Realistic or Modern Patient Zero (A Zombie Survival RP)

[The Mad Queen]

​

November 21st
Morning

The woods were silent, and Maria was offered nothing but the wind for company as she made her way through the trees. As she got deeper and deeper into the forest, the first signs of life revealed themselves. Birds and squirrels, able to escape the grip of the dead with ease populated the higher branches. She raised an eyebrow at a passing squirrel, and then kicked herself.
It may have felt as if it was always winter in Colorado, but it wouldn't be starting for another few weeks at least.

With a shrug she checked her surroundings once more and walked deeper into the woods. It didn't take long for them to be barren again, but as Maria discovered there was a reason for it. Ash and charred branches were scattered across the forest.
"Too early for bonfire night." She scoffed. "What were this lot up to?"

Checking over her shoulder once more and seeing the shape of a small creature moving through the woods, Maria kept walking. The leftover ash was her guide now, and the lodge wouldn't be far.

​

Tucked away from the rest of the lodge, Fisher's laboratory had been constructed of wood. The trees made ample cover and the injuries the infected had sustained meant that it wasn't going to be making a lot of noise anyway. With the burns alone, the creature struggled to even growl as the rest of them did.
Ralph stood a mere few meters away from it, the creature still reaching towards him.

At the start of the outbreak, Ralph would have pulled away or made a break for it but a few weeks on all the Doctor did was stare back at the eyeless, charred corpse. With his brown eyes still locked on it, he started to jot down notes.
"Progress is still slow." He muttered "Although Leliana's suggestion for camouflage proved to be successful with this one subject, it's impossible to determine just how useful that would be up against a larger group of these things."

He stared down at the creature, his eyes tracking where a large gash had been made in it's stomach.
"Despite hunger being a primary drive, these creatures do not appear to be able to digest anything. Although their desire to consume living flesh continues to elude me. Such trails for...Human food were."
He groaned "Unsuccessful."
The Doctor glared at his notes once more.
"Anything else is what we know already. Limited intelligence, that vicious bloodlust..." He rested his pencil on his chin
His eyes darted back to the lodge. Any plans of using equipment continued to elude him, given the other Doctor never seemed to leave the laboratory. With a light sigh he went back to his notes, and carefully tore out one page entitled: Camouflage.

However, he stopped in his tracks.

-
"Shite." Maria whispered to herself, staring down at the twig the woman had crushed under her heel. Holding her breath, Maria raised her hands and took one step forwards.
"I'm unarmed. I'm just lookin' for some help. Not with those government bastards."

Her eyes scanned the trees around her, seeing a silhouette. At first, she took one step towards it only to draw back at the sight before her. The charred skin, the grievous injuries to it's arms, the clothes fused to it. Her eyes then saw the rope attaching it to a tree and her mind exploded with theories. Taking a few steps towards it, Maria reached for her bat.

"Wait!"
Her eyes darted once more, seeing a man hobble towards her.
"You can't kill it!"
"Why not?"
"I'm..." He shook his head "I'm studying this. I call it the Aurora Plague."
"So you're some mad scientist gobshite and this whole lodge is your lab?" Maria scoffed, rolling her eyes "That's just perfect. Get off the streets to escape the dead and end up with you."
"I assure you, this is the only infected on the property. It's too dangerous otherwise. And just, look at the thing. Blinded, burned and it's been wounded."
"You did all that?"

He sharply shook his head
"No. The burning was the fault of two idiots. I removed the creature's arms."

With his hands raised, Ralph took a few steps towards the newcomer
"My name is Doctor Ralph Fisher. Who might you be?"
"Maria. Maria Kennedy." She nodded, folding her arms over "Listen Doc, if you've got a bed for the night I'll happily trade ya some food. Got plenty with me."
He gave the woman a half-smile "Well. That's not up to me, but I'll be sure to put a case forward."

She raised an eyebrow "You're not in charge?"
"No. No. That requires a bit more guts than I've got. I wouldn't say we have one de-facto leader though. We've got three, really. The glue that holds this place together."
"Sounds like you've got somethin' good goin' here then."
"Well, it's not perfect. Nowhere near close but it's much better than any alternatives you've probably got. Not going to sugarcoat it for you."

His warm brown eyes met hers.
"But it doesn't mean this place is bad. You just need to stay on your toes for the first few days and you'll be fine."
"Well it's as I said, I've got food ta trade." Maria shrugged "Plus, I'm a damn good fighter if ya need one of those."

Ralph nodded, offering the woman another smile.
"I reckon I have what I need today from that thing." He nodded towards the infected "Why don't you come inside and I'll introduce you to some of the people here."
"Fair warnin'. If you try anythin' funny I can drop ya."
"I won't. I promise. I just want you to stay close in case these people think you're an intruder. That's all."

As Maria walked behind Fisher, she hastily pulled up the notebook and jotted down as much as possible as they approached the backdoor to the lodge. As he turned back, she quickly tucked it into her pocket and gave him a half-smile.
"Why are ya bein' this nice anyway? Fer all ya know I could be a serial killer."
"Well are you a serial killer?"

She shook her head
"Thought not." He chuckled "I just believe in giving everyone the benefit of the doubt. At first."

Interactions: Open

 

[Brax]

Nov 21, 2018; 6:15 AM
The Lodge
"Old Friends"​

When daylight broke, Owen was still laying awake. Andy was sleeping soundly behind him, finally cried herself to exhaustion and curled up under his quilt. She looked like a child, laying on her side, turned from him. Her hair was sprawled across her face, soft curls turned into tangled, frayed knots. Andy slept on her hands, knees pulled to her chest, snoring softly through her mouth because her nose was stuffy from crying.

It was bad timing, but he had to go. Aubrey, he and Colt had been planning this run for several days. His sister was likely to be more mad he blew it off for her than she would be for him leaving. As gently as a man trying not to wake a one night stand, Owen rose from the bed and left his sister sleeping behind him. The redhead grabbed a change of clothes, and his packed messenger bag and headed to the bathroom to dress.

With freshly washed hair and brushed teeth, Owen came down the stairs several minutes later. He was dressed in dark jeans and “Bert and Ernie’s” faded Tshirt. Leather jacket was folded over his arm, the tear from his time in the hospital was patched poorly with fishing string. It sounded like Aubrey and Colt might already be outside packing the vehicle. He hadn’t broke the news to them that Nile would be joining them yet, but he was sure that the girls wouldn’t fault him too much.

His green hues scanned the room as he headed for the door, stopping when they rested on Luca’s head, bowed over a cup of fresh coffee. The twin sighed, sitting his bag down on the hardwood floors. Their expedition would have to be delayed for a few more minutes, this was a conversation that couldn’t wait. Owen walked through the archway and into the kitchen pausing to look at Luca’s very tired looking face.

“You got a minute?”

Luca had been staring at the surface of the coffee. He drank it black, but part of the man was skeptical on the quality of the water he had been drinking since he got to the lodge. Having water working from the tap was a nice luxury to have, however, the well was still maintained by the denizens within. He looked up at Owen only after the man had decided to speak. Otherwise, the Italian had been more than prepared to sit there as he breezed through the kitchen before going off to do whatever else he had planned today.

​

“I’ve got a couple more than that.” The man responded, his fingers gripping the handle of the mug before lifting it to his lips for a sip. Feeling the steam from the cup on his face practically mirrored the same heating effect throughout the rest of his body even if it was only momentarily. It didn’t make sense to play dumb. If Owen had decided to stop into the kitchen to have a word with Luca, chances were it had something to do with the other red-head that was among the lodge somewhere.

“I’m about to leave,” the twin explained. “Andy already knows. But, it might be a few days before I get back.” Owen felt uneasy, as he tried to find the words to accurately explain what he wanted to articulate. He sighed, pulling back one of the chairs and taking a seat. The poor table was full of bullet holes from when he had dumped it on its side to protect them from the hazmat soldier’s spraying rounds. It still held up well enough, a testament to his uncle’s building prowess. He reached into the back pocket of his jeans, retrieving a rather smashed carton of cigarettes. With the supply of smokes dwindling, none of them were to go to waste. The man put one of the sticks between his fingers and then held the paper package out to Luca to do the same.

“She’s asleep upstairs in my room.” Owen assured him. He looked up to the ex-capo’s face. For a moment, it almost felt like old times. How many times had the pair sat across this particular table from the other? The redhead gave him a knowing smirk. “Just in case you were worried.”

Luca made a facial expression as though he were impressed by the idea while he was taking a cigarette from the pack, but quickly defaulted from looking at Owen’s face back down to his coffee. The man across the table had confirmed that Andy hadn’t slept in her own bed. Unfortunately for the Italian, he spent the night away from the bedroom to give the girl her space. This was fitting given the circumstance. He couldn’t help but chuckle. This followed with a shake of his head before his fingers placed the cigarette between his lips.

“Those tears are wasted.” He brought fire to the end of his cigarette as he took a drag, leaning forward slightly and looking back up at the man. Then he readjusted himself on the uncomfortable wooden chair that supported his weight.

“I think we both know that isn’t the case, but if you want to pretend differently, I can’t stop you.” Owen shrugged. It took a few times for him to get his lighter working, a clear sign that it was almost time for a new one. It was a cheap piece of plastic to begin with. Broad shoulders relaxed as took a drag from the cigarette.

“She didn’t tell me what happened and I didn’t ask. However, I know that Andy hasn’t been that upset since she was a kid. Not when mom died, not when Eric died. This is uncharted territory for her and I’m not going to be here. Just promise me that even if it’s uncomfortable, that you will check on her while I’m gone.”

“That sounds like something I would not do, mother hen.”

It was not the first time Owen had been called that, and he assumed it would not be the last. Mary Jordan would have been far better equipped to deal with Andy, but she was gone. Luca and Owen were the best the poor girl had.

“Listen, I know you have no experience with girls,” the boy said with his infinite wisdom. Luca’s face turned slightly red, a nice mix between agitation and embarrassment. “However even your dumb ass has to know how she feels by now. Don’t be stubborn for the sake of being stubborn. I just want you to check on her while I’m gone, ” He rose from his chair. “I don’t think that's too much to ask of you.”

“Take care of yourself while you’re out there. It’s far worse than you remember and I won’t be there to have your back.” Luca commented, his words slightly muffled as they escaped through his teeth. He was well aware that Andy didn’t need a babysitter and that even without him, others would do it without being told. Past that, there was a very small chance that Owen would take his advice to heart but it wouldn’t be right to at least attempt to warn his old friend of the growing dangers beyond the lodge. They were surviving but others out there weren’t so lucky. The ones that weren’t properly taken care of became another number in the growing pool of reanimated people.

​

“There’s more zombies. Less supplies. More ravenous groups of people who are becoming increasingly battle-hardened. It’s exactly what you wanted to avoid when you refused to enter my world all those years ago, only you can’t run from it now.”

Owen nodded thoughtfully. That was the line in the sand and he knew it. When he was a child and the world didn’t require him to be ruthless, it had been the right call to run from Luca. Now, with his sister and the people of the lodge to protect, he knew that Luca was right. There was no running from it anymore. Like a reflex, he reached down to assure that his bat was in his bag, and found the familiar clang of metal under his palm.

“If recent events are anything to go by, I’m far more likely to get hurt staying here. This place isn’t totally secure either. Stay on your toes,” the redhead warned.

Luca raised an eyebrow as he turned to look up at Owen. A small smirk graced his visage.

“When I need your advice I'll ask for it, kid.” Placing the cup down on the table as Owen turned to walk out, Luca placed his hands down on the table and stood up before making his way to the coffee pot. “One more thing.” Luca paused to turn back to the man, his eyes sure to catch Owen’s.

“I need you to bring back suboxone. As much of it as you can find.”

Featuring: Maj

 

[Dragonlord318]

DO NOT ATTEMPT

To Harm the Innocent
Part 2 of 2​

As the men were chuckling, 'Mark' noticed that David's expression had changed. "'Ey look! This one don't look scar'd like the other uns." He saddled up to David and got in his face, "You think you can take all o' us on, boy?" David said nothing, casing his surroundings as he was threatened. Fools threatened back or ran, and he did not consider himself a fool. The man stepped back and turned, laughing, then swung a hard right haymaker. He felt it connect and smiled, but that smile turned into a look of confusion as he felt his arm being pushed down slowly. He then saw exactly what he connected with: David's left arm and hand, palm out. His fingers wrapped partially around the forearm and twisted it, thus turning the man's body. "What the-" he got out before a tan-colored boot connected with his face.

As David recovered from his high kick, he switched his bow to his left hand and pulled an arrow from his quiver with his right. The other three surrounded him and Mark got up, his nose streaming red fluid. He yelled out obscenities along with "Get 'im!" while he pulled a combat knife from his boot. Earl pulled out a revolver while Jerry readied his hunting knife, and Jeff put up his fists. David crouched, then sprang low toward Earl. The tracker let out a cry followed by wildly shooting his firearm, clearly not used to prey that fought back. The round ricocheted off a tree harmlessly. David swept his leg, easily knocking the disoriented man down. Earl grasped his weapon, holding it to his chest as he fell. As he hit the ground it went off, piercing Jeff's leg.

David turned around quickly as Mark rushed him. As the leader of the scavenger group struck out, knife in his right hand, David stepped left and raised his right arm and bypassed the knife to guide his enemy's arm away. The momentum of the thrust along with the diversion of force caused Mark to stumble and try to gain his footing. Right behind him was Jerry, hunting knife out and thirsty for blood. This time, David moved right, bringing his left arm up to meet Jerry's, moving the knife away from its intended path. As David parried, he simultaneously brought the arrow in his right hand up and into the cannibal's chin, pushing with as much force as he could muster. Jerry dropped his knife and fell to his knees as blood leaked from his eyes.

David spun right but moved left, both to glance at his surroundings and move out of the way of the falling corpse. He did a full turn and a half and stopped to see that Mark was turning around, having recovered from his failed attack and Earl was on his knees, starting to raise his revolver. David didn't know what hit him. In a speed that could only be described as adrenaline-fueled, he switched his bow to his right hand and drew an arrow, then notched it and fired at Earl. It hit dead center of his torso, ending any possibility of the tracker ever firing his weapon again. David turned to Mark who was now inches from him. He jumped back but still got a cut on his left arm due to the proximity of the attack. Thankfully it didn't sever any tendons due to him jumping back, but the cut was still deep and hurt like swallowing a Carolina Reaper.

As Mark made for a second swipe, this time the blade was starting at his chest and he trying to swipe out. David jumped forward and - cringing from the pain in his left arm - put his hand over the leader's forearm as it was moving out. He dropped his bow and grasped the flat of the blade and yanked down as hard as he could. Part of David's training flashed across his mind. The human hand can be opened slightly with the right amount of outward pressure between the thumb and other digits. The knife clattered to the forest floor and David moved his right hand up, striking his enemy in the throat. Mark grabbed his throat and started coughing, trying to catch his breath. He didn't give him the chance. He bolted forward, stepping just behind the scavenger's foot and nailed him in the chest with an elbow. The force of the blow with David's body weight behind it combined with the foot extended behind his made the perfect combination for Mark to fall flat on his back.

David jumped down on him, landing on his solar plexus with his knees. Mark dry-heaved, then felt two hands grab each of his index fingers. With a twist and a crunch, both fingers were bent backward until they snapped. Mark's cries of pain echoed through the forest. "Please, please, I-I-we won't bother you again! Please I won-" His cries of mercy fell on deaf ears and ended in a gurgle as stainless steel quickly entered his trachea. David pulled his buck knife clear of the man's throat and wiped it dry on the dying man's shirt. He leaned down and whispered in his ear, "You threatened the innocent."

David stood up, the adrenaline finally fading and the sounds of the undead in the distance coming to his ears. They definitely heard both gunshots and the cries for mercy, as well as smelled the fresh blood. He looked around for the final scavenger, Jeff. He saw where Earl lay, then looked where Jeff had been standing when he was shot. A trail of blood led away...toward the direction of the lodge! David picked up his bow and bolted. He couldn't let the deranged psycho draw a horde near the unsuspecting people. As he ran, the blood trail got thicker, the droplets closer together. He was slowing down due to blood loss. He finally caught up to the hobbling cannibal about a mile from the lodge. He ran past him and turned 180, skidding to a stop.

Jeff held up his hands. "Please...please…" he sobbed weakly. "I...I was jus' hungry…I-" he shook his head. "I...di'nt know what else ta do…"
As he spoke, David quietly drew near. He walked behind the sobbing man and wrapped his arms around his head. "You threatened the innocent."
With a twist and snap, the trail of bloodshed wrought by the cannabilistic gang had come to an end. David wrapped the dead man's leg, wrapped his own arm and hefted the corpse over his shoulder, taking him back to his comrades. This was the best place, as the zombies shouldn't be able to smell the long-dried blood trail, and the four men should make a pleasant enough snack for them to eat then disperse. David quickly searched the four corpses for anything useful (to include the weapons), then headed back to his tree-house before the horde arrived. The deer would have to wait till tomorrow.

 

[TheMightyRedLemon]

New Friends​

After making his way out back with a cup of coffee in his hand, Luca went for a walk around the side of the house. He had been moseying on forward without an exact motive. Part of his mind was replaying the exchange he had with Owen. The man knew he was right but Luca was stubborn. There were some things he didn’t want to do, and having that conversation where he consoled Andy was surely up high on that list. Despite telling the woman how he felt, Andy clung to the depressing parts of what he had been vocalizing. Then she decided to attempt to read between the lines instead of taking his words at face value. One foot led before the other as he slowly brought the coffee mug up to his face before his eyes caught the generator. It seemed to be just fine, loud as all hell. Chances were the thing would need more gas added to it soon. As he pondered this, the Italian couldn’t help but feel like a pair of oculars were burning a hole through the back of his head.

He turned back and looked up to the roof. Vanessa had been standing there. She was in a suspicious position, given how close she was to the generator. For a moment, Luca continued staring up at the girl without any exchange of dialogue. The wind whipped through the forest behind them up to the lodge. Aside from that, their surroundings had been relatively silent. Over the past few days Luca learned that Vanessa was not someone whom he had to be cautious of. Given her rumblings with others over that amount of time, she had not struck him once. Nor had she made the attempt to. Therefore, dealing with the ensuing conversation wasn’t something that brought him to preponderance.

“Get down. Carefully.” The man barked with an unenthused expression gracing his visage. “I need to have a conversation with you.”

​

The acrobat gave him an over exaggerated salute with a jovial response. "You got it boss!" Heeding the Italians advice, she climbed down slowly and cautiously. Luca raised an eyebrow, watching as she made her way down before beginning to walk back the way he came from. There was no indication that she should follow him but Luca figured she would, anyway. Together, the two made their way back into the lodge where it was warm. The Italian led her to the kitchen table where he pulled out a chair before taking his own.

"So what did ya need boss?" She asked sitting down.

“What have you been up to since you got to the lodge, Vanessa?” Luca asked as he placed his coffee cup back down on the table. He removed a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and placed them on the table beside the ceramic mug.

Mismatched eyes looked upwards for a brief moment as she thought about all that had happened in the week she had been here. "Well I found the sex dungeon by accident…." She started. "And I met a few people here. Miss Colt gave me the bottom bunk in her room…. Let's see…" she looked back at Luca. "I helped colt with an intruder who was leavin food on the back porch fer some reason. Took his sword I did!" She said cheerfully.

