[Telltale] The Walking Dead [Inactive]

Sam watched nervously as Jon got up and approach the table. Mr. Crawford, the man who seemed to be in charge of everything, had made the room's atmosphere significantly unsettling. We get uniforms? Sam thought to himself. He didn't know how much order or government existed in Crawford and he frankly didn't trust in it.


He was worried. He didn't know where the two others went off too. He wondered if that would the last time he would see them again.


Sam looked to Aylaela and spoke. "Hey, let's get you some rest."He got up, and walked to the desk. The man seated, seemed tired and annoyed, like a carnival ride operator on his last shift.


"Full name."


"Uh..Sam Albus." The man paused as he scribbled some inscrutable words on a plain piece of paper.


"Food and Resources. You will be staying at Evergreens Hotel. Goodbye." Does everyone get a gun? Sam wondered leisurely.


Sam shrugged as he got his uniform, pistol, and faded key card to Room 207, Evergreens Hotel. He opened the door and let it close behind him. He waited. He wasn't sure if he and Aylaela were allies now, but he was sure they weren't strangers.
 
When Crawford exited, Aylaela shifted uncomfortably. This man was gracious, providing for them, but the girl knew better than to go seeking his company. Listening to the conversations, she watched as Matthew and Jon went before her in this assembly line, only startled out of her own mind by Sam's voice.


Walking ahead of her, Sam's kindness continued to stun Aylaela. Standing, she follows behind the guy, glancing behind her to see if anyone else would follow the obedient procession. Finally it was her turn before the man, face fixed in a sour expression. If you keep it up your face'll get stuck like that, was the first thought that rose to the forefront of her mind but was immediately suppressed. Those were words her mother had spoken to Aylaela countless times in some of her darker moods.


The man before her cleared his throat, "Name?" He asked, as if he had said it more than once.


"Aylaela Rivard," she says quickly in response.


"Farmer?" The man says with a tinge of a question in his voice before resuming his bored tone. "Evergreens Hotel, Room 206. Here is a set of clothing, all your tools are at the work site. Enjoy your evening."


Aylaela picked up the new clothing and key to the new room, not protesting for the lack of weapon since she had never learned to use one and was fine without it. "Pleasure," the girl muttered as she walked off towards the door that the past three men has exited through, since it was as good as a direction as any.
 
Sam walked into the street. In the distance, he could see Jon running after Matthew, who seemed far ahead. He looked around and observed the buildings. Many of them were old, cracked structures. Overrun by parasitic vines, another brick building that once stood across Crawford Hall was reduced to a pathetic rubble. However, three strips of yellow DO NOT CROSS tape was plastered across the entrance. Sam wondered if anybody was working on restoring the place. Sam looked down and saw a storm drain, clogged with newspapers. The sun was almost set now. Sam thought of his family. His train of thought traveled towards the highways he had seen before entering Crawford..


The door opened and startled him. Aylaela came out also with a uniform but no pistol. He saw that her key said 'Room 206'. Sam smiled and said, "I guess we're neighbors then!" Sam looked towards the direction he saw Jon and Matthew going. "Evergreens Hotel is thataway." He could make out a neon billboard with the letters, "OTEL", poking out from behind a building. "Anything you need to do before we go?" Sam turned to Aylaela.
 
Lia looked around and saw a few others far away. She hopped down the tree and tripped a bit, cutting her elbows badly, "dammit!" She hisses and looks at the blood covering her elbows. They were walking towards the hotel, which the tree she was in beside it, "can someone help?" She asked to them (Sam and Alyaela


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With clothing and key in hand, Aylaela shook her head, looking towards the building they were expected to live in. Slowly she was taking a certain liking to the boy who was to be her neighbor, being the most inviting person here that was her age.


Before she could begin walking though, a voice sounded behind her, startled Aylaela so badly her key slipped through her fingers onto the concrete. Looking around only to find a girl, she stooped down to pick up the item, fingers shaking slightly at the scare.


"What happened?" Aylaela asked, starring at the girl's elbows, mind jumping to the worst conclusion, forcing her back a step next to Sam.
 
"I was climbing out of the tree and the branch I stepped on broke, and when I tried to grab onto a second branch I scraped them" she stands up a bit and looks at her blood soaked elbows frowning, and slight tears in her eyes from the pain


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Aylaela nods, "I'm sure if you go inside they'll show you to someone who can help you." She says sympathetically, not sure what else she can so for the girl.


