Alexa stirred awake at the sound of a door opening and footsteps walking in and out. She crawled out of her cot, tossed the blanket aside. Wearing an over-sized shirt and tights, she staggered passed a sleeping piglet, and out of the bedroom just as her friend was carrying in two gallons of water in each hand; kicking the door closed. Her eyes widened and stared with mouth agape at the sight of two medical kits, dozen bags of beef jerky, and dozens of canned fruit stacked on the table in the living room. "Riley?" She turned to her. "What are you doing?"

Riley, who was dressed in all black, placed the waters down with the supplies and presented them with a grin. "Ta-da! Got our supplies!" She proudly straightened up.

She rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Six."

"You got supplies at six in the morning?"

"Yep."

"Should I ask from where?"

Riley shrugged. "Nothin' special. Just won 'em fair n' square. Knocked the guy out with a right hook."

She nodded, agreeing that it was fair.

"Now, all we need is ammo and plenty of petrol and then we're good to go. Hopefully, today my mate will actually 'ave what I need this time. If so, we could leave tomorrow or Monday. I don't wanna leave any later than Tuesday, though."

For two years they joked and lightly talked about leaving the wasteland. Alexa never thought that they were actually going to do it, until a month ago when they started saving scrap like an obsession. It was an obsession. Riley's obsession. Alexa thought it was crazy, but like partners in the ring, they fight together with each other at their backs. However, unlike in the ring, the idea could be an absolute failure and there won't be a rematch. They'll keep fighting once they are out of the wasteland, then it would be a giant question mark from there. Riley goes back to Australia and Alexa's left to wonder busy streets alone? The only difference is that she would be in civilization and she actually has a roof over her head here.

Riley carefully approached her. "Lexi?"

"Do you…think it'll really work?" She folded her arms, looking up at her friend.

"We'll try." She rubbed the back of her neck. "At least die tryin'."

She slowly adverted her gaze.

"Oi, you aren't gettin' cold feet, 're ya?" Riley nervously chuckled.

She shook her head. "No. I just never been outside. I'm used to anarchical rules. I'm used to surviving. I'm used to…this." She gestured to the broken house that had cracks in the ceiling and was pretty sure a mutated rat was living somewhere in the attic. "I never even knew it was possible for rain to be clean. What if…I don't fit it?" She slowly bowed her head.

Riley placed her hands on Alexa's shoulders, making her look up at her friend. "No one fits in. I know you're gonna do what ya always did: kick ass. Things will be awkward at first. You will 'ave to learn finical stuff and get identification and all that fancy stuff, but you will fine." Riley beamed. "I'll help ya! Well," her smile faltered, "I may deported back to Straya, but…." She beamed with shining, amber eyes. "But you'll be okay! You're a survivor!"

If growing up in the wasteland taught her anything, it was survival and Alexa Bliss was not going to die as a wastelander. Her foreign friend taught her that despite being away from Australia, she will always be an Australian. Alexa was always going to be a wastelander at heart, but that was just the fuel to her fire. Riley told her stories about civilization and showed her own identification cards to prepare her for culture shock. Things were soft and fluffy like beds and pillows with guaranteed running water. People were unaware of the sufferings of the irradiated corner of North America and those who were could do nothing about it. When the massive plant blew, Peace Corps and other organizations tried to help get people out, but the lawless quickly took over and made it clear to everyone that help was going to be unwelcome. Military had arrived in the early years, but the lawless and radioactivity made it challenging. Eventually, the Irradiation Border was made and guarded. No one came in, no one came out. That was going to be challenge to get passed, but that was something to be worried about later.

Alexa took a breath with a curt nod. "You're right. I am a survivor."

She put her hands on her waist with a grin. "Too right! Oh, we're goin' to the gym today, yeah?

"Yeah. Why?"

"Just thinkin' of a time to set for the meetin'. "

Alexa took a breath. "Well, I'm awake."

Riley lamely chucked, rubbing the back of her neck. "Sorry 'bout that, mate. I was tryin' to be quiet."

Alexa waved a hand. "It's fine. Oh, where am I going to be when this little meeting happens?"

"Asleep." She playfully smiled. "Naw, I was hopin' for the afternoon today."

"Can I tag along, then?" She looked at her, crossing her arms. "I really don't a repeat of yesterday."

She meekly rubbed her neck. "Yeah…'course. But first: the gym?"

"The gym."

It was noon when the Alexa entered the gym with her backpack slung over her shoulder. Riley was busy arranging the meeting with her "friend" for later on today, so in the meantime, Alexa was going to warm up. She walked to their usual corner on the left of the building, passed the ring by the punching bags. She tossed her backpack down against the wall, sat down, opened the backpack, and removed a bundle of hand wrappings.

