Realistic or Modern Never Go Back [Zombie RP - Currently Not Accepting Any More Characters]

[LesDom]

Jack chuckled harshly at her proposal, pulling out a faded box of cigarettes and pushing one out, grabbing a match from his pocket and striking it along the metal, lighting it and placing in it his mouth.


"She's got spirit."

 

[duegxybus]

Jess waved away the fumes from the cigarette. "Infected catch fire easily. Do you twist that into them to burn 'em?" She laughed slightly as well, although she was thinking hard about Jack. Jess, look at you. An older guy believes in you, but that Reid guy doesn't trust you yet!





@ThatOneCrazyPerson @JackMonroe @PopcornandCaramel @The Jest

 

[LesDom]

"Bloaters catch fire easily. I found that one out accidentally. They pop like balloons. And no. I use these because I like to smoke 'em." He looked at Jackson and the group, sighing and smoking. He ran a hand through his ragged hair, a bit of blood still sprayed onto his beard and face.

 

[duegxybus]

Jess laughed slightly. "The last thing you want during the world's collapse is a shattered lung. Although I admit it makes you look ten times beastlier."


Jess's smile faded slightly. "You remind me of a carpenter my dad once hired. It was because I threw an axe through a wall." Her smile returned, the very thought of shenanigans enlightening her mood.


@JackMonroe

 

[The Jest]

"She's a kid. We don't harm kids," Jack had said, pushing Jackson's gun away from her. He wanted to fight back, but it wasn't the time or the place. Instead, he just sighed and holstered his gun. If worse came to worse, Jackson could always defend himself without a gun, anyway. More talking ensued between Jack and the girl, until Jack finally looked towards Jackson for confirmation after he said "It's not my call, anyway."


Jackson wasn't surprised he was the leader of this group, being the oldest, he just didn't expect Jack of all people to look to him for the answer. "We're all tired, we're all hungry, and we need to find shelter. You seem harmless, but that doesn't mean anything to me." He walked up to her, and commanded the following: "Don't try anything."


Luke had also lowered his weapon by this point.


There was talk about a military base from the girl, "We can go there later if things seem to work out, I don't fully trust you," Luke had piped in, to which Jackson nodded in agreement. Mitchell wasn't exactly someone he trusted either, but he sure as hell trusted him more than her.


@ThatOneCrazyPerson @JackMonroe @JPax42

 

[duegxybus]

Jess squinted at Jackson. Right. The world is filled with assholes and idiots, and this guy's a two-in-one. "I won't try anything as soon as you stop pointing those things at me. It's called self-defense." Jess really didn't want to be pointed at with a gun, even though she had hand-to-hand capabilities against gunmen. She simply shook her head.





@JackMonroe @PopcornandCaramel

 

[LesDom]

His eyes lit up at the words of her talking about a Carpenter.


"I remember you." He said quietly. "Before this happened. I fixed your wall. You were with your father..."


@ThatOneCrazyPerson

 

[TheFlyingWriter]

(( Hey guys! Sorry about the inactivity; my friend has been staying over and I've been out a lot =P Hopefully should be back to normal now ^^; ))


Group One - Two Miles Away From Gas Station


"One more time," Jackson demanded, unimpressed with the (still nameless) girl so far. "Who are you? Are you infected?" He moved closer to her, examining the license she held between her fingers. "I don't believe you," he snorted simply.


"Where did you come from?" Mitchell chimed in. "Have you been wandering out here all alone?" Wasn't that the question of the day. Literally everyone in their group had been wandering around alone before they'd met up.


The girl. Freaking. Laughed. "I didn't kill anybody," she smirked, leaning against the truck. "It's just Runner's blood, relax. And I heard you were one of the big groups." Reid raised an eyebrow. "From who...?" he muttered, half-expecting her not to hear. Didn't look like she had. "And yes," she continued, "I can actually fly a plane. It's just that if I did, it'll draw too much attention. Besides, idiots are using plane fuel for car gas and lamps now."


Reid gave her a weird look. 'This girl is way too calm...' he thought. 'Maybe she's been hit over the head or something..'


