Realistic or Modern 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 — at the end of the world

[Namazu]

THE PRISON
By the front gates, in an idling truck...​

Weston remained silent as Dutchess, Wesley, and Connor piled into the vehicle with him. He gave the trio barely a look as they took their seats, eyes checking his mirrors and watching other vehicles as they were loaded with enforcers. His right leg was bouncing from nerves - subtle, but Dutchess certainly would have noticed it, sitting next to him. The look on his face was deadly serious, brows furrowed.

“Two minutes till go time. Last call. Where the fuck is Gunderson?” Weston spoke into his radio before setting the radio into the truck’s cup holder in the center console. He reached up to readjust the rearview mirror so that he could look at Connor and Wesley, taking a deep breath before he spoke.

“Thanks for coming.” Weston cleared his throat, shifting the vehicle out of park. He kept his foot on the break so they wouldn’t go anywhere, but he was clearly ready to take off any second.

“Just so you know what we’re looking at here, before I let the others know-” he picked the radio back up, gesturing with it. “Cabrera radioed me a few minutes ago. The high school is surrounded by a horde, and they’re trapped. All the kids are there. It doesn’t sound good.” He pointedly looked at Connor through the rearview mirror for a moment before lowering his eyes to the steering wheel in front of himself.

“I had asked King if we could take the helicopter, but he said no.” He let that news hang in the air with a moment of heavy silence.

“So, we’re flooring it there and hoping we get there fast enough. First priority is to get people out, safe and alive. If we lose the building itself, fine. We just gotta get the people. But I want you all to prepare yourself for the real possibility we won’t save all of them.” Or any of them went unsaid, but it was also a very real possibility.

Weston turned in his seat, now looking directly at Connor.

“Do what you need to do, but if you can save any of the other kids in addition to Tanner, I’d be grateful. That’s why I wanted you to come with us. You give a shit.” Weson leaned aside and pulled a handgun that was tucked away in a storage compartment in the door. It wasn’t his, just something he grabbed out of the armory. He offered the handgun to Connor.

“Try not to shoot any of us.” Weston waited until Connor took the handgun, then straightened himself out in his seat again, staring forward out the front windshield.

“King said Gunderson is in charge of this operation, not me. Orders are, if Gunderson doesn’t come back, it’s my head. So we’re all keeping eyes on Gunderson too. No heroics allowed from him. Keep him in place, and if he gets frisky, throw him back into the vehicle so he doesn’t do something stupid. Got it?”

Weston didn’t wait for assent. He clearly didn’t want to fucking talk about it. Any of it. Instead, he raised the radio to his mouth and held down the button, ready to fill in all the other vehicles.

“Roll out in under a minute. We’re headed to the high school. They have a horde problem, and we’re going to come show them a good ol’ Samaritan helping hand. Priority is having survivors, not heroes.”

Weston took his thumb off the button and tossed the radio back into the console’s cup holder, glancing out the side mirror again. Where the fuck was Gunderson?

Togy NanLia Safton Aegis Bullyboy Squad BeyondDandy Miaow ​

 

[Togy]

The Prison
Jamie's Bedroom​

"Gunderson! Gunderson, get up!"

Hard and repetetive knocks on wood gradually dragged Jamie out of sleep, and with a groan he found the energy to lift his head to stare blearily at his still shut door. He had a lot to say about his sudden promotion, but at least he was afforded some basic luxuries. An actual room, for one, rather than an open air cell. and knocking was new, too. Before they just grabbed him by the legs and dragged him until he'd wake up.

"What d'ya want?" Jamie called across the room, yawning as he began pulling himself out of bed.

"There's a situation at Northview and King wants you to handle it," the guard called through the door, voice muffled, "Open up and c'mon!"

Jamie's sleep addled brain took a few moments to process that information. "Wait, me?"

"Yes! Get your ass in gear!"

Fully awake now, Jamie threw himself out of bed and began throwing on whatever clothes were nearest to him, managing to be fully dressed in little more than twenty seconds. He hurried out of his room a second later and began to be ushered forward by the guard.

"King wanted you to assemble a team, there's a horde swarming Northview," the guard explained.

A team? What team? He knew maybe six enforcers in the prison by name, and he wouldn't trust any of them with a gun, let alone his life. The only people he actually knew were the farmers and mechanics of the prison, and they wouldn't be any help at all in a fight. He only knew four people off the top of his head who he would actually trust to have his back, and Eugene and Huey were still injured and Jax and Packer were dead.

"Alright, well, tell King to give me a couple minutes to start up the helicopter and we can be off," he decided on saying, because that seemed like the most immediately reasonable action.

"Can't, King doesn't want you using the chopper.

Why? That's literally the only thing I'm good for, was what he wanted to say but didn't want to come off as more incompetent than he already was.

"Okay, what about Weston?" Jamie decided on asking, because piggybacking off someone else and letting them do all the work was pretty much his only play at this point, "Is he staying or coming with?"

"Coming with you," the guard confirmed, pushing open the doors leading out to the yard and gesturing to Weston sitting in a truck near the gates, engine idling.

And it seemed he'd saved Jamie the trouble and already assembled a team for him. Thank god for that, he wouldn't have known where to start. Taking a deep breath, he calmed his nerves as he rushed over to the vehicles. He wasn't a complete dumbass(Prior evidence not withstanding). If he was supposed to be taking the lead on this, than he could come up with a decent plan. Or fuck up and get himself killed. That was always a possibility.

"I'm here!" Jamie called to the line of vehicles as he clambered onto the truckbed of Weston's vehicle, "Let's move!"

NanLia Namazu Safton Aegis Bullyboy Squad Miaow BeyondDandy ​

 

[Miaow]

SCENE ONE
Northview High
​

Haewon swallowed, adjusting her grip on her knife as her hands became clammy. This was her worst nightmare. Hadn't she taught Minnie better? She had a sick feeling in her stomach. The idea of Minnie wandering felt... off to her. Maybe they'd simply let their guards down at Northview. She'd never wandered before, but it was relatively safe to do so within the walls of the school. Haewon had gotten lax in her "parenting," and Minnie had broken their unspoken rule.

Her eyes followed Xander as he remained just a few steps ahead, momentarily checking to make sure she hadn't strayed too far. Panicking was the worst thing she could do at that moment... but it was all she wanted to do. She wanted to scream at Xander, at anyone who passed them. Drop what you're doing right now and look for Minyoung.

She stopped in her tracks as Xander raised his hand, almost tripping over him as her mind was entirely preoccupied with her sister. She listened closely, her eyes narrowing at the familiar moans of the undead. She prepared herself for a scrap, lifting her knife. As he gave his command, she nodded, uncharacteristic of her. Xander was just another teacher with power over her, and she'd never listened to those before... but he knew this school like the back of his hand, he'd patrolled it every day for months. He was probably one of the most useful people to be with at that moment.

She pressed her back against the wall as he peered around the corner, her eyes widening as she shot out of sight, yelling at her to stay put. She ran to the edge of the wall, watching the fight unfold from a safe distance as she fidgeted with her knife. She looked further down the route they were meant to be taking. This horde was wasting their time. Why the hell should she save Kurt of all people? They had to focus... but as more infected breached the walls, she snapped. Xander and Kurt would be easily overwhelmed by the numbers and if she didn't have Xander... then she had no one.

She surged ahead, slamming her arm into the chest of the nearest infected as it approached Xander, driving her knife into its forehead. She'd followed Xander's orders once that day already, he couldn't expect much more than that.

Safton Aegis Bullyboy Squad Crono
​

 

[Bullyboy Squad]

NORTHVIEW​

Blood oozed down his leg, head spinning. Cabrera bit back a howl of pain when getting up to his feet. The undead around him were getting shredded when the familiar face of the medic popped up close.

"Doc-" His jagged voice scarred by urgency. The car. They had to- The growl of the engine split through the rumble of gunshots and the vehicle jolted off place. Cabrera's eyes went big as he watched it crash sideways into the gate. And the kid inside- The kid.

