Emberly ran like hell as she pelted past various timeworn strangers as if she was some kind of mini-linebacker and the breezes that surfed over her mahogany skin were a testament to her speed. She looked over her shoulder, seeing three mid-aged adults chasing her like a clan of any dogs. The oblong man, in particular, was the fleetest of them all. Having ostrich-like legs that allowed him to close in on her in seconds,
"STOP!" he screamed, stretching out his arm to give him an advantage in width as well as height.
As she faced forward, she saw the turnstiles she aimed for coming closer. From a failed past attempt, elegantly hurdling over them wasn't much an option for someone her size. So, she instantly dropped to her knees and started crawling underneath like a military cadet in basic training. Suddenly, she yelped after feeling a firm hold on her left ankle, feeling like a fanged snake had latched onto her. Looking back, it was the unhappy face of her pursuer, who could've also passed as a poisonous reptile.
"Got you now you little crook!" A wicked grin tugged at the corners of his lips, revealing two missing front teeth.
Since she was partially though, she positioned her free leg on the other side of the turnstile, planted her foot onto the edge, and used it as leverage. She pushed from the turnstile with all her might and powerfully reeled him in, causing him to jam his crooked nose into the steel arms of the turnstile. He cursed and was prompted to release her as she hopped up to continue fleeing just as his comrades caught up for support.
The young escapee was faced with two staircases and an inactive elevator that stood in the center of the wide area. Immediately working towards the left set stairs. Due to her size, she easily slipped past the multiple pushers and sex workers loitering on the inoperable escalators. Skipping the last step on her way down, she looked back once again, seeing the three of her pursuers still on her tail. They were far more careless than she was, knocking women and strangers on their hindquarters and even pushing someone over to the next set of traditional stairs in the center. Initially, she seemed to have been outrunning them, but seeing how quickly they managed to catch up with her, a sense of disquietude began to lurch over her teeny stature. Lingering any longer could've been her downfall, so Emberly quickly cut around the left corner and dashed deeper into the dimly lit underground. Vendors, both inside and outside of the neighboring train cars, were all drawn to the commotion as she stepped on stranger's feet and nearly turned over flimsy wooden tables. They looked back and forth, hearing Emberly's stalkers constantly call for someone to apprehend the young rascal. Thinking it could've helped, she ran in zig-zags to lose her enemies, running through empty train cars on both sides of the vast platform to divert them but they were just too close to losing sight of her. Out of the blue, that's when a musty-looking gentleman grabbed Emberly by the hood of her coat, having her shoes abruptly screech to a stop. She fought to get out of his hold but was limited compared to his staggering size.
"I got her!" he bellowed over and over as if he had just gone fishing.
Just like nearly everyone else in this hellhole, he seemed like another madman. Emberly fought her hardest to get out of the weirdo's grip, seeing the recognizable three figures appear closer and closer to her position. It felt like impending doom, recalling their threats to clip off her haptic fingers if she was ever caught by them again. They let her slide the first time but it seemed like they weren't the kind of people to hold back on their promises just because she was a child. This calamitous and enfeeble place was absolutely no playground for a child seeing that orphans like herself were used for other people's ulterior motives, nor did they have time for other kids such as herself. The thought of that alone should have convinced Emberly to behave herself but she thought she was too special to end up a statistic—a mindset she had yet to leave behind in the world before this one. She was ready to give up at this point, seeing that her kicks and screams did nothing but aggravate her newest captor and exhaust the remaining fuel that sprints hadn't.
Quickly, the touchy madman felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around only to get dropped by a strike so blinding, he didn't even have time to make out who it was. With her attention secured on her chasseurs, Emberly felt the grip on her hood slacken and she turned to see the man collapsed at the edge of the platform bordering the entrance to the train car. Catching another tall figure in a brown trench coat, her dark brown eyes scanned him upward, noticing a blonde-haired nightmare in a grey beanie—Noel. Their silent glares at one another spoke for themselves. There had been no sought common ground between the pair and neither of them even knew where to start.
Thankful for it in the strangest way, Emberly's stalkers roared at the sight of her being aided. Just outside the train car, Noel rushed inside and paced towards the closest door that crossed over to the next car. Tightly gripping the upright lever-handle, he powerfully slid the door open, He waited for Emberly, who gawked debatably before realizing that the people chasing her were nearly through the uninterrupted crowd. Noel's overall existence was revolting to her but if it meant escaping, she could use him to her advantage. She certainly never asked for it but he had gotten her out of some well-deserved pickles multiple times ever since she arrived here. Looking down at the unconscious bozo a final time, she kicked him and called him a 'jackass' before running into the next car. Noel followed, reaching the furthermost end of the train. They both made their exit to the platform and ended up at the margins of the underground station. Despite the burn barrels and multiple vendors and campers, the far ends on either side of the subway still happened to be spacious, which seemed to be the reason why so many people congregated around the ends in the first place. Unable to squeeze through them like the tiny girl, Noel forcibly shoved past people. He unapologetically knocked them over and trotted across until he spotted Olimpia sitting in a circle with a bunch of meek elders,
"Olimpia," he whispered.
Seeing that she didn't answer the first time due to the noise, he called her again, but louder. It was a rule of hers he didn't want to break—startling the old souls that resided in the Underworld. As her back was turned, she looked over her shoulder to see the same boy that Emberly told her rather unspeakable stories of. He was the young man that ultimately landed Emberly in Julien's house and this underground slum. By the looks of it, he was panting from some rigorous activity,
"What?" she answered very basically.
"Where is she?" He looked rather impatient.
"Sleeping. I think," she stood up and looked aside of him. She could see Emberly growing apprehensive of her surroundings. Once three, poorly dressed individuals revealed themselves outside of a nearby crowd, Emberly began chattering incoherently. Shouting, even.
"What the hell's going on?!" Olimpia felt somewhat overreact.
"Just get her! Go!" Noel screamed, flashing the signature temper of his.
While Noel turned his back to face new competitors she had yet to learn of, Olimpia ran into the train car on the opposite track that Emberly and Noel emerged from. It was the one closest to both the end of the platform and her. A good quarter of the rest of the train, however, was partially stalled in the subway tunnel. Rarely was there a car with an entirely lit or entirely darkened recess. Apparently, subway car lights had a lifespan for years and like many other cars, this one was dimly lit by flickering lights that had minds of their own. Some lights blinked every two seconds while some blinked every two minutes. And even though these tunneled cars had a good chance of remaining warm, the air felt stuffy and musty. She transitioned through two to three cars until she reached the final one, seeing the usual scene. There were heavy sleepers who slumbered day in and day out in their sleeping bags and blankets. Not only did individuals slumber on the seats but they slept underneath as well—creating their own versions of train-seat-bunk beds. As Olimpia scoured the car of dead-adjacent individuals, she finally uncovered the familiar figure resting on a seat she shared with another individual, who slept on the other end. Approaching them as their backs were turned, Olimpia tapped them on the shoulder and attempted to wake them. Calling their name repeatedly, they finally responded,
"I'm awake," they grumbled drowsily.
