Chapter 4
Alicia walked in silence beside the blonde stranger beside her, feeling the girl's gaze land on her every so often but refusing to return the look. Partially because she didn’t want to give her the satisfaction, but mostly because her brain seemed to shut down slightly every time her eyes met the blonde’s gorgeous blue ones (though that's not to say she didn't catch herself glancing at the other girl more than once when she knew her eyes were turned away from the brunette).
After ten minutes had passed with nothing but stolen glances and the sound of sneakers hitting the pavement, the blonde finally broke the silence between them.
“So are you going to tell me your name or what? Because, while bat-wielding-walker-killing-brunette-beauty is a very accurate name, it’s a bit of a mouthful.” The girl said, a smile evident in her raspy voice.
Alicia rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation. “Is there ever a time where you aren’t acting like a flirtatious pre-teen?” She asked.
The girl next to her laughed again and Alicia’s heart fluttered at the sound. Keep it together. She thought to herself. She’s hot, yes, but she’s irritating as hell and could probably kill you with both hands tied behind her back.
“The answer to your question is no. Why, would you like me to stop? I get the feeling you kinda like it.”
Ignoring the girl’s question, Alicia chose to try to bring the conversation as far away from flirting (and whether or not she liked it) as possible and back to the girl’s initial question.
“My name’s Alicia.” She said simply, still refusing to look at the blonde.
“Well Alicia,” The girl paused, being sure to exaggerate each syllable of Alicia’s name as she said it. “Thank you for saving my sexy Aussie ass this afternoon. It’s quite a nice one if I do say so myself and I’m sure the rest of the world thanks you as well for keeping it around a little while longer.”
Alicia breathed deeply in an attempt to calm her now very rapid heart rate. She hadn’t been trying to stare, but when she was walking to catch up to the Aussie earlier her eyes may or may not have landed on the girl’s backside once or twice. She had to agree with the girl (though she’d never give her the satisfaction of saying it out loud), she did have a very nice ass.
In an attempt to bring her mind away from the blonde’s ass and back to the present, Alicia cleared her throat before speaking.
“You’re welcome, though it’s really no big deal. Anyone else would have done the same.” She said simply, finally allowing herself to glance to her left at the blonde who smiled in response as she looked ahead.
“That’s where you’re wrong, love. Very few people would have come to help me like you did, most would have preferred saving their own skin over saving mine. Fucked up as that is, that’s the world now.” She finished with a light shrug as if to brush of the scary truth of her words.
“I’m Elyza by the way. Nice to meet you gorgeous.” She said as she turned her head to face Alicia once more with her trademark grin plastered across her face.
“I do have a name you know, and it’s not gorgeous or doll or love or beautiful. Now that you know what it is you should try using it a little more often.” Alicia responded with a huff. To her annoyance, Elyza’s grin simply grew at her response.
“But if I used your actual name, I wouldn’t get to see you blush every time I called you gorgeous, or doll, or love, or beautiful.” She said with a wink.
Alicia’s breath caught in her throat. She didn’t blush every time the blonde used one of her nicknames on her, did she? No, there was no way. Elyza was messing with her and judging by the slight chuckle Alicia heard beside her, she knew it was working. Before Alicia could even think to respond however, Elyza was talking once again.
“Ah, here we are. Home sweet home.” She said as they approached what appeared to be an old record store on the left side of the street. Alicia hadn’t been paying much attention to her surroundings as the two walked, but she suddenly realized they must have been walking for quite a while as she became aware that dusk had begun to fall around them.
Alicia was briefly confused at the idea of the girl living inside the record store before Elyza opened a door just to the right of the store’s entrance which revealed a set of stairs she presumed led to the blonde’s apartment above the shop.
“After you, Alicia.” Elyza said, once again emphasizing her use of Alicia’s name simply because she knew it would piss the young brunette off.
Alicia glared at the blonde holding the door open for her as she stepped around her and began to climb the stairs. The hall was musty and smelled like a mixture of old wood and what she recognized to be the unmistakable smell of vinyl which she assumed radiated in from the store just beyond the wall to her left.
Alicia had always loved listening to music, new or old, on vinyl records. Her infatuation with them had begun when she was just ten years old and her father had sat her on his lap while he played The Beatles' iconic album Let It Be for her on his old record player. From that moment on, music had been a passion the two of them had shared and they would often spend their weekends searching for new artists or old favourites at record shops around the city. After he died she used music as a way to feel connected to him, sometimes just sitting in his old study listening to one of the records they had found together and allowing the sounds and smells to taker her mind back to those old record shops with her father where she was always happiest.
