~ 10 ~ Warm Welcomes

"Desirae?!" Sofia stared at Desirae. She looked at Sofia, just as shocked. It was truly her. The uniform, the stains, the hair, the face, her eyes. Her eyes showed that it was her. Sofia ran over to Desirae and hugged her best friend tightly, never wanting to let her go. She smelled of her usual jasmine flower smell mixed with dirt. It wasn't a pleasant smell, but it told Sofia that this was her best friend. Desirae hugged her just as tightly as Sofia did, and laughed lightly.

"Oh my gosh!" Desirae let go of the hug and held Sofia's face in her hands. "You're alive! Are you alright?!" Sofia nodded happily.

Sofia had forgotten there were other people in the room. All she saw was her friend. "How did you escape, Desirae?! Where's Monica and the others?"

Desirae hesitated before looking away, trying to avoid Sofia eyes. Sofia feared the worst. "There was a sniper that shot the back door open. We don't know who it was but one by one, we all jumped out the truck. Your mother was throwing Monica and I out the truck because we didn't want to leave without you guys. However, the truck turned and made it to the house, so she couldn't. We all went together to try to get you back, but a hoard of zombies came and separated us." Sofia sighed lightly. "However, I'm sure they're nearby. Should we look for them?"

Sofia had to think for a moment. 'Looking for them might get us lost, but staying here waiting for them if they never come is a waste.' "We can look for them during the day, and stay here at night. Just to be safe." Sofia gasped and looked at Lucy, realizing she helped her. "Are you alright with that?"

"You... want me to come with you?" Lucy blinked, confusing. Sofia nodded, hoping she'd help her and her friend. "Well, then yeah, I guess I'm okay with it. Even though it's just suicide." Sofia laughed lightly and looked at Desirae, who studied Lucy.

"Oh! Desirae, this is Lucy, who saved me in the house. Lucy, this is my best friend, Desirae." They both nodded at each other as a greeting before Desirae looked at Sofia.

Desirae opened her mouth to speak. "Ah, wait. I promised to help this group with getting some supplies in return for shelter." Desirae thought for a moment. "How's your back doing?"

Sofia frowned as she said, "It's getting worse. I keep fainting." Sofia pulled some medication from her pocket. "Lucy and I just got in touch with some medicine though!"

"Thank you," Desirae spoke softly to Lucy. "For helping Sofia." Desirae smiled at Sofia. "What about Lucy and I go look for the others while you just rest up."

"Huh?" Sofia looked shocked. "No I want to look for them with you."

Lucy placed a hand on Sofia's shoulder. "Listen," Lucy's voice was very soothing compared to Desirae's strict tone, "you've been through a lot. Especially the past few days." Flashbacks of Sofia's mother crossed her mind. "Take some time to heal and get better. It'll take the worry off of everyone, okay?" Lucy nodded, waiting for a nod back. Sofia nodded slowly in response, earning a hair ruffle from Lucy. "Great!" Lucy smiled warmly. It made Sofia feel safe. Desirae couldn't help but smile at the pair.

The older woman walked up to the girls, holding a blanket and pillow. "I hate to interrupt this heartwarming reunion, but young lady, you should just rest for a little bit." Sofia looked at the old lady, and noticed she was talking to her. "You and your little friend should rest. Sleep and relax. I can tell you've been walking for a while." Sofia nodded, agreeing with her. "Well then take a bench," she gestured towards the empty benches, "take a blanket and pillow, and dream the best dreams."

Sofia took the blanket and pillow from the old woman. "Thank you very much. I'll do that now." The elder nodded and slowly walked away. Sofia looked at Lucy as she followed the old woman to receive her own blanket and pillow.

Desirae sighed in relief. "You can sleep over there next to where Lucy will be." Desirae pointed at an empty bench a few feet from them. Sofia nodded at her friend. "I'll watch over her since I'll be on guard duty for a bit." Desirae rubbed Sofia's arm, happy, and walked out of the room.

Sofia looked at Lucy. 'I hope Lucy doesn't think I'm pushing her aside just because I found Desirae...' Sofia walked over to Lucy as she set down her pillow. "Lucy-"

She cut Sofia off and smiled at her. "Don't worry. We've known each other for a day, at most. That's your best friend, one of the people you were worried about right?" Sofia nodded. "So don't give me an explanation or an excuse if you suddenly leave me for her. I have thick skin. I'll be fine." Sofia smiled. "Besides, we have a promise. That doesn't mean you can't be with the people you've grown close with." Lucy laid down on her bench. "Come on, let's get some sleep. We need it."