"I don't care!" Maco shouted from the hall.

She stared at the hall, slowly unrolling the wrapping.

"Just put the Hardys in their place! I don't want you to injure them because then who knows how long they will be gone for again. I'll pay them extra for them to lose. Just beat the hell out of them without sending them to the medic. Got it?"

If there was a response, she couldn't hear it.

"Yes! A clear sign that if they screw up just once there will be no second chance. Make. Them. Pay."

Unable to make out what was being said, her eyes darted around, wondering if she should pretend not to hear anything or not. Then footsteps walked down the hall, earning her attention.

A large, bald man wearing all black stepped out of the hall with his gaze locked ahead of himself as he walked out of the gym.

She swallowed, whispering, "Kane." Once the Red Machine left, she glared at the hall, stood up, and walked to the boss's office. She lightly knocked on the open door.

Macowitts raised his head from paperwork at his desk. "What do you want?"

"The Boyz are going to fight Kane in a rigged match?" Her voice was low, trying to wrap her head around what she had heard as she slowly entered the office.

the boss leaned back in his chair with arms crossed. "What's it to you?"

"You're going to punish them!"

"So?"

Her brows furrowed. "This is their comeback!"

"Comeback was last night."

"I don't know what they did to piss you off, but this isn't right. I heard everything! You want Kane to give them a sign– No. A warning– so they don't screw up again? What the hell, Jon?"

The boss rose to his feet. "Bliss. Sweetie–"

"Don't call me 'sweetie.'"

Macowitts raised a hand with a slight bow of the head as a silent apology, then looked back in her eyes, planting his hands on his desk and leaned over. "I. Don't. Care. I already told Kane who he's up against for Monday. It's a done deal. Now, I just need to get the message to the Boyz to not screw with me again. That's all I want."

Alexa stared at him, trying to question his state of mind. "What could they have possibly done to deserve this? Because they left? Is that it? So, if Riley and I walked out right now and decide to come back–"

"Jeff was starting to be a no-show," he snarled. "Missing fights, disappearing. The people were not happy. I was not happy. Even Matt didn't know where the hell he was. Then finally he shows up with pupils blown." He cocked his head with unamused narrowed eyes. "I don't care about that. It's the wasteland. Drugs are a one of the few escapes for people in this place, but the fact he was wasting my scrap and the peoples' time and scrap, he was done. Matt left to help him." He roughy pushed himself off the table, standing up straight. "That's why I'm pissed."

She heard there was something going on with the youngest brother, but wasteland news traveled rather slow and shady business was everywhere. None of it was a surprise. "And now…you're punishing them…for coming back." She tilted her head, furrowing her brows. "Does any of this makes sense to you?"

"I'm testing them if they are serious," he growled. "Your wording is incorrect."

"Testing them about what?" Her voice raised. "They want another chance and you're having them go up against a rigged match to lose just so they could get their asses kicked without sending them to a medic! This isn't a test, Jonathan! You know they are going to get thrashed! They may not end up in the medic, but they will be an inch close to the medic's door and you know it. This isn't a test!"

The boss deeply inhaled, planting his hands back on the desk with his head bowed. "For ten years those two worked for me. When I thought for sure Jeff was going to break his spine, he'd get up. When I thought for sure Matt was going to walk away from his brother at the end, he went with him. When they walked into my gym the other day, I thought it was a joke. It wasn't. They wanted to come back. Not only that, but Jeff was clean. Clean!" He humorously chuckled. "I never heard of anyone getting clean in this damn place. Even in his lowest point, he just keeps getting. Back. Up and Matt is always right there with him." He looked her in the eye. "You are right. I know for a fact that even if they are broken and bloody, Jeff will climb back up with his brother helping him to his feet. I'm not just angry about them leaving or the drugs. I am upset that they keep getting back up. Jeff always fought like each match was his last. I thought I finally saw his last three years ago."

Alexa uneasily watched the man bow his head again and take a breath.

"It's Los Diablos. If this was Los Angeles, all of you in that damn stadium would have a shot of true success. You would be fighting for fame and fortune, not for scrap and protection. Jeff was one of the best wrestlers I ever had and when he started cocaine, I wasn't surprised. The wasteland gets to everyone somehow and someway. When he got back to his feet," his fingers curled against the desk, "I wanted to prove that someone like Jeff goddamn Hardy will break somehow, someway and that someone as loyal as his brother will eventually walk away. My jaw nearly dropped when I saw them both walk in and now…Jeff is clean. I don't know how the hell he did it. I would have placed scrap down that he would have been dead within a year after he walked out."

"You want them to break?" she whispered, taking a slow step back.

He raised his gaze to her and it was like staring into an icy void. "Every. One. Breaks."

