Daylight Savings. [Private 1x1]

[B_NewDay]

Tears stung her face. She never cried, screaming at the top of her lungs the young girl slammed her fists against the marble counter top. Pain ran up her arms, and shortly after they went numb. Sobbing once again the small frame of the girl sunk to the ground, inhaling deeply, as if she had just come back to the surface after being underwater. Looking around, her eyes were dark, almost colorless. Bits of bright red hair had fallen free of the grasp of her hair tie and now lay limply next to her fair complexion. Moving her hand slowly she moved the hair behind her ears. Pressing her cold hands against her face helped clear her mind of the despair and sudden emotional outburst she had just endured.


Most of the time, Ashlyn could keep her temper. However today was an exception. For the first time, in a long time, she felt truly alone. Though she knew her father had left she was always waiting and expecting him to walk through the door. But he never came. Leaving his daughter to fend for herself in a disease ravaged world, where corpses lay next to the street, and the air stunk of death and despair. Inhaling deeply again she closed her eyes tightly and opened them again, this time a little bit of their usually blue color restored, though not much. Standing slowly she could now feel the throbbing in her hand. Hitting the solid marble counter top had caused her skin to split and now her left hand was sticky with the dark red substance that the Diseased ones wanted to badly. It was like a drug to them. Without it they would go mad, running around, attacking anything until eventually they fell dead. Or whatever it was they did.


The Diseased ones were always a curious sight to see, being's the fact that she lived up on a bluff she never had to deal with them, though a couple months ago one had wandered free of the usual main road and wandered around the house. Her father held her tightly as they watched it walk by. It was like watching a skeleton limp around the house, who had been covered hastily in rotted human flesh. Puke greens, dark browns, burning yellows, and deathly violets covered these... things.


Ashlyn suddenly felt light headed and ended the train of thought there, knowing that she was already emotionally distressed and did not need to injure her other hand. Wandering into the living room she found the first aid kid and used a small amount of gauze, and instead of medical tape, she used duct tape. Her supplies had diminished rapidly, even though she rationed herself as sparingly as she could. Down to her last case of water, and only a box left of MRE style packages, she started to panic. Hence, the emotional outburst.


Dying was not something Ashlyn was planning on doing, however she realized, that if she did not leave the house and look for more supplies she would die. Of starvation, illness, or dehydration. Standing up, she closed the first aid kit and wandered upstairs to where the only open window was. Despite the disease, death, visible corpses, burnt cars, and other scraps of humanity, it was a nice day. The sun was out, shining not nicely as one might describe a few years back, but harshly. Letting out a choked laugh Ashlyn felt another warm tear fall down her cheek. She leaned against the window, though she could have drawn the scene with her eyes closed, looking for something new. Anything really. A sign that she wasn't the last person left to live out her last days alone, and sad none the less.


Dying wouldn't be so bad, as long as she could die happy.


Sinking down into an armchair she had brought out of her father's study, she sat down and opened a novel from a box that was sitting next to the window. Skimming through it, her mind was elsewhere. Trying to logically calculate the chances of other people being alive, and not only that, but being near her and willing to help her. The odds only made her feel worse, and so she sighed giving up on the thought itself. Walking over to the closet she pulled her hand back out brandishing a small revolver, she turned the back of the chair to the corner, so she could face all of the openings. Knowing that the revolver would do her little good against the Diseased ones. However, it brought her a sense of serenity. The same way a child might not go to sleep without a security blanket, their favorite toy, or a much needed bed time story.







​

 

[wichita]

It was all the same, the way the day would drag on monotonously until the sun would begin to fall past the horizon, quickly followed up with the cooling air of nightfall. It was the same, everyday. But that’s how life had become for everyone when everything went to hell. It was all so depressing and desolate no matter which way he turned.


It all happened so fast, from waking up on a truckbed riding out of town without the slightest idea of how he got there, to where he was now, in some abandoned two-story with a thick, ugly layer of dust covering everything in sight. The people living in the house looked like they left in a hurry - which wasn’t really that surprising to find - with clothes, cds, and personal belongings scattered around on the living room floor. He left the things where they were when he got there, it didn’t matter to him. Cleaning up the place wouldn’t have altered the feeling of suffocation he felt inside. It reminded him of a tomb, only it's purpose wasn't to keep the dead in. Quite the opposite, actually.


The house was boarded up and blocked in almost every way you could think of except for a window on the second floor, in the room he claimed as his bedroom. Even if just a bit, it relieved the room of some heat, allowing for easier sleeping temperatures, and he figured out that climbing wasn’t in those things line of expertise. In his room he created a make-shift hammock to sleep in and stored his supplies in the closet. The room came equipped with a small, battery-powered radio, but it was dead when he found it. Still, he found himself turning the knob on the electronic from time to time, but unsure of what he was hoping to hear if it did work. The sound of a person's voice, maybe? If it was, the comfort would've only been short-term anyway.


Nathan knew he was alone in the neighborhood he chose to shelter himself in. He scavenged the whole neighborhood for supplies and found the area lacking; it obviously was picked clean by people before him, but that was fine. He picked more useful things off of the dead bodies that littered the streets nearby, some of them the scavengers themselves who ran into a bad bit of luck while hunting. It was a plus in a twisted form.