The girl twirled the knife in her hand, expression unchanging. "So, you guys gonna let me ride, or I'm going to have to go back and chop heads off of runners again?" Under most circumstances, he would have been up for helping anyone. But now...? He just wanted her to leave. Weston's head shifted on his shoulder quietly.


"I'm not asking a third time," Jackson repeated, clicking the safety off of the gun. "Are." Pause. "You." Pause. "Infected?" The air stilled, and it was like a moment out of a movie.


"You heard we were one of the big groups? Who the hell did you hear that from?" Luke asked, breaking the silence and voicing Reid's thoughts. The two were similar in more ways than the latter would like to believe.


"I'm not infected," the girl finally answered, "unless you can get the infection by killing a runner." She glanced at Luke... was she laughing? This girl was really unfazed by everything. "Literally messing with you," she said (with an incorrect use of the word 'literally', Reid noticed). "You guys are a band of people, and I'm tired of living alone. Simple."


Jack took action suddenly, moving between the girl and Jackson. "She's a kid," the first man said simply. "We don't harm kids." He turned to face the girl. "You've been living alone this whole time, and you're still alive," he deduced. "Taking the chance to join a group could put yourself in danger. A lot of danger. Are you sure you want to join us? You're gonna go hungry a lot of nights."


'What the hell was that supposed to mean?' Reid thought. 'Are we going to be in more danger and have less supplies here?' He hesitated, and for once, he grasped Allie's hand tighter. He wanted the best for them, but he knew he had no weapons or any way of surviving alone... God, life was complicated.


"It's not my call, anyway," Jack finished, glancing towards Jackson, who seemed to have become the sort of leader of the group. "And I'm up for the idea of the bed-and-breakfast for shelter," he added to Mitchell, hopping into the back of the truck. "Also, I'm prepared to go into the city alone and come back with supplies. If any of you want to join me, that's your call. But we can't let ourselves starve in shelter."


Reid bit his lip. He didn't know what to do. Having a bigger group was going to be harder, but he didn't want to go back to the city. It was hell there, and he was not going to take Allie and Weston back there. So... he supposed the decision wasn't as hard as he'd first thought.


"We're all tired, we're all hungry, and we need to find shelter," Jackson stated, looking at the girl with a suspicious eye. "You seem harmless, but that doesn't mean anything to me." He moved closer to her, his breath almost a whisper. "Don't try anything."


"I won't try anything as soon as you stop pointing those things at me," the girl frowned. "It's called self-defense." She then turned away. "I don't care if I'm in danger or not," the girl retorted to Jack. "Point is, living alone is basically demoralizing me. I feel bad not being able to help, and even if danger comes with it I'll still help." 'Well, at least the girl still has morals,' Reid thought. 'Maybe she isn't so crazy...' Promptly, the girl hopped into the back of the truck beside Jack. "So...is that a yes?" she asked, and Reid shot her a surprised stare. 'This chick has no tact,' he thought. 'She's gonna get herself killed... surprised she hasn't already.'


"Jack, I know the location of a single military base away from the city," the girl added, and Reid gave her an incredulous look. 'Seriously?' "It's a small workaround, but I can lead you there. It's probably been raided, but it's hard to find so it's unlikely. Oh, and this might involve killing a few infected, so be prepared." She glanced around. "Anybody have a compass, or do you guys forget how to use them?"


"We can go there later if things seem to work out, I don't fully trust you," Luke put in, lowering his bow, and Reid agreed wholeheartedly.


'What the hell, lady?' Reid thought again, involuntarily. 'We barely know y-- hell, we don't even know your name! And you just let yourself in and tell us what to do?' He didn't want to have such feelings of animosity towards her, but... seriously, this girl was just getting way too comfy way too fast.


Meanwhile, Jack pulled out a cigarette, and chuckled, smirking. "She's got spirit," he put in.


"Infected catch fire easily," the girl added, and Reid somehow didn't inquire as to how she knew that in the first place. Jesus, how many creeps had she killed? "Do you twist that into them to burn 'em?"


"Bloaters catch fire easily," Jack sighed. "I found that one out accidentally. They pop like balloons. And no. I use these because I like to smoke 'em."


