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Realistic or Modern The Dead Hills - IC

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ARCHIE "THE SCOTSMAN" MCKEEGAN​
Milly's embrace was worth getting achy hands making those little idols; the lumberjack cracking another smile. "You know you're my little bluebird, Mills." He commented, stroking the back of her head as she nuzzled into him with thanks. She needn't have said a thing, for the big Scotsman knew what it meant by that point. There was more gratitude in that expression than he might've ever received in his own line of work if the apocalypse hadn't begun. The younger girl continued to leap up in order to help her newly acquired, black and yellow friend -- the small plastic box put into Arch's lap whilst she stumbled off toward the canteen, returning minutes after from her mission successfully to again retrieve the tupperware from him and give the bee a boost of sugar. With his young companion snuggling into his side, he was more or less shocked by the peck on his cheek; causing his complexion to turn ruddy. "What was that about?" He gave a small laugh, appearing flattered more than anything.

They sat watching the bumblebee till Milly put the chicken in his lap, taking the small insect off to release it back where it would begin the long journey to the hive. McKeegan stroked Norris' feathers back, settling the bird down as he waited, giving a little well-needed scratch here and there. Glancing up at Milly's eventual return and proposition, Archie began to nod. "How about we go down to the river? We can still play hide and seek you know. But it'd be nice, we could even invite Jen and Zelda to tag along, and of course, Dan the man." He began to get up, putting the poultry down as he caught the figure of the doctor out the corner of his eye. "And here's my favourite person now!" He twisted around on his heel, grabbing Zed's elbow to tug her in toward him. "Just who I was looking for, now, we're going down to the river to cool off and play some hide and seek. You're coming whether you like it or not." Whipping off his cap, he tugged it on over her head to hide her bloodshot, hungover eyes. "No arguing."

The lumberjack hopped across to the house, doing a little jog before crashing the door open and leaning into the hallway. "JEN, WE'RE OFF TO THE RIVER! YOU SHOULD COME! MACK'LL BE FINE. 'AVE KIDNAPPED ZED. REMEMBER TO BRING TOWELS." With a sniff he looked between the doctor and Milly before making his way back over, jerking a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of their somewhat leader. "She should've heard that. Now come on." Wrapping one arm around Zelda to push her with him, one hand gently on the top of Milly's head they now approached Calliope and Daniel. "Hey! You two! We're headin' out to the river. It's outside the Mountaintop but it'll be good for a cool off and a game. I think everyone needs a laugh since Dave went bonkers. How'd you like that idea, Danny boy? Cali?" He grinned, squeezing both Zelda and Milly as he tried to persuade their fellow survivors. "I'll throw you as far as I can and everythin'. Just like a water park. Although, more river-like." He mused comedically.

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Calliope and Daniel were alerted by the yelling of a familiar lumberjack. Calliope smiled at his request and Daniel perked up immediately. He ran over to give Archie a bear hug, dropping his bouncy ball. He then stepped back and waved energetically to Milly and Zelda. Calliope paced over the group, picking up Daniel's ball on the way,
"I think that's a good idea," She smiled to Daniel, the excitement clear on his face, "Danny doesn't know how to swim so just keep an eye on him for me out there," Her gaze wandered over to Archie now, "His birthday is coming up too so maybe this is the perfect time to let off some steam," She tossed the ball to him and he caught it clumsily. Not a sporty kid like his sister, but he was getting there.
The sun was beating down on the colony and it was becoming humid. A day in the river didn't seem like such a bad idea. After what they had experienced with David, they deserved a day off. Calliope herself felt a little guilty for the ordeal. David had brought them in, saved them kind of, not that they couldn't have survived out on their own. But he gave Daniel a better chance at life and Calliope plotted against him. She was sure he'd be a face she'd see in her nightmares some day. Right along with her dead family members to greet her.
She scruffled Daniel's dark head of hair, "You can swim in your boxers, bud. You have a change of clothes upstairs so it'll be fine." Calliope made a mental note to herself that she needed a bath so maybe jumping in with him wasn't a bad idea, though she couldn't swim either and was highly neurotic about animals.
She turned her attention back to Archie and Zelda for a moment while Daniel went to throw his ball around, "How are you guys holding up? I tried to visit you guys in the hospital but--" She paused and looked away, "--It just triggered some bad memories. I couldn't focus and being there just put me in the way." She offered a meek smile but it was more for herself than them.


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Some time had passed since Zelda and Jennifer had spoken. Jennifer’s mind has fallen into a chaotic state. The horrors of her past had come to the center of her mind. These things, stuff that she had pushed aside for so long, had finally pushed their way back into the center. However, instead of dealing with them, she was again trying to push them out of her mind. The only problem with this was that she knew, at some time or another, she’d have to dig of these demons from her long, dark past. She paced around the house, started doing repetitive activities, all in the sake of trying to be able to push those demons back into the dark crevasses of her mind she had made them retreat to for so long.

While she was upstairs, cleaning some various things in her room, she heard the door open downstairs. She stopped what she was doing, and listened for a moment. The girl was under the impression that it was one of the leaders of the militia or construction groups in the Mountaintop. Ever since she took over, plans and requests long shelved due to Dave being in charge were on the backlog. With new leadership, many of the normal operations were resuming, and plans were as well. They all needed approval from leadership.

Assuming that this was the reason, she sighed, lowering her head and shaking it. Before she was about to say a word, the sound of the Scotsman sounded through the building. He notified her that he, Zelda, Milly, Daniel and Cali were heading down to the river down below the cliff which the house rest on. In addition to saying she should come, he requested towels.

“Sure I’ll-,” she began to say after a several second hesitation, only for the sound of the door closing and the Scotsman walking away.

“-come and bring.. the.. towels,” she finished saying quietly to herself.

Jennifer was going to clean her gun, her 17s, before Archie came in. It was her gun she primarily used when the dead rose. She’d lost it for a short amount of time when she was kidnapped and taken to the hospital when with her old group, there being where many of the demons lie in her mind today. She’d recovered her favorite rifle when they rescued her from the armory. Since then, she’s had that gun close, but she hadn’t used it much. People tend to have sentimental value placed on seemingly meaningless objects. For Jennifer, this rifle was one of those. She had bought it before the dead rose, and used it to survive. But, the sentimental value ran deeper with the rifle, there being some specific reasons she didn’t talk much about that gave her the sentimental value. Losing it that one time when kidnapped, she didn’t want to lose it again, confining the rifle to the under seat storage of her truck.

Searching through her things, she found some clothes she wouldn’t mind using as swimwear. She had no intentions of swimming, but she threw them on underneath her current clothing, and packed spare clothing in her backpack. She then proceeded to grab towels, whatever she had. There weren’t many, four in total, but there were better than nothing. She also grabbed a fishing pole and a small tackle box, collapsing it into two and stuffing it in her backpack. In addition, she grabbed a small collapsible chair to bring her her, as well as her SCAR 17s and some cleaning supplies. She had more of the intention to be there and clean her guns than go swimming, as well as keep a watch out for anything threatening. She packed a handgun, a Smith & Wesson 460V, chambered in .460 S&W, as a backup.

With everything packed up, Jennifer began to walk out of the house. Walking to the group, she handed Archie a radio.

“I’m going to go check it out down there, make sure the place is clear before we walk down there. I’ll let you know when I get there. We’re on a cliff, so getting down there isn’t quite easy. I’ll just radio in once I get there and make sure it’s clear,” she explained to him.

Jennifer then began to walk out towards the gate. Alerting the gate guard of what was going on, he opened the gate for her and she stepped out of the Mountaintop. It was odd for Jennifer being out of there when she’d be confined in that space for so long. Walking around the sides of the cliff, she looked for a suitable place to climb down. The dead that were tied to the trees around the Mountaintop moaned as she walked by, excited that potential food was in front of them. But, being they were tied to the trees, they couldn’t move. Jennifer kept an eye on them, however, in the event one had slipped out.

As she walked along the cliff, she found a suitable place to walk down, adjacent to where the medical building was in the Mountaintop, just further down the cliff a bit. Using the trees and landscape to her advantage, she hiked down the cliff. A mudslide, which are common in West Virginia, had caused a lot of the trees and such to fall down the cliff, making a makeshift sort of path down, less steep than the rest of the cliff.

Finally at the water, she walked around and looked for a good spot. After walking it for awhile, she determined the best place at the lake would be directly under the house up at the Mountaintop. Some fallen trees in the area made a makeshift sort of barrier on the lake, as well as making a small pool where the current of the lake wasn’t strong. The lake didn’t have a string current to begin with, but it was calmer there. There was also likely small fish in these pools, though none worth eating. Jennifer unpacked here, taking her chair out first, towels following that, and her 17s and cleaning supplies. The fishing pole she grabbed next, but she didn’t intend on fishing, at least not yet. Sitting on her chair on the lake’s beach, she pulled her radio out.

“Archie,” she spoke into it, “I found a spot. It’s situated under the ridge where the house at the Mountaintop is. When you leave, head towards the medical center on the other side of the wall, then walk directly parallel to it until you get to the ridge. Around there is a mudslide where a bunch of trees are down. Use that to get down and then follow the becah towards where the house is. You’ll have to go around the curve of the land. I’m sitting here. See you soon, over.”

Once off the radio, she looked at the fishing pole.

“Ah hell, why not,” she muttered to herself. Grabbing it, she set it up and threw it out. She wasnt sure what was out there, so she intended on trying various lures and bait. The girl used to fish a long time ago. It was calming and peaceful to her. Oftentimes, when she needed to clear her head, fishing would be one of the activities she did to do so. And right now, she needed just that. Fishing always had a weird way of helping her in times like these. And right now, she was hoping the peaceful nature of fishing could help, at least before everyone gets down there and it isn’t calm. The girl stood there, casting out, reeling in, and repeating. She felt a nibble once or twice. So she knew something was out there. Now, she was determined to catch whatever it was out there.

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Zelda Williams
Milly McDonald​
Zelda narrowed her eyes as the sun made them hurt even more. She let out a sigh and was just about to go back inside, the woman suddenly heard the Scotsman’s jolly voice announcing that she was there.

“Oh shi-” she yelped as she felt her elbow being grabbed by the man’s huge hand. She listened to him as he told her how they were going to go to the river to… play hide and seek? This announcement caused a memory to surge through the woman’s dizzy mind…
***​
“Mum! Watch me dive!” Zelda looked up at Jason as he stood proudly atop the diving board, thankfully it was not the tallest one. She smiled at him as he strutted up there like a proud peacock.
“Okay, I’m watching, Jason just be careful!” She shouted up as the boy suddenly seemed to lose his bravado and hesitate.
“Um… I… You know what I’ll just come down.” Zelda laughed heartily as the boy suddenly turned into the kid he was.
“Come on, chicken! It’s just water!” She shouted, which earned her an angry look from the boy. That was one way to get him to do something. Call him a chicken.
“I’ll show you chicken!” he shouted before, without another word leaping off of the diving board, landing with a hard SPLASH in the pool. He squealed on the way down, leaving the woman laughing again as she slid back into the water towards him. Jason re-emerged, gasping.
“Oh…. AW YES DID YOU SEE THAT?” He shouted proudly, “Tom Daley eat your heart out!”
“Hahaha… he’d better watch out.”
“Go on, mum! You go now! It’s not scary!”
“Oh ho ho, no way you’ll get me up there.”
“You chicken!”
“Hm, well I might wanna do it but,” she rubbed her clearly pregnant belly, “Don’t think this little lady would like it.” She looked at her son with a smile as he climbed out. After following him out, the pair went into the changing rooms.
​
*ring ring* Zelda’s phone buzzed in her bag, as she dried Jason’s hair with a towel.
“Mark, can you get it for me?” She asked her husband, who was already washed and dressed. Without a word, he obeyed and answered as Zelda finished packing and looked to Jason as he started talking about the movie they were going to see later on.
“Hello? No this is her husband, how can I help you? Oh… Oh my-.... Okay. Um… I’ll get her,” Zelda, who was laughing at something Jason had said looked to Mark, but as she did she saw how his face had gone pale, his expression sober.
“Zelda, it’s the hospital,” he spoke softly, in a voice that was only ever used in one situation.
“The hospital? What-?”
“It… It’s your mum…”
***​
Zelda zoned back in as she felt something being placed on her head. That thing being the trucker’s cap she had seen Archie wearing. Once it was put on her head, it shielded her eyes from both the sun’s rays and other eyes. She looked up at him, knowing he was trying to cheer her up but could only look at him with a lost expression as a response. She really didn’t want to go swimming. All it did was bring back bad memories. Memories she wanted to forget. But as Archie said, she couldn’t argue.

“...Okay.” she mumbled before she felt herself being dragged along by the man. She could barely keep up with him, she could barely keep herself up! Her legs felt like jelly and she felt terribly unbalanced. The grass felt pleasant under her bare feet, but the sun was stinging. She just wanted to go back inside and sleep. As she was pulled along, she saw Milly who had pulled away from Archie and was busy chasing Norris the hen around. She was giggling happily as the hen seemed to be having a good time too. At one point, Milly’s laughing stopped and she let out a yelp as she suddenly fell onto the grass, as she did Zelda heard a snap.

“Milly?” She took a couple of stumbly steps towards her, “Are you okay?”

