The situation she'd landed herself in was unappreciated– to say the least.
Alicia Clark had just mere moments ago followed in tow behind her brother, her mom, and Travis, and upon the army rolling through their path, she became separated from them in an instant.
Not to say she was displeased by the military's tactics of protection, Alicia understood that they were just regular men and woman aiming to keep their citizens alive and well from the sickness, but it wouldn't discern them to use some natural human decency. The streets seemed to ebb together, cascading into one another's paths and confusing Alicia of her path all the more.
It wasn't until she came across a group of individuals— strangers— did she come along the possibility of asking for directions. There was a blonde woman, about her age, standing against the wall, flicking her cigarette between an index and middle finger to ash the drug, a grin surpassing over her lips as she spoke to the other men afore her.
Alicia sucked back a breath in nervous anticipation before stepping forward, "Excuse me-"
With a flick of her wrist, the blonde sent the cigarette flying to the ground, one foot up against the wall behind her, as she cocked her head to one side, mustering the girl.
She seemed shy, a timid smile gracing her features and for a split second, Elyza felt for her. This was no world for the weak anymore.
"Well, I'd excuse you, but you haven't even said a proper word yet, kid. What's the matter? I don't share my cigarettes with you, if that's what you came here for."
The small pack of the last remaining cigarettes was slipped into the pocket of her leather jacket, together with the lighter. If this world was going down, she had to save every last one of them, before they would run out.
Alicia's mouth nearly fell agape at the brash retort from the blonde, narrowing her gaze towards the young woman in disinterest for the cocky amusement.
Very well, if this girl was going play along to take upon the ' bad-ass ' role, Alicia would fire right back at her with the same sustained demeanor.
"First of all, I'm no kid " a tone of blatant disregard for the adaptive pet-name as she stepped forwards once more,"- second of all, I don't care for any of your distasteful habits. The last thing I would want in my body is that filth writhing within my lungs."
Alicia set her jaw, mandible swaying side-ways marginally.
" I am just trying to get the fuck out of this, 'hell-hole'. " She shoved her hands into the fore-front pockets of her jeans, scowl still plastered over her expression.
Elyza laughed slightly, brow raised in amusement. "Not a kid? How old are you? 17- if that? That equals being a kid", she mockingly snorted, shrugging slightly in addition.
"Depends on where you want to go. Most of the town has been locked up. No one in,, no one out- too many cases of contamination. We're stuck here now until everyone is dead." She put another cigarette into the far corner of her mouth, without lighting it for the moment.
Alicia just offered up another unenthused eye-roll at the blonde's quick wit. Her demeanor fell stoic– not hinting towards any emotion as she spoke up once more,
" Regardless- I need to find my family. "
Great. That probably sounded all the more childish, equipping her with the degenerate nickname 'kid' further.
Alicia watched in still silence as the unused drug bobbed limply between the corner of pale lips.
"What'd you just get out of jail- for a robbery, assuming how you're dressed like a criminal– " Her brows arched fondly, cranial tilting slightly at her own jab at the woman, certainly not creative by any means.
A chuckle of utter amusement left Elyza's lips once again, brow cocked in the same manner. The girl was trying so hard to be impressive, but it was hardly working out.
"Well, kid, hate to break it to you, but this world is going down, so you should say goodbye to everyone you love because they are all going to die anyway. That is the best advise I can give you. Other than that, there is still an open road down that block. If it closes, there will be no way past the army anymore", she said, pushing herself away from the wall, before lighting the cigarette in further disinterest to the brunette. "Good luck."
This girl was certainly approaching Alicia's higher level of intolerance, once more her jaw flexing in tension as she tried her best to dissuade the pet-name this stranger had taken to giving her.
The blonde's words were vindictive and cruel, seeming to have no form of sympathy for the situation Alicia — through the fault of the army — had landed herself in away from her family.
An expression of hurt flourished over her features at the realization that she may truly never become re-connected with her family. All the while, there seemed to be no avid attempt at getting through to the older woman standing before her, and with that, Alicia let gCo of an exasperated sigh of irritation.
" Thanks- " her tone was strict, wavering in hidden emotion as she turned to retreat towards the new learned unblocked roadway.
The blonde clicked her tongue, as some kind of response towards the younger girl, watching her retreat. She could feel the tension, nearly taste it, knowing the stranger was reluctant to go on her own. But Elyza was no babysitter and she had no intention to take on the deadweight of dragging someone around town for no reason.
This world was going down the drain and only the strongest would survive - she intended to be one of them.