"Fuck." He wheeled around. "Cover me!" He hollered to the remaining enforcers and looked at MacKenzie. "Go! Get the kid! I'll cover you!" He did. Cabrera couldn't run but he unslung his rifle and began clearing the space beside the vehicle with trained shots. Downing the biters that tried to reach for the boy and for the medic.

He kept his head on a swivel, standing pretty much in the middle of the field like a bloody beacon for the hungry monsters. Once McKenzie had Tanner in his arms they began to fall back into the safer area by the building. The undead flood was temporarily blocked by the truck in the gate. Sure they started crawling over the hood and bed but it slowed them down considerably.

It looked like the community had a chance. But the Samaritan leader was unaware of the damaged fencing at the back of the compound…

"Finish them off! Save your bullets!" Cabrera ordered his men and pressed his bloody palm to the wall of the building to support himself and pull some weight off his injured thigh. "Doc, you take him inside. Make sure he's secure." He rolled to his back against the wall, kevlar-covered chest heaving. "I got this." He gritted out and hurried to wrap a makeshift tourniquet around the entry and exit wound. He didn't have time to waste.

MokaChan Togy Safton

BeyondDandy NanLia Miaow @SlaughterMelon Crono Aegis ​

 

[NanLia]

Lincoln
​

Dutchess waited in the passenger seat for … something, she assumed other passengers. She felt her back tighten as stiff as a board as the first person to get into the cab with them was Wesley. Of course he was coming - the rest of his force was already climbing into other vehicles around them, fully armed. She wasn't certain why it bothered her he was here, that he was going or that he was in the same vehicle as her.

A second man climbed into the cab, it took a moment before she recognized him as the fighter from weeks ago that had killed North in the ring. He didn't look like the same man but she couldn't forget his face. North wasn't someone she would miss but he'd been someone she could trust and had spent months in hiding with and the man now seated behind her had killed him ruthlessly in a public display.

She was reaching for the handle as a third person joined them, leaping into the bed of the truck. The doors locked as Wes started forward leading the convoy at speed and eliminating the possibility to defy orders and stay behind. Dutchess felt a knot form in the pit of her stomach, this wasn't going to go well.

The school was never quiet, not while she and North had occupied the halls, she doubted very much that the addition of Cabrera and his men made it any quieter. What the fuck am I supposed to be doing? I'm not a fighter. I'm not a soldier …

As they traveled she caught clips of radio chatter that could only be from the school. People screaming orders over the noise of the dead surrounding them …

Safton Namazu Aegis Togy ​

 

[Aegis]

Lincoln
On The Move...​

Connor watched with an outward passiveness that would've caught anyone off-guard given what was at stake for him in this situation, but inside a hurricane of emotions swirled and rained tension and anxiety on his nerves as his fingers pulled into repeated curls in an unconscious attempt to vent stress. The rotten remains of the world had been very unkind recently-- more than usual, and it seemed that today would be no break from this quickly solidifying normal The Soldier found himself in. Throughout Weston's explanation, Connor's neck bulged as he sucked down more saliva to try and wet his ever-drying throat. The Biker was reading him an obituary from the future; Connor knew that what Weston was insinuating was the more realistic of all possibilities. Yet, he had elected to bring him along anyway. Focused determination was enough sometimes enough to turn the impossible possible, or maybe he just thought he was doing Connor a favor-- which, he was.

Averting his eyes from Weston's for a moment, Connor drug steady words from some unknown, calm place deep inside, "Okay. We're gonna have to get there as quick as possible if we're gonna try and save anybody. I appreciate you bringing me along. If anything happened to Tanner, then..."

The Soldier's face faded into a color more akin to the dead as if his very life was tethered to the well-being of the kid for better or worse. Of course, he had Chloe, but Tanner was something else entirely. He was... his son-- more or less. It was obvious to the others what he was thinking.

Weston forked over a weapon he could use to defend himself with, but it struck him immediately upon seeing it that it was no mere weapon. By chance, he had happened to grab the very pistol that Connor had confiscated from him when he first arrived at the prison; if this wasn't the hand of destiny at work then he didn't know what to say. Connor had to go to the school. Of that much, he was certain.

The Soldier then turned his attention to the two other faces in the cab before sparing a glance to the extra person that hopped into the back. He hadn't seen it much before, but the fully mobilized might of the Samaritans was something to be reckoned with. They weren't even using the helicopter. Truly, they had the means to rule the wastes, and they used every opportunity to exercise that force for all to see.

Yet, he couldn't find any comfort in the display. Connor had first-hand experience in watching a large, armed force be engulfed in a sea of cold, decaying flesh that gnashed and bit until resistance, armor, and fighting spirit was swallowed by the hungry, unknowing maw of a mass of endless gluttony. Tanks. Humvees. Bullets by the thousands. No force the old world could produce was a match for the endless tide of the dead, and here they were-- objectively worse off, about to launch into one such sea, a small boat rocking violently in defiance of a tidal wave. The Man hunched his shoulders forward into a droop that reflected an especially low morale as he cut a glance out the window by his side; eyes dripping in a gloom that would freeze the heart of anyone who met it directly with their own.

He could already see them-- hear them, the scratch of breaking nails against the glass as the truck tried to wade through the horde. There was going to be the abstract, decayed, forms of what were once human faces pressing against the glass in a desperate attempt to break them and reach the succulent meal waiting with like a hungry patron cracking the shell of a crab leg to suck the meat from within. The moans. He would never forget the deafening wail of thousands of them together at once. It was unmistakable, all-consuming. Thinking back to Indianapolis, that very sound sent chills down his spine that caused Connor to stiffen himself into an upright, alert posture.

They would probably die.

Connor took a deep breath as he accepted this reality. It was always best to set the bar low, and if things went better than that was a pleasant surprise in and of itself. Saving people was something he had strayed away from a long time ago; his purpose stripped from him by the skeletal hands of a dead world. Yet, from the immense fear, doubt, and anxiety that plagued him in the back seat of this truck something else was emerging: duty. A duty he had forgotten the moment he abandoned the rest of his platoon the day he found Tanner; the oath he had sworn when he joined the army, 'to Support and Defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic...', and more-so than this, 'that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion...'.

America, for all its terrible flaws-- was meant to be a land of dreams. Where the flame of that hope was extinguished was a matter up for debate, but it was undeniable that this apocalypse had crushed the lingering embers of that desire and left the world a place unfit for any higher ideals. Maybe it was time to salvage a piece of that hope for himself. After all, his dream was to see Tanner grow up alright; that's why he went looking for other people to begin with and this was no time to quit on that future.

Connor's breath suddenly hitched as an excited determination bubbled from within his gut providing a sense of excitement that pricked at his nerves for the first time in a long time. Determination flooded from within the holes this feeling poked in him, and that motivation tightened his face-- his eyes, leaving nothing but a fierce focus for others to see.

"Weston, my man, we're gonna be okay," The Man turned to look at the other two occupants of the car with an almost nonchalant dismissiveness at the gravity of the situation, "everyone feeling good? Ready to save some people?"

Out of the blue. Connor didn't know why he said that, or felt the need to say that. He did, though. Hell, he even smiled something bright, reassuring. In this hellhole of a prison, of a world, of life he had given himself another reason to smile even if only for this brief moment. This. The Soldier would hold onto this and he wouldn't let go of it again-- ever. Not even through all the bullets, the crunch of bones, the spray of blood, the screams, the moaning, the death to come. No. This was something he would hold onto until he had fought with everything he had to make the world a place that could nurture dreams, and once his weapon was empty-- his body broken, then he would die with this feeling.

Namazu Safton NanLia Bullyboy Squad Togy ​

 

[Bullyboy Squad]

Oh, my love
My darling
I've hungered for your touch
A long, lonely time

And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine?

I need your love
I need your love
God speed your love to me

They drifted. Through space and time. Half awake, half asleep. The rhythm of his heart interlocked with the way she spoke his name. Her fingertips like feathers against his worn cheek. Running through his beard. He didn't want to open his eyes.

Cool air like shadows on wet lips. Framing his vows. He reached up to her. To touch. The curve of her hips shaped like longing. So close each breath brushed her breasts against his skin. Heat like tides through his body. The emotion squeezing his chest like a vice. He. He couldn't breathe.

And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine?