Milly had sat up and was holding her knee. She looked at Zelda as she looked down at her. She bit her lip anxiously. The woman stank of booze and was clearly drunk but she seemed… sad. She thought back to when she last saw her mother. Since then, she only thought alcohol made people angry. From what Milly had been told, her father Jack was an alcoholic. And that was why she was half blind with bad knees. She didn’t want to be believe it. She could not remember her father. But looking at Zelda, she could see that in her pink and bloodshot eyes there was a lot of pain.

“I’m okay it’s… my knees aren’t good. They hurt all the time.” she looked to the side, biting her lip. She felt rather embarrassed. She got back up shakily on her feet. She tried to shake it off, despite the pain in her knees. She limped back to Archie, leaving Zelda standing a little bit away. Archie was shouting into Jennifer’s house telling her to come. Despite being a distance away, his shouting rang in her sore head, making the woman groan and grab her head. She staggered back to the pair, still unsteady on her feet. She saw that Jennifer had come out and gone ahead to find a good spot. She let out a sigh, feeling her chest burning from heartburn. She unscrewed the water bottle, which contained the red wine, she took a very long drink from it. Sure, it aggravated her heart burn but her nerves were shot. She looked at the group of people, putting the bottle away as she went towards them, seeing both Cali and Daniel were there.

She stood next to Archie as Milly picked up the ball that Daniel had dropped and was throwing it up and down contently, though Zelda could still see she was favouring her sore leg. Zelda wanted to try and help her out but she didn't think the younger girl would let her. She just looked towards Cali as she then asked the pair how they were in the hospital. For some reason, that statement tilted the woman terribly.

“How am I holding up?” She asked, trying to keep her voice from slurring. She did not know why she was doing this but did not feel like she could control it right now, “How am I holding up!? How the fuck do you think I’m holding up!? I got shot to fucking pieces! I almost died! I spent the last week being pumped full of drugs and stitched up with no anesthetic! And just there, I almost killed a woman and would have if nobody said nothing! But… that doesn’t matter, does it? You hid in a room, for fuck sake! And now you tell me that you didn’t come see us because of some memories? I’m pretty sure when you mean “you guys”, you’re talking about him.” She looked at Archie before turning back to the woman. She was not angry with Archie. Not in the slightest. She wanted him to know that.

“Cause from what I’ve seen, how you fucking talk to me, look at me… What was the last thing you said to me? ‘You're upset over an illogical reason.’ after I said that Jennifer, one of my fucking patients, was strong! Actually, now I think about it that was the first and last thing you’ve ever said to me! And now you suddenly want to know how I’m doing?! Fuck! Off!” and with that she looked at Archie, “I’ll see you at the river.”

With that, she pulled away from the man and started making her way to the river herself, too wound up and angry to focus on anything. She got about forty metres from the group when she suddenly felt one foot go down a rabbit hole, causing the unsteady woman to fall onto her knees. She let out a groan of pain as she got up onto her hands and knees. What she hadn’t seen was Milly running to her.

“Zelda, are you okay?”

“FUCK-” she went to snarl but stopped upon realising it was indeed Milly. The younger girl looked shook, standing there clinging to her teddy bear with wide eyes. It made Zelda’s heart sink with guilt. She really did remind her of Jason.

“I’m fine, Milly… I'm sorry for that.” she huffed as she got up. Her ankle hurt, making her wonder if she had sprained it. She looked back at the others before just shaking her head and running (or a combination of drunkenly stumbling and limping) off, “Fuckin’ making it all about you as always…”

“Zelda, wait-!” Milly squeaked before spotting something on the ground. It was Zelda’s water bottle. The cap had come off and it was now leaking its red contents through the grass. She stooped down and grabbed it and its top. She looked for Zelda, who was now out of sight.

“...Archie?” she squeaked, cuddling back up to the man, handing him the bottle, “Um… should I throw this away?” she asked. She didnt know what to do with it. She had never personally handled alcohol. And… well, she didnt want to see Zelda hurt herself anymore. She was then distracted by Norris pecking her foot, before running away wanting Milly to chase her. Milly giggled and looked at the smaller boy, Daniel.

“Bet I’ll catch her before you do!” She said cheekily before running after the hen, albeit in her clumsy and rather un-steady way but still. She couldn’t help but kick her heels up, almost like a rabbit’s binkie. Despite it all, it was a sunny day and they were all going to go swimming. It could be a good day!
***​
This was a shite day. Zelda huffed heavily as she finally pushed through the trees to the river. She had overheard Jennifer talking over the radio so had an idea as to where the girl was. She saw her sitting by the bank fishing. Zelda wanted to talk to her. She wanted to talk to Archie, basically anyone. Having to suppress everything all the time was exhausting and painful but… she couldn’t tell anyone about it. She already made a fool of herself talking to Cali like that. The girl didn’t really deserve it… did she? And it was in front of Daniel too. Wait… did she just ruin their day? Who would want to go swimming or having fun after that performance? She just ruined everything. As per usual. Why Archie still wanted her around was something she could not understand. She moved away from Jen, under one of the large trees in the shade and sat on the grass, looking away from her. She took her flask out, drinking the last of it. She knew she had dropped the bottle but she didn't care. She felt so sick, unbalanced and… well plastered, it didn't matter anymore. Maybe if she sat here she wouldn’t make things worse. That is if they were still coming after that. The whole thing just made her want to cry. But knowing Jennifer was there, she couldn't afford another breakdown. She knew Archie was going to be angry. She just knew. Maybe if they didn’t she’d be able to drown herself with nobody knowing. Or there was a waterfall. Just… something to make it all stop.
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ARCHIE "THE SCOTSMAN" MCKEEGAN​
With Milly and her giggling cut short by a crack of what he presumed was bone, Archie's features dissolved into concern initially; turning back from his shout to Jennifer with a rather scolding shake of his head. "Sweetheart, what have I said about bein' careful? Huh? You know you can't strain yourself too much. Once your knees are gone, they're gone love." Zelda being close by only made him slightly more relaxed, which equalled to a smidge in terms of his fear that Milly would hurt herself badly. Nevertheless, as she returned to his side the lumberjack loosened up a bit, momentarily resting his hand on her shoulder with an affectionate squeeze. As Jen emerged with towels and other supplies like an overly prepared mother for a beach trip, Arch accepted the walkie-talkie with a curt nod of his head. "Righty-o Captain, don't do anything I wouldn't do. And y'know it's just a cliff right? You can find a way down easy, I'm sure." He smirked, nudging the woman in a playful manner.

After declaring his presence and advertising the river, the big Scotsman was graced with Daniel's bear-hug returning it with fervour. "Ach! You've got a grasp on you nowadays. Almost knocked the breath out of me!" Archie grinned, yet dropped into a crouch as Cali went on. "Looks like I'm the lifeguard today then, which ain't such a bad thing from my perspective. Just like Baywatch with Hasselhoff." He winked, standing up with a slight grunt of exertion; one hand on his back. "Christ on a bicycle, I got old before my time. This is the prime of human life ladies." Alas, the Scotsman arched his brows whilst gazing down towards the younger boy. "Birthday? Well, I'll have to make you somethin' then, huh? Dan the man won't be a play on words soon." With a light punch on the arm and cheery tone, it was hard to believe they were stuck in an apocalypse in the first place. The radio buzzed from where he'd clipped it on his belt for the time being, picking it up and holding down the transmitter. "Aye, Eagle Eyes, I'll see you there. This is Papa Bear, over and out." The woodsman glanced about the group with a boy-ish expression of amused delight. "I love doin' that."

Then came Zelda's outburst, which McKeegan did his best to contain. "Darlin', -- darlin' come on, -- this ain't -- lass, that's an unfair thing to say. Can't you save this for later?" He tried to grasp her wrist, alas the doctor had already pulled away and headed down toward the river followed by Milly. When the skinny girl returned with the bottle, cuddling up to him, Arch removed it from her hands -- pouring it out onto the grass without further word. "I don't want to see you botherin' Ms. Williams today. I want to talk to her before you do." He patted Milly on the cheek lightly; the girl scampering off once more with a call for Dan to race.

Archie took the moment of solitude to turn toward Calliope. "I'm sorry 'bout that. Don't let it put you off comin'. Zelda ... she's ... difficult." He pinched the bridge of his nose; heavily inhaling through his mouth before letting it out in a sigh. "Takes some warmin' up to. If you want, I can give a company courtesy piggyback and act as a human shield between you and our disgruntled doc. No doubt the soberin' up will be quicker than normal without her flask refills. Might even get a decent apology outta her." He beckoned the elder sister towards. "Make no mistake that lady is gonna get a sterner talkin' to than Milly does when she doesn't wannae eat her greens."

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Upon Zelda's outburst, Calliope raised her brow and hands, "I don't need this, if you want to go be dramatic then fine, I apologize for showing an inkling of concern," Her eyes pierced Zelda remorsefully, "Trust me, it won't happen again." The tension and sudden calm was heavy in the air as Zelda stomped away. Calliope wasn't thrilled with sensitive emotional talk nor did she usually give it the attention it craved. It was like sifting through high school all over. Someone always burst out emotionally for attention, forgetting that everyone else was going through puberty and dealing with things too. Even then, Calliope had drifted away from those kinds of people; they tended to start drama and bully others.
Calliope's attention wavered to Archie,
"Don't bother apologizing for her, she can take responsibility for her own actions," She smiled, though it was not genuine, "If she wants to blame me for her actions that got her shot, then so be it. I'm not here to fix anyone," She rolled her eyes mockingly and then turned around, throwing a bag over her shoulder, "I think it's better I don't join you guys at the lake, take care of Daniel for me."
Calliope didn't too much enjoy the idea of leaving Daniel's life in the hands of someone else once again but she didn't care too much for being falsely blamed either. She wasn't about to get caught up in Zelda's drama wheel and pissing contest. She wondered how she ever even made it through medical school. As a psych major when she attended college, there was no way she'd get away with an nasty attitude that Zelda had.
Calliope trusted Archie enough to keep a close eye on him and she trusted Daniel enough to know what to do in an emergency at this age. She walked to Daniel as he watched the outburst, but unlike usual he didn't glow with life even in the dark moment. He actually looked upset, which was very out of character for him,
"Hey Danny," Calliope leaned down, putting a hand on his shoulder, "I'm going to head back to the room and work on some stuff. You can go ahead with Archie, but please be careful and listen to him." Daniel nodded but no longer seemed thrilled at the idea of going to the lake. Calliope walked away, back towards their apartment.
Daniel had ignored Milly, no longer appreciating the company the group was offering. He was trying to keep a positive outlook, but he didn't enjoy his sister consistently being brought down by everyone or that everyone was so accepting of it. His family taught him from a young age to be kind to others and Calliope had taught him when you were distrustful of someone, to simply not give them any effort.
He watched Milly run around and smiled meekly, but he didn't feel like playing with her.

*************
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At the lake, Daniel's tension had eased for the most part. He didn't too much want Zelda around or near him, and since she followed Milly around he tended to migrate away from her. He focused his attention of Archie mostly, laughing and splashing him violently. Still, he wished he could've enjoyed it with Cali. They'd always spent his birthday together and had fun, even when they were mad at each other. Blood was thicker than water, she had always said. There were never any birthday cakes or candles, but there was always singing and laughter.
The lake was pretty albeit a little gross looking. Twigs and seaweed floated around in the murky water and it was absent of any wildlife. No ducks, no fish, no water spiders. It was so different than what he imagined; it had been so long since he had done anything normal that he used to do. The water was better than nothing. Normally, he and Calliope just dealt with the heat by drinking lots of water, this was a much better alternative for the increasingly warm weather. The cold water felt nice against his petite, little boy frame. His hair had grown past his ears he had noticed after dunking his head under the water and re-emerging with wet hair. He ran around in his little boy briefs and skipped stones on the water.
"Archie, how far can you skip?" He called to him excitedly.

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The familiar sound of a lure hitting the water after casting a line out echoed into Jennifer’s ear. The girl smiled. It brought back memories of days before the dead rose. Back in Indiana, after her transplant, she often had time to do little things. She eventually took up fishing as she became stronger. Often it was alone, as she didn’t have many friends or family around at the time. She was, more or less, a nobody, something she didn’t necessarily like at the time. Thinking back to this, however, she began to miss it. It was a simpler time back then. While the world wasn’t in great shape, it was certainly better than the time she was living in now.

As she was reeling in the line, she was also daydreaming. Sweet memories filled her head. She found herself stopping for a moment, grinning wide, chuckling to herself as she lowered her head and shook it. Taking a moment to fix her baseball hat and ponytail, her thought process was stopped when she felt a jerk, and then a pull, accompanied by the sound of the reel unwinding. A fish had bitten it, catching Jennifer off guard. She quickly snapped back into it and set the hook.

The fish was now hooked, and it started to put up a fight.

“Oh, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit,” she exclaimed, started to reel in, but realizing she had to adjust the drag. “Come on, come on,” she added, once getting the drag set.