Yet, when the back of the girl was barely in sight anymore, she picked up her baseball bat and started following her with some distance, out of curiosity.
Alicia's nerves were on fire, boring the heavy discern she held for the stranger she barely knew– didn't know in fact, not even her name. Each step was cautious, tentative in each movement and flexion extending already sore muscles. Her hands remained stuffed within the front pockets of her jeans, skin chafing to a red hue at the pressure, but Alicia paid no heed.
The road carried her a distance down the roadway as the sun began to dim within the sky. Every building around her seemed unrecognizable and a wave of anxiety swelled within her senses.
Elyza kept at a steady pace some distance behind, merely for a lack of better things to do and because the city was no longer safe. She kept her distance, staying invisible within the shadows of skyescrapers, but close enough to act in the case of an emergency.
As the sun was setting behind the tall buildings furthermore, flooding the city with a sudden darkness, the hour of the cleaners began.
Alicia strained to stay focused, to keep positive, but a firing shot in the distance snapped her away from the task at hand. She inhaled sharply, the breath lingering in her throat without a suitable exhale as her eyes scanned over her surroundings.
Another shot echoed through the towering skyscrapers of downtown around her, emerald eyes frantically searching for the source of the gunshot.
Gunshots soon echoed through the block, drawing Elyza closer in a quick pace. She sped up, and within a beat, was behind the brunette a moment later, twining digits around Alicia's wrist, and tugging backwards abruptly.
Alicia nearly swung outright towards the stranger, not fulling taking notice of whom grasped her wrist at first. As her focus settled, her brows furrowed in near contempt at whom it was.
"YOU follo—" her words were only abruptly interrupted by the ones of the blonde's when she was forcefully pulled away from the exposure of her location at the middle of the street.
"Get in here. They're purging the block", she whispered, pulling the other girl inside a building, doors open thanks to shattered glass. She had seen the purges before, and from past experiences, knew they had to hide.
There was no longer any other choice but to follow in tow behind the blonde– who seemed to know all the more about this situation than she did herself.
The blonde pulled the girl with her, disregarding of any possible complaints, her grip iron around the delicate wrist. The building they entered was desolate, spare clothes racks lingering on the ground and shattered glass crumbling underneath each of their steps, but Elyza was aiming for the back door, knowing they needed to hide smartly- or they would be found.
" Listen– " Alicia finally blurted out despite the 'hush' that fell from the blonde's lips as they retreated to the far corner of the room, " Can I at least know your name? "
"No", was the simple answer to the questions. Exchanging names meant to become more than being strangers and in a world like this, that was not a smart move. Right now, she was just being human, aiding a helpless girl to survive.
Alicia held back a spiteful retort, her nerves bubbling at the confusion underlying why exactly this woman was helping her. If it was human decency that compelled the strangers actions, so be it– but was it no longer 'human decency' to introduce yourself?
The backdoor was unlocked and brought them into a small alley with only one exit.
A faint hum of a powerful engine filled the empty air around them, the rumbling of truck tires were drawing nearer towards the location of the store they'd fled through. Elyza gritted her teeth weakly, thinking before reacting to the setting itself, opening the lid of a reasonably sized dumpster.
"Get in there", she whispered harshly, clearly bolstering a tone of no room for argument.
Dark brows furrowed once more in utter irritability at the introduction of the idea to journeying into the dumpster.
"You have to be kidding me–" there was a subtle groan at the end of the rhetorical statement, but the blonde's glare was answer enough.
Alicia sulked at the notion of having to venture into a dumpster— however, she obeyed and pulled herself upwards and over the edge, nimble bodice landing with a soft thud within the metal containment.
For a second, Elyza listened to the sounds on the street, before she followed the other girl, closing the lid over their heads. It smelt horribly, but she knew they would not look inside. They'd most definitely be searching the building around the vicinity of the block. If they were unlucky, the dumpster was their new home until morning.
Alicia ultimately fell silenced within the darkness of their shelter. Her position settling, drawing her knees upwards to her chest, listening intently. There were distant rings of rounds being fired off, and glass shattering to cascade over empty streets. It was deathly silent for passing seconds until the stranger in close proximity to her spoke up once more.
"The army is no longer our friend", she whispered into the darkness, not even sure where the girl was. "They kill the living and the living dead. Everyone here is supposed to be cleaned out. They purge every block, searching for survivors to kill them as well. That's how they are attempting to keep the disease from spreading."
Alicia seemed to be oblivious to what things were like down here now, as she so freely had walked over the street on her own- the own actions making Elyza's stomach contort in intolerance for the naïve attitude.