Realistic or Modern Patient Zero (A Zombie Survival RP)

[shadowz1995]

Hector wasn't alone in his desire to get away from the crowded house it seems. Several nameless others had joined him outside but they kept their distance and for that, Hector was somewhat grateful. Nothing would irritate him more than if someone approached him trying to be "nice" when he obviously wanted some peace and quiet.

The doctor pulled his gloves off so the bite of the cold could touch his hands as well as opposed to the warmth of infected blood.

Other than the idle conversations from the ones nearby.... it was peaceful out here. Near nature as they were.

"Excuse me. My name is Doctor Ralph Fisher. It's a pleasure to meet another man in the medical profession."

.....of course.

The Venezuelan had to resist both the urge to sigh and the near reflex to glare at whoever decided to come and try to be friendly. The reason for his restraint was for one reason only. Respect among professionals. This man earned the title of Doctor and that made him worthy of respected until proved otherwise.

Hector's grey eyes turned up from where he sat on the snow to lock on to the man. Definitely not the youngest fish in the cabin but Hector had a decade or so on this man as well.

The large man reached up to shake the Dr. Ralph's hand, "Dr. Hector Salazar." his deep, gravelly, accented voice replied. His expression remained neutral during the exchange, "Good to see another doctor. We will need as many as we can get."

The Mad Queen

 

[Rumble Fish]

Milly had kept herself entertained for the last couple of hours, making jigsaws and drawing on scraps of paper she found lying around. Everything seemed very quiet and her spirits were raised a little by her conversation with Ralph about cartoons. She had her teddy sat on the table as if she was watching what Milly was drawing. The youngster was happier with it being quiet. The group scavenging had left and so did Michael. She hadn’t touched the granola bar, not wanting to take his food since she had not seen him eat. Milly stuck her tongue out of her mouth as she sketched out a polar bear with a fish in his mouth, she had seen the image in a Natural Geographic magazine and could copy it from memory. She was taking her time with it and it was looking fairly good.

Her attention was taken from her drawing as Leliana asked her to wake up Colt. The youngster gulped, a little unsure about it. The woman looked like she was having a bad sleep and she did not want to alert her. But, Leli had told her to. And she knew she had to do what grown-ups had told her too. As she got close to Colt, the woman suddenly yowled and sat upright. Milly jumped back and before she could speak, she noticed there were a lot more people, people she had never seen before. Suddenly the lodge was much louder and busier than it had been before.

The noise and amount of bodies caused a surge in the youngster’s heart-rate. It hurt her ears, giving her a head-ache. Milly stimmed, wringing her shaking hands together. It was all too much. It made her mind go back, years ago long before she went to school. When her father was there. Milly had not seen him since she were a toddler. He used to host parties where friends would come and watch football. It was loud, pounding and frightening. Even upstairs. People would even come into her room, with no regard to her presence. Milly had seen and heard a lot of things from this alone. Her bedtime was seven o’clock, yet these parties would go until three in the morning. Sometimes they would start at noon, so the house was chaos, shattering Milly’s routine and knocking everything out of joint. She needed things to make sense, she needed a structure. And the few days had thrown everything Milly had ever known out of order. Nothing felt right.

Milly squeaked as she took Snowy, she needed to find somewhere to hide, away from all these strangers. However, every room seemed to have someone there as far as she knew. Milly squeaked and looked around. She scuttled into the dining room and, not sure what else to do, she crawled under the table, moving the cloth to cover her as she crouched under it. It was darker under the table but it did not stop the noise. The younger girl whimpered and buried her face into Snowy. She just wanted her weighted blanket and earbuds, at least that would help her feel better. She wanted her mother. There were so many people, yet she was not one of them. Why? They had promised they would find her, but they hadn’t. Milly buried her head into her knees and put her hood up, all she could do was hope they would leave. Where was Marcus or Ivan? Or Beth? If she couldn't have her mother, she wanted them.

Mentions: Hyped_Taco (Michael) FireMaiden (Leliana) Soma Schicksal (Marcus) King Vioogra (Ivan) Maj (Beth)​

 

[King Vioogra]

Ivan Zamorozka

Ivan had been sitting on the couch he called his resting place until Leliana decided he was fit to move around on his own again. A short sigh escaped from him as he set aside the book he’d been reading for the past few hours. Reading was a strong word, as he’d really been lost in thought about things that didn’t matter. Scenarios of events deemed impossible just a few days before rushed through his head like water through a hose as his eyes scanned the same page near endlessly. What if the hazmats found them, what if the infected were able to sniff them out or whatever they do. What if… His worst-case-scenario generator of a brain was interrupted by the sound of a car engine.

“Didn’t Marcus and Jenna just leave? What are they doing back already?”

He said quietly as he set the book down and swung his legs off of the couch. He limped over to the window, looking through the open blinds as he saw a very vibrantly red head of hair bouncing as it, and its owner, made their way towards the lodge. Much to the Russian’s surprise, this red head was met with five new bodies as they all made their way towards the lodge as well. One of the new arrivals that surprised him the most was what seemed to be a teenager with hair that matched the snow on the ground, seeing as how the only other person he'd seen with hair that color was Marcus. Maybe they were related? He was genuinely surprised that there was a kid able to pull their head out of their phone long enough to notice what was going on, let alone do anything to avoid it. He decided against going outside to greet them as to not warrant Leliana’s wrath, also because they were making their way inside anyways. He stepped away from the window and looked at the new arrivals as they stepped inside, some shaking their shoes free of snow while another teenager, by the looks of it, made a break for the kitchen to make a sandwich. As his eyes traced the boy making his way to the kitchen, he caught a glimpse of Milly scurrying away. He limped after her just fast enough to see the tail end of her feel disappear under the dining room table. A short sigh escaped from him as he limped over to the table, leaning against the nearest wall and sliding down it before scooting his way over to the sheet-draped table. He knew not to go under, as that would probably just spook her more.

“Hey дитя, you doing okay?” (kid)

He spoke softly, not too far away from the sheet, but not close enough to be invading on her space. He waited patiently until she was prepared to give a response.

Jonas Müller

The German teenager had nodded off on the drive to wherever they were going, which in hindsight wasn’t a very good idea since he knew next to nothing about these people, especially since two of them they’d quite literally just run into, one with hair matching to the driver of the vehicle. He’d’ve guessed they were siblings, if it weren’t for the back-alley brawl the female had demonstrated in front of the hospital. Once his eyes had opened, it was easy for the rest of his body to kick back into gear, just in time for him to get out of the vehicle. He’d been seated in the middle seat of the minivan, which is arguably the worst spot, especially when you have to rub thighs with two complete strangers while you elbow each other in the ribs at each bump and turn. Once he was finally out of the car, he looked up at the glorious lodge ahead of him. The snow was still reflecting light from the sun above, which gave the structure a more ethereal feel as he stepped towards it, his black boots crunching under the snow. He took a step towards the building before realizing he’d forgotten both his backpack and the duffel bag half full with canned soup, granola bars, and a few other oddities in the trunk of the vehicle. He began to turn back when a voice broke through the silence and crunching of the snow below, drawing his attention.

The boy turned full heel and walked to the back of the van, moving out of the overly aggressive, yet understandable, Italian’s way before grabbing his bag in one hand and the duffel bag in the other. He’d removed his Daylily from it before hand, and quickly picked it up after slinging his bag over his shoulder. Jonas held the plant close as he made his way into the lodge, moving out of the Doctor’s way as he came back out of the lodge they’d just entered. Once he was finally inside, the overwhelming amount of people and double the amount of eyes on him and the other new arrivals made him freeze for a moment. Everyone’s favorite disembodied voice decided to chime in at this point, with its sadistic and arrogant attitude.

‘You should run, now. Look at how they’re looking at you. They don’t want you here. Seems to be a pattern, eh? You wouldn’t be in this mess if your parents still wanted you, would you? So far it looks like the government’s got this whole town locked up tight. You’ll die here and no one will remember you.No one will mourn, no one will care.’

Jonas took a deep and shaky breath as he started thinking to himself over and over, hoping to overpower the voice that wanted nothing but his despair. His hands shook as they held his only true link to reality as he chanted endlessly in his mind, hoping to convince himself the voice was lying.

‘They aren’t looking at you, they aren’t looking at you, they aren’t looking at you, they aren’t
looking at you.’

His attempts at self-consolidation did little as he carried the duffel bag to the kitchen, practically tossing it onto the table before turning on his heels and making his way back towards the door. He needed to get out. It was too hard to breathe. If there were too many people in the pharmacy, they were truly fucked here.​

 

[Soma Schicksal]

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[div class="Status"] Status

Interacting: BloodLightning27 The Mad Queen

Mentioned: None

Located: Outside road of the lodge

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[div class="Line"] [div class="Icon"] Actions[/div] Marcus was a bit nervous having to lead this team out to find a new place and hopefully more supplies but he knew it was what he needed to do, they weren’t gonna be able to stay at the lodge forever so they would need a bigger place to stay anyway. He looked to the other two. “So you know the mission, we find a bigger place to stay if possible and on our way there or back we grab what supplies we can. A few walkie talkies would be a pretty good find for people that go on future supplies runs.” He finished as they got closer to leaving the main woodland area of the lodge's property, they now entered the main road. “Before we just start searching do either of you two have any suggestions for good places that may be like a mansion or maybe a farm?” he had a general idea but he never really went outside the areas that were out of the city of his dad’s shop.

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[/div] Code by @AgWordSmith [/div]

 

[BloodLightning27]

Shinoa Bradford
Age: 17
Location: Lodge Interactions: No One
Mentioned: Milly Rumble Fish , Luca Brax , Andy & Owen Maj , Lelianna FireMaiden

Pregnancy Progression: 39 Weeks, 4 Days

Countdown to Childbirth

Not Much LongerThe rest of Shinoa's day was rather peaceful. Though she mainly stayed within the living room area aside from using the bathroom every thirty minutes to an hour. Then there was dinner, followed by relaxing and then bed time. Like the previous nights, Shinoa shared a bed with Milly and Lelianna. She did sleep on the end of the bed though, just for easier access to the restroom since she often expected to wake up in the middle of the night with a full bladder.

The next morning started with a shower and a little bit of stretching. She also put on a new robe and a pair of compression socks to help with the swelling on her ankles and her feet. Breakfast was quiet as well. Upon arriving into the kitchen, the young mother found cooked eggs in the frying pan. Assuming that it had been left for her, she scooped it into a plate before grabbing a fork to eat quietly.

Just as she even considered relaxing, Luca and company had returned to the lodge. While Andy and Owen were among them, there were a lot more unfamiliar faces. Did they even have enough room to house more people? Might have to clear out the basement. The idea of there being more mouths to feed left Shinoa feeling uneasy. She soon felt the baby kicking against her hand. The young mother sighed before tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear and gently caressing the belly. As she glanced towards the living room, she saw that Lelianna tending to wounded. Were there a lot of people injured? Did they encounter the hazmats that had attacked at the school? Whatever it was, hopefully they can find a bigger place soon.

Waddling back into the kitchen, Shinoa started washing the dishes and cleaning up around the kitchen.

 

[Rumble Fish]

The chilled air slit Colt’s cheek like a knife. The trees were still and the woman knew that if she so much as breathed too loud, it would cause all the snow built up to crumble. It was that quiet. The veteran sighed heavily as she looked towards the steel grey sky. Only a couple of days ago it was cold yet clear, now there was no warning of any oncoming storms. It was as though the weather itself knew what was happening and was adjusting accordingly. How did she even end up here? What had she been doing the day before the outbreak? If she had to guess it would have been her being wasted and sitting in her underwear on the sofa watching RuPaul’s Drag Race while eating double-stuffed Oreos out of the box. Or was that the day before? For all she knew, that could have been her routine ever since arriving in Aurora, as well as living on Indian take-out and pizza. Why couldn’t she go back to that? Sure, it was dark, isolating and… smelly but at least she didn’t have to deal with this bullshit!

The number of people and noise caused the veteran to shudder. Having spent so long alone, it was like being hit with a truck. Too much at once. What were they thinking? Luca had already berated her for bringing back others, so what made him think it was okay to do the same thing? If there was one thing Colt hated, it was hypocrisy and this man was a walking personification. At least he was smart enough to leave her alone. Any prodding right now could easily result in a bullet hole in his chest. At this point, anybody could be on the other end of the smoking gun that was Colt’s ever-growing frustration.

Colt was taking another sip of her flask as an unfamiliar voice piped up. She glanced to the side, seeing the teenager that had accompanied Luca and Andy back to the lodge. Speaking of Andy, Colt had not seen the red-head. But she did not want to. No doubt she was still angry with her for allowing Owen to go on his own. Everybody was, that little voice at the back of her head would not stop telling her. If he hadn’t returned or been found, it would have been her fault. The woman shook her head a little as she took another sip. He was back at the lodge with everyone. That, at the very least made her feel better.

Her attention turned again to the boy. If she had been in a better mood (or maybe it was just the schadenfreude) she would have laughed at his attire. That was most certainly going to help in a fucking blizzard. He had said something about keeping watch at night? These people had only been in the Lodge for less than ten minutes and wee already trying to encroach on her space? What did this kid know about protecting a building, never mind at least twenty people?

