Daylight Savings. [Private 1x1]

[wichita]

Moving up the stairs, he listened intently for any signs of movement from the floor they were heading to. This was easier in a lot of ways for him; when checking a place out to make sure it was safe, he normally didn’t have someone watching his back. This was completely new to him, which felt strange but almost comforting…


He was ripped from that thought when the girl pushed on his back with a force that almost caused him to trip. He regained his balance and turned his head towards her, completely bewildered. “What? What's wrong…”


His voice trailed off for the second time today when he heard the shuffling, followed by the stench that reached his nostrils. He’d certainly been up against the infected a few times before, but the smell never ceased to make him want to puke. It was revolting, putrid…not even regular corpses smelled as bad as those things. Understanding now the sense of urgency in her voice he quickly obeyed and moved with haste up the stairs.


When he reached the top he heard it. That crunch that sounded like someone stepping on glass, and that also came from downstairs, but closer than the infected they spotted…there was either two of them, or the sniper made his way into the building somehow. He found his heart beat racing at the prospect of their situation's fast decline and shut his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself. His heart slowed down a bit and he opened his eyes again, more composed.


Either way they had to get out of their possible line of sight, no matter what was down there. He moved to the left on the wall beside the stairs and gently hooked his fingers around the girl’s elbow, urging her to do the same while his eyes too were locked on the very same hallway.

 

[B_NewDay]

Wanting to scream out of fear, she pushed it away. Letting the calm urgency that enveloped her during her martial arts competitions she opened her eyes again, feeling that the boy was now moving. Breathing as quietly as she could manage, she saw the other figure and felt the boy tense.


Half a second later she felt his hand lock around her elbow, she looked at him, and nodded. Moving towards the wall and falling in place next to him, her next move made her want to run. She reached for the revolver, holding the barrel the other way and offering him the handle. If we was going to be closest to the stairs, he was going to have to press the barrel of the gun into whoever he was shooting. It was no where near as good as a silencer, but it would eliminate a majority of the sound. Waiting anxiously for him to take the gun she grabbed her knife tightly looking around the hallway. Noticing every detail she looked for anything of use to them, but came to the same conclusion she usually did;


nothing.


Her eyes screamed of sadness and fear, but her shoulders and body language spoke of a courage that she did not feel. Hoping that having company would bring her more faith in not only her survival, but his. Looking at him she exhaled slowly and looked down at the gun again and flicked her eyes to meet his. Urging him with a silent voice to take it, and use it, if he needed.


At this point she couldn't worry about trust, and right now, their immediate survival. Later she would worry about the gun. Smelling them made her want to cry, the same way a child might if they saw something in a movie that wasn't recognized immediately. Swallowing the nausea she listened trying to silence the voices in her head that told her to run.

 

[wichita]

His eyes were still locked on the hallway below, when he felt the handle on the gun touching his arm and only took a glance at first. He did a quick double-take at the revolver that the girl was handing him. At first he wanted nothing to do with it, thinking how loud it would be and how much attention it would draw in. Then he met her eyes and slowly understood. Terror was practically etched into her face, which was completely understandable, but that also meant that at that point he needed to keep his composure or they both without a doubt would be dead.


His fingers wrapped around the gun’s handle and he took it from the girl, stuffing it in his jeans pocket. As he was doing that, he heard movement down at the bottom of the stairs. There was a pause, followed by heavy steps that felt like they were moving up towards them. The smell of rotting meat was getting worse, almost to the point where he felt like he was drowning in it, and automatically knew what was coming up towards them.


He grabbed his machete with both hands because his one hand was so sweaty that it would fly out of his hands if he swung it, trying to collect himself. He had to collect himself, and fast, but too many thoughts were swirling in his head of what was going to happen once he acted. Panic was quickly overwhelming again, he shifted in place anxiously…


Whatever was coming up the stairs was close now. He could hear the low, guttural moan. The heavy breathing, the suddenly loud moan it made when it realized that there was fresh meat only a mere few inches away…


And panic had went down the drain, and was replaced with something more primitive. Nate swung the machete around with both hands and it connected, penetrating the infected man's skull. Blood splattered on the wall and on the boy’s face, adding to it when he ripped the blade out of the thing's head. With a final low but hollow and fading moan, the thing had toppled back down the stairs where it came from, it’s white hollow eyes fixated in nothing in particular once it hit the bottom. The act of the infected falling down the stairs resulted in a series of loud thuds, and after a few seconds of silence in which the young man tried to regain himself, the sound of fast movement from downstairs reached his ears. Nate whirled around at the girl, adrenaline taking over and with a tone of extremity he hissed, “Find cover, quick!”

 

[B_NewDay]

Watching the boy take action was like watching a movie in slow motion. So close yet so far away. Of all the things she might be feeling right now, all she could sense was amazement. Granted his movements were choppy, and no where near perfect, but he had completed his task without a moment of hesitation. A feeling of security fell over her, like a soft blanket in a world that had gone so cold. Seeing the blood, immediately she pulled herself out of the haze she was in. Sliding out of her small jacket she was left with a wide strapped tank top, black and plain. Stuffing her jacket into her arm, later she planned on using it to wipe off the blood from the boy's face. Though it wasn't an open wound, any amount of fluid left on people's skin would be absorbed through the pores, meaning if it were left there to long... She let the thought finish itself, and quickly looked up the next set of stairs. Sliding the blade out to a more offensive setting in her hand, this time she grabbed him.