Sofia stood still for a moment. 'I'm so grateful to have met Sofia.' Sofia thought to herself. She smiled widely at the thought as she laid down on her bench, holding onto her book bag tightly. She didn't fully trust the group except Lucy and Desirae, so she was cautious. Sofia closed her eyes, slowly going into a deep slumber.

Sofia woke up to someone wrapping something onto her wrists. She quickly turned to see the young guy wrapping a bandage around her wrists. He glanced at Sofia, knowing she was awake. "Hey, I'm Alan. Nice to meet you." His voice was a bit raspy but smoother than she expected. Sofia sat up and looked at her wrists, seeing a fresh bandage on them. He gestured towards her wrists. "They were swollen, so I wanted to help." He finished wrapping it and stood up, smiling. He put the remaining bandages in the med-kit. She noted that he was taller than she expected. "There you go. I also had Desirae check on the back wound she mentioned you had. I put some pain relief cream on your wrists but I think you were still half asleep. I think you might still feel the pain for a good month if you move a certain way, but you should be fine. You're lucky you aren't paralyzed to be honest." Sofia stared at him, unsure of what to say. Alan fidgeted under her gaze, confused. "I didn't take anything if you're worried about that."

Sofia looked at her bag that rested on her knees, confused. "I wasn't really worried about that..." Sofia trailed off, her voice hoarse. "I just...don't want to talk right now. Sorry." She said firmly.

"Oh I understand. Uhm. Sorry." Alan nodded in confirmation and looked around, embarrassed. "Before I go though." He picked up a small bottle of water from the floor next to him and handed it to her. "I heard that you have some medication for the pain, so take it with some water." He smiled at her.

Sofia slowly took the bottle from him, shy. "Thank you… Alan, right?" She asked. He nodded excitedly. "Right. I'm Sofia." She put out her hand, which Alan shook firmly.

"Nice to meet you, Sofia." He said, causing Sofia to nod in response. "Today, we're going to just work on repairing some windows and doors while Desirae and Lucy go out. After noon, you and I will go get some remaining supplies from a nearby house."

Sofia tilted her head, confused. "You mean you've looted from there before?"

Alan nodded. "Yeah, there was a lot of food and water there. There was so much one trip wasn't enough." He chuckled. "Until then, you're free to do whatever you'd like." Alan looked around the room. "I'll…" He hesitated. "I'll pick you up this afternoon so we can go, okay?"

Sofia snorted and laughed lightly, causing Alan to be embarrassed. "It sounds like you're asking me out." Alan rubbed the back on his neck, shy. "Alright, just tell me and we'll go." She smiled at Alan, who nodded with a smile in return. She found it attractive. He walked away, leaving Sofia.

She pulled out the medication from her pocket and consumed around two pills, drowning them with water. She slowly stood up, noting that no one else was in the room. She stretched her arms in the air and walked over to a mirror that barely hung on the wall next to the lockers. Her brown hair was still barely touching her shoulders, but it looked more messy. She had looked more pale and fatigued, with bags under her eyes. Her high school uniform looked dirty and messy, with blood and dirt covering it. She frowned as she walked out of the back of the store.

At the front was the older woman, Alan, Dani, Dan, Desirae and Lucy. They all sat at a table behind a turned shelf. Desirae looked at Sofia and smiled warmly, happy to see her best friend.

"Good morning, sleepyhead. How did you sleep?" Desirae greeted, causing everyone else to look at Sofia. Lucy stood up and practically ran over to Sofia, holding onto her arm for support.

Sofia smiled at the help. "Thanks, Lucy." She looked over at the group. "I slept alright. Better than I've ever slept."

"Good," Sofia walked with Sofia to the table, "because you slept for around 16 hours."

Sofia looked at Lucy, shocked. "What?!"

"Yeah, that's what happens when you don't get enough rest." Desirae sternly looked at Sofia, causing her to frown. "Are you feeling any better?"

Lucy placed Sofia in an empty chair and left to get another one. Sofia adjusted herself in the seat, noticing everyone watching her. "Yes, way better." Sofia looked at her best friend who sat next to her. "So let me go with you and Lucy to find the others."

"No." Desirae immediately declined the offer. "You need more rest."

Sofia crossed her arms, visibly upset. Lucy walked over with a chair for herself and sat down between Sofia and the elderly woman.

Dan cleared his throat, officially silencing everyone. "What a good start," he said sarcastically.

"I'll fill you in on what we were talking about," Dani smiled warmly at Sofia. "We were discussing some plans for today. So Dan and I found a couple of zombies real close to the windows, almost about to break it. So I think that we should board them. That's the plan for today. Get some wooden planks from other houses, if we can't find any here, and just board up the windows." She pointed towards the back room. "There's also a storage room in the back that's been locked. We tried looking for the keys in case we wanted to keep the lock, but that doesn't seem to be an option, so we're gonna force our way in and investigate the room."

