[1x1] Fight the Dead, Fear the Living

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

"Yeah, you might want to wash off anything I touch just to be safe," Jenna agreed, starting to realize her condition wasn't exactly great. She wasn't sure if she had the flu or some other kind of virus, but whatever it was happened to be hitting her hard.


Lia nodded to Olivia's instructions and went to look in one of the bags for the medical masks. She put the mask on herself and went to pick up the can the younger girl had placed near Jenna. "Good idea; a plastic spoon is just what we needed." She offered the can to Jenna, glancing back at Olivia when she stated her intent to go and change. "Okay, but don't go any farther than that stream. And if you have to move out of sight, make sure you're armed. Maybe even take Renegade with you. I might go change and clean my clothes soon too, but I'm going to help Jenna out for a bit. Be careful, Olivia."

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

She nodded, finding a shirt as well. "I'm only gonna be a second. I learned how to change really quickly over the course of a year. But I'm taking a gun to be safe..." Olivia said, picking up her gun. She moved behind the small bridge, changing into the other set of cleaner clothes quickly. She returned a couple minutes later, picking up a half-empty bottle of soap from the bag. "I'm gonna get to washing my clothes and those spoons. You need anything washed right now?" she asked, glancing back.

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

While Olivia went to get dressed, Lia urged Jenna to eat and began to check her body for any bites or scratches once more.


"What are you doing?" Jenna questioned, trying to move away from the blonde.


"I'm checking your body one more time for scratches or bites. It was dark last night when I checked you before, so there is a chance there could have been something I missed," Lia replied. "Just relax and eat your peaches."


When Olivia returned from changing her clothes, Lia glanced to her, standing up to move away from Jenna. "Actually, it would be helpful if you wanted to wash a few of my things. You don't have to, but I'm sure my things aren't as smelly as your brothers," Lia said with a teasing smile, moving over to her bag to take out a couple of her spare shirts and pants.

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

Olivia nodded, grabbing a few of her brother's clothes. "I'll do a quick wash and put them out to dry. It's pretty sunny this morning, at least, so it should be quick. Washing things in the winter, though, is a totally different story..." she picked up a rag, then taking Lia's things, before making her way to the stream. She sat next to it, getting started on washing a pair of pants, scrubbing out a few stains here and there.


A minute or so later, Aidan began shifting in the tent, before poking his head out. "I think that's all the sleep I'll be getting..." he said with a quiet sigh, climbing out. "Might as well have breakfast and begin packing..."

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

After Olivia moved away from them to go wash some of their clothes, Lia went to pack up a few of her own things. She occasionally glanced in the direction Olivia had gone, worried about her being alone. She didn't want anything bad to happen to her.


When Aidan poked his head out of the tent, Lia greeted him. "Hey, good morning. Yeah, you should grab some breakfast and get packing. Your sister went to wash some clothes but she'll be back in a minute. As for Jenna, she's--"


Cutting Lia off, Jena replied: "I'm not dead."


"I know, but you aren't exactly doing great," Lia added, shaking her head. They needed to leave soon. At least so they could look for some kind of treatment to help Jenna out with.

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

Aidan moved over to one of the bags, searching through it for a few moments before pulling out a can of corn. "Well, I'm glad she's alive. Has her fever gotten any worse?" he asked, opening up the can and sitting back a little. He grabbed a spoon, scooping some of the food into his mouth. "It's possible that the farmhouse has some medicine. If it isn't expired, I mean..." he glanced over at the stream for a few moments, shifting a little in thought.

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

"Her fever does seem to be the same if not a little worse," Lia replied, glancing to Jenna a little worried. She wasn't worried for the young woman, but more for the fact they would have a dangerous threat to deal with if she died. They really needed to keep a close eye on Jenna...


"You know, even expired medicine would be worth a shot if she was really ill. An expiration date isn't actually the exact date a product expires, but the date the store had to stop selling it by. So who knows, some things might still be good," she said with a shrug, continuing to pack her own things. After she had finished with her own items, she turned to Aiden. "Should we start packing up the tent?" she asked, glancing in the direction Olivia went. She was worried, hoping the young girl would be back soon.

