Here is another one. I hope you guys are ready for the group to have their little introduction? Hope so! Reviews are love. And I love getting followers! This one is just a intro between the two groups. Next chapter we will head to the farm.
Thank you to my awesome Beta Pandora0814!
Chapter Two:
"No, we can't stick around here. You saw those stragglers. They will gather into a bigger group soon enough." Kenzi said, hands on her hips as she glared at Bill. He was stubbornly trying to keep them from figuring out their next move and it was starting to bother her.
"We need gas and sleep. We need to keep moving if we want to find a place." Aster nodded, agreeing with her. They had been on the road for two weeks. It hadn't given them very much time to rest or refuel. They hadn't even eaten in almost two days. It wasn't helping that Bill was fighting her and Zi at every turn.
"Fine whatever. We go. The map says there should be a gas station up ahead. Maybe we'll get lucky." He gave in finally, tugging his hand through his hair. He got up from the counter of the small office supply store they had stopped in. Aster could hear him muttering to himself as he began tying their bags back onto the bikes.
"He always did listen to you the most. I almost forgot what it's like being around you both." Kenzi sighed looking at Bill already back on his bike.
"He loves you Zi, I wouldn't worry to much." He and Aster had just been friends for a long time. Nothing more was going on. At least not on her end.
"I'm not worried Little Ace. I knew when we got together how it was between you guys." It was as if she was trying to remind herself as well as Aster. She shrugged her off and headed for Pan. If they made it to this gas station before nightfall they might be able to barricade it and get a little shut eye.
Aster watched the large bike ahead of her as it swerved left then right, working it's way through the thick grouping of cars. She supposed they had gotten lucky this time. The last three had been barren.
Never before could Aster have ever imaged that her life would have come to this. She was running from her own family, killing for her own protection and riding into an unknown world that had been turned into chaos.
Billy, Kenzie and Ace drove for hours at the start of a new day but they all knew that they would soon run out of gas again. Aster had to make a decision. She slowed her bike down knowing that Billy would notice at some point. Soon enough Bill waved his hand in the air and Kenzi climbed off the back of his bike.
"We have to figure out a plan now. We can't keep riding like this." Aster said to the two of her companions.
Aster pulled in next to him, turning off the engine and removing her sun glasses. "Think there's any gas in those?" She asked him, staring at the pumps hopefully. Even if she could get just a bit she could make it to the next station.
"Let's take a look. Zi, you keep your eyes on the road. Yell if you see anything." Without looking back at her he lead Aster towards the pumps. He had a way of doing that since they were young, leading her around without touching her. His hand always hovered behind her. He knew Aster's boundaries.
"Damnit!" Bill's hand came down loudly onto the large metal object. "FUCK! It's fucking dry!"
"Hey, its okay we can just siphon some from the crowd up ahead." Aster nodded her head in the direction of the cars. "There is bound to be enough to get us to the next station." She hoped.
"And if there isn't, then what? We go on foot?" Bill leaned back against the pump and slid down onto the pavement feeling defeated again.
"Then yeah, we go on foot. We knew it would happen eventually." She shrugged her shoulders. Aster didn't want to leave Pan but she wasn't worth loosing her life over. She would leave her behind if she had to. "You stick here, I am going to tell Zi, see if we can't find a little fuel." Aster knew pushing him wouldn't help. His temper was nothing like Derek's. She wasn't afraid of what he would do, only that we needed him to have a clear head when he was making decisions.
Leaving him at the station Aster made her way over stray garbage, towards Kenzi. "Nothing?" Kenzi asked, placing her pistol back into her jeans. Aster shook her head 'no' then started to walk towards to cars up ahead. "He okay?"
"He'll get over it. Check the tanks okay? I will see if there's anything we can use in those cars." Aster didn't wait, knowing that she would listen. There seemed to be a pecking order in their little group lately and she just went with it.
Aster's head was buried deep in a trunk trying to find anything that could help them out. They had a little supplies and if they were going to survive then they would need a lot more.
Aster was just able to give up on that car when the loud rumbling froze her to the ground for a moment. Without thinking or waiting, she raised her head up, smacking it against the top of the trunk door.
"SHIT!"Aster cursed, rubbing her hand against the top of her head.
"Ace!" Zi called out, inching towards Aster while carrying a small gas can at her side. "What should we do?" Kenzi asked glance towards where the sound was coming from. They both knew that it was a vehicle of some sort but that was all.
