Wilted.

Log day 13; Colorado

The drive felt long, and I didn't feel like reliving the past in my nightmares so I spent most the trip from Kansas to Colorado staring out the window, or talking to whoever was sitting with me in the seat. Thankfully no others tried following us to our destination. I do hope that Devon survived the explosion. He was a nice guy. As far as I learned from him, he seemed nice. Given the fact he gave us this car, and supplies. To be honest, I wouldn't have expected him to keep us alive. Even if Lisa begged him.
But he did.
I sighed and gripped the steering wheel in my hand. My dark eye narrowing as I caught glance of the "Welcome to Colorado!" sign off to the side of the highway. I giggle quietly and spot a rest stop. Bathroom break seems good. And it'd be good to stretch our legs.
I pull the car into the rest-stop's parking lot and put the car's gear into park. My head turns to Alex in the passenger seat, I nudge her gently and smile. "We're in Colorado."
She opened her eyes tiredly, and yawned. "We are? Where are we?..."
"A rest stop. Take this time to stretch, and go to the bathroom. There's a Gas Station across the street. Take Phoenix with you to get snacks, drinks, and other shit." I replied quickly, pulling the key out of the keyhole and putting it in my pocket. "Take the pistol, and scream if you need a hand." She laughed quietly, putting her hand on my head. "You sound like you're my dad." I giggled in response and got out of the car, and began to make my way to the rest-stop. Once in the bathroom, I turned on the faucet and poured some water into my hands. I feel exhausted.
The sound of footsteps catch my attention; Lisa. "Hey there kid." I lift my head from my wet hands, and look at her. "And why, pray tell, are you in the boys room?" She laughed in response. "You're in the girl's room honey. You're as tired as a horse that has run 25 miles. What's goin on with ya?" She asked, walking over to me to move a stuck, stray piece of hair from my scarred half. I blinked and shook my head. "Oh shit. I'm sorry- I didn't notice-" I stammered out, my water-dripping, pale cheeks already feeling warmer than they did a second ago.
"Azrael, you're fine. What is goin' on with ya' sweetface?" She asked, her playful tone quickly changing into a one of a stern mothers. "Nothin'... I'm just tired. Maybe from driving, and sitting in the car." I replied. My tone felt wavy, and I could tell it didn't sound believable. Her face said it all.
"Azrael, even after we gave you shelter and food, you never did get a good amount of sleep. Why is that?" She set her hands on my shoulders, and shook me gently. "I uh... Don't wanna talk about it. I'll be fine Lisa." I laughed nervously and stepped back, rubbing the back of my neck gently. "I should probably head to the boys room now, sorry for the mix-up!" And with that, I left her in her thoughts.

Lisa watched as the young man walked away, and out of the girl's restroom. Her green eyes narrowing at the door. 'What could that boy be hidin'? He stays awake each other hour with a gun in hand, but as soon as it's time to hit the hay, he finds another not-completed thing to do...'
She shrugged as she thought. 'If he doesn't wanna share with me, that is just fine. But he's gonna end up dyin' with sufferin' in silence.'

Alex walked over to Phoenix, her black hair bouncing with her step and her dark colored eyes pinned on the man chained to a nearby pole. "When do you think Azzy will kill him?" she asked, sitting beside her friend and handing them a bottle of Sprite she had grabbed from the nearby station, along with other goodies. "Who knows? Maybe he's bait?" Phoenix replied in a suggestive tone. "For the Wasteds?" Alex asked, a small gasp in her voice. "Yea. I mean like; Azzy did say he was gonna feed Vincent to one of them... But Vincent went as far as threatening Nana's life, and sending the pirate guy on our asses." The air got tense, and Alex spoke with a more dead-panned tone. "And the fire... He killed Caiden." Phoenix's breath hitched, and they turned their head to their friend. "Hey... It'll be okay. Azzy will handle him. Promise. And if it's not soon, It'll be most likely later. He always come's around!" Phoenix grabbed hold of Alex's hand and gave her a reassuring smile. "We'll be okay."
Time went by, and Azrael was heading back to the car with Sam, Hot cheetos in one hand, A large case of Dr. Pepper for him and Sam to share in the other. Sam had a bag of stuff in both hands. "Guy's get back into the car, We'll be heading out soon!" Sam exclaimed, walking to the driver's side of the car. "I'll be driving the rest of the way, and Keegan will be in passenger. Azrael, you okay with that?" The blue eyed- bushy haired boy turned his head to the leader of the group. Who nodded and grabbed a shotgun from the back. "I'll be on the roof. So that leaves Phoenix, Lisa, Alex, Nana, and Charlette to watch the pest." Azrael's eyes lit up instantly after speaking. A smirk played on his lips and he giggled. "Vincent." He walked over to the man, pulled the chain around his neck and grinned. "You're gonna actually help my father find us."
With a large grin he grabbed one of the nearby, ripped from the ground, metal poles.
"WHAT? YOU'RE BASICALLY ASKING ME TO LOOK FOR A GHOST! YOU'RE CRAZY!" Vincent, had squirmed well enough with a yell, and managed to run, the chain getting caught under Azrael's foot. The large, metal pole flew past him, and pinned the back of shirt to a wall. He's stuck. He was lifted off the ground in the process. Azrael stepped forward, pulled a pink dagger from his pocket, along with a piece of paper with a sticker on it. With a yelp of pain, Vincent looked down to see that the paper was stuck to his chest, with the dagger acting as a holder. The young boy moved a bit, and grinned, reaching toward Sam who handed him a rope. An evil glint in his singular, cold, dark brown eye as he tied Vincent's hands above him. "That's the point. I've been meaning to get rid of some deadweight since you began to stab us all in the back. You had this coming. You thinking you could act with no consequences was foolish really. You only served as bait to us. Pathetic. Bait." He glanced behind him to look at Sam. "Go start the car, keep the others in there till I'm done." He demanded. As quick as Azrael spoke, Sam nodded, and looked at Phoenix, who was leading Alex, and Sandy back to the car. Charlette was being led back by Lisa and Keegan.
15 minutes passed, and a loud thump hit the car. Two thumps in fact, a sign that everyone was ready to head out. Sam flinched and looked at the side-view mirror, his green-blue eyes landing on Azrael, who sat in a criss-cross position, with his back toward him. "Feel better?"
He asked, hoping to catch his tall friend's attention. Azrael turned his head to Sam, a small blood splatter on his cheek. "Much. Better." He replied, a low growl in his tone.
Sam tensed, and nodded. "Be careful up there. You wouldn't wanna lose another eye, or an arm while up there!" The boy seemed to relax a bit, and so did his glare. "Pfft- shut up. You should've told that to Caiden. He's the one who lost a limb!" He exclaimed, a small, weak laugh in his voice.
"Yea, sure, like I'll find a way to heaven to tell him that." Sam replied, a snarky tone in his voice. "Too soon bud." Azrael replied, a weak chuckle leaving his lips. "Let's head out."

