[1x1] Fight the Dead, Fear the Living

[sleeplessCartoonist]

Aidan frowned, his eyes darting around as they walked, his ears picking up any noise there was to be heard. "Well, we've got extra food. Beans, canned pasta, canned peas, granola bars..." he shrugged, keeping a strong hold on Renegade as he walked. Soon enough, they were out of the forest, but not without a few false alarms causing Aidan to stop in his tracks and nearly draw his gun -- an animal breaking a twig, or Aidan mishearing something, usually. But they were soon out of the forest and heading down to the campsite, Aidan picking up the pace a little at the sight of his sister.

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

As they walked--for the most part--Lia left the scouting to Aidan. She still kept her own guard up, but with how cautious he acted she trusted him not to walk them right into any pits or other traps. The blonde softly replied to Aidan when she was sure the dead weren't close to them anymore. "Yeah, but food is more valuable than gold. We shouldn't use more than we have to. Just make sure you're aware of your supplies." She still intended on convincing the group to look for the supplies her attacker had mentioned, but it had been a long day and she just wanted to rest after she was sure Renegade was all right.


Lia quickened her pace as Aidan did when Oliva and their camp was in sight. She was relieved to see nothing had happened while they were gone. "When you set Renegade down, please be careful with him," she warned.

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

Aidan nodded, watching as Olivia stood and ran over to meet him.


"Is the dog alright? Are you guys okay?" she asked, walking alongside them as they approached the tent, frowning.


"Yeah, we're okay. A bullet grazed his leg, but it should be an easy enough fix." Aidan said, pausing a safe distance from the tent and carefully setting Renegade down. "How's our new friend?" he asked, kneeling next to the dog to look at the wound.


"She's okay, had some water and I think she's asleep." Olivia said with a shrug, before quietly asking, "Not sure if she's been bitten or not, so be careful. Maybe ask her if she has any wounds that need bandaging or something."


"Alright, then." he straightened up, approaching the tent and finding some medical supplies.

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Lia watched cautiously as Aidan sat Renegade down. She moved over and knelt down next to him, only half paying attention to Aidan and Oliva speaking to each other. She did, however, catch the part of their conversation that mentioned their new guest. The blonde gasped and quickly stood up, forgetting to keep pressure off her ankle. Ignoring the pain, she rushed forward and stepped in front of Aidan to stop him from moving closer to the tent. "You two just let a stranger you don't know anything about inside your tent? You really need to be more careful! On the off chance she was bitten and had died in there, you could be bit within seconds of opening the flap of the tent. If I were you, I'd keep a weapon ready." Lia was very cautious and didn't trust anyone. Aidan and his sister seemed to be decent people, and she didn't want to see something happen to them that could've been prevented.

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

"What--?" Olivia hesitated, glancing up at Aidan for a few moments.


"We do have weapons ready. There didn't seem to be any signs of decay, from what I saw, so if she was bitten, it was recently." he said, slipping his hands into his pockets, staring down at her for a few long moments. "We know this stuff, we've seen it happen, and we've documented what we could. Plus, the dead are usually pretty loud..." he said, approaching the tent again and crouching beside it, clearing his throat.


"How're you feeling?" he asked, gesturing for Olivia to stand back when she approached. "Anything we can get you? We, uh, put a stop to that madman of yours."

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Lia scowled at Aidan's words. "I know the dead are loud, but they're quietest when they first die. If you've been documenting, you should add that bit of information to your list." She sighed and went back over to Renegade, gently stroking his fur. She hoped Aidan would be careful.


The woman in the tent was still sleeping, a hand resting over her eyes. Hearing Aidan speak, she jarred awake and sat up causing brown strands of hair to fall in her eyes. "O-Oh, you're back. I don't think I need anything, but I am relieved to hear you stopped the man," she said, sighing in relief. She shifted a little, crawling to exit the tent. The first thing she saw as Lia flinching at the sight of her, keeping her eyes narrowed. "You don't have to worry," she said, trying to ease Lia and the others. "I'm not a threat, just a woman who is lucky to be alive. I'm Jenna."

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

Aidan visibly relaxed when she began speaking, unzipping the tent a little and smiling at her. "Well, I we'll do whatever to help you recover from what happened there." he said with a nod, before gesturing to his sister. "She's Olivia, I'm Aidan, and those two there are Lia and Renegade." he said, sitting back. "I was just getting the first aid kit out, do you have any injuries?" he asked, eying her for a brief moment. "Are you feeling alright? Any pain, soreness?"

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Jenna glanced down to her wrists, rubbing them lightly when Aidan asked if she had any pain or soreness. "As a matter of fact, yes. Do you have anything to help rope burn? I have burns around my wrists and ankles where that man had me tied up."


Frowning, Lia moved over to the group when Aidan spoke to Jenna. "Don't forget about Renegade. He needs treatment the most right now. If his wound doesn't get cleaned out, it could become infected," she said, worried.


