Fantasy Tomorrow Never Comes (Zombie Apocalypse) [Always Accepting]

[Jazzy]

((oh god the adventures of two very cautious individuals who don't like each other))
Unlike Necro, who appeared to be aware of what he was doing and why they were here, Chess did not have that information. Sure, they were aware of what used to be present-day areas and where some connections where, as well as locations of each Syndicate and what they were up to, but you stop getting updates once people start to die. You just kind of, assume, that they got arrested, and then actually realize the whole weight of the apocalypse a few days afterwards. But from what Chess could tell, whatever the kid was being cautious about, it definitely wasn't good. The sound of a gun cocking seemed to surprise them, but not in the audible way. It was the more shoulders jump or eye's widening type of surprise. Visually, not audibly. But it was one of the visual precedents on how anxious and uneasy that they were, before it melted back towards indifference. Necro had opened the door and disappeared into the poor, little lighting beyond it, and Chess followed (somewhat, but not too) closely behind, their revolver in hand. Chess did have a few other arsenals along with them, but their revolver was the quickest and easy-instant thing that they had within their own hand.


While Chess did consider speaking up, it was from what they considered that staying quiet might have been the best choice. How was the kid even going to respond? Better be quiet than be annoying.


Maybe someone he knows is in here? Or possibly he's aware of what was in this building before, which is why he's cautious towards it? Getting some intel would have been appreciated, but it seems he's more of an action-before-gesticulatory person. Well, actions do mean more than words, at least in this scenario.


Perhaps they will get information later on once they've wandered deep enough. If Chess goes long enough without knowing, they'll ask, no big problem. But as for now, they followed in Necro's shadow, making sure to keep their footsteps light, and well, their guard was already high from the moment this entire apocalypse started. It's what happens when you grow up thinking the entire world is a literal threat to your safety.


@Jazzy

Necro stopped suddenly when he heard voices. They were quite clearly pretty deep into the building, but the fact was they were there. (If you don't mind, umma let chess run into necro. I can edit if you don't want this to happen) Chess walks into his back, which makes him jump a bit. He couldn't help but feel pissed off. He was always pissed off. But at the same time, he understood that it was dark.

 

[Entarriance]

The hallways appeared to duplicate, the same dark atmosphere, the same lighting, it had this irritating feeling of redundance to it. Wherever they went, it better have been worth it, as the dark environment made them feel uncomfortable, like something was always watching them, waiting like some animal for the right time to strike. One little noise, and Chess was ready to spin around and elbow whoever it was, maybe take shock factor and duck downwards and aim for their feet... or...


Chess felt something hard, ish, in front of them, causing them to faintly jump back in shock. They mouthed the words sorry! in a frantic panic, but after a few mouthed apologies, Chess came to realize something.


... first of all, it's too dark for him to even figure out. The kid's always pissed, anyway. But secondly, those are voices? Nothing familiar, per usual, so it's no one in the Syndicate at least.





Listening into the voices, even Chess' breathing was silent, amplifying the nonexistent sound of their own thoughts. When learning how to use a sniper, or at least become a sharpshooter, you needed to focus your breathing and your own senses to that of around you, and not be aware or in control of you yourself. You needed to keep that gun steady, and you needed to keep yourself steady. Once you miss that shot, you're done for. That's exactly what Chess did, bringing their own body to a state of complete reticence, focusing solely on what they could hear. Necro was in front of them, and did appear to jump a little on contact earlier. They should probably apologize for that later... but for now, they couldn't see anything happening in front of them, because Necro was the one leading. But Chess knew that pushing themselves to the front to see is a poor move on their choice, and simply remained behind, focusing their senses on hearing what they could.


For what reason did Carter not catch this before? Perhaps he only came across the lobby and a single office, and didn't bother to check further. But because it was so dark, wouldn't voices be a very prominent discrepancy?





((Here it's pretty much me just waiting for what they're saying.))


@Jazzy

 

[Jazzy]

The hallways appeared to duplicate, the same dark atmosphere, the same lighting, it had this irritating feeling of redundance to it. Wherever they went, it better have been worth it, as the dark environment made them feel uncomfortable, like something was always watching them, waiting like some animal for the right time to strike. One little noise, and Chess was ready to spin around and elbow whoever it was, maybe take shock factor and duck downwards and aim for their feet... or...
Chess felt something hard, ish, in front of them, causing them to faintly jump back in shock. They mouthed the words sorry! in a frantic panic, but after a few mouthed apologies, Chess came to realize something.


... first of all, it's too dark for him to even figure out. The kid's always pissed, anyway. But secondly, those are voices? Nothing familiar, per usual, so it's no one in the Syndicate at least.


Listening into the voices, even Chess' breathing was silent, amplifying the nonexistent sound of their own thoughts. When learning how to use a sniper, or at least become a sharpshooter, you needed to focus your breathing and your own senses to that of around you, and not be aware or in control of you yourself. You needed to keep that gun steady, and you needed to keep yourself steady. Once you miss that shot, you're done for. That's exactly what Chess did, bringing their own body to a state of complete reticence, focusing solely on what they could hear. Necro was in front of them, and did appear to jump a little on contact earlier. They should probably apologize for that later... but for now, they couldn't see anything happening in front of them, because Necro was the one leading. But Chess knew that pushing themselves to the front to see is a poor move on their choice, and simply remained behind, focusing their senses on hearing what they could.


For what reason did Carter not catch this before? Perhaps he only came across the lobby and a single office, and didn't bother to check further. But because it was so dark, wouldn't voices be a very prominent discrepancy?


((Here it's pretty much me just waiting for what they're saying.))


@Jazzy

Necro put his hand on chess's nearest body part, which happened to be (o think by now it's a her) chest, keeping her where she was. He crept along the darkness until he was close enough to make out the most of what they were saying. His heart dropped. They had to get the fuck out of there now. He turned to push Chess along the other way when he heard a voice right behind them. "Going so soon?" He instantly lifted his gun and fired at the voice. He was greeted with a not so subtle "oof." And a thud as the mans body hit the ground. The shot rang in his ears and he could no longer hear the voices, but the light the shot had made showed him a place to hide. He grabbed chess and pulled her behind the fallen table, almost stumbling trying to find his way over to it.

 

[Entarriance]

Being gestured to stay back, Chess gritted their teeth at Necro's hand briefly on their chest. Of course, out of any place. Luckily she pretty much lacked anything there so, good game genetics. As he crept along ahead, they propped themselves up on one knee with their gun ready to fire if needed. Chess didn't have the ability to see in the dark of course. They weren't superhuman, and they were still physically a teenager (mentally, Chess is pretty mature + socially crippled), so nothing was some mysterious overpowering outlier that they were just born with. But because Chess was trained to be the sharpshooter, bodyguard-like character they were, they were good at adapting to new environments. It was dark, so Chess kept themselves to the sides of the walls. Their eyes faintly began to adjust to the lack of lighting, though when vision couldn't help them, they resorted to voices. It wasn't like they never dealt with lack-of-visibility situations that relied on the sounds of footsteps or breathing. Hell, it's what can determine a life or death situation.


They didn't hear anything. It was quiet, except the slight stretching movement of Necro's clothing as they moved.





"Going so soon?"


Surprised at the voice, Chess immediately raised their own gun and their stance, ready to run. However, a loud shot rang through the air, and a an instant flash of light lifted the cover of darkness for a split second. Using those unexpected brief seconds, gunfire wasn't something that was unfamiliar to Chess. Instead, they used what they could with the flash to have a slightly conroted and distorted image of what they believed the room had appeared to look like. A harsh and forthright grunt would sound, before the signature thud of a human body would hit the ground. That, definitely couldn't be a good sign. Turning towards where they believed Necro was, something hard tugged at them, forcing them down to the ground and behind something. From what Chess could have remembered, there should've been a table there. He appeared to struggle, stumbling in his steps before reaching it.