"It's Emberly, she's in trouble," Olimpia rolled her eyes while subtly shaking her head in disfavor, "Again. She's in trouble again."
That was all that needed to be said in order for Olimpia to be followed back to the scene, only to see Emberly being grappled over by a bunch of strangers they had certainly seen from past problems. The only person fighting for them to release her was Noel. People were either cheering over the squabble or cursing at the group for being so disruptive. Only once in a while did fights become so bad that people had to step in to break it up. She was so nonplussed by the uproarious scene that she remained still to process whatever the hell was going on before her very eyes. How on earth her thirteen-year-old cousin, who started off so afraid of her own shadow, caused such scenes on a weekly basis was beyond her. A guardian wasn't around 24/7 to hold a child's hand but children had to learn for themselves every once in a while. Maybe it was just her lethargy speaking, but she considered that maybe it would serve Emberly right to learn a lesson for a change. Then again, all it took was seeing Emberly being plunged to the sooty ground to jumpstart a reaction,
"HEY!" Ada roared, feeling as if her vocal cords were going to burst.
The sole woman of the group, responsible for the push, turned to look at her. With a moment's thought, Ada soared across the wide platform, receiving a welcoming smirk from the woman who beckoned her over with a butterfly knife. As Ada dashed towards her, she leaped and brought up a knee. The smile on her opponent's face was wiped clean off within seconds, realizing that this young girl wasn't your everyday scrapper. She had no clue how to calculate or counter such a move, so she froze. Instantly feeling as if she was rammed in the bosom by a horned sheep, the armed woman flew back into a thick glass barrier that wrapped itself around staircases that led to both the second-lower and upper levels of the subway. The glass cracked as her back struck it. The bully of a broad was so stunned, she was unable to recover from the immense pain that ran through both her sternum and back, Ada victoriously overshadowed her and returned her attention to where Emberly last laid...but the troublemaker was nowhere in sight. As her eyes wandered, Ada tried peering between the multiple bodies that clung together in the poorly light, looking as though they were one single form. Her eyes found Noel and she lingered in his direction, noticing his attempt to hold his own against one of the biggest bodies from the opposing group. The large guy channeled the prowess of a boxer, demonstrating evasiveness on a graceful level followed by nasty blows. Roughly a minute later, Noel had a bloody bottom lip and was still trying to fight back before he could be painfully body-slammed onto the platform. Causing a wrestling-ring reaction from the surrounding onlookers. The man placed one foot on Noel's chest and got weirdly aroused by seeing him trying to scream through bloody, clenched teeth.
"Let's see if I can break you," the man growled.
Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his lower leg that forced him to let out a yell that was deafening to anyone in range. Unable to stand on his inflicted leg, he fell to one knee and looked down at the source, seeing Emberly twisting a knife into his calf. Nearly giant-like compared to her size, all it took was a simple wave for Emberly to steer clear of being hit. Taking the knife with her, blood squirted out from the fresh wound upon its removal.
Once unpinned, Noel reached for the nearest vendor's table and grabbed the first scrap he could find,
"I hope you're gonna pay for that!" the vendor coughed.
Ignoring them, Noel quickly struck the colossus of a man in the head with a rusty cast iron skillet. The bald man fell to the ground, holding a hand over his freshly nicked forehead.
The third individual was the one Emberly called Toothless—the man with the missing teeth. Wanting to pick a fight of his own, he pathetically approached the least problematic of them all,
"Please, I want nothing to do with this…" Olimpia pleaded as she backed away from him.
"You're a pretty one," he expressed. He stuck his tongue out his mouth and did some rather profane gestures with it. As if it weren't enough to get unsettling reactions from her, he pushed it an extra yard, "You're coming back with me," he threatened.
"Oh, screw this," she said, evidently sickened to her stomach.
She dug into her leather coat and uncloaked a Ruger GP100 revolver. Before all of this, Olimpia thought indifferently of guns, not necessarily a fan nor a hater of it. All she ever really knew was that her grandfather owned one, but never did she think that she would own one and treat it like her lifeline. Fearful that a bullet would wound up punching a hole through him, Toothless sprang back with his hands up, deeply regretting the things he said, revoltingly thinking of them as nothing more than a funny scare tactic.
Anyone would've thought otherwise, but loaded firearms were almost a rarity considering how much people hoarded them before and especially after the apocalypse. There they weren't even allowed past the entrance of the Underworld. After successfully sending Toothless running, she pointed it towards the ceiling and fired two thunderous warning shots at the ceiling, ignoring the dust and rubble that snowed down on her jet black hair. The rowdy crowd silenced themselves as both physically able and impaired bystanders cowered away with gasps and screams of terror. As she had hoped, the men fighting her party instantly broke off.
"Stop!" she boldly demanded, aiming her gun at the large man who just didn't seem to be letting up, "It's over."
"No it ain't!" he snarled, walking off his injuries like it was a simple scrape to the knee.
Emberly jumped behind her oldest cousin, who was fully prepared to take the big guy on. Hidden within her long coat sleeves, was a switchblade and she was willing to murder someone if it meant protecting her cousin. Over the year, she had done it before and, despite the nightmares, she'd do it again if it meant safety for her group. Thankfully, an unlikely saving grace, a voice of reason emerged from someone Ada least expected,
"Come on, Geoff, just let them go," the aching woman, of the group, groaned.
While holding her back, she walked nearest Geoff, at least hoping her comrades would wisely follow suit and admit defeat by a bunch of over-energetic kids,
"This is the second time this little thief stole from us!" Geoff announced to the entire subway.
"I didn't take anything!" Emberly hissed back. Every one of her companion's faces looked down at her, only because they knew she was fibbing, but she had to keep her story up or else they'd all be dead. She couldn't bear to be the blame for that, so the best thing to do was keep it consistent, "I was only looking around. I swear! It's not my fault every time I walked past there, Toothless the Dragon has to accuse me of something."
Toothless, who was in the midst of steering clear from Olimpia's line of sight, grew red,
"WHAT!?" He screamed in offense at the nickname given to him, "My name's Hugh! H-U-G-H! Hugh!"
"Look, I'm sure this is just one whole misunderstanding," Noel said from the sidelines. He rubbed his ashy hands together, attempting to sell the image of the first-rate salesman he clearly wasn't, "How about I give you guys a really good discount? Huh? Whaddya say?"
"Discount? That little bitch stabbed my leg," Geoff answered for everyone else. This evoked a response from Ada that he could only laugh smugly at. He then pointed to the fresh blood that ran down his cheek from the laceration on the ridge of his eyebrow, "And you caused this! Give me a reason why I shouldn't kill the two of you!" he spat.
