Realistic or Modern Patient Zero (A Zombie Survival RP)

[BloodLightning27]

Shinoa Bradford - Afternoon Nap and a Trip to Dreamland​

The conversation with David and Lelianna still lingered in Shinoa's mind. If anything, the young mother did feel reasonably useless because she hadn't really left the lodge aside from the attack from the unknown Hazmat Group, then there was the matter of Brian leaving shortly after. Then before long, Jenna left too. Aside from Ralph, she hasn't really interacted too much with the other residents of the lodge that they were taking refuge following a disastrous event a few weeks ago. But now she was caring for her daughter. Thankfully for her, Valerie was a quiet baby. Well, most of the time. She expected to be more sleep-deprived given some of the things she has heard in the waiting room while waiting to get her routine check up during her pregnancy. Maybe she just got really lucky. The only times Valerie cried were when she was hungry or needed a diaper change. Given the current circumstances, things were going too smoothly overall. This did make Shinoa feel rather uneasy. Feeling a little tired and staying within the confines of her room, with Valerie sleeping peacefully, Shinoa decided to take an opportunity to take a short nap. After laying down in her bed, the young woman slowly closed her eyes and was soon out cold.

~Dreamland~​

Shinoa woke up back up, this time though, it was rather dark outside. When she looked over, she noticed that Valerie was not there. Not even that little makeshift basket was there. Where was the baby? Confused, she tried to sit back up and felt her stomach on her legs. Raising an eyebrow, she looked down before taking the blanket off. Her look of confusion turned into one of worry when she saw that her stomach had expanded and it was bigger then she remembered. "What the hell?" She asked before fully taking her blanket off and slowly got out of bed.

However, she had trouble getting to her feet. After struggling briefly, Shinoa finally managed to get to her feet. She then proceeded to exit the room. Upon seeing the first light switch, she waddled over to try and turn on the light in hopes of navigating through the house a little easier. The lights did not turn on, much to her dismay. Power must of went out. But where was everyone? "Helloooo? Is anyone there? Lelianna?? Doctor Fisher?? Milly??? Anyone?????" She called out, but her voice only slightly echoed across the empty hall.

Where did everyone go? Suddenly, her stomach began to hurt, at least around the lower abdomen. "Ow..." She then saw lights flickering in the bathroom, so Shinoa waddled towards it to investigate.

As soon as she opened the door, she saw that the shower curtain was open. "I must be imagining things. What is going on?" She huffed, before looking at herself in the mirror.

Once she turned to her side, she saw that she had gotten her pregnant belly back, much to her astonishment. Taking a deep breath, she looked down at the belly before placing her hand on her lower back. "Valerie, I...I don't remember you getting this big." She stared at her reflection before looking back down. "I don't remembering being this big either towards the end." As she exited the bathroom, she heard something downstairs, spooking her. "Who's there?" She asked, still holding her back and slowly making her way downstairs. "Hello???"

She then felt a brief pain in her lower stomach, making her worry. There was then banging on the front door, as she looked up, the door opened and it was pitch black on the other side...

Back To The Real World...​

Shinoa's eyes shot open as she awakened from the strange dream that she had. Holding her head, she sighed as she sat up and looked over at Valerie, who was sleeping peacefully. "What was that dream all about? So weird." Was all she could say as she walked over to pick up her baby, cradling the infant close as she looked out the window.

Overall, Shinoa was rather confused. Why did she wake up in dreamland heavily pregnant? Was this normal post-delivery? Even though it was, at least to her, a while ago? If there was someone that she could ask, the young mother honestly would. Still, they'd probably look at her funny and think that something is wrong with her. Looking back out the window, she began to wonder about her Grandmother and the neighbors that they hung out with when she was younger. How were they faring in the current situation? Better? Worse? Hopefully better. Finally, Shinoa put the still-sleeping Valerie back into her bed before going back to her own. She then sat down and began wondering, what next? Shinoa sighed before plopping onto the bed and looking up at the ceiling.
Mentioned: Lelianna FireMaiden | Milly Rumble Fish | Ralph The Mad Queen | David Dragonlord318

 

[FireMaiden]

​

Location: The Jordan Lodge
Interaction: shadowz1995 (Hector) Maj (Beth) Hyped_Taco (Micheal)
Mentioned: Rumble Fish (Milly)
Relaxing with Beth like that was something Leliana didn't even realize just how much she needed. For the first time in a long time, Leliana was able to let the world fall away, enjoying the mostly peace and quiet of her shared room. She missed moments like these. There were a lot of moments she missed actually. Late night movie marathons work her mom, arguing about which of their snack choices were better. She and Beth tricking the vending machine in Moe's employee lounge to get free snacks. Michelle, her manager, actually showed her the trick to do so. She missed debating theories of how the world was created with two of her classmates. And the games they would play. There was one where someone burst out a random topic you had to rant about no matter what it was. Devin once had to rant about their professor...who ended up being right behind him the entire time. That was priceless.

And she missed the moments of calm like this the most. Relaxing on the couch after a long day of work, or cuddling with Beth to take naps when it was hard to sleep. Leliana still felt just a bit like an idiot for not realizing the other girl's feeling sooner...or even realizing she returned them. Maybe she felt bad for Owen, never hearing Beth say she loved him but she felt...oddly special knowing it was because of her. Leliana felt like she could stay there all day, but as a soft knock hit the door, she slowly sat up. With a small sigh, Leliana slowly climbed off the bed and went to open the door. But saw nobody. Shaking her head, she went to close the door, looking down as she did, and that smile returned. Leliana knew who left that tray behind, squatting down fo pick it up. The shaking had stopped, mostly at least, she still felt a slight tremor in her hands but it was safe enough to carry this back into their room.

"Milly left us something," Leliana told Beth, taking one of the mugs and sitting it on the nightstand for Beth before taking one for herself. It was warm, Leliana having to wonder how Milly managed that. But the fire had to still be going downstairs. Taking a sip, the hot chocolate significantly sweeter than she was used to, the nurse couldn't help smile as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "She's such a sweet kid. I wish we could do something for her. Make her a little more comfortable or do something so she could have fun." Fun was something fairly absent in the lodge. Old coloring books and puzzles would only do so much. And none of the books Leliana had managed to find were suitable for a kid. Not that she couldn't handle them or anything, they just weren't fun.

For the next few minutes, Leliana sat there with Beth, sipping on the hot chocolate. Her grandmother always made some for her when it rained. Little marshmallows in her favorite mug, or maybe some whipped cream and cinnamon. Then they would sit on the couch and watch some animated movies. Leliana liked to pick Anastasia or the Swan Princess, but they were slowly making their way through every Disney movie. Her grandma passed away when Leliana was 14, a bad heart attack. She fought hard, but after a few days in the hospital, the woman couldn't fight it anymore. That was a devastating day for both Leliana and her mother.

Leliana was almost done with her hot chocolate when she heard them. Gunshots. Immediately the tenseness returned to her shoulders as she stood up and sat her cup down on the nightstand, immediately touching her thigh afterward. Damn it. Turning to the dresser, she opened rhe top drawer and pulled out her pistol and its holster, not sure why she forgot to put it on this morning...actually no, she had been woken up by weird noises on the roof and forgot about it. Quickly slipping the bolster on and then snapping her gun in place, she turned and smiled at Beth. "Thanks for letting me cuddle. It helped a lot." Leliana moved close again, leaning in to kiss Beth's cheek before she turned around again and left.

As she walked down the stairs, Leliana was thing her hair up into a bun, mind racing as to what those shots could have meant. Maybe Micheal was training again? Maybe they were being attacked or maybe one of the infected got to close. The real answer was nothing like she expected. She didn't expect to see David suspended between Micheal and Dr. Salazar. She didn't expect fo see him dead. Immediately she moved to the basement door, opening it so neither one would have to drop him. Leliana knew what Hecgor was doing, it was heard to forget. And easy to piece together why David was not being burned out side...but the fact his head was still intact made her skin crawl. Hopefully nothing bad happened. "He attacked you?" Leliana questioned. That had to be the only explanation right? Hector hadn't made a habit of random killings and he did say he was going fo talk to David. Maybe her episode was justified in more ways than one. "I-I'm so sorry, I-I didn't think he'd attack you, are you two okay?"

 

[The Mad Queen]

Maria Kennedy​

Sitting at the entrance to the lodge, her stomach started to churn. There had to be a reason David was shot to pieces. If the lodge was full of people who just gunned people down for little to no reason, it wouldn't have survived this long. That, and they would've turned on her by now. It certainly wasn't a place where somebody like Doctor Friendly would call home. She tried to process it, running through ideas in her head as to why the mountain would be gunned down. He was unstable, and not to be trusted. Despite knowing too much about her, he hadn't done much with the information he'd gathered. Maybe he was planning to make a move?

She'd wanted to deck him into next week when he first opened his big mouth and while she would've preferred that David was brought down non-lethally as to interrogate him, somebody getting a little trigger happy over his mysterious wealth of knowledge was understandable. Then again, somebody who had gone to all that effort to learn what he did couldn't have good intentions. It was more likely he'd attacked someone, somebody who had asked him one too many questions about how he knew what he did.

Even if it risked exposing herself, she had to get to the bottom of it. Nobody just guessed these sorts of things from a single glance and a word or two. Between his story of the thugs in the woods having one too many holes, his eagerness, perhaps even joy to kill men that were already pinned down and now attacking people, he was definitely a threat. Secrets or no secrets, they had to find out what he knew. If David was still breathing down there, she'd make sure the last words to escape his lips would be the truth. The folks at the lodge let her stick around, patched her up and decided to leave her to her own devices when she wanted. There was no poking and prodding, nor even asking for much in return. Handing over some food, behaving herself, keeping her head down and being ready to defend the place if it came to that seemed to be all it took to remain a resident.

These were half-decent people, she might even have considered them good. Those she'd met, anyway. The Mountain was a potential threat to them, even if he was riddled with bullets. If she was to do this, it wouldn't just be for her. The idea of torture made her insides churn just a little bit more, but the ends justified the means. After all, somebody with that wealth of knowledge could be working with someone. She shook her head, lightly punching one of the lodge's walls. Did she really think that or was it just a lie to justify things to herself? Killing was one thing, something she'd done in self defence, but the man was already dying.

"Wise up..." She groaned. "Longer you sit here, the more da bastard is gonna bleed out."
Her eyes glanced down to the basement steps, seeing the door swing shut. Had they brought David in there? Cracking her neck to the side, she approached the door, and pushed it open.

"If he's still breathin', we need to find out what he knows. That man isn't what he says he is. He could be dangerous..."

Interactions: FireMaiden (Leli) shadowz1995 ("the one-eyed man") Hyped_Taco ("the fat one")
No tags for David, 'cause not only is he dead, but he doesn't deserve it

 

[shadowz1995]

The doctor didn't bother to glance back at the young blonde but he did reply to her seemingly unsure question, "He made an attempt to attack us, yes. Clearly, it has not worked out for him. Has it?" He accentuated his question by giving the big man a malicious shake. It provoked David to seize up in pain, blood replacing any screams that tried to fight its way over his lips. "But yes, we're are perfectly unharmed."

The sudden entrance of Maria did cause Hector a start and as her unfamiliar voice pierced the lodge's ambiance, the Hispanic almost dropped David while pulling his firearm out and aiming at it right at her chest. He only barely managed to keep a hold on former monk's weight with one arm. The trigger pull was a mere millisecond away before Hector realized that this young woman was not some stranger coming to help David.

She certainly wasn't known to Hector but mention of her name and appearance had floated around the lodge for the past few weeks. It was only his quick analytical skills that stopped him from dropping her then and there. "I don't know you, woman." He said with some measure of grit. "I've just dealt with this unknown," He gestured to David by shaking him again, drawing another gurgle, "and I'm sure you don't want to share his fate. You stay there."

Hector turned to head down the cellar steps into his lab but he noticed that Leliana didn't seem entirely surprised by Maria's presence. "Keep an eye on her, Ms. James. Please. My trust does not extend past you and Michael at this current moment."

With that, the dying man was dragged down the cellar steps towards his dark fate.

FireMaiden The Mad Queen Hyped_Taco

 

[The Mad Queen]

Maria Kennedy: Trust​

Her attempts at trying to warn the group were met with hostility but if she was being honest with herself, she wouldn't have trusted a stranger either. Especially right after being attacked but another. She kept her arms by her side as she glared back at the one-eyed man, not making any sudden movements. Despite his calmer tone of voice, he had to be a little bit one edge. It was not a good idea to poke that particular bear because she'd be bringing her fists and a bat to a gunfight.

Following him into the basement was suicide, that much was clear but at least she had a somewhat familiar face at her side.
"I don't blame him for it." She shrugged at Leliana "Honestly, don't know what I was expectin' here. Can be a bit of a stupid shite sometimes." She shook her head
"Listen, love. You lot don't know me. Only one who does is too far away from this so what I'm about to ask might be a little difficult."