But his stock on supplies was diminishing quickly, and if he stayed where he was he would have to travel out further and further to hunt. Soon the fact itself became unavoidable: he would have to change his location.


A familiar feeling of dread would eat at him from inside whenever this situation came back around the block to haunt him. This feeling only grew deeper as he stored the remainder of his food supply, a water bottle, a first aid kit, and a few other things into a small knapsack and slung it over his shoulder. He picked up the machete he had found while hiding in a weapon store and slid it into the side pocket of his jeans.


Sighing, as if that would relieve him of some mental pressure, he made his way over to his open window and peered out into the lonely streets for signs of movement. Everything seemed quiet, but it was always that way at first. He made his way downstairs and started mentally prepping himself for the very likely encounters he would have with the infected. They were out there, waiting and growing in numbers each day, constantly threatening the lives of the survivors, as few and far apart as they were.


But Nate wasn’t planning on dying like the rest. Living day in and day out like this proved that his will to live was strong, mostly because if he was to die, he wanted it through natural means, and not by joining the ranks of the infected, who were always about no matter the time of day with their rotting flesh and their empty, heartless eyes that didn't see people for people, but as an entrée. That was Nate's drive and motivation.

 

[B_NewDay]

Ashlyn decided it. Everything was packed. Her food/water in one box and her belongings in a small suitcase. Peering outside it was bright outside still, and she knew that the city was nearby. Her and her father chose to live out in the suburbs away from the rush after she had turned 13. Looking around at all the pictures, meaningless expensive furniture, and her laptop which had died a few weeks before, she couldn't help but feel a pang of homesickness. Shaking her head she pushed the childish feeling aside and ventured out to the garage. Left was her car. A Honda Civic, it had a full tank of gas, and she had three gas cans filled. Her father told her that leaving would be there last resort, and honestly, it had been so long since she'd seen the thing run she was worried that it might not. Shaking her head in disdain she went in to the third bay where a motorcycle sad, covered by a tarp. Quieter, much more agile, and better gas mileage. It was all enough to win her over.


Looking at it though a sudden memory bubbled up behind her eyes and exploded like a nasty, painful, and horrifying firework show. Her father reloaded the shotgun and shot again, and again, and again. The more he shot, the more they showed up. This was during the earlier days of the outbreak when the military was still a shining sliver of hope in the impending doom that would eventually tear humanity to shreds. A group of tanks and soldiers had saved them that day, though the soldier leading their small group made it very clear.


"Those things are attracted to sound. So avoid it if you can. Especially if you're unsure."





Running up stairs Ashlyn despaired wondering how she would manage to get to the city in time, and even if she did how would she survive? Who said that the buildings were still in tact and able to support her weight. Shaking her head, she decided that she would leave at dawn.


---


Waking up at the crack of dawn made her smile. A fierce, almost feral, kind of grin. Grabbing her belongings, which she had managed to fit in to one large hiking backpack and left her house. Only giving it one backwards glance before walking away. The city she knew was not far off, but still she worried that she wouldn't be able to make it by nightfall. At this point though, she didn't have much of a choice.


Within a few hours, she got there. Though her feet hurt, she was soaked in sweat, dehydrated, and irritable, she had done it. Looking around the city was a sad and lonesome sight. The surface showed signs of human but the atmosphere wreaked of dead, hateful, infected creatures. Shaking her head she wandered down the street. A revolver in one hand, a small knife in the other.


+

 

[wichita]

Nate checked over the things he packed in his mind, no need for a physical list. He pulled out a map of the city and laid it out on the table in the kitchen, studying it carefully, making sure that his destination was clear in his mind. Basically his aim was to get to the city, take what he needed, and then fall back to one of the suburbs in the nearby area. Trying to look for a place of shelter in the midst of the hell was suicide, anyone knew that. It was better to stay a safe distance away.


He rolled the map back up, stuffed it in his knapsack and closed his eyes, going over the route one more time in his head. It would take him approximately two hours to get to the city on foot. That is, if everything went to plan. He didn’t have any kind of vehicle, the truck that originally got him to the city ran out of gas, but it was better that way. Too noisy, and it would definitely attract unwanted attention. Infected or not.


“Okay.” Nate walked over to the entrance to the home and put his hands on the end of the dresser, put there to block out intruders. He took a deep breath and with a grunt he pushed the dresser towards the wall, extra careful to not make too much noise. He unlocked the door and stepped out onto the porch area, taking a moment to enjoy the warm breeze brushing against his face.


He gripped the door handle and stared back into the dark hallway of the home that he got to know so well these past few weeks. A bead of sweat ran down the side of his face, and as he wiped it away he shut the door on all the dust and soot. He recalled a photo on the living room wall of a family of four, and it made him think of all the grand memories they must‘ve had growing up here. It made him wonder if they were still alive in all of this.


