The Furry Forums
Creative Arts and Media => Roleplay => Serious RP => Topic started by: Blaiiine on June 26, 2017, 07:45:14 AM
-
Los Angeles, California June 12, 2017 6:48 PM
Blaine & Tyler's Apartment, Ladera Heights
In the hallway of the apartments, Blaine stood and smoked a cigarette. The party had started but he was too tired to enjoy it, having worked all day during the busiest time of the year. He brushed his hair back and checked his phone. Poor signal, the screen warned.
Tyler came out into the hall, cup in one hand and cigarette in the other. "You coming back in?" He asked Blaine, who shrugged in return. "I don't know, man. I'm honestly not feeling it." Blaine replied, taking a drag off his smoke. Tyler took a drink and opened the door. "Come on, get inside and let's party. We got the whole week off, you should be glad." Tyler said, a dumb smirk on his face. Blaine sighed and followed him inside.
-
Holly and Kai came late, Of course. Kai had her knife and dragged along a large duffel-bag that was obviously way to big for her but it was stuffed to the absolute max with parts and tools from her last and most favorite exclusive class, Robotics. She planned to specialize in it once she was done with university. Holly came with her clothes, knife and need to party. Kai put the bag down next to the door and pushed the door open, "Hey Blaine!" Holly sighed, "Do I need to save this lame party?"
-
Blaine was already on the couch, spread out. "Doubt it, party boy over there has it handled." He replied, pointing to Tyler who was making a spectacle of himself. Blaine got up and kept talking to Holly as Tyler migrated back to them.
"Hey Kai, what's up with the bag?" Tyler asked over the music, finishing his drink. Thrash metal blared through the apartment, along with the regular noises of any rager.
-
"Oh, just my classes. Some robotic parts, tools and soldering kits." She smiled, shrugging her FOB hoodie slipped back to show her robotics team shirt. Holly snorted, "Party boy looks... How do I explain that? Oh yeah, kinddaaaaa stupid."
-
Blaine laughed and brushed his mohawk back, yawning. "Yeah, that much is true. Dude's the life of the party though," He said, taking his pack of cigarettes out. Lighting one, he looked to Holly. "Want one?" Blaine asked, holding the pack out to her. Over the music, sirens could be heard passing by.
"Oh yeah, I forgot you had that class. Where's the geeky guy you always bring around, anyways?" Tyler asked, sipping from a new drink he found. While waiting for Kai's reply, he looked around the apartment. Metal and punk band posters lined the walls, from the living room to the kitchen. The place was filled with different people, some he knew and most he didn't.
-
Holly smiled, "You know I do." She pulled one out and lit it with her own lighter. Kai slipped the jacket back on and blushed, "David? Oh he was staying late to finish a robot."
-
Blaine put the pack away and looked to Tyler. "Did you take my drink, you prick?!" He yelled, jokingly. It still caught Tyler off guard, who jumped mid-drink. Wiping the bitter liquid from his muzzle, Tyler glared at Blaine for a moment before returning to talking with Kai. "Frickin' d-bag, man..so, how was class?" Tyler asked, wiping his Leftover Crack shirt off.
"Well, I guess I'll have to go find one," Blaine said to Holly before taking off to the kitchen. Shoving his way through the crowd, he stopped at the counter and grabbed a red plastic cup. Looking out the window, everything looked normal. A few more cops passing by, but nothing unusual.
-
Kai shrugged, "Pretty good, the teachers took my robot though." Kai snorted and Holly took a long drag and walked off into the party. Kai turned back to Tyler after watching her sister walk off. "They said they wanted to 'look it over for any cheats' when really they just wanted to study it. I put a microphone on it and I'm gonna play it in class next time." She laughed a little pulling out a small screen with a small box taped to the back of it. She tapped the screen a few times and suddenly a couple voices started conversing over how something was something ingenious.
-
Tyler laughed at the video before lighting a cigarette. "Dude, I could never do that robotics stuff. I'll stick to computers and game systems," Tyler said, checking his phone quickly. Still no signal. He took another drink and stood around, awkwardly running out of things to say.
Meanwhile, Blaine sat on the counter in the kitchen with drink in hand and cigarette in the other. He watched over the party, tapping his combat boots against the cabinets.
-
Kai looked to the door, "The hell the police doin'?"
-
Tyler grimaced from his drink and replied, "That's Blaine. He does that with his boots. It's...annoying." He sat on the couch, sighing as he sunk in. "But if it is the police, maybe they're looking for those rabies victims? Oooo," Tyler replied, sounding as sarcastic as he could be.
Blaine jumped down and went off into the crowd, looking for Holly. He was bored as hell and would rather be bored with someone else.
-
Holly was over at the edge of the room, watching for somebody she might want to take home. She saw Blaine looking for somebody and waved. She had a bottle of whiskey she got from a store down the street from her house. Kai giggled at Tyler's sarcastic answer, "Yeah, wondering what exactly happened to make the 'rabie victims'? Like what the hell is that?" She already knew the answer but still she asked for the sake of conversation.
-
Blaine stopped and changed direction through the crowd. He leaned up against the wall, next to Holly and took a drag off his cigarette. "See anybody you like?" He asked, cigarette still fixed between his lips.
"I think it's just some hoax, to like, drive up vaccines or something," Tyler jokingly replied, taking another drink. His face was already blushed and red. "So uh, how's work been?" Tyler asked, taking another drag off his smoke.
-
Holly shrugged, "Nah, these idiots ain't got nothing." Kai shrugged, "I doubt it, I mean, a mutation was bound to happen sometime. Work has been going okay, Thanks for asking." She let him blush,
-
Tyler nodded, and then quieted down. He took another drag off his cigarette and messed around with the cup in his hands. "Mine sucks. Closed all week to get this um, week off." He said, still looking at the crowd.
Blaine watched Tyler for a moment, before looking back to Holly. "Well, that's a shame." He said, smirking. Crossing his arms, he went back to watching Tyler and Kai.
-
Holly followed his gaze, "Oh no, does he know she has a relationship with David?" She scanned the crowd once again, spotting a guy who looked like her type. But then he walked off and she shrugged. She didn't want to have to chase anybody. She took a swig of the whiskey and sighed.
-
"Yeah, he probably knows. He's just like that. All...twitchy," Blaine replied, then whistling at Tyler to come over.
Tyler quickly stood up and took off into the crowd. He took a few deep breaths, ran a paw through his hair and finished his cigarette before meeting up with Blaine and Holly. Tyler walked up to the two, less nervous than before.