"I think David wasn't acting alone. He knows things. Things he has no business knowing. About me. Maybe about the rest of ya, too." She kept her arms by her side and she kept her distance. "The sort of stuff you know from having resources. Doctor Pirate there won't trust a single word that comes out of me mouth, but he might just listen to ya. David is a lot more dangerous than you think, and I have good reason to believe he's not a lone wolf. So long as he's still able to talk, ya have to find out what he knows and how he knows it or we could all be in danger."

She took one step forwards "And I think I owe ya an apology. I didn't tell ya because the fecker was in the room with us, but when the two of us went up against those thugs in the woods...David enjoyed killing them. I tried to take 'em down non-lethally, find out what they knew but he made sure that wasn't an option. Even the ones I knocked the fuck outta, he killed them."

There had to be a way of letting the nurse know what had happened without giving too much away.
"I'll be honest, Leliana. I suffer from blackouts..." The moment she finished her sentence, she immediately wanted to punch herself in the face "It's something minor I've had for years now and happens every now and again. Probably from getting knocked around in the ring one too many times." She covered her nervousness with a chuckle "I may just lose a little track of time is all and the fact is I woke up in the woods with those people surrounding David, a gun pointed at me face. I have no idea what went down, what words were said...And when I demanded an explanation from him, he flipped out. Can't tell if he was lyin' or not, but parts of the story he told me didn't add up. I only fought them because they were threatenin' me too."

Was her lie worse than the truth? If the group at the lodge was concerned about her imaginary blackouts, would they let her help out? She wondered if her bullsit even sounded convincing. Leliana was by no means an idiot, and she wouldn't fall for that crap. No, if she had to protect the lodge from whatever surprises David had left behind, the only tool in her arsenal was honesty.

Maria groaned, running a hand down her face.
"Okay, most of that was true. But I lied about the blackouts. Sorta. I do black out, but when I do this other lady is walkin' around and talkin'. She's the one who encountered David in the woods, but won't tell me what happened before the fight. That can only mean it was something awful happened."
Her gut twisted, the truth spewing from her lips stabbing into her like a blade.
"We talk through wee notes. Sorta had to start when things turned to shite. But aside from being a bit of a cu** sometimes, she's alright. Ya need not worry about her."

Clearing her throat, Maria turned away, her voice growing softer. "Only three people in the world knew about it before and yet David knew automatically. Now, with the right resources ya can learn anythin' about anyone. I think that's what he did, 'cause the only alternative is that the fucker can read minds or somethin'. Between that and the way he killed those men in the woods, he's gotta be hidin' something."

Interactions: FireMaiden (Leli) , shadowz1995 ("Doctor Pirate")
No tags for David, he doesn't deserve it

 

[FireMaiden]

​

Location: The Jordan Lodge
Interaction: shadowz1995 (Hector) The Mad Queen (Maria)
Mentioned: Rumble Fish (Milly)
Knowing David was still alive made her feel weird. A part of hed felt like they should try and save him, or in the very least, make his last moments comfortable. But some sick part of her didn't wang that. He had clearly shown himself to be a threat, that they couldn't trust him. And deep down, a part of her was glad. That thought made her stomach twist a little, realizing how comfortable Leliana had gotten with the idea of killing their enemies and other threats. Hector chastised her and Ralph about it a while ago when he refused fo let them help. She still felt it was a little unfair on her part, him not taking into consideration she had been a college student and one that wasn't studying diseases in-depth yet. Regardless, she wouldn't bother him. "I'm glad you guys are alright then," The nurse nodded, looking to the other woman when she heard Maria. Opening her mouth to say something, she watched as Hector drew his gun.

The interaction was over too quickly for her to shout out a defense for Maria, Leliana giving Hector a nod as he descended the steps to he cellar, she quickly made sure the door was securely shut behind him before turning to Maria. "He's not the kind of man you just go running up on, but he also doesn't have the best bedside manners." Leliana explained, hoping that would smooth over the fact he had pointed gun at her. At least a little. But the other woman started talking, rambling almost about David. About having blackouts and then what sounded to be a mental disorder straight out of Criminal minds. It...explained a little, the second name David used, the notebook Leliana had spied once or twice. The woman had some very good concerns, some that sounded plausible

"If he wasn't working alone, Hector will get answers out of him first. He obviously had a past, I saw those bodies." She had gone out to collect weapons and anything else useful they might have had before burning them. There was a certain level of overkill you only see with a man trying to bury something. "He seemed to know something about me as well but..." Leliana trailed off a little. It wasn't hard to figure out if you were around a lot of people who had been through what she had. Then again, nobody just went around and talked about this shit. So Maria's words actually got her thinking, what if David was working for someone? The hazmat guys maybe? And if that was true, how much did those hazmat guys know about them? She was starting to believe that maybe Luca was wrong for trusting Brian. Or...maybe they were all wrong for trusting some of the people that left. "We just need to leave Hector to his work, you can trust him. Both of you, I promise."

 

[The Mad Queen]

Maria Kennedy​

She was silent after her little ramble about the mountain, simply watching as Leliana took everything in and just hoping she'd be believed about the kind of threat they were facing if she was right. Of course, given her initial terrible lies and the mention of Caoimhe's existence there was always just the chance that the nurse would dismiss her as a crazy person.

She was happy to be proven wrong, but David knowing something about Leliana threw the violent stalker theory she'd had before well and truly out of the window.
"They were attackin' me when I woke up, like I said. No idea what those men wanted 'cause I sure as shite ain't about to take that giant at his word." She sighed "Just a shame I never learned anythin'...For all I know, he started that fight and they just attacked me 'cause I was walkin' around with him. It wouldn't make me feel guilt. After all, at least in me own case, it was self-defence."

She leaned against one of the walls, her arms folded.
"I wanted to be wrong about him but sometimes, bein' right really fuckin' sucks. I'm just glad he didn't kill any of ya. Even if Doctor Pirate there is a bit of a...Shite. Still, least he didn't shoot me." She gave the nurse a half-smile "Give him credit where it's due. No idea what he's got against Doctor Friendly, but I can at least trust him to get somethin' out of that tall gobshite before he kicks the bucket."

She shook her head a second time. She had become so used to the only conversations after the initial outbreak being done via notebook. Nobody else was going to know who Doctor Friendly was.

"I mean Fisher. Doctor Friendly is just what me and..." She rested a finger against the side of her head "Caoimhe call him. Absolute pain in the hole, but he's grown on both of us. Apparently Caoimhe likes this kid called Milly too, for some reason. She's usually rude, ruder that me so that says something... I couldn't see her getting on with children. Guess I can be wrong sometimes."

Part of her just wanted to keep her damn mouth shut. That cat was out of the bag, so why the hell was she still talking about it? Perhaps it was a form of release. Ralph was miles away and David, who had uncovered the knowledge through shady means was bleeding to death in a basement. That left the only person to talk to being a young nurse. It was like a flowing river. Once she'd begun, the woman found it difficult to stop. She wanted to reach up and deliver a right hook to the side of her own face and yet instead, he lips had kept going.

"Suppose all I can do is leave fatty and the other Doc to it." She shrugged "Just hope for both our sakes the bastard keeps his mouth shut about what he knows about us, or whatever personal stuff he's dug up about anyone else here. If I find out he blabbed about any of ya. I'll kill him twice." Maria clenched her right hand into a tight fist, her dagger-like eyes pointing towards the door.

Interactions: FireMaiden (Leli)
Mentioned: shadowz1995 ("Doctor Pirate"), Rumble Fish (Milly) and "Doctor Friendly" aka Ralph
No tags for David, he doesn't deserve it

 

[Rumble Fish]

DODGERBLUE[/B]]

A couple of squeaks escaped from under the sofa as the small girl lied curled in a feotal position, clinging onto Snowy like her life depended on it. Her few moments of chocolate filled tranquillity and a memory-provided showing of The Last Unicorn had been brutally interrupted by a shower of gunshots and chaos, causing her to retreat to the only safe place; under the sofa. It seemed to go on forever, even after it finally died down and the adults spoke among each other, she could not come out. What if it escalated further and people began to die and become monsters? Could monsters think enough to look under sofas? She was not taking her chances.

Within the confines of the undercarriage, all she could do was curl up and pray that it would be over quickly. It was just like in the motel, stay still and hope that help comes. But help did not come until it was in the form of Jenna and then Owen. That was then, he had assured her that this place was safe. But how safe could it be if she, and others had to constantly watch over their shoulders? They had been attacked several times since she arrived, and now there had been conflict internally within their own people. It was just too much now. Hot tears ran down both cheeks as Milly struggled to build up the courage to come back out. Leliana was here now, and Beth would not have been far away, but still, what if something happened when she came out?

The tight sanctuary took Milly back, further than she cared to remember. Back to nights cowering under the covers, desperately trying to drown out the shouts and cursing from downstairs with nursery rhymes and reading by torchlight, desperate for it to stop and praying that it would not escalate or hurricane into her bedroom. It sometimes had. And the sources of the arguments were made explicit, normally resulting in door slamming and then a deathly silence. The one time she had gathered the courage to leave her room and investigate the shouting...

The sound of a door closing brought the small girl back into the present. Milly sighed shakily, her body still shivering despite the danger being over. To say Milly took her time coming out would be an understatement. Only her finger tips and edge of her nose was visible from the outside. She was not willing to move out further unless it was definitely safe. She could hear Maria, Hector and Leliana talking but she could not tell if they were here or not. Still, she knew she could not stay under here forever. "M-Mum- uh... Leliana?" she called out, refusing to move until she heard a voice. Even if it was one of the others. If not, she was strongly considering taking up a permanent residence under this couch.

Mentions: FireMaiden (Leli) shadowz1995 (Hector) The Mad Queen (Jenna/Maria) Maj (Owen/Beth) and I guess Lopez but... naw man.

 

[FireMaiden]

​

Location: The Jordan Lodge
Interaction: The Mad Queen (Maria) Rumble Fish (Milly)
Mentioned: shadowz1995 (Hector) Hyped_Taco (Micheal)
"He didn't approve of mine and Doctor Friendly's assessment of what this virus could be. I guess I can get why Ralph kind of upset him, he worked for the CDC. Specialized in diseases, stuff like that. I'm just a nursing student. I actually wanted to work in the ER, fast paced, giving stitches and quick stuff like that. So umm...so far, diseases weren't really what I had been focusing on," Leliana shrugged. She wasn't really mad about it anymore, the lodge needed both of them. "I mean I know a little, but nowhere near what he knows. Dude is pretty old...i think," The nurse giggled a bit, reaching up to much blonde hair out of her face before her arms crossed again. The fire was not doing much against the cold...why the hell did that generator have to fucking break again? Anyway, her attention came back to the woman. "He's not as bad as he seems though. He cares, despite lacking the bedside manner. I doubt Hector would do half the shit he did if he didn't care." Like helping her and Nessa though panic attacks, the constant eye he kept on everyone after the hazzies attacked, literally trying to save the world.

When Maria mentioned Milly, Leliana nodded, smiling a bit. "It's pretty much physically impossible not to like Milly. She's a really sweet kid in a really unfortunate situation." Milly deserved to be living a normal life, more than any of them. Speaking of Milly, Leliana found herself looking around for the younger girl. She knew Milly had heard those gun shots. But for the moment, she couldn't find her. Leliana's brows furrowed briefly, sharply exhaling through her nose. "Yeah. You have faith in...in Hector. I wouldn't put so much into Micheal. Not that he's a bad guy just...not that reliable. Threw a fucking pistol as a moose." Leliana remembered helping him retrieve Colt's gun.

It was then she heard Milly call out. It didn't take much reducing to figure out the girl had somehow managed to squeeze under the couch. How, Leliana didn't know. But she understood, with a soft sigh the nurse moved over to the couch, sitting down on her knees. "Hi Milly." Her voice was gentle, soft, comforting...at least hopefully comforting. "How'd you get under there?"

 

[shadowz1995]

The scientist had Michael assist in preparation for his rapid-fire study session on the quickly dying David. Hector wasted no time in strapping in laying the man down on one of the wooden tables. Blood was rapidly seeping from his body onto the table. The puddle of red quickly making its way to the table's edges.


As he laid there, Hector hastily grabbed some equipment for incisions and extraction. Around his neck was a voice recorder that emitted a red light, signaling that it was active and recording.


"Lazarus Plague Entry # 32." His accented voice began.


"This is Dr. Hector Salazar. A live, uninfected, Homo sapien specimen has graciously offered his body in the name of science. He is mortally wounded and currently incapable of speech. Exsanguination being the cause of death is extremely likely."

The doctor took a scalpel to David's right cheek, the monk's eyes widening from their fogged state. In one quick motion, Hector severed every muscle fiber from the jaw to the lips. The pain caused him to jerk violently, offering a pathetic gurgle in protest as Hector moved around the table and repeated the action on the other side. This rendered him incapable of talking or, more importantly, biting once he turned.

