Chapter 9
For seconds, minutes, maybe even hours, Alicia was unable to move. She remained crouched behind the rock before her, watching as the Abigail became smaller and smaller while it carrier her family further and further away. She was unaware of anything around her aside from the ship that was rapidly shrinking right before her eyes. She didn’t cry, didn’t yell out, she barely even breathed.
The ship had long turned into a nearly indiscernible black dot on the horizon before she was able to tear her eyes away from the endless body of water it had sailed away on and back to the marina. She watched as the remainder of the hoard continued to stumble around on the dock, some falling into the water beneath it and others beginning to make their way mindlessly back to shore now that their potential meal had taken off. It wasn’t until Alicia’s eyes caught the movement of her mother’s note fluttering in the wind that her brain began to function somewhat normally once more, allowing her to slowly return to her senses and begin processing her current and rather fucked up predicament.
Blinking rapidly to try and clear the last of the fog out of her mind, she looked over to see Elyza staring at her with a very worried expression on her face. The blonde opened her mouth as though to say something but Alicia cut her off quickly, not wanting to hear whatever sympathetic words she was sure the Aussie was planning on dolling out.
“My mother left me a note on the dock, we need to go down there and get it.” Alicia said, surprised by just how steady her voice had been when her mind was now anything but. Along with her ability to process what was going on around her, Alicia had also regained her earlier fear tenfold when seeing her mother’s letter had flung her violently back to her senses.
Elyza continued to look at Alicia for a few moments longer and the brunette had to fight not to shift under the girl’s calculating gaze. She seemed to be deciding whether to try and offer Alicia some sort of false sense of hope, or to just leave things alone for now and focus on the task at hand. She opted to take the latter route.
“Alright. We’ll go get your mom’s letter, but first we have to wait up here for that hoard to thin out a little bit. I may be ‘essentially a trained assassin’ as you so eloquently put it earlier, but even I can’t take on that many walkers without turning into one.” Elyza said, finally looking away from Alicia so she could scan the scene below them.
About half of the hoard had begun moving down the street and back towards the grocery store Alicia knew was located to their right a ways down the road. However, the remaining walkers continued to mill around the marina – some still struggling to make their way out of the water after falling in off the dock while others grunted and shuffled aimlessly along the shore.
Alicia clenched her jaw in annoyance but nodded her head in agreement all the same. She hated the idea of simply sitting and waiting for the walkers to leave while her mother’s note sat ready and waiting for her just a short distance away. But, once again, Elyza was right. Even working together they didn’t stand a chance against the remainder of the hoard. She resigned herself to the fact that she was stuck where she was for the time being, but tried to calm her restless mind with the knowledge that her mother’s letter wasn’t going anywhere. She did her best to remain patiently crouched in her hiding spot as more walkers slowly began trickling into the street and away from the marina.
As the girls continued to watch the hoard's painfully slow march away from the marina, Elyza suddenly broke the tense silence between the two.
“There’s something I don’t understand. Your family obviously had to take off on the boat to get away from the hoard, but why wouldn’t they just wait a little ways off shore until the dead cleared out and then come back to the dock to wait for you?”
Alicia looked over to the blonde beside her and saw that she was looking out to the see with her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. The thought had crossed Alicia’s mind as well, but the obvious explanation had popped into her mind only moments later.
“Strand.” Alicia spat out the man’s name as she turned away from Elyza to continue watching the hoard once more. She had never liked the man and the harsh way he approached this new world, and she was certain he was the reason her family hadn’t remained close by the marina to wait for her. Feeling Elyza’s confused gaze fall on her, Alicia attempted to elaborate.
“He owns the Abigail. We didn’t know him before the apocalypse but we saved him from a government stronghold shortly after everything fell. In return he took us with him on his boat, but he has a rather totalitarian view on things.” She paused, remembering his proclamations about the boat being his shortly after they had set sail.
“He was also a big believer in the idea of ‘every man for himself’, refusing to help people who needed it because he saw anyone who wasn’t us a danger and a liability. In fact I’m pretty sure he sees us that way as well. Anyways, I’m sure he refused to stay by the marina in case more people showed up. I’m actually surprised he let them stay docked for this long.”
