Dead Frontier/Issue 79

This is Issue #79 of Dead Frontier by Walkerbait22, titled ''Snake. ''This is the first issue in Volume 14.

Issue 79 - Snake
Walking at Alexander’s side, Roxie gazes at the extravagance of the Hyatt’s lobby, never able to get used to its unusual elegance. Residents in the lobby gawk at her, some wearing fear on their faces and others confusion; she makes a concentrated effort to acknowledge them, whether it be with a head nod or a wave.

“You really couldn’t come in through the back?” Alexander whispers to her. He can only imagine the thoughts running through everyone’s heads at his decision to allow her in. He ignores their stares and continues to lead her up the escalators and to his office.

“No, I prefer this way through. Get to see everyone’s lovely faces,” Roxie replies, and she waves at a man whose eyes burn with fierce hatred. “Like that guy. He looks like he absolutely loves me.” She can’t help but chuckle to herself.

Finally at his office, Alexander opens the double doors, showcasing the large desk and carpeted floor inside. “Just wait here,” he orders. Outside, he beckons Jimmy to watch the door. “Make sure she doesn’t try anything.” Jimmy nods and plants his feet in front of the office, a failed attempt at trying to make his 5 foot 4 stature look intimidating.

Back down in the lobby, Hiro is still completely shocked over what he just saw. A known psychopath, strolling through where he lives. He checks with a few people, makes sure he wasn’t seeing things, but they all confirm it was Roxie. He bounds up the escalator, seething, and stops in front of Jimmy. “Was that--” Hiro starts.

“Yeah, man,” Jimmy replies. “Don’t ask me why she’s here. I don’t know shit.”

“What the hell...” Hiro mutters to himself.

In the daycare, Tora bends over to pick up a few toys, and she places them in the bin next to her. It’s all the same--blocks, dolls, small toy trucks--until she finds a coloring book. She flips through it, smiling at the different animals filled in with wild colors. A green pig, a purple dog, a pink giraffe. She looks back to the front cover and sees the name “Lilly” printed in crude, red letters. When she turns, she sees the girl sitting in the corner, her knees pulled up the her chest. Coloring book in hand, Tora walks over to her and sits.

“I think this might be yours, Lilly,” Tora says. “I found it under all the toys.”

“Oh. Thank you,” Lilly mutters, and she takes the book from Tora. Usually having to stay after all of the other children since her mother occasionally works as a nurse, she wonders, “What time is it?”

“Almost six thirty,” Tora says, glancing the clock high on the wall in front of her. “Only a half hour till your mom gets here. You’ll be alright.” Lilly nods, and Tora knows that she should take the girl’s untalkative mood as a hint she should leave, but she stays anyway. “Are you doing okay, Lill? Lately, you seem a little...a little sad. Everyone else has noticed, too.”

Lilly seems hesitant before responding. “I’m okay... it’s that we just had Christmas.”

“Christmas? What’s wrong with Christmas?”

Lilly sits up and moves her knees from her face. “It’s not bad, but this is the first time I had to have Christmas without my daddy there. It was weird. I didn’t like it.”

Tora can’t believe she forgot about Lilly’s father’s demise two months ago, along with many others as a consequence of Marsh’s actions. Sitting a few meters away, Devon and Lienne must have heard Lilly too, for they take a quick glance at her and Tora, legitimate concern on their faces. “Oh,” Tora says after a few seconds. “I’m sorry.”

“My mom says I shouldn’t be sad, because he’s still with us in spirit. But it would be better if he wasn’t with us in spirit but with us for real.”

Tora thinks this over, looking for the right words. “I know your mom’s trying to make you feel better but--it’s okay to be sad, sometimes. Or to miss someone. So don’t force yourself not to. I mean, don’t force yourself not to be sad. That can only make it harder, you know. Just remember all those other awesome Christmases with your dad. Right?”

“I guess. I don’t know.” She shrugs and opens up her coloring book, sadly flipping through the pages.

“You’re a great artist. You’ve got real talent. Picasso,” Tora says.

“What’s that?” Lilly asks, and Tora smiles.

“It’s nobody. Forget--” She doesn’t have a chance to finish her sentence as Hiro bursts through the door.

“You’re not gonna fucking believe this,” he says, his hand clenched tight over the doorknob.

“Hiro!” Tora, Devon, and Lienne all say together, and Devon motions to Lilly in the corner, who looks up at Hiro with wide eyes.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry. Just--c’mere.” He opens the door wide for them, and they exit into the hallway. “She’s here. Alexander let her in the hotel.”

“Who’s here?” Lienne says.

“That fucking psycho bitch that shot Aubrey."

“You’re kidding,” Devon mutters. “What for?”

“I’ve got no idea, but that’s what I was trying to find out. No one knows. But Alexander looked to be getting pretty damn chummy with her. I think this is enough.”

“Enough?”

