"Lé zombies have officially arrived," Pink announces as soon as we get back to the trailer, unclipping the red leash off of her dog before kicking off her shoes. "A lotta them."
Stephen doesn't say anything from his top bed.
Dan scours around the brown to-go bag in his hands, pulling out a burrito wrapped in special paper. "Here's your cold burrito."
Like a switch, Stephen sits up in a blur. "Oh hell yeah - throw it to me, throw it, I'll catch it."
Dan obeys, half-heartedly throwing the food his way, and the grape catches it as promised, muttering his name under his breath as he unwraps his burrito.
Winnie shakes off thewater in her fur in front of me, getting my shoes wet.
I crouch down to take them off, and after I did, I gave the still-slightly-wet Winnie a pat.
"How many zombies did you see?" Stephen asked after swallowing.
Pink holds up six fingers, then adds another one after a pause. "Seven."
"Oh that's not a lot," he shrugs. "Just stab them all, easy game."
The blond sociopath snaps his fingers at him, grinning. "That's what I said!"
I take off my coat as the small child next to me grabs her dog in her arms again.
She turns to Jay and randomly kicks his shin, earning a pained yelp from the other.
"What was that?" He groans, grabbing his ankle and slowly sinking to the floor.
Pink giggles. "Can I braid your hair?"
"What - Why?!"
"Cause."
"You kicked my shin!"
"Please?"
Jay lets out a squeak as she tugs on one of his locks. "What're you even gonna braid it with?"
Pink pauses. "Uhm... Elastics."
"Yeah no, I'm pretty sure we don't have that."
Dan walks past the two of them. "We can get some on our next stop," the boy suggests.
The blond turns his head to Dan, jaw slacked. "Why are you -!"
"Yes," the girl nods her head fast. "Yes. We'll need many elastics."
"No I do not agree you are not touching my hair."
She makes big eyes. "Could I take a picture of it when I'm done?"
"No."
"You can use my phone!" Stephen pipes up from his bed, grinning wickedly. His eyes glitter with mischief.
"Don't you dare, Stephen," Jay says, and there's an edge of impatience to his tone.
The grape-head acts unbothered as Pink replies with an excited nod.
"Should we get back on the road?" The mint-haired boy cuts in, taking off his jacket. "It's my turn to drive, by the way. And I'd have to stop for gas soon too. We can get the elastics then."
As Dan climbs back out and quickly makes his way around the trailer, the child turns to the sociopath on the floor. "I can't wait to braid your hair."
Jay smiles. "Do that and a knife'll be rammed between your eyes."
"Jay..." I nervously step in.
"Yes, Hosuh."
Fear churns in my stomach at his fixed gaze and I'm about to say something when Pink beats me to it with a tilt of her head.
"I wonder what you'd look like bald."
The boy immediately bounces back a reply. "I wonder what you'd look like dead."
"Jay!"
I watch as the insults of 'I wonder what' go on between the child and the sociopath, but it's in a playful manner, so I decide not to step in and let them insult each other.
Instead, I made my way to my bunk bed, where Stephen had gone quiet.
Winnie kept weaving between my legs as I walked, and I gently pushed her away with my foot. She bit my sock in return.
I climb up the ladder, trying to remember the last place I'd put my drawing tablet. It should be next to my backpack, which would be on the bed.
As I reached the end of the metal steps, my eyes traveled to the lump of blankets, where Stephen was bundled up and resting on his side, going through his phone.
The screen of his phone was directed my way. All I could make out from the screen of the device was that it was a list he was working on.
"What's that?"
Stephen jolts out of his blankets and nearly falls off of the bed. His gaze snaps on me, eyes wide.
"Hosuh!" He hisses. "I've told you millions of times, stop doing that! I nearly died!"
"Okay okay," I look around the bed for the drawing tablet. "Have you seen my tablet anywhere?"
"I'll tell you where it is if you draw me," he states smugly.
I tilt my head. "So you know where it is."
