Parental Madness

Leigh nodded eagerly, giving Kurt a quick smile back. Now that she's become accustomed to his presence, having gotten over the shock of him awakening from unconsciousness in the hallway, she feels fairly comfortable around him already. He's not showing any of the impatience or irritation towards her that her brother has throughout the day, and he's sort of attractive. Maybe not as much as Max, she thinks with some loyalty, but she definitely doesn't mind looking at him. And anyway, Max hasn't been paying much attention to her, the more time they spent around Jared...if he really liked her, shouldn't he just ignore Jared like she did?


"I can make salad," she announced, conveniently not mentioning the fact that normally, she and Angelina both refuse to eat it without prodding from Lydia and gobs of salad dressing. Taking out the required items from the fridge, she moves it to one of the now-cleared tables in the cafeteria, setting it down and glancing back towards the others as if for their approval.


Jared is glad to see that Kurt seems very calm and confident now, that he is taking charge...he's so tired for the moment of just thinking, of trying to watch out for everyone's mental as well as physical health, and he's more than willing to let someone else take the reigns for the moment. When Leigh glances at him, he smiles at her somewhat wearily and goes to get the utensils as Kurt had suggested.


Angelina looked up at Kurt's addressing her, her face solemn, if currently unafraid, and after a few moments, nods. She inches her way towards the kitchen and looks up for further instructions.


"They're in the fridge, probably, Angie, or we can get stuff out of the vending machines," Leigh said, seeing her sister standing in the way but not actually doing anything yet. "Don't let her pour, she'll spill everywhere. She should, like, get cups or ice or something. Go do that, Angie."


Angie started looking for cups, and finally spoke up again. Every time she did speak, no matter what it was she was saying, it made Jared feel just a little better, like maybe, at some point, she would be okay again...if they could survive for that long.


"Can I have Coke?"


"Sure, if we can find it," he told her, but it was now Leigh who had stopped what she was doing, staring at the table she had chosen for them to eventually eat at. She bit her lip, her shoulders hunching in, voice shaking slightly as she asked, "There were dead people all over here...won't we get germs eating in here?"


Jared glanced down at Angelina, hoping she didn't understand, then reached to pat Leigh's shoulder, shaking his head. The thought hadn't crossed his mind, and he honestly didn't know the answer, but that didn't mean he wanted Leigh or anyone else to worry about it right now.


"No, no, we won't, that's...not the way it happened today," he tried to reassure her, but Leigh had other worries too.


"Do you think ghosts are real? Because...if we have to sleep here tonight...and all those people..."


Angelina was listening for this answer too, her eyes wide, and this one Jared could be more confident about answering.


"No, Leigh, I don't. Ghosts are about the last thing we need to worry about right now...we'll eat soon, so finish up, okay?"


He patted her back, then the top of Angelina's head as he lay out the silverware. But in a way, he thought to himself, Leigh was right...if he would be able to sleep tonight at all, he would be haunted by the ghosts of his memories of what had been. There may not be spectral figures moaning and shaking chains, but the ghost of his sister, of his mother, whether or not Vicky happened to still be alive, would haunt him for the rest of his life, he suspected.
 
Rai Presti had started the day as she always did. She woke up by her alarm and got herself ready for school, going downstairs to find her druggie mum passed out on the sofa. She rolled her eyes, tired of caring for her Mother by now, but all the same grabbing a blanket and chucking it over her sleeping form. She made herself breakfast - as she did almost every morning - and got in a quick game of Call of Duty before she made her way to school.


School went as usual, Rai was an alright student, not talented or gifted. She found herself excelling more in street aspects of life; like how to make a grenade out of household items. So school passed slowly, on the friend side of things, she was more of a loner, the gamer girl who doodled all the time and most people avoided her strangeness. She was on her way home, about to walk up her pathway when a terrified scream caught her ears. She glanced down the street to see a man a few doors down chase his young daughter down the path and beat her to death with a rolling pin. Rai's eyes widen as the rolling pin caused blood to spurt from the girl's punctured skull. "Sh*t!" She called out and sped into her own house, not realizing her yell had attracted the attention of Mr. Darsy, her Mother's friend from across the road.


Rai ran into the house, "Mum! Mum! This man just kil----" She let out a yell and dodged to the side as her mother swung a particularly large knife at her daughter's neck. She stumbled back, her eyes wide as her crazed mother advanced on her, "Mum! What the heck are you doing!" Her mother didn't respond as she charged at her again with the knife, plotting to delve it into her daughter's chest. Rai dodged to the side and then kicked her Mum in the back, causing the woman to drop the knife and fall against the wall. Thinking fast, Rai swept up the knife, "Mum! Stop! It's me! Rai!" Sure her Mum hadn't ever liked her daughter much, they argued and constantly bickered, she had never told her she loved her or even hugged her, but kill her? Really? She hated Rai so much that she wanted to kill her?


Her mum leapt at her again and Rai took no time in plunging the knife into her Mum's chest, stabbing her through the heart and killing the insane woman. She stepped back, then glancing over her shoulder she saw Mr. Darcy kill his own son in the front garden with a bat, she spoke lightly, watching as the man walked away from his dead kid. "Kill, or be killed Rai." So, assuming some sort of virus had taken over the adults in her neighbourhood - if not everywhere - Rai took the liberty of gathering everything she could. She took the larger knifes out of the kitchen draw and chucked them in a backpack, also taking the homemade grenades she had made and some food supplies and water, not to mention the first-aid kit they kept in the house. For once actually liking the fact that her mum had a gun, she grabbed that too and kept it in her hand, but before she left, her eyes widened. "HUNTER!" She called out, looking around frantically, "Hunter, boy! Where are you?!?!" A whining and scratching from upstairs caused her to bolt back up, tugging open the bathroom door to reveal a beautiful border collie dog with big brown eyes and a black simple collar. She smiled and ruffled the dog's fur, "Hey Hunter, did she lock you away 'cause she knew you'd help me?" Hunter whined lightly, like he was agreeing with her. She straightened back up again, "Come on boy, let's get going."


**********************************


Rai walked down the street, "Dead!" She called out as she shot one adult through the head, "Dead, dead, deadified." She spoke as she shoot three more in turn, "Oh look!" She called out to one more adult, pointing past their head, they stupidly looked behind them and Rai shot them through the chest, "You're dead too!" Hunter barked happily beside his owner, he could feel evil in those grown-ups and was glad his mistress was getting rid of them.


She stopped as she noticed the school, her school infact, and wondered if anyone was inside, either way, it'd be a good place to stay. So with Hunter at her side, she tried the front entrance, then finding it was locked, she went to the cafeteria one - they never locked that one. Not noticing the man following her as she realized not only was it open, but the door was open too. She then, on closer inspection noticed a few people inside, not just people, kids, teenagers, even a few she recognized from school. She took one step into the cafeteria, calling out, "Hey! Are you gu---" She never got to finish her sentence for she heard something like a twig outside snap behind her and she instantly spun around to see a bat coming straight at her. She let out a yell and jumped back, avoiding the bat by inches as Mr. Darsy swung at her again. She glared at him and ducked, slamming a foot into the man's crotch as her dog Hunter growled viciously and leapt at the man, tearing at his leg and tugging him to the floor. She then without hesitation picked up the gun she had dropped and shot the man through the skull, glad for the silencer that the gun had - for the sound of a gun might attract other adults.


