XXX

May 9th, X778

"You know," Lucy said, studying the abandoned town they'd discovered, "usually, it'd be a lot warmer right now than it is. People would be walking around a town like that. Enjoying the heat of the spring and all that."

The town itself was small. Well, smaller than Magnolia had been. Much smaller, without any of the major chains that had built up in the larger towns and cities. A lot of old farms had surrounded it, some of which they'd passed and ensured to cautiously investigate for supplies. An abandoned town, however, was a whole blessing and a curse. Their supplies were running thin, and the town would have a hell of a lot more to offer. At the same time, however…

She'd said it many times: urban locations once filled with people were breeding grounds for Vhalis.

They were getting low enough that they needed to risk it though. Lucy let out a soft breath as they headed directly into the town, hoping that there weren't any other humans in it. How times had changed. She'd have killed to have another person around once; now, she wanted nothing to do with them.

As they walked, Natsu said quietly, "What kind of places are we looking for?"

"A grocery store?" Wendy suggested.

"Definitely a grocery store," agreed Lucy. She frowned, hefting her backpack up a little more. "But that could be a bad idea, too. When the Fall first happened, grocery stores were one of the first places people went to. At least, they were where I came from. We could still try them though." Lucy thought it over. "We'll have to keep an eye out for Vhalis, too."

Natsu glanced at her. "You have the keys ready?" When Lucy nodded, he told her, "Hand me Scorpio's."

"The dagger you showed me, right?" Lucy checked as she pulled them out. She handed him the key he'd requested, and then, thinking about it, she took Aquarius for herself, watching as the key shifted into a familiar coin. She palmed it, feeling the cool metal. It would be helpful to have Aquarius out and about, helping them watch for danger.

Natsu nodded, pocketing the key. "You might not be able to use it, but I can. It's coated in some poison that does some nasty damage. It can down a god," he added with a grin. "If Scorpio can down a god, then he should be able to down a Vhalis. Not that I want to have to do that."

"It can down a god?" repeated Lucy with shock.

"For a bit, yeah." Natsu started forward, not seeming to mind when Wendy stuck closer to him. She snagged his hand to hold as they walked. Lucy threw her a playful pout that made her giggle. Of course she'd stick close to the man who could wield a knife. "It can't kill us – nothing can. But it'd knock me out for a while. Gajeel got me with Scorpio once, back when he first became a god. I was out long enough that the humans had issues with a drought and Mavis banned Gajeel from borrowing the keys for one hundred years."

Lucy didn't think she liked the idea of Natsu being "downed" by a dagger at all, god or not, but didn't bother to tell him that. He didn't seem concerned at all. Rather, he was amused.

The group focused as they entered the small town. Rather than talking amongst themselves as they were occasionally happy to do, they remained silent. They kept a sharp eye out for danger that might be lurking nearby. Lucy led the way through the small town's streets, eyeing the buildings she thought might be worth investigating until they came across just what Wendy had suggested looking for: a grocery store.

Softly, she told them, "Let's try here first. If this place has nothing, there ought to be a gas station or something similar down the street."

Neither disagreed, so they entered the grocery store. Natsu waved them back as they did so. He went in first. The doors to the old grocery store slid open with little sound, which Lucy took as a good sign. At least the doors wouldn't get them noticed by the Vhalis in the area. There were no lights on – not that Lucy expected there to be any – and Lucy uttered a sharp gasp when she realized what stood before them.

"Oh, wow," breathed Wendy. "I thought you said–"

"I did." Lucy ran a hand through her hair, studying the full shelves before them. "Maybe the people in this town didn't riot and raid it like they did in Magnolia. It was the first place people looted after the Fall." She couldn't believe she was seeing this, nearly a year after everything had gone sideways. The shelves were packed. This untouched grocery store was like a gift from the gods themselves. She'd wished for a location like this.

Natsu did a quick check through the building, dagger in hand, but shook his head when he returned to Wendy and Lucy. "Nothing," he reported regarding the Vhalis. "Nothing at all."

