A week had passed since the run. Cas was relieved to say that nothing had happened during that time. No weird cars, no signs of life. Just the dead, smaller runs between Maverick and Shane, and the school having too much room and not enough room all at the same time.
He was on watch. Like usual, he felt like. But at least this time he had something to watch other than the dead.
Levy and Archer had taken to training in the mornings. She always started off stiff, awkward, and eventually she would find comfort in the fluid movements she was showing Arch. He was far more clumsy than her, especially when he had an actual sword in his hands. But Cas could see, however small, that he was making progress.
"Anything?" Ae Ri asked as she approached. She looked down at what Cas was seeing, and her face twisted into surprise. "Huh... I didn't think she'd actually do it."
Of course, Cas had told her about the offer from Levy. He told her about the guns, the offer, but he hadn't told her about the other thing. Not yet at least.
He smiled at Ae Ri. "Not too late to go and join 'em," he stated, and Ae Ri leaned back, red coloring her cheeks. "We're stationary. We've got walls. It's a good time to learn, Ae Ri."
"I haven't killed a walker before," Ae Ri muttered. "Levy would probably just get irritated with me."
Cas hummed. He thought something similar too, when Levy found him and Shane at that drug store. He hid behind the counter and hoped for the best, and Shane had done well in getting rid of the other looters. He expected her to hate him, to call him a coward. But she didn't.
"I don't think she's like that," Cas said after a moment. Ae Ri turned her head to look at him, just as he heard more feet heading up the stairs. It sounded like Jude and Zayden. "I think, if you asked, she'd be willing to do it."
"Who would be willing to do what?" Jude asked as she came up, pushing her hair back into a ponytail. Zayden perched herself on one of the classroom desks still left behind, her hair rested on the top of her head in a bun.
Ae Ri gestured to the window. "Teach us," she said quietly, and Jude looked out.
"Whoa, Zay! Look at this!" Zayden rolled her eyes, but she pushed herself off the desk and to the window. Cas was quiet as both sisters stared outside with open mouths. Jude added, "I guess Shane was right... Cas, how long have they been doing this?"
Cas shrugged his shoulders. "Since after the run last week."
He looked out the window again, bringing his binoculars to his eyes, and he saw something he didn't normally see. "Get down, all of you," he said, bending so he could see just over the window sill. Jude was the first to drop to the ground, and Zayden took a moment to get the hint before Ae Ri dragged her down.
Cas lifted a radio to his mouth. "We have a truck outside."
Cas observed them carefully, and he turned down the radio as the three girls fully sat down, leaning against the wall. Ae Ri kept a hand over her mouth, and Jude's eyes were shut tight, holding onto Zayden for everything, for life itself.
There was someone in that truck. Cas just couldn't tell who or how many.
Shane's voice warbled through the radio, low and quiet. "Truck? You see people, Cas?"
"One. Driver. Can't make out anyone else," he answered, trying to see through the sun. He saw a shadow move, one in the back. "Two. I see someone else. They moved."
"Levy. Get inside," Maverick said, his voice gritted out. Cas swallowed, but he couldn't look over without giving himself away. He'd have to stand, and if they had any idea someone was here... Clear view.
"If we move, we could give ourselves away," Levy shot back. Cas almost forgot that Archer was out there with her. "We're safer where we are. If we play dead, no one will shoot. Arch is fine."
"Or they break down the door, and you're out there with Archer by yourself," Shane said, and Cas stared at the truck. He wished they'd just move on. "Levy, you gotta get better cover."
"We're fine."
"Levy-"
The truck was starting again. Cas quickly cut in, "They're leaving." It drove off, slow, and Cas tracked it's movements until it was fully out of sight. Even when he stood up and leaned over. "We're clear."
"Meeting in the downstairs. Now," Shane ordered, and Cas held onto the radio as he looked back at the group. Jude and Zayden helped each other up, even as Ae Ri stayed seated. The two girls looked at her, then at Cas, and they left them for a moment to get downstairs.
Cas knelt down next to her. His eyes traveled her form. She was trembling, visibly so, rattled down to her core.
"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, keeping his voice steady and firm for Ae Ri. She shook her head, ponytail swishing as she did. Cas wrapped his hands around her elbows. "Hey, listen to me. No one and nothing is going to get you. That truck doesn't mean anything."