"Yeah. Fine.. Just shut up for a moment and let me think." Think, think dammit! They hadn't come across anyone on their way here. Kenzi and Bill were the only two faces Aster had seen since Derek. But she had ideas of what they could be like. They weren't great ones.
"They're stopping." Kenzi's voice was panicked as she stuck her head out around the small Prius. Astrid knew she was in search of Bill but she was sure he would know to hide. He wasn't dumb. "What are we going to do?"
"I think we need to wait it out. Maybe they won't see us." Aster said. If they stopped to look for food and gas then it was likely the people approaching would in fact find them. Aster knew that their hiding place wasn't going to shield them forever. Rubbing her face, sighing Astrid reached down into her bag and pulled out a small pistol.
"You think we will need that?" Kenzi asked curiously, nudging her friend.
Astrid shrugged her off in annoyance and growled. "Dammit Kenzi.. We can't hide here. They could check the crowd of cars and find us.."
The group had stopped just as Aster had feared. They turned their engines off and climbed out one by one. The only sound they could hear now was a low rumble of what sounded like another bike weaving through the grouping of cars.
The group slowly walked through the cars, passing by Kenzi and Astrid towards the station. "We should check for gas then search the cars. Don't linger and if you hear something let Daryl, Shane or I know." One of the men said, waving a few men forwards. "We can't stick around long."
"Best turn around, head back where ever you came from." Bill's voice rang out. Astrid's head swung around to see him standing on the nearest car, gun drawn on the men. "Nothing here for you." Dammit Bill! Why wasn't he hiding?
"Oh my god! Bill!" Kenzi cursed, jumping up. Or at least trying to. Aster grabbed her and pulled her back roughly against the car.
"No. Not yet." She warned, holding Kenzi by her jacket. "Just wait and see what they do." Maybe they could slip away unseen.
"We don't mean anyone any harm." The man wearing a police badge said loudly. "We just need to find some food for the kids."
Bill's eyes darted towards the women and children that had slowly come out from behind a small red Beamer. "Stay back!"
"It seems like there are more of us, doesn't look like you're the one in charge here." A large bald man called out, raising his own gun on Bill. "Drop your gun and we can make this quick." Aster crawled forwards, leaving Kenzi behind, trying to get closer.
Reaching an SUV she climbed up it, feeling the metal shift under her feet as she stood tall, weapon raised. This would not necessary if Bill would have just stayed hidden but instead he could have cost them their lives.
"Shit Rick!" a woman with long dark hair called out, pointing to Aster.
"There are more of them!" A blonde woman yelled, reaching for her jeans and what Astrid figured would be another gun.
"There's nothing left in the station, so I suggest you be on your way." Aster said firmly to the officer while tilting her gun towards their vehicles.
"Believe, if we had anything to spare we would. Just please..." Aster's voice wasn't shaky as it normally would be around new people; she held her head up high and spoke with confidence as her eyes traveled over each person. "Don't do anything rash." She added.
The group looked between Aster and Bill, trying to figure out what to do.
"How can we trust you?" Baldy asked her, his eyes filled with something she couldn't place. "We don't know you."
"Look for yourself." Astrid shrugged, lowering her gun.
"Ace?" Bill asked, skeptical.
"They don't believe us. What will it hurt?" Astrid asked him. "They can look and be on their marry way." She waved the pistol towards the building. "No gas, no food." She just hoped that Kenzi stayed behind the damn car where she had left her. "Oh, but the bikes are off limits. Got it?!" Aster added, waving the gun towards the two motorcycles close to the station itself.
"Understood." The officer said dropping his weapon. "Let's check it out Shane. Then we can take a look through the cars." The man said before sending his people in different directions. Aster noticed as they passed that the man he had called Shane didn't seem to like the idea of being told by strangers what to do.
"Wait a minute Rick! Are you seriously just going to let them dictate the terms?" The other man complained, stomping off after the officer. "Come on man we should just take the stuff and go. Carl and Lori need food man." Shane added in a whisper but not low enough for Aster to not hear.
"No. We don't steal from people, not for no reason. We aren't turning ourselves into bandits." Aster listened to them as she crawled down off the vehicle and headed towards Bill.
"They better leave before nightfall Ace. We need that place." Bill whispered, his eyes traveling to the two men who were bickering behind them.
"I don't think they plan to stick around. So don't worry about it. Just worry about how we are going to get enough fuel to make it to the next road block." Aster's eyes floated from her friend towards the doorway of the empty station. "They seem like all they want to do is survive, not kill us."