"Huh," muttered Lucy, somewhat suspicious of their surroundings. Still, she wouldn't overlook the gift they'd been given. "Right. Then let's start grabbing things, I guess. Wendy, why don't you go check out the pharmaceutical aisle, and I'll check out the dried foods. Natsu–"

"I'll stick with Wendy," he interrupted with a smile.

"Good idea. If you see anything Wendy thinks is good, then grab it. The more food we can carry, the better. Oh! And if you see anything that might make good kindly or just…anything helpful. Anything," she stressed to Natsu, who waved her off.

"I know what to look for, Luce," he promised, and then shooed Wendy away, whispering something to her that made Wendy light up. Lucy suspected they were definitely going to grab a few things they didn't need, but Lucy couldn't bring herself to call after them about it. If Wendy wanted some fun, she could damn well have some fun.

Lucy trailed through the aisles, admitting that it was very creepy to be wandering among the abandoned aisles of a grocery store in the dark with no lights or other people around. Lucy was glad to know if she hollered, her friends would answer. As it was, Lucy could hear their voices at a distance, conversing about something or another, and she appreciated that Natsu had gone with Wendy. She still worried about turning around and finding Wendy missing again.

The dried goods aisle was as filled with items as Lucy had hoped it would be. She began scanning them, choosing items that she thought would be good to bring with. She piled can after can into her backpack, adding in bags of dried jerky, fruit, and other such foods. She could hardly carry her backpack when she'd finished, and she lugged it back to where Natsu and Wendy were discussing some snacks Wendy wanted Natsu to try while he could. She shoved some of the food into Natsu's bag before heading back out to investigate what else might be there, palming the coin in her pocket here and there.

Lucy found some bottles of water that she did her best to shove into her bag, abandoning an old one that was not only smaller, but empty. She dumped a few extra into the large bottle she and Wendy had acquired in Hyacinth. She even snagged some small sweet snacks from the snack aisle to share with her friends, deciding they'd likely enjoy the gift after they settled down for the night.

As she was zipping them into her backpack, she paused and looked over her shoulder with a frown. She thought she'd heard something. Nervous, Lucy listened closely and shoved her hand in her pocket to check on Aquarius's coin. The searing heat at her fingertips made her swear under her breath and throw her backpack on, ensuring it was secure. Her free hand not holding the coin gripped the keyring, seeking one just in case. She ought to have come up with some kind of plan, a way of communicating danger to her friends in a situation like this. Lucy was annoyed with herself for not doing so.

The familiar hiss the next aisle over told Lucy what the danger was, and she stopped dead. Her heart skipped into a racing, thunderous pace. She swallowed thickly and slowly backed down the aisle as something crept past the other end.

Vhalis.

No wonder the grocery store was still so full. The Vhalis was older than most, with lanky limbs covered in purple-black skin that seemed ready to slough off its body. Sharp teeth gleamed in the dim lighting of the grocery store. Familiar black liquid dripped continuously from several wounds all over its body; it had likely died from a Vhalis attack itself.

Lucy's hands shook when it paused to sniff the air like a hound, and she dove for the end of the aisle, hiding just as it snapped its head in her direction with a low snarl. Lucy pressed her back to the end of the aisle for a few heartbeats. She heaved for air and stifled her gasps with her hand over her mouth. She dared to check a few moments later. The Vhalis was gone, and it was – thank the stars above – not in the other aisle beside her either.

A bark of laughter caught her attention. Natsu. Horrified, because she knew where the Vhalis would now go, Lucy forced herself to stop and think about her options. Screaming and grabbing the Vhalis's attention wouldn't help anyone. It'd only get her killed. Allowing the Vhalis to go after them wasn't an option either.

It was a heavy bottle of vegetable oil that turned out to be Lucy's magical solution.

She grinned as she lugged it off its shelf. She hefted it back and then threw it as hard as she could, over shelves in the opposite direction of her traveling companions. It crashed into something, creating a clattering commotion. Silence fell as Natsu and Wendy hushed, confused.