After having helped the doctor strap David down to a table in the lab, Michael continued to try and grasp the step of events that had taken place in a mere 2 hours. From having peacefully cook a fresh chicken in the morning, to a Mcdojo looking MF failing to dropkick the doctor only to then unceremoniously get shot several times by the Latino man.

Seeing a man get shot in front of him was disturbing enough to the man. But seeing Hector cut the man’s cheeks with a scalpel like if it was nothing? That was simply too much to see in person.

“Jesus...” Michael said in a sickened low tone from the sight of the surgery. Before speaking he had covered his mouth with his right hand, as to avoid the doctor hearing him.

"Subject is entering the final stages of hemorrhagic shock. Precautions are being taken for when the Lazarus plague activates. Mouth has been disabled to prevent biting and infection. Nails should also be removed but time constraints do not allow for this. This is the first live specimen to undergo testing and tissue samples must be collected in rapid intervals."


The same scalpel that left David's jaw hanging was now piercing the soft flesh of the abdomen, drawing a crimson line down to his pelvis. The subject could only offer the occasional twitch in response as his mind faded into unconsciousness from the stress, pain, and blood loss.


Just in time too because well practiced hands found their way into his body and began to cut away small pieces of vital organs, placing the samples into a small kidney bin for future study.


Gloved hands now slick with viscera, the doctor recited everything he was doing in real time for the audio journal he was recording. He would document it on paper later when it was possible. At this point, David had stopped moving and Hector moved to extract a second set of various organ and muscle tissue, "Subject has ceased all movement. No longer reacts to stimulus."


Slimy, crimson fingers forced open an eyelid and shined a pen light into them. "Pupils are dilated and non-reactive. Subject has been in cardiopulmonary arrest for approximately 3 minutes. Brain damage should be setting in shortly. A third set of tissue will be extracted once brain damage commences."

The sight of the doctor cutting David’s cheeks was bad, but everything that followed after it made the first thing he saw look like a piece of cake. Sure, Michael was mostly unfazed to this kind of thing online, but seeing the real in-person was sickening

“Oh god.”. The neckbeard covered his mouth and quickly ran towards the nearest trash can he could find to quickly expulse the contents currently on his stomach.

While vomiting in a plastic trash dispenser, the neckbeard thought about how many laws under the geneva convention they had just possibly broken in the last few minutes.

Hector then turned his grey eye towards Michael in a dull stare, "Pass me the metal bin to your right."

Michael quickly took his head out of the trash dispenser and looked to his right. And to nobody’s surprise, the metal bin was there.

After slowly getting up and grabbing the bin, Michael went to pass the bin to Hector, just as he had asked.

“Doc… Ain’t this a bit inhumane?” Michael asked the man while pointing at the newly opened abdomen of Mcdojo man.

"Niño, the time of being humane has long since passed us. Every infected that we have harmed, killed, burned or taken apart for study has been a human being. The only difference between them and us is a disease." The doctor replied coldly.

Honestly, it was a phenomenon how the human mind could rationalize atrocities. It made it so much easier to commit horrors upon others if you simply dehumanize them. Easier to bear when they were "monsters". Not just some poor fucks who got infected with a pathogen and are no longer in control of their bodies. If Hector was being honest, it was hard to differentiate this virus from last stage dementia or any other affliction that toyed with the mind in such a way. The only difference being that the lives that needed to be sacrificed to understand the affliction already have been. So, its "okay" to think of them as human again.

'Such fickle beings they are. Humans.'

“w-Well… if you say so doc.”

While he still thought that what they had just done was probably breaking several international laws, Michael was not going to argue with the doctor. After all, Hector was doing all of this for science, and since the neckbeard wasn’t particularly knowledgeable enough in that area he really didn’t have a right to bitch about methods the Latino used for it.

Another set of collection was completed and a fourth before Hector decided it was time to double check the restraints on the big man before he turned. Some brain samples were going to be necessary. So, he started gathering his tools for that once he was sure the cadaver was securely tied down.

"Brain tissue will now be extracted. Time since cardiopulmonary arrest has been 7 minutes. Permanent brain damage should have occurred and possible clinical expiration. The subject, in theory, should begin to demonstrate basic motor functions shortly. Exact time before the Lazarus pathogen activates is, as previously documented, unknown. Gathered data has been inconclusive."

A power drill wasn't exactly Hector's idea of a good surgical tool but it was the closest thing he had for a brain tissue extraction. He didn't have the means to carefully remove the top part of the skull without causing damage to the tissue inside. So, drilling a hole and picking away at the bone until enough showed was going to be the wiser play.

The drill came to life with a high pitch, mechanical whirl as the doctor gave a few experimental squeezes. His off hand held the subject's skull steady while the drill approached its target point. The center of the top of the head.

It was as the drill made contact that David's eyes opened. Revealing the pale, milky white of the undead scourge.

Although he was from afar, he saw how the monk from before quickly zombified. Under any other situation, Michael would have already ran away, but with the amount of rope they had put on the man, he could rest assured knowing he and the doctor were safe.

That feeling lasted a good 5 seconds before the thing broke out.

Hyped_Taco

 

[shadowz1995]

Under normal circumstances, no person should be able to just brute force their way through several layers of bound rope.

What was really considered normal circumstances in these troubling times though?

Because the new zombified David certainly ripped through the bonds as if they were made of wet paper.

Hector's eye widened in surprise and he only managed to get his hand on his firearm's grip before the undead monk rose and swung a pale, meaty arm in his direction. The blow sent the scientist flying backwards into the cabinets and damn near ricocheting off of them into the wall. The force was so great that the cabinets had splintered under the weight and knocked the doctor unconscious for a few seconds.

Zombie monk wasted no time in following through with this action. However, not in the way one would expect. The towering undead did not pursue the incapacitated food on the floor but rather turned to the next potential threat. Michael. It couldn't eat in peace while someone was around that could interrupt.

Once that pale, unseeing ire focused on Michael's general location, it sent the young man sprinting up the stairs in a panic. He couldn't take the giant thing alone and needed help.

The neckbeard busted through the cellar door like a bat out of hell, his eyes only landing on the ladies posted just outside.

“EVERYONE!!! Run for your fucking lives! There’s a giant zombie in there!!”

Michael screamed like a bitch while continuing to run from the mutant.

The man behind the panic made his presence known by actually snapping the cellar entrance door off of its hinges with a devastating shoulder gash, easily plowing through the wood. Now all 6 feet 4 inches of rippling undead muscle stood before the current survivors and there was a distinct lack of the mindless behaviour the infected seem to emulate.

A fact punctuated quite profoundly when the zombie's arms came up to make an orthodox fighting stance. His center of gravity was lowered and, while not quite human, had a much looser array of movement than anything these survivors had faced before.

FireMaiden The Mad Queen Hyped_Taco Rumble Fish BloodLightning27

 

[Rumble Fish]

STEELBLUE[/B]]

"I...Don't know." It was the truth, no? The youngster blinked softly before slowly crawling out from her dusty sanctuary. Once she had fully slipped her skinny frame free. Still Milly was crouched before Leliana, ready to dive back under if anything else were to occur in what she assumed was a calm before another storm. When that storm would come, who knows. But it would. With a small clear of her throat, she looked back down, "A-Are you okay?"

Leliana scooted back a little when Milly started to crawl out from under the couch so she had enough room to get out. She smiled softly at the younger girl, looking her over. Gently, she reached out and brushed a little dirt off her shoulders. "I'm okay, everyone is okay," Leliana assured her gently. "Dr.Salazar had to...take care of something, but everything is okay now." Leliana wasn't sure if telling Milly what had happened was actually a good idea or not but she did deserve to know who fired their gun. "Do you want to get cleaned up? You look like a little dust bunny."

"Okay..." Milly muttered, her body relaxing a little as leli brushed her shoulders clean of dust. The youngster still looked around like an anxious bird, expecting something else to happen. But if what Leliana said was true and that Dr. Salazar had indeed taken care of the issue, then it was surely safe. The youngster looked up to see her hot chocolate was still on the table, relatively undisturbed. Hands shaking, she took the mug but could not bring herself to take a sip from it. As Leliana questioned if she wanted to be cleaned on the account of looking like a dust bunny. Instantly her mind switched elsewhere, "I have a hoodie at home with rabbit ears on it. This one has bear ears." she flicked her hood up for proof, sending a small cloud of dust into her face. Milly grunted with a scrunched nose before releasing a little sneeze.

Leliana brushed a few more dusty places on her hoodie off, mostly her arms, before picking a few lint balls out of the girl's hair. "Thank you for the hot chocolate, it was very good," Leliana spoke gently, watching as Milly took her cup. The nurse had never drunk hot chocolate made that way before, but it was really tasty. Anyway, she continued to watch Milly, the girl parking up a bit after Leliana had mentioned being a dust bunny. Just...so adorable. "I noticed! They're very cute little ears, suits you perfectly, " Leliana giggled a bit, moving to grab a tissue from nearby to wipe the girl's nose with. After that, she sat back a little. "I bet your other hoodie is just as cute as this one."

"Hot chocolate is really good." Milly agreed with the nurse with a vigorous nod. At the mention of her other hoodie, the girl blinked gently and crossed her legs. Holding her knees she gently rocked back and forth but with a loose and relaxed sense of playfulness rather than her more familiar foetal shaking. "It's pink, and very comfy. But I like blue... but I like the rabbit ears." she trailed off for a moment, her eyes going a little vacant as she looked to the front door. "...Maybe Aubrey will bring it back. She said she'd get somethings from home..."

"Maybe she will." Leliana smiled at her, shifting a little so her back was resting against the couch. "I used to have a frog hoddie when I was younger. It was green and yell, with little dots all over it...at least until I accidentally fell in a giant mud puddle when I was 7 and stained it to hell." She laughed a little, reaching up to brush a strand of stray hair behind her ear. "Which hoodie is your favourite?"

"Maybe..." Milly continued to rock, now with Snowy sitting between her legs. A little smile curled on her face as Leliana described her own hoodie. Milly liked frogs. "My kindergarden had tadpoles that turned into frogs. We let them go in a river behind the building." She mused before looking to Leliana again, "Green and yellow are nice colours." She added before tilting her head from side to side, considering her answer to the nurse's question of which was her favourite. "Hmm... I don't know. I have a few. I used to have one which was dark blue with Jessie the cowgirl on it. I have her hat too. I love Jessie," she blinked, still rocking contently with her hot chocolate in hand, "She's my favourite." she added before absentmindedly playing with the ears on the top of her hoodie. Milly yawned softly before turning back to the nurse, “I never liked mud. Mum liked everything clean.”

"My kindergarten had tadpoles too!" Leliana smiled. A frog had laid eggs in the little pond they had outside as decoration. Nobody was allowed to go near it unless a teacher was with them. Then one day everyone was brought outside and they got to watch a bunch of little frogs hop out of the pond and away into the world. It was really fun. "I like Jessie too. She's cool," Leona spoke with a gentle chuckle. Honestly, she preferred Jessie over Woody. "Yeah, mud is a pain in the butt. But my mom would just spray me down with the water hose outside and let me run into the bathroom real quick." Leliana laughed a little again thinking about it. "Mom's do tend to like things clean...she went a bit wild every time spring cleaning would come around."

“I wish Pixar made a movie about Jessie. They made one about Dory that was good so why not Jessie...? Then again they made Mater the main character in Cars 2 and-“ Milly realised she was rambling and quickly cleared her head of the subject. Nobody liked being talked at, nobody liked a bore. Instead she looked back to Leliana as she talked about how her mum would want everything clean. Milky blinked softly as she stopped rocking to sip her hot chocolate that had gone lukewarm. “After second grade, I hadn’t gone outside until...” She stopped for a second, not wanting to revisit that day. finally, “So I never got dirty... mum liked it, she said it made cleaning easier. I still find being outside scary.”

Leliana was about to reply when she heard something downstairs. Something not good. Her fingers twitched a little as whatever response she had ready was immediately forgotten. The small girl blinked and froze, sensing the nurse's sudden tension, "Milly, honey," Leliana spoke with a bit of urgency. "You need to go upstairs right now. Beth is in my room. Te-" She was cut off by a shrill scream as Milly leapt up from the floor, her eyes wide and terrified as she faced the door. There was Micheal busying through the door like a lunatic, a giant zombie right on his tail. "Milly! Master bedroom go!" Leliana stood, pulling the still screaming young girl to her feet and pushing her off behind her. This was a problem for the adults, Leliana's eyes briefly moving to the stairs as she pushed Milly further back and towards the master bedroom. Milly, who had finally lost her voice took off into the room, leaving Leliana in the living room. The nurse had quickly drawn her gun, the bat upstairs, though it wouldn't do shit against a monster like this would it? The stance it took was odd, Leliana unable to get a clear shot...but this wasn't a place for a fight like this. She made a dash for the front door, throwing it open. "COME ON BIG GUY, FOLLOW ME!" She yelled, taunting the zombie in hopes it would follow her outside. She backed up down the stairs, glancing at the others. The living room was too cramped for this guy. Their surroundings would be used against them, they needed to be outside. "Come on! I bet I look pretty tasty!" She called again, readying herself to roll out of the way if it charged her.

