THE CHOSEN ONES — PART 7
Alicia's dancing on the grass. Her hands are high, her hair flying, her white pagan dress is clean and looks like a ghost in the dark. The stars are twinkling over her. Nick's too tired to stand; he's sitting on the porch and watching her dance.
She stops spinning and smiles at him. She's laughing. "Look at them, Nick! They're here! The spirits. They want their snake back."
Before he understands what that truly means, something gleams in her hand. A silver spark.
A blade, he realizes as his blood runs cold. Terror soaks his bones, he can't move. He can't open his mouth and scream for her to stop. He's like a piece of the porch, unable to do anything to save her.
Laughing, she plunges the knife into her stomach and jerks, cutting through like ancient samurais doing their sick honor ritual—
Nick started awake, panting, his heart plummeting in his chest. Alicia was not in her bed. He jumped off the chair before he realized what his body was doing. His vision went black for a moment, he staggered and braced himself against the wall, waiting the haze out. When he saw the room again, Troy was in the doorway eyeballing him with a curious mien.
"She with you?" Nick asked. "I dozed off."
"Yeah," Troy stated. "She's fine. You're going to kill your neck like that trying to sleep in the chair. You should take the bed and get more sleep. She's going to be out for a while and if she's not – I'll take care of it."
He had already, hadn't he?
"I've slept for now."
Nick cracked a lopsided smile that didn't express any humor. "Gonna tie her up so she doesn't bother anyone? Nah, I'll manage from here."
He went past him and peeked into another bedroom. Alicia was at the window, sunlight spilt over her head. She seemed fine for now. He went to the bathroom, took a leak. The taps gave a thin trickle. He washed his face with cold water, then went downstairs. The quarter-full bottle of water was still next to the med kit on the floor. He popped another pill and took a sip washing it down.
Troy looked after Nick as he moved past Otto to head downstairs.
Does he not trust me?
Troy was back to feeling exasperated and in desperate need of an outlet.
He cast a final look at Alicia and headed downstairs, immediately shifting the couch away from the door so that he could get out. He didn't waste much time on the porch before starting for the jeep.
Troy needed more weapons and a knife and then he was going to scout the area and make sure it was clear.
When Nick was back to the room upstairs, Alicia was still at the window, just like he left her.
"Seeing something pretty?"
"I feel like sunshine," she said, eventually turning to face him, smiling. "It's gonna be warm today."
She threw one last look at the bed to make sure Jake had really moved on, then closed the distance between her brother and herself to hug him.
"You slept," she said, pulling back to look at him with a sly grin. "I tricked you."
She seemed good and chipper, but he wasn't sure she was off the stuff yet.
He hugged her back, grateful that the nightmare was just that.
"Doesn't really feel like it," he murmured and gave her the bottle when she pulled away. "Drink. You need it."
She accepted the bottle and took a sip, then another, before handing it back to him. He still looked like he needed it more than she did, and the desperate thirst she had experienced earlier had died away.
"Are we leaving now?" she asked, vaguely remembering something being said about that during the night. "Where are we going?"
He glanced at the window, contemplating. "I need to get the horse to the ranch, and then – we'll see."
Troy removed the keys from his pants pocket and unlocked the car, helping himself to a weapon inside, and then went for the garage to let Fido out.
The horse all but sprinted at the gift of freedom and crossed toward the field of grass to graze.
Troy studied it for a while, scanning the surrounding area to make sure it was okay where it was, and then went a bit further in search of the dead he had hoped had made it to them.
Or at least closer.
While he walked and hunted, he thought of how he was going to go back to the ritual spot and get his rifle.
He had to.
It had pained Troy to leave it while they were fleeing last night but there hadn't been an opportunity to grab it in the chaos.
"I drank, now you finish it," Nick said.
Alicia groaned in dismay but kept the bottle. She couldn't make herself drink, though. Not right away.
"We already brought the horse to the ranch? Didn't we?"
Her memories seemed blurry, mingling and making her lose track of when and if they had ever happened.
She shook her head, deciding to take his word for it. "Never mind."
Nick studied her. Her pupils seemed a bit dilated still, but not crazily so. She must be coming down by now.
"How you feeling?"
"Fine." She shrugged, then reconsidered. "It changes. I think I slept a little and that was good. Now I feel… a little confused. My brain is foggy."
She looked him over, reaching out to touch the bloodied spot on his arm, but thought better of it. "How are you? Did you get that cleaned?"
Nick looked at his shoulder as her hand reached for it, only now remembering about the arrows. The bleeding had stopped a long time ago, and his shirtsleeve was stiff with dried blood. It stung when he moved it. But the pills still held the edge off the pains he could have been feeling to the full.
"Had no time for it," he confessed. "It's just a couple of deep scratches, nothing too bad."
"Let me?"