She found herself instantly relaxing as the smell of the stairwell surrounded her like a comforting blanket. She never thought she’d get to smell old records again and, strange as it sounds, that had made her incredibly sad. She found herself now fighting off both happy and sad tears as she reached the landing at the top of the stairs and moved aside so Elyza could reach the large metal door in front of her.
“The smell’s a little much, I know, but you’ll get used to it.” Elyza said as she reached into her back pocket for her keys.
“No it’s not too much at all. I’ve always loved the smell of vinyl records.” Alicia heard herself say.
What the hell are you doing?! She thought to herself, scolding her stupid mouth for speaking out of turn. She had no idea why she suddenly felt like admitting she loved the smell of old records to Elyza, a girl she hadn’t known for more than a few hours. It wasn’t like it was a huge secret, but it was a very personal thing to Alicia, and she rarely shared personal things with her family let alone random Australian strangers.
Alicia saw Elyza’s face soften slightly at her words as she looked at her and smiled what Alicia though was probably the first genuine smile she’d seen the girl give since meeting her. It lit up the blonde’s beautiful features and caused her blue eyes to shine in a way that made Alicia’s stomach flip and she had to force herself to look away from the stunning sight.
“You might be the first person to ever say that about my place. We’re going to get along just fine Little Bean.” She said as she put the key she had retrieved from her pocket into the lock of the door.
Of course she had to ruin her beautiful smile with another stupid nickname.
“I am not a little bean.” Alicia said defiantly, crossing her arms in front of her chest for good measure.
Before turning the key, Elyza rounded to look at the brunette standing beside her, her stupid grin back in place. She looked Alicia up and down very slowly before meeting her eyes once more.
“Sorry sweet cheeks, but you are most definitely a little bean. Granted, you’re a very sexy little bean.” She said before finally turning the key and stepping into the apartment ahead of Alicia.
Thankfully, by the time the blush caused by Elyza’s comment had traveled up Alicia’s neck and to her cheeks, the other girl was already inside the apartment so she was unable to see the brunette’s now very red face.
Shaking her head slightly to try and clear it, Alicia followed Elyza into the apartment and paused once inside the door to take in her surroundings. She was happy to realize the smell of vinyl was still present inside the girl’s apartment, though it was less strong and mixed with the sweet scent of vanilla.
Elyza’s apartment was actually a large, long studio made up of a single room broken up with different pieces of furniture to differentiate between the separate areas of the space. Two large windows on the wall across from her allowed in what little sun remained outside, but they were large enough that despite the fact that the sun was close to setting outside enough light streamed into the apartment to light the entire space.
There was a small kitchen against the wall to her right with an island that overlooked the rest of the apartment. The countertops were a white granite while the lower and upper cabinets were a dark mahogany colour. Directly across from her was a small wooden dining table surrounded by four chairs. To the left next to that was the living area, with one large grey sofa flanked by two very comfy looking lounge chairs which all faced the flat screen television that stood on a stand against the same wall as the door Alicia had just come through. Behind the couch was what appeared to be a small workout space with rubber mats, weights, a few deadly looking blades and a large human size block of wood that had multiple chunks missing from it as though the blades hanging next to it had been used on it multiple times. Just beyond the living area near the far end of the apartment were two dark purple curtains pulled back slightly so Alicia could see a large queen sized bed with a grey comforter underneath a window along the back wall. The floors were a smooth grey concrete and there were dark wood beams, pillars and trim scattered throughout the apartment. The walls that weren’t covered in red brick were painted white and there were many colourful paintings decorating them here and there. Alicia begrudgingly admitted to herself that, while Elyza could be endlessly annoying, she did have very good taste.
Alicia turned to the sound of Elyza closing and locking the large black metal door behind her.
“Welcome to casa del Lyza!” She said with a smirk as she opened her arms wide to gesture around her apartment. She strolled over to a hook on the wall beside the door as she shrugged out of her jacket and hung it up while Alicia remained rooted in her spot, still trying to take everything in around her.
Elyza began walking towards her bedroom as she continued talking.
