Realistic or Modern Patient Zero (A Zombie Survival RP)

[The Mad Queen]

Jenna O'Connor and Doctor Ralph Fisher: The Lodge​

Colt had returned in a rather foul mood, but was still willing to show Jenna how the rifle worked, letting her handle the gun but not shoot it. It was a lot heavier than she had expected, but at the very least Jenna was grateful for the help. After going their separate ways, she ran into a rather panicked Ralph and managed to calm the man down...A little.
Guard positions set up and two drinks of water later, Ralph filled her in.

The wonders of childbirth had rendered Ralph a mess. Even if Jenna had offered to help deliver the baby earlier, there was fat chance of her involving herself in that now. Besides, she could shoot now which lessened her chances of exile. Instead, she tended to the Doctor and wrapped him up in a blanket.

"No signs of a stroke, heart rate is returning to normal and..."
"What about a concussion?"
"Did you actually hit your head? Or experience any whiplash? Anything like that at all in the past few days?"
He stopped "No. No, I don't believe I did."
"Then that's physically impossible."

She gently pushed him back as he tried to get up.
"Ralph." She said, plainly "I know what an anxiety attack looks like."
He scoffed "Me? Really?"

She just glared back "Have you ever had one before?"
He said nothing so she continued to glare, folding her arms.
"You're not going to go away until I answer, are you?"
Keeping her glare maintained, Jenna lightly shook her head
"Alright." He sighed When...When my wife, June gave birth to our daughter there were some... Complications. Minor? Yes. Did I overreact? Perhaps."
"I guess it's normal for a stressful delivery like this to..."
"Normal?" He snapped, standing to his feet and throwing off the blanket "Don't talk to me about normal, young lady! I am a professional! A Doctor! How am I of any use to anyone if something this simple throws me into a spiral..."

"Oh wow, you get panic attacks over a very specific thing that's going to come up...Well, hardly ever. How many pregnant people do you think actually survived the outbreak? Or the school following that, hmm? Besides, you've been around hospitals since then, right? Surely people have been giving birth as you've been looking into some virus. If those births gave you panic attacks you wouldn't be in your job anymore."
"Of course, but this is different."
"Everything's different now, that goes without saying. We've got dead cu**s chowing on the living and American mercenaries have gone from shooting up a village in some Middle Eastern place to a city in Colorado."

She raised a finger before he could get another word in.
"Get some rest. I'm sure if they need you with the baby, they'll call."
While turning to leave, he called her.
"Jenna."
"Yeah?"
"What's with you and Leliana? She mentioned not having you at the birth in case..."
"Doesn't matter. Go the fuck to sleep."
-
Jenna had wrapped herself up in a sleeping bag in the pantree, with Cammy curled up by her side but was suddenly awaken by the sounds of people arguing and someone else running around the lodge. Were they under attack?
She reached under her pillow, drew the hatchet and moved into the kitchen. The smell of burning filled her nostrils, and she saw something hideous. Someone had set fire to a bag of coffee.

Too stupid to be the hazmats. It had to be someone from the lodge. Marching into the living room, Jenna plunged the hatchet into the armrest of one of the sofas.
"Alright." She grinned, hate burning in her blue eyes like the seventh circle of Hell "Which one of you fucks set fire to the coffee?"

Interactions: King Vioogra (Ivan), Hyped_Taco (Michael & Cletus), FireMaiden (Leli) Brax (Tre)

 

[Meredith]

Milly had kept to herself since they ate lunch. There were even more people, including a man Andy, Colt and Leli had brought back with them, much to the youngster’s dismay. This little lodge was becoming horribly crowded. It was only after she had attempted to sleep that the youngster really became distressed. There was so much noise and chaos and in the last hour or so, she had noticed a flurry of panic as it appeared that Shiona had gone into labour. Milly had attempted to see what was happening but was promptly shooed away. It was all too much. All she had left to hold onto from her old schedule was her sleep pattern. Milly religiously went to bed at ten pm every night but that was impossible now.

The youngster had retreated into the dining room, sitting under the table. At this point it was the only safe place she could think of. She preened her teddy’s fur as she sat in heavy thoughts. Why couldn’t things be quiet and make sense? The thirteen-year-old sighed and put her head on her knees, just hoping to block it all out.

Aderyn, on the other hand, had been keeping herself busy through the latter part of the day. It had taken a couple hours of concentrated effort to clean the cupboard under the stairs enough for her to consider it optimal to sleep in. Of course, the girl had slept in worse conditions, but she had the time and resources to make herself comfortable - and why shouldn’t she? Helping with the bunkhouse would come once she had a place to sleep.

A couple cups of vinegar and an hour of rampant reorganization later, she had admired her handiwork, satisfied. The floor of the cupboard was clear, boxes stacked solidly where her feet might go, and there was a space beside them on the inner edge of the cupboard where she could stash her bag. She was pleased to note that the inside of the alcove included a light switch, a bare bulb that shone dully when turned on, and a plug near the rightmost wall. Her ipod, of course, was immediately set to charge.

They ate dinner, but Aderyn’s quest continued far after that, into the early hours of the morning. She had set her small cat - something she’d taken from the store on her way out, though she knew it was unnecessary - next to her bag, overlooking the bed. She did have some respect for sentiment.

It had not taken her long to find blankets. A thick comforter was laid on the floor, to soften it and avoid chilling herself during the night, and she grabbed two others that she thought would be satisfactory. She had two thick blankets of her own in her bag, and then were put on top, to keep them away from her skin. Until she washed them, she didn’t fancy the idea of sleeping directly beneath them if she didn’t have to.

She heard the commotion in the kitchen and living room, of course, but chose to ignore it in favour of taking a rest. Pillows, too, were not yet extremely scarce in the lodge. Still - she had only taken two, enough for her to feel that her bed was properly made, which comforted her. The feeling of having her own space had eluded her for a long time.

Once the noise died down, she opened her door, taking a few steps into the kitchen. She held her water bottle in her right hand. Taking in the scene before her, her eyes widened, mouth dropping open a bit. Cletus had done… well, something, anyway. A vibrant woman was threatening his fingers.

Milly froze as she heard footsteps coming into the kitchen. The younger girl really did not wish to interact with any of the adults, who all seemed to be angry and yelling. It seemed that Jenna was shouting something about coffee.

Cletus had already shot Andy, and Aderyn had helped diffuse the situation. He could deal with this one himself. The girl moved past him, ignoring the pair, and filled her water bottle from the sink. As she turned around to go back to her cubby, hoping to be able to actually sleep, her eyes caught on a figure below the kitchen table. She froze, and internal deliberation began. Sleep, or deal with this?

After a moment, Aderyn sighed to herself, approaching the table. She crouched beside it, hands bracing her knees, water bottle clutched in her dominant hand. She took a good look at the other child. She looked… distressed. “You alright?”

Milly squeaked and then jumped as she saw a face appear at her eye level. She was younger than everyone else, roughly her age. Her green eyes blinked and darted anxiously as she stared at the stranger as she questioned if she was okay. Milly mumbled something into her knees, not sure if she could even answer her. Part of her wanted to say yes, but that would be a lie, something Milly always wanted to avoid. The eyes glanced down to the floor, avoiding her gaze. She could never look people in the eye, it was intimidating.

“No.” she answered quietly and truthfully, “I can’t sleep.”

“I understand."
The girl reached her free hand out to Milly, intent on pulling her up to her feet if the (what she could only presume to be younger) girl would let her. “I can’t sleep usually, either.” She smiled. Trying to be non-threatening was a new game for the adolescent. Usually, she was trying for the exact opposite, and it showed. “You like small spaces too, huh? We can hide out somewhere more comfortable. I mean, if you want.”

Milly jumped slightly at the girl outstretching her hand towards her. Her skinny body tensed and she glanced up anxiously. However, this stranger was a child, similar age to herself. Milly had not seen another kid all through this ordeal and to finally see one, it almost caused a reaction that would involve a lot of tears and a lurch forward. Finally, somebody she was on the same level as-

“Um… okay.” She squeaked, accepting her gesture and standing up, one arm still tightly holding her bear in a head-lock, “and yes. My room was really small back home… it makes me feel safe.” She admitted. As the girl took her hand, Aderyn heaved herself to her feet, bringing Milly with her. There was a loud shout above from one of the adults. Milly squeaked and, unknowingly still holding the girl’s hand, tried to retreat back under the table but was stopped by the friction of holding another person.

“I-I’m sorry!” She whimpered, her eyes still darting.

“It’s okay.” The movement hadn’t bothered Aderyn. In a way, she was amused, but she didn’t want to laugh at the other girl or make her self-conscious.
Gently, she guided Milly by the hand, pulling her through the archway. She led her next to the door under the stairs, holding her water bottle under the arm she was leading Milly with, and opened the door. Ducking inside, she let go of Milly’s hand, letting her step in on her own accord. She flicked on the lightswitch, and the dim bulb sputtered to life, illuminating what was essentially just a makeshift bed and some boxes. One box, plastic, was closed on the ground to the right of the door.


“You can sit down on the crate if you want. Or on the… bed.” Close enough to a bed. “I don’t mind.”
The ceiling was low, and the bottom of the stairs was visible - but, overall, a bit of washing had eliminated the creepiness from the space. The vibrant comforters also helped.


She sat down on the bed, back against the back wall of the cupboard. A second of consideration, and she grabbed her stuffed animal; it fit in the palm of her hand, a small grey cat, and she showed it to Milly. “His name is Topo. What’s your bear’s name?”


In truth, Aderyn was far past playing with toys. The cat was hardly even a comfort object for her, she carried it around in memory of her father, and that was that. However.. The other girl did seem to care about her bear. She was carrying it around in her arms, after all. At least something could act as a conversation starter. Otherwise, Aderyn had no idea what to say. She’d not had the privilege of talking to other kids for at least a year.

The door was closed, and the outside noise muffled; Aderyn had been pleased that not all that much could be heard through the thick wood. She thought that if somebody called to her, it would still wake her up, but the girl was a light sleeper. She’d had to be.


As the pair settled into Aderyn’s little hidey hole, the reality began to set into Milly’s mind. She was actually talking to another kid her age. Something she had not done since her mother pulled her out of school. And the children she had dealt with prior to this were either bullies or ignored her. It was actually quite exciting. She could actually have a friend! The only problems Milly could see about this was that, truthfully, she had no idea how to relate to another and, after having only her mother for company for five years, what could she even talk about?

Milly perched herself on the crate, not wanting to invade the girl’s space any more than she already was. The youngster blinked and leaned forward as she admired the little round cat in her palm. It looked so soft and huggable. She looked down at her teddy as she asked it's name.

“Her name’s Snowy.” she finally answered, still grooming the bear. Her once crisp and clean fur was becoming grubby and matted, which upset the younger girl. It had been a while since she had been able to wash or change clothes which, for a hygienically focused individual was torture. “A-And my name’s Milly.” she added, realizing she had never told the girl her name. The girl grumbled lowly and with a flash, hit herself on the forehead for being that stupid. Now she was going to think she was rude. She had already blown her chance.


Aderyn put her cat down on top of her crossed legs, going through her bag again; out came a hairbrush, first, and she frowned. Digging deeper, she found what she was looking for, pulling it out with a flourish. A buffing brush - recently cleaned - resided in her hand. It had been useful for blending out concealer when she’d gotten in brawls. My face rarely looked like yours, Luca, but not for lack of fighting.

A tilt of her head, from lack of understanding at the other girl, uncertainty tainting her features as the other girl seemed to get upset. “My name is Aderyn. Aderyn Brasi. It’s nice to meet you, Milly.”
Milly remained quiet as the girl replied to her introduction, giving her name in return. It was her second name that made the girl blink. She was related to Luca? But he was scary and mean, she wasn’t. At least, Milly really hoped she was not. She had been wrong about people before, and did not want to go through that again.


Aderyn offered the brush to Milly. “You can use this for Snowy, if you want. I don’t have a use for it.” Attempting a full-hearted smile, she gave the girl an encouraging nod. Oh god.
Milly’s turbulent thoughts were halted as Aderyn handed her a small brush, saying she could use it for Snowy. For a moment, Milly did not move, not even a muscle. Only her baby blue eyes glanced up, silently requesting full approval before committing to anything. Despite their similar age ranges, she did not want to take any chances. Being submissive was her best choice.


Aderyn nodded to the girl as her eyes asked if she could really take her brush, waving a hand for her to take it, and let her forehead thud against the wall behind her.
With a soft coo, Milly took the brush gently and started softly brushing the bear with it. It seemed to be doing the trick, encouraging her to keep going. After a couple of minutes of silence, she looked back up to the girl. Aderyn’s eyes were closed about halfway, and had watched the other girl brush her bear, which was somehow soothing.


“Thank you,” Milly said in earnest before looking at her cat toy, “How long have you had Topo?” she asked, the silence was beginning to unsettle her.

“It’s okay. You can keep the brush.”
Aderyn’s eyes fluttered fully open, and she focused them on the other girl slowly. She bit her lip gently as Milly asked how long she’d had the stuffed animal, then harder, as she debated her answer. “Almost a year.” Her voice was careful, metered, slow. “I picked him up on February thirteenth.”

 

[Rumble Fish]

Mentions: Basically every living adult in the lodge right now.

Aderyn was tired, and she knew she’d have to be helpful tomorrow, though she didn’t mind. In her mind, her being at the lodge was taking food out of the others’ mouths, and she owed it to them to make herself useful. She didn’t like to admit that she needed help - but it was certainly well appreciated.

She flashed a strained smile, hands first reaching to stroke Topo, but, finding that unsatisfactory, she slid the gun out of her back pocket. She held it to her side, muzzle pointed towards the floor near her backpack, and her fingers rubbed against part of the grip. The place she rubbed had been worn smooth from anxious movement.

Aderyn was stressed. A kid like this couldn’t handle anything serious, clearly, but she wanted to be nice to her. Most people deserved that. “How long have you had - uh, Snowy?”


Milly kept her head down and continued to brush Snowy, until her white fur was softer. She was still grubby but it was better than it had been before. But her attention was taken from the bear as she watched Aderyn move and spotted the firearm. Milly squeaked and jolted slightly in her sitting position, alarmed at the sight of it. She really hated guns. As far as she knew they were awful and destructive things that only brought misery wherever they were fired. There were people here with them, but the masked ones in hazmat suits had them too. And all she knew was that they intended to kill anyone and everyone.

Now everyone either had a firearm or had lost their humanity and wanted to kill for the sake of killing. What if they had shot her mother and she would never find out about it? Milly shuffled a little in her sitting position, her frame now shaking a little. She couldn't stop that fear from racing through her. Her first instinct was to run and tell an adult, but… what if they shot her? Aderyn had been so nice to her so far, she didn't want to bring her any harm.

Milly started to move again, and Aderyn’s eyes narrowed, head tilting to the side. It took her a second for the source of the other girl’s nervous energy to click into place. “Oh. Sorry.”

Aderyn had asked her how long she had Snowy. Milly hugged her bear tight against her chest and nibbled on one of her ears. Even after all this time, the teddy was plump and huggable, greatly reassuring Milly. “I-I’ve had her since I was a baby,” she explained, talking around the bear’s ear. With a slight clear of the throat, she tried to think of something to ask back. That was how conversation worked, right? “Did-did Andy bring you back? I-I think that's her name, I… don't really know anyone here.” She admitted. She had spoken with quite a few of them but could not say that she knew them.

Aderyn opened the slide of the gun deftly, showing her the inside of the chamber, and indicating the slot where you would put a magazine if you were actually interested in firing. “There’s nothing in it. I don’t load it unless I have to, I promise, it just… here.”

A click, and the slide closed. She tilted the gun to show her the grip - the place where the texture was worn off the pistol - and the carving of the word Dad into the side. “It makes me feel better to rub it when I’m nervous, right, like you and your bear? It was my Dad’s. I miss him.” Yeah, calling it his gun was a stretch, but… “I didn’t mean to scare you - I can, um, put it away if you don’t like them. I get it.”

Milly jumped slightly as Aderyn opened the gun, proving it to be unloaded. The younger girl sighed and her body visibly relaxed at the sight of the unarmed firearm. She then explained as to why she had the gun out in the first place, which put the girl at further ease. When she mentioned that it was her father’s and that she missed him, that only made Milly more sympathetic. She jumped again as Aderyn mentioned putting the gun away.


“Oh, i-it’s okay. If it makes you feel better keep it out.” She stammered before finally speaking, “If you need it, keep it out.” She realized she had repeated herself and, once again swatted herself on the head for that. “I… didn’t know my dad really. I don’t remember him but… my mum said it was bad.” She admitted quietly and looked at her floor before glancing back up to her acquaintance as she started speaking. Like an intrigued toddler, Milly scooted the crate a little closer as she listened.

Aderyn nodded at Milly’s remarks about her father, features softening, a moment of gratitude washing over her. “I knew my mum, at least for a bit. I remember her singing in the kitchen.” She pulled the gun aside, putting it gently in her backpack, and moving the whole bag against the wall where it had formerly sat. “It’s fine. I don’t mind, really.”

She took a deep, shaky breath, smiling at the other girl. Her right hand gripped the side of her sweater, instead, and she let the breath out with a nervous laugh. “Yeah. Andy brought me back, with uh, Cletus. The one that’s basically just a cowboy - like, from those old wild west flicks, you know.”

Her head shook, a smile - a real smile, this time - coming with the laughter. “Then my cousin grabbed me and brought me into the bedroom, ‘cause he wanted to talk to me, and honestly he was pretty decent. Got me something to eat and all.” She looked up to Milly, then up to the ceiling, shaking her head. Her smile faded. “Didn’t last long, though. I told him off for the bruises on his face, and he called me a do-nothing bitch. He’s… something.” She grabbed Topo again, this time looking at him for a second, and considered what she should say. “Then I ran into Owen. His face is a little messed up, but he’s nice, and I mean that as I say it.” The cat was set in her lap, and she looked up at Milly, hands clasped and rested evenly on her knees - around the stuffed animal. “Do you like the people at the lodge?”


Milly sat and simply listened as she told her the story of how she got here. It was a short one but Milly still listened with the intensity of a child. As she mentioned Cletus, Milly nodded, glad to know the man’s name. She still did not speak until Aderyn asked her how she felt about the Lodge residents.

“Some of them are nice. Ralph, the doctor? He wants a lab like Dr. Doofenshmirtz. Bethany’s really good at battleships and checkers. Ivan can make really cool snow sculptures and Leliana makes great snow angels. Owen found me with Jenna and he’s really kind. Ray is a really good cook.” Milly swayed a little from side to side, her head bobbing slightly as she spoke, too focused on what she was saying and what she was going to say rather than her actions; her arms still loosely around her teddy. “Never really talked to anyone else… I’ve seen Colt. She seems to like guns a lot, kinda like a cowgirl. She’s… a bit scary though, shouts a lot.” Milly faltered at the end, realizing just how much she had spoken. She shook her head and glanced away, chewing on her bottom lip a little. “Sorry…”


“It’s okay, I still don’t mind.” Aderyn listened actively as Milly talked about the lodge members, nodding after her statements, and letting out a slow breath. None of those things were ones she would notice, or at least, not ones she would be liable to talk about. “Colt is alright, I think. Gruff.” She thought for a second, then kneeled down on her bedspread, knocking her cat beside her. Looking at the space, she glanced up at Milly, considering.