I need your love
I need your love
I need your

Harry's eyelids fluttered open. His once fierce gaze now dulled by the haze of comatose disorientation.

"Honey…" He croaked out, arm trembling as he attempted to lift it. Weak as an autumn leaf clinging to a skeletal tree, Harry was just a shell of a man. Time ate away the powerful body. Leaving him with limbs too thin for a man of his posture. Unable to walk, barely turn his head. His wife's name ghosting on his lips.

He strained to remember, but the images seemed to slip through his grasp. He saw a face but he didn't know the name behind it. Or did he?

"Where…" His throat too dry to speak.

MokaChan Togy Safton

BeyondDandy NanLia Miaow @SlaughterMelon Crono Aegis ​

 

[Namazu]

ON THE ROAD
Somewhere between Lincoln and Northview​

As soon as Weston saw Gunderson climb into the bed of the truck and thunk around as he took a seat, Weston took his foot off the brake, got the truck in gear, and took off.

“Rolling out. Stay in line but a bit spread out. Give each other braking space. Nobody does anything stupid.” Weston cautioned the group via the radio, then clicked it off and tucked it right back into the cup holder again. His vehicle was first out of the gate, followed by several other Samaritan vehicles. God, this was going to be a miserable ride over.

“In case you’re wondering, I wanted you to come with us because you’re familiar with that school. That, and kids sometimes react better to seeing a woman when they’re scared.” Weston cast a glance at Dutchess, well aware of her awkward and tense silence. He wouldn’t blame her if she was wondering why the hell she was being dragged along. If there was anything at all sexist about what he said, he didn’t seem to notice or care.

Weston nodded in agreement about Connor’s comment about getting there fast, and expressing his appreciation for being brought along. The Samaritans might do some fucked up stuff - he’d admit that, even if quietly - but sometimes you just needed to put aside the politics and get shit done with people that gave a damn about getting it done. Connor gave a damn. Ergo, Connor was coming. Easy choice. He was far less convinced Gunderson cared about anyone here, which was just one more reason he was irritated to even have the little shit in his truck. Thank God he was in the back truck bed and not in the cab with the rest of them. Weston silently hoped it started raining on the little asshole.

Connor’s reassurance that it was going to be okay caught him off-guard to the point that, for a while, he didn’t even know what to say. He drove onwards, going as fast as he safely could, keeping his eyes on the road for any obstacles.

“That’s what we should be doing, yeah.” Weston finally broke his silence. “Saving people. Right? We started with saving our own asses when shit went south. Now that we have it decent enough, that just means we keep saving other people.” He cast a glance at Dutchess, then back at Wesley from his rear-view mirror.

“Just thinking out loud. Blame it on not getting enough sleep.” Weston glanced nervously at the clock on the dashboard.

They were a ways out yet, and if they couldn’t get there in time? Who knew how bad it would be.

“Dutchess, what does the school look like? Was it in decent shape last time you were there? Just one building? Anything you can tell us would be helpful - number of entrances, layout, anything.”

NanLia Safton Togy Aegis Miaow MokaChan BeyondDandy Crono ​

 

[NanLia]

LINCOLN
​

Chloe waited, watching Connor as he rose from her bed seemingly … fine. He was entirely neutral as he acknowledged he was headed out to work on whatever it was the Samaritans wanted now. Neither of them could really defy their orders - well, not defy them without severe repercussions. She felt her heart breaking at the thought of Connor wading back out, stoic once again, like nothing was wrong.

She did her best to keep her face just as impassive, already second-guessing herself from kissing him earlier. Had it been a mistake? Did she feel more for him than he did for her? Maybe she was just so desperate for a connection she was reading too far into his actions and their friendship.

It was his final moments with her that confused her all the more. The sly almost shy smile and the swift pick on the cheek before he was practically running from the bar. She stared after him for a long while after he’d gone, hand pressed to her cheek where his lips had left a gentle kiss. She suddenly felt like he was leaving and never coming back to her. Chloe chided herself for having those dark thoughts. It’ll do me no good to worry about something I can’t control.

She inhaled deeply and steeled her nerves; the bar would be open soon and plenty of thirsty people with it.

Aegis​

 

[NanLia]

On the Road...
​

Dutchess kept her opinions to herself and Connor and Weston both expressed, with enthusiasm, that their mission there was to save as many people as possible. Maybe she should have felt put off by the sounds but she’d seen this plenty in her short time on this planet. This was the idealism of men who were walking into their deaths and just didn’t know it. She wasn’t educated and didn’t know the words but knew enough to have seen people's brains play funny tricks on them. Your mind telling you that everything is fine and will work out was a game it played to keep you on your path.

Saving people was a fucking joke, at this point. There wasn’t a fly fucking chance they were going to get to the high school before the dead ate their way through it and she didn’t doubt for a second that King knew it. Why else wouldn’t he let them use the helicopter? She wondered idly who King was trying to bump off…

She could not prevent the incredulous look she gave Weston as he went on to suggest that her presence would be somehow soothing for the kids. It was like the man had never seen her before, she had as many - if not more - tattoos as he did and she couldn’t remember the last time she smiled … well she did but the reason for the smile was in the back seat …

She thought briefly to correct his false assumption that the high school community would be in any way happy to see her and elected to focus on what she could supply. “Single-story brick building, no gaps or structure damage when I left. Plenty of exits but the community has them chained closed on the inside and really only uses the main entrance, near the gates and two at the back to the fields. They keep lookouts on the roof, to spot this sort of shit, but clearly they were asleep or dead.

“Six-foot chain link around the perimeter electrified … at least it was when I left, but we took their engineer so that could have changed.” And likely did, knowing that Nari was safe and sound in her bunk in the prison. “It kept small groups and stragglers at bay but it won’t hold up if the group is big enough. Given the size of the team you’re bringing … “ She didn’t need to finish her sentence, her meaning clear.

Safton Namazu Aegis Togy ​

 

[Miaow]

SCENE ONE
Northview

A flashback​

The two sisters sat across from each other, at opposite ends of their living room. Light streamed through their newspaper-covered windows, tinting the room sepia. Haewon's knife remained in her grip, blood dripping from the blade... and down her arm.

"What are we meant to do now?" Minnie muttered, her eyes glazed over, staring at nothing.
Haewon hesitated... before shrugging.
"I don't know," She said under her breath, pressing an old t-shirt to the wound on her arm. She hesitantly lifted her hand, watching the blood ooze from the deep scratch in her arm. She swallowed, looking back up at her sister.
"I'm sorry, Minnie." The two met eyes, the younger girl's eyes now teary. "I should've been more careful... I didn't think she'd... I'm sorry."
"You can't die," Minnie whispered, her voice breaking under the weight of the lump in her throat.

Haewon took a shakey breath.
"C'mon, we need to pack," She told her, getting to her feet. She grabbed Minnie's backpack, unceremoniously stuffing it with cereal bars,
"For what?"
"You can't stay here."
"You're coming with me, right?! I wanna stay with you!" Minnie begged, though her pleas fell on deaf ears. Haewon paced the whole apartment, searching each drawer, cabinet and box and packing whatever looked useful. She returned to the living room, grabbing a folded-up piece of paper from their coffee table: A tourism pamphlet, including a map.
"You need to find somewhere safe," She muttered, unfolding the paper with shaking hands, "The hospital, there's a hospital a few miles from here. You can walk it."
"I can't--"
"Yes, you can! We've walked further than that before. There might be doctors there, stay with them. Make yourself useful, yeah?" Haewon instructed, passing her the map. She couldn't bring herself to look her sister in the eye, focusing on the backpack as she continued to pack.
"I'm not going! I'm staying here with you!" Minnie demanded, following her around the kitchen, yelling at the back of her head.
"Yes, you are. You have to."
"Why?! Please! I can't do it-- You have to come with me, please!" She begged, grabbing onto Haewon's good arm.
"DO YOU WANT TO DIE?!" Haewon snapped, swinging around and tossing the bag onto the floor, just missing her sister, "Is that it?! You want to die?! If you stay here, you'll end up like Do-Yun! Like me! I'm not letting that happen to you!" She thrust her arm towards her little sister, forcing her to look at the wound their own aunt had inflicted.
Minnie froze up, her shoulders hunched, her head down. She bit her bottom lip as hard as she could, her fists clenched. Tears welled up in her eyes so she squeezed them tight, fighting back the lump in her throat. She sniveled. Haewon ran a hand through her hair, watching her sister try and make herself as small as possible.
"Oh, stop crying... please," She murmured as the guilt began to eat away at her chest.
"I'm sorry," Minnie sniffled, burying her face in her hands, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
"No, you're fine," Haewon assured her, gently wrapping her good arm around her sister's shoulders. She held her tightly against her chest, resting her chin on top of her head, "It's my fault, you're fine..."

