Avery began to survey everything around them. She noticed two guys-a chestnut haired guy (who also looked a bit familiar) and an older looking guy- beginning to cover the entrance with sandbags. The tunnels, along the tops of the walls, were lined with small lamps, decorating the walls. She noticed the amount of people there: one woman with blond hair, and at least six guys, just like Nick said. And finally, she spotted Holly and Keith, sitting on the floor against the wall, which was where Avery and Alex were also forced to sit down. Avery noticed Holly and Keith's clothes were stained with blood. Dried blood was on Keith's face, mainly around his nose and mouth. And Holly had dried mascara down her cheeks, a small bruise against her forehead. While Keith and Holly noticed fresh blood all over Avery and Alex's clothes and hands. They could see small amounts of glass on their hands, sparkling from the dim light.
Jeff shoved Alex down, forcing him to sit next to Holly. Trevor took Avery past Alex, Holly, then Keith, turning her to face him," Sit down," he ordered and she sat down next to Keith.
"Are you alright?" Keith asked her after Trevor walked away, seeing the blood on her jeans," what'd they do to you guys? You both look like crap."
"All he did was tie my wrists," she responded," but Alex and I wrecked. Besides, you two don’t look any better either. In fact, you look worse."
"They didn't beat you guys like they did us?" Holly asked, looking past Keith at Avery then at Alex.
"No and yes," Alex said.
"One of them hit Alex repeatedly and fought with him when we almost got away," Avery added," all that was done to me was a short lived fight then me and that guy,” she nodded at Trevor,” rolled on the bed, fell on the floor on a dead body then my wrists zip tied. And we were shot at." Keith thought about what all she said and realized some of it was a bit out of context.
"That sounds a bit wrong," he told her.
"What’s wrong is these guys attacking us for no reason,” she responded back.
"Anything else happen?" Keith asked her, looking from her to Alex.
"No,” she said and shook her head,” but we need to get out of here or something.” Just then, they stopped talking and watched the leader of the group with his people walk up to them.
"Looks like we have a couple of girls and two new guys," he said," we've been in need of some human shields." Holly felt her heart beat race for a moment out of fear.
"How long do you plan on keeping us here?" Holly asked, trying not to cry.
"Don't know," he responded," usually we kill new people who come through here 'cause they don't look useful enough for us. But, I hear you and him," he gestured at Keith while looking at Holly," put up a little fight, not a big fight, but one enough to injure my Lucinda. And you two," he said to Avery and Alex," put us in a car chase for a bit, wrecked then still tried to fight with us. I see some use for you four. And besides," he continued, pacing," Trevor gave me some good reasons not to kill you. But, I'm going to be a bit professional about this and just discuss it with whoever is in charge in your small group." They looked at one another, trying to decide on who exactly would be considered the leader in their group and that’s when Avery noticed one person missing from their group.
"Alex will," Holly responded and nodded at him. Charles gestured and Alex was pulled up by the chestnut haired guy.
"Before I go with you," Alex said," untie us first." Charles stared at him then scoffed and ordered his group to untie them. The chestnut haired guy cut the zip tie from Alex's wrists, freeing them.
"None of you better try a thing though, or you will be killed," Charles said. Nick undid Holly's rope, Jeff undid Keith's, and Trevor cut the zip ties from Avery's wrists. "Stay there while I talk with your boss here." Alex followed Charles down the tunnel to talk in privacy. Holly looked at Lucinda.
"Um, should we worry?" She asked her.
“I don’t know,” Lucinda answered,” but I’m going to guess yeah, you should worry, after what your group had done.” Holly sat back and looked at Avery, and Avery just looked down, rubbing her wrists.
"I’ll look out for the both of you,” Keith told Holly and Avery.
“… What happened to Jenny,” Avery questioned and Holly and Keith looked at each other.
"So you're their leader," Charles said, he and Alex walking near the now covered opening of the tunnel. They stopped walking.
