ZERO (Complete)

Chapter Nine

Despite being paired up, the tension between Allie and Lauren was still palpable so they didn't say much to each other. Lauren was still salty about their confrontation from earlier that morning. Even still, she was the first to break the silence.

"So what did you do before... this?" she asked.

"I used to be a ballet dancer," Allie said.

"Really, that's cool. I was a former model."

"Good for you," Allie said unimpressed and disinterested.

"I suppose it's just a job like any other, you know? You don't even have to be good looking, which is a common misconception. It has a lot to do with having the right makeup artist, lighting, finding the right angles, and of course post production touch-ups. You'd be surprised at some of the before and after photos. Some models are unrecognizable. Also, some photoshoots take all day and then the photographer takes a million photos. Then they spend hours selecting the best one, and even more time touching it up. So a lot goes into one shot."

"Imagine what it's like being my age and a model. Agencies want that youthful look so the models keep getting younger and younger. It actually causes a lot of girls to develop really low self-esteem."

Allie couldn't have looked more disinterested. She was used to being around violence and toughness where beauty held very little value. She kept focused on the task and didn't engage with Lauren at all. Eventually, they drifted further apart.

Neither of them had spent much time in the wilderness before so they needed to look out for each other. After several minutes, Allie felt that something was off. Perhaps being a professional MMA fighter, she had a heightened awareness for danger. She felt this weird sensation as if someone was watching her. She looked around, but couldn't see anyone. That's when she noticed Lauren was no longer in sight.

"Lauren," she called out, but there was no answer. "Lauren!" she said again, this time a little louder. Again, the sound was absorbed by the forest and her calls were left unanswered.

Allie dropped everything and went running in the last direction she had seen Lauren wander off. Picking up her pace, Allie was careful not to lose her footing. She eventually arrived at a steep embankment and figured Lauren must have ventured to the other side.

Allie used her hands and feet to ascend the mound quickly. Once at the top, she looked down the other side and saw Lauren lying unconscious on the ground with a strange man on top of her.

"Hey!" Allie yelled out, sliding down the embankment without hesitation. Her fighter instinct took over and she charged ahead to rescue Lauren.

The man turned around and glared at Allie with a menacing look — the kind of look a predator makes when narrowing in on its prey. The man rose up and stood with a confident posture, Allie was now only a few paces away approaching with a matching bravado.

As someone who was no stranger to combat, Allie marched forward. Having been bullied herself and losing all her family in the war, she was battle hardened and fueled with hatred and rage, especially toward some pathetic lowlife scumbag trying to take advantage of an innocent girl.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked, reaching for the gun that was tucked in the back of her jeans.

She aimed the gun at the man, but before she could utter another word, she was blindsided with a head-rattling blow. The impact sent her crashing to the ground, knocking the wind out of her and sending the gun flying out of her hand in some unseen direction. She quickly looked for the gun, but it was nowhere in sight.

'There's two of them,' Allie said to herself, feeling stupid for being too hasty and walking into a trap.

Allie had been here before. Relying on her experience in training in the cage, she gathered her wits. In the haze of confusion, she was trying to piece together what had hit her. It felt as if she had been sideswiped by an eighteen wheeler. Her instinct kicked in and she knew she had to get back to her feet and fight.