Variables → Group B [AU]

36 → "DONT MOVE"

36 → "DONT MOVE"

AFTER WHAT FELT like a long hour journey, they'd made it to the city again. They let Teresa take the lead so she could lead them to the storage of weapons. Teresa didn't say where this storage of weapons was, but nobody asked. Teresa lead them down numerous abandoned streets, until she came to a stop out the front of an empty abandoned shop building. Teresa tried the door, but the door was rusted shut, leaving Teresa to kick it down off of its hinges. The door took a lot of harsh kicks to it before it finally fell off of its rusted hinges and fell to the side. Teresa positioned it upwards against the wall, then stepped inside the shop.

The inside on the shop was completely unfurnished and the paint on the walls was peeling. The floor had once been tiled, but the tiles had been seemingly removed a long while ago. To the back of the shop was a door, presumingly leading to the storage of weapons. Teresa wondered towards the door, the girls of Group B following. The door wasn't rusted like the first, opening without fail. Adeline watched as Sonya handed Teresa a torch light, and Teresa clicked it on, the beam of light from the torch shining down as Teresa descended down a set of stairs. The girls followed. Girls clicked on their torch lights as they each descended down the stairs. Adeline, not having a torch light herself, had to be careful as she descended down, using the light from other torches to see. Once down, they found themselves in a small basement type room. Girls shone their torch lights around, beaming across the room until they stopped on the wall to the far right. On the wall was a rack of weapons; varying of knives, swords, machetes, bows and arrows.

Teresa moved towards the rack, surveying it until she reached up and grabbed a long bladed knife from the rack. She examined the knife, girls grabbing varying weapons from the racks. Esther grabbed a bow and quiver of arrows, swinging the quiver over her shoulder. Adeline grabbed a machete close to her, gripping it in her hand, reminding her back in the Maze as a Gardener when she'd use a machete to hack at weeds. Harriet grabbed a sword from the rack, and Sonya had grabbed a long knife of her own. Near the rack of weapons was shelves with drawers. Adeline watched as Teresa moved towards the third drawer to the left and pulled it open, three or four burlap sacks stuffed inside. Teresa took one from the drawer and handed it to Harriet, who took it without complaint.

"Alright." Harriet said. "Let's get going and find some food. Don't want any of you guys complaining you're hungry."

—

They had set out to find food. The group of girls left the abandoned shop, their weapons poised. They knew that they weren't the only ones in the city, and it was better to be safe than sorry. They descended down the streets they had come, aware of any noise or any feelings that something wasn't right. They decided to try look for food in abandoned supermarkets or corner stores, debating if they should split up. They decided to split off into pairs. Adeline partnered with Esther, and they head off to scout the city for a corner store or supermarket. They were passing a set of stores when a strange feeling washed over Adeline. Esther sensed it, too, seeming to become anxious. That's when they heard the sound of a trash can crash to the ground.

"Stop!" Adeline whisper - shouted from beside Esther. Esther halted to a stop at her order. The noise of the trash cans crashing to the ground sounded again, and Adeline tensed at the sound, turning on her heels and gripping her machete hard in her hand. That's when a figure emerged from the alleyway.

It was the man from the abandoned mall who chased her down the escalator. But there was no sign of the group of Cranks that they had escaped the mall from. The man threw her a wicked grin, causing Adeline to start backing away. Esther started backing away also. Both shared a look, still backing away, until Adeline grabbed Esther's wrist and mouthed for her to start running. Esther didn't question it. Instead, she turned on her heels and ran, Adeline just behind her. Although they head weapons, Adeline – a machete – and Esther – a bow and quiver of arrows – they didn't want to fight the man. Not unless they had to. But, for now, they ran. Down streets and through alleyways. The man wasn't fast, his legs swayed as he ran, but he was determined to get to them. Adeline let Esther lead, and at one point she had came to a stop inside the alleyway and attempted to shoot an arrow. Adeline had high hopes the arrow would wedge into his leg or his arm and slow him down, but Esther had just slightly missed, grazing him on the arm. Although it slowed him slightly, this only made the man livid. Adeline's eyes widened in fear, suddenly quaking in her shoes.

"C'mon." Esther said. "We gotta go!"

Adeline moved back and turned on her heels, following Esther again down the street. The man, although swaying and wobbling on his two feet as he ran, managed to pick up some pace to continue chasing after them.

"What does he want?" Adeline shouted, ignoring the fact she was almost out of breath. "Why is he chasing us?"

"You think I know?" Esther quizzed. "Just keep running!"

So Adeline did. And as she did, her feet felt like they were on fire. Slightly peering back, she found the man now struggling to keep up with them. Esther let another arrow fly, and this time it got him in the foot. The man slowed, falling to the ground. He wailed in agony. A piercing scream then emitted from before her, causing Adeline to turn back around, realizing that there was no sign of Esther. Where had she gone?

"Esther?" Adeline called. There was no answer. "Esther!"

Still no answer. So Adeline continued to run, deciding to turn down an alleyway. Then down a street, and another. The screams emitted again, and Adeline couldn't tell where they came from; they echoed around in the air, bouncing off walls. Adeline stood there by the front of an old skyscraper building in the middle of the city, lost and panicking. She didn't know where to go or what to do. Adeline, anxious and on edge, kept walking, weapon poised. The seemingly empty city was giving her the chills. The city was quiet; but the silence was almost defeating. She continued on. Past abandoned skyscrapers, shops, even an abandoned bank. Adeline racked her mind, trying to figure out what to do. If she should go find Esther or look for any of the girls from her group.

But her decision making was cut short when a hand reached out from the alleyway and dragged her in, the person spinning her around so that her back was pressed against their front. The person clasped their hand over her mouth, and whispered into her ear;

"Don't move."