The girl laughed again-- God, it was really grating on Reid's nerves, no matter how much he wished it didn't. Maybe it bugged him because she was so carefree and... happy... when he and his siblings were already so... not. "The last thing you want during the world's collapse is a shattered lung," she pointed out. "Although I admit, it makes you look ten times beastlier." '...'Beastlier'...? Who even said that? Middle schoolers?'


The girl's smile faltered. "You remind me of a carpenter my dad once hired," she said. "It was because I threw an axe through a wall."


"I remember you," Jack said quietly, voice rising as if coming to a realization. "Before this happened... I fixed your wall. You were with your father..."


Allie's eyes shot open as wide as seemed physically possible, and she backed a few steps away. "You... threw an... an axe...? At... the wall...?" she stuttered, hiding behind Reid's leg.


(( @JackMonroe ))


Group Two - Inside Cabin


"Well," Ivy sighed, still wolfing down the chips as Archie eyed her. "Archie and I dropped out of high school pretty quickly so that we could start in a music career." She shrugged, offering a smile, then went on to tell of how their mother had supported them during their decision, and how apparently they were pretty good, with Archie singing and Ivy playing guitar.


"It's funny how things work out, though," Archie grumbled bitterly, as Ivy handed him the chips bag.


"The high school that we dropped out of ended up being one of the places that was so badly infected that they wouldn't evacuate people," Ivy clarified, sighing. "I guess it was good that we dropped out."


Adam grinned ('holy crap, he does't look half bad with one,' Carrie thought), and told them that Chris used to play guitar. 'Doesn't surprise me; kid seemed like he would,' Carrie thought. Then the man proceeded to agree with her staying up to keep watch ('Thank God, or there would have been trouble'), before beckoning Chris over and having him lay down on the couch.


With a shrug, Ivy glanced over at Carrie. "What about you?" she asked, and the woman raised an eyebrow. "What's your story?"


Carrie shrugged. "Not much to tell," she admitted. "Grew up with my little sister, went to war, came back, and the world turned to shit." She crossed her arms, resting her weight onto her right leg. "Didn't have a white picket fence life as a kid, but really, who does?"


"How 'bout that watch?" Adam asked then, and the woman gave a single nod of confirmation. "We can sit by the window on the left. Hard to see in from the outside and we can cover the outside at all angles."


"Sounds like a plan," she agreed, giving a small smirk. "You guys can get some rest, I guess," she offered to the twins. "Don't know how well you'll sleep, but hey, might as well try, right?"


(( @Shimakage Thunder @Jupiter ))


Group Three - In the City


Plink. Sam perked up like a rabbit upon hearing a dog, her body freezing and her senses heightening. 'What. The hell. Was that,' she thought, slowly moving to turn around. Resting atop one of the cars near her was... a pebble...? How had it gotten there? Sam raised an eyebrow, then her head, examining the surroundings. It was lying in the center of the car's trunk, meaning it couldn't have come from the side, or it would've skidded.


Below? Impossible. And it couldn't have been an Infected, obviously. Creeps were smart, but they weren't that smart.


Above, then? The girl turned her eyes to the sky. 'It could have just fallen off, by chance,' she told herself. 'Stop getting so damn hopefu--' She froze, eyes wide. Was that... a person? "Holy shit," she breathed softly, then raised her arm, hoping the form would move back. Yelling was out of the question; she wasn't far enough away from the hotel, and besides, they probably wouldn't have heard anyway. God, she really hoped that was a person, and not her imagination...


Crash! Sam spun around, eyes even wider than they had been. Was that... holy, shit, there was a guy hanging out of a window! Several Infected gathered below, and Sam barely missed the guy re-climbing into the building. Jesus, how many people were in this city?! She had thought the place was deserted. Obviously, she was wrong.


(( @DrTrollinski @PopcornandCaramel @The Jest ))

 

[PopcornandCaramel]

Mitchell's eyes bounced between Jackson, the new girl, Luke and Jack with almost a bored expression. His exhaustion was starting to catch up, he's hardly slept a wink in the last week. Course, that's for all of the people in this group. How can you sleep with all of this terror going on?