---

The two sat on the kitchen floor, leaning against the fridge. Haewon wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulders, resting her cheek against her forehead. Minnie's eyes had glazed over once more, now bloodshot as she stared at nothing in particular.
"It took a couple days for Do-Yun to turn... so we'll wait," Haewon eventually piped up, the old t-shirt tied firmly around her gash now stained red and brown, "but you have to promise me that if I start to get sick, you'll leave. Promise me."
"I promise," Minnie muttered, her voice hoarse, the words scratching her throat as she said them. Haewon offered her a smile, gently ruffling her hair.
"Whatever happens... you'll be okay," She assured her, squeezing her against her body. She swallowed, glancing over her shoulder. Though Do-Yun had been dealt with, the dark stain on their hallway carpet served as a reminder.
"It's only a couple days... and I'll just be behind that door." She added, reassuring herself more than her sister. She planted a kiss on her forehead before getting to her feet, leaving her on the kitchen floor. The lock to the bedroom clicked, and Minnie was alone.

Safton Aegis Bullyboy Squad
​

 

[Crono]

&

Collab with Safton

Northview
​

Kurt had been about to try a stupidly risky move to get to the hammer, he'd been on the verge of getting desperate watching the second undead approach as he was pinned. And then out of nowhere he'd caught the flurry of movement in his peripherals, and the walking corpse pinning him to the locker dropped like a brick. "I'm good." Kurt replied, sweat covering his brow as he looked at Xander in a moment of relief. Then leaned over grabbing the handle of his hammer still imbedded in the head of the earlier victim, planting his foot against it's head to wrench the weapon free just in time to see Haewon dispatch the last of their immediate visitors. "This is why I should be armed!" Kurt said looking at the other man, in a moment of what was possibly spite mixed with his adrenaline, or reaction from nearly biting the dust. Eyes drifting down the short entrance hallway, towards the doors quickly seeing that two more of the undead were starting to shuffle in. "We gotta get those doors closed."

If Xander had been expecting some heartfelt thanks from Kurt and was fazed by not receiving the exact opposite, he didn't show it. Instead he turned on his heel, pursing his lips into a thin, disapproving line as Haewon ruthlessly dealt with one of their nearest threats which had been approaching him. Perhaps judging that any discussions of the differences between "commands" and "polite suggestions" would have to wait until later, he turned back to face Kurt and the doors beyond that the man indicated with a nod. "Shoulder-to-shoulder. We don't let them get behind or between us. Quick but steady."

Font didn't wait for any confirmation on Kurt's part before setting the pace, moving deliberately down the hallway: brandishing his bloodied knife upside-down within his hand as he marched resolutely down the tiled floor of the hall like the villain in some slasher flick, just slow enough to allow Kurt to catch up with him as new "visitors" filled the threshold and staggered forward to meet them.

Kurt's gaze flicked between Xander and Haewon before moving towards the doors alongside the other man. He kept to the right side of the hallway, his first target on that same side with a limp was clear, he left the other one to Xander. The walking corpse groaned and lurched as Kurt closed in, the hammer connected against it's temple with a sickening crunch. This time Kurt made sure to keep a tighter grip on the handle, though the walking corpse didn't halt there, forcing the man to put a hand against it's chest to give him time for another swing. It was all that was needed for gimpy to drop like a sack of potato's. And Kurt took a moment to glance over at Xander's work while he caught his breath before moving.

Xander had resisted the natural human urge to hold the knife out in front of him like it was some kind of sword: a talisman against the encroaching dead. Instead, he held it in his back hand, cocked to deliver a blow with his off-hand forward. Ready. As soon as his own target had drawn near enough, that he judged it would be lunging toward him imminently, he took the initiative: all but diving forward to grasp the grimy lapel of its jacket before side-stepping, redirecting the creature's forward momentum while kicking out to sweep its foot. The ghoul fell into a graceless heap upon the tiled floor face first and Xander was on it an instant, pinning it there with his knee before driving the knife down like an oversized icepick. The impact reverberated up his arm as the blade punched through the back of the skull, just where it met the top of the neck... meeting precious little resistance.

The corpse went limp and Xander went to right himself with a curse as he struggled to extricate his knife from the skull, eventually having to plant the sole of his boot against the creature's neck before working the tip of the blade free with a sickening plop. Finally, he turned back to Kurt with a nod before following him toward the door at a clipped pace. They arrived at their destination moments later with just a precious few seconds to spare as bodies -- lots of them -- were closing from the fence line.

When one of the undead suddenly rounded the corner of the doorway and started to enter Kurt raised a booted foot up and kicked it so that it floundered backwards, right through the ajar door causing the door to swing open wide. Kurt took two steps forwards intent on finishing the job and froze, outside was a massed horde, coming from who knows where, likely another breach. The mass was both headed towards the doors as well as already around the side of the school building, drawn towards the sounds of the gunfire from the front side of the school.

"Shit." Kurt breathed at the realization, the two men scrambling to grab one door each and closing them quickly. They wrapped the chain back around the handles just as the sounds of the corpses hands beat and clawed at the doors. Grabbing the lock he was intent on locking it, but because the chain had been cut, the lock was still locked. "Please tell me you know the code." Kurt said, holding the lock out with one hand while the other worked to hold the door shut tight.

Xander nodded feverishly, kneeling down to grasp the heavy-duty padlock and lift it up so that he could see the at the bottom of its metal body. With trembling fingers, he began spinning the numbers into place. The sound of rotting fists pounding against the double doors became indistinguishable from that of his heart pounding in his ears.

5-1-2-4

The numbers spun into place and the hasp let let loose. Xander gave the lock a tug, pulling it free only to immediately loop it back through the two new links of chain that they had chosen to rest their hopes of survival on for the time being: slamming the hasp into place with an oh-so-satisfying metallic click. Xander let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, sprawling backwards onto the floor with his hands resting behind him. He turned quickly to check on Haewon before looking back at Kurt with a nod. "I don't have a radio and I don't think any of the shooters up front know about this," he said, gesturing toward the doors pointedly. "Someone has to warn them."

Kurt was already backing off of the door and heading further back down the hallway as Xander spoke. The man wasn't wrong, someone had to get the word to them. "I was already on my way back to the infirmary, trying to get the patients to the gym." Kurt saw the way Xander looked at him, even if just a moment as they stopped by Haewon. "Not gonna try to finish what I started or anything like that." He could always do it but that'd mean leaving Pandora in the lurch if she didn't find help elsewhere.
​

Miaow​

​

 

[Safton]

​

On the Road to Northview...​

The headlights sliced through the darkness. The moonlight was concealed by thick clouds. It was still an hour until the first hues of gray would come up in the sky. The cool air blew at the hood and swished through the vehicle. The sparse conversations were accompanied by the sound of shocks jolting on the rutted blacktop.

The fog sat heavy along the road up ahead, entwining the surrounding forest. The convoy whooshed through it like nothing before the pillars of light were cut short by a wall of dense mist. No. No mist. It was smoke. The acrid fumes began to sneak into the vehicle. The illuminated route now looked like powdered milk. And the ground noise was like a growing sound of a freight train. The closer it got the more it sounded like snapping bones, interrupted by an occasional howl like a forest wendigo.

Emmett leaned forward, tapping Weston on the shoulder softly from the back seat before reaching past to flip on the vehicle's flashing hazards on for the benefit of the trucks behind them before muttering under his breath. "Fuck." He squinted down what little he could see of the road ahead... which was almost nothing, in truth. Static vehicles and a few lurching undead forms were all he could make out in the grey abyss. Already the smoke was beginning to beginning to fill the truck cab and tickle at the back of his throat, threatening an impending coughing fit.

