Zanvis: ALIVE. (Part two of Apocalypse AU!)

Chapter Sixteen: Travis.

     "Alright. We want to be quick, but we need to be thorough." Zane stood right in front of their base, clutching his gun tightly in his hand. He seemed to appreciate that Travis had left his hair long on the right side of his face, because his hair covered his eye and the gas mask that covered the lower half of his face hid the rest of his injury from sight.
     Garroth nervously fidgeted with his gun, and ensured that the safety was on when Zane glared at him.
     Since the attack, Zane had been much more hostile and irritable. Travis just went along with it and tried to calm him down, but it was obvious that not everyone was used to it, especially Garroth.
     "Keep your eyes open and your weapons ready." Zane led the way, his gun extended out in front of him. Although Zane still acted strong and brave, Travis could tell that the blindness in his eye was bothering him. Before they had set out, Travis had asked if Zane really wanted to go out. Zane had responded that he knew it wasn't safe, but he had to get used to his blind eye anyway.
     Travis held on tightly to his two knives. "Zane?"
     "Hm?"
     "Do you want to use these knives instead of the gun?"
     "Why do you ask?"
     "It's hard to be accurate with a gun when you can barely see."
     Zane slowed, looking down at his pistol and thinking. "Well... I wouldn't be much help from a distance..."
     "Garroth and I could have guns. I don't consider myself to be the best shot in the world, but Garroth is pretty good. Plus, sometimes you can't shoot and you need a quieter weapon."
     After a few more moments of thought, Zane reluctantly placed the gun in Travis's hand and took the two knives. He spun them expertly in his hands and then tightened his grip on them.
     "What exactly are we doing out here?" Garroth asked, walking quickly when Zane wordlessly began walking away.
     "Scanning the area," Travis responded. "Making sure Ein and Gene are gone."
     "It's been a while since we've seen them. That doesn't mean they aren't just hiding somewhere, though.." Garroth trailed off, looking around.
      Travis stopped in his tracks. The sound of something moving to his left caught his attention.
     "What? What do you hear?" Garroth asked quickly and nervously. Zane hissed and pressed his finger against his brother's mouth to shush him.
     Travis looked around, then started walking slowly towards the sound. It was very light, like whoever or whatever it was wasn't very big. It didn't sound like animal footsteps or animals rooting around in garbage, but Travis couldn't think of anything else.
     "I hear it too," Zane whispered.
A head poked around the corner of a building, then looked panicked and shrunk back. Everyone's weapons went up instantly.
"Who was that?" Travis whispered.
"I don't know. Some girl."
"Details?"
"White hair.."
Travis crept forward. "The girl is me," he whispered absently, focused more on protecting himself and the other two than talking.
Garroth covered his mouth and snorted with laughter. Zane looked between them and gripped his knives.
"Uh, whoever's there- please leave!" the girl called.
Zane paused, then kept walking forward. At the same time, all three of them looked around the corner.
The girl cowered back in the alley, showing actual signs of fear instead of just looking afraid like Gene had done.
"Who are you, and why are you here?" Zane asked, stepping out into the entrance of the alley to stop her from escaping. Travis and Garroth spread out across the rest of the entrance.
"I w-won't tell you my name, b-but I'm here t-to look for supplies.."
"Why won't you say your name?"
"I d-don't want everyone in this t-town to know my name. I attract enough attention a-as it is."
"And why is that?"
"I'm not th-the best at sneaking."
Zane shifted between his feet. Travis could tell he was suspicious of her, especially after Gene tricked them last time and almost got Zane killed.
"Come with us," Zane said, walking forward. "Garroth, search her."
The girl pressed herself into the corner of two walls, fearfully watching them. She pulled two small blades out of her pockets and dropped them on the ground, putting her hands up.
Zane kicked the blades away from her and motioned for her to step forward while Garroth checked her pockets. When he decided she was okay, he nodded at Zane.
"Is this a trap?" Zane asked her.
It took her a moment to process what he said. "A trap? No.. I don't even have a group to t-trap you with."
"Pretty weird that you showed up right now."
"Why's th-that?"
"Someone like you was already here."
"..Already here? Who was it?" Her eyes clouded with fear. "Was it those two guys and the dog thing?! They tried to break into my house!"
Zane glanced out of the corner of his eye at Travis. Travis made what looked like a jail cell with his hands. Nodding, Zane turned his attention to the terrified girl.
"You'll come with us."
Her face lit up. "And join your group?"
"No. As a prisoner." Zane stared at her for a few moments, then backed away. She didn't complain as she followed him slowly.
While Zane walked away, Travis nudged the girl so that she walked directly behind Zane, while Garroth and Travis took both sides of her so that she couldn't attack anyone and couldn't run away.
"We need something to call you besides "a girl." What do you go by?" Garroth asked, looking nervously at her.
"Uh.... I don't know."
"Don't know?" Zane asked.
"No, I don't..."
"How about Don't?" Travis said with a laugh."
Garroth grinned. "Don."
     "Don?" Zane looked over his shoulder at them. "Don could work. Do you agree, Don?"
     She blinked at them nervously. "Uh.. s-sure."
     "Don it is!" Travis said with a grin.
     "Know anyone around here, Don?" asked Zane, looking around and then turning a little to the right to head towards the base.
     "N-no... Just you guys and the people who tried to break into my base."
     "Where's your base?"
     "It's on the edges of the town towards... the east? East or south-east from here."
      "What all do you have?"
     "Not much. That's why I was scavenging.."
     As they drew nearer to the base, Aaron peered out the window and blinked. He disappeared for a few moments, and then opened the door.
     "Who's that?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
     Zane stopped walking and turned around to face the group. "This is Don. Our prisoner."