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

[TheFlyingWriter]

Group Two - Inside Cabin


The warm, orange glow was dim at first. It seeped through the smallest cracks between the boards that covered the windows, before streaming in through the larger ones. It snaked its way across the floor, before climbing to the couch, and then falling onto both Ivy and Chris' faces. As the minutes ticked by, the light reduced to a cooler, yellowy-white sort of glow, and Carrie blinked as she scanned the outside.


Not much had happened throughout the rest of the night, and for that, the veteran thanked whoever was listening. Sure, there had been the odd Clicker waltzing around, but as long as the group stayed quiet (which they all did, no questions asked), no harm came to them. There was nothing out there now (or at least nothing noticeable), so Carrie cleared her throat and spoke.


"Well... we made it." Her voice was a little scratchy, and her demeanor showed signs of weariness, but she shook it off. "Good morning, Vietnam," she sighed humorlessly, then paused. "...That was supposed to be a joke, not a comparison to my time in the military. Though, if you were wondering, that was hell too." God, was she always this chatty in the morning? Carrie wondered if that made her a morning person. She sure didn't feel like one.


(( @Shimakage Thunder ))


Group One - Inside B&B, Basment


(( @JackMonroe... though a response from @PopcornandCaramel or @The Jest would be nice too ^^; ))

 

[LesDom]

Jack flipped the axe, holding the head of the axe while the wooden handle faced Jess. If she grabbed it, he could pull her to the steps.


@JPax42

 

[duegxybus]

((Ayy welcome back@JackMonroe!! Um...add dialogue or something, @ThatOneCrazyPerson doesn't like one-liners))


Jess tilted her head against the water and looked at the steps, where Reid was standing, then at Jack's axe handle. She figured that it would be a good idea to swim over to Jack, as to prevent anything silly from happening. She reached for the handle and firmly gripped it, careful not to pull Jack into the water. "Jack, it's ok. I'm coming over." She carefully moved herself through the water, using Jack's axe simply as a guide, not exerting any force on it.


After floating over to the stairs, she grabbed hold for the banister and pulled herself to where she could stand (one step from the bottom). She then called back to Reid. "Reid, it's ok! We don't need the pole." She sighed in relief and walked up the stairs, waiting at the top (next to Reid).

 

[BloodThunder27]

Vivian was not much of a Morning Person either, but her baby had more of a say in that than she did...Early morning trips to the restroom...Occasional Morning Sickness and no way of getting around it, stomach pains because of contractions, back pain, ugh...Who knew carrying around a baby would be such a pain in the rear? At the current moment, Vivian was just sitting down on the Couch in the living room, with her legs propped up to help with Blood Circulation in her legs and feet. Sighing, she looked around at the other tenants of the Cabin, most notably her friend Carrie. "So where to next?" she asked, as that was her way of saying "Good Morning".


Then again, not like it could be helped. She was pretty moody in the morning usually. But today, she was woken up because sunlight was in her face.


@ThatOneCrazyPerson

 

[DrTrollinski]

Group Two





The night had been long and rather painful for Adam. He couldn't even remember the last time that he'd had a decent night of sleep, to be quite honest. He didn't know what the hell he was doing right now, and his eyes were bloodshot, hardly being able to stay open. He was sure there was one point where they were keeping watch and he fell asleep for about half an hour, if that. No one seemed to notice because of the darkness, so there you go. He woke up from discomfort more than anything. I suppose that the most discomforting thing was the fact that he still didn't have any bullets in his shotgun. What if they ran into something that they needed a gun to take care of? If someone asked him about the shotgun... Jesus, he'd have to confess the truth, and it wasn't that he was worried they'd turn on him... He'd just look a little bit useless, carrying around an empty shotgun.


If they could understand his reasoning for doing so, though, then he'd look a lot less stupid. I mean, Carrie had seen the power of bluffing from him, so, if anything, hopefully she'd be the one to understand, wouldn't she?


Anyway, when he saw that sunlight roll across the land, he sighed and looked over at Carrie, and of course, she cracked a joke.


"Well... we made it." She said, her voice clearly expressing her tiredness. "Good morning, Vietnam," She said, which got a little smirk and chuckle out of Adam. "...That was supposed to be a joke, not a comparison to my time in the military. Though, if you were wondering, that was hell too."


"Heh, it's okay, I got it." He said, quietly, then cleared his throat and stretched his back. After a long night of not being able to leave the house, he... Needed to pee pretty badly, but it could wait, he was sure. "We made it indeed. Another night to add to the endless checklist." He smirked, then rose to his feet and stretched his back, groaning quietly as he did so. Adam wasn't by any means a morning person, and his deeper personality sort of showed for a while. Nothing serious, but you know, it just shone over most of the other stuff for a little while. He wanted to work on figuring out where they were going. If he could travel with them and learn to trust them, and them learn to trust him, then perhaps some of them could sleep a little easier at night.


"So where to next?" Vivian called out, and even though she was probably speaking to Carrie, Adam replied while looking out of the window. He'd noticed that she was on the couch with Chris, and seeing as there wasn't exactly much room on the couch in the first place, he was curled up in a ball, but he looked quite comfortable and happy so it didn't really matter all that much.


"Well, before we can figure that out, we need to take a look at my map and figure out where we are, and then we can see where we're going." He explained, but not aggressively. "First thing's first... We need to eat something. It can't be any later than five o'clock or so, so any food now should carry us through the day until later. If there's gonna' be walking involved, none of us can leave on empty stomachs." He said, then looked over at Vivian ."Especially not you. With the little one and all." He nodded to her. He was just showing a sense of kind concern to her due to the baby. He may not have thought the world of Vivian right now, but that didn't mean he didn't care.


--


Group Three - In The City





"Stephen?" Jack called out.


"Yeah, what's up?" He asked, gently squeezing his furthest shoulder, his arm still around him. Jack leaned against his head and sighed for a moment, then looked off at Marco, whom of which was pacing around the garage. He was quietly going through toolboxes and nodding to himself - He'd found what they needed to get a vehicle working, that was for sure. And he had what they needed to make the vehicle a little bit more fancy and teched out, too, even though it was probably going to be easier said than done. He just wanted out of the city, I think they all did. Marco had a few things that he wanted to do before he left the place, though. One of them was find a gun store in the city center. I think I've been over this already.


"Do you think we'll make it out of the city?" He asked.


Stephen sighed and thought for a moment, but then nodded. "Yes, yes I do." He said, instead taking hold of one of his hands and gently squeezing it. "Even if I lose a leg trying to get you out of here, I'm gonna' make it happen. Marco will, too." He said ."I promise, we'll manage this just fine." He said, then hugged him close. He looked down at Lewis on his other side, whom of which had managed to fall asleep right there. Stephen sighed and slowly lifted him up, setting him on his lap and hugging him there where he was more comfortable. Thanks to Marco, they all got to sleep quite well.


Stephen couldn't remember the last time Marco had a full night of sleep.


"Okay." Jack said, setting his head against his shoulder. There was a long silence from that point on, but eventually, Jack spoke out. ".. I miss my mom." He said, a tinge of sadness to his voice.


Stephen felt his eyes glaze over with tears, but he quickly shut them and set his head against the wall, the one arm around Jack pulling him just that little bit closer. "Me too, buddy." He gulped.


