Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Please don't sue me.
Rating:T
Chapter 7-
Alice fell from the ventilation grate, landing on the white tiles beneath her gracefully. She glanced around her new surroundings, finding that the corridor she had entered was completely white save for the umbrella logo on the floor a few yards ahead of her.
The blonde took a few hesitant steps forward, her boot-tread felt awkward and uneven with each step from where the Queen's defense system lasers had sliced the very bottom section of the rubber off.
'Better than a bloody stub,' Alice mused silently to herself.
The blonde came to a metal gurney sitting in the middle of the walkway. Blue eyes followed the hall forward and rested on a particular area of the floor. She raised a slender eyebrow and planted a booted foot firmly on one of the gurneys bars. With a strong shove, Alice propelled the bed forward and within moments it was a hairs width past the spot on the floor Alice had been observing. Without missing a beat, a large guillotine-like blade jutted up from the floor, slicing the gurney in two.
Alice let out a steady breath and continued forward, well aware that each step was a potential trap.
'I need to arm myself. A gun, a knife, hell, even a stick would be better than nothing at this point.'
Alice cautiously stepped over the area where the first trap had sprung. With her focus occupied on that however, she had failed to notice her boot barely landing on the umbrella logo in the center of the floor. A clicking sound caught Alice's attention immediately as the center of the logo raised from the floor.
"Shit."
Alice dove forward. She knew of these traps, it was one of the perks of being a security expert, she knew defense systems like the back of her hand. She even helped design a few of them at times, but she never thought she'd have to go up against any of them.
As the device fired Alice ducked and rolled forward, barely missing the rounds being shot around the circumference of the room. The blonde hit the floor with a painful 'thud' just as the trap lowered back to the floor. She quickly climbed back to her feet, glaring at the logo venomously.
'What the hell is this?'
Alice's eye glanced over at the remains of the halved gurney; she walked over to it and examined the broken object with a careful eye. She leaned down and picked up one of the halves and glanced over it briefly. Alice gave it consideration, glanced over at the nearest wall and took a deep breath before raising the object and slamming it against the pristine white surface with incredible force. The reverberation stung all the way up her forearms, but she went and swung again and again until two short poles from the side broke free from the gurney and clattered to the floor.
Alice tossed what was left in her hands off to the side and knelt down to retrieve her makeshift batons. The poles were hollow and light, but sturdy.
"It's a start." Alice concluded lowly, tightening her hold on the cold metal in her palms. Feeling slightly more confident with the weapons at her side, Alice looked up and glanced around. There were three different hallways to go down. Deciding quickly, Alice set out down the corridor to the far left, figuring it to be as good as any.
She had gotten a ways down the silent walkway when a sharp turn came up ahead of her to the left. Alice turned the corner, barley having time to react as a pair of gloved hands lunged for the blonde's throat. She side stepped just in time to stumble backwards and gawk at the inky-black eyes of her attacker.
The man was massive, clad in a pale blue jumpsuit. The harsh fluorescent light of the hallway gave the man's skin a sickly, yellowish hue, accentuating his dark eyes and rotting, cracked teeth. The figure snarled and lunged at Alice a second time, gnashing his teeth hungrily as her continued his pursuit.
Alice easily evaded the man's grabby hands again and dropped to the floor, shooting her leg out and knocked her attacker on his back. He fell to the tiled floor like a bag of rocks, causing the walls to shake from the force though the man seemed unfazed by the attack. However, the short moment gave Alice just the right amount of time to get back to her feet, grab one of the man's cold, clammy wrists and plant a booted foot on the man's chin.
With one quick motion, Alice pulled the arm she held while forcing the man's head in the opposite direction and within moments she felt a muted 'pop' on the bottom of her foot through the soles of her boot as she snapped his neck. The man fell back onto the tile floor, lifeless; allowing Alice a better look at her assailant.
"What the hell…" Alice whispered as she studied the man's sunken cheeks and pallid complexion. His skin hung sluggishly from his skull as if it were moments from completely slipping off his face like silly putty into a shapeless blob on the floor. The man looked starved, jaundiced and crazed, as if he were a corpse long before Alice had finished him off.
Alice grimaced, and took a few steps back before turning and making her way down the corridor again. She was pretty confident that the new angle to the man's spinal column was enough to keep him down for good.