Luca’s eyebrows began twitching as the bridge of his nose crinkled slightly. Embarrassed, he parted his lips to respond. His fingers absentmindedly wrestled out a cigarette from the pack on the table before placing the filter between his lips. His teeth bit down on it to keep it in place as he continued. “Sex… Dungeon? Do I look like I enable such degeneracy?”

"N..no boss… I'm sorry." She stammered.

“You’re not telling me everything.” The man brought fire to the opposite end of the tobacco which ignited with ease. He took a deep drag, exhaling through his nostrils as he placed the lighter back on the table and leaned back. Light hues remained fixated on her hetero-chromatic iris’.

“Specifically, biting one of the only capable scientists and doctors we have. A man that might be more important than myself. Not to mention the scuffle you got in with what’s-his-face.” At this point, Luca’s expression had returned to normal but he couldn’t help but ponder just what the fuck Vanessa had been on about with her first statement.

Looking down in shame, she began to fidget with her gloves nervously. "I didn't mean to hurt the doc…”

Luca stood up from the table, making his way around the edge so he stood beside the woman. His hand cradled her face. Slowly he pushed upward so the woman was looking up at him before he followed her thought. “Everything that you do. Every action that you take, every word that you say, is a direct reflection on me when you use my name in casual conversation. Do you understand this?” Vanessa gave the ex-capo a light nod. He let the girl’s face go, kneeling slightly so that the two were closer to eye-level.

“If you ever need to talk to anybody, come find me. I request and advise that you take this route first before jumping into action, so long as you can help it.” The man stood up with a sigh, momentarily removing the cigarette from his lips to exhale before standing back up and making his way back to the coffee pot once more. This time he removed an extra cup from the cupboard.

“In an hour, me and you are going to go find our personal forest Santa. Make preparations and meet me out back at exactly that time.” He poured the coffee into the second cup, before walking out of the kitchen and toward the staircase.

“I have to meet someone about a thing first.”

Featuring: Brax

 

[Rumble Fish]

Maria took a seat at the kitchen table, placing the bat on top of it and stretching. Fisher glared down at the weapon, raising an eyebrow. "Don't worry, it's only infected blood."

"Alright." He nodded "I'm going to try and find one of the others. Just keep your head down for now and try to stay out of trouble."

"I'll try." Maria sighed. As Ralph made his way upstairs, Maria pulled out the notebook once more and furiously jotted some more notes down.

The last week had been a mentally/emotionally exhausting one but finally, after that successful and simple run with the red-haired archer, things could hopefully now begin to settle. The floorboards jumped from the clumping of heavy boots walking through the living room at an odd sounding gait. The scarred owner of the boots yawned and scratched her concave stomach as she reeled around the corner to the kitchen, only to be met with the sight of an unfamiliar woman.

Colt jumped a little on the spot as her pink eyes stared forward, blinking a few times before being able to collect her thoughts enough to speak.

"Who are ya?"

Maria sat up in her chair at the sound of someone entering into the kitchen and calling out to her. She was just glad that Caoimhe wasn't in charge for this and quickly closed the notebook, looking up at Colt.

"Maria. Fisher found me outside and brought me in. I think he's upstairs if you want to ask 'im." She studied Colt up and down, scanning her with her eyes "Rough night, love?" She gave her a half-smile

Colt blinked a few times at the woman as she answered her question bluntly. That was new. No snarky comments or insults, a rarity nowadays. As she questioned her if she had a rough night, the veteran rolled her eyes.

"Every night's a rough night." She grumbled as she strode around the table to get some water. Her tone was scratchy from dehydration and that was her main quest right now. The run was today. The run she had agreed to while drunk and, despite her lack of enthusiasm for it, she knew that she had to stand by her word. The veteran knew better than to go too far the night before, so this was manageable. Water, food and fresh air would be enough to get her through this hangover. Her mind was still sharp.

"Well, I can't disagree with ya there." Maria nodded. She slowly stood to her feet, took two steps towards the veteran and offered her a handshake "As I said, I'm Maria. Who are you?"

The vet finished her long, long drink of water, putting the cup down with a gasp and a head shake. It instantly cleared up her mind. As the woman spoke again and approached with an outstretched hand, it took her a moment to consider reciprocating it. The friendly nature of the woman's words were unusual and frayed the woman's already frazzled nerves. Finally, a scarred and rough hand clasped the woman's clear one.

"Call me Colt."

Taking Colt's hand in her own, Maria gave her a firm handshake. "Are you in charge around here, Colt? Ralph said this place was run by three people. Only said that he wasn't one of them."
She took one step back, her eyes studying the kitchen "Something about 'im not havin' the stomach for it."

"Yeah. I'm one of 'em." Colt answered laconically. "Andy and Luca are the other two. But I dunno where they are so, yet stuck with me for now I'm afraid." She added before sitting at the table, taking her flask out. Before opening it, she turned to the girl, her eyes slightly narrowed as she pondered upon where this woman might have come from. Finally she cleared her throat,

"Where y'from anyhow? Never seen y'all before."

"I thought the accent made it obvious?" Maria rested her arms on the table and chuckled lightly "Though I suppose there's no harm in tellin' ya."

Glancing out the window, Maria rubbed her left arm. "Not a local. I'm a Derry girl. Was passin' through this place and got stuck. Been stayin' in a church ever since."

"Hm." The woman growled with a lowering of her brows. No, it was not obvious and another sass-dispenser was the last thing Colt wanted to deal with. However her gaze softened as she explained properly. The woman rolled her shoulders with a groan, scratching behind her torn ear.

"Well, mighty sorry this was yer fuckin' welcome 'ere," the alcoholic lamented as she unscrewed the cap and taking it in her hand, "A lot of the folks 'ere were in similar positions. Madness." She shrugged before taking a sip. A series of unfortunate events, if you will.

"I've had worse receptions." Maria shrugged "Aye. Seems everyone who's made it this far has seen or done things they aren't proud of. Even Doctor friendly there's done sonethin' I'm sure."

Drinking to forget was the only reason Maria could think of for Colt starting this early in the morning. She wasn't going to push those particular buttons.

Instead, she removed the backpack and set it on the table. "As I told 'im I got food to trade. Church was doin' harvest right before shit exploded. All it'll cost ya is puttin' up with my ugly mug for a while."

"Hm. Y'could say that." The veteran shrugged as the woman spoke once again. At the mention of food. Colt frowned and rolled her bloodshot eyes, a hand over her face. Another person trying to offer food to them? Still, at least this woman had the decency to meet them face-to-face rather than skulking around at night.

"Look at me. I've got the uglier mug here and I'm still aboutso y'shouldnt have any issues." She snorted slightly before again, scratching her messed up ear. She was stuck on what else to say, but it seemed as though there was no need as a loud rumble from her stomach turned her attention away from her flask to the search for nourishment. Having eaten little the few days before, there was a dull ache in her abdomen. Standing from her seat, she opened a cupboard to start looking, rubbing her stomach in circles to try and soothe it.

As Colt turned her back, Maria pulled out the notebook and jotted down more within seconds. Just as soon as it was out, it was tucked back into her pocket. Clearing her throat Maria folded her arms over again.
"So...Can I stick around?" She glanced towards the veteran "Even just for a few days?"

"Oh shut the fuck up." Colt hissed at her growling gut as she stood back up, now holding a box of Coco-Pops, trying to pry it open. They were probably stale but at this point she did not care. As the woman spoke again, Colt paused in her struggle at her question. Her shaggy brows furrowed in the middle as she thought. Ralph seemed okay with her. The woman grumbled a little as her eyes darted slightly.

"Hrmph." The woman took out her combat knife to slit the top of the box, too tired and semi-hungover to try a traditional approach, "Ya desperate?" she questioned, putting the knife away as she did. While she was suspicious of the woman, she saw no reason to hold the knife and potentially threaten her, even by accident. Colt's tone was level, yet firm.

Maria's eyes widened a little when the woman hissed, but she quickly realised that Colt wasn't talking to her. At least not directly. After the notes she had received from Caoimhe, Maria wasn't sure if she was desperate or not. She hadn't been there when her friend had succumbed to the Aurora Plague. Part of her wanted Caoimhe to come out then and there, she was the one that needed this more after all but then again the idea of leaving something so important out of her hands rubbed Maria the wrong way. She couldn't show weakness.

"Honestly? Colt, I'm not. I could go back to that church and have enough to feed meself for the next two months before I'd need to scavenge outside." She shook her head "But I'm tired of that place and it's only me there. It may be safe but at the same time I was getting restless stuck there. I'd start to go mad soon enough."

Colt did not move as Maria answered her question. So she was not desperate for their shelter, having her own. Part of her was ready to deny her request right there but there was a niggling feeling at the back of her head. She could not say no.

"Hm." She grumbled before pointing a finger upward as she spoke next "Well. In that case, I'll allow ya t'stay fur a few days. As long as ya keep outta my way and don't give me or anyone else grief. Ya got that?" Her body still demanded nourishment but she could not afford to let her guard down. While she was not as bizarre as the clown or tree-man, she's still a stranger.

"Ah, don't worry love. I'll keep outta trouble." Maria gave Colt a smile. On the inside, she breathed a heavy sigh of relief. A few days was better than nothing.

"Where do you want me to leave this stuff off?" She raised the backpack into the air, showing Colt at least the top layer of it's contents. "Just figure it'd be best if I help ya stock up."

"See that ya do." The woman grumbled as she reached into the box of Coco-Pops but was halted again as Maria spoke up again. While internally eye-rolling, she considered her response. "Hm. What's in it?" She turned her head in such a way that only one eye was visible. If she was going to ask her to handle that thing, she wanted to know. How was she supposed to know there wasnt anything nasty in there?

"Canned goods." She answered, rather plainly "Everything else had gone off from the Church's harvest. Here." She poured part of the bag's content out onto the table.

Colt stooped a little to examine everything that had tumbled from the bag. Her story seemed to check out, but the veteran could not shake off that feeling of something not being right. Putting the Coco-Pops down for a moment, she strode back and forth a couple of times in thought. Despite her intuition, she would not feel right in kicking her out. Perhaps if she were able to keep this woman under her and the others thumbs, they would be observant enough to spot a problem long before it became one.

"Keep it with ya fur now. I'll talk with Andy about where y'can go. We're pretty full as it is as y'can probably see." She finally responded, her tone growing tired from the impatient wait for food.

Although she kept a smile on her face, inside Maria was sighing heavily at the woman's response. It was better than nothing at least.

"Alright." She nodded, scooping the canned goods into the backpack. "Till then I'll try to keep outta yer hair at least." She glanced up at Colt one last time "If this does end up bein' long term you should know I can help in other ways. Before Aurora collapsed I was a champion MMA fighter. Hope that counts for somethin'."

Colt's brows lifted and fell at her what she said next. The woman nodded once with a grunt. "Hm. That's beneficial. I prefer to rely on guns myself, but I know a thing or two about hand-to-hand combat." The woman rubbed the back of her neck, a little un-nerves by the thoughts that came with that statement. "We've had a few, uh, run-ins so that would come in handy I'm sure." She added finally.

"Well, ya have to be good at somethin' if ya want to survive this new world. That's the way I see it." Maria gave Colt a shrug and sat down at the table. Going into the rucksack again she pulled out a can of soup and slid it across on Colt's direction. "This one's on the house. Never liked tomato much anyway."

Colt did not have much to say about the matter but she did watch as the can was slid towards her. Colt glanced up at the woman, unsure of how to react. "Um. That's mighty generous of ya but-" a rumble interrupted the veteran, all she could do was sigh heavily, knowing there was no point in trying to deny it. "Uh, thank ya'll." she sat down, "So. Get comfortable." she added as she turned to finally start on her Coco-Pops.

"I'll try." Maria briefly shot Colt a smile "I'm just gonna doodle for a bit. You know where to find me." She leaned back in the chair and started jotting down in her notebook again, taking great care to not show Colt the contents of the pages.

"Yeah." Colt grumbled as she finally got to eating. Her nerves were already jumping with anxiety. The last two runs she had gone on in a group almost ended in death. All she could hope was that, with Owen and Aubrey on board, they may have enough brains between them to succeed with little problem. Despite what Andy would say about her brother, Colt preferred to have him over any of the other "fucking idiots" in the Lodge along with her.

Featuring: The Mad Queen (Maria/Ralph)
Mentions: Maj (Andy/Owen) Corgi (Aubrey) Brax (Luca)

 

[Maj]

​

Digits wrapped around the handle of Owen’s door before slowly opening it. Luca peered inside to see that Andy had been asleep on his bed. He advanced quietly, holding the handle down to shut the door behind him as silently as possible. The man took a few steps toward the front of the bed where Andy’s head had been resting. He crouched down momentarily, trying his best to formulate a string of words that would not aggravate her within a forcefully-broken slumber. After a moment of thought, Luca eventually came to the conclusion that there was absolutely no way for him to correctly convey how he was feeling. A free hand found the girl’s leg briefly.

“I brought you coffee.” The man said in a hushed tone as he lifted the cup up for her to smell.

Emerald eyes fluttered open. They were still bloodshot, streaks of mascara smeared down her face in tear tracks. She flinched back, startling awake at the touch, inhaling sharply as consciousness was forced upon her. Andy opened her mouth to berate her brother for waking her unnecessarily, but her gaze focused in on Luca and her lips closed, faltering. Slowly the girl sat up, shifting her weary form against the headrest. Blankets falling down around her waist to reveal the same dress as the night before. She reached out and took the cup from him, the warmth of the ceramic seeping into her palm.

“I didn’t sleep last night, I figured you needed space. Owen found me this morning.” Oftentimes Luca had the gift of gab but that rarely translated into knowing what to say given scenarios that were more intimate in nature. What could he possibly say to make anything better, that he was drunk and he didn’t mean it? Lying would just make things worse.

“I’m sorry. I suppose I didn’t realize what I was saying would affect you the way it did.”

Yet, somehow the man found himself further lying regardless. In a way, Luca did not expect the magnitude of reaction his words had received but he was well aware of what he did. There weren’t many times that Luca had lost himself in the sauce. Being black-out drunk wasn’t something that the man found himself doing often. At that end it must have been over ten years since he decided that a lack of control wasn’t what he was after when it came to alcohol. Part of him pondered what to do next. He had put himself in an awkward situation. Luca found himself taking a deep breath as he stood up to his feet, eventually crossing his arms over his chest.

Fuck you, Owen.

“Yes you did.” Her voice was hoarse from the night before. Andy hadn’t expected the apology, it somehow made it harder for the woman to formulate a response. He had come to her with a lot last night, much of which was hard for her to process. However, Luca wasn’t an idiot and only an idiot would think what was said wouldn’t have affected her. She hadn’t reacted in the most dignified manner but what the hell was she supposed to say? It hadn’t been any of the single things he had said, but the conglomeration of all three topics that had set her off. How dare him attempt to tell her that he loved her right after insinuating he was dying. Her face twisted in frustration as she opened her mouth to speak, but ultimately closed it once more, features softening.

“You have a right to say whatever you want.” She shrugged.

“Such is life when you only answer to yourself.” The man replied, shifting his weight so that he was standing once more. Luca could have taken a seat in the chair at the table but he opted not to. Instead he climbed into bed beside the woman, pushing the covers upward before sliding in underneath them. Given the size of the bed there wasn’t nearly as much space as there was in the master bed. He could feel the girl’s own body heat against his own frame. Owen having mentioned how Andy’s uncle had passed mixed with her reaction from last night was more than enough to tell Luca what the issue was here. It wasn’t so much his feelings being made audible that left a bitter taste in her mouth. Rather, a lack of clarification. He lifted his arms so that his hands cradled the back of his head as he rested it against the pillow behind Andy.

“The amount of oxycontin that has been sustaining me up until now will taper off in a few weeks.” Luca casually mentioned, looking up at the ceiling. He slowly closed his eyes as he studied it. Her instinct was to scoot away from him, annoyed at his sudden invasion of her space. She didn’t like feeling coddled, but as he spoke recognition took over her features. Loose ends that she didn’t realize she had began to connect and suddenly more of the bigger picture became clear for her. Andy softened, looking down at the untouched cup of coffee in her lap, hands still clasped tightly around the mug, leaching warmth from it.

“So you being intentionally vague and ominous about it last night was what? A way to gauge my reaction?” The redhead raised an eyebrow at him.

“Should be a lesson in a few things for you.” He spoke casually. The man’s eyes had remained shut. “Don’t jump to conclusions without knowing all of the facts, for one. You talk tough for someone who claims not to care.”

She smirked. It was heartless to admit that she was relieved, but compared to the worst case scenario her mind had jumped to, withdrawals were a problem that they could handle. It would be a lie to say she had known he had a problem, but now that he had confirmed it, the evidence was hard to ignore.

“It must be so easy to judge us poor mortals from your high horse,” Andy retorted, finally raising the cup to her lips. She drank from it and grimaced. “Which is impressive seeing as you can’t even make a semi passable cup of coffee.” Despite all his prowess in the kitchen, the Italian had yet to give her anything in a ceramic mug that was drinkable. Still, she continued to hold the cup and let her body ease into his, less tense than before.

“A coffee pot that’s fifty years old can’t possibly produce anything that tastes good, Amor.”

Featuring: Brax

 

[Brax]

An Italian with a Fox​

Vanessa bounded silently up the stairs with a gleeful smile. Luca had finally given her something to do, and she was absolutely elated. Bursting into her room, she grabbed her bag and began to sift through it, taking out any item deemed unnecessary for the run. Once she was satisfied with what she was bringing, she zipped the bag back up and slung it onto her back. Having finished before the hour, she waited on Luca while humming softly to herself.

Upon walking out of Owen’s room, Luca let out a yawn. A few minutes nap certainly hadn’t been enough to quell his need for sleep but there were other matters to attend to. The Italian was the kind of man to arrive to prior engagements on time; whether the world had gone to shit or not was completely irrelevant. Exactly an hour from the time established with Vanessa he was walking out the back doors leading to the porch. He removed a cigarette from the pack to place between his lips before lighting it. Blue hues peered over to the form of the girl, providing a small nod. She had been on time. This was something that pleased the man.

“Are you ready?” He asked as he moved the automatic rifle from his back to his torso. There was never a need to turn off a safety catch if it was never on. However, he did load the gun in preparation to use the entire clip it had to bolster. With that, Luca took the lead without saying another word. They were going to go straight into the forest to see what awaited them. Given what seemed to be previous run-ins with this forest dweller - be it leaving meat at their doorstep, or running into the residents of the lodge beyond its acreage - it was likely that there would be some sort of trail that would allow them to track down the man.

“I’m not the best person for this job, if I'm being honest.” The Italian mentioned casually as the two walked into the depths of the forest. “I have no experience tracking anything. You ran into this guy in here though.” His feet stopped at a metaphorical crossroads within the forest just as the lodge was generating some distance within the populous of its leaves.

“Where do we go?”

Vanessa looked around for a moment at her surroundings. This was fairly close to where they had met the strange forrest dweller before. "He said he was livin somewhere out that way boss." She said while pointing in the direction the man had given them the night before. "I'm no tracker meself, but I'll do me best boss!"