Leaving this thought up in the air, he walked off the porch and onward, his entire focus on his survival now. Nate felt like prey, being cautious so he wouldn’t set off the hunter. That’s exactly the kind of situation this was, and not just for him, but for everyone that was still alive. This is what his life became, crawling like a worm from the bird...


Two hours and a few swigs of water later, he was getting close to the city. He couldn’t deny the anxiety he felt, but he wasn’t going to allow that to cloud his focus. Just get in, and get out.


Slowly, Nate pulled his machete out of his side pocket and clutched it tightly. He stepped over a fallen light pole that a car had crashed headlong into and caused it to fall, his eyes scanning the area in front of him for any signs of life.

 

[B_NewDay]

Carefully watching her step Ashlyn was aware of everything. The drops of blood, shards of glass, broken bottles, left over paper, and the most revolting of it all; dead skin. In piles that resembled a gelatin, she shivered and looked away. Keeping close to the buildings she realized that where ever she was, was not anymore safe then the next place. Pulling her hair up and re-tying it again, she exhaled deeply. As she went to walk again she dropped her knife. Though the sound wasn't all that loud, she snatched the knife up and crouched behind the small building next to her.


'God damn it all. Just my luck that something like this would happen.'


Holding her breath she counted to ten before releasing it almost silently. She waited for any type of sound. The breeze pushed paper against the street, but that was it. Relaxing only a fraction she stood up and started to move again. However this time quicker and with more conviction. Ashlyn felt exposed and decided that she needed to find a rooftop as soon as possible. Peering around every corner carefully she was waiting for the infected to show up. Maybe she had lucked out and they had all deserted here, realizing there was nothing left. That was a comforting thought, but her senses and fear still remained at a high level.

 

[wichita]

Nate noticed out of the corner of his eye what looked like a store for car parts. He thought about it, considering what would be useful to him in there. Maybe another weapon? He wouldn’t know unless he tried. His eyes darted back and forth once before he moved closer to the store. While moving he noticed lying on the ground in front of him was what resembled a person. It’s face was so deteriorated that he couldn’t tell whether it was a man or woman before. It reeked of rotting flesh, and it looked like the flies were having a feast day on their corpse.


As he stepped over it, out of the corner of his eye he could’ve sworn he saw the corpse’s eyes open. White, hollow, empty-


Nate jumped over the corpse and swung around, machete in hand at the ready, but the corpse’s eyes never opened. It never moved from it’s place in the burning sun, and the longer he stood there the stronger the stench of decay got.


“Calm. Down.” He muttered to himself, surveying his surroundings. He couldn’t afford to lose it here, where they were all over the place. He took a deep breath, sheathed his weapon and continued onward towards the store, his walk much more fast-paced than before, wanting nothing more than to create distance between himself and that thing’s smell.


Upon further examination through the store‘s window, the entrance to the store was locked off, with what looked like a crowbar holding the two doors shut. Damn, won’t be able to get in that way, he thought. He stared inside the abandoned shop and saw that the back door wasn’t blocked.


Nate immediately made a beeline for the back door, looking over his shoulder as he went to ensure no one was following him. He reached the back and turned the handle. The turn stopped short and he realized the door was locked.


He knew that this door could be easily lock-picked, but unfortunately he lost his lock-picking tools in a fight with one of the infected a couple weeks back. Ever since, he’s been on the hunt for new tools, but has been unsuccessful so far. Grabbing the door-handle and gritting his teeth, he slammed himself against the door as quietly as he could a few times, hoping that the door was weakened from the apocalypse, but there was no such luck. He remained as quiet as a mouse after giving the door a good whacking, praying that he didn’t attract any sort of attention. After a minute or so, he sighed and moved away from the door, hoping that he would be more successful elsewhere…


As he exited the small alleyway on the side of the store, something flashed across Nate’s eye. He looked up but didn’t see anything, then glanced down at his chest, only to do a double-take when he saw what looked like a laser sight aimed straight at his heart. His eyes shot up and he noticed a man on the roof, holding what looked, no, he knew was a sniper rifle.


How the guy had gotten into the possession of a gun, why he was aiming at him, it all didn’t matter. Survival did, and Nate immediately dove for the nearest car for cover…

 

[B_NewDay]

Ashlyn heard movement, her heart sank. She began to panic and slowly but surely she regained her breath, chiding herself for being such a child about something as stupid as a flash of movement. Climbing up and over a fence she dropped silently. As she looked down the narrow alley, she saw the familiar figure of a human laying on the roof top. Whether it was infected or not... she wasn't sure. As she slid across the inner wall, staying in the dark, she noticed that they man was holding a gun.


Definitely not infected. However she stiffened and held her breath. She heard another sound, the sound of someone moving. It was like listening to the wind on a stormy day. Leaning across the corner, she stayed in the shadow, and she tried her best to scope out the area around her. Looking over and over again she swore she heard movement, maybe she was -- there.


Looking across from her she saw a guy, maybe a little older then her ducking under the car. As she put the pieces together in her head, it still didn't necessarily make sense. Granted she wouldn't take on a sniper, but what was that man doing on the roof with the gun anyways. Who would find any need to pick off the remaining population... The thoughts whirled around her head, but to no clear answer. Shaking her head, and shaking the thoughts along with it, she grabbed for her revolver which she had tucked neatly between the back of her jeans and the small of her back.


