"Do you think it could be possible for you to walk any slower?"
Not only was it the fact that he decided to lecture her about her personal tactics, not only was it the fact that he chose to be so fucking annoying all the time, but now he was in front of her and walking at such a slow pace she could actually murder someone.
As his back turns, a smirk makes its way onto her face and she knows she can reciprocate any witty comment he makes. "I'm sorry, perhaps you would like to lead the group through this deserted, possibly dangerous town?" His blue eyes pierce hers and her smile widens as his eyes narrow. He walks backwards down the sand road they're currently traipsing down, and she lets out a sharp laugh when he stumbles a bit and ends up trying to play it smooth by walking next to her.
"Nah, I'm pretty content carrying our entire group's food and water for the next two weeks around, while simultaneously being on constant alert for any possible risks or foes."
His eyes light up with teasing malice as he grins at her before his eyes turn back to the road ahead, obviously too hardy and serious to continue their joking around. She lets him speed up a bit as his eyes skim the map in his dirty hand, the smudged paper ripped and torn from past brawls or rough nights.
They've been at this for about three months now. After the news broke and people started being ripped from their families due to 'high risk factors', everyone started to panic. Luckily, she had been part of their organisation for about a month before the disease emerged, so when she was left with nothing but the few clothes she already had, they were ready to take her in.
"Hey, Ep', can I have some water?" Joly's quiet voice makes its way into her ears as he falls into step beside her. She knows how hard this is for him, understands that he is running out of Prozac, that he is probably the strongest person here.
She gives him a small smile and reaches to the side of her backpack which is slung on her left shoulder. She passes him the half full flask of water and he takes it graciously, immediately opening it and taking a sip. "How you feelin'?"
"Alright. We've just been walking for a while." She nods in understanding, taking it back and lodging it back in the strap of her backpack.
"It won't be long now, Enjolras reckons we should find a safe spot within the next few hours." He nods and looks back to the road, his eyes looking tired.
She nudges his shoulder with her own and smiles a little. "Hey, don't worry, if you need to stop, we can. Enj' will understand, I think even he needs a break soon."
He gives a small nod and slows down, waiting for Bossuet and Bahorel, the guys at the back of the group. Bahorel there to warn and protect everyone from any people coming from behind, Bossuet there because he tripped and twisted his ankle a couple of miles behind them.
They'll need to stop soon anyway, Marius is whimpering from a couple of people behind her, and Enjolras is walking with a limp in front of her. Plus, she hasn't slept in about a day and the rucksack is really starting to drag her down.
They didn't ever really find out what the disease was. The first couple of days were spent with emergency vaccines being given to children and women, then the next thing she knew, Gav' was being taken away and she was being held back.
They're on the run now, since everybody was either supposed to be quarantined or sent to another country, one that hasn't been infected yet. However, from what the group has heard through their shitty radio, almost every country has been affected. They've had to escape a few times from authorities, mostly because they know they would all be split up again if they got caught. They've already lost enough to lose each other.
Luckily, because the group is diverse and each and every one of them have different skills, they have managed to survive this long. Combeferre and Joly have the most knowledge about what is going on; both doctors who decided to joined the organisation a couple of years ago, but chose to desert their jobs and help the group persevere.
They've saved their lives a couple of times. One time, Cosette got a nasty gash on her thigh from jumping over a wall when running from another group of survivors, and both men worked together all night to bandage it up and make sure it didn't become infected. She still has a massive scar, but she can successfully run on it now and that's more than they could have ever hoped for.
Cosette is a martial arts specialist, and she knows a lot about self defence. Teamed with Bahorel, the two of them have taught the group how to survive in a fight against another group. Their expertise has come in use more times than it should have, due to so many other smaller groups attacking Les Amis because of its supplies.
Grantaire and Jehan are the next pair with similar qualities. They both have a knack for creating useful things from common items around them. Not only does this mean they can work out a powerful way to keep them safe at night by fashioning a good hideout or cover, but they can also come up with ingenious plans and ideas that have helped them many a time when they had almost ran out of ways to survive, places to go, or general thoughts on what to possibly do next.
