Javier watched as Gabriel climbed over a pile of trash and rusted metal. He was, thankfully, using a ladder, but even then, the ladder wasn't tall enough to get him fully over the pile.
However, Gabriel was careful when he climbed- He hopped down, landing gracefully on the other side. Javier followed as Gabriel pressed on.
The dirt path was wide enough where two people could walk side by side comfortably. On his left and right, there were mounds of rusted metal, as well as other junk.
Guess that's why they call it a junkyard.
The piles of metal and trash that towered over Javier made him feel a little bit claustrophobic, but in hindsight, it was good that they were there- as far as he could see, there weren't any muertos on the path.
"Gabe," Javier called out softly. "Stay behind me."
"I know what i'm doing." Gabriel replied flatly.
"I never said you didn't, I just want to make sure you'll have time to get away if something jumps out at us."
Gabriel's face melted into a look of understanding and he stopped, allowing Javier to pass him. Then, he resumed.
The night was eerily silent, which sent chills down Javier's spine. The path began to curve left, and when they walked around the curve, Javier was surprised to see a wooden portable home.
"How'd that get here?" Javier wondered aloud. Gabriel walked around to stand on Javier's right side, peering at the mobile home cautiously.
"It was probably here before all of this other garbage." Gabriel said with a shrug.
"Probably... Watch my back, i'm going in." Javier whispered, crouching down a bit. Gabriel nodded and turned, looking out at the path. Javier crept up to the white door with chipped paint on it. He tried the door and felt his heart sink when he discovered that it was locked.
"The board," Gabriel spoke up. "I think I can see a hole behind it."
Javier leaned around the corner of the house and hummed in satisfaction when he saw that Gabriel was, in fact, right. Javier stepped away from the door and rounded the corner, moving a sheet of scrap metal.
"Good job, buddy," Javier praised, earning a small, proud smile from Gabriel.
Javier kneeled down and crawled through the hole on the bottom of the house. There was seldom any grass below the house, but above him, there was a trapdoor.
Javier smirked and crept towards it, taking a deep breath. Once he was below it, he carefully pushed up, finding that it opened with no resistance. He peeked through the crack into the house, and to his relief, it was deserted.
He stood up straight, climbing into the house. The floor was a black and white checker pattern, with a small white table beneath the window on Javier's left. To his right, there were a few off-white cabinets, and ahead of him was a metal shelf with assortment of food. Javier couldn't help but to smile victoriously to himself; they'd hit the jackpot.
Javier turned, opening the door from the inside. "Gabe, go get Mari and Kate! They need to see this!" Javier called out. Gabriel looked at him with curiosity before obeying, getting up and leaving.
A few moments later, Gabriel walked in, looking around with a bored look on his face. Mariana followed, and then Kate came in, each inspecting the place with anxious looks on their faces. Gabriel looked over at the metal shelf, and then his eyes went wide. He darted over, picking up two small plastic cups with cream-colored contents in here.
"Pudding!" He exclaimed happily. "They have honest to god, pudding!" He said, turning and darting over to Mariana. He gave her a cup of pudding, a huge grin on his face. Javier couldn't help but to smile at his niece and nephew.
"I don't know..." Kate said anxiously, eyeing the place fearfully. "This seems suspicious. We should just take our gas and leave."
"What?!" Gabriel exclaimed, rounding on Kate. "We should stay here! There's food, walls, a bed-"
"Someone else's food. Someone else's walls... Someone else's bed... We should leave."
"Javi!" Gabriel said, looking at Javier with pleading eyes.
"Sleeping on a mattress does beat sleeping in the van..." Mariana said carefully.
"Kids, go wild. You've deserved it." Javier said with a smirk, putting his hands on his hips. They both cheered and zoomed past Javier, digging in. Kate huffed and went outside. Javier rolled his eyes at her behavior, but nevertheless, he followed her out there.
"We should've left." Kate said almost as soon as Javier got outside.
"Hey, if it makes you feel better, we'll pack up and leave tomorrow morning." Javier said. Kate crossed her arms, looking at Javier with a hint of suspicion.
