X-o-X

True to her word, she didn't say a thing to Denbo when they made it back to the city. Even though they got chewed out for taking unnecessary risks, the other team members had a new respect for the quick-as-lightning Spider-Baby. They even invited her to tag along for a few beers.

The rarest of smiles graced her lips, and for one, brief moment, she actually looked like an attractive, normal young woman. "I'd love to, but I've got to get some sleep. Maybe next time, yeah?"

DeMora made his own excuses and followed her. He dodged the foot traffic and caught her a few blocks later. "Hey, listen," he began, walking backwards in front of her, struggling to keep up with her pace, "I know it's just business and all, but you saved my ass back there. I just wanted to say, thanks." He wasn't sure why he was doing this. They all knew the risks when they had taken the job, and they watched each other's backs accordingly. Maybe it was that he'd started off the evening with the same opinion about her as the rest of the fuck-ups around them and wanted to apologize for it. Or maybe it was the fact that he'd seen the contempt and coldness in her eyes all throughout the night and was wondering why she hadn't taken the opportunity and let the stench kill him. Everyone has a mercenary streak nowadays. Why doesn't she?

The blue-haired woman stopped abruptly to stare at him. "Don't thank me. It might've been kinder to let the zombie take you."

Cryptic. And infuriating. Suddenly, he was on the defensive. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She sighed wearily. "I know for a fact that you've been doing work for Kaufman on the side."

He stiffened, trying to keep the growl out of his voice. "Big fucking deal. Everybody's got to look out for their own best interests."

She waved off his anger dismissively. "We both got off on the wrong foot tonight. You didn't like me because I look and act like a frigid bitch. I didn't like you because I had you pegged for a low-level goon. Thing is, I was wrong. You're one of those naive bastards who thinks that a man like Kaufman will uphold his end of a bargain. Cholo, guys like him... they'll stab you in the back in a heartbeat." She snapped her fingers for emphasis. "The second he thinks you might become a liability, he'll have one of his other lapdogs gut you and leave your ass in the gutter. Then it'll be you in one of those boxes they dump outside while some younger, dumber punk takes your place. He's a snake. Don't trust him."

DeMora was shocked; not by her warning, but by the fact that she had dropped her guard and was looking at him with honest-to-God sincerity in her eyes. She didn't particularly like him, but she was genuinely worried about him. "Yeah, well..." He tried to go back to playing the tough guy, but it was half-hearted. "What do you know? You don't have plans, you don't have ambitions..."

Spider-Baby huffed, giving him a wry smile. "Fine. Go ahead and play that asshole's game, get yourself killed. See if I care." She shoved past him and continued on her way without so much as a second glance.

X-o-X

The apartment she was staying in was pathetic. She hated the dull, hideous wallpaper. She despised the stained carpets. The kitchen was too small, the living room was too cramped, there was no bedroom, only a dingy mattress on the floor that had been overpriced, covered with a few layers of unwashed sheets and ratty blankets...

But it had one saving grace. A CD player she'd bought off of some scumbag for fifty bucks and a couple of bottles of cheap vodka. She only had a handful of albums that weren't irreparably scratched, but when your choices in music were limited anyway, what did it matter? She picked one at random and inserted the disc, putting it on shuffle. "Burn" by Alkaline Trio. Laughing softly, she wondered if it was ironic or just plain funny that it made her think of DeMora.

She stripped off her clothes, leaving them scattered across the floor. Then she flopped down onto the mattress, falling asleep the minute her head hit the pillow.

Dreams were the only safehaven left to her anymore. She never dreamed about the dead or the bleak world around her. In sleep, she had peace.

X-o-X

They didn't meet again until the next scavenging trip. It went much the same as the last one had. The only difference was that Spider-Baby was the one who asked to make an unscheduled stop. She had glimpsed a bookstore in the distance.

"Didn't figure you were the literary type," DeMora teased, edging around the shelves carefully, watching for any sign of life. Or un-life.

"There's a lot you don't know about me."

There were only a couple of zombies lurking near the storeroom to contend with, then it was clear sailing. She made a beeline for the comic books. This time she'd been prepared; she had remembered to bring the heavy-duty messenger bag she used whenever she went shopping. The girl picked through the comics, sorting out the ones she wanted and stuffing them into the bag. The ones she thought she could sell or give to any kids in her neighborhood, she placed in a plastic shopping bag she'd filched from the front of the store.

With the novels, she was more discerning. He noted that she had a taste for fantasy and horror, then that most of the romance novels she tossed into the bag had lurid, gothic covers. When she reached a small section of adult novels, he couldn't suppress a laugh.

Spider-Baby looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "What?" she asked, oblivious.

"You're looking at erotica. You. The cold fish."

She shrugged. "Just because I refuse to whore myself out or fuck every guy I see doesn't mean I don't like sex once in a while. Frigid bitches get lonely too." She motioned towards the front desk. "Could you look and see if they have any Playboys left? I'm always too scared to buy one back home. You never know who's 'used' it before you."

DeMora grinned. The effect it had was to make him look rather boyish. It was almost... cute. He hopped over the counter and started going over the shelves. "Aww, what's the matter? You afraid of a little spunk?"

"Only when I don't know where it came from." She heard him spout off a few excited-sounding phrases in Spanish.

When he returned, he was holding a handful of shrink wrapped dirty magazines. "Jackpot! I'm tempted to take all of 'em. You can get a good price for these on the street, in this kind of condition."

"I'll keep that in mind." She noticed that he had taken a few for himself and tucked them into his jacket. "A little light reading? I'm surprised you can't find a girl, what with your people skills."

"Yeah, laugh it up. You're the one who asked for 'em. And I saw how many of those novels you shoved in your bag while you thought I wasn't looking."

She smirked up at him and grabbed one more off the shelf. "Until I find a man who doesn't sicken me, these'll have to do. What can I say? I'm a sucker for romance." She tossed the book at his face and he barely caught it in time.

X-o-X