Looking at him, fear was no longer there, replaced by a look of modest courage and perhaps even the slightest sliver of hope. Hoping he would understand, the sound was closer, and now she didn't care. Pulling on his arm, she let her fingers fall gently across his skin and down to her side. Running up the next set of stairs, as she came to the top she slid herself in to the shadow of the inside wall. Listening intently, she heard nothing. Grabbing for the knife she poked her head out, the room was set ablaze by orange, purple, and blood red.


Sunset.





The panic and fear returned, quicker then she expected, and then it left. She realized the boy wasn't with in a close range. His body heat was how she could tell, the air around them was cold and stagnant. Click. She repeated the sound in her head, as if it would make the situation any better. If there were infected they were soon going to be dead, along with her and her new partner. Cussing under her breath, she crouched down in the middle of the staircase. Keeping her back to the wall, her peripheral vision taking over the top floor.


Waiting and hoping that the boy wasn't dead yet, she hoped to see some sign of him. She heard it again.


Click.


He hadn't shot, she knew what a silenced gun sounded like. He was loading and cocking his gun, perhaps changing mags. Not wanting to risk running out for the boy, she leaned even lower. Instinct was kicking in, no more fear. Suddenly all emotions went dead. Her muscles went loose, and her joints like liquid, she could move more comfortably. Her vision cleared, her hearing as well, leaving her to evaluate the situation one more time.


Once she heard the **** of the gun, and if the boy hadn't come up the stairs, she would have enough time to clear the corner and grab the boy.


The man would shoot, hopefully have to reload beings that fact he had a sniper rifle, she could attack him from that low on the ground.


Hoping her above plan wouldn't need to be executed, she realized her entire train of thought had passed over a matter of 15 maybe 20 seconds. Amazed at her own composure, she now waited for the familiar heat of another, not dangerous, human being.

 

[wichita]

It was only a short few seconds before the man stepped through the doorway below. Nate, at the top of the first flight of stairs had moved to the wall on the side, both events happening simultaneously. He felt a twinge of fear but he refused to let it cloud his judgment again. That alone almost cost him his life last time. Slowly he edged his way up the second flight of stairs with his back firmly pressed to the wall, listening for the sound of footsteps below. There was a small pause, followed by a smirk. The man saw the boy’s handiwork, the dead body and the blood splatter on the wall a sign showing he couldn’t have gotten too far.


‘If I can just get to the top and find her, it’ll be okay.’ Nate told himself, slowly sliding his way up the stairs. Unfortunately but expected though, the sniper was quick to make his way up the stairs, like he was on a mission. The man’s eyes met the boy’s, who had nearly made it to the top of the second staircase.


Even though the whole place was shrouded in shadow, he could clearly see a smirk on the middle-aged man’s face. “Finally got you.”


He lifted his gun and aimed it at the boy’s face. Though his heart was going 80 miles an hour, Nate’s mind was too distracted with too many thoughts to be weighed down by distress. He wasn’t sure where the girl had hid, but even if she didn’t come to his aid he would jump to the side the second he saw the man’s finger move. From there, he wasn’t sure what would happen next. Would she take over? Would he shoot him, or run? It did not matter, what mattered was that if he didn’t move, death was a guarantee.

 

[B_NewDay]

Seeing the gun she reacted, faster then her mind could keep up. Pushing off the boys shoulder and using him as a launch pad, she let herself emerge from the shadows. Her eyes ablaze with a borderline psychotic rage she slid the knife out from its perch against her arm. Identifying his right arm as his shooting arm she landed the knife in to the joint between his arm and shoulder. Picking up her left leg she moved to quickly kick the gun out of the mans hand. Landing it, she didn't know how strong the man was, nor how fast his reflexes were.


Turning around for only half a second, she caught the boys glance.


"Run." The first word was spat, almost as if she were angry. The next came out in contrast, with a voice of who she really was. Just a teenage girl who got caught in the middle of a situation that was truly terrible.


"Please."


Turning her attention back to the man she pulled the knife out of his shoulder, and went to bring it down again.


If I die tonight, I will die for a good cause. This kid deserves to live as much as I do.





Letting adrenaline kick in, she felt everything go blurry, and she knew once this situation was over she would pass out.


The only variable in the entire equation was whether or not she would live or die.

 

[wichita]

Watching the events transpire in front of him was frankly shocking. Not only because she knew how to defend herself better than he anticipated, her whole attitude had changed around. And the fact that she went so far so quickly to protect a guy who she didn’t even know the name of…


When she told him to run he snapped out of the trance he was in, but his mind was already set on staying, even if running was what helped him survive for so long. The man was obviously stunned by these events just as he was, and when the girl temporarily took her attention off him, he took the time to pull a knife out of his pocket using his good arm.