Alicia continued to glare ahead of her, anger at the man who had surely forced her family away from her slowly burning through the fear that had settled in her chest earlier. If she ever saw him again, he wasn’t going to like what happened to him.
After a brief moment of silence during which Elyza seemed to process the new information Alicia had just provided her, the blonde spoke once more.
“He sounds like an asshole to me. I mean I’m all for self-preservation, especially with how royally fucked up the world is now, but that should never mean abandoning people you can help. Hell, if you thought the way he did I’d be shuffling along with our friends down there as we speak.”
At this Alicia looked back to the blonde and as furious green eyes met soft blue, she found her previously bubbling anger stop in its tracks. There was something about the way that even the slight upturn of Elyza's lips still managed to soften her entire face that caused a feeling of calm to wash over the brunette. For a moment she allowed herself to get lost in those soothing blue eyes that she suddenly noticed were flecked with gold. She didn't question why it was that a girl she had met only one day ago could have this effect on her, she just took it for what it was; a calm and peaceful moment in the middle of a nightmare.
Somewhere in the back of her mind Alicia realized she had been staring at the girl for longer than was likely socially acceptable, and so she blinked a few times before looking back out towards the sea.
Alicia thought perhaps she should respond to Elyza's previous statement, but she wasn't sure she could trust her voice not to give away how the blonde's stare had made her feel. So she chose to remain silent as she continued watching the walkers below them.
It wasn’t until just seven walkers remained on the beach that Alicia allowed herself to look over at Elyza once more. She turned her head just as Elyza turned her own and their eyes met in silent understanding. Without another word both girls got up and returned to their seats in Obama, Alicia unplugging her phone and throwing it back in her bag just as Elyza started the Jeep.
They made it to the marina within minutes, Elyza still driving rather recklessly back down the hill though with a bit less urgency than she had when moving in the other direction. The second the blonde had put the jeep in park a few yards down the road from the marina and the walkers left patrolling it Alicia grabbed the handle of her door to open it. Before she could get the door even halfway open, however, she felt Elyza’s hand gripping her left bicep tightly.
Alicia spun around to glare at the blonde, furious at the girl for stopping her from reaching her mother’s note. But Elyza simply matched the look with a glare of her own, clearly un-phased by Alicia’s anger, before speaking in a calm but commanding voice.
“Alicia stop. Take a breath, you can’t just run into a pack of zombies blinded with rage and desperation like you are now. You need to collect your thoughts and take a minute to look at your surroundings and come up with some kind of plan or you’re going to get yourself killed.” The way Elyza spoke to her, Alicia almost got the feeling that she was being coached by the other girl. Annoying as she found that thought (she knew what she was doing… sort of), she couldn’t ignore the voice in the back of her head that told her Elyza was right and knew what she was talking about.
Alicia was normally very forward thinking and pensive when making decisions – she took the time to see every option before choosing the one that made the most sense and was the most logical. But Elyza was right, she had been so distracted by her need to see what her mother’s note said that she had flung into action without even thinking about the consequences or what exactly it was she would be running into.
So rather than continue glaring at Elyza, she did what the girl had said, closing her eyes and taking a few calming breaths.
When she opened her eyes once more to look out the front windshield she found she was able to take in her surroundings much more clearly now that she had calmed down. Elyza must have sensed that she had regained her composure as well, because a moment after opening her eyes Alicia felt the other girl’s hand leave her arm. But apparently Elyza wasn’t done with her lesion quite yet.
“Good. Now that you’ve calmed down, you can see more clearly what we’re facing. So what do you see?” Alicia looked over at the blonde with an exasperated expression, this was not the time for a lesson in zombie killing 101. Elyza simply raised her eyebrows back at the brunette, challenging her to say something against the blonde taking advantage of this apparent teaching moment. Deciding it would be easier to just play along with the Aussie rather than fight her on this, Alicia sighed and looked back out of the front windshield.
“There’s six walkers left now, four girls and two guys. One must have left when we were driving down here since there were seven when we left the ridge.”
