be a positive thing quickly turned sour, at the reminder that the human population had dwindled to extinction levels. No one wanted to think about that, and Shachi's smile slowly fell. The group went silent for several seconds, no one quite sure what to say.
Law turned his head away, towards the deepening trees, as if dismissing the subject entirely. The brunette thought that maybe it was how he coped with everything. Disregard whatever you couldn't control. Or whatever you didn't want to think about. Back in the old days she doubted that would have been healthy but...now, it was almost second nature.
Lexi put the tube back in her bag and zipped it up, placing it on the ground in such a way that it could be used for a pillow. Her jacket would have to be blanket enough to keep her warm. "I'm turning in. Wake me up when it's my watch." She said quietly, and the others nodded absentmindedly. She put her back to the group and laid on her side. The ground was rocky and dozens of twigs and sticks littered the area, poking into her side and back uncomfortably. But they didn't have the luxury of a manmade structure to sleep in tonight, and the sun had already set an hour ago. It was too dark to continue on and look for better shelter. Closing her eyes, she couldn't help but feel like there was a pair of eyes on her back, but she pushed the thought away. Shachi's comment from earlier was probably just getting to her.
Lexi jerked awake in a panic when she felt a hand on her shoulder, but a crouching Shachi shushed her quickly. "It's just me. Your turn for watch."
Her heart was beating a steady rhythm in her rib cage, but the underlying panic behind it disappeared when she saw her friend. She nodded and rose to her feet with a small amount of difficulty. Sleeping rough wasn't kind on the body.
"Quiet?" She asked in a whisper.
"Yeah, nothing so far. Thought I heard a gunshot somewhere way far off like half an hour ago," he gestured towards the other side of the meadow across from the road, "but I could've been imagining it. It was too far to be anything we need to worry about anyway."
"Okay." She said, sitting on the log that Shachi had used to sit and watch from. Settling herself, she expected her hatted companion to move off towards his spot beside Penguin, but he stayed standing beside her for a moment.
"Hey, Lexi..." He started with uncertainty, looking pained and hesitant, hands stuffed in his pockets either because they were cold or he didn't know what else to do with them. She waited for him to continue. "Do you think..."
He stopped again, and she looked up at him expectantly. "Think what?"
He shook his head, taking several seconds before saying anything more. "Do you think that...we could ever really go back to the world we used to have?"
She hadn't been expecting such a heavy question, and she was silent in surprise. "Oh, uh..."
"Sorry, that was totally out of the blue..." He rubbed the back of his head, looking away. "It's just been on my mind lately and...I don't know. It feels wrong to talk to Penguin or Law about it, I guess."
"Why would it be wrong? You guys are best friends." She said in confusion. If he wasn't comfortable talking to either of them, what made him comfortable talking to her about it?
He shrugged loosely, taking a seat beside her when it became apparent that he wasn't immediately going back to sleep. "Maybe that's why. We've known each other for years, and...I don't want them thinking I've given up or something."
Lexi's eyes widened, scared that this was some sort of goodbye conversation, but Shachi noticed and rushed to clarify. "No, no! This isn't me throwing in the towel. I'm not looking to off myself and leave you guys behind." He waved his hands in front of him, stopping that line of thinking immediately.
"Sometimes I," he sighed again, struggling to put his thoughts into words, "...I just don't believe that we can ever go back to things like they were. But I know Penguin wants to believe in a miracle. And Law, well, I don't know what he really thinks about it, but the last thing I wanna do is disappoint him, you know?"
Lexi nodded, seeing how he could feel that way. "Why come to me, then?"
"You're...you." He summarized. "You've got that sort of personality that makes people want to confide in you. I know you won't go telling anyone's secrets, and you genuinely like to help other people."
Lexi tilted her head, feeling warmed by his confession, and she smiled. "Well, thanks. It's nice to know that's the sort of vibe people get from me."
Shachi returned it, then shook his head. "I need to vent sometimes, to get all the negative shit off my chest, but I don't feel like I can do that with Penguin or Law. I don't want them worrying about me."