"So do you enjoy making an idiot of yourself?" Blaine asked him, taking a sip from his new cup. Tyler rolled his eyes and took a drink from his own before saying, "You know how it is."
-
Holly kept sipping, Kai watched Holly. She walked up to her, "You know that's gonna kill you, right?" she asked pointing to Holly's bottle. She shrugged, "I'm dead anyways."
-
"We're all dead," Blaine added, finishing his drink and tossing the cup on the ground. "So where's the nerd?" He asked Kai, smirking. He had already heard her tell Tyler, but he loved pushing those little buttons that other hate.
Tyler kept his face in his drink as they talked, before finally just walking away. Wandering to the outside hallway, he leaned up against the wall and lit a cigarette. The sound of a helicopter came and went quickly, being ignored again by the party goers.
-
Kai had a subtle blush, "The storeroom at the class. Finishing some robot." Holly nodded, "Hey Blaine, you want a bit?" she swished the whiskey in the bottle in his face. "Hardcore whiskey..." She was already looking unsteady and only half the bottle had been downed. Kai pulled the cigarette from Holly's hand. "You don't need that now." She took a drag and threw it into the crowd. Then a sream emanated from the screen in her pocket. Her eyes widened and she pulled it out.
-
The music stopped, causing the room to hush. A beep rang from the speakers and then, a dull voice spoke. From the CDC, this report just in. A mutated rabies virus has been tracked spreading through the west coast of the continental United States. The virus causes aggressive behavior in victims, as well as phobia to water. Stay indoors and await further information. The radio cut to static and stayed, leaving the room in silence.
Blaine immediately took the bottle and finished half of it, before shoving his way through the crowd. He opened the dokr, pulled Tyler inside and let the crowd out. They scattered quickly, screaming and yelling. Once the apartment was relatively empty, Blaine shut and locked the door. "The hell is going on?" Tyler asked, turning the TV on. The screen was colored bars and nothing more.
-
The screen she had was still screaming. Kai opened it and muted the thing. She watched through the small camera and her mouth opened wide.
Holly shrugged, "Dunno," She could hear a scream outside.
-
The screen came on and it showed a news reporter surrounded by soldiers, but no audio came through. "They're really well equipped...oh hell," Tyler said, as the soldiers began firing at something off screen. Before the feed cut, the image could be seen of a soldier being bitten by a canine of some breed. "Looks like it wasn't a hoax after all," Blaine added, putting the bottle on the counter. Sirens could be heard outside, along with an occasional gunshot or two.
-
Holly slipped out her butterfly knife and looked out the window. "Guys, a lot are coming toward the building." Kai dropped the screen. "David..." she whispered.
-
The screen broke
-
"Let's go, our car is down the road. And put on a jacket, hopefully it'll keep anyone from getting bit," Blaine replied, sternly. He pulled on his leather jacket, adorned with studs and patches. Tyler pulled a hoodie on and grabbed one of the bats they kept by the front door - if LA had taught them anything, it was to never be caught unarmed. Blaine lit a cigarette and grabbed the other bat, a mahogany slugger.
"You two stand back," Tyler said, his hand shaking. Blaine pulled the front door open and ran outside into the hall. It was empty but the noises became amplified - growling, screaming, gunshots and explosions.
-
Holly snorted, "Yeah, I think shaky boy should stand back first." She opened the knife, ready to stab. Kai followed behind Holly, pulling her jacket back on and zipped it up. "I--- would follow her..."
-
Tyler glared for a moment from Holly's comment, before getting back to the matter at hand. Blaine followed Holly, trying to match her pace. They reached the stairwell to the lobby, Tyler looked down and spotted what appeared to be two infected. "Just stay here, bro." Blaine told Tyler before going down the stairwell. Tyler clenched his fists as Blaine left, muttering something to himself.
Blaine took the first infected out with his bat. Or so he thought, as it quickly recovered from the hit. The infected cougar growled and pounced, being cut off by Blaine's boot to the head. He struck it again with his bat, finally stopping it dead in it's tracks.
-
Holly threw her knife, it thunked into the thing's forhead while she charged down the steps she thrust her fist into it's chin and kicked it. It's neck broke. She smiled upon hearing the crack, she pulled the knife out of it's head with a grating noise. "I believe this one is dead..." Kai snorted, "Waaaaaayyyyy overkill sis."
-
Tyler came down the stairs, holding the keys and a cigarette in his free hand. "The parking lot isn't far." He said, moving up to the open entrance. The outside area was almost something out of a Romero film. In the distance, infected could be seen sprinting down the roads and sidewalks. As Tyler stopped at the stairs, he looked down to see a dead cop. His radio was screaming with what could be other officers in distress.
His first instinct was to check the holster, which was rewarded. Tyler lifted up a police standard issue Glock 17, with a full magazine. He then checked for others with no luck. Blaine soon showed up, unfazed by the surroundings. "Good thing you took those classes." Blaine said, going on to look for the car. Tyler followed, gun ready for anything.
-
Holly smirked, "I don't take those classes, I give them." Kai followed, silently staring at the dead bodies. She bent over, out of her bag she produced a battery soldering kit and burned a piece of the infected into a small plastic container she kept for nuts and bolts. She stuffed the things back into the bag and swiftly stood and walked after Holly, who was smoking a cigarette. Presumably her last one, and she followed Blaine. Her knife was in hand and her arm was taught but the rest of her was relaxed. That was partially how she moved so quickly and calmly.
-
Tyler ignored the comment, stuffing the pistol in his hoody pocket. Blaine stopped at their vehicle, a 1998 gray Ford Blazer SUV. Tyler climbed in back, holding the door open for Kai. Blaine, meanwhile, climbed up front and started the truck. Slamming his door, he buckled up and waited for the other two.
-
Holly slid into the passenger seat, "I swear, if we get guts on the window that would be gross." Lao hopped in the back next to Tyler. She was thinking something. Probably about Tyler being hot, if it wasn't for David she would like to be with him.
(Sry, out on biking trip)
-
Blaine put the truck in gear and sped out of the parking lot. As they hit the main road, the damage was more obvious. Bodies littered the streets, cars aflame and buildings destroyed. "You'd think a damn bomb went off.." Blaine muttered, maneuvering the truck through an abandoned checkpoint.
