Chapter 15: Scavenge

My eyes narrowed. "Don't call me crazy for trusting my gut. You have to admit it was strange that neither of them stopped me when I dipped Molly over my knee when we first met." John hesitated. 'Perhaps they were just in shock. I mean, not everybody just walks up to a couple and does that.' I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. I still think it's suspicious." Erin became bored with all the talking. 'Who cares about reasoning?! So what if he's a good guy? You're the antagonist in your own story, so just go and fill that adorable Twinkie with cream right in front of that bastard!'

Mary then spoke after a moment of disturbed silence. 'Erin, remember the talk we had about something called consequences?' Erin scoffed. 'Kane is made of steel now. There are no consequences!' I shook my head and gave up on the conversation as I started walking toward the team. Ray and Sarah were finishing loading their guns and putting on some empty backpacks. "Ready?" Jay asked. James and Molly joined us and Molly gave Jay a confused look as she inspected the gear he carried. "Don't you think it would be better to bring an automatic instead of a pistol?"

Jay laughed. "Are you kidding? The last time we went out I didn't have to use one bullet. Kane's the only automatic we need." I put my hands in the pockets of my black jeans and smirked. "I'm going to see about only using my legs to fight this time." I winked at Molly and she rolled her eyes. James then walked toward the exit of the wall ahead of us. "Let's just go. We're running out of both time and places to search for supplies." 

We left the settlement and began to walk into the wasteland outside. When I first became a part of the team everyone was tense whenever we went on missions, but now everyone walked casually as if we were a group of friends browsing a shopping mall. James still had a bit of uneasiness as he walked, but I knew that he just didn't want to admit that I was more of a protector than he ever was. There weren't many zombies out today and the ones that were, I turned into piles of guts on the sidewalk in a matter of seconds. 

After a few hours, we reached a place we hadn't searched before that had quite a few convenience stores and a shopping complex. Before I could get a closer look James turned to face the team. "Alright, we only have a few more hours if we have a hope of making it back before sunset. This complex is small, so it will be safe to split up individually. Find as many supplies as possible and we'll meet back here. If a hoard shows up, start shooting and we'll come to aid." He then turned to me and the seriousness in his face changed as if to show me that he shouldn't have had to say what he did next. "And just to clarify, we are splitting up on our own. That does not mean teams of two. That doesn't mean that you can go with Molly, that means to pick a direction no one else is going in and search there. Got it, Kane?"

I nodded with a smile. "Got it, captain." James turned away, clearly suspicious of me but didn't bother to say anything. Everyone then walked to a different part of the complex and I stayed behind for a moment to watch. I held my smile as I saw each of the team members find their way into each of the abandoned establishments and started to walk after Molly with absolutely no regard for what James had just told me. I followed her into an auto repair shop that had a garage large enough to work on two cars at a time. I stepped over all of the wrenches and car parts as I snuck up on the little Vixen who was rummaging through the toolboxes on the workbench in the back.

I walked past the car lift silently but she still noticed me without having to turn around. "Why am I not surprised?" She said as she turned those gorgeous eyes my way. "Seriously, what will it take for you to follow a simple order?" My smile became an evil one as I approached her. "What can I say? I'm a bad boy." Molly sighed. "What do you want? We have no time for fooling around." I laughed a little as I stopped in front of her. "You've forgotten that I am basically a human cannonball. We have all the time in the world to fool around." I said the last part sensually and she became regretful of her previous word choice. "What is wrong with you? How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not going to cheat on my boyfriend?!" 

All of the mischief I felt suddenly faded. "Hey now, wait a minute. that's not what I want you to do. There ain't no way in hell I'm becoming a side chick." I got closer to her and she became fearful of my seriousness. "No, what I want is for you to dump Major Runt and become my girlfriend instead." Her eyes suddenly became fierce. "Why? Why me? What makes you think that I would want to dump a perfectly good guy for a rat bastard like you?" It then hit me that I've been doing this all wrong. I've been watching James like a hawk to see if there was something wrong with him, but what I really should have been doing was watching Molly to see what she saw wrong with him.

I felt that something was off about them and I could tell that Molly was affected by it, I just didn't think that she was the one who doubted the relationship. "I like to think that I can read people. And you have made it obvious to me that you aren't as into Mr. Creampuff as much as he's into you." Molly's glare became hesitant. "That is ridiculous. What could've possibly given you that impression?" She asked as if she wanted to know the answer herself. "Well, for one you never initiate physical contact. You're always the first one to pull away from a hug, and not to mention the look in your eye every time you see him is as if you are looking at your sibling. Seriously, you should be looking at a lover with raw, sexual, animal hunger in your eyes. Or at least with love. When you look at him, I see nothing behind those gems. So tell me, why is that?"

Molly seemed as if she was trying to stop a waterfall of bottled-up emotions from leaving her mouth. "Even if I was having doubts, you would be the LAST person I would ever want to vent to about it!" A spark lit inside my eyes and she realized what she had done. "So. You are having doubts." I said with an evil smile. She then noticed how close we were and jumped away. "I said if!!" I stepped toward her again and cornered her against the workbench. "Tell me."