“I protect this community.” She growled. But her eyes were drifting in contemplation rather than the anger her voice suggested. It was only now her brain had actually began to function. Four eyes were better than two. And three legs were better than one. Still, to trust some kid that Luca picked up? And what did he know about guns? This only caused a further rift in the woman’s thinking. She had seen too many kids with guns. Scared, brainwashed kids forced into a battle that wasn’t theirs to fight. Colt’s throat tightened at the thought. Their frightened faces and the ever-clear despair and wish for death that had been held in all of their gazes. What had been done to them to create such an unholy perversion of childhood? It was a conundrum Colt never wanted to ponder over again. And now, every time she saw someone young, below twenty, even the thought made her sick and forced her booze-muddled mind to revisit places she had long tried to bury.

But, she thought, she could simply drown those thoughts once again. Turning back to the boy, her scarred face was hardened. “Go int’ the big black bag under the stairs. Find somethin’ and stay on the other side of the lodge. Y’git me?” She did not blink during this sentence. She wanted to add that it was really a concern of Andy’s if he went to her perch, but… perhaps learning the hard way would be more beneficial. ‘Ye learn t’not poke the bear once ye’ve bin bit a few times’ as her father would have said. Colt huffed and walked further outside. But as she did, she heard more voices that made the veteran audibly groan.

It seemed the two doctors, at least she thought the other one was a doctor, had decided that this was a great place to converse. Suddenly the quiet stillness of nature had been disrupted. Colt turned to look at the newcomer. She had seen him with a mask, but he took it off before she could have responded to it. Ralph seemed interested in speaking with him, which frankly Colt did not care about. The man could converse with whoever he saw fit. The woman glared at the pair before walking further away from the lodge, sitting on a log and looking into the trees. She needed some more time. For everything.

Interactions: Brax (Tre)
Mentions: Maj (Andy/Owen) The Mad Queen (Ralph) shadowz1995 (Hector)​

 

[Maj]

This is part one of a multi part collab between Maj and FireMaiden
​

The bag that was slung over Andy’s shoulder set the injured skin on fire, Luca had done a decent job getting the glass out but it was far from healed. She let the bag slide down her arm and grabbed it by the hand holds instead. At the sound of Leliana’s voice the red head blinked wearily and turned around.

‘Wow you look like shit,” Blondie greeted her. Andy let out the first genuine laugh she had since any of the residents had taken over her lodge. It was a sort of musical sounding chuckle. She couldn’t help it, the blunt honesty of the statement caught her totally off guard. Not to mention, she was likely delirious from exhaustion and hunger.

“Yeah, I’ve had better days,” the red head agreed. The rambling about her house being in one piece fell mostly on deaf ears. There was too much noise and excitement going on around them, all the new people climbing out of the car and reunions turned to white noise behind her. She felt dizzy, and for a moment worried she might pass out as the world tried to tunnel out on her.

Luca calling her name seemed to be about the only thing that jarred her out of it. She raised an eyebrow as he announced her injuries to Leliana before continuing to walk past her. Was he still worried about her? The idea seemed ridiculous to her, but it was the first thing out of his mouth after returning and the significance of it wasn’t lost on her. Likely he wanted to get away from her as well. That was all well and good, Andy needed a break from Luca as well. After being stuck together, quite literally, for the last several days some air would do them both some good.

Andy liked few people in this world, and spent most of her time alone. Spending that many uninterrupted hours with anyone was exhausting and Luca didn’t exactly go out of his way to make it easy on her. However, she was sure she didn’t make it easy on him either.

“Don’t let him fool you. He got us in a car accident. I was an innocent bystander.” She called loud enough for him to hear. “But seriously, I’m fine. He already dug all of the glass out of my shoulder. I think that was the worst of it.”

Leliana's brows furrowed, "A car crash? No wonder you two look rough. Which means Luca can't escape me, but I can bug him in a little bit, your shoulder could need stitches if the glass went deep enough." And while she wouldn't say it out loud, Luca probably didn't have the gentlest hands. Observant eyes yes, he had proved that much, but still. Taking the glass out was the right idea though, because just leaving it in could cause a bunch of problems, like infection, tiny shards could work themselves in and be a real pain in the ass to remove, they could get broken up more if you moved to much.

Leliana sighed a little, brushing a few strands of hair out of her face she took in Andy's disheveled appearance. Not only did she need medical attention, but she could probably also use some food and a nap. Her eyes briefly trailed onto the people behind her, specifically Owen. He was covered in blood, and from where she was, his nose looked broken. Maybe she should take care of that first?

"What happened to his nose, do you know?" Leliana asked, wanting to glance down at Andy's fist, though it probably wouldn't provide an answer. He honestly deserved to get punched though, after disappearing like that. But, that didn't mean she gonna say anything, it wasn't her place to say anything, not yet anyway. "Head upstairs to the first bathroom, I'll get the bag of meds and meet you in there, alright?" Leliana said, motioning for Andy to head inside, "The sooner we get you cleaned up the better."

“Him being a moron happened to his nose.” Andy snipped, but almost immediately calmed down. Leliana was not the source of her anger. Grief, exhaustion, hunger, and Owen were the sources and to take it out on the young woman who was trying to help her was just plain rude.

“I may have gotten a little carried away with my lecture.” She shrugged sheepishly. Her brother had that effect on her, the ability to drive her to the point of absolute insanity. Now with the apocalypse on them, his knight in shining armor mentality was going to be even more of a handful.

“I’ll see you up there.” Andy headed into the house to see it crawling with bodies. She knew they were crowded, and her and Luca had only made that particular problem worse by bringing more people back with them. But it was important to have the numbers, because no matter how many people they crammed into these four walls, they were still outnumbered by the corpses outside.

She climbed up the stairs and dropped her bag on the tile floor of the bathroom. The warmth of the house was already taking the chill off her cheeks and warming her skin. Inside, she began to pull off her leather jacket and scarves to reveal the mess on her shoulder. The leather seemed to be mildly stuck to her skin, but with some maneuvering and careful hands, she was able to unstick it from her shoulder. It looked almost like hamburger meat. The glass was gone thanks to Luca, but all the tiny lacerations and scrapes caused by the wreck hadn’t scabbed over due to her constant movement since. It oozed and bled still which due to the fact she had been in a tank top under her jacket, the fluids had adhered the jacket to her. The girl sat on the bathroom sink and waited for Leliana.

Leliana didn't pay much attention to when Andy snapped at her, knowing that people in pain often had shorter tempers, and of course that it wasn't aimed at her. "Let's hope he got the message then," Leliana chuckled. Overboard or not, Andy had the right to lecture him, be mad, and any other emotion she wanted, though Leliana hid a bit of a sigh as Andy began to head inside.

"Don't worry, I won't be too long," Leliana said. She was the last, or at least, she assumed she was the last to head inside just a few moments after Andy did. That girl needed medical attention, but also, Leliana knew it was nice to be have a little breathing room. Luca didn't exactly get any cause he could have bled out, but Andy was in a lesser amount of danger. Anyway, once inside, she made her way to the medical bag, briefly checking to make sure that nothing she would need was missing, which gave her a minute to listen into Ralph and the guy who, honestly now that she was in the same room of, his intense aura kinda put her off a little. She learned his name though, Hector, which sounded familiar. But since Andy needed her upstairs, Leliana couldn't introduce herself just yet.

FireMaiden shadowz1995 Brax

 

[Maj]

​

​

Hot water and soap had never felt so good. He knew that the lodge had its own well, which meant that they could potentially have running water for at least a few years, regardless of how many occupants lived here. Still, unless something drastic changed, even the water was a finite resource so Owen opted to enjoy his shower to the fullest while he had the opportunity.

Blood, sweat, dirt and lord knows what else washed off his tired body. Murky rust colored water spiraled the drain as he used his calloused fingertips to massage soap into his matted red hair. The water pressure here had always been excellent at the lodge, and this time it was no exception. He let the shower head beat his back with hot water, soothing his aching bones. Days without food or sleep was coming to a head and the male knew he had very little fight left in him without a nap.

When he exited the shower, his skin was pink and flushed from the heat of the water. The bathroom was filled with steam, making the air almost blurry. The idea of putting those sticky and disgusting clothes back on filled the man with dread so he left the confines of the bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. Surely the ladies wandering about the lodge could avert their eyes for a few moments. Or not. It mattered little to him.

He hoped he wasn’t intruding by entering the closest bedroom. It was the one he often stayed in when he came to visit his uncle and thus contained some of his old clothes in the dresser. Owen was relieved to find it unoccupied. Fumbling through the old wooden drawers he was able to find an old baseball team shirt from his time in high school and a pair of gym shorts. The clothes fit well enough, a little snug if anything. However, it was better than the blood soaked garments he had in his hand. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to wash them, maybe he should hose them off in the yard first. They reeked.

Looking into the full length mirror was a little surreal. He hadn’t played baseball in years. He was taller now, and definitely more filled out, his shoulders and arms the tightest part of the shirt he had put on. That was a far more simpler time, and the person who used to care about games seemed like an entirely different person.

Owen shook his head, water coming off his hair in drops, like a dog shaking its fur. None of that mattered now. The person he was before the apocalypse felt like a different person too, and that was only a few days ago. Hector had made him promise to come down to be examined after he was cleaned up, so the red head took the stairs two a time to find him. It made sense, that much time around so many sick, decaying and dead people likely opened him up to a lot of risks. Not letting the man do tests would hurt everyone, including himself. When he didn't immediately see the doctor in the kitchen, he dumped his dirty clothes in an empty trash bag, and made his way out to the porch.

He wasn’t surprised to find the doctor outside. In the small time he and Hector had spent together he had gathered he was pretty harsh, and a house full of strangers didn’t really seem like his scene. Owen wasn’t really happy with the way he had handled telling Andy about their mother, but he had done a pretty good job of nipping her temper in the bud, and for that he was grateful. Once she got going, Andy could be handful and in his experience it was best to just let her run her course.

He wasn’t sure who the other older man talking to him was, one of many of the new faces at the lodge he didn’t recognize. Owen made his way up to Hector anyway, crossing his arms over his chest to hug in the warmth from the shower in the cold air.

“I hate to interrupt, but I think I have an appointment with the doctor here.” Owen gave the men a sheepish grin as he announced his presence. He wanted to get this examination over. Finding out he was sick after everything he had gone through would be icing on a very terrible cake.

shadowz1995 The Mad Queen

 

[TheTreForce]

​

Warren's heavy black boots met the snow covered ground and he pulled himself from the vehicle. He wouldn't have thought two days ago that he would be brought to a place like this by looking after the kid. The welcoming lodge stood before him, smoke looming out of the chimney above. Admittedly, the building was larger than he anticipated; two stories tall, plenty of square footage from what he could tell, and even an RV parked out front. He took a moment to soak it all in before grabbing his bag from the car and closing the door because he was the last one out. Hesitation didn't hold him too long before he headed for the porch that connected to the door. There were people out front conversing but he continued past without so much as a glance. The wood emitted deep creaks in response to his great weight and he swung the door open when he reached it.

Are you fuckin kidding me... Upon entering the living room, it was becoming clear to Warren how many people now resided at this lodge; so many people that they, themselves were a fire hazard to everyone else. The man shook it off and headed into the kitchen, making himself at home by raiding the fridge. His hand pushed a few things to the side, "No cerveza, eh?" He got up from looking in the fridge and threw the door closed. Figures. Just as soon as he came inside, he headed out again. The door swung shut behind him and he reached back into his bag as his feet descended the porch steps. His fingers met the hot dog shaped item he was looking for and pulled it out. The leafy tobacco roll fit well in his hand and was brought up to his nose. The soft shell of the cigar brushed the bottom of his nose as he pulled it across, giving it a long sniff. A slight smile crept across Warren's face and he pulled out a box of matches, the light to the period of peace and contentment he was seeking. Luckily it wasn't too windy at the moment and the warmth would feel terrific right now. With a swift motion, the match flared up and held a tiny torch to the end of the cigar. He had already taken care of cutting the mouth-end of it prior, so he placed his mouth on it and took a couple drags to help it start. The end of it glowed a bright, hot red when he puffed on it, a nice contrast to the blue surroundings. I hope Tre doesn't plan on staying here too long.

A couple minutes passed as the cigar began to ash and grow shorter at a slow pace. Warren paced a little bit, examining the surrounding area of the lodge and listening to the few people that were out here with him. He noticed a woman sitting by herself on a log a little towards the edge of the clearing around the building and he approached. He was sure that she probably heard him coming closer and stopped a few feet from the other side of the log, "Hey, mind if I join ya?"


Rumble Fish

 

[The Mad Queen]

Doctor Ralph Fisher​

​

Fisher gripped the man's cold hands, filling them at least with a little bit of warmth. In winter he tended to have his hands in his pockets more often than they were covered in medical gloves. Back home, October was when the few trees of the bustling metropolis of New York changed colour and when Sarah would bug him for weeks trying to prepare the best Halloween costume but Aurora had seemingly skipped October and jumped right into December.

He hated the winter, not just because of it's cold winds and blankets of snow but it was an idea time for viruses to strike. The cold brought weakened immune systems along with it and he'd dealt with more outbreaks during the winter months than any other time of the year. It had one saving grace and that was Christmas, for obvious reasons.

The man introduced himself as a Doctor Salazar and although the name rung a bell, the man standing before him was far too young to be the Salazar Fisher had read about in his student years. The doctor gently pulled his hand away, and nodded.
"If it's any comfort, there's other medical professionals here. One is away on a scouting mission and I believe the other is tending to patients but the important thing is that we're not alone in this."