Alicia gestured for the stairs, that he follow her downstairs. She still clung to the railing like she could fall, because honestly, she might. But the trek downwards went smoother than expected.
She located the medical kit and opened it to re-examine its contents.
"Let me be useful. I promise I won't attempt any stitches."
That last part was meant in jest. She knew he remembered how she'd failed her embroidery project in home economics. He'd teased her relentlessly about it for a week when it happened, delighted by her rare failure and her teacher's commentary that what was supposed to be a rose embroidered onto a pillow, had been perverted into something that resembled female genitalia.
Nick followed her and surveyed the first floor as he walked for the couch to take a seat.
The fireplace was long cold because no one fed the flames after they all went up to the bedrooms. No sparks had jumped out of it, and it was lucky, although there was a metal plate put in front of it smartly to protect the house from accidents of that sort.
"Your stitches don't scare me," Nick said, smiling. "But if you're still high, it's a bit of worrisome."
"Shirt," she commanded, gesturing he relieve his arm of the fabric so she could take a look, trying to find some antibacterial wipes in the kit. It dawned on her a few seconds later that they'd never had any, and that was the reason they'd bargained for some moonshine. Where had that bottle gone to?
Nick pulled the shirt off over his head. The arm stung a little, but distantly, while the pills still worked.
"Lost something?" he asked, smiling at the confusion on her face. He could no longer judge whether she was still high or not anymore.
"Moonshine," she admitted, staring at the door and trying to remember if she had seen Troy bring it inside. She wasn't sure. "I'll find it."
She took a seat on the armrest of the couch first, however, leaning down to examine the cuts on her brother's arm. They probably wouldn't need stitches, but sepsis was always a concern. Especially these days. A scab had started forming on the outer edges and that was a good sign, but some of the wound was still unprotected, raw, and bloody.
She reached behind her to grab a clean piece of gauze from the med-kit and soaked it with some water from her bottle. She could at least clean some dirt and grime from the wound before she went in search of the booze. It would be better than doing nothing at all.
"It's in the Jeep with all the rest of things," he said. "We haven't exactly moved in here. And now we probably shouldn't. If any of that group survived, they'll want to get even. We don't need to give them that chance."
"They brought it on themselves," she said gravely. "But yes, I'd like to avoid another run in with them."
Alicia dabbed gently at his wound, cleaning it the best she could. Running water would have been better, especially if they had soap.
"It'd help if you took a shower, even if the water is freezing. Just to thoroughly clean this wound."
The process probably wasn't all that pleasant for Nick, but she found some comfort in it. These were the kind of things she'd assisted with at the hospital, and she'd always loved it.
"Did you know that using alcohol to clean a wound can sometimes slow down the healing process?" she said absentmindedly, thoroughly enraptured in her task. "It can damage the tissue."
"It makes sense, I guess, but we get less and less choices these days."
Something must be still there, he decided as he studied her. Some lingering aftermath of high. But the peak was over. Nick could probably relax, but it was easier said than done. There was some inner strain, like a tightly screwed spring that he couldn't make let go. He had spent too much time pushing against all odds and limits.
"Mm," a sound of agreement as she continued her work. The damp gauze came away bloodied, but most of it appeared to be from the day before. She picked up another piece of gauze and gently dried him before locating a suitable bandage to protect the wound further.
It was only when she finished that she took note of the dark bruises across his chest, most likely from his time spent in the river.
"Oh, Nick…" she frowned, suddenly feeling a pang of guilt. He must have been in so much pain the past few days. She should have taken better care of him.
"Hey," he took her by the chin gently, making her look him in the eye. A small smile touched his lips. "We're alive. Still."
Alicia nodded, fighting back the tears that had made such frequent appearances lately, swiping at her eyes with the back of her bandaged hand.
"Jesus, I've become such a crybaby. Can we blame it on the drugs?"
Nick emitted a soft laugh. "Absolutely. Personally, I saw no tears. Just how freaking tough you are. I love you."
She returned his smile, grateful he was here, grateful he was her brother. "I love you."
They'd said that a lot more recently than they normally would. She didn't mind. It was a nice reminder. One of the reasons they both still clung to life.
Nick glanced around the room, recalling any drawers he hadn't checked. "Think you can find me a towel? Gonna go check out the lake."
She nodded and got to her feet. "Yeah. Think there's some in the bathroom."
There was no action to be found outside as it seemed the dead hadn't found their way in their direction and if they had – not to the cabin.
That would have been a good thing if they decided to stay. Only it wasn't and they weren't.
The walk had helped, though, and by the time Troy returned, Fido had moved and was headed back to the garage for some water.
He went in after the horse to check.
There wasn't much left from the night. Troy had to fill it.
He gave the horse's head a pat, brushing his fingers through the mane, and allowed himself the mindless comfort of familiarity that extended past hard labor and strain.
A stolen minute the horse broke when it pulled away and trotted outside for the next grassy patch.