Doing some basic guessing Ashlyn figured that the man on the roof couldn't snipe her, probably because he couldn't see her from the angle she was at. Looking at the boy she looked for any tell-tale signs of an infected person. No rotting smell, no hollowed out eyes, no visible blood or bite marks, she continued the checklist off in her head. Inhaling deeply she whispered, forcefully, but quietly.


"Do not move, do you understand me?" She held the gun out in front of her, not only as a threat but to show him that out of the two of them she had the better chance of surviving the whole sniper ordeal then he did. She waited to see what he would do, if he ran for it, she'd let the sniper shoot him. If he obeyed she would make her way next to him, and after that she didn't really know. She assumed that some sort of idea would come to light, or at least she hoped it would.

 

[wichita]

Nate eyed the woman aiming the gun straight at his face, realizing that he was in quite the predicament. People in the apocalypse…it was an every-man-for-himself scenario. He knew that they were both after the same thing: his supplies. One or the other would gun him down, take what they thought was useful and then leave his body for the infected to feast on. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened to him, but he had to admit there was a much clearer path to getting away the last time. He had to think of a means to escape somehow, he couldn’t stay here and let panic continue to cloud his judgement...


He glanced upward at the sniper, who was clearly aiming at the car he was hiding behind , obviously waiting for signs of Nate’s head to pop up somewhere. His eyes met the woman again and he found himself clenching his fists. ‘C’mon, think!’


A light bulb went off in his head, although it wasn’t something he particularly wanted to do. He slowly slid the machete out of his pocket, his body turned already so she wouldn‘t see. His eyes stayed locked on the woman as he sneakily held the weapon behind his back. If she was going to kill him up close, he could knock the gun out of her hand and slit her throat easily. This would’ve been the first time he’d actually kill someone alive. Anxiety caused his heart to beat faster and he clutched onto his weapon tightly. ‘It’s you or her.’ he thought, his grip on his weapon was so hard that his hand turned red.

 

[B_NewDay]

Ashlyn hit her head against the revolver. Either he hadn't heard her, or he was stupid, possibly both.


She slid the revolver back to the small of her back. She held her hands up making a gesture of innocence. However in the sleeve of her jacket she could feel the cool metal of the knife. Ashlyn began to panic, knowing that even if she had to, she couldn't kill him. He was a survivor. It was a romantic thought, and the feeling of loneliness washed over her, she sighed heavily. Though he hadn't heard her the first time, maybe he would hear her this time.


"Listen to me, I'm not here to hurt you." Her voice cracked at the end, making it sound like she was pleading. Even though she was she would have rather not let him know that she was worried for his well being. It wasn't necessarily that she wanted him to live, she just didn't want to be alone anymore. Looking up at the sniper, he shifted his weight, only causing her heart beat to race harder. It almost hurt, she felt like it was trying to escape her rib cage.


Her light blue eyes were watering, tears? She could not cry. She willed herself not to cry. Of course a mood swing would hit now. At the obviously most convenient time.


"Please, let me help you." She said, her voice now wavering visibly. "I know you don't want to or plan on dying today."

 

[wichita]

Nate was at a loss for both words and thoughts now. Why would she point a gun at him, then change tactics all of a sudden? She was lying, her and that person on the roof were in league with each other. They had to be, she was trying to draw him out. He didn’t loosen the grip on his weapon, but he was losing grip on the situation he was so sure of moments ago.


When he saw the watering in her eyes however, he felt his body relax a little for some reason. It looked genuine…but what if it was all an act? After all he had been through, it was certainly possible. His eyes traveled up to the sniper and saw that he changed his position, trying to see if he could spot anything from the looks of it.


Nate ducked down lower, unable to think properly at this point. She was close enough that if he tried to run she could easily whip out her gun and shoot him in the back. But what if she was an innocent survivor like him, just looking for another person to find comfort in? He cursed under his breath.


“I don’t trust you…” He whispered, but his voice wasn’t as sure as it should’ve been. His eyes moved from the sniper and back to her again, waiting to see what she intended to do.

 

[B_NewDay]

"Well of course you don't trust me! You'd be an idiot if you did." She let out an exasperated sigh. Her once innocent water filled eyes had turned into a pale blue stone stare. She shook her head, as if she had a headache. Looking around she saw the sniper and was looking for a way to get out of the situation. They had two options.


One he could make his way back to the alley and they could run that way.


Two she could fire a shot at the sniper, and they could run in a different direction.


She mumbled to herself out loud and slowly realized that both ideas were terrible, but her only choice.


Suddenly a wave of exhaustion hit her, sweat had matted the hair on the back of her neck to stick, hastily she put it back up again, and locked eyes with the young man in front of her.


"I am going to move next to you, and from there we will figure something out." This was risky in itself, how did she know that he wasn't just trying to rob her. However he seemed so helpless and pathetic, she couldn't just leave him there.