“Right. Now look at where they’re standing and how they move; their size, their speed, how close they are to one another. Think about the best way to go about taking each one out and whether or not you’ll have time to get to each one before the others swarm you.”
Alicia did as Elyza said and studied the remaining six walkers, her earlier panic and anger now completely forgotten as she focused all her attention ahead of her. After a few moments of considering what lay before the two girls in silence, Alicia spoke once more.
“The two girls on the right side of the street are smaller than the other four walkers and are more separated from them. They aren’t moving too quickly either, I could probably take each out with one swing of my bat if I was able to get enough power behind it. The other four on the left are closer together so I’d have less time to take them all out before they retaliated, plus the two men are pretty big and I’m sure it would take a few hits each to knock them down.”
When she finished her explanation, Alicia looked over to see Elyza smiling widely at her with an almost proud expression on her face. Alicia felt satisfaction bubble in her chest at the look the other girl was giving her, along with the usual flipping of her stomach that came when Elyza wore this particular smile. But she did her best to keep her own face as neutral as possible while the blonde spoke.
“Very good Little Bean. So the smartest thing for us to do is probably for me to take out the four on the left with my katana, while you take out the two chicks on the right side with your bat. Sound good?”
Alicia nodded her head in agreement, once more unsure if she could trust the stability of her voice if she tried to speak.
“Alright! Well let’s go have some fun then, shall we?” Elyza said with a wink before hopping out of Obama and unsheathing her katana from its holder strapped to her back. Alicia shook her head slightly at the other girl before stepping out of the car herself, though she was powerless against the grin that pulled up the corners of her lips at the blonde’s excitement.
Once her feet were planted firmly on the road below her, she looked ahead at her two targets shuffling away from her and took a deep breath. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t a little nervous at the prospect of tackling two walkers on her own, but she also felt more confident than she had when saving both her brother and Elyza the day before. Something about the way Elyza had never once seemed to doubt her ability to handle herself helped Alicia to believe the same, and after one more calming breath she was tightening her grip on the bat in her right hand and marching towards the closest of the two walkers she was tasked with killing.
When Alicia was just a foot behind the undead woman, she planted her feet and swung her bat at the walker’s head without hesitation. Unlike when she had killed the walker stalking Elyza yesterday, Alicia didn’t close her eyes. This time she wanted to see the results of her efforts, and she was not disappointed. Blood and brain matter sprayed from the walker’s head and around her bat, the majority of it landing on Alicia’s face and arms. Alicia was sure she should probably be disgusted by the sight, but honestly she just found it incredibly satisfying.
A grin spread across her face unconsciously as she wrenched her bat from the now motionless woman’s head before facing her next target who had turned at the sound Alicia’s bat had made when it came in contact with the other walker’s skull.
Alicia’s remaining opponent groaned loudly at her as it turned and began shuffling towards her, moving quicker than it had been earlier. Alicia didn’t let the walker’s newfound speed scare her though, instead she planted her feet once more and readied her stance as she waited for the walker to be within striking distance.
When the walker was just a foot away Alicia swung her bat at its head with more power than she had ever generated, a loud grunt escaping her lips just as her bat slammed into the walker’s temple with a sickening crack. The woman crumpled to the ground instantly and Alicia smiled at her handy work, now covered in even more blood and brains than before but feeling more powerful and confident than ever.
Alicia had been completely focused on her task, but now that she had taken care of her assigned walkers she became aware of her surroundings once again. Behind her she could hear Elyza finishing up with her own walkers and she turned to face the blonde, a grin still on her face and adrenaline pumping furiously through her veins.
Three of the Elyza’s four walkers already lay motionless in a bloody pile near her feet, and Alicia continued to watch as the girl toyed with the remaining man.
“Come on mate, at least make it a little challenging. Look, I’ll even keep one hand behind my back to make it fair for you.” Elyza said, a cocky smile on her face as she slipped the hand that wasn’t holding her katana behind her back.
