"Claire, I have to go. She's my sister. If there's even a chance that she's with those guys…"
"I'll go with you." She says, cutting me off
"I can't let you do that Claire. They need you. I'm expendable. You said that we were staying here for a while anyway. I'll just go where they said they saw her, then if I don't find her, come right back. If I'm not back by the time you're ready to leave, just send someone in after me."
"Look Kmart, I don't want you to go, but I understand that you will either way. Make sure you have your gun, and take this." She hands me one of the extra radios that she has. "When you get there, turn it on and let me know. Then call me every night, and then if you find her. Tell me your location and I'll come pick both of you up. Got it?"
I hug her tightly. "Thank you so much Claire. I'll keep in touch."
With one last look, I set off towards where our newest additions to the convoy said they saw my sister, Maggie, with a group of outlaws.
I've shown her picture to every single person in the convoy, and no one has ever seen anyone who looks even remotely like her. So whenever these people said she was with a group of scary men, I knew I had to go in after her.
She didn't mean to leave me that I know for sure. She was distracting the zombies that had found us. She just never came back.
I don't know how long I've been walking, but I can see the gas station where they said they last saw her.
"Hello? Is anybody there? Hello?"
"Now what is a pretty little thing like you doing all alone?" A male voice says from my right
"I'm looking for somebody. Someone told me they saw that person around here." I answer
"Well I'll help you find whoever you want." He says, stepping closer to me.
"Back the hell away from her Cueball." A voice I didn't think I'd ever hear again says.
"Whoa Mags. No need to get jealous. You'll always be my special girl." He says with a smirk.
I see her shudder, but I know he didn't. She looks at me, and I know she recognizes me. Yet she doesn't let it show. It kind of hurts.
"Let her leave."
"Nope. You know we're supposed to take them all to Pope."
"She's just a kid Cueball."
"So?"
"That means that she doesn't have anything worth taking, so Pope would be mad if you wasted his time by bringing in a kid."
He considers this for a moment, then a look that I don't like flashes across his features. "So I could spend so quality time with her before we send her packing? It'd be our lil' secret?"
"If you leave me alone for a week I don't care what you do to her." Maggie replies, and the tone of her voice sends chills down my whole body.
The man turns from her and starts clambering closer to me. I turn to run, but a gunshot stops me in my tracks, as the sound of a body hitting the ground right behind me fills my ears.
Then two arms are encircling my waist, and her voice is in my ear.
"I've missed you so much D."
"I've missed you too Mags. There's a convoy a few hours walk from here. I can have somebody here for us in probably ten minutes. You can join us, be safe."
"You have to go." She murmurs regretfully into my ear. "If they find you, they'll do horrible things to you because he'll see that I care. Cueball is an idiot, and so are most of the other guys. But Pope; he's pretty smart for a criminal. He'll figure it out. Get that person out here, then forget that you saw me here. It's better for you that way."
"No. I can't leave you! I'm going back with you, or not at all. I'll go call Claire in. Just stay right here."
"Wait. I'll go once I make sure they can't follow us. Tell your friend to bring a vehicle that can fit a motorcycle or two. Oh and whatever happens, don't come out from behind that car." She says, motioning towards a car about 500 feet from where we're standing right now.
I want to ask why, but one look at her tells me now is not the time. Instead, I just nod and go over. She watches me go, then as she goes into the store I call Claire.
"Hey Claire it's me. I'm at the Tesoro that's by the big shopping mall. I found her Claire, but the guys are bad. Come in the truck. We have some hauling to do. Oh, and bring your gun and make sure it's loaded."
"I'll be there in five."
I shut the radio off, and watch as Maggie comes out with three more guys. She points towards where I walked in from, and two of them go in that direction, leaving her alone with the one who seems to be in charge of the other two. I can't take my eyes away from her, even as she slides so she's behind the guy, then slits his throat. Not even when she draws her gun and shoots the other two guys.
She glances at the car, and though I know she can't see me, it reassures me.
Two more guys come out, and she shoots the first before he sees her right in the head. She other, whom I assume is Pope, she forces to his knees. I can hear her voice faintly, but I can't make out what she's saying to him. After she's done talking, he gets a shot to the head, just like four of his other companions.
"It's okay to come out now D. We have to get all the supplies from in here. I know where everything is." She yells
I move immediately from my hiding place, then the sound of an engine fills the air. I see Maggie running towards me, and can't help but smile as Claire hopes out of the truck we acquired just three days ago. She wraps me in a hug.
"I'm glad you're okay Kmart."
"D, why did she call you Kmart?" Maggie asks, confusion and suspicion on her face.
"Mags, this is Claire. She's the leader of the convoy I was telling you about. She's kept me safe."
I know each of them are sizing the other up, and roll my eyes. "We can play staring contest later. Mags, can you please take us to the supplies?"
"Yeah. I'll lead ya there. Take what you want. I'm just gonna grab some stuff and load the bikes." She says in a monotone.
Then she takes us into the store, and underneath, into a series of tunnels.
"Everything is in that room. There was no need to keep it locked, since most of them were afraid of Pope, so have at it." She says and disappears out the door.
Claire and I don't talk as we load up everything. We've done this often enough that we both know what to take and what not to.
Once we're done, we go back up the tunnels, and Maggie is waiting for us. In the truck are two motorcycles, and she's sitting on a third, with a huge bag on her back, and several more strapped onto the bike. I load my bags into the back of the truck, and notice that she already had some in there.
"Can I ride with you Mags?" I ask, almost hesitantly.
"If you wanna." She answers
"Claire, you lead the way."