The fish put up a fight, one she had remembered in the old days when she would fish. Moving from side to side, the fish fought every advancement of being reeled in. Jennifer kept pulling and reeling in, making sure to make sure the line tension didn’t get too high. After a minute or so of fighting, the fish was finally losing its strength, and reeling it in was becoming easier. At last, Jennifer was victorious as the fish came to the shore. And just as Jennifer suspected, it was a rainbow trout, and a big one. Taking the hook out of its mouth, she began to look it over. Rainbow trout were beautiful fish, and it’d been so long since she’d held one after catching it. She couldn’t help but admire it, as the fish tried escaping her hands. Her best guess was that the trout was 18 inches. It was a keeper, and furthermore, dinner. Finding a thick and heavy stick, Jennifer held the fish out, and hit it hard with the branch. The blunt force trauma incapacitated the fish immediately. Thankfully, she had thought in advance, and grabbed a bag full of ice in case she caught anything.

Putting the fish in the bag of ice, she placed it in her backpack and smiled. Hands on her hips, she again began to chuckle, smiling and shaking her head. This was a feeling she had missed so much that she had forgotten it. A tear escaped her eye as she stood there, beginning to fold her hands in prayer. She thanked her God for allowing her to have that opportunity, something she was wishing she could do more often now that her love of fishing had been found again.

The view around the lake was one that the girl herself had to stop and admire. The little things like this in her life she had forgotten all about. Everything has been stress and survival, with no time to herself or to appreciate the things she loved and admired before hell found earth. In the distance, she could see some whitetail deer on the bank of the lake, taking a sip of water. It was a sight like this that was uncommon in this world. While West Virginia was a state with a small population, it harbored a lot of wildlife. Seeing wildlife like this was rare. The beauty of the mountainous state was in full display all the time. It was just finding it amidst the chaos was difficult.

Just as Jennifer picked up her pole again, readying another cast out to try and catch another fish, she heard some noise in the trees off the bank near her. While she figured that it was the group coming down, she still was cautious, as she knew the moment that one let their guard down was the moment they became prey. Putting the rod down, she grabbed her Smith & Wesson, pulling the hammer back. She carried the gun in her hand, elbow bent towards the ground, barrel facing 80 degrees or so up.

“Hey, anyone there,” she spoke out, loud for anyone to hear.

She saw movement, but tried not to point the gun. One of the fundamental rules of gun safety was to never point your gun at something you don’t intend to destroy. She didn’t know what was causing the noise, so she didn’t point it at it. As she entered the forest, she saw Zelda, who looked as if she were trying to avoid being seen. She sat under a large tree in the grass, seemingly avoiding Jennifer walking closer.

“Zelda, that you? Where’s everyone else,” she asked, as she moved closer, until seeing the look on her face, and how pale she was. Clearly, she was emotionally distraught, and she hadn’t known why. Jennifer walked up next to her, and kneeled down, looking at her.

“Zelda, are you okay,” she asked, concerned about the woman. “I can see that something is going on in your face. What’s going on? What’s wrong?”

Her tone againstbreflected that of sympathy. She knew Zelda was damaged, and she had no intention of damaging her anymore. She wanted to do what she could to help. She was under her command now, after all. Her genuine concern was shown on her face as she looked at the woman. She just wanted to help.

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Milly McDonald​
Milly’s smile and laugh fell as she saw that Daniel wasn’t taking her invitation to play. Suddenly, all the confidence she had before just vanished. She bit her lip and rubbed the back of her neck anxiously.

“Okay… sorry.” she mumbled as she picked up her bear, hugging it close to her tightly. There was something about that that left the girl unsettled and anxious. She looked to Archie with a small smile before casting her eyes down, making her way to the river on her own. She looked around the wooded area as she walked, it was a lot more peaceful than the camp. She looked around as she heard the birds tweeting, maybe she could spot a bluebird!

Once she was at the river, she just caught a glimpse of Jennifer vanishing into the trees. Maybe she saw something? Milly thought of following her, but then Archie might worry if he could not see her. She sat down at the river's edge, letting Norris go as the hen, quite remarkably, took to the water like a duck. She clucked happily as she wadded through the water. Despite only having one leg, the hen seemed quite able. Milly giggled a little before putting her duck on the water, watching it float. The little wooden figure bobbed on top of the water as if it was floating. Milly giggled as she dipped her toes in the water, simply playing with her duck.
Zelda Williams​
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! Zelda wrapped her arms around her knees as she sat under the tree, staring blankly ahead. She had fucked up so badly. She had heard what Cali said after she stormed off. Did she really make it sound like she was blaming her? That was not what she meant but it sank into Zelda’s brain and festered. Was she avoiding responsibility? Now that she really thought about it, it really sounded like it. The woman put her head in her hands, thinking back to what Dave had said to her. He was right! They were all right! And she remembered how he threw her to the ground, punched and kicked her while dragging her around by her hair. His angry shouts pounded through her sore head as if they were just being said. And then she thought of Archie. As well as Cali, she also heard what he had said.

The woman’s eyes widened as the worse case scenario began to swirl through her sodden mind. That outburst clearly angered him. Did that mean… the woman grabbed her head, suddenly feeling like her airways had tightened. She tried to breathe deeply but couldn’t. Everything suddenly felt tight, like she could not breathe. There was only one other time she felt this way. After Dave had riddled her with bullet holes. Suddenly the images of the madman breaking down the door, screaming like he was possessed and opening fire in her direction flashed in front of her. The feeling of losing her breath, not able to fight against the spray of bullets… was it about to happen again? Dave would have punished her for what she just did, was Archie going to do the same?! He was capable. After what he did to Dave…

The sound of Jennifer’s concerned voice broke through but Zelda could not answer. She tried to but all that came out was a strained squeak. She felt that she was shaking and sweating profusely. There had to be some kind of relief! But what!? Without answering the woman, Zelda got up and stumbled to the bank of the river. Once there, she did the only thing she could think of right now. She inhaled deeply and threw her head underwater, feeling the current rush through her hair and past her face as she thrashed it around. She just wanted to feel normal! And this was the only way she thought it would work…
***​
“Mum…?” Jason slowly opened the door to the woman’s room, finding his mum lying on the bed, facing away from the door and towards the wall. In her hands, she was holding the small, pink booties that Lizzy was supposed to be wearing… but she wasn’t.
“Mum?” Jason sat on the bed, clearly upset at his mother’s lack of response, “...Where’s Lizzy?”
The sound of her lost baby’s name made Zelda want to scream and throw him out the room. It hurt too much to hear it. But even if she wanted to… she didn’t have the strength or the will.
“...She… She died, hon. I told you…” she finally got out after an intense struggle to not break down, “...She was stillborn.”
“But… couldn’t the doctors do anything?” Bless his innocence. Zelda cuddled the bootie socks close to her. She was supposed to be holding her baby but she couldn’t.
“They tried… but.” She didn’t want to talk about it anymore. She didn’t want to talk about it ever! Jason looked down.
“Okay…” he sighed sadly, leaving his mum alone in the room. Once he was gone, Zelda finally got up from the bed. Mark was still at work, what could she do? She went to the en-suite in her room, splashing her face with water. She looked in the mirror, seeing her bloodshot eyes from the tears. The woman let out a long and depressed sigh. Even that didn’t work… She washed her face over and over again. What could she have done differently? It had to have been something she did... There was no other explanation. She must have done something to kill her baby... first she was not home to save her mother from her heart attack, now this. She continued to wash her face in the sink. A futile attempt to wash all these feelings away. If only, if only...
***​
Zelda suddenly became aware of what was going on as she realised what she was doing. In a panic, she pulled back from the water, her black hair flying back and hitting her hard on her back. She gasped, suddenly her breathing was slower and more… normal? But she was still just as shaky as before. She looked at Jennifer, biting her lip.

“I’m… I’m…” she didn’t know what to say. She went back to the tree, curling back up into a ball. All she could do was just wait for Archie… the whole thing made her extremely sick, like she was about to vomit. She put her hands up to her face with a shaky sigh. She didn’t even know what to do… She looked at Jennifer with a sigh.

“I-I’m fine… I’m just… I fucked up.” she answered before her eyes went blank again. All she could do was wait...
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ARCHIE "THE SCOTSMAN" MCKEEGAN​
His features crumpled rather woefully as Calliope deserted in favour of being alone. He wasn't sure if he could blame her entirely after all the doctor's outburst had been rather jarring to the mood. McKeegan turned about to put his hands on Daniel's shoulders, crouching slightly. "Hey, Danny Boy. I know it's a shite start, I woulda liked your sister to come too. I wanted this to be a good time, and we can still make it that. Just gotta keep a smile, look on the bright side and I promise -- I'll make you somethin' for that birthday of yours. It'll be special, one of a kind." The lumberjack gave his chin a saddened nudge. "Buck up, kiddo. Let's go have us a fine ol' time. No more shoutin' at each other." Arch stood himself up straighter again and began to head with both Milly and Dan towards where they could descend toward the lake.

Deep blue waters surrounded by forests and pebbled shores gave solace, amongst the shifting of undergrowth as rabbits and other critters shuffled through accompanied by birdsong that cut through the air neatly; piercing it with a lover's call. Jennifer sat contentedly fishing, Zelda retreated to the bank beneath a tree where she'd curled up, and Milly stood on the shore playing with her wooden duck. Sun beating down on their backs, the cold of the depths made for a delightful sensation.

Archie had done away with his own shirt and trousers, standing about in burgundy boxer shorts with his typical 'working-man' tan lines. Arms a deep golden sunkissed shade, besides the base of his neck where the collar had failed its job at protecting him. A paler chest was spattered with dark blond, fine hairs; a necklace of Saint Christopher falling just below his collarbone. After having a splashing contest with Daniel, McKeegan turned about in the water -- almost slipping up on the weed-covered stone-filled bottom. "Skipping rocks, eh? Well, I haven't done this since I was a wee lad. Let's see if I still got the special touch!" He exclaimed, standing beside Dan as he searched for the perfect, flat pebble. Running his big palms over it to hook his index finger around the rock -- kept in place by ring finger and thumb as he pulled back. Wrist bending till it could no more and foot lifting slightly as he twisted to get the full action. "Get a load of this!"

It shot forward, pinging off the water with little splashes, once, twice, three times going as far as seven before it sank beneath the lake's surface. "Milly, sweetheart, you know how to skip stones?" He called over, noting as he'd left her to her own devices for the moment being. "You should come join the game, it's easy once you know how." His smile caused his features to upturn with crows-feet and a warmth long lost in the darker days of humanities survival.

McKeegan's shaggy hair had been swept back, beard covered in droplets which fell with every word that came from his mouth. "I'll even take you and Dan further out if you'd like. See if we can get some swimming lessons in, hm? I promise I won't let go. I know I'd have Jennifer and Cali out for my head if I managed to lose either of you." The Scotsman chuckled, yet threw a glance toward Zelda a secondary time. He'd have to wait until Dan and Milly were distracted or the river-visit ended before he had a chance of confrontation with her. Nevertheless, it was something he marked down to do as soon as was humanely possible. And certainly after that, Calliope too. He'd be damned if it was going to divide the group so explosively.

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Calliope sat in the apartment, her mind abuzz with thoughts. She scribbled in her tiny notebook, trying to document all of her thoughts into a cohesive pattern. Her body was aching for battle, but her mind was tired. How long had it been since she had actually been alone? Her ears were unused to the quiet, the creak of the apartment and drip of the faucet. She couldn't decipher whether she was lonely or just alone.
Memories filled her mind from a time before the chaos of dead fell. Her father carrying her as a child in Disney World. Daniel was just a babe then, asleep in his stroller. But if he had awoken when she had in her father's arms, he would've seen it. The amazing fireworks that colored the sky, the wonderful smells of fried food, and the sight of the light up toys vendors gave away. He would've loved Disney World so much, it was one of her own fondest memories.
Another darker memory surfaced. The night before leaving for her final year in college. She and her mother got into a big fight about her choices. Calliope never wanted to be a doctor or lawyer, but her mother demanded she at least try the classes. The fight was loud and ruthless, blaming each other for all their hardships. Her father had sat in dismay, not mustering the courage to come between them. Glasses were broken and a family picture was smashed on the stairs after Calliope had retreated to her room to pack. That night she packed more than just her belongings, she had packed up her feelings. Never again did she open up to her parents, a useless grudge held until she saw her mother topple over in a bloody heap during the initial viral breakout.

************************​

Daniel's mouth gaped at Archie's rock skipping prowess, "Woooah." He picked up another smooth rock and tossed it, trying to achieve the same effect, but fell short. He blamed it on Archie's muscles. If he had been stronger than perhaps his sister wouldn't have had to worry so much. Or maybe no one would've gotten shot. Or maybe everyone would be nicer and happier. He heard Archie beckon Milly and watched to see if she were approaching. He returned to his rock throwing upon Archie talking again and then excitement ensued,
"Out further?!" He leaped up and down in anticipation, "Fuck yeah!" His hair was wet and dripping on his bare shoulders. He knew if Calliope had heard him swear, she probably would've scolded him on it but also shrugged it off since manners didn't really have much meaning anymore.

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Zelda’s response to Jennifer wasn’t quite as she had expected it to be. Instead of saying anything to her, she got up and walked to the lake bank. She stood there for a moment, and Jennifer slowly walked up behind her, keeping a watchful eye on her. She was concerned that Zelda might try to drown herself. She walked forward with caution, watching Zelda.