 
(@ThatOneCrazyPerson, @Shimakage Thunder, @PopcornandCaramel, @The Jest)


 
(Oh, and @Jupiter xD )

 

[Jupiter]

Archie had not spoken the entire night. Silence, absolute silence. He tried to play it off like he wasn't tired, too, but the bags under his eyes said different. He was exhausted, he really was, but he couldn't risk anything. The entire night, aside from the silence, he was watching the others like a hawk. He was watching their every move, listening to them, being careful and cautious. He needed to keep Ivy safe, he needed to make sure that she wouldn't get hurt, and if he had to stay awake to do that, then that was what he would do.


He was staring at the sleeping form of Vivian when the sun began to rise, and when it had finished rising and the sky was lit up, he was instead staring at his sister. She wouldn't wake up to the light, he'd have to wake her himself, he knew that much for certain, and so he rose to his feet and walked over to the couch, before crouching in front of her and putting his hands on her knees.


She hadn't been wearing the best thing when the world turned to chaos. Tights, a pleated skirt, socks and a vest top under neath a plaid shirt. Archie had been more sensible. Jeans. A t-shirt. A sweater. He'd give anything for a change of clothes, but sadly no one knew the world was going to end, did they?


"Ivy." He mumbled, and then shook her gently. "Ivy, wake up."


She scrunched up her face and then moved her arms in front of it, shaking her head slightly. She acted like a child in the morning, really. She acted like a child most of the time to be completely serious. "No." She mumbled, but Archie shook her again. Eventually, she pulled her hands away from her eyes and looked at him. "What time is it?"


"I'll let you know when I have a working wristwatch, Ivy. Can't be earlier than five." He shrugged his shoulders and then reached out and stroked some of her hair out of her eye. "Sleep okay?" He didn't really care about the conversation about where they were going. He didn't need to know the specifics, he just needed to know the end result.


"Yeah... Did you get any sleep? What's going on?"


"Um... Maybe an hour or so." Lie. "Enough to keep me going." Lie. "I think we're figuring out where we're going, or something."


 
(( @ThatOneCrazyPerson @Shimakage Thunder ))

 

[TheFlyingWriter]

Group One - Inside B&B, Basement


"I'm fine, Reid!" Jess cried over the waves. "We just need one thing!" She nodded her head up towards where the boy now stood. "There's a iron pole right outside the basement stairs! Can you bring that?"


"...Got it," Reid nodded, still nervous, as he moved back the way he had come. Sure enough, there was a metal rod right where Jess had said it'd be. Why it was there, or how she knew it was there, was a mystery beyond him. He vaguely heard Jess calling something else, but he knew it wasn't for him, as he could make out the word 'Jack'. Reid lugged the pole towards the basement as well as he could, before hearing Jess' voice again, this time much clearer. "Reid?" she said, and he managed an gasp-y, "Yeah...?" Jess continued, "The pole's kind of heavy! Be careful!" 'Now you tell me,' the boy thought, then shook it off.


"Okay, I-I've got it...! Now..." He glanced around the room, then back to her, where she clung to the stair railing. "...What do you want with this, exactly?!"


But, as it turned out, they didn't need him. '...Again,' his subconscious reminded him, which he ignored for now. "Reid, it's okay! We don't need the pole," Jess called, as she and Jack trudged up the basement stairs. "Oh... um, right..."


(( @JackMonroe @Shimakage Thunder @DrTrollinski @Jupiter ))

 

[duegxybus]

Jess simply walked over the top of the stairs, still aching from everything, and water dripping from her arms and face (that was when she was hit by the water before it was infected by the runner). She smiled at Reid for trying to help, but wasn't able to say anything. She then walked upstairs, thinking about an object she saw next to the stairs.


Jess walked over to the stairs and picked up the small red and black object with a button. Wait... HOLY CRAP! It's a switch knife! She pressed the button and the blade came out nicely, although a bit worn. She compared it to the steak knife that was stowed in her belt, and decided to do something about it. I hope Reid likes this. He can't be defenseless for days.





"Reid...I found something. You need this." She spoke silently, then held out the handle for Reid to take, making sure Weston and Allie wouldn't freak out.





@ThatOneCrazyPerson


@JackMonroe


@The Jest


@PopcornandCaramel

 

[DrTrollinski]

Group Two





Adam scratched his head, "What...?" He asked when she spoke about their location. Impossible, he thought to himself. No, they couldn't be West... Could they? Jesus, now he was worried. He wanted to go East. What was waiting for them in the West other than the ocean? Any boats that were there would have been taken long ago, or they would have sunk by now. There was no point going back the way they came. They'd never survive like that. Not in his mind, at least. In his mind, their best bet would be to travel North to a state that was more quiet, and colder during the winter. It may have only been spring time, but, you get where I'm coming from, right? He was thinking Dakota.


Bottom line: He definitely wasn't thinking West.


"Chris." He called out, then quietly whistled to him. Chris immediately groaned and rolled over onto his side so he could look at him, his eyes barely open. He rubbed his eyes with one hand and sighed.


".. What...?" He asked.


"It's morning. Wake up and crack open a can of food, eh?" He said.


"But..." Chris sighed and rubbed his eyes again. ".. Okay..." He yawned, then kicked the blanket off and slowly uncurled himself from the ball he was in and rose up, stretching his back as he walked over to where their backpack was. Adam kept it tucked behind the couch, and he'd done an inventory check before and after these guys got here, so if anyone had stolen anything, he'd know.


"How much we got?"


Chris, who was rooting through the bag, sighed and responded to his father, "Three bottles of water, two cans of food." He said. He did sound a little worried, if I'm honest. Adam didn't want this to come to where he'd have to stop them both from eating. They could survive a week without eating, as long as they had water. He didn't want it to come to that, but if it got any more dire than this, then he'd have to.


"We're traveling today. Save the water for when we hit the road. Open one can, eat half yourself, okay?" He said. "In fact, eat more than that, just save me a few spoonfuls." He said. Chris nodded and pulled out a spoon from the bag as well - It was clean. They always wiped it down after using it and washed it if they could, but you know, that wasn't always an option. Thankfully the cans had the ring on them that you could pull back and open them without the need for a can opener. This was a can of spaghetti-o's. Although cold... It was still nourishment, nonetheless. "Also, Chris, throw me the map, will ya'?" He asked.


While chewing his first spoonful, he pulled the roadmap out and threw it off in Adam's direction, whom of which clapped it between both hands to catch it and then adjusted it, nodding to Chris as a thanks. He opened it up and went and stood beside Carrie, then pointed to the map. "I'd say we're east out of the city, personally. There's Walnut Creek right there, East of San Francisco." He said, placing his finger down on a section of the map. "I and Chris traveled east out of there, so unless we've somehow managed to loop around and go west again, completely miss Walnut Creek, and end up outside said city... I don't see how it works. My best guess is that we're all here." He said, placing his finger down on a section east-by-south-east. "The Morgan Territory Regional Preserve. Lots of open land, trees - It'd make sense if we were here. Either that, or this place fits the description of where we are by pure coincidence." He said, shrugging. No sarcasm, either, don't worry. "The distance from Walnut Creek to here is about... I don't know, thirty miles?" He asked, drawing an imaginary line on the map from Walnut Creek to the location that he thought they were. "I'm gonna' have to place a bet and say we're here." He said.