Tyler brushed his hair back, took off his hoodie and looked down at the gun for a moment. He then stuffed it under the seat and sighed, his paws finally still. "Oh hell, David. You hear from him at all?" Tyler asked Kai.
-
Holly sat in silence. "You know, I know what happens when a bomb goes off. This isn't like that. More like, a mass gassing..."
Kai sighed and nodded slowly. "A little, he knew about the mic. He mig-" Just as her phone rang, just a little. She was running out of battery and the connection she had with her core circle was beginning to break up. She guessed the tower where they put the receptor and transmitter must have been overrun and damaged.
-
At that moment, a vulpine ran up to the driver side. Slamming against the door, it screamed and clawed until Blaine hit the gas. They sped down the road and quickly turned onto Main Street. It was even worse than the previous road, with a few infected wandering the sidewalks.
Tyler waited and watched Kai, occasionally glancing out the window.
-
Holly rolled the window down, "Ey! Dumb*sses! Wassssupp!?"
Kai picked it up, her eyes widened. "Are you okay? Oh thank gosh. Hang in there, robot shed? Alright..."
-
Blaine kept quiet as he drove, lighting a new cigarette. He tossed one to Holly and said, "You are insane, dude." They managed to squeeze past Main Street somewhat quietly.
"Let me guess, he's still at the college?" Tyler asked Kai, lighting a cigarette of his own. He was starting to faze out his anxiety and go somewhat numb.
-
She looked back at him with a maniacal grin, her eyes clouded. "And drunk."
Kai shook her head, "At the robotics campus. Closer than the college."
(gotta eat, b back in a bit)
-
((I'm about to pass out, so this'll probably be my last reply tonight.))
Blaine laughed, and looked back to Kai. "Got it, we're probably a few blocks away." He said, looking back to the road.
Tyler grabbed the pistol from the back of the seat, and stuffed it in the back of his shorts under his shorts.
-
"Where are we going again?" [CONTENT REMOVED]
Kai rummaged around in her bag and pulled out her butterfly knife, closed and locked. (butterfly knife) "Don't let Holly drink anymore," she called out to Blaine. "I know she can take like, 30 more of those beers of hers, but by then she can barely stand."
-
Rolling down the window, Blaine grabbed and chucked the bottle. "That solves that issue," Blaine said, making a right turn.
Tyler pulled his hoodie back on, taking the pistol out and checking the slide. He looked over at Kai and then back to the window, watching the destruction unfold.
The neighborhood around the college was mainly suburbs, which was hit just as hard. A fallen helicopter could be seen, on the roof of a burning home. Cars were abandoned, blood smearing the windows of some. Most homes were burning or smoldering, others still intact using that word loosely.
-
Holly stared out the window. "Danm... I don't have much beer left..."
Kai flipped the two metal bars, a glint of the blade showing as it went up.
-
"You need to dump that crap. Now is definitely not the time to be inebriated," Blaine replied, taking a drag off his cigarette. They passed the college's main building, a scattered group of infected prowling around front. "And those...whatever the hell they are are good reason." Blaine muttered.
Tyler looked back to Kai and asked, "So where to from here?" He stuffed the pistol back in the front of his shorts and grabbed the aluminum bat from the floorboard.
-
Holly smirked, "I can do stuff drunkk"
Kai looked out the back, "Should be just around the college."
-
"Yeeeeah right," Blaine replied to Holly, before pulling up to the robotics center of the school. Grabbing his mahogany bat, he hopped out of the truck and put his leather jacket back on. "Lead the way, you alcoholic." Blaine said to Holly, pointing to the main doors with his bat.
Tyler already hopped out, tapping the end of his bat on his shoe. "Might as well take it slow, try not to rush into anything." He said to Blaine, who nodded and shared his cigarette with him as they waited on Holly and Kai.
-
Holly opened the door and 'stepped out'. She waited for Kai, as Kai was the one who actually studied here.
Kai hopped out the back, "Try not to shoot. It'll attract more and make you deaf. Trust me, you want to have the best hearing possible." She then started towards the building, opening the knife intricately with one hand in seconds.
-
Alan was mere yards away from the parked car, knelt down over a writhing figure. Had he not been bashing a Rabid's head in, he would have seen the car pull up.
He was nearly out of breath from the chase that happened just moments before, and yet he kept on bringing the heavy pipe down on the infected's noggin. The creature had just begun to stop moving when he brought the pipe down for the final blow.
-
Holly noticed something in her blurry vision. It's movements weren't as jerky as a rabid. "Hey! Hey you!"
-
Without even thinking about it, Alan jumped to his feet and stumbled back a little. That's when he saw four figures silhouetted against the headlights. He gripped the pipe firmly in his scaly hands. They weren't... more Rabids... were they? They couldn't be... Right?...
"Hello?..." He ventured. The uneasiness could be heard in his voice. He was clearly shaken up.
-
"Yeah you, are you infected?" Holly asked, clearly slightly off her rocker. Kai stood behind her, eyeing the newcomer
-
Blaine stood by, one hand clenched on his bat. "Those things don't talk, do they? More like scream and snarl." He said to Holly, still watching the newcomer.
Tyler kept his bat propped against his shoulder, other hand on the pistol. He looked around, noticing an infected canine wandering nearby. It was far enough that it'd take a few moments for it to notice their presence.
-
Holly shrugged, "Can't hurt to check."
Kai followed Tyler's gaze. She readied herself to murder the thing.
-
Blaine noticed the infected that Tyler and Kai were eyeing. "Watch the guy," He said to Holly as he walked straight toward the rabid canine. Tyler attempted to stop him but Blaine shoved him away, never looking away from the canine.
"And he's stepping to the plate," He said as he swung the bat back and rocked the infected in the head. It collapsed to the ground and laid still. "Homerun! It's out of here, you ugly prick!" He laughed, spinning the bloody bat around.
((Sorry if it seemed like I'm just killing all infected. I just want to push Blaine's development. He's becoming a lot like a certain baseball bat wielding villian -wink wink nudge nudge-))
-
(baseball bat man? Or the new harley?)
Holly snorted, glancing between the newcomer and Blaine. "And it looks like a clean shot folks! The point is going. Going. TO BLAINE!"
Kai looked in distaste to both of them.
-
(("Taking it like a champ!" (http://static.srcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/Jeffrey-Dean-Morgan-as-Negan-in-The-Walking-Dead-Season-6-Episode-16.jpg)))
-
(now all you need is some barbed wire)
-
(Sorry, guys! Worked all day...)