He had irreversible rage and adrenaline still coursing through his veins. This could've been the perfect practice for Noel—a sales pitch. But watching Geoff fight his limps and take a couple of steps closer, presumably to give Noel one last beating, slightly threw him off. Noel knew just like anyone else that if you wanted to survive down here, you shouldn't have a target on your back. So, he thought up of whatever he could to erase that target for himself and his friends,
"I-I, uh, yeah…" he placed his pale palms up in defense, "If you're interested I know a friend who can stitch those cuts up really well if you're interested," he wasn't sure whether or not he could reason with them, but he wouldn't be losing much if he tried, "Also, in my defense, you did try to kill me first..."
Noel broke off from the girls to negotiate with the gang of three. Seeing that his arrangement seemed to be working, Emberly was furiously yanked to the side by her hood yet again. She kept her composure as she was given no choice but to walk backward. Olimpia walked after them and stopped just as Ada did, desiring to be out of earshot from their intimidators. As badly as Ada wanted to explode, she was just far too exhausted by it. All of it. It had certainly been a long day and Emberly just wasn't making things easier since the first few months she arrived.
"What the hell did you take from them?" Ada asked while whispering.
Emberly looked up at both of them, their demeanors being drastically different from one another but ultimately disapproved by their telling crossed arms. Ada had a line that wasn't meant to be crossed and she was growing fretful. Ashamed by her actions, Emberly slipped her tiny backpack off and unzipped it. Reaching inside, she secretly revealed five Roman candle fireworks. Ada dug both hands through her natural brown, wavy hair, scratching around her hairline in complete frustration. Olimpia didn't have much to say. Instead, she shook her head and momentarily glanced away. Emberly regrettably shoved them back into her backpack, unable to look up at them for too long after owning up to the truth,
"You're really gambling your chances here…" Ada whispered sharply, She pointed between Olimpia and herself, "Our chances. Emberly, you know you can't mess with these people. These people will kill us if they have the chance!"
"I'm sorry! I just thought they were really pretty!" she took them out of her bag again, "They're purple!"
Ada took it upon herself to shove them back into Emberly's bag and zip it shut. The good in Emberly asked if returning it would be the right thing to do but they were just too deep in this mess to make up for it. Anything Emberly did at this point had a risk of getting herself killed. Ada went down on one knee, attempting to be of a close enough level to Emberly. Holding her firmly by the shoulders, she wanted to seem less confrontational and expressed herself with a little more tenderness. Her previous approaches barely seemed to phase her, so she crossed her fingers, hoping that a new manner would be effective.
"We don't have time for games, Emberly. Before you found me, it was just you and Olimpia. We're all you've got at this point and you can't keep doing this or else something really bad can happen to us."
"What about Noel…?" Emberly muttered as she glanced away, looking at him over her cousin's shoulder. Ada froze, being taken completely off guard. She followed Emberly's gaze by attempting to block her bright brown eyes from wandering elsewhere. Realizing this a long time ago, Emberly knew that saying Noel's name was like opening up a can of worms, and it gave worse reactions than seeing him in the flesh since he was regularly seen around, "Noel helps me sometimes. You know that?" Emberly challenged her cousin's eyeing.
Ada wasn't totally sure whether it had registered in the youngster's thick head but she made it back to her feet in case she was wasting her breath. Having her back turned to the crowd, she sighed and looked over her shoulder, seeing Noel exchange firm handshakes and walk away from the very man who nearly beat his face in. He picked up a nearby bag, hung it diagonally across his body, and began walking towards them.
"Oh boy." Olimpia gulped. She saw a man and woman, dressed similarly to cowpersons, interrogating nearby suspects, "Patrol's here after hearing the gunshots. I better go before they get me," she whispered to Ada. Taking this as her cue to leave, she scurried off,
Noel fancied her as she strolled past him, ignoring him as if he were any other resident in the Underworld. Harsh—but seeing that she socialized with Ada and Emberly all day, he figured her first impressions of him weren't good ones. Approaching Ada and Emberly, he felt unwelcomed from both of them, receiving looks that demons didn't even get. Insulted, he took two massive steps back, careful not to intrude on their personal space. Noel had seen Ada around the Underworld but usually from a distance whenever she was entering and exiting the community. Others could argue that he stalked her from time to time but he got a sense of relief knowing that she was alive and well. For the first time in months, this was the closest he had been to her and he caught himself before he began staring too long. He nervously lifted an arm and waved at them,
"Hey…" he greeted with a narrow smirk. He did everything he could to prevent it from turning into a full-fledged smile. Unfortunately, it died pretty quickly seeing that he gained nothing in return. He buried his hand back into his pocket, offended by their silence. That's when he couldn't fight the temptation to be forthright with her, "You're seriously not gonna talk to me?" Ada stared back at him, conducting herself a lot firmer than she knew he could. He scoffed in disbelief, "I just saved your spoiled cousin's life."
"I think you owe that to her after almost getting her killed the first time," she crossed her arms as if she were talking to a second child. After a moment of silence, she began to speak again, "My family is dead, Noel," practically wanting to spell it for him.
"Mine too," he added. As expected, she scoffed and attempted to walk away but he blocked her off by taking a small step to the side and placing up hands to show that he didn't want any trouble, "Look, I understand now that it was my fault. But I've learned from my mistakes, Ada. You've helped me realize that. Y-you just can't avoid me forever."
"...Why not? Huh? That was our agreement when we got separated from everyone else," Ada reminded. They were moments in time that were almost unforgettable and she was absolute that Noel felt the same way. She had hatred in her eyes so scary that Noel was inclined to look away or else he'd catch fire, "We made a truce to look out for each other up until we found refuge and we did!" she boasted. Noel looked at the ground but she was far from finished with him, "Didn't we?"
He took a while to answer, eventually nodding. She beckoned Emberly to follow as she shoved past him. He pitifully watched Ada storm off, seeing her vanish and blend in with a nearby crowd. Turning to look back down at Emberly, who had yet to wander off with her. She had an unclear look behind her spectacles and examined Noel's face. From where she stood, she could tell that he was hurting since it was an ongoing expression she personally experienced every single day herself. They all did. Seconds away from leaving, that's when Noel decided to speak up,
"If you still hate me too, I get it," he professed to her.
Considering the crisis she faced today, it would've been common courtesy to thank him, but she had to side with her cousin. After all, Noel did have a major hand in the way her life turned out. She curled her lips inward and glanced away before going about her own thirteen-year-old business, leaving the Frech-Canadian to sulk in his inevitable guilt.