“Zelda,” she said softly, walking towards her at the bank. “Zelda, what are you doing? Why don’t you just walk back here and we’ll talk, okay?”

The girl was going to add something about harming herself, making sure to not say suicide. Though, before she could, Zelda threw her head underwater. Jennifer began to run over, albeit tripping on a branch from a fallen tree. Falling forward, she was able to catch herself from slamming into the ground by planting her hands in front of her, and but planting her one foot into the ground as well. Jennifer had always been one that was good at recovering from tripping. Even sometimes, people found it impossible to trip her. Her footwork and balance were almost impeccable, something soccer coaches noticed when she was a young. Years and years, a heart transplant, and numerous times getting shot, as well as many times getting injured to the point of near death, it was good for her to know her balance still was there.

As her hand planted into the ground, Jennifer felt a pain in her right hand. Once she recovered, she pulled her hand up, revealing a piece of a twig had lodged itself into her hand, fairly deep. Jennifer bit her lower lip in an effort to help release some pain as she grabbed the twig and yanked it out. Her hand began to bleed, but it was something she had to ignore for the moment, as Zelda’s head was still underwater.

Back on her feet, Jennifer began to run again towards Zelda, shaking her one hand rapidly, in an attempt to negate some pain, with some success. But as soon as Jennifer were mere feet away from the woman, she pulled her head back up. This lead to Jennifer stoping at a grinding halt, her one foot digging into the sand on the bank. Zelda shot a look at her, seemingly knowing what it looked like she had done, mixed with some shame or embarrassment.

“Zelda,” Jennifer started, but unsure of what to add, staring at her dumbfounded, her face aghast.

Zelda walked back to her spot, passing by Jennifer without looking at her, before retreating into the patch of forest, lined with dead and fallen trees. Jennifer walked behind her, before Zelda sat down and finally spoke to the girl. Her words offered no explanation of what happened that made her do that and walk ahead of everyone else. Instead, they spoke of her own realization that she was a mess. Jennifer stood there for a moment, staring into the forest, clutching her bleeding hand, now full of blood. She thought for a moment, before the adrenaline began to wear off and the pain in her hand increased.

“Okay, just wait her, please. Don’t go anywhere,” Jennifer ordered her in a complete loss of words and thoughts on what to do, coupled by the fact her hand was bleeding and becoming increasingly more painful.

The girl walked towards her spot, where her gear was. Archie and the rest were there, Archie playing with Milly and Danny. Notably missing was Cali. The girl wondered why she wasn’t there, but threw that thought into the back of her mind for now. She hated to interrupt Archie entertaining the two, but this was a matter of urgency, after she gets a bandage around her hand. As she stumbled through the bank where they were, Jennifer called out to Archie.

“Archie, come here. This is urgent,” she said, walking by without looking at him.

Jennifer’s attention was on her backpack and for her medical supplies. She bent down upon finally reaching her backpack, and rummaged through it, looking for the medkit. Once she found it, she pulled it out and opened it up, finding the antiseptic and rinsing her hand in it, wiping away excess blood. Once she finished that, she grabbed bandages, and wrapped them firmly around her hand, firm enough to stop the bleeding to a point, yet loose enough to not cut all blood flow into her hand. When she finished that, she got up and turned around, starting towards Archie.

“Archie, I hate to take you away from them, but you need to go, right now, and get over to Zelda. I don’t know if she meant to, but I think she may have tried to kill herself. She needs you. I don’t know what happened, but she’s not okay. You have a way of fixing people, her specifically. So go, right now, before this gets worse. I’ll look over this too.”

Once she was done speaking to Archie, she turned to Milly and Danny Boy, both in the water.

“Hey, guys,” she said with a smile, her tone more energetic and happy, “Archie’s going to be a wee bit busy, so I’m afraid you’re both stuck with me for now. I’m the mean monster, right,” she said, making a sarcastic remark at the end of her being mean and a killjoy, throwing her hands up in imitation of a monster.

“You guys know there’s fish in there, right? Maybe even sharks that could eat you,” Jennifer continued with a laugh, before shaking her head, and explaining that she was joking.

“You know, I caught a fish in here not long before you guys came down. Say, any of you like fishing or ever wanted to give it a try? Or do you guys want to play a game, like sharks and minnows?”

Jennifer wanted to lighten the mood, now feeling like she had to, for them and herself. She has successfully pushed aside her prior demons. However, it was in the face of new problems. She had to deal with them first, and try to make the mood more lighthearted and happy. She needed it now. She couldn’t let this day get worse for herself, mentally speaking. But she additionally needed to help ease the issues as well. She hoped that what she was doing would help this current situation, one way or another.

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Zelda Williams​
Zelda curled up against the tree, her arms wrapped around her legs. She didn’t want to look at Jennifer as she spoke to her. She knew what that looked like. And, frankly she did not know why she had done it either. The cold water ran down her face, cooling it down. The rush of cold seemed to calm the woman down to an extent. But she was still upset, she had seen Jennifer’s hand and how it was bleeding. It hadn’t been before so it must of been from trying to get to her. That thought only depressed the woman even further. That only seemed to prove her point. People got hurt around her, whether she was fully responsible or not. The conclusion she could come to was that she had a bad aura.

The woman sighed heavily as she stared blankly at the forest. That dunk in the water had cleared her senses. Her head still hurt, and everything still felt as though it was spinning but she seemed to be sobering up. That was an unfamiliar feeling. Typically whenever she felt like she was waking up, she’d just drink it away. She didn’t want to be aware. She had so many people ask her (for no reason other than to be fucking nosey) why that was. Not that she would tell them. But she did not want to be aware of the world anymore. She didn’t want to be fully alert to the fact that her life was practically non-existent. Frankly, she didn’t know who she was anymore. Everything that made her ‘Zelda Williams’ had been taken away. She used to be somebody, somebody important. But now none of her achievements mattered everything that did matter had been taken away. Now she was just… some useless souse who just happened to know a thing or two about medicine. Oh, wait nobody cared about her status as a doctor. If the world was only going to see her as just some useless drunk who couldn’t do anything right, what was the point in trying to be anything else?

Zelda sighed as she pulled up her jeans. The trousers were slipping slightly off of her. The woman was aware that, due to not eating in the last while, she had lost more weight. She couldn't bring herself to eat, despite insistence. She could hear Jennifer talking to Archie, telling him to talk to her. She wanted to jump up and vigorously deny the girl’s theory that she had tried to kill herself. That wasn’t it! She was starting to panic again. Now Archie was going to think she had tried to kill herself a fourth time! No! She didn’t want to see his reaction. Her mind could only instantly switch back to the reaction Dave had had. She wanted to run away from the situation but knew it would be worthless, he’d catch up to her in seconds. She tried to steady her breathing as she shut her eyes. She was just going to take it. It was not like he could do any worse than Dave. Surely Jennifer was upset with her for what she had done. That would make sense...
***
Milly McDonald​
Milly was content to sit at the side of the river, playing with her duck as the pair skipped stones. She had attempted herself but never managed. Barely being able to see did not help in her aim or how she was holding the rock. But she did not mind. She just watched Norris peck around. She had found a bug under a pebble earlier and was now searching for more.

She watched Daniel as he played with Archie in the water. She was tempted to try and join them but… she couldn’t swim. But… they looked like they were having fun. She looked at Archie as he invited her to come in and play. She blinked a few times, glancing around. Part of her was expecting either Jennifer or Zelda to tell her not to. But they didn’t. She looked back to Archie before gulping slightly. Without a word, she got up and went behind one of the bushes to take off her joggers. She was wearing her pants underneath but she still felt rather awkward so made her way back to the water. It felt cold against her feet, making her jump a little before finally gaining the courage to walk in further until she was waist deep. She could still stand up which reassured her. But she did not want to go out any further. She wished that she had brought her bear with her but she had left it on the bank so it would not get wet. She looked at Daniel as he sounded… excited at the prospect of learning to swim. She bit her lip as he openly swore. Milly herself was never one to swear. She just moved towards Archie into his grip. She could not help but feel rather… confused by all of this. She was not used to being allowed to play or basically do anything. As she attempted to swim, she could not help but think back…
**​
Milly was looking outside the window, sitting very close to it to see better. It was very sunny outside. And it was just after three in the afternoon so by now, other children from the local school were now leaving and either going to the park or going home. They seemed to be having fun, walking alongside one another or playing harmless jokes. A small group of them headed towards the park, which was just across the road from Milly’s house. She had always wanted to go to the park, but was never allowed. Maybe if she asked nicely… She turned to her mother, who was busy cooking in the kitchen, the smell of her sweet potato soup filling the living room.
“Mum?” she asked timidly, knowing what the answer was probably going to be, “...Can I go to the park? Please?” she added, hugging her bear for reassurance. Her mother simply turned around to look at her young daughter.
“Milly, you know you’re not allowed. So no.” she said sternly, “If you want to go outside you can play in the backyard.” Milly bit her lip, it was true she did have some toys and her slide outside but… it wouldnt be the same without other kids.
“But… I want to play with the other kids.” she admitted, looking back out the window at them, now feeling very envious.
“I know, but it’s too dangerous out there.”
“I’ll be careful! I promise!”
“Milly, you can’t run and you can’t see very well.”
“I know but-”
“You could get hurt!”
“I know! I… I just want to play.” at this point, Milly couldn’t stop herself from crying. She could not tell her mother this, knowing what she would think but Milly could not stop herself from feeling intensely jealous of other children. Like any other six year old, she just wanted to play with, well she didn’t have friends but still. While their small bungalow was cozy, safe and wonderful, it was a lonely existence. Her mother looked from her cooking with a sigh.
“‘I want’ doesn't get, Milly. Besides, it’s almost dinner-time. Why don’t you find a good movie to put on for us? And after our soup you can have some ice cream, how does that sound?” her mum turned to her with a kind smile. Milly could only smile back, albeit sadly.
“...Okay.” she looked at the ground, hugging her bear as she went into her room to find a film. It was not the same as playing outside, but at least she still had her mother for company. If she lost her, she did not know what she would do…
**​
Milly drifted back into her thoughts, feeling some tears running down her cheeks as she thought about her mother. Not wanting anyone to notice, she dunked her head under water for a second simply to get her hair wet. She shook her head, causing her black hair to swish around madly. She did not let go of Archie and just kicked against the water. It seemed she was more able to move her legs faster than she could when walking or running, her knees did not hurt at all. She couldnt help but smile and laugh a little happily about it. But her happy mood was taken away when Archie suddenly left. Suddenly anxious, she squeaked and tried to follow him out but could not move fast enough. She just sat in the water, which was up to her neck, feeling quite anxious.

When Jennifer appeared, the girl relaxed. But when the girl mentioned that there were sharks in the water, Milly looked around rapidly, alarmed. Were there sharks!? She was about to get up and run out the water when Jennifer then assured them she was joking. Milly just looked down, feeling a little embarrassed.

“Not funny…” she mumbled before looking towards Jennifer as she then talked about possibly showing them how to fish, or play some game she called ‘sharks and minnows’. Milly tilted her head in curiosity. Both of those things sounded fun. She gave Jen a sweet smile.

“Both?” she asked. It was true, she really did want to try both of those things. As she waited for Jennifer’s answer, she splashed around in the water a little, still playing with her duck as it bobbed on top of the water. She followed it closely just watching where it was going but not letting it out of her reach. There was no way she was going to let this precious little figure get away from her, not after all the work Archie put into making it.
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ARCHIE "THE SCOTSMAN" MCKEEGAN​
Archie turned to look at Jennifer as she called his name, wading out from the water -- but not before giving Milly and Danny a little squeeze on their hands. "Keep workin' on that skimmin' technique, Dan. No more of that bad language either or I'll wash yer mouth out with soap." He teased, glancing at Milly. "And keep yourself outta trouble, too. Be good for Jenny." His words hung in the air momentarily as if they were sinking with the weight of meaning and affection into bones and skin. Loosely crossing his arms Archie confronted their current captain and let his head fall back, popping the bone of his spine till listening in to what she had to say as the younger woman medicated her injury. Concern was evident, flickering across his expression at the mention of suicide, "You think?" He arched his brow, somewhat frustrated with her wording before Jen dashed off to keep an eye on Danny boy and Milly.

He turned about now, the tops of his shoulders reddening a little from standing beneath the sun for an extended period where his shirt sleeves would oft cover. Moving around and approaching the Doctor he stepped over the tree roots to get to her and ducked low. Crouching now beside her curled up figure, overlapping that warm slightly damp palm over her arm; the Scotsman smiled slightly. "Hello, sunshine." With a slight grunt, he settled himself in to sit next to her eyes observing the doctor from head to toe. "Just one of those days, hm?" McKeegan quirked his brow. "You know you need to get a handle on that temper, keep on like that you'll scare the kids." The lumberjack sighed and leant forward. "You need to talk to me before it gets bad, Zelda. You damn well know I'm always nearby and available if someone needs me, even if it's just a bad dream."