Jenna glanced to Renegade curiously. "You know, where that man had kept was actually a farm. They could have medicine for animals there."


Lia nodded. "I know, but that kind of trip would be too dangerous to make right now. It's starting to get late. Maybe tomorrow." Though Lia didn't say anything, she knew if her dog's life became at risk from the injury, she probably would make the trip out into the dark. She would do everything it took to save him.

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

Aidan nodded, digging out some supplies and looking over at Lia. "Clean out your dog's wound, he'll probably take it from you better than he would from me. And I think I have something for helping with scrapes..." he said, searching through their medical supplies and pulling out a tube. "It should help a little." he sat back a little, looking over at Olivia for a brief moment before speaking up again. "So, he didn't hurt you in any other way? No... scratches, or cuts or anything like that...?" he raised an eyebrow.

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Lia scooted over to Aidan, taking the items he offered to clean up her dog with. She then took a seat with her legs outstretched, patting her lap as an invitation for Renegade to come over to her. The dog whimpered and limped over to her, lying his body across her legs. Lia grumbled in frustration. The blonde almost wished she could bring that man back from the dead just to make him die again for what he did. Nobody was allowed to lay a hand on her dog. Nobody.





"You're asking those questions because you want to know if I've been bitten, don't you?" Jenna questioned, taking the tube from him. She unscrewed the cap of the tube and took it off, setting it beside. "I wasn't bitten," she added, uncomfortably shifting a little. "I did come pretty close though. The man tied me up, threw me into a shed where his family was kept, and left me to be eaten by them. Luckily, one of the boards inside the shed was rotten, so I was able to make a hole and push through to escape."

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

He nodded, sighing and running a hand through his hair. "Okay. I hope you're not lying, otherwise we'll all be in pretty big trouble." he sighed, looking over at Olivia again. "It's getting dark, so we'd better get to making some food and planning out how we'll deal with four people and a tent that only fits two." Aidan got to his feet. "We caught some frogs, so we can cook those up, but we have some beans, peas, corn..." he thought for a few moments.

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

"I haven't been bitten," she mumbled, fiddling with the tube of cream. Jenna squirted some on the palm of her hand before she began rubbing it into the burns on her arms. She went quiet for a moment, lost in thought as she rubbed in circular motion on her arms.


Lia listened to Aidan talk while she was tending to her dog. When she had just finished wrapping bandages around his leg she glanced over at him. "We could always have two sleep in the tent and the other two sit out and stand watch for the camp. Then the ones staying watch can wake up the sleeping two and trade places with them after half the night is over," she suggested. "As for the food, yes, we should get started on that. I'll get the frogs out." Lia went and retrieved the pencil box from her bag that had frogs in it, begining to count them now that they were out of the shaded part of the woods and she had more light.

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

Aidan nodded, in thought for a few long moments and looking over at Olivia. "How about... our new friend Jenna and I are paired up, and you and Olivia are together?" he tilted his head, smiling slightly.


"You sure?" Olivia asked, frowning slightly and looking over at the pencil box briefly, before clearing her throat. "I can--"


"You know how alert I am." he said with a shrug. "And she needs some rest, so it works out fine. Anything comes out of those woods, I'll spot it."


"I hope you're right..."

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Jenna screwed the top back on the tube before moving over to Aidan to hand it back to him. "I'm fine with that sleeping arrangement. I imagine it must have been tough keeping watch just between the three of you before," she said.


Lia shook her head. "I just met them today, so actually it was only the two of them before now."


"Wow, it must have been very hard then."


"Oh yeah?" Lia said, adding a slight hum in the back of her throat with her words. "Try only being one person and a dog. Sleeping alone is really uncomfortable." The blonde sighed. Although she wasn't happy about coming into contact with Aidan and Olivia at first, she was a little more than happy to have them around now.


Turning to her pencil box, Lia showed Aidan her collection of frogs. "So after a few of the frogs escaped, we have six left. That's enough for each of us to have two so I guess that's not so bad. To cook them, we'll need to make a fire though."

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

"Yeah, the fires are always the hard part..." he sighed, sitting up. "If we make a fire at night, the smoke wouldn't be too visible. Less, uh... thieves and stuff coming by, y'know?" he glanced up at the reddish sky, somewhat thankful the sun was setting. "So, for sleeping, how about you and Olivia keep watch until..." he paused, in thought. "Until one, and then we watch the rest of the night? We'll need some sleep in the day, though. I don't mind napping by the bridge, even. Have a gun at the ready, or whatever..." he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "How's that sound?"

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Listening to Aidan's words, Lia nodded throughout his explanation. "I think that sounds just fine. If we want to start a fire then, we'd better do it now." She clicked her tongue and called Renegade over, smiling when he limped and whined. She knew her companion well enough to know that his extra whimpering was just because he wanted more attention.


"If we want to start a fire, we'll need firewood then," Jenna pointed out.


