Stay...Alive

Chapter 15

 Victorine stared down at her marked-up hands. There was a new bruise where she knocked the gun out of the thief's hand. Primus had a rub mark on his shoulder from when Victorine grabbed it and pushed it to the ground.

Saved three lives, took one.

"Victorine!" Yolanda exclaimed, rushing up to Victorine and giving her a hug. "You gotta stop scaring me like that!"

"She scratched a dude in the face!" Lane told Yolanda as the redhead lady, scowling, wrapped a makeshift cast around his sprained left wrist. "She saved me!"

"You did?" Yolanda asked, ruffling Victorine's hair. She didn't even react. "Doesn't surprise me. Hey kid, you okay?"

Victorine looked up at Yolanda's face, then leaned into another hug. "Aw, it's okay kid. I know all that was scary."

Victorine still didn't say anything but took advantage of the hug.

"Lane!" yet another voice exclaimed as her posse started to regroup. She pulled away from Yolanda to see Asha trying to tackle Lane in a hug from behind, but he cringed when she squeezed his arm.

"Oh God, sorry," she muttered. She saw Victorine sitting across from him, and smiled. "You made it out okay?"

Victorine didn't even answer that. Partially because she had a cramp in her stomach from the hunger. Before she knew it, who'd broken out of prison was surrounding her, and she was the only one not talking. The only person to even get her attention was, of course, Cherie.

"Victorine!" she squealed, sending a chill up Victorine's back. "Nice job back there! I just wanted t'say thanks and..."

Victorine shot her a glare, and Cherie shut up. "O-okay."

For some odd reason, all Victorine could think of as she stared at her was: You...

"W-why are you looking at me like that?" Cherie asked, her voice quivering (which sounded like a squeaking door).

"I think she needs a minute," Jacey told her, leading her away.

"O-okay. Bye!" Victorine gave her one last stink eye, and Cherie hurried on her way. Still, all Victorine could think was: You...YOU...

When the group got back to walking, Victorine finally saw Primus again. When she hugged him, she buried her face in his arm and stayed for a while. His brothers came trailing behind him, completely silent. They were still in shock from the rampage, and for the first time in their lives, were quiet. So quiet, it was disturbing. But before she could start to think about the circumstances that made them quiet, she felt something push down on her shoulders.

"Look who lived!" Anita exclaimed, in such a sarcastically cheery voice that it actually took a little bit off weight off Victorine's shoulders. At least one person was actually happy.

"Didn't think that there were any more...alive scavengers," Anita commented. "I mean, what are they living off of? Are they drinking each other's pee and eating each other's ass?"

Victorine chuckled a little, sort of guilty that she found it funny. Anita looked around a bit, mouthing, Damn. They were out of the ruined main street and had stumbled into a wrecked neighborhood. Bits of old appliances and toys and even limbs were sticking out of the piles of burnt wood. It hurt Victorine to look, but she couldn't look away. She would've almost vomited, but there was nothing in her stomach.

"The T.V.'s be like 'we're just going t'war. The government will protect you. No need to panic' and then be like 'What? Ya didn't survive? How?"
Victorine broke out into silent giggles.