Surviving or Living

Chapter 8: The Cabin

"No !" Elyza exclaimed rolling her eyes. "If you have some pity for me, just no."
"Justin Bieber ?" Alicia asked raising an eyebrow.
"What the hell ?" Elyza exclaimed.
"Ok" Alicia sighed. "What about Taylor Swift?"
Elyza looked at the brunette beside her, and a smirk appeared on her lips.
"Yeah, that's better."
Nick chuckled, staring at the road ahead of him. He was sitting on the passenger seat, while his mother was driving the car. Elyza and Alicia were sitting at the back of the car, and the younger girl was looking at her musics that were in her phone, trying to find something that Elyza would like. They agreed on Taylor Swift's last album, and Alicia put a headphone in her ear, then gave the other to Elyza. They were on the road for more than eight hours now. They were supposed to stop to Las Vegas, but the city was so full of infected they decided to drive a bit more to join Utah. They were driving through an amazing natural scenery, that was a desert with rocks that made an amazing environment, and tall mountains with their snow and pine forest. As the sun was starting to lower down in the sky, Alicia yawned while her eyes were starting to close by themselves. Unable to stay awake any longer, she slowly rested her head on Elyza's shoulder. The blonde was first surprised, but them smiled genuinely. She quickly looked ahead of the car. Nick was asleep and Madison was too focus on the road, so Elyza quickly kissed Alicia on the top of her head, then rested her head against the car's door and closed her eyes, hoping she would quickly fall asleep. Yes, she had to admit it. She really liked this girl.

A gunshot woke Elyza and Alicia up. They both jumped awake, and looked around them totally confused. Madison and Nick weren't in the car anymore, so the girls quickly get off of the car to examine the situation. They were standing in the middle of a forest, and the fresh air and orange light that could be seen through the brushwoods told them it was early in the morning. The three cars were here, parked ahead of a wonderful wooden cabin, that goes really good with the forest. Madison, Travis and Victor were standing in front of the the stairs that leaded to the porch, looking worriedly inside of the cabin by the opened door, and Ofelia, Nick and Chris were standing next to the pickup truck. And, right between the door and the stairs, was laying the body of a infected that has been shoot in the head.
"It's clear!" Daniel exclaimed walking out of the cabin. "There are no infected in there."
He grabbed the infected by the wrist to move it, and Travis and Victor ran to help him.
"You're sure ?" Travis asked.
"Yes. I checked the floor, the basement... Apparently he was here alone"
They moved the body in the forest, while the others were starting to take their belongings and enter the cabin.
"Mom ?" Alicia called. "What's going on?"
Madison turned around and smiled at her daughter.
"Oh Alicia. Elyza. I'm sorry I didn't want to wake you up"
"Well you failed !" Elyza exclaimed with a chuckle. "Where are we ?"
"Not far from Salt Lake City" Madison responded.
"Wait you drove the whole night?" Alicia asked taking her bags.
"No" Madison responded. "We stopped to sleep a little. And then we found these" she made a move of her head to the cabin. "Do you like it ?"
"Could have been worse" Elyza responded with a big smile.
"I love it mom" Alicia said.
Madison smiled at the girls and walked into the cabin.
"Come on, help us to bring the stuffs inside"
Elyza caught some bags, and the girls made their way into the cabin. The front door leaded directly in a room that was as big as the cabin's size, and there were a staircase right in front of the door that leaded to the floor. At the left of the stairs there were the living room part, with three couches, a coffee table, a fireplace and a TV set above it, and some bookshelves with a lot of books, there were actually so many books there weren't enough place on the shelves for all of them. At the right of the stairs there were a full equipped kitchen, and a large dinning table, this kind of table that must have been made by the owner of the cabin. On the floor there were four bedrooms, a office and a bathroom. In the bathroom there was a bathtub, two sinks and toilets. The bedrooms were really welcoming. Two of them had kind size beds, and the two other had two single beds. And, in the office, there were a desk and an office chair, a couch and bookshelves, that were as filled as the ones in the living room. And, on the roof, there were solar panels. But the thing that amazed them the most was the windows. All of the windows were really huge, and the ones on the floor offered an amazing view.
"Good news !" Nick exclaimed coming in the cabin. "I was in the basement, an I can guarantee you that we have water. We can take showers !"
"Yeah because showers are your thing" Elyza said with a smirk.
"Shut up Lex !" Nick said in a playful tone.
Once all of the stuffs were in the cabin, it was decided that Nick and Chris will share a room with the single beds, Ofelia and Daniel will take the other. Alicia and Elyza took one with a king size bed, and Travis and Madison took the other. Meanwhile, Victor insisted on sleeping on the couch in the office, but then they discovered it was a sofa-bed.
"It's incredible!" Alicia exclaimed when she entered the room she was going to share with Elyza.
She quickly put her clothes in the closet that was empty, and sat down on the end of the bed, staring at the view ahead of her. She could see the valley covered by the forest, and a mountain with its snow-covered peak.
"So will you let me sleep on the floor again?" Elyza asked with her smirk on her lips.
Alicia raised her eyes to look at the blonde, then lied down on the bed.
"I take this side" she said.
"As you wish" Elyza said, and lied down next to the brunette.
Alicia took a pillow and put it under her head, so she could stay lied and watch the landscape. But she couldn't notice Elyza, who was looking at her and examining every of her features, just like if she wanted to memorise every details of her face.
"Thank you" Elyza finally said.
Alicia frowned and turned her head, and her look met Elyza's.
"For what ?" Alicia asked.
"For yesterday. For coming after me, for talking to me. It's the first time in a long time that ..."
She was about to say that she felt loved and accepted, but she decided to keep silence.
"... That I spend a good time with a real friend" she finally said.
"So now I'm your friend?" Alicia asked in a playful tone, raising an eyebrow.
"I hope so !" Elyza exclaimed, and they both started to laugh.
"Thank you" Alicia finally said. "For saving my life. Twice, actually."
"Well it was about time!" Elyza exclaimed, and they laughed again. "But you're very welcome."
They smiled at each other, then turned their heads to look at the forest through the window.