[1x1] Fight the Dead, Fear the Living

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Lia glanced to Aidan, nodding to him in agreement. "Sure, I'll check her over, but are you sure you want to sit up alone? You look really tired. I wouldn't want you to fall asleep and us to get robbed or attacked while we were all asleep." She sighed and turned to look at Jenna. "Anyhow, if I'm going to check her over somewhere private like in the woods, I'll need a flashlight or some other source of light so I can see her better. Do you have anything like that, Aidan?"

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

Aidan nodded, picking up a flashlight he had nearby. "We've got limited battery life, so keep it off whenever possible, please." he said, handing her the flashlight. "And I should be fine alone, but if you insist, you can keep watch with me." stifling a yawn, he sat back a bit and stretched. "I don't want to keep either you or Olivia up, but if you think that's necessary, fair enough."

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Lia took the flashlight from Aidan, flicking it on for not even a second to check and make sure it was still working. She then walked over to Jenna, grabbing her arm and tugging her up to her feet. "I might stay up with you. I was having trouble sleeping anyhow. But for now, I'm going to go check her over as quick as I can. Then I'll be back." She turned to Jenna. "C'mon you."


Taking Jenna into the woods, Lia lead them by light from the flashlight. Once they were just out of Aidan's view, she instructed the girl to take off her clothes. Jenna reluctantly obeyed. After a few minutes of searching and saying nothing, Lia told her to put her clothes back on.


"So what's the verdict?" Jenna asked nervously, worried by Lia's silence.


"I don't see any scratches or bites as far as I can see. So I guess I can't just shoot you." She shook her head, starting to walk back.


"That's good," Jenna replied, relieved. "Can I have the flashlight though? I'm going to stay out here just a little bit longer and use the bathroom."


"Fine, just come back to camp when you're done."


Lia walked out of the woods and returned to where Aidan was, plopping down on the ground next to him. "She was infected, but I took care of her," Lia joked, winking at Aidan. "I'm only kidding," Lia quickly decided to add, just in case her teasing wasn't found to be funny by him.

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

Aidan kept an eye on the woods quietly. Though he was tired, he was on-edge, his hand staying close to his gun at all times. He didn't mind the idea of Lia staying up with him, even if it meant that she would be exhausted in the morning. When he spotted Lia exiting the woods and approaching, he straightened up, squinting slightly to see if it was her. Upon realizing that it was, he relaxed slightly, watching her quietly.


"Well, that's good. She's clean, then?" he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm too tired to deal with someone ready to turn at any minute."

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

"She's clean, from what I can tell." Lia sighed, leaning back and running a hand through her blonde hair. "You're lucky I wasn't the one who found her with a fever. If it would have been me, I probably would have shot her. Why didn't you?" She asked, looking over at Aidan. Was this guy actually one of the rare people who hadn't lost all of his compassion and kindness with the changing of the world?

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

Aidan hesitated for a few long moments, before shrugging. "I don't know, I just... don't like killing people." he said, frowning. "It's hard for me, sending people off, or shooting them..." he sighed, sitting back a bit and yawning. "I know, considering our circumstances, I really shouldn't be so... kind." he said quietly. "But it must really suck for them..."

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

"No," Lia replied, looking away from him. She gazed off into the distance for a moment, looking at the sky to see if she could spot any stars. "Don't change it." For that moment, she admired him. Kindness was becoming a rarity. "People like me, who have lost a lot of their kindness, need people like you around to keep us in check," she admitted, glancing to the side where her gun was lying on the ground. "I wish I knew how to keep my heart at least a little bit softer. How do you do it?" she asked, slightly embarrassed by her question. She knew she needed to keep herself strong, but needed to hang onto her humanity as well.

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

Aidan shrugged, glancing around for a few moments. "I don't know, I just... I'm trying to keep my sister safe, of course, but we're not the only ones who need protecting, you know? There are other people trying to survive, too. It's why I have a problem with stealing supplies, for example. Yeah, we might need them, but so do those people. It's a shame no one else seems to think that..." he sighed quietly, running a hand through his hair again. His eyes fell to the empty fire pit as he thought about continuing, though didn't, instead turning his gaze to the woods. "Is Jenna alright in there?" he asked.

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Thinking about Aidan's words carefully, Lia came up with a one word answer that seemed to summarize his description best. "Love," the blonde mused, leaning back until her back was flat on the ground. "That's how you keep the kindness in your heart. It's because you still have someone to love, your sister Olivia. I've lost my entire family. I don't know for sure if they're dead or not, but I assume so. I do have Renegade, but... that's different." The love one felt for a person was usually a bit different then one felt toward a pet.