Pointing to the door that leads to the main hall and probably some medical help, Aylaela turns to go before stopping. "Are you new to Crawford?" She asks, eyeing the girls scrapped arms.
 
"Alright," Aylaela saiys with what she hopes is a reassuring smile. "Oberson, that guy that runs things here, laid down some ground rules. One, basically be friendly to everyone. Two, anything that would've been illegal before is the same here. And three..." She pauses, trying to think of the third rule. "Oh, pull your own weight, so just work where they assign you."


"Best of luck," Aylaela says, brushing her braid behind her shoulder. "And I'd hurry if I were you." She says with a bit of urgency since the girl was bleeding before her, causing the girl's stomach to roll.
 
Lia nodded and quickly rushed inside. She finds someone and they clean up the scrapes, then bandage it. She walks to the hotel and up to her assigned room.


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Aylaela looks at Sam sheepishly before walking towards the Hotel and a hopeful bed. She was ashamed that she had been so frightened by the slightest sound, and even more so that she was squeamish around blood, which wasn't too helpful when blood was an everyday thing now.


"Even though it's still early I'm exhausted," Aylaela says awkwardly, hoping to distract from the previous encounter.
 
Sam watched the girl go in, bloodied and all. "Name's Sam!" He called after her. Sam had noticed her elbows were sharp scarlet and dripped onto the pavement. He tried his best to kep himself from cringing.


He then focused his attention to Aylaela. "Same. I think that's enough people falling out of trees for today, huh?" He chuckled. What did they assign you as?" Sam asked. He began kicking a rock down the street. Little kids ran out from an alley and appeared to be engaged in some sort of play. A summer wind rustled his hair.
 
The faint wind caused Aylaela's chest to ache with a homesickness that could never be cured.


"Farmer, or at least that's the title. From what I've gathered they have a few small gardens, but nothing extensive."


Aylaela looked over her shoulder at Sam, "What about you?" She asked, lightening her mood without such a large amount of people around. She played with the hairtie that kept her black hair in a tight braid. Maybe now that walkers wouldn't offer such a threat of grabbing, she could finally let he hair loose.
 
Ryker had been standing in the back corner of the room during the presentation. He'd seen the stranger come in but seeing as he hadn't been armed Ryker wasn't to concerned. Mr. Crawford's rule though, to have a community of completely self sufficient people concerned him. It raised questions about the mans definition of sufficiency as well as his morals. Ryker shrugged it couldn't be helped now. Cracking his hands he went up to the man in the front of the room. "Ryker Trent" Ryker stated plainly already having witnessed the others do the same. The man looked up and eyed Ryker eyes coming to rest on his bow. "Ryker Trent, Perimeter Guard?" he asked in a bored disinterested raising an eyebrow. Ryker took a deep breath. "Yes, sir" he replied. The man fished out a uniform looking smug with himself. Always say what people want to hear was one of the first things he had learned in the apocalypse. The man pushed the uniform toward Ryker and made a shooing motion. "I thought guns were standard issue" Ryker asked coolly. The man looked at him annoyed. "You have that over sized dart thrower, that should suffice". Ryker took another breath "sir I would very much appreciate a firearm". The man sighed and fished in a box at his feet. "Revolver all right with you?" The man asked sarcastically. "Prefect" Ryker replied taking the weapon and uniform. He'd used a revolver in scouts and knew the guns inside and out. Ryker began to turn and leave. "Hey dip***** you forgot your key card" Ryker caught the small piece of plastic as it was thrown at him. "Room 213" the man said looking at the next person in line.


Ryker steeped outside the building and spotted some of the others heading in the direction of a rundown hotel. Ryker followed at a safe distance maybe he'd talk to them maybe he wouldn't that was up to them.
 
"Food and Resources." Sam said. "Which must be a mistake on their part because I have the appetite of a lion." Sam curled his fingers into a claw for emphass, amused. They walked for a couple of blocks. Sam pointed out interesting things on their short journey, a bald eagle perched on a telephone pole, an overturned Greyhound bus, and a clan of ducks wading through a rain puddle that showed no signs of drying up.