The Underworld was the unofficial name for the place in which these unruly clans and gangs resided. There was really no general name for it other than "The Toronto Subway". But due to its heinous nature from all survivors far and wide, "The Underworld" was something that just stuck. It was flooded with people and practically an underground metropolis. It was a place that was maintained after the outbreak. Staff and workers stayed behind, brought their families along, and did a phenomenal job at keeping it from ever flooding or falling apart. What they didn't expect was for half of the city to cluster up down here and make the place an out of control jungle. There was a council that ran the place. They were barely ever seen and the only thing they rewarded people with was crappy lights and a half-decent place to sleep. Other essentials such as food, water, and any other currency were up for residents to get on their own however they could. And if there weren't people wrapped like burritos in blankets and sleeping bags, there were vendors with makeshift tables, selling things from scrap to toilet paper, all along the platform.
Ada was having trouble falling asleep yet again. She'd do just about anything to hear the melodic sounds of rustling leaves outside of her bedroom window instead of the nocturnal vendors outside the cars. Not even an hour later and the sounds of a quarrelsome pair on the train was enough to startle her awake. One person, in particular, would come onto the train cars and pickpocket people while they were asleep. Just as everyone else had hoped, they were finally caught red-handed for a change and someone was ready to give them a good hiding.
Slightly ashamed by it being something she could possibly rest easy to, Ada made a comment directly to her youngest cousin who usually slept securely underneath her seat. Hoping that Emberly would respond, she heard nothing. With a faint smile beginning to diminish, she called her cousin's name once again—still nothing. As much as Ada wanted to believe that her words would be compelling enough to change her cousin's current course in life, she second-guessed herself and maybe it wasn't always a bad thing to do so. Ada craned her head over the edge of her bright blue seat, causing her frizzy locks of hair to fall over with her. Searching underneath, with eyes still entrenched with dopiness, it didn't take long for it to register that Emberly was no longer slumbering in her purple sleeping bag. Ada threw her head back on her pillow and groaned, restraining herself from evolving it into a full-blown scream. She looked at the occupied benches across from her, seeing Olimpia curled up and knocked out so cold that even the surrounding noises hadn't even woken her.
Searching for Emberly was becoming a weekly chore. Just like anyone's life prior to now, there were moments when it ultimately had to be done no matter how much one disliked it. The only difference was that they had to be done more often.
Now to her feet, Ada undetectably crept over Olimpia's body as if she was truly one with the folk of the Underworld. Debating on whether or not it would be fair to wake her, she looked elsewhere and pushed past the occupants who still hadn't finished arguing. She exited the train car and walked past sleeping groups and salespeople endlessly trying to sell off whatever few items they couldn't get rid of. As she worked towards the opposite end of the subway station, her eyes scanned every inch in hopes that she would spot her vagabond of a cousin, but she paused once she was half-way there. Emberly was nowhere in sight and Ada just about cracked. Could she do this on her own? She didn't need help but Olimpia was always her first choice because she was the only other person who cared about Emberly just as much as Ada did. It was wonderful that Emberly meant the world to her but sitting this one out was something she desperately needed. Plus, she felt like this could be a way of proving that she could do this on her very own.
The brown-skinned brunette resumed walking, pushing past a couple inappropriately fondling with each other and eventually moving behind one of the pillars, prompting her to quickly look away just as the man pressed his associate against the wall and began unbuckling his belt.
Now that she was nearing the opposite side of the subway, she cut the corner and stood by the escalators. Due to the sole burn barrel that stood on this less bustling end of the platform, she carefully inspected everywhere. Just to be safe, she called out Emberly's name—just like previous times before, she was the least bit surprised to not get an answer. Momentarily looking away to pick up where she left off, her eye caught someone sitting closest to the barrel. It was the one and only Noel.
He was sitting comfortably in a green beach chair, laughing quite wholesomely and enjoying the company of an affiliate Ada had met before on her own time. He was some eccentric Englishman who sold footwear, spoke a mile a minute, and wore tap shoes.
She studied them questionably until he happened to catch a glimpse of her. Pretending to look away, until his laughing subdued, she noticed he was staring right back. Who was she kidding? She needed help. And if there was any other person who seemed to actually give a shit about Emberly, besides Olimpia, it was definitely him. It was challenging but she swallowed her pride and mustered up enough strength to walk towards them, his deep-set eyes following her the whole way there.
His acquaintance, who had his back facing her, noticed the sidetracked expression on Noel's face and jumped around. Without a second to waste, he immediately offered a handshake after spotting her,
"Oh, 'Ello there, gorgeous. And might I ask how you're doing this lovely yet chilling night?" he kept his hand extended, "You remember me, yeh? Are you here to buy some shoes? If you're a lady of the night I have some lovely heels. What's your shoe size, might I ask?"
He pointed to three clear totes filled with all sorts of shoes: Sneakers, boots, sandals, flip-flops—you name it, he had it. However, seeing that he assumed Ada was a "lady of the night", she felt extremely offended although there was nothing wrong with it. Rolling her eyes, Ada gently pulled her hand away from him seeing that he held onto it throughout his rambling,
"I was just wondering..." Ada looked at Noel who now hadn't picked up his eyes from the ground since she arrived, "If I could speak to Noel."
His friend may have been whimsical but he was no moron. Being the oldest of the pair, he knew a touchy subject when he saw one and could feel the strain between the pair. He had certainly seen Ada around and Noel vaguely mentioned her a few times before, so he never was too sure what the relationship between them was about. There was clearly some unresolved tension and he didn't want to get caught in the middle of it. He clapped his hands together, having his thick gloves smother the sound,
"Alrighty then, looks like you two just need a moment alone. I'll just be on my way to the loo," he said before leaving, "Don't get yourselves into too much trouble and don't you think about taking my shoes," he chortled before turning away.
Neither of them found it a laughing matter. Even after he left per Ada's request, it was still difficult for her to look for the right words. Noel looked away from the ignited barrel and glowered at her from below,
"Did you just come to stand there and look at me?" He taunted.
She gulped, being taken off guard by the response.
"I need your help."
Noel fleetingly looked away, finding it almost irresistible to turn away or question. If she came asking him, of all people, for help, it had to be something serious. He sat up in his beach chair and grabbed his bag resting to the side of him before slowly making it to his feet,
"Emberly?" He sighed.
Ada nodded, relieved—or at least hoping—that he wanted to help.
"She snuck out again," Ada rolled her eyes, "I'd ask Olimpia but I feel like it's becoming too much for her. She already works so hard taking care of the elders down here," she groaned, shaking her from a jolt of miscomprehension, "I just have no idea what's going on with her. She's been sneaking out more and more. She doesn't even listen to me anymore."
"She's being a teenager," Noel reasoned, "They do that. We did that. The only difference is that it's the end of the world," he paused with a not so reassuring shrug, "I'll help you find her," he said. Ada thanked him, trying her best to keep her internal hosanna muted, to which he gave a nod along with a tight-lipped smile, "Does this mean we're talking again?"