(@ThatOneCrazyPerson, @Shimakage Thunder)


--


Group Three - In The Garage





"Do you think there's a lot of people out there?" Jack asked, but Stephen still had his eyes closed from sadness. He felt so guilty. He just wished he could have been there on time to save Jack's family, or at least done something to get one of them out of there. He didn't like the fact that it had gone this way, but there was nothing he could do about that, was there? They were here now, and he just had to put up with it. He took a deep breath and then opened his eyes so that he could look Jack in the eyes, and all he could do was simply shrug.


"In the city or in general?"


"Both." He replied.


"Well..." Stephen lied back. "I can't remember what the death toll was on day one. I know it was in the millions or at least very close to it. I know that a lot of people, y'know, passed away over the last few months, and the last broadcast we had was... I don't know. A while back now. It didn't mention the population census or anything." He said.


"I don't want to know what the radio says." Jack set his head on his shoulder. "I want to know what you think of it." He said. "What do you think's left out there?" He asked.


"I reckon more than half of the country's gone, if I'm honest. Why do you ask?"


"I just..." He shrugged, closing his eyes. "I don't know. I just don't like not knowing, that's all." He said, and Stephen simply nodded to show that he understood what he meant. It made sense and all, but all the same, he just wished Jack wouldn't ask questions like that. There was a long silence, actually, but soon enough, Jack spoke up again. "It's cold in here." He said, and that was when Marco pushed away from the wall he was leaning on and whipped out his gun, holding it out to Stephen.


"Take my gun as well. I'm heading out." He said.


"Where?" Stephen asked, reluctantly taking the gun from him and inspecting it for a moment.


"I'll get some blankets. I'll get more clothes, whatever I can find." He said. "And toilet paper. We're out." He said, then walked towards the door. Not being able to argue with that, Stephen just nodded and watched him leave, the gun at the ready. He could defend these two just fine, he hoped.


"Jack. Can you take Lewis? I'd rather be standing to keep watch." He said.


"Sure." He nodded, and Stephen quickly set him down on his lap before rising to his feet. Now he had to say his prayers, and hopefully Marco would be fine without a gun.


(@ThatOneCrazyPerson, @The Jest, @PopcornandCaramel)

 

[TheFlyingWriter]

Group One - Inside B&B


Reid


Jess padded upstairs, drenched. She smiled at Reid, (who felt his cheeks warm slightly involuntarily,) before sloshing right past him. He let out a breath slowly, closing his eyes and mentally kicking himself in the face. He heard her footsteps going away from him, then stop, then... come back? He turned just as she approached him, holding out a small object, colored black and red.


"Reid," she said. "I found something. You need this."


He glanced down at the object, and his memory served him to recognize it as a switch knife. His eyes snapped back up to her face, and his hand moved slowly to take the knife. "Thanks," he said quietly. He wasn't sure if he should make a big announcement about receiving a weapon, so he kept his voice low.


(( @JackMonroe @Shimakage Thunder ))

 

[BloodThunder27]

While listening to everyone do the planning, Vivian was just leaning against the wall, looking down at her belly, holding it. She was worried about the baby and raising it. Aside from that, there was also her dead husband and her two sisters, even her three brothers. Hopefully one day they could all reunite, because she hasn't given up hope on any of them just yet. As she listened, Vivian couldn't help but wonder if they were all leaving together. Not like she knew them all very well. As long as she can take Carrie, she didn't really mind what the plan was and as long as they could keep the Infected from getting too close. She would then have a sudden vision of herself shooting her infected husband, but soon snapped back into reality as soon as the gunshot rang out and she gasped in shock.


@ThatOneCrazyPerson @DrTrollinski @Jupiter

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Russia or Ireland?" He questioned, then frowned a little as he ran his hand through his hair. "You're telling me that Russia, one of the largest nations in the world, might be untouched?" He asked. "Let's just picture this, right, it's been three months, any boats that were near here are probably gone if we go west." He said. "The first thing some people would have done was take their own, steal, sink, you name it. They would have done anything to get their hands on a boat, even if they died on the middle of the ocean. The most you're getting is a fishing boat, at that." He said. "Out on the ocean, more chance of illness due to the cold temperatures. Not only that, making it across the ocean alone with all the storms... You'd be thrown about side to side, possibly killed out at sea." He explained, then went up and leaned against the wall.


"Let's just say you go to Russian or Ireland. You're looking at nearly a week on a boat either way. You need to worry about fuel, food, water, emergency situations... Take no offence, but I'm sure it's not a good idea for a heavily pregnant woman to be slammed about on a boat for four days." He said, shrugging once. He was ultimately trying to protect them here, to be honest with you. Even though he hardly knew them, he didn't want them to die, not a chance. "We've not heard a word from anyone for months, Carrie. No military, no civilian. We've seen no planes, no boats, no choppers, nothing." He said.


"Let's say you do manage to make it there, and somehow you manage to get the fuel, food, water, you name it. What are you going to do if you get there and those places are in a worse state than here?" He asked. "A small group in places like that? If those places have fallen even as close to as bad as the USA, then you won't stand a chance. The second most common tourists to the UK are American. This could have spread easily there, before things really went to shit. One American goes there, and the whole country falls. Same for Russia. Russia may not have a lot of American tourists, but indirectly, Africa is right under it. All countries connected to Africa ultimately connect to Russia." He said. "It doesn't matter how much hope you have for the UK, for the US, for anywhere. Bottom line is, the whole world's fucked." He said. "Something this big, something big enough to take down a whole nation... That doesn't stay in one place. It's like war. War can become so big that everyone gets sucked into it, whether they want it or not." He sighed and rubbed his forehead again.


"It's either North Pacific or the Atlantic if you want to take a boat across. Like I said, storms." He said. "I won't stop you from trying to make the journey, Carrie, not by any means. I know you ain't my responsibility, and I ain't yours, but there's strength in numbers, and with how many bad people there are out there... I don't like passin' up the ones that are genuine, that's all." He said, "My plan was a little different." He said.


"Instead of the risk of sinking at sea, or getting where you want to be and finding out that... That things aren't as good as you'd like... North is always an option." He said, shrugging. "If we drive directly North of here, we'll ht Oregon. If you wanted to stick there, it'd be an idea, near the coast and all, but if we were to go further than that. Somewhere like North Dakota. You could camp it out in a small town or in the middle of the forest if you wanted to. There's hunter's cabins all over the place up in those woods. You'd be out there near running water, plenty of animals to hunt all year round, and most of all, a chance to stay away from the shitstorm that's going on out there." He explained. "That's just what I have to put on the table. I'm not looking to start any arguments, nothin' like that... I'm just..." He sighed and looked across the room.


"I can't leave, Carrie." He said. "That's all there is to it. There's too much shit I don't know about in this country that I need to stay to find out." He looked over at Chris, whom of which was happily scarfing down the food he'd gotten out. "And he'd never go on a boat, I know that. He can barely go on a plane without freaking out - He wouldn't be able to go across an ocean." He explained.


"I can hear you, y'know." Chris said, smiling a little.


Adam smirked, "I thought so."


"Why don't we just... Y'know... Stay together until we find a way to do what we want?" He asked. "We could always both go west, and if we don't find what we're looking for then... I don't know... Work from there." He said, simply. "It's just... It's dangerous out there, right? Surely we wouldn't want to... Y'know... Lessen our numbers." He shrugged.