At that question, his face goes blank, before rearranging into one of sad realisation. "No, actually. Screw you Hosuh."
I let a small laugh slip as I look around again. "I'll go check my backpack, then."
"Close the door behind you."
I pause, scrutinizing him in confusion. "There isn't a door...?"
"Just close the door."
After two hours of drawing, the sun was starting to set and it was just about time for dinner.
Dan insisted that we eat canned food this time, since we have canned food for a reason and all our meals consisted of junk food.
Yay.
And so, each of us got handed a can of cold beef stew from our compartment and a can opener.
"Where's my can opener?" Pink slit her eyes at Dan.
Said-boy shrugged. "We only have four, so someone's gonna have to open yours for you."
Jay - who's hair was littered with tiny braids and colourful elastics - raised his hand a little. "I'll do it."
"Okay." The girl replied. "How about Winnie?"
"We'll feed her too," Dan assured. "But you eat first."
"Ew," Stephen fake-gagged (or actually gagged, I wouldn't know) as soon as he had his can opened. "I don't wanna eat this."
"Can we order pizza?" The girl said on a bored tone.
"Ooh, pizza," Jay's eyes lit up. "Pineapple pizza?"
Dan closed his eyes, unsuccessfully hiding a grin.
"Eh," Stephen shrugged. "I don't really mind it. It doesn't matter to me that much, pizza's just just good in general."
I simply shrugged. I couldn't remember the last time I had pineapple pizza, so I wasn't really the one to ask.
"I want pineapple pizza now," Pink bubbled. "Can we get pineapple pizza?"
Jay handed the child her beef stew, now opened with the help of his tool.
"Garbage beef stew is what you're getting," he said drily. "Unless we can change Dan's mind."
Everyone looked at Dan.
"Ehhhhh..." He said halfheartedly. "We'll get it tomorrow, if everyone wants it so much."
Stephen boo-ed.
"Wait why do you get to decide what food we eat? We are perfectly capable human beings."
"Doubting the latter."
"Actually, yeah," Jay thought aloud. "Stephen's right. You never were in charge and never will be."
"Guys -"
"Yeah!" The girl adds.
Dan tries again. "Guys c'mon, -"
"No," the psychopath cuts him off. "No sir. No, sir. Sir."
"I'm ordering pizza right now, who wants some," Jay whips out his phone.
"Get pineapple," Pink pleads. "And mushroom."
"Pepperoni!" Stephen joins in. "Do they sell ice cream?"
"Which place?" I question.
"Pizza hut?"
Pink practically vibrates in her seat. "Ooh, get their bread sticks!"
"I wonder of they sell boba."
"Guys."
"Okay everyone shush I'm calling the nearest one." Jay brings his phone to his ear.
We all wait in silence.
"Hi. I'd like to order three... medium? Pizzas?"
We nod.
"Three medium pizzas. Pepperoni, pineapple, and, uh... mushroom."
Pink lets out a quiet "yeah" in affirmation.
"Yeah. And mushroom. Oh, and also your guys' bread sticks."
"Do they sell ice cream?" Stephen taps his finger on his thigh.
"Do you guys sell ice cream?"
There's a crackle from the other end of the line. Jay looks up from the phone.
"Caramel, vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry."
"All of them."
"Strawberry."
I mask my amused smile.
"Okay, thanks. Uh... Where are we right now?"
Stephen fumbles with his phone.
"Sorry pizza dude, one sec. I don't know where we are either."
"Here," Stephen shoves the phone in Jay's face, having to lean over me to reach him. "This is what Google says."
"Okay, so we're in gditudstutuddigfghcdyuf right now... Sorry? Oh, gditudstutuddigfghcdyuf." Jay paused. "Okay. Thanks."
The call ended with a beep.
"There we go," he puts his phone down, wearing a large grin on his face. "Dan's paying."
"Wha -!"
pretend jay's gibberish translates to their address ;-;
also i think i might've overdone them walking all over dan