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

Aidan nodded, finishing his food and moving inside to grab the sleeping bags. He pulled them out, sitting back a bit. "We'll try whatever medicine we find, but expired is last resort only. Taking expired medicine isn't a very good idea..." he said with a shrug, rolling up the sleeping bags, before beginning to take down the tent. It folded up, and he placed it by the bags. "We'll have to carry that by hand..." he glanced up, spotting Olivia as she returned.


"I dried off our clothes as much as possible, but they're still a little wet..." she said with a shrug, beginning to pack up her things, putting the wet clothes in a separate part of the bag.

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

"Yeah, we shouldn't grab anything expired and expect it to be good. I just think there is a chance it still could be good, so it is a possible option if things look really grim," she replied, moving over to begin helping Aidan take the tent down. When Olivia returned, Lia nodded to her and thanked her for washing the clothes. "Good work, now at least we'll have a few fresh things to wear after they dry. You should start packing your things." Continuing to work on the tent, Lia's thoughts wandered to Jenna again, trying to figure out how she could be of some more help to them.


"Jenna, do you have any belongings you need to carry?" she asked, keeping herself busy.


The brunette shook her head. "No, I don't have anything at all, why?"


"Well I was just thinking that if you washed your hands and wore a mask, you could carry something. We have a lot more things here than I realized and it might be dangerous if we have to leave some of our things behind and make trips back to find them." Plus, there was the chance they could come back and some of their things would be gone, taken by other survivors. "What do you think, Aidan? Can we manage all this ourselves or would it be all right to let Jenna help with some of it?"

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

"Well, we always had to carry everything ourselves, but we could never go very far." Aidan said, sitting back and looking over at Jenna. "Maybe she can carry the tent and clothes? They aren't too heavy, and you can carry the tent in your hands, and the clothes on your back..." he said with a shrug. "I'll carry the food and water, seeing as it's the pretty much the heaviest. Olivia, have you got the tools?"


"Yeah, I can handle that." she said with a nod, sitting back a bit.


"Lia, does spare ammunition and weapons sound okay with you?" he looked over at her.

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Coughing quietly into her arm, Jenna nodded when Aidan suggested she carry some of their clothes and the tent. "I honestly feel pretty weak and helpless right now, so if I can help in some way I wouldn't mind helping at all."


Lia nodded to Jenna and then turned to look at Aidan. "Yeah, that would be fine with me. Hand them over," she said, walking over to Aidan to retrieve the bags. Once she had the bags with her, she sat them down close to her--only for a moment--so she would have free hands to retrieve another mask from from Aidan and Olivia's medical supply bag. Once she had the mask she tossed it to Jenna, who barely managed to catch it. "You might want to put that on," Lia suggested, going to pick up the ammunition bags once more. Once she was sure she had a good hold on her own bag and the extra bags, she glanced between Aidan and Olivia. "It looks like we just about have everything cleared out. Are we just about ready to leave?"

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

Aidan nodded, standing and glancing around. "We haven't left anything but a few empty cans and the fire pit, so I think we're good." he said, pulling the bag over his shoulders, deciding to hold his axe. "You haven't left anything by the stream, right?" he asked Olivia.


"Nope. Everything's cleared out, and people are gonna think we're long gone if they come across this place." she said, glancing around. "I think we're good to go."


"Alright, then. Jenna, which way to the farmhouse?" he asked, looking back at her.

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

"Yep, you heard the man. Just point us in the direction of the farmhouse and we'll be off," Lia chimed in, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth to gain her furry companion's attention. Hearing the sound, Renegade's ears perked up and he walked behind Lia, jumping up slightly to grab one of the straps of her backpack. Scolding him, she shook the backpack away from him. "And let's hope they have some chew toys at that farm house. Then maybe you wouldn't always want to grab things, huh boy?" she asked her dog, keeping a tight hold on her things.


Glancing around at the group, Jenna realized they were looking to her for directions. "Oh right, I almost forgot that I'm the only one who knows the way back. I'll walk ahead, but if someone could stand close behind me I'd appreciate it. I'm not feeling so great, so I might need some backup," she said with a nervous laugh. What would they do if she got too sick to continue taking them to the farm, she wondered. Their only real option would be to return to their old campsite.

