Chapter 10

10

Anna

After Drak patiently shows me the exact way to "pet" his orb to activate the laser bomb, he lets me throw it twice and helps me call it back to us. It's pretty fucking cool, and I'd shamelessly ask for one of my own if he had extra. For time's sake, we get to searching quickly after the demonstrations.

We're on the sidewalk now, leaving the invisible ship on high ground for safekeeping. The bank must have been locked up tight when the breakout started because it was eerily empty as we took the stairs and let ourselves out.

The city is in pretty bad shape. Crowds of zombies are stumbling around all the exits, trying to get as far away from Drak as possible. But as they clear out more, we're able to get a clearer picture of the decay affecting this place. Buildings are plagued with overgrown vines, some of them are practically crumbling and definitely too unsafe to go in. The streets are painted with dry blood, some of it newer than the rest.

It's… a mess.

"It is very gray," Drak comments, getting a good look at our surroundings. "I prefer your home more."

I don't know whether he means the farm or the sorority house, but either way, I agree. This place is dull and essentially lifeless. The corner gas station has a fire truck stuck in the middle of the building, and I'm surprised there's no sign that it blew up.

"I don't like it either," I admit, feeling out of place and uncomfortable. "My family wouldn't set up camp here, but they'd come looking for supplies if they were desperate."

They could have been caught up here too, pinned by the threat of undead. They could still be hiding if something like that happened… or worse.

"You don't sense any humans, do you?" I ask, strapping my kevlar vest into place. It'll add some weight to my shoulders, but not enough to deter me from wearing it. If someone shoots me, I want to live long enough to shoot them back.

"No hu-nims," Drak confirms.

"We'll start with the stores then," I decide, eyeing the small convenience shop down the road. "And any buildings that look safe enough to walk through after that."

"I will search however you wish, Mean One," he replies fondly.

He's looking at me in that weird way again, like being near me is the best thing in the world, and I truly don't understand it.

We're about to start walking to the store when a zombie crashes into a telephone pole nearby, startling me but awakening something in Drak. Without his eyes ever leaving me, he pulls a blaster from his belt, extends his arm, and aims with only his ears. With one swift motion, the zombie is dead, body collapsing to the pavement.

Holy shit.

Don't get me wrong, I've seen Drak do inhumanly impressive things before, but this ? I have to clench my jaw so that my mouth doesn't fall open after witnessing what he just did. He's more than skillful when it comes to this sort of thing. I'd say he's like a machine, but he's better than any human-made hunk of metal.

"Your heart is beating very fast," he comments, putting his weapon back into its holster. "Are you frightened?"

Far from it. "Yes," I lie. I'd rather him think the zombie freaked me out than what's really going on in my head.

Puffing his chest out, he pats my shoulders reassuringly. "I will protect you, An-nana."

Why can't I tell him to get his hands off of me? I've done it a thousand times before. Come on, Anna, shove his hands off and move.

"Why has your heart not calmed?"

Forcing myself to scowl, I shrug his hands off and start walking. "It's just the city," I grumble, brushing off his concern. "It makes me uneasy."

"Ahh," he hums, meeting my stride to walk alongside me. "You will like the cities on Aprix. They are still colorful and lively even with the buildings."

I'm sure they are.

"I'm not leaving without my brothers," I remind him.

"I know this," he agrees, grinning. "This is why I help you to find them."

I arch an eyebrow at him. "So you're helping me for your own gain?"

"Very much so," he confirms shamelessly. "I enjoy your presence. Adventure is fun, zom-bay hunting is fun, and I should like to find your brothers so I may show you my planet as you have shown me yours."

At least he's honest.

And hell, I haven't earned his blind devotion anyway. I shouldn't care why he's helping me, just that he's helping me at all. None of the other aliens were volunteering. None of the girls either, but I wouldn't have accepted their help even if they offered. They'd only get in the way, physically or mentally.

They can't imagine themselves killing, and from what I know, none of them have so much as held a gun before. I'd be too worried about keeping them safe to do anything productive. So I'm grateful to Drak, even if his devotion to this search is troubling.

I'm beginning to wonder if Drak has an interest in me outside of friendship. That's ridiculous, surely. Why would anyone, Drak of all people, intentionally seek anything romantic with me? I haven't been anything worth pursuing, that's for certain. Even his friendship is more than I deserve.

"Whatever floats your boat," I sigh.

Drak bursts into a small fit of laughter. "You know many silly words, An-nana."

Puzzled, I ask, "Which word was silly?"

"All of them together," he answers, still snickering to himself. "Flying boats, very funny."

"Do Aprixians have boats?"

"We have seas," he says by way of answer. "Boats are not as common as ships, quite an old technology, but I know boats."

"Well, you don't know float ," I inform him. "It doesn't mean fly, it just means how boats act on water, sitting on top of it instead of sinking."

"It is still funny," he tells me, giving a little shrug.

"You're easily amused."