Rai then pushed his dead body outside and shut the door, turning to face the others with a smile as her dog Hunter bounded beside her. Her long brown hair lay loosely down her shoulders and her bright blue eyes took in each person, "Hey, sorry about that, didn't realize Mr. Darsy followed me." She walked a bit closer to them, "How you guys holding out?" If they didn't know any better they would think Rai had been at this for months, not a few hours. She shifted her backpack's weight, noticing the youngest member and giving her a soft smile. Poor girl, she was so young.
 
When Jared heard the cafeteria door opening, the one that lead outside to the outdoor courtyard eating area, his heart skipped a beat. For the second time, he realized that he had still not blocked any of the entrances to the building.


What had he been thinking, clearing the cafeteria of bodies and getting them some better clothes to wear first? Those were not matters of life and death but rather of comfort...why had he not been making sure to block off every exit? Why had he not been making sure that they would be ALIVE rather than COMFORTABLE?


Jared turned around fast, and was immediately relieved to see that the person who had joined them was not an adult, but rather a girl only a few years younger than him...a girl he recognized. Rai Preston...hadn't he had study hall with her once?


Moreover, she had a gun...and a dog. Dog and gun, both could be very useful-


He could not complete the thought before a man was appearing behind Rai, through the door that she had just entered from. Jared started to yell, started forward to warn Rai, to try to protect her, to do whatever he had to, anything, to keep the man from getting to his sisters or the boys with them. He heard Leigh let out a shrill scream as he took a step forward...


But then he stopped, dumbfounded as the dog attacked the man, as Rai then turned and shot him without pausing or showing any distress or panic at all. He gawked, not making a move forward as he blinked, totally taken aback by the ease with which she has acted....and was disgusted when a faint stirring of attraction rolled through him.


Yeah, the dog and gun could definitely be needed.


"Uh," was all he managed in response to Rai's question, before he quickly turned back to the others, to see if they were okay. Leigh had ducked under the table, her hands over her face, and was sobbing again; Angelina was standing as though paralyze, her eyes wide, face rigid, and Jared was almost grateful to have an excuse to not answer Rai through his needing to tend to his sisters.


He went to Angelina first, picking her up and hugging her as he settled her on his hip. "Angie, it's okay. She got him, it's okay...don't look. There's more of us than them, right?"


Still holding her, he sat at the table that Leigh was hiding underneath, reaching out a hand towards her and was unsurprised when she grasped it and squeezed, hard. "Leigh, that's Rai...right? Rai? We had a class," he said, hoping that if he just talked to her, she would calm down. "Rai, this is my sister Leigh down there, she's in sixth grade, and this one is Angelina, she's in first," he said, indicating the child now on his lap, who has still not spoken since the shooting. "That's Kurt cooking and Jillian and Max over there..."


Leigh looks up at Rai from under the table and then slowly slides herself out, seeming embarrassed about having taken cover as she wipes furtively at her cheeks, sitting next to her brother. Her eyes flit frequently between the newcomer girl and Max. Looking back at Rai, Jared asks her, "Uh, the freezer to the right, that's...our body storage room. Right now. Can you...drag him in there with the others? We're trying to keep this...clean."


He tries to keep his voice normal as he asks this, then adds, feeling surreal about the two ideas being spoken in one breath, "And Kurt is cooking, you can eat if you want. Afterward though...we really, really need to block off the exits. My sisters need to sleep tonight even if no one else does, and I don't want to have to worry about..."


He let that trail off, not finishing it in front of the girls, as Leigh says with some indignation, "I'm not a little kid like Angie, I don't need to sleep. I can help with...whatever."


Jared let that go, knowing full well that whatever she thought, she wouldn't be awake for two minutes after he found somewhere comfortable for her to "rest." Looking up at Rai, he said, "Oh, and...I'm Jared. If you forgot."
 
Rai watched as Jared comforted his younger sister. Yeah, she defiently recognized him. Jared Sherwood. She feels an odd sort of warmth when he remembers her name, of course she shouldn't, it's an average thing to do right? He'd probably heard whispers about her in the halls, the cheerleaders bit*hing about her because she'd rather stay at home and shoot zombies than go out to the mall and buy clothes. 'Oh look, it's the boy-girl freak. Hi Raimond. Got a girlfriend yet?'


Rai never cared what they thought anyway, she dressed like a girl, wore make-up like a girl - not alot, but still enough to look as pretty as the others - and she liked boys, she'd just never found one she liked enough to start dating, and unlike the annoying cheerleaders, she didn't date guys because they were popular or because it was 'cool' to have a boyfriend.


But still. She liked that he knew her name without having to ask for it. And as he spoke to Leigh, she nodded at her kindly. She takes in each name, locking it with the fact that matches before Jared is speaking to her again, mentioning putting the adult body in the freezer. She nods, listening to him speak before she lets her own voice out. "Sure thing, and yeah, I remember." She smiles at him, her blue eyes lighting up and seeming as if they were smiling too, "We had study hall once right?" She then looks to Angelina, smiling at her to try and reassure her that Rai was on the kids side. She looked behind her at the door, the body that lay behind it, then opened it up and - without seeming to be freaked out at all by the prospect of touching and carrying a dead body - grabbed the man's ankles and upon deciding she wouldn't be able to carry a full grown man, looked back over at Angelina, "Close your eyes sweetie." She spoke lightly, but loud enough for the young one to hear as she began to drag the body, not strong enough to lift it up.


She grumbled to herself, "Why do I have to be so damn weak?"
 
Kurt was readying the spaghetti noodles onto a large serving tray, and was just beginning to cook the sauce. Once he finished he looked to Leigh, waiting for instructions, when suddenly he heard a voice, only to follow with a scream. Instantly he figured that they'd been found out and his heart started racing. He wasn't ready for more interaction from adults, he'd managed to get to where he was whie being uncovered, but he knew his luck would run out someday.


He looked at the scene, everyone was already going in different directions, either attacking like the adult male intruder, self protective like the girl who just rushed in, protective like Jared, or panicked hiding like Leigh. Kurt didn't know which direction to go in, but he unconciously reached for his bat that slid out of the tube he found earlier. Suddenly the girl let out one shot from her gun, and the man was dead.


He'd never witnessed an adult being 'murdered', only their children. Too many people were dying, people he wanted to live, people that didn't have to die. He didn't know what his stance would be around these people, but if things were to return to normal, and his parents were gone, he'd lose everything that was holding him on earth. As Jared and the girl talked, which Jared revealed to be Rai. As Jared was going around with introduction once more, Kurt felt stone stiff, still collecting the situation.


He then heard about the freezer. He glanced at it, shocked to find out that they've been keeping bodies in there. Why would that be a good place? The smell, was probably his best answer. He took a deep breath. Then he looked down and his sauce was already simmering, so he quickly shut it off. "Ye-yeah there's food here. If you want any... for later. I mean it's ready now, too." He tried to shake off his nerves, and calmed down. "I can help with blocking all the entrances, too." He sure was strong enough and knew how to use a nail and hammer, yet most doors had locks from the inside. He felt really suspicious of this new girl and wanted to keep his distance, but he supressed his feelings from showing.


