"And what are you doing wondering off on your own?" Y/n questions finally getting close enough to Alicia to stop walking. The sound of Y/n's voice causes the green eyed girl to stop slowly turn around. Y/n gently leans against a tree, a small smile on her lips looking between Alicia's eyes.
"Just wanted you to follow me," Alicia responds and Y/n smile fades tilting her head.
"Why? To talk? Because we could have talked in front of everybody," Y/n says, shrugging but Alicia shakes her head.
"Yeah I want to talk. The last time I saw you was the day everything went to hell." A slight chuckle escapes Y/n's lips as she drops her head a moment, nodding.
"I remember. You were waiting on Matt and he never showed but I did." Her head lifts and she sees a sadness wash over Alicia. The girl bites her lip leaning up off of the tree. "He didn't make it did he?" Slowly, after a couple moments Alicia shakes her head from side to side. Y/n closes her eyes a moment taking a step forward nodding. "I'm sorry. He was a good guy."
"Yeah he was-" Alicia pauses shoving her hands into her back pockets. "But are you okay? Like where were you when everything happened?"
Y/n shifts in her position seeing how fast Alicia wanted to change the subject. But she didn't push the matter only nodded, taking in her deep breathe. "I was on my way to my aunt's. My bio mom was there."
"Y/n..."
"When I got there, I wasn't met with neither my mom or my aunt but the dead." Y/n keeps a straight face, but tears welled into her eyes. Images of her bio mom and her aunt being one of the dead flashes into her mind just like the memory of that day and night flooded back quickly.
"Y/n, I'm so sorry. I know you really wanted to meet your mom-" Y/n raised her hand, gently shaking her head while a small almost painful smile formed on her lips.
"It's okay. Maybe another lifetime." Y/n shakes her head and glances over her shoulder before looking back. "Hey."
"Yeah?"
Y/n looks directly into Alicia's eyes, a sadness forming in her own eyes looking into the girl's green eyes she grew up with. Alicia slightly steps forward as Y/n takes a step back, biting her lip.
"Don't get close to Rue."
"What?"
"Just trust me, okay? Don't get close to her. Avoid telling her actual information about yourself."
"So I shouldn't trust her..?" Y/n nods her head up and down slowly, clenching her jaw. "How can I trust you though?"
"Did you trust me before?"
"Before everything happened? Yeah of course I did-"
"I'm still the same person, I've just seen shit and been through shit. We all have. But I'm still that same person." Alicia's green eyes go back and forth between Y/n's and her lips separate to go and speak before there's movement behind Y/n. Alicia's eyes glance past Y/n and Y/n turns around, stepping off to the side of Alicia.
"There you two are," Rue speaks as her and Nick come walking up.
"Alicia, you good?" Nick asks, walking over to his sister, grabbing her arm. Alicia shrugs the boy off, nodding her head before giving Y/n a quick glance then walking off. Nick follows his sister as Y/n clenches her jaw once more tearing her eyes away hearing a snicker from Rue.
"Did you two get into a fight?" Rue asks, her voice low. I shake my head from side to side.
"No, you guys interrupted," Y/n responds, saying nothing else. She walks towards Rue and past her, following after Nick and Alicia.
<<<<>>>>
Night fall came quickly. A fire glows in the center of everyone as Alicia, the tall man, the older gentleman, a young girl most likely around or a little older than Alicia, Nick and Chris all gather around asleep. Travis and Madison were doing perimeter check leaving Y/n alone, not knowing where Rue was even at.
"Hey," Rue spoke jumping over the log and sitting down beside Y/n. The girl jumps and glares at the girl, causing Rue to chuckle. "Oh don't be so mad. No one saw me."
"Where were you?" Y/n asks, looking back and forth between the girl's eyes.
"Just snooping the area," Rue spoke with a smirk, however Y/n knew that look.
"Snooping? Yeah right. What were you really doing Rue?"
Rue turns her head, locking eyes with Y/n. Her smirk lingers and she shakes her head. "I got a hold of Fredrick."
Y/n's eyes go wide and turns her head, bringing her knees up to her chest. "We're in range?"
Rue nods. "Well sort of. I just had a walk about a couple so feet, yards. Just into that opening over there." Rue extends her arm, pointing over in the direction she had came from. Y/n's eyes slowly follow and shake her head.
"Okay and what did he say?" Y/n tears her eyes from the location and back on Rue.
"We got to take one of them," Rue simply says, beginning to mess with her boot. Y/n's eyes squint, confusion settling over her.
"What do you mean?"
"He wants us to take one of these people and bring them to him. He said preferably one of the girls-"
"Hell no!" Y/n spoke a little too loud. Immediately she glances to everyone sleeping, making sure she didn't wake anyone before leaning closer to Rue, whispering. "Do you know how hard it'll be to take one of them? We'd have every single person here trying to kill us."