Adam looked at Carrie for a moment and shrugged, "Maybe sticking together. For now. Would be a good idea..." He said, thinking to himself for a moment.


(@Shimakage Thunder, @ThatOneCrazyPerson, @Jupiter)

 

[duegxybus]

(Mental face-kick? Reid must be flexible...)


Jess, who had closed her eyes, felt the weight of the switch knife lifted off her hand. She looked at Reid, standing in front of her, holding the knife as if he was trying to remember what it was. "Thanks," said Reid, in an unusually low voice. Jess beamed at him again, this time no intention of doing so. "Heh, I know you'll use it well." She proceeded to step towards Reid, presumably to hug him, but that was interrupted by a small voice that echoed off the corridors. The voice screamed "No!," followed by a loud smashing of porcelain and a wooden creak. "Reid, I think that was Weston."


Jess bolted off towards where she last heard the shattering, sliding slightly on the ground since her sneakers were drenched in water. As she reached the door, she saw Weston, Allie, Mitchell, and a broken lamp that dented the floorboards. "Allie, what happened? Anything weird showed up?" Jess's knife was out, and she was scanning the area for anything that looked unfamiliar or smelled rotten. She could feel her heartbeat in her hands as she gripped onto the knife.


@ThatOneCrazyPerson


@JackMonroe


@The Jest


@PopcornandCaramel

 

[TheFlyingWriter]

Group Two - Inside Cabin


Adam proceeded to enter a long-winded rant that Carrie forced herself to listen to, rather than tuning out and nodding. He rambled about how it was near impossible that Russia ('God, man, it was just an example,') would be fungus-free, and the dangers and impossibilities of getting there by boat. "Bottom line is," he summed up, "the whole world's fucked."


"Can't disagree with you there," the woman muttered under her breath. Okay, yeah, so his points made sense, and yes, her plan wasn't the most thought out (she usually relied on her superiors on the planning), but either way, the woman frowned. She knew he was right, but she sure as hell wasn't about to admit it to him.


He compared the disease to war, and something inside her twinged painfully. War wasn't something she liked to think about, and she especially didn't appreciate the mindset that she was being thrust back into it-- or something like it. This whole thing... it wasn't war, it was... purgatory. It wasn't exactly hell (though she'd called it that earlier), as that was her 'fond' nickname for... well. You know. And this thing sure wasn't heaven. Yeah, purgatory was a good word for it.


Adam shrugged, before bringing up his plan. "If we drive directly north of here, we'll hit Oregon," he explained. "If you wanted to stick there, it'd be an idea, near the coast and all, but if we were to go further than that --somewhere like North Dakota-- you could camp it out in a small town, or in the middle of the forest if you wanted to." Carrie nodded. It wasn't that bad of a plan, actually. "There's hunter's cabins all over the place up in those woods. You'd be out there near running water, plenty of animals to hunt all year round, and most of all, a chance to stay away from the shitstorm that's going on out there."


Carrie nodded again, taking in the words, as he went on to whisper to her his reasons for such a plan. "...And he'd never go on a boat, I know that," the man finished. "He can barely go on a plane without freaking out-- he wouldn't be able to go across an ocean."


From the other side of the room, Chris piped up. "I can hear you, y'know."


"I thought so."


"Why don't we just... y'know... stay together, until we find a way to do what we want?" Chris suggested then. "We could always both go west, and if we don't find what we're looking for, then... I don't know... work from there." He paused, seemingly hesitating. "It's just... it's dangerous out there, right? Surely we wouldn't want to... y'know... lessen our numbers." 'Kid's got a point,' Carrie thought to herself. There was no reason to split up and take the risk of getting hurt when they didn't have to.


"...Maybe sticking together-- for now --would be a good idea..." Adam repeated, and Carrie nodded.


"Sure," she agreed. "You're right about the supplies, so we might want to head north, like you said, first. Stock up on food and stuff, then Vivian and I can take off. She'd probably have had the baby by then, maybe a month or so tops." Carrie glanced at the Maddison twins again, sighing a little. "...Still not sure what they're doing yet."


(( @Shimakage Thunder @JackMonroe @JPax42 ))

 

[DrTrollinski]

Adam nodded at her, but then looked over at the twins before whispering. "They're pretty much old enough to take care of themselves. They can stick to whoever they want - For all we know, Carrie, they could take off one night and never come back. Sometimes there's just no telling." He explained, then leaned against the wall again. "Someone can tell them this plan over if they're not sure of it." He said, but then, Chris got up from the couch and walked over to joined them, holding out the can to Adam - He'd left a few spoonfuls, just like Adam had asked. Adam smiled at him and took it, taking one small scoop and lifting it to his mouth, chewing on it a little bit. "One thing I'm sure all of us know from experience is that cars lure those fuckers in. And they make us more of a target to people, too." He said.


"Dad... We're not really... Well... It's not like there's any cars around here, anyway." Chris said, a little attempt at a joke given with a nervous smile.


"Heh, I know that." He said. "It'll be a pain in the ass, but we need to walk for a while." He said. "If we find the road back west.." He said, looking at the roadmap again and putting his finger on the line that indicated the said dirtroad. "We can follow that straight up, and we'll hit Clayton." He said. "I know it's quite a big town, but, if you want to find vehicles, there's our best bet. And I doubt there's going to be anyone out on this dirt road, so it should be quite an easy journey, you know?" He smiled. "We just need to stay frosty, stay together, and we'll be able to find a car no problem, I reckon." He said.


"We can set out either this morning, afternoon, or evening. I think our safest bet is within the hour, plenty of light, so we can see anything that wants to try and sneak up on us." He said. "I'm good to set out..." He said, scooping more food to his mouth and chewing it. ".. Just as soon as everyone's ready to leave." He finished his sentence. "Chris, you good to go as well?" He asked.


"Yeah, sure." Chris shrugged, then retreated back over to the couch and sat down, pressing his feet down into his shoes on the floor that he'd managed to kick off while he was asleep.


(@ThatOneCrazyPerson, @Shimakage Thunder)

 

[duegxybus]

Jess


Jess snapped back to reality when she heard Reid's voice. "Life with siblings." Reid sort of laughed, and Jess laughed a little bit as well. "Yeah, that sounds interesting." Jess stowed her knife away and let out a breath, then leaned against the wall. To her, the mixture of the plaster wall and the ice-cold water, although partially evaporated and dripping down from her fingers, felt almost like burning ice on the exposed skin on her shoulders. Ouch.


Jess simply waved off the feeling and looked at Reid. Without anything else to say, Jess just looked at the ground and smiled, her cheeks turning red and her face feeling warm. She almost mouthed 'The hell Jess, you're not ok,' and probably would have if she hadn't been interrupted by the feeling of the cold basement water dripping down her face. "Damnit!" Jess exclaimed silently, but with the combined silence of the building, everyone probably heard it. Jess simply put a hand to her face and wiped the water off of it.


((I ran out of post ideas, or what to do next. I dunno if The Jest and PopcornandCaramel are still here))





@JackMonroe


@ThatOneCrazyPerson


@PopcornandCaramel


@The Jest

 

[PopcornandCaramel]

Group 1


Mitchell


Jess stood there and spoke like she was forced to watch her grandma's bingo game for the third time that week.


