Dead Man Walking: Living By Day, Dead By Night

After being forcibly removed from Lily's room for the night, Olivia decided to check up on the rest of her unorthodox family. They had been working themselves to the bone these last few months, especially after their contact with Gwen.

The simple idea that they were not nearly as powerful as they thought they were compelled Zane and the girls to do everything they could to remedy that fact. And in doing so, they had been exhausting themselves.

But when Olivia arrived in the mess hall, which was generally where she and the others congregated after a hard day's work, she found that it was only Elena and Angelica. Both of which appeared to be enjoying some left overs, along with the drink of their choice.

Elena had quickly taken a liking to alcohol following the outbreak of the apocalypse. And why wouldn't she? In a world of constant suffering, intoxicants could be a welcome pain killer. Luckily for them, the bunker had an ample stockpile of booze to make use of.

Not only that, but Gravestone now had the means to produce their own alcohol, which they were beginning to distribute to the residents of the settlement for the reasons previously mentioned. And while Elena's cheeks were flushed with obvious signs of intoxication. Angelica was completely sober.

She had instead opted to drink water. After all, for the most part, she avoided alcohol and drugs, and though she wasn't perfect, to the point where she had a bit of wine every now and then. Angelica was not the type to get wasted every night. Unlike Zane and Elena, who abused alcohol as a coping mechanism.

Hell, even before the apocalypse began, Angelica was not much of a drinker. That was just her personality. Still, Elena seemed to be bitching about something, while leaning close to Angelica in a way that only someone who was hammered would find appropriate, let alone chummy.

"Oi, are you listening to me, girl? I'm talking about Zane and Madison! What's the deal with those two? Why does Maddie still wear that damn collar? Zane is super dodgy about answering me whenever I ask about it?"

Angelica's patience was damn near limitless. Even as Elena prodded her cheek with her finger, she continued to smile and try her best to calm the young woman down. Especially since she knew the answer to this question, but did not want to get involved with the topic at all. All she could do was say something vague, while trying her best to keep herself and Elena calm.

"Maybe that's just something she's into…"

Due to her intoxicated state, it took Elena several moments to understand what Angelica was talking about, and when she did, her jaw dropped. She was about to say something entirely inappropriate when Olivia finally announced her presence.

She had been watching the two women get along for some time from afar, so much so that neither of them realized she was there. But when she finally spoke, it was a playful tone, almost as if she was making fun of Elena, and her surprising naivety.

"Elena, don't you know it's rude to inquire about a girl's personal matters? What Madison and Zane do when they are alone together is nobody's business but theirs…"

Elena wanted to argue with Olivia, but despite being intoxicated, and belligerently so, she was just sober enough to realize what Olivia said made sense and thus apologized in her own way, while entirely avoiding eye contact with the mature silver-haired beauty.

"I guess…"

When Olivia saw this, she wore a mischievous smile before doing the exact opposite of what she had scolded Elena about just moments before.

"Besides, it's not like it's a secret. Everybody knows that pink haired bimbo is a total M…"

When Elena heard this, her eyes opened wide as she expressed her shock aloud.

"She is? No way!?! So that's why she keeps the shock collar on!"

Angelica remained silent as she took a drink from her glass of water, ignoring the conversation entirely as she thought about how refreshing her drink was. And then it hit her… Somebody was missing from their little pow wow. She quickly looked around the room while Olivia and Elena were gossiping in the background, before interrupting the two of them with a very worrying question.

"Pardon me… But have either of you seen Maya? Where has that little girl run off to?"

Being in the intoxicated state that she was, Elena immediately panicked as she stood up and damn near ran off looking for the girl in the dead of night.

"What? Maya's gone? Where is she?"

Though Angelica was always anxious when Maya was around, she had grown accustomed to the feeling. But right now, when she was thinking about how relaxed she was, Angelica suddenly realized Maya could not be nearby.

Of course, Olivia was more concerned with preventing Elena from running off in a drunken rampage, providing immediate damage control as she calmed the young woman down.

"Relax, she's probably asleep in her room. It is quite late, after all!"

When Angelica realized this, she sighed in relief. For whatever reason, Zane was really attached to that creepy little girl. Almost as if they were siblings. Albeit with a significant age gap between them. And if Maya was really missing, then that would be a serious problem.

Of course, she had forgotten just how late it was, and thus was quick to apologize for causing Elena to panic.

"Oh right, sorry about that… I didn't realize what time it was… Well, it is indeed getting late, and I think I'm going to go lie down for a bit. Especially since it doesn't appear like Zane and Madison will be joining us anytime soon. Good night girls, I'll see you both in the morning."

With that said Angelica walked off, but there was something slightly off about her. Almost as if she didn't believe Olivia or her own words. And while Elena was too drunk to notice it, Olivia had. But ultimately she decided not to think about it and instead focused her attention on getting the wasted girl next to her back to her room.

"Honestly, Elena, As your teacher I must say your addiction to alcohol has me seriously worried about your future…."

The moment after saying this, both Olivia and Elena broke out into a fit of laughter. The idea that they still had any semblance of a relationship as a teacher and student was truly a laughable affair.

The world had been torn asunder by the undead virus, the majority of the human race was now extinct, and the survivors lived within the ashes of the old world, desperately clinging onto what little they had left.

In the entirety of the world, only a few places like Gravestone existed. With the Remnant and Elysium being the two most prominent examples which they had made contact with. It was because they were so blessed to live in such a haven that the two women could joke like this, and that was the reason why, after laughing, both Olivia and Elena sighed before becoming awfully silent.

It was ultimately Olivia who broke this silence, as she grabbed hold of Elena and slumped her over her arm before dragging the girl back to her room.

"Seriously though, can you just drink a little less? I'm getting sick of carrying you to your room every night…"

Elena chuckled slightly before making a promise to her former homeroom teacher that maybe, just maybe, she would drink a little less from now on.

"Maybe you're right… Maybe I should stop drinking so much…"

And while Elena struggled to say these words, particularly because of how drunk she had gotten, Olivia had successfully dragged the young woman to her room, where she then collapsed on her bed.

Once she had done so, Olivia shook her head and sighed before expressing her thoughts on the matter.

"This girl…"

However, she did not think much of it, and instead walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her before heading to her own bedroom. Where she too entered the world of dreams for the remainder of the night.

---

Though nobody had realized it, Maya had been silently watching the girls throughout the night. Whether it was the moment when Zane took Madison into his bedroom for some private time alone together. Or when Olivia had gone off to have a talk with Lily.

Maya had been silently lurking in the shadows, watching her newly adopted family as they interacted with one another in various ways. What was going on in that adorable little head of hers only she knew?

But it was only once everyone else was asleep that she finally crawled out of the shadows, revealing her tiny figure in the dimly lit hallway of the bunker, where she stared at the bedroom where Zane currently slept with Madison in his arms.

For the second time since Zane and the girls had found her, Maya spoke her thoughts aloud. Though it was to nobody in particular, her words were a chastisement of Zane's playboy ways, and by the sound of the tone in her voice, there was indeed a bit of bitterness laced within them.

"Honestly, Zane…. I know a boy has his needs, but must you really keep five of them for yourself?"