Chess quickly managed to compose themselves, the gunshot ruining any sense of order that they had to begin with. The flash reset any sort of light-adaption that their eyes had, and it quickly was set back into darkness to readjust. Chess had a brief layout of what the room had appeared to be. Bringing themselves up on one knee and a foot arched on the ground, their revolver gripped tightly. Reaching into their pocket, there were a handful of firework-poppers, where once they hit hard enough against the ground, there was a short and pleasant "pop" and a brief light, before it would fade away completely. Except these were one of those larger, home-made ones that you shouldn't actually do at home, so it was far, far less pleasant, and was more of a loud bang than a pop.


Chess needed to figure out some way to communicate with this kid and fast.


Remember, Chess is pretty socially crippled, so whatever your sense of shame was was definitely not theirs.


Knowing that he was nearby, and they merely had seconds before their short cover behind the table was found, Chess brought their forehead to roughly knock against his. Their arm went around their shoulder towards their back, and at first, this was either seen as very uncomfortably affectionate or some act of desperation? But that's not what Chess was intending. Instead, they started tracing what appeared to be letters on their back, and Chess well knew that the kid could read. Jeson passed some note to him, and got something back, and that was enough of an assumption.





Bang, left, go





Hopefully that was enough to convey the message. Chess was intending to throw the popper to the left, which would have created some sort of diversion and the illusion that there was another gunshot, which would've caused others to instinctual duck or cover their ears, before firing at wherever the noise came from. Once that diversion was set, they were left free to run, and it's just luck from that point.


(You can pretty much try and RP that part onwards, or if he didn't understand you can RP that part and absolute chaos )


@Jazzy

 

[Jazzy]

Being gestured to stay back, Chess gritted their teeth at Necro's hand briefly on their chest. Of course, out of any place. Luckily she pretty much lacked anything there so, good game genetics. As he crept along ahead, they propped themselves up on one knee with their gun ready to fire if needed. Chess didn't have the ability to see in the dark of course. They weren't superhuman, and they were still physically a teenager (mentally, Chess is pretty mature + socially crippled), so nothing was some mysterious overpowering outlier that they were just born with. But because Chess was trained to be the sharpshooter, bodyguard-like character they were, they were good at adapting to new environments. It was dark, so Chess kept themselves to the sides of the walls. Their eyes faintly began to adjust to the lack of lighting, though when vision couldn't help them, they resorted to voices. It wasn't like they never dealt with lack-of-visibility situations that relied on the sounds of footsteps or breathing. Hell, it's what can determine a life or death situation.
They didn't hear anything. It was quiet, except the slight stretching movement of Necro's clothing as they moved.





"Going so soon?"


Surprised at the voice, Chess immediately raised their own gun and their stance, ready to run. However, a loud shot rang through the air, and a an instant flash of light lifted the cover of darkness for a split second. Using those unexpected brief seconds, gunfire wasn't something that was unfamiliar to Chess. Instead, they used what they could with the flash to have a slightly conroted and distorted image of what they believed the room had appeared to look like. A harsh and forthright grunt would sound, before the signature thud of a human body would hit the ground. That, definitely couldn't be a good sign. Turning towards where they believed Necro was, something hard tugged at them, forcing them down to the ground and behind something. From what Chess could have remembered, there should've been a table there. He appeared to struggle, stumbling in his steps before reaching it.


Chess quickly managed to compose themselves, the gunshot ruining any sense of order that they had to begin with. The flash reset any sort of light-adaption that their eyes had, and it quickly was set back into darkness to readjust. Chess had a brief layout of what the room had appeared to be. Bringing themselves up on one knee and a foot arched on the ground, their revolver gripped tightly. Reaching into their pocket, there were a handful of firework-poppers, where once they hit hard enough against the ground, there was a short and pleasant "pop" and a brief light, before it would fade away completely. Except these were one of those larger, home-made ones that you shouldn't actually do at home, so it was far, far less pleasant, and was more of a loud bang than a pop.


Chess needed to figure out some way to communicate with this kid and fast.


Remember, Chess is pretty socially crippled, so whatever your sense of shame was was definitely not theirs.


Knowing that he was nearby, and they merely had seconds before their short cover behind the table was found, Chess brought their forehead to roughly knock against his. Their arm went around their shoulder towards their back, and at first, this was either seen as very uncomfortably affectionate or some act of desperation? But that's not what Chess was intending. Instead, they started tracing what appeared to be letters on their back, and Chess well knew that the kid could read. Jeson passed some note to him, and got something back, and that was enough of an assumption.





Bang, left, go





Hopefully that was enough to convey the message. Chess was intending to throw the popper to the left, which would have created some sort of diversion and the illusion that there was another gunshot, which would've caused others to instinctual duck or cover their ears, before firing at wherever the noise came from. Once that diversion was set, they were left free to run, and it's just luck from that point.


(You can pretty much try and RP that part onwards, or if he didn't understand you can RP that part and absolute chaos )


@Jazzy

(Yes, a great bonding experience indeed. I say we kill a few more and haul ass) necro nodded his head. This would have been pointless in the dark of her forehead hadnt been pressed against his. He got her sign. But what he heard... If they ran they'd die. They had to take these people out. As soon as he hears her popper go off, and the sound of "shit! Duck!" He began firing blindly into the voices. He knew he missed the first shots. But with every burst of light, more blood splattered and more bodies fell. He felt bullets whiz by his head, almost tearing off his other ear. He shivered and ducked back behind the table. (Now chess can have her fun)

 

[Entarriance]

Well, part 1 worked.


Apparently, there was a 1.5


Instead of running, Chess felt Necro violently pull away and stand up, but from the way he stood, it was obvious that he wasn't planning on running right away. Covering their eyes to shield themselves from the sudden flash of each shot. And look at that, they were right.


An uncountable amount of blindly fired gunshots wrung out randomly after the brief hesitation of the people present in the room. The brief flashes of red caused by her closed eyelids made it obvious- Necro had no fucking idea what he was aiming for. Whatever it was, it definitely hit fast, but it wasn't like they were unarmed themselves. Instead, Chess felt the earth shake at each gunshot that fired from their side, and each one that fired back. There was a quick thud of Necro dropping to the ground, but not dead, just back down to duck under the table. But from the sound of it, he definitely got shot. Whether it was fatal was up to fate itself.


An eye for an eye, I suppose. But let's romanticize that. ((o h n o))





Grinning from underneath their mask Chess carefully looked from the side of their cover. Because they shielded their eyes from the sudden bombardment of flashes until the sound stopped, the people believing that they had killed Necro once he stopped firing back and ducked down, it allowed Chess the advantage. Chess' eyes had adjusted to the darkness, while the flashes had caused everyone else to be bathed in blinding darkness once again. From the sound of it, Necro did a good but blind job in taking a lot of them out. Quietly, Chess would quietly make their way away from the table towards the people. Chess could hear their anxious footsteps as they wandered to and fro, as if searching for the body.


Quietly moving to a pair that walked close by each other, Chess immediately swung her arm around the persons mouth and lurched their own shoulder back, causing a loud and audible crack. Bending it so far back to continue a grotesquely wet and uncomfortable noise, the man was unable to utter a scream with their neck being cracked so severely within such little time, their vocal chords were mangled as well. Using the body as a type of shield, Chess's own body dropped down. Of course, this didn't go unnoticed.


The person who was closest immediately turned and open fired to where they heard the sound. With them blindly firing at what they thought was their perpetrator, they didn't acknowledge the other person who was present, causing multiple bullets to embed itself into their "teammate's" own head. An audible shout would come from them, before they'd drop to the ground, gripping their head, and falling limp. Directly after the scream, Chess would draw their own revolver towards where they saw the flash, and sharply shot at the noise. The shot landing in between their eyebrows, there was the rapid patter of steps coming towards them.