"We all worry about each other anyway. That's just the way the group works." She replied. "But feel free to talk to me when you feel you can't talk to the others. I don't mind being a sounding board."
"I appreciate it."
They lapsed into a comfortable silence, watching the roadway, and gazing up on the millions of stars that were now visible, thanks to the entire country's electrical grid going down. Without all the light pollution, there certainly was one hell of a view once the sun went down. "You asked me earlier if I thought it could ever be like before." She said suddenly, eyes still fixed on the sky. "Honestly, I don't think it can."
"That...actually surprises me." Shachi said, and they met each other's gaze again.
"Why?"
He shrugged. "You've always been such a positive person. You were so fixed on getting to the safe zone when we first met you, I thought for sure you'd believe in something like that."
"A part of me wanted to, right after everything happened, but..." Her eyes went back to the stars. "We all changed after that. In a lot of ways. So many people distrust others now. We've been reduced to a pack mentality, almost. Or a lone wolf sort of thing. I imagine a lot of people don't even want things to go back to normal."
A sound, very far away and faint, but the distinct boom of a gun, echoed across the sky. Shachi and Lexi looked towards the sound, but weren't worried about it. "Maybe we're too far gone to ever get that back. And if some miracle does happen, if we do kill all of the zombies out there, what then? We'd probably treat the deceased much differently than we used to. Society wouldn't be anything like the past one. Who even knows how many countries are living the hell we are? And, with the population as low as it is, we may be facing extinction. Humans are spread so far apart now, I don't know if we'd be able to recover fully."
"Yeah..." Shachi muttered quietly, head hanging. "I guess all we can do now is pray for a long life and a death that doesn't involve being torn limb from limb by a pack of undead. There's isn't much else left to hope for."
They settled in for another long silence, until Shachi eventually stood and went to lay down. "Thanks for talking with me, Lexi."
The outskirts of Canton, Ohio slowly over took the countryside and miles of empty highway they'd been traveling thus far. Forests and meadows turned into urban housing and run-down mom-and-pop shops for the locals. They scavenged the few places that didn't look about ready to collapse on them, finding very little in terms of useable supplies. Lexi seriously considered catching some of the rats that infested the rafters of what used to be an off-road diner, but Law reminded them that they had other priorities at the moment.
Urban housing slowly gave way to more populated and densely-packed streets, high-rise buildings towering above them. They looked old and decrepit, the shiny steel beams constructing most of them were worn, random windows shattered with either the elements or due to human interference. Any town looked like a ghost town, and this was no different.
Their progress slowed with each street, forced to be more and more mindful of wandering zombies. Canton had a high population before the zombies began to kill off humans, and unlike cities they'd encountered before, it didn't appear that anyone had been paring off their numbers over the past few years. The residents were still here, in full force, now hungry and eager for human flesh.
"We should probably secure a place to sleep for the night. It'll take us awhile to find a medical facility, and we might have to end up staying here several days in the meantime." Law remarked offhandedly, peering down streets for hostiles or a clinic of some kind.
"Hopefully a place with actual beds." Penguin muttered, and Shachi nodded his enthusiastic agreement.
"We'll have to take what we can get. Sometimes we have no other options." Law reminded, waving them forward when he felt the street was safe to traverse. They followed his lead and quietly made their way further into the city, dodging large groups of zombies whenever they could.
The streets echoed with the sounds of groaning and gurgling that the zombies tended to emit. Lexi tried her best to tune it out, but sometimes nothing worked. Hearing the soft conversation between Shachi and Penguin that she couldn't entirely make out behind her was comforting, however. And Law's quiet confidence to her left was another source of strength. Nothing seemed to faze him. She worked to try to practice that same sort of confidence too.
"Look, there's a health food store over on the right." Lexi pointed out, directing their attentions towards it. "Maybe they'll have something."