“I know.” The man mumbled back as his eyes followed the direction in which the acrobat had been pointing. They continued walking further into the forest. It started with blood; the bodily fluid that stained the leftover snow led the two to a group of bodies. Luca slowly approached the bodies. A few had naturally fell in that position. He crouched from a decent distance, looking over the last one. Given its position, it was naturally moved at some point. The Italian was curious as to why they weren’t properly disposed of. Perhaps it was under the assumption that an animal would somehow come across it. Luca was more concerned about zombies, however.

​

“Have you seen this before?” He asked, looking up to Vanessa from his lowered position. “When you met him, did you see this?”

She shook her head in response. "No boss. He took down two of those Mortverts the night me and Colt saw 'im" she replied, her twisted spheres scanning over the corpses.

“Seems like he did a bit of a sloppy job cleaning.” Luca commented before standing upright. This mystery man must have been further down the same direction. He didn’t even make the effort to move the pile away from his general direction. It seemed rather odd to the Italian. Then he continued onward past the four deceased, until he got to a more densely populated part of the forest.

Suddenly, Vanessa grabbed Luca's shoulder. "Hold up boss!" She cautioned with a measure of urgency in her voice. Her eyes had spotted something that didn't belong. "Look 'ere." She said, pointing to a bit of twine near the ground, haphazardly covered with foliage. "Its pulled taut, so its attached te somethin."

“We can’t advance?” The bridge of his nose crinkled slightly as he looked down at the trap. There was no saying how far horizontally they would need to travel to get around it. One wrong move could potentially be fatal. Moving forward was not something Luca would be able to do. He didn’t have a keen eye for detail within the thick as Vanessa seemed to. He certainly didn’t notice the twine hidden on the ground. In a rare moment for the man, the Italian was unsure of what to do next. He looked upward. They stood before a misshapen path, almost seemingly man-made.

Vanessa studied the surroundings as she thought. "Well I figure we've got two options really." She looked back up at Luca, her eyes meeting his own blue orbs. "We can step over and keep an eye out fer more." She began as she looked back to the twine. "Or we can follow the wire te see what it's attached to. From there we could disable it."

“I doubt there’s only one. I think we should just cautiously move forward. Take the lead, I'll follow behind. If I go first there’s no doubt we’ll be in worse shape.” He inhaled the last few centimeters of the cigarette he had lit back at the lodge before tossing it. Given the fact that filters were designed to not be flammable, it would be a matter of seconds before the ignited cherry went out on its own.

Without any further hesitation, Vanessa stepped over the tripwire and continued forward, her eyes scanning both high and low for any traps or danger. The cold had finally begun to cause goosebumps across her skin from the prolonged time out in it, but she couldn't care less. Luca, the man that had saved her, was now depending on her to see these traps. The chance to prove her worth to the Italian made her visibly joyful despite the cold.

Ten minutes earlier

David awoke from his nap with a start when the southern exterior bells rang. He started to go back to sleep after a few seconds, but the next couple bells went off as well. Now very wide awake, he stared intently at the bells strung along his wall. The first mid-range bell shook slightly, and he bolted out of bed.

He threw on some clothes, threw a sheathed Dao over his shoulder and grabbed his bow as well as three arrows. He went out the northern door, then walked along the porch until he reached a tree. He climbed up silently, then made his way to the tree next to it, a towering spruce. After a minute or two, he heard a couple people coming from the south. He peered through the thick branches and at first saw nothing. When he heard "Hold up, Boss!" He was able to zero in on who it was.

When he spotted bright purple and chestnut locks, he groaned. What is she doing here? he thought as he rolled his eyes. He looked back down and saw a black-haired accomplice with her. The sergeant? He peered closer, not seeing the military jacket. When her partner turned to look this way and that, he saw that it was indeed not her. He looked at their armament and it looked like they were prepared, but not brandishing anything. He blew softly out his nose. This man was someone different, someone possibly unhinged called 'boss'.

He looked over his deadly maze, crouched on his natural perch as the two started trying to traverse it and a brow went up. He decided since they weren't holding weapons as though they were apprehensive, he didn't want them to die. At least, not anytime soon.

​

"If you take another step you'll fall into a hole," he called out loudly. "One that you won't climb out of." They were the only creatures in earshot, so his shout would have a ghost of a chance of drawing anything -or anyone- else near. The well-disguised trap was about 6 feet in diameter and just as deep, with feces-coated wood spikes at the bottom. Simple, ancient, inelegant, and most importantly, effective. He draped the bow over his shoulder and slid the arrows through the gap between his belt and jeans while he placed his left hand on his thigh and right on the tree trunk next to him.

He wanted to gauge their reaction to his introduction and -of course- see why they came. After all, he was essentially threatened with death if he ever approached the lodge again.

Hearing a voice above him, Luca turned to see who was responsible for the warning. The Italian stared up at the man, trying his best to make out his visage given the distance. To continue avoiding traps they didn’t know about, or navigate properly just to get to the treehouse seemed like a further waste of time when Forest Santa already knew the two were present. Under the assumption they were alone, Luca called back out to the man in as calm a manner he could.

“I’m responsible for the lodge you’ve previously left meat at. Can you come down to us so we can have a word with you? We are not hostile.” The man continued looking up at the gentleman, before dropping the gun in his hands so that it would hang from the strap that had been fastened around the back of his neck. Luca even put his hands up, just to signify that there was no ill-will associated with the visit. Little did Luca know, there was a group of zombies only but a few hundred feet away from both himself and Vanessa.

David pointed at Vanessa and was about to say something but a bell rang again. David snapped his head back and looked at the cabin in the woods he called home and listened intently. He heard another. And another. Then the groans, ever so subtle, distant but not far. He looked down at the two, knowing they were ignorant of the threats. "Listen. Move back three steps. Move right ten paces. Move the juniper bush and you'll see a path that leads to my ladder."

“Three back…” Luca said to himself as he took three steps backwards. As he moved his hand reached out to grab the back of Vanessa’s skirt briefly, pulling her along with him. “Move right ten paces…” Counting each step, the Italian took the appropriate amount of steps before coming in line with a row of bushes. His eyebrows furrowed slightly. Which one was the fucking Juniper bush?

Vanessa blushed as Luca grappled her skirt and started pulling her along, but she cooperated wordlessly.

David removed his bow and notched an arrow, turning east, the direction from which he heard the noises. "Move fast if you wanna live. We're not alone."

“I’m working on it.” The Italian barked back impatiently as he studied each of the bushes. Then he looked over to Vanessa, hoping she would know which one to move so they could progress. Given the man’s warning, it didn’t really matter who was with them; be it a wild animal, a zombie or hostile forces, making it to the treehouse would provide any one - or thing - issue in passing.

"Fucks a juniper?" Vanessa asked as she looked to Luca.

David turned his head, eyes still fixed on the direction he was targeting and shouted, "The only one without berries! It's fake!"

“You should have just said that from the start.” The man murmured as he reached forward to grab the one bush without any berries. He lifted it from its spot, allowing Vanessa to enter first before making his way in after. Luca was sure to place the bush back, albeit half-assed and not as pretty as its initial placement was. Together, the two approached the ladder before the man stopped and looked up at David.

“We’re going to come up.” He warned.

​

Vanessa flattened her skirt around her and looked up the ladder herself. "Ya want me te go up first boss?" She asked as she looked back to him with her mismatched eyes.

“Go, Poca Volpe.” He responded as he continued looking up at the man.

David gave a sigh. "You wanna be food!? Just get up the stinkin' ladder already!" He let an arrow loose, imbedding it in a zombie's chest dead-center. The spine severed and it dropped. Vanessa made her way up first, followed closely by a Luca who had tried his hardest to keep his eyes averted from what was underneath the girl’s skirt.

David dropped to the deck of his tree house, sure the safety of his new guests was secured.

Upon getting to the top, the man was sure to step out in front of the girl, pushing her back softly with a hand before approaching the man who had helped them navigate up to this point. If both David’s position as well as Luca’s had been swapped, the Italian wasn’t so sure he’d be as inviting as the man that stood before him. As a part of thanks for helping them out, the ex-capo extended an open hand to the man.

“Luca Brasi.” He turned his head momentarily to look out at the group of zombies that had been approaching. Some were bound to fall for some traps. Others would surely find a way in, so long as the trap didn’t involve a gigantic hole with wooden spikes waiting below. Judging by their intelligence, they’d all just fall to their second death.

Featuring: TheMightyRedLemon Dragonlord318

 

[The Mad Queen]

The following is a collab between Rumble Fish and myself​

After doing one more safety check of the test subject, Ralph hobbled back to the house. He still needed to share his findings, and fast. How long would it be before the group went on another run? Michael had cleared out their supplies, and a fire started by Nile and the late Cletus had cleared away the wildlife. They were running out of food and there was little to hunt now. A run was inevitable in the man's mind.
He made his way upstairs, and had to stop on the top step as the pain in his knee grinded him to a halt. Gritting his teeth, he fought through it and approached Colt's room where the Doctor knocked on the door.

Smoke filled the room from the woman's lungs as she blew out in a long sigh. The veteran was perched on the edge of her bed, a cigarette hung loosely in her grip and an empty tin of soup sat at her fake foot. Her bag sat packed against the wall and her three firearms sat armed on the bed, safetys on of course. The veteran had come here after speaking to Maria, hoping to settle herself before heading back out. Despite the fluidity of her run with Andy, she was still un-nerved by the thought of going back out.
Just as she inhaled again, there was a knock. The woman waited for the smoke to seep from her snout before coughing a "Come." to whoever stood outside. The woman tapped the ashes into a tray before shifting to face the door. While not in the mood for visitors, she could not exactly deny whoever stood out there.

Ralph gently pushed the door open, and the first thought that jumped to mind was scolding Colt for smoking. That would have to wait.
"Colt. You got a minute?" Ralph asked, panting slightly. His run back to the lodge, combined with his knee had been exhausting. How long had it been since his injury? At least three weeks, it seemed. Not enough time for him to be running around just yet but the situation called for it.
"I've found something out about the infected I think you need to know."

"Siddown." Colt lazily gestured to the chair in the corner, seeing the man's struggle. It had been some time since he had been injured but Colt knew knee injuries took longer to heal than others. At least he still had his knee, rather than having it removed, but now was not the time for that. As he spoke again, her eyes widened a little as he mentioned something about the Things.
"What's that?" she asked, leaning forward to prop her elbows on the knees, facing the man fully now. She had not asked the man anything about his studies before, but he sounded like it was something needing to be said, so she would lend her ears.

Taking one more breath, Ralph sat down on the bed.
"So for the past few days I've been running experiments on a captured host." He rambled "Now, I know what you're going to stay. It's dangerous. I'm aware, but every precaution has been taken. Although I lack the equipment, I discovered something that might be beneficial for supply runs...." He took a breath. The Doctor was talking perhaps a little too fast as it was "So, they can rely on a sense of smell alone. The host I have captured and tied up was still able to sense my presence despite it's lack of eyes and ears."
He took another breath, aware of how what he was saying sounded "Oh! I didn't remove the eyes and ears. That happened before my tests. That little fire set by Cletus and Nile burned them off."

Get to the point, Ralph. He scolded himself

"It's possible to mask our scent. Now, that doesn't mean wrap yourself up in guts and go walking through hordes. I only have one host to test on. I'm not sure just how impressive the masking would be in a larger horde of the darn things. But, if you're smart. And I know you are, if you keep hidden and keep the noise down you could maybe slip past infected if you...Um, smear a few guts on yourself to mask your scent."
With his rambling over, the Doctor took one more breath.

Colt said nothing and allowed the doctor to ramble on until he finally got to the crux of his point. The woman listened intensely but did not move other than the reflex of blinking, waiting for him to be finished before even considering her response. It was an interesting find. And useful. Colt knew herself she did not smell that appealing, mainly of body odour from a lack of washing over the last week, a perpetual scent of booze that hung around the woman like flies and now smoke but she'd still be easily tracked by Things. With a groan, the veteran stood up, beginning to pace back and forth across the room in her limped gait.

"Hm. This is great work, doc." She finally spoke, still pacing. "I know not all of 'em will be willin' t'do it but, I've dabbled with usin'... unpleasentries t'get an advantage myself. If yer findings are right, this is big." She stopped, science was not something the veteran knew about but survival was. If he was right in his theory, this would give them great advantage while on the road.

"Well, it was Leliana's idea." Ralph smiled "I just put it to work. With more test subjects maybe I could have tested just how useful this is but of course, the danger of having half a dozen living corpses lined up is just too great." His eyes moved, now looking out of the window "I have discovered other things, of course. But they aren't as important, not at least in terms of staying alive out there. From all my tests, from the autopsy to this host I have.
What I know without a doubt is that the infected, at least those that seemingly rise again are beyond saving." His brown eyes moved back to Colt

"There's just nothing left of the person they were so to get hung up on the idea of rescuing them or being reluctant to put them down is simply a dangerous pipe dream. I'm sure you know that already, but I know that others are reluctant to accept that."

Colt looked out the window alongside the doctor, propping it open to relieve them both of the buildup of smoke. As the doctor talked about the known fact that the Things were doomed once risen, the woman sighed heavily and shut her eyes, putting her head in one hand as she sat back down.

"Yeah. I knew." The woman sighed, eyes still shut. "Still... I kinda... ugh fuck." She shook her head before taking another drag of her cigarette, hoping to clear her head. There had been a hope. A very thin hope that it could be done. But now it was clear. There was no chance of ever seeing them alive now.

"I know someone who saw the idea of putting down the infected was a mercy. I suppose that is a better way to look at it. It's not one I live with myself, otherwise I would have put down the host I discovered the moment I saw it." He took a deep breath and ran both hands down his face "God, the state that thing was in. If it had been alive in any way I wouldn't have let it live like that."
He looked up once more "So, when's the next run?" He didn't want to think about it. If there was even a slim chance that Hector was right, what would that make Ralph? He couldn't be right. Ralph had seen with his own eyes the dead rising back at the hospital when this had all started weeks ago, and then there was Rogue's autopsy.

Faith was one thing, but he couldn't deny the facts when they lay before him.

Colt sighed heavily as she listened to the man. Part of her wanted to tell him about the nightmare she had that night. She had been standing in the cemetery where the lost Carrying Atlas soldiers lied, and they had re-risen. But not as themselves. The woman's brow quivered as she recounted how she could not bring herself to put them down, allowing herself to be overwhelmed and devoured by the Things that were once her friends. The urge to drown her thoughts had never been stronger than that moment she had woken up. But knowing what day it was, she fought it, despite the overwhelming desire. Once the man asked about the next run, the woman was finally brought back to reality.

"Today." she gestured with her head to the bag in the corner, "Owen, Aubrey and I are goin' the fuckin' suburbs. Why?" she frowned. She got her flask out, opening it up, "Just fuckin' hopin' fuckin' nothin' fuckin' happens today." she grumbled, her use of profanity rising with her nerves.

"I was hoping to share my findings with someone before the next run happened is all. It appears I already have." Ralph smiled. The Doctor stood up from the bed and offered Colt a handshake "I wish you good luck."

Colt sighed a little as the doctor reached out to shake her hand. The woman looked at him for a moment before placing her rough hand in his, shaking it. "I appreciate it, sir." She spoke lowly, "At least y'wont have idiots telling ya'll t'shoot without silencers this time." She smirked slightly but out of strain rather than a genuine quip. The woman's guilt over that situation was still great and another reason for her listlessness over the last few days.

"No need to call me 'sir'." He gently shook his head "And I wouldn't worry too much about incidents this time. We're going to watch Michael like a hawk, and I'll be keeping an eye on that new woman myself just in case something does happen. Just focus on getting back here in one piece and it'll all work out."

"I trust ya... I guess, it's just." The woman paused for a moment before finally resuming. "I'm just... I'm scared, Ralph." the lower half of her eyes creased at this and she bit her lower-lip. It felt stupid to say. She turned to her guns and put one in the bag and the other in its holster on her belt. With a mutter, she resumed filling the M14's magazine, wanting something to turn her thoughts away from what she just said.

Ralph met the woman's eyes and gently rested both hands on her shoulders.
"I'll let you in on a secret, Colt. I'm scared too. But fear isn't always a bad thing. It's part of our evolution. A little trick that keeps us alive." He moved his hands away and met her gaze once more, the warmth of his brown eyes reaching out to her.
"I promise that one day all this will just be a bad memory. We can, and will get through this."

The woman jumped slightly as Ralph placed his hands on her shoulders and spoke. She said nothing as he spoke. The warmth of his voice and the gaze resonating from his eyes strongly reminded the veteran of her father. While they were nothing alike physically, and Brookes was far more of a rough and tumble kind of man, they shared the same fatherly warmth. Colt looked down for a second before looking back up to him.

"Yeah, let's hope so." She sighed gently, "Thank you." she added, still quiet.
"No problem." He retained his smile.

"Well," she cleared her throat a little as she grabbed her bag, "Um... I'll see ya when we're back. Hopefully in one piece." She added before, with a final glance to the doctor heading downstairs and to the truck. The others were not out yet which the veteran did not mind. Another few moments to clear her mind before going on another mission into the hellscape they now inhabit.

Mentioned: FireMaiden (Leli), Maj (Owen), Corgi (Aubrey), Togy (Nile) & Hyped_Taco (The late, not-so-great Cletus)

 

[Dragonlord318]

Bengal Talks to Fox And Wolf
(Part 2)
​

David gripped the extended hand firmly. "David Listman. Let's get inside. I can monitor the threat from there, and if any break through -which they won't- they can't climb." He walked past Luca and the "Unhinged Lady", opened the door and walked in, holding it open behind him in a silent invitation. "I've got tea." Luca briefly shook his hand before watching him move away.

"Fuckin tea?!" Vanessa exclaimed, looking excitedly at Luca for confirmation that it would be okay to take him up on that offer. "I love tea!"

The man looked over at Vanessa, before gesturing toward the door with a nod. She went in first, followed by himself. It seemed modestly furnished, of course it was to be expected. Luca had not been familiar with this treehouse. Given the few weeks that had passed since the apocalypse started, it seemed as though this man was able to put up his own shelter using the wood around him. It was not enough for Luca to question him about it, given the fact that both he and Vanessa had other plans for their visit. They had escaped the zombies, enough for Luca to feel as though they hadn’t warranted his full attention.

“I see you’ve made a life for yourself here. It must have been lonely these past few weeks.” The Italian casually mentioned, before continuing. “At the lodge, there’s twenty of us. We have food and means to hunt. We have power. A well for water. It’s a community that all comes together to provide one another with benefits. Some of us can architect, others can do the heavy lifting, some can fight, others can communicate effectively. We’ve survived with issues, namely from exterior forces such as hazmat soldiers aside from the zombies up until now. The reason why I came out here with Vanessa was to talk to you about this.” After David put two cups of tea down for Vanessa and himself, Luca eyed the substance inside. The mug itself was seemingly self-made, out of wood.

“You’ve left us food. You’ve ran into two of my men and gave them no problems. It doesn’t make sense for you to live in our backyard when you could make use of our facilities. We have multiple doctors on hand and a nurse. One of them is good enough to start working out a cure for the virus, so the dead won’t reanimate. We’re fighting to establish a society. Tell me, David… Do you wish to live the rest of your days out in solitude, or do you want to make something more of your life? Work toward prosperity, the continued existence of our species?”

Vanessa quietly sipped the tea while swiveling her dual colored eyes back and forth between Luca and David. He was inviting the man to come live with them? She still didn't trust him that much, but if Luca was being this nice to him, she figure she should also play nice.