"It just seems like you're always siding with them over me." She said. Javier sighed, crossing his arms.
"Look, Kate, I-"
Before Javier could finish his sentence, Kate was holding a chocolate bar out to him with a smile on her face. "Here. She'll like it better from you, since you're the favorite."
Javier smirked and pocketed the candy bar.
"I'll go get the gas," Javier said, walking down the path. Kate watched him leave, a smile lingering on her face, before going inside to check on the kids.
The night had a peaceful feeling to it, with a gentle breeze whispering to Javier. Of course, nothing good lasts forever. After climbing over the mound of junk that divided the path, Javier spotted the gas can and approached it, kneeling down to pick it up.
That was a mistake; soon after, he head the familiar click of a gun being cocked.
"The fuck you think you're doin' with our gas?" an angry voice snapped. Javier held his hands up in surrender, standing up. He could see that he was surrounded by at least four people.
His gas? This car doesn't even belong to anyone!
"I'm sorry," Javier said, careful to make sure his voice didn't betray how he felt. "We needed the gas-"
"We?!" The man snapped. The man, whose shoulders were squared and his legs at shoulder-width apart, wore a dark blue beanie, as well as a gray shirt and a black leather jacket. He had some stubble growing on his chin and face, and it appeared as if he was bald beneath the beanie. "You got people with you?"
Crap.
"You best hope that your people defend you." The man snapped. "Go on. We're gonna pay them a little visit." He said, jerking his gun forward. "Get a move on."
Javier couldn't resist the pit that formed in his stomach. What could he do to protect his family? They wouldn't even see this coming!
Despite Javier's want to protect his family, his common sense told him to move, lest he wanted to be killed. Javier swallowed hard and nodded, turning and going back down the path and over the mound. His heart sank even further when the house got back into view.
"Stop." One of the men ordered. Javier obeyed as the one with the beanie approached the door, glaring at it.
"We got your boy! If you want him to live, you best come out real slow!" He barked. A few moments went by.
Nothing happened.
The man's expression became even more irate as he opened the door. Javier felt a cold gun press into his back, and he followed the man into the house. To his surprise, it was empty, save for a few cups of empty pudding on a white counter to the right. The man grabbed one, inspecting it, and threw it down with anger.
Javier carefully placed his foot on a gray mat on the floor and discreetly slid it over the trap door.
"Look, I get it. You been on the road for days... You're starvin', and you think you found a gold mine! But I get this sneaky fuckin' feeling..." He began, turning and punching Javier in the stomach. "...That you're full of shit."
Javier, having his breath knocked out of him, coughed and collapsed to his knees. The man looked up at one of his companions.
"Lonnie, stay here and keep an eye on him. Rufus, Badger, come with me. We gotta radio the situation in."
The situation that you created?
Javier got to his feet slowly as the three other men filed out. An african-american man with toned arm muscles and a lean face kept a gun pointed at Javier.
"Look... This doesn't have to go-" He began, only for a cough below them to stop his sentence.
"What'chu got under there, boy?! What're you hiding?!" The man- Lonnie- questioned, bristling. He aimed his gun at Javier with renewed vigor and tip-toed over to the mat, kicking it out of the way. He kneeled down and opened the trapdoor beneath, and for a moment, Javier's blood ran cold. Right below the trapdoor, Kate, Gabriel, and Mariana were hiding, and they looked up with fearful looks on their faces.
Javier had to act fast. He lunged forward, punching Lonnie square in the jaw, then went for his gun. Lonnie recovered quickly and kneed Javier in the stomach, successfully pushing Javier away. On the counter, there was a crowbar; Javier swiped it off quickly and swung it at Lonnie blindly, hitting him square in the temple. The door burst open, and the man stormed in, his eyes wide. Javier panicked and tossed his crowbar to the side. The man scowled and shook his head, aiming his gun at Javier.
"Wait, no no no don't-" Javier exclaimed quickly.
Instead of being shot, the man suddenly swung his gun at Javier's face, knocking him out.
(A/N) Thanks to everyone who's read so far! Feedback and reviews are welcome, and trust me, i'll start branching away from the ANF script a bit within the next few chapters. Stay tuned!