Seeing the glistening dagger coming down on the girl in slow motion, Nate couldn‘t stop himself from reacting as if it was happening to him. He jumped over the railing with his machete in one hand, lifted it high and in one fell swoop the man’s arm came cleanly off. The man toppled over to the side and screaming ensued. The boy knew that if he didn’t finish him off quickly they would be in a lot of trouble. Gripping the handle on his weapon he looked for an opening to slit his throat, but the girl kept on with her frenzy of stabbing the man, causing him to only cry out more. He realized that he couldn't get close without possibly hurting her too.


Having no other options available to him, knowing that trying to get the girl to stop would take too much of the precious time that they had, he pulled the revolver out from his pocket and pointed it at the man’s head. He grabbed the girl‘s shoulder with his other hand and yelled in a direct tone, hoping to snap her out of it, “Move!”


He pressed it against the side of the man's head, and praying that it was loaded he pulled the trigger. BAM. The loud noise echoed throughout the building, and more blood had splattered on the walls.

 

[B_NewDay]

Everything was blurry.


The boy had taken over and she was now stumbling over herself leaning farther up the wall. The sound of the gun rang in her ears, almost soothingly. Lying dead before them was a limp and once threatening man. Feeling tears stream down her face she couldn't help but wonder why she was crying. No remorse, or guilt, or anything. Realizing the crying was coming down from her ankle. Swollen, and possibly severely hurt, she thanked the adrenaline that rushed through her veins.


Blood, rot, sweat, and despair hung in the air like a cloud cover on a sad fall day. Trying to bring herself to focus she couldn't, everything was so cloudy and so hazy, like this wasn't real. It was all just a bad dream and she would wake up. Right? Feeling a small wave of hope rise inside of her, she stopped and stood straight.


This was not a dream. It was reality. A reality that granted, they didn't deserve, but were stuck with. Looking at her bloodied clothes, feeling the once lively red liquid drip down her face, the boys primitive reaction, and weighing in her own actions, she now knew why she was crying. Humanity was lost, not in life, but in essence. A year ago she would have been more worried about what clothes to buy for the new school year to start. Now she worried if she'd have enough food to survive for the next week. Shaking her head, the grief consumed her, but she found the will to move.


Rushing down to the body she picked off what she could. A smaller concealed gun by his ankle, the ammo cartridge that went with it, two knifes, a small first aid kid.


She contemplated grabbing the bigger gun, but decided against it knowing that once her injury was fully recognized she wouldn't have the power to carry it. As she ran back up the stairs she realized the boy had not moved during her escapade.


Grabbing his arm tightly, but not forcefully, just gently she gave a weak half smile.


"We got through the first obstacle, now we just have to survive the night." Pulling on him, hoping that he would follow, she realized her fear of being alone. Suddenly the smile dropped from her face, and the personality she had before had returned.


Fear, despair, grime, and anxiety was smeared across the girl's face. Her eyes were now bright but with fear and no more hope resided in them. Feeling his warm skin under her hand was the only thing that gave her the ability to keep calm through out the truly terrible situation.


Killing someone was a necessity in the world they lived in. However it wasn't a comfort in the least. Sighing, she shook her head, tears were streaming again. Leaving clear little rivers of skin among a bloody and dirty complexion.

 

[wichita]

The gunshot rang in his ears, and for a few moments sound itself was drowned out, like time had came to an all-time slow to showcase what had happened. Only a mere foot from him lied a man, alive and kicking moments ago - literally - only to have his brains blasted out all over the place in order to simply shut him up. He was in a state of shock, not wanting to believe what he and that girl had just went through, but now as the ringing in his ears faded, flashes of what had just happened were all coming back like a bad dream on constant replay. All of what happened today, all for survival. A case of two animals fighting, and it was by luck that they had managed to come out on top. Even though they did not express it as openly as the man did, they were just as savage as he was inside. All humans were. And in the state of things, savagery was what kept most people alive.


The man was the first living person that he had killed, and frankly he didn’t feel any better or safer now that he was dead. The knowledge of killing somebody like that doesn‘t just go away, no matter if the person was good or bad, and even if that man was gone he left a piece of himself inside the boy, like an unwanted ghost that was going to haunt him whenever the right opportunity would come up.


With a shaky hand, he slowly brought the top of the gun to his forehead with the barrel pointed up towards the ceiling. He shut his eyes and tried to recollect himself, somehow hoping the cool metal on the gun would soothe him, but his feelings were so mixed and blended together he couldn’t decipher what exactly he was feeling anymore.


A shiver ran up his spine and the gun fell out of his hand onto the floor at his feet, and that very same hand clenched itself into a fist. His eyes stared at nothing in particular until he felt the warm touch of the girl’s hand on his arm. He blinked and looked up at her, almost forgetting that she was there with him and felt that odd, but special feeling of comfort return itself to him through the darkness that was suffocating him. He noticed the tears streaming down her blood-covered face and her eyes screaming how hopeless and scared she felt. Whoever that girl was that saved his life only a minute ago was gone again, hidden behind the wall of everything that blew up in their faces. In a lot of ways he felt sorry for her; all of this was practically thrust upon her with little to no warning, and he could not blame her for the reaction she had.