“If you feel more comfortable in here, you should go grab your blankets - I mean, if you don’t mind sleeping on the floor. There’s enough space for two people.” The girl shrugged. “I don’t mind either way, but I’m getting really tired, you know? We can talk later. It was nice.”


“Yeah.” Milly glanced around, hearing muffled goings on above. She looked to Aderyn as she asked if she wanted to stay in the room. “I’m tired too… I couldn’t sleep up there, too loud.” she admitted. When the girl told her to grab her blankets, Milly nodded. Milly got up to grab her things, and Aderyn shifted her blankets over towards the door, leaving the one that padded the floor spread beneath them both. She moved her bag to the plug where her Ipod was, next to the crate, and stashed her gun next to it - loaded. It would be a dumbass move to sleep defenseless.

A moment of consideration, and she took her second-thickest blanket, folding it in half and laying it down where Milly would sleep. She was used to sleeping on the ground, but she had the impression the other girl wasn’t, and the last thing she wanted was to upset her - or see her sore in the morning. In good time, Milly returned with her blankets.
“Thank you,” she said in a quiet tone, aware of Aderyn’s tiredness, “I really… don’t like sleeping alone.” she admitted as she got herself comfortable.

“It was no extra work for me. I already cleaned it up today, you know?” She took a breath in, slowly, blinking a few times and giving the girl a smile as she exhaled faster through her nose. She’d about had the biscuit in terms of effort to be given out in a day, and honestly, it showed in her face.

Milly got herself comfortable in her space, wrapping her blanket around her skinny frame almost like a chrysalis, her bear against her chest with her arms wrapped around it. Aderyn watched her, made sure Milly was ready to sleep, having her bed together, and slipped her own legs into her makeshift bed. Leaning over to the lightswitch, she rested her hand over it, voice soft. “Goodnight, Milly. Sleep well.” Milly sighed and closed her eyes as Aderyn bid her goodnight.

A click, and the room plunged into darkness, leaving the pair to sleep.

“Night, Aderyn.” she responded as the lights went out. Milly hated the dark. But having another person with her helped to reassure that fear. The tired youngster only took a moment to fall into a slumber.

 

[Togy]

So there Nile was, minding his own business, sitting on the couch as he whittled away at a little tree branch to carve a little pointy stick. Why? Cause Nile has been bored out of his mind for the past 8 hours and this seemed like a good time waster, that's why. Anyway, he was just doing that when redneck, fatass, and dreads came over into the kitchen and started talking.

He probably should've cared cause' the next thing he knows the kitchen sink is on fire, redneck runs to get Woody's kid, dreads insults fatass' man titties, the two get into a very one-sided fight and knock over a couch sending this super pale dude tumbling to the ground, the redneck comes back with whatever the hell her name was, she extinguishes the coffee bean fire, some dude jams a door or something, and turns out whatever her name was just got pranked. Then this brunette comes in and checks on the pale dude, then Jeena or something comes in and slams a hatchet down on the armrest next to him.

Whoah. What an eventful three minutes.

"What the fuck? Why would you just ruin the armrest of this couch for no good reason?" Nile asked, a little mad cause this couch was comfy AF. "Alright, apologize right NOW, else you're gonna have to keep wondering what the hell happened" Nile said.

The girl folded her arms, squinting at Nile. "Why the fuck would someone set fire to what could be the only coffee left in the city!?"
She leaned in closer "If you think I'm bad now, just wait until I have to get up without precious caffeine."

"I will protect this goddamn couch with my LIFE! Now apologize" Nile demanded.

Jenna scoffed, pulled the axe out and then, while making direct contact with Nile plunged the axe in again "Whoops. My fingers slipped. Hand-eye coordination must have been affected by the lack of sleep, granted that some fucking moron woke me up at 3am." Sarcasm oozed off of every letter "Give me the name of the little shit weasel who set fire to the coffee, right now."

Nile stared at the axe lodged in the couch. "Not talking. Torture methods won't work against me" Nile said, defiantly sitting further down on the couch.

"You did it, didn't you? I'd like to know why."

"Fuck you, I didn't. It was Mister Alabama over ther-OH GOD DAMMIT!" Nile said, facepalming.

"Thank you, Nile." Jenna gave a light nod of her head towards the man, a half-smile across her face. She kept her smile as she slowly walked towards Cletus. "Mind telling me why you set fire to the coffee supply, woke everyone up at three in the morning and also giving me the name of the war criminal who gave you that haircut. I'd send that bastard to Nurnberg myself."

At the thank you he recieved, Nile gave the good ole middle finger salute and slunk further into the couch.

Colt had only been made aware of the teenager giving birth through talk, but frankly it was none of her concern. She had not thought as far as the girl giving birth and had only brought her back to the Lodge simply because she came across her. Colt did not care for kids. She’d keep them alive. That was it. Rather than get involved, the veteran had decided to simply retire to her now vacant room and try to get some sleep. However it became clear almost straight away that sleeping was not an option. Half a bottle of… whatever that wine was, she honestly did not know on account of not turning the light on to see what it was, Colt was thrown out of her trance by both the stink of something burning and shouting from below. The veteran growled and jumped off the bed. “Motherfu-?! One night. One! Night! That’s all I-!” she growled as she pulled her leg on, albeit with difficulty. Colt grumbled some colourful language as she sped down the stairs, reached the living room and proceeded to force the door open, first by a couple of pushes. “Oi.” She blinked a couple of times as she knocked the door. No response. “Hey! I sa-!” and with that and a swift motion, the door was kicked open, flying open with thankfully no dents. “What in the BLAZES IS GOIN’ ON IN ‘ERE?!” The veteran stopped short as she saw… burnt coffee and an axe in the couch. Andy’s couch. The woman growled but with a tone of confusion and bewilderment rather than anger. She leaned on the door frame with one arm in an attempt to keep herself upright. Though that was present too. “…What?”

"Good morning. Or good night. I don't fucking know" Nile said with a shrug as he yanked the axe out of the armrest and tossed it across the room.

Colt jumped at the axe throwing. What was even going on right now? “Watch it with that thing! If I find any missin’ limbs caused by an axe I’ll make sure ya lose both yer legs and take the jewels for ransom! What the fuck is going on in here?!”

"Yeah yeah, death threats death threats" Nile said with an eyeroll. He got those a lot. "Want the full story?" Nile asked as he turned to face Colt.

"Watch it, boy. I don't do empty." The veteran snapped. She then threw her arms out, in an admittedly exaggerated and slow motion. Thank you wine. "Yes! Yes please tell me why this room has a fucking burnt bag and an AXE!? Do ya wanna also have Colonel Mustard show up to see if he's responsible!?" Yes, Colt played board games. Lots of them.

"If you insist" Nile said with a shrug as he got up and headed to the ktchen, motioning Colt to follow. "So, the hillbilly came over here and did this" Nile said as he picked up the soaking bag of charred coffe and pulled out a light. He proceeded to light it on fire once more, somehow managing to do so despite the water. The flames began to lick Nile's hand a little, so Nile carelessly dropped the bag onto the floor. "Dunno why, but he did" Nile said, walking into the living room.

"Then dipshit one and dipshit two over there" Nile said, gesturing vaguely to Micheal and Tre. "Began arguing, with one of my favourite insults being, and I quote, 'The underside of yo tiddies smell like moldy cheese and nacho flavored Doritos'. Dipshit two must've gotten pissed at that or something, so they charged dipshit one. The two dipshits then knocked over a couch like this" Nile said, proceeding to kick over the couch he'd been sitting on. "Then that redneck came back with this redhead-Let's call her weasley-and Weasley sees this mess and dishes out death threats before putting out the fire" Nile said as he went back into the kitchen, picked up the flaming bag of coffee, and tossed it into the sink before turning on the faucet.

"Then Weasley tries going back into her room, but surprise surprise! She got pranked. Turns out everything was just an elaborate set up to the lamest prank I've ever seen. They just locked her out of her room, like seriously, lame!" Nile said as he headed back over the couch and put it upright. Heading over to hatchet, he picked it up and made the motion of planting it into the couch. "And finally, Jeena put the hatchet in the couch for no goddamn reason!" Nile said, loud enough for her to hear.

Colt remained silent as she was brought into the kitchen and Nile began his tirade. She blinked a few times as he, for some reason, relit the fucking bag of coffee before dropping it. Colt released what could be described as a squawk and stomped the flames out with her fake foot. Her mind was honestly swimming at this point.

“What in tarn-!?” She was interrupted as the man continued talking, insulting everyone as he went. The speed in which he spoke alongside her inebriation made it increasingly hard to figure out exactly what he was saying. All she could do was attempt to keep up with what was being said.

“What-? What-? Bu- what? What?” was all she could sputter over and over as she tried and failed to keep up, her face and brows constricting in confusion and complete bafflement over what was being said. When the man finally finished his confusing and long winded tale, she simply stood and stared at the three men who stood in front of her. With a gruff sigh and a pinch of the bridge of her nose, Colt tilted her head back.

“…Ya’ll must’ve been conceived through anal to be the dumb shits ya are.” She growled lowly with her eyes shut, completely baffled. “Need I remind ya’ll that we’re in the middle of a fuckin’ war with hazmats and Things that could attack us at any point? And in case ya’ll forgot! We got a fuckin’ newborn upstairs and yer settin’ shit on fire in our only shelter we got for Christ knows how long and how far? And in case ya’ll aren’t aware?! There are other ways t’get folk out of rooms without this elaborate bullshit!?” “Now, lemme tell ya, this shit might not appear important to some people but let me tell ya. I will NOT be tolerating any more bullshit from anybody in this Lodge! If I hear about any more shenanigans like this, ya’ll are gonna have more than Things and hazzies to worry about!” She did not care for any response they may have. Standing up straight, she fixed her jacket.

“Goodnight, gentlemen.” She snapped (making extra sure to not look towards Jenna as she said those words, she did not blame the streamer for any of this) before taking her flask back from the table and storming to the back porch of the Lodge. She sighed as she sat, staring into the woods, her heart still racing from what she had said and her throat was ripped. Her voice had not raised more than a snarl but it still hurt. With a shaky sigh, she grabbed the bottle of whisky from her bag, refilling the flask before taking a swig from it. There was only so much idiocy she could cope with.

"G'night" Nile said offhandedly as he turned to the charred and soggy coffee bag. He didn't get what the big deal was. Sure, the coffee was burnt twice and soggy, but could you still make coffee from it? Maybe, it could actually be more ash than coffee now that he thinks about it. Eh, fuck it. His lifespan's probably gotten cut down to three weeks and he could really do with some coffee.

Blah blah blah, he made the coffee. Would you really want to read the process of making coffee? Of course not. So, pouring the black coffee swirling with ash into little cups he found in the cupboard, he put a cap on top of them and headed over to the redneck. While making the coffee, he'd decided on something: He should share. Sure, he knows the coffee sucks and you'll have a horrible taste in your mouth when you drink it, and Nile is the type of asshole who'd do that type of thing, but that did not influence his decision at all. He wasn't being an asshole for the hell of it, no, he was just sharing.

Honest.

Anyhow, Nile chugged down his entire cup of 90 degrees black-ash coffee before throwing the cup to the side. The coffee tasted like year old campfire ash. Walking over to the redneck and Jennifer, Nile outstretched two hands holding to cup of coffee. Because of the caps on the cups, you could neither smell nor see the coffee abomination. "So, heard you'd be a bitch without coffee, and i don't want to put up with that crap, so I made you some coffee. Had some leftover for your hillbilly friend too" Nile said as he offered the coffee.

Interactions: Rumble Fish (Colt) The Mad Queen (Jenna) Hyped_Taco (Cletus)
Mentions: Maj (Andy) Hyped_Taco (Micheal) Brax (Tre) FireMaiden (Leliana) King Vioogra (Ivan)​

 

[The Mad Queen]

Jenna O'Connor: The Lodge​

Jenna took a big step back when Colt stormed into the room, glancing over at the axe. She didn't have a good explanation for that up her sleeves, so held her tongue while Nile and the veteran went back and forth. Then, for some reason he saw it as a good idea to yank out the axe and yeet it across the room. With her hands in her pockets, her blue eyes widened and she took one more step away from Nile.
Destroying a good sofa, as Nile had put it paled in comparison to throwing axes at other people staying at the lodge.

No way was she going to interrupt Colt now. They were on good terms, and she wasn't going to change that. She managed to slip out of the room and into the kitchen, glancing back slightly at Colt to see how she was reacting but listening in. Given the smell, Nile in his infinite wisdom had decided to set fire to the same bag of coffee again.
"Oh, for God's sake..."

She slipped back in when Colt left, shooting Nile a death glare as he went back into the kitchen and prepared what would probably be an abomination. With a smile, she took it in hand and took a small sip. If sawdust and ash had a bastard child, then this would be the result. Naturally, Jenna spat it out.
"Shit." She coughed "Nile, I've swallowed semen that tasted better like this. Maybe it could have been saved from Alabama over there, but you've gone and ruined it."

She nodded "So, thanks for that. Did whatever drugs you took rot your brain? Why would you set fire to the coffee a second time?!" Her smile dropped, replaced with a glare. "What the fuck is your problem?!"

"A lot of things. But this was just vengance for the couch. Adios assholes" Nile said as he speedwalked away out the front door before revenge could be enacted upon him.
"Fuckin' junkie." Jenna muttered to herself "Oh. And he's not my friend." She called over, pointing at Cletus "I haven't even talked to the guy before tonight. But we'd better keep matches away from him. If Game of Thrones is anything to go by, he's become a pyromaniac due to all the incest!" Jenna threw her arms up in the air "Burn them in their homes, burn them in their houses." She hissed with cold sarcasm, glaring at Cletus.

Her eyes moved at the collection of idiots before her, giving them all a glare but giving Ivan a look of sympathy. She hadn't even spoken to Tre before, and he looked quite young so the only thing she gave him was a death glare. An impressionable teen had probably just gone along with the stupid plan.
"You." She pointed at Michael "I'm really disappointed in you. I expect better from my fans and you should be ashamed of yourself. Getting on like this. What are you, five?"
She tutted, turning away from the group "Oh, screw it. You guys aren't worth the energy. It's a shame you were all dropped on your heads as children. Goodnight you pieces of shit."

Jenna turned around, flipped the bird at the lot of them and headed back into the pantree to try and sleep again. She didn't fancy her chances, but at least Cammy could help. She stopped in her tracks, walked back into the room while glaring at the group once more and picked up her axe before moving back into the pantree and slamming the door shut.

Interactions: King Vioogra (Ivan), Hyped_Taco (Michael & Cletus), Brax (Tre),
Mentioned: Rumble Fish (Colt)

 

[Kloudy]

The Child and The Doctor

Kypher was interrupted from his tinkering to the jarring sounds of a fight occurring. Turning his head to glance in the direction of the scuffle from his position in the armchair, the young genius recognised the two opponents as two of the four men that had rescued him from the inner city streets near the university. The already forming frown on his brow deepened as their argument continued. This was clearly staged and neither individual was a good actor, he could even detect the hurtful surprise in Michael’s expression at the unexpected bite of Tre’s insults. Kypher supposed this was going to be a recurring theme in the lodge filled with idiots. The act finally concluded as the fat man bowled over onto someone Kypher didn’t know on the sofa.

Deciding to ignore the pseudo-brawl, Kypher’s interest was instead piqued by the woman who came barreling in shouting at the chaos unfolding. A flash of curiosity crossed the boy’s face as he recalled her face from somewhere. The image fresh in his mind as if it had just been yesterday, Kypher recalled her being a student at the University of Aurora just as he had been. He must have seen her in passing, but he remembered her talking to someone at the time. What had her name been…? Andy. Was she in charge here? Regardless, Kypher decided he didn’t immediately dislike her. She had the sense to berate these useless fools after all and she had enrolled in higher education, so she couldn’t be all that bad.

Filing this information away for later, Kypher decided he’d had enough of the noise. Getting up from his armchair, he gathered his items into his pockets and made his way outside into the dark cold. The temperature would make him feel more alert and it was clear he wouldn’t be getting much sleep any time soon. Sitting out on the porch steps, Kypher pulled out his modified nail gun and continued to work on it. With any luck, he could increase the pressure behind each nail projectile further. As it was, Kypher was confident it could penetrate through a person’s skull at close range.

"......un momento de pas. No me pueden dar eso…" An older man said as he propped the door open to allow the smoke to filter out of the house. Even after a woman had just given birth, the younger individuals along with some of the more mischievous adults just couldn't bear to go a single night without stirring up even more trouble. After everything, NOW was the best time to pull a prank? Truly?

"I'm surrounded by idiots." The Venezuelan grumbled under his breath.

The cold air was a blessing that words could not describe. A long sigh, accentuated by the fog of his breath gave his irritation form and the cold's frigid kiss on his tan skin soothed his mind.

Cold, grey eyes flicked to the child that also was outside and was seemingly hard at work with something. It wasn't just the machinations of a curious child's mind either. There was form behind whatever he was doing with that nail gun. Hector could probably figure it out but he had neither the interest nor the patience for it at the moment.

Instead, he walked past the kid and slumped down at the bottom step with another harsh sigh.

The two sat in relative silence but Hector's gaze would occasionally shift to observe the child's work, carefully observing his tinkering before returning to the dark night sky.

Kypher was not unaware of the older man’s occasional glances at his handiwork. If it had just been some idiot’s ignorant wonderings as to what he was doing, the child would have been suitably annoyed by the scrutiny. But this particular person seemed to recognise with a bit more clarity what Kypher was trying to do. A real interest captivated him, and thus Kypher began reciprocating said curiosity. He glanced at the doctor and offered the man his nail gun to look at.

“I’m modifying this nail gun. I should be able to double the cubic force behind the pneumatic hammer, meaning each projectile will be fired with a higher percentile of air pressure flipping the piston head - thus becoming capable of penetrating bone.”

"I see that." The doctor replied coolly before pointing a finger at his eye, "Though with a steady hand, you wouldn't need more power. It's not hard to penetrate through the optic canal or through the ear canal."

He then returned his gaze to the contraption and shook his head lightly, "That being said, people have survived objects far more deadly than nails entering the brain. It could disable a normal person quite easily but the infected function a bit differently. In order to disable them, you have to disable their motor functions. In other words…" The doctor pointed to the back of his neck, "The back of the neck or the base of the skull is their critical weakness. Otherwise, you will have to do a considerable amount of damage to the entire fore and midbrain to do any real damage. As in with a bat or hammer."

Hector turned his grey coloured ire away from the kid and with a brief wave of his hand, added, "I personally have found it easier to disable their movement as opposed to killing them outright. Cutting under the armpits disables their arms. Sever the Achilles tendon and they can longer walk effectively. Remove the lower jaw muscles and you strip away their best weapon. The bite. They are slow, so you only really need to hinder the movement a bit more and they are no longer any real threats."

The man then shrugged his shoulders, "Assuming you aren't an incompetent waste of human skin."

Kypher frowned again, but this time in thought. As the older man kept talking the child found himself nodding thoughtfully along with his conversational partner’s analysis. The zombies did indeed have weaknesses then, not unlike the former version he had previously considered. So they were enhanced and devolved simultaneously. Placing a hand on his chin, Kypher looked back at the man with a type of recognition reserved predominantly for those he viewed as intelligent. And knowing the genius, that bar was often set extremely high.