“There’s power in numbers.” Luca mentioned as he looked over to Vanessa, noticing her silence. “Sometimes this means we have to reach our necks out, even if it’s not the safest bet.” In this case, he was referring to Vanessa recently joining their ranks, causing her gaze to fall back onto her tea.

David sat down in the recliner across from the loveseat the two had made themselves comfortable in after he prepared both of them tea and made his own. He sipped his honeysuckle brew slowly with a neutral expression as Luca finished with his question. He pondered it as well as multiple facts and circumstances that made themselves known during this interaction. Luca was a man of action and though the way he held himself told him the man wasn't scared of much and had been hardened by circumstance, he also demonstrated the concern and discernment appropriate with a leader who cared.

David put his cup down and leaned back in the recliner, the chair swiveling slightly from the effort. Except for when he was preparing the refreshments, his eyes hadn't left Luca's face. He placed his left foot on his right knee and cocked his head to the side in thought, eyes still locked with the Italian. "That's quite a lot to lay on the table to someone you just met, Mr. Brasi," he said nonchalantly. "To answer your first inquiry, I've been living out here alone for a few years now. And to be honest, I enjoyed being alone when I wasn't out and about in town."

Luca looked from Vanessa to David as he began speaking. The man kept silent, intent on listening to his response. He took a sip of the tea that had been provided to him. It certainly wasn’t coffee, but beggars could not be choosers. Luca Brasi was the type of man to get his caffeine any way it was permitted. However, he was slightly taken aback when David mentioned he’d been living in the woods for years.

David switched his legs and breathed in and out deeply, nodding his head as he looked out the window, staring at nothing. "These weeks have indeed been...different, but not unfamiliar." He smirked as he looked back at the lodge leader. "Having no-one but the undead for company has its perks and disadvantages." He slowly picked up the mug and sipped his tea. "For one, they don't talk too much." He chuckled at his own pun, but the humor fell from his face immediately as he looked at a random point on the wall. "But they take. Life, land, food…" he looked back at Luca.

"The primary reason for my visit was to gauge your response to sentient life nearby and determine if I could provide any assistance." He brought his foot down softly and leaned forward. "I must say," he sipped his tea then smiled softly, "I am most impressed and appreciative. But," he leaned back again, sighing, "I have made a life here." He held up his hand politely as Luca began to speak. "However, I am more than willing to share that life with others."

His face was slightly serious as he put his mug down and stood slowly. "I have solar power here. I have frozen and dry storage. My trapping skills, as you saw, need no explanation. I can hunt, fight, kill, forage, cook and sew, among other talents. I cannot guarantee my transfer will be immediate." He extended his hand. "But I can assure you that I will do everything in my power to be a blessing to my new compatriots."

Vanessa's sat her now empty cup down with slight force as she leaned forward, her scar stretched out straight along her cheek as her smile faded. "T'fuck's a Jimmothy like you doin out 'ere anyway?" She asked, her grey left eye darting back and forth between his eyes.

He looked at Vanessa, his expression not changing. "I like the solitude, the forest. I'm used to it." He shrugged.

Luca’s face had remained without expression, but he would be lying to say that he was not exactly buying the response he was given. “You say you’ve been here for years, that’s long before the zombies began existing. For such a short distance away, you say you are willing to do what you can to assist us. Where were you when we were attacked by the hazmat soldiers? Did you not hear all that gunfire? Many lives were lost. Others were badly injured. I didn’t know of your existence until now. Have you been ignoring us or are you lying?”

Vanessa slowly reached into her legging and grasped the handle of a small knife as stealthily as she could, trying not to be noticed. She wanted to be prepared to attack the man in case things went south.

David sat back down, his handshake obviously dismissed. He shook his head. These people had no idea. "How many Hazmats attacked you? A hundred? You think I'd just sit here while my town got mowed down? Do you know how big Aurora is?" He laughed cynically. "I was teaching self defense at the middle school when news of the virus came. I stopped class and had the PE teacher stay put while I tried locating the authorities."

What a waste of time. Luca sighed.

​

He stood up and walked to the window. "As you probably know, it's very, very hard watching a human-" he shook his head -"what you think is a human tearing into a child while you stand there, wondering what in the FUCK. Is. Going. On." This is the first time he'd cursed in their presence. It wasn't something he did often. He turned his head and looked back at the duo.

Luca took another sip of tea. It wasn’t the time to divulge to this man information regarding his past, or the various sizes and ages that came with zombies. The Italian recalled a few weeks ago when a girl they had saved had died under their care and turned. He was the one to lead her out to the woods and put her out of her misery, like a dog. The ex-capo wondered if David had similar experiences such as this.

"I realized a bite would turn you. That I understood quickly. But." He turned his body fully to face them. "Once I realized there was no humanity in these...things, I started slaughtering them." He shrugged. "A child's not a child if it's already dead. I killed the husks of people that were acquaintances of mine. I killed dead cops." He shook his head quickly. "Sorry. Rambling." He sighed and composed himself. "When the Hazmat soldiers first came, I thought they were here to help us." He laughed. "It was dumb luck I wasn't killed. I was headed back to the school when I saw them from a distance, then saw them slaughter everyone." His face took a glazed expression.

"I snapped. I've killed plenty of times before. But this...this was different. It was the first time I enjoyed it. I did as much as I could to the yellow coated fucks, to make them pay for hurting people." He made his way back to the recliner and sat, sipping his mug before continuing. "To answer your question on where I was when you were attacked, I was out on a run to get some herbs and salt. I saw a group of them heading toward the woods." He shrugged. "Didn't know what they were doing. Just knew it wasn't good. I…" he smirked, recalling how satisfying it was to watch the murderers suffer. "I disabled a vehicle about midway-"

“I’m not further interested in story time.” The man commented as he stood up from his side of the table. He removed the handheld radio from the side of his belt and made his way over to the recliner where David had been sitting, handing it over.

“You’ll need to come back to the lodge every so often, place this one on the charger and grab a new one. However, it’ll be of use. If you’re going to stay here and cooperate, we will consider you one of us. You come running when we call. We’ll show you the same respect.” He looked down at the sitting figure of the man, who was absolutely massive in comparison to himself. “There are barracks in the back with a spare bed you can sleep in if you don’t want to make it back to the woods, whatever the reason. Help yourself to our meat and whatever else you may need. But, what you take, be sure to replace. Otherwise, I want to thank you for your hospitality.”

David raised an eyebrow when Luca stood and interrupted him. But, it seemed the leader had heard enough. He stood as well and accepted the radio, listening to Luca's instructions. He nodded at each interval, then extended a hand. "Sounds good to me, sir. It's been a pleasure. I'll be more than willing to assist at any time. Like I said, I will transfer as you requested, but it'll take time. And for the record, if the Hazmats I stopped and killed or dispersed were on the way to your cabin a couple weeks back, I most likely reduced their attack on you unknowingly. Also." He cleared his throat. "If anyone needs a place to lay their head or you get overcrowded, I've got room for two." He gestured to the loveseat and recliner.

​

“Given your previous gestures and having heard what you have to say I think that you’re a man with good intentions. That’s all I can really ask for.” Luca placed his hand in David’s, providing him with a firm shake as he looked up at the gentleman briefly. After withdrawing his hand he looked back at Vanessa.

“Andiamo.”

Vanessa removed her grip on the handle of her knife and stood up, as it was clear that Luca was ready to leave. As she made her way to the door Luca looked back at David.

“Typically, we dispose of our dead by fire. There will be quite a number of deceased zombies among the corpses you left. If you see people coming into the forest to grab the bodies, they are our men.” With that, Luca lifted a hand as he made his way out behind Vanessa. Looking out toward what he could see of the forest, there were zombies either stuck in the pit or deceased on the ground. None of them were animated.

David nodded. "Sounds good." He accompanied them to the door and watched the two go down the ladder, his bow in hand. He looked at the myriad of motionless undead littered around the property, nodding in silent approval before looking back at his guests. He ensured they departed safely out of sight before turning around and closing his door. He put up the weapon, then proceeded to his bed where he plopped down and thought on the events that had transpired before placing the radio on the nightstand, ensuring it was on and the volume up. It'd be good to have allies so close by. Plus, it was dangerous to try and live alone for much longer. "We will consider you one of us," the man, Luca had said. David closed his eyes in relief.

There were still plenty of unsprung death mechanics left, so cleaning and redoing the traps could wait till tomorrow. He finally let blissful sleep take him in its grasp once more.

Featuring: Brax TheMightyRedLemon

 

[FireMaiden]

​

Location: The Jordan Lodge
Interaction: shadowz1995 (Hector)
Mentioned: Maj (Beth) Brax (Tre/Luca) Rumble Fish (Milly) Hyped_Taco (Micheal)
Puffs of soft white air bellowed from her nose as the nurse let out a deep exhale, pulling her thin jacket tighter still. Odd dreams, not necessarily bad ones, had woken her much earlier than she needed to be, but Leliana hadn't much luck falling asleep afterward. No offense to Beth, the other blonde making it hard to leave the bed they shared. So like usual, she bad dressed and snuck downstairs to the back porch for fresh air and no interruptions. The cold early morning air stung her lungs, face red and numb, Leliana knew people we're up now. She could hear them inside, but her mind was wondering. Ignoring the cold, she was thinking. Her mother's birthday was a few days ago, not that Leliana had a calendar to keep track exactly, but if her guesswork was right, then yeah. They would have gone to Red Lobster with Beth, Diana would have gotten crab legs and Caprese salad thing. Leliana would have made sure her mother didn't drink more than one glass of wine, they'd be laughing and totally embarrass her mother by singing happy birthday there at the table. It was easier to think about her like this, smiling and happy despite what was happening, instead of what Leliana left her as.

The nurse didn't really remember the dream that woke her, but it most likely had something to do with her mother. It had been weeks since...since Leliana had killed her. Hopefully, she was still lying in the same spot she had been even if the chance of their house being undisturbed was very slim. Leliana sniffled, raising her hands and cupping them around her mouth go warm her fingers up, her eyes still focused on the horizon. Well, the treeline really. Any activity that went on around her was ignored, for now, nobody addressing her. Until she felt something bump up against her leg. Her eyes drifted down and found a small cat. Leliana smiled, her hands dropping away from her mouth, one finding the cat's head. Her fingers brushed over its soft fur, a small smile spreading across her features. It was the one she had seen roaming around the lodge the last few days, she thought Milly might have found it. Or maybe Luca, since it seemed to follow him around a lot, it didn't really matter. The cat was cute.

For the next few minutes, Leliana sat there petting the cat, letting it climb up into her lap. She didn't mind getting animal hair on her clothes since it could always come off, she eventually put the cat down and stood. Extending her arms above her head, the nurse stretched, her spine popping before she relaxed and turned to head inside. Of course, the door was held open for her new friend. Leliana did not have a specific task to do, nor was she going on the run today. Something she protested, they would need someone with medical experience if anyone got hurt, but at the same time, she understood why she was staying behind. Didn't she couldn't complain though.

Once again, any conversations around her went ignored as the nurse washed her hands in the kitchen sink. She had no specific task, yes, but inventory was always changing. And thanks to run, the numbers would have changed since last night when she took it. Because of Micheal, she had gotten into the habit of taking inventory every night and every morning to make sure nothing went missing during the night. Despite what Tre and Luca did, to him, Leliana had no faith. The notebook she had been using since the beginning laid nearby, but the pencil was nowhere to be found. She looked on the counter, the floor, everywhere she could think of before a sharp sigh left her. Leliana knew there was one person who almost certainly had a pencil, and she still didn't want to talk to him. But slowly, Leliana seemed to drag herself to the door of Hector's lab, notebook still in one hand. The nurse had no idea if he was even inside or not, but a balled fist raised and she knocked. "Doctor Salazar? Do you have a pen or a pencil I can borrow for a little bit?"

 

[Brax]

The Makeup​

Luca kept walking through the forest with Vanessa. The two had to handle a few meandering zombies on the way but it wasn’t an overwhelming amount. It had been the first time that Luca had been able to get a glimpse of the girl’s prowess when it came down to brass tax. There was no doubt that had the conversation at David’s come to blows, the two would have no problem taking him down. Luckily, that hadn’t been the case. Luca was suspecting the man’s intentions. While it was possible that he was not letting off as much as he could during their back and forth, the Italian did have the opportunity to read his expressions. The tonal inflection of his voice and his body language represented someone sincere.

“What do you think?” The Italian asked, his feet focused on the path ahead of them as they retread familiar territory.

​

"Honestly I don't trust em boss, but i understand your point." Vanessa told him truthfully. "Somethin seems off about the fucker te me."

“Luca.” He corrected, looking over to her briefly before his attention appropriated to the path ahead of him once more. “I don’t want to be called boss. Just Luca.” The Italian lifted his rifle and leaned it over the top of his shoulder. His free hand had taken the same amount of time to put a spare cigarette between his lips.

“Anyone who chooses to live in the woods and commute to work in the city has to be a bit of a loon. There’s no other way to explain it.” The ex-capo smirked as he brought light to the opposite end of his cigarette. “However, I would guarantee it’s the same reason he’s still alive. It’s obvious that he’s extremely resourceful. We’ll have to do our best to keep an eye on him to make sure he does not pursue our economy negatively.”

"Luca… sorry…" She corrected herself as well. "It just feels natural te call ya that… Yer not exactly a Ringmaster… but… I dunno… it just seemed appropriate. I'm sorry. Didn't mean te annoy ya with it."

Nessa looked back up to Luca with a little worry as she tried to explain herself. "Its just… it's all I've ever known… ya know?"

“I get it. A precondition.” The man murmured between his teeth, as the two got back onto the lodge’s grounds. He let out a sigh, ready to make his way to bed for what had been a tremendously exhausting twenty seven hours of consciousness.

"What's a precondition?" Vanessa asked curiously.

“You were conditioned, or trained by the previous person whom you felt indebted to. He made you refer to him as that at all times, so it’s what you’ve defaulted to as I have stepped in to take his place.” The two continued walking, before Luca stopped. He had just been feet away from the shed.

“Yuri was his name? Tell me, when’s the last time you spoke to him?”

Vanessa looked down and was quiet for a moment. Hesitantly she looked. back up to him and replied with an unsure voice. "Y..yesterday…?"

Luca raised an eyebrow. He parted his lips to speak, but didn’t find the words to speak. It had suddenly explained a bunch of things in regards to her behavior to the Italian. As well as things she had said when the two shared time together. He smirked, letting out a sigh as he slowly walked up to the girl. With his free hand, he expanded his index and middle fingers. Then he tapped on the girl’s forehead twice, causing her to blink rapidly in surprise.

“You're just talking to yourself. You are Yuri.”

Vanessa laughed a little at that. "That's prosperous. Yuri is dead. Offed 'im mese.." she trailed off and nervously chuckled. "N..nevermind all that yeah?"

“We'll pick that conversation up later.” He sighed loudly, not ready to participate in yet another story time. However, he would be bringing it up later without a doubt. Sounded like an interesting tale.

The man continued walking, eventually making his way up to the shed and peering inside. He noticed one of the new guys. Vanessa followed him similarly to a lost puppy around the corner. Upon seeing the mechanic, the acrobats heart practically stopped. With a small, almost inaudible sound of fright as she ducked behind Luca in the hopes that Aaron would not see her. Noticing that the girl had jumped out of view the ex-capo whistled to the man that had been working on his vehicle.

“Hey, man. Can I have a word?” The Italian looked back to Vanessa despite referring to Aaron.

Aaron looked up from the Humvee. He hadn't even noticed the man enter, far too caught up in his work. His jacket was draped over the roof, and his brown t-shirt was streaked with oil stains and other less identifiable ones. He leant inside the front of the vehicle and turned off the tape deck, replacing the steady stream of classic rock anthems with silence. He still hadn't noticed Vanessa as he approached Luca.

"Alright pal, don't think we've been introduced. Aaron, I would shake your hand but…"

He flipped his right hand over, near black from the prevalent filth from the underbelly of the Humvee. Mud, oil and some more organic debris from the relief of the lodge. It sure wasn't pretty under there.

“Gross.” He closed his fist, intending for a bump as opposed to a handshake with his dirty excuse of a paw. “We were making our way back in from the forest, but I heard a few hours ago that you and Vanessa got into a fight. What happened?” With his question, he hadn’t only been asking Aaron - but Vanessa as well.

Vanessa stayed hidden behind Luca. She had no idea that she was being addressed with the question as well. She was only concerned with not being noticed by Aaron.

It was at this point that he first became aware of Vanessa' presence. Aaron let out a rather humourless chuckle and shook his head, scratching at the back of his neck before folding his arms across his chest.

"What can I say, things blew of the handle, things were said, statements were made that were best left unmade, and I think I can safely say we both blew off the handle. Both gave as good as we got. I don't have any hard feelin's Mr… never did catch your name,"

“Luca... I guess I forgot to mention it.” He said honestly, continuing to stare down at the girl before looking back up at Aaron.

“Listen. She may be a psychopath. You’re just going to have to eat that shit.” He looked back at Vanessa. “And he may be a dick. But you’re just going to have to eat that shit.” Luca took a moment to deliberate, before placing a hand on his forehead and sighing. He correcting himself. “Not literally, metaphorically. Don’t literally eat…You get it.” The man warned, taking a drag of his cigarette with a frustrated look on his face. He needed the sleep.

The Italian looked back up to Aaron. “I appreciate you helping the lodge out while we weren’t around.” He cocked his head towards the porch door, notioning Vanessa to get a move on toward it. Without hesitation Vanessa scurried off toward the porch, going inside. In reality, Luca wasn’t so sure that Aaron was the one to blame in the scenario but either way it was nice to know that he was the type of guy to let a scuffle go. It reminded him of the old days, when he and his friends would fist fight before leaving it with the blood in the snow. Here he thought Owen and himself were the only beings left of that breed.

In time, Luca made it back to his bed. He was out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

​

Featuring: TheMightyRedLemon RayPurchase

 

[shadowz1995]

Live subjects.

Dr. Hector Salazar had officially come to the conclusion that he was going to need some live test subjects to understand how the Lazarus Plague functioned on a basic level. It was through the study of infected brain matter and spinal fluid that Hector was able to identify the two seperate viruses and while the first of the two was observable in a conventional way, the second was not. He was only able to observe the bare minimum. Which was the behaviour once the virus had done what it set out to do. It didn't explain how it did so.

Introducing the Lazarus virus to living tissue did nothing to help either. The pathogen seemed to actively avoid causing any damage to normal, living cells. They merely attached themselves to the red blood cells and remained inanimate. Perhaps the behaviour altered when introduced to uninfected brain matter? But where was he to find that? If his theories proved true, this pathogen was something of a sleeper cell waiting for the opportune moment to activate. The opportunity seeming to be when the body was hair's breadth away from expiration.

The large man stroked the growth on his face in silent contempt before he came to the aforementioned conclusion. He may not be able to see how it infected healthy brain tissue but if he could catch and observe a live specimen as death was claiming it, taking various samples as they got closer to the end, it could perhaps give him a clue as to how the virus performed the act. This "zombie-like" behaviour it seemed to replicate or inspire.