"We hid that day. When it happened." Cas's jaw clenched as he recalled exactly what she was thinking about. The screaming didn't stop for hours. Students pled with teachers to open the doors, to let them in. Some stopped when they heard screaming in the classroom too. Cas kept his hand firmly over Ae Ri's mouth, using it to quiet himself.
"I know," he said quietly. "The closet... wouldn't have fit anyone else."
"No... it wouldn't."
Cas used his grip on her elbows to pick her up. Ae Ri was unsteady for a moment, leaning against the wall, and she was soon fully on her two feet. Cas held onto her for a moment more, just to be sure and safe.
"Let's go," she said quietly, and his hand slid down from her arms and into her hand. He squeezed her hand before letting go, leading the way down.
Levy wasn't in the mood for a bitch out, and she knew that that was what this would be.
No one prepared enough for people to show up. They got comfortable, got naïve, took a chance. A stupid one. Levy stayed outside with Archer, keeping one hand on him and one on her sword. It was stupid, but any movement could tip off whoever was checking the place out.
Cas and Ae Ri were the last to arrive. Levy leaned against a wall situated in a corner as the rest paired up as they usually did: Shane and Maverick, Jude and Zayden, Archer and Rory, and Cas and Ae Ri. Levy was always the odd one out, but she tried not to let it get to her head.
"That was sloppy," Shane said, starting off strong. Maverick stood beside him, arms crossed as he gazed coolly over the rest of the group. Levy took a deep, calming breath. "None of us were prepared, and only Rory went to grab a gun. We gotta know that you can guys can defend yourselves and this place when people roll up."
"People'll want it. Raiders, other survivors. And they'll kill for it," Maverick said, and Levy didn't look over for the obvious fear on the faces of the rest of the group. "You can bet your asses on that."
Levy forced an even breath out of herself. Just the thought of people truly attacking was enough to set her on edge. It was even worse to think of what would happen to the people here.
Then it was her turn. "Levy." Shane's voice was deep, scalding, as he said her name. "You were told to come inside. You didn't."
"It was a calculated risk," Levy stated, staring at the wall.
"It was stupid."
"Lots of things are stupid," Levy responded, ever so intelligently.
Shane glared at her, and Archer hesitantly stepped up. "I-"
"Don't get fucking smart with me, Levy," Shane said, plowing through whatever Arch was about to say. Archer stepped back towards Rory, who immediately put an arm around him, eyes wide as he tried to decipher the damage of the situation.
She pushed herself from the wall. "Don't do anything stupid, but don't get smart. Sounds like you're impossible to please," Levy spat back. She and Shane walked towards each other until they were right in front of each other, and Levy looked up to meet his gaze. "What's next? Sit back and let you and Maverick make all the decisions?"
"Leave me out of your fight, Lev," Maverick said immediately.
"Fine." She stepped even closer to Shane. "Let you make all the decisions?"
Shane's fury was enough to choke the room, but Levy didn't care at that moment. She knew what she was walking into the moment Shane called the meeting. This wasn't a time to show weakness. It was a time to defend her own actions.
Shane shook his head. "You're so fucking smart, ain't ya, Levy? So fucking smart." She narrowed her eyes, waiting for the eventual smack in the face that always came from these fights. It didn't matter who it was- Shane went for the kill. "Remind me how that went with your last group?"
That was weak. But Levy didn't care or mind it. There were people watching, and she didn't want to cause problems in front of them.
Levy scoffed. "Sure thing, Shane," she said before pushing past him, rough on his shoulder. Shane stumbled back a half step, and she felt his eyes on her the entire way up the stairs and to the watch station.
Shane and Levy didn't talk for two days. Mostly because Shane didn't want to. He knew how he was, how pissed off he could get, how he'd say shit he didn't mean. And Shane had fucked up a lot of things in life. Levy wasn't something he wanted to fuck up.
So, after two days, when he had cooled down, and when Levy wasn't giving him a dirty look every time he passed, Shane went to her just after daybreak.
"Levy!" She was standing outside the bathroom, just finishing with her teeth and brushing her hair. She stared blankly at him as he approached, and he leaned against the wall, looking down at her. "Let's go for a run. Mav found a spot on one of the maps he thinks might be good."
She shrugged her shoulders. "Fine. You gonna try to make me socialize with anyone again?"
Shane looked up and around. "Nah. Nah... Been a while since it was you and me," he said, looking at her once again. Her eyes softened, and she nodded. "Be ready in an hour? Should give you time to tell Archie what to do about his training for the day."
