Alec awoke with a vicious hangover.
The morning light filtering in through the small loft window was a blazing inferno. He groaned, covering his face as sleep slowly began to reclaim him. Suddenly, someone was shaking him.
"Wake up!"
He tried to swat the voice away but it rose in pitch. "Frankenstein dammit! My sister still hasn't come back so get your sorry ass up out of her bed!"
"Frankenstein? What are you even…?" He murmured vaguely
"Urgh I should never have let you get drunk last night!"
Suddenly it clicked. Alec shot up "What time is it?"
"It's 10am, you've been dead to the world for about 11 hours. She's still not back! Oh god what if she-" Dodge's eyes were wide, borderline panic. She was pacing back and forth in the small loft. It was obvious she had awoken in a hurry, her shirt was on inside out. Alec vaguely wondered if she was as hungover as he was.
"She's never been gone this long… its been a day and a half. I was just sitting here drinking, I thought she would be back by now, I don't even know where she is and I don't know what I would do if she got hurt, I'm the kid sister, this isn't right I-"
"Shut up"
Dodge stopped rambling and rounded on Alec, the air seemed colder all of a sudden. "Excuse me?" She hissed. Alec returned her glare, releasing an impatient sigh "calm down"
"How can I possibly calm down! My sister is-"
"Probably stuck somewhere, waiting for you to pull it together and help her sorry ass!" Alec growled, getting to his feet. Dodge bit her lip "You…you're right. She would pay me out so bad if she knew I was freaking out like this" she laughed shakily. Alec rolled his eyes "don't be so co-dependent, it's weak"
"And the weak get eaten. Gotcha" Dodge seemed to centre herself and was back to being the aloof girl he had first encountered. She grabbed a leather jacket and her first aid kit, tossing them in a beaten up duffle bag. "Woah hang on! Do you even know what you're doing?" Alec said.
Dodge didn't look up, instead she grabbed a gun, checked the chamber and grabbed another case of ammo. "She said she was heading East, there is a super-market there that looked intact it should have only taken her a few hours" She said.
"You haven't answered my question"
"I'm going to get her"
"and if she's not there?"
"Then I keep heading East, we had plans to get to Atlanta." Dodge gritted her teeth impatiently. Alec struggled to find a way to hold her back, it was a suicide mission and he knew it. "But how are you getting there? You said all the cars are trashed!" He tried to physically bar her as she walked for the door with her few possessions "let me through!" she growled. He refused to move "This is crazy! You'll be killed!"
"Yeah and what do you care?" Dodge stopped trying to get past him and glared at him. The boy actually looked intimidated "I uh… I don't hate ya, that's all" He shrugged. She laughed bitterly, successfully shrugging past him "I don't hate you either Frankenstein, and if it means anything I hope you don't die" She called over her shoulder as she dropped the ladder into the shop below.
Alec stood in the empty loft for a second; far off a walkers moan could be heard. He huffed "Fuck!", grabbing his own back he rushed after her "wait up! I'm coming!"
He caught up with her in the garage where she was loading a big black van. "But you said-" Alec started and was cut off by a laugh "I lied, couldn't have you stealing it now could we?"
Alec shook his head, incredulous "This is crazy! You're crazy!"
She grinned back "Hey! It's a crazy world!"
They worked together to load a barrel of fuel into the back of the van. Alec noticed there was already a crate of provisions and a pair of sleeping bags.
"My sister and I live in here when we're on the road" Dodge had said.
And just like that they were barrelling along a country road. It felt good to have the wind in his hair, Alec hadn't travelled by car in months. "Who fixed this?" He had tried asking her but she didn't answer, Alec could of sworn her smile slipped from her lips though.
"So do I have to keep calling you Frankenstein?" Dodge broke the silence, grinning.
"Do I have to keep calling you Dodge? My names Alec… Alec Jericho"
"Lucia Astaire" She beamed "When you meet her my sisters name is Lillian but everyone... everyone alls her Janie"
"Astaire sounds posh" Alec snorted.
"Jericho sounds fake" Lucia stuck out her tongue. Alec wondered if that was her only insult.