With some convincing from Jack, Jackson lowered his gun and calmed the situation with this strange new girl. Mitchell was just as weary as Jackson, the whole thing with her 'hearing' about our group and then playing it off as a joke. Was that her blowing her cover? You can never be too careful with strangers, even before the zombies. Mitchell cleared his throat, readjusted his paramedic bag, which felt like it weighed a ton at this point.


"And I'm up for the idea of the Bed and Breakfast for shelter." Jack added to the conversation. Finally something that didn't give Mitchell a headache. Now that the group was decided, he just had to be sure the directions to the B&B were correct, and hope to God that the place would be safe for the night.


"Also, I'm prepared to go into the city alone and come back with supplies. If any of you want to join me, that's your call. But we can't let ourselves starve in shelter." Jack added, peaking Mitchell's interest even more. He had some unfinished business in the city but was too chicken shit to try and go back. With help from Jack and maybe Luke and Jackson, Mitchell would have no problems finishing.


" I like the idea of going into the city for supplies, but maybe it should wait for tomorrow. I have a couple MRE's, and I'm sure one of you has to have something else. It will work tonight. " Mitchell wasn't sure if anyone else was up for sharing, but they were going to have to stick together to survive the night.


"Jack, I know the location of a single military base away from the city," the girl went on without losing a beat.


"It's a small workaround, but I can lead you there. It's probably been raided, but it's hard to find so it's unlikely. Oh, and this might involve killing a few infected, so be prepared. Anybody have a compass, or do you guys forget how to use them?" A military base? Really? It would have a considerable amount of supplies, assuming no one else has hit it yet. It seemed too risky for the group to make a decision yet. Come on Mitchell, were you seriously considering this? The girl is obviously a loon. Enough said.


"We can go there later if things seem to work out, I don't fully trust you," Luke, now seeming more tolerable, spoke up. Good ol' Luke saying what no one has the guts to.


" The military base thing seems too dangerous for this group.." Mitchell mumbled, mostly to himself.


Mitchell tuned out the rest of the girls conversation fed up with the nonsense.


You... threw an... an axe...? At... the wall...? The small girl spoke up.


" We should get going, I don't want to be stuck out here when the sun goes down. I still have to count-" he cut himself off, pursing his lips together, eyes closed and a deep sigh.


" The B&B is, like I said, is three miles from here. The sun is setting, we need to make a move." He opened the door of the truck, tossed his bag into the floor board and sat on the seat, feet still hanging out of the door waiting for the group to get their act together. His annoyance was 50%exhaustion and 50% not being able to start his count for the day. Counting was a big part of Mitchell keeping his obsessive behavior under wraps.


( Will write Yvette and Sabrina in the morning. It's been a long day at work and this is all I had the energy for)


@JackMonroe @ThatOneCrazyPerson

 

[Jupiter]

At the mention of getting rest, the twins were having different opinions. Ivy, of course, was pretty happy to do just that, and so she nodded her head and thanked Carrie, and looked up at Archie before taking off her backpack and putting it down by her feet. Considering she was on the couch, she pulled her feet up underneath her, intending to fall asleep there, next to Chris. She wrapped her sweater around herself tightly and then managed to make herself comfortable enough to fall to sleep, but...


Archie shook his head at Carrie. "I'm fine. I don't need rest." He shook his head again and then stood up. "I'd like to join you on the watch." There was no 'if you'd be okay with that', or 'as long as you don't mind', he was doing it and there was no way Carrie was going to be able to convince him otherwise. She had entered the house alone and not let him come with her, but that didn't mean she'd be able to say no to him keeping watch.


And if she did, he'd just do it anyway.


"You should really sleep, Archie." Ivy mumbled, her eyes shut. "I don't remember when you last slept."


To be honest, neither did Archie. When did he last sleep? He always kept watch for Ivy, because she had to sleep, she needed it more than him was always his reasoning. He hadn't slept properly for a good long time, he really did need it, but he didn't trust Ivy to keep watch with these people, and besides, she was tired, so she should sleep. Archie was capable of staying awake for a little while.


The last time he had a proper nights sleep was when the other group left them to die. He'd not had a proper one since then, not trusting the situation.


"I'm fine, Ivy. I'm fine." He shook his head at her, and then leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead gently. "Sleep. I'll wake you up if I need you for anything." He wouldn't. He'd only wake her up if he needed her to get out of there.


