This Was A Mistake

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Law couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this tense during a scavenge outing.

Penguin had warned him earlier that morning that Natalya rarely spoke unless spoken to, and even then only answered with as few words as possible. That had certainly proved true. However, he hadn't imagined the distinct aura she gave off would be this...unsettling.

With barely a nod to acknowledge the other as they set off towards the warehouse, she'd kept completely silent along the way, not asking questions as to where their destination was, or how long it would take to get there. She didn't even ask what he was doing when he'd stop suddenly and just listen for any sign of a threat. Either she understood, or she just really didn't care.

He had a feeling that Candice or Brittany would have talked his ear off the whole way if they had been the ones to accompany him today. On second thought, he definitely preferred Natalya's silence to their incessant talking, even if she made him feel uneasy. This left him wondering how she had not come to be leader of their group all this time, as she seemed to be a lot more analytical and observant than either Brittany or Candice were.

The eyepatch covering one eye also put him off a bit. He didn't like not being able to see both of her eyes clearly, as he could normally tell someone's general feelings based on looking them in the eye. Another thing Penguin had mentioned was that she got very prickly when asked about it. Ok. One topic of conversation he would not be pursuing. He didn't need this trip getting any more uncomfortable than it already was.

Side-eyeing her as they walked beside each other down the edge of the road, he kept a firm grip on the hilt of his sword, which was still sheathed on his back. Unfortunately, despite his distrust of his companion, he couldn't afford to watch her the entire time for any funny business.

Both of them were keeping an eye out for the zombie horde that had mysteriously disappeared overnight. They'd woken up at least expecting a problem when it came to leaving their shelter, but other than a few stragglers, most of the horde had seemingly vanished. Brittany had been amused by the disappearing herd, but Law didn't find it so enthralling, worried that they'd run into them at some point during their outing today.

He listened keenly for any sign of the groans of the undead, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The background noise of wind and the odd growl or two were still present, but nothing he'd be overly concerned about. Natalya barely took her eyes off the path before them, falling just a half step behind Law and to his left to follow where he went.

It would still be an hour or so to walk to the warehouse, and he knew by the end of the day, he'd be mentally exhausted from being on guard for so long.

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"...and normally I don't go off by myself, but I couldn't risk them getting away with our stuff. Candice and Natalya were busy holding back the zombies, so I couldn't ask them for help." Brittany continued with a shrug. "I had to strangle one guy and then shoot the other two, but they got off a few shots before I could kill them. One bullet hit the ground right next to me! Scared me shitless..."

Lexi nodded silently along as she listened to Brittany's tale of one of her many near-death experiences, but glanced around them nervously. "We should probably keep it down. Who knows where that big herd went?"

As always, Lexi's concern was waved away with one hand. "Don't worry, they probably all just separated and wandered off in a bunch of different directions. Plus, we can just climb a building and get to safety if we really have to."

"That'll just delay us getting there and getting back." She stated dryly, trying to determine where exactly their final destination was. None of the buildings surrounding them really gave away an answer, though, and she was left to wonder about it with no idea.

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