Once again thank you for the kind reviews! This chapter is a mixture of POVs obviously. R&R and as always enjoy!
Nick's eyes studied intensely the way his group and his wife's—ex-wife's—group interacted with each other. Coach and the white man (who looked to be one of those asshole sheriffs or something) talked and even gave chuckles here and there. Nick knew though that Doc was a cop, and boy he didn't like cops.
Next he studied the way Ellis and his buddy interacted, the mechanic playfully socked Keith's arm while telling a ridiculous story. The way they laughed and looked so happy to just be reunited, it bugged him more than anything. Nobody should be happy during this shitty apocalypse. But still, they remained jovial as best friends should be. Next his green eyes snapped to Rochelle and the asshole felon who were busy make some successful minimal small talk; Mike had kept his expressions in check by listening to Rochelle talk. Nick had noticed the way his brow creased and the way his lips turned into a firm line as he continued to listen, the gambler would bet big money that this guy was a womanizer too.
He suddenly jerked back which resulted in him banging the back of his head against the wall, the conman held his head in pain as he looked up and saw Isabelle continuing her work on him. He found himself staring up and eyeing her as though it was the first time he had met the woman; truth be told, it had been two weeks since he had seen her.
And up until now…he had thought she didn't make it.
Nick studied Isabelle's face as she worked at a steady and leisurely pace; using the cotton swab to wipe away the excess blood, taking the tape up to her thin pink un-glossed lips as her teeth ripped into it, and finally taking the time to wrap the nasty wound with her delicate hands. This conman's type was usually the ones who wore too much make up and dyed their hair constantly; as a matter of fact, it was when Nick first met Isabelle that he decided to abandon his preferred types and try a nice girl for a change.
And he loved his decision then.
"I got the bleeding under control," Isabelle said as though she was talking with a regular patient and not her husband…ex-husband. "The wound is deep but not too deep, I managed to clean it thoroughly removing any trace of possible infection." By this time everyone was looking at her and Nick, which caused him to look back at them.
"Nice work Overbeck," Doc praised while using her maiden name, since that's all she gave them. Nick frowned at the name Doc used instead of his own surname; she was serious about this divorce.
"Hey, he looks as good as new," Keith offered in more appraisement.
"Yeah, Nick how do ya feel?" Ellis asked him.
Nick grabbed his blue dress shirt from the side where Isabelle had tossed it before shrugging it back on and beginning to button it up, "Super." His tone was filled with no true praise, Isabelle was used to it but someone else was bothered.
"Give her more credit than that," Mike snapped at him which caused everyone to grow quiet. "She fixed you up damn good; in fact you would've bled out if it wasn't for her."
"Mike-" Isabelle began but her husband cut her off curtly.
Nick rose to his feet, swaying a bit back and forth from the amount of blood he had lost on the walk over here. He steadied himself against the graffiti ridden wall before eyeing his gaze with the criminal's similar ones, "Listen buddy," Ellis face mirrored Keith's as they both had frozen looks of 'oh shit' on their young handsome faces. "You weren't married to her for three years straight, and whatever words I exchange with my wife-"
"--Ex-wife--"
"-is none of your goddamn business. So, fuck off." He finished as though the two were holding a regular conversation between acquaintances.
Mike smirked dangerously before running his tongue over his lower lip; Nick's words didn't intimidate the man. Then again, he was a criminal who bad-mouthed to his cellmate who was twice his size. Needless to say, that's what kept him away from the prisoners who wanted to get cozy with him during the nighttimes.
"Doesn't mean you should treat her like crap, we're in a zombie apocalypse now and she's the only trained medic," Mike stood to come face to face with conman. "Looks like we're gonna have problems mate."
"Yeah tell me about it," Nick grumbled. "Mind stepping back a couple of feet Watson?"
"Would you mind my converse up your ass?"
Ellis whistled out while peering over at Isabelle for the first time. His blue eyes eyed her from head to toe in a courteous way while taking in her appearance for the first time, "So, she's your ex-wife Nick? The one who you said sounds like that crying girl? I don't know what you were thinkin', she's prettier than that zombie."
'Fuckin' Overalls,' Nick thought bitterly while peering out of his peripheral vision to look at Isabelle. 'Forget your stupid friend, I'm gonna wring your neck.'
Isabelle had firmly folded her light skinned arms over her chest while glaring at him with that same look she gave him every time he messed up. He then heard a snicker which he automatically pinpointed came from Mike. "I'm a Witch then?"
"I didn't know you were alive."
"Oh how convenient," she spat as a heavy hand gripped Isabelle's shoulder, she turned and noticed Doc was now standing behind her. His eyes were peering into her blue ones, and then his eyes zoomed over to Nick.