It was nagging at him more than Fisher would like to admit, so he decided to put it to bed.
"Per chance are you related to the Doctor Salazar? I read some of his work back in the day, including a book on infectious diseases. One thing led to another and that ended up being one of my majors years later."

With an outstretched hand he gestured to the blankets of snow in front of the lodge. "You could say I wouldn't be standing here if it wasn't for that book." He shook his head, letting out a light chuckle "You see, I'm with the CDC and I've been studying this parasite... If it wasn't for those damn hazmats we might have prevented this catastrophe." He firmly shook his head, placing his hands back in his pockets to ward off the cold.

Ralph spun his head around at the sound of the door opening and closing, coming face to face with Owen. He'd been away when Fisher had first arrived at the lodge, so there was never an opportunity for the two to meet. Until now, that is. His gaze moved back to Hector, and then to Owen.
"By all means." He smiled, giving a light shrug "Don't let me stop you."

Interacting with: shadowz1995 (Hector) Maj (Owen)

 

[Brax]

Light hues shifted back to Colt as Tre raised an eyebrow. He had done what Luca had asked, though he wasn’t sure what he had mentioned warranted such a response from the female before him. In particular, Tre didn’t give a shit who was responsible for what. He just wanted some direction, much like he had all of his life. When push came to shove, he was used to taking orders and was still alive as a result. Despite being younger than most of the people he had befriended in his life, the kid was well aware that others knew much more than he did. In reality, Tre depended on others giving him tasks so he kept busy. It was how he preferred to live.

He continued watching the woman’s mannerisms. Even though he kept his mouth shut, Tre was pretty sure she was having a mental breakdown right before his eyes. There was a big black bag underneath the staircase? Inside the house or outside? She then mentioned to watch the opposite side of the lodge. Was that where Andy’s perch was? Luca had instructed him that it was in the back. Perhaps Colt didn’t want him traversing up to the lodge at all. He was quick to take what he assumed was a hint and nodded in response. When Colt looked over to the two gentleman, Ralph and Hector, she took a moment before walking away without another word. He nodded to the two men. Tre’s focus turned from their conversation to watch Colt leave. His immediate response was to shake his head. What a ray of sunshine. Talking to that one as little as possible was in Tre’s best interest moving forward. It was at this time that a red-haired man walked outside. The kid decided to focus on his task at hand and head back inside.

Warren passed him on the way in. Tre pat the man on the shoulder in passing, just meant to acknowledge his existence without saying ‘hello’ more than anything else. After passing through the kitchen, the boy cut a quick left and walked up to the staircase. There was a cot in between the wall and its back. A few feet further would provide Tre with the bag that Colt had mentioned only moments prior. He kneeled down to unzip it, not really minding anyone who may have been watching him.

The pick of the litter was scarce. There were a lot of heavier weapons that Tre had no interest in handling. He had shot a decent variety of firearms before but he only maintained enough strength to use the smaller ones. When it came to the limited options at his disposal, Tre opted to remove a standard police-issue 45 caliber. At a glance, Tre noticed that it was semi-automatic. There was no switch to automatic, so it wasn’t an ACP. Opting to keep the safety on, the light-skinned boy zipped the bag back up before turning away. The walk outside from the staircase was as quick as passing through the living room. Upon walking outside, Tre found that he was alone for the first time in days.

He closed the door behind him and took a seat on the top of the steps. The air was brisk, but Tre had been forced to sleep outside in far worse conditions. Doing something beneficial to his home, even if it was temporary, was important. Tre didn’t want to seem like burden on anyone, or Luca’s warden. He was just trying to survive like everyone else. A hand placed the pistol onto the wooden porch beside him. Then he removed one of the straps of his backpack and turned it around to his stomach. Leaning over slightly, Tre unzipped the smallest pocket at the front and removed a dated polaroid picture from inside.

It was almost as old as Tre was. The man on the right side at the front was his father, sporting his usual demeanor. Despite his line of work, somehow he always seemed to take life easy. On the far left was Luca, at the age of seventeen. The other people in the picture all worked as assassins in La Cosa Nostra. Eventually, Luca moved into a position closer to the top of the food chain. He brought Tre’s father along with him. By that time, everyone else in the picture had already been deceased. Tre recalled his father often used to talk about how they were the best friends anyone could ask for.

​

A few minutes had passed. Tre continued looking at the picture, holding it gently between both of his hands. If his father had been around, he would want Tre to work hard and be useful for others. The man would want Tre to continue surviving and to pass his knowledge on to others. Even after paying the ultimate price for loyalty and leaving him to face the world alone, Tre held no ill will toward his father nor Luca. It was his father’s choice to get caught up in the world he lived in. Unfortunately, Tre was the result of what ultimately ended up being a poor decision. Obviously, Tre was not planned - but his existence forced him to be a casualty of his father’s actions nonetheless.

“Won’t catch me without a rubber.” Tre muttered under his breath as he put the picture back in his bag.

​

Interactions/Mentions: Rumble Fish TheTreForce shadowz1995 The Mad Queen Maj

 

[shadowz1995]

Hector very nearly glared at his fellow doctor's attempt to warm up his hands but managed to keep that much in check. Professional courtesy and all.... Still, he didn't appreciate it. Unnecessary contact was not the name of this man's game. Still, Dr. Fisher's heart was in the right place. Hector knew he was somewhat of an oddity when it came to cold weather.

Who he did give an unfiltered glare to was the woman with the limp who glared at Hector. He returned her ire equally and unafraid.

The Venezuelan nodded to Ralph's information. Having other medical professionals was certainly a good thing. Especially when things had gone south so quickly. Of course, this also made all of them high priority targets if they were to ever be attacked by other people. Awful thing to think about but it was better to be prepared than to be caught off guard.

It was part of the reason Hector even followed Owen back in the first place. There was safety in numbers and even more safety if you were someone who could keep those numbers from falling. Gratitude went a long way and he was sure that would keep Owen on his side for the immediate future. Possibly even his sister if she had a shred of decency about her. From what he saw, it wasn't certain.

"That is comforting. People of our expertise will be crucial when the infected become less of a problem than other humans do. It's just a matter of time."

Now, when Ralph declared he was from the CDC, that caught Hector's attention. His grey gaze immediately snapped upwards to meet Fisher's with actual interest this time and not measured respect. Though, mention of his adoptive "parent" brought a somber glint to his expression. "He was... he.... hm...." Dr. Salazar (Sr.) Was definitely not Hector's father. At no point did he ever act that way, desire it, or care for it. He made that abundantly clear. Hector was his protege... not his child. That was clear too. Still, it wasn't a subject he enjoyed touching on.

"My master.... teacher?" The large man struggled to find the proper English word but eventually just settled for, "Mentor. He was my mentor. Pulled me from an orphanage in Venezuela due to my intelligence to teach me everything he knew. He died many years ago. Age." Hector's voice was like frosted steel when he spoke of the man who taught him. No emotion. No wavering. No warmth or fondness. No nostalgia either. "The virus. I have studied it a little bit from what tissue I could recover from the normal Muertos. I went to the hospital where I found Owen because that was where Patient Zero was. He was... different from the other infected. Smarter. Faster. No signs of decay. I tried to get a sample but ended up having to retreat."

Speak of the devil....

The young red-head in question came out the back door and joined the two doctors outside. Hector stood up and with a nod when he claimed he was ready. The cold doctor quickly opened his pack and fished out a bottle of rubbing alcohol and poured a splash of it into his hands. He rubbed it in as best as he could and decided to make the examination as quick as possible. He didn't want Owen catching influenza from standing out in freezing weather after a hot shower. He could practically see the steam coming off the boy from the hot water that still clung to him.

Hector grabbed the boy's left arm and let his gaze travel down its length, checking the skin condition for discoloration, scratches, lesions, or anything other than normal. He repeated the same for the other arm and spent extra time examining both hands. "Spend some time cleaning under your finger nails. Still have some residue there and I cant tell if it's from you or from the infected."

He pulled the red-head's shirt up to the nipple line and quickly inspected his torso. Certainly bruised up but no broken skin anywhere, thankfully. "Put some snow in a bag and put it on the bruises to bring down the swelling. Heat after to help the muscles reabsorb the blood and promote blood flow."

The doctor pulled the shirt back down and pulled the neckline to the side to examine the shoulders and neck. The muscles were tense but that is to be expected given the situation he had found himself him for the past few days. Sometime at home should alleviate that. "Looks good here but you're still very tense. Hot water, massages from whoever is willing, and rest. Ice on the bruising. Heat for the absorption."

Finally he got to Owen's face. The doctor got closer as he examined his complexion. He pulled the eyelids down and asked Owen to look up and then the reverse to see the top. Bloodshot from stress and lack of sleep. A blood vessel had ruptured in the left eye. Nothing serious. More than likely due to overexertion. Again. Understandable. His lower lip was busted and while it was an open wound, he couldn't rule out that it hadn't gotten infected. Owen did have blood on his face and hair when Hector met him. The shower, ironically, may have done him in. "If you start to feel sick for any reason, come see me immediately. Anything at all. You had blood in your hair and your lip is has a wound on it along with your nose. The blood from your hair may have gotten in." Bruising around his nose was minor and there was no disfigurement, "Your sibling didn't break your nose. It'll heal on it's own.

"I'm not going to ask you to lower your pants. I'm sure you checked yourself out in the shower. If you haven't, you should. Be sure you don't have any rashes or lesions. Discoloration."

"Other than that, you just need rest. A lot of it. If you have any pains or aches that dont go away, let me know. It might be the tension in your neck and shoulders."

Maj Brax The Mad Queen
Rumble Fish

 

[FireMaiden]

This is Part Two of a multi part collab between Maj and FireMaiden
​

Entering the bathroom, she sat the duffle bag down on the toilet. "Ralph or that new guy Hector might come looking for this, so be prepared. Cause that tank top is gonna have to come off, and I know some people aren't comfortable with their chest out," Leliana said, taking a pair of latex gloves from the bag. She then took a moment to exaime the wound, the bathroom filling with an odd silence, not awkward, but one filled with concentration that could make talking a little weird. "Well," Leliana started, gingerly touching Andy's shoulder, "Luca did a good cleaning it, or it looks like it. At the moment, I can't see glass or other particles, so keeping your jacket on was smart too, though since it was cold i guess it was a given. But I gave Luca a bag of medical supplies, he could have bandaged this up, the jacket wouldn't have stuck to you, and the bleeding would have stopped. Or at least most of it, one of these looks a little deep, though not deep enough for stitches, the tissue should come back together without help, though you have to take it easy, so this statement could change. Did you guys lose that stuff in the wreck?" Leliana asked, brows furrowing slightly. "He defeintly doesn't have the most delicate hands, some of these are a little wider, he didn't need to dig. Waiting until you came back could have worked, though it would have hurt. And if me or Jenna had gone with you, we could handled it." It may have sounded like she was borderline scolding Andy, because Leliana was totally scolding Andy. "Right then, how does your shoulder feel?"

“Some of the items got lost in the wreck, but he did the best he could with what we had. It was kind of him.” She admitted as an afterthought. “I’m not really planning on going out without someone to patch me up again, especially if Luca’s driving.” It hadn’t really been his fault they had crashed, the road spikes and the ice had more to do with it than he had, but it was enough to make her wary of getting back in any vehicle she wasn’t directly in charge of driving.

“It’s much better,” Andy said, offering the blonde a small smile. “Thank you. You’ve done a fine job at keeping us all patched up. We have other doctors now, but your bedside manner is much better than that asshole out there.” She was of course talking about Hector, who had not only smacked her in the wrist but dropped the bomb of her mother being dead on her all in one fell swoop.

“How were things while we were away? How are supplies? I know we didn’t bring much back in the way of food. But at least our medical supply should be good.” Andy and Luca had raided the pharmacy and Owen had cleaned out the hospital. So medications, bandages and the like were all in high quantities.

"That's ashame. Maybe me, Jenna, and that new guy should teach you all some basic first aid incase we can't leave with any of the groups. Though if someone pulls an Ivan, I think you should defeintly leave it to people who know what to do," Leliana commented quietly. Losing those supplies wasn't good, they needed everything they could get their hands on right now, but the important thing is that Andy and Luca wasn't killed in the crash. "You guys really shouldn't. Your self preservation skills are non exsient. Well, the boy's at least, and I guess a crash isn't something you could avoid unless you were physic or something." Ice and snow made it hard to drive, black ice, and Leliana didn't even know what state the roads were in, so honestly, the crash probably wasn't anyone's fault.

Leliana chuckled when Andy mentioned her bedside manners. "I'm a little surprised myself honestly, I've been told I'm too blunt. And that I over explain, but people like to know what your doing to them. Nobody likes to wonder why you have three different needles." As she spoke, Leliana was preparing a washrag by running some water over it, before adding a little bit of rubbing alcohol. "This might sting a little," She said, gently beginning to clean blood and what could have been the start of an infection if Andy had waited longer. "I'm surpised none of the glass went deeper than this. You were lucky." And Andy was lucky, some cuts and bruises was probably the best outcome. "As for that new doctor, I think I've seen him a few times around the hospital, or like, heard about him, one of my professors worked there and would have hands on jobs with minor cases. Anyway, didn't ever talk to him much, but uh, from what I've heard he's pretty intense. Talented though, if you can get past that uh....hmm, I don't know how to explain it."