“Yes, I see. I’ve had the misfortunate opportunity of observing these creatures you speak of near the university at the centre of Aurora. Those moronic gladiators indoors had rescued me there,” He cast a ridiculing look towards the lodge before returning his attention back to the nail gun, absently continuing his work as he wondered aloud.

“Their senses appear to be more advanced than ours. Not the idiots, the zombies. And for all intents and purposes, they are zombies. They can hear and smell like a feral animal, but their eyesight is poor. I believe several optimally-propelled nails to the brain is still a preferred method of dispatching them. It is silent and the nails are salvageable.”

"Possibly." Hector agreed. "Though something like a crossbow would get the job without all the complications. That being said, there is the matter of rate of fire. A modified nail gun is considerably faster, although less damaging. Hm…"

The big man stroked his greying eight o'clock shadow with a pensive stare at the snow. "I haven't had a chance to test it but it's possible that a well-placed nail can at least discombobulate them. I suppose there is only one way to really know."

Hector then returned his gaze to the boy's work, "On the infected note, I have personally tested the fact that they are near blind. Their vision is incredibly poor and solely movement based. As for their sense of smell and sound, it can be fooled. I'm not certain but there have been a few occasions where they shuffled right past me as if I was invisible. I had killed a number of them before and had a lot of infected blood on me. I haven't had a chance to test it for certain but it's certainly worth considering. Their intelligence is also sorely lacking. More so than the 'moronic gladiators' as you mentioned. Honestly…" He muttered the last part with a shake of his head followed by several exasperated Spanish curses.

“If I’ve correctly calculated the kinetic trauma these nails will deliver, which I can guarantee I have, it should be enough to penetrate through the frontal cranium plate and through to the back of the brain. Considering this will tear through the main lobes for voluntary and involuntary movement control, the cerebrum and cerebellum respectively, I hypothesise it will at a minimum incapacitate their movement as you’ve suggested. As for the rate of fire… I believe I can adapt it to five nails per second, as opposed to the standard two to three per second.”

Kypher began fiddling with the barrel of the nail gun now, prying open the plastic casing with his screwdriver and fiddling with the piston head. By merely tightening the hammer’s hinge and the bolts connecting the sides of the pressure valves, he could force more air pressure into the side of the piston head and the hinge would now be able to withstand the added force. Listening as he worked, Kypher began considering the idea of scent-masking as the man regaled his previous run in with the undead.

“I’ve learnt that hiding in dumpsters provides suitable cover from being tracked by scent, as disgusting as that was, though I suppose using their own blood is also viable. My only concern would be self-infecting any open cuts or grazes.”

"Yes, those were my thoughts as well." Hector agreed with a nod.

"I've actually been considering leaving out raw slabs of meat. Somewhere mildly humid or hot so that it can rot quicker. After it rots sufficiently, it will reek to high heaven and if it is properly strung out, we can collect the juices into a small vial. A few drops on various parts of the body could act like pseudo-camouflage and it wouldn't take much to execute. Nail guns, crossbows, guns, and knives were all useful but avoiding conflict entirely reduces the risks of injury, death, and infection considerably when we have runners looking for supplies."

Kypher stopped tinkering to consider the proposal. In theory it was an interesting tactic they could employ, reducing casualties would be their main priority these days and it was true that avoiding conflict would reduce that risk. Not to mention they would save on weapon maintenance and ammunition depletion. He nodded similarly in thought. Of course, Kypher had no intention of being the guinea pig for such an experiment, but that was what idiots were for. Especially gladiator idiots.

“An interesting proposal. We should test to see if they ignore non-infected rotting flesh first, as it is possible the creatures specifically ignore their own type of flesh. Like an anti-cannibalistic pack survival mechanism. It is possible they can discern between the types of meat they are consuming.”

"Basic viral behaviour to try to infect as many hosts as possible for survival… I doubt it is human specific. Though that is up for debate. I also am certain we are all infected already and this virus is merely dormant until brain activity has dropped enough for the infection to take over basic motor functions. Speculation but I see no other possible explanations for people turning despite not being bitten. Some of the cadavers I dispatched had no evidence of bite marks. I checked extensively. Cause of death was something entirely different. More testing is needed... again… So much testing I need to do and no means to do it."

“Human specific… I suppose we should test to see if they hunt other animals.”

Upon hearing the doctor’s theory that they may all already be infected, Kypher’s eyebrows shot up and his eyes widened in surprise. His hands stopped fiddling too as the doctor continued his hypothesis, backing it up with apparent evidence of non-bitten individuals turning. It was the most shocking thing he’d been greeted with since arriving at the lodge earlier that day. So they were all already doomed? If that were the case, simply avoiding infected individuals would not be enough. They would have to research a cure themselves. Kypher had witnessed the events at the preschool from a distance, not trusting the call for evacuation in the slightest. From the massacre that had ensued, he was certain the government would not be swooping in to rescue them, nor cure their dormant infections. The situation was seeming more and more hopeless.

“If we are already infected then the virus must either travel in an airborne form or via our water supply. If it is the former, it is possible the entire world may be experiencing the same infection.”

Kypher screwed the casing of his nail gun back on and placed it down at his side on the porch.

“What is your name?”

It was the doctor's turn to act somewhat surprised. He looked at the child with renewed interest as it only just dawned on him that he was speaking to a literal child as if he was a colleague.

Much like Hector had when he was the kid's age.

"Dr. Hector Salazar." His heavily accented voice replied. "And you?"

“Kypher Genesise.” The boy looked over at the doctor intently, as if he were making a concerted effort to remember his face. With his photographic memory, Kypher was certain he would likely remember this man for the rest of his life with crystal clarity. He felt a strange feeling in his chest, a tightening that felt entirely painful and crippling. He couldn’t understand why it was.

"I'm surprised to meet such a bright child in a random town like this. I imagine your family must be very proud." Hector stated cooly.

Kypher’s expression turned sour and he redirected his gaze into the shadowy distance, peering through the forest’s edge as if absently searching for something within. His parents were an awkward topic, but he’d never admit it. He felt strongly about them, but not for the right reasons. Of course due to his pride there was no way he’d ever wish to discuss why he felt how he felt about them, nor had anyone ever succeeded in getting close enough to him to ask.

“My mother may have been, but she abandoned me early on. I no longer hold any respect for that woman. My father…”

His expression hardened into something steelier, as if remembering the man from the past and reliving those angry emotions he had felt back then. The frustration and the complete loss of direction. His father had never acknowledged him or any of his achievements, so he had decided to chase his footsteps by furthering his understanding of the academics just as he had done. But even that hadn’t been enough.

“My father is a great man. I am sure he would expect me to do better.”

Kypher glanced back to Hector with mild curiosity, asking his next question mostly out of uncharacteristic courtesy. He didn’t usually care about the details concerning other people.

“How about yourself? Do you have parents that are proud of you?”

Unlike Kypher, it was something Hector had come to terms with decades ago. He had no doubt the boy would as well. His cold eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he shook his head, "A nameless woman copulated with a nameless man to give birth to a nameless child and abandon said child at a nameless orphanage in a nameless town. So no. I've never had family."

The snow and the cold air that he enjoyed so much was the most comforting thing he had ever experienced in his five decades of life. "The only expectations that truly matter are the ones that you have for yourself. Try not to dwell on it. Abandonment neither slowed me down nor stopped me from becoming one of the greatest minds the medical field has ever seen." His gaze flicked back to Kypher, "It won't stop you either from what I can see. Take solace in that. Take pride in it. No one can take that from you. Not even so called family." The last sentence had a bit of ice that was highly uncharacteristic of the doctor's usually dry, indifferent tone.

Kypher’s face twisted slightly in anger and he turned away quickly, fixing his focus on literally anything else in the opposite direction.

“I don’t need a therapy session. Don’t talk like you understand when you never had a family to let you down. I didn’t need them and I don’t need you to help me either.”

He sounded upset, yet calm. Like he was repressing a contained fury in consideration for the man’s blunder. Kypher did have pride, he had a lot of it in fact, and it refused to allow him to accept any form of help. In truth, Kypher rarely interacted with others on projects unless he was the one giving orders.

"I'm not helping you. You don't need it. Neither did I." From there, Hector lapsed into silence. Merely staring at the darkness and snow as if it held all the answers to the never-ending storm of questions about this virus. Kypher did the same, his anger and frustration slowly subsiding as he drowsily watched the snowflakes drifted down from above. As mesmerising as they were, his eyes slowly began to shut and before long the young genius was fast asleep.

"Still a child at the end of the day…" The doctor mumbled with a low chuckle as he stood from his thinking spot and scooped the small child up in his arms, along with his modified nail gun.

Hector walked back into the house silently and gave the "moronic gladiators" a look that could petrifying medusa herself. It was well past the acceptable time to be making all that racket they were making earlier.

The large man set young Kypher down in his quarters quietly and just as quietly returned to the porch to continue his insomnia-fuelled queries.

shadowz1995​

 

[Maj]

​

The warmth came off the sickly woman in droves. Even standing a few feet away Andy could feel her fever. She was firm in her conviction that this woman wouldn’t live long, in fact she was surprised that Dixie was still drawing breath. The textured grip of the pistol was held so tightly in her hand that Andy could feel each of the plastic ridges leaving impressions in her palm. It shouldn’t be so hard, the redhead had put down more than her fair share of injured animals.

It was a mercy.

But that mantra didn’t make her hand shake any less when she raised the gun from her side. It was important that she aimed for the head, the whole purpose of killing this woman was to keep her from turning into a monster. Killing her by other means would negate that and she would have to shoot her twice. She wasn’t an expert in death, but in her experience shooting animals in the head was the quickest and most painless way to die. The last thing the girl wanted was for the poor woman to suffer further. Andy was a hunter, it shouldn’t be so hard. She had killed once before.

However, that had been in the heat of battle, with the hot barrel of a gun turned on Luca. Andy had acted on instinct, drawing her bow to save a life. She hadn’t had time to think about the repercussions, it hadn’t been a conscious decision.

‘But this is the right decision,’ the girl mentally chided herself. She had thought it through extensively before asking for the gun. The barrel shook as she held it over Dixie’s head. An idiot could kill someone at this distance. The pair were so close that Andy could smell Dixie’s sickness. The woman moaned, and her brown eyes fluttered open. Confusion and delirium consumed her face as Andy’s finger squeezed the trigger.

BANG

She had been prepared for it to be loud, enough guns had been shot around her in her lifetime for her to know what to expect. The hand that she had pressed against her left ear had done little to drone out the ringing that now slammed against the inside of her skull. What had surprised her, was the amount of recoil the small hand gun had. A mistake that had cost her greatly.

The shot had missed, pulled up at the last moment by the recoil of the gun. Andy had meant to shoot her directly between the eyes, but it didn’t appear to be the case. It was hard to see exactly what had happened, everything was covered in a gooey, red haze. The leftmost part of Dixie’s head was a mangled mess, flecks of skull speckled the wall of the RV behind her. She knew that head wounds bled a lot, but she had never seen one so deep before, exposed brain transferred ruby globs to the mattress below it, soaking it up like a dehydrated sponge. The worst part was that her brown eyes seemed to stare into Andy’s emerald ones, mouth agape as she tried to speak.

Dixie was still alive.

Andy’s hands shook so violently that she thought that she would drop the pistol to the floor. For a moment, she worried she might throw up. The smell of blood was so strong it made her stomach lurch up into her throat. Hot tears stung at the corners of her eyes, pooling but never dropping as the woman’s hand weakly reached out to her. Silently begging for help as rose colored saliva pooled between Dixie’s chapped lips.

So often had Andy witnessed a deer, staring back at her in the woods, frozen in fear as they watched her loose her bowstring. She knew that is how she looked now, fear glueing her in place as the voice inside her warring head pleaded with her to shoot again and end the agony the poor woman was enduring. Blood rolled down the woman’s clammy face from her nostrils as her body gave out, arm falling limp across the gore soaked mattress. Her brown eyes slowly fluttered shut as life left them, and Andy was alone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~​

October 26th 2019
The Lodge
5:00am

She woke hyperventilating, sitting straight up in bed with her hand to her chest trying to catch her breath. The darkness of her bedroom made it easy for Andy to realize that she was no longer in the RV. The blankets that had once been snuggled deeply under her chin, were now tossed back, revealing her shuttering form. It was the fourth night in a row that she had woken in this fashion, and it didn’t seem to be getting any easier. Andy got up from the bed carefully. In her experience, Luca seemed to be a relatively light sleeper. Still, she didn’t want to disrupt him, so she used her phone as a flashlight to dig through her underwear drawer, looking for stashed goodies to calm her nerves.

 

[Brax]

Having fallen asleep on his side, both of Luca’s eyes sleepily opened to hear a familiar sound with his back turned to his roommate. The man didn’t have an exaggerated response to offer her. Had it been the first night, chances were he would have been much more alarmed. In fact, at that time, he was. Now it was just repeated behavior. Letting out a small sigh, the Italian turned onto his back. His eyes navigated the darkness to make out Andy’s figure standing up from the bed and gathering some stuff from the drawer. He kept his mouth shut, though ignoring the issue wasn’t helping anything. In particular, Andy had not been the same since she went out on that hunting trip. Luca had become familiar with the details as to why, but he never had problems sleeping after a job well done.

He pushed himself off of mattress, turning and grabbing his pack of cigarettes from the counter top. His finger pressed against the light switch on the lamp on his night stand. It flickered a few times before turning on. Luca then placed a cigarette between his lips, depositing the pack onto the tabletop once more before standing up. Much like he had dressed the first night in the lodge, Luca had only been wearing a pair of shorts. He had no qualms about walking around this way, but fastening his rifle’s strap around his chest was adornment he would never abandon outside of his own room.

Luca grabbed the woman’s hand, pulling her from the nightstand and gesturing her to walk toward the bedroom door. While the man was frustrated, his continued ignorance of Andy’s mental state was doing him no favors. In fact, at this point, it was doing nothing more than hindering his sleep. The man’s pattern was fucked to high-hell enough without the girl’s help. If it was the last thing he did, Luca was going to escort that girl outside and talk to her about her demons. Mostly in hopes that it would lead to a full night’s sleep the next night.

She was caught off guard as the man’s hand latched around her own and pulled her along. Andy didn’t protest much, her hand was still shaking as he took it, and the remnants of sleep clung to her cognitive function. At least Andy had been able to snatch what she had been looking for out of her drawer before she was escorted out of her bedroom in nothing but a tank top and a pair of spandex shorts. The air outside was going to be cold, and had she known that she was going to be forcibly removed from her room, she would have thought to grab a blanket or the like, but this was not the case.

Slowly, Andy took her hand back as they exited the lodge and onto the porch. They found the dimly lit area to be deserted, those who were conducting the night watch, off guarding some other part of the property. Andy sat down on the porch swing, the old chains creaking as it moved under her weight. Bringing her legs up under her form, she looked up to Luca’s face.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.” She would apologize, but after four days of this she was sure that Luca was beyond tired of hearing it. Andy had previously attempted to sleep elsewhere, but found that the comfort of her bedroom seemed to yield the best results. The dark circles under her eyes were proof enough that she was sleeping far too little. Even naps seemed to be scarce and not come as easily as she would like.

“Too late, it’s already done.” He growled in response.

The woman shrugged, there was nothing she could do about it now. He was welcome to find another bedroom to hole up in, but had continued to sleep in hers. Andy didn’t mind however. There was comfort in having a body near in the event something went wrong, even if it was a comfort she wasn’t familiar with. Most of the time the people who shared her bed were there for only one reason and then she sent them on their way.

“Do you have a light?” The redhead asked, producing small baggie she had fished from her dresser, inside held the last of her pot stash from before the apocalypse. It wasn’t much, but she hoped it would be enough to calm her nerves and put her at ease. Andy gestured to the seat on the swing next to her, offering it to Luca.

“I’ll share.”

“I’m not interested.” Luca responded, bringing fire to the end of his cigarette before reaching out to light Andy’s joint. He placed the lighter back into his pocket. This was an old habit that Luca used to have. As a result of his lighters often being pocketed by others when sharing them in his youth, the Italian made it a habit to not let anyone touch his. Especially at a time where grabbing one wasn’t as easy as walking down to the store, it was important to have it available at all times.

Smoke billowed out of his nostrils as he looked down at the female, the expression on his face soft. A few minutes ago he was far more agitated, but seeing Andy in a fragile state of mind - as proven by her willingness to offer up an apology - made Luca not want to pursue the subject at hand with anger. It was more likely that walking her outside was going to prove fruitless, but offering some words of advice would at the very least show her that he was trying to help.

“You’re not in college anymore, Andrea. It was fine to sleep in late when it meant running over on time for a class, but not getting proper rest in the world we’re living in will prove fatal for you as well as everyone else who's back you’re supposed to cover. I can’t relate to you at the end of the day, the same night I took my first life I slept just fine. In the end, we have to do what we need to in order to survive. That woman was bitten. She was dead before you shot her, even if this is more about the fact that you missed your first.” He continued, taking another drag from his cigarette and continuing to speak despite his lungs being filled with smoke.

“Yes. I get it,” The woman snapped. “You are some harbinger of death, but I’m not.” She drew her legs up to her torso for warmth, wrapping her free arm around them. “This isn’t about killing her, I have no regrets about taking her life. I fucked up, Luca. I went in there riding some high horse and thinking I was more badass than I am and that woman suffered needlessly because of it.”

“You exchanged one life for many. You could have been minutes away from turning into a snack. This woman wasn’t going to go out painless either way. She was terminally ill, slowly losing. The pain that undoubtedly weighs on the psyche while enduring a slow death is undoubtedly much worse. I’d take a botched shot to the head over that any day of the week. If you don’t want to hurt the next person, don’t miss.”

“Then teach me.” The woman retorted, coming to her feet. “I’m not an idiot. It’s not like I’ve been walking around with blinders on for the last week and a half. You sit there and try to lecture me about how important sleep is or how the world is changing like I haven’t been with you every goddamn step of the way watching it fall apart. I know what is required to survive in this world or I wouldn’t have been in that RV to begin with. This isn’t the last time I’m going to be forced to point a gun at someone’s head. So maybe instead of wasting your time being nice to me, you teach me what the fuck to do next time it happens.” Andy stood close to the man, looking up into his eyes.

“Let’s start with a tip.” Luca, at about an inch away, kept his composure as Andy’s volatile nature took over. A small smile made its way across his visage as half-opened eyes moved from her own. They traced her skin down to her lips. “Next time your shot is off…” The Italian’s hands gently raised up, moving to caress both sides of the woman’s face. He moved in closer. The lower portion of his body pressed against her own. His head dipped slightly, moving his lips in close enough to her own so that he could feel the heat coming off of each breath she took.

“... Pull the trigger again.”

​

Then, the man let her go. There was only a few steps to take toward the door. As he opened it up and crossed halfway over the threshold, Luca looked back at the girl he had left standing on the porch with some parting words. “You’re not going to pick up a gun until you can get a full night’s sleep. I don’t give a fuck what you want.” Followed by a door shutting behind him.