"Do you promise not to kill me? Or hurt me?" Her voice was still strong, though an ounce of childish entered her voice due to the fact that she was asking permission. Focusing on the situation she tried her best not to let her cheeks flush with color in embarrassment.

 

[wichita]

Nate’s eyes narrowed, his own light blue eyes radiating with suspicion. But the way she spoke to him somehow helped him to think more clearly about the situation. If he didn’t do what she said, he would most likely end up getting himself killed by the idiot on the roof. And if she was a regular survivor like him and not with the sniper, then she was at as much risk as he was. He could not understand why she was doing this, but without her help it was a waiting game that they both knew the sniper would win. He bit the inner part of his lip, tensed up, then in a quick motion he sheathed his weapon. But his hand was still on the handle, prepared just in case.


“Try anything, and I will.” He whispered in a firm tone of voice. He would make sure to eye every move she’d make on her way over, just in case. What he would do if she tried to pull something and she was not within his range though, he hadn’t thought that far ahead, but he prayed that the situation wouldn't happen like that...

 

[B_NewDay]

Sliding across the ground quickly and as smoothly as she could manage she quickly bolted in to an upright position. Exhaling slowly she re-evaluated her surroundings. There had to be someway, a way to get out of the situation they were in. Looking back towards the alley she came through, she imagined that was her best bet. Turning her head slowly her eyes had softened, and her tone more conversational now, then it was before.


"Look, this situation sucks. A lot. However, I think we can get out of it." She pointed towards the alley she had just emerged from. "If we can make it there without the sniper seeing us we can climb the fence and bolt towards a different part of the town." Realizing that she had no idea the size, range, or even general geography of the town her solid stare wavered, showing a hint of fear.


"Do you know the town's geography well? Is there somewhere we can go after getting past the fence."


Tapping her hands quietly against her thigh she realized that they weren't going to have all day. Eventually it would get dark, and they would come out to play. Frowning at the thought she looked up at the young man anxiously, hoping he would have a shred of insight. Anything to give her hope in the rather bleak situation.

 

[wichita]

Nate bit his lip, plain as day that he was in deep thought. He decided that for the moment, for the sake of his survival, that he would go along with her. At least she wasn’t holding a knife to his throat. That didn't mean he trusted her though. That would take time.


He tried to remember what he read on the map, knowing that where he was planning on heading to after restocking his supply was in the opposite direction. His concentrating eyes took a gander at the general area around them, alleyway included, having traveled to this city a few times before. He remembered the layout, for the most part.


“I think…there‘s a bunch of office buildings past the fence. Then there’s a gas station a little ways beyond that, but past that, nothing else.” Nate muttered, his voice gaining more confidence as he became more sure of what he was saying. “Though that gas station was picked clean a while back, so we won’t be finding any supplies there. That’s why you’re here, right?”


Nate lifted his head up slightly to steal another look at the sniper and managed to see something thick on the end of his rifle. Before he could properly decipher what it was, the laser passed his eye and in a split second he ducked back down before the sniper blasted his head off. All they heard the “ting!“ sound of the bullet striking the sidewalk, and if the gun made any noise at all it was very miniscule from where they were. His heart beat was noticeably faster as he looked around for signs of infected but as far as he could see, it was still just the three of them.


“Okay, he’s got a silencer on his gun. That’s good for us.” Nate said, glaring at the scrape that the bullet made on the concrete. “Or bad, if he sees us. Then the bastard gets our supplies and we‘re food once those things find our dead bodies." His eyes traveled back to the woman with a strong mixture of uncertainty, suspicion, and a touch of anxiety in his eyes. "He’s got a pretty wide range of sight…how do you know he won't see us?”

 

[B_NewDay]

"Alright, well if we can make it to the office buildings, we can at least regain our thoughts and look for a decent plan out of here. All we need is time," She replied to him, but didn't look at him. Going through each scenario in her head again. Slowly, methodically, her thoughts slowly took shape. The corner of her mouth twitched in to a smile, she did not plan on dying today.


Moving slowly and reaching for the revolver she heard the sound, just as he had. Looking where the bullet had hit, she saw that it was close to the path they were going to take, but she was almost certain it hadn't crossed it. Though the shot made fear run through her veins, she realized that it was also reassuring to know he wasn't a perfect shot. If she had to take a guess, he was probably just a survivor who stumbled across a bunch of weapons. This one was lethal, though no easy to carry. They had speed on their side, he had accuracy.


"Don't worry about him, if he wanted us dead he would've shot us." Looking up she realized that her head was poking just barely above the car's window and she slid farther down. "If he was a trained or decent shot he would have killed me by now." Grimacing at the remark she chided herself violently in her thoughts for being so lazy. Inhaling slowly her words came out firmly but softy.


"Look, this isn't a guarentee, or even a promise. But we can't stay here. We have better chances fighting him off then the infected. And them together...", her voice trailed off and she quickly refocused herself. "I'll go first, if I die, well then you're on your own. But I'm putting most of my faith on the fact that, if he could have shot where I was coming from. I would have been dead already." A quick smile passed over her lips, she slid the gun into her pocket, and slowly moved back towards where she had originally come from.