"Uh huh, how are you doing? Speaking of which, we gotta get out of this place." Mitchell instantly shot her an arched brow and cocked neck like Shaniqua from the 7-eleven.


"Get out of this place? Uh, no. Just because there's this one runner; Who's dead in case you haven't noticed; showed up doesn't mean this place is un-safe. We just have to look around and gather together in one room. We are gonna be fine.."


Just as Mitchell was able to get the words out Jack interjected in agreement with Jess.


"We're going to stock on supplies first, or...?" Jess continued and her and Jack formulated a plan without the rest of the groups input. As fast as she was in the room Jess was leaving again to look for supplies. The girl sure didn't know how to sit still very long, neither did Jack.


Now it was just Mitchell, Jackson, Luke, Reid, and his two siblings. Mitchell was ready to set up camp and get some shut eye, but that wasn't going to happen tonight it seemed. Jess had started to yell something incoherently from the basement. Mitchell couldn't make out what she trying to say but evidently Jack heard it just fine and he ran down to the basement for Jess.


Reid was the next to follow to go to the basement.


"Stay here" Reid had ordered his siblings and sent evil looks at Mitchell followed with


"Don't try anything" before he left the room. Try what exactly? Mitchell was befuddled and shrugged it off. Jack could handle whatever trouble had gotten herself into this time, but Mitchell still felt like he should go check out what was happening. He couldn't just leave the two children by themselves, so he kind of had no choice but to stay. Mitchell noticed the girls eyes gluedto him and it made him feel uncomfortable.He adverted his gaze to his boots and crossed his arms. Creepy.


The commotion in the basement had started to die down.


Ah-lee!"" The boys cry brought Mitchell's attention back to the kids.


" Dat huuuurts!" the boy tried to remove his sisters hand.


"Stoooop!" He screamed.


"Weston," Allie replied, calm and collected. " be quiet.Now" Really creepy kid.


" No!" The boy stomped his foot in rebellion and caused a lamp near him to fall to the floor with a louder-than-Mitchell-had-anticipated crash.


Mitchell had opened his mouth to speak when he heard two sets of footsteps coming into the room. Well that didn't last long.


Jess was back in the room. Guess she was okay, aside from now being drenched in what he had hoped was water.


"Allie, what happened? Anything weird showed up?" The girl had her knife out ready to attack anyone or anything that seemed out of ordinary. Jess leaned against the wall.


Reid was the next to follow and he attracted his siblings like some sort of older brother magnet. The family started to bicker, mostly Reid telling the two to stop fighting and to be quiet.


Mitchell just stood there, his brow arched.


" Anyone wanna fill in me on what happened? "


Jess just seemed spaced out wiping the water from her face.


" Dammit!" She said, probably louder than intending to.


Mitchell took a step towards her and leaned in a bit to look at her face.


" You okay? Actually, are you both okay? Cuts or anything? I have plenty to fix you up with." Mitchell still saw no reason for them to leave the house. Of course he wasn't in the basement with all the action either. If they did have to leave, he couldn't think of any other place they could reach quickly to rest. If none of them rested, they wouldn't be much good in the way of surviving.


Group 3


Yvette


When Sam got to the bakery she would find the door unlocked.


Yvette tried to stay as quiet as she could walking up the street. She headed in the opposite direction that the bakery in case any of the runners followed her. She went up about 2-3 blocks then turned right,went two more blocks and finally started to back track to the baker. The whole affair took her an hour and half.


1 block away from the alley that led to the bakery Yvette finally ran into some deep trouble. There was 2 clickers blocking the street she had to take and the only way around them, was to go through them.


" Jesus..." Aside from the hoard of undead earlier, Yvette had only seen the clickers once before. She couldn't just run past them, they would for sure see her. She wasn't the best at sneaking but it was worth a shot. Either she would be seen and be killed, or she'd had to find another way around and probably be killed anyway.


Yvette crouched near the closest car. She stayed on her tippy toes so she had enough height to see the clickers from where she was. Slowly she crept to the end of the car, careful not to make too much sound. Then on to the next car, getting closer to the clickers. She stood up for a second to get her barrings and noticed the clicker looking right at her. Her heart skipped a beat as she quickly scooted closer to the new car, but her foot kicked a glass bottle and sent it skidding from under neath the car and into the middle of the street. Instantly the two bodies poked their heads up and let out distorted screech and hustle towards the bottle on the other side of the car from Yvette.


They heard that, but they didn't notice her there? Did they? Yvette looked around and found another bottle, she grabbed it and took in a deep breath, holding it.


" Please work" she thought to herself and threw the bottle away from her. It hit a wall a few feet away, and she had thought the clickers again shot towards the sound. She quickly ran to the next hiding spot, a lot closer to the bakery.


She found one more bottle and tossed it in the direction she came from and they followed the sound getting farther away from her.


They didn't see her after all.


Yvette was home free at this point and she sprinted to the alley way and back into the bakery, not letting her breath out until the door was shut behind her, sweat beading on her forehead.


[media]



[/media] ( Just cause ya know, these things sound scary Lol Also sorry it's taken me so long to get back. Its been a hard week but I promise I didn't forget about you guys.)

 

[TheFlyingWriter]

Group Two - Inside Cabin


"They're pretty much old enough to take care of themselves," Adam whispered, and Carrie nodded in agreement. "They can stick to whoever they want-- for all we know, Carrie, they could take off one night and never come back. Sometimes there's just no telling."


"Wouldn't put it past them," Carrie muttered back. "Archie doesn't seem to be too fond of any of us. Doubt Ivy would be much for the idea, though." She was only half talking to Adam, her words slowly falling to a mumble beneath her breath as she went on. "At least Archie knows not to trust anybody. Guess that's more a good thing than bad these days..."


Adam went over the plan again, munching on that stuff in the can that Chris had been eating. He pointed out that traveling by car was dangerous, and Carrie nodded. Not only the motor, but the headlights would attract the Infected, and as was always a problem with automobiles, the trouble with finding enough gasoline. That would certainly make an adventure.


"We can set out either this morning, afternoon, or evening," Adam concluded. "I think our safest bet is within the hour-- plenty of light, so we can see anything that wants to try and sneak up on us." He sighed. "I'm good to set out, just as soon as everyone's ready to leave." The man glanced at his son. "Chris, you good to go as well?"


"Yeah, sure," the kid replied, plopping down onto the couch again.


"I'll be good to go once we get everyone else fed," Carrie piped up, snatching her duffel bag off the floor where she supposed Vivian had dragged it in. She opened it, pulling out a can of beans, before glancing back at Adam, then Vivian, and even Archie and Ivy. "Anyone got a knife?" she asked. "In the rush to keep my head from being eaten off, I guess I forgot the can opener." She eyed her crowbar. It was a little overkill for a damn can of beans, but if worst came to worst, it was her only option. Hopefully Vivian wouldn't mind the cold, wet pellets if they were twinged with metal flavoring.


(( @Shimakage Thunder @JackMonroe @JPax42 @PopcornandCaramel ))


Group Three - In the City


Sam waited for a moment, then tried the door. Surprisingly, it was unlocked, and she slowly stepped in, keeping her footsteps light and her knife at the ready. She examined the place as thoroughly as was probably possible, before finally allowing herself to believe that the place was, in fact, empty. "Huh," she mumbled quietly, keeping her voice low even after confirming she was alone.