"Maybe." Law agreed, before pointing towards another building on the opposite street. "There's also a Walgreens further down. Both are good options."
"Split up?" Penguin suggested, and Law regarded him.
"Well, how's the arm feeling?" He moved it around a little bit, just to show that it was functional.
"It's not gonna fall off, if that's what you're worried about. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."
"I'll stick with him, make sure he's not doing anything stupid." Shachi offered, raising a hand, and Penguin scoffed.
"If I didn't already know it's safer to travel in groups, I'd think you guys don't trust me without a babysitter." When they all looked at him with a pointed expression, he threw up his hands in exasperation. "Whatever, let's just get going."
Stifling his grin, Law nodded and pointed towards the health foods store. "You guys check there, Lexi and I will try the Walgreens. Once you're done, head over to the others' building to rendezvous."
Everyone nodded, before wishing each other luck and moving off towards their designated buildings.
Lexi grabbed the machete from her pack and held it loosely in preparation for clearing out the building. "Are you sure he'll be alright with that injury?" She asked, worrying about their friend. They headed over quickly to the health foods store, decapitating a zombie or two that appeared from the alleys.
"As long as he doesn't do anything reckless, he should be fine. Plus, with Shachi there, I'm sure he'll make sure nothing happens. They're practically brothers." He explained with a small smile.
"If you say so." She said, deciding that perhaps she was just worrying too much.
They had a worrying amount of zombies to consider on the inside of the building, at least a dozen all grouped together in the main floor space. But thankfully, that small fact seemed to have discouraged a majority of survivors from scavenging the place. Through the windows, they could see shelves still intact and holding a lot of supplies.
"What's the game plan?" Lexi whispered, peering into the darkened interior through cupped hands on the window's glass.
He stepped away and considered their options. "Breaking the glass would draw them over here, and they'd be in a relatively contained space that we could pick them off." He mused aloud. "But it could draw more from the street if we do it that way."
Lexi looked inside again, spotting a second pair of automatic doors within the front entrance they currently stood in front of. "What if we made those doors a chokepoint? Only allow room for one to poke their head in, then kill them one by one?"
"Hmm." He tilted his head in a way that made Lexi's chest feel funny. He was rather cute when he did that. She shook her head, feeling like the thought had popped out of nowhere.
"It's just about the best option we have." He eventually concluded.
They stepped up to the first set of automatic doors. Without electricity, they stayed in place, predictably. Law had to force open one side, which was heavier than it looked, in order to allow them both inside. Lexi slipped in first, then helped hold the door open for Law to follow suit. It closed with a thump behind them.
By now, a few of the zombies inside had noticed them enter, or heard the noise of the doors, and began to claw and bang at the glass on the second set of automatic doors. For a second, as more and more of the crowd inside began to pile up against it, she thought it would buckle or shatter, but it held firm.
"I guess we have rampant theft to thank for such durable glass on the doors." Law noted with amusement.
"So crime really does pay?" Lexi agreed with a chuckle, stepping up to the doors while putting on her gloves she used when dealing with sharp surfaces or being up close and personal with the undead. "I'll pull them open and you kill them?"
He nodded, unsheathing his sword from his back and standing at the ready. Lexi gripped the door, staring into the dead and decaying face of what was once a middle-aged man. Half of the face was nearly skeletonized, the other a slopping mess of slimy skin and muscle material. His hands dragged down the glass, leaving behind streaks of tissue and bodily fluids as they leaked from the broken skin of his fingers.
Resisting the urge to hurl, she crouched down and pulled at the door, careful not to open it too far and let too many through at a time. It wasn't exactly light as a feather. The swell of groans and shrieks of hunger from within doubled, as they pushed at each other to try to reach through and grab Law.
Without a word, he stepped forward and stabbed the nearest one with his sword. It crumpled to the ground, being trampled by the other zombies trying to get closer. A second joined it, but there were still many more after that to take care of.