The Vhalis's piercing scream echoed through the grocery store. Lucy threw her hands over her head as it exploded into action, clambering up and over the aisles in a monstrous manner. It was in such a rush that it hurtled right over her head after the bottle she'd thrown. Without a moment's hesitation, Lucy bolted in the other direction.

She nearly slammed face-first into Wendy when she reeled around a corner. Wendy was terrified, trembling at the realization that had been prowling through the store at the same time they'd been wandering around. Natsu was right behind her. He snagged her shoulders to keep her from tripping as she recoiled away from the shock of seeing Lucy in front of her. "Vhalis," Lucy choked out, and Natsu threw her a wild-eyed, exasperated look, as if to question, You think?

Natsu took the lead, twirling Scorpio's dagger with care as he led the way down the aisle. They all kept as quiet as they could. Lucy threaded her fingers through Wendy's and squeezed them tightly. She bent her head towards Wendy's head and whispered as she handed her Aquarius's coin, "If it gets hot, squeeze my hand, okay?" Wendy nodded once.

That figured out, Lucy snagged a key at random and curled her hand around it. She didn't know which one she'd taken out, nor did she care. They all seemed helpful, and she trusted that whichever key she'd chosen would be of some use–

Wendy suddenly wheezed under her breath in pain, and Lucy snapped her attention to her when Wendy ripped her hand away from Lucy's. Wendy swatted anxiously with her sleeve at her shoulder, even as Aquarius's coin fell from her aching, seared fingers, clattering noisily to the floor. Lucy could only stare at the black liquid searing at Wendy's coat, stinging her skin where it touched. It took her a moment to realize what it was, and when Lucy did…she looked up.

Perched atop the shelves overhead, staring right at them, the Vhalis grinned at them.

"Natsu!" yelped Lucy, shoving Wendy back as it lunged. Lucy spun around, throwing an arm up and willing the key she held into whatever it might become as the Vhalis crashed down on them.

It turned out her random choice of key had been a good one. It immediately morphed into a massive metal shield stretching taller than herself, bearing the symbol of Aries. Lucy swore at the unexpected weight that attached itself onto her arm, but couldn't complain as the Vhalis's sharp claws bounced off it. Between it and the Vhalis, however, Lucy hit the linoleum floor of the grocery store, trapping Wendy beneath her and against the shelf behind them.

Natsu shouted something Lucy couldn't hear as the Vhalis screamed in outrage, dragging its talons along the metal and making them all flinch at the sound. Lucy gritted her teeth, doing her best to shove at the weight atop her. Wendy wiggled free, heaving for air. Wendy helped to brace the shield as best as she could, easing just a little of the weight pinning them down.

The weight doubled suddenly, drawing a grunt from Lucy. She heard a gruesome squelch that made her grimace, knowing precisely what the sound had to be without having heard it before. The Vhalis screamed, reeling back, and without hesitation, as soon as the weight vanished, Lucy crawled out from beneath the shield with Wendy close behind.

When they looked back, scrambling to their feet, Natsu stood atop the shield. He'd buried Scorpio's dagger in the Vhalis's neck with guilt written all over his face. The Vhalis grasped at him with another gurgling shriek, furious and in pain. Natsu hardly seemed to notice the talons scoring across skin, drawing deep wounds that bled gold. The attempts grew weaker. The Vhalis finally collapsed, no longer moving.

For a long moment, none of them moved, waiting to see what the Vhalis did next, but it remained still, not even twitching.

"Is it dead?" whispered Wendy. She paused. "Well, more dead?"

"Yeah." Natsu let out a soft breath. He yanked the dagger free, hissing at the sting of black blood that seeped into his fingers. He stepped back. When he went to wipe the blade on his pants, it slipped from his hand and clattered noisily onto the floor. It was so slicked with a mixture of his blood and the Vhalis's, Natsu couldn't keep a grip on it. He scowled lightly and picked it up again, cleaning it with care before watching it meld back into its original key. "It's…it won't wake up again."

Lucy hoped not, though she felt as guilty as Natsu about it. "Wendy, are you okay?"

