12 - Lilly

"So we need to get from here, to here," Tristan explained while drawing on the floor with a thick sharpie, "We're on this side, four buildings away."

"Getting over there's the easy part. We need to get in." Brynn said.

"No shit." Tristan deadpanned. Watching the interaction between the two of them made Lilly want to laugh. The mixture of Brynn's seriousness and Tristan's sarcastic humour was a breath of fresh air. She did not laugh though, because she had the bloated corpses on her mind. They were right though; they needed a plan. Lilly set down her can and took a deep breath. She had put her black hair in a low ponytail, and she changed into new pants. She longed for a shower. They had resorted to using a washcloth, a water bottle, and a bar of soap. Long story short, they all smelt like vanilla and cranberries.

"I think we need to write this all down, plan it out. We don't want to mess up." Lilly spoke up. Nathan nodded from his place between Nadeen and Mark. She also saw Mackenzie and Joseph nod along with her.

"Or… We could just get to here," Brynn pointed to a building that was right next to where the soldiers were holed up. They sat in the middle of an intersection of a 4 way stop and were drawn on the floor as little stick men with ugly faces. "And figure it out as we go."

Lilly found herself get a bit confused. She was obviously being the logical one here and she didn't know why Brynn disagreed. Lilly chalked it down to a bubbling ego and the need to be right. She felt her own biases get confirmed.

"I disagree." Lilly started, feverishly. She moved from her spot on the ground and closer to where Tristan was crouched near the sharpie plan. Lilly knew she was smart, and she wanted to prove it to the group of people with her. She didn't want to sit back and passively follow the group, she wanted to help. "I think we should go here, then see if there's a roof close enough to hop on over. Like we did before. We already know that we can do it."

Lilly looked up at everyone's faces as they examined the design she drew with the sharpie she took from Tristan's hand. They all looked deep in thought, but a couple of them nodded. They agreed with her plan. She knew people felt better with a thought up, organized plan. It made the most sense, at least to her.

"Yeah, and who got you there?" Brynn paused, crossing her arms. "What's the first thing you would do if you came face-to-face with a soldier in full gear?" Brynn stepped away from the wall, her gaze directly on Lilly. Brynn had taken on a posture, like a real soldier. Lilly imagined Brynn in military regalia with pins on her chest, a gun strapped across her back, and a stoic expression. She imagined answering Brynn with a 'sir, yes, sir.' Or 'ma'am, yes, ma'am.' Lilly was speechless, whether from the authoritarian tone Brynn took or from her own uncertainty. She didn't know what to say, or what she would do in that scenario. She scrounged her head for an answer and even imagined the scenario. Logically, she can think of a set out plan that everyone follows and knows what to do. "Exactly. You don't know. What will you do when your companion turns tail and runs?"

Practically, Brynn had experience and knew what to expect out of these scenarios. Brynn had made her point. She was right. Lilly had no experience when dealing with combat, or war, or any violent thing at all. She still wanted to defend her idea. Lilly still knew she was a smart woman.

"I'm just saying we should have a plan—"

"I have seen my friends walk into the enemy lines without knowing, for a plan. I have seen people torn up by AK-47's to stick to what? A plan. I have felt the blood of civilians splash back into my face for trying to follow a plan. I have smelt the blood, guts, piss, and shit that my friends gave out when they were gunned down for following a set out plan." Brynn's voice was strong, but Lilly thought she heard a quake in the last sentence. Brynn made her point and Lilly felt stupid. The room was more silent than it was before if that was possible. Lilly looked down, feeling as if she were a child being scolded. "I'm just saying, plans don't work. They've never worked for me, they've never worked for us, and I got people on the other side that'll say the same thing."

Lilly watched Tristan put a hand on his sister's shoulder. Brynn flinched, as if knocked out of a trance. Brynn's posture relaxed slightly, but she still looked ready for a fight. Tristan spoke quietly to Brynn, whose face twisted a bit. Brynn's brow relaxed and she nodded her head.

"All in favour of a plan, raise your hand." Tristan turned to the group, stepping back to face everyone in the circle. Lilly watched from her place near the sharpie doodle as Nathan, Joseph, Andrew, and Mark raised their hands. Lilly raised hers too. Alex, Brynn, Nadeen, Mackenzie, and Tristan remained standing still. Five against five. "Eh why not."

Then Tristan raised his hand. Six against four. Lilly supposed that solved it for Brynn, as she nodded her head.

"Fine. So, we make a plan," Brynn answered, "But when it falls through, you're gunna have I-told-you-so's coming out of your ears."

Everyone returned to their relaxed states. Tristan sat back down beside the sharpie drawing and grabbed the sharpie that Lilly put on the floor. They decided to go along with the beginning of Lilly's plan, in that they would attempt to jump roofs like they did before. But they decided to go to the same building Brynn had pointed out.

The plan was they would rest up until night, and then they would sneak across the street to get on the same side as the radio station behind the chain link fence. Then, they would quietly break and enter into the building closest to the one behind the fence. With a quick glance outside of the window of the dentist's office, they determined they might be able to jump the roofs again. They would have to watch for patrols and the bright lights. They would have to get down the stairs and cross the long street again to finally get to the radio station. When they got to the radio station, they would need to break into that as well. This is while keeping in mind that they need to be wary of soldiers and the spotlights.

"I think that's a pretty solid plan." Mackenzie spoke up, looking down as the hastily drawn arrows, lines, and stick figures on the floor. Lilly looked at the plan, followed the arrows with her eyes, and determined this would do. They would be able to do it. They had jumped roofs before. Why couldn't they do it again?

"We can't all go, there's too many people." Remarked Alex.

"Four to five people max." Tristan said after thinking for a second. "Anyone wanna volunteer as tribute?"