She went quiet for a moment, thinking carefully about her words until Aidan broke their silence to mention Jenna. Lia sat up, a bit alarmed herself. "Well, I can see the light from her flashlight still moving around out there. So she must still be okay unless someone or someTHING took it from her. Should we go check it out?"

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

He thought for a few long moments, before shrugging, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not sure... what's she doing?" he asked, looking over at her. "Going to the bathroom, or something? Is she throwing up?" straightening up, Aidan frowned as he thought. "Was she alright when you were seeing if she was bitten? I don't want to just suddenly... show up while she's doing whatever." he said, pausing for a moment to stifle a yawn and sigh.

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

"She told me she needed to use the bathroom. Why don't you come with me to check on her quickly? Just stay slightly behind me so you can still keep an eye on the camp, and just in case she really is using the bathroom." Lia rolled onto her side and slowly sat up, moving to her feet. "Besides, it will help you wake up a little. If you keep yawning like that, you're going to end up falling asleep on me."

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

"Right..." Aidan nodded, getting to his feet. He stretched, sighing quietly. "I have ways to keep myself awake." he said, placing a hand on his gun for a moment. "I keep an eye on the camp, you lead the way into the woods..." he ran a hand through his hair, shifting his weight a little. "It'll work, I think. I doubt anyone's going to run in while we're gone. It's just a couple minutes, anyways." he said, beginning to walk towards the woods.

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

"Yeah, I doubt anyone will sneak in here with us standing still in view of the camp. And if anyone did try, we not only have guns, but also have Renegade who will probably start barking at them," Lia replied, stretching her arms for a moment before moving to grab her gun she had tossed into the grass. She started walking into the woods--with Aidan behind her--stopping when she reached the entrance. "Wait here," the blonde mumbled to Aidan, slipping just inside the woods until she spotted Jenna. The brunette was on her knees, feeling of the ground.


"What the heck are you doing?" Lia questioned, raising an eyebrow. "You took too long, so Aidan and I had to come looking for you. What's going on?"


"I lost a ring that's very important to me," Jenna replied, continuing to feel of the ground. "I know I dropped it right around here. I can't go back without it. Can you help me look?" she asked, looking at Lia and then at Aidan who was behind her.

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

Aidan frowned, staring at her for a few long moments, before nodding. "Yeah, alright. Let's move quickly, we don't want anyone to see us..." he said, peering over his shoulder for a moment, before crouching beside her, feeling the ground. "Does the ring have a gem in it, or something? Is is shiny?" he asked, frowning slightly as he searched for the ring. "Why's it so important?" he asked after a few moments, with a sigh. "Because, I'm not spending too long away from the camp..." he said with a shrug, glancing around quickly.

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Jenna sighed when Aidan asked for descriptions of the ring. "I don't see why it matters what it looks like. It's so dark out here you probably couldn't see the details of it anyhow, even with a flashlight. It's just a circular ring shape. That's all that you really need to know, right?"


"Wrong," Lia replied, folding her arms. "If you tell us what it looks like and everything about it, we'll know that you weren't making it up. People can pull the silliest of tricks these days. For all I know, you could be having us look for a ring that doesn't exist while you have a group of people camped somewhere nearby waiting to steal from us." Cautious was her middle name. The blonde was going to make sure nobody pulled a fast one on them, even if they seemed to be telling the truth.


Jenna sighed, having no argument to Lia's words. "It's a silver ring with a ruby set in it. It's my mother's birthstone. It used to belong to her, that's why it's important to me. It's literally the only thing I have left from my old life," she admitted. "If the two of you don't want to trust me and help me look for it, I understand. But I'll stay out here and look for it by myself even if I have to."

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

Aidan frowned, looking over at Lia for a moment. "You want to guard the camp while I help her look?" he asked, sitting back on his haunches. "The sooner we find it, the less likely we are to be found. And then, we'll have you guarding the camp anyways..." he said with a shrug. Then, going back on his knees, he continued to feel around for the ring. "I understand the need to find it," he said to Jenna with a nod. "ties with our old lives can be all we have, sometimes. And whoever else we're grouped up with..."

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

"I'm glad you understand," Jenna replied with a sigh. "I only need one person to help me look so if you do want to guard the camp, Lia, that would be fine."


Lia nodded. "Yeah, that works. You two had better just hurry back, all right? Otherwise, I'll come back out here looking for the two of you." The blonde quickly turned to head back to the camp.


Jenna agreed, but said knew deep down that if she didn't find the ring within a few minutes, she would continue to look for it whether she was sick or not. She continued to look with Aidan stopping for a moment when she heard something shuffle in the bushes. "What do you think that was?" she whispered to Aidan, tensing up.