He bit the inside of his lip and pulled himself to his feet while keeping his expression as straight as he could. He had to suck it up at least for now. They weren’t out of the mud yet if night was approaching like she said, and since they made it this far with the odds tipping in the opposing side‘s favor, night suddenly didn‘t seem as enormous a challenge. They could survive it.


His eyes met with the girl’s, the fire in his eyes previously diminished now slowly returning. “Yeah, right.” He nodded his head, then eyed her from head to foot. “Are you hurt at all?”

 

[B_NewDay]

She shook her head slowly, "My ankle, but I can live with that. I'm scared." Her words were choked with tears and the room started to spin.


Pathetically she grabbed his arm harder attempting to hold herself up. She was light for her size, only 120 maybe 130 pounds, but suddenly she felt like she weighed a ton. Keeping herself up right was a challenge and she felt as if the little amount of food she had eaten was going to be throw up.


Trying to smile through the pain in her ankle, the nausea, and sense of loss, she spoke again.


"Sorry," letting go of his arm, she leaned against the wall instead, "I don't feel good at all, in fact, I think I might pass out. We need to move."


Willing herself to move up the stairs she tried her hardest to keep her steps even, however they fell sloppily across the ground. Her ankle screamed at her, and the tears were making it hard for her to see. Emotions were welling up inside of her and she felt like she might burst.


Taking in shallow breaths she grabbed the handrail and pulled forward, hoping that she wasn't slowing her companion down to much. Realizing she still had no idea what his name was, she found a dark humor in it. He knew more about her then anyone in her entire life had. He saw how savage and animal-like she had become. The sense of nausea returned, realizing she was losing her own humanity. Crying harder she focused on moving up the stairs. Slowly but surely.

 

[wichita]

Watching the girl attempt to make her way up the stairs was like watching a dying animal somehow trying to crawl it's way to safety. He was disgusted at himself for coming up with such an analogy, but that’s what had popped up. She was headstrong, which was a great quality when fighting for survival. However, even after the horrifying battle came to a temporary conclusion she still pushed herself onward despite the mess she now was, which really irked him. He could not handle the fact that if they were somehow attacked later, she wouldn’t have the strength to defend herself. Not because he thought she was weak - quite the opposite obviously - but it was plain as day that she needed to rest. Luckily, he knew the perfect place. He only hoped that it wasn’t barricaded or locked.


He swiped the blood off his machete and sheathed it, then he scooped up the revolver off the floor and stuffed it back into his pocket where it belonged for now. He looked up at the girl and saw her struggling still. With a sigh, he stepped towards her, put one arm underneath her legs and the other one by her shoulders once he swiftly lifted her up and held her bridal style. Granted, he was exhausted and probably didn‘t look too good, but he didn’t look nearly as bad as she did upon closer examination. A slight smirk crossed over his lips, “Okay, let’s finish climbing these stairs then, shall we?”


And he ascended, a bit slower than normal due to the extra weight, but as long as nothing was running up after them then that was fine. He made it to the top and made his way down a long hallway, and at the end was a wooden door shrouded in darkness.

 

[B_NewDay]

Feeling the swift movement of the feet leaving the ground, originally she thought she was falling.


The warm feeling of another human being said otherwise though.


Any other time she would've argued and protested, but she knew she wouldn't be able to walk much farther.


"I'm sorry, this must look terribly pathetic," her tears had stopped and her hair had fallen loose.


It was a dim red in the darkness of the building, but still had an ominous glow to it, showing that she was still alive. Her features were stained with fear, her eyes however, were a contrast. One of a amazement, gratitude, and relief.


Giving a smile, she felt the dizziness return, she shut her eyes quickly and pushed her head towards his chest. The pain was excruciating, but it was no where near enough to bring down the feeling of amazement that she had just discovered.


Thump. Thump. Thump.


A heartbeat, for once not her own. The sound was like music, sweet and enveloping, letting herself fall into a daze over it the next words fell out of her mouth.


"Thank you, for saving me. It makes me happy to know there's someone who cares," she began to get quieter, "I hated being alone, and I missed people."


Feeling her eyes start to shut and her limbs go numb she knew she was on the verge of passing out.


She couldn't tell if she stated the next statement out loud of in her head. However she was to exhausted to really care.


"Please don't leave me."

 

[wichita]

He made his way down the opaque hallway, the only sound besides his echoing footsteps being the sound of the girl’s voice. He listened to her talk rather than respond simply because her voice was soothing in a way that cleared up his tangled thoughts. It made him realize why he was here at this moment, carrying this strange girl whom he still didn‘t even know the name of. When she turned her face towards his chest he felt a tingle run through him, something he hadn’t felt in a long time because he was always alone and it reminded him of the incredibly long time he spent without someone else at his side. The reason for that being because the people that surrounded him in the beginning either died, or had turned against him.