 

[wichita]

Nate knew what she was saying. They couldn’t stay here, and the situation was sinking the longer they stayed. Even though the woman was going first and he was in no relative danger, he felt the anxiety. His eyes darted back and forth quickly between her and where the guy was pointing the rifle. The gun hadn’t moved it’s position at all, still aimed at the car he took for cover.


His eyes traveled back to the girl, and despite the desperate situation they were both in, he couldn’t help but wonder. ‘She doesn’t look like she’s been through hell in all this, I can tell by her clothes…maybe someone else did the supply-hunting for her? Either way, she’s certainly got the street smarts to carry the job out, but...’


While his mind roamed on with these thoughts, his eyes absent-mindedly moved back up to the man on the roof, out of habit at this point. When he saw the man retreating however, he snapped right out of his thoughts as if someone had whipped him across the face. This meant one of two things: the man was changing his position, or he suddenly decided to call it quits. Nate highly doubted the latter.


And considering that the man was standing on a three-story building, the young man heard the mental timer going off in his head. Time was not on their side; him and the girl had to make it to the fences fast. He poked his head out and said, just loud enough so the woman could hear him, “He’s moved! If there's any time to go it's now!” With that being said, he moved while crouching from one car to the next, in the direction that the woman was going.

 

[B_NewDay]

Moving slowly, she hoped with a firey passion and almost out of necessity, that the boy was watching her back. However at this point she couldn't look back to make sure, it only mattered whether or not she got across safely, and maybe she would worry about his well being as well. As she pondered how she might get out of the situation she heard his voice, looking back to hear him clearly, she realized he was on the move and that the man on the roof had moved. Now realizing what he had said, she crouched with him looking back. She couldn't seem him now, but the more important part was whether or not he could see them. Quickly she ducked in to the alley, "This way!" Her voice was full of panic, but her thoughts ran clear. Shooting the man wasn't an option. For two reasons; one, she was to far away and two, they would attract to much attention. Cursing under her breath, she hoped that the boy was behind her, but she was to occupied to look back.


"We need a ladder, and the 2nd story of a building. Now, do you know where any are?" She slowed down, realizing that he would do much better as a lead being's the fact that he supposedly knew the geography of the town. That and if he was leading her in to a trap she would at least have an opportunity to shoot or attack him first. Sliding the knife out of her sleeve and into her hand she held it flat, concealing it as best she could. Threats at this point weren't going to help any, so it was a fine line between being cautious and flat out threatening.


Feeling around her pockets she realized she had nothing of use, other then her back pack, the knife, and the revolver.


Hand to hand combat was her expertise, however shooting and running were not something she took pride in. Her lungs already began to hurt, and she hoped that they could find somewhere to stop soon. Exhaling and inhaling as slowly as she could, she tried her best to keep her air flow up and the fatigue out of mind.

 

[wichita]

Nate, quickly at her side, had recognized the alleyway almost immediately once he got a good look at it. The red graffiti stretched across the stone walls, the buildings placement, the chain fences at the end of the alleyway…


“This way.” He said, both his tone and eyes radiating a certainty that he hadn’t expressed until this point. He poked his head out of the alleyway and looked up to see if he could spot a rifle poking out of one of the windows. He didn‘t see anything, but that didn‘t mean that he wasn‘t there. “I don’t know where he is, but this is the quickest way of getting us where we need to go. He isn’t a good shot, like you said, so we’re going to rely on that. Whatever you do, don’t stop to look back, no matter what you hear or see.”


He wanted to let her go first, but then she would’ve had no idea where they were going. Being completely honest with himself though, he knew that if she was gunned down, he wouldn’t have even taken the time to look back at her. Nope, he would’ve kept on going. But he expected the exact same from her if he ended up getting shot in the next ten seconds. This was all about survival, as much as he didn’t like the idea of leaving behind the only non-infected person that hadn’t tried to kill him in quite a while.


“Okay, go!” The young man immediately took off in a fast sprint down the alley, followed by a sharp left turn that lead into another intersecting alley, in between two buildings. He didn’t hear any sudden gasps or bodies dropping, so that gave him some slight reassurance that she was still right behind him.


In front of him was an oncoming wire fence with a hole at the bottom of it, obviously cut out by another survivor who was also hoping to make a quicker getaway. He hastily army-crawled underneath it and his eyes snapped up while still on the ground at the two-story building he intended as their destination ahead. Relief ran through him like a live wire when he saw a window wide open on the first floor. Normally he would’ve been worried about the infected making their form of a twisted home inside, but at the moment, the reckless sniper had beat out the infected on the predatory chain.


To get inside he would need to give the girl a boost first, since the window was too high for him to reach himself. He raced over to the window and brought his hands together so he could give her a foot-lift. There was a chance that she would simply leave him for dead, but after all they did to help each other out of this hairy situation, he had to believe that she wasn't a backstabber. If she was, he would make it a plan to come back as one of the infected and kill her himself.


“Sorry it’s not a ladder.” He looked mentally worn out with the dirty sweat running down the sides of his face, but for a split moment a visible smile crossed his lips.