"'An infected'?" Alan parroted. "No," he said, almost sounding like he had to convince himself. "No, I'm fine."
He squinted in the headlights of the car, raising his empty palm to block the rays.
"Who are you? Are you students, too? You're not police, are you? I swear he attacked me first. I swear!"
The crocodile seemed clueless about the situation, feeling almost as though there was a big secret that everyone knew... except him.
-
(it's okkkk)
Holly was still laughing at Blaine. Kai looked at the new crocodile. "Hey, we're not police okay? What's your name?"
-
Blaine stood by the dead walker, smoking a cigarette and mumbling a song. Tyler watched the alligator, trying not to focus on what he'd seen Blaine just do.
-
Holly started smoking the cigarette she had gotten from Blaine. Kai focused on the alligator.
-
"Alan. Gaiter. Was just heading home from a night class when..." He turned back to look at the body "...when the guy went rabid and tried to attack me." He paused as he saw the corpse at Blaine's feet. "Is there some sort of breakout??"
-
Kai looked at him. "You really are clueless. Well, sorry to break it to ya but the whole town is infected. Rabids. Turns them into mindless murdering machines."
-
"Cheesus.... all of LA?? I've been so busy with practice and school and work...." He ran his fingers through his would-be hair and slowly approached the group, seeing as they appeared relatively harmless, compared to the Rabids. "You guys forget something at the school? It must be important if you'd just drive here willy-nilly to get it. There's gotta be someplace safe, right? We should go there and wait for all this to blow over."
He tried not to make it look obvious, but he felt very exposed outside amongst the roaming Rabids. That is if, in fact, they were telling the truth about the whole thing. But why would they make it up? Then again... the entire city? It seemed almost impossible. Everything was just fine that morning... wasn't it?
-
Holly pointed her knife at him. "Harmless? You think we're harmless?" Kai brought her wrist down on Holly's, knocking the knife out of her hand. "Try not to murder the people who haven't become infected yet Holly." Kai then turned her look back to Alan. "Well Alan, the only place I know of is the robotics shed over on the side of this campus. A friend is camping out their right now." She sighed, "But, the only way I see of this blowing over? Is all the infected to either die off or murder each other."
-
The startled crock jumped back in surprise when Holly flashed her knife.
"Did I say that out loud?... I didn't mean to. I just want to live, if I'm being totally honest here. I don't want any uninfected to die on my account..." He then murmured under his breath, "...especially not myself."
"The robotics shed? I don't know... I've seen it a time or two, and I swear it falls apart a little more each time I go by it."
He looked around, gradually taking in the oppressive atmosphere around him.
"You know, it looks like a good night to walk with a friend," he commented to no one in particular.
-
"Well lets go." said Kai pulling Holly towards their car.
-
Tyler had already climbed in back, tossing the bat in the back.
Blaine started walking back to the truck, loosely gripping the bloody bat in his hand. He stopped by Alan and spoke in a volume that they could only hear. "As you can tell, Holly's preeeetty...unstable at times. But I wouldn't worry about her." He said, pausing for a moment before looking back up. "But you would be smart to not cross me or the other three. Otherwise, you'd hope to be infected." Blaine finished, never sounding angry. He almost seemed sadistically happy, smiling for a moment before turning back to the truck.
Stopping at the door, he turned to Alan and said, "You coming?"
-
(dam sunnnn savaaaaaaaage)
-
((Honestly, Blaine is gonna turn into one evil SOB later on. But for now, he'll be alright. Tyler's gonna be more like Carl, crazy but in a constructive way. Not running around bashing skulls in.))
-
(Lets go Merle Dixon! LOL)
-
Alan was used to being talked down on - it was how he'd learned to make himself a better person. But the way Blaine was talking... it was borderline threatening - and Alan didn't like it at all.
He'd look the other way - if only now. They were the first real people he'd seen since the Rabid. What other choice did he have?
He walked over to the back of the truck without a word, and he hopped into the back.
"Let's go get your friend then... shall we?"
-
Kai smiled warmly, "Let's. Sorry for the..." she gestured behind her to Holly and Blaine in the front.
Holly slid into the front. She nodded to Blaine, "Murder him if he crosses us?"
-
"It's no big deal," Alan said coolly. He couldn't help but grin a little. Kai's smile felt almost contagious.
It took him a moment, but he began to process the fact that Kai and Holly were somehow related - and yet polar opposites... like opposing forces on the same team?
He pushed the thought to the back of his mind.
"What's his name? Your friend?" He asked Kai, trying to make conversation.
-
(btw Holly knows a little foreign swearing XD )
Post Merge: July 07, 2017, 06:31:07 AM
"David. David Johnson." The smile turned to a small play on her lips. "Name's Kai. She's Holly." Kai said, nodding toward Holly.
-
"We need people. Even if we don't know them," Blaine replied quietly, starting the truck. He checked the radio,which was a waste of time. At that point, it was pure static. Stepping on the gas, they made their way to the robotics shed.
Tyler lit a cigarette and listened to the two, while watching the road.
-
Holly sighed, "Yeah yeah. I guess we do."
-
"Pleasure to meet you," came Alan's reply. He lowered his voice. "What about -ahem- the bear? What's got him so uptight? And the shepherd? He not talk much?"
He didn't want to confront them directly about it. Kai seemed to be his best bet at learning a few things without offending anyone - as at least half of the group looked like they would just as well kill him as they would a stray Rabid.
He thumbed over the heavy pipe he still carried, trying to occupy his hands.
-
"Blaine? Not sure. Tyler? Nah, just... Dunno." She put the knife away.
-
Alan blinked and sighed quietly at Kai's response.
"So they're strangers to you, too..." He gazed blankly at the road ahead.
-
"Nah, I know 'em all right." She said grudgingly. She looked out the window. "Hey Blaine. Should be here."
-
Blaine stopped in front of the building, taking a moment before hopping out. "This place looks like craaaap," He said, pointing the bat at the almost dilapidated structure.
Tyler climbed out and took the pistol from his waistline, checking the safety. "Sorry about him," He said to Alan, gesturing sneakily to Blaine. "He's just...adjusting. Just give him a bit to warm up."
-
Holly hopped out, slightly [CONTENT REMOVED] less than before. Kai stepped out the back, pulling her knife back out. "Oh don't worry, it's slightly better inside."
-
Alan lept from the truck bed, making it squeak on its suspension
"That makes two of us," he grumbled to Tyler. Albeit, he wasn't just talking about his uncertain relationship with Blaine, but also the entire fiasco with the Rabids.