“Yeah. Enough. First he goes two months without telling anyone we got a person that’s borderline insane taking our shit, then she shows us she can murder in cold bold. You guys didn’t see when she killed Aubrey. That shit...Look, I don’t get scared easily, alright, but she put a bullet through that woman’s head with a smile on her face. That ain’t normal, not at all. And now that same person is in the same building as us, and she’s not here for a party, that’s for sure."

"And--honestly--what do you want us to do about it?" Lienne says.

"We go to Alexander, we tell him enough is enough, we all grow some fucking balls, and we prepare to fight back against her and her people if it comes to it."

"I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, Hiro," Tora says, "but you may be a few steps ahead of yourself. Quite a few steps ahead."

"I think I'm right where I need to be, unlike everyone else here that wants to pussy out and give into her every single demand. And I'm not talking about rampaging wherever her camp is, guns blazing. Just a bit more of a headstrong approach, that's all."

"He's right," Devon says. "We're not stupid. We all know the only way these relations with Roxie and her people can end is badly, so why don't we just get the upperhand now?"

"We don't even know what we're up against," Lienne says.

"But you agree, we have to do something?" Hiro says.

"No, of course not. You're way ahead of yourselves. For all we know, this could end in a very diplomatically."

"But it won't, which is the problem." He sighs and points to Devon. "She knows what she's talking about. You two..." He shakes his head. "...are delusional."

When Griffin finally spots Alexander coming from the direction of his suite, his blood begins to boil. Alexander, wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead with a red handkerchief, spots Griffin as well, and the look on his face is completely apologetic.

"Not a very good start, Alex," Griffin says, and he puts his arm out to stop Alexander in his tracks. Before Alexander can even formulate a response, Griffin continues in a more hushed tone. "You say you don't want to cause panic but you let her come in here? In front of everyone, at that."

"What was I going to do, say no?" Alexander says.

"You could've set some standards at least. Told her to come in the back way so everybody wouldn't fucking see!" Griffin briskly runs his hand through his dark hair and takes a few deep breaths. "I'm sorry, but you making all these fucked up decisions...it's really Goddamn frustrating for me."

"I didn't want to risk denying her what she wanted. We're already on her bad side."

"I get that, but you know what? Sometimes you've gotta take those risks, even if you're afraid of the repercussions. There comes a point where you can’t keep giving in."

Roxie sits in Alexander’s office, her right leg crossed across her left, her fingernails impatiently tapping on the surface of the desk as she waits for Hector’s arrival. There’s a timid knock on the door, but she ignores it, allowing Hector to enter on his own accord. When he opens the door, she has to force herself not to laugh at his drastic change in expression. If he’s angry, surprised, or scared, she can’t tell. Probably all three.

“Hector?” she says. He nods and enters cautiously. “I don’t bite. Come on in.”

“You are...Roxie?” he asks as he closes the door.

“That is correct. Make yourself comfortable.”

He pulls out the chair opposite her and takes a seat, not able to conceal the shaking in his hands. This is oddly similar to when Marsh called him into the same office, and the same feeling of dread hangs over his head. He decides to be quiet and let her do the talking at first, in fear that his anger and confusion will lead him to say something she doesn’t want to hear.

“So, how are you?” Roxie says, forcing herself to act like she cares.

Hector swallows hard. “I am not in the mood for pleasantries and would appreciate it if you would tell me why you’re here. And why I’m here.”

“Oh. Straight to business. Okay, I can appreciate that.” She leans back in her chair more comfortably and stretches her legs out under the desk. “You remember Marsh, right?”

Hector flinches, and it’s almost impossible to detect, but she notices. “Quite hard not to forget him when he stabbed me.”

“Is that all? Last I heard he had something to do with your sister.”

“Yes. You were the one that wanted her,” he says, his voice strained as he tries to calm his anger.

“I would’ve taken anyone, really, but he suggested her. I think you know why.”

“Using my sister against me to get me to kill those people. That was his plan.”

“Mhm. You know, me and Marsh had plenty of nice conversations for that short time he was in power here...before his very untimely death. Really showed off he and Alexander’s very, very big differences. He bragged a lot about anything. Rambled on and on and on about any crazy fucking things he did. I honestly didn’t care about any of it, but when you’re like me, you can pick out the pieces of information you know will benefit you. So I know about you, Hector, and I know about you trying to kill those people to keep your sister out of danger. Marsh thought that idea was absolutely genius, but when it fell through and you couldn’t finish up the job, you bet your ass he ranted about that shit until my ears bled. He was pissed with you, I could tell. Wanted to kill you, said he was going to eventually. And then I hear Alexander is back in business and that’s when I knew something went wrong.

“I came here not knowing if you were even alive. Maybe Marsh killed you, maybe Alexander exiled you when got the power back. But I guess I’m really lucky, because here you are. And let me guess: after everything, these people here don’t really appreciate you, do they? Probably don’t trust you, look at you like you’re scum. Is that right?”

Hector can’t deny she hit the nail on the head with her last statements. He looks nervously around the room, his palms getting sweatier. He’s conflicted, knows this woman is evil, but he also knows she understands him. Someone finally understands him.