Sam pointed to the evening sky, bright strawberry and orange sherbet colors dragged towards the horizon, a dark royal purple in hot pursuit. He then turned to Aylaela and for the first time in a long time, he saw something beautiful. Sam's heart warmed a little bit before his mind pushed him back.


They arrived at the hotel. He hooked two thumbs in his belt loops and asked, "Do you ever think things will be normal again?" Sam looked down, almost anticipating the answer..


The burning question..
 
"Huh? Oh, hey Jon." Matthew continued trotting along towards the Evergreen Hotel. "Do you know what was wrong with that Emile guy? Or, all of that. Something about it rubbed me the wrong way. Like how he knew my last name, even though I haven't told one person since the start of the apocalypse." He shook his head, and peered up to the large sign with the H missing. At first this place seemed like paradise, but now it's just.... strange.
 
Aylaela sighed at his question, looking off towards the horizon. The sight was truly a work of art, the first sunset she could appreciate in it's fullness even before the world went off-kilter.


"Define normal," she says with a smile, half joking before sombering. "No. I don't think it will be. Some people I suppose are holding out for this to all blow over, but even if it does, it will never be normal again, at least not in the way we used to know." The girl quietly says, voicing an opinion she's been harboring all this time. "If it's any consolation, I hope so," Aylaela says, returning her gaze to Sam, unsure how her strong opinions would go over.
 
"True." Sam agreed. He remembered the world as it used to be; fascinating, deep, corrupt, and perfectly imperfect.


At the end of the day, Sam realized, what mattered was now. The past was a wonderful and curiously invigorating ponder, but the harsh reality around him eneveloped him in a feeling he knew he would accept sooner or later.


"Here we are." Sam said as they reached the hotel entrance. Inside it was seemingly abandoned, but a flower in vase of fresh water balanced on small couchside table, suggested otherwise.
 
Jon smiled, for a second he though Matthew would ignore him like the couple, but the subject matter was quite less joyous. "I don't know about that guy, maybe the apocalypse has just roughed him up a little bit, either way, I understand how you feel, a day ago I would of called this place paradise, now though..." His gaze drew itself to Crawford in its entirety. "If things go to hell, just know I've got your back."


As the doors of the hotel neared, he pushed open the door with his back, his arms full. "Its probably a good idea to get these things on our backs though."
 
Without response, Aylaela walked through the Hotel's lobby, coming to stand behind the empty desk. "I wonder of they have a library here," she wonders absentmindedly, knowing it was probably a lost cause.


Aylaela looked up across the empty room to Sam and his tousled hair, opening her mouth before shutting it quickly with Jon's, and soon after Matthew's, entrance.


Jon said something about what Aylaela assumed was his uniform, looking down at her own issued clothing and key. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that the two others showed up, she shouldn't get too attached to any one person now.
 
A growl emitted from his stomach. His throat was dry, his lips cracked, and his feet heavy underneath him. Dragging himself towards the buildings that stood like frozen giants against the scarlet sky, he tried to think of a way to sneak in. He could only hope the place wasn't crawled with them walkers, like most urban areas were. Stay off the roads, avoid big areas. Trust no one.


The words of his father rang in his ears and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to cast out the ghosts of the past. In some sick and twisted way, Evan could be certain that he was still alive. He might be limping, moaning and drooling, he might be mindlessly stumbling forward, but technically, he was still alive. Thoughts of his mother and sister entered his mind again, and no matter how hard he tried to block them out, their voices kept sounding in his head.


"You're so mean! Mommy! He's got my doll!" How he regretted having teased his sister so. "Can't you sit still for one minute? Jesus Christ, Evan is it too much asked to set the table?" No, it hadn't been too much asked, not by a long shot, and yet he hadn't done it. If anything, he regretted having done so little back for his parents who'd fed him, clothed him and now saved him from certain death. A sigh escaped his lips as he heard his father bark again. "Did you steal this from Trevor's? I am ashamed of you. You can't just take what isn't yours!" Sucking in a deep breath through his nostrils, Evan wondered where all the good memories had gone. He knew he had plenty of them, but somehow they refused to come to mind.