The researcher looked up from the microscope and into his reflection on the glass panel cupboard. His head tilted to the right slightly so he could get a good look at the healing tissue along the side of his face. Really, it was a damn horrifying sight. With the dark circles under his eye, and the hole where the other used to be, paired with path of ruin the bullet carved on the way out, Hector looked more like a zombie than anyone else at the lodge. As if it was some cruel joke life had tried to pull on the man trying to fix this mess. "Sometimes, to defeat the monsters, you have to become one. Si superas la verdad, amo."

A knock at the cellar door prompted the doctor to turn and focus on listening. The initial fear of undead entry quickly fading once Leliana's light voice reached him down the steps. A pencil? Well, that was an odd request but he certainly could spare a few. He grabbed a handful sharp #2's and was about to head up before looking down at his probably inappropriate attire. Hector spent all of his time down in the lab. To the point that it became his room basically. Everything was neat and tidy but the man was walking around in pants alone.

He pondered whether or not to pull on a shirt to cover the angry bite mark on his shoulder but chose against it. With a sigh, the doctor pulled a tank top on and was about to put on shoes before deciding he couldnt be bothered. Not for giving a young lady pencils. Soft, bare footsteps could be heard approaching the top of the stairs before it was pulled open. An obviously exhausted grey eye and empty, hollow one took Leliana in for a moment before he handed her a small handful of meticulous sharpened number 2 pencils. "Greetings, Ms. James." He said neutrally. "I have more should you need them. Any progress with you and Mr. Fisher's research?"

FireMaiden

 

[The Mad Queen]

The following is a collab between myself and TheMightyRedLemon​

After her introduction to Colt, Maria found herself jotting down as much as possible in the notebook as the veteran went about her business.
So absorbed in what she was doing it wasn't until she pulled herself away, an entire two pages of notes sitting before her that she got the feeling that she was being watched.
Looking around, Maria spotted someone in the rafters and had to do a double take.

"Who the 'ell are you then lass?" The Scottish woman asked in a neutral tone. She had just come into the kitchen via the rafters and sat down on a beam of wood as she looked down at the new woman."Don't believe I've seen ya around before."

"Name's Maria." The Irishwoman nodded "And I just got 'ere." She shot a brief half-smile up at the acrobat "Nice to see that this place isn't just full of Americans."

Vanessa almost fell out of the rafters from laughter. She hadn't been expecting someone from Ireland to be here in America of all places. "Vanessa's m'name. I'm am... was... an acrobat fer the circus till recent. Nice te meat ya." She said, givinging the other woman a wide grin as she swung her other leg over the side of the rafter and slid down, landing on her feet with a soft thud. She then extended her hand out to Maria

"I was a fighter till shit hit the fan meself." Standing from her chair and pocketing the notebook, Maria took Vanessa's hand and shook it. "Nice to meet ya, Vanessa." She pulled away and folded her arms "How did ya end up in this shite?"

"I was on the trapeze when it all happened. Saw it from above I did. Gettin down was the hard part. We never used a net ya see." Came Vanessa's reply. "Just unlucky we set up 'ere in Aurora. And what about yerself?" She asked, her mismatched spheres meeting Maria's own eyes
"Oh, just passin' through here on me way somewhere else. Wrong place, wrong time is all." Maria gently shook her head "And with that barricade I can't get out so I'm just tryin' to keep safe."
Vanessa chuckled. "No such thing as safe anymore y'know. World's gone to shite."

"Well I like ta think that in here is safer than wanderin' the streets. I took down a feckin' corpse dressed as a clown a few days ago. Ain't goin' to find that around 'ere." Maria gave the Acrobat a heavy shrug
Did she say a clown? Had she run into a zombified version of someone from her circus? She supposed it was entirely possible. "Sorry te hear ya had te deal with that."
"No worries, love. It was nothin'." Not compared to the group of zombified children anyway, but that wasn't something Maria was about to bring up "Fecker made me jump first time I saw him is all. Weren't expectin' it, but then again what can ya expect these days?"

"So" Nessa started. "Ya said you were a fighter before it all?"
"Aye." Maria nodded "MMA, actually." She shook her head and chuckled lightly "Folks called me The Beast of Derry 'cause gettin' into the cage with me was like gettin' into a cage with a wild animal I guess."
The acrobat couldn't help but think back to her fight with Aaron. She had no talent as a fighter, otherwise things might have turned out differently. "Think ya could teach me sometime?"
Maria glanced the smaller woman up and down. She paused for a few moments and then with a heavy shrug of her shoulders she scoffed.
"Sure. Why da feck not?"

"I'd appreciate it. I'm not s'good in a fight. I just want te be as useful as I can to boss Luca."

Mentioned: Colt ( Rumble Fish ), Aaron ( RayPurchase ), Luca ( Brax )

 

[Dragonlord318]

Santa's Coming to Town

Part 1 of 4​

David got up from his bed, stretching and popping limbs as he did so. He looked lazily around and saw something that wasn't there before. A radio on his night stand. He furrowed his brow, still trying to make sense what up and down was, let alone a piece of technology that had appeared in his house. He looked around the abode, checking the doors and windows, even his storage and closet. Everything was in order.

He went out to the living room, or what barely qualified as one, seeing it had his kitchen sitting on the wall around the fireplace. Made it easier to double the pit as a stove, putting a raised metal sheet just under the mantle. He found a cold cup of honeysuckle tea and saw two others on the coffee table, then everything came rushing back to him. The meeting, how he pretty much had to save their lives when they got here, then the conversation, how he ignored the girl...Tessa? When she obviously bent down and put her hand on her leg while staring at David.

He chuckled and shook his head. She actually thought she could take him down. His chuckle turned into a hearty laugh and he woke up all the way. He dismissed a tear with his finger as he went back to his room and picked up the radio. "Mr. Brasi, this is David. The man in the woods. I'll be bringing some food and supplies over today."



Hearing a voice come in over the radio that had been sitting on his nightstand, Luca turned over with a low growl. He reached his hand from under the covers to grab it, holding down the button so he could respond. "Check in with Colt when you get here. If you don't remember her, look for the drunk one." With that he promptly shut his radio off.

"Thank you sir. I'll be coming fully loaded, Miss Colt. Hope you got storage." He let the mic button loose and put the radio down while he went to freshen up.



“Fuckin’ rude cocksucker, I aughta fuckin’…” Colt growled to herself as she rummaged through her bag, checking it for a final time as she waited for others to emerge for the run. The radio vibrated and the scratchy audio had only partially broken through her focus, but she had heard that clear comment from the Italian. Jokes on him, the veteran was fed, watered and 89% fresh as a daisy. And he was not the one going on a run today so who was the more useless? The veteran snorted like a bull as she tilted her head from side to side vaguely, counting the ammo in her mind. That was too far, Luca did a lot for the Lodge but still her back prickled from the stress perpetually rising and that description certainly did no favours. Hopefully Owen could keep her grounded. However, a voice slipped through to her, a vaguely familiar one.

“...What the fu-?” She stood up, snatching the radio from her belt and switching to the latter channel, “The fuck y’doin’ ‘ere, Rashomon?” she growled into the machine, one hand gripping her hip almost to the point of pain from the nails. Her tone was levelled, but her annoyance was clear. She could only assume he had been given the radio as he had responded to Luca prior. Of course they’d go behind her back about this. What else was new?



David was getting ready to shave when he heard the gruff voice. Smiling, he continued as he didn't have much hair anyway, since he liked it smooth as much as possible. After a couple minutes he finished, and walked over to pick up the radio. "If I am guessing correctly, Miss Colt, 'Rashomon' is me? Well, Mr. Brasi and Ms...Tessa, was it? Came by earlier to meet me in person and determine my intentions. After our interaction," he decided to leave the bit out how he pretty much saved them from being Zombie fodder, "Mr. Brasi gave me this radio and told me he determined to, quote 'consider you one of us' end quote."

Featuring: Colt ( Rumble Fish ), Luca ( Brax )
Mentions: Vanessa ( TheMightyRedLemon )

 

[Brax]

One and Done

“Take the fuggin’ bodies and move ‘em to the fuggin’ pit, Tre…” The young man murmured in a mocking tone in reference to Luca. He had both hands tied around the ankles of one of the deceased men in the forest, dragging him onto a rather large sheet. In total, he had been able to fit about three of those bodies on top. Tre did his best to grab all four corners of the large bed cover and pull but there had not been enough slack on the material. Instead he had to settle for three, leaving the head of one of the men poking out as he dragged the bodies back toward the acreage of the lodge.

Tre’s morning had been less rough than some of the others. Given the overnight shift it was hard to get a full cycle of sleep, given that some things were best done during the light that day provided. Sleeping on the couch hadn’t been the most ideal location either. The barracks had plenty of space to fit him and the young man was well-aware of this fact, however, the safest place in the lodge for him to be was closest to Luca’s room. For whatever reason, it was where he felt the safest. Perhaps it was insecurity regarding others in the lodge, maybe it was just out of habit. He was aware he was sacrificing quality of sleep for peace of mind.

Sweat had accumulated rapidly and began its descent down his features. Despite the effort he was able to get the bodies to the fire pit without much issue. He tipped over the sheet to let them crumple into the hole. There hadn’t been much space left after their inclusion. Next, Tre set fire to the pile. He took quite a few steps back, taking the sheet he had with him as the bodies ignited. The smell of the burning matter was something indescribable, nor unforgettable. It had been one of the most disgusting experiences the young boy had to witness with multiple senses. However, it wasn’t the worst.

Sure that the fire was able to contain itself without spreading, he turned from the backyard and made his way back into the forest. Sheet was in tow. If there were other bodies Tre would have to be sure to incinerate them. He had aligned with Luca’s thought process on the matter, albeit from a different perspective. While the Italian was used to burning his dead throughout his life due to religious reasons, the teen was a firm believer that they could attract other unwanted attention to the area. For him it was entirely a matter of safety. Not just half of it.

In the distance a deer had been grazing. It’s long nasal passage had been pressed to the floor, doing its best to discern food among the partially-littered patterns of snow. Tre’s feet came to a hard stop the instant his eyes made contact with its figure. It hadn’t been too far away but it had not noticed him yet. Now was a good opportunity to procure some food. Unfortunately for him, machetes weren’t the best tools to get the job done. Sure, at close range he would be able to use them. Getting in that close was another story. That deer could run at least three times as fast as himself and he knew it.

He slowly dropped the sheet. Then reached in his bag to remove the pistol that he had used when Colt attempted to teach him how to shoot. Tre took a moment to look at the tool in his hand. He turned the safety off. Made sure the chamber was loaded. Did his best to recall the proper hand placement on the hand of the gun and then aimed up. In a combat scenario he wouldn’t have as much time to react, but here he had time to aim. With a bit of luck he would be able to say he was of more use today than simply burning bodies.

Tre lifted the gun up with both hands. He aimed it at the side of the deer’s head. He steadied his arms. Then he fired, taking into consideration the recoil of the weapon in his hands. Within an instant the bullet smashed into the side of the animal’s head, causing its extremities to go limp before dropping down onto the snow lifeless. The teen, seeing that his shot had been successful, made a silent attempt at praising himself while hopping up and down in excitement. Immediately following he placed a fist into the air, dropping his head in satisfaction of his work.

 

[TheMightyRedLemon]

"H..hey Doc..? Are ya down there…?"


Vanessa slowly descended the cellar stairs, looking around for Hector as she did. She wanted to apologize to him for the pain she caused. But while she was here, she wanted to ask the doctor a few questions.


The doc in question lifted his head from his notes and poked around the corner at the bottom of the stairs. It was the harlequin coming to visit again it seems. Under normal circumstances, Hector would probably chase her off but it seemed she wanted to speak to him privately. "I am here, Ms. McUllan. What is it that I can help you with today?"


The acrobat followed the sound of Hector's voice with her eyes to locate him before she made her approach. As she came closer to the doctor, she noticed the bite mark and the spots on his face where she had clawed him and looked down in shame. "I'm sorry…. I didn't mean te hurt ya doc…."


The brow over his missing eye perked up, the question clear for a moment before realizing the context of the apology. In response, he lifted left arm up to where his tricep was and he pointed at a light discoloration that was there. A few faded lines that were a few shades lighter than the rest of his skin, "Mental breakdown from a mother losing her son to cancer. Lashed out because she was under the impression we were leaving her son to die."


On the same arm, he pointed to his wrist. What looked like a dotted line in the shape of a C was adorned there, "Chronic heroin addict. Was going through violent withdrawals. Took a decent bite." The doctor then lifted his shirt slightly and pointed along the right side of his obliques. A light, thin line was there running perpendicular against the muscle there, "Patient woke up during a surgery and panicked. Grabbed a scalpel. Very rare but it happens."


He pulled the tank top back down and then pointed to the fresh bite on his shoulder that Nessa had inflicted on him, "Young lady had a panic attack and I was too close. It happens, Niña. I've had more encounters with panicked patients than you have hairs on your head. Think nothing of it." Luckily, the doctor healed very well and scars were hardly noticeable against his tan skin. It was just a matter of time to see how well his face healed but he was optimistic. For once.


The young woman shifted uncomfortably on her feet, still looking down as she fidgeted with her skirt. "It don't make me feel no better about it…" She said with a meek voice. "If I wasn't a psychopath then I wouldn't have hurt ya…." She had never considered herself this before, but Luca had called her such. Who was she to argue with him?


"You aren't a psychopath." The doctor stated very matter-of-factly. "Psychopaths are a different breed of person. You have psychological issues for certain but that seems to be the case for most of the people in this cabin. Luca Brasi being a solid example." His cold, grey eye flitted between both of her multicolored hues, gauging her reaction. He wasn't a psychiatrist but that didn't mean he didn't study it to varying degrees throughout his career. He knew what to look for in an unstable patient.


She stared back into his grey eye, confusion plain on her face. "What do you mean?" She inquired. "That's what the boss... I mean Luca… said I was. What do you mean by psychological issues?" She carefully sat on the edge of one of the tables as she eagerly awaited his answer. To her, Hector seemed to have all the answers, and she was burning to know more.


The older gentleman sighed and shook his head. How gullible could one human being be? "Luca Brasi calling you a psychopath is….." the doctor thought for a moment before coming to a rather crude example, ".... forgive my language but it's a piece of shit telling another piece of shit that they smell like shit."


'The Jordan twins are rubbing off on me more than I'd like if that's all I could think of…'


"It's the pot calling the kettle black. The man is hardly anyone to call anybody else a psychopath when he is toeing that very line himself. As for your mental health, you've already made it apparent that you seem to suffer from severe auditory hallucinations and judging from the other day's incident, anxiety and what I can only theorize is some Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Does any of that sound about right?"


The acrobat's eyes began to dart around the room nervously. She didn't actually understand most of what he had just said. "W..well.. I don't know about all that shite... but I do feel anxious sometimes…" she began. "And I hear Yuri's voice sometimes, but only after he died." Her eyes focused back on Hector again. Vanessa had already come to respect this man a great deal, but she didn't like to hear him badmouth Luca. It didn't sit right with her at all, though this thought would go unvoiced, at least in the doctors presence.


The older man said nothing and continued watching the girl. A subtle tactic used to get someone to continue talking. The young girl was lowballing it. Everything in her posture and expression suggested it was a little more than 'sometimes'.


Vannessa started to become more nervous. Why wasn't he saying anything. She had expected him to respond, yet she was only met with silence. Not knowing what to do, she elaborated further. "Luca said Yuri is me but that's not quite right… I've always thought he was just haunting me until recently…." She stated. "But the other day you said that schizo-whatever word, and I asked someone else what it ment."


"Depending on the level of schizophrenia, combined with any other potential issues you may or may not have, I can't confirm or deny the existence of this… Yuri that you speak of. But at this moment, you only hear Yuri correct? You don't ever see him. A voice commenting on what you say or do?"


"Um… well yes…" She said truthfully.


"How often?"


Nessa thought for a moment before answering. "Not so often anymore. When I was one me own it was worse…" She continued to fidget and shift her weight from foot to foot.


The doctor nodded. That was usually the case. Social interactions dampened the severity. Even if it was only slightly. "Sadly, Ms. McUllan at this moment in time, there isn't much I can do for that particular issue of yours. Anxiety and past trauma can be overcome by the individual with patience, support, and a healthy dose of determination. But auditory hallucinations caused by an established onset of schizophrenia is difficult to manage without medication. Unreasonably difficult." The man looked up from his notes and realized that half of what he said was completely lost on Vanessa and he decided to reiterate, "You need medicine to help make the voices go away. Whatever other conditions you may have, I can try to help you with."


"Doc, am I crazy?" She asked as she looked at him, the worry plastered on her face plain to see.


The doctor looked at her for a few seconds before shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders, "People don't think I'm sane, Vanessa, and I'm the most logical person I know." But that didn't answer her question, he mentally noted. "You need help, Ms. McUlann and you're here today for that exact reason I believe. It seems you are searching for answers. That doesn't make you crazy. It makes you reasonable. Logical. Sane. You are in your right mind, worry not. You just have some issues you need to work through and medication."


"Alright," Vanessa said. "How the fuck do I get medication?" Her mismatched spheres rolled up to meet his one grey eye as she spoke. She figured it wasn't going to be easy to get, but she sure as hell didn't want to have to hear Yuri for the rest of her life.


"You don't. We'll have to find it while scavenging and judging by our last outing, it's getting more and more dangerous to go out on runs."


"S'me own problem isn't it? I'll go meself. Shouldn't have te endanger others fer me." Vanessa told the doctor matter of factly.


The doctor shook his head again, "Not alone. Too dangerous to go on a run alone. You'll risk death, infection, capture or worse, some undesirables follow you back. It's best to take a few people with you for safety. I'll let the others know about the need for the anti-psychotics."


Vanessa looked down as a feeling of embarrassment came over her. "Yer gonna tell everyone?" She asked with great trepidation. Now that she knew something was definitely wrong with her, she didn't exactly want everyone to know too. "I can do it meself I swear. I'm quick, I'm sneaky, an I can get in an outta spots most cant. Really doc… no need to endanger anyone else." She let out a nervous laugh as she tried to reason with him, hoping she could get him to not spread the word about her mental disorders.


Hector raised an eyebrow to her jittery response, "No, I'm not going to tell everyone. It's just a matter of telling the runners that I need a specific medication. Unless someone else here is on that medication themselves, chances are they will have never heard of it. There's no need to be concerned with exposure. I still keep patient records private. I can assure you that."

Interacrions: shadowz1995 (Hector)

Mentions: Brax (Luca)

 

[RayPurchase]

A Scientist and a Redneck
An early morning collab with The Mad Queen ​

Facing the subject again was an idea that made Fisher’s stomach churn. He needed to go in with a clear head. Heading outside, and walking around the side of the lodge, his brown eyes met the Humvee. The Godsend of a vehicle that had dragged them out of trouble just a few days ago.

Aaron lay sprawled on the backseat. Sleep had been hard to come by, his nose was still throbbing, very much broken from his run in with Nessa. Thankfully it had been re-set without too many complications. But it was still tender, and the increasing cold weather wasn't helping, his sleep constantly disturbed by short sharp bolts of pain. He pulled the combat jacket closer around him and adjusted his position on the backseat, attempting to get comfortable, not that he had been particularly successful, having awoken at least an hour ago.

Fisher squinted at the sight of a figure moving in the backseat of the humvee. It must've been one of the newcomers.
With a shrug he walked closer towards it.
"Are you alright?" He called out.

