World's End

Chapter Eleven

Jax watched as his friends wandered on up ahead, oblivious to the fact that he had lagged to the point that he could only hear Marissa laughing but only because when she did laugh, she threw her head back and laughed loudly. He didn't know who had said something funny, but he would be happy to place any food rations on Ellie Rae. Because to be completely honest, Lincoln's sense of humour was about as dull as a butter knife trying to cut through concrete.

He waited a few moments longer and then, when Marissa's laugh was further away, did he turn around and look for the one thing he had noted earlier that had given him a sense of mild panic. It had been a few blocks from where they were now. Ellie Rae, Marissa, and Lincoln hadn't even noticed Jax almost tripping over his feet when he first saw it because they were too busy talking about how Ellie Rae had somehow charmed the stupid lion that had haunted Jax every day for the past 5 years and of course, they were from the suburbs and Marissa? She only ever ventured into the slightly deserted city that was close to her home. Apparently, a bunch of fancy ass ninny's loved high above the city, safe from predators and civilization.

Jax approached the wall closest to him and lifted a bunch of vines that had been growing over the wall. Nothing. He hummed to himself as he started to slowly examine every inch of every wall of every building that was along the street. He knew that signature was going to be somewhere. He could feel it in his bones.

Even though he continued to search, he tried to keep his distanced pace with the group. He didn't want to lose them because trying to find them in the Expanse would be impossible. Jax looked at where the three of them walked, somewhat lazily from what he could tell. He wondered if they had realized, he wasn't walking right behind them and staring at the lion that was walking ahead of Ellie Rae, growling at every shadow. Jax shook his head and looked up at the sky, the intense heat seeming to be wavering as dark clouds rolled across the sky.

"Come on, where are you?" Jax muttered as he brushed more vines off the walls. He kept searching until he made a noise of success. "Ha!"

The black mark on the wall was peeling slightly, the circle with what looked like a knife and a gun crossed in the middle of it. It looked like it had been stamped there a while ago, but it would be no surprise if there was another one nearby that was more freshly applied to the walls.

"Oi, Jax! Where are you?" Jax heard Marissa yell. They must have finally realized he wasn't joining in the conversation with some little quip or flourish of words.

"I'm coming!" Jax yelled. He took another look at the sign on the building wall. He nodded his head and started back from the wall and went into a jog. The three had come to a standstill, some distance away. Ellie Rae's lion was nowhere in sight, probably somewhere up ahead, hoping to munch on Lincoln hopefully. "Sorry, got distracted." He puffed a little when he finally caught up to them. Marissa had her arms crossed over her chest; eyebrow raised as she waited for him to catch his breath. Ellie Rae un-looped her water bottle from around her shoulders and passed it to Jax. He declined and grinned.

"What did you get so distracted by that we almost lost you?" Marissa queried. Jax wiggled his eyebrows.

"Just something I thought I recognized."

"It wasn't an automobile store, was it?" Lincoln quipped. Ellie Rae slapped his arm quickly and he winced. "What, it's a genuine question."

"Yeah but it's not helpful." Ellie Rae fired back as the four of them turned around to keep walking. Marissa snorted as she pushed her hands into her pockets, the gun across her back hitting her back slightly with each movement.

"But seriously, what did you find?"

"Just something that reminded me of some old friends."

"You have friends?" Lincoln muttered the question to himself. Jax flung an arm around his shoulders and looked at him while they walked.