7.0 | Death is Her Friend

KAI DEAN WALKED DOWN THE BARREN STREETS OF GLENDALE, her blonde hair cascading over her backpack as she stayed alert at all times.

Since she'd left the mall, she'd already killed over seventeen Jocks. She was in a good mood, until she saw KJ and Josh skating down the road ahead of her. They were coming towards her, and she was going towards her warehouse.

Josh and KJ stopped to talk to her. "Kai? Hey. Look, I'm sorry about what I said when we found out Sam was dead. I should've been more considerate. It's just tha-"

Kai held up her hand before typing in the notes of her phone and showing him what it said.

"It's fine. How're Eli and Wes doing?"

He scoffed, "They're fine. Locked up still, but fine. Eli seemed pretty upset that you left."

Kai shrugged before jingling her keys and skipping to her car. She had went back to get it, so she wouldn't have to walk everywhere.

Without saying anything to the other two teens, she sped off in the direction of her warehouse. When she arrived, her eyes couldn't believe what she saw.

"Hey, KD." Sophia greeted her, a wicked smile on the girl's face. "I figured you'd come back here, but I thought that Josh would be with you. Are you two a thing now?"

Shaking her head, Kai slowly raised her gun, earning a laugh from the dark haired girl in front of her.

"Oh, Kaira. You haven't changed one bit. You seem more murderous, though. We're definitely gonna win this war with you." She smirked before snapping her fingers.

Suddenly, a bag was placed over her head. Kai elbowed the person behind her before ripping the bag off and shooting them in the forehead. She pointed the barrel of her gun back to Sophia, fury and hurt glowing in her eyes.

"Oh, what? You gonna shoot the first person you ever told you loved?" The girl asked, laughing. "Yeah, very funny."

Without hesitation, Kai pulled the trigger, sending a bullet directly into Sophia's lung. The girl began to spit up blood, coughing as the life slowly exited her body.

"Wow.." Sophia drifted, "You really are the monster I always knew you were." She tiredly joked.

A single tear escaped the depth of Kai's eye, slowly sliding down her face. With the little amount of energy she had left, Sophia placed her hand on her cheek.

"Mona a-and I broke up.. I made a mistake, Kai. I'm sorry." The girl coughed up more blood before continuing, "You're the only person I-I've ever genuinely loved. And I f-fucked you over. You don't have to forgive me. B-but I'm still sorry."

Her hand fell from Kai's cheek, and her heart stopped beating. The blonde held her ex-girlfriend's head in her lap, tears slowly streaming from her face. She gently closed her eyes and wrapped an object in Sophia's hand before crossing the girl's arms over her chest and laying her on her old bed.

With one last kiss to Sophia's forehead, Kai covered her up and left the warehouse, Sophia's ring decorating the silver chain she wore around her neck. The object that Kai had placed in her hand was the only thing she had left of her valuables.

It was a necklace that her father had given her before the divorce. A gold chain with a locket. That locket originally had a picture of her and Chris, her brother. But, she replaced that picture with one of her and Sophia on her sixteenth birthday.

Kai knew that she wouldn't ever be able to have the life she wanted, the life she thought she needed. The apocalypse seemed to be the best thing to happen to her, at first. Then she ran into Josh Wheeler and Angelica Greene, then Wesley, saved them from the Jocks, busted into the mall, made up with Eli, and felt like she needed to protect them.

She had no family left, because she had no idea where Sam was. Her parents were dead, and Chris probably was, too. Kai felt so alone, until she realized that she had found a family. A place where she belonged.

𑁍

Kai silently walked up to the group of teenagers in the mall, their backs turned to her. "What's up?" She asked, her voice hoarse. She was able to talk, but her voice hadn't fully come back yet.

All eyes landed on her, small smiles appearing on everyone's faces before they turned back to what they were looking at. Angelica entered, her brows furrowed.

"What's going on?" She asked.

Kai's eyes landed on Eli and Wesley, both tied up.

"You look like an ad for depression meds whose side effects include uncomfortable prolonged erections." ANgelica stated after looking at the two boys.

