So well, I'm back here after around a week of not updating anything. Apologies have, are and shall be given within the required context, but since there have been none yet, I am not regulated to do so. Regardless, vacation did take up a decent margin of my time, but of course that has nothing to do with the story.
Chapter 5: Whatcha Say
"Hey, Louis?"
"Yeah man?"
"I ain't dreaming am I?"
"Ouch!" The tough nut biker squealed sheepishly as the IT manager's fist connected with his back. Naturally, it would be the simplest method of waking somebody up from a dream, or so people were told from their childhood. In truth, there have been no reported cases of people being punched in their sleep, did not register pain and then consciously decided to wake up. Regardless, the black man's demeanor was less than amused by his friend's reaction, even though he should have been. It would be less than ideal to expect him to smile at practically anything right now, as he was still trying to get the image before to sink in. "God damn it, not so hard!"
"Man just stop, I'm trying to figure this out." Francis slightly huffed at his companion's lack of meaningful. Sure, the biker was confused too, but the most he felt like needed doing was just to shrug and accept the first thought that comes to his mind. It has something to do with a yacht, five stars hotels and a Lamborghini. Louis was trying his best to wrap his mind around the matter, but nothing so far has worked. Carefully observing the specimen that was with Zoey, he noticed how it appeared to be rather dormant and calm or at least a lot more than the same kind that they had been shooting at for the last two weeks. "Zoey… you have a good explanation for this right?"
"I kind of do…" The teenage girl could have done nothing but smile back, awkwardly. She stopped to think, and figured that it was decent enough that the two men did not try to shoot Cindy on sight. From what she was seeing, Francis would probably be fine with whatever she said, as long as it did not involve someone getting killed. Explaining things to Louis would be a bit harder, but she could at least hope he would see things her way. "This is a Witch."
"We can see that." Louis narrowed his eyes. He was not sure what she was getting at, but he was willing to at least listen. It was not like he was in any position to protest, or even move from his position, so he was prepared to save the group's bond. He was still extremely uncomfortable with the Witch's presence; that much was obvious. "Continue…"
"Her name is Cindy. I found her in the warehouse where Bill was." The fact that Zoey apparently found the Witch was interesting enough for Francis to take notice. Wiping the life of luxuries off his fantasies, he was listening as well, albeit not sure of what to expect. The teenager paused for a brief moment to discern the expressions on the men's faces. None appeared to be to off-put by the news, which she was thankful for. "I was… kind of thinking of brining her with us to Florida Keys."
She had expected a response, but received none. Instead, all she got was intense stares from her two teammates. They seemed, slightly incredulous at best, about the validity of what she was saying. Their minds were trying to make out whether their companion had either lost her minds or serious. Both of those options would result in them having to deal with the Witch, however ludicrous that might sound to them right now. They eyed Cindy again, in order to take a good look at what their friend was offering them. The one next to Zoey was definitely a Witch, not the slightest of doubt about that. However, it appeared to be rather passive, which should have been the first thing they should have been worried about, admittedly. She also was not ridiculously grotesque like a lot of other infecteds they have come across so far, most likely due to the present self preservation still within her. The men were forced to think rather seriously, but they were not really coming to any conclusion as of yet.
"Can she talk?" Francis finally spoke a word, as curiosity was clearly getting the better of him. Louis seemed like he wanted to say something, but decided against it, simply letting Zoey replying to the question whenever she felt like it. The teenage girl saw that too, and came to a conclusion that this would be the perfect time to make a mutual introduction. She simply nodded and slightly nudged Cindy at the waist, gesturing her to go forward and explain.
"Uh… hello." Cindy replied with a mortified tone. It was a lot more like a little girl hiding behind her mother than those literally breathtaking screams that would erupt in a person's ear before their heads would be violently torn off their necks and the rest of their bodies mauled into pieces. It had an instant effect on both of the males, as they lost their guard almost completely, trying to let what they had just heard sink in.
"Wha…?" Francis could not even finish his sentence. He had absolutely no idea what was going on here, or this was all just some elaborate prank that the other two were pulling on him. If it were, it was definitely not funny, although he was actually secretly hoping this was legitimate, all things considered. Regardless, he was not the only one with cats gotten in their tongues. Louis was basically speechless as well. He had originally suspected an infected that was tamed or some sort; that would make sense. However, it seemed to him that Cindy was actually fully aware of her surroundings, and living with consciousness. He did not know much about medical researches and things, but he could take guesses of what the infection actually was. Looking back, almost all of the infecteds they have come across acted like rabid dogs atoned fully to their animal instincts and retain only some physical traits from before they turned. However, Cindy was the sole exception to the observation, and it fascinated him to no end. Louis was not sure of why he was so excited about this, but he just felt like it had something to do with things much bigger than him.