Alan readied his pipe and scanned the area.
"Behind the shed!"
He could barely make out a hunched figure, twitching sporadically. It faced away from the group and didn't seem to know they were there, but it moved now like it had heard something. Then, a set of eyes flashed from that same direction.
"There's two of them," he observed thoughtfully. "So they don't attack each other?"
-
Holly and Kai acted together, nodding to each other they dashed forwards butting the hilt against the thing's head to disorient it and then slice through it's neck. Holly and Kai stepped back and began walking towards the group as a third one ran at Kai, silent. It slammed into her and knocked her to the ground. It was clawing at her but her hoodie kept her safe for a few more seconds. "Scheisse!" Holly and Kai both shouted as holly tried to get the rabid off of Kai without hurting Kai.
-
Alan acted purely on instinct. He rushed up behind the Rabid and bashed him in the ear with his pipe, throwing the creature off. But it only seemed to piss it off even more. It snarled and foamed at the mouth, then lept at Alan, trying to bring him to the ground. He pushed the end of the pipe at the thing's throat, making sure to keep its snapping maw clear of his face.
"Little help!!"
-
Kai rolled and cut through the things ankles, dropping it. It crawled towards her, angry but Holly drove her knife through it's neck. "Die! Die! Die! Dummkopf!"
-
Alan sighed a breath of relief when the Rabid went still.
"Thanks. Man, you both really know how to tagteam them. That's impressive!"
He picked up a stray oily rag and wiped clean his pipe as he approached the shed. He passed by cluttered benches and barrels full of metal scraps as he drew nearer to the door. He reached for the handle only to find that the door was already ajar, letting a narrow stream of light slip out from the inside.
"It's open," he reported over his shoulder.
He didn't dare try to push it open any further - not without everyone else being ready. Afterall, who knew what could be behind the door?...
-
Blaine kicked the door in, walking in. An infected vulpine sat by the door, Blaine took the bat to it and crushed it's skull. "That takes care of that." He said, waving in the rest of the group.
Tyler walked in first, taking to the hallway entrance. He checked around the corner and then turned back to the others. "It looks clear, better be cautious."
-
"Cheesus," Alan shouted, "can't we be a little more subtle??" He scratched his chin. "What if David was sitting on the other side of this door with a gun??" He argued, stepping through the doorway.
-
"A broken arm is a helluva lot better than a ripped out throat," Blaine replied coolly, getting face to face with the gator. His face was almost smirking, but his grip on his baseball bat was tight.
Tyler stepped to them both and attempted to separate them. "Now is not the damn time, we just need to get David and get the hell out of L.A." He yelled, almost waving the gun around.
-
He wasn't normally so easily peeved, but the sheer arrogance of the bear was beginning to get on Alan's nerves. He almost didn't realize how much more tightly he was gripping his own hunk of metal than he was before Blaine got in his face. He was glad when Tyler stepped in. It gave him another moment to reassess the situation: he was only there for safety. He didn't have to like everyone. He didn't have to make friends. He just had to stick with them in order to ensure his own survival. He would try to keep out of the lummox's way and let him fall into the pit he was digging with his own paws. It wasn't his business if the guy wanted to get himself killed so badly.
Alan took a deep breath and exhaled the tension. Hearing Tyler made him feel a little more at ease by inadvertently letting him know that he wasn't the only one who saw that Blaine was a bit of a prick. But he felt sorry for anyone who would want to stick around with him after they got out of L.A.
Alan, of course, kept these feelings to himself and stood silently in the hallway, allowing the two girls ahead of him while he would bring up the rear.
-
Kai strode forward, taking the luminescent lights and not exactly pristine hallways. She knew David would be in the farthest room at the end of the hallway. She stopped at one marked Supplies, pushing it open it was a good sized room with walls lined with metal, cutters and an array of other tools for metal working. "Take your pick boys," She stood back as Holly finished the cigarette.
-
Alan scans over the assortment of tools and picks up a crowbar. He chuckles and mumbles something to himself about a joke he'd have made, had it not felt so out-of-character for him to do, then he hung it back on the wall and grabbed a pipe.
This other pipe much heavier than what he'd been lugging around up until now. He felt its weight and swung it from side to side, feeling out the newfound weapon. Satisfied, he dropped his old pipe and walked over to a table to create a quick makeshift handle.
He snatched up some old rags and shredded them into strips, then wrapped those about the base of the pipe, tying them snugly. He lifted his pipe up to admire his quick work. It was longer, thicker, stronger, and altogether better. Satisfactory.
"This will do wonders," Alan thought aloud.
He walked softly back to the others and regrouped.
"Ready when you are..."
-
"Nice choice," said Holly as she flicked her cigarette and stomped it out. Kai looked at Tyler and Blaine
-
Blaine shrugged, having been waiting. Tyler was sitting nearby, looking over his phone for a moment before looking back to the rest.
-
"Let's go get David." Holly and Kai said at the same time as Kai pushed the door back open and started toward David's little hideout.
-
Alan checked each door, going down the hallway, and made a mental note for the ones that were unlocked.
He followed the group down the corridors, whipping around the sharp turns in the building's layout.
He started to slow a little when he heard a soft noise echo behind him, like a soft whisper from the wind... or maybe in front of him?
When the noise didn't resound, he trudged onward. But he couldn't stop throwing glances over his shoulder.
-
Blaine and Tyler silently followed, sharing a cigarette and taking turns checking rooms for any infected.
They stopped in a classroom, empty and messy, and checked around the abandoned backpacks. "So, this new guy. How do you feel about him?" Blaine asked Tyler, while grabbing a water bottle from a bag. "He seems alright, dude. You were pretty harsh on him, though." Tyler replied, standing up and putting on a backpack he found and filled.
Blaine paused, before pulling on a messenger bag he had also found and filled. "I could give a damn if I was harsh, man. New people can get us killed." He said, his voice turning cold. "So I just wanted him to know what would happen. He's lucky I didn't smash his skull in." Blaine finished, gesturing his bat.
"You need to calm the hell down. We need numbers, we need help. This whole thing, it's changing you, man." Tyler replied, staying calm. They stood silent for a moment until Blaine replied, "Yeah, I may be changing, but it'll keep us alive. You and your starry eyes for schoolgirl in there sure as hell isn't. So, shut up and stick to your role." He quickly turned and left, Tyler following him shortly after.