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

Aidan continuing to search for the ring quietly, watching Lia for a moment as she returned to the camp. At the rustling in the bushes, he shifted slightly, reaching for his gun. "Not sure. Could be a number of things..." he whispered back, straightening up a bit as he pulled out his gun. "You keep looking for the ring, okay? I'll check it out..." he said, slowly and silently getting to his feet, his eyes narrowing slightly. He didn't move for a few moments, before aiming at the bushes and taking a few careful steps towards it.

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Jenna tried to loosen her shoulders, but knew she would remain tense and nervous until Aidan found out what had made the noise in the bushes. She tried to turn away and focus on looking for her ring, but part of her focus remained on Aidan at all times. As Aidan approached the bush it shook again, but instead of a corpse or a human thread emerging from the brush, a small squirrel scurried out and ran into his leg. Startled by the sight of Aidan, the little animal scurried up his leg, wanting to get higher up so that he could jump into a tree and escape.

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

He yelped, taking a few steps back as he stared down at the squirrel, quickly putting his gun back. Aidan shook his leg, still staring down at the squirrel. "Damn it-- just a squirrel, no need to worry." he said, moving a bit closer to one of the trees, hoping that the squirrel would rather climb up a tree rather than his leg. When it climbed off his leg, he sighed, returning to his spot beside Jenna. "Could've ended worse. It could have been a corpse, or human... or I could have accidentally shot at it and attracted something... anyways, we'd better keep searching."

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Jenna gasped hearing Aidan's curse, worried that his outburst meant something was attacking them. She was surprised--but relieved--when she shined her flashlight on the male just in time to see the squirrel scurry down his leg and off toward a tree. "That scared me," Jenna admitted, wiping a few beads of sweat off her forehead. "B-But anyhow, yes, let's keep looking," Jenna said, shining her flashlight on the ground to continue looking for her ring. Her eyes widened and heart skipped a beat when something sparkled in the light, and she saw the familiar look of her ring on the grass. She quickly bent down to pick it up--maybe a little too quickly. All the blood rushed to her head and she suddenly grew dizzy from her fever, collapsing on the ground.


Meanwhile, Lia sprung to action upon hearing Aidan's yelp in the forest. She rushed from the camp once more and stopped right in front of Jenna, just as she had collapsed on the ground. She kept a hand on her gun, worried there was danger close by. "What's going on?" she asked Aiden, whispering in case there was something around that could hear them.

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

His eyes widened as Jenna collapsed, inching closer to her. He glanced back at Lia for a moment, frowning. "There was, a, uh... squirrel. Caught me by surprise." Aidan cleared his throat, turning back to Jenna. "As for her, she just... collapsed." he said, reaching over to carefully feel for her pulse. "She's... still alive. So, she didn't just suddenly die. I don't know what happened." he frowned. "Help me carry her back to the camp? I might keep looking for her ring, if only for just a couple more minutes..."

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Lia raised an eyebrow and ran a hand through her blonde hair. "Wow, for a second when I walked up this whole scenario popped in my head about what could have happened. You yelled out and she was on the ground, so for a second I almost thought maybe she attacked you and you knocked her out," she said, stifling a small chuckle. Lia really was a suspicious person. She would have to learn how to control that side of her personality or she would never trust anyone.


"Anyhow, yeah, I'll help you carry her back to camp," Lia said, kneeling down by Jenna. "Get on the other side of her and I'll help you lift her up." She shook her head when Aidan offered to come back and look for the ring afterwards. "There you go again, letting that kind side of yourself shine through. Don't worry about the ring. You're exhausted. Just sit at the camp with Jenna and I'll look for the ring if you really think one of us should keep up a search for it. Otherwise, it can wait until morning." It seemed she would have to help Aidan in these decisions with more people around. Acting on kindness alone was fine sometimes, but not worth pushing himself over the edge if he was already exhausted.

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

He moved to the other side of Jenna, picking her up with Lia. "It can wait 'til morning, then. We'll be able to see better, at least, and the search will be easier. For now, let's just get her to the camp and rest a little..." he said, remaining silent as they approached the camp. She was placed down by the tent, where she was resting before. Aidan then sat down by the empty fire pit again, stifling a yawn. "I miss being able to get a full night of sleep..." he said with a small frown, stretching.

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

After the two had managed to move Jenna back to their campsite, Lia plopped back down on her behind, realizing just how tired she was starting to feel. "Tell me about it," she replied to Aidan, sighing heavily. She rubbed her eyes a few times and stretched her arms, trying to make herself feel more awake. "Maybe if that farm we're going to check out tomorrow is safe, we can finally start resting a little better. But for now, we'll just have to tough it out I guess." She paused, glancing to her backpack. "Also, I have an energy drink I found in one of my raids. I can break that out if you think it would help."