The town was close now. Close enough to discern the flesh wall. Evan had expected as much, the stench had betrayed the presence of undead from miles away. He scanned the line of pikes, tonnes, crates, planks and barbed wire for a gap, something the defenders had overlooked. But the wall was built well. Climbing over wouldn't be too hard, and he would've gladly done it if it hadn't been for the odd pack of groaning walkers that circled the town like vultures, albeit very stupid vultures at that. Come on. You're smarter than them, think!


There! A tree, old and knobbly, stood nearby the wall. A branch reached just over the wall. Whoever had put the wall up, they hadn't expected Walkers to climb into a tree and sneak into their encampement. Good thing he wasn't a walker. He checked his shoelaces and retightened his backpack until everything was snug. A pocket of walkers was clawing uselessly at the wall, not a hundred feet away from the tree. He hesitated. Waiting could improve his chances, but with so little daylight left, he'd rather to the make it to the safe side first. The last time he'd walked through the dark he'd nearly been bitten by an elderly lady.


Quiet like a fox he stalked over to the tree. Check left. Check right. No walkers. He turned his attention to the brown and green bark. Climbing wasn't his speciality, but the bubbly surface of the tree made it easy to find a footing. To his relief, he made it into the tree unnoticed. After he'd celebrated his victory however, he realized just how thin and old the branch that reached over the wall really was. He probed it with one foot. To his horror, the old wood creaked worse than a rocking chair. So much for cover. The walkers looked around, attracted by the sound.


Shit! It was now or never. For all he knew, the town was deserted and he would starve in this tree if he didn't make it across. With about as much grace as a brick he put his full weight on the branch and hurried across. The crunching and creaking terrified him more than the hungry groans of the dead below. No sooner than he leapt off, the branch snapped and the walkers clawed at it, thinking they'd find their price there.


It was only when he tried to stand up that Evan realized that the branch hadn't made any crunching sounds. Even the tiniest bit of weight set his right leg on fire, as if someone had hammered a big nail right through his shin. Expecting to see bone break through his skin, he looked down with clenched teeth. Sprained, not broken. He pushed himself up with his hands and half-crawled, half-dragged himself towards the wall of what looked like an abandoned hotel. Unable to put any weight on his injured leg, he stuck close to the wall as he limped towards the main street. He only had to make it around the corner and into the building, so he could sit in peace and think of his next move. But every next step was harder than the one before, as if an invisble hammer slammed against it, driving the pain further up his leg. His eyes began to water and burn. "Damnit," he muttered under his breath, "damn it damn it damn it."
 
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Sam only shrugged. He turned as Matthew and Jon entered the hotel.


"There you guys are." Sam said as he walked up to them. "Glad you guys made it. I was afraid I was going to get stuck with this girl." Sam gestured to Aylaela, teasingly.


He was about to speak again when he heard a loud snap of a tree and the monotonous groans of the zombies close by. Sam turned serious and made his way to the window. He saw a boy limping in the street. He ran out of the hotel and shouted,


"Hey! You alright?!" Sam approached the kid.
 
Evan snapped his head around, trying to locate the source of the shout. A boy, several years older than himself came hurrying towards him. His hand hovered over his pistol. Trust no one.


Not even unarmed teens who ask if you're okay?


At any other moment, he would've aimed his gun at the dude and tell him to stand back, but now that he was injured he didn't have much of a choice but to let him come close. Sagging down against the wall he shook his head. "I think I sprained my ankle," he replied.
 
Aylaela warily watched Sam as he ran out of the Hotel, unreasonable fear spiking within her chest. She looked at the pair who just entered with a grimace, hoping whatever was going on hadn't anything to do with these two.


Placing her clothing and key behind the reception desk, Aylaela make her way to the door, peering out to see what was happening.


With the increased moans of zombies, she had assumed something terrible would be waiting outside the door, but it was only a boy slightly less than her age, leaning defeatedly against a wall.


Aylaela had a strong urge to close the door and head to her room, end the long day with that. But an ingrained instinct drove her out of the hotel and over to the boy to see if she could help in any way.
 
Another girl came rushing out. She too expressed worry rather than hostility and for the first time in months, Evan lowered his guard and let them both approach him. "Sorry about waking he neighbours," he said as he nudged his head towards the walkers. "Could you-" he bit his lip and looked the other way before resuming his question. "Could you help me up please?"


He disliked having to ask anything from anyone else, particularly favors. Debts kept you bound to other people, a risk he didn't want to take.
 
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