Her eyes landed on a man's back that she hadn't noticed. He was slightly hunched over, resting against the door frame with his crossbow leaning on his shoulder.
Her mouth went dry and she licked the roof with her tongue. He was large. He must have been the one on the bike.. The leather vest sort of gave it away. Two large dirty wings spanning the back of it. The man shifted, turning to look out the door, his eyes landing on Astrid.
"Ace?" Bill kicked her shoe, "What the fuck?"
"Hmm?" She looked away from the man and back to Bill, She looked away from the man and back to Bill, he didn't seem too happy at the moment but she couldn't figure out why, "What?"
"Where is Kenzi?" His eyes went to the station and then back to her, a worried look on his face as he watched Astrid. At least she assumed it was worry. She always did wonder about Bill and Kenzi's relationship. It seemed very one sided most days.
"There." Aster said, pointing to their friend who was currently walking across the parking lot, gas can in her hands and Aster's pack over her shoulder. "It seems like she found something." She shrugged. Aster knew she wouldn't stay hidden long. "Does it matter? They already said they weren't into stealing."
"So should we ask them to join us? "Kenzi asked, raising her eyes to Bill. "They seem okay. We could use the company." Kenzi added confidently.
"What? No!" Bill snapped back, "No.. Just lets go put the gas in the bikes." Aster giggled as she watched them walk towards their rides. Bill cared about her, Aster knew that. But he was always so exhausted when Kenzi had any kind of thought or feeling. He started to act more like he was in charge of Kenzi from the start and now it seemed that he was trying to pull Aster into his protection as well. Aster wasn't sure how she felt about it, after all, he wasn't always level headed around other men.
Aster followed slowly behind them, trying not to interrupt. "It's not enough. We can't get far on fumes." Bill said, putting the can down.
"Well, why don't we hitch a ride?" Kenzi repeated, "They seem okay Bill. We can hitch the bikes to their RV."
"Hell no Kenzi… that's stupid. You can't trust these people. They could be waiting till our guard is down before taking our shit." Bill explained in an agitated state.
"Why not?" Aster asked, joining them. She slid her sun glasses back over her eyes and looked up at him. "I know you are worried but this might be the only way to keep our bikes. I agree with Kenzi, maybe they are alright."
"And if they aren't? What happens then?" Bill said. Aster was used to him snapping, he was built that way. But she never acknowledged it. "Ace.. We can't."
"We can." Stubbornly Aster stomped off towards the officer. She was getting tired of listening to the two of them yell at each other over this. She had to take charge since neither one of them were going to listen. Aster glanced over to Rick and Shane before she started moving towards them, wrapping her hands behind her back and lacing her fingers together nervously.. Bill seemed to noticed her leaving immediately. But she figured if Bill wanted to stay behind or head down the highway on foot, that was his problem. She had just gotten Pan back and she wasn't giving her up if she had the option.
"Where the hell do you think you're going Ace?" Bill demanded but Aster didn't answer, she just kept walking towards the two men.
Just before she got within talking distance, she overheard Shane speaking to Rick. The bald guy seemed like the type to lash out and she didn't need to cause a scene. Especially one that would stop her from her task; hitching a ride.
"What does she want?" Aster heard the man whisper. "We ain't takin in strays Rick. We can barely feed the ones we got."
"Shane, go check and make sure that everything is okay in the station." Rick told him, trying to shrug him off. It was clear there was a power struggle amongst them.
"Why? They got the redneck." He mumbled, trudging off towards the station muttering obscenities to himself.
"Sorry about that. Something I can help you with?" Rick asked her cautiously, shifting his hat. "We won't take much longer. Then we will be out of your hair." He added quickly.
"You seem like the leader here, am I right in thinking that?" She swung her hands out in front of herself and tapped her fists together. Aster moved her hands a lot when she got nervous. It was becoming a habit these days.
"These people look to me I guess. But I like to think everyone has a say." He said, eyes traveling momentarily to a small woman and a child. "We are just trying to survive." he mentioned before turning his attention back to Aster.
"We all are.." His eyes roamed the group as Aster watched him. He cared about these people, for some reason that was very clear to her. It was a far cry from the stories she had been telling herself about bandits and teams of men looking for guns and women. She was scared being a woman in this new world could mean a worse life then being on the run from the stiffs. A life she certainly didn't want for herself or Kenzi. She wouldn't wish it on her worst enemy. "Look.. I don't have much but I want to offer what I have." She told him. "A few cans of soup, some rice."
