Chapter Three
Hansel and Gretel
▬ Third Person- No one’s P.O.V ▬
Electra awoke to the sound of the freighter door sliding open, squinting her eyes shut to ward off the brightness of the sunlight which was streaming in to the metal cuboid. With an unlady like, guttural growl, she curled up into a ball and pulled a piece of fabric which happened to be lying next to her over her head in an attempt to shield herself.
“If you wanted my shirt that badly, all you had to do was ask,”
Immediately as if she were about to be burnt by it she thrusted the fabric away from herself, jerking forwards so that she was sitting up. When she did this she met the caramel coloured eyes of Mark who was looking down at her with an amused expression on his face. Her eyes trailed to ‘Marks shirt’ which in reality happened to be Thea’s green and blue scarf.
“You dick,” Electra grunted snatching the scarf up off of the floor, bunching it up and then throwing it as forcefully as she could in Mark’s direction. Mark’s laugh echoed around the box as he caught it with no effort put in at all as Electra scowled at him.
“What are you doing with my scarf?” Thea asked as soon as she shot up from her sleep, rubbing her blood shot eyes violently.
“Why did you decide to wake us up at this ungodly hour of the morning?” Electra demanded with slanted eyes as she attempted to run a hand through her bed hair which surprisingly was not much effort at all. “I could have slept for another……” she paused for a second to ‘think’. “Three days, at least!” she growled.
“I like that idea,” Thea agreed nodding. “Actually,” she continued. “I think I’m going to make that idea my reality,” Thea stated to lean backwards causing Electra to grab her hand and jerk her back up again “Hey!” she complained whilst being hoisted to her feet.
“Na-uh, the last time I slept was when I was in the comfort of my own home in England over twenty four hours ago. If I don’t get to sleep, neither do you,” Electra argued.
“Why don’t you sleep on the plane like the rest of mankind?” Thea groaned.
“Let’s just say I was one of those annoying kids who used to spend the whole flight exploring and screaming there head off instead of sleeping,” she explained. “On that note, if this is going to be the permanent sleeping arrangement we’re going to need mattresses,” she said stroking her aching neck.
“You act as if you’ll be here to be sleeping on them,”
Electra listed her gaze to his face with an expression of pure disgust mixed with disbelief that she could manage.
Oh, hell no!
Okay, I just saved you and your brother’s sorry asses from roamers with not so much as a “Thank you” on your part. Next time we get attacked by roamers I am leaving you behind you ungrateful asshole.
“That’s because she’s welcome too for as long as she would like,” a voice came from outside the freighter before Aaron popped his head so that the two girls could see him. “Good afternoon laddies,” he said flashing that dashingly handsome smile of his.
“Morning,” Thea and Electra chimed returning him smile before simultaneously turning their heads in Mark’s direction and glaring at him.
“I ought to be in charge here, after all I have six years on you baby bro,” Mark sneered to Aaron putting emphasis on the ‘baby’.
“Wow,” the word involuntarily popped out of Electra’s mouth. “Erm…” she said awkwardly as everyone looked at her. “Only six years? I was thinking more like ten….or maybe fifteen,” Electra commented, a grin etched across her face as Thea began to stifle her laughter with a cough. From outside the freightliner Mark flashed a sarcastic grin which disappeared as soon is it appeared, the most murderous and threatening look he could have was plastered on his face before he went to leap into the freightliner.
“Hey, hey, hey. Let’s not okay?” Aaron said pulling him back down on the ground. “Thea and I both agreed she can stay, so majority rules,” Aaron stated focussing his eyes on his brother then the modelesque brunette. “And you two have got to start getting along,” Aaron stated looking at Electra again who’s gaze held Marks without a trace of being intimidated. “Okay?”
“Got it,” Electra said angelically causing Aaron’s eyes to move from Electra’s eyes and onto Mark’s face which still hadn’t changed its expression.
“Yes sir,” Mark said bitterly not removing his expression.