Leliana pulled the cloth away, checking to see how much the wound was still bleeding. It wasnt too bad, but Andy must have been pretty uncomfortable wearing that jacket. "Lets see, there's a lot of bodies outside. A horde actually attacked the place, beleive it or not. Rouge, one of the girls Colt brought back turned, and she was able to climb uo the side of the house, but Marcus fixed the window she broke," She paused as she went back to cleaning Andy's shoulder, "Speaking of Marcus, him, Jenna, and Brian went out scouting for a bigger place. I think its a bad idea, but they should be back by sunset. He said he'd talk to you if they didn't find anything. As far as sulplies, food is our biggest concern. We should have enough for a few days if we start rationing, I've been thinking of a few ways, but nothing concrete just yet. Micheal is someone we need to watch food wise, he apparently stole Milly's dinner one night."

All of the names honestly made Andy’s head spin. There were so many people here now and not a lot of places to put them. She knew her way around power tools, but was hardly up to the task of adding rooms to the lodge. Maybe it would be worth probing around the group, maybe some of them had the skills to make more space for them. Food however was something she could help with.

“Thankfully I spent my whole childhood hunting these woods. I’ll go out tomorrow after I’ve gotten some sleep and see if I can scrounge up some meat.” It wasn’t a perfect plan, but it would fill some hungry bellies for a while. They would need vegetables and fruit to sustain, but with winter quickly coming in they wouldn’t get far with trying to grow crops and the canned goods were sure to run out soon. Maybe they could build a greenhouse to protect some crops, even if it was something simple. Again, she knew nothing about farming but surely even she could manage to put something in the ground and not kill it.

“You have just enough of a hint of a southern drawl. Ever gone on a hunt before?” Going alone wasn’t smart, and she didn’t know anyone else to ask to go with her. If nothing else she saw the girl knew her way around a fire arm and she had just agreed not to go out without a medic. It’s not like she knew anyone else except Owen and Luca and she had far too much testosterone for a while.

The Mad Queen shadowz1995 Brax Rumble Fish BloodLightning27 ​

 

[Hyped_Taco]

​

Michael had walked through the woods for what seemed to be an eternity and for god sake if he did not die of hypothermia out here he would literally die out of boredom, the only thing that kept him entertained was the tiny map of the surroundings he was currently drawing. Not even once had Michael been to in a forest before, every single time that his father offered him to go camping outside cause it would be ¨fun¨ Michael had found an excuse to not go, the reality being that he just wanted to keep watching Naruto inside his room. But now? he would trade everything he had to go back home and accept his old man´s offer.

He continued walking until he noticed movement in a bush ¨FUCK OFF IM ARMED AND STUFF¨ The neckbeard screamed at the top of his lungs while he got out the Colt he took from Colt. A Moose calve emerged from within the leaves, Michael lowered his gun and began approaching the tiny Moose, he had never seen one before, so he wanted to touch it. But at the moment he finally managed to touch the animal all hell broke loose, the calve turned aggressive and began to attack Michael ¨WHAT THE FUUU-¨ He said while the calve pushed him into the ground.

​

The fight that ensued was brutal, or at least it was for Michael, the calve kept hitting him with his tiny paws while Michael barely managed to punch the moose in the nose. The calve run away, leaving Michael feeling victorious. Although the feeling was short-lived, for moments after the Calve ran away a bigger and angrier looking Mouse swept through some bushes. Mama Moose had just arrived to fight.

Both the moose and the neckbeard looked at each other in the eyes, preparing for the fight that was about to begin. The moose started running towards Michael, so he pointed at it with his gun and fired all his bullet´s at it and… he failed every single shot. In a move out of desperation and fear, Michael used the same technique as with Rouge, which involved throwing his gun at the opponent. Surprisingly he managed to hit the Moose with it, leaving the animal stunned for a few seconds, giving the neckbeard enough time to run away before the animal began to chase him.

​

Not even once did he looked behind himself to check if the Moose had run after him, his only thought in mind was getting back to the lodge safely. His leg´s hurt like hell for all the running he had done, his breath had been gone after a minute of running, but the man did not stop until he finally saw the lodge at a distance, he dropped on his knee´s and would have screamed ¨Lodge sweet lodge¨ if it was not for the fact that he was basically gasping for air. Before he got up he noticed that there were more people in the lodge, the fuck did they come from?. And he saw colt sitting near the door, and he had lost her gun… the neckbeard speed walked inside of the lodge after recovering his breath, purposely ignoring Colt while doing so. After getting back inside the man noticed that the granola bar he had given Milly was right where he left it ¨perhaps she doesn´t like those things¨ he said, he was starving due to not having eaten anything today, so he grabbed the granola and ate it in only 3 bites.

Mentioned: Rumble Fish Milly/Colt
Interacted: The Moose/ The Moose´s calve

 

[TheTreForce]

Ray Childress: The Lodge

​

A nice mug of coffee and some toast accompanied Ray as he sat in his normal spot by the window. Each bite of the dry food was followed by another sip of the steamy beverage. Other than the unfortunate circumstances and state of their current world, this was really nice and relaxing. He didn't feel he had to even worry with the group having constant people standing watch. Here he was, like America as a whole, enjoying the pleasures and safety that the military figures blessed them with. They really couldn't take it for granted. The irony is that the military couldn't protect them when it came to an attack from the inside. It has plagued my mind for days now, I need to find a place to step up. Perhaps Colt could use another body for watch standing. She shouldn't really be trying to stand it herself right now anyways.

A car pulled up as Ray took another drink of the coffee and he set the cup down, peering through the glass to try and see who it was. When Andy got out, Ray smiled. It grew even wider as her twin, Owen, stepped out. Thank God. His interest was then piqued when the unknown faces got out of the vehicle. His eyes lingered on the rather large man a bit longer than the others. He was about to get up to formerly welcome them back, but they seemed very tired and like they still had stuff to do as they came through the door, back outside, upstairs, and really all over the place. Ray didn't interfere much except a warm smile and a "Welcome back" when they passed him. He was truly ecstatic to have them here safe and sound, but he knew better than to hold them up when they had stuff to take care of. Sleeping arrangements was the first thing on his mind, seeing that they had even more heads to add to their growing community that they had to feed. Food was next. The lodge was being picked clean, and a good supply run was necessary. Word was that a group of them was going out today, but would be back by nightfall or something. A truck could be very useful for hauling large amounts of supplies and/or people. The RV was big and could potentially carry a decent amount of goods, but keeping that thing gassed up would be a pain due to it's fuel consumption. Wasn't really all that practical looking at it's maneuverability as well. Ray remembered that he was the only one using the room he slept in currently and could probably share it with one of the newcomers. They still were going to start having a real problem with space if they stayed here.

Ray made his way into the kitchen, setting his now-empty mug in the sink, and threw a napkin into the trash. He went ahead and rinsed the ceramic cup out, gave it a quick wash, and hung it on one of the mug hooks to dry. His jacket was lifted off of one of the chairs by the bar as he passed, throwing it on before heading out the door into the chill. "Whew" He held his arms close to his body to conserve heat and slowly walked forward, looking around the snowy waste. A shorter, young boy sat on the steps. He seemed to be looking at a picture of some sort and Ray approached behind him, "Hey son, you're not cold out here?"

Brax

 

[Rumble Fish]

The following post is a collab between TheTreForce and Rumble Fish
Colt had barely begun to wander inwardly as she simply stared into space. In one of her jacket pockets (she had many) was the bottle of trazodone that Owen had given her for her sleeping. But, from what Colt knew, trazodone was an anti-depressant. She had been recommended by her doctor in the past. He also recommended another liver transplant so what the fuck did they know? Drumming her fingers against her flask, Colt blinked as she realised that, while she would possibly benefit from this, Leliana would more. She saw what those withdrawals were doing, and had experienced them herself just before this crowd appeared. The veteran made a mental note to give the medication to the nurse during their next meeting. She needed them more than Colt did.

A clear voice sliced through the mental fog. Colt growled as her heart jumped and she leapt to her feet, ready to unholster her weapon. But before she could, she noticed the man, built like a brick house standing in front of her. She growled and sat down slowly, “Seems ev’rybody wants t’fuckin’ come out ‘ere.” She grumbled before looking ahead again and drinking from her flask, “Fine. But no funny business, kay?” She glared at him with a side eye.

"Woah there" Warren's hands went up a little, noticing that he had startled the woman judging by her reaction. "I mean no harm now". He took a step over the log onto the side she was sat and took a seat a couple feet away. The cigar was brought to his lips with a few more puffs and he blew it out slowly before speaking up again, "Whatcha got in the flask?" He motioned to the container she still gripped in her hand with the cigar between his fingers.

Colt shifted away a little as he sat next to her, not pleased with his presence and less pleased with his questioning as to what was in her flask. She finished drinking from it and put it away. “None of yer beeswax what's in the damn flask.” She grumbled. She was not about to be lectured again by a total stranger. She stared ahead with folded arms, the cigar smoke making her snort, “...What d’they call ya?”

Her response gave Warren all the information he needed to frame the interaction better. He turned away from her and stared forward as well, "Hm". An inch of ash on the end of his cigar prodded him to give it a couple of taps on the side of the log. He looked over at the lady when she spoke up again, "Warren's the name." He moved his cigar to his left hand and twisted his body to offer her his right to shake, "And you are..?"

Colt looked at the man’s hand before glaring back up at him. The veteran sighed and shook his hand reluctantly. “Colt.” She unscrewed the flask again, “I'm in… well, no I'm not. I was in charge.” She huffed as she stared ahead. Now Luca was back, she was beginning to worry. What now? She wanted to confront him over the newcomers but just knew that would work in his favour. When didn't it?

Warren listened intently to her words; the feelings of frustration, or maybe anger that supported her speech was clear to him. He liked to see that spark in someone. "Is that so?" He cleared his throat and took another drag of the cigar, speaking up again as smoke leaked out of his mouth, "Do they think you're not capable or is there someone else better suited for the position?"

“No. It's that it's gonna be taken from me.” She grumbled, still staring ahead, “Luca put me in charge. But now he's back ain't he?” She sighed, two jets of steam shooting from her nose. She gave the man the side eye. “Where in hell did y'all come from anyways? Just fuckin’ showed up outta nowhere.”

"Ah, Luca's the dark haired one I met before coming here.. So he's the boss man around here huh?" Warren didn't direct the question at Colt, but more to himself as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, in thought. "Well, I was tasked with looking after the younger one that you might have seen come here with me. Real light hair, about yea high," he motioned with his hand. "Anyway, we ran into the others in the city and apparently the kid knows Luca and wanted to come back here with him. So against my wishes, here I am."

“Nobody agreed on it. He just is.” Colt sighed gruffly before drinking more, coughing from the cold air that entered her lungs after drinking the fiery liquid. She kept quiet as the man then explained himself. The more he spoke, the deeper her frown became. “So he basically took y’all though ya didn't wanna?” She questioned him. That sounded very wrong, at least the people she brought back were willing and required her help. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at him.

"The kid, Tre, he wanted to come. And I'm sort of bound to him, sworn to look after him." Warren scooped up a small handful of fluffy snow between his feet. He let it fall between his fingers, "On my part, I would rather not be part of a larger community like this. It's nothing against you or anyone here, just doesn't seem smart and leaves me and other capable people at risk. I don't fear the biters and I certainly don't fear death, but I enjoy life and beer too much." He gave her a small smile.

Colt remained silent as he spoke. It seemed that he had some choice feelings about this set up they had, and frankly she didn't appreciate it. She didn't ask to be put in this position, having to look after this group. However, it was what was set upon her and she had very little choice. The veteran sighed.

“I was just in the wrong place at the wrong place.” She sighed deeply, starting to feel a little wavy from the whisky. “But… can do nothin’ now ‘bout it.” She added with annoyance. If she had known what going to that school would have resulted in, she would have stayed put. Granted, it meant she wouldn't have met Marcus or Owen, the two people who really seemed to be in her corner.

"We're all in the wrong place here." He looked over to her as he responded, "This whole Godforsaken city was victim to the birth of these damn spawns from hell. As far as I know, this is where it all started and that to me is the very definition of the wrong place." The cigar between his fingers had shrunk to a mere stub now. He took a few last puffs and put it out in the snow with a quiet sizzle. "I enjoy ridding the world of them, one swing or shot at a time." He paused, "Guess you could say I'm avenging the city or fallen, but I just enjoy it. This new world is a playground for the strong and a never-ending nightmare to the weak... So where do you sit?"

Colt sighed deeply, “I thought I was done defendin’. Existin’ in a world that don't want us to be livin’. Just wanted to be left alone.” She looked upwards at the steel sky, “But them Hazmats won't stop till they've wiped us all out. Whether we’d be eatin’ each other’s brains or a piece of toast. They'd want us dead.”

She turned to look to the man as he questioned where she stood on the matter, “Given I’m no’ any worth, imma say I'm the latter.” She looked at him stoically, “But… I’d let ‘em think I'm the former. Though, I doubt they do. Maybe. Least nobody else died. That's somethin’ I guess.” She glanced down at her left leg and adjusted the prosthetic.