Letting out a sigh, he drew a comforting circular pattern on the top of Zeld's shoulder. "You gonna tell me the truth then, hm? The truth from your standpoint that is. I want to hear how you see it, and I don't want you holdin' back lass. Rage and rant, but I gotta know. I can't help you talk through it otherwise and I got ways of makin' people talk." He comedically winked but didn't offer too much physical contact considering her rather retreated state. "Y'think I'll get mad? Because mad is somethin' I reserve for people I know, who don't wanna live. But you do. No matter how much you're gonna dance around it. for all the drinkin' and whinin', you're still here. Could've ended it a long time ago. But you accept at least this ain't Kansas anymore." Archie hooked a couple of fingers over Zed's chin and pulled her gaze to meet his. "Be honest with me. All I want is to resolve this mess. I'll go talk to Cali, even get you a nice bath outta it, huh?" Arch flashed a small smile. "A nice bath, cuppa tea, and you can get into bed with some paracetamol for the headache."

Rumble Fish Rumble Fish Peacemaker .45 Peacemaker .45 Emotional Enigma Emotional Enigma
 
Daniel was having a good time before Archie left and was replaced by Jennifer. He wasn't too impressed with her baby talk and decided to ignore her silly persona.
"There's no fish," He tossed a rock, not turning his gaze to her as he stood in the thigh high water, "Their immune systems are too weak to withstand the viral outbreak and lack of nutrients in the water. Dead bodies tend to pollute the run off and bodies of water thus causing the death and decay of wildlife," He tossed another rock, no longer appreciating the lake, "If sharks did exist in this body of water, which they don't since it's not salt water, they would've eaten all the fish as their bodies deteriorated from lack of food." Daniel didn't remember a lot and didn't exercise his deductive reasoning skills as much as he used to, but his private school lessons still tumbled around in his head from time to time. That was a past privilege he and Calliope used to have; an amazing school for the rich and elite. Money meant nothing now in this new world however just like education or history. Ironic that everything he studied and worked for was now sitting on shelves untouched and undervalued.
Daniel couldn't understand the group the way he used to when he first came to the colony. After all that had happened and the things his sister sacrificed for him, he couldn't understand why people thought it was okay to be mean to her or why no one was doing anything to stop it. He settled on if no one would stand up for her, then he no longer wanted to apart of the group; what would happen when it was him next getting bullied?
This thought only became relevant when Jennifer had tried to talk to him. Her overly zealous attempt at being childishly friendly felt like nails on a chalkboard. He stormed out of the water, leaving Milly to herself, and sat on a giant rock nearby. Daniel watched the sun bath itself in orange light the day slowly slipping away. From how this day went, he didn't think his 15th birthday would be much better.

Rumble Fish Rumble Fish idalie idalie Peacemaker .45 Peacemaker .45
 
Milly was rather accepting of Jennifer’s persona and what she offered both her and Daniel to do. She seemed generally interested in fishing, and the game she proposed seemed to spark some interest, though she seemed to never played it or heard of it. Her interest in the two things she proposed made Jennifer happy, as she loved to teach people things she loved.

However, when it came to Daniel, it was a completely different story. He immediately retorted Jennifer’s fishing offer by saying that the fish would be dead, due to their immune systems being too weak for a viral outbreak and some more stuff. It seemed like an attempt for him to sound smart, which it ultimately had the opposite effect. Jennifer felt it was the equivalent of “talking out of your ass.” He then went on to disprove Jennifer’s joke about sharks.

“I literally caught a rainbow trout just before, Daniel,” she replied, her tone shifting from happy and upbeat to annoyed before continuing. “No one said fish were susceptible to whatever causes the dead to rise from their graves, which it clearly seems they aren’t. And my shark comment was a joke.”

Before Jennifer could say much more, Daniel got up and stormed out of the water. Jennifer just stood there in disbelief due to his erratic behavior, something he hasn’t displayed until now.

“Who put sand in his vagina,” she muttered under her breath, quoting a character from a show she used to watch.

Trying not to let his behavior ruin her own goal to distract herself from her own demons, she took a deep breath, closing her eyes, and let it out slowly. This was a common thing that she would do in situations where she needed to clear her head. For some reason, this worked more often than not, and it’d become a way for her to continue without letting her emotions like anger cloud her judgement.

“Okay,” Jennifer started, turning to Milly still in the water. “Well we can’t play that game anymore. But, what we can do is still fish! I can teach you how to fish. And don’t worry, there are fish in here. I caught one just before. Come on out and I’ll show you how it’s done.”

Turning around, she walked back to where her pole was on the ground. Picking it up, and some bait along with it, she walked over to Milly. Bending down on a knee, she took grabbed the lure, a Blue Fox Vibrax, and held it in her fingers, showing it to Milly.

“Okay,” Jennifer began with a smile, her happier persona from before returning. “This right here is our lure. The fish will see this and they think it’s a big or something. Fish tend to be curious creatures, and their curiosity will catch the better of them and then they’ll come towards the lure. Normally, this is when they think it’s food, so what they’ll do is bite it! But, since this is a lure with hooks, one of the hooks will hit lodge in their jaw. Oh, don’t worry about it hurting the fish. They don’t feel pain. But, anyway, when they bite it, we have to set the hook by giving it a quick, small tug. From there, we just reel it in and you’ve got yourself a fish. I’ll show you.”

Grabbing her bait, she put it on the hooks, explaining to Milly that these increased your chances of getting them to bite. Once that was done, she explained to Milly how to cast. After showing her, she herself cast the line out. She reeled it in slowly, until the line got to the bank and cast again. Fishing was a game of patience and persistence, as casting the line out for 5 minutes won’t mean you catch fish. Jennifer explained this to Milly. She casted the line out numerous times, but no bites were felt. Jennifer began to feel like she caught the only fish around earlier. But her persistence kept her there. She decided to cast into a different spot to see if she would have any luck. And several minutes later, she got a bite.

“I got one,” she exclaimed as she set the hook.

The fight began. The fish, fought back her every advancement with the line, refusing to be reeled in without a fight. The line tugged left and right as the fish tried to break free. The drag on the reel made the line go out more as the fish fought the advancement, making the familiar noise the reels do as line is pulled from them. But Jennifer wasn’t going to let down without a fight. She pulled the pole back, forcing the fish to move forward, and reeled in any slack in the line. She fought and fought the fish. But as the fish grew tired, she began to reel it in until it reached the bank, prompting Jennifer to go and grab the fish.

“I got it,” Jennifer exclaimed with excitement to Milly as she pulled a massive rainbow trout from the water and held it in front of Milly. “This one is huge! Holy crap! This has to be 29 pounds!”

The fish was massive, and definitely a keeper. She held it up proudly for herself and Milly to observe. The fish wiggles around in her hands, trying to break loose from Jennifer’s grip. But these attempts at escaping her were left unsuccessful.

“This is the part that isn’t fun, and you’ll want to look away,” Jennifer said to Milly as she walked over to where her supplies were to kill and clean the fish. “Since it’s a keeper, and we’re going to eat it, we have to kill and clean it. I’ll walk away so you don’t have to see it.”

Walking to the cover of the brush, Jennifer killed the fish, and then cleaned it, inserting the knife where supposed to, cutting the stomach open, and ripping out the guts. It was something Jennifer took no pleasure in doing, but it was the way that you had to clean fish so you could cook them. Once she was done, she walked back to her backpack, and fetched the bag of ice with her previous fish, and placed it in there. Once done, she returned to Milly and grabbed her pole.

“You’ll get a chance to try it out in a minute, let me just try and catch one more first,” she explained to Milly while casting her line in the same relative spot.

This cast yielded yet again another fish. And again the fight began, as Jennifer became ecstatic. The rush, the fight, the adrenaline all gave her a high. She was zoned in on the fish and reeling it in. And again she did reel in yet another rainbow trout. She pulled it out of the water, this time smaller than the last one, and again began to parade it around.

“Sure looks like all this fish here are dead,” she said out loud so everyone could hear. She then turned back to Milly. “After I clean this fish, would you like to give it a try, Milly,” asked Jennifer with a smile.

The woman loved to teach others her passions. Fishing was one of them, an being able to both teach Milly and see the joy on her face when she caught her first fish. In times like they were in, the little things really did mean a lot.

idalie idalie Rumble Fish Rumble Fish Emotional Enigma Emotional Enigma
 
Milly McDonald​
Milly was still happily playing with her duck when Daniel suddenly spoke up. He seemed to reject Jennifer’s offer and started talking about how all the fish were… dead? Milly looked to Jennifer with a confused expression. How could that be? She saw Jennifer fishing! Why would she be fishing if there were no fish? And then he talked about sharks not being in the area? Despite how Milly had reacted to Jennifer’s teasing, she knew there were no sharks here because of the exact reasons Daniel was talking about. Suddenly uncomfortable, Milly looked down at the water and rubbed her arm sadly, now feeling stupid for reacting that way.

“ I...I know it was a joke.” she said quietly, not looking at him. What happened? He went from being so happy and playful to… this! She didn’t like it. Suddenly Milly did not feel like swimming. Or playing. She slowly started wading her way out of the water as Daniel ran off. She just wanted to find Archie and go back to their sleeping quarters. But just as she climbed onto the bank, she looked at Jennifer as she spoke to her again, now offering to teach her fishing. Milly took a moment to think about it. Maybe fishing could be fun?

“...Okay!” she chirped as she sat on the sand, picking up her bear to cuddle as she scooched closer to Jennifer, watching her with interest as she explained the process. Her eyes widened a little as she mentioned how the lure would get caught on the fish’s jaw but relaxed when Jennifer assured her that it was harmless to the fish. She shimmied closer to the girl as she watched her cast her line. She looked to Jennifer as the woman’s face seemed much lighter as it had been in a long time.

Milly watched her as she fished. She knew that fishing was a slow hobby so she waited patiently. When Jennifer eventually jumped up, shouting she had a catch. The younger girl jumped up as she watched her fight against the fish. When she reeled the fish in, Milly audibly gasped at the sheer size of the fish. She couldnt help but grin widely at the woman’s excitement over the size of it.

“Th-That would have pulled me in.” she bit her bottom lip as she held back a laugh. It had been quite a long time since the last time Milly stuttered her words but she couldn’t help it this time since it was to hold back laughter. But as soon as she mentioned gutting the fish, Milly wisely turned her back on the woman to not see it. The only person that knew Milly was a vegetarian was Archie, on the account that he made her sandwiches, but that was not why she did not want to see the fish gutted. It was just because… it was gross. To amuse herself, she played with Norris by throwing pebbles for the hen to hobble after almost like a dog.

When Jennifer returned, asking Milly if she wanted to try it herself. Milly sat up straight at the question, her good eye sparkling with interest. Without even answering, she scooted back over to Jennifer, taking the fishing pole from her. She copied the way Jen cast her line, albeit a little clumsy and started reeling in and re-casting the line. She was not quite sure how long it was going to take to even see a fish but she was willing to wait.
***
Zelda Williams​
Zelda stayed in her tucked up position. She did not want to move. She shut her eyes. She really did not know what to do. Whether to stay here or sneak off back to her room, she didn’t know. She didnt have to choose as Archie’s Scottish burr made her jump quite violently out of her daydream. She leaned away from the man a little as he sat next to her. She listened to what he was saying She let out a heavy sigh. She was definitely not having a good day. She almost wished she was still in a coma. When the man talked about how she had to control her temper, she sighed heavily and put her head in her hands.

He seemed to acknowledge her retreating position as he then said something that made her look at him. He wasn’t mad because he knew she wanted to live? Was he crazy? How could he know that? He mentioned how she would have done it by now if she really did want to die. Zelda bit her lip and looked away from him, her shoulders shaking. No… no, he was wrong, she did want to die. Didn’t she? She struggled to answer. She just wanted there to be a relief. But… she did not know how to find relief. Instinctively, she went for her flask but upon picking it up, she felt how light it was and remembered it was empty. She let out a growl of annoyance but looked back towards the man as he asked her to be honest. With a sigh, she looked back at her feet, afraid if she looked at him any longer she would burst into tears.

“I-I know and I’m sorry.” she was afraid to talk but he was expecting an answer, “I’ve just… Haven’t had a good day. Jen knows about it, I talked to her, well… kind of. I don’t want to talk about it but… guess what Cali said just… it just set me off.” she said. But just as she did she knew that was not going to satisfy him. He would ask for more so she decided to just tell him.

“Okay, fine… I got out the hospital this morning and Emma and I got into a fight. She... said some things about my son that made me angry and I…” she sighed, “I pulled my gun out on her. I said I was going to kill her and kill her daughter and… basically the other kids in the camp.” She glanced at him for a brief second, just to see how he was responding, “Jennifer calmed me down. But… guess I was still angry…” she finished, looking towards him but not in the eye, "I-If you're going to talk to Cali please don't tell her any of that!" she tried to say this in a stern tone but all it came out as was broken whimpers. She didn’t feel right talking to him about it. But… it did relax her somewhat to tell him. She looked him in the eye before sighing heavily. She thought about what he said about her hypothetically having a bath, cup of tea and going to bed. For some reason, it caused the tears to freefall from her eyes. Something about that thought just made her want to cry but she could not understand why. It made her uncomfortable showing so much vulnerability.