“Good,” Aaron exhaled. Electra averted her gaze and looked straight ahead and jumped out of the freightliner aware of Mark’s gaze on her.
It was a concrete jungle alright, not the one which Electra would ever consider moving too but it did look hella appealing which clusters of white fluffy disguised as clouds hung in the sky which was a burst of amazing oranges, reds and yellows colour. It seemed extremely quiet. It was such a peaceful scene that it was almost impossible to believe that the four of them were in the middle of the apocalypse.
“Wow…..it almost looks decent,” Mark commented.
“It looks beautiful,” Thea said in awe. “It’s so….quiet,” she commented.
“Too quiet if you ask me,” Electra mumbled from her side.
“We could use ‘too quiet’ after all we’ve been through,” Thea stated causing Aaron to nod in agreement as he threw an arm around her shoulders.
“The zombie apocalypse comes and what do people do? Abandon their lives, their homes rather than fight,” Mark scoffed.
“Probably headed to the coast,” Electra mused before Mark turned to her with a raised eyebrow. “I mean, who wouldn’t just want to sail away from all this? Sail away to safety?”
“That’s actually quite smart,” Aaron commented with an impressed look. “It never even occurred to me before,”
“Because it’s a cowards way out,” Mark stated gaze fixated on Electra.
“Or a way to protect your family,” Electra argued staring out into the sky.
“Where did you get it?” Mark questioned all of a sudden earning a confused look from Electra who he had aimed the question at. “The shotgun?” he stated. Electra could practically feel Thea stiffen from beside her.
“It was in my jeans pocket obviously, along with my axe and pet ragdoll cat Oreo,” Electra said rolling her eyes before Thea could even get a word out. “I found it at the sheriff’s department, duh,” she lied convincingly.
“Speaking of,” Aaron burst out heading towards the front of the freightliner and pulling out a black duffle bag before dropping it in the middle of the square they had formed. “Here are our guns,” he said as he began to hand them out. To Thea he gave a SIG-Sauer P228, to Mark he gave a Glock 17 and for himself a Walther P38.
“And for you a Beretta M92F, just as ordered,” Electra looked up to see Mark looking down at her, she hadn’t realised how freakin’ tall he was, she was quite tall herself for a woman standing at 5’9 but she was nothing compared to him towering over her standing at 6’3.
“Thanks,” she went to take the gun but as soon as she did he grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer to him forcefully. With her free hand she peeled his fingertips from around her wrist and backed away from him, bumping straight into Adam as she turned.
“Sorry,” she smiled up sheepishly at him.
“I haven’t gotten a chance to thank you properly yet,” Aaron stated.
“That’s really not necessary, I-”
“I know that we loss Jem, but…you saved the rest of us. You saved my fiancé. You saved my brother. You saved me. Whilst doing it you risked your life saving people you didn’t even know. That takes a lot of courage, so…..thank you,” Aaron recited his little speech. Electra opened her mouth to protest when Aaron threw her a look as if to say ‘Don’t you dare say otherwise’ stopping her.
“O-okay,” she drew it out before he closed the space in between them alarming Electra greatly. “Urm..” she said leaning backwards as he leaned forwards. Rolling his eyes he leaned forwards but more distinctively to the side this time.
“Thank you….for lying about the shotgun,” he whispered in her ear aware of his brothers suspicious gaze as he backed away with a sharp nod which she returned.
“I think it’s time we visit our old folks, don’t you think so Aaron?” Mark suggested with a poignant look.
“Lead the way brother,” Aaron gestured him to go, following behind with Electra one his left side and Thea on his right. “There’s a camping store nearby, we could go grab some supplies. Not much, just what we need,” Aaron stated.
“Maybe this time, I should go rather than you and Mark,” Electra suggested in a low voice. “No offence but as you’ve seen I’m quick on my feet and don’t have a trigger finger. No offence, I’m just saying that shooting in an enclosed room wasn’t the best decision,”
“No one goes anywhere alone, it’s one of our rules,” Aaron told her.