And then suddenly it wasn't a matter of keeping the door open, but keeping it closed. The zombies had managed to group in such a way that the door began edging slowly more and more open. "Lexi, the door." Law warned, stabbing another one before it could push any further.
"On it." She switched direction, now trying to keep the door somewhat open while simultaneously closing it at the same time. It wasn't easy, but she managed.
The zombies began to pile up at the door, and after Law stabbed one, its head fell down between the gaps of the door. right next to Lexi. A rather sizable splatter of old, blackened blood flecked onto her face. She flinched, her stomach turning flips in her body as the cold fluid began to drip down her skin.
"Urgh...oh god..." She pushed past the discomfort, still manning the door, while Law finished up the rest of them. Finally, the last zombies fell at the top of the pile by the door, and Lexi released the door with a short, released breath. It thumped closed, and she used her jacket sleeve to wipe off the blood from her face.
"You didn't get any in your mouth, did you?" Law asked in concern.
She shook her head. "No, but...ugghh..." She dry heaved, "please don't ask. I don't want the visual..."
"Sorry." Law said, somewhat apologetic, and somewhat amused despite the situation. Waiting another moment to peer inside the store, and so Lexi had a chance to clear her face entirely and spit out any imaginary blood she may have gotten in her mouth, Law then stepped forward and opened the door wide to allow them through.
Maneuvering around the pile of rotting corpses was a bit difficult, but they managed and found themselves in the middle of a metaphorical treasure trove.
Just as they'd seen through the windows, the shelves appeared just as they had back before the apocalypse. The first day or two of the outbreak had seen people ransacking any available place they could for supplies in an effort to prepare, meaning most of the merchandise was still gone, but in comparison to the places they'd seen up to this point, it was packed to the brim with stuff.
Lexi and Law shared a glance, before opening their packs and grabbing anything they could that would be worth taking up some of their bag space. Batteries still in the package, hand warmers, gloves, bags of candy still left over, string, rubber bands, vitamins, moisturizer, and other useful items; all in addition to a few tubes of antibiotics they'd been here to look for.
While stuffing another pack of candy into her bag, she looked over at Law, seeing him practically bouncing around as he too grabbed some stuff. She'd never seen him this relaxed or at ease. The prospect of an extraordinary haul was certainly getting to him. A faint smile was trying to make it's way on his face, slowly but surely.
He must have noticed that she'd stopped putting things in her bag, and turned to face her. "What is it?"
She quickly shook her head and smiled sheepishly. "Nothing. Just...I haven't seen you smile like that in...ever, I think."
He seemed to be taken aback, eyes narrowing. "I smile sometimes."
She nodded, conceding that fact. "Yeah, but...never as carefree as that one right there. You're always stressing about something. It's nice to see you relax a little."
Before her face gave away how he was effecting her in that moment, she flashed him a smile and scurried off to find something else to take with them.
He watched after her, wondering why she'd been acting differently around him recently. She hadn't been looking him in the eye quite as much whenever they spoke, and she didn't say as much anymore. He wanted to ask about it but...part of him wondered if he didn't already know the answer. Despite her best effort to hide it, he'd still seen the red tinge to her cheeks as she retreated, or the shy smile she couldn't help.
And for some damn reason, his mind decided to think back to the way he'd kissed her forehead back before he'd fully trusted her. Back then it hadn't meant anything more than a teasing gesture. Or the way she'd hugged him with such relief in the medical trailer of Woodsfield. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't enjoyed it for more than it probably was. Or the way he'd been unable to sleep some nights due to worry for her sake. Which sometimes bled over into--
This wasn't something he wanted to think about right now.
He turned to find where she'd gone, trailing her back into the pharmacy area, where she searched through leftover bottles of medication. "Think we'll need anything for hemorrhoids?" She asked with a grin, holding up the bottle, he chuckled, shaking his head.
"Hopefully, no."
"This place has a whole lot more than we can carry right now. If we stay in the city a few days, it may be worth coming back to." She said, checking one more bottle before stuffing it into her pack. Both of their packs were mostly full now, thanks to the good haul.