As he put the sauce pot on top of a cooking mat, he began stirring for it to be evenly heated. A girl, a gun, and a dog... The girl was a little reckless, and she seem to be blowing heads off for a while. He thought about how the dog could make any sudden noise to give away their position. He noticed the girl struggling to move the body. He went over, concealing his problem with the girl, and offered, since he didn't want her to be more useful than himself. "I can help, we can lift him if I get the legs and you carry from his arms." He still couldn't stand the sight of a dead body, but if he had held from the legs, he could pretend it was a deer.


(I see views clashing. Hardcore.)
 
(there are two freezers. One is for bodies, the other is for food. Jared is keeping them separate)


Jared started to make a move forward to help the girl with the body automatically when it becomes apparent that it is too heavy for her to lift, but then Kurt intercepts him. He takes a step back a little awkwardly, finding himself hoping that the other boy, and Rai too, while they were at it, was going to wash his hands before he finished cooking.


"There's two freezers," he calls to Rai and Kurt as they carry the body. "One is for bodies, the other is for our food...we don't need to be mixing them up. So we can have our food okay to eat. Maybe it won't matter, anyway...maybe things will work out before it's an issue...but right now, just to be safe...two freezers."


He watches, still somewhat stunned, more impressed, as Rai nonchalantly handles the body with more ease than all the males present had managed. She seems to him to have walked straight off a video game...it doesn't seem quite real that the girl he had had study hall with, one smaller and younger than he himself, could walk in here with weapons, dog, and bravado, and blow away one of the adults without blinking an eye.


And then for her to turn around and call Angelina sweetie. This girl was hardcore, and in a way that Jared found very intriguing.


He opened his mouth to ask her a question, but Leigh beat him to the punch, staring at the dog first, then turning her eyes to Rai's gun.


"Why do you have a dog? Does it bite everyone?" she asked suspiciously, curling her lip in its direction. "And how did you get a GUN..."
 
Jillian looked at Max a little taken aback by his words. He blushed deeply, wanting the conversation to be anything but this. Well not anything. There was other things that Jillian did not wish to talk about either. But still. How did he go about explaining himself to a stranger when he wasn't quite sure of it all himself? It would not be easy. But he felt like he should say something in response to Max's words.


"Yeah I do," he began. He could have kept it just like that. Nothing else, but he felt like he should say more. "It's something I've always liked. Dressing this way. Oh...can you tell I'm a guy?" Jillian laughed a little. "Not sure if I said anything or you figured it out. No...I'm not just a crossdresser or at least I don't think so." Jillian shrugged, not sure what else to say after that.


But soon the others came back and new people showed up, allowing Jillian to not have to say anything else. He nodded at the new people, keeping quiet and in the background. He wasn't sure what else to say and the number of people growing, unnerved him a bit. Why did their have to be so many of them here? What had happened to them prior? Jillian felt like he might throw up again and he moved out of the caferteria, looking for a bathroom.
 
(Uh, the gun had a silencer by the way, so it didn't make a sound when it went off, Rai's smart ^.^)





Rai gives the boy, Kurt, a warm smile as he helps, "Yeah sure." She puts down the feet and goes around to grab the hands instead, "Thanks for helping." She takes the body to the larger freezer with Kurt, pushing the door open to see dead bodys, everywhere. Kids, school kids. Jennifer.


Her eyes widen and she seems to stumble a bit as her eyes lock with lifeless, glazed green ones, blonde hair hanging from the dead girl's head with bloodstains stuck to the hair. Remembering the face only a few hours ago as it had mocked her, laughed at her and knocked her books from her hand. Jennifer was dead. She blinked away the slight mist of tears that came over her eyes before she helped Kurt put the body in the freezer.


As Leigh asked about her dog and gun, Rai turned to her with a grin, "Well Hunter's my dog, got him when I was 14." Hunter wagged his tail and looked to his mistress as she spoke his name, trotting over to her and nuzzling his head against her leg. It was clear he adored her. She chuckled at Leigh's question of biting, "Nope, he's really well trained. I think he knows something's up with the adults, 'cause he's only bitten that one so far." She nodded to the direction of where Mr. Darsy's body had been placed. She then looked down at the gun in her hand, "The gun belonged to my mum, I took it when I left, you know, for self defence." She then looked around at the group of people, feeling the weight of her backpack, "Oh yeah! I got some other stuff too!" She pulled of the backpack and went over to Jared, plopping her backpack on the table by him. It made a thudding sound where it was so heavy.


She opened the backpack to reveal the contents inside. She had packed about 5 large knives - one being a bread knife. 4 bottles of water and 4 individual bottles of coke, basic food like packets of crisps and biscuits and some sort of first aid kit that upon opening had bandages, a needle and thread, small scissors, waterproof plasters, a small bottle of vodka to clean wounds, gloves and safety pins. She looked up at Jared as she spoke, "Glad to get that off my back, it's annoyingly heavy."


Hunter had meanwhile gone over to the smallest human here, Angelina, and had looked up at her silently, sensing upset in the younger one. He was unsure if the little being liked dogs or not, but he all the same wagged his tail at her and nudged her foot lightly, wondering if she would stroke him or not.
 
Jared looked up as Jillian began to edge away from the others, then to walk away entirely. The guy- it was still a little weird for Jared to think of him as a guy, especially if he was calling himself a girl's name and dressing like one- looked very pale and sickened, and as he walked away, Jared frowned slightly, concerned.


"Jillian? You okay?" he called out to him. "Do you want someone to go with you? We should stick together, at least until the exits are boarded up."


Leigh nodded slightly at Rai's reassurance of the dog and took a step closer towards her, still looking her up and down with an expression somewhere between admiration and suspicion. Another step closer, and she said with some reservation, "That was sort of cool. I mean...I didn't know girls could do that."


If Lydia had been there with them, Jared knew she would have instantly jumped on the feministic, go-girls, girls-can-do-anything-guys-can-do-better kick that she had constantly been trying to instill in their middle sister. It had been one of the reasons that Lydia had been so disgusted when Leigh had attempted to go the route of short skirts and heavy makeup, feigned helplessness and makeouts, compared to Lydia's preferences of jeans, little to no makeup, independence and responsibility, and studying. Jared almost smiled, realizing that Lydia, in fact, would have been Rai's age. She surely knew her...and she probably liked her.


His heart wrenched then, just thinking of his sister, almost knowing the words she would be saying and it grew worse when he heard Leigh say to Rai, as though picking up on his thought, "Are you in high school...did you...did you know our sister?"


Her voice shook, and she moved closer to Max, pressing into his side as though for comfort as she added, "She's...our mom killed her. She just..."


Jared is relieved when Rai dumps out her backpack of weapons as Leigh is speaking, hoping that this has distracted her from listening. He doesn't want to talk about Lydia now, or any time soon. He looks over the supplies she has on her, significantly impressed. This was all very useful stuff, stuff they would undoubtedly need.


"Wow, you came prepared...how did you have time to get all that up?" he asked. He himself had literally just grabbed his sisters and ran.


As the dog approached her, Angelina, still perched on Jared's knee, regarded it solemnly, then stuck her hand out, petting its head. She continues to stroke it slowly, and though her expression doesn't change, she seems to be drawing some comfort from it.
 
(Oh my bad! I'll edit that post in a bit. Haha.)


Lifting the body wasn't so bad, lighter than expected, but Kurt couldn't get the fact that it was a human body out of his mind. He was carrying the legs after-all. One cannot help but look at a body when it's clearly right in front of them. The girl was thanking him, yet Kurt could only respond with a simple nod and returned smile. As they finally reached the freezer he ignored before, Rai opens the door as they set down the body. The scene was a bit traumatizing, but it began to hit him less this time than previously. It was sick, but it must've been necessary for the group.