After making sure that Troy was right about the dead and the animal was in no immediate danger, he headed for the jeep, removed one of the large bottles of water and started inside.
Alicia made her way upstairs and made use of the toilet while she was there, washing her uninjured hand and splashing some water on her face to wake herself up a bit. She returned less than two minutes later, carrying a towel. It had managed to dry overnight.
"Communal towel, I'm afraid," she said, throwing it to Nick. "Couldn't find any others."
"You say it as if I'd care," he remarked, smirking, and got up, throwing the towel on his shoulder. "You shouldn't be alone, though. Not because I don't trust you're back from your trip, but rather because of the whole world being against us these days. Wanna come with or lock the door with anything? It's not as much the dead ones that I worry about, so better safe than sorry."
Troy entered the cabin, found the two smiling at one another, and frowned for a minute. They looked like they were having a good time. Odd. Not that it should be an issue or was the first time, but given how annoyed he'd felt some time ago it felt misplaced.
What have I missed?
"Troy's here for backup," Alicia replied once said man entered the cabin, carrying a large bottle of water. "But I'll go anyway." Even if she was starting to feel tired, like the massive amount of energy she'd obtained before was slowly seeping out. She didn't want Nick to be out there alone and unguarded any more than he wanted that for her.
"Anyone for water?" Troy asked, brushing it off as he carried the bottle toward the kitchen and set it down on the table.
"Still have some," she said in regards to Troy's offer, holding up the small bottle Nick had given her earlier, lightly shaking its contents. "Wanna come watch Nick take a bath?"
In theory, they'd be safer together.
"It's not supposed to sound that dirty," Nick chided, sneering. "But if you're up for a swim, might do you good. Any dead out there yet?"
Troy helped himself to a glass of water and shook his head. "They must still be up in the hills. But look out anyway. A few of those freaks might have survived. I don't remember seeing them all go down and I don't trust it."
Nor did he trust Katie and her Scooby gang. What if they, too, decided on some revenge and found the trio? She knew where they were and those little bitches had been pretty fanatic in their views.
At least from what he understood of them.
"Are you swimming?" Troy stepped out of the kitchen and gestured to Alicia's injured hand. "Are you planning to get in the water? If so we should wrap that hand for you – plastic."
He was already starting to look around for something just in case. She was still high, right? Who knew where her impulses would take her and what kind of bacteria she'd pick up and rot her hand.
Alicia shook her head a no. "Just coming to make sure my brother doesn't get in trouble."
She shot a partially teasing smile Nick's way, though there was definitely truth to what she said. He had a knack for attracting trouble.
It was strange watching Troy trying to take care of her. Whatever his motivations for doing so would turn out to be, Alicia did appreciate it.
"You coming?"
Troy stopped looking and gave a nod. "Yeah." No part of him considered to let them go out there alone—so close to the trailers—while one was high and the other was defenseless.
Nick stepped out of the cabin, habitually scanning the trees around in search of any moving targets. It didn't seem too wrong that the dead hadn't come around here yet, but it would be stupid to relax and let the guard down.
The horse, however, had no cares in the world, grazing peacefully, the tail swishing sideways.
It didn't feel right to let it be alone. Nick clicked his tongue, testing. The horse raised its head, ears perked. It hesitated, then started toward Nick. He reached out, took the animal by the reins and led to the water. It had to be thirsty because it hurried ahead of him and sucked hungrily. The sounds were loud and comical.
Smiling, Nick pulled off his shirt, pushed off his boots and stepped into the lake. The water was cold, almost freezing in contrast to a warm morning. Grimacing, he went deeper, hoping there were no undead surprises stuck in the silt.
Alicia and Troy weren't far behind, slowly approaching the lake as Nick got undressed and readied himself for a swim with the horse beside him.
Alicia knew she had spent some time with Troy the following night – he'd been the one to patch her up – but their conversations were still a little blurry and she was uncertain about what had actually been said and what had simply been thoughts in her mind.
"I just wanted to say thank you," she started as they walked, keeping her gaze straight ahead because for some reason looking up at him proved difficult. "For what you've done for Nick. For me. I won't forget it."
Troy wondered though if what she was saying was true, would she remember or conveniently go back to hating him. Why did he even suddenly care to analyze it?
He gave a slow nod and a 'think nothing of it' gesture. "We're on the same side."
They had been for a while even if she didn't entirely view it that way.
"Yeah." That was all the response she could give at the moment. It had been easy talking to him the night before because her sense of self-preservation had been nonexistent, but now that it was seeping back in it was hard to replicate that carefree state. Didn't mean what he'd done, that he'd helped save Nick and her from those crazy people, as well as helping her get through the night meant anything less. She appreciated it.
The cold of the water felt as if it was seeping into his bones as Nick swam. He did his best to ignore it, work around it and keep moving to maybe gain some warmth inside, but it wasn't happening.
