Realistic or Modern The Beginning of the End

[StarrySkyofLostSouls]

(@Soul OMU)

Hunter smiles a bit in amusement. "Hm... maybe... i kinda like the stumble the way it is now..." she said while lightly rubbing her fingers over his stumble as her free hand rubbed his cheek lightly, looking at him. (@DrTrollinski)

 

[Soviet Panda]

"Heart, lung, spine, anything important. In ky opinion they have it in a wierd spot compared to us. They have their heart close to the ground, almost right behind their front leg, and their lungs are right above that. As for their prints, how do I describe them." Looking around hopefully, he spots some rather nice looking tracks. "There's some right there, and it was headed in this direction." he said gesturing farther away from the colony. "They don't look to old either. See the grass in the prints? They usually spring back rather quickly."


(@DrTrollinski )

 

[Rifleman]

Chris felt his eyes begin to shut, as the night enclosed around them the fire burning brightly, as it starts to die slowly but surely. As if the only care was the child in his world. There was something haunting him, like a feeling that he was followed into this home.


" Sleep easy boys.... You need it. " A voice echoed through his brain.

 

[DrTrollinski]

(I didn't watch it yet and don't plan to until around Friday, so no spoilers. And one other thing, are we getting a Clementine reference above?)


When things finally started to get dark, the windows had the outdoor shutters closed in on them as well as some sheets hung up on the inside. The back door was blocked off but it was easily removable, and all other rooms had been swept through. Brad made the effort to get everything in from the car and then park the car around the back of the cabin so it was more out of sight. All of the clothes, food, and water was in the cabin with them, and now he'd lit a fire after clearing the fireplace out. There was a once dust-covered rug sitting on the ground in front of the fire. A bearskin rug, but thanks to some spring cleaning it was back to its real self. This area of the forest and this cabin alone made it seem as if none of the apocalypse was ever relevant. It was nice, but it was getting dark out and time was ticking on - both were tired after all of the work they did, so, this little rest up by the fire was rewarding while they ate some beans and all of that. Seeing as they were both closer now, Brad had an arm around her shoulders in a shielding and friendly way more than anything.


".. Something's just occurred to me. We could really survive out here." He smiled as he stared into the fire. ".. It's so remote, natural foods growing everywhere, wild game, we've got medicine and water, and when we run out of water there's a stream not to far from here that we can take from and boil. Got baby formula, a baby's crib, hell, we could convert that little trophy room at the back into the baby's room." He said. Yep, that was another thing they discovered about the cabin. There was one bedroom with a king bed, so they were going to have to share. Oh well, Delaney knew that Brad wouldn't try anything with her. "Shit, if we get the tools, we could probably extend this cabin. Ain't hard, just a bit of a gnarly task, that's all." He shrugged and smiled. (@Soul OMU)


--


(@Rifleman - Bear with me for a moment. I'll write up a response for you once I've moved time on a little - that's happening very soon, so don't worry.)

 

[Rifleman]

( no worries using the sis entrances now anyways. )

 

[StarrySkyofLostSouls]

(I didn't watch it yet and don't plan to until around Friday, so no spoilers. And one other thing, are we getting a Clementine reference above?)
When things finally started to get dark, the windows had the outdoor shutters closed in on them as well as some sheets hung up on the inside. The back door was blocked off but it was easily removable, and all other rooms had been swept through. Brad made the effort to get everything in from the car and then park the car around the back of the cabin so it was more out of sight. All of the clothes, food, and water was in the cabin with them, and now he'd lit a fire after clearing the fireplace out. There was a once dust-covered rug sitting on the ground in front of the fire. A bearskin rug, but thanks to some spring cleaning it was back to its real self. This area of the forest and this cabin alone made it seem as if none of the apocalypse was ever relevant. It was nice, but it was getting dark out and time was ticking on - both were tired after all of the work they did, so, this little rest up by the fire was rewarding while they ate some beans and all of that. Seeing as they were both closer now, Brad had an arm around her shoulders in a shielding and friendly way more than anything.