"Yeah." Wendy flashed her a surprisingly bright smile despite the sticky black drool that still stuck to her shoulder. She retrieved the key the shield had become, offering it to Lucy. Lucy took it and the Scorpio key back from Natsu, reattaching them to the ring she carried before putting the keyring back in her pocket. "What about you, Lucy?"

"I'm fine." Lucy patted her pocket. "Natsu, on the other hand…you don't look okay." Worry laced her voice.

He glanced down at the various wounds he'd earned, grimacing. Golden ichor dripped steadily to the floor, mixing and pooling with the Vhalis's acidic black blood. A particularly nasty wound had been carved into his cheek, staining his scarf gold. "I'll be fine. We need to get out of here." His gaze met Lucy's warily, and she knew he remembered something Lucy, herself, had communicated time and time again: where there was one Vhalis, there was sure to be more.

Lucy nodded. "And after we're in a better spot," she said, "you'll let Wendy take a look at those injuries, god or not." She made sure they had everything and together, the group rushed to leave the grocery store. They didn't bother to grab anything extra on their way out; they had everything they needed, as Wendy promised Lucy they'd grabbed some things from the pharmaceutical aisle before they'd played around a little.

Wendy spotted the danger as soon as they stepped outside. She hastily threw an arm out to prevent them from stepping into the open, pointing in silence. A second Vhalis had appeared, stalking in the direction of the grocery store. Her eyes wide, she looked at them for instruction.

Natsu pursed his lips. "Over here." He grabbed Wendy's arm and towed her to an alcove in the side of the building. Lucy rushed after them, trying to move as quickly as he could. Natsu pressed the pair into it, crowding them in. He glanced over his shoulder as the Vhalis crept closer, sniffing at the ground with caved in nostrils. Just as old as the first, if not older, thought Lucy.

Lucy stifled a squeak when Natsu suddenly crushed himself against her, admittedly a little flustered by his proximity and the way his breath touched her ear. Normally, she'd have protested. She didn't dare – not with the snarl that came from mere feet away. Wendy trembled against them.

After what seemed like ages but was likely only a few seconds, Natsu peered around the corner of the alcove. He didn't speak, only nodded curtly and gestured for them to follow as he bolted down the sidewalk, heading for the side of the grocery store. Lucy and Wendy ran after him as fast as their legs could carry them.

Only when they were several blocks away, Wendy and Lucy panting and heaving for air, did anyone speak. "Towns are terrible," rasped Wendy, flopping down onto the sidewalk. She didn't even seem to care about the chill of the pavement beneath her as she tipped back with care and simply lay there to catch her breath. "I don't ever want to see a town again."

"I think…I'm with you there," Lucy rasped.

Natsu met Lucy's gaze as she doubled over, his lips twitching as he looked at the pair before him. Lucy could have throttled him. He hardly seemed out of breath and in the bright light of day, his eyes seemed to glimmer with warmth now that they were out of danger. They even glowed just slightly, with those familiar little suns that so rarely appeared in recent times. At first, Lucy glared at him. This wasn't something to laugh about. But there was just something about the ridiculousness of the way he simply stood there while she tried to catch her breath that made a smile slowly creep over her face.

And then, they were both laughing, and it was Wendy's turn to stare at them in exasperation, wondering how she was the one being serious after such a situation. After all, she was the youngest of the three.

Stifling her giggles, Lucy elbowed Natsu, who only grinned at her. She straightened, managing to gasp out, "Right. Let's find a house to camp out in for the night, and then we'll redo our inventory and see what we managed to get before we head out in the morning. Sound good?"

Wendy nodded, already looking around to see what nearby houses might be safe. Natsu muttered his agreement, but playfully elbowed her in return, drawing another smile to Lucy's face. Shooting him a fond look, she took a deep breath and started forward.

Another small adventure! We have one or two more before we pick back up with some important things~

Thanks for your patience! I needed a well-loved break from posting/writing. I may take another one in the next few weeks, as I've been struggling a little bit mentally. Regardless, Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!

Thanks to reviewers (hopelesskar, CMenard, & TaraPasty!) as well as those who favorited and followed!