The Ninth Alley

Planning Ahead

Chris' POV

We made it to Lake Lateralis with no signs of Burly's anywhere. We unpacked a few blankets, waters, some food, matches to make a fire, and quietly turned off the car. Nobody was around and from how quiet the lake sounded, nobody seemed to have been there for quite a long time.

"It's so peaceful here," Lux announced staring out and into the lake.

"I heard that 74 people were captured here like a year ago and turned into Burly's. Some say that a few died because they couldn't complete the transition," Blaze stated with raised eyebrows.

"You've got to be kidding me," I huffed.

"I wish I was kidding," Blaze shrugged.

"I wish you'd shut up," Ronnie stated with a firm voice.

"Amen," Jonah laughed shaking his head.

"You know, by now I was hoping maybe you could get some more useful comebacks. And Jonah, I wouldn't be laughing. You already look too much like an ogre as it is," Blaze snapped smirking at Jonah.

Lux and I began laughing hysterically. Blaze had gotten burned earlier by Ronnie and the comeback he just used on both of them was priceless.

"Stop! My stomach hurts from laughing so hard!" Lux spoke through laughs.

"Just get everything setup. Please," Jonah responded through gritted teeth. Without thinking, Jonah stomped away in frustration towards the lake. He took a seat in the sand and stared off into the dark night.

"Don't mess with the bull. You'll get the horns," Blaze chuckled.

"Blaze. That was pretty fucked up. The ogre part at least," Ronnie huffed.

"Awh come on. We're always messing with each other. You already know I was just kidding," Blaze pouted.

"Go apologize," Lux giggled.

"Fine. You guys just made this no fun," Blaze stated stomping off in the direction Jonah went.

"Alright Chris. I need your help unloading some other things. You mind helping?" Lux asked me with raised eyebrows.

"Sure," I replied.

Lux and I made our way back over to the car. It really had been a peaceful night. The stars were shining and the lake had the gleaming shine from the moon. If the invasion of Burly's hadn't occur, I would of maybe considered coming here more often. I could picture all the little kids and families and friends wandering around having the time of their lives at this lake. It was definitely a great place to go during the summer and definitely a great place to go if you ever needed to get away from it all.

"Here they are," Lux pointed to a large pile of wood near the car.

"I collected it once we got out of the car," Lux smiled at me.

Lux was definitely a unique girl. I had never really gotten to know her story since we've constantly been on the run since the day I met them. Her eyes were a dazzling blue and were filled with not only despair and hate, but also love and reassurance. Her hair was a striking dark brown. You could tell it had been dyed since lighter roots of her hair were barely sprouting from her scalp. She had a shorter, leaner figure. Her perfectly sculpted lips were a pale pink and slightly chapped. She was the type of girl who looked good no matter what flaw appeared on her face. I didn't like her that way, but whatever guy she ended up with was sure going to be a happy fellow.

"Sweet," I smiled back while grabbing some of the wood and carrying it back over to our area.

"You got the wood?" Ronnie asked glancing up from his watch.