"Yeah, but if we take Alicia-"
"No." Y/n looked away from Rue and held out her hand. "Give me the damn walkie." Rue's brown eyes glance to Y/n's hand before looking back up at her eyes.
"Really? You think you can just ease your way-"
"Rue, give me the walkie. I've talked Fredrick out of things before," Y/n said, cutting the girl off. Rue rolls her eyes and reaches to the side of her, pulling out the walkie. She goes to hand it over, Y/n ready to grab it but as soon as Y/n goes to wrap her fingers around it Rue pulls it back.
"You do realize he probably wants this. He has you on a string Y/n."
"He has all of us on a string Rue. Now give me the damn radio." Y/n reaches over and grabs the walkie out of Rue's hand, standing up. The girl wipes her pants and grabs her shotgun, putting it over her shoulder while beginning to walk in the direction Rue had pointed to before. Y/n carefully and quietly walks past everyone sleeping. Her eyes gently looking at Alicia, seeing the girl seem so peaceful. A small smile creeps to the girl's face but she hurries along making her way down the path till she's met with an opening.
A low sigh escapes her lips, letting her eyes roam around briefly. After she sees the coast is clear she brings the walkie up to her lips and hits the button.
"Fredrick, it's me," Y/n spoke into the walkie, staring straight ahead. The girl's finger lifts from the button, waiting patiently but gets nothing. She rolls her eyes pressing the button again. "You just talked to Rue, now come on."
"Oh hello Y/n. How's my star doing?" Fredrick's hoarse, dark voice spoke. Y/n closes her eyes for a moment, squeezing them together tightly.
"Rue informed me what you want. It's not going to be possible," Y/n said, shaking her head.
"Well make it possible Y/n. This is you and Rue's job. Getting things," Fredrick slowly spoke.
"Yeah things not people."
"You've brought me people before."
"People who were alone, not in groups of people who would kill to make sure they're safe."
"I'm going to need you to calm your tone sweetheart."
"Don't call me that." Y/n sinks her teeth into her bottom lip, popping her eyes open. A silence fills the emptiness and Y/n takes a low breathe before speaking back into the walkie. "This is a different group. They're close with one another. They openly let Rue and I in. Give us some time."
"How much time Y/n?" Fredrick asks, that stern yet calmness in his voice.
"I don't know. Time. Rue and I will keep you updated, till then don't wait up."
"Dear, don't get attached to this group."
"I never get attached-"
"Hm history would say otherwise. Goodnight Y/n." Y/n shakes her head dropping the radio to her side. Her eyes close for a moment, her mind beginning to swirl. There was no way in hell she was going to take Alicia away from her family. There was no way she was going to take her in general. She had to be smart about this. Fredrick was a difficult man. A lot of history and complications came with him and the people around him. But Y/n knew that no matter what, she couldn't let anything happen to Alycia or her family. Especially not with Rue or Fredrick. She would have to play this smart and do some damage control.
"I have to get them out of this area," Y/n mumbled to herself as she turned and headed back to the camp. As she did she saw Rue plucking at something. Everyone still asleep. And Madison and Travis still weren't back. A thankful low sigh escapes her lips as she walked over, quietly past everyone and took a seat beside Rue handing over the walkie. "Plans changed."
"Really?" Rue asks, looking at Y/n as Y/n's eyes look at a sleeping Alicia.
"Yeah. We're playing time on this group Rue. No bullshit like last time-" Y/n pauses, crossing her arms over their chest. "We're going to get close to them. Make them trust us. Depending how that goes we could I don't know, bring them all in. Use them as actual people for the group."
"Is that what Fredrick wants?" Rue asks, hesitation in her voice. Y/n knew Rue had problems with Fredrick, but at the same time her loyalty was with him. It's always been with him. So Y/n nodded, turning her eyes off of Alicia and to Rue, locking their eyes.
"It's what he agreed too." Y/n tears her eyes away, looking right back to Alicia hearing movement in the bushes. Both Rue and Y/n look finding Madison and Travis coming through. They all nod at one another before Y/n mumbles, "Get some rest Rue. I'll stay watch."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. Sleep." Y/n nods as Rue nods, sliding off of the log and curling into a ball, closing her eyes. Y/n glances over her shoulder to the girl before looking back to Madison and Travis. The two keeping their distance from everyone which Y/n realized was to not wake anybody and to stay watch. So her eyes slowly trailed away from them and back onto Alicia, seeing her only from the light of the fire. But there was no way Y/n was going to go to sleep even though she knows she can trust these people. She has to play a game in order to stay alive in this new world. It's been that way since the start...