As he is getting ready to lift the body once again, Kurt realizes that that the girl, Rai, is crying. He looks to where her eyes direct at, and somewhat recognizes the corpse. He had only a few friends, some athletes, his gymnastics team (though that wasn't at his school) and his childhood friends were mostly it. Maybe those two where friends, or knew each other."Hey..." He tries to comfort the girl, but instead they both only carry the body inside. It's probably something she doesn't want to talk about anyways.


As they finish, he goes back to the kitchen to wash his hands. As he does, he makes sure the water is pretty hot with plently of soap. As he's finishes and peeks back at the group, he realizes the girl is well packed, much more well packed than he was at least. All he had was a pocket knife, flashlight, plenty of gauzes, one first aid kit, and one bat. She also had rations, but how did she have all that time to pack those things? Then Jared asked the question. He'd get his answer soon, anyways, so he grabbed some thawed meatballs, and started cooking them. "Give me 10 minutes with this, and we'll be ready to eat." Everything was already pre-seasoned, all he had to do was add some garnish.


Looking again at the girl's rations, he looks around the patries as the meatballs cook. "A lot of this stuff is non-parishable and only needs heating up. Lets pack some of these just in case." He knew sheltering at the school wasn't a long term thing. As he heads back to the stove, he turns the meatballs once more and they're mostly done.
 
Rai looks up with a grin as Leigh speaks to her, commenting on not knowing girls can do things like kick butt, "Of course girls can do that, we're just as good as boys." She smirks, glancing to Jared quickly as if she is teasing him before she looks back to Leigh, "Maybe even better than them." She is trying to hide a smile - but failing - as she looks back to her bag.


When Leigh's voice seems to change, growing immensely sad, Rai looks up with soft eyes, listening to her words. Knew her sister? She blinked at her for a moment, her sister? Wait. Was she Lydia's little sister? Her eyes widened and she quickly looked back at the bag. Lydia was dead? She spoke lightly now, "Yeah, I knew Lydia. We weren't super close or anything, but she was nice and we, we got along." She remembered back to once, when Jennifer had been comfortable enough in her ways to actually push Rai, Lydia had been there, she had helped Rai. "She..she was really nice." Rai frowned at the bag, feeling another mist come over her eyes before she let it go away and then Jared spoke again.


She shrugged, "I wasn't in a rush really." She looked up at him and Leigh, deciding she might aswell tell them she killed her mum, afterall, kill or be killed right? Plus, what were they going to do? Kill her? She sighed, running a hand through her hair so that it fell back away from her face, "When I got home from school, I saw my neighbour kill his daughter, so I knew something was up." She looked to Jared now, not really knowing why, but she felt more comfortable addressing her words mainly to him, plus, he was the one to ask, "My mum came at me with a knife when I got inside the house, I told her to stop, but she wouldn't listen, she kept trying to freakin' kill me and stab me in the chest. So I grabbed the knife and killed her instead. That's why I wasn't in a rush. I had no-one to run from."





It felt, saying outloud that she killed her own mum. And she knew that might be disgusted, even scared of Rai now, but who would they rather be alive? Rai - who was on their side - or her murdering mother?


Hunter wags his tail faster as the young human begins to pet him, feeling only a little bit of her sadness go, he decides he must not be doing a good enough job and nuzzles his face into her hand, still wagging his tail as he 'smiles' at the little being.
 
Leigh's mouth drops, and she stares at Rai with round eyes, emphasized by the heavy mascara and eyeliner smeared beneath them. Her voice rises as she says with some shock, "You killed your MOM? But..."


She stops herself, looking towards the closed freezer room containing the bodies, and swallows hard, her eyes moving to Max again almost pleadingly before looking now at Jared, addressing him as much as she is Rai. "I don't want to have to do that. I don't want to have to kill anyone. I don't want to kill Vicky. I don't...they'll stop, right? They HAVE to. They're going to STOP, they just...they're going to stop doing this!"


Jared probably shouldn't have been surprised that Rai had already killed, not after the showdown with the man right before his eyes and Rai's remarkable skill and composure while doing so...but even to himself, he had to admit that he felt unease, even some disgust, at the thought of Rai murdering her own mother...HAVING to murder her own mother, he quickly corrected himself. He could not conceive of it...but then, wasn't that something he'd better be thinking about, and fast?


What if HE had been there when Vicky killed Lydia? What if he had been the one who had to get Leigh and Angelina to safety, if he had been the one who had to stop her, protect them? What would he do now, if Vicky were to show up and head straight for one of the girls?


He would have to kill her...and he couldn't hesitate about it. He would have to be willing to look his mother in the eyes and end her life.


Jared shivered in spite of himself, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck rise, and he looked over his shoulder quickly, almost expecting to see Vicky standing there. But no, there was no one, and he tried to distract himself by speaking to Rai, looking her in the face. It wasn't like it was a bad face to be looking at...


But why was he thinking like THAT when they were literally fending for their lives?


"I'm sorry," he said quietly, shaking his head. "I don't know why any of this is happening...but I'm sorry."


"It's going to STOP, isn't it?" Leigh insisted, and Jared swore that every time he looked at her, she was standing closer to Max, as if trying to push him to touch her. "Isn't it?"


Angelina is still not smiling when Jared looks down at her, her fingers running slowly over the dog's fur, but then she slides off his knee, kneeling beside the dog in her oversized t-shirt and hugging it, burying her face in his neck. Jared's eyes are on his youngest, still silent sister as he answers Leigh carefully.


"I hope so...but either way, we need to be prepared."


Looking up at Kurt, he asks, "Is it ready yet?"
 
Jillian looked back when Jared called out to him. Who would want to go with him? Jillian didn't even want company either. He was fine with going off by himself. He felt safe enough here and he still had the gun though if it had bullets, then who knew how useful it would be.


Jillian shook his head, looking back other the group of people. "I'll be fine," Jillian said and then he left the caferteria. He made his way down the hall, looking for a nearby bathroom. He entered the girls' and went into one of the stalls, locking it behind him. Then he just sat there in silence for a moment. He had thought he went to go and throw up, this time in a place where it would be easier to clean up but he guess he was wrong about that. The sick feeling had gone away but another had replaced it instead.


Jillian began to sob. It must of looked like quite a scene. A boy dressed as a girl (though he did look like a girl to most people) sitting on a toilet in a rather dirty bathroom, sobbing his eyes out. It was just too much for the young transgender teen. He wasn't sure what to do now. His family was either died or wanting to murder him and he was the cause of the dead one. Besides just following Jared and doing as he was told like he was some kid, Jillian had no idea what to do next. This was all too messed up for him and his life had never been simple in the first place. He kept on crying, hoping no one would come across him to hear him cry like this. But in a way it felt good. It felt good to be able to release all his sorrow.
 
Finally the meatballs were all cooked and he put them in a separate serving plate. Kurt garnished with a few herbs, a bit of salt and pepper. As he was about to announce the readiness of the meal he overheard the conversations that were going on. The words shot at him like a bullet, the way that those sentences were put were so casual, made flashes of his parents show up in his mind. ​


'...I grabbed the knife and killed her instead.' It echoed in his head.