The elation hadn't even fully peaked and such a simple question caused conflicting stares from one another. As she stared at his pronounced face, she noticed the bruised lip he got for her and Emberly. Whether or not he was truly a changed individual, there was nothing he could do to make up for all that he did. She understood that whatever happened was just a year ago but there were just some things that couldn't be forgiven, much less forgotten. Without answering, she turned away from him and walked back towards the escalators.
The pair waited until Noel's associate returned so that he could be given an update on where his partner was going. Ada, at this point, was nowhere in sight, already atop the escalators on the main level. She impatiently waited for Noel, pondering whether or not he was really up for the task. Just in the nick of time, he appeared before her, catching a pusher attempting to trade some drugs to Ada no matter how much she turned him away. Once she saw Noel, she took the lead and pushed past the fare gates that had to be opened manually. Noel followed close behind without question, treading past familiar faces. Ada zipped up for forest green parka until it touched her throat and approached the stairs that led to the outside surface. Waiting for them at the bottom were two armed Herculean men, looking almost as if they were a part of SWAT law enforcement,
"Goodnight, Ada," one of them spoke.
"Night, Kesler," she greeted back with a smile. Kesler was a very charming man with a charismatic smile that he rarely displayed with the purpose of appearing tough as nails, but only a few were able to get through that facade. Thinking it'd be rude to not strike up a conversation, Ada utilized it in a way that could hopefully be of help to her, "Did you happen to see Emberly?" she asked as his associate superficially patted her down.
The look on Ada's face was telling that she was growing worrisome over her cousin's whereabouts and Kesler was saddened over the fact that he couldn't be of any help—especially since this was something that normally happened around his shift. Emberly may have made some unwise choices but she was smart and adaptive. She knew when shifts were being rotated and exactly when to sneak out because whoever did happen to see her would no longer be around by the time anyone realized she was missing. Anything would've been helpful but just as expected, neither of the guards had seen her.
The entrance into the subway wasn't exposed to the surface—somewhat. Playing an extraordinary part in the way it was now, it was far too dangerous and impractical to leave it bare. There was a barrier of reinforced metal built above and around the subway stairs for the obvious purpose of avoiding wandering threats that were identified as dead or alive. The Underworld accepted just about anyone. All it took was an offhand pat-down and possibly a little bribery to be welcomed. The rules were simple: People were free to go and come as they pleased but once you stepped foot out of the Underworld after dark, there was no re-entry up until sunup...and that was only if the guards on staff weren't stoned enough or busy screwing their favorite escorts in the bathrooms to be on time. Sure, they were "hired" to monitor this place but with a lack of supervision from their superiors, they were free to do as they pleased. Kesler may have been Ada's friend, but even she realized he was popular with the ladies down here. Their form of compensation was unknown but it must've been good for them to keep this place intact for this long—sex from strangers included.
Ada understood this rule but it was the first time Noel was going to deal with this. After the fire, it was already hard enough having to survive out there and that was the last Noel could remember ever having to be out during the night.
Kesler unlocked the padlock on the metal door's latch and swung open the door for Ada to walk through. Noel, on the other hand, stood a good distance, feeling the haunting memories flood towards him as if the doors were a dam for his traumatizing memories. Feeling as if it were a powerful current, he stumbled backward from as much as a frosty breeze. Ada turned back and looked at him. She may have been unforgiving but she wasn't relentless. She wasn't going to pressure him into re-engaging with his ordeals even if he really did deserve it. She was with him after the fire, seeing exactly what he had and doing what they had to survive...but they had different ways of coping with it. Growing rather impatient than concerned, Ada pardoned him, allowing the guards to seal the door between the both of them. Constantly, she felt the need to prove herself, but she knew there had to be a day where she would absolve herself of that, or else it would only be self-defeating.
The moment the cold began to seep through her shoes and double-layered socks is when she began second-guessing herself yet again. After the sounds of clanking metal had halted, she felt as though she was cut off from the only murmurs of humanity and that she was abandoned, only to be accompanied by the whistles of the chilling winds. Seeing that she had never been before, being alone easily shook her confidence. Carefully looking up and down the dark streets, her eyes caught a reanimated staggering alone in the road, looking as if it had lost itself from a horde. She boldly approached it while flipping out a switchblade and grabbed it by the throat before puncturing it deep within its temple. The reanimated stopped moaning—music to anyone's ears. As soon as it dropped to the ground, so did she, frisking its body from head to toe. Jumping at the sudden sound of the metal doors opening again, she looked over her shoulder and was surprised to see Noel stepping out into the open. Before she could even catch his sight, he lingered at the door as it closed behind him, thinking it to be the most regrettable choice he had ever made. Returning her focus back on the reanimated, she stood back up after declaring the corpse worthless. Noel, on the other hand, put on his bravest face and approached her, standing on the other side of the body,
"I was hoping you didn't get too far," he said, having icy mist escape his lips each time he spoke.
"Are you sure you can handle this?" She asked, studying his uneasy demeanor.
"Sure," Noel took a moment before nodding, "I mean...if a girl can do it—"
"Noel…" Ada groaned quite exhausted.
He found it impossible to fight the snicker. It was a joke he clearly made for old time's sake. As he watched Ada pivot her switchblade back he gained a strange fascination for it. As she studied his notable gaze, Noel had no choice but to confront her on it,
"You still have that?" he commented. Ada watched him in silence, unable to react to such a rhetorical question without feeling a shimmer of shame. He made a couple of nervous gestures, hoping not to ruin whatever he saw was currently rekindling between them, "I'm sure I remember the part of our deal where you said you'd give that back to me. I mean, he was my brother."
Ada apprehensively looked into her hand. Yes, she had held onto Matheiu's switchblade for that long and even though it was something that belonged to the Leroux's, it played a huge part in her security. Not only was it humiliating for him to pull out the 'deal' card first but she believed that Mathieu's knife served its purpose for getting her this far along. So, Ada offered it to him even though she had grown so attached to it. Noel took it, chuckling at the sloppy "M.L" initials written on the handle,
"What's it feel like?" Ada glanced down at the reanimated in the street, "Having something to remember your brother by?"
At first, Noel thought it was Ada's attempt to guilt-trip him for the loss of her family once again...but the longer he stared, the more he realized that she was rather sincere about it. The look in her eyes made her look almost desperate for an answer. Even if he was mistranslating it, he answered anyhow,
"It—" he had difficulty starting off, feeling his throat ball up. He tried weighing it down with a heavier smile, "It feels good. It feels like part of him is here with me. Like...I haven't lost all of him."
"I liked Mathieu," she smiled, slowly wandering off, "I think I got along with him more than I did with you."
"Yeah?" Noel's laughter became quite genuine, unable to remove his eyes from her.
She nodded, hoping to hear something—anything about Jolyn. Noel would've, but he had nothing to show for it. Ada thought back to the fire, remembering the amount of burned bodies after the flames fully subdued. She was sure that no one other than Hunter and Emberly made it out alive but whether Hunter and his family were still alive, to this very day, was something she'd probably never find out.