"Wonder where our Mystery Man went," she sighed to herself, slipping her backpack off her shoulders and dropping it on the floor against the wall. She slid down and took a seat beside it, letting herself rest. She wondered why Mr. ('or Mrs.,' she supposed,) Rock Thrower had sent her here. She assumed this was their base, judging by what looked like a sleeping arrangement nearby on the floor. So where were they?


It had been an hour and a half, though to Sam, who had no way of telling time, it felt more like three times that. She was starting to worry, and wonder if perhaps her mysterious rescuer had, in fact... well...


Bam! The door that Sam had come through (seemingly) so long ago slammed open, then closed just as quickly, leaving a sweat-drenched, gasping woman in its wake. Sam was on her feet in an instant, bag slung over her shoulder and knife at the ready. "You okay?" she heard herself ask, surprised that that was her first instinct, rather than to ask who this woman was, or if she was infected, or anything like that.


(( @PopcornandCaramel @The Jest @DrTrollinski ))

 

[DrTrollinski]

Group Two - Inside the Cabin





"Yeah, we'll see how things go. Can't blame him for not trusting anyone. I lived that life for more than a few months, I tell you that. It was hard enough to trust some people before all of this, really. If they're gonna' take off, as much as I wouldn't want them out there alone, I wish them the best of luck if they do." He said, simply, then wandered over to Chris and sat down beside him. But of course, soon enough, Carrie asked for a knife and Adam simply nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I've got a knife over here in the backpack. It's not... It's not something convenient for opening a can or whatever, but hopefully it'll do." He said, reaching down into the bag and pulling out a large kitchen knife.


He flipped the knife over and grasped the blade, holding the handle outwards as he approached Carrie and offered it to her. It wasn't anything spectacular, but it was sharp, and it could cut into just about anything if you put enough force into it. A can would be no problem, but one slip of the hand and you could either make a cut that required stitches, or could you come halfway to losing a finger. Adam didn't want that to happen, but he'd only ever reminded Chris to be careful with the knife.


He highly doubted he needed to do the same for Carrie.


"Just drop that back in our bag by the couch once you're done with it, eh?" He asked, dropping himself onto the couch beside Chris again, followed by putting an arm around his shoulders and pulling him close to his side. Chris still looked pretty sleepy, and that much became more evident when he snuggled up to his dad's side like a young child and pulled the blanket back over himself, closing his eyes. To be honest, seeing as Adam imagined it'd take some time for everyone to get ready here, he didn't mind if Chris caught a little more sleep while they were here. Adam himself was exhausted, but there was no more rest in line for him, at least not for a while.


As long as he didn't have to do any driving, to be quite honest, he didn't care. If he was driving, he'd easily fall asleep at the wheel and he didn't want that. He didn't want to be the one responsible for the death of any of these people, so he wouldn't be going behind the wheel today unless he really needed to.


(@ThatOneCrazyPerson, @Shimakage Thunder)

 

[duegxybus]

"Crap, I'm sorry, um... are you okay? Do you... do you need a blanket? O-or a towel or something...?" Reid's voice was shaking a bit, so Jess tried not to alarm him, yet again. "Don't worry about what I said earlier, a lot's going on in my head.. And, uh, I'm pretty sure all the towels here are stained in blood." She laughed a bit at what she just said. Mitchell was there with the kids, and he finally spoke up.


"Anyone wanna fill in me on what happened?" Mitchell started, then upon closer inspection of them, said " You okay? Actually, are you both okay? Cuts or anything? I have plenty to fix you up with." Jess was about to say everything was ok, but it wasn't. However, Reid spoke up. "Jess and Jack almost drowned in zombie guts and basement water; they're the ones who need to be checked up on." At this, Jess shrugged at Mitchell. "I think I-I'm ok." She shivered a little bit as she spoke, this time with no signs of resistance against the cold. Jess quickly decided that if they're going to stay here for the night, they're going to have to lock themselves up in a secure room. "D-do you think we can all stay in the main bedroom? It's all clear."


Jess walked to the master bedroom and opened the door slowly. Nothing was there, so she proceeded to turn the lights on. Mitchell's right. We have to stay here.





@ThatOneCrazyPerson


@JackMonroe


@The Jest

 

[PopcornandCaramel]

Group 1


Mitchell


"I'm fine" Reid replied, lowered his voice and continued "Jess and Jack almost drowned in zombie guts and basement water; they're the ones who need to be checked up on." Mitchell arched his brow at Reid and shifted his gaze from Reid to Jess, Jack and back to Reid.


" Zombie guts eh? Seems like you all handled it well though.." Mitchell almost felt bad for not showing up to help them out. Almost. Coward.


. "I think I-I'm ok." Jess spoke up shivering like an excited chihuahua. Mitchell felt a bit sorry for the girl and frowned a bit. She wasn't at risk of dying from hypothermia or anything, or Heaven forbid her extremities start to fall off. Still it obviously was uncomfortable for the girl.


"D-do you think we can all stay in the main bedroom? It's all clear." Jess went on.


" Exactly what I was thinking. As long as we all stick together in one room and keep the noise down we should be fine for the night. I'm gonna go down stairs and search the kitchen for supplies, maybe there is something useful. One of you should try to find some decent blankets, or something." Look at you Mitchell, giving orders like some kind of heroic leader. Yeah right.


Mitchell walked into the master bedroom and set his bag down in the far right corner. Then proceeded to unbutton his blue uniform, taking it off and offering it to Jess. It still had a pen in the pocket and his name tag pinned to it.


"Should keep you warm until you can get under those blankets. Might wanna rummage through the drawers for new clothes. Y-ya know with the zombie guts and all.." he added awkwardly. Was he being creepy? Nah


That being said, Mitchell stuffed his pistol into the back of his pants, un-tucked his white undershirt and headed down the stairs to the kitchen. Things were finally calming down and he had the concentration to look through the cabinets and drawers. Still, he was itching to start his 'product count'. His obsessive nerves were starting to itch, he had to do something to calm down. Opening the cabinet he pushed around some empty cereal boxes, finding nothing. The next couple cabinets offered the same disappointing collective.


Until he reached the cabinets above the stove. Jackpot, a couple cans of peas and carrots and green beans. Not much, but it would sustain their growling stomachs for the night.


In the drawers he had better luck. A few candle sticks,box of matches and electrical tape. All of which he grabbed. Mitchell grabbed a couple small pots, bowls and utensils for the apocalyptic feast they were going to have, then made his way back to the master bedroom.


" I found some pretty good stuff" He said as he sprawled the items out on the floor.


" I wonder if we could get a controlled fire going or something...Like if we could find a small metal trash can..." Mitchell pondered the thought for a minute.


Group 3


Yvette


Yvette bent over, hands on knees and tried to catch her breath, giggling and trying to talk in between inhales.


" That. Was.Close." She finally caught her breath and looked over at Sam who now at her weapon drawn.


" You okay?" The girl said frantically. She sounded concerned but her body language suggested otherwise.





" Smashing" Yvette said sarcastically and put her hands up in a gesture of surrender.Was she going to kill her? Probably not, the girl must have had some trust issues. Yvette wasn't able to hurt a fly let alone another person. Or the first human that wasn't trying to gnaw her face off in a week anyway.