Not everyone was armed with firearms, it appeared, but a lot were. Whatever the fast pattering was, Chess promptly stood up and stepped to their side with an arm outstretched. Something would've slammed into their arm, but there was a confused "huh?" as their kitchen knife missed what they were expecting. Pulling them into a short embrace, Chess' hands went towards there own wrapped tightly around their weapon, and they thrusted it up towards the persons own neck. There was a sharp flesh-cutting sound and a grunt, before they ducked down their body once more. How many people are there?





Quickly snatching one of the guns of the many fallen, there was a sharp pain in Chess' upper shoulder as they expedituously moved from place to place, making sure not to stay in one location for too long. Do note, while it seemed like the actions above took a long time, this all took place extremely quickly, just in great description. Anywho, there was a sharp pain against Chess' shoulder, and from the short collection of bangs that they've heard, it was most likely from a bullet. Managing to make it back to the table, Chess hurriedly nudged Necro to move before fleeing themselves, because they better start now, and fast.


@Jazzy

 

[Jazzy]

Well, part 1 worked.
Apparently, there was a 1.5


Instead of running, Chess felt Necro violently pull away and stand up, but from the way he stood, it was obvious that he wasn't planning on running right away. Covering their eyes to shield themselves from the sudden flash of each shot. And look at that, they were right.


An uncountable amount of blindly fired gunshots wrung out randomly after the brief hesitation of the people present in the room. The brief flashes of red caused by her closed eyelids made it obvious- Necro had no fucking idea what he was aiming for. Whatever it was, it definitely hit fast, but it wasn't like they were unarmed themselves. Instead, Chess felt the earth shake at each gunshot that fired from their side, and each one that fired back. There was a quick thud of Necro dropping to the ground, but not dead, just back down to duck under the table. But from the sound of it, he definitely got shot. Whether it was fatal was up to fate itself.


An eye for an eye, I suppose. But let's romanticize that. ((o h n o))


Grinning from underneath their mask Chess carefully looked from the side of their cover. Because they shielded their eyes from the sudden bombardment of flashes until the sound stopped, the people believing that they had killed Necro once he stopped firing back and ducked down, it allowed Chess the advantage. Chess' eyes had adjusted to the darkness, while the flashes had caused everyone else to be bathed in blinding darkness once again. From the sound of it, Necro did a good but blind job in taking a lot of them out. Quietly, Chess would quietly make their way away from the table towards the people. Chess could hear their anxious footsteps as they wandered to and fro, as if searching for the body.


Quietly moving to a pair that walked close by each other, Chess immediately swung her arm around the persons mouth and lurched their own shoulder back, causing a loud and audible crack. Bending it so far back to continue a grotesquely wet and uncomfortable noise, the man was unable to utter a scream with their neck being cracked so severely within such little time, their vocal chords were mangled as well. Using the body as a type of shield, Chess's own body dropped down. Of course, this didn't go unnoticed.


The person who was closest immediately turned and open fired to where they heard the sound. With them blindly firing at what they thought was their perpetrator, they didn't acknowledge the other person who was present, causing multiple bullets to embed itself into their "teammate's" own head. An audible shout would come from them, before they'd drop to the ground, gripping their head, and falling limp. Directly after the scream, Chess would draw their own revolver towards where they saw the flash, and sharply shot at the noise. The shot landing in between their eyebrows, there was the rapid patter of steps coming towards them.


Not everyone was armed with firearms, it appeared, but a lot were. Whatever the fast pattering was, Chess promptly stood up and stepped to their side with an arm outstretched. Something would've slammed into their arm, but there was a confused "huh?" as their kitchen knife missed what they were expecting. Pulling them into a short embrace, Chess' hands went towards there own wrapped tightly around their weapon, and they thrusted it up towards the persons own neck. There was a sharp flesh-cutting sound and a grunt, before they ducked down their body once more. How many people are there?


Quickly snatching one of the guns of the many fallen, there was a sharp pain in Chess' upper shoulder as they expedituously moved from place to place, making sure not to stay in one location for too long. Do note, while it seemed like the actions above took a long time, this all took place extremely quickly, just in great description. Anywho, there was a sharp pain against Chess' shoulder, and from the short collection of bangs that they've heard, it was most likely from a bullet. Managing to make it back to the table, Chess hurriedly nudged Necro to move before fleeing themselves, because they better start now, and fast.


@Jazzy

When he was nudged, he felt a liquid get released upon his arm. Blood. Dammit. She had gotten shot. He crawled a little over and picked up the nearest gun. He picked chess up and practically threw her over his shoulder before sprinting out of the place. He found himself being grateful for the girls small size. He dropped her on her feet as soon as they got out. He needed to warn the others. There were undoubtedly more coming.

 

[The Hidden Kracken]

After a long while Carter spoke. "I have no idea really why I helped him in the first place... He fell out of a window and landed face first on the concrete... So I just did what I thought was right and fixed him up!" After realizing that that was a stupid explanation, even though it was true, Carter explained how he never really had anyone to look up to (still leaving out the part where he almost got Carter killed, twice.) and thought that Necro could be that someone.

 

[Entarriance]

Go would seem to tense up when he started talking about role models. Growing up in relative poverty, Go's role models were two of his older brothers, who lived life dealing drugs and mugging others. While his brothers repeatedly told Go to grow up the way he wants to and not like them, believing that he had a chance of being someone different, growing up in a poor neighborhood didn't leave a lot for him to cling on to. He grew up the way his brothers didn't want him to, and it was overall a bitter, melancholic topic for him. But hey, this is Go that we're talking about.


Walking over to Carter, Go grabbed the kid by the front of his shirt, lifting him off the ground by a few inches. Most likely, Carter was probably taller than Go. He was about 5'4-5'5 due to his childhood malnutrition, and grew up to be a rather short kid. Hell, many girls were even taller than him. But he sure as hell was the tank of the group, and become the leader of the post popular and toughest division in the Syndicate.


"You little... "


Go wasn't actually sure where the root of his anger was. He was a hot-head who got irritated rather quickly, and something about Carter always pissed him off to some degree, even if there wasn't anything to hate. Before he could shout, there was a faint bang in the distance.


"... that's one."


Xi muttered something, and he started to tense up. With the opportunity of confusion, Jeson grabbed at Go, forcing him to let Carter back down. Pulling him back, Jeson tried to wave off his hand, dismissing the issue. They definitely didn't need a fight now, and Jeson was already drained from the fact that their leader was in that building. Was Necro okay? Was Chess okay?! Did they duel it out?


There was a brief silence.


Before there was an array of gunfire. Xi turned back towards the group that he had and shouted.





"Chess said if we heard more than 6 gunshots than we oughtta' run!"


"W-what?! Hey, are they okay?! We need to help!"


"Captain's orders, sorry. I'm sure they're fine, we just have to go, now!"


Their backpack as a type of harness, Xi first slid down the cable. But instead of falling all the way towards the building, Xi released himself about mid-way. Because of the properties of a cable/rope with weight, the cable would have sagged wherever Xi was. Using that, Xi safely (somewhat) dropped from the cable back onto the ground, The horde was as a whole no longer present, though it was obvious that from a distance, you could hear their slowly fading groans. If they ran back the way they came, it would be getting farther from the leaving horde. But perhaps they may come across one or two along the way. Following behind, Go using his sheathed sword (which bore an appearance similar to a bokken) to slide his way downwards. He didn't have enough time to deal with Carter, but whatever their leader ordered, they might as well.


"What did they say?"