".. Something's just occurred to me. We could really survive out here." He smiled as he stared into the fire. ".. It's so remote, natural foods growing everywhere, wild game, we've got medicine and water, and when we run out of water there's a stream not to far from here that we can take from and boil. Got baby formula, a baby's crib, hell, we could convert that little trophy room at the back into the baby's room." He said. Yep, that was another thing they discovered about the cabin. There was one bedroom with a king bed, so they were going to have to share. Oh well, Delaney knew that Brad wouldn't try anything with her. "Shit, if we get the tools, we could probably extend this cabin. Ain't hard, just a bit of a gnarly task, that's all." He shrugged and smiled. (@Soul OMU)


--


(@Rifleman - Bear with me for a moment. I'll write up a response for you once I've moved time on a little - that's happening very soon, so don't worry.)

Hunter nods slightly as she gets up slightly and makes her way back down the stairs with him, holding his hand lightly as they make their way back to the main sitting area. "I suppose we will." she said with a small smile. (@DrTrollinski)

 

[DrCompton]

Tom mumbled lightly, squeezing Carl, then promptly went back to snoring.

 

[Soviet Panda]

Grabbing Daniel's shoulder, he holds a finger up to his lips and points to the were the rusteling came from. Whispering now, he says "You'd be surprised where deer manage to hide. Short hunt if it is one." Looking intently in the direction of the noise, he realized it might be something else as well. "Give me the rifle, Daniel."


(@DrTrollinski )

 

[DrTrollinski]

Daniel stuck close to him and quickly handed him the rifle. He took a few steps back and pushed himself up against the nearest tree while running his eyes around the surrounding area. (@Beowulf)

 

[TheHarlequinnCat]

(@DrTrollinski believe it or not it's more of me thinking about Rue from The Hunger Games; I watched a movie with the actress in it and I was like in love she's so cute. I can't even like talk about Clem without getting sad... Cuz... LEE)


Delaney's smile grew wider and wider, she laughed sweetly; with a voice as light as chiming bells. Pushing a wild strand of curly hair behind her ear she looked down at the fire with hope in her eyes. The German Shepherd was planted close by, basking in the warmth; seeming to take to love as a bird does to flight, just as Delaney did before. She rubbed her stomach, not even realizing that she did; it had gotten to the point she was starting to really feel like a mother. This baby was real, she could feel it move in her and shift; it was the most human she'd felt in a long time, with the comforts of home and a bun in the oven; with a strong man who would protect her, talking about how they could expand their horizons. It hit her like a wall, that this was the life she'd imagined for herself so long before; new baby, new start, no enemies left, and new friends to be made. She was getting what she always dreamed of, and the world just had to end for her to get it.


Fiercely, the fire burned in her soul as much as it did in the pit; she was coming back to life, touching reality to realize this wasn't any dream. She was here, and she was real; Brad was still with her after so long, and it seemed like years even though it'd been months. The baby was real, and she was actually happy it was here now that they were nesting in the cabin. Closing her eyes, she breathed in slowly, and stayed in that meditative peace. "We're going to be just fine, Brad... We're just fine." She echoed her thoughts placidly, the tone almost quivering in a wretched haunting memory of the reality they faced. But she was happy, so genuinely free from what chains bound her; and Delaney felt that she could conquer the world, as long as this man and her baby could be there.


---


Levi took a cautious draw back in his seat, he was watching this man; knowing that the older must've been pretty worn out from the apocalypse. It was a miracle the man had lived this far into it. He straightened himself out, just hardly noticeable to them; but it was like climbing a mountain to Levi, remembering to keep his breathing at the level 6 seconds in-6 seconds out, he repeated himself "I'm looking for West, I have some news that might interest him." Levi wouldn't bring up the word 'help', it wasn't that he needed 'help'; he needed to let West know that his lover was alive, and there was a chance he could do what Levi couldn't.