This girl, on the other hand, was a diamond in the rough, who ripped him away from the standard day-to-day loneliness he was experiencing. It gave him hope that there were more people like her left in this world, no matter how far and in between they might be.


When he heard what she said about saving her, a small smile appeared on his lips.


Saved you? Are you kidding? You saved me.


Her final statement cut his thoughts off however, causing his eyes to move away from their target and onto her. By the looks of it, she was on the verge of unconsciousness. Was what she said meant for him? Or for someone else? He didn’t know. Her innocence she showed today reminded him of a small child, but not once for a second did he think she was pathetic. Innocence was something that he could've sworn went extinct in this world.


When he reached the door he slowly put her down off to the side, positioning her with her back against the wall so she wouldn’t fall backwards. Taking a last glance at her face, still unsure if she was conscious or not, he grasped the handle on the door and turned it. It stopped short; locked, but he could tell that the door was very old. No lock-picking tools were required to open it up, thankfully. He just hoped nothing else was blocking it.


Despite his exhaustion, he pulled up as much energy as his body would muster, turned himself sideways and rammed his arm into the door. First attempt: unsuccessful. Second attempt: not much better than the last. Panting now, he inhaled and exhaled deeply, and with a final slam the lock on the door had given way, and caused him to land forward on his hands and knees. The room reflected a deep shade of red due to the sun’s last stages of sunset, making it easier for him to see what the room looked like. It was a large bedroom that looked like it was abandoned years ago, with a thick layer of dust covering everything. It was so bad that if he or the girl were allergic to dust, they would’ve been dead upon stepping into this room.


Getting to his feet he quickly moved over to the bed and brushed away as much dust that layered the covers as he possibly could, then made his way back over to the girl and picked her once again.

 

[B_NewDay]

Seeing everything in bits only caused Ashlyn to feel like she was in a dream.


Feeling the boy put her down she began to panic, but she couldn't do anything about it. Her body was as heavy as stone, and she had seemed to lose her voice. Staring at the back of her eyelids she felt cold, and she could feel her ankle swollen and pulsing. The cut on her cheek was dry and her joints ached with a pain that she had never experienced before. Trying so hard to say something, all that came out was a small sigh.


Feeling the boys arms under her again, she couldn't help but weakly claw her fingers in to the material of his shirt. Feeling alone was the worst thing in the world, and after being in the company of someone now, it was ten times worse. However she knew what was going to happen.


He would set her up in some sort of bed/cot, leave her supplies tucked away in a corner, make sure she was breathing, and then leave.


Tears fell down her face, however her eyes were still closed. Though her tears were warm, the cool wind in the room that was brought on by sunset chilled them quickly. Willing herself to wipe the tears away, she couldn't, and everything went black.


The dream she had was not a dream as much as a memory. Looking up at her father she asked him why her hair was the color of fire. The laugh that emerged from the man was uncharacteristic of him, but he picked her up gently and whispered in her ear;


Ashlyn, fire is a powerful thing. The same way you will one day be a powerful leader, just like I am. Never let anyone tell you you're weak, you're never weak, just tired.





Smiling at the warmth her father's words brought her, he set her down, and then everything went black again. When color re-emerged it was the day the outbreak had hit full force. Screaming at her to get into her room, she darted up the stairs. For the rest of the evening she heard police sirens, screaming, and the sound of her father boarding the house up. Crying she waited for her father to enter her room, and when he did his hands were bare and raw from the lack of experience in physical work. He held her, like she was a small child again, and just talk for a few hours about anything and everything.

 

[wichita]

He moved her over to the bed and slowly laid her down, making sure her head was properly rested on the pillow. He slid her backpack off her shoulders as gently as he could manage and plopped it on the floor beside the bed. As he did that, the sun had finally made it‘s way past the horizon, and the red light that illuminated everything faded out and left him and the girl in complete darkness.


Knowing that it wouldn’t be long before more infected would start walking the streets he made a motion to move towards the door, but stopped himself when out of the corner of his eye he saw her ankle. It didn‘t look normal, and upon closer examination he realized that during the fight she must‘ve somehow sprained it.


That’s one reason why she was struggling so much, he thought, squinting his eyes at it. He promptly went and grabbed her backpack and brought it to the foot of the bed, then scavenged around inside for a first aid kit of some kind. Trying to see through the darkness was hell in itself, so he relied on his sense of touch instead, hoping that she was smart enough to store one for herself. A feeling of success ran through him when he felt the clean plastic and pulled it out, opened the kit and pulled out some bandages.


Before he did anything, he grabbed a pillow from the other side of the bed and slid it underneath her ankle for elevation. As gently as he could manage he took the bandage and wrapped it around her ankle, rolling the bandage in an circular upward motion. When it covered her ankle fully he pulled on the two ends slowly so the wrapping would be snug and knotted it twice at the top. With a sigh his eyes moved up to her face and he noticed her troubled expression. Whether it was from all the sudden movement with her ankle or she was dreaming, he wasn’t sure.

 

[B_NewDay]

(( I'm going to fast-forward time just a little bit, maybe like an hour or so, hope that's alright!))