"6 gunshots. Revolvers only have 6 bullets, so any more than that, it's either the mute kid or there's someone else. Chess said we should run to somewhere we may have been before, so half of us can check back at the Library, and maybe the other half at the cafe and apartment so we can cover more ground. Go you can head off with that Carter kid to the Library? Jeson and I will check out the Cafe. If it's overrun, we'll meet you there, or you'll meet us there. We'd run into each other if it were both."


Jeson remained back up at the platform, a look of concern on his face as two of his teammates already slid down to the ground. Did they care enough to stay behind? But maybe they trusted Chess enough to listen to them, which is why they were leaving. Reluctantly looking back at the building, Jeson looked behind him towards Carter.


"... you coming?"


Before any heard response, Jeson swung his rope around the cable and slid down, letting go once he reached close enough to the ground. Rolling as he fell, he rubbed the back of his head and his neck in discomfort. They were fine, they were fine, that's fine..


@The Hidden Kracken


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"... don't you bleed out on me."


Chess was obviously startled when being thrown over Necro's shoulder, before the kid started bolting down the hall back towards where they came. Chess heard running footsteps coming their way. There was definitely people who were coming after them. Unable to focus on hearing due to Necro's rapid breathing next to them as they ran, Chess resorted to any sudden shifts or alterations to the environment. Holding their revolver with two hands, they carefully set their gaze as they were being carried, finding it difficult due to not staying still. Firing off 2, the first one missed, but there was an audible yelp. The second one was followed by a brief thud, and the footsteps stopped temporarily.


Once they got out, Chess was put back onto their feet, feeling the ground shift before them due to the unfamiliarity of it. Luckily, Chess made their own paranoid move to warn Xi to move earlier.

Spoiler

Walking over to Xi, Chess pulled out something from their jacket, shoving it towards him. Startled, Xi took a few steps back, but Chess grabbed him by his collar, pulling him down down to their height. Whispering something in their ear, they made their way over towards the cable.

. Hopefully they weren't taken by Jeson's compulsive and dependent nature, and did end up trying to flee. From the looks of it, the horde appeared to be gone, with a few visible Infected off in the distance tottering on their feet.


"... I should've told Xi already. He should've told the rest of them after the gunfire, but they might think I'm dead."


Putting their mind to something else, it was important to pay attention to the health of yourself before you can with anyone else. That doesn't mean sacrifice their life for your own, but you're better off staying alive first before you try and keep someone else alive. Pushing Necro in the back, it was another advocation for him to choose where they should flee. Usually, the better decision here would be a location where they have been to before, solely because it was easier to recollect with each other. But Chess wasn't going to force the kid where to go. He knew where he was going, it seemed, and might as well let him choose where they might be dying.


@Jazzy

 

[Jazzy]

"... don't you bleed out on me."


Chess was obviously startled when being thrown over Necro's shoulder, before the kid started bolting down the hall back towards where they came. Chess heard running footsteps coming their way. There was definitely people who were coming after them. Unable to focus on hearing due to Necro's rapid breathing next to them as they ran, Chess resorted to any sudden shifts or alterations to the environment. Holding their revolver with two hands, they carefully set their gaze as they were being carried, finding it difficult due to not staying still. Firing off 2, the first one missed, but there was an audible yelp. The second one was followed by a brief thud, and the footsteps stopped temporarily.


Once they got out, Chess was put back onto their feet, feeling the ground shift before them due to the unfamiliarity of it. Luckily, Chess made their own paranoid move to warn Xi to move earlier.

Spoiler

. Hopefully they weren't taken by Jeson's compulsive and dependent nature, and did end up trying to flee. From the looks of it, the horde appeared to be gone, with a few visible Infected off in the distance tottering on their feet.


"... I should've told Xi already. He should've told the rest of them after the gunfire, but they might think I'm dead."


Putting their mind to something else, it was important to pay attention to the health of yourself before you can with anyone else. That doesn't mean sacrifice their life for your own, but you're better off staying alive first before you try and keep someone else alive. Pushing Necro in the back, it was another advocation for him to choose where they should flee. Usually, the better decision here would be a location where they have been to before, solely because it was easier to recollect with each other. But Chess wasn't going to force the kid where to go. He knew where he was going, it seemed, and might as well let him choose where they might be dying.


@Jazzy


Necro grabbed the railing and front-flipped over it, holding on on the other side. A climbed backwards down until he could swing onto the next floor. He figured most of them were on the top floor by now, going after them. He went in as far as he could, while still staying in the light. That's when he remembered her shot shoulder. He swore in his head and went back to the railing, sticking his arms out to show her he'd catch her.

 

[The Hidden Kracken]

Go would seem to tense up when he started talking about role models. Growing up in relative poverty, Go's role models were two of his older brothers, who lived life dealing drugs and mugging others. While his brothers repeatedly told Go to grow up the way he wants to and not like them, believing that he had a chance of being someone different, growing up in a poor neighborhood didn't leave a lot for him to cling on to. He grew up the way his brothers didn't want him to, and it was overall a bitter, melancholic topic for him. But hey, this is Go that we're talking about.
Walking over to Carter, Go grabbed the kid by the front of his shirt, lifting him off the ground by a few inches. Most likely, Carter was probably taller than Go. He was about 5'4-5'5 due to his childhood malnutrition, and grew up to be a rather short kid. Hell, many girls were even taller than him. But he sure as hell was the tank of the group, and become the leader of the post popular and toughest division in the Syndicate.


"You little... "


Go wasn't actually sure where the root of his anger was. He was a hot-head who got irritated rather quickly, and something about Carter always pissed him off to some degree, even if there wasn't anything to hate. Before he could shout, there was a faint bang in the distance.


"... that's one."


Xi muttered something, and he started to tense up. With the opportunity of confusion, Jeson grabbed at Go, forcing him to let Carter back down. Pulling him back, Jeson tried to wave off his hand, dismissing the issue. They definitely didn't need a fight now, and Jeson was already drained from the fact that their leader was in that building. Was Necro okay? Was Chess okay?! Did they duel it out?


There was a brief silence.


Before there was an array of gunfire. Xi turned back towards the group that he had and shouted.





"Chess said if we heard more than 6 gunshots than we oughtta' run!"


"W-what?! Hey, are they okay?! We need to help!"


"Captain's orders, sorry. I'm sure they're fine, we just have to go, now!"


Their backpack as a type of harness, Xi first slid down the cable. But instead of falling all the way towards the building, Xi released himself about mid-way. Because of the properties of a cable/rope with weight, the cable would have sagged wherever Xi was. Using that, Xi safely (somewhat) dropped from the cable back onto the ground, The horde was as a whole no longer present, though it was obvious that from a distance, you could hear their slowly fading groans. If they ran back the way they came, it would be getting farther from the leaving horde. But perhaps they may come across one or two along the way. Following behind, Go using his sheathed sword (which bore an appearance similar to a bokken) to slide his way downwards. He didn't have enough time to deal with Carter, but whatever their leader ordered, they might as well.


"What did they say?"


"6 gunshots. Revolvers only have 6 bullets, so any more than that, it's either the mute kid or there's someone else. Chess said we should run to somewhere we may have been before, so half of us can check back at the Library, and maybe the other half at the cafe and apartment so we can cover more ground. Go you can head off with that Carter kid to the Library? Jeson and I will check out the Cafe. If it's overrun, we'll meet you there, or you'll meet us there. We'd run into each other if it were both."


Jeson remained back up at the platform, a look of concern on his face as two of his teammates already slid down to the ground. Did they care enough to stay behind? But maybe they trusted Chess enough to listen to them, which is why they were leaving. Reluctantly looking back at the building, Jeson looked behind him towards Carter.


"... you coming?"


Before any heard response, Jeson swung his rope around the cable and slid down, letting go once he reached close enough to the ground. Rolling as he fell, he rubbed the back of his head and his neck in discomfort. They were fine, they were fine, that's fine..