-
Holly and Kai followed, as they neared the door Holly sped to the front and stood in front of the door. "I'll go in first, then Blaine." she gestured to the door behind her. "Blaine, get ready to bash infected if they made it to David."
David
He heard voice outside. He was paranoid and didn't hear Kai so he stood by the door, a thick bar of metal ready to swing.
Holly and Kai
Holy suddenly pulled the door open as David swung at her. She caught the bar of metal in her hand, twisting it downwards. It fell from David's hand as Holly brought her knife to his throat.
"Hey David, Long time no see." Holly said with a pleasant tone. "Hey Kai, your boo is here."
-
Blaine stood by, whistling and practicing his swing. Tyler stood near the door, staring off at the city through a window. Helicopters flew over the horizon, mainly military choppers, as Los Angeles burned.
-
Kai smiled at David, who was only a little bit taller than her. "Holly, try not to kill him." Holly stepped back. "The drecksack tried to murder me, what am I to do." David stepped back, "S-sorry" he said, dropping the bar.
-
Growling could be heard from a stairwell nearby Blaine, an infected panther came out. It's face had been mauled, almost half gone. "Ah damn, look at you!" Blaine said, before clubbing the panther over the head repeatedly. He stopped, flicking the blood from his bat, and lit another cigarette.
Tyler stepped into the stairwell, looking for any more infected. A few bodies littered the bottom of the stairs, likely victims of the panther or something else. A infected canine came around, not seeing Tyler. Taking a moment, Tyler shot it in the head before turning back to the others. "When you two are done making out, we need to get the hell out of here." He yelled, shooting another infected.
-
"We're done, let's go." Kai said, snappy. Holly began to walk out, something resembling a panther charging towards her. Without breaking stride she stabbed it then spun, knocking it in it's head. As it fell she whistled ''Another One Bites The Dust' - Queen' She stepped over the body. "Coming?"
-
Alan was occupied with his own problems at that moment. Seemingly from out of nowhere, what looked like the entire cheerleading squad burst squealing and gurgling through one of the locked doors.
"Oh, shhhhhh-etland ponies!"
Alan threw pulled on a door that opened into the hallway, and flung it open in their direction, knocking a couple of them down. He didn't stick around to find out what happened next. He booked it to the stairwell, flinging open all the doors he could, along the way, trying to slow them down even more.
He skidded into the stairwell, nearly running over the railing, but catching himself in time. He pushed off and spun around and jerked the stairwell doors closed behind him, locking out the Rabids with the built-in deadbolt.
The doors shuttered on the impact of the infected, but they seemed to hold up, much to his surprise.
-
Holly looked back to in front of her to see a few football players. Or what ever was left of them. "Blaine, might need some help" she called over her shoulder as Kai and Holly charged forwards decapitating one of four.
-
Alan's heart stopped as he saw the football players. Time stood still. It couldn't be true... could it? Even... them?... He knew each of their names. They played ball together for so long... Ethan... Steven... Zack... Marshall.... And Zack's expressionless head lay in a pool of his own foam and blood... at the feet of a complete stranger.
Alan couldn't move. He couldn't breathe.
In that moment, part of him broke and shattered into a million pieces.
The disease - the Rabies - in mere moments, cut away everything he ever knew.
He roared at the top of his lungs until he was gasping for breath.
"YOU'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE ANYONE ELSE!! YOU HEAR ME, YOU SON OF A B****!! NO-ONE!!!!"
He shoved past the group in one swift motion, and jumped to the front of the deadly hoarde of infected.
Every motion he went through was in complete and utter blind rage. Every swing. Every force of hand. He had lost control.
The pipe in his hand moved with ease, crippling each of the Rabids, one by one. Heads cracked. Ribs broke. Blood poured.
The infected all dropped, and soon... nothing but silence.
Silence, then the metallic echo of Alan's pipe falling to the ground, followed by his unconscious body.
-
Holly looked down at the gaiter. "Nice, but try not to pass out next time." she said as she bent over, lifting the front half of his body. She nodded to her sister who took the other half. "Let's move before more show up."
-
Tyler nodded, moving ahead to the entrance. He shot two infected, clearing the way for the moment. "We're clear, hurry!" He yelled, shooting another.
Blaine quickly moved up beside him, striking a bear down who tried rushing Tyler. "We'll hold them off, get the guy in the truck." Blaine said to Holly, clubbing the bear again.
-
An infected made it past Holly, David swung, hitting it hard. The thing's neck snapped. "Not that much of dead cargo!" He called. Holly snorted "That ain't nothin' she said, running her blade through another. Kai sighed, she grabbed their wrists, pulling them towards the truck. "No hero scheisse you idiots!" She called, running toward the truck as Holly continued a spinning death dance.
-
Alan's head bobbed along as he was carried. He was still out cold.
-
"Yeah, yeah! Just get in the truck!" Blaine replied, hitting another infected student. He grabbed Tyler by his jacket, who was firing a shot at a infected cop. The shot missed and infuriated the infected, who pounced on Tyler.
"No! Get the hell off of him!" Blaine roared, kicking the infected off Tyler and clubbing it's head in. By the time Blaine was done, his face was half crimson and dripping. Tyler pulled himself up and grabbed Blaine. "C-come man, let's go..let's just get out of here.." Tyler said, Blaine nodding.
They climbed in the truck, Blaine wiping his face off with a rag in the glovebox. He tossed his bat in the floorboard before starting the truck. Tyler kept the truck cabin door open, to help get Alan and the other two in.
-
Kai shook her head, "Anyone get cut? Pierced?" Holly and Kai set Alan down, David bashing away the infected, one cougar caught him off guard and it's face crashed into David due to it's momentum. He let out a heavy wheeze, bringing the metal down onto the cougar's spine which forced it to the ground. "Just get going, we're being overrun!" He hopped in the truck and pulled the door closed.
-
"Clearly you didn't see the news.." Blaine muttered, remembering the reporter and soldiers who were ripped apart on air. He hit the gas and peeled out of the parking lot.
Tyler covered his nose, blood pouring through his fingers. The infected had busted his nose before Blaine killed it, which irritated Tyler to no end. "Damn, dude. That prick messed my freakin' nose up!" He yelled, his voice nasally.
-
"Ahhhh crap!" Kai shouted before she could stop herself. She sighed, sitting back she put her face in her left palm and her knife in the other. Holly looked bad, she knew it wasn't good. Her sister never had any outbursts like this. Kai looked at Tyler, "Well, you want me to discern whether or not we have to kill you now?"