When he swam back to shore and found his footing, walking for the bank, his teeth were clattering a little.
"This is a damn cold lake," he commented, rubbing his torso with the towel. "Not even the dead live there."
Nick was shivering like a damn leaf and unlike most of the times Alicia'd seen him tremble from withdrawals, this was quite amusing. She grinned, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand.
"You brave Viking, you."
Nick looked as if he'd doubted the decision, making Troy smile in turn. "That's it? I expected you'd want to do a lap or twelve."
Nick made a face at Troy. "You go do ten at least."
He dried himself off and pulled his shirt on, stilling in the sunlight to get it to ooze through his skin.
"We gotta eat something, and then I take the horse back to the ranch."
Alicia squinted at Nick, then at Troy. "And then? We leave?"
They didn't have much of a plan. She wasn't even sure which direction would be best to travel in. North?
"We won't get far without more supplies."
"And what do you suggest?" Nick asked calmly, wiping water off his face with a tail of the towel. "Stay around and grow crops or move in with the farmers… or scavenge around this area until the pagan survivors shoot us from the bushes and drag you away to present to their spirits?"
"Just sayin'," Alicia held her hands up in defense. "I'm not eager to stick around either. But we should at least have an inkling of which direction we're heading."
Here we go again, Troy thought. Nick's obsession with those people, doing the right thing and returning the horse. Oh, well. Fido did need walls of his own, so maybe it would be a good space?
Katie flashed into mind and immediately killed that image.
Before Troy could grip the hem of his shirt and mockingly show Nick the bandage wrapped around his abdomen after the stitching job, Nick continued over him and moved onto the next subject.
Troy waited until they started walking again before falling in line.
"Do you really think they've survived? We can go to their trailers, see what they have, take what's left and burn the trailers to the ground so that they have nothing to come back to. We don't have to stay but maybe we should. You still have recovering to do, Nick. I doubt you could handle another kidnapping."
They walked back towards the cabin. Alicia tried her best not to yawn. The higher the sun rose, the more tired she started to feel. Maybe she could have used another few hours of sleep?
Troy had a point – Nick wasn't stupid to think he was in a perfect shape. Not after barely having slept for a couple of hours after a hell of a night and day. But staying around here didn't sit well with him. Be it because of a paranoid idea about the survivors. Even the ranch people, though seeming nice enough to him, might be not all perfect as they looked. He understood where Troy's paranoia was coming from. Nick just didn't want to stick around and find out whether he was right or wrong. He didn't feel like taking chances around here, anymore.
"You're not wrong, neither of you is," he said, scanning the woods as they approached the cabin. "We should go look in and around the trailers. And I gotta get the horse back before we leave. As for where we go…" Nick trailed off, giving it a bit of thought. "Maybe we go east? Next state? See what's there? Arizona's always been a nice place to look at. Not much has changed."
He was agreeing with Troy now? Troy was expecting him to argue and say that there was no way Troy should burn down the trailers and that the fire might spread.
"While you take the horse back to Katie and your other kidnappers, I'll go for my rifle," Troy stated as they headed back to the cabin. He was sure Nick would have something to say about that. "Are you going to go with your brother, Alicia?"
Alicia thought about that a moment. The ranch seemed like a long way to walk, or even ride, but she was worried about Nick. Especially after seeing the state he was in and knowing he hadn't had much sleep.
And Troy could handle himself by the looks of it.
"Yeah. Mom always did tell me to get more fresh air," Alicia said, partially joking. "A trip to the farm might be nice."
"Sticking together is always smarter than splitting up," Nick put in. "If you can't live without that rifle, Troy, we have to get it together. No one's going anywhere alone, I think it'd be the sane call. Where did you lose your rifle and how come it's so damn special?"
"It's a .50 cali rifle. It could blow someone's leg off from two thousand yards. You think I'm giving that up to nature and the dead so that they can piss all over it?" Troy scoffed at the idea. "But you're not going with me. Neither of you. I can handle this solo." And he would. "You two go on to the farm. One of you ride the horse, the other the Jeep and meet me back at the cabin in an hour or two and then we can decide what to do next and where to go when you're ready."
"Sorry, Troy, no solo missions. You need your baby back, we get it together."
Alicia felt another argument coming on. They did that a lot, these two. Disagreeing on just about everything, but still hell-bent on sticking together.
She climbed the stairs to the cabin and headed inside, taking a brief look around before stepping back out again, holding her hand out towards Troy.
"Can I have the keys to the Jeep? Before we go anywhere I'd like to get my pants."
Troy removed the keys from his pocket and held them out to Alicia, allowing his gaze to fall to her legs to make sure she was indeed still wearing pants and he hadn't missed something.
"Have you looked at the crap around here? That ladies stuff might work."
Although most of it was jeans, summer dresses and some black number that no longer had any part in this world anymore. Where would you even find the occasion for something like that?