@The Hidden Kracken


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


"... don't you bleed out on me."


Chess was obviously startled when being thrown over Necro's shoulder, before the kid started bolting down the hall back towards where they came. Chess heard running footsteps coming their way. There was definitely people who were coming after them. Unable to focus on hearing due to Necro's rapid breathing next to them as they ran, Chess resorted to any sudden shifts or alterations to the environment. Holding their revolver with two hands, they carefully set their gaze as they were being carried, finding it difficult due to not staying still. Firing off 2, the first one missed, but there was an audible yelp. The second one was followed by a brief thud, and the footsteps stopped temporarily.


Once they got out, Chess was put back onto their feet, feeling the ground shift before them due to the unfamiliarity of it. Luckily, Chess made their own paranoid move to warn Xi to move earlier.

Spoiler

. Hopefully they weren't taken by Jeson's compulsive and dependent nature, and did end up trying to flee. From the looks of it, the horde appeared to be gone, with a few visible Infected off in the distance tottering on their feet.


"... I should've told Xi already. He should've told the rest of them after the gunfire, but they might think I'm dead."


Putting their mind to something else, it was important to pay attention to the health of yourself before you can with anyone else. That doesn't mean sacrifice their life for your own, but you're better off staying alive first before you try and keep someone else alive. Pushing Necro in the back, it was another advocation for him to choose where they should flee. Usually, the better decision here would be a location where they have been to before, solely because it was easier to recollect with each other. But Chess wasn't going to force the kid where to go. He knew where he was going, it seemed, and might as well let him choose where they might be dying.


@Jazzy


Carter looked at Go and tensed up. "Sure..." Carter hopped down and put his hand out to Go. Carter hadn't yet hit his growth spurt, so the two were about the same hight. Carter put his hands in his pockets and waited for Go to make a decision.

 

[Sophrosyne]

Karson looked over at the two before replying. "Karson. This place is loaded with food, water, and medicine. Help yourselves." she said gruffly before turning around also and heading downstairs. She would have told them to get out, but by the looks of the two, they needed help. She replied to his comment about shooting her, "And I have no problem with stabbing you in the throat and letting my dogs tear you apart." She picked up her small lab as she headed downstairs, hopefully the two boys following her as she plopped down on the couch and waited for the two to help themselves to whatever was in the house, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. "So... you two drawing more of those walkers outside was a real bad idea, luckily they can't climb or come in here. They can't smell us either, hopefully. So we will just.. have to wait everything out.."
@Nikki Rodgers

|| Sorry for the delay


"Oliver." He spoke, tilting his head towards his brother, "Harrison." Oliver watched as the girl stepped out of the room, choosing to ignore her last remark and tending to his sibling instead. Harrison, with the help of the other, sat down and took a shaky breath. His muscles ached and he wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep. "I feel really bad." He admitted, softly, pushing a brown curl from his face. It was quite apparent that the younger teen was falling ill and despite their current circumstance, Oliver was thankful for the coverage. He nodded, opening his bag that originally laid discarded and pulled out a bottle and cloth. He unscrewed the cap, pouring some water onto the cloth, despite Harrison's protests to save it, and brought the fabric to his brother's face, wiping away the grime. Harrison sighed, not liking the simple waste of material, but he could admit that having a clean face felt better. He immediately leaned into his brother's touch, allowing himself to relax even with the slight pounding in his head. Oliver took the liberty of wiping his hands and arms. Oliver smirked as he shoved the fabric back into his bag. "There." He declared, "Now you can tell the difference between the specks of dirt and freckles."


Harrison rolled his eye's with a smile, watching as Oliver picked up both bags. "Funny." He mumbled, sarcastically. "C'mon." He instructed, "We don't know her very well, so we shouldn't leave her alone for too long. We're going to look for some fresh clothing for you and then set up for the night. I doubt we'll be getting out anytime soon. Alright?" Harrison nodded as the two slowly made their way into another room. This one looked as though it held an older boy from before. Oliver set his bags down in the corner of the room, keeping the Caliber in a belt. He immediately pulled open a drawer and began to ruffle through the clothing. Pulling out a shirt, he glanced back at Harrison, who had already changed into cleaner clothes and changed himself. Oliver walked around the room, checking the closet and peering out the window. Even though they were on the second floor, Oliver had to make sure that Harrison would be safe to get some rest. Harrison plopped down onto the bed, pressing his face into the pillow, humming lightly.


"I'll be right back," Oliver mumbled as he headed downstairs. He stepped into the room that she had perched in and rested against the doorframe. "It wasn't the smartest thing." He agreed, "But he saved my life by doing so. We'll just have to sit it out. I'm sure something will come along and draw their attention away. We just have to be quiet." Oliver tilted his head towards the kitchen, "You said you had food? We ran out a few days ago and Harrison needs to eat." Oliver wrapped his arms around his chest, glancing at the puppy beside her. The last time he had seen a dog, he had to shoot it down after it latched onto Harrison's heel. Luckily the shoe had taken most of the damage.

 

[Entarriance]

Chess' mouth would purse together hard. It was obvious that they were reluctant about it, and they placed their hand over the railing. Surely they could jump over and do the same without the aid of Necro. The kid did want them dead to some degree, so jumping off right then and there could easily be a suicide mission. Hearing racing footsteps approaching, Chess might as well took the opportunity to. If they died, at least their team would have been safe. Flinging themselves off the railway, they held onto it so that it would swing her downwards towards Necro.