 

[FireMaiden]

​

Location: The Jordan Lodge Back Porch
Interaction: Open
Mentioned/In The Area: Maj (Andy) BloodLightning27 (Shinoa) The Mad Queen (Jenna/Ralph) shadowz1995 (Hector) Rumble Fish (Colt) King Vioogra (Ivan)
It was time to talk to Colt. That little talk they had, that promise she had made, well, it was time to make good on it. The shaking in her hands was almost constant, every damn morning she had to go throw up and she could hardly keep any food down. And Leliana had to distance herself from a good number of the lodge's population the last few days in order to keep from snapping at them, and unwanted questions. Some people may catch on to what her issue was. Other people might think she's pregnant or worse, and Leliana really didn't want that. Ivan was helping her in her personal game of keep away, making good on his promise to teach her Russian (a lot of cuss words thank god). And her duties of monitoring Shiona and her daughter's health to make sure there were no sudden changes was a true blessing in disguise. However, because of this, she hadn't been able to talk to either Ralph or Hector about Cletus' wife. She knew Andy wouldn't, either not being able to, or the woman would be able to explain what they saw well enough. It was nothing against her, truly, but she hadn't been looking too well the last few days, and Leliana was getting worried. And then Colt couldn't. She didn't see the condition the woman was in, so even if she was willing, it wouldn't matter. So, Leliana once again found herself sitting on the back porch going over that paper with her notes.

It's not like she had anything else to do right now. Five o clock in the goddamned morning and she was so nauseous she couldn't even lay down without choking. The chill of the early morning air was helping, and with the wall behind her, she could ignore the few voices she heard inside. The small porch felt like one of the safest places there on the lodge grounds, it was odd. She wasn't unarmed, her pistol and her bat sat beside her, and Leliana was sure someone was still patrolling though she didn't know where. Maybe it was the relative solitude? That, despite everything, nobody actually came back there? Or maybe it was the fact it almost reminded her of back home? Before they moved, her mother would take her to parties and not many of the adults had kids. So she'd sit outside while they hung out, listening to the bugs or music from the neighbor's parties until it was time to come inside. Here in Colorado, she could still do that, but...it never really felt the same. It just didn't feel safe.

Leliana didn't know how to explain the logic, not even to herself, but there was no need to. As her eyes lazily drifted, now through the darkened tree line instead of her notes, she sighed. She was tired, knowing her sleep, like many others, was not where it should be. It was her own fault, however, and if she had told someone of her needs she most likely wouldn't be in this state. Leliana was not the only drug dependent resident of the lodge, she was fully aware of this, but...everyone else's needs came before her's. That's how's its always been, and there was no reason it was going to change now. Leliana could handle a few more days and by then, the withdrawal should be completely out of her system. The downside of that, however, is that she would then have to deal with what happens when she's not using her Zoloft.

 

[The Mad Queen]

Doctor Ralph Fisher: The Lodge​

It was five am, according to Ralph's watch. He removed it from his wrist and gently caressed it, reading the writing on the back.
I love you
without knowing how
why
or even from where
07/22/06

Clutching the watch close to his chest, Ralph stared at the wall for a few minutes. After it was clear that he wouldn't be getting back to sleep he stood up and went to the bathroom where he brushed his teeth and washed himself at the sink. Despite the situation he found himself in, Fisher wasn't about to throw basic hygiene to the wind. Even if he hadn't had the chance to see her yet, there was a newborn at the lodge after all. A newborn born at the house in the middle of the woods instead of a sterilised hospital room. Bacteria would be everywhere.

Throwing his clothes back on and straightening his tie, Ralph made his way downstairs, fixing his watch as he went.

The smell of bunt coffee lingered, but he brushed it off. Someone had colossally messed up when making coffee, but given the number of people at the lodge combined with stress it was possible. With a shrug, and seeing that he was alone in the kitchen he removed his sidearm and did another count of the bullets. He hadn't fired a single shot since the attack on the lodge a few days ago, and he was grateful for it. With his bullet count done for the morning, he opened the door into the pantree to do a quick count of their supplies.

Lying on the floor in a sleeping bag was Jenna, her purple hair covering a pillow and one of her arms wrapped around the German Shepard. At first he thought the woman was snoring, but it turned out to be the dog. How she managed to sleep despite having fur-covered noise machine lying next to her was something Fisher just shook his head at.
As he gently went to close the door, the dog glanced up at him and wagged her tail slightly at the sight of company.
"Good dog." He whispered "Go back to sleep."
Like the animal would be able to understand him.

Counting their supplies could wait for a few more hours, as he wasn't going to wake Jenna up, but Fisher could at the very least make himself useful elsewhere. Gently closing the door to the pantree, he made his way outside to take watch. The cold air caressed his face at first, filling his nostrils and wiping away the smell of burnt coffee that still filled the kitchen.

He let out a sigh as he took it in, looking out at the blanket of white that covered the grounds. In other circumstances, this could have made for a romantic getaway. A lodge out in the woods, cut off from the distractions of the modern world. Cut off from the war. He and June could just be by themselves, even for a few days while Sarah stayed with his parents on in-laws.

He pictured June and himself wrapped up by a roaring fire, saying very little and his usual smile returned.

This did not last long, as the good doctor was snapped back to reality by seeing the makeshift crucifix atop Rogue's grave. Gently shaking his head he made his way across the porch, and noticed Leliana sitting by herself. She must have been exhausted, given the delivery so he was prepared to just leave her by herself to catch a well needed break.

That was until he noticed the shaking. With his mind elsewhere for a few moments, he'd missed it at first but behind his brown eyes were years of experience, looking for small details. In notes, in the environment and in people. There were a few things he could attribute to the shaking, but he wasn't prepared to jump to conclusions just yet. If it was the cold, and the cold alone why would the young woman sit outside? If she wasn't on watch, why endure the cold?

He slowly approached.
"Good morning." He wore his smile this time, in an attempt to hide the concern behind his brown eyes "How are you feeling?"

Interactions: FireMaiden (Leli)
Nearby: Maj (Andy)
Mentioned: BloodLightning27 (Shiona), Jenna (me)

 

[Brax]

October 26th
6:00 AM​

A lighter flicked, producing flame to the end of a cigarette which resulted in a deep drag. As he exhaled smoke from his nostrils the Italian kept his mouth shut. It had been a while since the two spoke. This sit-down was a long time coming. The two hadn’t had one passing of words since before Luca left with Andy to retrieve Owen. Since then, a plethora of new people had joined their group. With each day’s disorganization came the realization that in order to properly accommodate everyone’s needs, Luca couldn’t handle all of the decisions on his own. Colt was put into place well before the influx of new survivors. However, the two hadn’t discussed what their plans for the future were. Luca silently scribbled various words in a list onto the pad he had used to draw up his initial rough sketch of the addition to the lodge. Then, after a minute of silence, he plopped the pad down onto the table. The pen followed suit.

“In the coming days.” Luca began, an open palm lying on top of both items and sliding it over to her side of the table. “We are going to finish building the barracks so people will stop sleeping on the floor. Then, we’ll move on to establishing a perimeter around the grounds. While we work on fencing ourselves in, a group will go out to get mattresses. In addition to that, Ivan mentioned a plan about setting up an alarm system that wouldn’t trigger zombies. The group that grabs the extra beds will be sure to procure the proponents necessary for this. Considering it was his idea, he’ll be present in this group. When they get back, we’ll set the beds up in the barracks and get the alarm system up. I also thought about plumbing.” The man mentioned, removing the cigarette from his lips and exhaling a small amount of smoke into a cup of coffee which had been carefully lifted to his lips by the opposite hand. He assumed that Colt would think it would be rather odd for him to be thinking of such things, but the Italian couldn’t help it. Given his past occupations, things necessary to build into a house in order to get them to sell were always brought into consideration. Old habits die hard.

“I worked for a general contractor, some time ago. Helped build a whole neighborhood of houses.” He interjected, while lifting his hand and motioning it in circles. It was as if he was trying to speed up his own bullshit by gesturing.

“What do you think? Ivan will pick up a portable bathroom while he’s out or I can install plumbing. The thing is, we don’t know when the water supply is goin’ kaput. Adding plumbing is going to take some time and require manpower we could use elsewhere. If we decide to get a portable bathroom while our men are out on their run, chances are pretty low that they will find an unused one. That’s not to say they won’t find one that’s in decent shape, but it’s obviously the less sanitary option. It’ll require cleaning which I'm sure no one is going to want to do. Is there a way to clean years and years of people’s asscheek germs off of plastic? Will they be able to securely transport it alongside the mattresses? No matter what, they run the risk of that shit spilling over and ruining them. We don’t know if they’ll have time to clean it out beforehand.” He placed the cup of coffee back down onto the table.

“Sounds doable. Dunno how long we can stay ‘ere but might as well do what we can.” she blinked a few times as she spoke, “But about the portable toilet?” The woman frowned a little as she thought. Leaving for something that big, as well as mattresses would be a huge undertaking. And with the collapse of the city along with the hazmats and Things roaming the streets, it was not just them they would have to worry about. People would be desperate by now. To say Colt had expected Luca to approach her on the porch at this time in the morning was less than an understatement. She had been preparing herself for the inevitable conversation regarding the lodge and its future. But six am? The veteran had sat, breathing deeply and slowly in a vague attempt to settle her racing heart-beat both from her turbulent thoughts to the alcohol running through her veins. The woman was still lucid, she had to be.

“All it would take is a trailer hitch to the back of the van.” He remarked. Everyone at the lodge knew that it was only a matter of time until the group had to venture out for a new place to live. However, the idea of the addition was to serve as a buffer until that point came. As far as he understood it, for the time being, the lodge had proven to be extremely useful in multiple ways. Its location was secluded, but it wasn’t far from town. They had minimal issues with wandering zombies. Other survivors that had found them were stragglers, not part of other groups. The less they exposed themselves to others, the better off they were. Especially considering the large majority of the lodge’s residents did not know how to shoot.

“Hmm…” She hummed thoughtfully, her nostrils fluttering from a smokey exhale, “It’s bin a week. Lotsa folk’ll be runnin’ ‘round with the same plans as us. I’ve seen it before.” her face momentarily blanked in the cig’s orange glow, as if hitting a mental block and her facial motors to follow suit. After a few moments, the woman’s expression relaxed, “Don’t take much fur folks to be actin’ undone. At this point it’s an arms race.” she huffed with another glance away before looking back to the man.

“It was an arms race well before people started reanimating. What’s the verdict, woman?”

Colt took a long drag from her own cigarette, the burning end illuminating her scarred face and dark eyes as she considered Luca’s words, the only sound escaping her was the drumming of her fingers against the metallic flask sat on the table. As he slid over his note-pad, the woman picked it up, her eyes running back and forth like viewing an intense tennis match as the Italian spoke. After finishing, she sighed and leaned back in her seat, arms dropped and eyes looking elsewhere in thought. The plans made sense. She had no problems with the plans, everything the man had said could potentially work, but there were still concerns that Colt had to express.

“We can’t be too choosy. As much as I hated usin’ them port-a-dumps or whatever the fuck they’re called, if it’s what we gotta do, we gotta do it. So yes.” she sighed quietly in thought, “There’s a buildin’ site next t’my apartment. Chances are that’s our best option to look. Place was left for about a month, so there could be some tools n’ shit we could use. Can look ‘round the flats too, see if mattresses are still there.”

“I agree with you, so that’s what the supply group will do. There’s a few of the lot that can take care of themselves, we should make use of them since others are still training. We’ll send Ivan because he can shoot. Brian as well. Cletus can handle a gun and he’s the type of guy who is down for a firefight, so he’s a given. There might be others who want to go with them. We can give them the option to, but I think those three are best suited to handle combat situations outside of you and myself. With some luck, they won’t bring back any other people. Every time a fucking group of people goes out for anything, our numbers grow. I don’t mind it, but we don’t have the accommodations set up for any extra bodies right now.”

“Will need to make that blatant. Ivan’s a good shot but… that boy,” Colt frowned a little in thought, “That boy has almost gotten myself and Owen killed and I won't even mention the school. Still, he's our best chance. And yer right ‘bout the others.”

"It's up to people to protect themselves. Relying on anyone else wholeheartedly is a great way to write a check your ass can't cash."

At this point Colt’s fingers were still drumming against her flask, her eyes averted. She still could not get what he had said to her in their last conversation, days ago out of her head. It had been festering and her nerves were coming clearly through her tics. The woman sighed deeply to maintain herself. It had been boiling in her for days and at this point, she just could not keep it that way. Somebody would end up shot if she did. With a sigh, she looked out to the darkened woods where the snowflakes softly fell silently. There was a pause in conversation.

“Why are ya even askin’ me? I thought I was some pathetic swine.” She grumbled darkly before taking another drag of her cigarette. “Guess y’thought ya’d come back to the place in smithereens, hm? Yer lucky I even led, after sayin’ that shit in front of the same folks ya expected me to protect! At least the rest of this fucking lodge ain't full of more of ya-!”

“Listen, you talk a big game but i'm not a moron. People around here might fall for your bark, but I know full well that despite what you say you wouldn't leave these people to their own machinations. Regardless, I had a brief conversation with Ralph.” Luca interjected once more as he brought his cigarette back up to his lips. “I don’t think he knows that I was involved with the Mafia, but he seemed to mirror my sentiments. Before the middle school massacre, I led 30 men. Blood-hungry men, who required leadership with a stronger personality than themselves to properly take orders and get things done. They were soldiers. When I came into this lodge initially, I believed it to be the same. I've been treating everyone here like I did my men. My hard head has always gotten results, regardless of how cruel the methods. I spoke down to you and came home to a lodge fully intact. Would it have been the same case either way? Probably, but your consistent habit of drinking, even when the time doesn't permit it bothered me and it still does. Ralph said without you, it was most likely that the group wouldn’t have survived. I believe it. Regardless of what comes out of your mouth, you have something that I don’t. Empathy is a powerful tool, useful enough to move people and inspire them. I’m not an empathetic person, I don’t care about most people as far as I can use them. You will always rise to help out people in worse positions than you. It was something you displayed despite your demeanor at the middle school, and you’ve continued to do so up until now. I’m rarely wrong, but I know i’m not wrong about you.” Luca continued. He hoped that she would take this rare moment of consideration and honesty to heart because it didn't make him feel any better having to explain it.

“You’re not swine, but by speaking down to you I bet I lit a fire under your ass. The last thing I want to see is someone who is a beacon of respect be looked down upon because they’re walking wobbly after a hangover. Even a few days later, you’re not the same person you were then. That or I haven’t been paying attention to you. Either way, there’s almost thirty people here now and you relate to them best. You get things done. I’m in the same boat as everyone else - trying to figure out how to navigate. Without someone to act as a buffer between me and the people in this lodge, my orders will never be as effective as they should be. That is why I put pressure on you. If you don't like it, i'll let you fall back into line with the rest of the useless ones we have been cradling. But even if I did that, you wouldn't be able to help yourself. You're not sitting here for me. You just understand that I call the shots and there's nothing you can do about it.”

Colt remained quiet as the man cut her off and just listened as he explained himself. The veteran sighed heavily as he told her his reasoning for berating her in public like that. Even with his reasoning, the woman frowned deeply and glanced at the floor. Despite it all, the woman still had more on her chest. What he said made sense. However, the veteran still could not shake off that wish for closure. He got his result, but at the expense of her dignity and whatever dwindling respect she had for herself. Unlike what felt like years ago, nobody came to her aid. There were no words of encouragement or any kind of assurance. She would do the same for them. But what could she expect from a group of civilians? Without that comradery; what was there to hold onto?

“I've been in Afghanistan for eight years. And I've seen and done shit I wanna forget. I've bin berated by anyone and everyone, even after retiring. So when y’said that, in front of civilians who don’t know me, and nobody said nothing; it just hurt.” She glared at him, furious at being exposed like this even with nobody watching, “And it hurt that y’never approached me again and never apologised… and you still won’t.” She grumbled the last part slowly and quietly, knowing if she continued, she'd break. Unscrewing the cap, she poured the flasks contents into her coffee and took a long sip from it.

​

“Even if I apologized now, it wouldn’t change anything.”

“Maybe not to you… ” the woman drank more of her ethanol-laden coffee, knowing whatever she said next wouldn't matter. There was no getting through to him about this. Her mind started to fester once again, seemed how she felt or thought didn't matter to anybody. It seemed that while she had to be in everyone else’s, her own corner lay empty. Once the coffee was done, she turned back to her flask. Expecting any of these people to understand was futile. Why should she try to reach out to any of them? The closest she would get would be with Ivan, being a military man himself but that was it. She honestly did not know if that was even true. Colt sighed and diverted her gaze back to the trees.

Featuring: Rumble Fish / Mentioned: The Mad Queen

 

[Maj]

The following is a Collab between Maj Rumble Fish and Brax
​

Andy had spent most of her morning in her room. Unable to go back to sleep the girl had busied herself with her sketchpad. The last few days she had avoided coffee, the headaches had almost been enough to make her cave, but she knew that with as little as she had been sleeping, the caffeine wouldn’t help her catch up. However, day four had been her breaking point. She was exhausted and the daylight fluttering through her bedroom window made it impossible to fall back asleep. So now dressed and with a hot steaming cup of coffee in her hands, she made her way out onto the porch to enjoy the sunrise.

She paused briefly at the sight of Luca, before coming to sit with the pair. If she was being honest, she had been avoiding him since their interaction that morning. It was clear that his actions were only to get a rise out of her, the more annoying part of it was that it had worked. Andy was used to being the instigator of these particular kinds of encounters, and Luca had caught her off guard. It wasn’t a feeling she was used to.

Colt had contemplated just going to her room when Andy had walked out, most likely hearing their conversation. The woman’s eyes followed her as she joined them at the table. “Mornin’.” As the door leading to the back porch creaked open, Luca looked up from the muddy waters contained in his mug to see that Andy had walked outside. He looked at her briefly. The right corner of his mouth slowly rose up to a smirk as he looked back down at his cup. His index and middle fingers wrapped around the side of the cup, the handle resting around his knuckles as he took one final sip of his coffee.

It was clear to her that Luca and Colt had been making plans so the timing was good on her part. Andy had a few things she wanted to bring to the table as well. Luca and Colt were both decent leaders, they definitely knew more about combat than she did, but there were always things that they wouldn’t think about.

“If you are about to send off another supply group we should think about trying to grab some glass panes. The canned goods we’ve collected won’t last forever and we won't survive on meat alone. We have a few people here that seem to have some experience with farming and while it’s winter right now if we were able to construct a small greenhouse behind the property I think we could grow some of the hardier plants. Gasoline is another resource we need to look into, the generator outside has been running fine since we decided to restrict usage of the electricity. However if we run out of Gasoline it will shut down and the meat we’ve been able to store up will inevitably rot.” She hadn’t heard their earlier conversation so she wasn’t sure what sort of things they had been speaking about but it felt like they were always planning their next supply run.

One hand placed the cup down as the other grabbed the notepad and pen. Luca moved both items back to his part of the table before placing the filter of the cigarette back into his mouth. The ash had grown rather long, with Luca obviously overlooking the fact that he should have tapped it off long ago. He picked up the pen with his right hand and began adding to the list based on what Andy had suggested. She was right, anything that would help the group sustain with minimal effort would be in their best interest. Tending to crops was certainly easier than traversing the streets of Aurora. Gas was imperative as well, something Luca had overlooked initially. Electricity was a necessity; the longer they kept it running, the better off the group would be.