 

[B_NewDay]

She had to trust him, she hesitated for only half a second, and sprinted after him. She stayed as close as she could however his strides were longer and he was obviously in much better shape then she way. Dodging and darting her way she tried her best to ignore any sounds that might have come up during their campaign to find shelter. Stealing only one backward glance she saw nothing, exhaling heavily she pushed herself harder and faster. Buildings, and more buildings, alley ways, streets, broken glass, asphalt, weeds, everything that was in her sight melted into one blur of an image. Her original goal was that she might be able to remember some of the terrain.


Well apparently running for her life was more important at this point.


As she went under the fence she caught her left cheek on one of the loose pieces of wire that made the fence. Cursing under her breath, she ran towards the man. She heard his comment and let a soft chuckle escape her mouth, "Well no it's not, but hey it's better then nothing right." Feeling the warm red liquid run down her face her heart beat raced. Who knows how many of those things were out there and how well their sense of smell was. Giving him one last nervous look about her cheek she stepped back and pushed her right foot down on his hands and launched herself into the window. As she did immediately she reached for her revolver, holding it in one hand. Pausing she listened for any sound, however it was still daylight and a majority of the building was still visible with the sunlight. Looking out the window she reached her hands down,


"There's nothing in here right now, but if I get bitten by one of the infected I will personally come back and bite you myself," she left a smirk touch the corner of her lips, and waited for him to reach up. Trust was never something Ashlyn was a fan of. However at this point she didn't have much of a choice, and he had plenty of opportunities to kill her and he hadn't taken a single one. Hearing a sound that was distant, she frowned, moving her left hand in a motion that spoke one simple word.


​Hurry.

 

[wichita]

He heard the sound too. It sounded like it was further down the alleyway, which was quite the distance from them. But if it happened to be one of the infected, those things were the definition of closing the distance. Looking at the girl’s cheek, he frowned, knowing that they were going to have to clean her wound up and soon, because some of those things had a better sense of smell than the others. Maybe the longer they were infected, the more animalistic they became? He wasn’t sure how it worked, and the longer he stayed on the ground vulnerable, the more he was itching to get the hell out of the alleyway. He grabbed her hands and used his feet to scale up the wall, while stealing a nervous glance or two at both sides of the alleyway. No laser sights or infected people running at him? Good.


He put his left foot in first, ducked his head under the window and swung his other leg around onto the grimy floor. He was tempted to shut the window at first, but if they were not alone in here they’d need it as their possible escape. Closing it would potentially be the death of them if they couldn’t get out in time.


Nate didn’t hear any signs of movement inside the building, but he still his body tense up all the same. He wiped the sweat on his forehead away with his arm, the thought of it being too quiet prodding him like a jackhammer on concrete. That’s when those things liked to attack most. He exchanged a look with the girl, his eyes plainly telling her that they needed to search around before making a shelter out of this place. He noticed how tired she looked however, and he decided that he would leave it up to her whether or not she wanted to look around. He didn’t exactly pity her; considering the circumstances it wasn’t anomalous to be out of breath and tired out, no matter how long a person was out in these streets.


He slid his knapsack off his shoulders, placed it on the floor and rummaged around for his first aid kid. When he felt the cool plastic meet his finger tips he pulled it out and slid it across the floor, straight to her feet. “Here. Clean up that cut while I take a look around.” He said with a half-hearted smile. He was concerned, not because she cut her face exactly, moreso about what or whom she was potentially drawing in with her blood. She needed to put a stop on that before he'd let her leave the room.

 

[B_NewDay]

As the boy got through the window, she saw his thoughts about the window. Exhaling gratefully that he had left the window open she saw that he was just as nervous as she was. Seeing him reach in his knapsack she touched her face, feeling the once warm liquid. Sticky and cold she pulled her hand away and when she came back to reality saw the small plastic box.


"Will do. Thank you, by the way." Returning his half smile with a smirk, she reached through and went through the items. She found the disinfectent wipes and cleaned out her wounds meticulously, not wanting to risk any sort of infection. Her eyes watered, it wasn't that it necessarily hurt, but it wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world either. Reaching down to grab the bandage that would cover her wound she heard the sound, it was in the next room or whatever it was that lay behind the wall to her left. Slapping the bandage on tightly, she closed the kit quietly and grabbed for her gun.


In one fluid moment she had gone from crouching over the first aid kit, to standing with her feet spread apart and the gun raised. Feeling the knife in her sleeve bounce around loosely she tried to keep her body still, not wanting to risk another cut.


Looking over towards the door way she could just make out the shape of the boy. Hoping he had heard it to she moved closer to him. Though it wasn't her job to protect him, two was always better then one when trying to survive in this world.


Listening again, she heard nothing... yet. Looking out the window, she saw no signs of the sniper either. Though at this point she had two things on her side.


One, he wasn't that great of a shot.


Two, snipers are heavy and aren't easy to shoot if they're not mounted.


She realized suddenly that she had no idea what type of weapons the boy had on him, and hoping he had at least a knife of some sort she focused on the window.


Her gun would be put to better use against the sniper, even though risking causing that much noise was a dangerous bet.