"Those fuckers in the yellow suits? We've ran into a few of them.. think they're scared of me and the kid at this point." He gave a hearty laugh, "They've been sweeping the city quite a bit from what I can tell. Not really at night though." He sat in silence for a moment until he noticed Colt messing with her leg. "A fake? What happened?"

“Hmm, still. Not lettin’ any of them fuckers git in ‘ere.” She answered lowly. There was a silence between them that Colt appreciated. Now there were more of them, there needed to be more eyes on the ground. The veteran sighed as she started to think. Who else would be able enough to stay up to watch? The most likely candidates appeared to be Owen, Brian and Marcus. But this would require more thought. Something Colt simply did not have the strength to muster. Not yet anyway.

The silence was broken as the man then questioned her about her prosthetic. Her head raised a little as she stayed silent. The wind blew her hair back and the chill caused a full-body shudder to rush through the woman. “Ya lose things… helpin’ people. Or tryin’ to.” she let out a sigh, “I jus’ don’ want that to happen again.”

Warren gave a nod at her last response but said nothing. They sat in silence for another brief moment until he stood up and turned around, facing the lodge. "Well… I can ensure that nobody sneaks up on me while I sleep. Can't say that for everyone here, but nothing will get into the lodge while I'm around as long as I can help it. Guess you can find some comfort in that if it helps." He stepped back over the log, "I'm fuckin starving though, gonna find something to eat. It was nice meeting you, Colt. Maybe next time you can share what’s in that flask of yours" He glanced back one more time and gave her a smirk before heading back to the building.

“Huh…” Colt mumbled, scratching the back of her neck. The man made some good points, “I’ll keep that in mind.” She was making tracks in the snow with her foot, before putting her flask back in her pocket and bending over to run a finger through the frozen yet soft snow. She drew a square, the lodge and a circle around it, the planned fence. Colt glanced at the sky in thought. Before she could think further, Warren spoke up again, expressing his hunger. There was a slight rumble in Colt’s stomach but she chose to ignore it. There were people who had gone longer without food than she had. She could manage it.

“Y’do that. I’ll talk t’ya later ‘bout it all.” she said as he left, leaving Colt outside. The woman blinked slowly as she mulled over their conversation. Speaking to, albeit this total stranger, cleared her perspective. A little. She would still avoid Luca as much as possible, for now. She needed to get things under control. There were more people, and The veteran sighed as she got up and headed back inside. Colt remained quiet as she observed the lodge. But as she did, she noticed Micahel scuttling past her, clearly not looking at her on purpose. And… there was something missing. Her gun! No- not her gun. Sasha’s gun! With a snarled hiss, Colt glared at his retreating back, but, despite her strong desire to throttle his fat neck, there were more important matters. She needed to think. Colt sat in front of the fire, staring into the flames, slipping back into deep thought.

Long ago the clock washed midnight away
Bringing the dawn
Oh God, I must be dreaming
Time to get up again
And time to start up again
Pulling on my socks again
Where did the night go...?

Mentions: Brax (Luca/Tre) Maj (Owen) Soma Schicksal (Marcus) Hyped_Taco (Michael) FireMaiden (Leliana)​

 

[King Vioogra]

Jonas Müller

Jonas let a short breath escape him as he quickly pushed the front door open and stepped outside. He inhaled sharply as the cold air outside slapped him in the face, making his previous exhale visible as he crossed the open threshold. The teenager set his Daylily on the porch before ripping his bo staff from where he’d left it leaning against the porch area. He trudged through the snow towards the minivan. Given the time to clear his head, while also grounding himself in reality with the cold air travelling in and out of his lungs, the boy thought of ways to make himself more effective against the inevitable onslaught of infected that would storm this lodge eventually. Well, either the infected or the government. A sigh escaped from him as he began thinking.

‘A gun is obviously out of the question, a knife is possible, but due to a lack of 100% accurate methods of infection it’s more dangerous, a sword would be an upgrade from the knife, but is a bit dumb to wish to find in a quiet town like this.’

The boy fell back on the knife option for a moment as he looked down at his staff, before going right back to brainstorming in the open.

‘Hm. Tying knives to it could be a possible option, but keeping them attached is a different story.’

At this point in time, the perfect idea finally struck him like a truck skidding on ice.

“Why not just sharpen it?”

He said out loud as his grip tightened around the staff. It’d probably screw with the weight and center of gravity, but it was nothing he couldn’t learn to deal with. Shaving off a few ounces on either side wouldn’t be too hard to do either. It was now that he heard Tre leaving the lodge holding a gun. He froze momentarily when he caught it in his glance, but took in a deep breath as he started making his way over to the boy. He would be seeing these things a lot more than he wished to now that they were in this situation, so he’d have to learn how to stand looking at them. Jonas cleared his throat as he approached the boy and spoke, trying to remember his name.

“Hey… Tre? Do you have a knife I can borrow? I need to sharpen my staff a bit.”

He said, slightly unsure he was correct when he spoke the boy’s name.

Just as the young man turned to respond to the older gentleman that had approached him, Jonas interjected with a request. Tre pushed himself up to his feet, standing at the edge of the stairs facing the two people who had approached him. Unfortunately for Jonas, Tre didn’t have a knife on him. After a moment of thought, he reached back to grab the hilt of one of his machetes. There were two sheathed on his back, so Tre wouldn’t be left without one. He slid it out slowly, spinning the hilt around his palm so that the blade was facing away from the boy.

“Sorry, bro. This all I got. But’chu can catch me out here when you done usin’ it.”

“Thanks. It shouldn’t take to long, plus I’ll be staying out here for a bit, too.”

Jonas took the machete from Tre and took a look at it. It looked sharp enough to use, but it’d no doubt be difficult to maneuver. He headed back towards the front porch and sat down on the steps. He laid the staff out on his lap and removed the machete he’d been given from its sheath, laying it down next to him before adjusting the staff to where it pointed outwards. He gripped the machete as tightly as he could, given his lack of proper finger placement, and slid the machete down the length of the staff around an 8th of the way up. It caught quickly and shave away a small piece. Jonas repeated this process until he finished that side, before starting on the other. By the time he was finished, there was a large pile of wooden shavings in front of him and a halfway decently sharpened staff in his hands.​

 

[Maj]

This is the last part of three part collab between Maj and FireMaiden
​

"Oh you noticed?" Leliana chuckled, "I was wondering how long it would take. I thought maybe Colt would notice first since she kinda has one too, but if she did, she hasn't said anything," She has to chuckle again. Sure her accent wasn't that present, but she could even hear it sometimes. "Anyway, no I haven't. But I did live close to some people who did. And my mom use to too, but since my grandpa died before I was born, and my uncle didn't live close, I never got to. Learned how to shoot though, mom made sure of that." Leliana thought she heard a quiver in her own voice, though, she wasn't sure what topic made that happen. Talking about her mother, who she was forced to kill five minutes after coming home that first day, or her uncle.

"Never used a bow though. Actually I take that back, I used it once, and nearly shot my best friend in the ass," She chuckled, quickly moving away from the two people she didn't want to talk about. "I'd recommend using a rifle though, if your uncle has one hidden around here somewhere. A .22 would work, since using a bow with your shoulder like this isn't a good idea." Leliana emphasized a bit by holding the washcloth out to where Andy could see it. It was covered in blood. "You know how to use a gun? Or are you like Owen? I had to reload the rifle he picked up in the middle school."

“If you can shoot a gun I can teach the rest. As for me, I’ll stick to my bow. Thankfully the injured shoulder just has to hold it, not draw, so it’s not that strenuous. I’ll be of far more use if I am hunting how I’m comfortable. My gun knowledge is minimal at best, but likely still better than my brother’s.” The red head was a little surprised that Owen didn’t know how to use guns to be honest. It wouldn’t have surprised her before she saw him beating that guy in the ally bloody only days before, but now she realized she knew as little about his life as he did hers.

“If we leave early in the morning we can be back before nightfall, I’m not planning on going far.” Andy did her best not to wince as the girl continued to work on her shoulder, not wanting to worry the blonde further. If they were able to bag anything more than a few rabbits they would likely want the extra manpower to drag the game back.

“We should take one more. Safety in numbers in all. Maybe Colt? I know she knows her way around a gun.” She genuinely wanted Leli’s opinion. The girl seemed to be smart despite her young age, and a logical brain was something that Andy could respect. It boded far well than reckless heroics like she had been dealing with. It had been her that had suggested the walkies that Andy had picked up, and all the prenatal items. She didn’t know the girl well, but she had been around the group more than she had, if anyone had an opinion she trusted about who to take, it was her.

"Mom was a but paranoid. She made sure i knew how to handle a gun, at least the basics, after we moved here. Gotta say though, my favorite is a shotgun, my mom was gonna buy me one too. Once I was old enough to have a license of course. I miss her." A large square piece of gauze and some medical tape was the best option for bandaging Andy's shoulder, and Leliana made sure the tape was secure.

"I would certainly like to get out for a little while," Leliana admitted, "And Colt probably would too, but we'd have to make sure she's not the one one night-watch. She hasn't gotten a lot of sleep lately. Shinoa is pretty close to having her baby, we'd also need to be close enough to make sure I could get back in time in case she does." Maybe Leliana going out hunting with Andy wasn't a good idea? She could obviously take people more skilled than she was, Leliana was just a nurse. Well, technically she wasn't even that, she was a student. She could take one of the boys, or Colt and Ralph, and Leliana would be stuck there in that lodge.

"There, all set. Be gentle with it though, and I'll check it again before we go out tomorrow morning," Leliana said giving Andy's shoulder one more once over to make sure all the tape was sticking, "I don't wanna have to yell at you like i had to Ivan. Dummy won't stay off his leg."

“Thanks Doc.” Andy said sliding down off the counter. The way she talked about her mother meant that Leliana’s mother and her own likely shared the same fate. The idea was heartbreaking, and not something she was prepared to deal with. “We won’t be gone long and I promise to take it easy. I’m not full of testosterone and masochism like every other dude in this place.” Andy rolled her eyes at the thought. She was actually looking forward to getting away from all the people at the lodge and spend some time with the girls, it would be a nice change of pace.

“Can I shower with this gauze on? I’m in desperate need of one.”

"I don't understand men most of the time. Why do they feel the need to always have the last word or constantly talk over you, or just completely ignore you? It's rude. Nobody here has been that rude yet though I guess, but I know what you're talking about," She chuckled lightly.

"You should probably wrap it with something, or maybe wait until later," Leliana said, "Try some plastic wrap or uh, well, plastic wrap?" She chuckled, taking those latex gloves off and tossing them in the bathroom trash. She then took a moment to look through the duffel bag, sighing. "Which would be downstairs I guess. If you want to, I can help wrap it? Sometimes it a two person job."

“Sure. Hook me up,” Andy agreed, following the girl downstairs. She allowed Leliana to help seal up the gauze with an old roll of plastic wrap from the kitchen drawer before scurrying upstairs to wash the last few days away in the warmth of the shower.

Rumble Fish BloodLightning27 The Mad Queen

 

[Maj]

​

Owen basically stayed as still as he could and let Hector do his examination. Thorough didn’t begin to describe it, he barely had time to respond to the doctor’s questions before shirts were being ripped up and the skin under his eyes being tugged down. The redhead had assumed that they were going to be going inside to get this done, so the fact that he was standing out in the cold in nothing but gym shorts and a thin t-shirt while being manhandled was a little surprising.

Still, Owen was grateful for Hector’s presence and his help. When he was sure the man was finished, the man adjusted his clothes and resumed his position with his arms crossed over his chest, hugging in what warmth he could.

“Yeah, I got that covered.” The twin put his hands up defensively when the doctor insinuated checking out his junk. Hector was a doctor, but it didn’t mean he wanted him feeling him up, especially not outside in the cold for the world to see.

“Thanks Doc,” Owen gave him a side smile. “I’ll be sure to do that, rest is something I’m looking forward to. I appreciate everything you did for me. At the hospital and here.” He didn’t linger. In the short amount of time he had known Hector he already surmised he was not the type to mince words. Owen lifted a hand as a way of waving goodbye and ducked back into the front door of the lodge.

Now that most of the greetings were done, he finally had some time to look around. He had noticed all the new faces when they arrived of course, but it was just now that he really got to appreciate how crowded little lodge was. Andy wasn’t going to like that, but it was a necessary evil. On top of not having the moral compass to leave people to their own devices, Owen knew that the more armed bodies they had, the better chance they had of surviving if another hoard of zombies happened on them, or worse a hoard of the soldiers in hazmat suits.

His eyes settled on a pair of blue eyes seated at the dining table. Her blonde hair flowed over her shoulder in a familiar way. The shape of her nose was forever burned into him memory as he had spent so many mornings laying in bed and memorizing the shape of it.

“Beth?”

The girl turned to look at him, recognition filling her wide azure eyes. A small smile pulled at the corners of her soft, pink lips and she sat the coffee cup she had been sipping out of down on the table with a soft clink against the wood furnish.

“Owen Jordan. What are the chances?” Her laugh was almost musical, soft and melodic. She stood, pushing her chair back and crossed through the archway and into his arms to greet him with a warm hug.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, returning the hug hesitantly. They hadn’t spoken in almost a year, but the pain of her absence had lingered long after. Of all the faces in Aurora he thought he might see again, hers was honestly one of the last on that list. Seeing an ex was always awkward.