"I'll take a gander later," Alicia said, taking the keys from him. "But I have jeans in the car that should fit."
"Do you even want to go back up there, Nick? What if… you know, it sets off something. You guys went through quite a bit up there." He'd been hunted and she'd been forced to do shit Troy barely even understood.
"I'll be fine," Nick said, flaunting an overly sweet smile. "I won't faint, I won't cry, pinky swear."
Alicia got back off the porch and headed for the jeep at a slow jog, unlocked the door and crawled inside to rummage through the pile of clothes, eventually locating the pair of jeans she'd taken from the gas station a few days before.
She shimmied out of her shorts and pulled them on before making her way back to the cabin. She'd need new boots as well, unless they could find her old ones at the campsite.
"You don't know if any of that is true and how you'll react going back there. Especially her. I've seen some crazy shit, Nick. I'm not trying to be a dick. I'm trying to help you."
It would be weird to say taking care of because there was an unspoken stipulation attached to that that touched on love and made the whole brother label come off even deeper. Troy had never been good at that. Not with Jake, anyway. Which is why it was surreal at times that Troy found someone on his level who just appeared to appreciate him for him with no strings or contradicting lectures to try and make him better or conform him.
There was a relief in that but also a sense of uncharacteristic fear that Troy'd screw it up.
Or Nick would.
Disappointment was also an essential fixture of life.
At least it had been for Troy's.
"If you don't feel up to it, don't go, if you do… fine."
He gave a small shrug, walked over to the kitchen and helped himself to a glass of water and then went for the cooler to see what they had left to eat as Alicia walked back in.
Nick didn't feel they traumatized him enough for him to be thinking about it all in the light Troy was presenting. Nick felt he had to rather be afraid of what he did to them. But he didn't want to think about it and dig for details in his memory if he could help it. Troy could be right about Alicia, though. Nick couldn't know what residue it had left in her mind and how it would pan out. Regardless of that, he didn't think she would want to sit this one out, either.
He waited for Alicia on the porch, then followed her inside.
"So?" Alicia asked once they were all inside, and she'd taken Troy's advice to look through the heap of clothing he'd managed to snag. "Did you decide? We sticking together?"
There was a pair of women's sneakers among the treasures Troy had claimed that looked like they might fit. They weren't ideal for traipsing through the forest, but they would have to do until she could find something better. She missed her boots.
"How do you feel about going up onto the hill again? The red tent?" Troy asked, removing two cans of something. He opened both and extended one toward Nick with a spoon, assuming he'd take it since he'd said he was looking for food and had to be hungry at this point.
Nick took the can and tried to read the label, but it was faded and damaged. He could see something like Pork, but couldn't be sure.
It didn't matter. He was finally hungry.
Alicia hesitated briefly at the mention of the red tent, an avalanche of unpleasant memories threatening to crash down onto her. But she held it off, refocused on the two men beside her.
"Sure," he said simply, taking a seat at the kitchen table. "That where you lost your rifle?"
"It is. I ran out of bullets, had to dump and change strategy. It should still be there. However, the same courtesy extends to you as it does your brother. If you don't want to go, don't go, I can handle that alone."
And wasn't she still high? What if she had another of those hallucinations? If there were dead up there and something happened – an accident – Troy suspected that Nick wouldn't forgive him as easily as he did about the other shit.
"Otherwise, I suggest we hit Fido first, drop him off and then make our way back. After we have the rifle it'll be up to the two of you whether or not we come back here or take off on the road to nowhere."
He tucked into his own can and wrinkled his nose with distaste. Canned asparagus? What kind of devil even thought of that? And what kind of asshole would sell it? He missed the ranch now more than ever.
"We need to check the trailers before I lead the horse past them," Nick said, sending a forkful of "pork" in his mouth. It wasn't the best thing he ever ate, but it was bearable.
"I'll go," Alicia said in response to Troy's offer of staying behind. It might have been easier here and now, but in the long-term it would make her stronger. Or so she told herself as she reached for her bottle of water.
She looked to her brother as he spoke up, squinting slightly and trying to remember the details of their path taken to the ranch a few days ago.
"Did you see anything on your drive there last night?" That is where he had gone, right? Where else could he have deposited that girl?
"I saw corpses," Nick said. "Maybe a couple lying out there. I don't know if they would rise, I didn't get closer or linger to see. I tried to keep as far as possible, driving by the lake shore. What's happening there this morning, I've no idea. Could be anything."
Troy nodded in response to both their declarations and choked down the asparagus as fast as he could before tossing the can toward the counter.
House rules didn't apply anymore and he doubted they were going to be here come the end of the night.
Besides that dried horseshit between the kitchen and the living room was an impractical step now. That wasn't a fixture he wanted where he planned to stay.
"Alright. Let's take stock of what we have left, what we want and we'll take the jeep down to the trailers."