The voice filtered into the Humvee, and Aaron pushed himself up, giving up on the prospect of sleep. If he was honest with himself he should have given up a while ago. He opened the door by his head and with some difficulty shimmied out. Managing to land as gracefully as he could. Rubbing his eyes he propped his elbow on the roof and grinned at the stranger.

"Perfectly fine. Aside from the whole apocalypse thing, supreme lack of hard spirits and the after effects of a broken nose,"

He grinned and shrugged his shoulders.

"You know, normal stuff,"

"What on Earth happened to your nose?" Ralph raised an eyebrow in concern. "Did somebody around here attack you?" He took a few steps towards the man, his smile fading as he now wore a stern expression.

Aaron waved the man's concern away.

"Nah just me bein' clumsy. It'll be fine I've had worse,"

The whole Nessa incident was still fresh, but the anger he had experienced at the time had faded. Things were said, blows were exchanged, and this was just another scar to add to his collection. No sense in picking at the proverbial wound.

"Don't think we've had the chance to meet, Aaron Jones,"

He made a show of spitting into his right palm, extending it along with a cheery grin.

Although reluctant to shake the man's spit-filled hand, with his brown eyes widening in slight disgust at the thought Fisher just relaxed, smiled back and took Aaron's hand.
"Fisher. Doctor Ralph Fisher." He introduced himself, warmth returning to his brown marbles.

Aaron gave the hand a firm shake.

"Don't worry yourself Doc," He flipped his hand over revealing a dry palm. "Got to go through the rythm, old habits. You the resident saw bones here then? Knowin' the way my luck has been goin', we'll be well acquainted in no time,"

"Not exactly, no." Ralph laughed "That would probably be Leliana. She's a nurse, and she's young but she's got a lot more fire in her than I do."

"I'll make a note of that, she'll be sick of the sight of me in a week I reckon, I'll probably end up gettin' burned by that fire. So what are you a doc of then? Not one of those academic doctors are you, doctor of reading or whatever?"

"My focus is in the study of disease. How the likes of the viruses, bacteria, prions, parasites etcetera behave, evolve, act and spread. I'm also an expert in bioterrorism." Ralph explained, pride behind his eyes "Overall I study the microscopic creatures in this world that might be a threat to us. This Aurora Plague included."

"Well shit you're a nerd!" Aaron paused for a second. "Now I ain't meanin' that like an insult. I'm a self proclaimed meat head, I can fix stuff and if you teach me to do somethin' real I can do it. But all that theoretical stuff is beyond me, right now we need all the nerds we can get. So you got a name for the thing behind this shitshow,"

He flicked his head towards the woods.

"Found anythin' interestin'? And please keep it simple for me, none of these fancy long words. I'm a simple man,"

Ralph laughed when the other man called him a nerd, and his eyes brightened up a little when Aaron asked him what he knew.
A chance to explain his findings to someone who would listen was always welcome.

"I've found out a few things, but it's a slow process given I don't have the proper equipment. The other Doctor around here does but he's both a narcissist and an idiot who wants to go at it alone. Sadly he's convinced everyone that he's actually a genius in this particular field so they continue to allow him to carry on the way he does..." He stopped for a moment, glancing back at the house. "He's an expert in other fields. Medicine, for instance. Trust him to patch you up, just not to study a complex disease."

Ralph sighed "I still don't know exactly what the Aurora Plague is. All I know is what it does. Upon death, it reanimates the body and uses it to spread itself. Enough brain function is left to keep the body moving but the parts of the brain that make us human rot away. They experience rapid decay, actually. Everything else, everything the plague doesn't need shuts down. No pulse, no functioning digestive system. Nothing. It's like this plague puppets the dead body."

"So he ain't the kind for sharin',"

Aaron tutted and shook his head.

"I mean if you need a hand gettin' your point across, I can be kind of persuasive,"

He winked at Ralph.

"Worst case scenario I'll just commandeer his lab, I may only be a corporal, but I'm pretty sure that makes me one of the few authority figures still under government pay around here. Strong arm him into helpin' you. I'm game if you are. If you need equipment though and know where to find it, sounds like the kind of task I could get onboard with, start fightin' this thing I stead of just survivin',"

His lip did curl slightly at the Doc's description of the basic premise of...well whatever all this was.

"Well shit... so really is the livin' dead. Soundin' more and more like the end of days. Findin' a church and boardin' ourselves up is gettin' awfully temptin',"

"I'd rather we didn't go poking him. He appears to be on good terms with some of the people in charge. Perhaps I can convince them of the need for my own tests with words alone." Ralph raised a hand "Still, I very much appreciate the offer. I just wouldn't like to resort to possible infighting."
He sighed once more, looking into the woods when Aaron mentioned the living dead comparison "This isn't the apocalypse, Aaron. Humanity has survived other epidemics before. Even ones that threatened to drive us to extinction. The Black Death, Spanish Flu, AIDS. As far as I'm aware this thing hasn't consumed even the United States yet. We wouldn't have a mercenary army paid by the CIA keeping us here if the rest of the country was on fire, let alone the rest of the planet."

He let out a light chuckle and sighed once more, his brown eyes growing heavier "I'm a New Yorker myself. I was actually in my car on my way to see my dad when the towers came down. It was like the whole world had gone mad. We all expected things to explode, for the world to just... Burst into flames. Hell, even the CDC expected the worst to happen. Everyone panicked, even me. But we got through it."

He finally looked over at Aaron "We'll survive this too. Humanity always comes back."

Aaron's hand rose to his nose at the mention of infighting. "Yeah we could definitely do without any of that,"

He simply nodded at the mention of Mercs. It's what he'd expected, the CIA on the other hand... fuckin' spooks. Had their own agenda. Happened in Iraq, now it was happening here. Didn't give a crap about anyone but their own shadowy ploys, no matter who got in the way, or who got hurt.

"Big City boy huh? Surprised you managed to last this long without your cable tv and internet shoppin'. Or whatever it is that you city slickers get up to,"

He offered Ralph a toothy grin. "Hell yeah we will. We're like goddamn cockroaches, takes more than a little biological doomsday to get rid of us." He rapped the top of the Humvee roof with his knuckles. "You need any help Doc you let me know, I'm happy to keep all the machinery workin' around here, but if you need help with your research, I may not be able to be a lab assistant. But general dogsbody? I'm your man, do my bit for the cause,"

"City boy or not, we Fishers are very difficult to kill." Ralph chuckled, now wearing a grin of his own "We survived the Pharaohs, the Inquisition and the Nazis... So we'll make it through a few dead men and CIA grunts."

"I appreciate the offer, Aaron. I'm happy to help out if you need anything." He faced the soldier once more "Where are you from yourself? Country boy, I take it?"

"Bingo. Lone Star State born and bred. Grew up on a ranch a good 3 hours from Austin, sort of a blink and you miss it kind of place. World apart from New York I reckon,"

"Yeah, I'd think so." Ralph smiled "It's interesting that all the people at this lodge come from very different backgrounds. You wouldn't have found us all in one room if the outbreak didn't happen."

 

[The Mad Queen]

The following is a collab between Maj and The Virgin Mary myself
​

She had just been coming down the stairs, still in the same green, cotton sundress she had been wearing the night before. The poor girl looked a wreck as she hadn't found her way to a working shower yet. Mascara and eyeliner were smeared under her eyes, highlighting the dark circles that shone back from her high cheekbones. The coffee cup she had clenched to her chest was still warm, but thankfully not hot as she sloshed some down the front of her chest to keep from bumping into the doctor.

"It's fine." The redhead replied cooly. Normally she would be far more aggressive, but she also had a lot on her mind. In fact, it was almost as much her fault as his they had crossed paths at all. Not to mention that Ralph had never caused her any discomfort. He had been at the lodge almost since day one, and they had never spoken. If that wasn't the sign of a good roommate, she didn't know what was.

It was only when the younger woman spoke to him that Ralph got a look at the state of Andy. The smeared mascara, the telltale signs of a lack of sleep displayed on her face.

"Something on your mind?" Ralph asked, warmness in both his eyes and voice

The girl raised an eyebrow at him, arching the crimson colored brow. Emerald eyes looked at him critically, as if she was trying to dissect what his ulterior motives were. She didn't know this guy despite his time here and likely wouldn't talk to the people she was closed to about what was going on through her head, let alone some perfect stranger. Andy had been on her way to the shower, somehow between her attitude and Luca's threats for the most part no one had used it but them. It was a nice solace since the other bathroom was currently being shared by a whole herd of human bodies
"Is this something you get a kick out of?" the girl asked quizzically, eyeing the doctor. "Playing Daddy to every disheveled woman who walks in your path? Fucking spare me."

Ralph raised his hands defensively, his eyes widening for a moment in shock. It wasn't the first time a lodger had jumped down his throat over something, but this was his first conversation with Andy.
"Woah! Alright, there's no need for that." He slowly lowered his hands, placing them into his pockets. "And for your information, unlike Mr Crayman I don't need any kind of kick to get by."
He raised a finger "As for why I listen and try to help the people here. Well, those that actually will accept it. Yeah, I do like it. I always have, but there's another reason. We're in a bad situation and I gotta do something to keep morale as stable as I can."

He shook his head "You don't have to accept anything from me. Be as stubborn as Salazar if that's what you want. But you do not get to speak to me like that."

"First of all I'm not a child, you don't get to lecture me or tell me what to do. If you don't want to get snipped maybe don't try and parent a perfect stranger." Andy snipped, sitting her coffee cup down on the nearest surface. The ceramic clinked with the specific sound as she left it behind to turn and look at Ralph. "I don't have a problem with you, if I did you wouldn't be living in my house."

"I never said you were." Ralph sternly shook his head "But not talking to people like they're dirt costs literally nothing and all you accomplish is people keeping their distance." With his arms folded, he met Andy's gaze.
"All I asked was if something was bothering you. That's not parenting, that's giving a crap about a stranger."

"Maybe I like people at a distance," the girl said with a sarcastic shrug of her shoulder. "We've lived together for almost a month and have never spoken. There are plenty of the people here living among my walls I've never spoken too." In fact, she knew she was incapable of being kind. Therefore she kept her distance from most of the people in the lodge she found to be soft hearted. She knew that Ralph meant no harm, but her response had been immediate, before she could stop it, like word vomit.
"I can care in different ways."

"Well if this is how you talk to people when they ask how you're doing maybe there's a reason for that." He gave a light shrug, and then sighed "Well, it's as you said. You care in other ways. Hunting, supply runs. That sort of thing. This is just how I do it."

"Not like I can do much else." He muttered under his breath

Her gaze immediately softened, looking down to her feet with a heavy sigh. Ralph had been one of the ones to get hit hard by the hazmats. After Hector's more recent discovery that made her at least marginally responsible. It was true that it sounded like the dude after him had a vendetta, but they wouldn't have been at the lodge at all if they hadn't been looking for her in the first place.
"I'm sorry," she started, trailing her finger around the handle of her coffee mug on the mantle. "About your knee. Are you doing okay?" From what Hector had told her the recovery would be long and he likely would never regain full movement again. "If the stairs are hard for you, I can make sure you have other accommodations."

"No need to apologise." He raised a hand. "As for the knee, that's my concern. Not yours. Not gonna lie, it was very much touch and go at the beginning..." He sighed lightly and chuckled "Took Jenna putting a, in her own words 'boot up the hole' to stop me feeling sorry for myself and get moving again."

He sighed once more, staring out of the window.
"Sorry. I shouldn't bother you with that stuff. You have enough to worry about as is."

"Your knee doesn't make you useless." Andy picked the coffee cup up once more, raising it to her lips. It was cold now, making Luca's poor excuse for coffee even worse. The woman grimaced. "Colt is literally missing a leg and is among one of the most useful here. How to make yourself feel useful is up to you." It was a pisspoor apology, but it was as close as Andy knew how to get. It wasn't Ralph's fault she had been up all night crying over a mobster who wasn't even actually dying.
She thought back to Luca's conversation the night before. Even if she didn't agree that she was the right fit to lead, when he went down someone was going to have to keep everything going until he got back up. Being an abrasive asshole was a good way to lose everyone here. They didn't fear her, as Luca said, but that was both positive and negative.

"You guys are literally all I worry about," she said with a snort. "Between supplies, defenses, hunting and making sure there are enough blankets to go around I don't have much time to think of anything else. If you need something, speak up. I'll try not to be such a bitch the next time you do."

"I know. I know." Ralph nodded "Although it took me a little longer than I'd hoped to realise that. I still have my mind, and my health."
Much longer. He was certain he'd been rather insufferable to say the least, at least for the first two weeks.
"Only one person around here is useless. In my honest opinion. Hopefully not for much longer, though." He didn't even have to give Andy a name. Everyone at the lodge knew about their Michael problem. He cleared his throat "Now that you mention it, Andy. There is something I might need."

"Hit me." She said shrugging.
"I have a live subject in the woods. Restrained and wounded. All I need is for people to be aware and keep their distance. Leliana and I know how to keep ourselves safe around it, but I'm not sure about everyone else."
Andy squinted thoughtfully before nodding. That was an easy enough request, and it was better she knew than if she didn't. She spent more time in the woods than anyone. The redhead was desperate for a shower and to get out of her dress.
"Thanks for the heads up. I hope you find something of use."

"I already have. Seems it may be possible to mask our scent by covering ourselves in undead guts." Ralph explained, his face turning at the thought of just how he'd worked it Leliana's theory. "Not sure how effective it's be in the field, but it worked on the host I have tied up."
"Who the hell is letting you cover them in zombie guts?" Andy asked with a raised eyebrow. The idea sounded absolutely abhorrent to her, but if he was sure then they must have tested it somehow.

"I didn't have to ask anyone. I was my own lab rat for that particular test as it were." He smiled
"Gross." She said scrunching up her nose. "Thanks again for the heads up. But on that note I desperately need a shower. Let me know if you find anything else out yeah?"
"Of course." He nodded "Hopefully I can find out something more useful."

Mentioned: Nile ( Togy ) Colt ( Rumble Fish ), Hector ( shadowz1995 ), Luca ( Brax ), Leliana ( FireMaiden ), Michael ( Hyped_Taco )

 

[Dragonlord318]

SANTA'S COMING TO TOWN
(Part 2 of 4)​

“Fuck. Me. Fuckin’. Clockwise. In. My. Fuckin’-” This went on for a few more seconds as the veteran growled into her right and soft-skinned palm as the man explained himself. Another one?! This was becoming ridiculous. She had just allowed that woman, Maria to stay and now they had this guy to look after? The Lodge was overcrowded by the first day so this was just madness. “What the fuck do ya want?” she finally responded, her tone being a mix of frustration and exhaustion. There were too many faces at this place now. A woman could only handle so much at once.

"As I said, Miss Colt, I'm bringing food and supplies."

“Call me fuckin’ ‘miss Colt’ one more fuckin’ time and I’ll-!”


“Colt!” A harsh and tired tone could be heard over the mic.

“Aw shi...Mornin’ Andy.” came a much flatter, less-charged response.

“Get on the road. I’ll handle the newcomer.” It was clear by the tone in her voice that she was irritated, but she was used to Colt’s demeanor by now. The southerner meant well, but she often got riled over the silliest of things. One day someone would have to help her realize that some rando wasn’t worth the energy of yelling this early in the morning, but that day was not yet among them.

“I would if fuckin’ Owen would get out here t’help me.” The woman grumbled in response, “Hopin’ t’leave in the next few minutes.”

“He should be there any minute.” She addressed Colt. “David,” the woman cooed into the mic, hearing his voice earlier. “I’ll meet you by the treeline in ten.” The radio silence that followed showed the finality of her words. Clipping the radio on her belt, she sat her coffee cup down on the table.

“Hrmph.” the veteran snarled as she put the radio away, just as she heard Andy croon David’s name, what was that about? Why both she and Luca were so willing to let this potential loony into their midsts was beyond her. Seems her input meant little in the grand scheme of things. Rolling her green pair, Colt tried to distract herself with filling the truck, letting the ‘leaders’ deal with it.

“Ya fuckin’ people…” she hissed, her back still to the lodge, unaware of the arrival of Aubrey and, unbeknownst to her, Nile.

David pressed the button, having heard the transfer, and assumed based on the exchange that "Andy" pulled more weight than "Colt" when it came to hierarchy. Maybe she was Mr. Brasi's right hand? She seemed well-grounded and the statement sounded more like an order than a declaration. He wasn't under their care yet, and he wouldn't be taking any orders until that happened. Regardless, he couldn't be there in ten minutes unless he sprinted the entire way, and even then he'd have to leave immediately, half-clothed and smelly.


"I'm sorry, but that's physically impossible, Ma'am. I live over a mile away and I'll be fully loaded. I just woke up, so I'll most likely be on the road in ten. It'll take about an hour to get there with the load plan to carry. I do apologize."

The woman sighed, reaching down to her belt to grab the radio once more. A soft pop was heard as the plastic clip came free, the radio firmly in the palm of her hand. Emerald eyes rolled skyward before pulling the radio to her mouth once more.

“Fine. Radio me when you are ten minutes away and then I’ll meet you at the treeline.” The woman amended. He had supplies, and therefore Andy had no qualms with the man coming to the lodge. Especially if Luca had already given him the stamp of approval. She went to put the radio back on her hip and paused, raising it to her lips once more.

“Do you need help transporting the supplies?”

David sighed. It'd probably be faster if he did it alone, but he couldn't bring himself to deny the offer. After all, he'd have to start building relationships if he wanted this partnership to work. He spoke into the walkie with a shrug, "If you have someone that can handle heavy loads for a long distance, then sure. I could use it. Could transport more that way."

“Where are you?”

Interactions: Andy ( Maj ), Colt ( Rumble Fish )
Mentions: Nile ( Togy ), Luca ( Brax ), Aubrey ( Corgi )

 

[The Mad Queen]

The following is a collab between Rumble Fish and The Green M&M myself
​

With a slight smile, Maria popped herself down on the sofa and removed her boots. Colt had told her to keep her head down, she never said anything about not getting comfortable. Putting her head down, she paused for a moment...

Caoimhe woke up, her eyes darting around the room. Where was she? Why did she hear movement upstairs? She reached for the bat at first, only to notice the boots off.
Maria was no idiot. She wouldn't have removed anything unless she was positive things were safe.
Without a word, the woman started to pat herself down and found the notebook. The sight of the familiar tome was met with a heavy sigh of relief.
"Alright, what the hell is going on here?" She muttered to herself.

The clatter of claws hit the wooden floor as a black ball of fluff waddled her way into the kitchen, clucking away to herself but paused upon seeing an unfamiliar human standing in the kitchen. “Buuuuuuu-waaak?” the hen clucked and she bopped her head a few times in confusion as she took a couple of steps closer to the woman, tilting her head as she stared behind her feathers.
“Penny~” a young voice floated from around the corner as Milly appeared, wearing her fluffy cat hoodie, matching joggers and furry white socks. As she came around the corner, she spotted someone new and froze, a cold chill running down her back.

Caoimhe's blue eyes slowly moved down at the sound of clucking. There had been plenty of notes left by Maria but by this point she was more than used to speed reading. She tilted her head at the sight of the chicken. At the sound of a voice, she jumped up from the sofa with bat in hand only to slowly lower it as her eyes met that of a child.
A living one at that. One of Maria's 'updates' had mentioned dead children and a clown.

She was grateful not to be awake for that.
"Thought you were someone else." She muttered, dropping the bat onto the sofa and sitting back down herself. "Didn't mean to scare ya." Her eyes moved away from Milly.