"We can't drive through this shit, Boss," Wesley managed to choke out: his tone equal parts grim and apprehensive. He didn't want to overstep his bounds with the driver, but by the same token he had a vested personal interest in getting to the school in one piece... not to mention making sure that his men -- and Dutchess -- did the same.

NanLia Namazu Aegis Togy Bullyboy Squad​

 

[joshiebee]

On the Road​

"Just keep running. Just keep running. You can do this, Lizzie. You can. For him." The words ran through her brain as she kept pushing, one leg in front of the other, to make it through the smoke billowing up around her. She'd been here before; seemingly no way out, and no one around to help. She'd survived it once before, and she'd do it again. She just had to move.

Reaching the front gate of Judy's Yard she could see just barely through the smoke that it had been left open, and undead body after undead body was shambling through or crowding around. That had been how things had gone to shit; someone was careless. Just like before, someone had made one life changing decision that cost everyone around her their lives. It was only because she had been in the right place at the right time that she was able to make the correct choice and save herself. And now, she made another one: leave the safe zone she'd stayed in and cared for over the past year, and run. Without more than the thought to keep going in her mind, she quickly changed her plan from running out the front gate and instead ran for a side entrance they rarely used. She would make it. She had to. And as she pumped one leg after the other and left the burning homestead behind her, she just had to remember why she was out there in the first place and keep going.

Making it out of Judy's Yard was easy. Making it through the dense forest, now full of smoke from the burning bridge and flaming trees around her, was another story. Multiple times she had to stop to clean the soot from her eyes, or to catch her breath in a patch of clear air. Her long, jet black hair was pulled up in a ponytail, but she was drenched in so much sweat that groups of hair stuck to her neck and face in odd angles. She'd tied an old shirt across her face in a makeshift mask to try and ventilate as much of the smoke from her lungs as possible. All she had otherwise was a backpack with a few bottles of water and snacks, a notebook full of memories and photos, and a machete strapped to her hip. While not one to usually leave the safe zone, she'd happened to be out on an expedition to a nearby overgrown farmstead to look for some farming equipment for their garden, hence her luckily having the trusty machete on her. Like usual, had she not been at the right place at the right time, things would likely be painfully different.

Just as she'd stopped to try and take a drink of water to clear her burning throat, she heard a familiar roar coming from nearby. It was the unmistakable roar of a vehicle, meaning she must be near the road. If she was right, that meant for some reason, someone was out driving - which was weird on it's own right - but also heading straight towards the now in-flames bridge they'd tried burning down. Standing there, frozen, a couple options ran through her head. One, they could be survivors like her just trying to make it somewhere safe. They could provide assistance. In that case, she had to get to them and warn them and maybe ask for help. Two, they could be a group of raiders, and she would want to stay as far from them as possible. The tiny community of Judy's Yard had managed to stay hidden the entire time she'd been there, but they were also painfully aware that raider groups were around. If that was the case, she could walk away, let them run into that bridge and flaming horde of zombies.

Looking back the way she came she could see flames and shadows of shambling bodies slowly moving to her. She had to make up her mind, and quick.

Without much more thought she took off running, this time as fast as she could, towards the road. Even if they were raiders, this was her best chance at survival, and so far that had been enough. Right place, right time. She had to keep believing.

As she reached the edge of the forest she could see that not far from her the convoy of vehicles had come to a stop, headlights piercing the dense smoke to little luck. This was her last chance: go to them, or run. One of them was the right choice. She closed her eyes for a moment to breathe, then made her choice. She opened her eyes and ran towards the front vehicle closest to her. As she approached she moved out into the middle of the road, letting the lights illuminate her.

"STOP! Please!" Elizabeth yelled as she got fully into the lights of the vehicle, arms raised overhead. She took a moment to breathe, then choked out as loud as she could, "You have to turn around!" She stood there for a moment, panting, then made the dangerous decision to move a bit closer, arms still raised.

"Please, I just came from up ahead. The bridge is out and an entire horde of zombies is coming. A fire is spreading this way, it's..." As she spoke she heard a thud behind her. Turning around, she saw the first of a large group of zombies make it to the road, one falling onto the asphalt. They somehow weren't aflame yet, but she could see the bright lights of the forest fire behind them. Knowing her time was short, she slowly stepped backwards a few steps towards the vehicle then turned back around fully. "I'm not a threat, let me come with you, please!"

NanLia Namazu Aegis Togy Bullyboy Squad Safton BeyondDandy ​

 

[Namazu]

On the Road to Northview...
​

Weston nodded his head along as Dutchess spoke. It was good intel. Exactly what a scavenger would pay attention to - how to get in, get through, and get out. It only confirmed he was right in having her come with.

“I bet that fence isn’t electrified anymore. For everyone’s sake, we should hope it isn’t, but treat it like it is just to be safe. Won’t do a damn thing for the horde but it would slow us down.” He went quiet for a moment.

“Don’t nobody lick the damn thing to test it out though.” He drawled quietly. Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, feeling like no matter how fast he went he wasn’t moving fast enough, Weston rolled down his window. The cool early morning air felt good on his skin. Nerves were making him sweat. How long had it been since he felt this anxious about anything? A long time. For a moment, he felt like he was back at his old bar, lying prone on the rooftop behind the big neon sign, rifle in hand, watching death roll up in the form of a convoy of raiders. He took one hand off the steering wheel and scratched at his neck, feeling Dave’s dog tags under his fingers.

“What the fuck?” He scowled out the windshield, seeing it the same time Emmett did. Letting the LT reach for the hazards, Weston picked up his radio and put on his brakes - a bit hard, but not dangerously hard.

“Stop here. Smoke up ahead.” He ordered the rest of the convoy via radio, glancing up at his rear view mirror once Emmett was out of the way. Lights got brighter behind him as brake lights came on, and the other trucks came to a stop. Thankfully everyone listened to his orders about leaving braking distance. He heard no crunches of metal on metal, so nobody was up anyone’s ass.

“No, we can’t.” Weston coughed out as he quickly rolled up his window. So much for the cool air. He was just about to use the radio again when - of all the goddamn things that could pop out of a smoky mess scattered across the road - a woman appeared within his headlights, raising her arms and shouting to stop.

She didn’t look like much, by herself, but where there was one there were many.

“Everyone be on the lookout for a possible ambush. Someone’s in the road ahead. Weapons ready, but don’t fire until fired upon, or on my or LT’s command. Stay in your vehicles until instructed otherwise.” Weston ordered into the radio, then clicked it off. Leaning aside, he handed the radio back to Emmett.

“God-damn horde and a god-damn fire and a god-damn burned bridge I swear to fuckin’ Christ.” Weston grumbled to himself as he unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed his rifle. Yeah, he sounded pissed. Today was not a good day.

“I’m going to step out and talk to her and find out what exactly in the ever-lovin’-fuck is going on here. Stay here, keep an eye out. LT, if I get shot, open fire on whatever the fuck is out there, pull me into the truck, get the hell out, and keep going to the school.” Weston pulled the handle of the truck door and pushed it open, stepping out, though he paused momentarily with one foot on the road and glanced at the others in the truck.

“Someone make sure Gunderson doesn’t suffocate. Toss him a spare rag or something.”

Weston slid out of the truck the rest of the way, slamming the truck door shut behind him, and with his rifle in hand. He approached towards the woman in the road - cautiously, but not at all timid, keeping his head up and posture straight like he knew he was the man in charge here. Not that he was in any kind of uniform or anything - just jeans, tall motorcycle boots, a leather jacket, and a dark shirt underneath. His rifle was not aimed up at her like he was going to shoot, but comfortably in both hands so that he could raise, aim, and squeeze in a heartbeat if he needed to. He stopped only a few steps away from the front of his truck, making sure not to block the others’ view of the woman and staying out of the cone of light from the truck. If he could remain in the dark where she, and anyone else she was with, couldn’t quite see him, it was all for the best.