" Lets not get into a kerfuffle now mate" Yvette added taking a step towards Sam.

 

[duegxybus]

Mitchell had handed her his uniform. "Should keep you warm until you can get under those blankets. Might wanna rummage through the drawers for new clothes. Y-ya know with the zombie guts and all.." She looked at the blue uniform and put it on like a blanket; it was huge but not at all warm. Pretty scratchy on the inside. "Uh, thanks Mitchell." While Mitchell trailed off to go find materials, Jess blew into her hands to warm herself up and it definitely worked better than the itchy uniform, which was apparently now leaving abrasions on her arms. No wonder Mitchell wears an undershirt.


Jess walked down the stairs to the laundry room and opened the cabinets. She grabbed two ginormous blankets and a can of cooking oil, balancing it all on one hand. She then used her free hand to put her knife between her teeth (of course the handle...), then went over to the closet. Inside, Jess found a gray top similar to the one she had on at the moment, and a set of electrical wire cutters. She took the wire cutters and the shirt, then went back to the bedroom and laid out all the materials, taking her knife out of her mouth and putting it on the left of the stuff. Mitchell had gotten to the room first, and he had a few peas, carrots, and green beans in a can, as well as electrical tape and matches. "I wonder if we could get a controlled fire going or something...Like if we could find a small metal trash can..." Mitchell was thinking. Jess chimed in once she remembered where she saw a bin. "I know where a steel dustbin is at! It's...in the basement..." Jess let out a long frustrated breath and lay down on the floor, looking straight up at the ceiling. "We just need a way to get-...damn ok." She quickly figured that it shouldn't be hard to grab from the water, but she would need Mitchell's help. "Hey, Mitchell, are you up for a slightly dangerous task?" Jess smirked at Mitchell, although it was slightly unintentional. She grabbed her knife and pointed to the basement stairs with it.





@ThatOneCrazyPerson


@The Jest

 

[TheFlyingWriter]

Group Two - Inside Cabin


"Yeah," Adam sighed, getting up from the couch where he had just plopped down. "I've got a knife over here in the backpack. It's not..." He paused, trying to find the right wording. "It's not something convenient for opening a can or whatever, but hopefully it'll do." The man rustled through his bag, before revealing a large knife, that of which looked like something a chef would use.


"Holy shit," Carrie whistled. "Oh, it'll do."


He held it out to her, handle out, so that he was grasping the blade. "Just drop that back in our bag by the couch once you're done with it, eh?" he said, then returned to his spot beside Chris, who snuggled close to him as he settled into the couch again. Carrie frowned a little. Kids were weird.


She didn't respond to Adam's comment about returning the knife, instead stabbing it into the lid of the can. She managed to make a cut (albeit a little sloppy, but hey, it was hard to open a freaking metal can with just a kitchen knife), then held the can out to Vivian. "Sure the little one needs some breakfast," she said quietly. "Don't have any spare utensils, but it's still food. Try not to cut yourself on the rim."


(( @Shimakage Thunder ))


Group One - Inside B&B


"Don't worry about what I said earlier," Jess said, and Reid assumed she was trying to comfort him. "...A lot's going on in my head... and, uh, I'm pretty sure all the towels here are stained in blood." ...It wasn't really working.


"Zombie guts, eh?" Mitchell repeated, eyebrow raised. "Seems like you all handled it well though..." Reid shrugged, looking a little uncomfortable. "They did; I didn't really do anything," he admitted quietly.


At Mitchell's inquiry of their well-being, Jess shrugged. "I think I-I'm okay," she stuttered, shivering a little. "D-do you think we can all stay in the main bedroom? It's all clear."


"Exactly what I was thinking," Mitchell nodded. "As long as we all stick together in one room and keep the noise down, we should be fine for the night. I'm gonna go down stairs and search the kitchen for supplies; maybe there is something useful. One of you should try to find some decent blankets, or something."


During Mitchell's spiel, Weston perked up as if he had heard the words 'cake' and 'bounce house' together in the same sentence. "D'we getta big bed?" he asked eagerly, almost bouncing in place. "C'n we jump onnit? Please-please-please?" Allie shifted uncomfortably as Reid placed a hand on his brother's shoulder. "West, buddy, calm down. We've got to figure out what we're doing first. Then maybe we can jump on the big bed." Weston grinned. "'Kay!"


Jess, meanwhile, had already moved to the master bedroom, opening the door and flipping on the lights. Judging by the lack of screams and crashes, Reid assumed that meant the coast was clear. Mitchell followed after her, and Reid after him, Allie and Weston trailing behind like ducklings.


Mitchell set his bag down in the corner, before... taking his shirt off? Reid immediately felt uncomfortable, though relaxed as he realized the reason. "Should keep you warm until you can get under those blankets," the man said, offering the garment to Jess. "Might wanna rummage through the drawers for new clothes. Y-ya know, with the zombie guts and all..." Reid was so busy mentally hitting himself for not thinking of doing that first, he didn't notice Weston dash for the bed.


"Wow!" the toddler gasped, trying to climb into the mattress. "Is'so big!" Allie pulled away from Reid, following the younger boy towards the bed. "Here," she said, before lifting him up onto it. The boy grinned, tiny white teeth glinting in the dim light. "Fanks, Ah-lee," he attempted to say, before then attempting to stand on the large cushiony pillows.


Meanwhile, Jess thanked Mitchell, draping the blue work shirt over herself like a cloak. She then proceeded to leave the room, and Reid awkwardly found himself alone (aside from his siblings, of course).


Mitchell had disappeared at this point, though he returned relatively shortly, bearing what he had collected. "I found some pretty good stuff," the man said, laying the things onto the floor-- a few cans, containing peas, carrots, and green beans. "Sweet," Reid heard himself say, and... was he smiling? Well, at least it was something to smile about. He glanced back over his shoulder at Allie and Weston, who were both bouncing on the bed and giggling.


"I wonder if we could get a controlled fire going or something..." Mitchell said suddenly, startling the teen from his thoughts. "...Like, if we could find a small metal trash can..."


"You'd know more about this place than me," Reid shrugged, picking up one of the cans and examining the back, half to find the expiration date, and half to just look occupied. "Might be one in the office..." He paused, glancing up at Mitchell again. "There is an office, right...?"


"I know where a steel dustbin is at!" came a voice, and Jess appeared in the doorway, bearing a horde of stuff. "It's...in the basement..." Her voice (and smile) faltered at the realization. Sighing in frustration, the girl then plopped to the floor, laying on her back so that she was staring up at the ceiling. "We just need a way to get..." she began, then interrupted herself. "...Damn, okay." She paused, then a slightly mischievous smirk crept onto her lips. "Hey, Mitchell, are you up for a slightly dangerous task?" she asked, pointing to the basement stairs with her knife, and Reid couldn't help but feel a twinge of uselessness (yet again) at being overlooked. 'Get it together, Reid...'


(( @The Jest @PopcornandCaramel @JPax42 ))


Group Three - Inside Bakery


The woman was bent over, panting. "Smashing," she gasped, sarcasm more than evident in her voice. She raised her hands, as if to surrender, and in return, Sam lowered her own, slipping her knife back into its hiding place. "Let's not get into a kerfuffle now, mate."