"Woah, look what we have here…" Lucia slowed down. Alec looked up. Ahead of them a pair of walkers were walking hand in hand down the road. One was still sporting a police uniform and cap. "How did they not eat each other?" Alec breathed, yep they were handcuffed together. If that wasn't the worst arrest ever he didn't know what was.
"Should we take em out?" Lucia looked pale. Alec was surprised, she seemed like the kind to distance herself from such things.
"Drive over them, it will save ammo" He said. Lucia looked at him, suddenly anxious "I don't know if I can…"
Alec sighed "Switch sides, I'll take care of it" She nodded, suddenly quiet.
They both hopped out of the van, Alec making sure to keep his eyes on the creatures down the road that were slowly but surely stumbling towards them. His hand itched for his gun.
Suddenly, there was a groan closer by and Lucia let out a strangled cry from the other side of the van. Alec rushed around to the other side. A child no, what had once been a child had tripped the girl and was doing its best to gnaw through her jeans. Lucia had her gun out but couldn't bring herself to shoot, without hesitation Alec drew his gun and dropped the walker at point blank range. The corpse slumped forward, dark liquid oozed out of its head, seeping into the torn denim.
Lucia was still frozen when Alec rushed forward and grabbed her roughly, staring into her face "were you bitten?"
"I… I couldn't…" Lucia was still staring at the corpse. He shook her with a growl.
"Were you bit!"
She snapped out of it "No, I'm fine" She shook her head, leaning on the van for support. Alec studied her "fine, but I'm driving from here on"
The girl nodded and wandered round to the passengers side. Alec jumped intot he drivers seat, slamming the door behind him. "How the hell have you survived so far if you can't even take out a damn walker!" as if to emphasise his point he sped up into the handcuffed walkers up the round, there was a sickening thud, Lucia winced. "I… I used to be fine with it but my brother- Michael was bitten two weeks before we got to Lawrence … I could have sworn-" She broke off shaking her head before looking at Alec "When he came back I could have sworn he recognised me. He Hesitated, Alec! He hesitated I know It!"
Alec's grip tightened on the steering wheel "They aren't people anymore Luce, whatever you saw in his eyes was hunger. Pure and simple."
Lucia's lip curled "you don't know what you're talking about"
"I know that grief can make you see things that aren't there" Alecs eyes were trained on the road.
"Don't get all superior on me! What happened back there was a fluke, I can look after myself!" She hissed.
"Sure, sure you do! One day without your sister and you become this terrified mess! If it weren't for me you would be walker chow, or worse!"
"What makes you so sure of yourself? I see you came here alone; nobody lives like that by choice. What happened? You weren't enough to protect them? I recon-"
"Shut up! Just shut up!" The van jerked violently as Alec snarled, Lucia wondered if he was going to hit her. She had touched a nerve here and instantly regretted it. Alec stayed silent and fuming the rest of the drive, not a word was said.
Lucia was so distracted by her thoughts that she almost missed the great white building looming above the trees. "Stop! This is it!" Alec looked up and swerved onto the road that would take them there. They pulled to a slow stop in the deserted parking lot. Lucia went to jump out but Alec grabbed her by the collar "wait a second!" He said quietly as she tried to protest "we need a plan"
Lucia swallowed and closed the door "You're right" Her eyes were scanning the shadows of the surrounding buildings "We can't stay here, its too exposed" Alec nodded "So… cargo bay?"
"Guess so"
They circled round to the back and parked in front of a large roller door. With a silent nod, the got out and Lucia got ready to slide it up, Alec had his gun at the ready. She counted to three and threw it up, it screeched in protest and both of them winced. It was empty inside. Lori ran back and brought the van forward, the closed the door after them to ensure a safe getaway.
They both looked towards the door into the mall. Alec swallowed hard "Anything could be in there". Lucia just bit her lip "we can take it" She started towards it.
"Look about before, I'm –"
"Don't say sorry, okay? No chick flick moments" Lucia glanced over her shoulder with a grim smile.
Alec couldn't help but grin back, there was a click as he flicked off the safety on his Colt "Okay, lets find big sis"