"I agree. I saw some apartment a street or two over on the way here. Perhaps we can clear one out and barricade it properly." He added.
"Mmm, a bed sounds wonderful..." She groaned, stretching out her back as she shouldered the backpack once more.
"And here I thought you were fine with roughing it up in the wilderness." He joked, going further into the pharmacy to see what they had for himself.
"I am!" She defended, following after him. "I just can't deny that a bed every once in awhile is very much needed. And also, how the hell are you so used to sleeping in the outdoors? I've never heard you complain. Not once!"
He grinned again, eyes scanning the bottles' labels. "My uncle would take me on long road trips growing up. He was a bit of an eccentric guy, so he found all these weird, outdoorsy places to camp along the way. The best parts of my teen years..." He trailed off, almost thoughtful.
Lexi wasn't sure whether it would be appropriate to ask about his family life. She was intrigued. She knew he'd been a doctor before the apocalypse, but past that, she knew very little about him. Shachi and Penguin had long ago given her their life stories, but Law was much more reserved. He kept himself to himself. Would he be offended if she asked?
The brunette caught his eye, and he could tell she wanted to say something. It was fairly clear what the topic was about. They heard a noise by the doorway of the store, and they assumed that Penguin and Shachi had returned from scavenging the health foods store.
He looked back at her and shook his head. "Another time." Was his quiet reply.
She nodded, hearing footsteps approach from the pharmacy entrance. Exiting the aisle to meet the boys, she made it all the way to the doorway before stopping short at the sight of a shotgun barrel pointed directly at her head.
The woman holding it was fair skinned with pale hair, bangs covering all of one eye. Oddly enough, an eyepatch peeked out from behind the strands of hair. "Quiet." She said with authority, and Lexi nodded in silent obedience.
She could hear more movement from behind the blonde woman, and another woman entered the room to point her own weapon at her.
"Where's your friend?" The African-American woman said suggestively, her black pixie-cut style in stark contrast to her companion. She sported a pair of reflective sunglasses, looking rather content and happy to stand there, pointing a rifle at the brunette's chest.
Lexi debated whether it would be smart to not answer, but she eventually figured they'd find Law anyway, and stuck a thumb behind her to indicate his location. Pixie-Cut nodded and nudged her partner in the arm. Eyepatch took the cue and went in search of Law.
The brunette was forced to stand there, staring eye to eye with Pixie-Cut, as Eyepatch barked a quick order to Law, who was ushered out to stand just beside her, hands up in surrender.
"Just our luck." He muttered darkly, eyes never straying from the guns trained on them.
Eyepatch jabbed him in the chest with her shotgun barrel, shooting him a one-eyed glare. "Quiet." She said again.
"Did you find something?" Another female voice from the main store area called, footsteps coming closer.
"A couple people." Pixie-Cut replied happily. "Wanna come see?"
"One sec." The third, unknown female replied in an unconcerned tone. They all heard the sound of rummaging, looking through the shelves for supplies just as Lexi and Law had, no doubt. Lexi shifted a bit on her feet, feeling a sense of descending dread, and she glanced at Law.
His decidedly good mood had vanished, and he looked nothing but pissed off.
The third woman stepped into the room. Long, black hair swayed down her back, and she was carrying a handgun loosely with her one hand. The other carried a half-zipped up pack, full of stuff from the shelves. "You guys picked a good place to scavenge. There's so much..." The woman trailed off, stopped short in her tracks, eyes narrowing in on Lexi. "No fucking way..."
And now that the brunette got a good look at her, she couldn't believe who she was seeing. "Brittany?" She asked incredulously, as if not believing her own eyes.
"Lexi?" The woman asked in reply, smile spreading on her face. "Holy fucking Christ, you're still alive!"
Lexi didn't have time to think about Law's or the other womens' confusion as Brittany pushed the rifle's barrel off of her chest and wrapped the small brunette in her arms. Reflexively, she wrapped her arms around the black-haired beauty that was her best friend, face blank with shock and a whole mess of other emotions. And all the while, Brittany was rambling any thought that came to mind out loud.
