Alliance

Chapter Eleven

Walking the streets of an abandoned city was not like a walk in the park. Streets were littered with old, abandoned cars. Other than the cars, the place was empty but I felt eyes on me. I kept expecting someone to walk out of the building and shoot at us.

We made way to the Detroit Marriott. While I was upstairs looking for clothes and having fun with Fun Gas, Carlos and Bailey created a plan.

Bailey had the map of Detroit in his head but the rest of us didn't. We wanted some sort of view of the city. The team bases could be in any building and the bases probably were not near each other. It would benefit us to get a bird's eye view before forming a plan.

Detroit Marriott was about a half an hour hike from the department store. It would have been faster if we weren't on the watch out for the other teams or if we could drive a car.

"What building is it?" Wong asked as we all looked up at the large building that had five towers. Four short towers surrounded the tallest, circular one.

Carlos turned to Wong and glared at him as if Wong asked a very stupid question. "The tall one."

"So what's the plan?" I said before Wong could say anything that would start an argument.

"Well," Bailey started, his hands on his hips as he eyed the building. "There could be a chance that this place is a home base for another team. Carlos and I talked it over on the way here. We think most likely the home bases would be known locations."

That made sense. The home bases of the other team could be in well known places so it is easier to find. If they were in random business buildings or houses, they would be harder to find.

"But we are in a department store," Wong snapped.

Bailey turned to Wong, his glare was similar to Carlos. "It's a theory."

"Boys. Plan." I ordered. Really, they were worse than a group of girls.

"We should go around to the river entrance. It is made out of all windows. If this was my home base, I would have the base set up there. You can easily see people coming," Bailey explained.

"Okay, we will walk around," Carlos said before I could get a word out.

It took us a good five minutes to reach the riverside entrance due to debris and how large the building was. But when we finally arrived I was in awe of how amazing it looked. The whole entrance was made out windows. The walls, the roof. I had no idea how the windows survived the war so many years ago. In spots there was scratches and cracks but it was still intact.

We followed Carlos into the building first, our guns out ready to fight if we had to. At some point, the room we walked into would have looked grand. I could see remnants of the former self. The exquisite floor. The balconies to the sides. But it was covered up with dust, dirt, and overturned broken tables and chairs.

Carlos halted at the back of the entrance lobby. There were no signs of other people there. No blankets left out to be used as beds. No food wrappers. "Okay, let's leave two people down here in case anyone shows up. The rest of us will go up."

To Wong and my displeasure, Ben and Carter both offered to stay behind. Carlos nodded, "For the rest of us, we will go in teams. First Bailey, Rossi, and I. Then Rodriguez, Wong, and Mel. I don't want anyone hiding up there and come after us after we pass them. So keep a lookout." Carlos said the last bit to Wong and me as if we were children. He turned and walked down the hall to the staircase.

I waved Rodriguez and Wong to go first before following them down the hall. Though this was a stimulation and no harm would come to us, but I didn't like the idea of not having Ben.