His breathing was so uneven and heavy, as though he was ready to scream. He knew he shouldn't, but his face flashed red with anger with tears he couldn't hold back, anymore. His weakness started to show, so he decided to go wash his face in the sink. This never calmed him, rather just cooled him down and changed his mood from raging anger to cold depression.


As he finished, he noticed Leigh and Angelina's reactions were both in the same range, they'd thought the same thing, there had to be a way to stop it. Jared's reassurance to them was more of a reality check. Maybe Kurt was dreaming when he thought this would all stop, but unconciouslly he couldn't help but glare at Rai. "... The food's ready." He felt he needed some time alone, so he dismissed himself, plating himself some food, and a simple carton of milk on his way out. "I'll be in the hallway."


As Kurt sat, only right outside the door, and began to think of how he'd manage to survive later on if he didn't have to kill anyone. What if the people around him died? what if he had to face his own parents? what if he was stuck in a situation where he had to protect someone from murderous adults? If the people around him died, he'd have to accept it, as he witnessed a friends death. If he had to protect someone, it was only morally right to do so, especially if they did the same for you. If his own parents were out to kill him, the people who guided him through the best parts in life, the one's he'd instantly think about giving his life for... He wouldn't be able to kill them. Nor let anyone kill them.


Kurt was barely able to choke down his food, so he put it to his side. "I hate this... I can't do this... Mom... Dad..." the tears began once more, and he stood up and started pacing. "I hate this... I HATE THIS! I CAN'T DO THIS! I CAN'T KILL YOU!" His screams were voilent, the viens from his neck were popping out. He was going through a fit of rage, punching at the nearby lockers with all his might. Making dents, "WHY?" He began to repeat over and over after each punch. His fists began to numb, and once again his tears streamed down his face. He fell to his knees with head leaning against the lockers. "Why..." He said, following up with a final punch, just as weak as his words "our parents...?". He sobbed, fist fallen to his lap, swelling, but his mental pains overshrouded his physical ones.
 
Jared frowned as Kurt left the room, following in the same general footsteps that Jillian had left in his; Jared had finally decided to compromise on the gender issue by thinking of Jillian as a male in his own thoughts, and calling him female aloud, if he had to refer to a gender at all. It seemed that both of them were shaken, perhaps by having just witnessed Rai kill the man, perhaps because of the simple fact that the man had been there, ready to injure them, at all. Or maybe it was just that as the day wore on, and the memories of the hell they had all been through began to replay and solidify in their minds, it was beginning to hit them more fully than ever just what was happening.


Jared didn't want to let himself get to that point. He couldn't AFFORD to let himself get to that point. He seemed to be the oldest here, and he had his sisters to think about too. What would happen to Angelina if he let himself fall apart? Leigh wouldn't be taking care of her, that was for sure. Leigh still could hardly take care of herself most of the time.


Well, maybe that was not giving her enough credit...she had gotten Angelina out of the range of their mother when it mattered most, hadn't she? She had kept Angelina quiet and hidden long enough to keep them both alive. She had held their youngest sister when Jared asked her to as well...maybe it was just that with Jared here, Leigh felt that it was safe for her to be able to be more the child, to hand the reins of responsibility over to him.


Still, he hardly wanted to have to test the theory.


"Go ahead and serve yourselves, he'll probably be back soon...make a plate for Jillian too, someone, will you? And we can go check on...her...in a few minutes," Jared said aloud, and he went to make himself and Angelina a plate as Angelina finally pulled away from the dog, sitting down at the table. He did not fail to notice that yet again, Leigh made sure to stay near Max and sit beside him.


They had barely sat down before the sound of screams echoed outside the cafeteria in the hallways. Jared's hand froze midway to his mouth, and he dropped his fork, quickly standing up as his eyes dart to locate the gun that Rai had brought in with her. If that was another adult...what if it was hurting Kurt, or Jillian? Or both?


Angelina's small body grew rigid, her face as stiff and expressionless as a mannequin, and Jared could see her hands gripping the bottom of her seat until her knuckles whitened. Leigh's face showed vivid terror as she again dove under the table, attempting to pull Angelina down with her but not succeeding, because of the child's extreme stiffness. Jared can hear her crying out from beneath it.


"No, no, no, STOP, STOP..."


They cannot understand the screams from the hallway at first, but then they become words, ones Jared can understand. "I hate this...I can't do this...I can't kill you..." He listens, perplexed, still very much tensed, ready to fight if need be...but then the sound of sobs are mingled in with the shouted words, and he finally recognizes the distorted voice. Kurt...Kurt is upset. Is someone out there with him- someone Kurt feels he can't kill?


He wavers, torn between his duty to protect his sisters and his concern for Kurt. Turning towards Rai, he meets her eyes.
 
Rai looks to Leigh very calmly as she shows shock at killing her mum. She doesn't answer of course, just simply nods, because she knows her answer won't satisfy what they want to hear. She wasn't sorry. She didn't regret killing her mum. And they probably wanted her to feel bad about it. But she didn't, and she was sure she never would. Her mum was never really a mum in the first place, not ever a mum to Rai.


Rai noticed Jared shiver and she decided then to look away, picking up a bottle of water and taking a sip from it to distract herself from looking at any of them. She didn't want them to think of her badly now, but they probably did.


But then Jared was apologizing, to her, and she looks up, her blue eyes looking sort of innocent despite the blood she's already spilt, she shrugs in response to him, "You have nothing to be sorry about. It's not your fault, none of this is any of our faults."


Then Leigh asks the typical question that idiots ask in games and Rai always rolls her eyes - controller in hand - and responds with, 'Nope, it's not gonna stop' But now, this time, it's real life, a real, living breathing girl - Lydia's little sister! - is asking the question, and Rai is there right beside her, rather than watching it from behind a screen, and it's real. It's so real.


Rai had gone to make herself a plate of food as Jared had spoken about serving themselves, she barely got a bite in before the screams happened. Instantly, like a reaction, she put down the plate, jumped up and pulled her gun out. She glanced to Jared worriedly, she noticed him also looking at her and she nods, seeing his two sisters in turmoil she speaks quickly, "Look after your sisters, I'll check up on Kurt and Jillian, 'kay?" Without giving room for argument she sprints off in the direction of the yells, gun in hand and Hunter looks up, quickly chasing after her to help his mistress.


She reaches Kurt in a matter of seconds, stopping in her tracks as she sees he is indeed alone and there is no adult attacking him. He was on the floor with his knees up, head looking upwards as tears rolled down his cheeks. She heard his last two words. Our parents. She then proceeded to sit opposite him, back against the wall, her gun hidden behind her knees as she looked at him. She spoke softly, "I'm sorry." She thought about other people, how people like Kurt may actually have parents they love, having two parents full stop.


Maybe things would have been different, if Rai's dad stuck around, if Rai's mum didn't go back to drugs. Maybe it would have been hard to kill her Mum then, maybe it would have been impossible to kill them both.


She was lucky. Lucky she didn't have a dad to kill aswell, lucky she didn't love her mum so it was easy to kill her. So she was sorry, sorry that Kurt may love his parents and not want to kill them. "Do you love them?" She asks tenderly, keeping her eyes on his face, "Your...your parents?"


Hunter comes and lays down beside his owner, resting his head on her legs as he looks at Kurt with unintentional puppy dog eyes.
 