“I stumbled in yesterday,” she informed him. “I was lost in the woods until Colt and Leliana found me hiding out in the RV in the front.” Owen pulled away from the embrace to look at her face. She seemed mostly unharmed, which if she showed up by herself was insane. How did someone as gentle and quiet as Beth survive all the insanity in town?

“How did you make it out of the city?” Owen asked her, sitting down in the nearest chair. She followed his lead, resuming her seat in the chair in front of her coffee cup. Beth twisted a strand of her white, blonde hair around her pointer finger while she spoke, chin lifted in thought.

“I didn’t. Not really. I was in a cabin a few miles from here when everything went down. I’m still coming to terms with it. It’s almost unbelievable isn’t it?” She paused to look back into his eyes before giving him a shy smile.

“You know it’s crazy how small of a town Aurora is sometimes. I run into my best friend here, and now you? When Lels told me they were waiting for someone named Owen to come back, I didn’t put together it was you.” So she knew Leliana, furthermore the two were close. He was glad she was safe.

“Yeah, this lodge belongs to Andy and me. Well mostly Andy I guess.”

“Your sister right? I never got to meet her.” Beth asked, remembering the name.

“Yeah. I didn’t even know there were any other cabins out here. I’m sure Andy does though, she’s basically lived in these woods since she was old enough to hold a toy bow.” He let out a chuckle. There was still a conversation between him and his sister impending, but he would wait until she calmed down so she didn’t finish the job and actually break his nose.

“You look tired,” Beth commented. “If it’s as bad as Leli says out there, you have probably more than earned a nap.”

“Probably,” Owen agreed, chuckling. “But not quite yet. Make yourself comfortable, and if you need anything make sure to let me know. Okay?” He flashed her another small grin before heading further into the kitchen to find a snack.

FireMaiden shadowz1995

 

[Brax]

Tre watched as Jonas took a seat at the top of the steps, where he had been sitting a moment prior. He kneeled down to remove the gun from the boy’s side. A thumb flicked the safety up before he stuffed the barrel of the gun behind the waistband of his shorts. Then Tre looked back up to Ray, the corners of his lips tugging upward. In the small pause in conversation, the only thing that could be heard aside from the wind whipping through the surrounding forest was the sound of the machete’s blade running down the length of Jonas’ Bo staff.

“I’m aight. It ain’t that cold.” He responded calmly, the water vapor in his breath condensing into steam as it escaped his lips. It hadn’t been the coldest weather that Tre had endured before and he had a pair of thin sweatpants tucked away in his bag. Honestly, with the amount of stuff that he had shoved in it, the poor traveling stash was but an additional item away from bursting at the seams. “Luca tol’ me to go make myself busy. Colt sent me away after I asked her what I should be doin’. She was a lil’ rude. I dunno what she’s been dealin’ wit’ so I really can’t talk shit buuuuuut whatever.” Tre shrugged, closing his eyes momentarily before reaching out a hand to the man.

“Dominique.”

The older man couldn’t stop a chuckle from escaping his mouth as he observed the boy and the way he spoke. He stopped, a big smile still clinging to his face, “You’re quite the character. It’s nice to meet you Dominique, I’m Ray.” Their eyes locked and his wrinkled hand took Tre’s in a firm handshake. Ray paused a few seconds to take it all in and then cleared his throat, "Don’t worry about Colt, she’s been very stressed out lately. She shouldn’t take it out on you but I’m sure she has no hard feelings.” The sound of shaving wood brought his eyes to Jonas briefly, whom he had yet to meet as well. A slight wind brought a chill up through Ray’s body and he shook it off, overreacting a bit for fun. “Brrrr.” His gentle eyes met the kid’s again, “So who taught you to talk like that?”

​

As he took back his hand from the baker, he watched as the man visibly attempted to shake off the cold. Then he asked a question that perplexed Tre. It wasn’t as though it was a difficult question to answer, but he was having a hard time understanding what tone the older man was using. Was he asking out of curiosity? Or was he mocking Tre? The same hand that had been holding Ray’s moments prior moved to his pocket. His other hand followed suit as one of his eyebrows raised. Eyes moved to the side to see Jonas still using his machete before finding Ray once more.

“Nice to meet’chu, man. I’unno bout Colt but I got shit to focus on other than her feelin’s.”

It hadn’t been the first time someone who had a different color of skin than himself brought up the way Tre spoke. Was it really that weird? His peers; the kids he used to go to school with, his friends and family never seemed to bring up his mannerisms or the fact that he had any kind of accent. True, Ray spoke very different from himself but the baker’s own was a product of his time. Much like himself, Tre’s way of moving, talking and thinking was directly linked to the environment he grew up in. He had never given it a second thought.

“What’chu mean? Who taught you to talk like that?” Tre’s grin had returned as he bent over slightly, trying his best to impersonate the man’s speech pattern.

Mentioned: Rumble Fish King Vioogra

 

[Rumble Fish]

Milly jumped a little as she heard Ivan’s voice above her. She held Snowy close as she bent down to peek out from under the dining room table. It seemed that things were beginning to calm down now as the initial shock of more people being inside a small space such as this had worn off. The younger girl breathed in through her nose and out her mouth several times before building up the courage to finally emerge. She stood up and looked to Ivan.

“I’m okay… I just,” she gulped, “It was really loud and busy.” She responded before giving him a kind little smile. She looked to the door as she saw Michael had returned, eating the granola bar that he had given her, but Milly did not pay attention to that. He seemed shaken, as if he had just gotten out of a bad situation. She wanted to ask him if he was okay but she was unsure about how to go about it. She was still a little anxious around him. So rather than try and speak to him, given what happened this morning, she went into the kitchen where she had seen Shiona.

Despite the time that had passed, Milly was still very uncomfortable about what happened with Michael in the morning. She just felt so bad about it despite what had been said. Seeing the pregnant lady, Milly approached her softly. “Hello.” She cooed gently before picking up some plates to help the woman out. She glanced at her bump, given how she was acting, and how others were behaving it seemed that she would soon give birth. The youngster opened some cupboards to find where to put the dishes.

“Um, Shiona?” she asked quietly, “Do… do you want a sandwich? I saw some jam and Nutella in the fridge.” She gave the woman a soft smile. Given her lack of experience with pregnancy or, adults in general she was not sure what to do. This was all she could do. It was what her mother would have done in this situation. She would make her a peanut butter and jam sandwich if she had a nightmare or a difficult day. She missed her so badly. But she knew she couldn't start crying in front of her so kept her back turned as she did her thing.
Mentions: Hyped_Taco (Michael)
Interactions: King Vioogra (Ivan) BloodLightning27 (Shiona)​

 

[FireMaiden]

This is a Collab between FireMaiden and Hyped_Taco
​

Leliana was glad Andy was alright, at least for the most part. Her injuries weren't severe, no broken anything, only cuts and bruises. That girl deserved a shower. She obviously didn't need Leliana's help with that, other than wraping her shoulder of course. Leliana sighed softly, sitting the duffle bag of medical supplies down on the dining room table before taking a seat, her muscles relaxing finally with that satisfying release that comes after standing for an extended period of time. She slumped down, leaning her head back slightly as she closed her eyes, unintentionally ignoring Bethnary sitting nearyby. She gad to admit she was tired, the last few days having took a toll on her sleep schedule, but it wasn't all bad. She was alive right, and- her eyes opened at the sound of a wraper opening. Leliana slowly looked to her left, spotting Michel shove a granola bar in his mouth. He looked out of breath, his face was flushed. "You okay Micheal? You didn't run back did you?" She asked, sitting up straight as she furrowed her brows. He didn't seem tge type to run unless something was wrong, which was a worrying thought. "Did something happen?"

Michael munched that granola as if there were no tomorrow, his hunger had gotten the best of him, and in 3 bites the bar was no more. He was taken back by Lelianas voice asking him if he was alright, kinda weird, considering that usually the interaction between the two consisted on her being hostile to him. ¨Uhhh... yeah M´lady Leliana, I ran back inside¨ he responded ¨And Im not alright cause I was chased by an effin Moose.... A MOOSE!¨ He still felt salty about that, he escaped having the fuck beaten out him by an animal to being at risk from being beaten the fuck out by Colt. He started sweating from just thinking about it ¨Oh and I like, still totally have the gun Colt gave me, yup, no problem about that... oh boy it´s getting late, I should probably go, nice to catch up¨ the neckbeard nervously said, the fear of what Colt would probably do to him if she discovered he lost her gun was immense, so he tried getting away from the conversation as fast as possible.

"A...moose?" Were there even mooses in Colorado? Well, probably, though Leliana has never seen one. He looked paniced, more than one should considering he was safe from a tempermental fourlegged beast, and she figured out why almost immediately when he mentioned Colt's gun. From what Leliana had seen, Micheal was not the most rational thinker when panicked, which meant he most defiantly lost her gun. As soon as he tried escaping, Leliana stood up and made a grab for her his arm. She missed the first time, but managed to grab onto his shirt to keep him from leaving, thoigh as Owen entered, she allowed them to move further away to avoid either getting Micheal a death sentence, or a private conversation. "I have no easy way to tell you this, but Colt is going to kill you. You can't avoid her," Leliana warned him, letting go of his shirt. He must have thrown the fucking thing, after she was sure quite a few people told him not to do that, including herself. "You have to go back and get it. You actually don't have a choice at this point. Do you remeber where you lost it? It can't be to far away, cause like no offense, you couldn't have run very far." She was going to let him calling her M'lady slide this once, so long as he went back and got Colt's gun, "She's a scary woman, she can kick you ass blindfolded." An exaggeration most likely, but uh, Micheal didn't need to know that.

The neckbeard thought that his plan had worked perfectly, with the girl believing his lie and him getting away free... except it didn´t, it seemed that Leliana had figured that he lost the gun in under a second. Now, Michael knew he was in deep shit due to having lost Colt´s gun, but he never expected to be under mortal danger due to it ¨k-K-Kill me?!¨ he started panicking due to Leliana´s warning, was she just exagerating or did she meant it?. As she said, he needed to recover that gun... unless ¨Wait, how about if I give her my M1911 and say it´s her Colt.45?? Maybe she wont notice the difference right?¨.

Leliana was at a loss for words, though even thinking about the reason why was rude. She sighed, one of those painfully long sighs you hear when you're dealing with an idiot. You know the one, the type of sigh that comes after a stupid question or a ridiculous customer request. "I...look, Micheal. She is a military veteran, she is gonna know the difference between the two," Leliana deadpaned. Micheal had a few options actually. He could go tell Colt, honestly may be the best course and lessen the sentence though it ptobably wouldn't save him from getting decked. He could wait until Colt came looking, which was probably the worst of his few choices. Then he could go get it himself, or...she sighed again. "What if I went with you to find it? You weren't to far away right? So it shouldn't take long if the both of us are looking."

¨Aw shit, didn´t know she was a veteran¨ with his plan now destroyed he knew that he either found that thing or he was about to get fucking wrecked by the alcoholic veteran. When Leliana offered to go with him it almost brought tears to his eyes ¨You-You´re really gonna help me?¨, he needed to go get that thing now, before Colt noticed ¨Hell yeah let´s go... but not by the front door, Colt is there and I... Well im scared of her right now¨.

"Yes, I'm going to help you, just calm down okay?" Why she offered, she wasn't entirely sure. Micheal could handle something like this on his own, and if he couldn't, someone really needed to work on some with with him. "Wait here, I'll be right back," Leliana muttered, running a hand through her hair as she turned and headed for the stairs. Her weapons were upstairs, the bat and her pistol, neither of which Micheal was touching. It didn't take her lobg to find them in her room, and to come back down. "There's someone you probably want to avoid at both exits, cause someone could tell Colt you came back and then left again but this time you left with someone," Leliana said. "Someone must have seen you come in, and I don't think anyone is gonna be quiet about us leaving. And by the way," Leliana pointed to thr back door, "Colt is out there. Let's use the front door, okay?" She said with a small flash of a smile, before turning on her heel and heading for the door. "Come on Micheal, lead on. How far away were you when you dropped her gun?"

Michael was thankful that Leliana had decided to help him, cause in less than a few minutes she already had saved his ass twice, one from telling him that his gun idea was stupid and indicating that Colt changed locations. ¨Uh yes, of course... It´s not that far away but I uhhh... made a map of the area, if we follow this path then we will get the gun back in like 20 minutes¨ the neckbeard said, He was lucky he decided to draw that map cause he remembered jackshit of the places he was at. ¨So yeah, let´s go I guess¨

Leliana doubted it would take as long as he stated, but then again, they would be walking. The snow hadn't cleared much, it still blanketed the ground, thicker in some places than others. She wasn't sure how many holes were out here, but she really didn't want to fall in any of them. The temperature had rose a few degrees, even if it didn't feel like it, which gave Leliana a bit if hope that maybe they could get a few more things they really needed before the snow buried them. Micheal and her kinda hurried past Ray and one of the new faces, hoping to avoid questions, and it was only when she was sure they were out of earshot she began to speak. "You need to work on fighting the urge of throwing your weapon," She stated, "Especially if it's a gun, doesn't matter if it's out of ammo or jammed, you don't want to purposely disarm yourself. And furthermore, have you had any actual firearm training? You should ask someone who knows about guns to teach you something, these things aren't toys, you could accidently hurt someone on your side if you're being reckless."