“Also I think we should send Leli out with them. If there are enough people to protect her she will be fine, but as she is the one who knows the most about the newborn child we now I have, I think it would behoove us to let her go and make sure the correct supplies are gathered. We have some items for her, but not everything.” Andy took a long sip out of her coffee and sighed happily, the bitter beverage was a soothing treat.

She grunted after Andy began speaking, expressing her own ideas and concerns. The woman turned back to her flask and sipped from it as she contemplated what the red-head had said. “A greenhouse is a big ask. But we can’t, again, be too choosy. It might be more than one trip to get everything we need.” she mused, “I dunno how long we can even stay here. But we might as well do what we can while we’re here.” Colt sighed deeply before something else assaulted her mind.

“If I can divert.” She coughed, “That… fuckin’ Jimmy Neutron kid? I don’ like ‘im. Wittering on ‘bout fuckin’ explosives and messin’ with stuff.” She frowned with an eye devert, “Fuckin’ rude little mite as well. It just ain’t right, and I dunno how ya’ll feel about it but it’s just a concern of mine. Don’t want the place goin’ up in smoke.”

Colt inhaled deeply with another long drink from the flask, “Sorry, lil rant there. Yes, a greenhouse would be mighty useful. Christ alive. A fence, barracks, a greenhouse… Michael’s gonna look like fuckin Ivan Drago by the end of this shit.”

“He’s a child,” Andy said, attempting to not sound as condescending as she felt. “Take the explosives away.” It didn’t matter if the child was a genius or not, no one should be waltzing around the property with explosives without a good reason. The redhead took a breath, sipping the hot beverage from her cup before pulling her legs up under herself in the chair. "Put them up someplace high where his stubby little legs can't reach them."

“I don’t want Michael anywhere near fragile glass, you saw what he almost did to Ivan on the couch. His clumsiness is fine when he’s not dealing with important and breakable resources.” The hour since waking and the coffee were both doing Andy some good. She was starting to feel the cognitive fog from the sleep deprivation fade.

“Until we have plans to move, we should start setting this place up so that we can limit our supply runs as much as possible. Owen said last time he went out that he noticed a lot more soldiers in the streets. Whoever we send on this run needs to be capable and prepared.” She had tried to keep Owen from going on runs, on top of his wounds from Luca’s brawl still healing, she didn’t trust him to make rational decisions. The pair had barely spoken since their fight, despite her brother’s various attempts to check on her.

“If we keep sending people out to risk their lives, it’s only going to be a matter of time before some of them don’t come back.”

“All right.” Luca placed his hand on the table and stood up, looking between the two girls.

“Figure out who you want to go on the run. Refine the list so it’s reasonable and send them off before noon. Anyone who isn’t working on building the barracks should be working on the fence. You know what your job is today, ladies. I don’t want people doing anything else unless they absolutely have to. Get to it.” The man said, turning from the two females and flicking his cigarette off into the distance. He walked away from the two, taking the stairs to make his way to the shed.

Hyped_Taco Kloudy

 

[FireMaiden]

This is a collab between FireMaiden & The Mad Queen
​

At first, when she heard the door open and someone come out, Leliana didn't look. It didn't matter who it was, she didn't own the back porch, and she certainly knew complete solitude was a luxury that nobody could afford anymore. However, after a few moments, she glanced to see who had joined her. It was Ralph, which meant this was the perfect opportunity to finally talk to him about what she needed to. Despite the fact he had just asked how she was feeling. She shrugged, "I'm okay, I guess. Is anyone though really?" She said with a chuckle, shifting slightly to look up at him, "The world has gone to shit, our families are gone, and the situation here is just kinda...well, it's not ideal." Food was once again a big issue, and so morale was taking a hit. If not for the hunting trip four days ago, they would be in serious trouble. Medical supplies being at the level they were was a small help, but the pressure of everything else kind of overshadowed it. "I've actually been meaning to talk to you for a few days now, but I've never gotten the chance. Now's as good a time as any yeah? Unless you have something else to do?"

"I suppose." As far as he was aware, his own family was safe and sound. He had that luxury from not being a native, unlike the majority of the lodge. It had started in Aurora, but how long before it made it's way to New York? It was airborne and seemingly unstoppable.
He glanced out across the sheet surrounding the grounds once more "Sure. I don't have any plans right now." He gave her his usual smile, leaning with his back against the wall of the lodge.

Leliana cocked an eyebrow, almost questioning what he means by that, but she decided against it. The girl stood from her spot on the floor, notes in hand, moving only slightly closer to him so she could have the piece of paper to him. "While me, Andy, and Colt were out hunting, we ran into Cletus. His wife had gotten bit by one of the dead, and she...she was turning while she was still alive." Leliana paused, pointing to the paper, "I wrote everything down once we got back. She was septic without any organ getting punctured, her heart rate was so fast I could barely register it, her fever was well above 105, but I couldn't tell how much. Ralph, it was horrific, but it got me thinking. If she was turning after getting bit, while she's still alive, then the being bit is just a trigger. So is dying. The hazmat suits began to make sense because unless they are reinforced, they don't do shit against actual physical danger. They protect against airborne shit, blood contamination, bodily fluids. They're protecting themselves from getting infected in the way the citizens of Aurora already were." Her voice was slightly rushed like she was scared someone else was going to hear her, and that was a genuine fear, she didn't want to scare anyone. But it made so much sense. "I mean, why else would they wear those damned things? They're bright fucking yellow and you have no peripheral vision."

Needless to say, Ralph's smile dropped as she explained her findings, turning from a frown into a look of horror. Slowly but surely, he was sitting on the porch himself by the time she was done. "I thought as much." He ran a hand down his face, his voice soft and shaken "In the first day, I came across three of those hazmat soldiers in the police station. They were about to kill me, but..." He had to pause as his voice became more shaken "I saw one of those things behind them. So I talked and talked. Buying myself some time." He turned away, his brown eyes heavy with guilt. "I didn't expect it to happen. The host bit into one of the soldiers, and then his superior killed him. Shot the boy right in front of me."

"I think they obviously knew what was going on long before they got here, which means this has either happened before, or there is a lot more going on than what we can see, " Leliana told him, stepping back to lean on the railing. Once again, she cocked an eyebrow when he mentioned it was evolving. "Wouldn't that mean it was already an advanced parasite or virus before we were exposed to it? I can only think of a few naturally occurring illnesses like this, one that affects ants, and another that affects deer, but neither have cause humans issued in the past. Maybe...maybe someone was trying to weaponize it? It evolved in nature and nobody was aware yet?" She questioned, brows furrowing slightly. "Maybe the Hazzies think they're doing the right thing. If they stop the virus here, they could keep it from spreading outside the city limits, and the barricade they've set up. Though I can think of a million better ways to kill a virus faster than this...though maybe whoever they're working for wants to save it?"

"Ophiocordyceps unilateralis." Ralph said with a deep sigh "Some people call it cordyceps for short, but that's not entirely accurate. It's a genius that includes about four hundred species, that we know of. At least. The CDC was never really afraid of that one, but Chronic Wasting Disease..." He shook his head, letting out a breath "That's something that worried us. It could cross to squirrels, monkeys, and mice in a lab so...It was only a few small jumps away on the species barrier from humans. But, CWD wouldn't act like this. Having hosts turn cannibalistic and aggressive? Sure, it made the animals less frightened of humans but this is something else. Unless. Unless you're right. I've had the theory myself, that the reason those soldiers were on the scene so quickly to cover things up was that something goes out. A hybrid between CWD and something else. The US has been aware of it since the late sixties."

He thought about what he'd found in Rogue's brain. With parts of it decaying, it seemed similar to how CWD made holes in the head of the deer, changing their behavior. To change a sweet young woman into a bloodthirsty monster intent on devouring everything in her path, it seemed impossible but Ralph used to think that dead humans rising was impossible as well
"A chemical weapon leak, that would be my guess. That's why the CDC was collateral."
He let out a light chuckle "My team was thrown under the bus just to add to their narrative."

Leliana nodded, making note of the very scientific name she was not going to be able to pronounce this early in the morning, simply listening to Ralph. "The military being involved wouldn't be too far a stretch, there are a few bases here in Aurora. Five I think, but I've seen a suspicious lack of military personnel, other than Ivan and Colt. But those two are vets, and I doubt involved in any way." Of course, there was also Brian, but Leliana had reluctantly promised not to tell anyone that he was a goddamned CIA agent, and if he had told anyone else, she wasn't sure. "I could be a leak from the manufacturer or the armory, but I feel like the reaction would be different. I want to get Hector involved, he has a good amount of medical knowledge and may be able to also give some insight." She was also aware that he had been practicing medicine much longer than she had been alive, and so that could be very useful. "Bringing the CDC in, they could have either just been using you as part of the story, or, they could have been planning on trying to pull you over to their side if you survived long enough. Observing you, while also using your brains to make up for whoever they may lose. It's something I would have done." The girl shifted slightly, her face twisting slightly in discomfort as she was hit with another harsh was of nausea that didn't quickly pass. "I have to wonder how many of them are actually left."

He raised an eyebrow as he listened in. She was right if this was just a leak they'd prepared for the reaction would have been a lot more different. The CDC wouldn't have just been collateral for one thing, why waste people who're jobs it was to keep the country safe from such an outbreak? Unless of course, this had been planned from the beginning. It was one of his initial theories, something he'd tried to get out of the soldiers back at the police station.
Like everything else though, it had been shot down.

Despite her young look, the woman clearly knew what she was talking about. Between himself, Hector and now Leliana they might just be able to figure this thing out together. That was if they had any of the resources to do so. He was about to add something when he noticed her face twist. It was subtle but enough to gain his attention. Between that and the hands, he knew something was off. "Are you okay?" He asked once more

She was going to deny again since there was no reason for anyone to worry about her, but she couldn't. Leliana sighed, "No, not really. At the moment I feel really sick, my hands keep shaking and I'm one dumb comment away from snapping at anyone, but there's nothing I can do about. I don't wanna talk about the why or how, alright?" She said, giving him a flash of a smile, almost a pleading one. "I'd prefer if nobody really knew that I'm like this right now, though, it's not a problem, it's not getting in the way of anything, and I've already promised someone that if it did, I'd talk to them. And if I don't, she'll drag me out my by ears and beat me, so, please Ralph, don't worry." She gave him another quick smile, pushing herself off the railing back to her original spot to grab her pistol and her bat. They had been talking for a while now, and now some of her shaking was shivering. "I'm gonna head back inside now, don't lose those notes, okay? Show them to Hector at some point please." With that, Leliana quietly snuck back inside the lodge, her form heading upstairs.

Ralph was left on the porch as the young woman made her way back inside, he didn't say anything but instead gave an understanding nod and let her walk. If he pursued, he'd probably only make things worse but given her symptoms, he'd at least have to keep an eye out. If she started vomiting, it could be a nasty case of morning sickness but given that, at least from what Ralph gathered Leliana had been talking about Colt it didn't seem like the veteran to beat up pregnant women.

No, it had to be something else. As he sat there, gathering up the notes he continued to process things in his mind. If it was an actual physical illness, one that could spread she wouldn't have handled the delivery alone. Shaking, nausea and fatigue that led to a sour mood. It could have been withdrawal. The real question was, from what? That would have to wait. As much as he wanted to help, it wasn't his place. Still sitting on the porch he began to copy down her notes, adding them to one of his copies. He'd have to get more paper soon.

Mentioned: shadowz1995 (Hector) BloodLightning27 (Brian) Rumble Fish (Colt)​

 

[The Mad Queen]

Jenna O'Connor: The Lodge​

After the coffee incident, Jenna had spent the past few days keeping herself busy. Being cooked up with anyone, let alone idiots was going to lead to her saying something stupid to the wrong person, so outside of Colt she'd mostly kept to herself. Using a few boxes she found in the pantree, she had made a makeshift chicken coop on the first day. There was no hay to speak of, so a small blanket would have to do for the flightless birds.
She kept them fed and out of harm's way.
Wake up, let Cammy out to do her business before taking a quick wash in the bathroom, and going through her vocal routine in the mirror.
"Ragnarok. Richards. Darkseid. Dog. Devil. Darlings."
Nothing on the first day. Could these hens even lay eggs?

After giving them some feed and cleaning up the mess they'd made the night before, she marked a small line on a sticky note.
"It's okay, girls. We'll just try again tomorrow."

In the afternoon she took to outside, collecting and chopping wood. She didn't follow the instructions for the new barracks, instead sticking to just chopping and laying some longer pieces of wood in her own pile behind a tree.
The evening was spent with Colt, if the veteran had time at least.

"Ragnarok. Richards. Darkseid. Dog. Devil. Darlings."
No eggs on the second day. Jenna glared at the hens while she fed them "I don't know if you can understand me, but I'm begging you to please lay something. We're a bit screwed otherwise."
The pile grew ever larger and it was difficult to place Jenna in the afternoon. If asked she said she was keeping watch deeper in the forest for any sign of activity. Cammy had followed, given her strong scent. In the evening she set to work once more, but this time there was no shooting lesson. Instead, she was outside and claimed to be on watch once more as she couldn't sleep. In truth, she was setting herself to work doing something else and went to bed in the early hours of the morning, Cammy by her side once more.

With a heavy sigh she awakened, and checked the eggs and her tired blue eyes, no longer hidden behind makeup brightened up like a summer's day. Each and every single hen had laid an egg, with one in particular being quite huge.
She looked at the larger hen, the culprit of the giant egg and smiled.
"Oh, darling. Your arse must look like a yawning hippo."

She cleaned their makeshift coup with pride, stocked the eggs in the pantree with the rest of the food, making a mark on the sticky note. She skipped the bathroom that morning and instead walked through the snow with her head held high, making her way behind the tree where her private pile lay. Each, long stick had the end of it sharpened using a knife. Going between her private pile and working the sticks into pikes and then chopping up more wood for the barracks took up most of the afternoon.

That evening, she set to work. Each stick was driven into the ground with a hammer around the lodge. She took great care not to cause a racket, less she incur the wrath of someone within. Come midnight, the front and back of the lodge each had two lines of pikes protecting it on either side of a path leading to the door. The hazmat Fascists could easily just go around it or take the path, but she hadn't designed it for them.

They were for the dead. If they were too stupid, they would march right into a pike and hopefully get stuck. If they were smarter, and took the path they would be forced into a bottleneck where the inhabitants of the lodge could gun them down before they got too close. With the final pike driven into place, Jenna took a step back, sat on a tree stump and admired her work.

She smiled. For a few seconds at least, until she caught Cammy having a wee right next to one. She just glared at the dog, and chuckled to herself before heading back inside, Cammy following.
"These are a few sticks you can't pick up, girl. Remember that." She muttered, her eyes heavy and her voice trailing off. It was hard work, but at the very least she'd helped to keep her temporary home safe.

Heading to the pantree, she checked on the chickens once more and curled up in her sleeping bag. Like every night that came before, Cammy was there with her. One egg that morning, which she stashed with the others.
"Ragnarok. Richards. Darkseid. Dog. Devil. Darlings." She rested a hand against her throat, staring into the mirror as she spoke to herself, as she did almost every morning. After a quick wash, she headed into the kitchen and managed to miss Luca by a few seconds.

"Good morning." She called onto the porch, practically singing as she made herself coffee. Thank God there was some more in the pantree, or Nile and Cletus would be dead men by now. Doing a ballerina twirl, Jenna made her way over the table outside and sat down, one leg crossed over the other "Can I interest either of you girls in some eggs?" She asked "Fried, scrambled, soft boiled, hard boiled. How do you take 'em? One of my girls laid one that would probably do two people. Or one Michael."

She took one swig of the coffee and was practically glowing.

Interactions: Maj (Andy) Rumble Fish (Colt)
Mentioned: Brax (Luca), Togy (Nile), Hyped_Taco (Cletus/Michael)

 

[Brax]

It had been four days since the barracks had begun being built. In that amount of time, the small group of people who had been working on it had gotten quite a bit done. Thanks to the hard work of everyone included, there was an architectural model that was redrawn with far more realistic specifications. Luca was quite fine in providing manpower for the project but he was certainly not knowledgeable enough to lead it, something that he was happy to pass onto Nile given his displayed experience.

A foot raised up to the wooden shed's door to nudge it open. Luca walked inside, taking a few steps toward his target. That fucking woodcutter had cost the group a short day of work previously and there was no way anyone was getting to work with it still malfunctioning. There was still a half-cut block of wood on the damn table. Kneeling, the Italian reached around the back to turn the machine on. It sounded normal upon start-up. The man stood up to his feet, thinking that the moron who had reported it broken otherwise must have been mistaken. When Luca positioned the wood to be cut, the blade stalled against the bark.

He raised an eyebrow and moved the wood aside, taking a step back from the woodcutter before kneeling around the back to flick the switch of the machine off once more. Then Luca moved to open up the toolbox to grab a small multitool and a screwdriver. While the multitool had a screwdriver built into it, the man preferred to have a larger grip for better leverage. After unscrewing a few screws from the machine and allowing the metal side to fall off, it was easy to see that a large piece of wood had wedged itself between the blade and a small lip underneath the table.

Trudging across the snow with two little logs tucked in his arms, Nile headed for the woodcutter. After having successfully cut down another tree with an effing claw hammer because no one would tell him where a goddamn axe was, he began heading to the shed to get these things cut into planks for the flooring.

Opening the shed door, he saw Lucas or something crouched down next to the woodcutter. “Sup Luke. Some dipshit mess with the machine?” Nile asked as he set the logs down on the table and leaned against it, waiting for him to finish up.

​

“It’s Luca.” The man absentmindedly responded, not bothering to look back at Nile as he reached his hand into the woodcutter with the multitool and began poking at the piece of bark that was stuck. At first, he only broke a small portion of it off, which made it a little bit more difficult. After some fiddling he was finally able to remove the piece entirely before screwing the faceplate back up. About two minutes had passed, in which there had been a pause in dialogue between the two until Luca finally got back up to his feet and turned around.

“The barracks have been coming along nicely. The foundation is laid and the walls are up. All we have to do is sheetrock. We’ve got Hector’s lab segmented from the general populous inside also, which for some reason took half a day but it’s done. Next is the roof…” The Italian absentmindedly peered over to the wall of the shed. All three axes were lying there, untouched. As he stared at the axes, he came to the realization that the psychopath in front of him hadn’t been collecting wood using one of them. He slowly turned his head back toward Nile, an unenthused look dripping from each and every orifice that could give the slightest hint of emotion.

“How the hell did you get that wood? We didn’t leave any piles out yesterday.” The man asked, instinctively looking down at both of his hands to see if there was evidence of a tool used. When he found that there was a hammer in one of his hands, Luca just couldn’t help himself. He pointed at it completely dumbfounded and parted his lips once more to speak.

“Did you… Did you gather wood with the back of that fucking hammer?”

“What else was I supposed to use? No one would tell me where a fucking axe was” Nile said, somehow completely missing the axes. “But you know what, hammers are surprisingly good at cutting down Spruce trees. You wouldn’t think it, but if you slam that fucking claw in just right, you just gotta tug and the entire thing goes down” Nile said offhandedly as he looked at the hammer.