Alexa swallowed, fingers twitching.

"And you, Alexa Bliss. So sweet. Kind. Smiling at everyone in this hellhole of a city full of devils. How can you do it?" His voice was empty as if he has always been trying find an answer to a riddle. "I always thought you were either naïve or just plain stupid, but no, it's your personality. So…blissful. How the hell can you be so goddamn happy and nice in this hellhole of a life where your career has no purpose?"

She leaped over the desk and tackled him onto the floor, knocking the chair over. She grabbed his shirt and rapidly punched his head as he feebly tried to defend himself. She locked on to the small chair, wishing it was metal. Looking around the office, she remembered his tool drawer. She opened the left, bottom drawer of the desk to miscellaneous tools that he used around the gym. Picking up a wrench, she grabbed the man's leg, and started slammed the the head of the wrench onto the knee.

He was screaming, begging to her to stop with every strike.

"Alexa!"

Alexa felt arms wrap around her waist, dragging her off the crying, bleeding man. She useless flailed; dropping the wrench. "That was for all four of us, you piece of shit!" She was hauled out of the office. Once they were out of the hall, she was released and raised her hands in surrender.

Riley darted to the corner, returned with their backpacks, and lead Alexa out of the gym.

Once they were outside, Riley stopped in her tracks, staring at her with confused anger. "What the hell was that?"

"He deserved it!"

"Explain it to me!"

"He wants to break them!" She didn't care if the whole city could hear her scream. "He's tired of Jeff getting up from fights and angry that he became clean! He even said that he would have betted scrap that Jeff was going to die when he left! He wants Matt to turn his back on Jeff! He wants the strong to break and the loyal to betray! He's irritated at the fact that I'm nice and happy all the time and asked how can I be like that in the situation that I live? He says our careers have no purpose and thats not all! Their next match was with Kane. It sounded like he was going to make it rigged so that he won, but he wanted Kane to really hurt the Boyz. He wanted them to be punished for leaving! That's how this whole thing started!" She roughly rubbed tears away.

Riley stared. "That's…messed up. That's…." She scratched the back of her head. "Struth. I knew Maco was a stickler, but I never would've thought the drongo was that twisted. I walked in and just heard screamin'. I thought he being murdered or something."

Alexa looked away. "I just wanted to break his leg…."

"I think ya bloody succeeded with that! A wrench?"

"He wanted Jeff and Matt to get hurt just enough where they were an inch to the medic's door," she grumbled.

"Bloody hell," Riley whispered. "Listen, Lex. We're the Sanguine Wanderers, yeah?

She subtly nodded, dropping her gaze to her sneakers. "Yeah…."

"That means we keep positivity despite the tough situations. We're the Sanguine Wanderers because no matter how shitty things get, we will prosper. You will not break. You are bliss." She placed her hands on Alexa's shoulders, earning the smaller woman's attention. "You keep being bliss, ya hear me?"

Alexa nodded. "I promise."

"Good."

"We're going to kick ass in society, right?"

She faintly smiled. "Like we do in the ring." She placed her hands on her hips. "Now, I think ya saved the Boyz's bloody lives, but right now, let's get outta 'ere. I'm sick of seein' this place." She removed the keys from Alexa's backpack, handed them to her, and they hurried to the nearby Buick.

"You're not going to check on Maco?"

"Naw. He wanted to send the Boyz to the medic without sendin' 'em to the medic, so I did the same for 'im."

Alexa hopped in the driver's side as her friend was in the passenger, once the doors were closed, she put the key in the ignition.

"The more I think about," Riley lowly began, "the angrier I get."

She looked at her.

Her amber eyes flared like fire. "He wants Jeff to either die as junkie or to give up; Matt to abandon his brother; and you to be a miserable thing. He deserved everything you gave 'im. I'm sorry I stopped ya."

"We are going to be okay. We aren't broken and neither are the Boyz."

"Yeah," she spat. "The only thing keepin' me bloody sane is goin' home. I was an idiot." She bowed her head; removing the necklace from under her shit, roughly fiddling with the ring. "I was so stupid to come 'ere and tryin' to save that drongo."

"You tried," Alexa whispered.

"'Tryin' didn't save my brother from blowin' his brains out," she seethed. "Maco thinks he's the only one who suffered? We all suffered and I was in Australia! He's angry at Jeff 'cause he isn't a druggie. He's angry at Matt for stayin' at his brother's side. He's mad at you for being nice. I get that he lost his managin' career and whatever else he had in the Blast, but we lost shit, too. We lost people, too! We all lost bloody something!"

Tears silently rolled down Alexa's face, making her look ahead of herself to the gym. She buckled up and reversed the car.