The sight of the bat caused a shrinkage in the small girl’s frame as she squeaked and ducked behind the safety of the door-frame. Sensing her human-friend’s worry, Penny clicked her beak at the woman before scuttling back to Milly, pecking at her socks and head-butting her leg. She squealed again but from the fright the hen gave her. Once the woman set the bat down, the girl stayed behind the door-frame.

“Who are you?” She squeaked, glancing up the stairs, hoping another adult was around who could help her. Another stranger in such a short time was too much for the youngster.

The woman paused for a moment after the child's question, shaking her head gently. Who was she? Such a simple question and yet it still dug into her skull as a powerful brain teaser "Caoimhe." She answered, plainly. Her voice was close to a mutter.
"Um..." The small girl took a shuffled step from the door, "Uh. It-I'm Milly. And that's Penny." She stooped to give the hen a stroke on her head. The chicken crooned at being stroked but then clicked her beak again at the woman. "Wh-who were you- um, who did you think I was?" she asked quietly, her voice wavering from worry. Something did not feel right.

"Doesn't matter." Caoimhe shook her head again. Stupid answer, kids were curious and they never stopped with their questions. What was it Maria asked her to say? "It's nice to meet ya, Milly."
"I-it's nice to meet you too." Milly reguritated, remembering what her mother would tell her to say. The small girl gulped and glanced at the ground. The woman had deflected her question but it would be rude to chase it. She did not want to seem rude to this new person. Instead, she cleared her throat a little but did not move. "H-How long have you been here?" she asked, looking around the room. Did she just arrive? She hadn't seen her before until this morning. Did anyone else know she was here?

"Um.." What time did they get here at? That was something Maria hadn't made clear "Only a few minutes. Just got in." She shrugged. "Met Ralph in the woods and he led me back here." Mentioning his test subject probably wasn't the best idea for such young ears. "How long have ya been here?"

"Oh um.... Ralph is nice. He wants a lab like Dr. Doofenshmirtz." She could still remember that conversation even though it had been over a month since then. Him cheering her up after she was upset about her comment about ostrich eggs. As the woman asked her how long she had been here, the small girl took a while to answer. She was still uncomfortable, but she had asked first so it was only fair, right? "A-about um... October 17th."

October 17th? That sounded close to the start so someone so small living this long added up. The date meant something too, but Caoimhe couldn't quite put her finger on it. "Doofen-what now?" She raised an eyebrow at the name
"He's the mad scientist in Phineas and Ferb though he's more silly than evil and he keeps being beaten by Perry the platypus who's a secret agent and-eh, uh," the small girl shook her head anxiously, realising she was on the verge of sperging, something she had been told by practically every adult prior to the outbreak was a bad thing. She coughed a few times as her cheeks flushed red and she picked Penny up, trying to stuff her in her hoodie pocket, "J-just uh... sorry,"

Caoimhe folded her arms over as she looked down at the child. Talking about a kid's show didn't exactly make for good conversation, but it was better than some of the other talks she'd had over the years. She tilted her head to the side as the kid's face lit up like a tomato. "Why are ya apologising? I didn't see ya do anythin' wrong."
“I talked too much.” The small girl gulped with an anxious dart of the eyes, “I-I’m not supposed to do that.” She added, still unsure. Where was Beth? The hen in her pocket poked her head out and blinked at the woman. The small girl scratched the hen’s head before clearing her throat.
“But yes I just-Um. Talked for too long.” She added, bringing her teddy bear up to her chest and cuddling it tightly, burying her nose into its fur. She hadn’t forgotten about her bear since getting Penny.

"Do ya really think that ya talked too long or is that just what the grown-ups around 'ere tell ya?" She asked with a slight shrug "I can't tell ya what to do either way."
“Th-they don’t, the grown-ups are uh, weird. NO! Not weird, they’re... they-they don’t really seem to mind. It’s just stuff I’ve been told.” The small girl spoke quietly, “I don’t know. I just feel like I do. And I shouldn’t.” She cuddled her bear closely while Penny jumped from her pocket and settled at her feet.

"You talk as much as ya want dear, I'm sure most of the people 'ere don't mind all that much." Caoimhe shook her head. She let out a light sigh, her eyes drifting towards the bear. "They have a name?" She asked

“I know but, still I don’t want to be annoying.” She rubbed the back of the neck. “Like, Colt doesn’t mind but... I don’t want to be pain." She then looked down to her bear as she asked if she had a name and she nodded. “Snowy. I’ve had her since I was a baby.”
Caoimhe chuckled, kneeling down so that she was at the girl's height. The woman actually managed a smile.
"Well, I'm sure Snowy doesn't mind either. You shouldn't worry too much about what these other people think."

"It's not them." Milly darted her eyes, "But... okay." she added as the woman got down to her height. She rocked on her heels a little but managed to flash a shy smile back at the girl.
"Besides, I'm sure some of these people like listenin' to ya talk about...Platypuses. Helps keep 'em distracted from what's goin' on outside."
“Hm. I guess it does. It helps me at least.”

"That's good." Caoimhe nodded, standing up tall and sitting back down on the sofa. "I'm gonna doodle for a bit but ya can keep talkin' if ya want."
Caoimhe withdrew the notebook, her eyes glancing back at Milly before she started to jot things down again.
“Uh... I would but um, i-i-if you’re busy then I don’t want to interrupt you, I uh, I should go and make breakfast or something- do you want something?”
"I guess I could do with a boiled egg, if yer makin'." Caoimhe looked up at Milly and shot the girl a half-smile.

Maria.
They have a kid here called Milly. Short thing with dark hair. Has a bear called Snowy.
Be nice to her, or I'll kick our arse.
-Caoimhe

 

[FireMaiden]

This is a collab between shadowz1995 and FireMaiden
​

As she continued to stand there, waiting for him to answer, Leliana began to wonder if he was even in his lab. Perhaps she just didn't hear him, or perhaps he was asleep. If the latter was the case, inventory could wait for a while longer...though she would like to get it done while knowing what Owen, Colt, and Aubrey were taking was fresh in her mind. Another few moments passed, and she finally heard him ascending the stairs. Leliana took a half step back from the door, letting him open it without her being right in his face first thing. In the brief seconds that passed with no words between the two, Leliana was able to make several observations, all under the same umbrella. Hector looked like a mess.

Exhaustion was something she was familiar with, nobody was able to hide it. It sunk its claws into you and wouldn't let go for a long time unless you did something about it. His clothing didn't matter, nobody in the lodge looked very nice. Fabric stained with blood that never seemed to wash free, it was a surprise anyone had anything completely clean left at all. And finally, the bite mark. She...Leliana had to admit to some concern, brows borrowing as her eyes lingered on what she could see for just a moment as he handed her a handful of pencils, Leliana took them. She only needed one, but having extra upstairs wouldn't hurt. "I believe Ralph is conducting an experiment regarding the heightened olfactory senses. There might be a way to camouflage ourselves if need be."

There was no point in hiding anything, despite the fact Hector seemed set on doing this by himself, it wouldn't help anything if information was kept secret. "We have a...test subject out in the forest if you ask Ralph I'm sure he wouldn't mind letting you research it as well." Ralph may be upset she told him, but Leliana didn't particularly care. So long as Hector didn't kill it. Her attention then shifted, she had a role here at the lodge, and she wouldn't feel right if she ignored it. "I hope for the sake of all of us, that bite isn't infected." To be honest, if it was she wouldn't be talking to him. But it didn't look good. "And when was the last time you slept? You want to do your best right? You can't do that if you're exhausted."

The doctor nodded without argument. The young nurse made fair points. Hector, despite his temperament, wasn't one to withhold information, "Yes, that was an experiment I already conducted. I doused myself in rotten deer meat extract and stood in front of the individual that Ralph was accusing me of trapping. The infected only reacted to the sound of me approaching but once I stopped moving, it was lost. Even when I was less than 6 inches from its grasp. There were also multiple incidents at ground zero. The hospital that I saved Owen from. We had a few close calls but were both soaked in infected blood. As long as we stayed quiet and still, they walked by. They navigate almost entirely by smell and sound. Their hearing range is about that of the average persons."

The older gentleman leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms against his chest, "As for my research, there are two viruses active in the infected people. Both are completely new and unrelated to any viruses known to man. The virus that puts the body into a deathlike coma and the virus that reanimates. I-" he paused for a moment, remembering the discussion that led to their separate respective studies, "And they ARE viruses. I'm not sure why that was in doubt." He said before continuing, "I have all of my notes down in my lab. You and Mr. Fisher are welcome to read them. I only need you to vacate the laboratory when I'm actively researching."

"As for the bite, one of the residents here was having a panic attack. I got them stable after some time but not without some difficulty." Moving on to Leliana's final point, "I rarely sleep, Ms. James. I can assure you I am resting as I usually did before this outbreak occurred."

Her eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke, nodding along with what he saying when she felt she needed to. She may not have been the on to test it, but she had no reason to doubt him. And knowing there was a way to hide in plain sight could save their lives if they were ever caught in a situation with no other way out. Leliana knew about their reliance on smell and sound, Daisy had been almost if not completely when she and the other girls found her and Cletus. As he continued to speak, however, Hector felt the need to mention her and Ralph's caution, their openness to this virus being something else, like it was a bad thing. She didn't feel like trying to explain herself again. The fact that there were two, however, and that Hector didn't even recognize them...Leliana sighed deeply. "Well, that certainly doesn't sound good. Anyway, I'll tell Ralph, thank you. He'd be able to make more use of the notes anyway."

When he finally addressed her concerns about his health, she nodded once again. The bite...she didn't feel the need to ask who bit him. Leliana was prone to accidentally hurting people, more often than not herself when she had a panic attack. And it was never something she was proud of. "Then you weren't sleeping enough before this all started. I'm surprised you don't collapse." The girl paused, thinking for a moment as her eyes remained fixed on his face. "You can't keep going with what, four hours of sleep a night? There's some melatonin in one of the duffle bags, you should try it. You're our last big hope, right? And a doctor, you should take better care of yourself."

"You're correct. I should. But we all have our vices, Ms. James. Things we should and shouldn't be doing despite knowing otherwise." A few names came to mind on that note but Hector could see the young lady had no desire to touch that subject. "Melatonin has no effect on me and neither does Ambien. Too much going on at all times up here." He explained, pointing to his temple. He then pushed off the door frame and gripped the handle of the door. He gave Leliana a respectful nod, "I wish you both luck, Ms. James." He said as he slowly closed the door behind him.

"I'm not blind Dr. Salazar, bad habits haven't gone unnoticed." Leliana sighed softly, nodding as he explained himself. As he moved to leave, Leliana suddenly looked as if she wanted to ask something, the topic changing from his sleep habits to something more important, the nurse decided against it. "Thank you for the pencils," Leliana muttered, watching him leave until the door was firmly shut. She let out a soft, frustrated groan, before taking a breath as she turned on her heel to walk away. Inventory wouldn't take itself.

The Mad Queen (Ralph) TheMightyRedLemon (Vanessa) Maj (Owen) Rumble Fish (Colt) Corgi (Aubrey)​

 

[Meredith]

​

Although Aderyn had been leaving her room with some regularity, she’d been struggling to shake the habit of waking up in the middle of the night. She supposed that it made sense; working through the night had been her m-o for the past year or so.

She’d gotten up at about four in the morning, managing to avoid attention, and made her way outside to collect kindling from the trees on the edge of the property. The girl had noticed the branches littering the ground in the daytime – but she hadn’t thought much of it until she had time to contemplate. A fire in the hearth was something she hadn’t experienced in a long time. The idea appealed to her; it had a Christmassy feeling to it, and although the lodge had adequate heat, it would be nice to gather everyone around a fire.

The girl worked slowly. She clutched a flashlight from one of the closets in the lodge – heavy enough to be used as a club, if necessary – and often brought her spoils back to the woodshed. Twice she returned into the lodge to get warm. Her mind wandered, aided by the repetitive nature of her task, and finally she settled into a faded reminiscence of when life had been normal.

A classroom, mostly empty; many children already off on holidays with their parents. She sat in a small circle of desks with a few peers – making some sort of holiday craft; ornaments, maybe? - chatting about things she hardly remembered and problems that had hardly mattered even at the time.

She remembered, fondly, the energy with which her best friend had greeted her in the morning. Chelsea Addams was somebody Aderyn had once aspired to emulate. Rarely did she speak cruelly, and when she realized she had, she was quick to apologize. They didn’t have that in common. The girl cringed to remember her spite towards one of the boys in her class. He’d been sitting alone, playing Solitaire – do you do that every day because you’ve got no friends? - and without a word he had packed up his things and asked to go home. A few weeks later, she heard he’d moved, and wondered if she’d been at fault for that.

She hadn’t been the only one.

The sun began to rise, and she returned inside, satisfied with her work. She watched out the window idly as Tre began to haul bodies to burn. For a few minutes, she left him to it, but eventually some sort of guilt came over her for letting him work alone – even though she couldn’t recall speaking to him before. She returned outside, and wordlessly made her way to the woodshed, gathering up some of the spoils from the night before.

It seemed as if her kindling wouldn’t be used for a cozy campfire.

 

[Maj]

Part 3 of 4​

Andy exited the front door of the lodge, letting it swing back on the hinges as she did so. Tight jeans stretched over her hips and legs, tucked into the tall boots she wore. They were covered in any number of stains, but at least were clean. One of the girls had done laundry and she was happy to find that it smelled slightly floral when she pulled it from her dresser. Her hair was still damp, but at least she no longer looked like a dejected prom date. It fell in soft, dark waves over her shoulder leaving water marks on her dark shirt in its wake. The graphic of Darth Vader’s face shone back at any who cared to look at her.

The flat sole of her boots padded down the stairs, hearing the familiar creak on the last one as she transitioned to the soft but frosted earth. She could hear the sounds of clinking metal and incoherent babbling to inanimate objects long before she got near the entrance to the shed. Andy didn’t see Aaron at first, just the raised hood of the Humvee, and honestly that was just as good at telling her he was here.

“Aaron,” She greeted from the doorway, leaning against the frame. “How is my ATV coming along?”

Just as correctly predicted by Andy, Aaron emerged from below the Humvee, shimmying out from underneath the raised behemoth. He gave her a wave. His clothing was suitably grubby, missing the bloodstains from removing the various ‘debris’ from vehicle workings, the only stains were thankfully oil related.

“Comin’ along mighty fine Andy. New battery installed and managed to rewire the spark plugs,”

Reaching into his trouser pocket he withdrew the keys to the ATV, and lobbed them in Andy’s direction.

“Want to do the honours?”

She caught the keys out of the air, the old familiar keychain of her uncles still firmly attached to them. Andy palmed it, before sticking her pointer finger through the ring and spinning it around. Aaron was quickly becoming one of the more useful members that called her lodge home. A smirk encompassed her features at his suggestion.

“Sure. It’s good timing, I am about to take it out on its maiden voyage.” She went to leave, but paused turning back around. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Aaron’s work, but the idea of accidentally being stranded in the woods with some stranger didn’t sit well with her. “Actually,” she added. “You should come with me. It will do you some good to quit breathing all those gas fumes.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing. Those gas fumes keep me happy and awake… that and after enough of ‘em my tools start speakin’ back to me,”

With a grunt he pushed himself up off the floor, wiping oil and grease from his hands on a rather ragged piece of cloth stuffed through his belt loop.

“Mind you could do with a bit of a run around, her too,” he patted the bonnet of the Humvee. “She’s getting restless. What ya thinkin’, supply run, or just a bit of good old fashioned joy ridin’. I’m happy with both,”

The idea of just driving the ATV through the woods for fun seemed so foreign to her. That was a time that had long past, when she would come home to the lodge caked in mud. Her uncle would hose her off in the yard before he let her in the house to bathe. The girl let out a chuckle.

“We have work to do,” she admitted. “Luca found some newcomer in the woods. He has supplies and we need to meet up with him to retrieve them.” The ATV had been her first thought, but the Humvee would be useful.

“Ah thought it was too good to be true. Well a pick up run ain’t too bad I suppose, better than havin’ to root around some undead infested shoppin’ centre for a can of beans. We’ll take both, if he’s got a lot of stuff with him we can stick it in the back.”

He slammed the bonnet shut, and began working on the Jack, slowly lowering the Humvee down.

“Any idea what this guy is like, I mean i’m guessin’ if Luca checked him out he’s okay. But just want to know if we’re goin’ to come across some mad hobo in the woods whos been livin’ off squirrels for the last month. If so I’m goin’ to stick a towel down on the seats, or make him sit on the roof,”

This got another chuckle for the redhead, who rose her hand to her mouth to cover it. She always did that, like laughing was similar to a cough or a sneeze, something to keep hidden. Andy made her way out the door to test the ATV, waiting for Aaron to follow her out.

“I mean, better in your seat that riding on the back of the ATV with me like a giddy school girl,” She commented. “I don’t know him, but Luca’s word is good enough for me. However, I’d rather be prepared than not.” She gestured to the small crossbow on her hip. It wasn’t as good as a gun, but at least she could fire it while she drove if she needed to. Crossbows were gross, a weapon used to hunt by the elderly and disabled, but she couldn’t draw her bow and pilot the ATV through the trees so sacrifices were necessary.

“I’ve not seen you out in the field yet. If we run into trouble will you be able to have my back?” She had saddled the four-wheeler now, looking up into his face. Examining it, looking for something. The woman knew little about Aaron except that he knew his way around an engine. Andy was hoping for a smooth run, but she had seen enough monsters crawl out of the woodwork to know that they had to be a team. Luca was resting and Hector was working. Colt and Owen were gone, there was no one better to ask to accompany her.

Aaron pulled on his combat jacket, and grabbed his hat from a nearby tool bench. He also grabbed the 9mm pistol and holster he had placed there, removing it whilst he was working, which he now strapped to his thigh.

“Don’t you worry, if he turns out to be some weird nut job, he won’t know what hit him. But to be honest I was expectin’ you to be protectin’ me,”

He let out a loud bark of laughter at his own joke, and jumped into the driver’s seat of the Humvee, winding down the window and leaning out.

“So you lead the way, and I’ll follow you. No sense me in churnin’ up all the roadway for you to fight your way through. Any trouble we go like the wind until it’s out of our rear view mirrors. Oh and don’t go leavin’ me behind now, you’ve got some power in that thing,”

Andy turned the key, letting the engine roar into life and smirked.
Featuring: RayPurchase
Mentions: Brax Dragonlord318

 

[Rumble Fish]

When Owen slipped out the front door, he did so with a heavy heart. Between leaving Andy behind and the conversation he just shared with Luca, he had a lot to think about. Aubrey, Colt and Nile were already outside by the time he arrived. With a bag slung over his shoulder, he gave them a sheepish and apologetic shrug. He was late.

“Sorry,” he greeted, eyes mostly focused on Aubrey’s round face. “I got a little hung up this morning.” The trunk was open so he threw his bag inside with the others. He couldn’t dwell on his thoughts, they were going into the city and he was barely back on his feet. Owen would need his wits about him, as would the others. After all, he had promises to keep. Aubrey shook her head and waved him off. She would have said she too was late, but that would be a complete lie. In fact, she had been sitting at the meet-up spot an hour before they had planned. If it wasn’t obvious by her fingers picking at the hem of her pants, it was clear on her face that she was nervous.

