The Bandits

Page 5

"Okay, we can all ride in my car." Started Aaron.

I didn't even try to listen I had my eyes set on something beautiful. 

"Hell no, I call riding with Daryl." I had my hand up and I pointed towards my new direction. 

"Oh," I pull Beth and Karmen to the side," if he asks you, tell him your real names." I assured them. 

Beth and Karmen were weary. They knew something was up, I would never drop my guard this easy but we've never really taken chances and that's why everything seemed off.

Daryl just looked at Aaron. 

"Oh come on!" I wailed. 

"I haven't ridden on one of these in a while."

'These' as in motorcycle. I was going to ride a motorcycle.

//

"Hell fucking yeah!" I scream.

"Keep it down." Daryl said over the noise. 

I look to the right side of me and flick Karmen and Beth off but then quickly hold on real tight.

Beth rolls her eyes and Karmen smiles and flicks me off too. 

It took a couple of hours until we reached what I was hoping for, a new start. 

//

We wait for someone to open the gate and we enter still in our vehicles. 

This place is pretty, I thought to myself. 

"It's a real community." I say out loud. 

"It is." Aaron smiles. 

"You three will be able to look around but first you need to meet Deanna." 

Beth and Karmen still continue looking around in awe. 

I give him a nod. 

"We need you to hand over your guns first." 

I look over at Karmen and Beth and give them a light smile.   

We walk over to what looks like a storage room. Before anyone could notice Daryl was gone. I wanted to thank him for the ride but it seems like I have plenty of time for that. 

A man and a women seem to be stocking some goods. 

Aaron stops them. 

"Glenn, Maggie this is Beth and Karmen." 

First they smiled but then a frown was drawn on Maggie's face. 

Names are a curious thing, I'll note that for later.

"Elle." I blurt.

"I know you didn't ask." I look back at Aaron. 

"Well they are staying here now and they're turning in their guns."

Karmen dumps they bag of guns we stole and then we handed over our personals. 

"Wow." Says Glenn stunned.

"Can we keep our stuff?" Beth asks.

"Yes, and these guns are still yours, we just keep them accounted for." Aaron answers. 

"Cool," I say blatantly," where are we living."

"Um, and that's when you should to meet Deanna."

//

We walk towards a big house and we see an older lady waiting for us by the door.

"Hello." I greeted.

"Come in, come in." She gestured with her hand, leading us into her home.

"Wow." Karmen muttered. 

"Yeah." I said shocked. 

"I haven't seen a clean house in forever." Beth says just as astonished. 

"Could I ask all of your names"

"That's Karmen," I pointed with two fingers," Beth, and I'm Elle." 

"Elle." She repeats. 

"You must be the leader." 

" I guess." I say emotionless. 

"Then I'll talk to you first."

Deanna leads me to a room separate to my friends. 

"You can sit down." She tells me.

I comply and do exactly that.

"May I record our talk?" She asks.

"Sure." I answer not caring at all.

She turns the camera on and sits behind it.

"You guys have electricity." I finally noticed.

"Correct." She smiles.

"Running water, we have it all." She says sincerely. 

"Why do you think you're here?"

"My group can be an asset to this community." I answer unsure of myself.

"But I'm also a child, good people pity children." I plaster my eyes towards the ground.

"You're right, both ways." She answers. 

"I can fight, correction, we all can. I taught them."

"How to kill the dead and the living." I look back up.

"Only when needed to. I could probably teach your older children; peers follow peers." I say with a smudge look on my face.

"How old are you?" She changes the subject.

"I'm seventeen." I say honesty. "So are Beth and Karmen, we'll be turning eighteen this year though." 

Lie.

"Do you understand that you will be the future of this community and  you, all three of you need to care for it." 

"I understand. This place seems stable, and it needs to stay that way." I keep a straight face for the next question. 

"Who were you with before all this?"

I raise an eyebrow. 

"I'm not going to lie but..we were alone. We mostly hid the first year this all happened." I looked down.

Lie.

"Thank you Elle. I need to talk to one of your other friends now."

I nod and walk back into the other room. 

"Is everything cool?" Beth asks. 

"Yeah, she just asked me questions and you're next!" I say with a big sarcastic smile.

She rolls her eyes and playfully punches me. 

"If we don't die here, I'm going to kill you." She lazily walks into the room.

//