Land of the Dead

9) Tidal Waves

Chapter 9 --- Land of the Dead

Tidal Waves

Alice and Jett stood motionless on the steps as Lily-rose swayed before them.

"You scared me half to death, Lily." Alice spat out, without it meaning to sound so bitter.

"I-I'm not...Where's my sister?"

"Wha-What? What do you mean your sister?"

"My twin! Lily!"

Jett looked up at Alice and their eyes met. "What's your name?" Alice asked bluntly, looking away to avoid her brothers intense stare. The girl looked down at the floor.

"L-Lani...."

"Lily and Lani?" Jett murmured, loud enough for both Lani and Alice to hear. Slate and Ivy had disappeared. It had taken Alison only a few minutes to realize that. Lani nodded, eyes still glued to the ground. Tears started to form in the edges of her eyes.

"Please don't tell me she's dead, she keeps me safe, I don't want to die!" She wailed. Jett ran down the steps and fell onto both knees at the girl so he was eye level with her. He dropped the basket beside him.

"We don't know where your sister is currently, but we'll find her." He picked up the sobbing girl and placed her on his hip. She sobbed into his shoulder. Jetts eyes glazed over where Lily had previously cowered on the floor. All remnants of her being there had completely disappeared, like a hazy fog disapppearing into the night.

"Let's...go, Alice." Alice growled as he passed by her, leaving no imprint of his feet on the surprisingly clean floor. "Oh, could you also take the basket with you? I left it on the floor, over there." Jett nodded towards the weaved basket. "Thanks."

Alice grumbled something under her breath as she placed the weaponry she carried in her tight grasp carefully into the basket. They barely fit, but would have to make-do for now. She threw the bread out of the basket to make room and to also make it lighter.

Alice almost screamed as she hoisted the basket up onto her head, the look on her face revealing that she was infuriated and abashed. "Don't leave without me!" She shouted as she started running down the steps after him.

He had already made it to the bottom of the stairs and was leaving the house. Alice jumped off the stairs, missing the last few steps and collided into Jett. They both fell to the ground. Lani rolled along the ground and fell into a bush. Thorns pricked her skin and she wailed. Jett shuffled along the ground, trying to kick his sister off of his back.

"Get...off!" His shouts were muffled. He craned his neck to the left and glared into familiar cognac-brown eyes, which matched his own. Alice pressed her hand down onto his face and rolled off of him, hitting the pavement with a loud thump. Slate could be heard shouting from the car.

"What's going on?!" Alice looked up and was greeted by a panic-stricken Slate, who had obviously spotted Lani. He pointed a gun at Alice and Jett, and they both noticed it was wavering in his grip.

"Don't shoot!" Jett shouted, raising his right hand. Alice growled and spat beside her, just as a scream pierced the overcast sky. The bushes shook and Jett noticed Lani's platinum-blonde hair tangled within the bushes.

"S-she..." Slate was lost for words. Alice stared Slate down as Jett crawled over to the bushes.

"Lani! Are you okay?"

In response, Lani started screaming more. Jett pulled her out from the bushes, but noticed that her long flowing hair would not become untangled from the bushes.