"My brother was," Alex responded," but he's gone now. So I’m in charge."
"Alex is it? That girl said your name," Alex nodded," look. Like I said, usually we kill new people, because you just don’t know who to trust these days; but, I see a little use in you four. But the other reason why I don't plan on killing your group, is 'cause of Trevor. He told me we can train you and your friends, teach you how we do things and in general, make you part of our group, the SGO."
"SGO?" Alex repeated.
"Survivalist Group of Ohio," Charles said," and that would be an honorary thing too."
"Honorary,” Alex repeated, crossing his arms,” there’s nothing honorary about killing people who are survivors. And it’s not honorary to go through the trouble of hunting down those survivors who are just trying to travel and end up getting beat by your group. Besides, I don’t trust your group around our group.” Charles smirked.
“What, are you like family or something?”
"No, we just look out for one another.”
"Then that shouldn't even bother you if you don’t think of them as family," he replied and stopped speaking, looking back at his group," trust me, you should get used to that though, because the world is just getting smaller each day. We need each other during these times. Gather together and live. My group is my family. Since I’m the oldest here, I’m like the father here. Lucinda’s the mother, Drew is the older brother while Trevor is basically the baby here. With your group, the family grows and we need that number.”
"I really don’t care,” Alex responded,” nor why we’re even discussing families here. Because I see them as friends, not family. My family is gone and the last bit of family I did have is dead. But I do have some things to suggest. For one, if you plan on killing us, don’t leave us without weapons to fight back with, don’t beat any of us, and keep your people away from Holly, Jenny, and Avery.”
"So what are you trying to get at here then?"
"If we stay then Holly, Avery, and Jenny are to be left alone. Keep that Trevor guy away from Avery, and,” Alex looked back and noticed Holly making looks at the guy named Nick,” well… All the guys away from Holly in general." Charles looked at Alex and looked down the tunnel at Holly and Avery.
"How about you let them make that decision themselves instead of making it for them." Charles then added," I'll let you and your friends live. Just don't screw it up. Ya'll have freedom to walk around, don't go near the weapons though;" he rubbed his chin," your group can live, but you gotta do as we order. That means going out there with who ever actually cares to have you or one of them in their group and doing as they say whether it's stealing, killing, or anything else you can think of and don't try to make a getaway. 'Cause my group are accurate with guns."
"Funny, because from what Avery and I witnessed, you and your three friends missed us,"Alex challenged, arms crossed.
"A few are, they'll gun you down as soon as you do make a getaway."
Later that night, Holly looked around at the things the group had gathered and she noticed Nick looking at her. She thought of John then Joel and turned away. She looked back over at Nick and this time he held up a beer bottle. “Let’s go drink,” she said to Keith.
“Why?”
“Come on, I want at least one of my friends to drink with me. I don’t know if Alex drinks and we both know Avery doesn’t even drink or anything. She’s basically like a freaking Saint or something.” Keith looked over at Avery as she sat far away from them, her head resting against the cement wall and staring off. He sighed and stood.
Thinking of the last tim
e she had a beer, she stood up and walked over with Keith, and the both of them took a beer. Memories came back of her last party night. The week before it began, she had went out partying with John and others from school, lying to her parents that she was going to hang out with Avery for the night. Instead, she spent the night partying and ended up at Avery’s house in the early morning with a rough hangover and over a toilet all morning. But with the things going on, she didn’t care. A hangover for her now would make it worthwhile for once.
Trevor walked over to Avery and held out a bottle. She looked at it then shook her head,” I don’t drink.” He shrugged and set the bottle down then sat on the floor in front of her.
“I’m Trevor,” he said.
“Avery. What do you want?”
“You’re sitting by yourself, thought I’d come over and talk,” he looked around, seeing what the others were up to but most were busy drinking,” so you don’t drink?”
“No,” she responded.
“You like sitting alone?” All she did was shrug.