Collabed with: FireMaiden (Leliana)
Mentions: Hyped_Taco (Michael) Corgi (Aubrey)
In the area: shadowz1995 (Hector) The Mad Queen (Maria) BloodLightning27 (Shiona)

 

[The Mad Queen]

Maria Kennedy: Zombie Mountain Man​

Leliana could deal with Milly. The girl shouldn't find out about what was going on in the basement. Torture, experimentation. Young eyes such as hers shouldn't be exposed to that sort of thing. Needless to say, she was grateful that the nurse kept her distracted. That faded quickly when noises came from the basement. Clattering, quickly followed by Michael's screams.

David belonged to the dead now, meaning there was nothing holding her back from killing him. The husk as the virus puppeted his corpse. Something held her back thought. If David belonged to the dead, then he wasn't going to hold back. He'd torn the hinges off of a door like it was cardboard, a hit from him would at the very least shatter a few ribs.

As he took a fighting stance, she glared back. "Aye. That's you. That's what you've always been." She muttered. A zombie capable of martial arts? Clenching her firsts and readying herself, her first instinct was to lung right into the fray when the mountain took his stance but something held her back. She remembered the bodies in the woods. David had done that while he was alive, what would the bastard be capable of now he was dead? The arena was too small as well, too cramped. If she was going to stand a chance at bringing him down once and for all, she needed to get somewhere else. Thankfully, Leliana provided an idea. Maria stepped before the door, clapping her hands together.

"Eh!" She yelled over to the zombie, his face a reminder of a man who knew far too much. "Ya were obsessed with me when ya were alive. Let's see if that holds up now!" With that, she sprinted outside and caught up with the nurse "Do ya have a plan? I don't fancy me chances in bringin' that c*** down with just me fists and this bat....Not anymore."

In the ring, it wasn't too uncommon for her to let an opponent land a hit or two. Just to study their movement. With the husk that was now at the lodge, that strategy went out the window. A strike against anyone could mean instant death. Equipped with nothing but her bat, her fists and her wits it was clear to her that this particular opponent wasn't somebody she could take down alone.

Interactions: FireMaiden (Leli)
Mentioned: Hyped_Taco (Michael) and Rumble Fish (Milly)
No tags for David, he doesn't deserve it

 

[Maj]

​

As the acrobat looked around the dusty tent, a sense of nostalgia grew over her. It wasn't much, it never had been. But it was her tent, and it had been untouched by the hordes of undead. A small cot sat to the left side with a small wooden trunk at the foot. A trunk that held all of her costumes. Perhaps not the most practical clothing choice, but she had never owned any other clothes besides the circus outfits she was to wear for her acts, and none of them were exactly… warm, but they would have to suffice. She pulled the trunk by its rope handle to the center of the room and popped it open, moving next to the back of the tent, where the vanity mirror sat. This was where she and Natasha would apply their face paints and makeup.

Don't start regretting it now
Remember how good it felt to shove that mortvert on her?
She squealed like a bleeding swine

"And the look on her face was priceless." The demented carni giggled softly. She began to gather up her makeup and paint, tossing it into the trunk before closing it. Giving the tent another good look over. She didn't care to touch anything on Natasha's side of the tent, as none of it held any interest for the acrobat. Closing her trunk, she grabbed the handle and pulled it behind her as she exited the tent. "Ready now." She said, a jovial smile playing across her lips.

Andy jumped as the multicolor eyed girl suddenly appeared. All at once the nervousness dissipated and was replaced with cool annoyance. She reached down and picked the knife out of the dirt, wiping the blade on the bottom of her jacket. Emerald eyes scanned up to look at Vanessa’s face, a bored expression hanging from her soft features.

“Took you long enough,” Andy growled. “How much shit can a circus freak reasonably have? Surely it didn’t take you that long to pack up some face paint and red honking noses.”

Vanessa's eyes narrowed as she looked Andy over. Her eyes caught on the knife still gripped in the huntress's hand. The acrobat took a small step back and pulled the trunk in front of her as a sort of physical barrier between her and the redhead.

Why did she jump?
She has a Knife!
Is she threatening us?
Attack her first!

Multicolored eyes darted to the side, making a note of Aaron's presence before locking back onto Andy with a fearfully defensive malice. No, he is here. No chance to win. Get her alone.

"If you can't say something nice, at least make it funny." Vanessa sneered aggressively.

Andy locked eyes with Aaron for a brief moment in a silent exchange. That look. The one where she seemed to get lost in rage and swirling emotion was what she had just been explaining to the mechanic. That was the look of someone who wanted her dead. Slowly, she looked back up to Vanessa. A smug smirk clung to her lips as she carefully slid the knife back into the side of her boot.

“Why bother?” the redhead shrugged. “You are already the biggest joke here.” With a final drag off of the joint, Andy flicked the smoldering embers that remained into the field. “Where the hell is this godforsaken generator anyway? I’m so beyond ready to be home.”

Vanessa's left eye began to twitch violently as she reached for one of the knives strapped to her thighs. She stepped forward as she began to pull the blade free of its strap, ready to lunge at her redheaded adversary. Andy’s eyes widened as the emerald globes flickered down to Vanessa’s hands, her own reaching down toward her boot in anticipation. Had she finally pushed the acrobat too far?

Riiip

Distracted by the sudden noise, Andrea looked away from the hard, murderous, mismatched eyes of the girl in front of her. Cold dread flooded her veins, taking the place of the hot blood of a woman ready to fight. There was no way anything, living or undead, should have survived the fall of the tent. With the poles alone the thing likely weighed several tons.

And yet…

There he was, ripping his way through the vinyl, looking like he was being reborn from some sort of kaleidoscope colored womb. His metal, mechanical jaw glinted in the sunlight, shreds of the heavy material stuck in the joints from literally gnawing his way to survival. His milky, blind eyes set on the trio.

Instead of reaching for her boot, the woman switched, grabbing the bow from her back in one smooth, practiced motion of her wrist. Her hand was already at her hip, grabbing the soft fletching of an arrow and clipping it into place. She was fast. In fact, having been to many national championships, Andrea likely had the fastest draw of anyone in Aurora. Still, her speed had little on the charge of the zombie in front of them. His jaw clanging with every unstable step.

Vanessa turned quickly at the sound, her wrist flicking out in an underhanded toss whilst she let out a frustrated scream. The knife, now loosed from her grip, flew effortlessly as it sliced through the air, embedding itself deep into the leg of the mechanical jawed monstrosity, just above the kneecap. Following the acrobat’s lead, Andy loosed her arrow as well, aiming for the other leg. It found its mark easily and the dead one slowed, unable to charge with both legs out of commission.

The low vibration of a deep growl penetrated through the tension. Andrea’s focus was immediately broken as recognition slowly faded in. Years of hunting had allowed her to recognize many animal calls. She could recognize the soft squeak of a rabbit separate from the high pitch bark of a squirrel. This was a beast much, much larger than either of them. There was no way that she had heard it correctly. However, from the way the hair was standing up on the back of her neck, she knew that she wasn’t wrong.

She really wished that she was wrong.

The aim of her arrow immediately changed trajectory as the growl sounded again. Could the virus be passed to animals? Through the months of hunting, she hadn’t seen this to be the case, but the virus seemed to be changing. When her eyes finally landed on the creature, she involuntarily sucked in a large breath of air.

The bear had been mauling its way through an old popcorn stand, when their commotion had alerted him to their presence. It didn’t look that much different from a regular bear except that it was unnaturally thin, as if it had been starving for several weeks. There were no signs that it was undead at least. Its eyes were not milky and there were no gaping wounds on its body that would suggest otherwise.

“Aaron grab your…” Andy didn’t have time to finish her thought before the large black bear charged at them, loose hanging skin rippling with the force of each of its still massive steps. Fear froze her in place. Last time she had hunted a bear she had been armed with a crossbow, it bolts a far better contender for the large thick bones of the bear’s skull. Where in the world could she shoot this thing where it wouldn’t just piss it off more?

Much to Andy’s relief, it appeared that the bear’s target wasn’t them, but the monster limping toward them. She didn’t release her bowstring however, keeping it trained on them as the massive clawed paw came crashing down on the metal jawed man, forcing him into the dirt. The undead freak crumpled under the force of the bear's mighty blow as it rose up on its hind legs and came down now on top of the fallen corps with both of its paws, digging its maw into the rotting stomach of the cadaver. The mechanical jaw continued to clang and squeak as the head thrashed around, to no avail. With a final crunch, the monster was still and there was no other sounds to be heard but the shredding of human flesh.

The bear looked up at her, its large black eyes locking with Andy’s shocked ones. Her hand was still grasped tightly around the grip of her bow, arrow knocked and at the ready. Didn’t the monster know that it was dead? Was he so hungry that he would go after something decaying? If that was the case why didn’t the bear go after them first? Her mind reeled with questions as she wondered if she would be forced to try to fight the black bear with nothing more than her recurve.

The breath exited her lungs slowly, but relieved as the bear turned away from them. Heading back for the treeline, it’s maws bloody from the attack. Andy’s heart was beating so fast she thought for a moment it might burst, but she slowly lowered her bow.

“What in the actual fuck was that?” The redhead muttered. “Did that bear have a grudge against metal-jaw or something?” Her question was pointed at Vanessa, their feud now forgotten under the panic of the rogue bear.

Nessa stood with her jaw hanging in utter shock. "Was that Mr Bearington?!" She asked, a tone filled with disbelief. Andy did her best to conceal her look of amusement and disbelief under her normally stoic features.

“The bear’s name is Mr. Bearington?” She asked.

"Well yea..., fuck would YOU name a bear? Keith?" Vanessa retorted, sounding both sarcastic and slightly offended. "We got lucky he wasn't hungry." Andy gestured for Vanessa to continue showing them the way to the generator as they spoke. Turning on her heels, the acrobat walked straight past the remaining smaller tents to a well ventilated white trailer that sat just behind them. "This is it, then. What we came fer is in 'ere."

“We would have been fine,” The girl reached up to the door of the trailer and wrapped her fingers around the cool metal of the handle. “I’ve hunted bears before. It’s not like it was a tiger or a lion or some shit.” She felt the locking mechanism pop as she pulled the door open.

"What, ya mean like Vyazkiy?" The acrobat asked.

There was no time for Vanessa’s warning to sink in before the animal charged out the door. Andy was thrown on her back and into the dirt. Her breath was lost under the weight of a tangled mane and massive claws.

Collab: TheMightyRedLemon
Nearby: RayPurchase

 

[shadowz1995]

PANIC AT THE LODGE!​

The taunting and jeering from the women was definitely an intelligent move. The behemoth of a zombie was not something anyone wanted to tangle with in such close quarters. However, it was Milly's high pitch screams of sheer terror that attracted his malevolence as her panic was louder than the taunts.

The ex-monk's body shifted its fighting stance towards his target and charged without remorse. His arms stayed high and parallel, guarding his head from potential damage, though it was unnecessary. In a similar fashion to the cellar, the infected bulldozed through the door the young teenager had rushed into. His muscles tensed for combat but he otherwise made no sudden movements. As if he was searching for what originally drew him into the area. His 6'4, 245 lb body stood between the room and Milly's most direct escape path.

"What's going on?!" A frightened voice asked from just around the corner. Shinoa's light voice was permeated with fear. She hadn't seen what happened. She only heard the crashes and screaming and came to find out what happened. The young mother was not prepared for the behemoth of a zombie that she encountered. She clutched the bundle of cloth closer to her chest with a gasp and barely managed to utter, "Oh, good Go-" before David's foot caught her square in the chest with vicious back kick. Almost every bone in her arms and chest shattered from the kick and she was flung back with such force that her body splattered against the wall just behind her. Not a single cry escaped from adult nor child.

The death was instant. It was as if she was struck by a runaway truck into a wall. Her bundle fell away to the floor covered in as much crimson liquid as the mangled corpse who once held it. It was an unceremonious, instantaneous death that didn't even give the giant infected pause. Just a bloody footprint for his next few steps.

Even after having slammed open the cellar’s door and warning whoever may have been inside of the lodge, Michael continued to run from the abomination that currently followed him.

He ran as quick as his low stamina allowed him to, almost as if his life depended on it. Which quite honestly, it currently did.

Once the neckbeard had managed to reach the front door of the house, he attempted to open it without slowing down to do so first. This, of course, would end with Michael crashing face first with the wood door right in front of him. The neckbeard almost fell down due to his crash, but after a second of confusion, the man recovered his balance and quickly got outside.

Yet something felt weird after he got out. The zombie was closing in on him while he tried escaping the cellar, so shouldn’t it have managed to catch him when he crashed?.