He put his backpack down on the floor but then went into Ivy's, pulling out the cassette player and checking the cassette inside it. The one that was inside the player right now was just the Black Album by Metallica, so, he was the person who used it last, as Ivy didn't like Metallica. This wasn't their cassette player, they found it, but they only found two cassettes with it. This one, and then a Hole cassette, which Ivy preferred. He pulled on one of the earphones and walked over to Adam and Carrie, before pressing play. He didn't really want to talk it would seem.


(( @ThatOneCrazyPerson @Shimakage Thunder ))

 

[The Jest]

"I won't try anything as soon as you stop pointing those things at me. It's called self-defense," The girl retorted at Jackson, which Luke immediately responded with, "Right. Because being cautious of someone we just met nowadays isn't self-defense? C'mon, nameless girl. Your carelessness will get you killed in today's world." Jackson gave Luke a nod. Though he didn't need his help in backing him up, he appreciated it.


"I remember you." Jack responded. "Before this happened. I fixed your wall. You were with your father..." Jack, the person who nearly killed Jackson only moments ago, took quite the liking to the new girl. Guess he likes the young-ins.


Though, the little girl must've misheard him because she said "You... threw an... an axe...? At... the wall...?" which caused Luke to smile and laugh a little, though he tried to hold it in. It was good to laugh, especially for Luke, considering his consistent cracking of jokes is really his way of coping with the loss of his family. He was always naturally humorous, but losing his family took such a large toll on him and he didn't want to show it to anyone. Even Jackson has no idea right now.


Mitch tried to urge the group to the Bed and Breakfast, "We should get going, I don't want to be stuck out here when the sun goes down. I still have to count-" though he was about to say something, he quickly cut himself off and returned to his original point, "the B&B is, like I said, is three miles from here. The sun is setting, we need to make a move."


"Agreed," Jackson said, and Luke concurred with a head shake at the same Jackson said that.


Both of them took note of him cutting off after saying "I still have to count-" though Jackson decided a man's past was his own, Luke decided he would ask him about it later.


@JackMonroe @ThatOneCrazyPerson @PopcornandCaramel

 

[duegxybus]

Jess's smile faded as soon as Jack mentioned her father. "Yeah. You were very good at fixing that wall. The one part of the house stayed stronger than the others."


"Right. Because being cautious of someone we just met nowadays isn't self-defense? C'mon, nameless girl. Your carelessness will get you killed in today's world." Jess turned to the boy, raising an eyebrow.


"It's not self-defense, and why are you acting so cautious around an uninfected? I'm clearly on your side. Oh, by the way, my name's Jess Osena, it says on my license. I have to keep this thingy hidden, or I might be kidnapped and forced to fly people out of the country." She then realized how stupid that sounded. "The reason I showed you immediately was because you were all crammed in a pickup truck sitting at a gas station. That looks extremely...weird from far away. That is, until I saw your gun." She stopped talking once it hit her that probably nobody wanted to sit around and know everything about her. She stood on the pickup truck's back and pointed her knife into the air like a pirate. "Arr matey! Avast, ye ol' gas station and travel forth in Captain Reid's pickup truck!" Oh...now I see it. That's why the group doesn't trust me. Stop it, Jess. Stop it. Get serious, you only mangled like 8 infected. There's definitely more. Oh, shoot...I'm standing, aren't I?





She started to take her seat as she heard "The B&B is, like I said, is three miles from here. The sun is setting, we need to make a move." She put on a serious face and put her knife away.

 

[TheFlyingWriter]

Group One - Two Miles Away From Gas Station


"Yeah," the girl breathed. "You were very good at fixing that wall. The one part of the house stayed stronger than the others."


"Right," Luke frowned, unimpressed at the girl's excuse. "Because being cautious of someone we just met nowadays isn't self-defense? C'mon, nameless girl. Your carelessness will get you killed in today's world." Reid couldn't argue with that. This girl was clearly the way-too-friendly type.