Luca blinked twice at the man as he gave his explanation. Then, he looked back at the wall momentarily. His hand, which had still been pointing at Nile’s slowly moved to the wall while his head turned back to look at him simultaneously. There were no words to be passed, just an awkward silence between the two. Part of Luca hoped that Nile would understand as to what he was suggesting, but the other part of him was at a complete loss for words. For the first time in his life, Luca met a man who left him absolutely speechless.

As a result of his stupidity.

“There’s axes on the wall? I’m absolutely astonished at how you’ve been able to engineer this project. Who the hell lets you near the woodcutter? How do you get dressed in the morning?” The Italian asked angrily before continuing.

“Wha-that was not there. I swear to fuck that wasn’t there the last eight times I was here” Nile said as he picked up an axe, looking at it incredulously before placing it in his utility belt. “Also, fuck you. I’m entirely competent and at least I wasn’t the one to make that piss poor child’s drawing you called a blueprint” Nile retorted.

“The roof is left. There are materials missing that we need to finish putting up the barracks. Do you know what they are?”

“And we’re going to need a fuck ton of roof tiles, some mattresses, a bit of carpet if you want, maybe glass panes if you want a window but you’re not getting it, etc. Maybe even a bit of flex seal as well to waterproof the gaps between the wood on the walls” Nile said as he turned on the woodcutter and began cutting his first log. “Now, if you’re done asking random questions Lucas, fuck off and let me cut my logs, Alright?” Nile said as he focused on cutting.

Luca looked at the man without saying anything back. It was obvious that this person was inherently smarter than he was, at least regarding this. Nile could compile a list of things they needed and add it, but it was probably better off for the man to wet his beak. Aside from that, Luca had other things that people left behind could work on that had nothing to do with the barracks itself. He lifted a finger up toward the man with one hand, using his other to grasp the handheld radio from the depths of his pocket. Upon its withdrawal, he held down the speak button on the side to notify Colt and Andy of his changes.

C: “Put Nile’s name on the list for the supply run. Make sure no one leaves without a weapon, I don’t care if we have to give away our last frying pan.”

Immediately after he put the radio back in his pocket, Luca deposited both the multitool and the screwdriver back into the toolbox. Following this, he promptly turned around and walked up to Nile as he was busy cutting wood. He stopped just short of a few feet away, a neutral expression plastered across his visage. The Italian removed the rifle that was slung around his upper torso, the digits belonging to his right hand wrapping around the grip while his left hand grabbed the bolt handle on the side of the gun and pulled it back. As the magazine loaded ammunition into the chamber, it spat a bullet out from the top of the bolt. Luca kept the rifle close to his own chest, but did not aim it at Nile.

“You’re going to go to the back porch and wait for further instructions immediately.”

“Why? You want to add an expansion to the barracks or something? And what the hell’s with the rifle?” Nile asked as he finished cutting his second log.

It was amazing that someone who was so brilliant in some ways was so blissfully unaware of social cues. Luca kept silent for a moment before he put the rifle down on the ground, leaning it against the side of the woodcutter as he crossed his arms over his chest. This man was a beast in his own right, but any man who didn’t cower under the threat of violence - whether he be courageous or too stupid to notice - was someone worthy of at least some amount of respect.

“It was an intimidation tactic that obviously didn’t work. I need you to go with the group because you know what materials the barracks is waiting on. I’m going to finish cutting the wood, just get your ass to the back porch.”

“Alright Luke, whatever you say. Just drop off my wood at the barracks will ya?” Nile asked as he left the shed and headed towards the porch.

“Luca.” The Italian called after the man as he left. “My name is Luca.” He repeated himself, rolling his eyes and slapping his forehead as he turned to focus on the woodcutter.

“Whatever Luca” Nile called back offhandedly as he spotted a lawn chair he’d set up on the porch to kick back and watch everyone else work. He sat down and quietly waited for “further instructions”.

Featuring: Togy / Mentioned: Maj Rumble Fish

 

[Meredith]

The last few days had been busy. Aderyn had kept her hands full, mostly helping with the building of the bunkhouse, acting as a sort of assistant. She was not the kind of person who could put up walls - the weight, for one, was a huge barrier to that.

But she could still grab tools, help out when an extra pair of hands was needed, and drag wood if necessary. You would think, following a few days of hard work, that a young person would fall into bed, exhausted, and sleep through the night.

For Aderyn, this was not the case. She had woken up, covered in sweat, and laid there - breath ragged - until her thoughts slowed enough for her to contemplate actually getting out of bed. The anxiety buzzed in her brain, perverse; it made her head hurt. A swallowed breath, and she reached over, checking the time on the ipod she had been keeping plugged into the wall


It was damn early in the morning.

She turned on the ipod’s flashlight, wedging it between her feet, and aiming it deliberately toward the wall so as to not disturb the girl resting only a few feet from her. The gun was unloaded, and stashed in her back pocket, a few magazines slipped into her sweater. She had found a carabiner clip in the lodge, and now attached her water bottle to it, clicking it into place through one of her belt loops.

The girl had had the chance to shower over the last couple days. She had taken the time to brush and cut the mats out of her hair - it was choppy, now, but at the very least it was cleaner. Her clothes had been washed.

It wasn’t much, but sometimes, the little things really helped.


The ipod’s light was clicked off, and she rolled up her blankets in the dark, as small as she could get them. They were put at the head of her bed along with the pillows she had procured from the lodge. If necessary, if she could get back here, if she could grab her belongings - she could have them together in thirty-five seconds. She preferred it that way.

She rose, stashing the ipod in her remaining sweater pocket, and quietly padding out the door. It shut with a muffled thump behind her. Stepping into the quiet of the lodge, she could see that the sun was just barely starting to rise, peeking over the edge of the cloud-dappled horizon.

The dawn and dusk were comfortable for Aderyn. On the streets, it had been a time of business, as everyone that worked fought through the roads to their bus routes and everyone else tried to avoid each other. A street corner, or a cushy bedroom? Where you were at this time of day was all politics.

She stood in the kitchen, gazing out the window, thinking. Her mind hurt.


The girl abandoned the window with a shake of her head. Instead, she mounted the stairs, keeping her steps soft. A moment, and she’d made her way to Owen’s bedroom door, raising her first to knock. She hesitated. It was early, after all, but - oh, fuck it.


Aderyn’s knuckles rapped sharply on the door, three times, and she waited a second or two before opening it and stepping forward as the door swung in. She kept her hand on the doorknob, ready to flee if she was met with hostility, although she really doubted it. Her voice was hushed. “Owen? Owen, are you awake?”

The sound of the girl’s voice was able to shift in through Owen’s twilight of semi consciousness. He had been on the verge of getting up himself, the sound of the house coming awake was enough to start breaking through the fog of sleep. At the sound of his name, the male sat up, rubbing his eyes with the backs of his hand, much like a child would.


“Yeah,” He called, pushing back the blankets to expose his shirtless torso and gym shorts he had been using as pajamas. He stretched his sore, muscular arms above his head, gripping his left elbow with his right hand and felt the cracking in his spine as a result.

“Come on in.”

 

[King Vioogra]

Ivan, Colt, and Milly

Ivan cracked his neck quietly as he looked down at the backpack before him. Strewn across the couch were supplies he'd need during his run for the electrical supplies and vaccines for their new arrival. Once the Russian was satisfied with what he had, he packed it all neatly into the backpack and slung it over his shoulder. He looked around the room for Colt. When he spotted her, he shuffled over to her quickly before clearing his throat. "Hey Colt. Do you know where the rifles are? The ones we got from the school?" He said in his usual neutral tone as he scratched the back of his head.

A glazed expression was his response as Colt turned to face the Russian just as she reached the foot of the stairs. “Should be in the duffle bag in the cupboard under the boards.” She responded with a huff before tilting her head a little, “Why ya askin’?”

"I'm going to head out on a run with Leliana for a few things. Mostly electronic parts for an alarm system and vaccines for the baby. Unless there's anything else we need." Ivan said casually as he counted the things they needed off on his fingers. "I'd rather not get the government or any others involved, but not everything always goes to plan." The Russian said, like he was making an actual plan, which likely seemed out of character. When he realized that he'd been rambling a bit, he moved to thank her before she spoke up.

“Hm. Actually,” She turned to face him while a couple of steps above him, “I’m gatherin’ some folk to go on an… admittedly stupid yet necessary run. Needin’ mattresses and, well, let’s say other stuff. We’re takin’ the truck. If ya think ya’ll can actually do as I say this time, feel free t’sign up.” Her naturally grumpy expression briefly shifted into a stern frown and a fold of her arms.

"That does sound necessary, but it'd be better if we went separately. Maybe we split up once we hit the city then meet back up once we're done. It's best to travel light and thin with those things shambling around." Ivan said as he put his hand on his chin to convey he was thinking of something.

A hand was raised and there was a shake of the head at the man’s statement, “Nope, no- I don’t want any scurrying off or nothin’. Not after last time. We’ll talk about it later once I've got everyone rallied, got it?” She paused just long enough for a response before trudging up the stairs, muttering under her breath.

"I-. Nevermind, later is better." Ivan said, raising his hand as well before sighing and lowering it back down. There was no arguing with this woman without the constant threat of being shot, no matter how right you are. As he turned to watch her trudge up the stairs, his eyes met where Milly was sitting talking to one of the other kids that had arrived. Like lightning, the prom is he'd made to her flashed through his mind and he walked over to her, kneeling down with a gentle smile as he spoke softly. "Hey Milly, I'm about to head out for a few things. I'll keep an eye out for your mommy while I'm gone, okay?"

Milly had just been walking from the kitchen with a glass of water when Ivan approached. The youngster chirped slightly as he knelt in front of her and explained his plan. When he mentioned her mother, the youngster blinked a few times. “Th-thank you.” She responded. There was a pause before she fished into her joggers pocket and fished out the keychain with the photo of her and her mother, “Please don't lose it.” She added shakily as she reached to give it to him.

"Don't worry, Ребёнок, I'll take good care of it." He said as he took it from her and studied it a bit before putting in the inside pocket of his jacket. After that, he stood with a slight grunt and made his way towards the door. He wanted to get out there before any government or otherwise decided today was a good day to look around. The man made his way over to the cabinets and removed the boards, taking one of the M4s from the duffel bag and two extra magazines. Hopefully they wouldn’t need them, but it never hurt to be prepared.​

 

[Maj]

The following is part 1 of a three part collab done by myself Kloudy and Rumble Fish
​

“Last time I checked I’m not your whipping boy,” Andy snarked at Luca as he went down the stairs. Her bright green eyes somersaulted before focusing back on the woman in front of her. Really, it was better that she and Andy planned the supply run. Feelings about Luca were mixed among the lodge members, but even his prickly tendencies seemed to be growing on people.

“The soldiers in the hazmat gear have been out in full force. I do not pretend to be more knowledgeable than you in combat areas. Who comes to mind immediately for a run?”

Colt grumbled something under her breath as Luca left. She still hated him for what they had discussed last night, regardless of what justification he gave. She sighed as the red-haired girl spoke up asking about who to send. The veteran shrugged and took a long swig from her flask before considering her answer.

“Hm.” She sniffed, “Ivan, though we gotta be super clear with ‘im that we cannot take on more folks. Brian ‘nd Jenna were out recently. How would ya feel about Owen? Wait no- never mind.” She grumbled, annoyed with herself for even bringing it up. Andy had already lost her brother before so the veteran seriously wanted to avoid the same thing happening again. Before she could drift back into her thoughts, her radio crackled and Luca spoke. Both girls rolled their eyes and Colt picked it up, hearing his request.

“Ugh, ‘ight.” She grumbled as she put the thing down, “Okay put Nile on the list. Thank God. There’s only so much Johnny English I can take in one person.” She added. She crossed her legs, one heel up on the table. She just wanted to get this over with. The veteran had planned to go for a solitary hunt after everything was settled at the lodge. The last four days had been stifling. Aside from Jenna’s nightly lessons in gun management, all she had to keep her going was trying to keep tabs on everything. Colt hadn’t seen much of Shiona or the doctors on the account of the birth. She made a mental note to check on the teenager when she got a chance.

“Send Cletus too, he knows his way around a gun. I’ve been preaching a well armed supply run even before our illustrious leader decided to command it. But, he’s right. No one needs to go out without firepower. Thankfully, we have plenty since Cletus joined us. I still think Leliana should go, after seeing her during our hunting trip I’m confident she can handle herself out there and after the supply run I was on, I think it’s a good idea for a medic to go in the event of an emergency.” Andy cocked her head thoughtfully. The hot liquid in her cup was more like an embrace than a beverage. As she sipped it, she felt herself relax and the warmth of the coffee slowly permeated her body in the Colorado cold.

“Hopefully Leliana can keep those morons in line. I don't like the idea of Ivan and Nile going out without someone a little…” Andy looked for the right word. More logical? Less impulsive? Less dumb?

“...Less likely to blow something up.”

Colt visibly shuddered at the mention of explosives, “Hmgh yer right.” She grumbled. Alongside assisting in the running of the group, she had been watching both Nile and Kypher like a hawk. That mention of pipe bombs had spooked the veteran and she was not taking any chances. Explosives had taken enough from her and preventing that again was her main priority.

“Cletus and Leliana sound good, bin wondering if I should volunteer to go too. Then again, I need time away from people. But then again again someone's gotta make sure they don't fuck it up. Leliana is smart but she’s no’ survival smart and Cletus… I don’ even know what's goin’ on there.”

Unbeknownst to the two females, a small child smiled thinly to himself behind the cover of the back porch’s wooden door. Judging from the conversation, they were planning a supply run. Interestingly enough it seemed that the one-legged woman, whom’s name was apparently Colt, didn’t particularly like the young genius. As careful as Kypher had been not to expose himself too much, that dolt Nile had unwittingly given the veteran a slight tip off. It was nothing nearly solid enough to question the child about, but now she was wary. He supposed it didn’t matter ultimately. He would get his way through proper planning anyway.

“I hope this ‘Leliana’ lives up to such praise. The intelligence present here seems to be rather thinly spread.”

Opening the back door somewhat abruptly to interrupt their conversation, the genius walked through with a knowing look as if he knew something they didn’t. Smiling at Colt, Kypher rolled one of his orange-sized playdoh balls across the table to her. His expression imparted that it was intended as an innocent present from a child. Satisfied with his gesture, he switched his gaze to Andy with the clear intent that he wanted to talk to her.

“Andy Jordan, fourth year student at the University of Aurora. I’d like to discuss something with you. In private.”

The sound of the pretentious tone Colt grew to hate caused a growl within the veteran as he revealed himself to have been listening into their conversation. Even after four days, Colt’s thoughts hadn't changed at all.

“Whatcha doin’ ‘ere? This is a private discussion, boy.” She growled towards him, though she was a little alarmed at the play-doh rolled towards her. Overreaction? Maybe. But after that mention of pipe bombs, she could not help but feel anxious. She looked at the boy’s expression. She looked back to the play-doh.

“Get that away from me.” She growled, “Shouldn't you be building a rocket or some shit, Robert Goddard?” But it was what he then said, referring to Andy that really got under her skin. What could he possibly want to talk about that was apparently private enough to not have anyone else listen in?

“About what, exactly?” She knew what the answer was but she still felt the need to question it. Her fingers tapped against her flask anxiously.

“The nature of a private conversation is that the third party remains ignorant. Shouldn’t you be looking for your leg or something?”

The ‘boy’ glanced down at her leg, having deduced the artificial replacement over the last four days due to the obvious way she strangely put weight on the limb. She had the audacity to refuse his kind gift and then patronize him, so Kypher had no mind to tell her anything. He was already giving Andy a chance, Colt had used hers up when she had threatened him a few days before. But judging from the violent way everyone acted around here, he suspected his one-name-long list would probably grow before long.

Colt froze at his statement, her face turning dark. With a swift and quick mention, the veteran was on her feet, both hands on the table with a furious thud.

“Don't you dare talk about my leg. Do you hear me!?” She snarled softly, staring him down with an almost predatory glare. At this point, the kid was on a hair-thin wire.

Andy watched the interaction in mild amusement. Sure, the kid was sort of a snarky little know it all but never in her life had she seen a woman get so riled up by someone half their size. Why hadn’t she put together she could literally pick this kid up and throw him? Colt was allowing him to talk to her like that by not taking any action and the kid was exploiting her kindness. She finally put both hands up in the air defensively when Colt yelled.

“Alright, alright.” Andy raised her voice loud enough to be heard over Colt, but immediately lowered it once she was sure they were paying attention. “It is far too early in the morning for this.” The redhead woman came to her feet with her hand still firmly wrapped around her coffee cup.

“Colt,” she said, addressing the military woman. “If you are comfortable going on a run, I think the group would benefit from your leadership. We can talk more about it later.” Andy walked down the steps of the porch, gesturing for the kid to follow her out of hearing distance.

“Come along Twerp.”

Mentions: Hyped_Taco Togy FireMaiden King Vioogra Brax

 

[Kloudy]

The Genius and The Archer

​

Kypher’s eyebrow twinged slightly at the ‘twerp’ comment, but elected to exercise more self control than Colt had and ignored it as well as Colt’s outburst. He left the playdoh ball on the table and followed after Andy at her suggestion. Once they had walked further to the forest’s edge and out of earshot, Kypher sat on a tree stump that looked as if it had been recently cut down and looked Andy up and down. Content with having sized her up, the child took out another playdoh ball and began rolling it in his hands.

“I remember seeing you at the university. You don’t seem like a complete idiot, so I’ll take this opportunity to ask you what your plans for this ramshackle outpost are. Long term, specifically.”

“How kind of you to notice,” Andy said with a roll of her eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against a nearby tree, shoulder pressing into the course bark. Of course she also remembered Kypher. They had never spoken before, but that wasn’t that unusual, Andy didn’t speak to most people that crossed her path. Still, a young child roaming the halls of the university had turned heads.

“The long term goal is to stay alive.” The woman spoke plainly, her tone was dry but void of any bite. “This place could be overrun tomorrow, so it’s hard to plan too far in the future.” However, that was a lie even if she didn’t realize it. Andy’s brain was always churning with ideas about how to better the lodge. Between her ideas for a greenhouse, the generator, and even the idea about raiding the furniture stores for mattresses had been her idea spoken through Luca’s lips. They were beginning to build fences and alarm systems and it seemed like the “ramshackle” lodge was becoming more and more fortified by the day. That being said, Andy also wanted to make sure that should the lodge fall they had a getaway plan. it was something she had spent many sleepless nights thinking about, but wasn’t ready to divulge the information till it was better formulated and had gone by Luca.

“Why? I assume you want to hear my plans so you can just explain why yours are superior anyway. So why don’t we cut the bullshit and you just tell me what you have planned?”

“Assuming is quite the gamble. I don’t feign prudence over something as vague as ‘stay alive’.”

Kypher gave the woman a cursory glance before turning his eyes over to the lodge.

“I’ve been liaising with the man named Hector. We hypothesise this virus that has been reanimating the dead is likely airborne. Apparently even the death of unbitten subjects revert them into zombies.”

“No shit,” The woman replied, rolling her eyes at his response. “I was there when the outbreak first happened. I watched people die and reanimate before there was ever even a chance to be bitten.”