Hoping that he'd be doing her a favor, Noel attempted to shift the focus back to finding Emberly instead of dwelling on such a horrific past. Where to start? he questioned himself. As Ada continued walking through the frigid streets, something in an alleyway caught her eye. It was a reanimated's body and its legs were sticking out like the Wicked Witch of the East. Noel remained at a safe distance as she strode over to it. He grimaced at the scene, observing a completely disemboweled demon with nothing but undergarments. Even though he'd probably be side-eyed for such a statement, he thought not even a walking corpse deserved that. As blistering as the Canadian winters were, the odor of the corpse was just as piercing,
"Who could do some shit like that?" Noel asked as he brought up numb fingers to his nose.
Suddenly, something went off in the distance, lighting up the skies like surface-to-air missiles. It started with a loud noise to that of a high-pitched shriek. A bright purple spark streaked across the skies, leaving an opaque trail of smoke when the spark suddenly exploded and dispersed in all different directions like a web of flaming glitter. Soon afterward, another went off, this time twinkling bright orange,
"It's her," Ada suspected.
Emberly sat perched on a branch amongst a batch of trees like an owl in the night. She was covered head to toe in blood and entrails drawn from the very reanimated unknowingly found by her search party, taking on a macabre appearance. For the protection of her priceless clothing, she would tear the garments off the backs of reanimated and use it as a protective poncho and then cake the innards over it. Her face was the only body part she carefully marked, always removing her glasses, and spreading blood over her forehead and cheeks, being extremely careful not to get it into her mouth or eyes. It was like having a wet face and that was the painful part about being out and about in the winter. But since blood dried rather quickly, it basically became a facemask.
Emberly planned this very moment during the multiple nights she would sneak out. She calculated the perfect place and time—and just as expected, everything seemed to be working accordingly. She picked a perfect spot in a nearby park, where a small-scale cliff overlooked a vast yet shallow lake that twinkled with the midnight stars. The pond itself spoke back, lighting up whoever's face stood close by. She knew that the fireworks were going to grab the reanimated attention, so as a countermeasure, she would quickly light them up near the cliffside, mount the nearest tree, and watch in wonder as the fireworks joined the stars and drowned out the noises of the reanimated that plummeted into the waters below. Since it took some time to configure, hours had passed and she was down to her last three fireworks. Alas, there was a downside to everything.
Having not noticed it any sooner, she saw two figures cutting through the trail that snaked through the park, and they weren't reanimated from what it took some time for Emberly to gather. Gasping, she quickly maneuvered her way through the trees and attempted to hide behind the trunk. The majority of the park was flatland and it seemed to be the only part of the plan she never thought about. What if someone caught her? Where could she run? Where would she hide? Over time, she could hear the two people talking and as their voices became clearer, she hoped her mind was just being paranoid. Rolling her eyes, she remained hidden, knowing exactly who it was. Bones crunched as three reanimated, who was so close to walking off the edge, were put down. Afterward, that's when Emberly heard a voice,
"Emmy," she immediately recognized.
There was only one person who called her that. Although the owner of the voice was preferred, her eyes had difficulty lighting up. She figured that getting caught by a bunch of bandits or her cousin was both a negative. She peeked out from behind the tree's torso, showing a matte, red face. She was surprised that instead of being greeted by Olimpia, she was obnoxiously handed Noel. He was the only one perplexed, so gobsmacked by her look that he nearly fell over as she walked out to approach them,
"Why the hell is she covered in that?!" he pointed, "Is she okay!?' he asked, regarding her mental state.
"It keeps them away," Emberly enlightened plainly. She had been avoiding it but it was time she looked up at Ada, who beamed at her endlessly, "What?" Emberly looked away embarrassed, "I was gonna come right back."
"How? The subways are locked after dark," Emberly looked at them tight-lipped and avoided the question, prompting Ada to snap her fingers at her, "Emberly!"
"I planned on taking the tunnels at another train station," she reacted quickly before anyone could get a word in, "But I won't get caught! I promise."
Ada began to vent and stress the dangers of being out here alone as if her younger cousin already didn't listen to this speech a hundred times before. There was so much to worry about: Reanimated, murderers, rapists. Most importantly, if someone were to follow her, some unwanted company could follow her back to the Underworld and it could mean some serious trouble from the Council—people who they'd never want to cross according to the rumors. It wasn't the best place nor was it what anyone dreamed of but it was the only place they could call home for the moment, and Ada couldn't allow Emberly to risk that. Figuring that it would do wonders to be upfront and honest with her older cousin, that's when Emberly confessed something that nearly knocked the wind out of her,
"I was going to take Union Station," she said.
Ada's mouth dropped, unable to formulate as much as a peep. Noel, who awkwardly remained in the same spot, made a throat-slashing gesture with his hand, indicating that Emberly should just stop speaking. Quickly, he stopped as soon as Ada glanced at him, pretending as if he was standing still the whole time. As they all knew, Union Station was one of the biggest train stations in Toronto and it was hoarded up with so much reanimated that no one could make it past the entrance or lobby. Again, it caused Ada to break into speech, doing it about as impeccably as a parent did when their children made jokes they didn't find amusing. However, it took a final couple of words for Emberly to fully get on board with how Ada was feeling. She hadn't been very expressive as she used to be before, expecting that it would do nothing but give people an advantage to use it as a weakness,
"...I know I drive you crazy and I know I probably chase you away the more I do, but I just want you to understand how much you mean to me, Emmy—you're literally the only family I have left. The only one. And if something were to ever happen to you?" she stammered, "I'd probably give up," Emberly watched her, instantly feeling a sense of disappointment from Noel and herself. She picked her head up as Ada continued, "I just...I just wanna be there for you because you aren't the only one who's lost family. I get that you lost your mom and your dad and that it's probably killing you inside but I want to try my absolute hardest to be there for you. For as long as I can. But I can only do it if you want me to."
Emberly's bottom lip drooped. She had been holding in tears for so long, she was just about ready to spring a leak. But with Noel present, she didn't want him to witness it, so she concluded their conversation with a believable nod.
Ada examined her,
"I'd hug you but you're covered in…you know."
"What were you doing out here anyway?" Noel asked, "Must really like fireworks for you to risk your life like this?"
Ada nudged him due to his candid remark. Emberly looked over at her as if it would be breaking a rule to speak without permission but Ada gave no indication that it was up to her. So, Emberly answered, pleased to give an explanation,
"They remind me a lot of Independence Day," Emberly confessed. She looked over at Ada in hopes that she was listening because she personally believed she had a good enough reason for breaking the rules despite there not being any excuse alive. Maybe if she managed to hit a spot while Ada was still soft, it could officially do the job of getting herself out of trouble just for tonight, "It was the only time our families really came together. Aunty Dora's cooking, family time, and the way we all circled around the porch and watched the fireworks. My dad and I..."