"It's not self-defense," she frowned back, "and why are you acting so cautious around an uninfected? I'm clearly on your side. Oh, by the way, my name's Jess Osena; it says on my license. I have to keep this thingy hidden, or I might be kidnapped and forced to fly people out of the country." Reid gave her an odd look. 'I know I wouldn't want her in control of a giant, rattling, flying vehicle...' "The reason I showed you immediately was because you were all crammed in a pickup truck sitting at a gas station. That looks extremely...weird from far away. That is, until I saw your gun."


"We aren't in the truck yet..." Allie mumbled, looking confused. "And the gas station's far 'way now...?"


"We should get going," Mitchell suggested, and Reid agreed wholeheartedly. "I don't want to be stuck out here when the sun goes down. I still have to count--" He paused, cutting himself off, before letting out a long sigh.


"Arr matey! Avast, ye ol' gas station and travel forth in Captain Reid's pickup truck!" Jess yelled, jumping to her feet, and all three of the Fields stared at her in silent shock and horror. "Keep it down!" Reid whisper-shouted through clenched teeth. Not only did the girl do things that were way unnecessary, but... how the hell did she know his name? He'd never told her his name. And it wasn't even his truck anyway. Jack was the one who had found it.


Mitchell continued awkwardly, as Jess slowly sat down again. "The B&B, like I said, is three miles from here. The sun is setting, we need to make a move."


Reid and Allie's eyes flicked back to Jackson, their self-appointed leader, for the decision. Weston had fallen asleep in Reid's arms already, head resting on the larger shoulder and mouth suckling his own tinier hand. Mitchell moved to the truck, opening the door and tossing his bag inside, before following suit himself. Allie watched with some slight envy. She was really tired, and just wanted to sleep. Weston was lucky he was little. Reid could hold him so he could go to sleep, but she had to tough it out.


"Agreed," Jackson nodded, and Reid took a step closer to the truck, though never taking his eyes off the man.


(( @JackMonroe @Shimakage Thunder ))

 

[duegxybus]

"Keep it down!" Reid was clearly mad at her. "Sorry. That was unneeded. Anyways, B&B or do you guys still not trust me? I can walk if you want, if the knife freaks everyone out." Jess looked at the little kid. Aww...he's fallen asleep. Definitely staying. She got off the truck and simply waited for people to get in. "So, if we're going to go...then let's do that. Who's driving?"

 

[Jupiter]

Very simply, Archie did indeed hear what she said. It wasn't loud at the beginning of this album, it was just Enter Sandman, so he heard what Carrie said to him. He smiled slightly and shrugged his shoulders at her. He looked, for a small moment, like he was about to say something friendly. But he didn't, obviously. He wasn't being rude, or mean, he was just saying exactly what he thought, because he still didn't trust Carrie, or Adam, or anyone other than Ivy. He didn't know them, he didn't care for them, for all he knew they could just want them as bait for something, a whole lot of things were possible.


He looked at her, and the smile fell from his face as he spoke.


"No, I can't hear shit. But I don't need to, because, well. What makes you think that I'm not watching you? I have every faith you'll call out if you see an infected, but I don't trust you yet. I don't trust either of you. And I'm not going to, alright? You can be like Vivian if you want to be, tell me to stop being pessimistic, that I've found the right people, and that I'm being selfish and taking you 'putting others before yourself' for granted, but I still don't trust you." He picked up his bat from the side of the couch and held it at his side. He wanted to be able to find another weapon, anything. He wished he didn't have to risk getting up close and personal with an infected, but he wasn't ever going to get a gun. Noise, for one. "You can't expect me to trust someone who I don't even know in a world that requires we kill to stay alive."


He raised his eyebrows at them and then put one of his hands in his pocket, the other still holding onto his bat with his other hand. He looked over them both for a moment before looking away again. He couldn't be forced to trust them, and no matter what they said, for now, it wouldn't change. He needed time, and reassurance. He didn't trust them, and that was that.


(( @ThatOneCrazyPerson @Shimakage Thunder ))

 

[LesDom]

Jack ignored the bickering of the group, flicking the butt of the cigarette away. His mind was still reeling at finding someone who knew him before everything hit the fan. He turned to look at Jackson, silently asking him to drive the damn thing and get us moving.


"Your father." Jack said, inclining his head to Jess. "Was he killed?"