Michael waited for a short amount of time to see if the zombie were to also crash on the door… yet nothing happened. Hearing screaming inside of the lodge, and the fact it wasn’t onto him made the neckbeard realize that luckily for him, and unluckily for someone else, the zombified monk probably started chasing someone else.

Deciding to ignore why the zombified monk had decided to change targets, Michael took a moment to recover his breath before starting to walk towards his RV

While on his way there, Michael deviated from his path by a bit to grab the cutting table with the chicken he had been forced to leave outside when Hector shot David. Once he had taken back what he had cooked a few hours prior, the neckbeard reached the vehicle in which he resided in a few seconds.

Once inside, Michael closed the door and curtains and decided to try and wait this out. He attempted to lock the door as well, but it was impossible to do so due to the… “Incident” with Luca and Tre.

 

[Corgi]

​

November 22, 2018
12:58 P.M.
Charlotte Mannox’s House

Aubrey imagined Charlotte’s house differently. Whenever she thought of the red door her sister spoke of, she figured it would be paired with a white picket fence and maybe a couple of rocking chairs on a wooden porch. Instead, she stood before a dark brick home with a sidewalk leading straight to a concrete block of an entryway.

It was surreal seeing the home first hand, and despite ‘Welcome’ being splayed across the coir doormat, it was uninviting. She had thought about the moments leading up to her grasping the handle; she had heavily considered how she’d feel, whether it be excitement or fear, however all she felt was sick.

The girl’s heart was beating out of her chest, her throat closing in on itself with every breath she took. As much as she wanted to extend her hand and open the only thing between her and her sister, the blonde couldn’t help but worry about what else may lie beyond. She requested to go in alone for a reason she couldn’t think of, but what if those Things were in there too? Nothing seemed out of the ordinary about the house, no disturbances or ominously cracked open doors, but she knew first hand just how they can sneak up on you. What if one caught her by surprise and no one else had any way of knowing? What if…

The dream. Charlotte’s young visage, torn and twisted by gore and blackened carnage. The clench in her gut took hold once again, making it even more difficult to breathe. Aubrey couldn’t bear the thought of Charlotte being behind the door, disfigured and broken and not the bright girl she knew.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, Aubrey couldn’t think like that now. She had been waiting for this moment for over a month and there was no way she could think about turning back. The girl had fought tooth and nail to get to where she was, through hoards and a constant reminder of death. A small sense of resolve settled over her as she realized all the pain and horrors she had experienced thus far were for this moment. Lifting her free hand to the rim of her cap, she grinded it between her fingers as she reached for the door and opened it.

Aubrey didn’t know what she expected, but the scent was not it. She immediately turned around and gagged uncontrollably. Tears pricked the outer corners of her eyes as she fought the urge to vomit. It smelled like metal and rotted food had been left in the sunlight to ferment and rot for years. What was in the house that would produce that horrific odor?

Placing her shirt over her nose, she cupped a hand over her mouth, hoping to block out at least a bit of the smell. It was still immensely overpowering as she regained her composure, but she hoped her nostrils would numb like it did when drinking. Giving a small wave to the group to show she was fine, she turned back around. The resolve she had moments before melted as the thoughts warped her head once more. There was no way someone, especially not Charlotte, could live in the house with the condition it was in.

Looking down the hallway, her heart stopped. Picture frames were knocked off the wall, shattered glass littered the floor where black spots stained it. The hall table was knocked on its side, glass bowls and rotted fruit disfiguring what her idea of Charlotte’s home should’ve been. She felt the adrenaline fuel her forward, too shaken by the dark blood to be able to think. Running on instinct, she made sure the doors to the left and right of her were closed before continuing down the hall, gripping her crowbar with white knuckles. Each step she took crunched loudly on shards of crystal, but somehow seemed quieter than her beating heart.

Dark eyes followed the trail of blood to the last room on the left, two bloody hand prints bigger than Aubrey’s discolored both the door and the brass knob. The blood then continued down the hall towards what she assumed was the living room. She thought about following after it, seeing if a Thing laid waste farther into the home, but she imagined it would’ve made itself known due to the noise she caused. Placing her hand over the dried blood, she cracked open the door.

The only thing she saw before the scent of pennies hit was a baby’s sock caked in dried blood. Aubrey stared into the nursery, trying to make sense of all the carnage before quietly reaching her hand out and shutting the door.

 

[Maj]

​

Totally unaware of the madness taking place back at the lodge, Beth strolled through the woods with a bundle strapped to her back and her arms full of kindling. Since the time that Renzos had come out of the treeline, the blonde made a habit of ensuring someone accompanied her on her ventures from the base. Harriet had been kind enough to agree, walking quietly beside her, their footsteps crunching in the icy leaves. Firewood was plentiful here, but sometimes they did require smaller twigs and things to get the fire started. Her small walks doubled as patrol. With Tre gone and so many missing, someone had to check the outskirts for undead.

She didn't know the professor well, but he seemed kind enough. The kind of person that always did his best to remain cheerful and met her with a smile. He was far better company than most of the tragic antisocial types they had back home.

"Thanks for coming with me," she said genuinely. Their voices were the only thing breaking through the static sounds of the forests. Little cooing birds and the idle sounds of leaves moving as life frolicked around them.

“It’s really my pleasure, actually. I’m glad to finally be making myself useful around here” Harriet said, keeping a slight smile as he trudged through the snow. Wiping mist off his glasses lens, the professor simply tried to appreciate the momentary serenity. Things had been awfully calm for him considering it was the apocalypse, but he still figured he should appreciate the calm nonetheless.“And there’s the added plus of finally breathing fresh air” Harriet said, taking in a lungful of fresh air as he walked.“This feels like Nirvana compared to the smell of rot”.

"Oh I know." The girl let out an almost musical laugh. "I'm not sure how a house full of humans manages to smell worse than rotting corpses. The apocalypse is a smelly, smelly place." With only two showers and one of them being guarded by Luca and Andy's bedroom, personal hygiene was lacking.

The sound of the conversation seemed to cause the bundle on Bethany's back to squirm, the sound of newborn baby coos filling the air.

"Oh my goodness," the blonde sang in a higher register. "Did we wake you baby Valaree?" She stopped walking and held out her arm of kindling to Harriet to take so she could grab the baby from the wrap that was tied around her.

"Can you hold this for a moment?" When Harriet took the items she carefully pulled the ties, sliding the baby around she cradled the barely a month old in her arms. The baby had woken up a few hours ago, and Shinoa had gotten little sleep. Since Beth was up and around anyway, the blonde decided to take the baby out for some fresh air and let the new mother get some well-deserved rest.

Silently taking the kindling into his arms, Harriet looked to Beth as she swaddled the baby. “You look like you actually know what you’re doing with her” Harriet commented quietly as to not disturb the child further. “And I mean that as a compliment. I, for one, had no idea what I was doing when I had mine. I’m impressed. And embarrassed”.

"Don't be embarrassed," the blonde said sweetly. "It doesn't come naturally to everyone. I have little siblings," she explained. "So I just have practice." The girl pulled a pacifier out of the blankets, attached to the pink onesie with a clip to keep it from falling. Bethany put it in the babies mouth, bouncing her until her eyes fluttered back close drowsy.

A scream broke through the air, shrill and desperate. Blue eyes flicked up at the treeline that stood between them and the lodge. Her throat tightened as she looked at Harriet.
"I'm not the only one who heard that?" She asked carefully, voice tight. "Right?"

“No?” Harriet said, somehow putting worry, confusion, a slight twinge of fear, and an underlying tone of panic into a single syllable word. Quickly putting down the kindling, Harriet began patting down his pockets. “We didn’t bring a radio, did we?” Harriet more stated than asked as he looked to the trees.

After a few tense seconds of straining his ears for further sound, Harriet’s posture softened slightly. “If there was trouble, there would be gunshots. Must be-”.

A set of rhythmic cracks immediately broke through the air, making Harriet visibly flinch as he startled forward towards the Lodge.

"Wait!" Beth called after him, frozen. "I'm sorry but…" her heart was caught in her throat, arms tightening around the bundle in her arms. "...but what would we even do?"

She had a point. Neither her or Harriet had guns and she was encumbered by the baby in her arms. Fear for her girlfriend shot through her mind, but the blonde was unsure if she would be more harm than good when they arrived back on the property. If it was undead then the pair might be able to take a few heads out with tree branches and brute force. However, if it was another group of survivors, armed to the teeth, then Harriet and Beth would be little more than fodder.

“That...is a good point,” Harriet said slowly turning away from the Lodge. Looking to Valaree, Harriet straightened up. “Okay, right, Valaree’s the first priority,” Harriet said nodding his head as he swallowed thickly. “We can’t help, and we’d just put her in danger. Doesn’t get rid of the instinctual need to help, but I’m not going to run off and leave you two in the woods” Harriet said, pacing.

Wringing his hands, he gave Beth a thoughtful glance. He didn’t want to make it seem like he’d be particularly helpful in protecting just about anything, because really, he wasn’t, but he didn’t plan on leaving the two to look after themselves out in the woods while the mess at the Lodge got settled.

"Well I'm not saying that either," she gave the man awry, but warm smile. She touched him on the shoulder, looking toward the lodge. "Why don't we take a look, but keep our distance. If it's more than we can handle we can get out, but if we can help," the blonde started walking slowly back towards home. "Then we do so without risking our necks. Deal?"

Giving a slight smile to show his appreciation, Harriet gave a nod to her as he turned towards the Lodge.

“Deal. Less stress involved with trying to help, I’d think” Harriet said, beginning to walk towards the Lodge. “Oh, and keep Val....Oh, you already know” Harriet said, waving off his concerns as he began walking.

With resolve, the woman walked beside him. Baby in her arms.

Collab: Togy
Featuring: Baby Valerie
Mentions: Rumble Fish Hyped_Taco

 

[shadowz1995]

PANIC AT THE LODGE!

Part 2​

As soon as the door slammed, the teen knew she had made an error by the rapid foot-beats of the behemoth of a monster charging upward where she had just been. It was coming, and Milly knew it was coming. Her throat hoarse from her cries, there were only seconds to act. Fighting this thing was out of the question, her skinny frame was no match. In her rapid search, she spotted the only potential escape: The window. Knowing the monster would bust through as before, she wasted no time in forcing it open. It was a drop, but there was a chance. As soon as it was open, she attempts to pull her skinny frame through. She scrambled through the gap, knowing she would have to jump straight away, but getting hurt from the fall was better than being mauled.


"No, no plan in particular," Leliana replied, managing to tear her eyes off the behemoth for a few seconds. Just long enough to send Maria a weary smile before focusing again. "It just seemed like a really bad idea to fight him inside." The way he busted through the cellar door was proof enough, not to mention the stance he took. He could slam them into trees or something, but for the most part out here they would have plenty of room.

If he had followed them anyway.

Leliana felt her heart sink a little as he ignored them, her stance ready to roll out of the way relaxing. "No, no, no, no, no, no," She repeated, watching as he moved to follow Milly. Of course he would. Why wouldn't he follow the screaming, terrified child? She heard him bust through the door, mind racing for an idea, a plan, just anything to do because fuck. They couldn't let him hurt Milly. "Shitshitshitshit!" Leliana muttered, taking a step forward as if she were about to re-enter the house, before she stopped and looked to Maria. "What should we do?"

The bathroom door had been slightly ajar. Hearing the commotion outside but completely disconnected from what was going on, the Italian kept himself hidden from the threat that had barged into his room. He heard the little girl escape, which prompted him to remain still. Luca had kept concealed. Only moments before the two had made their way into his room, the ex-capo high-tailed it. Reprieve was found in the form of crouching atop the sink, hidden in the small amount of shadow that the door and the wall between it had provided. There had been no further movement so the man was relatively certain that whatever had made its way into his room had yet to leave.

Now, Luca wasn’t uninformed about how his body was operating. He was not at full strength, his stamina was severely lacking and his muscles ached with each minuscule reposition he took. The man’s breathing was slightly labored, somewhere caught between his illness and the anxiety which had overcome him. It was not ideal to be so vulnerable when there were flesh-eating brainless slabs of meat with feet hampering about. For now, all the man could do was wait. Strategize and then attack, as he could not rely on himself to put up a proper fight. The rifle between his hands could only do so much, depending on what he was facing...

Luca didn’t know what was in his bedroom.

 

[Maj]

​

Predators were creatures that Andy understood. She had hunted prey, skulking in the brush with her body tense and ready to strike with deadly precision. She had relied on her senses, the mane of hair keeping her warm in the bitter Colorado cold, dagger and arrow acting as her claws and fangs. The girl had taken her share of blood, hot and sticky between her fingers and pooling in her cuticles. Andy thought she knew what it was like to be the lion, until the weight of the malnourished creature was fully on top of her.