“Put your weapons on the ground and kick them towards me.” He called out, seeing nothing else on her that looked like a weapon besides the machete at her waist.

“Where did you come from? Did you start that fire? And where’s the next nearest bridge?” He peppered the woman with questions, though well aware of the dead creeping their way towards them. They wouldn’t have too long for questions, but he wasn’t going to let just anyone hop on board - or walk away - without having some idea who they were.

NanLia Safton Aegis Togy joshiebee Bullyboy Squad BeyondDandy ​

 

[NanLia]

On the Road...
​

Dutchess kept silent as Weston went on about the fences and reminded them not to touch them. It was almost painful to listen to, and so far as she was concerned, if someone was dumb enough to touch a fence they knew had been electrified, they deserved to fry.

She frowned into the smog that swiftly covered the road and surrounded their vehicle, feeling ill at ease not being able to see a distance ahead and being trapped in a fucking car, no less. Certainly, some people might think a car was safe but she spent enough time out in the wilds, avoiding the mouths of the dead to know a car, even one that worked, was a death trap.

As Weston opened the door to confront the solo-appearing woman, Dutchess certainly thought he had to have been the dumbest person still alive. He was supposed to be a leader - their leader, save for Gunderson - and yet here he was to put himself in the front with a stranger. “Fucking idiots.” She hissed, leaning forward to dig into her pack and remove her skull bone neck gaiter and pull it over her head. She crawled over the center console to seat herself in the driver’s seat and pulled the gaiter up over her mouth and nose as she rolled down the window.

“Weston!” She shouted, she had to over the noise of the dead and the engines of the vehicles around them. “Put some fucking cuffs on her and toss her in with Gunderson. We don’t have time for this white knight shit, not if you actually want people to live.” Dutchess was not waiting for an answer, letting the window slide back up as she continued to curse under her breath.

There wasn’t a chance in fucking Hell Dutchess was going to let some man with a hero complex get her ass killed saving someone who had no sense of survival. Who in their right mind would run up to a convoy of armed people asking for help?! This woman was asking to be some man’s - or many men’s - plaything and witnessing the weakness made her soul burn in rage.

They needed a new route and started to search the glove compartment and center console until she found a map and tossed it into the backseat. “Find another way.” To emphasize her point to Weston, she took the truck out of park and let it start to roll forward down the road.

Safton Namazu Aegis Togy joshiebee ​

 

[Togy]

Northview​

Mack didn't even wait to fully hear Cabrera's order, rushing past him and into the high school, making a beeline for the infirmary. The kid was out cold with blood tricking down his forehead. Mack hadn't gotten a good look at the accident involving him, but major blunt force trauma was a given. Blunt force trauma which could have either cracked his cranium, or damaged sections of his brain. The first thing he'd done when grabbing the kid was to check for a pulse and breath, so at least he knew the kid hadn't died outright, but that didn't mean he couldn't still die in the next few minutes if he didn't wake up soon. He also definitely had a concussion, which was a whole other problem.

"Pandora!" Mackenzie called as he burst into the infirmary, setting Tanner down on the nearest bed with his arms tucked to his side and his head tilted back to ease airflow. "Pandora, are you here? Got a KO'ed kid here!"

Not waiting for a response, Mack began inspecting Tanner's neck for any signs of injury. Preferably, he would have done so before moving him, but he'd pressed for time. Thankfully, their neck didn't show any signs of swelling or bruising, and nor was his breathing strained or indicating blockage, so he could rule out a cracked neck. With that, he moved onto a sternal rub to test the kid's responsiveness by balling his hand into a fist and firmly rubbing it against the center of the boy's chest: A technique scientifically tested to be as uncomfortable and annoying as physically possible. If the boy didn't respond, than there was a chance they'd have another Harry situation on their hands.

Which, speaking of...

"Honey..."

Mackenzie had only begun, fumbling the sternal rub in surprise as he whipped his gaze to Harry's bed. Had he..?

"Where..."

He had. He was clearly delirious, but at the very least semi-conscious. His eyes were open and he was gently stirring in his bed.

"Harry?" Mack asked, overcoming his shock as he continued the sternal rub on Tanner, "Harry, can you hear me?"

Bullyboy Squad Aegis Miaow ​

 

[Miaow]

SCENE ONE
Northview High​

Pandora took a deep breath, her gloved hands prepped and ready as she took hold of the tube that was breathing for Harry.
"Alright, Harry. This isn't gonna feel good, but this is our only option," She explained, "I'm gonna pull your breathing tube out in 3... 2... 1..."
She held her breath as she slid the tube out of his throat, quickly setting it aside. She swiped an oxygen mask from the side, pressing it over his mouth and nose. She squeezed the bag rhythmically, counting each simulated breath in her head.

She swallowed, looking over at the door. What the hell was keeping Kurt? She couldn't fight like this... well, she couldn't fight in general, but her hands were occupied. Maybe she should've waited for Kurt to come back before doing this... She took a shakey breath, focusing on keeping her hands steady.

She flinched as Mac burst in, Tanner's limp body in his arms.
"Oh, Christ..." She muttered, "My hands are a little full, here... Give me a sitrep."

As she looked over her shoulder, watching Mac work, she felt movement under the oxygen mask in her hands... Eyes wide, she stared down at Harry...
Great timing...
"Take it easy, alright? You're in the infirmary. Are you feeling okay? Any pain?"

Bullyboy Squad Crono ​

 

[Aegis]

Lincoln Convoy
The Road to Northview​

Weston's affirmation of his intentions was a refreshing boost to his confidence after so many months of soul-crushing negativity, but the other two responded less than favorably-- Wesley opting to blow him off entirely. Fair. Connor supposed that one person other person with good intentions was a boon given that being a Samaritan instantly brought your character under suspicion. However, he could understand why people would flock to a feeling of security in organization and power. There was an undeniable strength to the Samaritans regardless of one's personal feelings on their operation. Yet, what the school was proving again-- what the fall of the modern world had already proven, was that no matter the size of the fortress and the amount of people manning its walls: it wasn't enough. What could not be felled by dozens could be felled by hundreds, what not by hundreds could be thousands, what not by thousands by millions; such was the nigh-infinite manpower of the undead horde. Any fortress would inevitably be swallowed in piles of decayed flesh and gnashing teeth.

Yet, none of that mattered right now. Connor spent the better part of the following ride nodding in and out of sleep only occasionally clocking back in for a sparse topic or two; he paid particular attention to Dutchess's mannerisms surrounding her explanation. She seemed unenthused by the situation, and he supposed he couldn't blame her in any capacity. Although, this entire thing felt like it came off to her as little more than a dangerous chore.

The Soldier then knocked out against the window in the restless type of in-and-out sleep on possible in a car. His dreams were eaten through by the same flashes of broken memories that he had every night, yet their frequency did not lower the intensity of his feelings toward each and every moment. Then, a familiar smokiness assaulted his nostrils and woken him from his slumber. In his state of grogginess, the bumps of the van, the smoke, and the swaying undead visages obscured by it was enough for him to envision himself atop the Humvee in those early days. Connor felt the phantom pangs of the grip of a 240 in his hands that faded as quickly as those damnable visions.

The Soldier perked up as alert as possible placing his handgun in his lap as he eyed their surroundings. Before long, a woman ran out into the street relaying that the bridge was out ahead and their were zombies everywhere. Connor didn't know how far out they were from school, but for them to be this far out likely meant that horde was a lot larger than they thought it was. Combine that with the fact it would take even longer now to reach the people they were trying to save and now The Soldier's stomach dropped. Yet, then she asked for help. Desperation was one thing, but he wouldn't saunter up to an armed convoy and ask for assistance; it was just incredible poor luck for it to be the Samaritans. She was already done for.

Connor shot up in his seat as she said that-- white knuckles gripping the pistol in his lap. His eyes glanced sideways to Wesley and then straightened out to Dutchess as she demanded the woman's essential kidnapping. They didn't have time to waste, but...

The Soldier briefly considered maybe shooting Wesley, or even the guy in that back. They seemed important enough to throw things into disarray long enough for the woman to make a getaway if he shouted out a warning. However, that was a fool's errand. Tanner came to mind and quickly drowned the fire of those thoughts into little more than soaked ashes and a pipe dream. Plus, he remembered what his last act of defiance got him as Cabrera thrashed him. Connor's defiance quelled, he sat back-- eyes alight with a dissatisfied glare, and let what was about to happen take its course.