Once they were finally out of the lodge Michael kept looking at his map, he wasn´t sure if he was even holding it correctly, but ended up deciding to not tell the girl and just follow the the path he had drawn before, to at the very least look as he actually knew what he was doing. ¨What? oh yeah I have trained with guns before... Alright just like once when I was out hunting with my dad and I may or may not have almost shot myself in the foot¨ he told the woman when asked if he had trained with a firearm before ¨And yeah I guess I should stop throwing my guns, but hey It already worked twice so that´s something am I right?¨ the neckbeard said while kinda trying to justify himself.

"No, it's not something, it's stupid," She retorted. "Just because it's managed to stop two things from killing you, doesn't mean it should have. Throwing a gun at someone who can actually use one, is giving them a free weapon. Throwing one at on of the undead, you disarm yourself and theres a chance you don't get that gun back, espically if there's a horde," She stated, running her hand through her hair to get stray strands out of her face. "You throw it, and have to escape in the oppiste direction. You then find some ammo, but you can't reload a gun you dont have. You throw a gun that has jammed on you, and you could unjam it, and be responsible for hurting someone." Leliana was practically repreating herself, but in more detail from ehat she had said a little while ago, sounding a little exasperated. "I guess I can't really blame you though, most people don't know the basics. And just so you dont lose it again, I'll be carrying it on the way back, alright?"

¨Yeah, In retrospective I guess it was pretty stupid from my part¨ Michael replied, everytime he did it he had done it as a desperate move that could save him after his bullet´s ran out ¨Oh yeah no problem, you can take the gun when we find it¨ it was probably for the best, If they even found a threat, no matter how small he would knew his first instinct would be to throw it again, hell, Leliana probably would be actually be able to hit her target. He kept looking at his hastily made map, and to be honest, for a second he thought he had been holding it wrong the entire time ¨Hey uhhh... how do I put this?¨ Michael was about to tell the girl that they were probably lost. that was before he found his previous foot tracks in the snow ¨Oh thank god!... I mean yeah, let´s follow the track¨

She was glad he agreed with her. Some guys would insist on taking it, others would get upset. She knew both types, and knowing that while he may havd been and idiot, but one with at least a small shread of common sense, gave her just a small amount of hope. He seemed to be the type of person to act more on emtion and impluse than rational thoughts, and she hadn't seen much of him since he had arrived at the lodge. Of course, she couldn't deny he did help a little during thr horde attack, pushing that first zombie out of the lodge, though he threw his gun first. Granted if he hadn't, hr could have gotten injured. Leliana glanced up at him, confused. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of him at the moment, other than an idiot. He use to flirt with Bethany a lot, and while she knew they were same age, he sure didn't act like it. And just when she was reconsidering his idiot standing, he began to panic about something. Leliana was able to put toegther it was the fact he possibly thought they were lost, making her exhale sharply through her nose. "Micheal, I can still see the Lodge if i look behind me, you didn't need to freak out right there," She commented, "Just relax. Finding that gun is gonna make sure she doesn't kill you in the worse way possible." Leliana flashed him a smile, before she skipped head a few paces to get a feel of how far away he actually was from the lodge, which, you know, was a little further than she may have originally thought, but still not terrible. "Come on. We're lucky it's not snowing."

¨Oh, yeah you´re right, I can still see the lodge...haha¨ Just by hearing Colt´s name he shivered, losing the gun from a veteran was fucking scary, what tipe of things did they teach them in there?, would she go full torture mode with him or just beat the shit out of him? just thinking about it terrified him. ¨Hey so, uhhh... how dangerous is our ¨glorious¨ leader when mad?¨ Michael asked, wanting to know the hell that probably awaited him back at the lodge. While they kept walking Michael started to recognize stuff in the environment, they were getting close.

"Colt was just the temporary leader, but I'd say pretty fucking dangerous," Leliana replied with a shrug. "I won't sugar coat it, you're gonna have to be honest with her when you give her gun back. And apologize profusely. And then, ask her if she will give you some pointers, or ask Luca. Who is probably even more danger with an even short temper and thinner patience." Sure, she could give him pointers but she wasn't a marksmen, she knee the basics of how to handle a gun. And she had other things to focus on. "By the way, if i hear about you stealing anyone's food, I will tell everyone in charge. Colt, Luca, and Andy. Milly is a child, making sure she has food every day is important, Shinoa too. And stealing food makes you seem untrustworthy, and that's not a good thing." She sounded stern, a little disapointed, but she also made it clear that this was a warning, not an immdeiate threat. "I want you to keep in mind that we are gonna have to start rationing food. When someone tells you that you won't be getting one of the main meals, know that you aren't the only one being left out. And it's going to rotate." She paused, breifly' looking around their surroundings, brows furrowed slightly, before she glanced back at the taller man, "I don't want to have to remind you again."

¨Hold on, did you just said temporary leader?¨ nearly 4 days inside the lodge and only now he discovered the actual hierarchy of the group, and hearing that the actual leader of all of them was way more dangerous than Colt almost made him faint, he noticed that the veteran barely tolerated him, so how the fuck would this Luca guy react to him?. Michael was sweating from the nerves, especially when she mentioned the fact that she knew he ate Milly´s food, that just put him on the edge ¨i-I´ll be honest to her when we return, of the gun and- and stuff¨.

¨Hey I recognize this area... yeah I think this is were I dropped the gun!¨ after what seemed to an eternity of feeling nervous and guilt, they actually got here, now he only needed to find the gun and... ¨Mooses¨ those fuckers were still there, they had not moved for this long, were they... Waiting to have revenge?!!.

​

Leliana snapped her finger up to her mouth, shushing him. "Moose are very tempermental and territorial animals that dont typically attack humans unless they feel threatened. You probably got to close. Not to mention your size. And they also aren't scared of humans, but..." She looked at the ground, hoping to the spot the outline of a pistol. And sure enough, there it was. It was a decent distance from both the cow moose and her calf, but still a danger. "I'll get it, you stay here. You probably scared them, and I know i don't looke like much of a threat. Just, get ready to run again, okay?" She told him, turning slightly to hand him her bat. If she was visibly armed, the animals could see her as a threat since mooses were pretty smart animals. "And don't throw it." After making sure he had it, and that he understood her message, Leliana began to execute her very bad idea. Honestly they shluld have just sat down and waited for the mooses to move on, or to turn back and go tell Colt, but Leliana knew she could out run Micheal. And an aluminum bat could withstand the cold and melting snow better than a gun could. Anyway, with her eyes on the big moose, since the baby was further away, Leliana slowly inched closer to Colt's gun. The big moose was watching her, it's ears pulled back against it's head, but it wasn't doing anything but chewing on what Leliana assumed was some sort of bark. When it did move, Leliana would stop, and wait for it calm back down, beford slowly inching closer again. Honestly, it was a painstakingly slow process that took a few minutes of her moving a couple inches, and then freezing. Like a deadly game of red light green light.

After about five or six minutes however, her fingers were wrapped around Colt's pistol, and she was slowly backing away. Watching her leave, the moose looked more relaxed, though still on guard, like it remembered what Micheal had done, or it was expecting Leliana to do the same. The girl was just glad she didn't have a 1200 pound animal charging at her right now. Backing away from the moose was a little faster than approaching, as she soon found herself back at Michael's side. "You can give me the bat back at the lodge, okay?" Leliana told him, giving Colt's pistol a once over to see if the moose had damanged it at all. "She might be able to tell you threw it, but its not broken. Let's get back, okay? And whatever you do, do not make any loud noises until the mooses are out of sight. I don't think they like you."

Seeing the kinda smallish girl approaching the moose troubled Michael, he barely managed to escape them before, and if the moose actualy got her It could be the end of her, so he prepared himself with Leliana´s bat just in case he needed to hit the moose again... or since she was faster than him then he could run first and she would probably catch up with him, whatever came first. Surprisingly, she managed to not startle the moose, and walked back to him safely ¨Sure, I´ll give it back at the lodge and don´t worry, I don´t like those mooses back¨ he stared at them for a bit before they started heading back at the lodge.

"Don't blame them, they've probably had a hard time like all of us," Leliana said, "You gotta make sure you pay more attention to your surroundings, you probably wandered too close to the calf, or got in the mothers line of sight. And I'm pretty sure shooting them didn't help much." A 1200 pound animal charging at you with an intent on killing or severely injuring you, it was amazing that Micheal managed to outrun it. "Geez, you're gonna get hurt cause of something stupid, and i don't know if I'd patch you up."

¨Yeah, I kinda got close to the calf, and I have to agree, I guess someday I´ll get hurt due to my mostly stupid decisions, but at least I succcesfully ran away from the moose though right?¨ Michael was still mostly surprised by how his plan of throwing a gun to the moose face had actually worked.

While on the way back, Michael tried to make small talk, to make the way back less... awkard he guessed ¨So uhh... are you a doctor or something? that would be kinda cool... also don't be werided out by this, but have I seen you before, you know, all of this? you seem kinda familiar¨

"You honestly shouldn't have gotten away. You seem to have an odd amount of dumb luck on your side," Leliana told him with a slight chuckle. She wasn't going to start scolding him again, or begin to repeat her warnings, so she allowed them to walk in silence. She was honestly enjoying being out of the lodge, even if it was just for a short time, and even if she was helping Micheal fix his mistake. Leliana didn't exactly like being couped up for too long, and it had been days, and she hadn't even been off the surrounding grounds for longer than a few minutes. She knew it was important for her to be at the lodge, and available for anyone who needed her. It was a difficult choice really, but going a little stir crazy was better than leaving people hurt. "Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorta. I'm a nursing student, though I worked as a housekeeper at Moe's," Leliana paused to give Micheal a bit of a sideways glance, borderline glare, before looking back ahead of her. "I'm also Bethany's best friend. You know, the other blonde? I saw you a few times at Moe's and when me and Beth were hanging out. And I gotta say, your flirting is not...well, it's not impressive."

Looking back since the start of the outbreak, Michael had to admit, he really had been lucky the last few days, from his sewer plan working to out running a moose, but how long would that luck actually last?. ¨Oh yeah, I remember you hanging with Bethany the few times I went to that bar¨, The went just a few times to that bar, yet Michael enjoyed everytime he went there just due to Bethany, she may have been one of the most beautiful people he had ever seen, and althought every single time he kinda knew she would reject him again, he didn´t give up ¨Yeah, I guess my flirting skills are... lacking¨ a few seconds of silence followed ¨So... how did you end up joining this group?¨

"You really should have just taken no for an answer, it makes you look like a creep when you keep trying after we give you answer, and you just keep trying. I mean, some people are creeps, violent ones at that. I guess you were maybe a minor annoyance at most...no offense," Leliana laughed, "But like seriously, it was just a little creepy." She regretted telling him this, since she knew a lot of men would have a rather...hostile reaction. But she was allowed to quickly change the subject. "I was at the Middle school. Those hazmat guys showed and start massacuring everyone inside, and..." She briefly reach up to touch the fading bruise around her throat, "Well, a group of us got out. And since Andy was with us, she brought us here." Leliana didn't like thinking about thr beginibg of this whole mess. And a part of her liked the believe it was still a nightmare, but everyday she woke up, that part of her grew smaller. "Hey, there's the lodge," Leliana said quietly, reaching out to take her bat back, and to give him Colt's hand gun. "If you don't tell her the truth, I will, got it?" She said, before taking off by herself back towards the lodge, before she finally disappeared back inside.

Rumble Fish (Colt/Milly) Brax (Luca) Maj (Andy/Bethany)​

 

[Maj]

​

Showering with a bunch of plastic wrap stuck to her shoulder was a bit of an ordeal, but the water felt downright heavenly. If she was more selfish, Andy would have laid under that stream of water for hours. It was a great escape. A few quiet moments away from all the people downstairs, from Luca, but mostly a few moments of procrastination before she had to go talk to her brother. This was one problem she knew that she couldn’t avoid. They needed to mourn, and they needed to do it together. She owed her mother that much.

Andy had avoided anything that resembled leadership her whole life. Offering a safe place for people to sleep had been about all the help she had planned to contribute to this particular cause. But the more she watched the people who she thought would lead, the more she was convinced they weren’t intelligent enough to do so. Everyone was so focused on the fight, on defense that no one thought about the other things that needed to be done. Like how no one had gone out to hunt until she had suggested it. Not that she planned to take up the mantle, but Andy knew that if she didn’t step up and put the right ideas in the right heads that they would be circling the drain forever. Much like the water pooling in the bottom of her shower, semi clogged by the strands of bright red hair that had come loose during shampooing.

Thankfully she had spare hygienic supplies stashed away up here, since Luca had been polite enough to take over her bathroom and take his sweet time coming out. If he didn’t come out soon someone would have to go in and make sure he wasn’t asleep and drowning himself. She still wasn’t sure about his head and worried he was suffering from a pretty nasty concussion. It was unlikely that someone was knocked entirely unconscious for as long as Luca had been without walking away with one. If they had survived all the horrors they had just for him to go out, drowning in his own bath water, she would be severely pissed.

When she finally turned off the water and stepped out onto the plush fabric of the bathmat, the entire room was a cloud of fog. There wasn’t enough hot water and soap to make her feel entirely clean after such a long ordeal, but it was a start. With a towel wrapped around her torso, she took the time to blow dry her hair, making sure that any dampness that remained was stripped by the hot air of the hairdryer. She knew herself well enough to know that eventually she would feel the need to seek solitude outside, and wasn’t stupid enough to go out in the Colorado cold with a head of wet hair.