“Um… Ok but… I-I’m… I need some sun.” she said as she got up, using the tree for support and pushing through the bushes to where Jennifer and Milly were. She did not want to interrupt them so sat against a log close to where Daniel was. She looked towards him but didnt talk. She did not know what to say. Not after what happened with his sister. It wouldn’t be right… she didn’t really deserve any mercy from him. If he wanted to snap at her she’d allow it. She tipped her cap, or Archie’s old cap over her eyes to avoid the sun’s glare. Her eyes still hurt but not as much as before. She did lift her head to look around.

It was a peaceful day with a light breeze. Past the river were more trees. She looked towards Jennifer and Milly as the younger girl was still attempting to fish. The younger girl was up on her feet, struggling against the line, clearly against a fish. The doctor blinked several times as she watched her. The small teenager always reminded her of a newborn fawn, the way she often struggled to keep upright because of her poor knees. She made a mental note to look through her cabinets in her office to see if she could find anything that could relieve the discomfort it must have been causing her. She looked up at the sky, seeing it was clear with only a few clouds. It was… almost as if the apocalypse had never happened. But there was something big missing from the picture but she did not want to think about them. She watched the chicken as she ran around, clearly bored by Milly not paying attention to her. Taking everything in, the peaceful atmosphere, watching Jennifer and Milly having a good time, and just… everything so still. Despite the tears flowing down her face, Zelda couldn’t help but, well… smile. Slightly. It felt bizarre. But right at the same time. She couldn’t explain it. She just felt it.
idalie idalie Peacemaker .45 Peacemaker .45 Emotional Enigma Emotional Enigma
 
ARCHIE "THE SCOTSMAN" MCKEEGAN​
The big Scotsman sat, listening with a familiar diligence that offered his full and undivided attention to the concern at hand. McKeegan rested his chin on a curled fist, gaze roaming over the Doctor's expression as she spoke; prompting further discussion with a slight inclination of his head. He sighed and reached out, putting a hand on her shoulder to squeeze it gently. "I can't blame you for wantin' to kill the bitch. But you know what I'm gonna say, like everyone else does if they got half a brain -- you need to find some way of expressin' all this anger without screamin' and shoutin' with guns of all things. If you're gonna use one of those, it should be on them rotters outside." Archie shifted inward slightly, "I get it more than you know, Zeld. Feel it all bubblin' inside like I could blow up any minute. I felt like that when Dave started tryin' to put us all in early graves -- but the moral of the story is, I saved up that anger until I needed it. When I bent his face in the wrong way, that wasn't just me bein' angry at him, hell I could've snapped him and been done with it. I'm angry at everythin'. Angry at why the world lets people suffer, angry at how I didn't get home in time, I'm even angry at the sun for risin' every day and not blowin' us up and wipin' us out. If it was up to me, I'd be out there bare as a wee bairn screamin' bloody murder because I'm absolutely ragin' mate. Aye?"

Arch gave a comforting smile. "I won't tell nothin' to Cali, cross my heart. My ma didn't raise no snitch." The humour was evident, albeit subdued considering the sincerity of emotion. Alas, when the whimpering became too much and tears began to fall -- Zelda got up to her feet with a clumsy excuse and promptly left him sitting by himself. The Scotsman could only roll his eyes. She was more than a handful for a single woman, the kind of person you knew would be shattered and missing a few pieces but picked them up anyway and tried to patch it up as best one could. Shame he was better at fixing tables rather than Doctors.

McKeegan stretched his legs, standing and leaning on the tree for a small while whilst he tangled his fingers in the chain of his necklace. Thought overshadowed his brow, although not for long as he turned about and began heading back down toward the lake. Again he sat next to Zelda, making little comment about the tears or the downward tilt of her hat; only to wrap his arm around the Doctor and relaxed backward with his other -- the palm propping him up. "You're a hard woman to make feel better, lass. I ain't got a clue in heaven or hell how you made it this far, but I'm damn well sure you'll survive until you're old and haggard, 'cause that's what I'm thinkin' of for a good end." The lumberjack sniffed and held her tighter. "I'm always around. Remember that, Lilypad."

He let his eyes drift toward Milly and Jennifer with a smile, glancing off at Dan sulking on the bank. "Aye, it's a good place to be, this one." He didn't say what lurked in the back of his head, however. The ever-present doubt. Humanity in it's pre-apocalyptical state was dysfunctional and he couldn't help but think back to the places which had fallen. The things done to survive out on the trails, amidst the winter winds. McKeegan whistled Oranges and Lemons, cutting through the air cleaner than birdsong now as he gently tilted his head upward. The lamenting of survival was one you should never linger on. It became apparent that the guilt was useless unless you wanted to feel bad for doing what everything else in this world was doing. Protect your loved ones, protect those closest, and let nature take it's course.

Rumble Fish Rumble Fish Peacemaker .45 Peacemaker .45 Emotional Enigma Emotional Enigma
 
Daniel rolled his eyes attempting to continue his ignoring of the less than enjoyable company. He pulled his knees to his chest, wrapped his arms around then and rested his chin on his arms. The sun was setting and the hot weather was slowly drifting into cooler temperatures. Nostalgia twisted in his stomach as the light from the sky colored the water in gentle hues. His upset outlook made him feel like he wanted to cry, but Calliope never cried in front of him so he didn't want to cry in front of anyone either. He never spoke out against adults except his parents, but his parents always taught him to be respectful. His brain and emotions fought each other. Daniel wanted nothing more than to have his sister. They didn't get along but he wished she was here to feel the calm nostalgia of a distant memory.
Calliope used to braid her friend's hair on the wind around porch of their home. Daniel wasn't allowed to come over to her when she had friends over, he wasn't cool. But after they left she'd come kick the soccer ball around the yard with him. Their dog would try to play too until the sun disappeared and night fell. The cool night air numbing their fingers and bare skin. Such wonderful memories left abandoned.
He watched Archie look at him, but offered no expression. He wasn't sure how he felt about anyone anymore. He wanted to be friends and have somewhat of a family again but he was becoming distrustful of their actions towards his real family. Daniel stood from his spot, dirt coating his feet, and walked to Archie,
"When are we leaving?" He was growing disenchanted with the lake and therefore the women who had tagged along. While Zelda was just a jack-in-the-box of irrationality, Jennifer was over zealous and off putting; it felt as if she wanted to be everyone's friend except when they disagreed with her. She had to be in charge of everything including what people said. Daniel wondered if this is what puberty felt like.

Rumble Fish Rumble Fish Peacemaker .45 Peacemaker .45 idalie idalie
 
Milly happily grabbed the fishing pole from Jennifer’s hands, almost catching her off guard.

“Whoa,” she said with a slight chuckle, throwing her hands up to signal to stop. “Easy there, tiger, it isn’t quite that easy to do this. One of the big things is releasing the line, which ultimately is the hardest part when I learned.” Jennifer put her arms over Milly’s and corrected her hand positioning on the fishing pole.

“So the first thing we want to do is get the line under our finger right in front of the support arm of the reel. Make sure the line roller is 90 degrees up when you do this. Once that is done, push the bail arm back and open. When you do that, you’ll bring the pole back in in preparation to cast, and then go forward and release the line from your finger here.”

Jennifer made sure that she outlined every step of the process so that Milly knew exactly what to do. She brought Milly’s arms, hands and finger into each correct position. Then, she showed her the rough area of where she would release the line. Doing the motion several more times, she made sure Milly was ready. When she was, she took off the training wheels and instructed Milly to let it go. Milly copies the motion almost perfectly, and let out a terrific cast. The ease and almost perfection of it surprised Jennifer. It look clumsy, but the cast was almost perfect. Either Milly was a nature, or she just had beginner’s luck. Either way, she needed to start reeling in.

“Good job,” Jennifer exclaimed, hopping briefly slightly joy, clapping her hands. “Now reel in! Not too fast, not too slow!”

The line began to come towards them, with no bites present. Jennifer reassured her to cast again and reel in. There might be no fish left, but Milly would still get a decent understanding of how to fish. Milly kept casting and casting, Jennifer replacing the bait with fresh ones from time to time.

After some time, no fish had even nibbled on the bait. Thinking that there were no fish left, Jennifer was about to say to pull it in and give up. But just as she began to speak, Milly got a bite.

“Quick jerk towards you, Milly,” she instructed her, trying to keep calm, although excitement was escaping. “Not too much, just a small, firm tug to set the hook!”

Milly did just this, and began to reel in. Jennifer cheered her on as the fish fought Milly. The battle didn’t last too long, and before she knew it, a fish was splashing around on the bank in front of them.

“High five,” Jennifer said, excitement beaming from her over Milly catching a fish. It filled her with joy, yet she didn’t know quite why. “You did it, you did it! Congrats! Let’s get your fish!”

Jennifer walked to the bank, and grabbed the fish, who stopped flopping around. She took the fish, and held it in the water momentarily so that it didn’t suffocate, as it was a smaller rainbow trout, one that really didn’t much meat on it.

Once the fish had been in for several seconds, she pulled it out again and i hooked the fish, and walked to Milly. As she walked over, she noticed Daniel walk away from the lake and towards where Archie and Zelda were. She heard him say something to him. She sighed for a moment, knowing that it was horrible timing for Zelda for Daniel to walk over there when he did. Turning her attention to Milly, she held the fish proudly in front of her.

“It’s yours! You reeled him in! Want to hold him? Oh, and you have to give him a kiss! You kiss your first fish!” While she was joking about the kissing part, she did want Milly to hold the fish. She caught it, and it was her first one. She wanted Milly to feel the pride that Jennifer felt for her for catching the fish.

Rumble Fish Rumble Fish Emotional Enigma Emotional Enigma idalie idalie
 
Milly McDonald​
Milly was excited to try fishing but despite this, she listened to Jennifer. She knew the woman was far more experienced so listened to everything she said, positioning herself correctly according to her words. When the woman clapped and seemed pleased with her progress, Milly smiled widely at her. It was good to see Jennifer happy. Milly had been worrying a lot about her since Mack went into his coma so the fact she could help her out made her happy.

When she felt that she had a bite, Milly jumped up as she felt the force against the rod. She followed Jennifer’s instructions to reel the fish in. She felt pain in her knees as she fought against it, but despite this she was able to successfully reel the fish in.

Milly let out a surprised but happy squeal as the fish flopped onto the bank. She had actually caught a fish! She never thought she could but… she had! She beamed as she turned to Jennifer, giving the woman a high five. As Jen took the fish to unhook it, Milly let out a small whoop as she jumped up and down a few times, really pleased with herself.

When the woman gave her the fish back, Milly tilted her head at her as she talked about how she should… kiss the fish? Apparently that was a thing. She put her hand on the fish, feeling its sleek, almost sticky skin. She held the fish in her arms and, after a moment of deliberation, she gave the smaller fish a peck on the top of its head. It felt so bizarre against her lips that she shook her head and stuck her tongue out. She looked at the woman as she held the fish, again she could not help but smile at her. She seemed so proud of her achievement.

“Can we do that again?” she chirped happily, she got a taste of fishing and liked it. A few years ago she never would have dreamed she would be fishing. She could barely do anything before! She sat down on the sand, looking up at Jennifer with her child-like gaze, waiting for the girl to answer her question.
Zelda Williams​
Zelda felt stupid for just getting up and leaving Archie like that, but she could not help it. Something just felt so wrong with opening up like this. The only thing she could put it down to was that… well… thats what Mark would have wanted her to do.

Mark had come from Japan, where seeking help for their problems was seen as weak. Unhonorable. Cowardly even. It held her back. Not just him, but his family. She couldn’t show weakness. Even now, after Mark was long gone, she could not let go. In a sense… she had to honor his memory. And he would have wanted her to do it this way. At the same time, talking about it to the Scotsman really cleared her mind.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Archie sitting next to her, putting his trunk like arm around her, pulling her close. She looked up at him as he talked about how she was still alive, and would live to an old age. His grip tightened as he assured her he was staying. She wanted to pull away, tell him to fuck off, anything! But… she didnt. She sat there, safely engulfed in his grasp, making her feel warm. And that thought of growing old… she felt tears form in her eyes again and the tearfall started again. She found herself leaning in closer to the man, almost until her head was on his chest. She could just hear and feel his heart against her. Something about what he said, his comforting tone and the environment caused a surge of emotion in the woman.

Thankful that the cap was low over her face, she couldn’t hold it back anymore. She burst into tears as she buried her face into him. She managed to keep her sobs quiet, as to not alert Jennifer and Milly, but she could not hold it back. There was so much being held back that it could not be suppressed anymore. Somehow, having someone here made it different. It was… comforting.

Zelda did not know how long she cried for, but after a while, she found herself almost unable to anymore. As if she had cried out all of her tears. She did not let go of him though. She kept her grip tight as her body shook from raw emotion. She did not want to ever let go. The thought of being alone again hurt too much. The affection and care from Archie felt almost alien, having not experienced this kind of treatment for so long.

But the sound of Daniel’s voice made the woman jump as she briefly looked up to see the youngster standing in front of the pair, looking almost angry about something. She had seen how he looked at her and he could feel his disdain towards her. She did not know what to do. She felt almost as if she was totally frozen. What was she supposed to do? She gave Archie a frightened glance before looking to Daniel, keeping the cap low over her eyes so he could not see her tear stained face and red eyes.

