The Fugitive

[Z0rr0w]

"We'll find civilization eventually," I say, "hopefully they won't try to kill us."


I start digging up a small hole with my hands. Afterwards, I drop the spent chambers in it and start to move the dirt back to cover the hole. No need to let people know that a guy with a gun was here recently.

 

[Quilboarian]

You drop the spent revolver cartridges in the small hole you dig and bury them, thus removing any obvious traces of your existence at this location. Emily nods, before continuing to speak. "Yeah...Hopefully. Not everywhere should be this bad," she says as she looks around the forest.

 

[Z0rr0w]

"Ready to get going?" I ask Emily as I put my gun away in my pocket and get up, taking a look around for any routes I'd be able to follow out of the forest.

 

[Quilboarian]

"Yeah, let's go," she says, looking a lot more caught up on her breath now. Taking a look around the forest, you have a rough idea of where you are and where you can go. An image forms in your mind. (in the form of a poorly-made paint image.)

 

[Z0rr0w]

"We'll keep going on through the woods, but then we'll move nearer to the road. Easier to travel that way," I inform Emily, as I begin walking in the Northwest direction.

 

[Quilboarian]

Emily nods, and begins to follow you as you set off on that course, getting nearer to the road, but still staying in the cover of the forest as you follow it. You both walk for several hours without any incident. Though, both of you end up rather hungry and thirsty after while. According to Emily's watch, it is 8:30 AM.


You both know that the town up ahead has been abandoned. And, although it is technically in a region that is declared safe, there is still the possibility of danger in that area due to its lack of control or order. Though, that might actually be a good thing, considering your circumstances. Still, the mindless infected have been known to occasionally appear in the woods, as well as around these abandoned areas. Luckily, you encountered none on the way here.

 

[Z0rr0w]

"There might be a few supplies in the town," I say to Emily, "hopefully none of it is too rotten."


With that, I draw my gun and continue towards the town, hoping to be graced with decent food and water in the abandoned buildings when Emily and I arrive there.

 

[Quilboarian]

Emily nods, saying "I hope so; I'm starving," as she begins to follow. The neighbourhood you come across appears very derelict, and many of the suburb houses are boarded up, or have portions of their structures collapsed entirely. Yards are overrun with weeds, which are also beginning to sprout up through cracks in the street. Remnants of the past, such as shell casings and old bones litter the ground, while graffiti is evident on a lot of walls. This was one place that didn't survive after the outbreak.

 

[Z0rr0w]

"Probably nothing too useful here, let's move to the next block," I say, keeping my gun out as I continue along the road to the next neighbourhood, constantly looking around for any sources of danger.

 

[Quilboarian]

You and Emily walk down the street, which appears to be totally devoid of cars. In a few driveways, though, skeletons of vehicles are present, which have long since been salvaged for parts or otherwise destroyed. The second block which you walk over to looks roughly the same as the first, although there are a few houses where entry looks possible. One of them has its windows still intact, nor are they boarded up, allowing light to shine into the building. It doesn't appear to be collapsed, either.

 

[Z0rr0w]

"Might be supplies in there," I say, walking towards the windowed home and looking around for any of the living dead. Once I'm sure there's none nearby, I attempt to break the window with my weapon and climb inside.

 

[Quilboarian]

Peering through the window, you don't pick up any traces of movement, at least immediately inside. As you go to strike the glass window with your handgun, you hear the door creak open following the twisting of the knob. You then realize that Emily has simply opened the door. "What're you waiting for? C'mon, let's look for stuff," she beckons with a small grin.

 

[Z0rr0w]

"Huh?" I ask, looking over at Emily, "oh, I thought the door would be locked."


I walk over and enter the house ahead of Emily, holding out my gun in front of me and taking a look around the house.

 

[Quilboarian]

Emily steps back, and you go in ahead of her with your six-shooter drawn. Looking inside, you still don't see any signs of life. The interior of the home has garbage is strewn everywhere, suggesting that survivors might have lived here at one point. Though the place looks dirty, the building doesn't look like it's about to cave in on itself, at least. There seems to be a living room and kitchen on this floor, although you can go upstairs to a second level, or into the basement.

 

[Z0rr0w]

"Anyone home?" I ask, looking around, "we're alive and friendly here."


Without waiting for an answer, I beckon for Emily to follow as I head into the kitchen in hopes of finding food.

 

[Quilboarian]

You don't get any response, and then Emily speaks up. "Anyone there? It's alright to come out, we're just hungry." Still, no response is heard from anywhere in the building. She shrugs and just follows along with you, and begins to open cupboards and drawers immediately upon entering the kitchen.

 

[Z0rr0w]

"Find anything yet?" I ask Emily as I lazily sit up on one of the counters and let her search without help. I needed a rest, couldn't be bothered with rummaging through drawers.

 

[Quilboarian]

Emily continues poking around for a minute. "Not yet...hold on..." Then, she replies cheerily after a pause, "Oh, I found something!" She brings herself up and sets two cans on the counter. One contains sardines, and the other pasta. "Uh...There's also a note." She holds out a piece of paper to you. "I read it already," she says.

 

[Z0rr0w]

I take the note from Emily and quickly read through it, before folding it and setting it down on the counter.


"Coldton's not far from here. If that guy gets back, he can probably make it to Coldton without this food," I tell Emily, before turning my attention to the cans.


"Do you think we could heat up our food before we eat?" I ask her, looking around for a microwave that hopefully still functions.

 

[Quilboarian]

Emily shrugs. "This note is probably from a couple years ago anyways," she says. "The evacuations are over...I just don't think he made it back, unfortunately. Or at least he didn't look in the cupboards."


She responds to your question about heating up the food. "I don't think we need to, do we? Well, we could always make a fire." There is no electricity in this house- it has been long abandoned.

 

[Z0rr0w]

"You know I don't like eating cold food," I say as I start checking cabinets and drawers for anything resembling a lighter or other sort of firestarter.

 

[Quilboarian]

"Alrighty," she replies. "A little bit of extra work pays off."


You search the cabinets and drawers, and don't find anything that could be used to light a fire. Though, it seems that Emily could tell what you were looking for, and after digging around in her pockets for a few moments, she comes up with a reusable lighter. "Glad I always keep this handy! You, uh, need this?"

 

[Z0rr0w]

"Huh?" I ask, looking over at her and turning my attention down to her lighter, "oh, yeah, definitely. We'll need to build a firepit first though. Do you have any idea how to build one?"

 

[Quilboarian]

Emily nods, and holds the lighter out, offering it for you to take. "Oh, I think I know how to. We could just do it in the house, and keep a window open so that it doesn't get too smokey. Use bits of trash as kindling, maybe? Just need to find something to use as the firepit, right?" she asks.

 

[Z0rr0w]

I gently pluck the lighter from her hand.


"Maybe this guy has an old fireplace we could use," I say, pocketing the lighter for the time being and starting to look around the ground floor for anything resembling a fireplace.