Sam couldn't say she'd ever heard the world 'kerfuffle' before then, but nonetheless this woman (who took a step closer) didn't seem like an enemy. For now. "Who are you?" the younger girl asked, still a little tense. Her hand was still on her knife, but she wasn't being as obvious about it. "And what the hell happened to you?" If her sister had been here, Sam didn't doubt she'd've rolled her eyes. '..."Always worrying about the crazies, aren'tcha, Sammi?"...' She could almost hear the smirk in her sister's voice.


(( @PopcornandCaramel @The Jest @DrTrollinski ))

 

[Jupiter]

Archie and Ivy sat with each other while the others spoke. They didn't really get involved, settled in their own little world with each other so that they could... I don't know. Feel a little sense of familiarity, have something they used to have if they just shut their eyes for a little while and didn't think about the fact that there were things out there that would kill them. They were trying to feel comfortable, normal. Like things were how they used to be.


Archie went into his backpack after a moment, though, and pulled out one of the items of food, that Amelia, or whatever her name was, had given to them before she had taken off. He opened it with his kitchen knife, and then passed it to Ivy so that she could begin eating it with her fingers. She didn't like doing it, but it wasn't like they had spoons or knives and forks with them. They were all taken.


"So, what's our plan, then?" Archie asked her, sitting in front of her, cross legged, on the floor.


"Well, I think we're... Doing what they're doing. Going West? Or East? Going somewhere." She shrugged her shoulders.


"No."


Very simple. Just a no. Archie's voice dropped into a quieter mumble, then. "We're not doing what they're doing, we can't go with them, Ivy." He shook his head slowly. "We can't. It could be dangerous."


Ivy rolled her eyes and swallowed what she was chewing. "Archie. Don't take this to heart, but get a grip. What's more dangerous? Being out there alone, where we only have each other, or being with a group that can help take care of us?" She asked him.


"Ivy, it doesn't work that way. We're quicker on our own. Quieter. We'll be able to stay away from those things, won't draw attention to ourselves as much. And... And Vivian... That's too much to try and handle. A kid? Like, a baby. That's gonna be... It's gonna be dreadful. We can't be around that." He bit his lip. They weren't arguing, they were just having a discussion. It was needed, after all.


"But, we're safer as a group. Archie... I know you don't trust them. I know you don't trust anyone, or anything other than me, but you have to trust that I know what I'm doing here. If I say that we should go with them, then we should."


"Oh, why, because you have such good instinct? The last time you trusted someone, we lost all our stuff, Ivy. We nearly fuckin' died." He shook his head slowly, narrowing his eyes.


"No. Because I'm being logical here. We need their help, and... We can be on edge, but you can't carry on like this. You have to sleep, eat more, you can't just let yourself go downhill. With these guys... You'll be able to take care of yourself more, once you get used to them you'll be able to sleep. And you'll be able to stop lying about how much sleep you got. I know you didn't get a wink, you have that look in your eyes. I know." She shrugged her shoulders. "I... Didn't want it to have to come to this, but... I'm going with them. I think they're good news." She shrugged her shoulders.


"What are you saying?"


"I'm saying that you're either coming with us, or you're going alone. I love you, and I don't want to see you go, but I know that this is safe." Truly, if Archie did leave to go on his own, Ivy would go with him, but she was hoping that he would believe her and actually come with her.


"Bullshit."


"I mean it..."


Archie glanced at the others, and then sighed. They'd got a little louder towards the end. He turned back to her. He had to make his decision.


 
( @Shimakage Thunder @ThatOneCrazyPerson )

 

[The Jest]

When Reid left them, Luke and Jackson decided they would head outside and protect the place in case anyone, or anything, came. "Mitchell, we're going to protect the place from the outside," Luke informed Mitchell, and then headed outside. Luke didn't want to leave the kids with Mitchell, but he didn't want to leave Jackson alone either. Not that he didn't think he could handle it, he knew perfectly well he could, but he was old. Old and tired from a long day. Not the best combination he thought, so Luke decided to head out with him.


The two were stationed outside, trying to find but hoping not to find any movement or people outside, but they came up empty. It was silent, which Jackson was fine with, but Luke grew more and more uncomfortable with it. "The group that you were with before, why were you with them?" he asked, trying to make some conversation, but it was a question that was on his mind. "You don't seem like a bad person, as rough as you are on the outside."


Jackson, sighing now that the silence was broken, said "I know the world only just recently turned to shit, but it's easy to tell that you won't make it far on your own. You need people," he turned to face Luke at this point, "even though I'm sure that won't be a problem for you."


Luke just sort of shook his head, not understanding where he was coming from with this, though he was beginning to open his mouth when they heard Weston yell. Immediately, without thinking, Luke started to rush for the door, but to his surprise, Jackson beat him there and headed in first. Luke, trailing behind, wasn't actually able to keep up with him, though he was able to tell which corners he turned down.


Due to lack of knowledge about the layout of the house, Jackson ended up in the wrong place. He only screamed once, so it was impossible to tell where he was, but Jackson came upon the basement. The flooded basement. And what he saw was Jack floating in the water, unable to detect motion in him. "Jack?" he called out, but before he could, Luke came up from behind and accidentally bumped into Jackson, causing him to fall into the flood below. "Shit!" Luke said loudly, watching Jackson as he fell.


"Son of a b-" but he couldn't finish because his head went below the water. Jackson plugged his nose with his fingers and tightened his mouth, and shut his eyes as tightly as he could. He knew the water was filled with infected blood, so he took precautions just in case. When his head bobbed up above the water, Luke called out to him. "JACKSON!" but the sound had apparently alerted Jack, and his head bobbed up from the water, but what they saw wasn't Jack. What they saw was a hollowed out version of him, leaving only a shell of what he once was. It couldn't move, but it was trying to dart towards Jackson, who was getting closer and closer to "Jack" by the second. Luke looked at the distance between Jackson and Jack and the speed that Jackson was travelling towards Jack. He realized he had about 5 seconds until Jackson would be bit.


5 SECONDS


Luke panicked a little, realizing that he had to kill someone he knew and that the person who had protected him, who had been the leader of this rapidly-formed group, who had been the closest thing Luke had left to family, could die. And it was all up to him. The second was wasted. Luke didn't have the time to think about what might be and just focus on the present. He realized this, and continued on.


4 SECONDS


He reached his hand back, tightly grasping the tail of the arrow between his index and middle finger, already preparing to position himself to fire the arrow. After pulling it out of his quiver, he readied it onto the the horsehair string of the bow. Jackson grew closer.


3 SECONDS


After getting it into position, Luke aimed the bow at his deceased friend and steadied himself. Jackson grew closer still.


2 SECONDS


Focus.


1 SECOND


He let the arrow fly. It twirled through the air, knowing full well that the second he wasted in the beginning could have meant life or death for Jackson. The arrow cut through the air, seeming as though it could cut through titanium and come through the other side and continue on its never-ending path. Jackson was within range of the freshly made runner, its teeth about to clasp down onto the arm of Jackson.


0.015 SECONDS


CRUNCH!


..


..


..


..


..


The arrow pierced through the skull of Jack, or the monster that inhabited Jack's body. The teeth were about a millimeter from Jackson's arm on both sides, but it didn't clamp down into his flesh, but Luke wasn't able to tell that. He though Jackson was bit, but he didn't care if we was or wasn't. He called out to anyone in the house that could hear him, "HELP!"


@ThatOneCrazyPerson