"Look...Daniel..." she sighed heavily and shakily, "...I'm sorry for snapping at your sister like that." she did not know how else to say it. He wouldnt accept it. He never liked her, at least thats what she gathered. She looked back to Archie, feeling totally lost and quite ashamed. She felt another sudden surge of emotion, making her put her face back into his chest with a gasp. She just wanted to feel safe in the world...
Dutch Malloy​
"He had the nerve, and he had the blood! There never was a horse like the Tennessee Stuuuud.." The man finally concluded in his crooning. Beneath him, he could feel the ebony mare's muscles stretch as she swung her black head as if in protest of his song. The man clicked his heels against her side to encourage her to continue the fine walk she was going at.
​
"Johhny Cash, Domino have some respect!" Dutch mock-scolded the mare, "That man was an American icon. I would've taken a bullet for that man." he added, putting a hand over his heart as if pledging allegiance to the glorious flag. The mare simply chuffed in response as she walked. He chuckled and leaned forward to give the horse a scratch between her ears. He took a moment to take in the current surroundings. A lush forest with the sound of birds calling. Paradise. Except for the beasties but those were easily disposed of.

This was the life. Watching his back all the time, fighting to stay alive, bashing in beasties' heads with rocks and God knows what else. Adventure! He watched Domino's black ears flicker around as she too took in the land around them. He applied pressure on her left rein to make her turn towards a clearing in the trees. While she had a standard western saddle, Domino did not have a bit in her mouth. As his grand-daddy and his daddy had taught him. A bit-free horse was a happy horse. Oh, she did have a bridle hanging up there with the long curb bit so many like to use, but he opted for riding her in her rope halter. Much nicer on her face and especially the mouth. The tall, black Quarter horse -with nothing more than a white star between the eyes- had been his companion for years. He could remember when he had met her...
***​
"Junk... junk... could stab somebody... junk... Ooh, you beauty haha." He grinned as he found pistol ammo in a box, "Doubt Farmer Joe won't mind me borrowin' this, ey?" He meddled with the ammo as he pushed it into one of his Glocks. Some zombie was going to get a nasty surprise when they meet him. Finished in the house, he turned his attention to the barn which he had yet to check.

Pushing open the large door with a thunderous creak, the oh so wonderful sound of a horse's whinny echoed through the barn. A sound he had not heard in so long. Dutch looked, and saw the tall and black mare, tied in her stall. She snorted, stamped her hooves and pinned her ears at the unfamiliar man. Dutch could see she was simply alarmed. Not giving her eye contact, he walked towards the stall in a way in which to her, he was walking past.

"Pretty one, huh? Been all on your lonesome, girl? Where's your partner?" He crooned in a low tone, hoping to calm the frightened animal. But she reared up in her stall, snorting and squealing. Her nostrals were flared and her eyes were wide and white around the iris. He got closer to the stall, but just as he did, the mare suddenly lunged her head forward gnashing her teeth. But rather than bite him... she bit the air next to him.

"Huh, why the long- HOLY!" Dutch leapt back as a zombie, that had followed him through the barn groaned and lunged at him. Thinking fast, Dutch whipped out his Glock, firing two clean shots through the monster's head. The zombie let out one more groan as it collapsed to the ground, thankfully dead. Dutch cursed as he holstered his weapon. Another second and he would have been zombie chow! He turned back to the mare, who was still angry but now seemed more settled now the zombie was dead. He stared at the beast for a while. Did... did she just save his life?

"Well... a good soldier doesn't leave a comrade behind, that's what I say." he smiled through his beard as he opened the stall. It stank to high heaven, so she must have been trapped in there since the beginning. On the rack behind her were a saddle and her halter. Perfect. He walked past the mare, putting the tack on a post before returning to the mare, slipping her halter on. The mare snorted and struggled against it for a moment.

"C'mon love, come to your new dad." He encouraged her until she finally calmed down enough to leave her stall, "Ahh good girl. Whaddya say we hightail outta here, ay?" He chuckled before scratching her between the eyes and leading her out into the sunlight...
***​
A sudden tug at the reins brought the ex-soldier back to his senses as Domino stooped her head to graze.

"Ah, least you can get a good fillin' whenever, huh?" he smiled. He did have a dead rabbit slung behind him on the saddle. But he had no intention of setting up camp until he had refilled his canteen. And Domino getting a drink of course.

Once she was finished chewing, he heard the mare smack her lips. She was thirsty too. Clicking her into a brisk jog, he listened out for the sound of a river. There had to be one...

Finally, after a while he heard it. He closed his heels against Dom's sides and the mare slipped easily into a leisurely lope. The rocking motion of the horse beneath him relaxed the man. Seemed all his stress relief was to do with Domino. Once they came to the river, he dismounted from the equine, loosening her cinch before stooping low to fill his canteen. As he did this, Domino took long gulps from the fresh and cold aqua.

But once she had finished drinking, the mare's head suddenly shot up with her ears erect and nostrils fluttering. Dutch reacted almost instantly.

"Whatchu see, Dom? Timmy fallin' down a well?" he chuckled at his own joke before looking in the same direction as Domino, as he caught sight of a small group of people, the man laughed"...Well whaddya know. Civilisation!"
Peacemaker .45 Peacemaker .45 idalie idalie Emotional Enigma Emotional Enigma
 
ARCHIE "THE SCOTSMAN" MCKEEGAN​
The big Scotsman embraced Zelda tighter, holding her against his chest whilst the Doctor sobbed quietly. Tears rolling and smearing now, warm and wet against the skin with his fingertips drawing small circles across the nape of her neck. McKeegan hushed her gently, letting the woman cry in the hopes that it held a therapeutic quality to simply let it out. His chin came to rest on the top of her head, momentarily closing his eyes whilst she sniffled and choked on the dewy droplets that so freely fell. Archie held her like one does a child; not condescendingly yet assuming the role of a caretaker she appeared to lack and the affection she was due. "It's alright, Lilypad." He uttered beside her ear, rhythmically now stroking her back. "It's alright. I've got you."

Glancing up as Daniel approached, Archie sighed slightly but glanced down with some amount of pride at how Zelda apologised. He knew it was difficult if anything, before she returned her head to the pillow of his torso. The Scotsman now eyed the younger boy, "I'll take you back, but we need to talk." His voice dropped an octave, highlighting the sincerity as McKeegan continued to comfort Zelda for a moment longer. Dipping his head, Arch gave the Doctor a smile. "I'll be back soon, go sit with Jen and Milly." His thumbs wiped across her cheekbones, collecting the tears before pushing up the borrowed cap and pressing a kiss upon her forehead. He drew the hat back down and gave a light pat on the shoulder. "There we go, that should tide you over. Hm? If you get cold my shirt is over there, just try and breathe."

McKeegan found his feet, approaching the boy to take him by the hand and lead them both to the path which led upwards back to the Mountaintop -- but before they made the trek; Archie crouched down till they were eye to eye. "Danny." The words dropped like concrete in a river. "I know this is a tough time for you and your sister, but there is a way things work. You're a young lad, you're goin' through some tough changes, I get that. I've been there. The apocalypse has us all kinds of sideways and fucked up, you hear me?" His brows rose, "Jennifer is gonna die without another donor heart, her daddy is in a coma, she's suffered through shit I can't even imagine. Zelda lost so much she doesn't know who she is anymore. Milly is never gonna get better and you know--" Arch looked away a moment blinking back evident emotion. "It breaks my fucking heart. Her knees are gonna get worse, her joints are gonna get worse, and she's not that old yet." McKeegan now pressed a finger into Daniel's shoulder. "You and your sister have suffered, I know that. Hell, I've done some things that will never make me the same man again. But what doesn't help, is when you start actin' high and mighty. Jennifer is our elected leader, it's her job to boss people about. I can't excuse Zeld, but I can tell you to give her a chance. If you keep distancing yourself and hatin' people for what you think they are, without botherin' to spend time with them, then you've already given up and I don't like bein' friends with quitters. I get it. I get it more than you know, but bein' rude to Ms Jenny and tryin' to act like you know everything when you know shit-all, doesn't make you special. It makes you ignorant. Zelda is sorry, and she's gonna try and make things right. So now it's your turn to help make things right. No more bein' a sour-puss."

The Scotsman stretched upward and began leading up the side of the cliff-face where the ramp of mud had been made. Once Daniel was back at the Mountaintop Arch flicked his nose. "And one last thing. Smile, Dan. Wheres the kid I wanna see? Cali said your birthday was soon, so expect to get somethin' and tell your sister I said hi. Come see us at dinner and I can get a word in with her too. You two need some time alone to cool off, I know. But, when you're feelin' better, come find me." McKeegan smiled, putting a hand on Dan's head to ruffle the hair slightly. "I barely know anythin' about you two, which is why you gotta come sit with us so we can talk through it. Nobody is better than each other, this ain't a pity-party. This is therapy on some fucked level, mate. Therapy, friendship, and I'll even sneak you a cider." Arch turned his back, glancing over it quickly. "Don't dally! Get home safe!" Moving forward he half slid down the hill now on the soles of his barefeet making a whooping noise, and a distant 'Yee-haw' for the sake of it.

Rumble Fish Rumble Fish Peacemaker .45 Peacemaker .45 Emotional Enigma Emotional Enigma
 
Daniel felt uncomfortable with Archie's affection for Zelda. He winced, his internal cooties radar going off crazily. When Zelda apologized however he turned away. His parents taught him to be respectful, even if you don't like someone, but they left him so what good were their lessons? He wasn't sure how to respond to her apology or if he should even,
"It's not me you need to apologize to," He shrugged, water still dripping down his meek shoulders. He followed Archie up the pathway obediently, relief washing over him finally being able to leave their company but it quickly left him again as Archie began to scold him. He didn't know much of the group to truly feel bonded with them nor understand their plights. He had made an effort, he tried even when Cali didn't seem to and even when they didn't seem interested in him. He was doing everything right and suddenly when he didn't want to be a good little kid like Milly, they were upset. He crossed his arms defiantly as Archie touched him, wanting to back away,
"Everyone treats me like a kid and everyone is mean to Cali and she's always just looking out for people!" His cheeks turned pink, not appreciating Archie and not empathizing with his words, "It's easy to tell the people who feel most left out to be nice to everyone, and then not be nice to them too!" Tears welled in his eyes. He wanted to be manly but he didn't want to be like Archie anymore. His sister was acting like a lone wolf, always doing everything on her own and not including him. The group was treating him like he was dumb or like he was a kid. He wanted to be with everyone but he didn't want to at the cost of his sister and being downplayed. He wanted to be treated like a man, like his father. In any other part of the country, his theory would've been correct but they shrugged him off and treated him as if he didn't know anything because he was a kid.
Archie's words started to faze through him, no longer holding such high value. His heart ached and he swiped angrily at his tears, not having anything to rub them on except his wet skin. He looked at Archie, knowing he didn't hate him, he couldn't hate him. Daniel couldn't hate anyone, he was too warm and happy, but so balled with bent up anger he screamed,
"I hate you! I want to go home!" Daniel wasn't scolded often, even before the plague had happened. His parents babied him often being the last child in the home. They encouraged all of his endeavors even after Cali abandoned them. She left not only mom and dad, but she left him. She came back, she always came back.
Instead of smiling and leaving back home, he pushed past Archie and ran. He didn't know where he was running or why, he just couldn't handle whatever he was feeling. He was angry at Archie for picking a girl's side. He didn't understand girls or why they acted so weird. He was angry at his sister for not having any friends. He was angry at everyone for not understanding.
Daniel didn't run into the Mountaintop. He ran away from it, further into the woods away from everyone. Soon losing sight of everything including the path he had trailed with Archie. He was lost and alone. He squatted over, tucking his head into his knees and cried now, finally alone.

Rumble Fish Rumble Fish Peacemaker .45 Peacemaker .45 idalie idalie
 
The face Milly made when Jennifer suggested kissing the fish, as if it were some alien tradition Milly has never heard of, made Jennifer chuckle slightly.

“It won’t kill you, don’t worry,” Jennifer stated, shifting the weight on her hip. “It may feel weird and slimy, but where I come from, it’s a time honored tradition that you kiss your first fish. You don’t have to, but you can if you want.”

When Milly kissed the fish, her obvious disgust and displeasure showed in full force. Kissing a fish was never really a thing Jennifer felt anyone would want to do, herself included. But as it was the time honored tradition where she was when she grew up, she continued that tradition.

The first time the young outdoorswoman caught a fish, she was young, around 7 or 8. She was at a lake, fishing off of a dock. Surrounded by friends and family for a birthday, they all helped steer her towards fish. The only fish she were going after with sunnies. A small school of them often would swim around the dock, favoring the shade it gave them. Her father put a worm on the hook, and instructed her with what to do. Soon enough, the sunnies went after the worm. And one of them sunk the hook into their mouth. The fish put up little to no fight. But for a young child at her age then, it was the biggest fight she’d ever had. It took a short amount of time to reel it in. Once she did, her family gathered around and congratulated her. Her father and uncle then instructed her to kiss the fish. Weary at first, she did it after a few seconds. The slim of the fish grossed her out, as she got some in her mouth. This then ended up with her throwing up. It became a family joke that her family would often joke around about when they were gathered for holidays.

Jennifer took the fish from Milly once she kissed it. “Hey, at least you didn’t throw up from it,” she started. “My first time, I threw up. It wasn’t fun and became a family joke. You’re off to a better start than me.”