Kurt didn't notice the person who came came to him, rather he didn't care to notice anything that was going on around him. The pictured moments he shared with his parents continually flashed like a slideshow, but intermingled were 'What if's. What if he found his parents' corpses? What if his parents died, and suddenly the plague ended? The images tore him apart, and he was ready to take it out on himself.


The girl and dog who knelt in front of him, he began to see them. The one who brought his realization to light, this terrible girl. What was she here for? To mock him for his weakness? Slap him? Tell him to snap out of it? She's the one that needed to snap out of it. He glared, only able to grip his left fist since his right could barely close anymore.


He then realized what the girl was saying to him. 'I'm sorry.' The girl was apologizing to him? No... Pity? he couldn't tell, but his grip weakened. She began to ask more questions. My parents... Did I love them...? That wasn't even-- he realized something. Her family was probably much different from his. He began to sober up from the quick fit of rage. But still...why did she do it?


"Yes, of course I loved my parents." He looked down at the dog, who seemed to have trust that the boy in front would not hurt his master. He felt he could continue, since they seemed to let up no guard. "My parents... they were everything. I don't remember a day where I never felt that way. Through my worst moments, whenever I felt so hopeless, they brought me back to my feet." Tears continued to roll down his face and he began to choke on his words. "I can't ...I can't kill them!" He looked away for a moment, when the thought sparked in his head. "... If I were in their place... If for some reason I turned into a monster... If I was forced to kill them. What do you think they'd do?" His voice began to break, looking back at Rai, and he felt something well up in his throat. He knew it too well that it he could barely say it. "They'd die for me... They'd hold me in their arms, forgive me, and die for me..." He stumbled to to get to his feet, feeling so weak he was ready to pass out again. "I don't want that.. and now, I'm sure they don't either... So I can't kill them."


He leans with his back to the lockers. He couldn't stop the tears.
 
Jared was somewhat relieved when Rai left, gun in hand, dog at her side, to see to Kurt. He had not really wanted to be the one to confront him, if confrontation was necessary, nor to comfort him, if that was what was needed. He felt strange and helplessly ineffective enough when trying to comfort his sisters, who were just little kids, let alone a boy close to his own age that he barely knew. Whatever was needed, he had no doubt that Rai would be skilled enough to know how to take care of it.


She really was an impressive girl.


He glanced back at Max quickly, then, ignoring him as he turned towards his sisters, took Angelina again onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her stiff form in an effort to relax her back against him. He rubbed her back with his left arm, and with his right, extended a hand under the table to Leigh.


"Leigh, it's okay. It's just Kurt...he's just upset. Everyone's tired, and upset, but it's okay....all right? He's not going to hurt anyone...Rai's going to help him, and then he'll come back and eat with us. Then you can stay here with Angie and maybe Jillian while we make sure the rest of this place will be safe for us, okay?"


He can hear her rapid breathing, shuddery and on the verge of tears, and he stretches his hand a little more, the position awkward with Angelina in his lap, and his fingertips brushed Leigh's back. "Come sit up here with us again, Leigh."


It was at least another minute or two before Leigh swallowed hard and slowly emerged from under the table, shooting Max another near pleading glance that Jared did not miss. But the other boy must not have moved fast enough for her liking, because she looped her arm through her brother's in the seat beside him and huddled into his side, taking another slow breath, but though her eyes remained wet, she didn't cry. Angelina did not cry either, nor did she speak, and Jared wondered with some worry as he rubbed her back, let Leigh hold his arm, if the little girl had forgotten how to.


"I want to go home," Leigh said quietly. "But...we don't have a home anymore, do we?"


Jared could think of no answer to give her, because she was right. There was no home for them, and there maybe never would be again. How were they supposed to get along in a world where there was no home for them, no safe place to lay their heads at night?
 
Rai watches the boy silently, watching first as he glared at her with obvious dislike, then as his eyes began to fill with realization.


He loved his parents. A very small smile, not one of happiness or joy, just a smile that he loved his parents, came onto Rai's face as he began to let up about his past. She felt a small pain in her chest as he started to cry, actually cry, when talking about his parents. She could understand why now he had been mad at her earlier, he obviously couldn't even imagine killing his parents, let alone actually do it.


She was the complete opposite to this boy. His parents, he said they helped him in his worst moments. Whereas Rai's mum was the CAUSE of her worst moments.


When Kurt spoke of not being able to kill them, still crying as he leant his head back, Rai nodded, "You don't have to kill them Kurt. They shouldn't find you here. And even if they did, you could just knock them out and run. Or just run. You don't have to kill them, okay?"


She stood up now, taking a step closer and offering him her hand to help him up with a kind smile, "Come on. You need to go back to the cafeteria and eat something, and I need to find Jillian."
 
Anthony's doubt only grew during the ride. How could they trust Will's dad? It was impossible to tell whether the phone call had been heartfelt, or a trap.


His thoughts were considerably stilted through the pain that continued to emanate from his arm. Anthony wondered with gritted teeth how long it would be before he could use his hand again; at the moment, any movement resulted in a glancing wave of pain from the wound. He held it tucked close to his body, but gingerly away from contact.


Will was nervous, too, increasingly so as he neared their destination. He bounced a word Anthony had spoken back and forth through his mind; trap? Trap? Trap? As he drove, he was struck with indecision. He couldn't possibly just... Leave without checking, right? But was there a way to see his father without revealing their presence? If there was, should they act on it? Was he just endangering the others' lives on his own pursuit? He had been trying to sound sure with his words, but in reality, he was anything but.


There it was. A sign off the road announced that they were nearing Green Lake, and the GPS backed up its information. Will was still unsure, but for all his frantic thinking he was unable to think of anything to do but drive blindly towards the lake; nothing to do except... Leave.


But Will couldn't bring himself to do that.


There were several ways to approach the lake, a few being random back ends, a few ways residential and one small dock for boating excursions. Will was driving in the casual way, the winding road which ended in a parking lot overlooking the lake; most visitors came through there.


There was a nearly-indiscernible path going through the woods, beginning at the parking lot and ending in a little deserted alcove by the lake. They used to go fishing there....


But likely, his dad was waiting somewhere easily visible.


Will gulped as he saw the gateway nearing. The metal bars spanning the road were pulled open, like they always were on open hours; as if it was a regular day and this was a regular visit.


He suddenly hoped there weren't any other adults as well near the parking lot. Wouldn't they be... He didn't know, plotting or something? After a psychological upheaval, he didn't suppose many people would be chilling at a lakeside, but.... Well, his father would have called if something wasn't right, right? Besides, the lake was never busy at this time of year, and it was a weekday.


"Will?" said Anthony.


"You can stay behind if you want," said Will, glancing in the others' direction.


Anthony, startled at the offer, considered. He didn't like the thought of being left on the roadside without transportation... But he really, really didn't feel good about continuing onwards either.


He didn't really owe Will any loyalty.


But... Will had accompanied him into Reggie's house.


He was severely disabled, what with his arm....


But that would only make it harder to survive on foot.


God damn it! He just didn't know. "All the supplies are with you," he replied tersely.


"Right," said Will, uncertainly.


He caught the first glimpses of the parking lot through the woods bordering the road, swallowing dryly at the sight. "Here we are," he said softly, as the Subaru emerged into a modest but spacious parking lot; the lake was visible straight ahead. The place was devoid of vehicles, save for a few, and only one that caught Will's attention; his father's white car was parked in a far corner. Less noticeable, but even more worthy of mention was the figure sitting on the curb, near a small brick building sporting a sign that read "Welcome to Green Lake!"