Levy scoffed. "If he wakes up." Shane chuckled. Archer wasn't known for waking up early on his own, and Rory was on watch. "Uhhh... Thank you for making me socialize, by the way. Rory was a good starting point."
"I figured. He's talkative, and I know that annoys you, but his people pleasin' is higher than that. Arch is worse."
"Believe me," she sighed, turning to walk away, "I know."
Shane watched her walk away, and he dipped his head in greeting to Zayden as she passed. Zayden smiled back.
Levy got in the car with Shane. The ride was roughly forty five minutes, and the first five were pretty quiet. Shane was shifty, moving around a bit too much. She knew he was just trying to figure out what to say, but it didn't make her any less uncomfortable.
Until, at long last, after what felt like an eternity, Shane sighed and said, "I shouldn't'a rode your ass the other day." Levy turned her head to look at him. He rubbed the back of his neck, stubbornly watching the road instead of looking anywhere else. "You weren't being stupid. You were making a decision."
"It was the right decision." Shane glanced over when he heard how absolutely sure she was. "I didn't hear them roll up. The dead didn't leave the gates. They were far enough away they weren't heard. So they probably had binoculars. Same as Cas."
He nodded. "Good thinking then." The closest she was going to get to an apology. He took another deep breath. "Now, I know I never asked before, and I said you don't have to tell me shit. I meant it. I still mean it. You don't have to answer my question either, if you don't want to."
"Sounds like Officer Walsh is speaking," she said with a chuckle. Levy didn't know much about his life Before, and she didn't know much about his last group. But that was the way of things sometimes.
Shane laughed quietly. "Well, Officer Walsh was more of an asshole. Guaranteed." Levy smiled, and she looked out the window at the passing hills as she waited for his question. "Why don't you make friends? Arch is the closest, but you still don't... give him the time of day."
"I care," she said instead of directly answering the question.
"I know that. Because you trust me." She felt his eyes on her. "And because you trust me, I know you. So... what happened?"
Levy swallowed, and her eyes dropped to the bottom of the window. "When it started, I was on a school field trip. It was a long one, 'bout an hour from home. Bus driver all but abandoned us the first chance he got, and the teachers panicked. A few of the neighborhood kids and I were friends, so we made our way home with some of my closest friends."
"Did you make it?" Shane asked quietly, almost apprehensively.
"I did." Levy took a deep breath. "My stupid boyfriend of the time got himself killed. He was a football player, I was the goody goody cheerleader. Living our best Hallmark movie life." Shane chuckled at that, as if he couldn't imagine the Levy he knew being like that. "He was the strongest of us, physically. Dumber than a sack of fucking rocks, but his heart was good. I loved him 'bout as much as I could love anyone. After that, it was me and two of my best friends. Katie and Lena."
"They dead?" Shane asked, putting it rather bluntly. It was as if he knew Levy appreciated it, didn't care to beat around the bush, even with sensitive subjects.
Levy shook her head. "Katie got paranoid out of nowhere. She was convinced Lena and I were trying to kill her. Her plan was to take everything, including the car, and disappear into the night. Mostly worked, except Lena woke up when she turned on the car. Katie killed Lena."
Shane was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry, Levy."
She felt her throat grow thick. "And then I woke up some time later. Abandoned. With Lena trying to eat me." That was how Levy learned that the dead came back. It was the brain or nothing at all. "That's almost nothing compared to what the rest of the group did. We were just the final four. Still no idea where Katie is."
His hand fell on her shoulder, and he squeezed it. Levy let him pull it off despite wanting more of that friendly contact.
"Thank you for trusting me again, Levy."
Levy turned her head away from him, and she didn't say anything.
Levy was the first out the car, and Shane checked his gun before joining her.
The area was once a lodge of some sort, but a private one that took up a limited amount of space. A part of it caved in at the roof due to a tree that was still stuck there, and a lot of it was overgrown. A creek nearby provided a water source, if nothing else, and the place was largely put together otherwise. Even the mailbox, at the end of the long drive, was still standing.
"Keep an eye out," Shane reminded her.
Levy nodded quietly as she looked around the yard. There weren't many toys, just one here and there, toy building blocks, a chewed up squeaky monkey. Largely, the yard was littered with gardening tools, and Levy could almost see the zinnias that had once bloomed so beautifully. It was a time long gone.