@Jazzy


~~~


"W-why?!"


"Just go, you know where the library is!"


Pushing his friend hard in the back towards Carter's outstretched hand, Xi grabbed Jeson by the back of his shirt as he stared up towards the building, dragging him behind. They were just heading towards the cafe, which shouldn't have been far. If they didn't find anything, they would've gone to the library to meet up. Hopefully Go wouldn't kill anyone along the way.


Being pushed forward, Go roughly pushed away Carter's hand and averted his gaze, shoving one hand into his pocket. He was carrying his longsword with the other hand, but it was visually obvious that he was annoyed.


"... fine, you go lead the way."


((Sorry if these posts are short, but these are open-ended situations! Feel free to direct conversation and stuff))


@The Hidden Kracken

 

[Jazzy]

He caught her, one hand on her stomach and one on her butt. He instantly set her down and looked up at the higher railing. When a few heads peeked over, he was able to shoot two. Looking back at Chess, he tapped his gun and nodded towards the darkness. While dreading the thought of going back in, it was the only way out. And by the number of voices from up above, there were very many more people. He was starting to doubt making it out alive as he heard one of them mention more members on the bottom floor.

 

[Entarriance]

Genuinely surprised that they were caught, Chess was instantly set onto the ground. Breathing out a short sigh, they took a few subconscious steps out of distance, before hearing two inevitable gunshots. Whoever these people were, they definitely didn't appear friendly. Reaching into their pocket as Necro briefly shot the two above, there were voices that drifted among the air before disappearign. But from what they could catch, there were more members on the bottom floor, and that definitely was already quite the problem. Pulling out a lump of aluminium foil and a ping pong ball, they wrapped a section of foil around the ping pong ball while leaving a small but tight opening on the top. Removing their medical mask, they shoved it sternly onto Necro's face, ending up a bit crooked due to hastiness and height differences. Regardless, they pulled up their scarf over their mouth.


"... it's a smoke bomb."


Nodding their head after their own statement, it was dangerous itself to inhale the smoke. So if they came across a room or the staircase, they could light it behind them and have smoke silently consume the area, causing an unknowing death of smoke inhalation. The darkness within the building would leave no trace of their being smoke, and the aluminum foil would only have a light for a few seconds due to lighting it before it would turn black.


Pushing their back towards the dark, at least Chess prioritized leaving the building as fast as they could at this rate. Before they left the room, Chess pulled a cigarette zippo lighter and ignited it among the dark hallway, the only thing that would have lit their face. Holding it underneath the instant smoke-bomb, there first was a short crackle, before smoke would immediately start to pour from the opening in the foil. Tossing it into the room they were just in if their chasers decided to climb over the railing and into that room, they'd only be seeing smoke if there was the light.


There was the light crinkle in their pocket as they made another.


"This is an office-layout style building. There should be stairs if we keep going forward and take either a sharp right or left."


@Jazzy

 

[Jazzy]

He admired her use of the smoke bombs. When she mentioned the layout, he nodded to himself. Speed-walking to where he assumed it'd be, he almost fell all the way down the steps. A breathy gasp released from his throat as he barely caught the side railing. He couldn't wait to get out of here, but he still needed what he came for, which he figured was on the bottom floor. Great.

 

[Entarriance]

Following closely behind Necro, they had the last 2 "smokebombs" in their pocket. While they did have fair bit of arsenal on them, it's not like they carried everything with them. Re-equipping herself with their iconic revolver, they remembered having this weapon ever since they were a child. Back when they were being raised, owning a gun when you were a child was the equivalent of providing a teething toy. At least from what they could recall. They only had about 3 bullets left, and it would take some time to reload. But work with what you have, right?


He was walking quickly, and Chess considered trying to tell them to slow down a little bit. They were still bleeding, and their arm had a general numbing feeling to it as she pressed down with her open palm. Applying pressure to the wound would've slowed the bleeding down a little but hopefully they come across Xi once they leave. Suddenly, Necro seemed to plummet down rapidly right in font of her, causing her to reach out to try and pull him back on his hood. Luckily, he managed to catch the side railing, gasping for air with the short moment of near-death. Awkwardly rubbing his back as he caught his breath, they started to notice something.


He had the opportunity to leave the building earlier, but he didn't. It's obvious that he's looking forward to leaving, but that can't be the only thing he's doing? He's going out of his way to kill the people who were here, but perhaps that's more of an act of defense. Either way, he didn't use the opportunity given earlier near the railing to escape, and he's going out of his way to find the bottom floor instead of any other room with a window... perhaps he's looking for someone?





"Don't trip over your own feet, you'll end up splitting your skull at this rate."


It was, a way of saying "chill out slow down", but why would something be 100% reassuring if it's coming out of Chess' mouth? Once they made it to the bottom of the stairs, Chess relit one of the 2 smokebombs they had, and tossed it back up the staircase. A quiet little "click" would sound as it bounced onto one of the stairs, and though impossible to tell, there was smoke rushing from it. Good luck for breathing whoever wants to go down that.


@Jazzy

 

[Jazzy]

Ne nodded and put his hand on hers for a second, steadying himself. They had a big moment ahead of them, and she didn't even know it. When her hand left his back and he heard the click, he made his way down the stairs. When he thought he reached the bottom step, he slid his foot forward, seeing if it would tip over an edge. Nope. There was light coming from under a door farther down what seemed to be a hallway. He reached back and touched Chess, seeing if she was still there.

 

[Comet]

[QUOTE="Nikki Rodgers]|| Sorry for the delay
"Oliver." He spoke, tilting his head towards his brother, "Harrison." Oliver watched as the girl stepped out of the room, choosing to ignore her last remark and tending to his sibling instead. Harrison, with the help of the other, sat down and took a shaky breath. His muscles ached and he wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep. "I feel really bad." He admitted, softly, pushing a brown curl from his face. It was quite apparent that the younger teen was falling ill and despite their current circumstance, Oliver was thankful for the coverage. He nodded, opening his bag that originally laid discarded and pulled out a bottle and cloth. He unscrewed the cap, pouring some water onto the cloth, despite Harrison's protests to save it, and brought the fabric to his brother's face, wiping away the grime. Harrison sighed, not liking the simple waste of material, but he could admit that having a clean face felt better. He immediately leaned into his brother's touch, allowing himself to relax even with the slight pounding in his head. Oliver took the liberty of wiping his hands and arms. Oliver smirked as he shoved the fabric back into his bag. "There." He declared, "Now you can tell the difference between the specks of dirt and freckles."


Harrison rolled his eye's with a smile, watching as Oliver picked up both bags. "Funny." He mumbled, sarcastically. "C'mon." He instructed, "We don't know her very well, so we shouldn't leave her alone for too long. We're going to look for some fresh clothing for you and then set up for the night. I doubt we'll be getting out anytime soon. Alright?" Harrison nodded as the two slowly made their way into another room. This one looked as though it held an older boy from before. Oliver set his bags down in the corner of the room, keeping the Caliber in a belt. He immediately pulled open a drawer and began to ruffle through the clothing. Pulling out a shirt, he glanced back at Harrison, who had already changed into cleaner clothes and changed himself. Oliver walked around the room, checking the closet and peering out the window. Even though they were on the second floor, Oliver had to make sure that Harrison would be safe to get some rest. Harrison plopped down onto the bed, pressing his face into the pillow, humming lightly.


"I'll be right back," Oliver mumbled as he headed downstairs. He stepped into the room that she had perched in and rested against the doorframe. "It wasn't the smartest thing." He agreed, "But he saved my life by doing so. We'll just have to sit it out. I'm sure something will come along and draw their attention away. We just have to be quiet." Oliver tilted his head towards the kitchen, "You said you had food? We ran out a few days ago and Harrison needs to eat." Oliver wrapped his arms around his chest, glancing at the puppy beside her. The last time he had seen a dog, he had to shoot it down after it latched onto Harrison's heel. Luckily the shoe had taken most of the damage.

[/QUOTE]
Karson opened an eye when the older boy popped in. "Yeah, it seems that the person who lived here before left a bunch of food and water, and medicine. If you check the cabinets in the laundry room you will find them loaded down with all different kinds. Look like they raided the damn hospital." She chuckled at that before standing up and walking over to him. "What is your brother sick with to be exact?" She asked, seeing her doberman walk up the stairs to the boy out the corner of her eye but didn't take her gaze off the older one.

 

[The Hidden Kracken]

Carter led Go back to the Library, because that is where the cool nerd guy told them to head off to. Carter looked around while they trudged back, then stood still for a moment. He could tell the two of them were being watched. To prevent the conversation to change to something ... "informative" Carter turned around and simply asked "What happened back there dude? It's almost as if you don't like me." Carter realized that that's EXACTLY what was going on. Pain shot up throughout his arm. He winced, then looked around for who had shot him. He wasn't shot, but he toppled over in pain. The immense pain overtook him, stopping him from getting to his feet. When the pain finally stopped beads of sweat dripped down his face. "What the hell?" was all he could get out of his mouth before he spotted the source of the pain, a needle had been shot into his arm. Carter pulled it out of his arm and dragged Go into the library.

 

[Entarriance]

Sighing as they felt a hand desperately pat their face and then their torso to see if they were there, they brushed off his hand quietly. They still had no idea what the kid was looking for, but whatever it was, it must have been something worth it if he's willing to go through this hell for it. Making, sure that there were no stairs to trip over along the way, it appeared that they made it to the ground floor. Chess made the move forward and brought her back towards the hall, a long dark hallway stretching out. Their revolver was drawn, and they made an attempt to listen in to any conversation that they could hear. From what they could tell at the moment, there wasn''t anything that they were capable of hearing in the long stretch of silence. With their voice barely above a whisper, they finally decided to inquire.


"... do you need something on this floor?"


It was more of an educated guess, though it would at least bring them some comfort in knowing what they were looking for. This kid about 2 or 3 years older than them who had a very visible hatred of them before is now nonchalantly making sure that she's still there. For all that Chess knows, they could be shot in the next second. They were a little less tense and jumpy around Necro, but nothing stopped their paranoia. Once you've grown into a habit, it's hard to get out of it. But the good thing about their paranoia is that it made it literally impossible to steal from them alone. Everything somehow was skeptical, even the most logical of reasons. There would always be some very vague and trivial discrepancy.


Considering how Necro knew what they were doing, Chess tilted their head so it pointed towards the hallway, urging him to move ahead. Let's hope he knows what he's doing.


@Jazzy


~~~


"...! Duck!"