@DrTrollinski

 

[adelaide X]

Adelaide stacked cans of beans on top of one another, counting them as she went. "74...75...76-" Her hand reached out to grab another can, but found only empty air. "What?" She turned her attention away from the growing pile and to the empty boxes at her feet. "No way. That's not possible." She took down the towers of cans and replaced them into their designated boxes. "76." She repeated quietly. "This isn't good."


With the ever growing amount of survivors in the mall and the rapidly depleting amount of food, it seemed that they were going to run out much sooner than originally thought. Adelaide shook her head. This can't be possible. If we run out of food we'll be stuck going on raids or leaving for a new place. Either way people were sure to die. Adelaide left the storage room and found Alex and Hunter in the main sitting area. She noted the intertwined hands, but did not comment on it. Right now there was an actual problem. She would have to save her I told you so comments for later. "Alex, we have a problem." She called out. (@Soul OMU )

 

[Soviet Panda]

Making sure a bullet was ready to go, he aimed it at the rather large bush all the rusteling was coming from. He hadn't shot a gun in a while, so he shook with the effort of keeping the barrel of the gun up. Moving slowly towards the noise, trying his best not to make a noise, his soft boots helping a lot. If it was a deer or any animal in general no harm done, but if it was the other, at least Daniel would be able to get back and tell the others.


(@DrTrollinski )

 

[DrTrollinski]

".. Oh--.. Wait here." He said to Hunter, he then hopped up and began to follow Adelaide to whatever place she planned to take him to. He wondered what the problem would be. As far as he knew, there was nothing wrong with... Well. There wasn't much wrong with their life right now. "What's the problem?" He asked as he began walking up the stairs with her. (@october_rain)


--


"Of course we are. I never said otherwise." He muttered, smiling. This was just... this was better than what he'd experienced before. This time, any kid that was growing up around him was going to have a mother there for them, unlike the children he had way back when. He was confident, and he was willing to take a dive for Delaney at any given time. He allowed her to lean against him and he put both arms around her, his right hand gently caressing the upper part of her furthest arm. ".. There's a lot we can do here, sweetheart... Hell, give it a few years and we might even have a community goin' on up here. Who knows." He smiled and chuckled a little. "Nah, but seriously... fresh land for crops, opportunities to build - it'll be like... Frontier life, in a way. We ain't ever runnin' out of trees, though. The tress go on for miles, but that'll all come with time." He added. He placed his other hand down on her baby bump and took a deep breath as he gently ran his hand over it - the magical times of when his wife was pregnant just came straight back to him, feeling the squirms and the kicks just made you feel more alive. "Not long left now, eh?" He said. (@TheHarlequinnCat)


--


"Hmph. You best come inside, he ain't gonna' be back for a while and it's gettin' late." The old man grumbled, pulling the woman backwards a little and then patting the young girl on the head so that they could follow him off into the kitchen. The door was left wide open for Levi. Quite welcoming people, were they not? (@TheHarlequinnCat - Let's make your next reply the last until we have the few hours time advancement. That'll be soon.)


--


There was a ferocious shriek that went off from behind the bushes after the bullet went through it. A creature that was far from friendly sprung out and started dashing around. Daniel screamed in terror and hid behind the tree when he saw it; this said creature didn't really have skin, and its vulgar muscles and tissue showed as the moonlight gleamed off of it. It took one long circle around the forest, its six inch claws scratching up the dirt as it ran; its teeth were about the size of Daniel's index finger, and there were two rows of teeth which meant that whoever ran into one of these wasn't getting away so easily. It started charging at Conner from a distance. Thirty feet away, twenty, ten, five. And stop. It shrieked once more as a hunter's rope trap coiled around its hind leg and harshly swept it up off the ground, it struggled and shrieked horrifically, but it couldn't get free. This was Conner's chance. (@Beowulf)

 

[StarrySkyofLostSouls]

Hunter raises a brow before shaking her head and decides to sneak out to go spy on those people she saw earlier, grabs her bag, pistols and machete and quickly but quietly makes her way out of the mall and out into the alleys to carefully maneuver her way to where she saw the car parked when on the mall with Alex.