@ThatOneCrazyPerson @PopcornandCaramel

 

[duegxybus]

"Your father." Jack said, inclining his head to Jess. "Was he killed?"


She looked down at the ground slightly, specifically at a spot of water. "Yes. He was assigned to stop some smugglers illegally exporting gold, guns, and an experimental sheet metal. The magnate died to an infection a few weeks after I tried to rip his guts out. I've never felt so angry in my life." She looked around at everyone, then to Jack. "You're pretty much the only family I have." @JackMonroe

 

[TheFlyingWriter]

Group One - Two Miles Away From Gas Station


"Sorry," Jess replied, looking sheepish. "That was unneeded." "Tell me about it..." he muttered to himself, under his breath. "Anyways," she continued, "B&B, or do you guys still not trust me? I can walk if you want; if the knife freaks everyone out."


While Reid wasn't fond of her, didn't trust her as far as she could throw her, and sure as hell did not want her close to Allie or Weston... leaving her on her own, in danger, was not going to be an option. They were all in the same boat, and while they may not have much in common, they did have one thing-- they were alive, and if Reid could help it, they were all going to stay that way.


"I say she drops the knife," he said quietly. "Just until we know we can trust her." He glanced at Jackson, to see what he would say. No matter what the man said, he knew he would respect it, and probably follow with little resistance. ...Probably.


Jess clambered down from the truck. "So, if we're going to go... then let's do that," she said. "Who's driving?" Reid shrugged. "Jackson, right?" he guessed, turning to the man again for confirmation. "I think he was going to sit up front with Mitchell."


"...Your father," Jack said suddenly, stealing a glance at the girl. "Was he killed?"


Jess hesitated. "...Yes," she mumbled finally. "He was assigned to stop some smugglers illegally exporting gold, guns, and an experimental sheet metal. The magnate died to an infection a few weeks after I tried to rip his guts out. I've never felt so angry in my life. You're pretty much the only family I have." Reid didn't bother to ask what all that crap meant, but... just... sure. Whatever.


Allie looked as though she had walked in on the filming of a sex tape. Her eyes were so big they seemed to take up her face, and she was on the verge of having horrified tears spill over. "Y-you... you k-killed someb'dy....?" she whimpered quietly, squeezing Reid's hand so hard he thought it might fall off.


(( @JackMonroe @Shimakage Thunder ))

 

[duegxybus]

Jess tightened her grip on her knife until she heard the freaked-out voice of the girl "Y-you... you k-killed someb'dy....?"


At this, Jess lay the knife on the ground. To her, Jess was a murderer. Bloody knife? Story about killing someone? Damn, Jess, pick your timings! "Yes I killed someone, but that was before the world changed. It doesn't matter now since he was doing illegal things. You guys aren't, so...yeah." She looked at her knife again. "That knife's basically my teddy bear, I can't sleep without it."

 

[LesDom]

"I'm not your family." Jack said simply, unfazed by her answer. "I'd like to get moving, It will be sundown soon."





@ThatOneCrazyPerson

 

[The Jest]

"I say she drops the knife," Reid had suggested, looking to Jackson to see what he would say. "I agree," he said. "It would make everyone more comfortable." Eventually she put it down, except it wasn't Jackson who really convinced her to do so, it was Allie. Obviously, she was freaked out, and it was apparent in the way she said, "Y-you... you k-killed someb'dy....?"


Jackson and Luke were listening to the conversation between Jess and Jack, though Jackson proceeded to enter and start the car when Jack looked at him to do so, along with when Reid responded to Jess' question, "Who's driving?" saying "Jackson, right? I think he was going to sit up with Mitchell." With a little fight from the car's engine, it ended up starting, so Jackson held a thumbs up out the car window.


Luke was more intent on keeping the kids in the back safe, though he laughed when he heard Jess say "That knife's basically my teddy bear."


"Well, isn't that a reassuring thought," he had said, though the laugh turned into a bit of a sigh, "I guess you kind of have to be like that now." Luke was silent for a while after that; it was completely unlike him.