Go didn't have the same paranoia and weariness that his leader had. But he always did have a good sense on when someone was watching him. As a kid, people stalked him home frequently to try and gain the upper hand on him and his family. And like a bug, something was crawling at the back of Go's head, and he sure as hell didn't like it. Something about where they stood, and then he heard something fire. Managing to run off to the side, it looks like it wasn't Go that they were aiming for. Instead, he heard a thud right next to him, and saw Carter on the ground. Raising his sword, he looked right and left for the perpetrators, not to his information that a long distance weapon vs a short melee weapon would really make any difference. He felt something tug at his arm, and he found both of them dashing full speed to the library.


Once they made it to it, Go jiggled the handle to massive door. It was jammed, but after a few seconds of sheer force, he managed to pull it open. There was the rusty smell of old books, and well, it looks like something else got to them first. Surprised, a handful of Infected appeared to have locked themselves into the building, crawling on the ground for any sort of sustenance. With them, the living, in the room, they started to frantically crawl towards them. Shoving Carter into the Library, Go rushed in and kicked the door closed (and lock) behind them. Towards the handful, he already had his sword drawn from the attack earlier. Lashing it violently to the left as he came across one, it definitely appeared like it wasn't his first time dealing with a sword. He usually fought with a bokken, bats, blunt wooden objects, when he held matches for the Rooks back at home base. So a sword wasn't all that different to him, it just had the better chance of killing someone. Injuring someone severely physically and morally was pretty normal back home, so killing something isn't too different in the apocalypse.


"This is absolute fucking bullshit, Xi and Jessie better be okay. What crap hit you anyway?"


He didn't have a need to lower his voice, and his usage of profanity was, evident. His voice was scratchy and rather roguishly rough for someone of his height and appearance, and his voice was considerably raspier and rougher. It matched his whole role pretty well, though it was obvious he appeared to be pissed a good 50% of the time. But at least he somewhat cares?


@The Hidden Kracken

 

[Jazzy]

Sighing as they felt a hand desperately pat their face and then their torso to see if they were there, they brushed off his hand quietly. They still had no idea what the kid was looking for, but whatever it was, it must have been something worth it if he's willing to go through this hell for it. Making, sure that there were no stairs to trip over along the way, it appeared that they made it to the ground floor. Chess made the move forward and brought her back towards the hall, a long dark hallway stretching out. Their revolver was drawn, and they made an attempt to listen in to any conversation that they could hear. From what they could tell at the moment, there wasn''t anything that they were capable of hearing in the long stretch of silence. With their voice barely above a whisper, they finally decided to inquire.
"... do you need something on this floor?"


It was more of an educated guess, though it would at least bring them some comfort in knowing what they were looking for. This kid about 2 or 3 years older than them who had a very visible hatred of them before is now nonchalantly making sure that she's still there. For all that Chess knows, they could be shot in the next second. They were a little less tense and jumpy around Necro, but nothing stopped their paranoia. Once you've grown into a habit, it's hard to get out of it. But the good thing about their paranoia is that it made it literally impossible to steal from them alone. Everything somehow was skeptical, even the most logical of reasons. There would always be some very vague and trivial discrepancy.


Considering how Necro knew what they were doing, Chess tilted their head so it pointed towards the hallway, urging him to move ahead. Let's hope he knows what he's doing.