The Soldier wanted to save people, but he needed to save specific people first.

As he struggled with that train of thought, a map smashed into his face causing him a light start, "Jesus, could just ask."

Connor unfolded the map and saw that the route was more or less annotated which made sense considering they likely hadn't had to change it for some time. The Soldier ran his finger down the route until he found the few areas where a bridge crossing was necessary. It wasn't long before he had identified their general area given a nearby road-sign, his land navigation classes, and some critical thinking skills, "Cool, so, if this map is accurate then we're going to have to double back three exits, ride the freeway, and then get off another forty miles to even start making our way across to the other side of this waterway."

Precious time that would be drained from an already too-empty reservoir. Maybe this survivor chick knew about something that wouldn't be on a mainstream map like this-- if not, they were in a severely worse position.

joshiebee NanLia Namazu Togy Safton​

 

[Aegis]

Northview
The Infirmary​

Everything was dark. The kind of dark that makes one wonder if anything ever mattered or was even real before they were introduced to it. There was a pulsing throb the echoed through this empty expanse in Tanner's head and ended at his ears and down his neck into his spine. Everything hurt. His face was warm with something, but opening his eyes was too big of a task for him to handle right now.

So, was this what it was like to die? It certainly was a scary experience, the vast nothing. He had heard that people worshipped something called 'God' back before this all happened, but Connor apparently wasn't 'religious' so he didn't know much about it aside from the promise of Heaven. Weird. This didn't feel like Heaven. How foolish all those people must've felt after they died.

Yet, there was a certain anxiety in his chest that began to clash against the more physical wounds he bore at that moment: was this all there was to death? Was it simply a dark, lonely end? There was something there that budded in such an uncertainty that would take time to nurture, a feeling of remorse and empathy toward those who had died. This was simply too sad to accept as a fact.

Then, another very real pain centered on his chest and began to roll sending sparks of pain firing through his nerves. Tanner mustered what strength he could and willed his fingers to raise, close, and generally try to fight back. Yet, he was spent.

Eyes cracked open to a piercing light giving him a chance to view his surrounding for what he thought would be his final time, but it was somewhere that appeared to be safe enough, "...h-hu.... hurt...h-hurts..."

Bullyboy Squad Crono Miaow​

 

[Miaow]

SCENE ONE
Northview High
​

Haewon watched as the two stood shoulder-to-shoulder, carefully making their way toward the breached door. There was no way she was squeezing her way into that enemies-to-lovers bromance, they took up the whole damn hallway! She watched them, making sure they had it covered... Xander was somewhat competent, though Kurt was yet to prove himself. They were probably fine. Sure, stopping a breach was for the greater good, but she had a bigger problem on her mind.

She ran a hand through her hair, bloodied knife clutched in her grip as she scanned the adjoining corridor. There was no way they could search the whole school for her sister, she had to think more efficiently... She'd gone on her own, she'd chosen where to go, so where would Minnie want to go? Tanner was a bust, he hadn't seen her either... so who else would she want to see? Arthur, Gene, Stan, Momo... Maybe if she and Xander split up, they could check the school faster. She'd go to the basement to see Arthur, he could go to the roof and check on Stan--

She leaned against the windowsill, her chest tightening as the swarm of infected surrounded the school, tearing Samaritans apart... They were armoured and trained. Minnie didn't stand a chance--

She couldn't think like that. She couldn't know. Maybe Minnie had gotten lucky. Did she really have that little faith in her sister? That the only way she could survive was dumb luck? She swallowed, her palms clammy. She knew it was bad, but... the ocean of undead outside their door made her feel sick with nerves.

She looked over her shoulder, watching as Xander and Kurt discussed the next move, the door now firmly locked. Right, now their side quest was over, they could focus on the task at hand. She stared out of the window, leaning forward to get a peek at the rabbit enclosures. The pens overrun, infected spilling over the fences, rabbits scrambling around their feet in an attempt to get through the gate. A few of them had already been picked off by the more desperate infected.
God... Minnie's gonna be so heartbroken. She sighed, watching the rabbits scatter.

As she scanned the pens, her shoulders tensed, slowly straightening her back. Within the shambling corpses was... a shoe. A grey trainer, now stained dark red with blood. She felt the bile rising in her throat. When Minnie admitted to what she'd done, that she and Tanner had gotten rid of the zombie in the batting cages, that they'd hidden her blood-soaked trainers, she'd helped her find those replacements in the lost and found. They had no laces, she remembered picking them so on the days where her arms hurt, she didn't have to worry about tying them. Now there they were, in a puddle of blood.

"Xander..." She called out, unable to tear her eyes away. Her fingers dug into the old paint of the windowsill. She couldn't know it was hers. It was just a trainer. How many grey trainers with no laces existed? Thousands, probably. Maybe they were popular among the kids when this school was still a school! She couldn't know--

As the infected stumbled around the rabbit pen, knocking shoulders and tripping over eachother, they began to congregate... then fight, clawing at eachother. One was gnawing at something, snarling and thrashing as the others desperately tried to take it from them. In their mouth was... a foot, amputated up to the ankle, flesh torn from the bone. Haewon was hit with a wave of nausea. No. She couldn't know it was her. How could she tell from just a foot? Yet her chest felt tight, her face felt hot, and her eyes burned as they filled with tears.
"Xander!" She yelled, anger in her voice. What the fuck was taking him so long?!

Safton Aegis Bullyboy Squad Crono
​

 

[joshiebee]

On the Road
(Post assisted by Namazu )​

Things immediately didn't go as smoothly as she'd hoped. An individual got out of the truck and started walking slowly towards her. They stayed out of the light of the truck and, with the headlights blaring down right on her, she couldn't fully see who or what they were. It wasn't until they spoke that she knew it was a man, though that fact really didn't surprise her. When he immediately asked her to toss over her weapons she froze, thinking that she had nothing on her. But then she remembered the machete at her waist. With one quick nod she took it slowly from it's sheath, set it on the ground, then kicked it towards him.

"That's it, that's all I have." Her words were loud but slightly choked from all the smoke she'd run through. She glanced behind her, taking note of the still approaching zombies, before she turned back to him. He immediately started asking her a million questions and she started to feel a sense of dread well up inside of her. Maybe this had been the wrong choice after all; maybe this man and the people he was with were going to really kill her and them by delaying so much.

"I'm alone, I--" she started to speak but was cut off from a woman's voice coming from the front vehicle, yelling at the man. Weston, that was his name. Okay, good; she'd remember that. The woman told him to just cuff her and put her in with someone named Gunderson. This caused a slight delay in their conversation, but Elizabeth immediately decided to take it to her advantage.

"Yeah, yeah - I'm not a threat, I promise. I'll ride in the back, just - let me come with you, please. I can help you get around this," she said as she started to take a few steps closer. Feeling that the man would let her pass, she slowly lowered her hands, walking closer to the vehicle. She made sure to pick up her machete and sheath it again as she passed it. "If you head back about a mile there's a dirt path off on your left side. Take it, and keep going until you hit a fork. Turn right, and that will take you over to a side road that will take you back over the river. The people around here made side paths to hide from raiders. It should be safe," she spoke quickly, yelling to the man as she moved back towards the truck, hoping that this would be enough info to convince all of them she was just trying to survive and stay safe.

Once they reached the truck she waited for direction, willing to do whatever she needed to in order to get out of this situation alive. When she was instructed to, she hopped into the back of the vehicle next to whom she assumed was the 'Gunderson' she'd heard the woman mention before. Elizabeth planned to just keep low, keep quiet, and just do what she needed to in order to stay out of the way until they got where they were going. This was already far more of a risk than she'd hoped for, but it had to play out well. It just had to.

NanLia Namazu Aegis Togy Bullyboy Squad Safton BeyondDandy ​

 

[Namazu]

On the road to Northview...
​

Weston was very keenly aware of the approaching group of dead and, contrary to what Dutchess apparently thought, was not out here to fuck around and find out. Letting out an annoyed sound that was somewhere halfway between a grunt and a growl as he saw the truck start to roll - was she really driving off without him? - he did not stop the woman from the smoke from picking her machete back up.