-
Blaine hit the brakes, hard, and stopped the truck. He turned around and looked at Kai, his face almost possessed. "You so much as lay one untoward finger on hi-" Blaine growled before Tyler yelled.
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" He yelled, shooting Blaine a "mind your own business" look. Turning back to Kai, he let his nose go and showed no bites. "I'm fine, just a busted nose. No bites," Tyler quietly replied, before climbing over the backseats and sitting down.
-
"Look ok, just trying to keep him from trying to murder you," Holly said in a soft, understanding tone. "That could still get you rabies. Bind it quick, less chance of infection." Kai said, obviously worried for Thler
-
Blaine clenched the wheel, obviously stressed. He looked to Holly and asked, "Can you drive? I...I just can't right now.." His voice was quiet, almost shaky.
Tyler covered it with his jacket and looked for the first aid kit he grabbed. Holding the bindings, he looked to Kai. "Can you help? I honestly have no clue," He asked.
-
Alan shifted and twitched through the nightmares that plagued him in his slumber, unwary of what was happening in the car around him.
-
Holly skipped next to Blaine, "Sure." Kai smiled and grabbed the bag from him "Yep," she took a thick roll of gauze wrap out of it.
-
Blaine climbed in the passenger seat and turned the CD player (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF0lVn3n12I&feature=youtube_gdata_player) on. Lighting a cigarette, he closed his eyes and leaned back. Occasionally humming to the song, he stayed silent.
Tyler took the jacket off his nose and wiped his muzzle off. "Thanks.." He replied, remembering the pistol in his lap. He set it down and covered it with his jacket. Looking back up at Kai, he asked, "Does it look bad?"
-
She inspected it, "Not too bad, I can probably keep you from a crooked nose." She looked at his bleeding nose a little more, "Gonna hurt a little, ready?" Her hands went up to his nose, not touching it though. Holly kept driving
-
Tyler nodded, closing his eyes.
-
She lightly felt around for the important pieces, then sharply forced them into place. She took out the bandaging and somehow made it so that the bandages didn't go all the way around his he
-
"Ah...hell," Tyler said, wincing. He checked the first aid box again, taking some pain medicine and a water bottle from it. Taking a few pills, he drank part of the bottle and tossed the rest to Blaine. "So...where do we go from here?" He asked Blaine.
Taking a drink, Blaine gestured to wait. He set the plastic bottle down and took a drag off his cigarette. "Remember that guy Bradley? From work?" Blaine asked Tyler, who replied, "Yeah, that manager who constantly took those burritos from the.." Blaine cut him off, "Yeah, that guy. He talked about some cabin he had upstate. We'll go there, doubt that fat guy made it through this." He finished, passing the rest of the cigarette to Holly.
"Upstate, huh? I always wanted to see the forest," Tyler said, messing with his bandages. Taking out a cigarette, he looked in the back to David and Alan. "He alright? And what about you, dude? How'd it start at the university?" Tyler asked.
-
"Alright, do we know where it actually is though?" Said Kai, slightly worried. Holly pulled the truck to a stop in an abandoned garage.
-
"Somewhere in the San Gabriel mountains, off the road to the Angeles National Forest. I've seen it once but I remember the turn off. There was a stupid sign for the park, had some dumb bird on it." Blaine replied, rubbing his temple with one paw. "Take the highway out of town, then head toward the national park." He told Holly.
Tyler sat quiet in the back, switching back and forth from looking at Kai to checking on Alan. "Guy's out cold." Tyler said, more to himself than anybody.
-
She nodded, pulling back out she revved it for the high way. Kai nodded, " Don't know how to get him up,"
-
"Just let him sleep, if he turns..," Tyler paused, looking back at where the gun was. "If he turns, we'll handle it." He sat back in his seat and lit his cigarette. Taking a few drags off the smoke, he looked to Kai and said, "So, David's been awfully quiet since we picked him up."
Blaine turned the radio up a bit, rolling his window down about a third of the way. "So, this guy's cabin. It's pretty big, said his trust fund paid for it. Go figure, rich scumbag. Anyway," He lit a cigarette and continued, "He said it had a lockdown system and solar panels. It's perfect, at least for the moment." Blaine finished, looking to Holly for her reply.
-
With the noise from the radio, the cold air rushing in hi face, and the abrupt stop-and-start of the car, Alan began to stir. His eyes flittered open at the mentioning of his name. He began to panic at first, feeling the moments before when he thew himself into the hoarde, but he panted it out and calmed himself down when his surroundings began to sink in.
He glanced around at everyone and confirmed that everyone made it out okay... and that they had somehow managed to get himself into the car, to his surprise. They hadn't left him. Another wave of relief washed over him.
"Thank you," was all he could manage to say from a slurred tongue.
-
"No problem," Tyler replied before tossing Alan a bottle of water. "Drink it," He said, going back to looking on his phone.
-
Alan gratefully accepted the bottle and chugged the whole thing. The coolness soothed his parched throat.
He tossed the empty container into the floorboard and gazed out the window. Flashes of his dead friends tainted his view of the passing scenery. He forced his eyes shut and shook his head. While they all would have a place in his heart, he couldn't let the pain of their deaths cloud his thinking again. Not here. Not now. It was too painful. He would have to mourn them once he was safe. But as long as he could help it, he would never let anyone else get infected. Not one. No deserved to die like that.
He sighed heavily and cleared his head.
Speaking of saving people... Alan thought to himself as he turned to the newest member of the group.
"David's safe," he said nodding to him. "Where to now?"
-
David nodded back. "I just watched teachers and friends get slaughtered. Can't see myself being chatty." Holly snorted "A sneaky little bitch?"
-
"We're going to San Gabriel Mountains, some cabin outside them." Tyler said to Alan. He ignored David's comment, going back to checking his phone. His nose still hurt but the bleeding had finally stopped, leaving a small red mark on his bandages.
Blaine woke up from his short nap, noticing their turn coming up. "Take a right here, then keep straight. I'll tell you when we turn again." Blaine said to Holly. His head was pounding, and his eyes burned. "God, I'm hungover." He muttered.
-
She snorted and turned. Kai sat in the back looking worried and stressed while David just sat there, emotionless almost
-
After a few minutes, they reached the turn in the road. A sign, with a woodpecker mascot, welcomed the to San Gabriel. "Turn here, then stop at the end of the road," Blaine said to Holly, pulling his jacket on and grabbing his bat. "Alright everyone, get ready. We're gonna clear the building, bring the supplies in and lock it up." He said, watching the road.