“Are you guys ready? I have an extra stop to make before we go into suburbia if that is alright, Aubrey.” The questions were already coming and Aubrey wasn’t sure what to do.

“Oh, uhm... Yeah, of course.” She nodded, glancing between the faces. She had expected Owen and Colt, but Nile was a pleasant surprise. The blonde wasn’t upset about the extra person, she just didn’t want more people to feel responsible for. Not that she was going to speak up, of course.

Owen noticed her glance and grimaced in embarrassment. Did he forget to tell them he had invited Nile? He wasn’t sure how Aubrey felt about him, but knew that Colt and him hadn’t exactly gotten along during the last run. He scratched the back of his head and gave an awkward smile to both the ladies, going around to the driver’s side. Being the most familiar with the streets it made the most sense for him to drive.

“I asked Nile to come with us. I figured a little extra man power wouldn’t hurt, especially since we aren’t entirely sure where we are going yet.” He looked over to Colt apologetically. The redhead was sure she didn’t appreciate being told last minute, but he would have to hope that her favoritism for him would win in this scenario. Knowing the relationship Colt and Nile had, she quickly responded for the both of them.

“It’s fine!” She spit out, glancing towards the other woman before quickly climbing into the backseat, scared at what Colt’s reaction may be. Colt had been quiet until this exact moment. Her mind was clearer from her semi-detox but storming with anger over her previous talk with both the forest-man, that comment from Luca and what Andy had said. Her profane fuelled, almost silent snarling was halted and her stomach twisted at the red-head’s words. Faster than anything, her head whipped around, wiry hair smacking her scarred skin as she glared at the apologetic red-head. Heat rose to her face and the back of her neck became moist at the fury rising within the veteren. He knew what Nile had done before, Aubrey also knew and yet they expected her to welcome him back with open arms!?

“Won’t screw up this time. Probably. Maybe.” Nile said with a shrug to Colt as he climbed into the backseat. “It’s a fify-fifty chance I fuck everything up when we spot the first zombie, the jury’s out on that” Nile muttered as he looked through his backpack to make sure he had what he needed.

“Fuckin’ piece of fuckin’-” Colt grumbled, too low to be heard by the others as she moved a step away from Nile as he passed her, boring a hole into the back of his stupid head as he went. No. No fucking way. She was not putting herself or anyone else in danger again!

“Owen!” The veteran snarled, a furious glare in her for-once clear eyes as she stormed over to the red-head, arms swinging as if intending to hook him, “A private word. Now!” she hissed in a low tone before taking Owen further from the truck. Once they were a safe distance away, the woman growled with a pinch to her nose as she turned around, pulling her flask from one of her endless pockets.

“Sure,” the redhead offered with a shrug, following her to the other side of the shed.

“Right. Owen. Yer my friend,I like ya very much, we’ve bin through a lot together. I trust ya and I’d like t’think ya trust me too. But… ARE YA OUTTA YER FUCKIN’ MIND?!” a furious thrust of the arm towards the truck made it clear as to what she was referring to. Despite the intensity of her tone, Colt knew better than to scream, regardless of how much she wanted to. While Aubrey was their navigator and technically their leader, Colt knew that if things were to go belly up, they’d then look to her to get them out of trouble. If they were going to want that, she was not willing to take a liability with the same man who actively defied her words and caused them a hell of a lot of trouble before.

“I know, I know,” The redhead put his hands up defensively. “You don’t like Nile. I get it. But I’ll keep an eye on him.” In fact, what he wasn’t willing to admit to Colt is that was the whole reason he had invited Nile along. Owen knew his type, he recognized the symptoms and if this dude was about to go and do something reckless he would much rather him do it where he and Colt could keep an eye on things, and away from the kids.

“You know I trust you. I know you trust me. There is no reason the two of us can’t keep a handle on things.”

“I am not lettin’ that fuckin’ idiot come! Ya know what he did last time and if ya think I’m gonna let him go galavanting around a fuckin’ suburb with a weapon yer fuckin’ stupider than me lettin’ him come the first time!” The woman snarled vhemously, taking a furious step forward with her furious low-toned growl. “He had both me and Leliana watchin’ ‘im last time and he actively defied me and almost got us ripped apart like a chicken that’d wandered into a fuckin’ badger hole! What the fuck made ya think I’d agree t’this?!” as the last word tumbled from her mouth, the woman stopped as her breathing had become frantic at the foreboding fear of an unwelcome trip down dejavu lane which may not end quite as “well” as their previous venture (The woman hated the fact that an attack on the Lodge was that situation ending “well”). The woman sighed in a snort as she, dropping her flask with a clink in the grass, put both hands on the side of her head with a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down. She could not have an attack. Not now. The woman kept her eyes closed as her breathing eventually seemed to calm back down.

“Seems not fuckin’ tellin’ me shit in advance or at all is a running joke between ya’ll people here.” She grumbled afterwards, in a calmer yet still frustrated tone. First they have contact with that tree man without telling her and now this?

“It was legitimately an accident that you weren’t told ahead of time,” he said soothingly, looking at her with sympathetic eyes. “Look, I feel responsible for him. I feel far better knowing that you and I are watching him than leaving him here around a bunch of people who can get hurt by his shenanigans. If it comes to it, we will leave him behind. But I don’t think it will come to that.”

“It’s always a fuckin’ accident too apparently.” Colt grunted with crossed arms. The hurt in her tone was clear. For a group who apparently saw her as some kind of authority figure they seemed all too eager to leave her out of the loop. Her instinct was to go for the jugular, snarl that she could not give less than two fucks about Nile and her answer was “No!” and that was to be final. But Owen’s gentle ways were chipping hard at the wall the woman had built around herself. And now; there was a hole. He had touched on a nerve, mentioning the Lodge’s safety.

“...Awright.” The woman snorted so hard to the point of almost breaking her sinuses despite her steady tone, “I’ll allow it. But he’s gotta fuckin’ listen t’both of us and- Owen, I am NOT fuckin’ jokin’, if he does one thing. One. Thing. t’compromise this, he’s outta here! Y’hear me?” She spun back around to face the man, her tone angry but her face showing instead a mix of exhaustion and frustration. It was tiresome to even think about this.

Sitting from inside the vehicle, Aubrey stared straight at the headrest in front of her, trying to decide if she should go out and calm the muffled yelling from outside, or talk to Nile in an attempt to make him feel more welcome. Neither were ideal seeing as she wasn’t great with other people’s emotions, but she was kind of the leader in this expedition? Casting a weary glance towards Nile, she cleared her throat, “Uhm… How are you?” She asked, obviously not great at small talk. He seemed a bit better since the last time she really interacted with him, so she hoped he’d answer fine and they can get on with the trip.

“Oh, I feel like utter shit, I can hardly breathe through the noxious miasma of mixed bodily gasses floating around the lodge, I think I inhaled smoke a while back, and everything hurts, but hey! At least I don’t have the constant urge to insult everything about you” Nile said, zipping his backpack closed. “So yeah, meh all around” Nile finished, looking at Aubrey. Searching for their name, Nile drew a blank, but he did remember when they helped his clean up his vicious coffee inflicted ninth degree burns, so he felt like this one was alright. The girl’s face continued to stay ahead. Not the answer she was expecting. In fact, Nike’s answer was so far from what she thought he’d say, she was at a loss for words. Silence lingering between the two, her jaw opened, then closed, then opened again.

“T-That’s… Uh... Good?” Aubrey glanced over at the man before slowly moving to look out the window, deciding that she’d simply forget this conversation and start over a different time. Owen and Colt were having decent looking conversation. Colt’s face was about as red as Owen’s hair, but she trusted that they’d get through the issue… Maybe she’d talk to Colt later as well. As long as she didn’t say odd things like Nile did, it should be fine.

Finally Owen pulled away from her, giving Colt an affectionate squeeze on the shoulder. They were already late getting on the road. There were not enough words in the world to make her like it. However, she had agreed and that was a small favor of in and of its own. Pulling his face back into an optimistic smile he made his way back over to the car and entered the drivers side of the vehicle. Once Colt joined him in the passenger seat, he put the key into the ignition. The engine roared into life. It was a sort of sad sound in comparison to the roar his Camaro once had, but it would have to do.

“Alright ladies and gentlemen, let’s hit the road. First stop is Hibbert’s Pharmacy.”

Featuring: Maj (Owen) Corgi (Aubrey) Togy (Nile)
Mentions: FireMaiden (eliana) Dragonlord318 (David)

 

[Maj]

PART TWO​

This was not like the road trips Owen remembered. Childhood trips had been spent with him and Andy in the backseat playing dumb car games and talking to their mom in an endless stream of questions. In his adulthood, road trips had either been spent blaring loud music or rolling his eyes as his buddies passed around any number of illegal items in the backseat behind him. There was no tomfoolery in this car, only tension so thick that Owen thought he might choke on it.

It wasn’t the best start to a run, but with any luck that wouldn’t keep it from running smoothly. So Owen kept his eyes focused on the road. There had been a few hairy situations. Walkers or cars blocking his path, but Owen seemed to weave around them with ease. Parked vehicles and slow moving bodies were easy enough to avoid when he was practiced at avoiding blaring police cars. Before long, the engine was slowing down, pulling up to the side door of the Pharmacy.

As the purr of the vehicle died down, the blonde’s anxiety only got worse. “Do you see any Things around?” Aubrey asked, her voice a bit wobbly. Her hand had been glued to the rim of her cap the entire car ride, her expression stuck in a semi-permanent state of worry. The last time she had been out in the town was when she first arrived, and that week was truly her worst nightmare. Never being able to stop, if she did she wouldn’t be able to sleep with the constant worry that something might sneak up on her and she’d end up like one of those Things. She didn’t want to repeat that. However, she was with others now. Things would be different… Hopefully.

“Don’t worry your pretty little blonde head,” Owen cooed from the front seat, reaching to unbuckle his seatbelt. “I didn’t see any when we pulled up, but we will handle them if we need to. For now, let’s just get inside. The less we are out in the open the better.” The redhead opened the door and unfolded himself as he tried to stand. Dudes his size were not meant to be in such tiny cars. He could feel his muscles creak and complain after being stationary for so long, but as he stretched his spine he was feeling mostly back to normal. The man slipped his arms into the backpack he had brought with him, and grabbed his baseball bat from the floor board.

“Let’s go. If we can break in this side door we will have more access to the drugs than if we go in the front.”

It was only at this point that the veteran broke her silence, having said nothing since that promise to Owen. As she stood outside the car, the woman had wordlessly scanned the area before finally grumbling in her throat.

“...Too quiet.” She grunted before turning to Owen as he mentioned the side door. Her brows still lowered. “Might be alarmed,” she added, remembering her run with Andy. This was a secure building, there was every chance the alarm could still be live if the door was broken in. Aubrey glanced towards Colt getting out of the car before unbuckling and carefully stepping out. She felt her gut flip as she took in the surroundings with a deep breath. Everything was going to be okay. They’d get in, get out, and then go find Milly’s house.

“Hibbets has a great security system,” Owen agreed knowingly. “Thankfully for us, it’s high quality enough it doesn’t work without electricity or wifi. Both of which are now absent.”

“Hm. Good.” The woman frowned a little at the man’s words. His tone and seeming knowledge of the building. As she thought, a phrase slipped through her mind, muffled from her bender but clear enough. ”Not like her drug slinging son.” The woman did not speak up about that. She had confined in him about her past, the least she could do was to do the same. Instead, she spoke again, lowly.

“Still. Too quiet.” She frowned and turned to the group, “Less noise could mean more Things. Keep it down.” Green eyes darted to each member of their little squad, taking a particular glance to Nile and Aubrey. The former to flash him a glare warning him to mind his Ps and Qs and the latter as the younger woman already seemed a little strained but seemed okay enough. Aubrey gave a small nod, drawing her crowbar from her backpack and stepping behind Owen.

“I-I’m going to follow you. Is that okay?” She asked quietly, her other hand still wrapped around her hat.

“Of course,” he confirmed, a smug smirk taking over his fair face. It was clear he was in his element. Playing bodyguard to a cute girl was among his favorite things. Plus she was short enough that if he had to swing his bat, he wouldn’t accidentally clock her in the face, which made working around her easy. The male reached into his backpack and produced a small tool kit. A small smile emerged from her worried features. Some of the stress lifted from her. She trusted Owen and knew he wouldn’t let her down.

“Can you hold this a second?” he asked Aubrey. He flipped his bat in an effortless motion, turning it so he held the large end and the leather wrapped handle was pointed toward Aubrey. With a short nod, she took her hand off her cap to grab the bat. She couldn’t remember a time where she actually held a baseball bat before. Swinging it may do more damage than her actual crowbar does. He gave her a wink, before turning his back to her and kneeling by the door.

He knew that he didn’t have to ask Colt to watch his back, she would do so with or without his words. Instead, he just got to work. The leather bundle was untied and as he unrolled it a few tools spilled out of the bundle. Lucky for him, Aurora was a small town and Hibbet had been a small town guy. With his security system in place he hadn’t felt the need to stock up on heavy doors. As long as the screws didn’t strip he would be able to remove the locking mechanism from the door and get in without making too much noise.

“You’re the judge, oh no, set me freeee-eeeh…” the woman mumble-crooned under her breath as she had done as Owen had suspected, as if telepathic. With the M4A1 gripped in her charred hands she stood scarily still, only looking while the man got to work. It was only at this point that the veteran had now started to wonder just why they were here in the first place. Medicine was a necessity, sure. But the sudden change in schedule and Nile coming along all felt a bit off, and once her intuition was set off, it was hard to ignore it.

When it was apparent that the lock was going to be stubborn Owen sighed, cursing under his breath. There was one other option of course, but it would take a little more time. He looked over his shoulder to Nile and gave him a sheepish grin.

“Come hold this door man. I’m taking it off at the hinges.”

Colt rocked uncomfortably on her heels, the longer they spend out here, the likelihood of them being smelled by or seen by Things increased and she swore she saw a small clutter stumbling around on the horizon, at the end of the street. But they were such a distance away that they were misshapen shuffling shapes and she could not clearly make out what they were or what direction they were going in. With a nervous gulp, she reached into her pocket but as her hand reached the bottom of the fabric, her stomach dropped sickeningly. Not making a sound, Colt tried every reachable pockets, but there was nothing to be found other than the occasional wrapper or dollar, both were useless now. Everything tensed as the vet silently panicked, desperate to find it. That was until she suddenly remembered where it was. In the grass next to the shed. The quartet had been in such a rush to leave she had forgotten to pick it up!

Rather than speak up, the veteran just coughed lightly into her fist, directed at both Owen and Aubrey before removing her closed fist and pointing two fingers to her eyes, then directing them to the shuffling shape on the horizon. Not to alarm them but to draw awareness. Once she had, she resumed her position, now facing the potential horde full on. If she could just focus on them, it would take her mind off of her missing necessity. She has to stay calm. Aubrey glanced over, a bit more relaxed than she was until Colt pointed out the Thing. Her heart dropped and eyes immediately went wide. It was far enough away that it wouldn’t catch their scent, but she didn’t like being so out in the open.

“Stay quiet.” The woman spoke quietly, seeing Aubrey’s reaction, “They’ll move on. Don’t draw attention.” As she said this, she was already looking around the area, mapping out a potential escape route if the horde became frenzied. They could be runners, and if they were, they would need to get away quickly. The blonde nodded.

“I know, I just... “ She took a deep breath, “I just get nervous is all. I survived out here before, I can do it again.” The words were mostly a comfort for herself, she needed to know internally that she’d be okay. If she could be okay, then these three around her definitely could. A part of her felt like she needed to be a sort of rock despite her flimsy emotional state. Aubrey knew everyone could take care of themselves, but she still felt responsible for whatever was to happen to them.

A husky chuckle was the response, “Ain’t we all, ma’am?” the woman took a step towards Aubrey, eyes still on the shuffling shape, “But, the thing t’keep in mind is, we’re several steps ahead of ‘em now. Best thing t’do right now is t’plan. Use yer foresight t’use yer hindsight.” Her voice was low and gravelly but calm. As calm as it could be in this situation. Aubrey gave a small smile and nodded. Colt was right.

“Such as, right now I’m tryin’ t’think of what would be the best escape route if they were t’come runnin’. Doin’ so now would save us the panic. Look about. Whatchu think?”

Aubrey slowly took her eyes off of Colt and the Thing in the distance, glancing about the street. There were plenty of alleys, but who knows where those lead to, if they were dead ends or not. Glancing back at the pharmacy, “Maybe back through the side door, or if this place has it, the back. Might be able to sneak away before they know we’re here.” She said before looking at Colt, curious to see her reaction.

“Mhm… But do ya definitely know where that door leads?” Aubrey bit her lip before shaking her head.

“Uh… No, but we can always check?” She mumbles, hopeful.

“Mhm, we can once we’re in. But.” A finger went up as she spoke, “One thing t’always remember; better to have several potential options than to gamble on one. We can check the door, but will need to check other places too. If it goes belly-up, we’ll only have a few minutes to figure things out. If it can be done before, it should be.” Aubrey nodded along, eyes scanning the walls and floor. It made sense, last time the blonde was out of the lodge, it was complete primal senses, just running, hiding, and fighting to survive. She was silently glad Colt was teaching her these things verbally, it was easier for her to catch on.

“Once we’re inside, we can look around and see. I’ll need t’hang around out ‘ere t’watch. But maybe y’could see what we got then get back t’me?” The veteran added, continuously looking around, just in case.

Grabbing the door by the handle, Nile nodded to Owen to get on with it. “Christ man, this thing already feels heavy and I’m not even holding it” Nile muttered to Owen.

“I have faith in you.” Owen said, his teeth clenched around the handle of a screwdriver. “I’ll help you as as soon as it busts free.” This would have gone faster with a drill, but he didn’t have one. Wasting the generator on charging the battery for him to carry around a drill for break ins seemed oddly specific and a waste of energy, especially with Hector’s experiments being a constant drain on their resources. Still, it was nothing a little elbow grease couldn’t fix. Focused eyes stayed on the screws on the bottom of the door, Nile doing as requested and keeping the top straight.

“Alright, brace it,” Owen instructed as he removed the last screw. With that the door was being held up by Nile alone. Owen stood quickly, grabbing the other side of the door. He nodded to the man once he had his grip, securing calloused fingers around the edge of it.

“Alright, on three we are just going to prop it up against the side of the wall here, yeah?” He asked.

“Sure, yep, yeah, oh jesus fuck this thing is heavy” Nile breathed, keeping the door straight.

“One.” Owen braced his legs. Securing the weight of the door within them.

“Two.” He grunted, readying his body to lift the heavy metal thing, unsure of how much help Nile was going to be in his current state.

“Three.” With a heavy heave and Nile’s assistance the man was able to move the door to the side. The inside smelled musty and old, likely from a month of being closed up from any outside influences. Owen dusted his palms against themselves, sliding them against each other. A job well done.

“See,” Owen said to Colt, smug grin on his face. “I told you there was nothing to-”

As if some unseen force had a hold on the hulking twin, he was pulled backward into the doorway. Owen was ripped from his feet, and all at once he disappeared. He yelped as the blanket of darkness consumed him, enveloping his form so quickly that no one was able to see exactly what had happened. One second he was standing in front of them, and the next he was gone. His yells were the only evidence he had been there at all.

Featuring: Rumble Fish Corgi Togy