Despite a thin, boney frame that only came with weeks of being locked in a generator shed, the weight of the monster was suffocating. Matted fur filled her nostrils as Andy struggled against him. Somehow, in the seconds between his initial pounce and their twisting wrestle to the ground, the red headed girl had managed to get the wood of her bow between herself and the Lion. She could hear the wood creak and groan as his massive paws and jagged teeth pushed against it with ravenous fever.

Andrea was strong. Years of pulling a bowstring would do that to a person, and it was nothing but the muscles in her arms and the quality of her bow that kept the king of beasts from ripping the stringy meat from her throat. She was vaguely cognizant of the commotion of her companions' shock past the ringing in her own ears. We’re they unable to help?

Aaron was a good enough shot that he could hit something as large as a lion. The fact that the beast wasn’t riddled with bullet holes was actually shocking to the twin. However, Aaron was also smart enough not to start firing off shots in an open field that moments before was full of undead. Vanessa wanted her dead anyway, so there was no real reason for the acrobat to come to her aid. No sane human rushed a lion for the sake of some bitchy redhead. For the moment Andy was alone.

A desperate, massive paw came down over her bow shaft, claws curved and extended past the pads of his feet. With nothing but air between it and Andy, she felt the leather of her jacket tear uselessly under the lion's claws. Her scream bubbled up before the blood did. It oozed from her vocal cords with watery fear, sobs caught in her throat. The blood was thick and hot, chilling quickly in the winter cold. Her vision blurred as panic and pain threatened to take over her senses, her white knuckles shaking under the force pushed against her bow stave.

Vanessa watched as Andy and the emaciated lion toppled to the ground, her starkly mismatched eyes lighting up as she saw, for the first real-time on this trip, her opportunity. Without a moment of hesitation, the demented woman had crossed the distance between herself and Aaron, her nimble and swift fingers easily finding grip around the cool handle of his gun. As soon as the mighty but tiny pow pow stick was in her grasp she trained it on the kind mechanic, a wild and manic look in overtaking her visage.

Aaron slowly raised his hands. The look in this girl’s eyes had reached a whole new level now, whatever shred of rational and reasonable thinking had fled, only madness and anger remained. The distance between the pair was too great, even with her not being in the greatest frame of mind he would still make an easy target from this range. He threw a look over his shoulder, grimacing as Andy came under a renewed assault from the beast.

“For god’s sake Nessa, hand me the gun and put a stop to all this madness. Fun and games are over and right now you’re disappearin’ over the cliff face, it ain’t too late to turn back though, you hear?”

The harlequin's lips twisted into a cruel smile as low, manic laughter erupted from her throat. "Give you the gun so ya can shoot me? I think not! I know, ya know… I know ya've been whisperin to each other… plottin te off me!" She shook her head and stared Aaron directly in the eyes, her starkly contrasted spheres not wavering for a single moment. "Well I won't die.. Not here! Not in the place that haunts me dreams each night… and damn sure not to the two of you." This was it, she thought. The lion would kill Andy for her, so she wouldn't even have to lie to Luca about that. That just left Aaron in her way. So conflicted was she. His death would bring her joy, and secure her secrets, but she herself could not drive the generator back. Vanessa had never been behind the wheel of a vehicle before, and she wasn't stupid enough to try. If she was going to bring back the generator and get away with being rid of these two, she needed the mechanic alive… for now.

"Go get in the feckin truck. Do anythin funny and I'll put every bullet in yer feckin skull." She commanded, gesturing towards where they had left the humvee parked back at the start of the tents.

Once more Aaron's eyes flicked to the pistol that had been safely holstered at his hip mere moments earlier. Right now Nessa was in control. If not of herself, then of the current situation. If he stayed here arguing best case scenario he'd get nowhere, and Andy gets devoured, worse case scenario he would get a bullet for his troubles. With his hands ever raised above his head and with slow confident steps he began to walk backwards towards the Humvee.

"Alright then Boss, back to the Humvee like you said. You lower that pistol now alright, don't want that poppin' off in your hands,"

He threw a glance towards Andy and, having reached a respectable distance from Nessa he turned and continued to walk towards the Humvee. She was still alive which was something. Andy just had to stay that way now until he could come up with some sort of plan. There was no hidden firearm he could whip out, no stash of grenades, and as much as he was wishing for one right now, no belted and cocked 50.cal waiting on the roof of the Humvee. Adapt and survive, the tools and parts were there, he just had to line them up to find the answer.

Hot, slimy tendrils of saliva slid over the freshly oiled wood of the recurve. It dripped on Andrea’s flushed, freckled face and soaked into the cotton of her shirt. It felt like she couldn’t swallow. Her throat constricted around sobs as they boiled up. It was like her lungs couldn’t fully expand, the lion weighing heavily on her thin rib cage. The panic that only came from being pinned down made her dumb with terror. There were no thoughts. No strategy to be had, all that was left was pure instinct.

Nessa watched on in utter amusement as the lions gnashing teeth and claws grew ever closer to eviscerating their prey. Although, the acrobat couldn't help but feel uneasy. With Aaron out of her sight, he could be doing anything, and the redhead was fending off the lion with frustrating amounts of success. Couldn't that thing kill her any faster?

As the teeth, massive and stained from bleeding and dehydrated gums, continued to lunge at Andy, the bow between them groaned. She wasn’t strong enough to throw the massive feline off of her and moving her arms was certain death. A final, hopeless crack sounded. The bow splintered first, throwing thin shards of wood into Andy’s face and finally gave way entirely.

Her scream filled the void of the fair grounds. It reverberated off of the metal shed, raw and wet. The smell of pennies and unkept animal were all that Andy could focus on as the air ripped from her lungs and agony filled her vision like electricity. Her blood flowed freely now. Her shoulder gouged deeply open, cold despite the warmth that seeped from it. The blood soaked into the armpit of her shirt, it ran down her neck and pooled in the divet of her collarbone.

Her knife was in her left boot, but moving her left arm, with the shoulder turned to gore was almost impossible. Still her calloused palm wrapped around the deer antler handle, warm from being nuzzled next to her sock. The lion’s maw rose. His mane and jaw stained in her blood. She couldn't raise her arm high enough to stab him anywhere it counted. However, With the unwavering will that came from being in fight or flight, Andy still managed to plunge the blade into the boney side of the monster. It wasn’t forceful enough to embed, just enough to cause the lion to roar loudly into the air, angered.

The sadistic laugh that had begun to bubble up from Vanessa's mouth faltered as she watched the wretched huntress deliver the blow.

Can't let it drag on
She is going to kill it first!
Mustn't let that happen
End this
Do It Now!

Vanessa raised the gun level with Andy's head. She may not have been the best shot with a gun, but at this range she was sure to hit. "If only ya hadn't been such a bitch, plannin te kill me… things could've been different." The acrobat said the words that would be potentially the last Andy would hear as she began to squeeze the trigger, the smile returning once more to her face, her eyes widening with anticipation.

Collab: TheMightyRedLemon RayPurchase
Mentions: Brax

 

[Maj]

​

November 22, 2018
1:08 P.M.
Charlotte Manox’s House

“She’s taking too long,” Owen muttered to himself. Sure, Nile and Liam were there and likely idly listening to his ramblings, but he didn’t really care what they had to say on the matter. It had taken a lot out of him to let her go alone. He respected her wishes, but wished that she had let him hang out at least by the door. However, by the look on the girl’s face before she had disappeared into the darkness of the doorframe there was likely nothing good waiting for her.

How many times was he going to be forced to watch someone he cared about disappear through that door?

“You sound like a mother pacing the floor,” Liam chuckled. “The lass seems like she can handle herself. Have faith.” Owen nodded, but the tapping of his foot didn’t cease. His green eyes never left the house and when she didn’t immediately reemerge he glanced down at the cracked watch on his wrist. It had been ten minutes.

“I’m going to check on her,” Owen slid off the hood, the metal snaps on his back pocket scraping against the paint thoughtlessly. His bat was still in hand, his large palm wrapped around the leather handle, his bag still across his body and hanging by his hip.

“Are you sure?” Liam asked. “She seemed like she wanted to be alone with her sister.”

Owen faltered. Maybe she was just talking to Charlotte. If he barged in now he would be an asshole, and likely ruin what reunion they were having. Charlotte and him hadn’t exactly parted on the best of terms. Still, some uncomfortable conversations were far better than the alternative. He would far rather have to talk to Charlotte than save Aubrey from her. Wordlessly Owen continued to the house.

He hesitated at the red door. The last time he had stood here had been downright disastrous, but not all the memories were bad. However, that was all a lifetime ago. With a heavy sigh, Owen pushed the door open.

“Aub-”Owen called for her, but the smell halted him in his tracks. The redhead choked, burying his nose in the crick of his elbow. It was unfortunate, but he had grown accustomed to the smell of rotting flesh by now. He was about to call her name again when the sound of her soft sobs got to him first.

Something inside him fractured. It was such a soft sound, but the pain that was being held back behind each small hiccup was enough to drive a man mad. Steeling his resolve for what he might find, Owen continued onward.

“Hey,” the twin spoke softly to alert her of his presence. In the dark of the hallway he could make out the slump of her form, low to the ground and knees to her chest. He was so focused on her he didn’t even notice the wreckage of the picture frames until the glass crunched under his boot. Her sobs grew in volume as he neared her and he leaned down and put a gentle hand on her shoulder as not to startle her.

“Bre,” he called softly. “It’s alright.” Was it? Owen didn’t know, for all he knew Charlotte was dead beyond the door that the blonde girl was staring so intently at. If that had been Andy? Owen resisted the urge to shutter. She remained unresponsive as he kneeled down in front of her feeling the crack of glass under his knees. Slowly, he reached out and grabbed her hands which were pressed down into the floor, scraped from the abrasive carpet of shards.

“Aubrey,” he said her name again with as much gentleness as he could muster. “What is it?” The girl’s eyes helplessly focused on his form as he knelt into view. Tears didn’t stop pouring onto her cheeks as she tried to form words. She wanted to tell him what she saw, but each thought she had twisted into an image of the abandoned nursery, which only caused her to sob harder. Aubrey felt like she was being suffocated, no matter how much the girl gasped for air, none came.

“The room?” He asked, doing his best to infer based on her body language. Her faint nod gave him the answer he needed. Slowly, the redhead stood, placing his lips comfortingly against her brow and patting her twice on the top of her hat. He gripped his bat tighter and turned toward the door in question.

“I’ll be right back,” he assured her. Owen felt his heart sank to his knees. His instincts were usually really good. In fact, it could be argued that they are the only reason he wasn’t dead or in prison. This was one of the few times that he hoped that they were wrong. Outwardly, he was steel. His face was void of any emotion and his breath even and shallow. Aubrey needed him and he would oblige. Readying himself for the worst, Owen pulled his sleeve down over to cover his hand from the dried blood and turned the knob, letting the door slowly creak open.

It wasn’t what he expected, but somehow it was almost worse. The nursery was wrecked. Curtains were pulled from the rod, blood dried to the walls and an undeniable handprint stained the wood railing of the crib. The sock that had upset Aubrey so much moments before was on the floor in front of his boot and Owen felt his blood run cold. He realized all at once that he wasn’t breathing and let out a shaky breath.

He knew Charlotte had a baby, last he had seen her she had been pregnant. Owen wasn’t entirely sure what had transpired here, but whatever it was it wasn’t good. He took a quick look in the closet to ensure there were no further clues to the cause of the bloody scene. The redhead sighed and lowered his bat and came back out to join Aubrey. He understood now why she had been so upset.
Standing in front of her once again he reached down and offered her a calloused hand. It was upsetting and there was reason to mourn, but they couldn’t stay here. Now Owen just as badly as Aubrey wanted answers.

“Come on,” he commanded softly, waiting with his arm outreached. Her puffy eyes and red nose looked up at him, a look of confusion and surprise taking over the grief she felt for a brief moment. Owen kissed her forehead. The shock of that moment was enough for her to wrangle her emotions into a slightly more stable place. It was also enough for her to feel the sharp pains in her hands. Her confusion grew as she glanced at her palms, bright blood slowly oozed from where the glass had cut her.

“Nothing in that room can hurt you,” he said seriously. “And we still have to find Charlotte.” He paused, remembering her injury. Muttering he reached into his bag and produced some individually wrapped gauze. At this rate they were going to use all the medical supplies before they got any home. Owen knelt back down. It wasn’t perfect, but he did his best to fasten them around the cuts to keep them clean until he could get her into the light.

“Come on, I’ll be with you,” he assured her. “We can look for her together.”

At this point, she had cried so much a feeling of numbness and exhaustion washed over her. “Thank you.” She muttered, wiping the excess tears from her cheeks.

“Literally anytime,” he spoke softly, helping her back to her feet. “You can’t get rid of me that easily, sailor girl.” Aubrey gave a weak smile as she looked back towards the nursery. The panic tugged at her gut from the sight, but didn’t send her into a full blown attack this time. Glancing back towards the male, she gave a nod to continue down the hall.