"Is Cindy able to give consent about this?" His inquiry was of the best of intentions, and fortunately they all knew that. Zoey was not sure of what to say, however. Sure, Cindy has always been happy to go wherever she went, but there has never really been any question of willingness nor did she think it would come up at all. However, she could soon feel the Witch's grip around her arm, giving it a gentle squeeze, as if asking for attention. Zoey turned to it, and Cindy simply nodded to show her understanding. That much was good enough for the teenage girl, albeit Louis would still have more questions. "Well I guess that much is fine. However, are you sure she's not in anyway dangerous?"
"I can say that she isn't dangerous now." Zoey made no hesitation in stating that fact. From what she had seen so far, the Witch has been nothing but extremely reasonable and even rather docile about what she had been telling it to do. Perhaps more of a little sister than a pet, like she might have previously thought, but something dormant nonetheless. There was still a bit of doubt in Zoey's mind, however, that suggests Cindy might just turn into a full fledged Witch anytime soon. She had heard news, reports and articles about the length of time it took for a person to turn full infected could range from a few seconds to as long as days. She also noted Cindy's current appearance as already fully transformed, though. The claws were fully grown and sharp, as the eyes were red and would appear bloodthirsty. However, there were pupils in the middle of those crimson orbs, something she would normally never see. "I cannot guarantee that it would stay that way, but I… beg you to just give her a chance. Could you at least do that for me?"
"Are you sure this is a good idea Zoey?" Francis did not want to be cynical on anything at this point, but his common sense told him that he needed more confirmation than appearance. People change, and more so the infected. He did not want any risks, and everyone around him would see perfectly clear where he was coming from. Zoey looked completely assured about her decision, however, as she stood firm, strengthening her stance on the subject matter. Louis had already decided, even though cautions must be taken, that he was fine with the idea. Francis did not receive any answers, but the lack of communication was made up by the fact that he could definitely read the expressions of his companions. If they trusted this possibility, then he could not stand to go against the groups' decision. "Alright, I support her coming with us."
"That's great!" Squealing happily, Zoey jumped and embraced the two grown men at full force, almost throwing them off the ship. She was extremely thankful of all things, as this was a compromise that was definitely hard to make, and she felt like they were closer than ever, considering how much they trusted her to let her do something like this. The grip was let go soon though, when Zoey noticed that Cindy appeared to be pouting. "Aw Cindy… don't be like that."
Seeing her cheerful like this had lifted the spirits of both the two men. Sure, they still had their doubts like any sane person would, but they were willing to give this a shot. There should be nothing wrong if they were careful, and this would always be something that they can live happily with should it turned out to be truly successful. Suddenly, Louis had an idea that was simply too good to pass up.
"Hey Cindy!" All of the other three turned to the manager, slightly confused and awaiting what he had to say. Louis took a few moments to rethink the situation, and appeared to be rather pleased. "You are really strong, right?"
The Witch simply nodded. It was some of the side effects of the mutations that took place inside certain infected that were not commons. From what Louis had been seeing, Witches usually had unreal strengths that allows them to slice people in half with just their nails, and able to break down bunker doors, like that one where he and Francis were jailed in, easily. Perhaps having use for such a thing would be an excellent idea.
"Where are you going with this Louis?" Francis appeared skeptical, or jokingly so, of his fellow man's spur of the moment. However, questioning those was mostly out of habit than actual spite, as everyone would know.
"Zoey, do you remember that Heavy Machine Gun Turret I used?" His two companions nodded at his words. Deep inside, they could somewhat figure out what he was trying to say already. "It was an awesome weapon, but we cannot bring it with us due to its hilarious weight. What about asking Cindy to bring it here for us so that it can be preserved for later use?"
"That's… a great idea Louis." Zoey was as ecstatic as her friend, as she did see the validity in his words. Turning to the Witch, her eyes were that of a pleader. "Can you do it Cindy?"
"I think so…" The Witch was completely unaware of the limits of her own body, so she would simply accept whatever Zoey asked her with. She had not really any memories of her past life, so there was no actual point of comparison between the strengths that she used to have and that which she did now. Of course, the others were perfectly trusting of her capacity to pull off this, and she had no room for doubt either. With that, Zoey simply walked off the ship and the Witch followed the teenage girl quickly.
"I wonder what kind of relationship they have…" Louis wondered aloud after the two females had left the scene. There was definitely one that could be called mutual, but they were rather unaware of it just yet. Just how much humanity was left within Cindy was a mystery, and there was room for someone to chime in.
"I wonder indeed…" Francis obviously had something inappropriate in mind. His teammate just ignored it, but the possibility was still present.
Back outside, Zoey lead her new friend to where she and the other two were shooting from. The balcony had actually been slightly damage due to the recoil of the Rocket Launcher which she used during the last escape from the Tanks, but it was relatively fine. The Turret was firmly mounted to it though, making it simply impossible for any normal human to have any chances of prying it out.
