For the next few months Lexi focused on teaching them. Teaching them what she knew from before and after the apocalypse. She taught them to track, as they swept all the houses in the area she left Lady Bugs with spray paint crayons didn't matter she left the signal something her dad would be able to see if he ever came by this town.
The chances were so slim but they were there. She couldn't give up on finding them. Either way, by the time they got into a groove they were running out of places. It's not that they hit everything, it was the places they couldn't go to were over infested with Walkers. The big buildings Duane had put red marks on the map had been out of their view.
They should have kept it that way. Kept to their safety net. If they did maybe this wouldn't have happened..
——————
"Today was a good run kids, got at least 3 weeks' worth of rations," Morgan told Lexi and Duane as they walked through the town toward their base.
"I'm surprised we found toothpaste," Lexi says with a chuckle looking around. The town was slowly growing vines and new plants, nature was taking her planet back that's for sure.
"Whoa," Duane says as they walked near the library, it was just like the other buildings swarmed with walkers, covered in moss and overgrown weeds. The building wasn't very structurally sound so Lexi never could suggest clearing it for her beloved books. Besides, it was swarmed, luckily the nearly 30 walkers were contaminated by the gates that guarded the parking lot. Someone locked it up. However, there is no telling how many are inside.
"Sorry Lexi," Morgan says looking at her longing stare at the library.
"It's alright.."
"Anyways we cleared nearly all the houses by now I'm thinking we move toward the north to the next town Duane mapped out," Lexi tells them as they pass the library trying to stay out of sight
"Sounds good to me,"
"Help!" All their heads whip towards the library
"Please! I can see you I'm stuck- Please!" The man screamed at them Lexi could see a window but didn't see the man.
"Morgan-" Lexi said making a shying sound at the window. The yelling stopped
"I know," he did a very thin whistle and they moved towards the door before Duane opened it Lexi drew on the door a large red butterfly with Walker blood from the floor
"The blood new, he hasn't been in their long. If he needs help he's trapped in the office with that window. I know this library I've been a million times." Lexi told them they nodded
"Could be walkers could be a bookcase but either way remember the rules," Morgan said
"We know," Duane said with a nod
They opened the doors ready to fight the swarm but it never came. The office to their right was blocked with a bookcase it must have broke and fell. The three managed to lift it and open the door the man fell forward onto Lexi sobbing and saying thank you. She gagged at how he smelled, something about him reminded her of her uncle.
"Don't," Morgan said peeling the man off of Lexi he stood in front of the kids pointing his pistol at the man.
"We have questions," Morgan said
"I don't think you're in a position to be asking them," Lexi spun pointing her slingshot at him. A man wearing what she could only assume was a Halloween cowboy costume, came from behind a few bookshelves holding up his pistol.
"You're outnumbered 4-1," Duane says
"Not quite," there was a click of the hammer on a gun from behind them, Morgan who turned his back on the man they saved had a gun to his head.
"Still, 3-2 not bad chances," Duane tried to say confidently, he was pointing his pistol at the cowboy
The man didn't say anything as three more people silently emerged from the bookcases
"Boys, meet dinner and our show," the cowboy said with a chuckle. Lexi shivered they all had the same eyes that her uncle did when he was high. They had scabs on their arm and they were so skinny like they hadn't eaten in weeks.
"Our friends will find us." Lexi lied
"We've been watching you girl, we know you're alone,"
"If you're watching us why haven't you stolen our shit," Lexi spat
"Had to wait till you got back I where ever you call home, then you wandered into ours,"
"Fuck you," Duane said bravely the man smiled
"Drop your weapons or ill put a bullet in your heads," The man said despite his words nature it was calm. They had no choice. They obligated
"Boys take the big one to the back maybe make us some nice steak, keep the girl and her boyfriend," Lilly wasn't in an embarrassed mood right now. She wanted to tell them he wasn't but it would be worthless.
"What are you going to do," Morgan asked his voice shaking the man didn't answer as Morgan was dragged away trying to fight their hands away from him to no avail.
"Take off your pants," the cowboy said starting to circle the two kids. Lexi didn't move she stood tall her eyes glancing at her slingshot on the floor a metal ball still in her hands. Two men took Morgan out, one man was behind them and cowboy here is circling. She and Duane could take them but they needed to do it fast and of course quietly so they don't shoot Morgan in the next room that is if they haven't killed him already. She glanced at Duane both his hands that were up in defeat slowly closed into fists his thumb sticking out, closing your fist thumb out means on my signal. Lexi blinks twice in confirmation.
"Cannibals Huh? None of you have green thumbs?" Lexi asked eyeing cowboy
"Do what I say, girl," Cowboy spat his leader facade slowly falling through. it took a special person to be a leader and he wasn't one of them.
"Why? Why not shoot me then rape my corpse? Like the screams do you-" Lexi was slapped her whole body fell to the floor. Duane screamed and rushed towards her but the man behind them grabbed him. Lexi took this as the signal. They needed to fight at the same time otherwise they were as good at dead.
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," the man dropped to his knees grabbing Lexi's ankle this was the opportunity. The man's gun was thrown to the side forgotten. Duane struggled, she fought as well scrambling around the floor trying to get out of his grasps. Her hands were just out of reach of her slingshot, He started unbuckling her belt and almost pulled her pants down. Duane kicked it over to her she grabbed it shooting the man through the eye. She looked behind her seeing Duane plunge his machete into the man's heart. He brought it up and took a swing at his head blood splattering his face.
Lexi didn't cry but Duane did gathering his things up. Lexi stood up buckling her belt the smell of the men still in her nose
"Thanks, Duane," she hugged him
"Let's get your dad,"
Duane was still crying but asked through his tears
"That was stupid Lexi I'm sorry,"
"It was stupid but our only plan, dumb-asses should have taken our weapons out..." Lexi thought about it
"Why didn't they shoot us?" She grabbed the gun out of his death grip
"No bullets," she said checking the chamber. Duane was still crying so she grabbed his arm and they both set off to the other room. Originally this was the child's section, it had doors so they could lock up the computers at night. Perfect for a little base of the whole place wasn't threatening to cave in.
"Your dad could still be alive but if we go in their guns blazing they might kill him, bullets or not they have weapons, the advantage, and the size," Lexi told Duane.
Entering the room was ballsy but they did slowly. She didn't see anyone at first but there was a room full of equipment. Cooking equipment, 3 most likely dead people strung up with hooks. Morgan being one of them, Lexi gasps he was bleeding from his head, he must have fought against them. Where were they? Duane rushes forward
"Duane no!" He slipped on one of the multiple pill bottles on the floor. Lexi could feel the shift behind her she turned on her heel, someone was behind her. She was greeted by the butt of a fire extinguisher in the face.
Everything went black.