Even if there were people there, waiting, he didn't think they'd have to stress much.
Corpses Alicia could handle. They weren't what she really feared at the moment, and she got the sense both Nick and Troy shared her sentiment on that. It was the people who were a problem.
"How are we on weapons?" she asked as she slipped her feet into the sneakers, remembering her knife had gone missing at some point, and the guns she and Nick had briefly commandeered when they tried to flee had most likely been taken back by their captors. She had seen a few handguns in the back of the jeep when she fetched her jeans, but she hadn't checked their ammo. Without that, they were useless.
Nick scraped the last of the meal from the can and tossed it after Troy's in the trash.
"I've my knife, and my gun's in the car I drove last night, I think."
He took a few gulps of water, screwed the cap back on, and stepped out on the porch. The horse was still grazing, and no dead wanted to eat it.
"We've got knives and a couple handgun bullets. Should be enough to do the damage we need against the dead. I suggest we save the latter for the living."
Troy wiped his mouth, wishing he had something other than water to wash the lingering aftertaste away and followed Nick out onto the porch.
"Are we coming back here?"
Nick reflected, watching the horse.
"Well, I think we should leave the Jeep here and take that other car and go check the trailers. Then – if all's good – we get your rifle. Then I take the horse to the ranch and come back here so we could leave."
"We're all taking the horse!" Alicia called after them as she laced up her shoes, following once she finished. She wasn't about to let Nick wander off alone any easier than he would allow her to do the same. "But maybe we should pack up the jeep first, just in case we're forced to make a quick get-away?"
That was Troy's thinking, too, and exactly why he'd asked if they were returning.
"Alicia's right. If there are people down there and we do happen to shake things up again – which is highly likely – we're going to want to make a quick getaway. We should put our shit together and ready to leave. Especially if that's what we're intending to do."
Troy didn't want to accidentally leave supplies behind or give them away when they were so hard to come by.
"Okay, fine, by all means, put our shit together and all that," Nick said, producing his scrunched cigarette pack from his back pocket and fishing for his lighter. "I just don't think it's a good idea for Troy to show face at the ranch after he's been keeping their scared kid locked up all day." He turned to Otto, sticking a cigarette in his mouth. "I didn't tell them she was tied up, and I denied you did anything bad to her, but she could've told them all that on her own. I don't want any more conflicts. I just wanna leave the horse and go."
Nick lit the smoke and dragged at it.
"What did he do to her?" Alicia asked, turning to look at the man in question. She'd been under the impression he'd used the girl to find their whereabouts but she didn't remember seeing her harmed. Had she missed that in her drug-induced state?
"Jesus Christ, Nick. You make it sound like I did something I'm supposed to be ashamed of. Those people drugged you and kidnapped you. Locking their brat up was the least that I could do. In fact, that's less than what they had planned for the both of you. She got off easy. A lot easy. I didn't hurt her," Troy added to answer Alicia's question. "– not in a sense that could have been construed or viewed as the same level of torture you two were dealing with yesterday. I just took her on a psychological rollercoaster. Put the fear of God in her. She needed it."
Hell, given how much grief he was getting, Troy spitefully wished he'd change that and had taken his frustrations out on her. At least then she and they would have something to actually cry about.
"Besides, Katie's not going to say anything. She's a coward. As are her friends. But if it makes you feel better, we'll park a bit away from the entrance, you slip Fido in and they don't even have to see me."
Nick scowled at Troy in disbelief. "What are you even talking about? Don't throw it all in the same pot. Katie is not that pagan gang's brat - she's a kid of people who have been nice to us. And it's not their fault, which you don't seem to get through your skull. They didn't do anything to us - they didn't know. If you think keeping a kid scared out of her head and tied up in a garage is no biggie, it's a problem, even for this world. And yeah, you better wait in the car. It's best for everybody."
Alicia looked between the two with some uncertainty, both adamant in their own point of view. Her natural instinct was to side with Nick, but she also remembered him telling her Katie had been the one who'd drugged her and handed her off to the crazies. If Troy was telling the truth and hadn't actually harmed her, Alicia didn't have it in her to feel too badly for Katie. Not right now, anyway.
But Alicia still felt she'd missed some huge part of this whole story.
As for now, it didn't matter. They'd have time to argue later, once they were on the road and hopefully safer than they were now.
"Okay," Alicia said. "It's settled. Let's get what we need out to the car. I'll do a sweep of the second floor."
She headed back inside to do just that.
Why was Nick so quick to vindicate the little bitch? Was it because her tits hadn't fully grown yet and she'd spewed some bullshit about the big bad Troy all the way back to the ranch? Troy almost craved a little alone time with her just to find out.
"Make sure you grab the needle and thread on the bathroom counter!" he called after Alicia as she started inside. Troy gave Nick a mute look, an agreement to drop the subject and then trailed after her. "I'll grab the cooler and the water, you can slip Fido into his cage."