The figure looked up as the car entered the lot, taking a moment to recognize the vehicle before rising to his feet.


Although it was inaudible to the three teenagers, the man called, "Will!"


The boy in the driver's seat tensed. "Dad...."


Anthony's face was blank, but he was scanning their surroundings for any other signs of life; if it was a trap, he wanted to be as prepared as possible. His hand tightened around the knife he'd pulled from his pocket.


The man trotted closer as Will eased the Subaru to a stop. He didn't want to leave the safety of the car, but it wouldn't be good to roll right up to his parent either. Giving a last glance at Anthony, Will opened the door and stepped out on slightly shaky legs.


"Hey, dad," he said, still at a respectable distance.


"Will!" he said, continuing closer. "I'm so glad to see you!"


Nearby, hidden behind the brick building, a man readied his shotgun.
 
Grey was sore and had bruised ribs at best. The rest of the damages and pains he ignored for now, they were unimportant. Bruises could heal, blood would stop flowing, and scratches and the likes didn’t really matter. But it hurt to fricking breathe, that wasn’t as easily ignored. But still he moved on. Perhaps all his survival training had been worth it after all.


The young adult had trekked seven miles easy before he neared the lake. He was no stranger to the wilderness surrounding it having spent summers running down here with Sara. The memory pained him, but Grey tried his best to remain sober, focused. There were supplies, and the place was out of the way, less adults to contend with this way. Thinking there would be none would give him false security and perhaps put his guard down, and even if he was built good for his age and had skills with weapons, a lone hunting knife wasn’t gonna help too much if he wasn’t careful and weary of his every deed.


The trees would start to sparse out some as he approached, and before he could even see through the thickness some to access what he could be up against he heard a man’s voice call out. A curse would be spat under his breath as he began to tread with more caution, there had to at least be two, and Grey wasn’t liking his odds already banged up and holding merely one weapon.


Standing at the best vantage point he could without climbing Grey would take in the parking lot and surrounding area. He could see one man off to the side and another approaching a vehicle. If it was more adults Grey just might have to retreat and find another place to stock up on supplies. He knew well enough when to back down. But two events coincided with one another as the man approached the vehicle. A youth stepped out of the car, and the man nearest him was packing heat. It didn’t take too much logic to see a setup when you saw one so obvious as this.


Damn it to hell, Grey couldn’t just stand down as this kid got gunned down. Without much time to be able to rationalize he would approach the man on the side of caution, only to rush the last few steps as the man started to take aim. But of course he heard him and wound turn, lucky for Grey he was close enough and the man unskilled enough that he would slice the man’s jugular before the fool could raise his gun once more. Looking back Grey would realize how foolish this move had been, and just how easily it could have ended his life. But in the moment he was caught and he would yank the gun away from the man before he collapsed to the ground, and step over the body still warm whilst it bled out.


Two shots would ring out as he took out the second one without a pause, unwilling to take the chance the second had weapons on his person as well. Siding on caution once more after the obvious threat was neutralized he would wait a good minute before stepping out, keeping an eye on the car and glancing about to see if the gunfire drew any other threat from hiding. Satisfied Grey would now approach the Subaru, shotgun held firmly to his side. A second teenager would now be in his peripherals, though he wouldn’t see the third curled up in the backseat until he was much closer. “I don’t know just how much intel you have, but it’s all of them. You can’t trust any of the older ones” nodding his head at the girl staring through the window to come out he would turn to the two boys in front of him, the oldest looking one maybe seventeen. “Name’s Grey, and we should search the area quickly for supplies then get the hell out of here”
 
“Of course I can tell you’re a guy…?” Max draws out, shooting him a confused look; sure the boy wore somewhat feminine clothing and was named “Jillian” but there was an Adam’s apple. There were also some features he had spotted in his younger self that was of course, before the vast change. Jillian seemed to be embarrassed by the topic though, as he had been blushing and confirmed that he wasn’t a cross dresser although Max hadn’t asked.


The boy just shrugged in accordance to is new friend’s shrug, and left him to wash off, watching as four people came back instead of the three that left. The one that he didn’t recognize was the one that he spotted first, and he almost froze upon seeing him. Did he mean them harm? Sure he was about as young as all of them, but that didn’t mean he was completely safe. What if there was a change of plot?


Leigh snaps him out of the train of thought his mind had wandered down far too often as she hooks her arm through his and he smiles at the new clothing. Even in a t-shirt and gym shorts, the girl was still a sight for him, anchoring him down once again in his awkward nature. At the questions that spill out of her mouth, he answers them in tandem, with little thought until after.


“Just talking to Jillian, I’ll change my clothes later…Well, Angie’s comfortable…and I’m sure you’d look pretty in anything” he stops, realizing what he said and blushes. The next question ruined his mood though, would they really be okay? Would this all stop and they would wake up in the morning to adults that would love them again? It seemed they were all reaching for a better end, and luckily he didn’t have to answer Leigh pessimistically, like he was now thinking.


Instead, the girl was distracted by the new comer who seemed to be cooking up something in the kitchen. His name was Kurt, as Jared had introduced him, and he was laying things out in the kitchen as Leigh had observed. As he looks back up, he sees the look that Jared bares but makes no movement on his part, other than the slight twitching of nerves. Kurt was greeting them by then though, and Max slightly nodded his head in greeting, not expecting the boy to address his girlfriend next.


Maxwell seemed to notice something then that gave him a bad feeling in his stomach; here was his girlfriend actively smiling and accepting Kurt’s offers. She had shown some interest in the teen in front of him, and that made him slightly uncomfortable. Especially so when Kurt was trying to take Leigh away from Max by asking her to ‘cut the vegetables’ or prepare the salad, chores she wouldn’t usually do. Tightening his lips slightly, his fists tighten into balls before he pockets them, decided to act aloof instead of jealous.


Girls liked that kind of stuff… didn’t they?


The three continued to mill about in the kitchen, looking for their own specific part that this know-it-all had seemed to ask of them. Even if Max was upset though, he had to admit that the food smelled delicious as it cooked. Unfortunately the topic also changed between this and his girl’s worries about where they would eat and sleep. As badly as he wanted to comfort the girl, the boy instead stayed where he was, giving the boy currently cooking a hard stare.


He sighs, shrugging off the feeling to approach Leigh, surprised when a voice called out from the doorway; he froze up on the spot. There was a girl standing there around his age, but even more surprising was the figure that loomed up behind her. Before any of them got a chance to say anything, she spun around and jumped to narrowly miss a bat, fighting with the parent until shooting him straight in the head. Max took a step back, not hearing her words as he looked at the body that now lain strewn across the floor.


Leigh’s sobs are what hit him first, and he pulls his eyes away from the new girl; Jared was talking to her, and he seemed to be the ‘adult’ here. Then he approaches the table but is beaten by Jared, who is once again ready to comfort his sisters. He was still suspicious of Maxwell…


Leigh still readily looks at him every chance she gets and he tries his best to keep eye contact, not really knowing how to…look comforting? He reaches out his hand, and takes one of her own, despite her brother being right there, he craved her touch. The girl, Rai was her name, set about to dragging the body to the cooler and Kurt, of course, was the one to help her. Always trying to look better for Leigh, eh Kurt?