"Why would you do that?" He smiled slightly at the idea of food.
"Well.. My friends and I seem to have run a little low on fuel.." Aster's eyes flew to Bill and Zi who were trying to watch her conversation with Rick without being noticed. Of course they were awful at it. "We are good people. I can promise you that we wouldn't hurt anyone.. I know you don't know us but-"
"Your right. We don't know you." Shane growled from behind her. Aster jumped back a bit in shock. "We can't take these people in Rick. No way."
"They have food. You yourself said we need to feed the kids. Lori. They may not be good people but if all they want is a ride.." She looked back at the woman he had been eyeing earlier. Whose relationship was it? What the hell was going on between these two?
"Man this is bullshit! Who died and made you lord of the manor?" Shane scoffed, throwing his hands out. He was hoping that someone else would step forward and say something. Anything that would help him out. But it was clear that the others didn't want to involve themselves in this fight.
"Let's put it to a vote." Rick said before walking towards the others in the group. Oh god. This was getting serious. Aster cringed, stepping back towards her friends in the hopes that she wouldn't get dragged further into this little quarrel. "Who here wants to eat tonight?" Rick asked his people. "A ride is not unreasonable. I want to know what you all think about that? Considering that they could have shot us when we first arrived if they wanted too." Rick looked around the group.
Oh god, oh god. Aster's hand began shaking again, as it did when she lost her shit. She needed to get back to the pumps.. She could still hear the voices in the back of her mind as she reached her own group.
"I told you not to go over there and do this shit Ace." Bill mumbled, "Sit your ass down and take a breath or two." He didn't touch her, instead he just pointed to the raised concrete that supported the two pumps. "You act tough but you can't handle the repercussions."
"Shut up Billy, she knows. She was just doing what you couldn't do. We need that ride and you know it." Kenzi stood up for Aster, "She just needs a minute. Maybe we will get lucky and they will vote yes."
"Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll vote no." He snapped back, "It's my job to look out for you two and I don't think adding more people into the mix is a safe bet!"
"They don't look like rapists or thieves. These people still feel something Bill." Kenzi looked down at Aster, hoping that maybe she would speak up. Maybe she had shrugged it all off. "I trust that we will be okay."
"You put your trust in these people and you know nothing about them!"
"Enough." Aster said, pacing herself. Her hand rested lightly on the pump next to her.
"You have no idea what they are capable of Kenz." He continued on, ignoring Aster's little out burst.
"ENOUGH!" Aster couldn't get a hold of the world that was spinning around her but she decided not to let it hinder her voice. "You need to keep it the fuck down! We don't need them thinking we are bad people. We need that ride whether you want it or not." She rubbed both hands up over her face, rubbing her eyes. "Stop fighting."
After Aster had gained composure she was joined by Rick and the small woman they called Lori. Bill and Kenzi stood with Astrid, protecting her. Like they needed to. She was fine after she got over the panic. She was always fine.
"Lori." She said, sticking her hand out to shake Bill's.
"Bill, Kenzi, Aster." He motioned to his group with his eyes.
"Right. It's nice to meet you." She smiled.
"I am Rick. That man that you met before is Shane. I apologize for him, he doesn't have a switch up in there." He touched his fingers to his temple.
"S'okay." Aster muttered, were they getting thier ride? "What's the consensus?" She asked him, not wanting to shuffle around it. Pleasantries were great and all but they were loosing daylight.
"We took a vote. The group was okay with it as long as you agree to give up your weapons while you ride with us. There is no negotiation on that."
"Okay."
"No thanks." Bill interrupted Aster, "We aren't getting stuck out here without protection. It's suicide."
"We aren't stopping you from doing what you need to do. But if you come with us then you follow our rules. We are a group with women and children. Until we know we can trust you it's the only way we risk this." Rick told him.
"Fine. Kenzi lets get our stuff inside the station for the night." Bill told her, pointing to the groups bags.
"No."
"No." Zi and Aster both spoke up at the same time. "No, I am going wherever Little Ace goes. If she thinks that we have a shot then I agree." Kenzi told him. It wasn't often she stood up to him. Normally she was ignored. Aster smiled, she was proud of her. Kenzi had so much potential to be her own person.
"I'm going with you." Aster said to Rick as she pulled her weapons and handed them over. "That's everything." She told him, pulling her back pack up further onto her tired shoulders.
Bill said nothing, instead he slammed his guns down onto the pump and walked off towards his bike. Aster guessed he was coming with them.
bike. Aster guessed he was coming with them.