"I was alone a lot. Let's just say where my life was before this began, I really had no choice anyways," he stopped there and looked down at the still closed bottle. Avery looked at him.
“… Were you homeless or something?” He looked at her.
“No,” he responded,” think I would’ve preferred being homeless though. It’s just something that’s not really a concern anymore. I’m free now.” She couldn’t help but start to feel curious at what he meant. Was he in jail? Prison? Was he a person who suffered with OCD and stayed alone to avoid others or germs? She found herself really wanting to know now. It would bother her from now on. “So, tell me about your group? How’d each of you meet? Is that other girl your sister or something?”
“Holly is my friend, we’re not related,” she said,” and Keith was in the same school as us. Alex just came along when it began in Colorado.”
Trevor nodded and began playing with the beer bottle, holding the lid and spinning the bottle around on the floor,” is Alex your boyfriend or Keith is?”
“No way,” she responded quickly,” they’re friends.” Keith, looking at the bottle of beer he hadn’t taken a drink from yet, looked over at Avery, thinking of going over to talk; but realized that other guy named Trevor was over there, sitting on the floor across from her, talking. He stared for a moment then turned away, taking a big drink.
Trevor stopped spinning the bottle and started tossing it from his left hand to his right hand. “My group are alright, maybe a little rough. They enjoy drinking after searches, smoke cigarettes, and do drugs. Like right now, Jeff over there is preparing some that they found the other night.”
"Sounds like such a group of winners then," she mumbled.
"...Most of the time," he said," like I said, they’re alright, they just drink too much. I’m sure if they got attacked, the zombies would wander around drunk from how much they drink. But they’re okay." After he spoke, they heard someone vomit then Holly saying she's alright and that she's never drank vodka before.
"That doesn't shock me at all," Avery said suddenly. Trevor shook his head.
"Well, anyways, we usually get up sometime after 10 in the morning," he said," once you get up, then Charles will likely tell you and your friends on what's planned for today then have you and your friends will join us in going out on supply hunting."
"Fine," she responded and Trevor stood back up.
“I gotta go work on sharpening the knives for tomorrow.”
“You’re not going to drink with your friends?”
“Like you, I don’t drink,” he responded and left to work on the knives. He threw the beer to Drew and instead of catching it, the bottle slipped from his hands and busted.
“Don’t waste the alcohol,” Charles shouted.
Holly, sticking to regular beer, noticed Trevor leaving Avery alone Smiling, she grabbed up another bottle and walked over, nosy to know what they talked about.
Avery rest her head against the wall again, trying to think of something else instead of the situation they're now stuck in. She wondered about her parents. Whether they noticed she hadn’t come home, but chances were they didn’t realize it and are likely dead anyways. She looked to her left, seeing Holly walk over and offer a bottle.
Avery just looked at the bottle then up at Holly,"...you already know I don't drink."
"Oh yeah," she said, pretending to have forgotten," sorry, forgot that. Just figured you took up drinking just like everyone else has."
"Everyone else?" Avery asked, she then looked down the tunnel and noticed Keith drinking and Alex drinking too with a few of the SGO members. She turned away, shaking her head. Although Alex talked with Charles and now Holly, Alex, and Keith are drinking with the enemies, she still felt that they were more of prisoners instead of allies. She was also starting to realize Keith changing in personality. He never smoked and drank before, but back in Lubbock after she bandaged his arm, he had down a bottle of whiskey part way, then when they were in the Dodge earlier, before they were aware they were being watched, he had been smoking a cigarette. She couldn't understand it. Avery looked at Holly,"... Heard you throw up earlier too."
"It was my first time trying out vodka, don't judge me," she turned away, and Avery already knew that Holly was embarrassed by that, likely ashamed considering how much she used to party during the weekends before Monday came for school all over again. "So," Holly began, dragging the word out a little," what's going on with you? Do anything interesting?"
"Sure," Avery responded, shaking her head,” the most interesting thing I’ve done is stare at that impressive wall across from here.” Holly sat down, and looked at the wall to see what she meant when she finally caught on that it was sarcasm. Holly did a little laugh.