First thing she felt was the bandage, it was tight and was foreign, she went to lift her head up and realized quickly the feeling of nausea that fell on her.


Exhaling slowly, she tried to look around the room, but everything was dark. Suddenly she realized that she was alone; panic, fear, and anxiety fell over the girl. Quickly, perhaps to quickly, she sat up. Holding herself up on her left forearm, she held down tears. Hoping he hadn't left her to fend for herself.


Now that the situation had ended she could fell the full extent of her injury. It was unpleasant to say the least. Running was out of the question, but she concluded that she was able to walk. Feeling her cheek she realized that her face was sticky with cool sweat. Pulling her tanktop up to her face she wiped off as much grime, blood, sweat, and whatever else had splattered her face through out the day. Grabbing her hair, she felt her wrists for a hair tie, and realized that she must have lost it in the fight a few -- she wanted to say hours ago, but realized that she had no idea what time it was. It had to have been at least a little while, she remembered the room being bright red with the last bits of sunset, and now she could see stars through the window. Looking down at the streets, she instantly regretted it.


They're were quite a few of them, the infected ones, wandering the streets aimlessly and pointlessly. She gagged, and nothing came up but bile. Her stomach was empty. Painfully and unwillingly she swallowed the disgusting acid back down and coughed into her elbow. She felt, and probably looked, like she had been through hell and back. Grabbing her hair in a lazy fistful away from her face, she looked across the room, and she thought she could make out the figure of the boy. Not knowing what to say, she frowned towards the bed.


"Are you okay?"


It was a lame way to start the conversation, but the only question that really seemed important to her as well. Realizing she no longer had her back pack, she pushed herself upright. Fear slowly turned into skepticism. She thanked that it was dark so he couldn't see her expression very well. Trust was hard to build, and she thought she had built it, but the feeling of being vulnerable spread through her without restriction.

 

[wichita]

(No problem :})


Nate was sitting a little ways away from the window, slumped over with his head resting on his knees. It was only a little while ago that exhaustion took hold, his body normally not used to having to deal with so much strain in one day. He was used to his old routine of “get supplies then get the hell out,” but today he had deviated from the norm. His body was covered in a cold sweat even with his jacket off, but not even the temperature could alter his slumber.


In front of the entrance to the room was a wardrobe blocking the door, that only an hour earlier he pushed from the wall to keep the infected out since the lock was now broken. Either way he had thought it was a good safety precaution just in case things got hairy. It was at that point he realized that his face was still covered in the blood of the infected.


At present his face was clean, but was he quick enough to save himself from becoming one of those things?


He didn’t reply to the girl when she spoke, but he flinched at the sound of her voice. After that, the only thing moving was his chest, breathing in and out deeply.

 

[B_NewDay]

She saw the small movement of the boy, but then saw the even movement of his chest. Knowing that he was asleep she simply gave a small smile. She looked outside again; the stars gave the town below a shine that was dangerously beautiful.


However, her mind was elsewhere.


What was next? Where would they go? Would he stay? What was his name? How would they get out of here?


Looking at the boy she knew better then to wake him up, he deserved sleep, much more then she did. He had saved her life, and he didn't even know her name or anything about her really. Without him she would have, without a doubt, died in the fight against the armed man. Granted, she had done her part too.


Remembering the warm feeling of being brought up the stairs by him made her smile, a full smile, like one you would've seen before the outbreak.


Shaking her head no she realized she was getting caught up in the sparks of emotion, she knew better. They were business partners, or close enough to it, and getting any more involved with him then she had would be dangerous. His company was enough to keep her sane, and that's all she needed. Looking at his now clean face, she saw the features of the boy. He was handsome. Not gorgeous by any means, but a modest attractive. He was large for his personality, then again, she was terribly small for hers. Perhaps it was all perspective.


Moving closer to him, she saw some debris in his hair, and as gently as she could removed it. Seeing the gun poking out of his pocket, carefully, she drew it out. Placing it in her pocket, she felt the cool metal and it was a little reassuring to know that the only conscious person in the room had the best weapon. Looking for her knife she saw it laying on the bed, it must have fallen out of it's home in her pocket when he had laid her down. Walking over carefully she grabbed it and placed it between her jeans and front belt loop. As she turned she caught her reflection in the mirror.


Her face was paper white, her hair a mess and intertwined with debris and other materials she couldn't identify, her eyes were much darker then usual, and she looked younger. Wandering over to her bag she grabbed the comb out of the side pocket and began combing her hair to it's natural straight state. Letting it fall along her shoulders and back she grabbed her tank top once again and wiper her face. She smiled to her reflection, showing the face of a teenager who may have just had a rough day. Not battled for her life just a few hours before.


A song popped in to her head, it was popular before everything went to hell. Singing the lyrics quietly, she leaned heavily on her healthy leg, as her ankle screamed if she put to much weight on it. Limping back to the edge of the bed, she faced the door. She pulled the gun out of her pocket and laid it on her thigh, keeping her injured leg up so she could rest her chin on her knee. Moments before she had been exhausted, but it was to dangerous to have both of them sleeping in the middle of the night like this. Granted the wardrobe would've stopped any of the infected, but what did she know about the half-dead creatures?


