His ginger hair bounces up and down as we run through the school. He takes us outside to the courtyard where there was a big crowd of people huddled around something.
Pushing through the crowd, I reach the center. Where August had a knife to his throat. "Let go of me. You cunt!" He yells out. The man above him looks very similar to him. He had the same black hair, body build, and the same age.
"Jesus, not this again." I hear a familiar voice from beside me. My head turns and I see Valentina. She pinches the bridge of her nose and a sigh escapes her lips. I look back at the two men in front of me screaming at each other. "I will slit your throat right here." The one on top hisses and a smile creeps onto his face.
"Stop behaving like children." Someone from across the fight whispered. "Sky, don't even bother," Valentina stated. He looks at her with worried eyes. "But-" she cuts him off "They will stop... eventually." I let out a groan as I walk out of the crowd.
Looking around, I find it. I quickly grab the rope and walk back to my original spot in the crowd. Leaning over, I whisper to Val. "When I give you the signal, grab august." She gives me a 'wtf are you planning' look but nods her head.
The soles of my boots crunch the dirt as I walk behind the guy on top of August. My hands pull the rope I picked up, making sure I had a good grip on it.
In a split second, the rope is around his neck. I stomp my foot in the middle of his back and yank the rope. "JESUS-" He screams while being dragged onto his knees. I pull the rope tighter and nod at Valentina. She grabs a hold of August to keep him away from Ash.
Ash turns his head to look back at me, his golden eyes glaring into mine. "I'll fucking kill you!" His hands wrap around the rope. August on the other side, wipes the blood off his lip with his thumb as he glares at Ash.
"C'mon, big boy." I whisper under my breath. His body slumps down and he falls to the ground, unconscious. Letting go of the rope, I breathe out. "Well, at least they stopped," Valentina adds while letting go of August.
The man known as 'Sky' rushes forward to August. "Are you okay?" Sky stammered. August lights a cigarette "That prick." He grunted.
Valentina walks over to me and looks down at unconscious Ash. The crowd has dispersed. "You didn't kill him did you?" I look down and shrug. "He's still breathing." August starts walking away, cigarette in mouth. "What's the deal with them anyway?" I ask.
Valentina glanced at August. "They are brothers. I think the death of their sister made the hate start. They blame each other for it probably." She explains.
"When did she die?" I inquire. "Just before you got here." Val answers and signals Vincent to come.
. . .
After a few hours of being here, I learned some things. Number one: There is a council of some kind. Instead of a leader like most groups they have a group of people they call the council.
Number two: They have 2 scavenger groups. Valentina and August rule over them. Well.... August is suspended as of now. The council ordered me to stay with his group.
And number three: Each scavenger group has a classroom of their own. These are called the Barracks.
Oh, remember the times when girls and boys slept in separate rooms? Yeah, that's in the past. We all sleep in the same room.
So here I am, bag in hand in front of the barracks. The council decided me and Val should be separated since we "teamed up" against Ash. What a load of bullshit. A groan escapes my lips as my hand reaches out to the doorknob.
Before I could open the door, my eyes meet abs. "Oh?" A soft voice speaks above me. My gaze trails up to the eyes of Sky. Now, the fact that one of his eyes was blue and the other was green isn't the weirdest part. Not even the abs are the weird part.
The weirdest part is the paint brushes in the waistband of his sweatpants. How can he not care that the paint is getting on his... ab- stomach?? He gives me a soft smile before turning his head. "Hey, August! Your savior is here!" He yells into the room.
A grunt comes from behind Sky. He turns his body out of my way and ushers me in. I try my best not to touch him, but my chest scrapes against his. God, why do I have to stay with them?
Entering the room, there are about 6 beds and August was on one of them. Smoke comes from his lips while he takes the cigarette out of his mouth. "Welcome home, sweetie." He sarcastically says. Sky makes his way to the other side of the room. "Yeah, yeah. Where is my bed?" I demand. August puts out the cig "Oh, you thought you had the right to get a bed?" I look at him flabbergasted. "You aren't a part of my team." He smiles mischievously "But I'll make you an exception. Here." He pats his lap.
I look at his lap then back at him again and let out a chuckle. "Stand up for a sec." I order him with a smile. He does as I say. Walking behind him, my finger slides over his shoulder and...
PLOP
He quickly turns around to see me on his bed. "Thanks," I smirk. "This is mine now." With my hands behind my head, I close my eyes. "You little-" he starts.