With the fish in her hand, she walked slowly to the bank of the lake. She looked it over for a moment. Little things like appreciating nature and life, after all the death and darkness she had been through, was a rarity in this world. This short time with Milly fishing made her able to go back to a time like that, and enjoy the world she lived in, as opposed to hating it.

“Go on to live another day,” Jennifer said quietly as she lowered the fish into the water.

The fish flipped around once it felt the water. It knew it could breathe again, and get away from the towering creatures that held it. Letting go off it, Jennifer watched the fish swim off into the water. It created small ripples in the water as it swam off, the sunlight reflecting off of the ripples and into her eyes.

“Later, dude,” Jennifer whispered with a small grin.

Staring at the lake for a moment, still knelt down, reality was starting to set in again, and the burdens of her life started to slowly creep towards the center of her mind. This caused Jennifer to lower her head and sigh. She knew the fun time away from her troubles was ending. Lifting her head slowly, she looked around at the nature around her and took it in. The green in the trees around her were magnificent. The colors she could never get tired of looking at.

While taking in the moment, Jennifer looked around, her eyes meeting further down the same side of the bank she was on. She slowly looked around, the warm heat warming her skin as she did so. As she looked, she saw a color and shape that didn’t fit. She figured that it was just brush that was looking like a person, an example of pareidolia. But this, however, wasn’t, once she glanced back at it. The silhouette of a man and a horse showed, her eyes meeting those of the person briefly. She got up slowly, as if not to cause alarm, walking over to Milly.

“There’s a guy close to us on the same bank. He isn’t one of ours. Don’t look. Just act like we’re talking about you don’t know they’re there. Just walk back into the forest a bit more. No idea if this guy is going to harm us or not. Go,” Jennifer said, pushing her along.


Jennifer grabbed her SCAR 17s, and put in a mag and chambered the weapon. She had no idea who this person was, and what their intentions were. She didn’t know how to proceed. Should she shoot? Should she try to communicate with him? The girl didn’t know. As she looked back in the direction of the person, they once again met eyes. They knew of each other’s presence for sure now. This was going to be a confrontation, good or bad. She had no choice but to speak up.

“Who are you and what the hell do you want,” she shouted at the man. It was more confrontational that she would’ve liked. But circumstances demanded it, to her at least.

Rumble Fish Rumble Fish Emotional Enigma Emotional Enigma idalie idalie
 
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Zelda Williams​
Zelda winced at Daniel’s blunt answer. But he was right. She should have apologised to Cali but… she was scared to. After how she acted she just knew the woman would reject it. The same way Daniel had. She held onto Archie longer, not liking how he was going to leave to take Daniel back to the camp. The thought of being alone again disturbed the woman greatly, even if it would only be for a few moments. But after her crying spell, Zelda was feeling particularly vulnerable. Even when he kissed her on the forehead, she could not answer him and simply watched him go.

Her breath was still shaky and shallow from sobbing but she tried to breathe deeply to calm herself down. Zelda turned to the other girls, who seemed to have caught a large fish. As she watched them, she could not help but be reminded of when her family took a eight person trip to Wyoming, where Mark and Jason would fish every day with one of her work-friends, a man named Jim who Jason looked up to like an uncle. Zelda preferred the horse riding, going on long treks through the wilderness. She missed the feeling of being in the saddle, feeling the horse galloping beneath her and the wind sweeping her hair. She had tried to get Jason to come with her but he was much more content to fish. She was happy just to sit and watch him…

Taking Archie’s advice, the woman got up and made her way to the beach, close to Jennifer and Milly but not very close. Despite the fact she was growing to trust Jennifer more, she just did not feel at all comfortable with exposing herself like this. She sat at the water’s edge, washing her face to try and cool down and stop the tear tracks from showing. She watched them interacting with the fish and bit her bottom lip anxiously. Zelda had the urge to sit next to them and join in but… She just couldn’t. The woman sighed and put her chin on her knees, letting her wine and whiskey sodden mind wander.

Zelda’s thoughts did not drift far when she noticed something across the river. A man and… a horse? The sight of the tall and dark creature almost made the woman burst into tears again. The mare looked so much like her own horse, back in Texas, except he had a stripe down his face rather than a star. She thought they were all gone… to see one -and in good condition- standing there was truly something. She glanced at Jennifer as she got up, pointing her gun at the stranger and demanding an explanation as to why he was here. Zelda just kept still. She did not have the mental or emotional strength to do anything about it. If anything, she just wanted to sleep.

Milly McDonald​
Milly watched Jennifer release her fish back into the river, happy to see the critter get away safely. She was glad to see Jennifer letting it go. But after releasing him, the woman seemed to grow sad again. Milly furrowed her brow. After everything had happened to her friend, she just wanted her to be happy. She glanced at Zelda as she stared sadly at the water, her cap low over her face. She wanted them both to be happy. Everybody should be happy. There was so much sadness and she just wished she could make it go away. She knew she couldn’t… but she could try.

She shimmied towards the woman, grabbing a stick from the ground and started drawing in the dark and wet sand. She had to lean in close as she could not see it very well, but regardless she got to work: drawing all of them. Herself, Archie, Jennifer, Cali and Daniel. It looked a little clumsy but still. She glanced over at Zelda who was still sitting away from them. She wanted to encourage the woman to sit closer but didn’t know how. The only thing she could do was draw her too, next to Archie. They were all together in a group. Milly smiled a little before looking at Jennifer, wanting to see her reaction. She then turned to the older woman.

“Zelda, you-?” She could not even finish her question as Jennifer suddenly leaned in, telling her to back away slowly. Milly was alarmed and wanted to ask why. She glanced up but past the river, everything was a congealed blur that she could not make out. What was there? And why did Jennifer tell her go back away? She squeaked worryingly but did as she said, despite not knowing what was going on. She just hoped whoever it was was not a threat. Milly hugged her bear as she looked around anxiously. Where was Archie? She needed a hug.

Dutch Malloy​
Domino fluttered her nostrils as she whickered in the direction of the strangers across the water. Dutch continued to fill his canteen. But when the woman then pulled out her SCAR 17s, the man shot to his feet. The sight of a stranger’s nozzle pointed at his face caused a reflex in the man as he reached into Domino’s saddle bag.

But just as he grabbed his gun, he stopped. No. Pointing his gun at the woman was not a good idea. He was not in Syria anymore. He could not just shoot any random person he met. In this world, they needed allies. He could not shoot her. And despite having a gun pointed at him, he could not retaliate with violence. It would not work. So instead, he took a long gulp from his canteen to calm himself down before turning to the woman.

“Easy, lil’ lady no need to be alarmed!” he said with his hands up, “It’s just ol’ Don and I with throats burned dry and souls that cry for water.” he said before glancing at Domino as she gave him a whicker and pinned her ears as if to say “old?!”

“Ugh… Hank Williams, Domino seriously. You know nothin’, don’t cha.” he chuckled as he gave the mare a poke between her nostrils, making her grunt and crinkle her muzzle before turning her rump to the situation to graze. Dutch looked back towards the younger woman and took a few steps towards the woman.

“Dutch Malloy at your service, m’lady.” he tipped his trucker’s cap at her respectfully with a nod, “No need for alarms, I don’t need anything other than a little water for myself and Domino. Once I get that, I’ll mosey on my way and y’all never see the likes of me again.” He explained. He was still a little anxious about the gun pointed in his direction but he figured if he did not make a fuss he could diffuse the situation and she would let him go. She looked like she had enough on her plate for him to add to her problems.
Peacemaker .45 Peacemaker .45 idalie idalie Emotional Enigma Emotional Enigma
 
ARCHIE "THE SCOTSMAN" MCKEEGAN​
Daniel whipped past him as Archie half slid back down to the bottom where the forest crowded against the loose mud. Thankfully, he'd managed to pull on his jeans and shirt before he'd left; although the belt for his trousers remained undone whilst the shirt was entirely unbuttoned for a favourable partial covering rather than wandering about in nothing but his burgundy boxer-shorts. Alas, he lacked his usual boots, big and steel-toe-capped that made a familiar heavy footstep. With the young boy taking off, McKeegan followed. "DANNY!" His voice bellowed, resounding out into the woodland. His jog soon turned into a sprint, zigzagging from the path to try and spread out a little further. "DANNY! IT AIN'T SAFE!" Arch paused, "DANNY!!" He glanced behind him, then around at the all-encompassing green of the tall trees and thick underbrush. The Scotsman's heartbeat was erratic, head spinning in a panic. Cali had entrusted Daniel to him, a troubled young man, but a child nevertheless. He couldn't lose another. "DANIEL! DAN! DON'T PLAY WITH ME -- DANNY!" His voice broke with anguish, the soles of his feet throbbing as twigs and thorns took the liberty of giving them a lashing as he thundered further on -- deeper into the wood.

Archie turned in a full circle now, recognising nothing albeit the direction he assumed he'd come from. Leaning up against an oak the big man caught his breath. "Dan." He covered his mouth and shut his eyes fast for a second. There was no time for self-pitying. "DANIEL." A shifting in the overgrowth caused McKeegan to turn slowly. "Danny, that you? Danny boy? Dan, I just want everyone happy. Daniel, I said I was gonnae sort this all out." A rabbit popped out and Arch felt his chest sink. He ran, sprinting in another burst of energy -- perspiration building on his brow in a glowing sheen. "DANN-" Cut short, McKeegan was thrown forward; catching his toes with an almighty 'crack' as they hit a root. Falling into the air, Arch twisted to face upward and landed with a cry of surprise, pain, till it went silent.

The birds left their roosts, flying up and off the silver birches that crowded the ditch. McKeegan opened his eyes from the blackout; feeling a large, painful lump at the back of his head -- and excruciating pain emanating from his abdomen. He lay there, gazing upward into the canopy of green as the warm glow of the afternoon sun shone through, creating columns of light that bees buzzed in, drifting along lazily to the summer warmth. Drowsily he looked down at his exposed stomach and felt nausea rise almost immediately. Three, individual spikes poked through the flesh, puckering and stretching it whilst Archie reached down to touch one of the blood slathered points. He groaned and grunted now as he shifted; looking down at the pool of blood which was now collecting -- albeit slowly thanks to the contained puncture. A deer skull and its remains -- evidently from the winter of the previous year lay, bleached white and tinged yellow with decomposition.

He breathed in and then out, adrenaline beginning to tingle as his terror began to set in. He tried lifting his arms to touch his features alas, the muscles and skin tugged taut against the antlers and caused him to whimper and whine. Archie glanced across now, noting a half rotting face, covered in fungus and moss from lying on its side for too long. Milky white eyes accompanied a deathly rattle, dragging itself by the arms as lank, greasy hair was caught beneath it's elbow -- peeling away it's own scalp in clumps. Archie began to huff his breath quickly, lying prone with nobody to help him up and began to rock himself sideways and back, teeth gritted. His undead acquaintance only began to move faster at the struggling of it's apparent meal. A scream was torn from his lungs as he threw himself side to side and began pushing himself upwards; his face a deathly pallor as blood now began to pour. Staining the tops of his jeans and hands as he shrugged off the shirt; tying it tightly around his abdomen. The infected grasped at his bare feet, gnashing it's teeth whilst McKeegan tried to kick it off, soft, squishy bloated skin beneath his already broken toes.

"FU--FUCK" Reaching forwards, he put one palm to its forehead and wrenched the foot away -- at the cost of having the corpse bite down on both the middle and ring fingers of his left hand. Gnawing and chewing, it's tongue wet and slushy. Arch beat down on it's brow, again and again till the soft skull gave way, caving inward. He froze up, looking at his hand and the two mauled digits. "Oh fuck." He held on to his belly, vomiting beside the corpse, his impalement injuries gushing further at the judder of his muscles as they purged his system from stress, nerves, and now shock. "No, no, no -- fuck -- fuck," He searched his belt and pockets, finding nothing but his whittling penknife. It would have to do.

The Woodsman set his hand down on the top of the already bloody deer skull, and using the first knife he could get his hands on, began to hack and savage at the fingers till they were below the knuckle. The stumps were more bone than flesh, McKeegan wrapping them in a piece of spare shirt; already saturated red. Dragging himself up the side of the ditch, he paused again to empty what was left of his stomach contents; which was nothing but bile and water. He had to keep moving. He needed the river, the river would tell the way back to the lake. And Dan -- or was it Milly? A child. Lost. His head made little sense, half doubled over as he stumbled forward, hawking and spitting the taste of sick to try and wash it out. The acid burnt his throat, eyes watering as he half crawled; unable to straighten up fully.

He didn't know when he'd entered the forest, or when he'd fallen, even now as the sun turned another shade -- Archie pushed forward. A trickle of water could be heard nearer and nearer till he found the stream. It was low here, trickling over boulders and rocks. The Scotsman bowed to it, falling on his knees to sup at the water and drink -- drink till he could no more. The big man lay in the river, his head on a stone as a pillow. Water washing over him in lapping, gentle currents. Red clouded around him initially, brownish from the oxidation, albeit some of it fresh.

A day at the lake. Nothing more nothing less.

Rumble Fish Rumble Fish Peacemaker .45 Peacemaker .45 Emotional Enigma Emotional Enigma
 
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