Listening closely she could hear the moans and strangled sounds that emerged from the rotting beings, and shuddered holding herself tightly. Turning her head back to the door, she sighed heavily. For once she was left to finally think, however she realized there was nothing to think about. Another small wave of despair came over her, humans always had things to think about, always. Perhaps it was just the emotions getting the best of her. Letting her head return to it's perch on her knee, she felt her eye lids go heavy, but she willed herself to stay conscious.


Just enough to protect the boy from any immediate danger, and herself as well.

 

[wichita]

The dreams and events that happened to them earlier were swirling around, like they were attempting to shape form but unsure of how to do it. Flashes of his family, his town, a hospital with a blood-stained floor, a truck bed, the sniper with his rifle aiming it straight at him. Like slow moving pictures that told a story, escalating to something worse as they flipped on by.


He suddenly willed his eyes to snap open while managing to stay completely still where he was. The forced awakening made his vision blurry, and with a firm shut of his eyes sight quickly returned to them. He would be lucky if he was going to get a dreamless sleep at all tonight, but he wanted to give his mind a chance to think about other things before he decided to shut his eyes again. Maybe then he end up dreaming about something nice, for once…


Forehead heavy with sweat, he wiped it away with his forearm and looked up. The wardrobe was still in place, thankfully. He knew it wouldn’t have moved because that thing felt like it weighed two tons when he pushed it, unless something big came along and rammed itself through the door but it was unlikely. He had intended to stand and watch while the girl rested. Unfortunately, that didn’t exactly go to plan. But his plans never usually went to plan anyway.


His eyes moved to the left and he saw the girl across from him sitting in a similar position that he was. He figured her ankle must’ve gotten slightly better if she was able to move across the room. But was she awake? Unsure as to what he wanted to say to her, instead he decided to quietly clear his throat. He resisted the temptation to ask her if she was okay, because in this situation she was probably anything but. It was better to wait and see if she responded at all.

 

[B_NewDay]

Hearing him clear his throat her eyes wandered over him, the words of the song fading from her lips.


"Well hey there sleeping beauty, how're you feeling?" For the first time she was able to have a normal conversation with the boy. Smiling as best she could, she angled her body towards him, but didn't move any closer.


Flicking her glance over to the wardrobe, and then back to the boy she smirked.


"You're smart I'll give you that, but tell me something, how did you manage to move it there? It seems heavier then hell." Trying to keep her voice light, and the conversation laid-back she hoped he wouldn't mistake it as being care-free or even dumb.


She was well aware of the situation they had on there hands, and she was armed to prepare for it. Looking at the knife and gun she lost her smile for half a moment, but it returned quickly.


"Sorry, I was just standing watch."


Moving the gun to her pocket, and the knife to her bag, she looked back up at him. Hoping she wasn't talking to much, her face flushed, though it was so dark she doubted that he could see it.


All of a sudden, with no pressing danger, she found herself stumbling over words and making a bit of a fool out of herself. Coughing again, and moving her ankle to a more comfortable position, she looked out the window as she waited for him to answer. Or maybe he wouldn't. Either way she want content with just knowing he was alive, not infected, and within a reasonable distance. It brought her a sense of security that she hadn't had since her father had left her, to fend or die, for herself.

 

[wichita]

He straightened his neck out and rolled his head around a few times to try and rid the feeling of stiffness from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position. Hearing the girl‘s comment he looked at her, the ghost of what looked like a smile passing over his face. “Couldn't be better, honestly.” He got himself to his feet using the wall and stretched, hoping it would take some of the exhaustion away, but it did very little to help.


His eyes met the girl’s and he realized that she cleaned up quite a bit. She looked nice from what he could see, with her hair straightened and her face relatively clean of dirt. It made him feel conscious of what he looked like himself, considering all he did was wipe his face and throw his jacket off.


At her comment about the wardrobe he found himself biting the inside of his lip, eyed the monstrosity that was the wardrobe and rolled his eyes. “Not without feeling like I was on my way to hell myself.”


With a sigh, he quickly realized that he hadn’t made conversation with a person like this in several months. He was surprised at how well he was doing so far, but as soon as that thought of relief crossed his mind he was stumped for words. His eyes traveled to the window, where he too heard the moans and groans of the many infected below. Their scent reached his nostrils and he quickly turned his head back to the girl, feeling disgusted.


His eyes moved to her ankle. “How is it? I mean obviously you can walk…at least I hope you can walk and didn’t just crawl over there…” At once he mentally kicked himself for being that honest. It was going to take a while before he got used to having another person around, but said person probably wouldn‘t plan on being around much longer if he continued to make a jerk out of himself. He shut his eyes, exhaled and tried again. “Are you feeling okay? After all of that I mean..." He let the sentence trail off, noticing that some color had returned to her face by the looks of it. "You look a lot better now though."