"That’s funny,” she responded, almost falling back against the wall,” but, I saw you talking to that guy they call Trevor. What did you two talk about?”
"Nothing much,” she said,” he offered a beer, then sat here. Talked about his group drinking and doing drugs. Then told me we should be up around 10 a.m. for the plans for tomorrow.”
Holly huffed and rolled her eyes," boring." She shook her head and instantly looked bored.
"No, it's called having an actual conversation about current matters in a calm way, not in a rational way. That’s something I miss, real conversations that doesn’t have someone yelling.”
"Well what do you think of him then? I mean, I like Nick. Jenny had liked that Zackary fella before he was killed. You don’t seem to like anyone.” Holly looked over where Trevor was, he was busy sharpening a large knife. “He seems nice though. His dark hair, his dark brown eyes, high cheekbones, tall. Well, maybe not too nice from how you said that whole thing went down when you and Alex were captured.”
"...I don't know," Avery responded," just like the rest of us, he's just another time bomb, another walking snack for the dead just like me."
"That's an interesting way of labeling everyone," Holly said, making a face when she had the image from her dream back at that gas station of the zombie biting into her face. “Well, that’s a great reason to try and seize life while it’s here. Why not! I think Alex likes you if you don’t trust Trevor since he’s still a stranger anyways.”
"No, that's not ever going to happen," she said," relationships just aren't worth it right now." She looked at the wall again.
"Maybe, but, it's the apocalypse," her friend insisted," make the most of it." Holly stood and walked away, going back to Nick and instantly flirting. Avery looked down at the ground. She was sticking to her choice. It’s not worth it. Hardly having friends is worth it either.
"So," Charles said to Alex," where's the other friend of yours? Jenny, is it?" Alex looked around, just now realizing she wasn't there, and he looked at Keith.
"You guys lost Jenny??"
"She ran away when these guys started to beat us," Keith said," I don't know whe
re she went though.”
Jenny, breathing steadily after the mere panic attack, told herself over and over that she could make it. Unlocking the booth, she looked out, seeing zombies wandering around near the vicinity. She looked back in the booth and managed to jerk the phone off its cord the best she could, looked out again and she began to run as fast as she could with a limp down the street and sidewalk. She swung out at the first one that came up to her. He reached out his left hand, the skin missing from his fingers; and she felt sick to her stomach, this being her first time facing the undead by herself. When she had traveled with the whole group, she hardly lifted a finger, it was always the others dealing with them. Then while traveling with Keith and Holly, Keith did most of the killing, after a while though, Holly began practicing with firing a gun, but Jenny still didn’t want anything to do with the sickening zombies. She loathe them, much less even being near them and she was sure if one ever grabbed her, she would have a heart attack. Remembering how the others dealt with them, she swung the phone and hit the zombie across the face, tearing away the dead skin and she felt even sicker.
Jenny ran down the street, deciding to just avoid the undead instead of trying to fight back. Dropping the phone down, she attempted to run faster, dodging the outreached hands of the dead, escaping their grips and gnashing teeth, if they have teeth. She turned another corner, looking back before running further, careful to not trip over the dead bodies and debris.
She continued running, until she turned a corner of the street named Grenshaw, where she took shelter in a turned over school bus, lying on its left side. Crawling in, she forced the door shut and backed up where they wouldn’t see her. For once, she felt thankful that they couldn’t spot you by scent, because she happened to be wearing some perfume she had found back in Missouri. Resting, she looked around when she heard a noise of movement near the middle of the bus. Crawling carefully, she made it to the seat where the sound came from, and she stopped herself from hitting a girl with her left hand, possibly around the age of 8 to 10. The girl scooted back and gripped her Hello Kitty backpack in fear. Jenny sighed with relief. "You're not bit or anything?" The girl answered with the shake of her head. "Does this bus have a first aid kit?"
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