I can tell that Claire wants to say something, maybe even force me into the truck, but instead she just nods and gets into the driver's seat. I hop onto the back of the bike and wrap my arms around my sister as she makes the bike come to life.
"Do you trust her?" She asks almost immediately.
"Yeah, I do. She's never given me a reason not to. She was the one that found me, and took me under her wing. Kinda like a…." I trail off, and instantly regret my words. Me and my stupid mouth, I've never thought before I spoke.
"Like a sister." She whispers so quietly I almost can't hear it over the roaring of the engine.
"Mags, I…."
"It's okay… Kmart. I understand. I wasn't there for you. She was."
With that, she kills the engine, and goes to the back of the truck to help unload the bags. Once they're all out and given to a very reluctant Carlos and Mikey to carry to the supply vehicle, Claire asks to have the keys to one of the bikes. I can see her eyes light up as Maggie hands her both sets, and tells her to "Knock herself out".
"But that one is mine. Got it?" Maggie says, indicating the one we rode in one.
"Fine by me." Comes the response before the engine of one of the bikes is fired up.
I walk towards Maggie, who is leaning against her bike.
"Do you wanna tell me how you ended up with those guys?"
"Not really. I came back. I did. I searched that whole damn store. I swear I didn't abandon you."
"Mags, I knew you would never do that. I thought you were dead."
"Then why did you keep looking for me D?"
"Because I didn't want you to be dead. So I showed every new person that we picked up. I never gave up hope that someone would say they saw you. I knew the chances were slim, but you were already gone, so I really had nothing to lose."
"This is going to sound horrible, but I didn't want you to find me, because I was afraid of what they'd do to you. I didn't want you to do what they did to me to you."
"What did they do to you?" I press
"It doesn't matter. It's over now. Let's just say if I ever find out someone has ever done to you what they did to me, their death would be slower than a shot to the head. We didn't have time for anything else though, so I guess that was my revenge."
"What do you say we get some sleep? It's been a long day." I suggest, trying to change the subject.
"You go ahead. I don't sleep well anymore."
"Then will you stay with me?" I ask, feeling childish, but at the same time, not wanting her to leave for even a second, incase she's taken from me again.
"Yeah. I'll stay. I'll do whatever you need me to." She murmurs
I lead her into the back of Claire's Hummer, and fold down the seats so we can lay side by side in the back. She gets in first, and after I close the back hatch I snuggle into her side, and I can't help but think that this is the safest I've felt since she was taken from me.
Don't get me wrong, Claire has been so good to me. She took me in and saved me from those things countless times, even though she didn't have to. But Maggie is… well, she's Maggie. She's always been able to calm me down and make me feel safe, even in the worst conditions, such as the end of the world.
By the time I wake up, it's pitch black outside. I start to move, but a pair of arms wrapped around me prevents it, and I smile. I was seriously worried that the events of the day might have been a dream. But the arms, in addition to the blonde hair that covers her face when I manage to turn so we're face to face confirms that it was real, and I sigh in relief.
"I figured you'd be out longer. You had kind of a rough day."
"Yeah well, I was afraid that it might have been a dream, so I had to wake up to make sure you were actually here." I answer
"I'm not goin anywhere. I know I failed you last time, but it won't happen again, alright? I'm staying right here with you."
"You didn't fail me Mags. It wasn't your fault. I know you wouldn't leave me on purpose. I know they kidnapped you. I just don't know what happened after that."
She won't look me in the eyes now. Great, I pushed too hard too fast.
"You heard Cueball; I was his 'special girl'. I was the only girl, so most of them thought I was special. After being with a group of guys for how long, the sight of anything with boobs is a welcome sight, and something that a lot of them wanted to do more than see, whether the other person is willing to be touched or not." She says so quietly I can barely hear it
"Mags…" I start to cry
I can't help it. She doesn't say another word. She just wipes away my tears. After about ten minutes, I stop, and look up at her.
"Why aren't you crying? Right now, because of me, you're reliving everything they did to you in your head. Yet there's no reaction. Why?"
"I got over it a long time ago. I had my revenge. They're all dead, and I'm here with you. I think I got the better end of the deal in the long run."
Before I can say something in return, the door to the hummer opens, and Claire hopes in, slamming the door behind her.
"You guys awake?" she whispers
"Well if we weren't before you got in, that entrance definitely would've done the trick." I say with a laugh
'"Sorry smartass. I wanted to make sure it shut. You remember what happened last time. You know, the nice little surprise that greeted you."
"Ughhh. You promised to never speak of it again…" I whined
"Kmart woke up with about four teenage boys watching her from just outside the door. They could see in for a change, and decided to take advantage." Claire explained to Maggie as Maggie sat up.
"Aww. Does my lil sis have some admirers? You do know that I'll have to meet them before they take you on a date right? And if they hurt you I'll be forced to violently kill them."
"I'll help you." Claire chimed in, causing Maggie to smile.
"You know, I was kinda worried I'd hate you at first, but after I saw you on that bike, I decided to give you a second chance. Now I'm glad I did." She told the older girl with a laugh, making Claire's eyes bug out slightly.
"I warned you about the blatant honesty." I say to Claire, whose eyes are almost back in their sockets.
"Yeah. You did. I think she'll fit in here just fine."
I watch as both the women who've protected me start to bond and get to know each other. Tonight is the prefect night to get to know someone. It's quiet, the best for telling stories and laughing. Nothing can get in the way of a good night.
I know that in the morning the laughter will cease, and the normal tough faces will be forced back on, so I decide to enjoy the happiness while I can, with both of my sisters.