Live For It

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{THIRD PERSON}

Liam gazed upward at the ceiling of what used to be a casino, taking one last step where the property starts. Zhara looked to her right, noticing Liam's astonishment toward the ashy remains. 

She'd assumed he had definitely seen this place before it was burnt down, and most likely had no knowledge of it parishing in the first place. 

"Do they know when it collapsed?" Liam asked, now glancing over his shoulder at Ren, who was coming up behind them. 

Ren answered, "About four years ago."

Zhara sucked in a breath as the small details started adding up. If she was right about these maps...

"Damn," Liam blew out, shaking his head. 

"Check all open corners, we'll start on the north side," she heard Zion order his men. Many strong figures started quickly for the edges of what was left of the walls of the place.

Zhara observed silently as Zion loaded his gun, the others doing so as well. Were they really expecting to find some sort of enemy in there? The entire estate was visible due to the fallen walls, they could practically see every inch from here. 

"Just to be safe," someone whispered from her left. 

She snapped her head over, recognizing Isaiah immediately, shoulders easing in relief. He looked down at her, giving her a small smile that somehow relieved whatever anxiety was forming in her gut. 

"Really? You brought grenades?" Zhara looked at the small weapons strapped across his chest. 

He smirked, dark hair shifting as he shook his head. "These are my prize possession, Birdie." 

"There isn't much left to blow up anyway..." she drifted off, turning back to the mess. 

She wondered if they would find anything at all here. It would most likely lead them to the next thing they needed to find her father. She would search day and night if it came down to it. These maps had to mean something. The Lions wouldn't have found a way to get the papers to them if this was just for fun. 

She was aware that their leader was quite the entertainer, so she wasn't going to be surprised if somehow this plan escalated into something they couldn't control. 

Zion wouldn't be happy about that. 

"Wrong."

Zhara snapped out of her thoughts, humming a questioning response to Isaiah. 

"Zhara, my dear,-" he grabbed her by the shoulders, turning her completely to face him, "-there is always something that needs to be blown up."

He looked her in the eyes, seeming genuinely serious about what he was saying. 

She nudged him away, trying to hide her smirk with a scoff. Isaiah grinned at the back of her head as she began walking ahead of him. 

The dead grass crunched under her shoes and the wind picked up even more, unraveling a few strands from her braid. She hugged the thermalizing fabric of the coat tighter to her chest, following after a few of the others who started their move. 

Zion had reacted to the hunt like a predator, searching and scouting for the next thing to help lead them in the right direction. 

Zhara didn't want to be around him if this was a dead end. It would become her fault somehow, just like everything else that has happened up to this point. 

She could admit that a few things were traced back to her, but this-- she had no knowledge of it. Her father was his own person, and that shouldn't have been her responsibility since the beginning of this mess.