Afterlife

• Chapter Fifteen •

"You hurry off, we got things to do."

Levi gave a quick smile before departing with a salute, disappearing into thin air.

     Within her chest, Millie began to feel an incredible amount of anxiety hit upon his departure. For Viola's sake, she remained as calm and collected as she could. Of course, only on the outside. Millie was a leader. It was her job to remain strong for others. But...

     Millie turned her attention to Viola. The girl's light blue eyes were locked directly onto Millie's, her lip curled in a smile. "Right," Millie breathed, her fingers gripping the edge of her grey sweater. The white button-up shirt underneath became slightly exposed from the bottom. "I suppose we gotta find some sort of heavily populated place if we want to get information."

     Viola hummed in agreement. "We should get going then, there isn't much to be found hiding in an alley!" Millie watched as Viola twirled around on her feet, strolling away carelessly with her hands locked behind her back, disappearing around the corner. Millie, however, couldn't move. Her confidence was slipping away from her very fast. She felt so alone without Levi and Ethan. They were what made her strong.

     She didn't want to abandon Viola, she couldn't. Though, Millie could never shake away the feeling of the girl's piercing blue gaze. Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, a voice pleaded:

Run.

Run.

Run away.

"GAH!"

     A pair of hands landed on her shoulder. Millie jumped away, her head swiveling around to see her surprise attacker. Viola stared down at her quivering form, her smile smaller than before. "H- How did you?" Millie breathed, her head shaking slightly in disbelief. "You were so caught up in your thoughts, it was easy to walk by unnoticed." Viola grinned, shrugging her shoulders.

     "No... there's no way I wouldn't have-" "You don't need them. You know that, right?" "Wha-" "You lack confidence in yourself," Viola removed a hand from Millie's shoulder, interlocking it with one of the ant's hands. Millie stared into Viola's eyes, her feet stumbling as she was pulled out of the confines of the alleyway.

     Millie's eyes shifted to the new scenery now surrounding the girls. The town was bustling with strangers, and a few of them gazed at the two girls with a hint of malice. Millie clenched her hand tighter around Viola's, hoping the girl's fearlessness would seep into her. "There's a bar up ahead," Viola whispered under her breath. "A bar? We'll stand out like sore thumbs in there!" "We don't have time to search for something better, dear. Let's go!" Millie bit her tongue as she was dragged, once again, against her will.

True to the nature of Viola, the bar was utterly menacing.

     Viola pushed open the door, pulling Millie in beside her. The door closed with a loud 'thump,' enough to make Millie jump at the sound. It was almost like a scene in a movie for the following few moments. Many eyes turned towards the two girls, the room growing deadly quiet. Millie felt herself die for a second time. Her eyes dragged up Viola's form, her soul melting at the look of pure glee on the bat's face.

     "Greetings gentlemen!" Viola chirped, releasing her hold on Millie. "Who let these kids in here?" A gruff voice hissed out, followed by the sound of glass being slammed onto a table. "Kids? My, my... Sir, you simply must get your eyes checked. My friend and I are most certainly not children." A gruff laugh filled the air. The sound of a chair sliding against the floor made Millie's form lock up in fear. "Kids or not, we don't allow your kind inside our bar."

     "Viola, we should just go-" "Our kind?" Viola's eyelids dropped into thin slits. Ahead of them, a figure appeared from the darkness. All eyes turned towards the end of the room, right in front of the bar area. Millie gulped, her face dripping with dread.