 

[Togy]

​

Big Red Riding Hood and Little Nile River

​

"Is he always like that?" Liam asked Nile while shaking his head. His round, bearded face was smiling however as he propped himself up against the side of Owen's car.

Giving a sideways glance towards Liam, Nile suddenly straightened up from where he was leaning against the wall as if realizing ‘oh, you’re talking to me’.

“I, uh, I don’t really know. I don’t actually know the guy that well?” Nile said, phrasing it more like a question then anything. The redhead sticking up for him earlier and thrown him for a loop and he was still trying to make sense of it. He was still confused, weirded out, and somewhat thankful at the same time.

"Oh," Liam offered, surprised. "That comes at a surprise. He told me you were friends." The copper haired man shrugged apologetically.

Nile looked to the man questioningly. The two had talked once in Nile's memory, and that was when Nile stole the guy's pain pills.

"Sorry about your head. I thought you were going to shoot the kid." In fact, it had been Owen's immediate defense and explanation that they were friends that had kept Liam from killing Nile in the first place.

Blinking dumbly, Nile’s brow furrowed in confusion. A thousand tiny questions immediately began circulating through his head, and all Nile could think to say was “What?”.

"I wasn't sure if you were faking the memory loss or not. I just assumed you were backing Owen up since he lied for you to that angry scarred lady." Liam shrugged absently. "You were pretty out of it though I suppose. You had a gun on the kid, I assumed to worst and knocked you out. I would have done worse if he hadn't stopped me if I'm being honest." He looked over at Nile and gave him a sheepish grin. "Nothing personal."

Staring at the taller man, Nile nearly subconsciously backed up. Stopping himself as to not weird out the guy that could bench press him, Nile figured it was best to start talking. “Right, yeah, sure. Nothing personal, I guess. I mean, it’s cool that you’d help a stranger out like that and all, but that’s still my skull so what the fuck red riding hood?” Nile rambled, shoving his hands into his pockets. “But you know what? I’ll let it slide. Just this once. Mainly because you’ve got, like, 2 feet on me” Nile finished, shrugging.

“But about that whole thing over at that….place? I guess? Any idea what actually happened? Besides you going all ‘fatality’ on me, I mean” Nile asked, looking up to the redhead.

"Lil' slugger was pretty tight lipped about it," Liam said nodding toward the door Owen had just walked through. "He said you guys were gathering up some medical supplies. A renown drug den seems like a weird place to go for that though, especially since me and him went to the pharmacy on the way back to his mom's place anyway." Liam shrugged again. "I can't blame the guy for being secretive though. He doesn't know me that well yet, and from the way that dark haired woman acted when we got back it seems like not everyone was on board with your early morning joyride. Maybe the kid is on drugs or something, who knows."

Scratching his head, Nile squinted his eyes in confusion. A drug den. They were raiding a drug den, apparently. For some reason, Nile felt like something was his fault. He couldn’t tell what, but he could feel it like he could feel the ground beneath him. He had a sinking feeling that the drug den part related to him, but he didn’t know how. Owen didn’t seem like the kind of guy who’d be okay with letting him pickup some joints half a city away when they needed Medicine. But who knew, maybe they were. Nile didn’t know the guy. They could be a druggie like Liam suggested for all he knew. Shaking his head slightly, Nile sighed. Nope, Owen just didn't seem like the type. There was no pinning the blame onto him, it seemed.

A weird thought, an absurd one really, came to mind. Maybe he got Owen to take him there? Forced him even?

The thought left his head as soon as it entered, and Nile had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. He was a jackass sometimes, even he knew that, but he wasn’t that kind of guy.

“Yeah” Nile said with a shrug. “Maybe…”.

Interactions: Liam ( Maj )

 

[RayPurchase]

​

Nothing.

Aaron could find nothing lethal or enough to put a dent in that lion or to distract Nessa before she put a bullet in them.

So far Aaron had his trusty tire iron, a monkey wrench and a wheel jack. Aside from that he would just be lobbing water bottles and cassettes at her. The peel of unhinged laughter for a moment rang out over the sounds of combat. He dropped the canteen which for a moment he had been quite literally weighing up as an option. The roar sounded out again, deep and guttural, he could feel his very bones shaking. Andy didn’t have long. If the lion didn’t kill her, then Nessa would finish the job, and then most likely she’d kill him as well once they had the generator loaded up, dump his body in a ditch and say the pair didn’t make it. Even if the rest of the group turned up to investigate all they would find is lion tracks and no sign of him, enough to keep them from thinking anything untoward happened.

Desperate times, desperate actions.

The growl of the Lion was replaced by something far throatier and wild, snarling like a caged beast let loose. Bright light illuminated Nessa, Andy and the Lion. As they turned he already had his foot down flat on the pedal, eyes trained on Nessa and the gun in her hand, all it would take was one lucky bullet through that windshield and this distraction would quickly come to an end.

Swinging the wheel hard left, he switched targets from the lion to Nessa. Hitting the muscly feline from this distance was no guaranteed kill, the acrobat on the other hand…

“Dodge this you crazy bastard,” He yelled, the form of Nessa rapidly coming into focus through the windscreen.

Vanessa's head turned quickly, her dual colored eyes growing wide at the sight of the incoming vehicle. Instinct overtook the acrobat and she began to move, her grip on the firearm forgotten as she was forced to jump over the lion and Andy to avoid the truck. Stumbling a little as she landed, she looked up wildly and pulled a knife from her thigh, expecting another attack to come.

“Slippery little shit you are,” Aaron growled to himself as Nessa avoided the path of the Humvee with seemingly little effort. Once more he wrenched the wheel, trying to keep her in his sights. This time however as the vehicle swung round, the front left tire clipped a tent peg. Half buried and near invisible in the mud, it was sturdy enough that it tore through the side of the tire, immediately bursting it and sending the heavy set vehicle into a spin. The lights swept violently around the circus ground and the engine let out a roar of pain.

Even as Aaron wrestled with the wheel, trying to gain traction, he knew that the ground wasn’t firm enough to gain purchase, and he was moving at too high a speed. The side of the wooden shed rushed to meet him. There was a splintering of wood as the Humvee hit it side on, half burying itself. Aaron’s head smacked against the cold hard metal of the frame of his vehicle. Stars appeared and his vision began to blur as he slumped against the driver window, a thin trickle of blood coming from a cut at his temple.

A moment of reprieve was all that Andy needed. The lights and roar of the humvee caused the lion to turn. As the creature let out another roar, taking its paw off her shoulder, Andrea Jordan was able to switch the knife to her right hand. She sat up, left hand using its remaining strength to tangle in the mane and hold the creature still. The right hand stabbed the blade into the monster's throat. It went in easier this time, the steel already wet with blood. It roared, but Andy did not falter now. Her vision had gone red. She felt the suction on the knife as she forced it free of the monster's neck and stabbed again, hearing the squelch of flesh. The lion’s blood flowed down her arm in steady streams, mixing with her own . She wrapped her legs around the monster's middle, refusing to stop and repeated the gesture again and again in rapid succession.

The weakened circus animal stumbled and she threw her weight on top of him, his body becoming a throne for which she could sit on. Her left arm was aflame as the pain screamed up her arm and shoulder, however, it did not leave its grasp in his mane. she continued the momentum of her stabbing, crimson plasma drenching the remains of Andy’s torn clothes. When the monster fell, breathing shallowly, Andy looked into the orange eyes of her prey. With a final guttural yell the woman plunged the knife deep into where the animals heart should be and watched as the eyes fluttered shut and his labored breathing ceased.

The lion was dead, but the danger was far from over. Andrea could barely focus, but every alarm bell in her system was still screaming at full volume. She blinked, fighting off the daze caused by the blood that bubbled from her shoulder with each tremble of her adrenaline flushed body. The humvee had nearly hit them. It hadn’t been apparent when she was elbow deep in lion blood, but now that she knelt over the beast corpse the scene slowly started to make sense. Aaron hadn’t been trying to hit the lion with the humvee, he had been trying to hit Vanessa.

Emerald eyes slowly fell on the acrobat’s form, and the cold steel in her hands. The pounding of her chest escalated and as it did so the blood seemed to seep from her with more speed. It took seconds for her senses to snap back into reality and her hands to dig deep into the side of her duffle bag.

There was the sanded wooden handle of the gun Colt had given her. It still felt heavy in her hands, awkwardly weighty for such a small object. With her bow gone, she had little other choice. Her face paled from the loss of blood as she stood, the barrel of the gun on Vanessa.

“That’s enough Nessa’,” Andy sneered, but her voice was hoarse from the screams that had been ripped from her body only moments before. She might not have been comfortable with the firearm, but no one would know it. She stood confidently and held it with proper form. The few lessons that she had managed to squeeze in with Colt had paid off.

“I don’t want to hurt you, put the knife down Thumbelina,” the redhead reasoned.

A scream of absolute fury echoed out around them as the Harlequin tossed the knife full force, aiming for Andy's shoulder. No sooner had the knife left her grasp was she charging forward, grabbing the wounded redhead by the midsection and tackling her to the ground.. The knife struck the twin in her already bleeding shoulder, causing the girl to cry out. Before she knew it, she was on the ground again, another wild animal on top of her and starving for her blood. Andy did her best to ignore the pain from the knife and focus on Vanessa, her blows becoming more ferocious by the second. Her fists repeatedly made contact with Andy's freckled and blood splattered face as she screamed angry, albeit unintelligible profanities. The redhead did her best to block the blows, her arms coming up to cover her face, reaching for her attackers wrists to try and get a hold on the situation. With some difficulty, the twin reached her right leg up far enough to hook her ankle on Nessa’s back, all the while grunting in pain.

The acrobat viciously slammed the palm of her hand into the handle of the knife that was embedded in the shoulder of the huntress, driving the blade deeper as she reached for another knife, ripping it from its strap with a blinding speed. Laughing maniacally, the vicious carnie brought the knife down with both hands over and over towards her target's chest wildly, hoping to inflict as much pain and damage to her foe as possible.

Andy let out another scream, her back arching in pain as the blade dug into the already pulsing wound. Her vision blurred and she could hear her pounding heart in her temples. In a moment of dissociation the girl couldn’t help but wonder if this was what Owen felt as he fought. The man was brutal and ruthless and always won no matter how hopeless it seemed. She would have to dig deep and find that strength as well. As the other knife came down the girl had no choice but to reach up and grab it with her functional arm, her palm slicing against the smooth metal. It hurt, but far less than getting it plunged between her ribs. Her second leg was able to wrap around the woman’s back, her ankles hooking and getting a grip on the thin performer’s frame. Blood flowing from her palm, Andrea reached up and grabbed Vanessa by the hair ripping with as much strength as she could and used her thicker frame to flip the two of them so that Nessa laid on her back. She struggled to keep a hold of her knife wielding hands, occasionally one would slip from her firm grasp and slice her arm or another part of her shoulder. No matter the wounds that the demented clown inflicted upon her, Andy did her best to keep control.

“Aaron!” Andy screamed for him. Her voice cracked when she did, emotion and agony distorting her syllables. She wasn’t stupid. Maybe if she wasn’t so injured, she might have a chance in this fight. However, right now it took all Andy had to keep her life intact. If she kept fighting like this, she would bleed out and the second she lost her strength Vanessa would slit her throat.



Collab: TheMightyRedLemon Maj

 

[shadowz1995]

PANIC AT THE LODGE!

Part 3

Even after having slammed open the cellar’s door and warning whoever may have been inside of the lodge, Michael continued to run from the abomination that currently followed him. He ran as quick as his low stamina allowed him to, almost as if his life depended on it. Which quite honestly, it currently did. Once the neckbeard had managed to reach the front door of the house, he attempted to open it without slowing down to do so first. This, of course, would end with Michael crashing face first with the wood door right in front of him.

The neckbeard almost fell down due to his crash, but after a second of confusion, the man recovered his balance and quickly got outside. Yet something felt weird after he got out. The zombie was closing in on him while he tried escaping the cellar, so shouldn’t it have managed to catch him when he crashed?. Michael waited for a short amount of time to see if the zombie were to also crash on the door… yet nothing happened.

Hearing screaming inside of the lodge, and the fact it wasn’t onto him made the neckbeard realize that luckily for him, and unluckily for someone else, the zombified monk probably started chasing someone else. Deciding to ignore why the infected had decided to change targets, Michael took a moment to recover his breath before starting to walk towards his RV While on his way there, Michael deviated from his path by a bit to grab the cutting table with the chicken he had been forced to leave outside when Hector shot David.

Once he had taken back what he had cooked a few hours prior, the neckbeard reached the vehicle in which he resided in a few seconds. Once inside, Michael closed the door and curtains and decided to try and wait this out. He attempted to lock the door as well, but it was impossible to do so due to the… “Incident” with Luca and Tre.

----------------------

It was unclear whether Milly had an angel's protection or the devil's own luck. She made no effort to silently make her windowed escape but she was just able to slide her narrow frame outside before David's fist closed around her long hair.