Kypher dismissively got up from his stump and walked over to a tree behind him. Pulling some leaves out of the way, he revealed a length of rope with a loop tied at the end. He checked the ground around it for signs of activity but otherwise didn’t touch the rope itself. His theory was flawless, but making these had proven more difficult and tiring than expected. The child had to hold his nose as the scent of rotting flesh became more prominent.

“I will need computers for data entry and a secure isolated area to conduct experiments on the virus, both of which will require a larger power source than a mere generator.”

“I’m not stupid enough to try to sound smarter than I actually am. So I’m not going to pretend to have ideas for your power source. Generators are what we have for now. The city is currently out of power as far as any of us have been able to tell. If you have a plan to obtain such a request, spit it out.” Andy raised an eyebrow as she spoke, watching him hold his nose and look at the rope. The kid had a mouth on him, but she wasn’t so childish as to feed into his immature tendencies to try to bait people to argue with him. She of course, was curious about what he was up to but was more concentrated on observing his behaviors than requesting answers. In her experience, actions were more telling anyway.

“Make me a list of what you think you might need, and I’ll do my best to try to have someone obtain them for you while they are out.”

Kypher turned around to face Andy again after having replaced the leaves back in their previous arrangement and smiled.

“I’m glad you understand. Once I have compiled the necessary components I’ll need, Nile will be in touch. Now, onto the next matter…”

He picked up the ball of playdoh from the tree stump and once more began rolling it in his hands. The next topic of discussion was more sensitive and could possibly exacerbate the tension present in the group more than the apocalypse already had. Kypher was apprehensive to continue as social navigation was not something he was remotely experienced in, it was needless to say he had spent the majority of his life surrounded by books and internet outlets - not people. Regardless, he was already too deep in the game of intrigue to continue side-stepping in the background like he had by pretending to act like a normal child would. No, now was not the time for pretending. Now was the time to connect.

“Over these past few days, I believe I have grown to understand the social dynamics here. You and the man named Luca appear to be in control over this group.”

He gave Andy a deductive look from the corner of his eyes as if he were gauging her reaction. This was still unknown territory for the genius.

“I have some concerns of my own with the people you are trusting to manage certain elements within the compound. I am sure you may have already deduced some of those I mean.”

He sent a glance towards the lodge once more, this time resting his eye line on the distant figure of Colt at the porch table. Trust was never a concept Kypher had any faith in; he preferred cold, hard facts and complete certainty. Some people were to unpredictable and unstable to quantify the capability of their behaviour, and thus they were dangerous. In the ruinous society they all now lived in, one could not afford to have loose cannons around lest they knock holes in your own castle walls. Either you confine unpredictability into manageable parameters that are controllable, or you simply trust the cannon not to go off. People were exactly the same.

“Are you talking about Colt?” She asked pointedly, a bored expression on her face. It wasn’t lost on her how easily he was able to get under her skin. She thought the whole thing was pretty stupid. Of course the little brat liked getting a rise out of her, all the books in the world didn’t make him less of a child. It was pretty idiotic of Colt to let someone small enough for her to punt across the yard rile her up so much, but she wasn’t Colt. “Let me put it to you this way. None of us are good at everything, that includes tiny know-it alls.” Andy shifted her weight from the tree, to her hip, but she kept her arms folded across her chest.

“Hector is good at medicine, Luca is good at breaking bones, and you are good at being mildly suspicious. Me? I’m good at knowing how to use people better at shit than me to get what I want done.” Andy leaned down so she and Kypher were on the same eye level. She was staring him down, emerald hues hard and unwavering.

“Until you are as effective at killing undead and hazmat soldiers as she is, I don’t want to hear your condescending little voice. No amount of books can make you a soldier. You won’t have any more ‘concerns with the people I trust’ when she and her guns are the difference between life and you taking a bullet to the forehead. So let’s all do what we do best, huh?” The redhead turned to leave, giving a flick of her wrist in a curt wave.

“Good talk.”

“I don’t recall telling you this conversation is over.”

Kypher was staring at Andy with narrowed eyes, arms now folded. He maintained her gaze even as she pulled away as a hint of edge crept into his oddly childlike voice for the topic they were discussing.

“And I don’t recall saying I cared.”

“I’m not interested in an expertise Guess-Who game. You may call me a know-it all, but I am sure you were capable of reading the news pre-apocalypse.”

It was Kypher’s turn to take a step closer to Andy, his small frame doing nothing to intimidate if not for the ominous undertones. It was like speaking to a wise old man stuck in a child’s body, from lexis to body conduct. The product was eerie if not downright creepy.

“I know how to do a lot more than you, Andy. I trust you won’t allow yourself to run out of options too soon.”

As if on cue, a guttural screeching could be heard deeper into the forest as if some demonic creature was engaged in a wrathful struggle. Whipping his head around, Kypher grinned with pleasure at the thought that at least that particular plan had gone accordingly. He would have to notify Hector of his success, not that the doctor had any clue what Kypher had done. A byproduct from an earlier conversation, perhaps, but Kypher had decided to put the theory into practice. He felt a running theme developing in that sense. Walking past Andy, the genius spoke back to her over his shoulder as he walked towards the lodge.

The woman paused at the sound of the scream, eyes darting to the treeline. Her hand when instantly to the knife in her boot. There was never a moment she was without it since the outbreak. Her eyes darkened, the reservoir of her patience depleted.

“This was a warning. Surround yourself with unstable people and don’t complain to me when they all break down on you, Andy.”

She spun on her heels to face the child, the corner of her mouth pulled into a tight and sarcastic grin. Andrea Jordan stepped in front of her former classmate, feet wide as she blocked his path forward.

“Let me give you a warning.” With one hand on her hip and the other pointing in his face she made sure to look into his eyes as she spoke. “If any of your tinkering endangers anyone at my lodge. I’ll feed you to the zombie on the other end of your rope. Kay?” Andy gave the boy a wink before making her way back to the porch. Shrugging, Kypher also made his way back after Andy, entering the house in search of the man named Hector.

Maj​

 

[Rumble Fish]

The following is the final part of a collab between Maj Kloudy and Rumble Fish

Colt had stayed very silent and simply glared into the back of their heads so intensely, it was a shock that there were no gaping holes through their skulls. She could not hear what they were discussing but she still did not like it. The veteran had contemplated leaving the table but those thoughts were stopped as Andy re-approached the table.

“What did ya talk about?” she asked the red-head. Private or not, that little brat had no right to withhold information from any of them. Though she knew that if she had ever actually tried to tell him about her ranks within the Lodge, he’d just not listen and most likely insult her. Some genius. Especially some genius who could “potentially” be creating some kind of weapon. Colt shook her head a little and unscrewed her flask to drink from it.

“Thanks, fur yer support…” she grumbled quietly with a tone dripping in sarcasm. Great, now this was going to happen all the time, she just knew it. Andy pinched her nose in annoyance.

“Well, if you could keep from letting a child get under your skin I wouldn’t have to go talk with him in private to keep you from yelling, now would I?” Andy asked with a growl. The woman sighed sliding back into her chair.

“Let’s just get this over with. We need to prioritize the list so we can get this supply group out before we lose much more daylight. What absolutely needs to be obtained on this run?” the redhead asked, grabbing the paper from the table to examine it.

“Maybe if that little fucker knew some gawd-damned manners I wouldn’t be gettin’ so hot under the collar.” Colt sighed angrily as Andy then turned the conversation back onto the topic at hand. Thank God. The woman sighed deeply and shut her eyes for a moment in thought.

“‘Kay.” She cleared her throat and leaned back forward, folding her hands together. “First things we need are food, any kinds of medicine, etcetera, etcetera…” she waved a hand a little. “If we’re lucky, we can get into my apartment and see about mattresses, blankets, maybe more weapons n’ such…” she drifted off a little as she continued to think.

“Aw fuck… I forgot. One of them port-a-dumps or whatever they are.” The woman’s brows lowered into a state of un-enthusiasm at this thought, “I’d ‘ave better luck wrestling a chicken from a fox’s maw than find one of ‘em.”

“Listen, I don’t know why the hell Luca would want to bother trying to transport one of those things here. We have a well. Even if we lose power we can pump it manually.” She rolled her eyes. Luca’s pile of drug money likely kept him from ever needing to worry about well maintenance before. “Let’s say the well does run dry, which is unlikely. It would be less difficult for us to build an outhouse than try to put a sewage soaked plastic hovel into the back of a truck. Cross that off the list, if he has a problem with it he can take it up with me.” Andy said thinking out loud. Her eyes darted over the list while she pondered the rest of the items that Colt had listed.

“Canned goods and non-perishables, medicine and baby supplies, whatever they need for the new sleeping quarters including the mattresses, the glass panes and the gasoline. Those should be our main priorities. Unless you can think of something that deserves to be on the list more,” Andy looked up to give the ex-military woman a chance to dispute her decision.

Colt was a little annoyed at being interrupted but still remained quiet to listen to the redhead’s reasoning. The veteran frowned, her brows furrowing in slight concern. “I mean, if yer sure about that it’d save us a lot of hassle.” she responded finally. When she mentioned baby supplies, the woman rolled her eyes a little with a quiet and drawn “fuuu…” before turning her attention back to her.
“I ‘unno. Sounds about right.” She answered with a light shrug. Of course Colt had made the mental note to seek out that drug Jenna had told her about, Estradiol or something like that. As well as alcohol. The veteran had noticed her stash was now running worryingly dry, but after what Luca had said before, she did not want to get another lecture from Andy.

“I’ll need a few minutes to figure out how we’re gonna do this. Gonna have t’keep a close eye on them knuckleheads.” She assumed Owen had told Andy about the events of the near-disaster that was the first supply run. If she could avoid being carried over a roof again, she would.

“Is there anything ya’ll need? Just… askin’,” she rubbed the back of her neck, her eyes diverting nervously, “Just in case ‘nd all.”

“Nothing that isn’t already on the list,” Andy replied. The woman sighed, and relaxed her shoulders, looking Colt in the eye. “Don’t let them rile you. Keep them in line, get what we need and get home safe. You are smart and capable, but sometimes idiots have a way of making you lose your cool. Don’t let them. I wouldn’t have suggested you go if I didn’t think you were the right woman for the job.” Andy stood and offered Colt a small smile before heading back inside the sliding glass door.

“Let's just say, in my line of work, idiots died. Quickly. And badly. I'm no’ lettin’ ‘em getting themselves or others killed.” The woman mumbled darkly before turning to Andy as she gave her a few words of encouragement. The military woman was admittedly a little surprised at the smile. Only the right corner of her maw twitched in response into a one-sided smirk before the woman left.

“Jesus. Thought I was done with this.” She grumbled to herself, sipping from her flask periodically as her thoughts continued to ponder. The best course of action and methods had to be carefully considered if they were going to make it back alive. Or at least, they get back alive. With a slight groan, Colt got up and went back inside the lodge and ignored everyone (aside from Ivan as he spoke to her) and headed into her room. She pushed the dresser to the block the door as she had done religiously since the room had been hers and hers alone. She began to pack everything required together. Both handguns, her combat knife (which was fixed by now with gorilla glue and a prayer). She hunted for the M4 that was somewhere under her bed. As she did, the woman briefly glanced up at the photo next to her bed.

"Might be joinin' ya up there." She mumbled to the red-head in the photo smiling perpetually with that cheeky glint in her eye that Colt missed so much, "If these dumb shits let me down." where was that gun?

Mentions: Brax (Luca) ​

 

[Rumble Fish]

The following post is a collaberation between BloodLightning27 and Rumble Fish

It took some time for Colt to locate the assault rifle but she eventually reached it. After switching it to safety, she slung it around her back. As she left the room, she also lifted the bottle of wine she had been nursing on the night before. After dealing with Kypher, she needed some sort of relief. As she clumped through the upper hall, she paused upon reaching Shiona’s room. She had not spoken to the woman in a long time and had not acknowledged the birth in any way. Nobody seemed to be with her so… maybe she could check on her? Setting the gun down, but not the wine, Colt cleared her throat a little as she creeked the door open to peer inside to see how she was.

After a long and painful delivery, Shinoa and her daughter, whom she has named Valerie, were sleeping peacefully. To Colt clearing her throat, Shinoa groaned as her newborn baby girl stretched a little. When the door creaked though, the young mother opened her eyes to see the older woman standing in the doorway. Slowly, Shinoa sat up and rubbed her eyes while cradling her newborn.

"Is there something you need?" She asked, yawning. The newborn sneezed and woke up, yawning before looking at Colt with a blank look on her face.

"Dah!" Colt shrank slightly as it seemed her presence had woken the mother up, thankfully the baby did not start screaming. That was something she did not want to deal with. The veteran coughed slightly and pushed the door open to walk in, though she didn't come much closer. Unaccustomed to children, and even a new mother, Colt kept her distance.

"Um, no. Just wanted t'check on ya." She replied, rubbing the back of her neck with her free hand, "Since nobody else was up 'ere." This was awkward. Colt had never actually conversed with the teenager before. And now she had just given birth, that just made it worse. The veteran subconsciously messed with her hair. The last thing she wanted out of this was for the baby to start wailing because some ugly and scarred freak was standing right there. Colt kept the right-side of her face pointed to the teenager, hoping to hide the huge scar on her left. “Uh, how are ya?"

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Shinoa relaxed a little as she looked down at Valerie, who was mostly content. While she has never really spoken to Colt since the beginning of the outbreak, as Shinoa found her to be a scary person, she didn't seem like a bad person at least. "I'm okay. I just won't be able to walk too much for the next three days. Only here and the restroom." She frowned. "Did you want to come say hi to Valerie?" She asked with a smile on her face.

"Um, you're okay." she responded with a slight cough. The veteran blinked as she looked towards the infant as Shiona introduced her to Valerie. Colt leaned in a little to look at her. A small yet perfect human. As the teenager lamented about not being able to do much, Colt just sighed gruffly, "Don' worry 'bout it. Ya'll need to rest after all that." she added. She would have smiled in return but her facial motors seemed incapable. She coughed again, "She's uh... real pretty."

Thanks to her mother, Valerie was all bundled up. Shinoa smiled down at her. "I know. She's a cutie. Also very quiet. Actually lets everyone sleep. Most of the time. Probably won't get too much of that here in a few days." She chuckled nervously. "Would you like to hold her?" Shinoa asked, letting the baby rest against her chest as she tied her hair into a ponytail. The baby then smiled as she looked into Colt's eyes.

Colt gulped a little at the girl questioning her if she wanted to hold the baby. Biting her lip, she looked down at her. Handling children was not something Colt was familiar with. She rubbed the back of her neck anxiously, "I... dunno how to. I don't wanna hurt her or somethin'" she diverted her gaze from the infant as she was looking into her eyes with a giggle. If Colt had been maternal, she would have smiled back.

Shinoa did frown a little, but did understand. Most people would be scared of hurting a newborn baby. "You're not going to hurt her. I'll be here to make sure nothing happens." The baby then stretched her little arms out, as if trying to reach for Colt. The newborn yawned as she continued to stare at Colt, but then let out a small cry when she looked away. "Its okay, sweetie, Mommy's here." She looked back at Colt. "So where are you going?" The young mother asked, looking at Colt's attire.

Colt blinked a few times and after a few more moments of hesitation, attempted to reach out to try and hold the infant. But as she squealed, it caused the veteran to jolt back. It was a typical sound for babies to make, but it brought back memories she had long tried to suppress. Colt mumbled under her breath as Shiona then questioned her. She glanced down. True, she was in her jeans instead of her camo trousers, holsters hanging on her belt with both her Glock and Colt.45 in each, her typical army jacket and black t-shirt with the red star. Colt cleared her throat a little and drummed her fingers on the bottle she was holding. "Takin' folk out for supplies... big ones." she sighed, "It's gonna be a real bast-pest." She switched at the last second. Sure, babies didn't understand words but she didn't want to take a chance. 'Do ya kiss yer mother with tha' mouth?' as her father would say to those who cursed. Ironic being the father of a woman who swears like a sailor. Or soldier.

When Colt jumped back from Valerie's cries, Shinoa frowned. Perhaps she should give it a few days before letting anyone hold the baby. Well, aside from Bethany and Lelianna, whom she trusted the most. "I hope you make it back safe then." Shinoa smiled at her. "I'll probably be bedridden for a while, but once I recover, I'll be able to...pull my weight a bit more. I hope."

Colt was unnerved by the mother's frowning. With a gulp she looked away as she continued to speak. "Thanks." She mumbled quietly before her head shot up as Shiona mentioned neeeding to pull her weight. "Look, um, don' worry 'bout that too much. Ya need as much rest as ya can get." She honestly didn't know what else to say, "is there anything ya'd need? While we're out?"

Shinoa only nodded as Colt encouraged her to rest. Childbirth was a lengthy and painful process. Now she had a better understanding of why people say that nothing is stronger then a Mother's Love. When asked if there was anything she needed while they were away, Shinoa thought for a moment. "Probably baby food and clothes if you come across any. And for me...just compression socks. Thank you."

"Compression socks?" Colt frowned a little and glanced away. She had no idea what those were, "Yeah, well, I'll see what I can do about that. I should... probably leave ya to rest. Leliana is coming with me so if ya need somethin' probably shout Bethany or something." She added, once again glancing at the baby. With a deep sigh, Colt looked down at her feet (foot?) and sighed, "I'm sorry I wasn't 'round much for ya. Thing's are just... y'know."

"They're supposed to help with my ankles and my feet. They help with blood flow." Shinoa replied. When Colt glanced at her, Valerie smiled again. "I get it, things have been really crazy. Never thought I'd get swept up in something like this. The timing was really bad. Just...be careful out there and...do you know how much longer we will be here?"

"Right, gotcha." Colt fixed her belt and looked again at the baby, the corners of her mouth twitcing slightly in an failed attempt to smile at the infant. As Shiona spoke again, Colt sighed heavily before looking to her as she questioned her about how much longer they will be in this situation. Despite her poor views on children and infants, she shook her head and leaned in a little closer.

"Look at me." she flicked her fingers in a gesture to do so, "I know we've never talked. But I'm tellin' ya now. We in this here Lodge, we're gonna get through this. I' no' mother or nothin', but ya'll got my word. No harm is gonna come to ya or yer lil one. Nobody'll allow it. We're stayin' 'ere, but we'll leave if we gotta. Anyway. I should leave ya'll t'rest. I'll see ya later, miss. Valerie." The veteran tipped her army cap a little at the pair, the corners twitching in an attempted smile before taking her leave and gently shutting the door. Colt sighed and screwed the lid of the wine back on before putting it in her rucksack. The bag itself contained the wine, some ammo, chocolate bars and other essentials.

"Leliana! Nile! Ivan!" She barked upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, looking around, "Yer with me for a run into the city. Eat, arm yerselves and meet me out at the front porch in half an hour! Got any questions, better ask me now. Not gonna pussyfoot around 'ere." she put her things on the floor and took out one of the granola bars from her rucksack. Due to speaking with Andy and Luca, she had forgotten to eat. This would have to do. Besides, they needed strength more than she did. All she could hope was that the pair of them would keep the Lodge together in her absence. They had before, but that was when they were a party of six. Not thirty. Then again Luca had bragged about leading... albeit not the way Colt liked but, if he did the job that would have to do.