Hours passed, And the sun is already setting.
We had to park the car near an abandoned hospital so we wouldn't lure any Wasted's to us. We genuinely forgot that Denver is a big city. Big city + a lot of people + The Wasting Cough = A lot of Wasted's and Wasters. I rolled my eyes and turned to Sam. His mask over his nose caught my attention. So I reached for the bandana in my pocket, tied it around my neck, and pulled it over my nose. I pointed to the street nearby. "Commerce." It read. Sam pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and shifted closer to me so I could look at it too. "Commerce Road 4509, Denver Honor's Hospital."
Sam lowered his mask and leaned toward my ear, whispering, "Keegan and Lisa found a wagon we can put our guns and medkits in. What's the plan when we get to the hospital?"
I lowered my own mask and looked at him. "That's good. And as for the hospital, We're gonna be dropping Nana and Charlette off there. When I heard the news of the haven, it said they have sturdy walls, good food, protection... And After we drop them off there, I'm gonna go look for Issac. I know where he lives, I just... can't guarantee he'll be there." I mumbled the last bit, but Sam caught it. "You're gonna take someone with you?" His tone was shaky as he asked. "I'll be fine. Keep the others safe and out of trouble. And if I don't make it-" "Shut up. Don't say that. You'll be fine." He interrupted me before I could finish. "Well... If I don't come back by tomorrow's sunrise, Don't come looking for me, instead look for the SunCo Factory. It's pretty big in the downtown area, I'll meet you there." Sam looked slightly clueless, and he tilted his head to the side like a stupid puppy. "The blue Mickey Mouse on the big pipe." He nodded in understanding finally and pulled the mask over his nose again. "We shouldn't be too far from the hospital. Let's move." I nodded, and mimicked his movements, Turning my head every once in a while to see if Keegan, Lisa, Phoenix, Alex, Nana and Charlette were following.
After many turns and jumps over fallen debris or buildings, we finally made it to what seemed like an abandoned hospital. A small tarp was over a hole in the wall, and then tarp had a drawing of a rising sun, with "Honor's Hospital Haven". I looked toward Nana and Charlette and waved them over. "This is your stop. Remember to tell them your Date of birth, your ages, your place of origin, and your names. Give them any weapon you have on you, and they should give them back after inspection. I held a reservation for you two under the name "MAIZE". I spoke to them back at Lisa's fa-" Again. Cut off from speaking as my grandmother pulled me into a tight hug. "Your father would be so proud of you Azrael... you be careful. Please." She pulled away and held me by my shoulders, a stern, worried looked engraved into her wrinkled face. I never thought I would ever have to leave under these conditions... let alone the woman who raised me. I let out a shaky breath and hugged her again, tightly. "I'll be okay Nana... promise me you'll be okay too. Please. Dad would beat me if he found out something happened." She let out a weak laugh to my half-joke. "He would beat you if you weren't okay. " I giggled and looked up at her, I straightened my posture. Towering over her, I leaned down and nuzzled her forehead. "I'll be fine. Be safe." She finally let go of me and kissed my cheek. I turned my head to Charlette and smiled at her, holding my hand out toward her. She grabbed it, but pulled me into a hug. "Don't do that to your mother dumbass." She mumbled into my ear. "Be safe, your dad would kill me if you got hurt." I laughed at her demand and nodded. "Understood ma'am. I'll be safe. Thank you for looking after me like a mother would Charlette.." She pulled herself from me and smiled at me. "Don't be reckless." I winked at her playfully. "Can't promise anything," I turn my head to Sam, Phoenix, Alex, Keegan, and Lisa. "Lisa, could you stay with these two? You can leave tomorrow morning. Keegan go with the other three?" As I spoke, the more I realized I sounded unsure about Keegan going with Sam and the other two. Sam leaned toward me and patted my shoulder reassuringly. "I'll keep an eye on him for you." He whispered, leaning his head to my ear. I nodded, hugged him, and waved at the group as I made my way through the city.
Issac. Here I come.