She closed Makayla's sketchbook, rubbed the M and A carved into the wall and climbed down the treehouse. Ashley wanted way more out of life than shacking up with her best friend. Ashley wanted to be with someone who understood the world. She outgrew the treehouse and let's draw X's and O's in the sand phase. She was twenty trapped in a teenager's body. She sounded years older than Makayla, her eyes told horror stories. She needed someone with similar eyes. Thinking about Makayla was overwhelming, and Ashley's escape was off the island. What stressed Ashley out was Makayla deserved better. Makayla was a positive in her life, someone who loved her. Why couldn't Ashley be in love with her? Ashley passed Jay on her way to the dock. "Hey! Mind asking Kelly to check out my boat for me? I want to take Maggie and June out today."
Kelly was working on his personal boat. He was inside the boat fiddling with the engine when Ashley approached. "Where are you going?" Kelly asked and she started off by relaying Jay's message. "I'll stay within half a mile of the mall if you can't find me in our safe houses." Kelly wiped his dirty hands with a rag. He said, 'I love you.' And she headed to the mainland. She pulled the jet ski onto the beach and used a dirt bike from their stash in a nearby beach house. The overgrowth and roadblocks were difficult to navigate through. Dirt Bikes and motorcycles were their on-land transportation. The mall was closed during the outbreak which meant less infected. She jumped over cars blocking the main entrance and rode through the broken doors and down the empty main hall. There was an alternative store in the right wing she liked. She parked in the store, her bike facing the double glass doors.
"Right-wing ceiling was fully glass, very bright, perfect for reading comic books. She unboxed a random puzzle and spread the puzzle out onto the checkout counter when an unarmed teenage boy approached the storefront. He waved timidly. Ashley shot him in the head and rode the bike out of the store breaking through the glass doors. She was being shot at, to save her tires she slid into the food court. She ditched the bike and jumped over a restaurant serving counter. A group of men came around the corner whistling and yelling incoherently. She ran through the kitchen and out the back door which led to a dark hallway connected to other booth exits. She ran to the end of the hall and kicked in the last door. She closed it just as she heard one open. She rolled underneath a metal prep table in the kitchen. She heard a man jump the serving counter. He came into the kitchen and Ashley stabbed him in the foot; he kneeled, and she stabbed him in the head with the same knife.
"You little ungrateful bitch killed my boy! He was going to take care of you! He wanted to invite you into our family! You could've been one of us!" She rolled back underneath the table when another man came into the kitchen ranting. She shot him in the chest then head. She left the kitchen and jumped over the serving counter. Men on the opposite side of the cafeteria unloaded. She took cover behind a water fountain. When they stopped to reload, she shot them in the chests. Further investigation revealed everyone proudly displayed an interesting neck wound. She carved a chunk of skin off of one. She looted the bodies and managed to secure their weapons to the bike. The teenager and one man both carried journals which she read. They were merely part of a bigger group.
"The teenager's journal was full of sexual fantasies and bloody sketches among a description and depictions of her. The man's journal had a map and was filled with dried herbs taped to the pages. The next day she returned to the island and Kelly was waiting for her on the dock. "What happened? Are you okay?" Ashley secured the jet ski to the dock. "A mad group cornered me in a store. I think a boy my age planned on kidnapping me. I killed everyone involved but they're part of a group. I have journals and what I think is a brand of some kind."
"Stay on the island for a couple days. Shower, eat and get some rest. Voight will speak to you later." Makayla was inside Ashley's treehouse laying across the bed drawing. "How was the trip? I wish I could go with you! Kim and Kevin are so strict. Like I can never leave the island. I've been here since the day we arrived. You know how they are like I can never do anything." Ashley opened the backpack hanging on a hook and retrieved a change of clothes. "I stayed in a safe house the entire time; trust me you didn't miss much. More infected limping about than I anticipated, you know? Sorry, I would've brought you back something if I could've." Makayla said "don't sweat it, I'm glad you're safe."
"Meet you at the watchtower in a few hours? I'm going to shower and say 'hi' to Ari and Gallo." Ashley kissed Makayla on the forehead and left. Ashley collected water in a bucket and poured the water into the tank behind a wooden privacy stall in the middle of the island. Mid shower movement outside startled her enough to open the door. Jay's back was turned, he was scribbling something on a clipboard. His back was covered in scars, one in particular she remembers giving him during a sparring session. She bit him on the shoulder blade. The impressions of her teeth were darker than his skin. Jay faced her, he saw her bare upper body peeking out of the stall. Jay was caught off guard, he held eye contact though. Ashley's behavior was completely inappropriate.
"I'm expanding the shower and needed some numbers really quick for Kevin because he's getting the wood and… Sorry, I'm rambling uh, Kelly told me what happened. I don't know how you returned in one piece - but you definitely don't get the credit you deserve. There are adults who never leave the island alone and you brought back a lot of firepower. I'm glad you're okay." She wrapped herself in a towel. "I'm sure we haven't seen the last of them. From what I could tell they seem close... Like a family. They'll come looking for their family members then they'll come looking for us. We need a plan, and we need to barricade the island's access points." Jay agreed, it was time they drew a line in the sand. The island and the Sanibel beach was their territory.