(Nathalie's POV)
There was nothing she could do. She was stuck with that group and it'll be the same.
"Hey, Nat move your ass over there." With his gun pointing in my direction, Josh was waving at a barricade blocking the way.
"Move this thing to the side." As she followed his instructions, she didn't dare to complain when she saw their lopsided grin.
What she went through and had to do in the meantime is something she prefered to forget. But their disgusting expression always reminded her. Outcasts, runaways or even if they were part of The Unseen, she didn't care. Her life was worst than death since then.
When she didn't work she was handcuffed...
It's been a week already since she has been captured by them. The devices she had painstakingly found were even taken away. What would her brother think of this?
'The group... needed t.' But she didn't have any will left to fight, but her occasional glare...
"Hey Corin, you sure it's the correct aisle."
"Yeah, there's no problem. How many time did you ask me this question already? It won't go anywhere."
"Ah, you're right. Anyways, we got this chick here in bonus." The man replied.
Josh and Corin, two bastards, one manipulative the other just a pig.
"Who are you looking like that? Want something?" She looked away from him. He would beat her up if she didn't.
"Hmf that's what I thought. Don't worry tonight hehe~" She wanted so much to smash his head with the chair in her hands but having tried already, her body shook, remembering the beating she took back then.
Despite all the grudge she bore, she couldn't muster the courage to face them again.
She didn't have the nerves anymore.
"Corin look over there." Both of them then looked through a guardrail.
"What's this?" She didn't understand what they could see. They went upstairs and could always overseer the floor from here. Except for mutated spiders, there was nothing dangerous on this floor.
They had sealed the first floor since the break out last month.
"Oh shit!" Corin whisper shouted.
As both of them crouched down, they triggered her instincts.
"Bitch stop your shit!" Every survivor possessed this instinct to a certain degree but others were only in life extension.
With her body stiffened from the fear, her pupils shrank as she gazed by at what was below.
'That's a fucking horde. But there was nothing like that before.' The three sat down and looked at each other. What they didn't know was that a Nyx was on the loose nearby and pushing zombies to move out of the way.
They needed to do something quickly. The thought of dying with these bastards didn't please Nathalie at all and she gathered her bit of strength to speak up.
"W-we need to open this door." She said referring to the task she was doing a second ago.
"Shut up bitch!"
"No, she's right. Let's do this, I'm gonna help." Shutting up Corin by reflex, Josh moved to the barricade and helped the surprised Nathalie to remove the obstructions.
Even if Josh seemed the nicest at this moment, she shuddered when she saw his smile as he turned his back to Corin.
"Tch!"
But even if angry, Corin still helped but what should happen happened, a weird entanglement of chairs was touch and like one of them fell to the floor under the surprise of everyone.
"Faster!" Whoever said it didn't matter as after a stampede was closing in on them.
The noise closer and closer and them throwing chairs and tables with urgency.
It was there as they threw the last table blocking the path they Josh closer than any of them to the door broke through it.
Followed by Nathalie and Corin they rushed inside the corridor.
As they were caught unprepared by the horde none of them had the leeway to take out their flashlight quick enough. Yet as they were ready to run in the dark, with close to no hope to succeed a light further away surprised them.
To Nat's shock, such luck didn't happen as often, and none of them was either ready for it.
But the light was getting further away from them which prompted them to speed up faster than they already were.
'We won't make it' Even if they had a lighthouse to guide them. The ones behind them would catch up. Albeit person in front could discern the obstacles on the way they, as the follower, hit them repeatedly.
Yet it was at this moment when she regretted once again to have let her brother down that she saw Josh push Corin behind.
"Heh?" That's what she heard then she nothing. He disappeared in the darkness, swallowed, as his screams merged with those of the zombies.
She hated Corin.
She wanted to kill him so her surprise didn't come for his death but that she could join him at any moment if they didn't escape fast enough.
As they arrived inside a room. She only glimpsed a bit of the back of her saviour but she didn't have the energy to think further on her antics.
"Oh sorry sorry, I didn't even tell you who I am. I'm Josh and this is Nathalie... Say hello, Nat."
"Hello, you can call me Nat..."
"Look at her, already bonding with you."
She only knew that this girl would join her as another one. Even if she had her share of trauma, the world wouldn't give her justice.
Not here.
Not now.
Exactly as the other girls, at these guys' hideout.
She was tired.
It was another life-or-death situation but for someone like her, someone hidden in the background, it was too much.
"Coughs coughs coughs"
This girl was even sick. She wouldn't last long like this.
Josh even tried to give her medicine. From him? This guy didn't have a shred of decency.
She tried to hint at her but it was shut down real quick.
The discussion evolved further and further and she seemed like she fell for it. At this point it was hopeless.
"Cough wait let me ready up before... it's been a moment since I've shown my face. A-at 3, you can light up."
"1"
"2"
Even if Nat wanted to be unconcerned to this Liz, she wished she would escape this situation but everything was stacked against her.
'Josh has a gun and Liz will soon realize what's happening.'
-Sighs-
"3"
Flash
Flash
"Ugh!"
"Aah!" As both of them felt dizzy by the intensity of the flash. Nat curled up furthermore, as if afraid to receive hits.
But it never happened. Instead, she heard a loud cry and the dull sound of metal against flesh.
Faster.
Stronger screams.
As she opened her eyes still blinded by the flashlight pointed in her direction, she took a glimpse of it.
"!!!"
Albeit short, the face of the devil.
Awakened from her trance she searched in a hurry what one of the device.
'I need to flee!' Albeit temporary blind, the rush of dopamine made her found what she wanted in a dozen seconds.
Clicking on it in a hurry, she then dashed toward the door, jumped across the shelf and broke through it.
It was with no fear that she stepped on the zombies laying on the floor a dead fish.
The next time someone asked her to go on an expedition, she'd pierce their eyes.
She would never set foot on the Atlas aisle ever again.
Never!