As they move the body to the freezer that held the bodies, Leigh asks about the dog, and Max remains quiet through the interactions with the new girl. Slightly surprised, but not nearly as shaken as the rest of them when she said she had killed her mother; Max had after all watched his own father kill his older brother. There was no sympathy for those who wanted to talk about it and question why this was happening, the play button had already been hit.


The food was done, but everyone seemed unable to eat it at this point, despite Jared’s suggestion that they do just that. Both Jillian and Kurt had walked out on the meal, and he took it upon himself to start plating with the plastics that Leigh passed him. Making sure to make an extra for Jillian, he sits next to Leigh and stares at his food; at least the chef wouldn’t be delighted enough to think Max liked him because he liked his food.


Just as they were finally able to sit down and have a meal, a scream echoed in the hallway and Max felt a smile creep across his face. Was this it? Was this the climax? The final end where the murderer came in with artillery and backup? They would simply be another body in the freezer, another extra; it would all be over…it would all end.


Leigh was ducking under the table by the time Rai had left the room with the gun, and it was then that he recognized her. It was only a glance in the hallway, but he had seen this girl before, often mocked by Jennifer for her boyish tendencies. Maybe he should introduce her to Jillian, the two would only attract each other in their opposite. Maxwell also looks at the dog for the first time, giving it his rapt attention as he followed his owner out the cafeteria door.


Then it was him, his girlfriend and her family…


Jared was comforting Angie again, and reached out to Leigh much quicker than him, pulling her beside him. He saw his pleading glance and frowned at Jared, easily sweeping her out of his reach and being able to comfort her. Then again, Leigh tended to ignore him regularly, maybe she expect Max to do the same. Act on his feelings, he had a cue and now was his chance to make the scene…


It was Leigh’s admittance that made him pause, home, where was that now?


He sighed and got up, making his way to her side of the table and enveloping her in his arms. The boy was a little too close to Jared for his liking but he squeezed her lightly. Many truths had emerged with these new people and Max was better to stay quiet then once again be pessimistic about it.


“We still have each other” was the most optimistic he was getting, and he meant it more as the group than just the two of them.
 
(whoa, impressive catch up on Kagu's part! *fist bump* lol and after all that...there's not much I can do til some of the others come back :P )


When Max seemed to have broken from his inertia, coming around the other side of the table and sitting on Leigh's left, Jared eyed him, almost a warning, a nonverbal hostility emanating from his expression as he met his eyes over the top of his sisters' heads. The boy had been quiet mostly for some time now, not making any major moves towards Leigh even when she seemed to invite them, and he had been relieved to watch her breaking away from Max to interact with some of the others- and to even let HIM comfort and protect her instead of Max. Maybe, he had half hoped, she would realize among all the chaos that Max was no one she should want to hang around, let alone be dating. Maybe she would realize that what she actually needed was a brother figure, not a boyfriend.


Since when did twelve year olds date anyway? Jared hadn't dated when HE was twelve. He wasn't even dating NOW...and thank god for that, when he thought about it. How would he feel if he was dating someone- maybe even loved someone- and all of this happened...how would it feel, to know that the girl he loved was almost certainly dead?


But no, now Max was sitting beside Leigh...and then he was putting his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. As though daring Jared to do something about it.


Jared gritted his teeth, again meeting Max's eyes with a hard gaze, but as much as it killed him to do it, he didn't say anything. It was true that he had his hands full, with Angelina on his lap, and trying to comfort Leigh too, with only one arm, made it less effective for both girls. If all Max was going to do was hug her...but the second his hands or lips wondered, Jared didn't care how upset it made Leigh, he was punching him, hard. He just hadn't decided yet if he'd go for the face, the throat, or lower bodily regions.
 
Kurt begins to feel really weak from his talk, but realizes something he turns to look at the girl. She must've been crying the whole time. He couldn't understand it, but maybe he really did misunderstand her. Completely misunderstood her, to being similar to be a monster. He crooks a smile, glad that she understood where he stands. As she begins to talk, he realizes she's trying to respect his views, but still she seemed to have left out what he really meant. He sighs slightly, not agitated, but knowing this will come up once again.


As Rai stands and offers her hand, he takes a moment to accept it. His tears subside, but his mind and body was still fatigued. The girl was open minded, but he was going to assume that she would continue killing people. It made sense since she's already done it-- wait, why does she do it? He curls his eyebrows. He stares at her wondering, "I... How do you see this whole situatio--" The pain from his hand starts rushing, soon following is a pounding migrain. He bites his lip, trying to ease it. Why was this happening now? Maybe he'd said to much that he couldn't fathom anything else at the moment.


He grabs her hand with his good hand, and lurches himself off the wall. "Lets go... forget I said anything...for now." Assuming they'll talk about it later. It was something he wanted to talk about, but he couldn't take it at the moment. As they walked into the cafeteria, he notices the group all squished together. There was a mixture of hostility and trauma. He felt like it was his fault he caused the scene, but he couldn't apologize for it at the moment. He only sat himself down. "There's a first aid kit in my bag. Can you take me to the kitchen?" He said to Rai. He looks at right hand, discolored to a purple and blue mixture, unable to bend without feeling pain.
 
Rai felt slightly rejected when it seemed Kurt wouldn't take her hand. What? Did he still not like her? Why didn't he like her? But then he asks a question, how does she see this situation? She knew answering, 'like a game' Wouldn't go down well with ANYONE. But thankfully, before she could get lost on how to respond, he told her to forget he said it and he took her hand to help himself up.


She nods with a small smile in his direction, glad she had time to dwell on his question as they headed back to the cafeteria. Nodding to Jared and his sisters - mostly Jared - as they enter.


How did she view this situation? As a tragedy of course. But still, she was sure she'd answer with her age old phrase. Kill or be killed. That's how she viewed it. Kids vs Adults. Either she killed the adults, or they killed her and the others. And to her, right now in this moment, survival is ALL that matters. Rai was the best gamer she knew, she won at every game and was never beaten by any level. She wouldn't let this game beat her. She wouldn't lose at this level or the next.


She is somewhat shaken from her thoughts as Kurt asks her something. Take him to the kitchen to get first aid? She nods, "Yeah sure. I've got one too if yours runs out or something." She helps him along to the kitchen, now noticing his hand and wincing lightly, "Shizz. Punch the wall hard?" She notices what appears to be his bag and picks it up, handing it to him, "Here. You need help bandaging it or anything?"


Hunter had followed his mistress and the injuried male human back to the cafeteria, glad the male had seemed to calm down now. Hunter then decided he wasn't any harm to his owner and had watched as they went over to where the smell of food was coming from. He whined very lightly at the smell, also deciding to let Rai know when she got back that he was hungry too.


Hunter looked to the smell of testosterone to see the youngest human - his current favourite besides his Rai - sitting on the lap of an angry smelling male human who was staring at another male human. He titled his head slightly as he watched them, were they fighting for dominance? Wouldn't they be fighting over a female human if they were doing that though? He then looked to Rai and he dearly hoped they weren't fighting for her, if one of them was to win, Rai would be so busy with her own pups that she wouldn't have time for Hunter anymore.


He trotted over to the huddled group, sitting infront of them and eyeing the two boys oddly as he made sure they weren't about to leap at each other's throats. He would try his best to stop Rai from having pups just yet.


(If me RPing as an animal - Hunter - isn't allowed just let me know xD Though I do find it amusing how he thinks he can stop Max and Jared from fighting so that Rai won't have 'pups')
 
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