“Bathroom is just off my bedroom back here, you’re more than welcome to shower. In fact, I’m going to make a formal request of it. You stink like the dead Little Bean. There’s a towel in there that you can use and I’ll grab you some clothes to throw on when you’re done. Just don’t take too long I still have hot water but I’m wary about how long it will last.” Suddenly Elyza stopped in her tracks just before the curtains separating her bedroom from the rest of the space when she realized Alicia was still frozen in front of the door.
“Alicia, are you alright?” Elyza said, now turning to look at the other girl. Alicia didn’t miss the fact that this was the first time the blonde had used her name properly.
“Why are you helping me?” The brunette blurted out the question that had been burning in the back of her mind ever since Elyza had first offered to let her spend the night at her place and help her find her family the next day. Before Elyza had a chance to respond, however, Alicia continued.
“What you said earlier about people saving themselves before others in this new, fucked up world was right. People were self-serving before the dead started wandering through the streets and they have only gotten worse since then. So why help me?”
Alicia forced her green eyes up to meet Elyza’s piercing blue ones as she tried to gage the other girl’s reaction to her words.
Elyza let out an almost silent sight before responding.
“You saved my life earlier today, I owe you. Plus…” She paused briefly before continuing. “I’ve been alone for some time now. It’ll be nice to have some company, even if it’s just for the night.”
With these words, Alicia saw Elyza’s confident, cocky façade falter slightly. The blonde’s face remained as stoic as ever, but it was in her sapphire blue eyes that Alicia caught a brief glimpse of something more. Was it longing? Sadness? Perhaps even fear? Alicia couldn’t be certain, but she was now sure that this girl wasn’t nearly as self-assured and unaffected by the world around her as she wanted others to believe.
And then, because apparently Elyza couldn’t stand to be serious for longer than thirty seconds, she ruined her momentary honesty with her next sentence.
“Besides, if you weren’t here the only pretty thing I’d have to look at is me. And while I could never get tired of this face, carrying a mirror around 24/7 just isn’t very practical.” She smirked at Alicia once more and winked.
“You are absolutely exhausting.” Alicia grumbled as she began crossing the apartment towards Elyza. This only served to pull the girl’s grin farther across her face as she leaned slightly towards Alicia.
“Oh you have no idea. Though I'd be happy to show you just how exhausting I can be.” She said huskily. Alicia felt her mouth go dry as she took in the double meaning of the girls words, and of course her face went fucking beat red as well. Damn this girl was good.
Elyza flashed her a very satisfied smile, having obviously seen the blush her words had caused to spread across the brunette’s face, before she turned into her bedroom and headed to a large black wardrobe on the wall to her left. After a few moments of searching she pulled out a large black t-shirt and a pair of red plaid pyjama pants.
“These should fit you fine Little Bean.” She said as she handed the clothes off to Alicia who grabbed them rather awkwardly with her free hand. She hadn’t even noticed that she was still holding her now blood soaked bat.
Elyza seemed to just notice that fact now too. “I can take that off your hands if you’d like. Last time I checked my bathroom was walker free so you shouldn’t be needing it.”
Alicia nodded slightly as she handed her bat over to Elyza. She tried (and failed) to ignore the slight tingle that ran up her arm when their fingers brushed together as Elyza took the bat from her.
“Bathroom is through there.” Elyza said, pointing to a door on the other side of the bed to their right.
“Just toss your clothes outside of the door and I’ll wash them for you. I’ll just be in the living room if you need anything.” Elyza finished by gesturing to the living space beyond the purple curtains beside them.
“Thanks.” Alicia mumbled as she began making her way to the bathroom.
She flipped on the bathroom light before closing the door behind her and pausing once more to look around. The floor was covered in a white-grey honeycomb tile and the walls were white, the light floors and walls broken up only by the dark brown trim that carried in from the rest of the apartment. The toilet was against the wall directly across from Alicia, and there was a black floating vanity to her right with a smooth white countertop much like the one she saw in the kitchen earlier. She placed the clothes Elyza had given her on the counter before turning to take in the absolutely massive stand up shower that took up the entire left side of the bathroom and was separated from the rest of the space only by a few large glass panels.
Now very aware of the dry and sticky blood coating her skin and clothes, Alicia quickly took her backpack off and began stripping out of her clothes. She slipped her phone out of her back pocket and placed it securely in her backpack before placing both her shoes and bag beside the door. Once she had removed all her clothes she opened the door just a crack to throw them outside of the bathroom as Elyza had instructed.
