Run. Fight. Eat. Sleep.
The zombie apocalypse didn't leave much room for any other thought process. Survival meant complete focus on those four necessary actions, and sleep was definitely the hardest come by. It had only been a few weeks since the initial outbreak began in Spain but Aria's father had been a diligent, sometimes bordering on obsessive, on preparing his offspring for this particular scenrio. For all her grumbling on wanting a father who wasn't so paranoid about the future her whole life, she felt an insane amount of gratitude toward her loving yet driven father. If it wasn't for the life he gave her, she never would of thought herself capable to do this. To survive. And ensure her younger brother's survival too.
Aria's amber eyes focused momentarily on the youth running at her side, just a fraction slower, following her lead trustingly. A sliver of fear trickled down her spine as the boy's young gaze caught hers briefly. The blind faith glowing in his familiar bright hazel eyes was too much. A pressure settled on her chest heavily. Air seemed like a vague dream.
The low roar of moans and groans behind them was still too loud and too close for the young woman to like with how long they'd been running so far. Aria could keep going for a couple more miles, easily. Her seven year old brother, however, could not despite the determination in his expression. When running proved inefficient, climb.
"That tree, now! Go!" Aria pointed to the tree in question before pushing him forward. Smoothing back errant curls that broke free from her tightly knit french braid, she turned to face the hoard staggering after them.
A strange calm descended over her as two over eager zombies that approached more quickly than the others. Rolling the tension that grew from almost an hour of running from her shoulders, she unsheathed the two machetes holstered to each thigh. One quick twist of them in her hands and she felt it. That burst of adrenaline to solidify her confidence as she took her fight stance. Aria took three steps to meet the walkers, both weapons held at the ready. The air around her charged with deadly intent as she let her instincts take over. The roar of her heartbeat and breaths thundered in her ears. Her body moved like liquid around the dead swarming around her, machetes swinging with precision to her targets as she pushed herself further into mass of dead bodies. She wanted them to focus on her and lead them away from her responsibility that was scrambling up a tree right now.
It felt like hours had passed when her machete finally sunk into the last animated skull reaching for her. Aria breathed deeply through her lips as she jerked her blade free. The foul odor that followed made her stomach roll. Her nose crinkled in disgust but simply used the clothes on her kill to wipe her weapon clean of the brain matter that stuck to it. A rustle behind her made her straightened and she glanced over her shoulder cautiously, breathing out a small sigh of relief at the sight of her little brother slipping down the last few feet of the tree. He closed the space between them quickly, on surprisingly silent feet. Once her blades were cleaned to her satisfaction, she slipped them back into their sheaths at her thighs, meeting her brothers disapproving look. A warning flashed through her amber eyes as she measured his visible frustration. Tread carefully, she warned silently.
"I could've helped," the young boy said simply, his put off tone washing away the last bit of adrenaline in her system.
"Yeah, well, next time, Cyrus. We'll have plenty of opportunity, believe me," Aria assured him tiredly. She gave his small shoulder a light squeeze, knowing instantly her little brother had been frightened by the sight of her against twenty zombies.
"We should just stick to the trees for a while," Cyrus suggested with a deep sigh, leaning into his sister's side as soon as she touched him.
"They're not like back home," Aria warned as she gave him a half hug, leading him away from the corpses that laid mutilated across the small clearing. "Branches aren't as thick. You want to fall?" Her amber eyes darted up assessing the distance before peeking back at the boy teasingly, "Your not humpty dumpty. There's no putting you back together, macho man."
"I won't fall," he assured her with a confident grin on his small face. "You won't either."
"I'm glad one of us is psychic," she commented dryly, the slight upward tilt to her lips letting him know she was still teasing. "Come on, still got a long way to go."
A branched snapped near by and they both froze. Aria tightened her half hug on the boy momentarily before releasing him. As she strained her ears for the slightest sound to follow, her fingertips brushed the handles of her machetes and that strange burst of adrenaline mingle with calm be gain to course through her veins. Another branch snapped even closer. And still silence followed.
"That's close enough," Aria called out, ignoring her own slight dose of fear as she glimpsed the fear reflected back from the young boy looking up at her apprehensively. " I don't care who you are or what you've been through, you come at me or my kid, and I guarantee I'll surprise you."
Cyrus shivered beside her before edging a bit closer. She ignored the guilt she felt. He told her recently how her cold voice sounded in this situations. Regardless of how it bothered him, she wouldn't drop the edge from her voice. She was all about giving people the benefit of the doubt but this apocalypse showed her a line needed to be drawn immediately. Now there monsters both alive and dead. Whoever they encountered would know up front she meant business. Her slight height and frame at 5"3 wasn't the most intimidating and couple that with the the seven year old kid glued to her side, they looked like easy pickings at first glance. Where once her priorities had been cluttered with countless goals and challenges, now there was only one goal, one purpose she swore she would keep alive. That purpose was standing just slightly behind her as she faced the direction where the sound of a third branch breaking quietly broke the tense silence after her blunt words.