"Mister, if we're gonna work together to survive this we need to put our differences aside for a moment. That means treating everyone with respect, now before you disagree I know your kind. Hell, Mike is just like you--"
Said man snorted as Nick rolled his eyes, "Don't go comparing me to this shitty con artist."
"Goddamn it Michael what did I just get through saying?!"
"Play nice or no snack time."
"Doc," Isabelle said gently before giving a pat on his jacket covered arm. "It's all good. Really, your right we should just get along."
"I like the way this man thinks," Coach agreed as he shifted his stare towards Nick. "Nick, stop with your bullshit."
"Go eat a cheeseburger."
"It's alright Coach, looks like we both have our smartasses to smack around." Doc said before retracting his hand back. "Shall we get going then?"
"Let's do it Doc," Keith agreed while clipping a pipe bomb he had come across in the safe room to his belt. "I'm eager as ever to get on outta here, whaddya say Ellis?"
"Let's do it brother!" the kid exclaimed before he unlocked the safe room door leading inside the mall.
Coach and Doc took the front lines as Keith and Ellis followed behind them closely, they searched the abandoned first floor before signaling to the rest that it was clear. Michael looked back at Isabelle before turning forward and walking out, Rochelle followed soon after.
Nick remained where he was before grabbing his stained white jacket and throwing it on, he carefully maneuvered his injured side into it before fixing it. He wanted to talk to Isabelle, he wanted to straight out any misunderstandings but he knew that she wouldn't give him that chance. Isabelle joined Keith's side in an instant as he was the last to leave.
"Hey Ellis."
"Uh–huh?"
"Wasn't Jimmy Gibbs Jr. scheduled to be here? Or was it just his car?"
"…I dunno, I'm pretty sure it was probably just his car though. Mr. Gibbs is a busy man ya know."
"I wouldn't doubt that, what I would give to drive his car."
"I hear ya brother." Ellis quickly agreed as he lifted his arm and shot down a lone zombie.
Isabelle remained sandwiched between the two friends to prevent Nick from talking to her; she knew he wanted to. She climbed the escalator steps that had stopped mid way from operating, out of her peripheral vision she was able to make out Nick trying to step ahead of Keith.
Well, he wasn't gonna try and talk with her. She was done.
"Doc," she called out as she jogged up ahead of Ellis and Rochelle before landing by the older man's side. "You know your way around Georgia don't you?"
Doc peered at her as they climbed the top of an abandoned department store, "Not really. As soon as we leave, Keith is gonna have to lead."
"You can count on me guys!" said youngster called from behind her and Doc. "I know Georgia like the back of my hand, I can guarantee that I will lead us out of this mess."
"I know you will son," Doc responded with a small smile. "How about leading us through this mall first?"
"Oh you got it sir," Keith turned back to Ellis. "Come on Ellis, let's lead."
"You got it!" Ellis answered before Isabelle stopped the young man.
"You don't mind if I take lead with you two do you?" she asked with an innocent smile framing her un-glossed lips.
The kid gave her a big grin, "Not at all. No sir-e ma'am, you can stick with us."
"You can call me Izzy." She urged while following him and Keith.
"Forget it mate," Nick resisted the urge to shoot the man who had said that. He turned anyways however and spotted Mike coming along and matching his strides in perfect cadence. "Izzy doesn't want to talk."
"You know her that well?" Nick challenged.
"Well, I know her well enough to tell when she's upset," he answered while casting a sly mocking glance Nick's way. "I pissed her off more times than probably you have in your marriage."
'Oh you're so wrong.'
Turning away from Mike he looked ahead and stared as Isabelle walked in between the two boys; as much as Nick hated to agree with anyone, let alone Mike, he knew the guy was right. Isabelle was pissed with him, he was lucky enough to get her to patch him up correctly but something deep inside his gut told him that she wouldn't be offering any more words to him.
Nick had messed up that bad.
It wasn't just the fact that he had skipped out on her with the divorce papers, refusing to let her go; it was the fact that before this, he didn't take his marriage with her seriously. So, the once lively and gentle hearted person he had married was gone, and in her place was the person he had slowly and unknowingly molded into the woman she was today. This Isabelle was cold, offered few words, and was spiteful to anyone immediately who rubbed her the wrong way.
He had gone against his vows, he had lied about most things, and he had emotionally neglected her. In fact, at one point he had gotten so sick of her trying to tell him what to do that he snapped at her. He got ugly with her and showed her his side that was rarely seen; a side he didn't know existed until Isabelle had pushed his limits.
He was slowly being dragged away, even looking ahead now it seemed that Mike and the group were a ways ahead of him blasting zombies here and there.
Nick shuddered suddenly feeling sickened; it was then that he felt something wet and slimy wrap around his midsection. Before he could give out a call to warn his party, that same appendage slapped itself over his mouth silencing him from alerting them.