Whenever he could, although he never wanted to, his thoughts were arranged with the sounds of his family dying in the house, like some sort of horrible orchestra. This is the first time he's had the chance to not be on the run in a while. Luke wanted a close-range weapon, but knives were something he didn't want. At his house, he never heard bullets, never heard anything other than the screams, and just the sound of a knife running through the flesh of his related blood.


He was thankful Jackson saved him, but he hated how he was with the other group before he met Luke. Would they have been able to make it that far without Jackson? How many people did Jackson kill when he was with that group? Would he do the same to this group, just up and leave? These were the questions Luke had in his mind, but he would shake his head in denial, refusing to believe he would do that again and that if Jackson had never been there to begin with, Luke wouldn't be here now.


Meanwhile, in the front of the truck, it was just Jackson and Mitchell. It was pretty silent up there for a while, which Jackson didn't mind, but he did want to tell him something, "Don't mind Luke, he's a good kid, just been through some shit recently that a kid shouldn't go through."


@ThatOneCrazyPerson @JackMonroe

 

[DrTrollinski]

Adam could understand why he wasn't trusting anyone. And to be honest, he saw this as a way of getting a little closer to him to be more than honest. If he could show him understanding, perhaps he'd be able to trust him a little bit more if Adam decided to take him seriously. It would help out in one way or another, right? I certainly hope so. He looked at Carrie, and he looked at Archie again. What was he? Troubled teenager? Conflicted guy? He wasn't sure what to call him, to be quite honest. He'd be able to figure him out - he used to be a detective, for god's sake.


"Hey, Archie." Adam said, nodding to him. "I ain't gonna try and convince you to trust anyone, because I don't blame you." He sighed. "You're like me in a way - right now, the only person I fully trust is my son. I need to work on keeping myself safe so that I can keep him safe, as well. Forgive me for assuming but I think that may be the same sort of thing with you and your sister." He said, shrugging once. "I ain't gonna patronise you or treat you any differently to anyone else, I'm just trying to understand you, okay?" He said, not reaching out and patting his shoulder or anything like that. That would be too risky.


Show understanding. Show that you understand and you'll be fine, it'll make things easier, no criticism, some sort of relation to him, that similarity. Hopefully that would gain the trust of someone. He knew that it didn't feel so good to not be trusted, but it was something that couldn't be forced, not at all.


He'd rather have Chris be safe than himself be trusted.


He looked at Carrie and took a small sigh, but then looked back towards the window so he could continue to keep watch.


"I heard you mention you grew up with your sister but I didn't get much more than that, Carrie." He said. "What did you do before the world went crazy?" He asked. "I did personal training and I was a cop - a detective - before I did all of that." He explained. "Seeing as we're here all night, the past is a good place to start on a discussion, right?" He asked.


 
(@ThatOneCrazyPerson)

 

[duegxybus]

Jess nodded to Jack. Understandable. She looked down, staring at the blood-stained knife sitting right in front of her. "The knife's covered in runner blood, so licking it clean is out of question. In fact, I think we shouldn't even think about sniffing it. I'm going to clean it when we either get to B&B, or as soon as you guys trust me with it."


She leaned against the side of the pickup and looked around the area, deep in thought. Think, Jess, you need to get the group to the military base before it's either raided or overrun by infected. You know there's a stash of freeze-dried meat, at least two shuttlers there. Then again, the shuttles need repair and they're empty. Or maybe we can find a tank. No, probably taken. People can drive tanks. Wait, what if-





Jess was snapped back to reality when she felt the silence.

 

[LesDom]

Jack sat in silence, watching the road for any signs of danger.

 

[BloodThunder27]

Although she was trying her best to sleep, Vivian was awakened by a Nightmare, particularly of herself killing her husband and being shamed for it by others. She gasped when she awakened, tearing off the blanket and gently rubbing her stomach. Now that she was awake, she couldn't really go back to sleep. Taking a deep breath, she laid back down on her side, staring into the endless dark. She felt her baby kicking once more. "Oh, I'm sorry sweetie, Mommy just had a really bad dream. Why don't you go ahead and get some rest, hmmm?" she mused, talking to her baby.


If the others, provided that they were still awake, hopefully one of them would come by soon. Of course she hoped it would be Carrie, because she was Vivian's only friend right now, meaning she was the only one that Vivian can trust.