Surviving or Living

Chapter 7: The Desert

Elyza was driving her motorcycle as fast as she could on the road through the dessert. Her cheeks wet because of the tears, she was trying to not cry and stay focus on the road. What the hell was she thinking ? That they would accept her ? That she could finally live and be happy ? First of all, the world was screwed up. There were no way to be happy. And secondly, who would accept her ? No one did, and no one would ever do. She had to accept that. She was meant to be alone, and maybe it was better like that, after all. The motorcycle started to slow down, and Elyza lowered her eyes to the meter. No more fuel. Great. Just great.
"Fuck !" Elyza exclaimed when the motorcycle stopped completely. "Fuck fuck fuck !" She yelled, and threw the motorcycle on the ground.
She walked to the edge of the road, throwing her backpack and gun machine on the ground, and sat down against an electric pole. Not only she was alone again, but she was in the middle of the dessert with a now useless motorcycle. Totally at her wit's end, she pressed her knees against her chest and wrapped them with her arms, and started to cry loudly. She stayed like this for some minutes, crying under the burning sun, when a car's noise made her raise her head. She quickly dried her tears, watching Travis' pickup truck being stopped in front of her.
"You're alright?" The driver asked.
"Alicia?" Elyza exclaimed in surprise standing up, while the brunette was getting out of the car. "What are you doing here ?"
"What do you think?" Alicia asked. "I can't let you leave alone"
"Why not ? I thought you hated me"
"I don't hate you" Alicia said rolling her eyes. "I can't stand you, that's all" she said with a little smile.
Elyza smiled, then sat back down on the ground.
"You have to go back to your family" Elyza said with a sigh.
"I will, but not without you"
As Elyza kept silent, Alicia sat down on the edge of the road, facing Elyza.
"Look, I'm sorry. I just didn't realise how broken and alone you are. But I guess I should have seen that coming. After all, the biggest smile hides the deepest wounds, right ?"
"Yeah, something like that" Elyza sighed. "Look, I know you think I'm stupid or crazy, but the truth is I'm not. I know what I'm doing. With this situation everybody thinks about surviving. But I don't want to just survive. I want to live"
Alicia stared at her, frowning as she was waiting for more explanation.
"Here's the thing" Elyza sighed. "I'm an orphan, and I was a foster kid. I went in so many foster houses I just can't count them. And there were always a lot of kids like me in those houses so no one really cared about me. I was just a number on a folder, I wasn't happy. And I never had friends, I had no one. So I ran away. When I arrived in a house, I stayed there for like two or three days and then ran away. I hid, stole, and never thought about the next day. I was just surviving. But one day, when I was sixteen, I met someone. My first girlfriend, her name was Octavia. And she show me that life is more than just surviving. She made me someone new, someone who has hope. And no matter what happened after, I tried everything to stay this person. And today, I don't want to let this whole situation change who I became."
"I think I understand now" Alicia said with a nod. "What happened to Octavia?"
Elyza sighed, staring at Alicia.
"Her parents didn't accept me so I broke up with her. But I stayed the person she made me. Someone who just want to live and be happy"
"Well, I don't think it's really possible if you stay alone in the dessert" Alicia said with a smile, making Elyza chuckle. "What's wrong with your motorcycle?"
"No more fuel" Elyza sighed.
"Oh" Alicia said, and stood up. "Well help me to put it in the pickup"
"You're sure ?" Elyza asked.
"Yeah" Alicia said with a shrug, and extended her hand to help Elyza to stand up.
Elyza grabbed it and Alicia pulled her up, and the blonde could feel butterflies in her stomach. Alicia couldn't help but smiled widely. Then they both grabbed the motorcycle, and they both put it in the back of the pickup truck. Then Elyza took her backpack and gun machine back, when suddenly Alicia gasped in fear.
"Oh no !" Alicia exclaimed.
"What ?" Elyza asked.
"Look there !" She pointed to a direction.
Elyza did as she was told, and gasped when she saw an hoard of infected arriving toward them.
"Get in the car !" Elyza ordered.
But it was too late, the infected were already next to them. Alicia took the baseball bat that was one the back of the truck, and Elyza took her gun machine and started to shot. Alicia hit a infected at the head, while Elyza was still shooting, but there were so many infected it seemed useless. But it was until a car was drove right through the hoard, and suddenly stopped. Daniel get out of the car, and started to shot the infected with his shotgun. An other car stopped, and Travis get out of it, followed by Chris, Nick and Madison.
"Elyza your gun !" Travis yelled.
Elyza took the pistol that was at her waist, and gave it to Travis then continued to shot. Travis stared to shot, and when there were less infected Madison grabbed her daughter by her arm.
"Get in the car ! Now !"
Alicia did as she was told and jumped in the back of her mother's car, while Madison was grabbing Elyza by her arm.
"You too !" She ordered.
Elyza didn't hesitate a second and jumped next to Alicia, while Nick was sitting down quickly on the passenger seat. Madison sat down on the driver seat, and started to drive away following Daniel, and followed by Travis who was driving the pickup, his son by his side. But the pickup wasn't holding his straight, and suddenly they noticed there was a infected on the pickup truck roof.
"Slow down the car !" Elyza ordered to Madison.
Madison did as she was told, and Elyza opened the window. Then she put her gun machine through the window, waiting for the pickup to pass their car. When it finally did so, Elyza took a deep breath, hold it, and suddenly pulled the trigger. The single bullet made the infected' head explode, and the body fell on the road.
"Nice shoot" Madison said with a sigh of relief.
"Thanks" Elyza said with a little proud smile, closing the window.
"Are you injured?" Madison asked.
"Um no I'm fine" Alicia responded.
"And you Elyza?"
Elyza raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"I'm good" Elyza answered.
"Good" Madison sighed.
The girls shared a surprised look.
"Ofelia, Chris, Victor and I convinced them to let you stay" Nick explained, turning his head to look at Elyza.
"Oh. Thanks" Elyza said, a genuine smile on her lips.
"I hope we won't regret this decision" Madison said.
"You won't. I promise."