"I can't believe it...you're so far north, I didn't think you'd even be alive! How long has it been, a year or two? Can you believe how bad things have gotten? I mean, holy shit..." She finally stepped back, releasing the brunette from her tight embrace.
"I take it you know each other?" Pixie-Cut inquired, pouting a little as she lowered her weapon. Eyepatch didn't move her gun from Law's chest, though.
"This is Lexi, my best friend." Brittany replied, searching the brunette's face with a wide smile. "I never thought I'd see you again."
"Same to you." Lexi finally found her voice, gazing on her friend with much wonder. "I'm glad you're ok."
Lexi wasn't sure what else to say to that. Their last encounter hadn't ended...positively. Not having thought she'd ever run into her former best friend again, she hadn't come up with a scenario or line of conversation for their reunion, and found herself feeling uncomfortable and nervous. Brittany seemed to have forgotten the circumstances of the last time they'd met, because she treated her no differently than how she had back in college. God, that felt like forever ago.
Law cleared his throat, pointedly looking at the gun still trained on his body. Brittany looked over, as if only just now realizing he was in the room.
"Oh, is he with you, Lex?" She asked in surprise.
The brunette sort of felt that question was totally redundant at this point but answered anyway. "Yeah, he is."
"Natalya, you can put that away, then." Brittany instructed, and the blonde woman reluctantly dropped the barrel.
Law visibly relaxed, but not entirely. Lexi could tell he was still tense and unsure how to proceed with the current situation.
"Brittany, this is Law. He's saved my life a whole bunch of times. And Law, this is Brittany. We went to college together, and were best friends for years."
"'Were?'" She asked with hurt. "We still are, right?"
"Y-yeah, I just meant--"
Brittany gave a wide smile, waving away her guffaw with a hand. "I know what you meant, no worries. Anyway, this is Natalya," She gestured to the silent, blonde woman, "and this is Candice."
"Yo." Candice held up a peace sign, expression entirely neutral as she greeted the two of them.
"I've been surviving with them for awhile. They're good people." Brittany explained, putting her handgun away. "But anyway...what's up with you, Lex?"
"Oh, you know. Just surviving..." She summed up lamely with a shrug. She scratched at her arm through her jacket with discomfort. Law seemed to pick up on it.
"As nice as this has been, we do need to be on our way." He offered up, tugging on his backpack straps.
"Well, hey, if you're looking for a place to crash, we've got a little spot put together a few blocks from here. You're welcome to stay with us."
Lexi wasn't sure what to say. "Uh--"
"We've already got a place secured." Law interrupted. "But thanks anyway."
Lexi gave him a glance but said nothing. They'd come across this place before finding a building to hole up in for the night, but she didn't remark on his lie. It didn't surprise her that he didn't trust any of these women enough to stay with them for any length of time. Let alone lower his guard enough to sleep in their vicinity. Brittany seemed unfazed.
"Nice! Well, I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again soon, if you're not planning on leaving the city tomorrow. I'd love to catch up with you, Lex."
"Yeah." She said with a smile. It didn't reach her eyes. "See you around, Brittany."
"Bye!"
With that, Law lead the brunette out of the store with a tight expression, one eye almost swiveled to the back of his head to make sure they wouldn't be followed. Even when they were nearing the entrance to the health foods store where Penguin and Shachi had gone, Law refused to relax. Lexi said nothing, though she knew he'd eventually ask her about Brittany.
"So--" He started, but she cut him off.
"I have way too much going through my head right now to give you any answers." She said earnestly, but not unkindly. "I need some time to process what just happened."
He looked at her a moment, almost with suspicion, before nodding and accepting her request. Stepping in through the broken doorway that Shachi and Penguin no doubt created to get inside, they went in search of their other companions, both of their heads full of a million questions.
ns 15.158.61.6da2
