Hell & Back || TYLER SBG

Chapter 11: Bootcamp

"Could you walk any slower?" Tyler looked like he was just about ready to shove past Aiden into Ashlyn's house.

"Yeah." He answered with a mocking grin.

They'd been over at her place a lot in the past few weeks, but this time they were actually talking to her parents.

That by itself was fine. Danica got along great with parents. Her mom was her favorite person on the planet, but she wasn't home a lot, so she'd sort of rapidly matured in the mental department ever since her dad up and left. Y'know, taking care of herself and all that.

She also thought that Ashlyn's parents were some of the finest people on the planet, but that was besides the point.

The issue was that Aiden gave her so much secondhand embarrassment. The blond was chomping down on the sandwiches the Banners made like a starving dog.

"So..." Ashlyn's father said, trying to ignore the loud chewing going on next to him, "What did you kids wanna talk about?"

Ashlyn was intense when she showed them her mismatched shadow. Like, more than intense.

Which must have made them look even more insane, considering that they saw nothing wrong with it.

This was probably worst case scenario. Finally, they had proof of what had been happening to them, and the evidence was insubstantial.

The only thing weighing on Danica's mind was how Ashlyn mentioned that Mr. Thomas seemed to notice how her shadow differed from her physical appearance. If normal people couldn't see it, then how did that make any sense?

"Ah-, never mind about that," Ashlyn said, awkwardly grabbing at the back of her neck. "But we do need your help with something."

Guess they were back with the original plan.

"Logan's been getting bullied. That's why he has that bruise on his cheek," Ashlyn said, "He wanted to learn how to defend himself, and we offered to learn with him. I was wondering if you guys could maybe teach us."

"I mean, I don't mind," her father shrugged.

"Me neither," her mother added, "Sounds kind of fun actually. But are all of your parents okay with that?"

Silence.

They probably should've thought about that sooner.

"Yeah...ask them first," her dad said, "I don't want any unnecessary drama from other parents when their kids start coming home bruised."

"Got it, thanks dad."

"No problem, trooper."

_________

After everyone got permission, they basically got the shit knocked out of them for a month. The Banners didn't go easy on them. In there words, the world wouldn't, so it was best to be prepared.

Two weeks into that month, the lights Aiden ordered arrived.

So did the stealth suits. Followed by Danica and Tyler pretending like they weren't giving each other an up-down every two seconds. Well, at least she liked to pretend it was mutual. It was a lot less embarrassing that way. Luckily for her, she didn't have to think about him looking stupid-good, because the main things in full black that she had to worry about were those stupid things, and the fact that their solar panels were now serving as a big sign that said, "FREE DINNER BEHIND THESE WALLS."

Reality settled in quick. Danica couldn't look over the wall that protected them without feeling nauseous. This wasn't like The Walking Dead. These things weren't lame-o zombies that she could run by without a sweat. No, they were quick, and uncanny. And she was starting to want nothing to do with this as she stood there, zoned out as Ashlyn went over the plan again.