She made her way past a few more curves in the hallway when a metal door came into view up ahead. Alice slowed her pace and adjusted her grip on the pipes in her hands. She took a few more steps forward and swung her foot forward, slamming it into the solid door. The door swung open with surprising ease to reveal a room filled with monitors and science equipment. Alice's eyes widened.
"Was that really necessary?" a voice came from behind her.
Alice jumped and spun around just in time to catch a glimpse of a smirking blonde woman clutching an industrial strength stun gun. There was a brief flash of agony as the current rippled through Alice's form.
And then there was darkness.
Claire tore her eyes from the road briefly as she hit a small pothole, causing the fuel truck to shake. Her gaze fell on Alice who was leaning against the door, dozing lightly. K-Mart sat between them, settled against Alice's shoulder napping as well. Both of their faces adorned looks of peace and contentment, despite the danger they were currently sprinting towards.
Just hours previously, Carlos, Mikey, Rebecca, Alice and Claire had all grouped together to discuss their next plan of action. It was then that Alice had brought up the journal she had found. The blonde had already mentioned it to Claire the previous night and spoken about it at length. All that was left after that was to convince the others and figure out what to do about their fuel problem. Eventually it all fell on a group vote. And after wandering the desert for years, everyone was willing to risk everything for a slim chance of hope. However slim it may be, it seemed Alaska was the beacon to follow. With that out of the way, all that was left was one thing.
"Vegas," Claire had said in exasperation as Carlos and Mikey poured over a worn map, unsuccessfully searching for a fuel source. The two men looked at her like she'd just clucked like a chicken.
"It's the only area that is sure to have the fuel and supplies we need." Claire concluded, though she was well aware of just how crazy the idea was.
"Yeah, there's a reason for that. Vegas is too damn dangerous." Carlos said incredulously.
"She's right," Alice said looking between the redhead and the ex-soldier. "Vegas is our best bet."
Carlos folded the up the map and ran a hand through his hair, looking pensive before sighing in resignation. He knew the two had a point.
"Alright." He said, shaking his head. "Vegas it is."
The truck ran over another pothole, shaking Alice from the haze of sleep she had been drifting in and out of for the past hour or so. She tried sitting up slightly when she noticed an unfamiliar weight resting on her shoulder. She looked down to see K-Mart using her as a pillow.
"Get some sleep?" Claire asked from the driver's seat. Alice moved her eyes to rest on the redhead.
"Not quite." Alice said through a groggy smile. "You want to trade off. Let me take the wheel for a bit?" The blonde offered. Claire shook her head and remained silent. Though the redhead's eyes were hidden behind her dark sunglasses Alice could practically feel the apprehension coming off the convoy leader in waves. The blonde looked over at the redhead's hands grasping the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles were turning white.
It was an understatement to say Claire was anxious as they drew nearer and nearer to Vegas. They were putting dozens of lives at risk, lives that Claire promised to protect. And right now they were going straight towards almost certain danger.
Careful not to wake the sleeping teenager at her side, Alice gently slipped her left hand free from underneath the blonde and let the girl fall into the crook of her arm. K-Mart, completely undisturbed by the movement, went on sleeping oblivious to the outside world.
Alice tentatively reached forward and placed a comforting hand on Claire's thigh. She wasn't expecting her to respond to the touch, so it surprised her when one of the redhead's hands loosened from the steering wheel and found its way into Alice's, threading their fingers together tightly. Alice squeezed her hand reassuringly.
She wished she could say something along the lines of 'everything will be fine' or 'there's nothing to worry about' but they'd both know it'd be a lie.
Up in the distance a large green sign came into view, Claire leaned forward, squinting to read it more clearly. Alice, however, could see the white print as clear as day.
Las Vegas 25 miles
To be continued….
A/N: Okay, so I'm going to give a quick heads up about the next chapter, because I want to hear what you guys want. There will be at LEAST 3 deaths next chapter (as in supporting/main characters) I want you guys to tell me who you want to live or die, it can be anyone. Mikey,LJ,Carlos,K-Mart,Rebecca. It can even be Alice or Claire if you want...though that would make writing this story a bit difficult...sooo...yeah.
As for this chapter, my apologize that it was a bit slow, I'll make sure the next one makes up for it. Let me know what you think, love it? Hate it? Which characters will live to see chapter 9? Let me know!