“It didn’t stop the roamers from getting to Jem,” Thea said to Aaron subjectively causing him to frown. “If anything it put her in more danger, as from what I can gather if it was just Electra she could have gotten out of their without a mark,” Thea said looking at Electra for confirmation.
“I was just lucky and she was just unlucky to be honest with you. If Jem was in a stall as well she would have been fine, and if I went out to wash my hands earlier than I anticipated to I would have died,” Electra explained. “It was a matter of place and time,” she summed it up.
“But maybe you would have survived anyway, I mean if anyone’s a survivor in this group it’s you,” Thea commented. “You survived a car collision, you survived a head on roamer attack straight afterwards, you survived a roamer attack whilst in a bathroom stall, you survived a r-” Thea stopped. Literally. Causing the rest of them to stop in mid walk also and turn backwards to see the young women staring up aimlessly at one of the buildings, Electra followed her eye line to see nothing.
“Babe?” Aaron looked into Thea’s eyes with nothing but pure concern whilst approaching her as she snapped right out of it.
“I-I-I-” she stuttered. “Sorry,” she looked to the ground shaking her head. “I think I’m going crazy,” she looked up again to meet Aaron’s eyes. “I could have sworn I just saw a helicopter,” she laughed causing Electra’s eyes to trail to the open sky yet again.
“You sure know how to pick em,” Mark snickered turning the other direction and starting to walk again.
“Shut up Mark,” Aaron glared holes in his brothers back and he threw a protective arm around Thea before starting to follow him (reluctantly) again until stopping in front of a store.
The store was painted sugar almond pink and was bordered in pink. The only comparison that came to Electra’s mind when seeing it was how she imagined that the house in Hansel and Gretel looked like as a kid, it was two stories high and the roof looked as if it had just been dusted in icing sugar. It looked so out of place in the concrete jungle, like hope in a world gone to crap.
“A sweetshop?” Electra tried to raise an eyebrow but instead a grin etched onto her face.
“Yup,” Aaron replied shortly sharing her grin. “Our mom love’s this place even more then her own home, she’d never abandon it, and our old man would never leave without her. If they’re going to be anywhere, they’re going to be here,” Aaron explained.
“Okay,” Mark turned around to face the others. “This is how it’s going to go down,” Mark said with authority. “Laddies in front, followed Aaron, then myself in the back in case any roamers decide to join the party,” Mark stated before everyone nodded in agreement.
“What is there are any roamers upstairs?” Thea asked causing both Aaron and Mark to freeze, Aaron’s eyes glued to the sidewalk and Mark staring forward with a distant look in his eyes.
“Deal with them,” Marks caramel eye bore into Electra’s mismatched making her feel a great sense of respect for the older man, preparing herself by taking her gun off of safety.
“Let’s do it,”
▬ First Person- Thea’s P.O.V ▬
I pushed the little wooden door open to Aaron’s parents store to be greeted by the soft jingle of a chime which nearly made me jump out of my own skin. Turning my head I saw that Electra had reached up and grabbed the little silver chime above the door stopping the noise with an annoyed look on her face which her and Mark shared. Flustered, I opened my mouth cut off by all three of them mouthing the word ‘Go’ simultaneously.
Rolling her eyes, Electra over took me with her gun in the ready position. I honestly did love this place, always have, always will. It was a kid’s paradise with jars of every single colour and type of candy that you could ever wish for laid out on rows and rows of shelves.
“Thea,” Electra’s low hiss brought me out of my own little world causing my eyes to trail back to the gorgeous brunette goddess.
“Hmm?”
In response she jerked her head in the direction of one of the ails and towards the old oak door for clarification with a heated look on her face.
“Oh…… oka-” I started in a bare whisper being cut off by her turning her back on me accidentally flicking her hair in my face and making her way down the ail cautiously not making a sound. She had the kind of grace that I had always aspired too, like a panther on the prowl. When she finally reached the door she gently pushed it open and then a gun shot rang out through the store.