At least there wasn't much blood.
Levy knelt down by some fallen and unopened sacks of seeds. Most were flowers, ranging from sun flowers to baby's breath, but there were also some that were more useful.
"Corn seeds," she said, lifting them up. She spread them around again. "Pumpkin too."
"Grab 'em," Shane said. "We wanna make that school work, we're gonna need to eat."
Levy picked through, and she didn't glance at Shane as she picked a few of the flower seeds too. Just in case anyone wanted them. She stuffed them into her pocket, and she saw Shane looking inside through one of the windows.
"See anything?" she asked as she approached. He grunted in reply. Levy drew her sword. "Door swing in or out?"
"In. Been tampered with to do so," Shane said, gesturing to the hinges. "Maybe this place ain't as abandoned as we thought."
Levy didn't say anything. Did it matter if anyone lived there now? Maybe the people before had just been weird about things. She grabbed the door handle, and Shane knocked her hand away as soon as she did.
He lined up in front of the door, gun at the ready. Levy pressed against the wall, ready to back him up. Her eyes met Shane's, and he pushed the door open.
Levy's felt her breath get heavier as she waited for Shane's word. The only sound was the door hanging open, banging against the wall from Shane's rough treatment of it. It sounded like a bell in the silence of everything else.
"Come on, Lev." She pushed herself up and entered behind him. Shane had a hand on his hip, and the hand holding the gun scratched his head. "Not so sure we should be here anymore."
Levy understood what he meant. The house was teeming with odd supplies here and there. There were some cans of food, some bags of jerky and other things. Bottles of water littered the counters, and there was enough coke for an army to have seconds. Batteries, tools, bullets, even just odd selections were all around.
Someone lived here.
Levy grabbed Shane's arm. "Let's go."
Just like that, a door upstairs creaked open. Levy froze, and Shane jumped into action, shaking her off and holding his gun at the ready. The stairs creaked next, and there were heavy steps down. Down, down, and down.
Levy tightened her grip on her sword. Shane was tense, and she soon couldn't see in front of her as he moved to cover her.
Shane loosened as he saw who it was. Levy peeked over his shoulder to see some guy in a flower robe. Levy could hear her heartbeat as he stared at them, and she and Shane stared right back. Who was going to make the first move? Who was going to decide how this went?
"Whoa." The robe guy's mouth dropped. Then he got excited. He started grabbing water bottles, bags of various snacks, and he moved so fast Levy wasn't sure he was aware of what he was grabbing. "I didn't know there were visitors! Man, sit down! Whoa, and a girl too? Man, this is amazing. Been so long since there were guests here!"
Levy looked up at Shane, who was now staring at robe man as if he lost his goddamn mind. Maybe he had.
"Awe, this is great. Been way too long- you guys have no idea," he said, still so excited. Shane rose a brow when the water was offered to him, but Levy took it, raising her brows at him. As if she was going to pass up free water.
"Don't fucking drink that," Shane said, shoving her hand when she tipped the bottle to her mouth. Levy slowly turned, the water splashed all over her front. "No idea what the fuck he put in there."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," robe guy said, clearly taking offense. He placed a hand to his chest. "I'm gonna ignore the attack on my character and instead ask: who the fuck would ruin a perfectly good bottle of water during such chaotic times?"
Levy raised her brows at him and crossed her arms, still holding the bottle. "The man brings up a good point."
"Plenty o' people. Besides," Shane replied, tilting his head towards the many, many supplies, "you got plenty to spare."
"Sure I do. What do you need?"
This time, Levy's mouth dropped as he began grabbing an old milk crate and filling it up. One of everything went in.
"Is it just you two?" he asked as he zoomed about. The man seemed to have never ending energy. "If there's more, you guys can bring more back. Like you said, plenty to spare."
A door to the back opened up, and Levy's hand gripped her sword again as someone brushed his boots off on a mat. She assumed it was a mat at least.
"Uncle, we're home." We? Shane lifted his gun again, and in walked two people who were roughly Rory's age, maybe a bit older. One was a black woman, who limped on her left leg, and the other was a white man with floppy blonde hair.
Both froze as they saw Levy and Shane, armed and ready for anything to happen.
"Hey, kids!" robe guy greeted. "Hungry again? Or did you guys bring me something? Hey, greet the guests! I, uh, still don't know their names though..."