Clothes were running on a slim supply. Most of her wardrobe lived at her dorm room, and here she only had a select few items. The only clean garment she had to change into was an earthy green sun dress, decorated with tiny yellow flowers. It was fitting she supposed, to wear the thing today. Andy rarely wore dresses, she felt they made her look too soft and too delicate, neither were attributes that she would use to describe herself and thus didn't appreciate others thinking of her in such a way.

She pulled it over her head, letting the soft cotton fabric slide down over the curve of her hips, clinging to the cinch in her waist and the neckline falling softly between her breasts. The last time she had worn this dress had been three months ago, at her uncle’s wake. Her mother didn’t get to have a wake, or a funeral. Her body would rot in the hospital with the other dead ones. Andy would have to pay her respects in other ways.

Her hair fell about her shoulders, soft and shiny from the recent clean and hair dry. Her cheeks were pink and freckled, round face stern as usual, but her green eyes sparkled with emotion. Sadness, grief, anger, relief, it was a confusing mix of things that flooded to the surface. She found it harder to keep them at bay because of how tired she was. But it wasn’t the time yet, there was work to be done first. Andrea sniffed, and steeled her nerves.

After throwing her disgusting clothes in the washer and starting it up (making sure to put it on the strongest cycle she could with a double rinse) she made her way down the stairs to the coat rack by the door. She paid little heed to anyone that was in the house other than to give a curt nod when greeted. Grabbing her uncles old military jacket off the rack, and slipping on the shoes she kept by the entrance she walked out the front door. She offered the gentlemen who occupied the porch almost nothing in the form of a greeting, focused on her task.

The shed was her destination. If she had to guess, the girl would propose that no one had really looked inside of it for anything useful. It took some brute force, which was hard on such a tired body, but she was able to force the door to the shed open. Frost caused the thing to stick, and the heavy wooden door scraped across the concrete foundation. The hinges were in desperate need of some oil and it was so full of junk that it made it difficult to force the door open enough to even slide inside, but thankfully she had a thin frame and was able to slip through the crack she forced in the doorway.

Eventually, she would have to sort through the piles of garbage that lined the walls of this place. A lifetime of her uncle’s possessions and discarded items filled it nearly to the ceiling. She recognized old toys of hers, broken long ago and promised to be fixed but never worked on. Deflated balls, kiddie pools with holes in them, tools of all kinds all sprawled across the work tables.

Her eyes focused in on the yellow walkies that she had put in here months before. They were the same brand as the ones she had picked up at the house in the suburbs, and with any luck they could all be put on the same channel and used to communicate. The only problem was that they had broken, one of them had fallen from her perch and her uncle had died before he had been able to fix it.

Andy scooped them up, and a small tool kit that contained a soldering iron, along with any other tools of use that she could load into her arms. Hands full, she squished her way back out the door of the shed and walked back across the yard, and up the stairs to the porch.

“Yo kid,” Andy greeted Tre as she approached the front door. “Help a girl out and open that for me?” she nodded toward the heavy oak door in front of her and waited for him to do as she asked. Tre seemed like an alright kid, the idea that Luca had once been close to him seemed like a foreign idea when she first had thought about it, but not so much now. He was brash and known to be violent when provoked. But he had always been good to Owen and her as kids. Despite all his faults, he seemed to have a soft spot with women and kids alike. It was likely one of the reasons he put up with her as much as he did, paired with their shared childhood history. When Tre did as she asked she offered him a small smile as thanks and ducked back into the warmth of the house.

Andy walked to the dining room table and dumped her armful of supplies onto its surface. She knew little about most of the residents here, but Ivan had been around since day one. In their brief time together she had learned that he was smart when it came to creating things, the more she had thought about it the more she was certain she had seen him around the college campus as well.

“Do you think you can fix these radios?” Andy asked the Russian, who was sitting near the dining table. “I can get you other tools if you need anything specific, but as I know you can’t really get up and around right now, I figure it might give you something to do.” She wouldn’t admit it, but it was also a way of an apology. When she had left to find Owen she had been rude to lots of the lodge members, but Ivan most of all. The truth of the matter was Owen was the one who was responsible for Owen not coming home, not Colt and certainly not Ivan. Still, this was a close as he would get to a formal apology.

“They would probably come in handy if we can get them working. I have another set I think we can pair up.”

Interactions: Brax (Tre) King Vioogra (Ivan)
Mentions: Brax (Luca) Rumble Fish (Colt)

 

[King Vioogra]

Ivan Zamorozka

Ivan looked up at Milly as she shuffled from out from under the table and stood over him. Her smile was obviously forced, and it wasn’t hard to tell that she was uncomfortable with all the new people. He was planning on tell her that everything would be just fine, but she scurried her way out of the room before he got the chance to speak more than a word or two. She’d gotten pretty close to the Shinoa girl since her arrival, so she was probably seeking solace in her presence or something along those lines. He braced himself against the floor and started to lift himself up with his arms and good leg before he was unexpectedly approached by Andy… in a dress? She was holding a handful of yellow walkie talkies.

“Do you think you can fix these radios? I can get you other tools if you need anything specific, but as I know you can’t really get up and around right now, I figure it might give you something to do.”

He was a bit surprised that she suddenly approached him like this, mostly because he was positive she hated him. He finished standing and stepped forward with a limp, taking one of the radios from her arms gently and looking it over with his free hand on his chin.

“I’ll need the necessary parts along with the tools you mentioned, so I doubt I’ll be able to get all of them fully functional without more of these ones. But as long as just these will do, then yes. It’ll take some time, but I’ve got nothing but time until this leg gets better. And if you can get the other set that’d be fantastic, I’ll take the ones in the worst shape and use them for parts.”

The man said, his thick Russian accent slipping out heavily as he spoke. It was a habit of his to forget to put up as much as an American accent as he could when he’s interested in something. He cleared his throat as he realized what he sounded like before smiling.

“Thanks for putting me to work, I was going crazy on that couch. Oh and I almost forgot, you look nice in that, though I admit it’s a bit of a poor choice for the weather.”

The man spoke with a short chuckle before taking the rest of the walkies in his hand, with the toolbox in the other before he limped quickly back to his couch, dragging the coffee table in front of him closer and setting the toolbox down on it, clicking it open. He was about to begin taking apart the radios to see which of the lot were worth saving and which would serve as parts for the functional ones, when he heard the fat one shouting about being chased by a moose. He shot up from the couch and limped as quickly as he could over to him and Leliana, who was the other member of the conversation. He put his hand on her shoulder, both as a way of stopping himself and a support beam.

“Did you say you saw a moose?! Like an adult moose?!”

A short chuckle escaped him as a smile full of wonder covered his face. His gaze snapped to Michael as he shot over to him, grabbing him by the shoulders and speaking quickly. His accent was basically out in full force now, even replacing random words with their Russian counterparts, though there was just enough English left to understand what he was saying.

“How big was it? Could you tell? Were there any of its young there? My god you saw a fucking moose! How long do you think one of those things would last us?”

At this point he wasn’t talking to anyone in particular except the open air of the lodge as he turned and made his way back to his couch, giving the two enough time to go on their gun-finding adventure. As he plopped back down on the couch, that dorky smile was still plastered on his face and he could hardly focus as he carefully unscrewed each of the radios he’d been given and inspected the electronic parts and wiring for damage. He'd gotten through three or four of them when he felt someone plop down onto the couch next to him. He looked over to see it was Leliana, who he offered a smile and a short wave before returning to his work.

Mentioned: Rumble Fish (Milly)

Interactions: FireMaiden (Leliana) Maj (Andy) Hyped_Taco (Michael)​

 

[The Mad Queen]

The following is a collab post between myself, Soma Schicksal and BloodLightning27
​

The girl was quiet for a few moments, seemingly lost in thought but perked up when Marcus mentioned something about a farm.
"There's a farm nearby." She'd seen something when driving to the motel, and had marked it down for later. Jenna had wondered if they had any dogs she could record for her stream, but that was about it.
"Maybe it's worth a look." She turned to Marcus, giving him a shrug "Maybe not. It's sort of uncharted territory so I'd be okay with giving it a miss. It's down to you guys."

The ones with military training could call the shots. She was just a veterinarian who played games for a living.

Brian was just as quiet, at least until Marcus spoke up. "I dunno how we'd fair on a Farm in an environment like this. Its a little too cold for the Crops to grow." He checked his rifle before scanning the area,ensuring that they were not being followed, whether it be the Hazmats or the Infected. "I'd be okay with checking out the farm that you're talking about. Hopefully its not already occupied."

With the current weather, the Agent wasn't entirely sure of how to survive through the winter. Aurora would eventually run out of food. There had to be a way. But with all the snow, he was doubtful there would be any crops to be harvested. "Food and water are going to be a problem for sure. Gasoline too." He commented.

He listened to their suggestions and it seemed the farm would be the first stop. "Alright sounds like a plan then. We can try and see if we can find any food, water, gas, or radios on the way there." He said as he let Jenna lead the way. As long as she had an idea for where one farm was, there was a potential to find more.

As they walked he kept thinking about where more places could be. "Hmm I think as for the richer areas its also in between the lodge and the city. There might be a lot of undead in our way so proceeding with caution will definitely be necessary. Not like we weren't being careful anyway."

​

Jenna kept her hands forwards as she led the way, doing her best not to let the two professionals see that her left hand was shaking. All the while, she faced forwards as her boots crunched in the snow. Part of her wished she'd brought Cammy along, but knew it was safer for the dog back at the lodge. It would be a while before they'd make it to the farm, and silence would only make it seem longer.

"So, how long have you two been in the forces?" She asked.

"I'm not a Soldier." Brian responded before scratching his beard. "What I do for a living is on a...need-to-know basis. If I tell you guys...I have a feeling I won't last all that long. Unless, you guys are willing to keep a...deep...dark...secret." He kept his rifle down before looking towards Jenna. "But promise me, you guys won't say anything, because...My life may as well be forfeit if Luca or Andy find out." He proceeded to take a deep breath and continuing to keep an eye out.

With how cold it was, the Agent could only wonder...how were the infected thriving? Or even growing in number? How were the Hazmats doing? Not that he cared, though he doubted that those uniforms and armor kept them warm at all.

The girl looked over at Brian and smiled "I know a thing or two about keeping deep dark secrets..." She held her tongue. "Sorry." She faced forwards once more, placing one of her hands into the warm pockets of her hoodie. Even with her gloves, she could still feel the cold grip of the now frozen town trying to pull her down. She hadn't even spoken to Andy, but based on first impressions she wasn't all that bad.
Then again, she was apparently tight with Luca.

"Luca's a bellend. I honestly have no idea why he's in charge. It should be someone like...I don't know, Colt?" Her gaze went back to her traveling companions "Or either one of you guys. Luca is..."
It wasn't like he would be able to hear her, not on the road.
"A liability. I've seen people like him before, and it never ends well." She sternly shook her head.

Marcus listened as Jenna spoke, she was turned away so he couldn't notice anything up with her. "Umm yea I'm not a soldier either, my father was. He was apart of an elite sniper squad and basically taught me everything I know...im glad he and my mom got out of here, or I think they did..." He tried to get the thought out of his head of them even being in danger.

"Anyway I'm just a hunter and a basketball player, I co own my dads shop." He paused for a moment as she mentioned not liking Luca as a leader. "I mean I guess he's the leader but we haven't officially chosen a leader, as for Colt. She has potential but...i feel as though she may not be able to handle it. She might just start drinking even more if it's a permanent position." He explained. "We should find someone else capable of being a leader, maybe have like a group meeting or something? I dunno." Marcus suggested. "Yea I can keep a secret, though the way you say that sounds scary like those spy movies. 'If I tell you, you might die' sorta thing" he chuckled. "We may already be dead anyway though so tell away assassins creed man."

Brian looked away briefly when he heard Marcus's Comment. He wasn't wrong about Luca either. Hell, even Brian disliked Luca, mainly because the guy was just an asshole. He was still unsure about Colt, even if she is combat proficient, she was still drinking...a lot. In terms of a new leader? He didn't even know who would be fit. Maybe Andy? But he'd have to get a better impression on the woman first. Either way, he did like the idea of having a group meeting to elect a leader. Now allowing his rifle to hang from its sling, he pulled his badge out of his jacket pocket. Sadly, Marcus was not wrong about them being dead anyway.

"Alright, here goes..." His face went blank when he pulled his Badge and ID out. "I'm an SpecOps Agent for the CIA...I was a Liaison for the Government and those guys Hazmat Suits...Or at least, their employer. My Mission was supposed to be nice, fast and simple, just come in, retrieve the parasite and leave as quickly as we had came. But...you all saw where that went." He looked down at the snow.

While he felt relieved to tell both Jenna and Marcus, he couldn't help but feel horrible about his deep, dark secret that he was keeping from everyone. Aside from Marcus and Jenna, the only others who knew were Doctor Fisher and Lelianna. Over time, he would let it out, but now...now wasn't the time. Not with Luca being a hot-head and Colt being a drunken mess. He was definitely not telling Michael, as he doubted the man would be able to keep a secret. He already felt bad enough that there were two teens with them, one of whom was very heavily pregnant and could be giving birth at any minute. "So...there you have. I just...I want to make things right. My own Government will most likely attempt to use me as a scapegoat...But...No...I'm getting out of here alive...and our story will be told. One way, or another."