Ada smiled as Emberly spoke, vividly recalling every detail of the celebrations held at the house every year, whether it was July 4th, Indigenous Peoples' Day, or Christmas. Noel knew of the holiday, it's just he and his fellow Canadian natives celebrated it on a different day.
"Why don't we watch one more?" Noel suggested in a collected manner, almost as if they weren't surrounded by danger.
"Really?" Emberly's face lit up, feeling the dry blood crack with the lines that formed with her smile.
It was all very touching but it barely changed their situation—and that was the bottom line of this entire exchange. The fact that Noel, of all people, was willing to encourage Emberly to disobey Ada in her presence was stunning. Seeing Emberly comply with it all was what really made her take matters into her own hands. She was sorry to be a buzzkill, but she attempted to tell them that it was something that was best to avoid right now. Noel figured if a thirteen-year-old girl managed to fire a bunch of them without getting caught by anyone, much less reanimated, then they were more than prepared if things got a little out of control. He didn't mean to overstep, he just sincerely saw no harm in lighting one last firework. All of the remaining dead had been dumped into the pond down below and, as far as they knew, there was nothing else around within range.
Given the look on both of their faces, Ada was clearly outnumbered, plus it had been such a long time since she had seen a firework up close. So she gave in, allowing Emberly to take out a match and light it. After three ambitious attempts, she lit the match and ignited the firework. All three of them ran back to the tree and watched as the fireworks whistled into the sky and exploded into a bright orange and yellowish color. The fabulous thing about pyrotechnics is that once they were ignited, they did the work all on their own, and about five of them, one after the other, beautifully illuminated the sky, and the way they reflected over the pond gave a doubling illusion. Noel and Emberly smiled at what was single-handedly the most beautiful thing they had seen within the entire year. Finding it almost impossible to avoid nostalgia, it nearly brought Ada to tears of joy.
In its short amount of time, the fireworks did the job at entertaining the party and luring reanimated in the vicinity. The dead were thinly stretched out across the perimeter of the park, stretching their hands through the bars of the seven-foot fence. Only a good number managed to wander through the openings. Now that the group's "quality time" together finished, it was time to search for shelter. Emberly removed the layers of looted clothing, having her face and hands be the only parts of her blotched with blood.
With the Underworld inaccessible at this time, they had two ways to go about this: Either take the risky path through Union Station or find a temporary spot to camp in for the night. Even if Emberly thought it was a solid plan to move through Union Station, it wasn't the ideal way to sneak back into the Underworld. Besides, Ada and Noel made it clear that they'd choose to become reanimated, themselves, before ever putting dead entrails anywhere on them,
"What did you and Olimpia usually do?" Noel asked Ada as Emberly led them towards a vacant end of the park.
"We'd hole up at the gas station down the street but it blew up somehow," Ada enlightened.
With Emberly and Noel killing the few reanimated along the way, Noel allowed Ada and Emberly to go ahead. They climbed over the tall fence and carefully dropped to the other side that was absent of any dead. Noel stood behind to kill off the two reanimated that ambled towards them. By the looks of things, the dead finally managed to find a more convenient way in, and they were beginning showing up in pairs. It was only a matter of time before the sets would become greater. Once she gathered the same conclusion, Ada rushed Noel as she anxiously observed him kill the following third and fourth reanimated. Normally, it was tiring just having to knife two walking stiffs, so it could go untold that Noel's arm was growing exhausted. He waited for the fifth reanimated, fumbling over with it once it got within range.
Quickly, he fought to stand erect soon after noticing a sixth and seventh coming his way. He contemplated whether or not he could take them, tightening his grip around his brother's switchblade, but Emberly pointed out three others reanimated coming in towards his left. Making the best choice for himself, Noel decided to run towards the fence. He began climbing just as the sixth creature closed in behind him, finding the eagerness in its pace to pursue its newfound meal. Slightly hindered by his breathlessness, he felt a feeble hold on his ankle just as he was halfway up.
Ada and Emberly stood a good distance to avoid any collateral damage but it would only be a matter of time before the following others managed to overpower Noel and pull him back down in their now claimed territory. Thinking quickly, Ada came up with a plan. She was lent Emberly's knife while Emberly caused a distraction by beating the bars with a thick stick she found on the side. Thankfully, it worked and the incoming reanimated who had their sights on Noel, eventually shifted them to Emberly. She stood a safe distance as the clawing, undead hands attempted to grab at Emberly through the spacing of the iron fence. Managing to maneuver her arms through the spacing herself, Ada grabbed a hold of the corpse that was preoccupied with Noel's boot. She grabbed a handful of tearing hairs with one hand and, with her equipped other, impaled it through its exposed eye socket. Its hisses and throaty moans died with it and it dropped to the ground. Finally, Noel successfully climbed over and took a significant drop to avoid wasting time in trying to be careful. He roughly landed on both feet, feeling a sting in his ankles. By the fretful look in the Canadian's eyes, the nearby New Yorker could tell that he must've reflected his life a million times in that very moment. He stood straight and let out a deep breath,
"This is why I don't come out here after dark," he said through heavy breaths. He looked over at Ada as her youngling relative ran behind to retrieve her knife. It shouldn't have been the case, but Ada hesitated to ask if he was injured. Noel may have had a temper, but he wasn't stupid, "Come on. Let's get moving," he instructed.
The trio took a different route that led to a different part of the Underworld. When Ada asked where they were going, Noel enlightened that he had a friend located close by. As if things couldn't become any more suspicious along the way there, he warned them not to be too put-off by his acquaintance's "mannerisms", concluding that he suffered from PTSD. Both girls understood but neither of them could make any promises. As long as this friend of Noel's didn't intend to harm them, things should go fine.
Eventually, they found themselves at another familiar street—it was another intersection where the entrances to the Underworld sat on all four corners of the sidewalks. Just like the entrance Ada previously exited with Noel, these were enclosed and boarded up as well. And even if it was a door knock away, they weren't going to be permitted access. Since the Underworld was massive, its entry points branched out to about two to three other blocks.
It was telling to Noel that it was future confusing to the girls as to why they would be led back to the place they knew they couldn't reenter. He looked around at the four tall buildings surrounding them. He lifted his cupped hands to his mouth and whistled a specific tune and waited a couple of minutes before performing it a second time. Ada and Emberly could do nothing but wait for something to happen.
He placed up his hand and cautiously looked around at the building windows before whistling a third time. Not exactly the response any of them expected, Noel included, they flinched when a powerful light discharged from one of the opened windows up above. It hummed loudly,
"What do you want?" A lazy yet clear voice answered in the distance.
"Is Nathanson there?" Noel asked as he squinted his eyes at the gleaming light.