Scarlet eating some canned raviolis while Jenna sleeps, has been keeping watch since she knows the girl needs her sleep even though the sun hasn't even set yet but was beginning to descend down towards the horizon. Jenna yawned softly and slowly started to wake as Scarlet was looking out over the horizon. "Hm... Now ain't that something... It's been a long time since I have ever seen a sunset like this one..." She said softly as Jenna watched her Aunt slightly before going to her side. "Really?" Scarlet blinks slightly and looks at her. "Yes really."

 

[adelaide X]

Adelaide led him back to the storage room that contained the food. "I don't know how this could have happened. I mean just last month we still had enough food for nearly a year, but now we've got about two months left." She sighed deeply and ran a hand through her hair nervously. "How did this even )?" She asked quietly, more to herself than Alex. Adelaide leaned back against the wall. "What are we going to do?" (@DrTrollinski

 

[Soviet Panda]

He wouldn't have been ashamed to admit it, but when that thing came out he nearly shit a brick. Frozen in a mixture if shock and fear, he watched as it rushed him, then suddenly get caught in a trap. Thank god for his teachings, finally they were paying off. Taking his chance, he fired several more shots into the thing, enough to make it stop moving anyway. Once he was sure it was dead, he turned to Daniel. "Run as fast as you can back to the colony. Tell them what just happaned. Don't look back, no matter what else you hear, understand? Now go" giving a shove to get him going, he turns back to the thing. The colonists will need to know what this new monster looked like, and he had a conveniently dead one hanging in front of him. Cuttig it down and tying it up, he begins the difficult process of draggig it back with only one hand.


(@DrTrollinski )

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Oh, shit my boots." He muttered, shaking his head. He looked through some of the boxes and saw that they were high on medical supplies, but the water supplies were around the same as the food. He rubbed the back of his head and looked back to Adelaide. "Fuck me senseless. Okay. We're going to need to hit food warehouses and all of that. This town's dead, and I'm sure there's places that have got something for us - until then, we start rationing. Children come first, they get the food first before anyone else. That doesn't include Eric. He's strong, and he's already bought a few extra cans back from when he goes out in the mornings, so we can round this to about eighty cans. We need to the limit the number of cans we get through per day to as little as possible, even if that means us and the older people going hungry for a night. Water gets limited each day, we share that as much as possible and don't needlessly drink it. We'll have a rotation of who eats and who doesn't, but regardless of the rota, the kids eat first, there's no arguing with me on that." He explained. He seemed calm but also worried at the same time - the small town idea didn't seem so bad after all. First thing was first, they needed group stability. (@october_rain - Last post for now. Doing a mini time-skip soon.) 
Daniel had tears running down his cheeks. He ran off back to the colony in a panicked sprint until he found someone. "There's a monster! You gotta' go help Conner, there's a monster!" He sobbed to the armed guards before dropping to his knees. One of them sent the others off to assist Conner while he stayed and comforted Daniel as best he could. (@Beowulf - Last post, bear with me.)

 

[TheHarlequinnCat]

Delaney's eyes opened slowly, watching the fire burn before her; she had the faintest thought as she wondered what it would've felt like to burn from the inside. Humming a tune, she vacantly thought of how it'd feel to be inconsolably burning; with black smoke coming out in waves from every word she said, and the void her heart would feel as it charred into ash. To lose the one she loved. She opened her eyes a little wider, stopping to look up at Brad, then down at her stomach. Delaney knew that if she lost either one of them, she couldn't go on; it was selfish, but she felt it to be true in that moment. Glancing from side to side, she nodded slowly; "We could have a great community, they'd build houses down the mountainside, but we'd leave enough room for the natural woods to grow." Smiling, she continued the fantasy world, "The kids would swim in the river during summer, and we'd have watch posts set around for the... " She trailed off, only to come back with, "Everyone would be trained to kill them effectively... Maybe they'll find a cure before that though." Delaney looked to Brad with hope, maybe he would back her up on it. "They have to at least try..."