Drak shakes his head. "You are just funny."

Whatever you say, man.

On edge with nerves, I enter the store, finding three zombies immediately. Before Drak can take care of them, I do it myself. It takes five shots instead of three to put them down, only one hitting directly between their eyes the first time. I could have let Drak handle it to save ammunition, but to be honest, killing zombies is a bit of a reflex now. Besides, in the worst case scenario, Drak will give me a blaster when I run out.

The little pistols his people call blasters are essentially laser guns, and they're very useful, but they're also heavy. I've shot them before with the Aprixians, and there's a bit of a learning curve, but I've managed this far.

"Very well done, Mean One," Drak praises, smiling with delight at the zombie corpses. "I wish to look for more hu-nim weapons on our quest. I should like you to teach me more about them."

Shrugging, I tell him, "Okay, I was planning to keep an eye out for more anyway."

He grins happily. "Good."

If nothing else, Drak is easily pleased.

"Come on, let's look around."

So far, this trip is a bust.

We haven't spotted a single human, and any indication of human presence that we've found here is essentially useless. A shoe here, a broken pair of glasses there, spilled food scattered around the floor, and the water section of the store entirely empty. It's a ghost town here, and it's making me twitchy.

We're looking in the gas station now, having maneuvered through the back window to get around the firetruck trapped between the front walls. There were zombies pinned underneath it for who knows how long, but they were barely living when Drak and I put them out of their misery.

Do zombies feel misery?

"What is this?"

Looking over my shoulder, I find Drak inspecting the slushie machine. The typically neon light-up sign is dead, having no power to fuel it, and the normally frozen juice is melted and sitting there, probably well-past expired.

Sighing, I tilt my head at it. How does one even explain a slushie to an alien?

"It makes drinks that are sort of liquid, sort of solid. Like if you poured a fruity juice over snow. They're called slushies, or Slurpees."

Not a bad explanation, actually. Good job, Anna.

He scratches his chin, humming while he considers my description. "Hmm, do you like these slush-ees?"

I pop a shoulder up in a shrug. "They're good, not really my drink of choice."

Interest peaked, he grins. "Which drink do you choose?"

Deciding to see if they even have it, I move to the half-broken refrigerators. Surprised to see they haven't been entirely raided, my gaze scans the shelves.

Finding a few green cans, I can't help the little smile that lifts the corner of my mouth. Reaching through the broken glass, I pick one up, inspecting the bottom for an expiration date. It's only a few months past its date, and soda is technically non-perishable. It just doesn't taste as great after too long.

Cracking open the can, with a swift snap, I pass it over to Drak.

"This is my favorite."

The can looks smaller in his hand as he carefully lifts it to his face. Sniffing it cautiously, his eyes widen at the unfamiliar smell.

"This is a beverage?" he asks doubtfully. "It is sizzling, like acid."

Smothering a laugh, I shake my head. "It's not acid, it's carbonation. It's just air bubbles."

"Are you sure you're not attempting to poison me, An-nana?" he teases.

"If I were going to poison you, it would probably fail," I reply bitterly. "Aprixians seem to be unreasonably difficult to kill."

He chuckles, finding my scorn amusing. "I shall try your drink, but it smells offensive."

Huffing at his dramatics, I roll my eyes. "It's just ginger ale. Human kids drink this when they have stomach aches, Drak. I'm sure you can handle it."

Tentatively, he takes a small sip. Surprise lights up his face, and he swallows. "It is much less horrible than the hu-nim red drink."

Wine. He means wine.

"Well, there's no alcohol in this."

"But it is your favorite?"

Shrugging, I nod in response.

Ginger ale as your favorite drink is probably pretty weird for a lot of people, but to me it's no different than the Diet Coke or Dr. Pepper obsessions that some people have.

"My brother, Caleb, he'd give me a can of this whenever I wasn't feeling great. So I guess I got attached to it."

Whoa. Did I just willingly disclose that?

To Drak?

I guess we kind of are friends. Huh. When did that happen?

Before Drak can say something sweet, I turn back to the fridges, snagging a blue bottle. I unscrew it, making sure that the cap was sealed and pass it to him as well.

"This is my favorite without bubbles," I inform him, taking the ginger ale back. "It's what people drink when they're being very active. It's healthy, sort of."

He sniffs this one, too, before taking a cautious gulp.

"Mmm," he rumbles, pleased with it. "I enjoy this one."

Aprixians like Gatorade. Noted.

"It is refreshing," he adds, taking a larger mouthful this time.

My cheeks feel achy, and I realize it's because I'm smiling at him. Not hiding it behind my hands or biting my cheek to keep it from happening. I'm full-blown grinning at this man with absolutely no clue how to make it stop.

With that realization, I shift my gaze away from his face.

"We should keep looking," I toss out, forcing my feet to move.

"Okay, Mean One, but this blue stuff is mine."

Unable to hold back a breathy laugh, I shake my head and walk away.

This trip is something else.