Wesley looked to the blonde, "I told them we faked Sam's death. It was the honorable thing to do."

Josh glanced from Kai to Angelica, and Angelica locked eyes with the blonde after dropping the items she had in her hands. She looked from Kai to Josh, and her eyes said it all.

The ten year old turned back to Wesley, "Your Bushido code can suck my fucking dick!"

"Sam's still alive." Josh began, "She's Turbo's prisoner at the high school. KJ saw her, too."

KJ responded in Chinese, not wanting the other mall kids to be aware that she understand and speaks fluent English. Josh was demanding her to speak English, causing Eli to say something about it.

"Ladies aren't Chow Chows, yo! Show some respec. I pamper my Mavis like a goddess." He stated, his eyes meeting Kai's. "24k foot rubs all day, baby."

Josh rolled his eyes, "Look! This isn't about your pretend girlfriend! Sam is in the high school, and you assholes manipulated me and Kai. you're supposed to be our friends. And Eli, you're supposed to be Kai's boyfriend."

"Listen, you naive Canadian shart blossom, you think everyone's supposed to be nice all the time. Well, the world isn't filled with sunflowers and puppies whose farts smell like cinnamon buns. I lied! And I'd do it again. We saved you from being monched on by ghoulies or dying from an infection. So how about, instead of giving us grief like a Jewish bubby at Yum Kippur, you just say thank you and we can all get back to our lives." Angelica told Josh, knowing that Kai understood everything.

Josh sighed deeply before kicking the three teens out of the mall.

"Josh?" Kai asked, her brows furrowed, "You can't lock them out like bad dogs who tore up a couch cushion." She stated, annoyance in her raspy voice. "Yes, they lied. I was mad at first, too. But I understand why they did it!"

He raised his brow at the girl, "Oh, really? Why exactly did they do it, then?"

"They did it to protect you. None of us had any idea where Sam was at the time, meaning that you most likely would've died if you went out looking for her. Angelica did it to keep you alive, Josh."

"And why the hell would she do that?"

Kai stepped closer, her blue eyes glaring daggers into his. "Because we're all she has left. I understand that all of us are alone, but she's a ten year old girl. A smart and evil one, but still a ten year old girl. Her parents were never involved in her life, and yours were until you moved here. She looks up to you and didn't want to be alone again. She wanted a family, Josh." The blonde explained, her voice breaking, "And you're taking that away from her. So, tell Sam I said I love her. Because I'm not helping you. I'm gonna go help the ten year old girl you just tossed to the fucking curb."

Josh went to speak, but Kai angrily walked through the mall doors before he could get a word out.

"Kai?" The three said in unison. "What're you doing out here?"

The girl shrugged, "I don't abandon family."

Eli sent her a look, "That's not what you said in your letter. Whatever happened to there being no such thing as a team?"

"Listen up, Cardashyan," Kai growled, grabbing the collar of Eli's shirt in anger, "I just killed the first person I fell in love with. I shot her in the lung and watched as she died with her head in my lap. She apologized for everything, told me she loved me. I'm not saying we're a team, I'm saying that I'm sticking with you idiots so you don't end up like Sophia. Got it?"

Eli gulped, nodding frantically. The sweet girl he had known just a few days beforehand had vanished, and he was terrified of the girl standing in front of him at that moment.

"I'm joining the Cheermazons," Angelica informed her. "Maybe you should, too?"

A scoff escaped her lips, "No way. You'll be a great Cheermazon, though. Just, try not to kill Wes."

Angelica smiled before hugging kai, "Thank you for being there and making me feel wanted. I appreciate it, Kaira."

"No prob, munchkin."

Angelica rolled away, leaving Wesley, Eli, and Kai to themselves in front of the mall.

"You two take care of yourselves," Wesley smiled, "and try not to kill him, Kai."

The girl nodded as Wesley walked away, turning her head to Eli.

"I'm getting back into my mall. No matter what." He stated, pounding on the glass doors. Kai sighed and grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the building.

"If you're gonna do that, you'll need a plan."