Alicia’s stomach clenched slightly in fear at the other girl’s actions. Her crazy antics and arrogant demeanor were going to get her killed if she wasn’t careful. The brunette’s anxiety only grew as the final walker quickly closed the distance between himself and Elyza while the girl continued to stand stalk still with her hand behind her back and a grin on her face. The only movement she made was to twirl her katana skilfully between her slender fingers.
Just as the walker reached for her face and Alicia was about to scream out at the girl to stop being such a fucking moron, Elyza spun her body around the walker with such speed that Alicia almost missed the gracefully move. In less than a second Elyza was standing behind the walker with her blade to his throat, grinning flirtatiously at Alicia over the man’s shoulder and winking at the brunette. Alicia rolled her eyes at the girl, her previous fear for her safety now long gone and replaced by annoyance at her for making the brunette worry unnecessarily.
In one fluid motion, Elyza pushed the walker away from her chest just enough so she could swing her katana around and slice his head cleanly in half.
Alicia didn’t bother taking her eyes off of Elyza to follow the man’s descent to the ground, knowing full well he would not be getting back up from the wound Elyza had inflicted. Instead she gave the blonde a look that clearly said you’re an idiotic and cocky asshole, but that only served to make the Aussie’s satisfied smirk grow.
“Told you killing walkers was fun. And don’t look at me like that, you know my badass walker killing skills turn you on.” Alicia clenched her jaw at the other girl’s words and hoped desperately that the blood coating her face would cover the blush she felt rising in her cheeks.
It killed Alicia to admit, even just to herself, that the blonde wasn’t wrong. Even as she continued looking at the blood-soaked and slightly sweaty blonde across from her Alicia could feel desire growing in the pit of her stomach. But now was not the time to be thinking about all the ways that Elyza turned her on, and so she attempted to bring her thoughts as far away from Elyza and what else she could do with her fingers besides twirl a sword by changing the topic of conversation completely.
“We took care of the walkers, now let’s just go get the note my mother left me so we can get the hell out of here.” Alicia said as she began making her way down the road and tried desperately to ignore the feeling of Elyza’s eyes on her.
The blonde didn’t follow immediately though, and Alicia could still feel the girl’s eyes boring into the back of her skull even as she heard her voice from behind her a few moments later.
“I’ll take that as a yes to my skills with a blade turning you on. Good to know, I’ll keep that in mind for future reference.” Elyza said, and Alicia could almost picture the smirk she wore when she had spoken.
Alicia clenched her jaw but chose not to respond, knowing anything she said would just add fuel to Elyza’s fire. Not ten seconds later she heard and then saw the Aussie jog up to her left side before slowing her pace to match Alicia’s.
They made their way to the marina and her mother’s note in silence, Alicia growing more anxious with each step she took. She had no idea what the letter would say and was suddenly terrified by the seemingly endless number of possibilities now running through her mind. What if the note left instructions on where to find them but it was somewhere she couldn’t follow? What if she could somehow follow the instruction but her family never made it? Perhaps the worst scenario was the one in which the note left no instructions at all, and was simply a goodbye penned by her mother whom she would never see again.
Before Alicia could enter full blown panic mode, however, she suddenly became aware that her inner turmoil had carried her all the way to the end of the dock and she was now standing directly in front of her mother’s note.
She swallowed thickly as she looked down at the folded white paper held to the post before her by the blade of a pocket knife. Even through the thin paper she recognized her mother’s loopy scrawl, and she had to take a steadying breath at the sight.
But that breath did nothing to stop her hands from trembling as she reached for the note, ripping the knife out of its place in the post before setting it back down and shakily folding open the paper in her hands to read the print splayed across it.
Licia,
I don’t know where you are, but I know that you are alive and will find this letter safely. I have to believe that. We had to leave the marina the day after you left when a hoard of walkers overtook it. Strand refused to let us wait it out nearby – he didn’t want to linger near the shore that long. He wants to take us to a safe house he says he has in Mexico, but I’ve convinced him to let us return to the marina tomorrow (two days after you and the boys left for the supply run) for a few hours in the hopes that you will return. If you find this letter before then, meet us back here tomorrow between the hours of 10am and 4pm. We will be here.
I love you Alicia, please stay safe and I will see you in one day’s time.
Mom