Finally, the light toggled off, revealing a thin, racially ambiguous woman with glistening skin. All of her hair, which consisted of bouncy curls, was gathered into a ponytail.
"Oh, it's just you," she answered blandly. From the looks of it, she was carefully examining the other two girls through the scope of a sniper rifle on a bipod, prompting Ada to pull Emberly behind her when she realized it. Noel placed out an arm, signifying they were both safe,
"These are my friends. They're with me," Noel quickly answered.
"Nathanson's asleep, you can see him tomorrow. Should I take a message?"
Noel could tell that Ada and Emberly was holding their breath and he attempted to do everything he could to nonverbally reassure that they wouldn't be harmed,
"Can you wake him and tell him it's Noel?" There was a hint of desperation in his voice, "It's urgent."
The sniper groaned, far less enthusiastic than when she thought she had to put a bullet in between someone's eyes. While looking out the window, she reached down beside her and pulled out her walkie-talkie. She softly spoke into the radio, "Nathanson. Nathanson. Come in. Over," she repeated over and over until she finally got a response,
"What?" A croaky voice grumbled.
"The appropriate response is 'go', rude ass. Also, you have a visitor at the intersection,"
"Who is it?"
"You can deal with that. I have a book I need to finish. Over."
Without any hesitation, the sniper disappeared back into the building and lowered the window. Suddenly, another head emerged from one of the windows across the street. In his case, he looked as if he were in his mid to late sixties, had a snow-white jewfro and a beard. His left eye had difficulty opening all the way through, presumably from the result of an accident,
"Hey Nathanson," Noel greeted with a nervous half-smile.
He tapped his fingers along the window sill and examined the two figures standing beside Noel, not looking particularly happy to say the least. As a safety precaution, he armed himself with a knife in hand and went down to personally greet them, unafraid to let it be visible. This is what Noel warned them about. Ada was taken aback but she remained on her toes. She repeatedly sized him up and studied his body language in case anything went wrong, always wanting to be two steps ahead. She kept Emberly smothered after they were invited inside, practically gluing herself to her. Climbing up only to the second level, he introduced them to his "room" which was basically an entire office with cubicles. Unbeknownst to many who resided in the Underworld, Nathanson had a job similar to the guards on the inside—which was to oversee the Underworld but from the outside. One of the many reasons these parts of the Underworld remained clear was because they were responsible for neutralizing the dead, looters, trespassers, or anything else that posed as the threat. That would, in turn, send a message to anyone who thought they could seize this place. Along with him and the other woman, there were other snipers residing in the other buildings on the corners. Due to his status as a veteran, he was essentially the gatekeeper of the place.
Nathanson announced that they could make themselves at home and expressed "mi casa, es su casa", and although people normally said that with a sense of open arms, his use of the Spanish expression felt loose and disingenuous. Taking them to a room that formerly served as a break area, inside was a sofa and a couple of folding chairs. The mere setting was relaxing enough for Ada to consider collapsing to the floor. Without question, Emberly dropped her backpack beside the sofa and attempted to claim it as her own, but Nathanson grabbed her by the wrist. She turned around and slipped out of his grip as he struggled with her. Almost as if she were someone of his exact stature, his chest was huffed out and he crossed his arms,
"What's all that shit?" Nathanson motioned his finger closely at her face, "Some kind of disguise?"
Ada and Noel looked up from their respective distances. Noel was the first to step in,
"It's nothing to worry about. It's just the dead's blood."
"The dead's blood?!" Nathanson scoffed, "That isn't some shit you just spread all over your face for nothing! You plan to infect someone with that?!"
"They help cloak you from the dead," Emberly calmly answered.
"Bullshit!"
"It's not bullshit!" Emberly fearlessly yowled back.
Ada was afraid of this. She quickly walked over, having her boots tap loudly as they closed in behind Nathanson. Noel could see the pale-haired survivor reach for his handgun in the holster wrapped around his thigh. Swiftly, Noel reached over and held his wrist, repeatedly begging him to calm down. He tried to walk Nathanson through the ordeal, explaining his entire day—from the moment he woke up to sneaking out of the park— detail by detail. Not only were long stories a way of calming his anxieties but just as anyone, it helped Nathanson get a better grasp of what he was having difficulty comprehending. Thankfully, Nathanson relaxed and let the handgun sink back into his holster, which did the same to Ada's defensiveness. Further embarrassed by the bothered looks on both young girls' faces, Nathanson couldn't bring himself to look at them for too long. He turned away and stared at the floor tiles. Despite them not needing to have much of an explanation, he expressed that he couldn't stand seeing someone marked in something disposable as "Creeper's blood". He thought it was unnatural and because it was unnatural, there couldn't have been a good reason for doing it. He demanded that she clean up—no exceptions or else they'd be thrown back to the dead where Emberly seemingly wanted to belong. Once they did that, they were allowed to sleep anywhere they wished. That being finalized, Nathanson departed to cool off elsewhere. Meanwhile, Noel took it upon himself to guide the girls to one of the many bathrooms. In the bathroom, there were stacked cases of bottled water. Immediately, Emberly began scrubbing her hands and face as Noel and Ada observed her from the doorway,
"Thanks for that...for not jumping on him," Noel questioned, "I wouldn't know what to do if things turned ugly."
"Well, thanks for trying to stop him. Looks like he's got it pretty bad," she empathized.
"Yeah. He's told me stories. He's seen a lot of people in Afghanistan. This whole thing made it worse no doubt. So, I can sort of understand why that would freak anyone out," he motioned his hand to his own face, referring to Emberly's soiled own, "Sure freaked me out. But, still. It doesn't give anyone reason to put their hands on her."
Wished she hadn't but she admired him as he observed Emberly across from her,
"What made you change your mind?"
His gaze snapped back on her,
"About what?"
"Helping me look for her."
Noel took a moment to answer. He didn't expect to be questioned on why he felt the need to help someone—it was something that should be so expected, so just doing it should be sufficient enough. But considering the state everyone was in and the hell that he had put them through, he understood the underlying doubt that may have whispered themselves into Ada's ears every now and then,
"I don't know," Noel shrugged, "Could be because she's a kid, could be because of guilt, or maybe it's what my mom would've wanted," he said as a sense of comfort overcame him by the mere mention of his mother, "Or maybe it's because I—" He caught himself and paused. Ada narrowed her eyes in on his lips, hoping that there was a way she could probably read what was on the tip of his tongue. He continued, "...I'd like us to be friends again."
"Well, whatever it is, thank you," Ada expressed softly, "I was telling myself I could do this without anyone's help but I don't think I could've."
"Does this make us friends?"
Ada rested the side of her head against the wall.
"Let's just say...I hate you a lot less."
Emberly exited the bathroom with her face and hands returned to their warm umber appearance. Granting her with a hug, Ada walked off with her as Noel's eyes followed their trail, unable to remove his eyes from the tallest one.