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

"I'll be right behind Jenna." Aidan said, adjusting the bag so it was more comfortable. "Everyone stay close, alright? Don't stray too far, and if anyone's feeling tired and need a rest, tell the others. I'm sure we can find somewhere fairly safe to sit for a couple minutes, if it comes to that. Better we take a few extra minutes than someone collapses, right?" he glanced around for a moment. "Okay, we're all good to go? Anyone need anything before we leave? Olivia? No, then." he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Let's get going. How far is the farm, Jenna?"

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

"Right, we wouldn't want someone to collapse," Jenna mumbled, glancing away and biting her lip. With how bad she felt, she really hoped that she wouldn't collapse, but it was possible. She would just have to tell them when she needed rest, like Aidan said, as long as she could catch herself before she got to the point of exhaustion. "Anyhow, the farm really isn't that far from here. It's only about thirty minutes away. It could even be twenty minutes away if we walk fast."


"Great, it will probably take us about thirty minutes then," Lia replied. "We aren't going to go fast. We need to make our way slow. If we go too fast we might end up rushing right into a herd of walking dead. Let's play it safe. Show us the way then, Jenna."


Nodding, Jenna began to walk ahead of them, leading the group away from their campsite. Leaves and grass crunched beneath her feet as she walked, the sound eventually halting when she stepped on something other than the two. Glancing down, she watched as the tail end of a small snake slithered off from under her feet, causing her to let out a little yelp of surprise.

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

Aidan sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Half an hour isn't bad. I was a bit worried it would take longer..." he said quietly, glancing around the campsite for a few moments to make sure they didn't forget anything.


He and Olivia were both quiet as they walked, Aidan's eyes darting around. It was a habit for him, to keep watch for any movement or anything suspicious. Every once in a while, he glanced back at Lia and his sister, as if to make sure they were still close by. When Jenna stepped on something and yelped, he jumped, glancing down quickly.


"What happened? Did you step on something?" he asked, spotting the tail. He sighed, straightening up and adjusting his backpack. "Just a snake... keep moving."

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

"Yes, if it was any longer than a half hour, I never would've found your group as quickly as I did," Jenna admitted, sighing softly. She wasn't the best at surviving alone, and it taken her longer than thirty minutes to fine other people she wasn't sure if she would have lived to the next day or not.


As their group walked along, Lia flinched when Jenna stepped on the snake and let out a cry, surprised at the sound. At first she was afraid Jenna had spotted a corpse up ahead, but quickly realized it was a snake after Aiden spoke up. Raising a finger to her lips, Lia tried to remind Jenna to be quiet. "Hey, don't make any noise. We don't know what's out there and we certainly don't want to attract any of the dead." Almost as if to defy her words, Renegade barked once before growling when he saw the snake.

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

Aidan flinched as Renegade barked, turning around to glare at him. "Get your dog to quiet down, please." he said with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. He adjusted his backpack again, his grip on the axe tightening as he glanced around, keeping an eye out for any dead who may have heard them. He flinched again as Olivia spoke up.


"Can I have a bottle of water?" she asked quietly, taking a few steps forward.


"Yeah, uh, fine... whatever. Take it out yourself, I don't feel like taking off the backpack and stopping. Keep moving, everyone." Aidan said, letting Olivia pull a bottle of water out of the backpack, before continuing to walk. "Lead on, Jenna."

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

When Aidan glared at her dog, Lia protectively pulled him to her side. "Hey, don't glare at him like that. Jenna let out a yelp just a minute ago and you didn't glare at her. Jenna just scared him so he barked. I'll get him under control." Glancing down at Renegade, Lia spoke softly to try and calm him down. "Fetch, boy," the blonde told her pet, pointing to a stick off in the distance. She knew if Renegade had something in his mouth, he would be less likely to bark.


Happily, Renegade rushed off as if to grab the stick, but didn't. Instead of grabbing the stick, Renegade picked up the lower half of an arm that was next to the stick. The arm was covered in dried blood, dirt, and looked as if it had been rotting for a while. Lia rolled her eyes at the sight while Jenna cringed. "I never thought I would see severed limbs lying around as a normal thing," Jenna mumbled, shaking her head. "I'm still not used to seeing them either."

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

Aidan flinched, moving quickly to cover Olivia's eyes, who muttered something under her breath.