Defiance radiated off Troy like wobbly heat off the hood of a car in a summer noon. He chose to say nothing, and Nick supported it. They didn't need to argue over shit when they had things to take care of.
Nick clicked his tongue for the horse, but it guessed his intentions and made him come for it. The horse wasn't eager to get back to the garage. Wincing, Nick slid the door closed before the horse slipped back out. He was getting more cunning in chasing his needs.
Alicia headed up the stairs, stopping by the bathroom first to collect the little travel-size sewing kit Troy had used to patch them up. There were a few other things they could make use of from the bathroom; soap, toilet paper, toothpaste, but before she gathered it all she moved to one of the bedrooms and found a pillowcase to carry her haul in.
When she got back downstairs she'd added a clean sheet and the blanket Nick had covered her with the previous night to her collection.
There was nothing in the clothing on the floor that Troy wanted and after checking the cooler to make sure nothing had gone off in there – like the meat he couldn't remember them finishing, Troy carried both it and the water toward the jeep and set them down beside the wheel as he no longer had the keys.
Nick had done his job, too.
"When your sister gets back, check what weapons we have in there. I'll go check the car for what you left."
The one they'd confiscated from the pagans and he hadn't been able to check properly when he moved it away from the cabin and into the trees somewhere.
Nick leaned against the side of the Jeep, lighting a cigarette, watching him retreat.
Soon enough, Alicia emerged from the cabin, walking to him with her loot.
"Got the keys?" he asked, exhaling smoke.
Alicia held them up for him to see as she rounded the car, unlocking the back so they could stow their stuff away on the flatbed. She'd grabbed the medical kit as well; which Troy must have forgotten in his haste to get his rifle back.
"Help me keep a look-out for my boots when we get to the trailers? I'd very much like them back, even if they do chafe the hell out of my heels."
Nick chuckled. "You think I remember your boots so well? You think too much of me."
Alicia rolled her eyes and pushed the cooler further into the car to make room for whatever else they needed to pack. "Just tell me if you find a pair of women's combat boots, okay?"
Nick took another shallow drag, guarding his aching lungs and ribs.
"You sure you'll be fine to go back to that tent place? Maybe you better wait in the car? You need no additions to your last night stresses."
She paused at his question, leaning against the open flatbed. When she next spoke, her voice was soft, calm.
"Look, let's get this out of the way. It was pretty obvious what they were going to do to me. I was the first-prize in their twisted games. They were going to rape me. And that scares me more than the potentially dying part.
"But they didn't. You and Troy saved me from that. Just like with Proctor John. I'm not traumatized. I'm angry, yes. Disappointed in how much humanity keeps letting us down. But not traumatized. I'll be fine."
She squeezed his good arm gently, offering a small smile.
"You're not going without me."
Nick smiled, and breathed the smoke out. "You pretty much saved yourself there, and me, too. Don't sell yourself short - even drugged, you're a tough one to threaten."
Alicia frowned, eyeing him curiously "I did? I don't remember that." Everything that had happened outside of the red tent seemed to be a bit of a blur.
He gave a soft laugh, and regarded her.
"However tough and fierce, you'll always be my little sister I'll want to protect from all possible threats. Including nightmares."
She smiled, touched by the sentiment.
"I know. You can be protective." She pointed a finger at him, somewhat playful. "Until I tell you it's enough."
Troy found the handgun and the knife on the floor of the car, noting that the inside of the vehicle smelled like faint urine. At least he had that. One staple victory.
He drove it back to the cabin and steadily pulled up beside the two.
There was still a bit of fuel in it that they could siphon across from tank to tank when they were done.
"Ready to go?"
Alicia moved to shut the door to the flatbed, and nodded. "Ready."
Nick stomped out his cigarette and pulled the back door open, sorting through the weapons until he came away with a minimum they needed for their reckoning mission. He gave Alicia a gun and a knife, kept a blade for himself before shutting the door and following his sister to another car.
It took them less than six minutes to make it from the hidden cabin to that of the trailers. The dog from the day before was wandering around aimlessly. It'd been out there all night feeding on the man Troy'd killed and was still making a go of it. He couldn't blame it for his determination. When you had a good thing, you kept with it for as long as it served and you were able to make it work.
Troy approached the bridge of trailers slowly, eyeing the windows, assuming that any noise they'd have made by then would have drawn attention.
Only no one jumped out.
He pressed a hand to the hooter and honked twice.
The dog barked but no other movement was seen.
Troy checked the bullets in the handgun he'd found in the car, a knife tucked into the other hand as he turned off the ignition and got out. He didn't want to drive into the middle and have them be cornered.
Alicia waited until Troy got out of the car, then followed, gun in her right hand, knife in her left, briefly distracted by the sight of the massacred corpse they were forced to pass. It looked like someone had torn at his flesh, and the infected immediately sprung to mind. Until she remembered the dog. Ew.