She turned the handle on the right wall of the shower and jumped out of the way as cold water came flowing out of the rainfall showerhead above her. She waited about thirty seconds for the water to warm up before stepping under the showerhead and allowing the steaming hot water to wash over her. Alicia was powerless against the small moan that escaped her lips as the warm water flowed over her aching muscles. She stood still under the steady stream for a few moments, allowing the water to help relax her body slightly before quickly using the different shampoos and soaps Elyza had to clean the gore and sweat from her body that had accumulated throughout the day.
Stepping out of the shower onto the cool tile floor once she was completely blood-free she grabbed one of the towels hanging on the back of the door. She dried herself off as best she could before hanging the towel back on the door and pulling on the clothes Elyza had provided for her.
They fit her surprisingly well, though the shirt was quite loose but Alicia assumed it was meant to be worn that way. However, what Alicia failed to notice but quickly realized when she stood in front of the mirror above the vanity, were the bold white letters across the chest of the black t-shirt that said Make America Gay Again.
Her anger flared at the blonde in the other room. Elyza knew exactly what shirt she had given Alicia, of that the brunette was sure. She sighed heavily and glared at her reflection as she began combing through her damp hair with her fingers, anger still bubbling in her chest. There was nothing she could do about her current clothing situation, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. The blonde was relentless in her attempts to rattle Alicia, and after this latest stunt she was more determined than ever to find a way to beat the Australian at her own game.
Once her fingers were able to run through her hair without snagging on anymore tangles, Alicia grabbed her bag and shoes from the floor and headed out to the living room where Elyza had said she would be.
Rounding the wall of curtains from Elyza’s bedroom Alicia found the girl lounging on the couch with a book in her hand and her feet propped up on the coffee table in front of her. Hearing Alicia approach, the blonde set the book down beside her before turning to look at her, immediately breaking into a fit of laughter at the sight Alicia in her shirt.
Ignoring the way Elyza’s laughter tugged at the corners of her lips and made her stomach drop in the best possible way, Alicia narrowed her eyes at the still hysterical girl and rested her hands on her hips.
“You just think you’re fucking hilarious, don’t you?” Alicia said angrily.
Elyza took a moment to catch her breath before responding.
“As a matter of fact, yes I do. Though I’ll admit that shirt looks much better on you than it does on me.” She straightened up slightly on the couch before her smile disappeared and she continued in a more serious tone.
“But in all seriousness Alicia, my people and I thank you for your support.” She finished by placing her hand over her heart and bowing her head slightly towards the still fuming brunette.
Suddenly Alicia saw an opportunity to finally get back at the quick talking Aussie.
“Your people? What I think you meant to say there, Elyza, was our people.” She said, raising her eyebrows slightly. She was rewarded with a very shocked and, finally, a very speechless Elyza.
She wasn’t saying that just to mess with Elyza, as enjoyable as the girl’s surprise at her comment was it was merely a bonus to her voicing the truth. She’d known for some time that she was bisexual. While she’d never been with anyone (male or female) outside of Matt, she was well aware that she was attracted to both sexes. Although if she hadn’t known before today, her inability to keep her eyes off Elyza for longer than a few minutes would have been a good indicator of her sexual orientation.
Elyza still had yet to recover from Alicia’s words, so with a satisfied smirk the young brunette walked towards the door and set her shoes and bag next to it under the Aussies leather jacket that still hung on its hook above.
It was only when Alicia began to straighten up from setting her belongings down that Elyza seemed to find her voice once more, though there was a slight tremor to it that wasn’t present moments ago.
“I uh… I washed your clothes in the sink and hung them on the dining room chairs to dry. I’m just gonna shower quick and then we can eat.” She said as she rose from the couch slowly, eyes never leaving Alicia.
Alicia leaned against the door beside her before crossing her arms and looking at Elyza, her smug grin still present knowing full well that the blonde was still recovering from the bomb Alicia had just dropped in her lap.
“Sounds good, thanks. Enjoy your shower.” She finished with a wink.
Where the fuck did that come from? She thought to herself. She’d never been particularly flirty, but the apparently the confidence that knocking Elyza down a few pegs with her previous comment had brought Alicia made her more eager to try and continue matching the Aussie’s flirtatious advances.
Elyza opened her mouth as though to say something more but quickly snapped it shut as she turned and headed back towards her bedroom. Alicia watched her walk away with a smirk. Two could play at this game, and she was just getting started.