Ephemeral - Alia Dixon

35

I lean my head against a wall as the others start discussing. Washington looks at me angrily before he storms over. I take the gun out and aim it at him while staring at the wall across from me. Everyone stops moving.
"Alia, take the gun down" I hear Leah say but I don't look at her. Instead I keep staring at the wall down the hallway. It looks dark down there. Empty. The whole building probably is.
I'm asking myself if I should've safed them or just walked away when I still had the chance. Maybe I should've taken my chances and ran at night. Snook out.
"She's going to cost us everything. She's going to get us killed!" Washington screams, making me laugh. Does he really think that's going to happen.
I look at him with a grin. "Without me you wouldn't even be alive, princess. You should be thankful" I say, clearly mocking him. I take the gun down, waiting for his attack. It makes me laugh even louder when he starts walking towards me warningly. It makes him so mad that he starts screaming again, wanting to lunge for me but Carver and Fish hold him back.
I get up from where I'm sitting. "We should just walk with the dead. It's the best possibility" I say, them all staring at me confused. Even Washington who has stopped fighting against his brothers.
"What?" Leah asks, stepping forward.
I tilt my head questioningly. "Have you never done that?"
"Done what?" Fish asks.
"Walk with the dead" I say, them all looking at me like crazy.
I chuckle amusedly. "Oh, this is going to be great" I state before a laugh exits my lips. "You're fucking with me, right?"
"You want to walk with the dead?" Carver asks me again.
"Are you fucking crazy?" Fish asks me.
"Clearly, she is" Washington states but I ignore him. Instead I walk over to one of the windows, pulling the blinds slightely.
"We can't take one from here. We need to see if there's a back door" I state, seeing they haven't moved an inch.
"Take what, Alia?" Leah asks me.
"Wow. A walker?" I say but they still can't follow me. "How the fuck did you survive out there?"
I walk past them, all of them following hot on my trails. It doesn't take me too long to find the backdoor and look outside through a window there. Safe to say there are not many back here. Still too many to get out but not too many to snatch one or two and by the size of the guys with me I'd say we need two or even three.
"Okay, I let three of them in and all you have to do is kill them. Got it?" I ask, walking to the door. Just as I put my hand onto the handle, Washington puts his over mine, holding it tightly.
"Are you trying to kill us?" he asks, making me look at him with a hard look.
"If I wanted to, "I state, glaring at him. "I would've already done that back at camp. I would've sliced each of your throats and make you walk around as walkers. But, I didn't. I saved your asses from whoever these guys were singlehandedly and still I haven't heard one "thank you". I could've left you there to die and get tortured but I saved you" I snarl, making him look at me angrily.
"She's right" Leah says, making me look at her before I glare back at Washington. He huffs out annoyedly before letting go of my hand. I place it firmly around the handle.
"You got it?" I ask and Carver nods. "Good enough" I mutter before opening the door.
One walker in, getting killed by Fish, who stabs him into the head.
Second walker walks in, along with the third before I hardly push against the door, throwing it closed. Loud bangs are heard from the walkers outside as Carver takes out the other two.
"Now what?" Carver asks, all of them looking at me expectantly. I look at them as I walk over before moving my eyes to the walker. I take out my knife and stab it into it's torso before slicing it open to the end of it's belly.
"You have to cover yourself in it" I say, them all staring at me as if I have gone crazy. "They can't smell you and they can't make out you're human as long as you keep the voices low and walk slowly"
"You're joking, right?" Fish asks me before looking at the others. "She's crazy, right?"
Leah's eyes meet mine. "You sure this is going to work?"
"It has worked all the other times I had to do it" I state before looking around for anything to use as covers. I find some blankets in the corner of the room and take them over to the walker. I take one and cut a hole into the middle, making it a perfect poncho.
I look at them again. "You don't want to get it on your clothes" I state, them still not sure if they can trust me.
"Come on, I would get myself killed too with that move and I'm way too proud to die like that" I say.
"She's right" Leah states.
"What? You can't possibly think that this is a good idea" Washington says.
"Man, this is hella creepy" Fish states, making me chuckle quietly.
"It is but she could be right. It's either that and we get out or we die here and it's over" she says before bending down and making a hole into the poncho next to mine.
"You trust her?" Washington asks.
"We have to" Leah states before she shares a look with Carver. Carver looks at her for a little longer before taking a blanket himself.
"Look, I can go out first and you can close the door behind me. I'll wait behind one of the buildings until you've followed" I say, pulling the poncho over my head. I bend down and start smearing it's blood and guts onto my poncho, not even making a grimace as I do so.
"You're fucking crazy" Fish says baffled as I get up.
"Never said something else" I state before walking over to the door. Leah and Carver walk over, Carver putting his hand onto the handle of the door, staring me down. Maybe I'm tripping but it almost looks like there's some fear in his eyes. Only a tiny bit though.
"They're distracted" Fish says, looking out the window on the side.
Carver nods at me once before he slowly opens the door. I turn around and grin at them. "See you on the other side"
I take a deep breath, getting serious again as I start limping and slowly make my way into the horde. Here on the back aren't as many of them and I can already see an empty alley that probably leads away of here a little further back. Walkers start crowding me, growling into my ear and bumping into me. A few even follow me into the alley. Around the corner I make sure to stab each of them into the head before rounding my head out of the alley again. I take a look around before nodding at them.
I watch as the door opens, all of them slowly stepping outside. They look scared as shit but still serious and focused as they make their way through the walkers. I notice Fish walking a little too quick, making me look at him with wide eyes. Walkers behind him were starting to take notice. I motion with my hands for him to slow down, which he does, the walkers behind him walking the other direction again.
All of them round the corner before letting out deep breaths.
"Never again" Fish states, making me chuckle as we all take off the ponchos and start walking towards the way to the mall again.