“That is true. They don’t know I did it for someone I loved. They don’t understand,” Hector says, his voice inflected with sorrow and regret.

“That’s fucked up,” Roxie says. “But vengeance is a beautiful thing, right?”

“Vengeance?” Hector echoes. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. Not anymore.”

“After how they’re treating you? Really? They look at you like you’re a piece of a shit, talk behind your back, too, I’m sure...Do you enjoy your life here now, Hector?”

He takes a few long seconds to respond, staring down at his lap. “No. I don’t. My own sister is practically against me now.”

“Okay, then. No one even has to know, but listen to me and you can get revenge for the--the two or so months everyone here has treated you like scum. And you’ll enjoy it. Trust me.”

“She’s here?! Right now?” Jake shouts in the lobby. “Wh-where is she, because I’ll f-fucking--”

“You’re not doing anything,” Cole says. His hands are held up, palms forward, in a conciliatory gesture. “What you’re gonna do is calm down.”

There’s a circle of people gathering around them, the ones that weren’t aware of Roxie’s presence speaking in hushed, shocked whispers. A few stare at Jake, concerned for this kid’s well-being. Alec hesitantly steps forward and puts a hand on Jake’s shoulder. “It’s alright, man,” Alec says. “Just chill.”

“Don’t tell me to f-fucking chill!” Jake replies, pushing Alec away.

Jake stomps in the other direction, pushing past onlookers to reach the back exit to the lot. He grabs an umbrella and leaves to the cold outside, not bothering with a jacket. He steps through the crunchy snow to the fence, where a few infected are gathered on the other side. “Hey!” he shouts, and he smacks the umbrella against the metal gate. The clattering attracts them, and they turn and snarl in Jake’s direction.

Cole is soon after him, rubbing his bare arms in the cold. “Jake!” he shouts, and then he notices Jake’s true intentions. The infected shamble toward the fence, and Jake prepares by lifting the umbrella. He shouts and shoves the spike of the umbrella through a hole in the fence; it spears through an infected’s eye, and when he pulls it out, the corpse falls to the ground. He aims for the next one, but before he can, Cole runs over and grabs him. Cole throws him over his shoulder, and Jake punches at his back, tears running down his face that he isn’t able to stop. Cole returns him to the lobby and sets him on the carpet. “Jesus Christ. Is your temper tantrum over?” Cole asks.

Jake looks up at him and wipes his wet face with his forearm. “Yeah. I guess," he says

Cole glares at the onlookers crowded around. “Would you people just...fucking go and do something else? Jesus.” There are a few weak murmurs before the majority of the crowd disperses. Lucy still lingers behind, eyeing Jake, honestly expecting him to explode again. Cole looks up at her. “Could you get me some water or something?”

“Yeah, sure,” she says, and she walks in the other direction, returning a few minutes later with a water bottle, which she hands to Jake. “There you go.”

“Thanks...” he mutters, more calm but still breathing rapidly. He takes a few big gulps, and Cole takes a seat next to him on the floor.

“You are...quite the wild card, dude,” Cole says, shaking his head.

“Sorry. I g-got really...mad.”

“Well, you don’t say?”

“I can’t believe she’s here. Wh-why would she c-come here?”

“I don’t know, but don’t think about it. I’ll take you up to your room and you can just chill out for a second. You won’t have to see her. Sound good?”

"Yeah...whatever."

After making sure Jake’s tantrum is done for good, he heads back to the cafeteria for something to eat. The hallways are mostly empty, until he spots Lucy, who smiles and matches his stride.

“Cafeteria?” she asks.

“Yeah. Coming?”

“Sure. How’s the kid?”

“A mess. But he’s better now. Or, he’ll be better soon enough.”

“Why don’t you just let him...get his anger out? Easier for you that way.”

“Because he’s a kid with a bad temper that’s bound to either hurt himself or someone else,” Cole says as they turn and walk down a set of stairs. “If I can prevent that then I will.”

“He’ll be fine. I mean, of course he’s angry. His mom’s murderer was in the building. Any sane person would be pissed.”

“But he’s not just ‘pissed.’ It’s a lot more than that. A lot more. You wouldn’t understand it.”

She scoffs. “That’s a pretty fucked up thing to say. Assumptions are bad, Cole.”

“I didn’t mean it like that," he says. "But seriously, if you did understand, you wouldn’t just tell him to ‘get his anger out.’”

“Then why am I?” She stops in the corridor, and puts a hand to his chest, forcing him to halt. “Look, Cole. I don’t get offended very easily. You know me well enough to know that. And I know you think of me as your go-to sex toy or whatever, but when you don’t even want to make an effort to know about my past, or anything, don’t make assumptions about it. Especially assumptions that are dead fucking wrong. I have been through a lot the entire nine months this world has gone to complete shit, and you don’t seem to realize that.”

He looks down at her, surprised that tears are steadily forming in her eyes, and grabs her by the wrist. “Look, I’m sorry,” he says.

“Yeah. Forget it,” she says, ripping her wrist away and heading to the cafeteria on her own. Somehow, he always manages to fuck it up.