The young teen got away and only lost a few strands of hair from the zombie's grab attempt. However, she and everyone else weren't out of the woods yet.

The window was easily big enough for the zombified monk to fit through. Milly booked it to safety and the sound of her footsteps crunching in the snow as she ran gave the infected behemoth direction.

He stomped outside and turned his milky eyes over to where the girl had fled. He stood there for a moment silently. As if contemplating how to proceed before suddenly crouching and taking off into a full sprint after her.

Subtlety be damned, his powerful, heavy footsteps could be heard from a good distance away naturally. In the snowfall, it was even more noticeable. It was only mere seconds and he was already almost upon her. Milly would be able to feel him more than see him gaining on her.

The sound of heavy footsteps filled Maria's ears, giving away the position of David. Much like the predator he was in life, he wouldn't be charging at such a speed unless he was after something. Was it the girl? Maria hadn't seen anyone else inside of the lodge, except for the fatty and for Doctor Pirate and there was a high chance both were dead already. They had been at ground zero, after all.

Even if fatty had managed to get away, David would've quickly caught up with him. The Doctor looked to be a good build though, maybe even enough to stay ahead. Gritting her teeth and cursing under her breath, she headed away from the lodge and, while keeping low started to move towards the direction of the thundering footsteps.

She wasn't about to throw her life away over Milly or Hector, but sitting idly by as David claimed yet another life was simply not in the woman's nature. It didn't matter if it was just his undead corpse causing the damage.

Nobody, let alone a child was going to be torn to pieces. Not at least as the woman had fight in her.


Micheal retreating to the camper was not a surprise. Though Leliana felt a surge of anger bubble up in the pit of her stomach. He was really that much of a fucking coward...well, if the rest of them died she could at least take some solace in the fact he wouldn't be able to last long against David. That camper wouldn't last even a few seconds against David. The footsteps suddenly thundering away in the backyard, Leliana felt like her heart was going jump right through her rib cage. He was chasing someone, and all the options were not people who should be chased. Luca is not in the right state, Shinoa can't run with a baby, who knows where Harrison was and Beth. Oh God, Leliana hoped Beth was still safe upstairs...they were all about to have a very bad day.

As Maria slinked away around one side of the house, leaving her with no answer for any ideas, Leliana decided to sneak around the other side. Getting low, and walking carefully with still a sense of urgency, her heart almost stopped when saw it was Milly David was chasing. For a brief second, her legs tensed like she was going to take off and throw herself in the line of death, but Leliana stopped herself. All she needed was a distraction.

Looking around, she needed to think of something quick. And her prayers were answered pretty quickly. The shed, it was made of metal. And all the distraction they needed was noise, right? David was a zombie, a super freaky zombie, but one none the less. She had maybe a few seconds. Leaning down, Leliana picked up a few rocks, glancing between the ground and David, she stood up again once she had about five rocks. She shed wasn't too far away, she could do this. Taking a deep breath, Leona raised her arm and one after another with only a few seconds between them, started throwing the rocks at the metal side of the shed.​

 

[TheMightyRedLemon]

Collab: Maj TheMightyRedLemon RayPurchase ​

The small window of opportunity the acrobat had jumped at was closing fast, and she knew it. As she struggled against the weight of the redhead she screamed and grunted frantically, not dissimilar to a cornered animal that knew death was near. Her breathing and her movements became more frenzied and desperate as she fought with everything she had to kill Andy before the huntress could strike the decisive blow. With no other choices left at her disposal, the redhead gripped the wrist that held the knife that kept glancing against her arms as tightly as she could. She turned her head and chomped down, hard, on the soft part of Vanessa’s arm, forcing her to drop the blade.Her teeth left an imprint on the acrobat’s skin, blood bubbling just underneath as it turned purple. Vanessa screamed in pain as she tried desperately to snatch her arm back. Now it was overly clear that the harlequin was afraid for her life. She began trying vigorously to escape from under Andy, kicking and flailing wildly at the slightly heavier woman.

“Aaron please!” Andy screamed again, desperate. She couldn’t do this alone. He had promised. They had both hoped it wouldn’t come to this, and yet here they were. This was the time he could prove that he was a man of his word. Despite her best efforts, Andrea was losing hold as the woman became more and more ferocious by the second. Her hands were slipping out of her grasp more easily, the red head’s breath was growing ragged. Vision blurring and blood pouring down the twin’s shoulder and into Vanessa’s eyes, she knew that it was only a matter of seconds before she was back underneath her.

Through the struggle, the acrobat had begun to notice the redhead's waning strength, renewing her vigor in her attempt to be free. Soon she was back on top of Andy, her final knife pulled from her thigh.

Be Quick!
Hurry!
...missing the chance!
Look at her…
She grows weak

Vanessa raised the knife above her head, ready to embed the blade deep into her already bloody victim's chest. Just then a piercing whistle rang out which cut through the struggle of the two women, causing the harlequin to stop in her assault and turn her head. When she identified the source of the noise, her demented smile faded quick.

His cap was missing, and his brown hair was wild, slicked at his left temple from the blood that snaked its way down the side of his face and to the sodden collar of his shirt. Already Aaron was sprinting over, not quite as steady and confident on his feet, but building up enough steam to make up for it. He dropped low, his shoulder aiming at Nessa’s own as he went to tackle Nessa off of Andy, at least giving her some breathing room. The carnie's last knife clattered to the ground as he slammed into her, knocking the wind from her lungs. In a straight up fight, this would have been simple. The weight difference alone would have turned it into a one sided fight. But the head injury was working against him here, half a step off the pace and with every lurch his head felt like it was spinning. Nessa was like a wild cat, scrawny but with deceptive strength. He struggled to get his arms around her, to fully restrain her.

“Stop your fuckin’ strugglin’!”

Yowling like a wounded feline, Vanessa reached up and dug her nails into the sides of Aaron's cheeks, dragging them downward as she buried them deeper into the soft flesh of his face. She was as fierce as a wild lion in her own right, but Aaron's grip was not letting up easily. Her continued attempts to break free were all in vein, but she latched onto him, forcing her fingernails deeper into his skin like an eagle sinking its talons into its prey. Her face was a wild mess of fear, fury and anguish as her eyes darted around frantically looking for escape. Her laboured breathing increased in speed the longer the man held her, causing her chest to rise and fall rapidly.

Andy was forced to blink as hot, desperate tears blurred her already waning vision. It seemed to take everything she had to get back to up onto her knees. Her body screamed, blood poured from various wounds, bubbling from gaping holes with each of her rapid heartbeats. Rage, agony, fear. Her mind swelled with viscous, ugly emotions. Andy swallowed them down. Clumsily she came to her feet, spurred by the sound of Nessa and Aaron’s struggle.


Pooling the reserves of her strength, Andy tangled thin, emerald painted fingers in the back of Vanessa’s messy brown mat of hair. Her whole body protested, but she put as much of her weight behind it as she could, ripping the brunette backwards and back into the ground where she belonged.

The redhead was back on top of her, knees digging into the soft tissue of the acrobat’s shoulders, pinning her arms down by her sides and in place. However, the smaller framed woman continued to struggle with ferocity that Andy did not expect. Each time the Jordan twin reached down to her boot, she was almost bucked off.

“Aaron!” Andy cried. “Now. Hold her down.” It was a firm instruction, leaving little room for an argument despite her dry and croaking voice. It was now or never.

Andy’s cries filtered through the searing pain that was erupting from Aaron’s face. Whilst he was unable to see the damage that Nessa was wreaking as she tried to escape his grip, he was under no illusion that she was going to leave her mark here. Still she was struggling, and as the blood continued to trickle down his face and soak into his shirt, he could feel Nessa worming her way free. It was slow, but it was happening. He let out a roar of pain, frustration and just downright anger, blood flecked saliva propelled off his teeth. He squeezed his arms around her with his last reserves of strength pinning her arms. Every muscle was straining, screaming to release her, to crawl away and rest.

"End it now. Fuckin' stick her,"

With Aaron’s help securing the thrashing woman, Andy was able to reach into her boot and find the smooth handle right where it should be, tucked for safe keeping. Her fingers clasped around the familiarity of it.How many times had she reached down for her boot just to make sure the weapon was still there? More times than she could count. She had hoped over and over it wouldn’t come to this, but Andy’s gut had told her otherwise and it was rarely wrong. The woman swallowed hard, the motion in her throat causing her shoulder to weep more blood down and into the saturated fabric of her shirt.

“Hold her as still as possible. I…” She faltered for a moment, her fingers tightening around the handle. “I don’t want it to hurt.” Andy was a fantastic huntress. She always took down her prey as humanely as possible. The exception had been Dixie, and she had been plagued by nightmares for weeks. She didn’t want a repeat. This had to be done with care, the girl deserved that much.

Andy pitied her as she looked down into her wild, frightened eyes. She kept her left hand tangled in the woman’s locks, holding her head down and to the side, exposing the pale flesh of her neck. For a moment, Andrea almost thought she could see her pulse, thumping against her flushed skin. With no other options left, the twin grit her teeth and steeled her nerves. She didn’t even flinch as the steel pierced Nessa’s flesh. Instead, the huntress kept her eyes locked on the acrobat’s until they fluttered shut and Vanessa’s world went dark.

 

[shadowz1995]

PANIC AT THE LODGE!

Part 4
​

Once he'd managed to re-enter the RV, and put down the cutting board with the chicken in the kitchen area. Michael quickly scrambled around the vehicle in search of both of his weapons.

Just because he would leave the fight up to the people that actually stood a chance to beat this thing, didn't mean he would let himself be unarmed in such tense moments like these.

It took the man a few seconds to locate the weapons around the RV. Ever since his roomate Brian had left, the whole place had been a complete mess, if it were to continue to accumulate trash and be left disorganized, then it would begin to look like the currently abandoned apartment he had.

In the end he managed to find them both, lying under a bed sheet. His trusty Katana and M1911 Firearm.

Unluckily for Michael tho. The katana that he owned was, at best, in severe need of repair, and at worse it was nearing its breaking point. The regrettable state of the sword had been brought due to two specific factors: 1) That the neckbeard, instead of attempting to slash through his undead foes, Most of the time ended up whacking them as if instead of a blade he were wielding a stick. And 2) That it had costed him 25 bucks in the first place, which may have influence point number 1.

In the other hand, the Firearm would seem to be well more reliable, but Michael knew that he had almost barely to none training with the weapon, alongside with the fact that at the moment, he only had 2 magazines with him. So in total he would only have 14 shots if Everyone on the outside were to fail.


His heartbeat accelerated once the screaming inside of the lodge had seized to be.

Running towards the window that pointed towards the lodge, Michael opened the blinds he had put down mere moments ago by a bit, just so he could see the whatever was happening outside.

From afar, he could see the little girl who's name he did not remember, escape from the lodge through a window. Although he had no particular relationship with her. Michael was relieved to know that she had manages to get out, even though he had not helped even one bit in that endeavor.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy.

The zombified monk could, and of course would also jump out of that window in pursue of its dinner. The zombie started to close in on her once more in a matter of seconds.

Possibly due to the bit of morality that he had, or even the small feeling of guilt he felt due to the act of hiding like a coward in the RV of his. The neckbeard Forced himself to act after all.

Quickly opening the window behind himself, Michael then went outside and unholstered his gun.

"Fuck me…" He said as he pointed his gun at the zombie, preparing himself to open fire on the former monk.

His plan was simple. Open fire on the thing and hopefully the loud sound of the Firearm or the pain of one shot of it would lire the zombie to him instead of the girl. If successful in luring it to himself, the neckbeard would quickly re-enter his RV and if need be, escape through the window he had left open.

With no time left to think, Michael began firing his entire magazine at the Monster. Making sure to not shoot near the girl but still hopefully being able to at least get the Monster once.

"Hey Ugly, come and get me!"

-------------------------

The sound of rocks banging against the metal shed was quickly drowned out by sound of gunfire cracking off like close range thunder strikes. Whether it was through good aim or sheer luck, three bullets managed to tear into the undead behemoth's flesh. It was unfortunate that David was not struck anywhere debilitating enough for it to stop his movements. The lack of a reaction to lead searing into his body also suggested he wasn't bothered in the slightest. The infected seem to not feel any pain. The muscular zombie was running around with gut gored open and viscera dangling about the surgical wound without flinching.

The efforts to distract the zombie were in vain as David's meaty fingers clamped down and entangled themselves in the hair of his pray. He yanked back and the force alone was enough to bring Milly's full sprint to a screeching halt. The mountain's other hand quickly siezed the little girl's head and effortlessly lifted her up into the air towards his teeth.

While he was unable to feel pain, the monster knew it was being attacked and needed to quickly disable the panicking prey suspended in the air before him. A vicious movement of flexed muscle and gnashing teeth brought David's maw down on Milly's skull to cave it in and destroy the sweet ambrosia inside.

Two birds with one stone.