Three men suddenly emerged from the brush, surrounding them in a large triangle. She immediately looked for weapons. No guns from what she could see anyway. A bat with nails protruding from the end, an large ax, and a shovel. They were grimy, covered in dirt and what looked like dried blood that seemed to cake their entire bodies. Their appearance so couldn't have mattered less to Aria. She knew Cyrus and her probably looked ridiculous like wannabe assasins in their sleek, black body suits with calve high, black boots. It was their eyes that set the hair on the back on her neck on edge. They looked blood thirsty.
"Ain't she cute, Billy?" One of the men asked with disturbing humor. Asshole number one, she decided as the one in directly in front of her continued to chuckle with amusement.
"Oh, she's some than'. Don't ya know ya manners? Your in the south, lil' lady." Asshole number two spoke up next.
Aria didn't say a thing as she kept her focus on all three men, her brain flying at light speed with all the different tactics of defense and escape that could help diffuse this dangerous situation as quickly as possible. Asshole number three had yet to speak and it made her senses heightened for the slightest vibe she got from him. He was the leader of this little rag tag team, she knew it.
When the silent man took a step forward, her thoughts came a screeching halt and she countered his step with one back, one of her hands darting to Cyrus to keep him slightly behind her.
"I said that's close enough," Aria repeated eerily calm as her free hand wrapped firmly around the machete at her left thigh.
Asshole number one began laughing magically while number two simply looked to Asshole three with a eager look that made her entire body tense in anticipation. Three broke his silence then, his thin lips stretching into a cruel smile as he lifted his weapon of choice to lazily rest against his shoulder. "Not nearly as close as we're gonna be in a minute, darlin'. If your smart, you'll play along an' we just might let the boy run off instead of killing him first."
Hot, blinding rage seared through the young woman's veins as her maternal instincts for her brother screamed in protest. "If your smart, you'll turn around and go back where you came. Don't think you fellas woke up with the intent to die today. You go one way, we'll go the other," she demanded. Inside, she felt shocked at how calm her voice sounded despite her heart thundering in her chest from the anxiety of the situation.
"Not gonna happen sugah," Asshole number three began to advance and taking his cue, so did one and two.
Aria didn't even register Cyrus crying out in protest as she shoved him back and away from the men that approached her menacingly. She unsheathed both her machetes in an instant and all her anxiety and fear melted away as that surge or adrenaline and calm filled her senses completely this time. The ax swung at her first from Asshole #2 and she dodged the blow, using the momentum to swing around under and bring one of her machetes down on both of the arms holding the offending weapon. Her momentum was her guide as she followed the swing to avoid the nails of the bat swung at her head, not even bothering to see if her aim stayed true to course. The hysterical screaming was answer enough.
Aria felt the shovel coming her way almost a second too late as she danced from in between Asshole #1 and #3. The tip of shovel grazed her shoulder but she kept moving despite the burning scrape she could feel through the material of her body suit. Gritting her teeth, she swung her arm out, cutting deep into the muscles under the arms of Asshole #1 holding the bat, barely allowing herself to feel any satisfaction at the humor finally leaving his bloodthirsty eyes as pain and agony replaced it.
As quick as she prided herself on being though, Aria concluded she could afford to be faster, especially as she felt the sharp crack that followed a shovel being smacked against the back of her head. Pain exploded through her skull and her vision flashed white as she lost her bearings and dropped to the ground from the impact. Suddenly, she could hear Cyrus cry out clearly, the terror in his voice reminded her that she didn't get a moment to get herself together. She had to be together. There was no else to help but her kid brother.
Aria tried to jump to her feet quickly but swing of the shovel to her ribs stopped that quickly and flipped her onto her back in one move. Her lips parted in a silent cry from blow, her pain riddled mind still registering the extra dangers their loud cries carried. A heavy weight settled over stomach and she heard Cyrus cry out again.
"Get off my sister!"
The blow to her head still had her vision swimming with white flashes but she heard the distant sound of a heavy handed slap followed by a young cry. Pain and anger fueled her struggles beneath Asshole #3. She punched, kicked, and scratched, but with her vision impaired, and more likely, a concussion weighing heavily on her conscious, her efforts felt sloppy and ineffective. Panic was already deep in her bones from the moment she hit the ground but when she saw her vision began to dim at the edges, terror and horror won. Aria blinked furiously to try and clear her sight but through the growing haze of darkness, all she could see was Asshole #3's cruel, triumphant smile and his thirty for blood eyes. She cried out in protest finally as her mind with the very real possibilities of what could follow if she blacked out now.
"No!"
An arrow whistled over her head, only centimeters from her face and the oppressive weight above her suddenly fell back against her lower body, pinning her to the ground still. She struggled to hold on to the last bit of consciousness she had, an overwhelming fear eating at her soul as the last of it slipped from her grasp.