"From what I heard this isn't your team anymore, is it? So I can sleep where I want." I state and Sky giggles. "You can't take my bed, sweetheart." He frowns. I stand up and get close to him. "Don't." I pull on his shirt. "Call me sweetheart." My eyes glare into his. All he does in return is smile. "You didn't mind the other nicknames." He leans closer. Jesus, this guy is annoying.
"Fine, you can have your bed." I let go of his shirt. "You do know you already have a bed, Raven." Sky said. I can't stand men. "Why didn't you just say that?" Both me and august ask.
"You two are quite entertaining." Sky giggles and continues painting. "Oh, and there is your bed." He points to one of the beds, which is luckily not next to August's bed. But... it's right across his. My backpack falls into the mattress. "So what is the bathing situation here?" I ask no one in particular.
"You're in luck." Sky answers. "We have locker rooms with showers. The water still works too." A shower sounds so good right now. "Please tell me the locker rooms are separated?" I begged.
"Technically they are..." he trails off. "Technically?" My eyebrows furrow. "Yeah, people shower wherever they can." August adds.
FUCK.
"Basically, they chose whichever showers are open." He says. "BUT! That's only when it's busy." Sky jumps in. "And when is it busy?"
"Most of the time..." Sky mumbles
"Just go at night or early in the morning. Though I can't promise you won't walk in on some hot action." August laughs.
At least there are showers, Raven. Be thankful.
"Great." I plop onto the mattress.
. . .
More hours had passed and its around midnight. Everyone is asleep. Some people came into the barracks I didn't bother to catch their names since I pretended to sleep.
Quietly, I roll out of bed. My bare feet hit the cold floor. I crouch down and gather some cleaner clothes from my backpack and make my way to the door. Reaching the door, I try to carefully slide it open without making a ruckus. Some ruffling behind me causes me to stop my actions and turn around.
Sky groggily wiped his eyes "Raven?" He sits up, the white blanket falling off his torso. "I'm just going to the bathroom." I whisper. He yawns and climbs under the covers again. "Mkay be safe." He murmurs.
My body squeezes through the opening of the door. It is so dark I can barely make out where I am going. The only thing I can see is a dark hallway along with the blue moonlight spilling through the windows. The school has a generator from what I've heard but they tend to keep the lights off at night since it might attract unwanted attention.
For a community that's so big, it's dead silent. No footsteps except my own. Not even a voice in the distance. Walking by the classrooms, I spot the locker room sign. Mentally, I pray to any god that's out there. I beg that no one is in there at this time.
Reaching the entrance, I silently celebrate. No lights are on inside the showers, which hopefully means no one is there. Flipping on the switch, the locker room is illuminated by the bright light. Water slowly dripping echoes throughout the walls.
Only a few showers have curtains and those curtains are either dirty or ripped. I don't consider myself a germaphobe but I am not stepping into that mold barefooted. It didn't take long to pick the shower of my choice. The one with a (somewhat) clean curtain that is far away from the entrance.
A few days ago I got some bodywash, though I never got the opportunity to use it until now. Sure, I could've bathed in a lake or river but I don't want to risk a walker grabbing my foot.
Climbing into the shower, I take off my clothes and hang them over the shower wall. Slowly, I turn the water on. Ice-cold water splashes onto me. Cold water is better than no water. I can't help but smile. It's been so long since I had a shower. Squirting the bodywash into my palm, I clean out all the gunk and dried blood that was plastered to my skin. The soap smells like lavender.
Just as I switch off the water, heavy footsteps come from the entrance. Thinking fast, I grab the clothes that hung over the shower wall. The footsteps stop right in front of the shower. My fingers pull back the curtain slightly to reveal him.
His back was turned to me, his body facing the mirror. The white formal shirt was stained with blood. Black hair that was once neat was now messy falling into his face. Bruised knuckles turn white as he grabs onto the edges of the sink. Lifting his head, to face himself in the mirror with enraged eyes one of his hands reaches for his neck. Rubbing the red marks formed by rope.
Before I could react, his eyes were on me. His golden eyes were now filled with fury. Ash turns around and yanks the curtains open. His hands wrap around my neck, lifting me and slamming me into the wall. Instinctively my hands try to rip his off. I gasp for air and claw at his face.
He leans forward "Raven, is it?" He whispers into my ear, his grip around my neck tightening "Pull something like that again-" he smirks "And I'll make you wish you were dead."