Keith quietly wondered why Isabelle had suddenly remained quiet.
Upon first meeting the woman back in the zombie ridden park, she seemed to close herself off and offered him her cold exterior. But when he began making small talk with her she opened up and showed him who she truly was, thus bringing the duo closer to one another.
Even now he knew that he had slightly been ignoring her since he met up with Ellis and his mind became heavy with guilt. Isabelle liked Doc but he was a man of few words who only voiced up when it concerned either of them, and Michael…he was a sarcastic jailbird who only wanted to get out of 'Hickville' or make their situation worse. Either way Isabelle didn't like him as much as Keith.
So turning to the girl, he had the question on his tongue.
"So, Izzy…how did ya'll meet up?" Ellis asked as Keith quickly closed his mouth to prevent him from looking dumb.
She shot a small smile Ellis's way before looking ahead and watching her steps as she stepped down an escalator, "Keith and I met at the park; I swear to you that he jumped out of a helicopter and landed on a pile of zombies that were close to tearing me limb from limb."
"This is definitely goin' to get added to the list of your amazing stories Keith." Ellis said while glancing at his best friend. Keith only nodded dumbfounded before stepping off the escalator.
"Nick is gone!" Rochelle shouted as the three turned back quickly to find Rochelle, Doc, and Coach looking back up at the escalator they had climbed down. Panic increased the flow of Keith's adrenaline as he suddenly whipped his attention back in front of them, the movement could've caused a serious whiplash, but if it did Keith wasn't paying attention.
A horde of infected was rushing towards them at increasing speeds, knocking over the tables and chairs of the food court while tumbling over each other at a desperate attempt to reach the survivors. Keith quickly took aim and fired as Mike joined him with his rifle.
"Oh man, oh man, this is bad."
"Nick!" Coach called but when the conman didn't respond back, worry strained his features.
Keith made sure to shoot the infected down, but as each one fell more just came and took their place. It was becoming overwhelming and he and Mike weren't cutting it.
"Ya'll!" He shouted as his southern voice claimed their attention. "We need help!"
Despite Ellis's worry for the older man, he took right flank beside Mike and aimed with his sniper as he took assault. Doc gave a loud 'shit' before taking Keith's left and joining in on the assault on the horde, Rochelle and Coach watched the top level reluctantly as a Jockey's maniacal laugh could be heard along with the hacking of a smoker nearby.
The young guide turned to make sure Isabelle was holding her own but as he quickly turned and looks—he found her no longer there.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid Nicolas!" Isabelle shouted frantically while shoving some stray zombies away with the butt of her shotgun. She rolled under the half closed gate before tripping on her feet and falling on her hands and knees on the ground. Looking back she gave a disgusted look at the strewn about mutilated corpses that were there before taking up her run again.
When had she been this scared?
This wasn't the same kind of fear that she was having for not knowing of Jesse's or her grandfather's well being. It wasn't the fear she felt when her parents never came home that night, even though it turned out that they had died that night. It was a different type of fear for him, one she hadn't felt for awhile.
In comparison it was the fear she had felt when the loan sharks came knocking on her door, stormed through their home, grabbed Nicolas, and left. She remembered lying in wait for five hours straight not knowing if he was dead or alive; then when he came home, Isabelle saw the defeated look on his features.
As Isabelle ran in a desperate struggle to find him, she almost ignored the hacking sound. Her arms whipped to the right and in the shadows she found the Smoker about ready to slash at her husband. Raising the shotgun up to shoulder level she slid the pump once as an empty shell fell out, she took aim and fired as the loud blast rocked her ear drums.
The first one barreled itself into the smoker's tongue releasing Nicolas in the process, Isabelle slid the pump once more as she aimed and shot at the head. The blast embedded itself in its head as it vanished leaving a cloud of heavy green smoke.
Nicolas was on his knees coughing and hacking as the toxic air began to fill his lungs and air passages, he coughed again before looking up and spotting her. A look of relief mixed in with slight irritation created a mask together on the conman's rough face before he looked away, "Thanks."
"Don't mention it." She answered still upset with him over their past issues. Nicolas rose to his feet as he straightened out his suit and began to walk over to her, tearing her gaze from him she motioned to her left with the shotgun. "There's a submachine gun lying over there, hurry up we have to catch up."
"Isabelle, wait." He said more loudly but instead of answering him, she did an about face and began walking back towards the food court."I said wait goddammit!"
"What for?" she stopped abruptly while turning her head to look back at him. "There's nothing to say, you were done with me the day you took off without a word."
"How can we work together with the team if we're acting like assholes towards each other?" Nicolas had the nerve to try and make amends? Now out of all times?
Isabelle shook her head before turning forward, "You figure it out."
There was a hidden message in her words, letting him know that if he wanted to resolve their issues with her then he had better save it.
She was done.