@DrTrollinski


---


Levi didn't trust this, he didn't move; only looked to the two, seeing as nobody before him would be suitable for a rescue mission. He stayed still, stoic, and unmoving; "Has he ever mentioned a man named Nick?" Levi inquired, completely sidetracking the two; he noticed the little girl perked up, peering out from where she hid with curiosity in her expression. He wasn't sure if these were some of the people Nick traveled with before, evidently the girl recognized his name to some extent, but maybe West had mentioned something... Anything that could help him get a lead to bring people back to get them. It was so far fetched, but he had to at least try; he couldn't live with himself if he caused another tragedy. 
(did you guys like the parallelism I drew between Delaney's thoughts and pretty much everyone in our RP?)

 

[Rifleman]

"80 miles North of Syracuse, Fort Drum, Upstate New York 6 AM " A young cadet said to herself, staring into the once bristling armored base, that is nothing but a pile of burning ash and destruction as bodies laid across the ground. HMMVWs burned, as carcasses burned to a dark black where no remains could be recognized. She saw bodies just beginning to decompose, all shot to the head or the chest, various ranks. What happened here.... " The military was in total disarray, under attack, for once the offensive, was on the defensive.... Interesting, whoever did this, hit them where it hurt. "

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Sweetheart... I think they've already tried. God help us, I'm still believin' there's the white-coats locked away in underground labs and tryin' to find somethin'." He chuckled softly under his breath and continued to gently rub her bump. "Whatever happens. Community or neighbors, it's gonna' be us there. The three of us." He smiled, but then looked down at Oreo. "Make that four." He chuckled. ".. It'll be nice if things got off the ground like that... Heh, I can just imagine it. It's a nice thing to think about." He said, looking around the warm and cozy log cabin. It was going to be bedtime soon enough - he knew for a fact that they were both tired. (@october_rain, @DryPunishment, @Soul OMU, @GunzABlazinz)


--


It was late and Delaney and Brad had gone to bed - the door was locked and the windows were closed off, so they were safe to sleep on a comfy king bed beside each other for the rest of the night. It was heavenly with the huge fur blankets and other bedding that made it a bed only fit for royalty - this was the highlight of the cabin, I swear to god. With enough food to keep them going, and a bit of alcohol as well, Brad settled on one single drink while sitting in front of the fire. He wanted to hold a toast with Delaney, but seeing as she was pregnant, he didn't want to even think of offering her a drink. He didn't need to explain why, he knew that Delaney was a responsible woman.


Brad woke up at around ten o'clock. It was still early, but they were both exhausted - he needed to use the bathroom, though, so he carefully unlocked the door and went across the hallway to get to the bathroom; his bladder was pressured, but he was soon relieved of the annoyance. He realized something, though - way out here, all the way out in the middle of nowhere, like everywhere else, there was running water and functioning sewage works. The toilet flushed perfectly, the water coming back clean. What the hell? Brad didn't know what to think of it. He was too tired to even care; he went to the sink and, of course, the running water helped him wash his hands.