 

[B_NewDay]

"That's good I'm glad to hear it, I was worried." Though she was smiling the smallest hint of concern had touched her eyes. Seeing him stretch and move about made him seem even more lively then before, which only continued to expand her happiness and diminished the feeling of being alone. Grabbing her arms around herself, she tried to look for her jacket, hoping she hadn't dropped it out in the hall. Giving up her pointless search in the dark she heard his next comment and laughed. It was a bit more high pitched then she would have liked, and she tried to keep it as quiet as she could, looking at his past frustration towards the inanimate object.


Seeing his reaction towards the window, she returned her eyes to him. He had every right to be disgusted, they were foul and evil, only here to suck out what little life this planet had left to offer. Granted, humans weren't perfect, but this was a bit extreme for punishment. She didn't believe in God, but found herself always blaming a higher entity of some sort. Shaking her head and returning to her more conversational self, she heard his comment and thought of joking with him, but decided against it when she saw the small amount of frustration plastered across his face.


"I shouldn't be walking, it hurts like hell. But, it was either that or we both are left out in the open." Hearing his revised statement she smiled realizing that he to came to the conclusion that it had been quite a while since he had held a normal conversation. She gave a stab at humor, hoping to relieve him of his stress;


"You think I look good now? Well with a hot shower, my make-up bag, and a few hours I was drop-dead gorgeous." Her personality that she had held before the outbreak had returned, it felt wonderful. Though she knew that statement might have sounded arrogant the innocent chuckle she let out afterwards would have contradicted it. She also realized, even if he thought it was arrogant, she didn't care. For the first time in months, maybe even years, she felt like herself. Happy, confident, and ready to take on whatever life threw at her.

 

[wichita]

He couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face and the smirk that came from his lips. This girl had a fiery air about her that he hadn’t seen earlier. It helped him relax and make conversation seem more natural than awkward. “Oh, that explains why those things come running then.” He said in a light-hearted tone, crossing his arms with his eyebrow raised. He knew what he said was cheesy, but he didn’t care as long as it broke up the seriousness between them. The feeling of comfort increased ten-fold from here on out; if it was just him in this situation, the most he would’ve done would’ve been finding a place on that bed and try to sleep until sun rose, while the demons of his day tried to eat away at him.


With this girl around however, it made it much easier to pull through. He remembered when he didn’t want anyone with him because he didn’t want anything to do with protecting them, nor did he want the emotions tied to that person. In a way he still felt like that, but for right now he knew that neither him nor her planned to leave this room until the sun came up. He would decide what to do later.


What he wanted right now, was to ask her a question that he’d been itching to ask her since she found him. Well, a few questions actually. He decided that he’d ask the easiest first and also the question that irked him the most.


“So then, am I worthy enough to learn of your name?” A teasing type of smile crossed his lips and stayed there, waiting for her to reply.

 

[B_NewDay]

"Ahh, alas you have figured out my secret!" Another laugh escaped her lips. Her cheeks were a light rose color, and her features were now relaxed. Returning his raised eye brow with a cunning smirk, she looked him up and down. "For all you know maybe they were after you." She stopped and made an over-dramatic motion as if she were thinking about it, then spoke again.


"Actually you're right, they were definitely after me." The light jabs she took at the boy made her feel normal. Like she was just hanging out with someone on a Saturday night. Realizing they were joking about the infected she realized that it was much easier then she thought it would be. The feeling, a feeling she couldn't quite name, spread through her body like a warm liquid through her veins.


Looking at him when he asked her name, again she threw some more light-hearted humor out in to the air,


"Well most people refer to be as Queen," she gave a small smirk, "however I'm more commonly known as Ashlyn Lafayette." Bowing her head in a mockery manner of introducing herself she quickly returned her eyes up to the young man.


"So now that you know my name, I think it's only fair that you tell me yours. Usually heroes announce who they are after saving the damsel in distress." Though her tone was joking inside of her she couldn't help but realize how true the statement was. She owed him her life, and granted she did help the situation, it seemed insignificant compared to what he had accomplished over the last few hours. Shaking the feeling away and letting the playful fire return to her lips and eyes she looked up at him, waiting for him to reveal who he really was.

 

[wichita]

His eyes rolled playfully upon hearing her name. “Wow. In the state of things, I’d never thought I’d meet someone this dramatic.” And wasn’t that the truth?


He too was feeling what felt like a warmth that had nothing to do with the temperature, but inside of him in a way that he couldn’t explain. The way he was feeling reminded him of his high school and college years when he would spend the weekends with his friends strutting around town. It reminded him of a lot of things, actually.


When she asked for his name, he couldn’t help but smirk. His turn to shine. “Okay princess, if you’re so curious to know now.” He paused for a moment, his intention being to make it more dramatic once he revealed. “Nathan Filmore...Nate.” He said his name with a strong, confident air in his voice. It would’ve came off arrogant if a genuine smile didn’t crack through his lips.


He stopped crossing his arms and his bright eyes met her gaze. Deciding that he would step up to the plate first, he put his hand out in her general direction. He said with a upbeat chuckle, “I believe a handshake is in order…or am I worth that?”