Mentions: Maj (Andy) Brax (Luca) Kloudy (Kypher) FireMaiden (Leliana) King Vioogra (Ivan) Togy ​

 

[FireMaiden]

This is a collab between FireMaiden & King Vioogra
​

Leliana left the bathroom, now dressed in one of the three variations of skinny jeans and a t-shirt with her Moe's jacket, pajamas in hand. She didn't feel comfortable changing in what use to be her bedroom, or even calling it that anymore, now that Shinoa had had her baby, and there wasn't really enough room for all of them in there. Leliana felt like it was okay if she was the one who gave up her space since she had gotten more restless the last few days, and had trouble staying asleep. And, in any case, she always liked curling up on couches anyway. If she could snag one of them before one of the boys did anyway, it always seemed to be a race. Though she was never on guard duty, so that was a small blessing. Didn't mean she was used to the snoring, however. The blonde still kept her belongings upstairs, and after quickly ducking into Shinoa's bedroom to drop off her PJs and to grab her weapons, Leliana headed downstairs to prep her medical bag for the supply run with Ivan.

It would be a lie to say she wasn't excited. She hadn't been outside of the lodge since the original group had gotten there over a week ago, the hunting trip didn't really count. That excitement was paired with about a million other emotions that she was, until they actually got into the city, choosing to ignore. She didn't need to stress herself out about a situation she knew nothing about until she was in it. Though...she could always ask someone who's been before. Wait, no. That wouldn't help, just...no. "Focus on the med kit." She told herself, turning into the living room, almost running straight into Ivan. "Oh, sorry." She mumbled, "Wait, I actually should ask you something, is anyone else coming? I need to make sure I have enough supplies for each person."

Ivan was just as surprised as Leliana was when she bumped into him, sending him back a step before he could process what happened. "No need to apologize. Honest mistake." Ivan said, waving off her apology before she asked him about any other people accompanying them on their run. This was met with a short sigh as he looked up to where Colt had been a moment or so before. "Colt's dragging us into a run she and a few others are going on, but I'll have to convince her to let us split up once we get to the city. Moving around in a group like that is too risky." The man said as he adjusted the bag on his back and slung the M4 he was holding over his shoulder, hanging from a canvas strap as he looked over at her." We could leave early, but that's just begging for trouble once we get back."

"So....it's us two and Colt?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow as if asking him if there was anyone else she should know about. Colt didn't seem to get hurt too often, Ivan dislocated his goddamned kneecap, and, god these people. "I'll just make a kit for four people. You wanna help?" She asked him, stepping past on her way to the medical supplies, still sitting in their temporary storage, "I know that you're wanting to get electric parts, but I uh...need to find some stuff at the pharmacy, so if we have time I guess, I want to make a stop there." She told him, "But you know, nothing there is really a priority. I don't even know what the city is like now, so I guess it's all up to chance yeah?"

"I'm not sure. She said she'd be gathering a few others, so I wouldn't count on it being a small party." Ivan said with a short sigh before he looked over at the girl with a chortle. "Not to critique your outfit, but I don't think skinny jeans'd be very comfortable for where we're going." The Russian said as he turned and walked over to the couch he'd been sleeping on since their arrival and plopped down, with a grunt.

"It's," there was a small grunt as she sat down on the floor nearby, one of the medical duffle bags and the same green square bag she used for the hunting trip next to her, "all I have. Besides, they aren't really jeans, they're jeggings. I don't have front pockets but they stretch. Plus, wouldn't baggy clothes mean that things have more stuff to grab onto?" She pointed out, beginning to sort out some medical supplies for their trip. Gauze, needles, thread, etc. Basics, but the stuff that could save a life if the situation called for it. "Not very warm though, but I don't think anyone was really prepared to for having to deal with winter like this...I expected to be home by now or, maybe in a motel out of the city. Not this whole situation." She was silent for a few moments, pretending like she was focusing on what she was doing. And she was, just, maybe not like she should have, but she knew how to put one of these kits together it didn't need her full attention. "So uh...what's the city like? You've been out, and by the way, if you fuck you your leg again, I will hit you. We're friends now, I'm not afraid to say that, I promise, I will hit you."

"It's a ghost town beside the infected. They shuffle around in these huge groups, and it's terrifying. You think they'd all be hunched up at the school or something since that's where all this started, but no. It's almost like they're on patrols." The Russian said lowly, his voice barely escaping his throat with the last sentence before he cleared it quietly. "It'd be best if you found a replacement for those by the time we get back. Hard to grip or not, freezing to death isn't worth having a look." Ivan said, a serious tone overtaking his otherwise passive one as he looked at her with genuine worry. "Anyways, I'd gladly accept your abuse, because if I manage to fuck my leg again I'll be more screwed than either of us know."

She fell silent again as if pondering something, methodically sorting through materials to make up the first aid kit. "No actually...it makes sense. They seem to be driven by primal instincts, and since they don't feel pain, that being obvious. I broke one's knee the other day, other falling, it didn't have a reaction. And they don't feel fear, they attack us without hesitation. Hunger seems to be what drives them, with the unfortunate situation having us as the food." She shivered slightly, thinking back to Cletus' wife. That was proof in a sense. "Moving in groups would mean animalistic instincts, but also that the parasite could be smart enough to make them a group to increase the chances of both feeding and triggering new hosts." Ivan didn't know all the details she and Ralph knew, and Ralph needed to talk to Hector while she was out. "I figured we could look for warmer clothes, at least find some jackets for everyone, I don't anyone really has any warm clothes. And I wanted to find some for Bethany, she's still borrowing some. And right now, I ain't freeze to death, so long as I keep moving. Plus, I can always ask someone for a hug yeah? Colt looks real cuddly doesn't she." The blonde chuckled. "In all seriousness though, we need to make a list of priorities, food being among them, along with your electrical parts. I'm not sure what it is that Colt needs, or is being tasked with getting by, I'm assuming Luca, but she'll have her own priorities."

Ivan chuckled along with Leli at her comment before regaining his composure and clearing his throat and putting his hand on his chin. "Yeah. It might sound cliche, but it's a lot like this comic my friend showed me once. From face value anyway; but basically the virus brings back the brain, but only enough of it to move around and feel hunger. And because of that, that's all there is." Ivan said as he was buried in thought but quickly dug himself out of it. "But that was just a comic book. This is the real thing, so it's possibly way different." The Russian said, waving off the explanation he'd given before her comment on what Colt was doing a run for. "She told me she's out for mattresses, among other things. But mattresses was all she told me."

"I think it's only big enough to bring back just that part. Rouge apparently climbed the outside wall to get to the second floor, and no other ones, as far as we know, have been able to do that yet, " She said, the sound of zipping bags following her words, along with her standing. "I bet there's more out there capable of other freaky shit, but we just haven't seen it there because we just haven't run in them yet. Parasites are fast to evolve, but the issue is, they can often time kill their host before they infect more, it would make sense to involve after their dead. Well, I guess this wouldn't make them dead, but they aren't alive. Maybe a Schrödringer's cat situation." The girl stepped around to the front of the couch, taking a seat beside Ivan with a yawn, making sure she didn't plop down to hard since she did have a scalpel in the med kit this time. You never know what you might need. "Really? Mattresses? I guess that means Luca really is sending her out, they are building more rooms after all. But hey, we get to take a car now, yay!" Leliana said flashing a smile, "I'm ready, got my pistol and my bat, and made a med kit. Even bringing some painkillers just in case one of you gets shot, or...stabbed. I'm guessing you're ready? So there's nothing left to do but wait for Colt, and whoever else." Almost as soon as she said that, Colt shouted out their one-hour warning, Leliana letting out a small sigh. "We could always go eat breakfast."

Mentioned: Rumble Fish (Colt) shadowz1995 (Hector) The Mad Queen (Ralph) Brax (Luca)​

 

[The Mad Queen]

Doctor Ralph Fisher and Jenna O'Connor: The Lodge​

After his talk with Leliana, Ralph had added all of her notes to his various copies of findings. Mixing that with Hector's information on Patient Zero itself, Fisher was sure that by the time he left the lodge their collection of findings would be about the size of a phonebook. He'd still need to sit down and talk to Hector about everything he knew though.
The past few days had been quiet, at least. Ralph hadn't seen a single host since the attack on the lodge, unless counting the autopsy he performed and he was thankful. It gave him time to settle, to think and with a newborn at the lodge Fisher was filled with a little bit of hope, which was something that was lacking in the past few days.
He'd checked up on the mother and newborn a few times, but let them rest for the most part.

Nobody got hurt, so he had kept himself busy by taking watch and even having a go at helping with the barracks. Although DIY was by no means his forte he could follow instructions. Part of him remembered building various Lego sets with his daughter. It encouraged imagination, and was a thinking toy of sorts rather than just handing her an IPAD to keep her busy.
There was all kinds of filth on the internet she could accidentally be exposed to, and Ralph just wouldn't have that at all.

Come that morning, the barracks were shaping up quite well but needed extra parts. There was talk of a run, but Fisher knew he could do more if he stuck to the lodge. After Leliana had gone inside, he stayed out there to take watch. His brown eyes looked out at the woods, his mind occupied. He almost didn't see the host at first. Fisher jumped, reaching for his sidearm and drawing it with a slight yelp. The first instinct upon seeing one of the infected was to shoot, and only to shoot but something stopped him.

The host was hanging upside down. Had it been caught in a trap set for animals? Black bears were in Colorado after all, but a rope trap wouldn't hold one, let alone dangle it in the air.
It was a trap designed for a host, but who could have done it? He went down the list of suspects in his mind, getting a glance at it's cold, empty eyes and turned away. It's bloodied teeth snapped at Ralph as the host snarled like a wild animal in his presence. He knew one bite was a death sentence, so he kept his distance. Reaching for his pistol once more, he lined up a shot directly for the host's head but stopped himself.

This could be their one chance to study an active infected without risking travel into the decimated city just a few miles outside of the woods. A chance that Ralph wasn't about to just throw away. He'd need to have stern words with Hector, given the safety risk but would leave the infected for now. He was sure the other doctor would check his trap eventually, so just went back to keeping watch for any trouble and for the older doctor himself; unaware of who had truly laid the trap.

If the thing got loose, he'd kill it. If anyone wandered into the woods, he'd try to stop them. The infected was at least high enough about the ground that it couldn't just tear the throat out of a passer by so he wasn't about to waste a good chance to learn about the infection.

Mentioned: shadowz1995 (Hector) Kloudy (Kypher)
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​

Using the eggs, Jenna had been preparing breakfast. They still had power for now, so she was going to take every opportunity to enjoy the luxury of it while they still could. With no sign of Michael she split the larger egg in two in the pan and served up the four fried eggs on a plate in the kitchen, taking one of the smaller ones for herself and sitting at the table with a dried bowl of cereal she shared with Cammy.

Her student days had taught her how to get by with a limited food budget, but she missed the luxury of her own kitchen. She had hoped the ideas of having to live off of scraps were long behind her. It felt silly to worry about such a trivial thing, but it could shape into something far worse in the coming days. If they ran out of food, if the chickens stopped laying eggs then things at the lodge would turn nasty.

Cammy nuzzled into Jenna's right leg so she reached down to pet the dog. She'd need genuine dog food soon enough if she was to keep her strength up too. With her mind still focused on worst case scenarios she was snapped back to reality by Colt.

"Leliana! Nile! Ivan! Yer with me for a run into the city. Eat, arm yerselves and meet me out at the front porch in half an hour! Got any questions, better ask me now. Not gonna pussyfoot around 'ere."

Quickly finishing her breakfast, Jenna stood up from the table and made her way to the bottom of the stairs. She took one final swig of her coffee for good luck on the way.
"Hi." She gave the veteran a half-smile "Would there be room for one. And a half..." He eyes gestured towards Cammy "...More on that run? There's a few things I need to pick up, and I can handle myself out there. You taught me how to shoot and at the farm I took out a good few of those things by myself. I'll not slow you down."
She looked towards Cammy once more "Plus, this little scamp makes for a good scout. I wouldn't mind leaving her at the lodge if you're concerned about her though."
Cammy tilted her head to the side as she looked up at Colt but Jenna's piercing blue eyes turned serious "And, if you're worried about me and Leliana. Don't be." She whispered "I may have said some stuff, but I can be civil. Especially out there when it counts."

Interactions: Rumble Fish (Colt)
Mentioned: King Vioogra (Ivan) FireMaiden (Leliana)

 

[Togy]

"Kay, cool" Nile said offhandedly as he stretched a little in his lawn chair. Then he processed what Colt just said. "Whoah whoah whoah, a run? Like to that Willamette copy? Fuckin' A! Hey Freedom, what gun am I getting?" Nile asked Colt as he hopped off his lawn chair and headed over to Colt.

Colt was a bit jarred by Nile's response. The woman frowned a little and looked him up and down as he approached her. "First off; its Colt. Second; ya'll used a gun before?" She asked, her arms akimbo. Granted she wouldn't trust this lunatic with any weapon but if he could at least fire the thing, that would suffice. As long as he could tell who or who not to shoot.

"Went hunting every now and then when I worked on a farm upstate. If you're asking if I'm dumb enough to not know which end the lead comes out of, then be assured I wont off myself by accident" Nile said, somehow managing to not fit an insult into those sentences. Must be an off day for him.

Colt listened, her green and bloodshot hues darting a little and she growled inwardly. "...Hm." She went into one of her holsters, taking her Glock out. "One wrong move and I'm takin' it back, y'get me?" She asked, handing him the (unloaded) firearm. The ammo for it was in the her rucksack.

"Thank you Aunty Sam" Nile said, taking the Glock from her hand and feeling it's weight. He felt pretty damn cool holding it. "You know, I'm not legally allowed to hold a gun, or even be within fifty feet of one" Nile mumbled offhandedly as he ejected the clip to check his ammo. Empty. "What the fu-This is empty! What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" Nile said, miffed.

"It's Co-" the woman paused as the man admitted to not being even legally allowed to operate a firearm. Oh good Lord what had she just unleashed? Then again, she had a nurse, a veterinarian and had seen a kid use firearms and their situation was dire so she could not be too picky. At his next statement, her brows levelled into a gaze of disproval. "I haven't armed it yet, ya spring-loaded jackass." She fished into the duffle and pulled out a box. "There ain't much so use yer brain." She added, handing it to the man before continuing about her business, still watching him with at least one eye the whole time.

"I'm not an idiot you One-legged asshat" Nile muttered as he took the box from Colt. Opening it up, he saw two clips of 9mm bullets. Pulling one out, Nile ejected the empty clip onto the floor and shoved in the loaded one. Turning off the safety for no fathomable reason, he stuck the gun into his jeans with the handle and trigger pointing up and out.

 

[Rumble Fish]

Colt rolled her sore eyes at Nile. She knew he had undone the safety before putting the damn thing in his jeans. If the idiot wanted to get his cock shot off just from running that was his decision. She was busy fiddling with her rucksack when she was then approached by Jenna and the dog, Cammy. Colt looked down at the dog with a slight furrow of worry. She had not seen much of the dog, as the canine seemed to prefer the company of the streamer. But she had not been a concern to her and had caused little problems. It was just… if there was a way to turn her into two huskies named Sonny and Cher; that was the only thing that would truly content Colt in terms of dogs.
The veteran snorted and shook her head with some blinks as Jenna’s voice caused her to jump back into reality. She turned to face her fully as she offered up her services to accompany her on the trip. Colt frowned a little, opening her mouth to question her on this choice but was beaten to it as the veterinarian assured her that she could handle it. Colt felt her cheat heat up with the memory of her and Leliana’s previous arguments and once again opened her maw to protest, but as if she was reading her thoughts, Jenna once again stopped her and assured her that she would hold her tongue around the nurse. Pinching the bridge of her nose and scrunching her eyes, the veteran released a long sigh.

“Sure.” She responded finally, “Go into the duffle and find a handgun.” She added before doing so herself and pulled out the Colt Single Action Army revolver she had found in the hunting store. She had tested the old firearm and it seemed to work despite its age. She put it in her rucksack. As she had given Nile her Glock, she put her sawed-off shotgun in the second holster. Two handguns, a pocket pistol and an assault rifle. She felt like a fucking terminator. Once she was armed, the woman walked outside, her heavy boots creaking along the wooden floors. She grumbled and fluffed her jacket for warmth.

“C’mon! We got t’make tracks!” She yelled into the door, waiting for the four to come to meet her. As she waited, Colt sat on one of the stumps of a tree that had been knocked down a few days prior. As she sat, staring into the abyss, the weight and fear of what she was about to do finally came. The last time she had left this Lodge, she almost did not make it back. Owen had gone missing which in turn could have killed Andy and Luca. What would have happened if she had kept everything together? That girl would still be alive, that was one thing. Maybe it was the cold or that memory, but the veteran’s muscles quivered. She took out her flask, her mind still swimming. One had died and three could have followed. The assault on Moe’s Motel had almost claimed them all. She could still remember the faces of the three females when they burst in. They would have been easily killed or captured. Not to mention Shiona, who would not have given birth to little Valerie.

Much was achieved, but at what cost? Colt glanced to her hands, realising she had been subconsciously rubbing them vigorously as if washing them. There was blood, blood that could not be seen but it was still there. All she could remember was waking up, greeted by the sight of the slaughtered hazmat. Many nights had been haunted by that man. Waking up to see him standing above her, dripping blood from his mask onto her face, his face cast over and only the laborious and gurgled breathing escaped him. All she could do was stare into his open ribcage, drenched with a waterfall of foul, copper-stinking blood. It drenched her face as if attempting to waterboard her. Unable to breathe, all she could do was gasp and flail, only for it to stop. The blockades constructed out of the chest of drawers and planks for the windows and door would prevent Things from breaking in, but it could not stop that perpetual nightmare.

With a frozen breath and sharp sigh, Colt hopped down from the stump. She paused at the mouth of the trees, looking onto the road and towards the city. The woman took a long, drawn drink from her flask as she stared on. For all she knew, this run could kill her, or kill them all. They came so close last time to them never coming home. How was she going to do this? Ivan had hopefully learned his lesson about listening to people, but she could not speak for the wildcard that was Nile. At least Leliana and Jenna had common sense; even if they did bicker. It was at this point she wished she had asked Owen to accompany them. He was the real reason they all got back alive last time. But now he was not here, what would happen if she had another attack? Colt sighed and took another drink. Maybe if she just had enough, she could dull those worries enough to keep her head straight. She had to be alert, be stoic and not let either of those dummies throw bottles, Molotov’s or anything that would result in an explosion. Until everyone came out, Colt stared into the open and sipped periodically. Once everyone was outside, she finally put the thing away and turned to face them.

“Right. Here’s what’s happenin’. We’re takin’ the truck. First stop is at my apartment, we gotta get mattresses, ammo, food and weapons. Everythin's t'be taken if possible.” She held a finger up for everything she listed, “Then we’re goin’ to any pharmacy, doctor’s offices, anything we can find for meds. We got over twenty t’feed and care for. I don’ want any head-games or bullshit. We’re in and out. No fuckin’ around.” She made extra precaution to glare at Ivan and Nile at that final note. The former probably knew what it meant. Taking the keys to the truck from her pocket, she held them in her grip as she watched them all.

“Any questions?”

Interactions: FireMaiden (Leli) The Mad Queen (Jenna) King Vioogra (Ivan) Togy (Nile)
Mentions: Maj (Andy/Owen) Brax (Luca) BloodLightning27 (Shiona)​