'Dad, what are you doing?' A whisper shot through his ears and he froze, frowning to himself. He turned off the faucet and slowly turned around to look behind him. There was no one there. It was a boy's voice that he heard, but it must have only been the trick of his mind due to him being so tired. His two kids that he lost had been crossing his mind a lot lately, so it must have been some sort of audio illusion, or something. He shook it off and walked back to the bedroom, locked the door, and climbed back into bed beside Delaney - he was only in his underwear, so that simple trip to the bathroom froze him half to death. He was quick to drift back off to sleep. For now. (@TheHarlequinnCat)


--


Chris felt a shaking on his shoulder in the dead of the night. It was Nathan shaking him to wake him up. As soon as he awoke he saw that Nathan seemed restless but also looked quite scared as well; Nathan didn't say anything at first and his legs continued to jitter in discomfort. (@Rifleman)


--


"So. What in the name of holy fuck is this thing?" One man asked - it was one of the guards that went to help Conner drag this monstrosity back. They had it in the morgue of the Sheriff's Department building; it was set out on one of the metal slabs - the Sheriff's Department was the only building in town that ran off of an emergency power and water source, hence why no one in the town ever used it. They had the lights down in the morgue blaring out a bright and nearly blinding spectrum, of which only exposed this monster even more. It was hideous, grotesque, and extremely dangerous. (@Beowulf) 
(Not sure if I missed anyone. I think I've got everyone covered there, but please let me know if I haven't - Harlequinn, you can right up the next entry on Levi's side seeing as you seem to have control of West right now, and I don't want to force your character back to this place before you want him to be.)

 

[StarrySkyofLostSouls]

Hunter had been busy watching and observing the two people she had seen earlier that day and hadn't been around to hear about their low food ratios, she was more focused on figuring out if their new neighbours were friendly or not. She however noticed one had a sniper rifle shook her head at the thought, couldn't have been them... They were coming from the opposite direction of where the shots came from... The girl is around the same age as Eric as I thought... Her... Guardian is a bit older then Cece but has the same hair style... And eyes... Focus Hunter. She thought to her self as she carefully kept herself hidden, however that she didn't stay hidden for long behind the young girl noticed her. "...who are you?" She asked softly as Hunter stiffened and turned slowly towards the girl who was holding a kitchen knife while watching her with guarded eyes. "...I'm Hunter... I'm with a group of survivors... Your... Mom or whatever passed me earlier today when we were heading back..." She said slowly while also being careful of what she says.


Jenna watched the blonde woman carefully before lowering her knife slightly. "A group? And she's not my mom... She's my aunt." She said while her body had relaxed a bit her eyes still held distrust. (@october_rain, @DrCompton, if anyone noticed she was missing. xD )

 

[Soviet Panda]

"Not a clue. Let's call him 'Ugly'." Connor said. In the light he was able to see it in all it's hideous glory. "Whey the hell do you want to name it anyway? All I want to know is how to kill it faster." A little high school dissection would solve that mystery in no time.


(@DrTrollinski)

 

[Aldur]

"We gotta do something... What if someone was to leave?"


He was wondering. He wasn't really that important in the group. And he couldn't beat Tom at being a fatherly figure. But Tom already had Eric and Carl on his hands...


"Would it be enough,then?"


@DrTrollinski

 

[DrTrollinski]

"I never said I wanted to name him." The man replied, slipping on some gloves and prying the jaws of the creature open. It was almost like wolf that had been turned, but it was more... humanoid. This virus had never done something this extreme. Well, it had done something similar, but not on this level. "Look at the teeth on this fucker." He said. "Jesus, I wish the doc was around. They're still out? They've been gone for fuckin' hours - You think they're good out there?" He asked as he inspected the mouth of this thing. Two sets of teeth, almost like a Great White shark. Almost. Then again, they weren't exactly praying that there were some of these things that had three sets as well. (@DryPunishment)

 

[DrCompton]

"Rationing is a temporary solution. We should pack up what we've got and move on. Spring is about to hit full bloom, animals will be be back, if we head a littl further south we might be able to find a town, shit, at least farm, start growing for ourselves?" Tom sighed, he was still a little groggy, but his hand went to Carl's shoulder and squeezed it. His right up was up in a sling, and wrapped tightly to him so he wouldn't move it. "Staying here is just a death sentence."