Steadying her hand as best she could she waited for either a sign that they were in danger or a suggestion from the boy.

 

[wichita]

He heard the noise in the next room also and slowly he pulled out his machete from his knapsack’s long pocket, wondering why the sniper was going this far to end them. If it was him, and not just another one of the infected.


He realized that he was holding his breath while listening and exhaled, tightening his grip on the weapon’s hilt. His turned his head, his eyes slowly meeting with the girl’s and said quietly, “Okay. If we’re going to escape, use that gun only if absolutely necessary. Because once it goes off, there‘s a strong chance that one of those things will hear it, and before you know it they‘ll all be at the doorstep. If it’s that guy, he’s got the advantage of silence even with his gun…so we need to take it a step further. This place is dark, we need to use it’s shadows to our advantage.”


He turned around and moved - being very cautious of his footsteps being too loud - towards the door on the other side of the room. With a sweaty palm he gripped the doorknob and slowly moved it to the right, flinching every time the doorknob creaked. It felt like hours before the door was finally open to the point where he and the girl could squeeze through. From there, his eyes quickly moved left then right, trying to see through the darkness in the hallway he was now in. He listened intently for any kind of noise that would tell him they were not alone in the building, but so far he didn’t hear anything. He crouched there for a good thirty seconds just to be sure.


Slowly, Nate inhaled and exhaled hoping to achieve some form of momentary relief. “Okay, let's try and check out the second floor. There should be more cover up there too."

 

[B_NewDay]

Watching the boy's movements and absorbing his words she closed the gap between them carefully but quickly.


Not wanting to risk conversation she simply gave him nods of approval and understanding. Sliding the gun in to the front of her jeans she grabbed for the knife and held it tightly. Remembering all of her martial arts lessons she slowly but surely pushed away the feelings of anxiety.


You should always be expecting a hit. It's just a matter of when, and how you deal with it.





This was something her instructor repeated, and it got annoying at one point, but now she thanked him. It was true there were multiple scenarios that could happen, all of them needing to end in her and her partner coming out alive. The chances weren't wonderful, however, they weren't impossible either. Watching him at the door she stood flat against the wall, so she could still watch the window. Her nerves had turned into adrenaline, making her heart race.


As he stated their next move she nodded quietly. Looking at the hall way, though she knew he had already looked over it, she scoured it again. Nothing.


Letting her heart beat a little slower she looked at the boy and leaned down close so she could whisper in his ears.


"I'll watch the back, so if there's stairs I'll need you to lean on so I can find my way up without falling backwards. The infected are easy to spot, so I'm not worried about them, but the guy with the gun, who knows how quiet he can be." Lifting her self back up she waited for him to move so she could fall in step behind him, back to back.

 

[wichita]

Nate shut his eyes and nodded, fully understanding what she was saying. “If we hear him, we find a place to hide ourselves and wait until he comes to us. With what we have, we can‘t just attack him outright.” Oh, he was almost positive that the sniper would come for them. Scavengers like him, they refused to give up until they were forcibly rolled into their long, overdue six-foot plot in the ground.


He found that where they were currently however, left them open for any sort of attack because it was a hallway, with plenty of doors where he could just pop out of. Hence why he knew moving upstairs was a better idea.


He moved swiftly to a door on the right side of the hall across from them and opened it as quietly as he could, taking less time to open the door than before. His eyes met with the dusty, long and forgotten stairway, the once lovely maroon carpet lining the stairs showing that it hadn’t been walked on in months. Years maybe. He felt a tinge of depression knowing that this place was once bustling with people, but now it was just another part of the wasteland. Realizing that he was wasting precious moments that they could’ve been on the move, he stepped towards the stairs and turned his head, looking at the girl through his peripheral vision. “Okay, back to back.”

 

[B_NewDay]

"Good point." Everything else she responded to with simple nods. As she began to move up stairs the body heat the radiated off of him was comforting in the cool and somewhat scary room. Looking at the hallways she looked for even the slightest change in light, a door moving, or a thing moving for that matter.


Looking down she couldn't help but want to keep her eyes there not wanting to fall. The knife was starting to get slick in her hands due to the build up of nervous sweat that had begun to emerge. Switching the knife carefully she wiped off her left hand. Returning the weapon to her comfortable hand she realized that it had been... well she didn't know how long since she had written something. Her father always made fun of her for being left handed, he said as long as he could remember all of their family was predominantly right handed. Looking down she felt a longing for her father that was shortly snuffed out by a feeling of abandonment and rage.


Casting her eyes to her surroundings she focused her anger into dissecting the room with her eyes. After the third time the anger left and she turned to ask how far they were up the stairs but she saw it.


Movement down at the end of the hallway. Slow, sloppy... dead. She held her breath and started pushing on the boy heavily, urging him to move faster.


"We need to go. Now." Feeling the urgency crash down on her like a wave she grabbed the knife tightly. Though the body was moving it was simply shuffling about the same patch of carpet, the smell came shortly after though. Death, rot, and decay made her head spin, and it took all of her will power to not gag. Finally she exhaled, and kept her eyes locked on the moving figure.