"Yes," agreed Lia, "we'll need some firewood." The blonde returned her gaze to the siblings who owned the camp. "Do we have firewood already? Or will we need to go collect some?" She sure hoped they already had some. Whether she did or not, however, Lia had no intentions to walk back into the woods again with her ankle starting to feel more sore.

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

"We do have some firewood." Aidan nodded, looking over at Olivia. She nodded, getting to her feet and heading over to their pile of supplies, finding some chopped firewood.


"Is it enough for another fire? I know we had a bit left over from last night..." he nodded to the small area they used as a fire pit, and Olivia dumped the wood into it, pushing a few rocks against the small stack of wood. Aidan thought for a few moments, before getting to his feet. "We'll need some extra, and some tinder. Anyone want to sacrifice some hair?"

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Jenna crawled close to the pile of wood, watching it for a moment. "I'm fine with giving up a little bit off my hair." She sighed and ran a hand through her matted, brown hair. "It's a mess anyhow." It wasn't exactly easy for one to take care of their hair anymore. That was usually the least of anyone's worries these days.


Lia ran a hand over Renegade's back. "Actually, Renegade is shedding like crazy. Why don't you just use a little of his hair? I don't think it will be much of a loss to him." She turned to backpack, digging through it for a moment. She pulled her hand out holding a little matchbox. "Also, I happen to have a few packs of matches. If you'd like to use a match, you're more than welcome."

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

"We have some of our own, but that'll be helpful. I think we can just add some branches and stuff to the fire and we'll be fine." Aidan said, getting to his feet. "I'll be back in a couple minutes."


"Can I come with you?" Olivia asked, sitting up.


"You're staying clear from the forest. Wait here for me. Help Lia set up dinner." Aidan said, starting on his way to the edge of the woods. His sister pouted, sitting back down and folding her arms.

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Jenna frowned, watching Aidan stand up to head into the woods. "Are you sure you want to go by yourself? The forest could be dangerous if you're not back soon. The sun is setting so it could start getting dark out."


"While I agree with you, I think Aidan will be fine. He has an axe and a gun for a backup. He'll be okay," Lia stated. There was always a chance something could happen, but the blonde wasn't going to say that in front of Olivia. She crawled over to his younger sister taking out the box of frogs. "Why don't you help me set up dinner like your brother suggested?"


Sent from my Iphone.

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

Olivia nodded, watching as Aidan made his way to the edge of the woods quietly, axe in hand.


She sighed, looking back at Lia and nodding. "Yeah, sure. How big are the frogs you got, by the way?" she asked, looking into the pencil box. "Is hunting them hard? Maybe I can help tomorrow? Or, uh, a couple days from now?"

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Lia brought the box onto her lap and gestured for Olivia to move over to her. "Why don't you come take a look? They're all pretty good sized." She opened the box so Olivia could view all six frogs inside. "Hunting them can be hard at first, but after you get the hang of it you'll be catching a lot of frogs in no time. We'll probably have to wait until my ankle is feeling a little better before we go together. So maybe in a couple of days. In the mean time, I'll teach you how to cook these frogs and we can just talk to get to know each other."


Jenna scooted closer to the two girls. "I'll help out in any way I can too. I used to cook a lot at home. Do you know how to cook, Olivia?" she asked, trying to make conversation.


Sent from my Iphone.

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

"Not too well." Olivia said with a shrug, looking over at Jenna. "Only stuff in cans, and that mostly consists of not burning them. I've never really done any real cooking, so whenever we get our hands on real food Aidan is the one who cooks everything up." she said, glancing down at the frogs. "So, how do we cook these?"


About ten minutes later, the sun was nearly done setting, and Aidan had emerged from the forest with sticks, bits of wood and dried leaves. He tossed it into the fire pit, looking over at Lia. "That's a start for a fire. Lighter, Olivia." he said, crouching by the stack of wood and leaves. Olivia nodded, digging a large lighter from their bags and handing it to him.

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

"Well that's no good," Lia replied. "We'll have to teach you how to cook some things too. These days I think it's good to know how to do a little of everything. It makes surviving easier."


"That's true, but she's still young. She has time to learn," Jenna added.


Lia wasn't so sure she agreed with Jenna. The younger one could learn things these days, the better chance they would have to survive. "Maybe, but anyhow, I'll start explaining how to cook the frogs so we'll be ready by the time Aidan is back."


While Aidan was gone, Lia explained to the two other girls how they would cook the frogs. When he arrived, she watched Aidan toss the sticks into the fire pit. "You two have a lighter, huh? Handy. That's more useful that the matches I have." Of course, the matches could still be useful someday, but she would only use them if they actually needed to.


Sent from my Iphone.

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

"Yeah. We've also got a couple matches, but those are for emergencies." he said, lighting the fire and letting it grow, sitting back when it was at a decent size. He kept a stack of firewood nearby, making sure they had enough to last the night, before turning to the three girls. "Alright, how're we gonna cook the frogs?"


"Lia showed me how," Olivia said, sitting up and staring at the fire for a few moments. "but it's probably best if she's the one that cooks it." she shrugged.