Feuilly and Marius teamed up when they realised that they both were previous scouts, so they have general knowledge of how to light a fire and which plants are safe to eat and which would kill them just by touching them. Believe it or not, their skills have applied to many situations, and their basic understanding of how to tie a stable knot once helped Grantaire climb down a very deep hole to retrieve their bags.
Courfeyrac and Bossuet are the logistics of the group. When Grantaire and Jehan give ideas, the two of them work out whether it is possible and, if so, how they would manage it. Bossuet has to skim all his ideas to Courfeyrac before they follow through with them, however, after a nasty experience with a crumbling bridge and Bossuet's unlucky navigating skills.
And, last but not least, is the mighty Enjolras. At least, that's what he thinks. And most of the Les Amis think, but whatever. He sees himself as the leader, but really he is just a pompous, stuck up, private schooled man with heavenly looks that are commonly set in a frown. Because he has a loud voice, good grades, and very heavy opinions on everything, he was somehow given the role of the leader.
What he doesn't know though, is that she does everything anyway. First the idea is thought of, then checked over by Courfeyrac or Bossuet, then decided by Enjolras. But, every single time, the big man glances over at her before giving the final conclusion, always checking whether she likes the idea, or thinks it's a death wish. She's the one who controls the group, the one that tells them when to stop or if they should continue. She has power over the group, even if they don't realise it.
"Ép."
She stirs a bit. She's trying to fucking sleep. Whoever the fuck is saying her name will have to wait.
"Hey, Ép."
She groans a bit, the noise not stopping. She knows who it is now, and it's only fuelling her desire to ignore it.
"Éponine?"
She opens her eyes then. "What the fuck do you want?"
He's sat up when her eyes finally adjust to the light. His hair is a mess and the red shirt he's wearing is crumpled and creased, not at all appropriate for the October weather. He looks freezing and the wooden shed they found at the back of an abandoned house is obviously doing nothing for the goosebumps on his arms. Courfeyrac had said that sleeping in the house would be too predictable, so it would be best to find the next best thing. Too bad the next best thing was a damp, freezing, tiny shed with a broken window and a leaky ceiling.
"Were you asleep?" He's slumped against the wall next to her, but she's afraid that if she sits up too, she'll disturb Courfeyrac who is currently snuggled up behind her, one arm draped across her waist.
"Of course I was. You should be too. Go to sleep." She closes her eyes again, but knows that won't shut him up. It hasn't before, so it won't now. She opens her eyes again. "Alright, what's up?"
"How are you feeling?"
She actually cannot believe this. "I'm feeling pretty fucking exhausted. Why, how are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling quite tired too."
She sighs and closes her eyes again. "Then go to sleep and stop bugging me."
He stays quiet for about a minute.
"Do you think this is ever going to end?"
The fragility in his voice makes her heart stop for a moment. She has never heard him speak like that before, never heard his voice quiver. She opens her eyes and stares at him.
"What do you mean?"
"It's not even winter yet and we're all freezing to death, there's no way we can all survive another couple of months like this. We're running out of supplies too. I mean, who knows when we'll find some more drinkable water? And food? Everything is gone. There's nothing left, and we're obviously going to get raided again. Grantaire is still vulnerable from the knock to his head the other day, one more injury and he's gone. Not only that, but we still don't know what the infection is. We still don't know how it is contracted, don't know how to stop it, we don't know anything." He takes a deep breath. "Just... Do you think something will happen that will magically save us?"
"I don't believe in miracles, Enj'. I don't see how anybody could when this has happened." When he doesn't speak, she continues. "I think we just have to carry on. We can't stop, and you know it."
He hums in response. She closes her eyes. "It's gonna be okay, Enj'. Stop worrying and go to sleep."
She hears him shuffle about and lay on the floor again, settling down beside her but not touching her in the slightest way. She lets herself relax again and feels Courfeyrac pull her closer to his body. As she's drifting off to sleep, she swears she hears Enjolras whisper, but she can't be sure of it.
"Thanks, Ép'."
So so I'm going to write a multi chapter. If you have any suggestions, please tell me! Thank you!