He deflated at that for a moment, and then he was moving around rapidly again.
The black woman glared at robe guy as she reached for her own weapon. "We've talked about this, Uncle. People aren't like they used to be," she stated, and she froze when Levy lifted her sword enough for the blade to flash.
"Nonsense!" the "uncle" guy said, and Levy really began to wonder about his damage. "No matter how much people change, they'll always appreciate a helping hand. Oh, Lucas, can you go grab those flashlights from upstairs?"
The white man held his hands up. "Hey, this doesn't need to end in a fight. Seriously, we'll win." His accent was British, though which area Levy didn't know. Not at all like her neighbor's though, or any of her family. "Let's put the weapons down. Ken?"
The black woman looked towards him then down at the ground. Her teeth gritted together for a moment, and she held her hands up similarly.
Levy returned the favor. Shane did not.
"Shane," she warned quietly, and only then did he bother with putting it down towards the floor again. "Look, we thought this place was abandoned. We don't need your supplies-"
"Like hell we don't," Shane whispered, and she glared at him again. "You know the inventory better than me. I know we don't have some of this shit, so you do too."
Levy bit back her retort. Levy checked the guns. Ae Ri and Jude were over inventory.
"Uncle, perhaps you should sit down," the man suggested. Levy tensed when his hand went into his pocket, but all he produced from it was a pill bottle. He poured a couple pills into his hand. "Look. I found some more of your medicine."
"Bah! Who needs that stuff!" robe guy said, brushing him away. It took everything for the man to keep the pills in his hand.
Levy wanted to see what the medication was, see if she could take a guess, but she knew she didn't know a goddamn thing about pharmacology. Levy grabbed Shane's arm.
"Really, we were just leaving," she said, pulling on him. Shane gave her a look like she was the crazy one, despite the speeding mess in front of her. Levy pulled his closer and lowered her voice. "Look, these people need these supplies. They're not us, but it doesn't matter. We don't rob people, even if they're a little... off."
"Lev, we need this."
"We want this." Levy met his gaze. "We don't need it, Shane. C'mon."
"We?" the black woman asked, suddenly interested. "Do you... have a group?"
Levy turned back, and she was defensive immediately. "Does it look like we have a fucking group? There's only two of us."
The woman bristled, and the white man said, rather loudly, "Hey, Uncle, weren't you meaning to show Kendra your old war memorabilia collection?"
Robe guy's eyes lit up, and he grasped the woman by her arm, chattering away already. She glared at the other as she was dragged up the stairs.
Alone with just him, he was nervous. Levy didn't like it, but she felt power in being able to put that kind of fear into someone. Even as he gestured to some seats in the living room.
"I..." He licked his lips before pushing forward. "Perhaps, we can make a deal?"
Their camp had been protected for ages. So long that the improvements made it feel damn near invincible. The walls had been up, the alarms had been set, and the guns they had were reserved for large groups of walkers and humans only. Even to save one's life, a gun was not to be used. On runs, the guns had a limit of three bullets, just in case.
Katrina made sure of it.
The drug store was empty now, but Katrina knew what happened. Whoever her people confronted hadn't even thought to hide the scene of the crime. Two shots were fired on her people, one to the head, and the other to the chest. A blade had sliced through the head of the second. He was alive when it did.
"The car's raided," Buzzer said as he approached, gritting his teeth already. "Gas's gone too. Whoever did this was thorough about it- and they took what we had here in the armory of that cop station. All the dead's been let out and killed."
Katrina surveyed the store, and, after a few quick orders, was soon surveying the police station where she had kept an extra cache of weapons. The biters were largely struck down by a blade, but someone had been throwing something as well.
Strong. These people were strong. Almost fearless. And they had skills.
Her radio crackled. "That school you talked about in the early days?" a young voice droned. Katrina listened carefully to it. "It's changed. The fences were fixed. The dead walk around it- I bet there are dead biters inside. Someone's there."
"Did you see anyone?" Buzzer asked, and Katrina listened carefully for the answer.
"No. We didn't."
Katrina looked at the bodies of her dead. She sighed and turned away. "Burn them."
"Copy that," Buzzer sighed.
Katrina paused in her footsteps. "When we find them, they are to be brought to me- alive. I want to see them for myself. Those two shots weren't lucky, and neither were the knives."
She was intrigued. Perhaps she could find something worthwhile.