Dani looked at Dan, who nodded and looked at Sofia, emotionless. "We also go on daily expeditions to make sure we have a good amount of supplies. Right now, we have enough to last everyone a few weeks, but we don't want to risk running low and not being able to find anymore." Dan scratched his cheek. "We decided to let you decide on the task you'd like to do."

Sofia pointed to herself. "Me?"

Alan nodded. "While you'll still come with me to get supplies, we don't want you just sitting around doing nothing. So instead, you can help us with our base and get to know us at the same time."

Desirae put her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her palm. "Dani and Dan will investigate the storage room while Alan and Mrs. Christina will board up the windows."

"I'm assuming you and Lucy will go looking for the others?" Sofia wondered.

Lucy shook her head. "We're gonna patrol around the area for a bit before going. Just in case." Sofia turned to Lucy. "And no, you can't come with us."

Dani chuckled softly at the pair. "How about you investigate with us then since you'll be with Alan later on?"

"Uh," Sofia looked at Dani and Dan, who gave off very different vibes from each other. "Sure, I'd like that a lot."

The elderly lady, Mrs. Christina, slowly stood up. "I have some clothes that might be your size, young ladies." She smiled at Sofia and Lucy, who blinked. "They're in one of the lockers." She started waddling to the back room. "Please follow me."

"Alright," Dan stood up and clapped his hands, "let's get down to work! We gotta finish before nighttime!" Everyone nodded and went their separate ways. Lucy and Sofia followed Mrs. Christina to the back room. The elderly woman pointed to the last locker on the wall that was wide open, that was filled with clothes.

Mrs. Christina turned to the pair. "I'm sure they're around the same size. I'm sorry if they don't fit, but it's all that was really left here." She walked past them to the front of the store, then stopped. "I'll make sure no one comes in." She smiled at them and walked out of the room.

Sofia looked at Lucy, who shrugged before walking over to the opened locker. She pulled out the pile of clothes and set them down on a nearby bench. She looked at Sofia. "Do you have a preference?" Sofia quickly shook her head, causing Lucy to look back down at the clothes. "Alright, let's make a couple of outfits with these clothes." She separated the clothes, revealing two shirts, two pants, two sneakers, and two jackets. One shirt was a light gray T-shirt, a bit too big for the girls, with black letters spelling out "D A I S Y". The other shirt was a plain white tank top. One of the pants were jeans that were black while the other one were sweatpants, gray with a brand logo on it, Opal Lily. The logo was a black O with an L inside of it, located on the upper right thigh. The sneakers were Vats, another brand that was famous, and both were black. They were similar sizes, one being a size 8 and the other being a size 9. One jacket was a black biker jacket and one was a white plain hoodie. It was a bit over-sized, but it would fit the girls nonetheless.

Sofia looked over at the clothes, trying to pair a good outfit. "Do you mind if I get the sweatpants and the hoodie?" Lucy shook her head and Sofia slowly grabbed her preferred clothes.

"I'll take the jacket and the tank top then." Lucy grabbed them and put them on the far right side of the bench, as if marking her territory. "I also want the jeans." She tossed the jeans to her other clothes before looking at Sofia. "What's your shoe size?"

Sofia thought for a moment as she picked up the gray sweatpants. "I think I'm around a 7, sometimes a half."

Lucy picked up each pair, searching for the size numbers. She handed Sofia the size 8 shoes with a small smile on her face. "Here. You want to get changed at that corner and I stay need the door?" Lucy nodded at the opposite corner of the room.

Sofia looked at it then turned to Lucy and nodded. "Yeah. Thank you." Lucy ruffled Sofia's hair with a small smile, causing Sofia to smile wider and walk over to the corner. In the corner shined a diamond ring on the floor. She picked it up and upon close examination, she deemed that it wasn't old. She frowned, confused, before putting it in her hoodie pocket. The pair of girls began undressing, Sofia a bit slower than Lucy. It only took a few minutes, but the pair felt more comfortable than they've been ever since the apocalypse started. Sofia turned to Lucy, nodding at how different Lucy looked. She went from a rich but dirty girl to a tough biker. Sofia felt like she went from being a high school to being a casual street model.

"You look nice," Lucy smiled at Sofia. Sofia walked over to Lucy. "Come on, let's get some food and go on with our day." Lucy walked to the front of the store. Sofia looked back at the corner where she found the ring before walking to the front of the store.