Nick climbed out after them, and looked around.
A few corpses, no walking ones. There was a scared dog, which made him wary, considering his bad experience with starving, spooked canines in the past.
He didn't want to shoot it, but didn't love it being around. It didn't seem too interested in them, however, for as long as they didn't disturb its meal time.
"I'll check this one," he waved a knife at the closest trailer. "And you try the one with the bathtub, Alicia. Your boots might still be there."
Troy followed them into the middle of the trailer park and observed them giving each other directions before preparing to split off into different trailers.
He didn't think that to be a good idea since they didn't know what lay beyond each door but he didn't argue.
It was quiet and he planned to stay close to each or at least between them to run in if needed and as needed.
Alicia nodded, reached back into the car to upend the pillowcase she'd brought from the cabin, taking it with her. She saw her brother off and turned to make sure Troy was still in sight before she approached one of the trailers in the middle. She opened the door and stepped back, making sure no one would come rushing at her or meet her with a hailstorm of bullets as she climbed in. There was no one.
She found her boots as well as her jeans, top and underwear. She tucked them into the pillowcase after searching the rest of the trailer, but there was nothing else that could be of use to them.
"Clear," she told Troy once back outside, moving on to the next trailer.
The trailer was empty of people or dead, but Nick found a couple of boxes of ammo in the drawers, a few shirts, a hair brush, three tubes of toothpaste. There was nothing else of value, and he went to the next one. A belt, which he put around his waist with his knife locked on it. A holster with a handgun joined in, hanging on another hip.
While Troy waited, the dog ran up to him, baring his teeth a moment, moving around him as if it was worried he was going to steal its food supply like the night before.
"Still not interested, dude. Scram."
Troy kicked dirt in his direction and watched it scramble away, but only far enough to be safe. He gave a nod of acknowledgement when Alicia appeared from her trailer, Nick followed suit and then moved onto the next.
Troy walked over to Alicia and gestured for her to hand him her pillowcase.
"I'll pack it in the car for you. If you continue looking and happen upon batteries, we could do with some."
Alicia handed Troy her pillowcase and nodded, acknowledging she'd heard his request before she made for the next trailer. She slipped her knife down her back pocket to free up one hand and repeated the process from before, making sure no one was inside before she ventured in.
This trailer was a lot better equipped than the previous one, with several cabinets to look through as well as a few backpacks. She found several cans of food, a few unopened bottles of water, bandages, protein bars, a whole lot of hunting knives, a flashlight, and to her surprise four loose AA batteries. She didn't know if they had any juice left in them, but they were worth taking just to check.
Nick sought through another trailer, came out with a bunch of clothes, two pairs of jeans, another gun, some snacks hidden under the bed in a duffel bag. He tossed the clothes and weapon inside and left it at the car before heading into the next one.
No survivors around made him lower his guard a bit, which he regretted the moment the trailer's door closed behind him and he turned to see a gun trained on his chest.
It was a girl in her twenties, wearing a white dress, trembling like there were electrical wires stuck in her sending steady currents. She was almost crying, but her hand looked firm enough, her finger tight on the trigger.
Nick had no time to pull his gun out – he was no Wild West sheriff. There was nothing he could tell her – they were on the opposite sides of this strife.
He raised his hands slowly, studying her in search of weaknesses.
"You gonna shoot or what?" he asked, the corners of his mouth twitching in a misplaced amusement.
She sobbed and put her second hand on the gun, her knuckles white.
Troy slipped the pillowcase into the Sedan beside the rest of the loot that Nick had acquired and nearly collided with the dog who'd run up on his heels.
"Dude! Seriously!" Troy snapped. It charged away, beneath the nearest trailer, and disappeared.
It needed to take a chill pill and was beginning to remind him of one of those old lady ankle biters.
He returned to the middle of the construction, scanned those that they hadn't touched yet, and slowly headed toward them, peering into the dusty windows to see inside as best he could. Troy swiped at them to clean them and then gave up. The dust was too much.
He cast a glance in the direction of the trailers he knew Alicia and Nick to be and then slipped inside.
They'd been fine up to now and it seemed as if so far the place was clear.
When Alicia came back outside, neither Troy nor Nick were in view. She assumed they were each checking out the other trailers and headed for the car to deposit her newest haul, stuffing the filled backpacks into the trunk.
She paused for a brief moment to scan the remaining trailers, caught sight of Troy through one of the windows and decided to continue from the other end and work their way to the middle.
Only the trailer she opened next wasn't clear at all. Alicia froze in the doorway as she caught sight of Nick further inside and a young woman that seemed somewhat familiar pointing a gun his way. Alicia couldn't move, worried if she did she'd spook her and the woman would pull the trigger.
"Please don't…" Alicia whispered, eyes wide with fear.