Lisa approaches the store. The men see her, and don't seem alerted by the fact that she is a survivor. They must get people coming through more here than at the university. I mean, who goes to a school in the apocalypse?.... besides us.

She feels a pang of loneliness at that thought.

She approaches the men and they hold their guns pointed at her. Uh-oh

"I... I don't mean any harm. I just saw that you guys aren't infected and...." Lisa glances down at herself. She realizes the blood smeared all over her clothing, the dirty coat, the two guns in her hands and the druggie's duffel bag across her shoulder. This doesn't look good for her.

"Weapons away. You can go in. If you behave." One of the men said to her. His weapon was still raised.

She said, "I'm just going to put them away now, don't shoot" One of the first things you learn for hostile situations, you always announce your actions before you make them so nobody gets any wrong ideas.

She put down her duffel bag slowly and placed the two s inside, zipping it and placing it back on her shoulder.

She walked towards and past the men as they lowered their weapons.

Inside she found Matron Maggie, proprietor of the grocery store... or at least in it's current form.

//Alex arrives from Location: Highway//

Alex hauled ass, just as he would have in NYC, he agilely threw his body over cars, remembering how good it felt to run like this. His legs stretched and flicked easily, his breaths coming out harsher and harder. He was cold, but he wasn’t through. The layers didn’t help much. Suddenly there was a clatter as something reached for him in front of the car he was jumping over.

“I have had enough of your BULLSHIT TODAY!” He landed foot first on whatever it was and heard a resounding crunch. He kept going harder, following Alice. Catching up with her was easy. Alex reaches for her shoulder, black veins in his neck from the quick change of temperature. "Alice, wait."

He walks behind her, shivering.

"It's Cristoff" Lisa said, following the woman's gesture to the hallway.

She secretly hoped that this wasn't the part where she was made into a Lisa sandwich. She didn't want to be carved up and served for dinner.... but she wanted to trust this older woman. Trusting survivors has been good to her so far, and she really would like a shower.

Running water.

She remembered the empty bottles, the two she had left, and made a mental memo to fill them while she was in there. This Maggie woman wouldn't need to know.

Maggie showed her to the restroom in the private residence attached to the back of the grocery. It was very old-fashioned and dirty, but a shower was a shower at this point.

Maggie left her there, making sure that she understood that she would be waiting outside the door, to make sure Lisa wouldn't steal anything from her.

Lisa watched as the door closed, and she tossed her duffel bag on the floor with a thud and removed the duster, leaving it in a pile on the floor.

Walking over to the shower-tub, she noticed it was a beautiful claw-footed tub with a showerhead placed above it as an afterthought, the curtain oddly slung on a suspension bar. She turned on the showerhead and grabbed her 2 s and filled them with the lukewarm water before putting them back.

She removed her heels, she really would have to find some more appropriate shoes sooner or later, and tossed them onto the jacket.

Looking in the mirror above the shoddy sink she finally saw what the apocalypse had done to her. Her eyes were darkened from lack of rest, her lips chapped from thirst, hair a mess and oily, she really did look like death. She felt like it as well.

She unwrapped the necktie from her arm and unbuttoned her work shirt, the pencil skirt was next. Clothing so very unfit for running. Irony would have it be during her shift that the outbreak would take over, not after she returned home and immediately put on sweats and a hair-tie. Where she would have food and bottled drinks, a bed to sleep in. No, it was on the job.

She removed her undergarments and stepped under the water, the slight warmth was soothing for her tired muscles and the bar of soap Maggie had left in there helped her remove the grime that clung to her body. She even used it on her hair.

As she began to rinse off the suds she heard the door open, Maggie was in the room. She could see the woman's figure through the curtain. Lisa froze.

"Maggie? Is... that you?"

"Yeah, darlin' just grabbing your clothes, I'll have Shelia scrub 'em up fer yah. Can't be walkin' out with blood on yeh. Haff to be hand-done though I'm 'fraid, power's on the fritz but we got the water goin' top priority."

"Oh... thank you so much." Lisa called out over the water, arms clenched across her chest defensively. "I don't have anything else though."

"Got that covered Crissy, they'll be to big fer yah, but I put out some stuff I came across. A tank, some cargos. Just until your clothes are dry."

Maggie had gathered her clothes up and left the outfit change on the toilet seat. After she left the room, Lisa rushed out from under the water and locked the door, feeling a slight pang of guilt as she did.

She got back under the water, a little more relaxed.

After her shower, which, granted was a bit longer than she planned, she put on the loose green tank top and the khaki cargo pants, feeling much like a hip hop backup dancer. Her hair was dripping, she wrung it out over the sink and used her blanket to draw out most of the remaining moisture.

She knocked on the door, unlocking and opening it to make sure Maggie was still waiting. She was.

"Sorry it took so long" Lisa apologized for her wait.

"Uuum, so you run this place like a store still right? I... I could use some if you have any? I can trade. Only if you want, of course."

Alice clung to Alex's arm, her fingers digging into his leather jacket. She had never felt so scared before. Alex was protecting her. She could feel the muscles beneath her hands twitching. Was he going to change into that creature again? She wasn't sure if she'd rather be shot or killed by Alex. Instantly she felt guilty for thinking that way. Alex couldn't betray her like that, he wouldn't. He was so much more than any person she had met. But why was he protecting her? He didn't even know her, not really.

Suddenly Ms. Maggie was outside at the door and was barking at the men, instantly their guns went down and she waved the pair over. Alice remained rooted in her spot, her fingers frozen and her eyes wide.

Alice felt the muscles contorting beneath her fingers and her attention snapped to Alex. His eyes were red, a terrifying fire burning from the depths inside him. She stood motionless for a second and the next she was in front of him, holding both of his arms. She was searching those painful eyes for that little bit of Alex.

She knew he was on the precipice of transforming and knowing that once he changed, she was going to be in the crossfire from the men behind her. There was no coming back from this and she realized she'd rather be consumed by Alex, a powerful, wonderful and tragic being than a pathetic little bullet.

"I'm so sorry Alex.." She apologized, for his fury, for his anger, for all the terrible things she read about him, about Blacklight, that no one had ever apologized for.. Then she wrapped her arms around him. Squeezing him tight, trying to give him something, some part of her hope and light that resided inside her. "Come back to me, Alex Mercer."

She made her final words count. If she was going to die, right then, right there, she wanted to make them count. Alice closed her eyes and waited for death.

"I'm so sorry Alex..."

Greene?

Alex was startled, he blinked.

Greene? Quit fuckING with mE.

Nothing.

"Come back to me, Alex Mercer."

....."You know, Alex, I never thanked you for saving my life back there at the library. And now for looking after me."


Alex’s hands met her hair. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t scared. He was shaking, his eyes wide and blue, the water was running down his face. That wasn’t her voice. Not Codename Mother’s. He had overwritten her. Not completely; if he had he would have ceased to exist and would have died on the spot. Redlight was the predecessor to Blacklight. He had succeeded in overpowering her and writing her down to the lowest genetics possible. She wouldn’t speak unless spoken to now, unless he wanted her to. She had no control over him now.

I’m so proud of you.
It was always you that I despised.
I made yo-
She screeched. He had hurt her just now.

Alex lets go of Alice, his hands on her shoulders. There are black veins in his face from the cold, they had been on his neck but now they were farther up. He said nothing. He couldn’t move. Alex untensed, watching her, he looked up at Maggie and the men, he also saw Lisa through the window.

He would have killed them all. It would have been like swatting a fly.