"Ugh, god, I'll never get over that..." he said quietly, looking away quickly and sighing. "Let's hope we don't find the owner of that, dead or... undead. Keep moving, I don't want to draw anything to us."


"That ship might've sailed, with how much noise we're making." Olivia said with a frown, taking a long sip of water. "Make sure your dog doesn't bring that any closer, though, 'cause I don't wanna have the scent of rotting flesh in my nose all day long."

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Jenna nodded in agreement. "She's right. I'd really not like to smell that, especially not while I'm already feeling nauseous."


Lia wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, well, you know dogs. They like to get into nasty things sometimes." Rolling her eyes again, Lia wandered over to Renegade, ordering him to drop the arm. Although he whined in protest, Renegade dropped the arm after a moment, continuing to walk along and sniff the ground. Once the arm was out of his grasp, Lia kicked it away--slightly surprised when it fell down into the same ravine she had fallen in the other day. "Watch out," Lia told the others. "That ravine I fell in yesterday when I was running away from Aidan is up ahead. Lets hope no corpses are still around it."


Jenna raised an eyebrow. "Why were you running away from Aidan?"


The blonde sighed. "It's a long story," she mumbled, continuing to head along.

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

Aidan nodded, glancing around for a few moments, before continuing to walk. "Yeah, I advise caution. I doubt we'll be running through here anytime soon, though, so the ravine isn't much of a concern."


"As for running away from my brother, her dog stole one of our cans and he chased after him." Olivia said with a shrug, looking down at Renegade. "She ran and hurt her ankle, I guess. And then we decided to group up." she took another long sip of her water, following her brother as he walked, her eyes scanning the forest.

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

"Yes, something like that," Lia huffed in reply to Olivia. Though that was the story, she didn't really like hearing about it anymore. She didn't really want anyone to blame Renegade for what happened. He was only a dog, after all. "But speaking of my ankle, it is still hurting pretty badly. I might need to prop it up when we arrive at the farm."


"At least your only problem is your ankle," Jenna mumbled, biting her lip. The brunette knew she was sick and wasn't sure if she would die from that sickness or not. At least Lia would live from a sprained ankle.


"Yeah, that may be, but--" Cutting off her own reply, Lia gasped when she felt something grab her backpack as they walked along. Looking over her shoulder she saw a dead corpse tied to a tree, frowning when it pulled her backpack off her shoulders. "Crud," she grumbled, turning to look at the corpse with surprise that she didn't hear it coming. Looking in little harder, she noticed that it had been gagged. "Does anyone have a knife? 'Ol dead eyes over here has my backpack and I need to get it back."

 

[sleeplessCartoonist]

The siblings paused, glancing back at her. Aidan took a few quick steps back when he saw the corpse, though sighed upon realizing that it was tied and gagged. He sighed, looking over at Olivia for a moment, and she nodded, handing Lia a pocket knife.


"It's not really big, but I make sure it's sharpened and stuff." she said with a shrug, eying the dead warily. "So... think someone couldn't bring themselves to kill him? Maybe he's, like, someone's pet, or something."


"Or maybe it was somebody's loved one, and they couldn't bring themselves to kill it, like you said." Aidan said with a frown, staring quietly. While he wasn't really afraid of a tied and gagged corpse, he still felt the need to be cautious around it, even if it probably wasn't strong enough to break free.

 

[Klutzy Ninja Kitty]

Frowning as she looked at the corpse, Jenna turned away. She hated seeing the dead. It reminded her of how bad the world really had become. "It's gruesome though. Maybe you shouldn't look, Olivia."


Lia sighed, reluctantly taking the pocket knife. Though she was getting used to killing the corpses she didn't exactly enjoy doing it. "Yeah, this poor guy could have been the victim of those situations like the two of you said, or maybe someone was robbed and tied up before being left to die afterwards. This is a cruel, cruel world. And honestly, I think Olivia should take a good look. Everyone should be well aware of how bad this world is." Carefully holding onto the knife, Lia made her way over to the corpse and touched the tree it was tied to with one hand while using the knife with her other. She stabbed the undead human in the forehead with the knife, watching it go limp before pulling the knife out.


"Anyhow, it's taken care of now," she said, handing the knife back to Aidan. Once she had done that, she wandered back to the dead corpse and took her backpack back into her hands. "We should move along."