Staying out of the beam of the headlights, Weston backed up until he could grab on to the door handle, never turning his back on the unknown woman. The handle he happened to grab was the back passenger door, next to Emmett. He yanked it open and motioned for Emmett to climb in front.

“Get in front. She gave us a detour. Dutchess, move. LT’s driving.” Weston clambered into the vehicle while everyone played musical seats, made difficult only because Dutchess insisted on starting the vehicle on a roll before things got sorted. Did he make that call because he was a little salty she did that? Maybe. He leaned out, hanging on to the door.

“Give me that machete, then get in the back. We have someplace to be. If your detour works, a lot of people are going to be very grateful. If it’s a trap, or if you so much as breathe too hard on the guy in the back, I’ll deal with you myself.” He left unsaid what exactly he meant by deal with but it was highly unlikely to be anything at all pleasant.

Weston waited until that weapon was offered to him, and once it was, he didn’t look to see if she was safely in or not before he slammed the door shut. He leaned forward and grabbed Emmett's shoulder to get his attention.

“Detour’s a mile back, dirt path to our left, take it until we hit a fork, go right, follow the side road, and we’ll go over the river.” Weston cleared his throat, propping his rifle between his knees and grabbing the seat belt as he coughed, irritated from all the smoke.

“Give me the radio back. I’m going to radio back to the prison, then try and get a hold of Cabrera again. If this detour doesn’t pan out, we drag the bitch out and shoot her.” It wasn’t a suggestion.

Once Weston had the radio back, he first held down the button on the channel it was already set to, for the convoy.

“Moving out and taking a detour. Keep your fog lights on until we’re clear of the smoke. Maintain distance between each other. We’re taking side roads - might get bumpy, so buckle the fuck up.” Weston took his thumb off, then fiddled with a dial on the radio, changing over to the Prison’s frequency.

“Lincoln, heads up, there’s an unknown but large number of dead on the road to Northview, possibly coming your way. Keep lookouts posted.” It was short and terse. There wasn’t anything he could do for Lincoln at this point, and it was not his primary concern. He also didn’t want to stick around in case King got some hairbrained idea that involved them turning around and coming back to the prison. The last thing he wanted to hear right now was that bastard’s voice.

Switching the frequency again, he moved to one with which he could reach Cabrera. Or try to, anyway.

“Cabrera, do you copy? We’re still en route. The road between us and the school is blocked - fire, and part of the horde is split off. We’re taking a detour, but that’ll delay us. What’s your status?” Fear and frustration was gnawing at his gut, getting dangerously close to becoming panic, but he put on his best poker face. He was absolutely not going to allow himself to lose his shit in front of the people in this truck. He took his thumb off the radio and waited for some kind of response.

Propping his elbow up on the windowsill of the door, he ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

“What the hell is a white knight?”

NanLia Safton Togy Aegis joshiebee BeyondDandy Bullyboy Squad ​

 

[Safton]

​

On the Road to Northview...​

Weston was in rare form today, that much was clear to Wesley as the Second-in-Command ranted -- to no one in particular, truth be told -- while stepping out of the truck to address the stranger. As the man gave orders to Wesley about what to do in the event he got shot after leaving the (relative) safety of the vehicle, the LT nodded. "You got it," he murmured. He caught bits and pieces of the ensuing exchange, the woman pleading with Weston.

He found himself wondering idly if she knew the types of people they were... or if she knew and just didn't care, believing them to the lesser of two evils. Beyond that, however, his eyes remained focused on the surroundings, rifle resting awkwardly upon his lap, barrel pointed toward the window as best as he could in the cramped confines of the truck cab. However, his attention was stolen as he spotted movement from the front seat: Dutchess crawling behind the wheel while throwing a map into the back with accompanied commands. Wesley arched an eyebrow, not sure whether to be indignant or impressed by seeing her take initiative this way. Maybe both. Either way, it wasn't his place to deal with... unless she actually tried to leave the Bossman behind. Which, for a second, Wesley thought she might actually do.

Wes was opening his mouth to intervene and try and talk some sense into the woman when his door opened, their fearless leader appearing at his side with a series of instructions. He was more than a bit surprised to hear that Weston wanted him to take the wheel (which, more than likely, would have meant prying it from Dutchess's hands). He didn't hesitate overmuch, however, climbing out of the slow-rolling vehicle and giving Dutchess a pointed glare until the woman finally relented with a look that promised trouble later for him.

That's a problem for Future Me... assuming any of us fucking survive.

He was about to climb into the newly-free space when he hesitated, glancing toward the truck bed. Wesley reached inside the cab, grabbing a soiled cloth -- probably used for wiping down the interior of the vehicle once upon a time -- from the dash before tearing the shemagh free from his neck. He pulled the canteen from the pouch on his belt, hastily unfastening the lid and dousing both of the pieces of fabric in lukewarm water, his eyes & throat stinging all the while. He tossed the shemagh to Gunderson and the... less-than-clean rag to the helpless woman. "I want that shit back," he muttered to Gunderson under his breath, almost immediately regretting his comment as he nearly coughed right after.

With that, he finally climbed behind the wheel, making sure to keep his eyes well away from Dutchess as he stifled a cough, tossing the radio to Weston as he shifted the truck into gear. Once everyone was secured inside the truck, he turned the vehicle painstakingly around before turning the fog lights on and following the directions as they rumbled their way back down the road. His eyes scanned the road, both for potential ghouls wandering out of the smoke or for an ambush. Weston might trust the woman in the truck bed enough to bring her along, but Emmett sure as hell didn't.

All the while, he could hear the Second's voice attempting to reach Cabrera. A thought struck him: Did he even want to hear a voice on the other end?

If the only answer was silence, maybe they could assume the worst and the entire operation could be called off...

NanLia Namazu Aegis Togy joshiebee Bullyboy Squad​

 

[Safton]

​

Northview​

Xander cocked his head at Kurt's remark about "finishing what he started". Quite frankly, at one time Xander would have been highly suspicious of the man and probably would have forbade him from going anywhere near the infirmary. At least not him watching his every move, at any rate. But at this very instant? It was the least of his worries. Hell he was glad to have that particular base covered, knowing that Pandora, Mackenzie, Harry, and anyone else in there would have someone to help them if they were still there.

Weird how circumstances could change in the proverbial blink of an eye.

Xander was opening his mouth to reply to Kurt when he heard it: his name being shouted. It rang through his consciousness like an alarm bell. He spun around to face Haewon and he immediately refocused on her, closing the small distance between them. But her eyes were elsewhere. He frowned, following her gaze out the nearby window toward the frenzy of activity. He was already preparing some platitude for her about how the horde couldn't get in and how the two of them would find some other way out with the doors shut and not to worry. But then he saw precisely what her gaze was fixed on as the creatures outside scrabbled and struggled over it. A tiny, blood-stained shoe.

Xander recognized it instantly. Of course he did. He had knelt down plenty of times to slip a shoe just like that on and off of Minnie's foot plenty of times when she was just so very tired that she simply couldn't be bothered. He felt a numbness overcoming him, his knees threatening to buckle as his heart skipped a beat and his ears rang, but not with the sound of the fire alarm. This was all him. He blinked several times as he felt the eyes of the others on him, remembering himself. Remembering Nari. Remembering his promise. He stepped between the window and Haewon's view, lowering himself slightly to go eye-to-eye with her. "Listen to me: that's not your sister. Okay? That's not Minnie. Nothing's changed," Xander spoke with a resolute determination in his tone that he didn't feel, forcing every ounce of his will into keeping his voice from cracking. "But you can't go with me. I need you to go up front. Find Cabrera or whoever's in charge. Tell them what happened back here, that there's a breach in the fence. Okay? It's important, Haewon. There's gotta be a home for Minnie to come back to."

Scarcely leaving Haewon a moment to respond, Xander turned to look at Kurt, nodding briskly. "Go do what you need to do. Make sure they're safe."

Miaow Crono
​