@Jazzy


~~~


"...! Duck!"


Go didn't have the same paranoia and weariness that his leader had. But he always did have a good sense on when someone was watching him. As a kid, people stalked him home frequently to try and gain the upper hand on him and his family. And like a bug, something was crawling at the back of Go's head, and he sure as hell didn't like it. Something about where they stood, and then he heard something fire. Managing to run off to the side, it looks like it wasn't Go that they were aiming for. Instead, he heard a thud right next to him, and saw Carter on the ground. Raising his sword, he looked right and left for the perpetrators, not to his information that a long distance weapon vs a short melee weapon would really make any difference. He felt something tug at his arm, and he found both of them dashing full speed to the library.


Once they made it to it, Go jiggled the handle to massive door. It was jammed, but after a few seconds of sheer force, he managed to pull it open. There was the rusty smell of old books, and well, it looks like something else got to them first. Surprised, a handful of Infected appeared to have locked themselves into the building, crawling on the ground for any sort of sustenance. With them, the living, in the room, they started to frantically crawl towards them. Shoving Carter into the Library, Go rushed in and kicked the door closed (and lock) behind them. Towards the handful, he already had his sword drawn from the attack earlier. Lashing it violently to the left as he came across one, it definitely appeared like it wasn't his first time dealing with a sword. He usually fought with a bokken, bats, blunt wooden objects, when he held matches for the Rooks back at home base. So a sword wasn't all that different to him, it just had the better chance of killing someone. Injuring someone severely physically and morally was pretty normal back home, so killing something isn't too different in the apocalypse.


"This is absolute fucking bullshit, Xi and Jessie better be okay. What crap hit you anyway?"


He didn't have a need to lower his voice, and his usage of profanity was, evident. His voice was scratchy and rather roguishly rough for someone of his height and appearance, and his voice was considerably raspier and rougher. It matched his whole role pretty well, though it was obvious he appeared to be pissed a good 50% of the time. But at least he somewhat cares?


@The Hidden Kracken

Necro reached the door and paused. Odds were only one of them were going to make it out of the building alive. And he had no intention of dying here. He reached back towards her leg and made a hissing sound. Not the best signal to prepare a smoke bomb, but he hoped it was enough. He rested his hand on the door handles and pushed it down. He left it there for a second, but didn't open the door.

 

[Entarriance]

Necro reached for the door, and appeared to pause. Unconsciously taking a cautious step to the side away from the direct view of the door, they felt something against their leg, and what sounded like a hiss. Jumping in surprise, they'd raise their foot, and it'd first seem like their instinct was to kick Necro. Fortunately, she realized that he was the one who had made the hissing sound. The kid can't talk... he probably means something else? Trying to think of what he meant, the brief crackle and hiss of the smoke bomb came to mind. Reaching their hand into their pocket, they pulled out the last one that they had with them on them. Striking a match, they tightened the scarf covering over their mouth and nose, Chess lit the bottom of it and waved off the match, letting it fall to the ground in a small ember and a wiff of smoke.


They had no idea what was coming up ahead, but they were ready to have to duck any time they needed to. Possibly use a human shield? Chess wasn't willing, but they wanted to leave this building, and alive. There was so much more out there that they still had to experience, and while the apocalypse was still happening, the world's own Ragnarok wouldn't stop them from experiencing what they never could for the majority of their life. There was the quiet click of the door handle being pushed, and that was the only thing that broke the silence. At least then. Prepared to throw and run, smoke was already beginning to leak out of the top.


Let's see, once they open the door, I can take the first second to see if the kid has any plans. Perhaps I can use the wall as cover and duck behind that first, pretending I'm not here? If I'm being used as a hostage or a human shield... than...





Numerous worst-case scenarios came to their head, and smaller maps out of nonexistant scenarios began to form. It was easy to get anxious over stupid thoughts.


@Jazzy


~~


"This... looks like it would've been a cute cafe."


"Oh, it was! I went on dates with a few girls..."


"A lot."


"A lot of girls back before this~."


Making leisure conversation as they made it to the cafe, the place was abandoned, per usual. Xi was cautious of their surroundings, making sure that there weren't any Infected or possibly raiders that would've taken their supplies, but Jeson appeared confident that they were safe. Well, at least for then. There was a very distant, muffled "shooting" sound, but it appeared to be going in a different direction and not them. And that was what mattered. Carefully pushing the door to the cafe open, the place didn't seem different. Behind the counter was a mess from their earlier event which Xi wasn't present for, and a few tables and chairs were knocked over. But overall, it appeared to have been a well loved cafe.


Jeson moved back towards the counter to see if they could've restocked on anything. They had a lot of what they needed right now, but there never was too much. Plus, Xi's backpack had room anyway. Ducking underneath, Xi carefully paced throughout the room, investigating the walls, listening to hear any groaning. There was a room that appeared locked near the back, and he brought his ear up close towards the door. Quiet. Knocking on the door a few times, as if expecting a response, Jeson chuckled from behind the counter.


"'O sonny, what are you doin' out here, this time of night!'" he said with his most attempted old-woman voice.


"Quit it, there could be something here."


Xi didn't hear anything after knocking, and he tried to open the door. But the door appeared to be locked, and he jiggled the doorknob a few more times. Seeing how it refused to open, Xi pulled out a small metal tool from the inside of his jacket. As the "Knight" back home, he had to deal with gathering information and thievery, so there were a few small things you carried around with you out of habit. It just felt weird without it. Attempting to pick the lock, there was a pleasant click from the other side.


((Opening the door, what did Xi see? Necro shot something and locked it a while ago))


Jeson managed to hit the half-jackpot. There were a few unspilled water bottles used for some of the coffee and when customers just wanted bottled water. A few were spilled and along the ground, but it was so long ago the water appeared to have evaporated. How did he miss this earlier? Grabbing all the ones that he could, he planned to stuff it into his friends bag. After all, he was the cook.


"... hopefully Chess is doing alright. Do you think mon amour is injured? Aah, what are we to do if she doesn't return~" (dramatic love-sick voice even though he's not in love or sick)


"... uh.."


@Jazzy

 

[Jazzy]

(His dead parents are in that room with bullets in their heads )


As soon as he opened the door, he grabbed Chess using the light from the room and threw her in by her collar, throwing a hand over hey eyes. He blew the candle on the wall out, handed her his gun, and closed the door before the people in the room could even make a startled noise. Her eyes were used to the darkness. He had looked straight at the candle, so it wouldn't work for him anymore. But she had the advantage. Meanwhile, he slid the opposite way down the hall until he reached another doorway. This one had no door. When he got in, he pulled out a small flashlight. He'd been saving the battery just for something like this. He scanned the room until he came across a key. He slipped it into his pocket and waited for the gunfire in the other room to cease. Either she lived or she didn't. Either way he'd make it out safely at this point. They only knew she was in the building at the moment.

 

[Entarriance]

"...!"


Before she could re-act, there was a hand around their eyes. Thrusting an elbow back in discomfort, they felt something hard against their stomach, and after her eyes were released, there was the clothing of the door.


... of course. Of course she was on her own.


People started to panic and draw their firearms. Chess hadn't felt that emotion in a while, but she did feel this distant impulse to cry. But you can't cry when your dead, so you have to work with it. Looking back and forth in great confusion, they shot blindly at the ground. Rolling quickly on the ground, they bumped into someone's foot. While it wasn't crowd-worthy, there sure as hell were a lot of people in the room. Now wasn't the time to get mad at Necro, and instead, they rather take their opportunity to try and live. Luckily, they hadn't seen the candle, so they could see clearly among the completely dark room. Not even any windows...


"I-I think they're dead?"


"Where are they?! Did I get them?"


"I felt so-"


Before the woman in front of Chess could finish mentioning how Chess rolled into their feet, a sharp pocket knife impaled the back of their neck. A spray of blood would spurt from them onto Chess' torso, and they quickly yanked the dagger down towards the middle of her chest. Hearing the blade, people immediately took their time to aim and wildly shoot at the location. Feeling something graze their leg, Chess used the woman's corpse as a body shield, feeling the heat of each thud that jammed into her body. These weren't very strong guns, as they didn't get through the corpse, but perhaps they were meant to cripple someone to slow them down?


Moving with the corpse as shield, careful not to overstep the corpses' cover to get shot, Chess swung the body and dropped to the ground themself after dropping it to avoid any more bullets. The corpse slammed into the body of one of the ones shooting, causing him to loose hold on his gun. With the gun Necro had forced on them in one hand, they caught the gun before it hit the ground and lurched to the right. They hit a cabinet, and instead of being thrown into daze of panic at their situation, Chess knocked the cabinet down, pushing their foot off of it as leverage to lunge. They felt something slam hard against the side of their body and winced, but at least it wasn't a gunshot. They could tolerate a bruise or a cut. They'd hit hard at who appeared to be the head of the group among the darkness, and held a revolver to their head.


"How do you get out."





"Shoot her! SHOOT HER!"


Desperately confused, there was a sound of two gunshots. They only shot towards the noise, and Chess ducked behind the cover of the massive man's body to avoid getting shot. There was a painful grunt, and the man began to twitch and flail horribly. Two gunshots, two gun weilders left. Bringing up both guns that they had with their arm tightly around the man's neck, they shot. A wail of agony cried out before followed by another thud, and the man gripped Chess' head.





"Fuckin--kid.."


Shoving the revolver against their head, Chess made no hesitation to fire, spraying blood across the darkened floor. Someone else fired afterwards, and there was the sound of audible sobbing among the room. Chess felt something warm drip down their cheek, but not the instant harsh impact of the bullet. It was safe to assume that any few centimeter's closer, than Chess would've been dead. Dropping the corpse onto the ground, Chess made a mad dash to avoid the bullets, attempting in the long run due to the irregularity in their movement and the blindness of the shots. A blunt force would slam against Chess' back, and from the layout of it, it was probably a chair. Knocked to the ground with a thud, someone had raised a chair and prepared to slam it hard against Chess' head. There were sniffles and deep breaths from whoever it was, as if they had been desperately sobbing. Vigorously lurching their own body to the side, there was the loud crash as something slammed hard against the ground. The room was still dark, and every movement at this point seemed to be blindly made. Chess raised both guns they were holding and shot up at the figure, which shuddered momentarily before sharply falling to the side. Relieved, there was a clicking sound, but no bullets.


Turning over to where they heard a click, they heard the clicking getting faster and faster.


"... there's no.. there's no bullets left for you to use."





"P-P... P.. F... J-J-Just get away!!"


Chess felt tired. They were draiend from the whole ordeal of it, and they were considerably injured. Mentally, they felt pretty drained as well, just having someone that they thought could have been a decent acquaintance throw them into a good 5v1. So goes for friends. Groggily standing up, the young man would be well aware of Chess moving, and shuffled so far back against the wall, holding up their gun and trying to shoot it over and over again.


Chess laughed.


It, was a pleasant laugh. Like one you would hear with a group of people when someone messed up, or just a friendly group chuckle. Raising their revolver, there was only one bullet left before they had to reload again. Pointing it at where they heard the man scream out, Chess was lucky that it was dark. The man couldn't see such a dejectedly bittersweet smile as they stopped laughing.


"... I've had a long day. I'll make it easy."


That was the last gunshot heard from the room as it lodged itself into the man's skull, blood dripping down their forehead as his body went limp. Staggering over towards the doorway, Chess pulled open the door with a darkened expression on their face. They lasted the fight, but would they even survive the walk left?


"... my fault for believing in the apocalypse. Come and get me, cataclysm."


Willing their way out of the room with multiple injuries, they searched for the exit, which appeared so close and far at the same time.