"Can you pull this out for me?" As expected, Cindy seemed to never stop to consider Zoey's request, simply carry it out like it was something she should. The claws were plunged in and under the concrete setting, much to Zoey's fascination. Slowly but surely, the huge contraption was lifted upon its base and onto the Witch's open arms. It appeared no more than a tedious chore for her, as the machine gun that probably weight one tenth of a ton seemed to have absolutely no discomfort on Cindy at all. It was good enough for Zoey, as she motioned her friend to follow back to their boat.
Waiting there were Francis and Louis, flabbergasted to see the enormous weapon being carried back to the ship. It was definitely not so much that it would affect their sailboat itself, but it definitely need to be stationed up front, and not within the chambers.
"You can put it down here." So Cindy did. Now the Heavy Machine Gun Turret was sitting happy up on the nose of the boat, waiting as majestically as it was before. Louis was definitely happy to get his favorite weapon so far back, as it suited him perfectly. Francis, however, seemed a bit displeased to be outdone by a girl. Sure, Cindy was a Witch, but she was still female, and Francis felt like he needed to prove himself in front of the others, for whatever reasons.
"Pfft, I can do that too, watch." The biker might have almost four packs, sufficiently grown abs and in the prime of his strength, but lifting a one hundred kilograms piece of machinery was not something truly designed for humans. Try as he might, the poor man simply could not move the gun anymore than someone was able to push it. A full minute of futile effort later, our comedic relief simply decided that he had enough. "This is stupid."
"Sure is Francis…" Louis could not help but to poke fun at the biker, to which the white male could do nothing but simply huff. It was amusing, but they had a schedule to keep.
"Alright, enough you two, we are going, now that everything's settled." Zoey broke off the pettiness. Ever since Bill's death, she had been the unofficial leader of the group. Now that Cindy was basically doing whatever the teenage girl wanted, her authority was only strengthened, not that the men minded, of course. Survival has always been their ultimate goal, and if two weeks together had taught them anything, it would be that Francis cannot command anything, and Louis had the worst luck in the world. They nodded and squirmed about. Francis took Bill's body and placed it near the steering wheel.
"What are we going to do with the old man?" The bittersweet situation had made its presence known among the survivors long ago, and they had made their peace with it. Now, it would be the matter of how long they wanted to keep the Vietnam veteran's body around.
"We will give him a proper burial once we reached the Keys." And that was just about the last thing they needed to know. Zoey stepped inside the boat to get the map, while Francis helped Louis settle down on the boatman's seat.
"You don't move, alright?" Louis did not appreciate the little jab, but he did not seem to mind much. At this point, he had known enough that everything between him and Francis had been fun and games, and there was nothing wrong with just a little more. Still…
"That joke got old, man."
Zoey soon appeared on sight with a compass and the map in hand. It was rather fortunate that Louis is familiar with driving boats. His motor skills were honed during that one time when his boss took him on a yacht. He was not going anywhere regardless, so anonymously the job of navigation was left to him. Soon enough, the sails were bloated up and started to catch wind, and the four were finally moving towards their destination.
"Francis, you stay here and keep watch with Louis." Zoey's order was to be followed by the letter, but that did not mean Francis could not poke at it while being completely innocent of said crime. Cindy was motioned to follow the girl, as it was simply normal to. "I need to freshen up."
"Why are you bringing Cindy?" The biker was definitely not blind enough to recognize the mutual understanding the two females had together, and how the Witch was actually slightly good-looking, as she must have been back before turning. Putting one and one together, he came up with his own conclusion. "You girls planning to have fun without us, or scratch that, me?"
"Sure Francis, why not?" That retort left Francis speechless. He was sure where his joke was going, but not exactly where the girl thought it was. Was she actually serious about doing that, he wondered? Zoey seemed rather amused by Francis' lack of response, and simply pulled Cindy in with her, closing the hatch's door behind them. The biker was left there, his mind kept wandering. Louis was completely aware of that fact, but he would not bother his friend on something like this. Steering this boat was his job, and he was going to do it.
"Zoey?" Cindy sheepishly inquired, as she saw the teenager locking the door behind them while beginning to take off her jacket. Zoey was only wearing a single white T-shirt inside it, and the way things were right now, misunderstandings were ensured. The teenage girl did not answer, however, as she simply excused herself into the bathroom and slapped up some water on her face, washing down all the filth and figments of the road rash she had been going through for weeks. The Witch was not sure of what to, as she simply stood there and watched her friend going about with small tasks. Zoey was done after a while, as it appeared that the Witch finally got her attention. However, the girl simply approached her confused friend, nonchalantly, and ordered.
"Take off your clothes Cindy."