Tyler pulled his hoodie on and checked the gun, turning the safety off. Grabbing his backpack, he waited for the truck to stop. "Hope that fat prick kept the cupboards stocked." Tyler said to Blaine, who laughed in return and replied, "Dude, I bet he has a helluva load of snack cakes."
-
She turned and eventually stopped at a place only rich pricks would even buy.
-
"'Snack cakes,'" Alan repeated. "Great. So we can all get fat and share a box of chocolate-flavored Diabetes. Man, I can't live off that crap," he protested.
-
"His father hunted. If he doesn't have meat stored, we can hunt deer." Tyler replied, climbing out of the truck. The "cabin" was more of a vacation home, two stories and a garage. "Dude, if I had to ride out the apocalypse, it'd be here." He said, tying his bat to his backpack.
Blaine was already around back, kicking in the back gate. Two bodies, burnt to a crisp, were laying by the back porch. A infected, slightly overweight canine was standing nearby. His head was twitching violently and he sputtered growls.
"Oh buddy, you dooo not look good. Why don't you let me help you with that," Blaine said, readying his bat. The canine quickly spun around and bared its teeth, growling loudly and running at him.
Blaine lifted his leg and drove his boot into the rottweilers' neck, making a loud snap. "Superkick party!" He yelled before driving his bat down into it's head. He took a deep breath and moved nonchalantly to the back door.
Tyler was inside first, using the front door. The inside was cozy, not lavish excluding the high dollar electronics. Power was still on, Tyler feeling a gentle breeze from the air conditioning.
-
"Guns and food," Alan grinned. "Real meat. Now that's what I like to hear!"
Alan had heard Blaine's commotion he was causing with an infected, but he sounded like he had it under control.
Meanwhile, he sniffed the air to get a better sense of what that tasty meaty smell was, wafting through the air. Was the guy having a barbeque or something?
He gripped his pipe and headed through the Blaine-crippled gate and covered his mouth as he felt the bile start to rise in his throat.
He turned back through the gate and rounded the corner to the front. He leaned against the wooden paneling of the cabin's exterior, panting and choking down his disgust with what he'd seen.
"People! Singed people! What the hell?? Why are they singed??"
-
Blaine came around the corner, bat over shoulder. "It's the only way to keep the virus from spreading." He said quietly, moving to the front door. He walked inside, leaning his bat against the wall and tossing his jacket beside it.
Tyler was out of sight, changing clothes in one of the bathrooms. Blaine took his boots off and walked around the vacation home, looking around and occasionally stopping to examine something. Stopping at a table covered in framed photos, he noticed one of importance. The canine from the backyard and who he presumed to be his parents, who he also assumed to be the two burnt bodies out back.
Quickly slamming the photo down, Blaine looked up to see Tyler coming out of the room's bathroom.
"Oh hey, dude." Tyler said, having changed into a black Ramones shirt and black skinny jeans. "Nothing much, the yard is clear. I wouldn't let David go out there though," Blaine replied, lighting a cigarette, "Once everyone gets inside, we can lock the place down and decompress or whatever."
Tyler nodded, walking with Blaine back to the living room. "So, you feeling better now?" Tyler asked him, trying to not bring up the violence his friend was laying down. "Yeah, I'm just...dude, this is some crazy sh*t." Blaine replied, sounding tired and rundown. Tyler just pat him on the back in return, worrying about the sanity of his best friend.
-
"Indeed Blaine" Holly and Kai spoke in Union, David followed
-
Alan made his way inside with the others and locked the door behind him, then made his way to the spacious kitchen.
He hadn't eaten since breakfast, and all the running around he was doing was working up quite an appetite.
The walls - where there wasn't an animal's skin, dusty rifle, or hunting photo - were covered in alternating rows of cabinets and racks of cooking equipment. The dark colors in the room would have made it feel warm, even if there was no fire. Several floodlights beamed down from the ceiling and illuminated the room nicely.
Alan smiled. He was surprised how at home he was feeling there in the cabin, even though he'd never been there in his life.
Flipping through the cabinets, it didn't take him long to find a sealed bag of what he presumed to be homemade jerky. He ripped into it and started greedily downing several strips at once. He pulled out a bar stool, moved it over to the doorway, then plopped down on it while he listened to the others chat.
-
Tyler made his way into the kitchen briefly, grabbing a bottle from the fridge. He stopped, twisting the metal cap off and tossing it in the trash. "Hey dude, feel free to come in the living room." He said to Alan before walking back to the front of the cabin.
Tyler sat down on the large, L shaped couch and sighed loudly. He felt almost comfortable, like nothing was happening outside, as he stretched out.
Blaine stood nearby, in front of the large entertainment center. Flipping through movies, he stopped at a older action movie. He popped the disc into the closest DVD player, turned the flat screen on and flopped down on the couch.
-
Alan watched Blaine pass by and watched as he made himself at home in the living room.
Shrugging, he moved the stool back to the island counter and sunk into a fluffy chair across from Blaine, picking up where he left off with the bag of jerky.
The T.V. flicked to life and a familiar theme song sounded a tinny echo through the cabin.
He let his head rest back against the seat as he sunk deeper into comfort.
He let out a deep sigh.
This was nice... no Rabids... no running... no killing.
When will things be normal again? He wondered.
-
Kai went to stand next to Tyler out front. "Shitty world, huh?" Holly went to he couch and sat on the other side, falling asleep quick.
-
"That would be a understatement to say the least," Tyler replied, taking a cigarette out. He ruffled his hair back, still wet from quickly cleaning it, and took out his flip lighter. "So. David, huh?" Tyler asked, looking off at the city in the distance.
Blaine was inside, passed out a few seats away from Holly. He snored, occasionally mumbling something and rolling over.
-
"Yeah, David... Nice guy once you meet him"
Holly stirred and her eyes opened wide. David was on the couch asleep as well, His jacket pulled over one spot on his arm. She pulled it back a little. A bite mark. In seconds her knife was out. "Do it Holly, before sis sees..."
-
"Seems quiet, but then again.." Tyler replied, gesturing to the burning city. He took another drag as rain started sprinkling down.
Blaine snorted and woke up for a moment, seeing the bite on David's arm and Holly with her knife. Staring at her, he whispered, "Do what needs to be done." He then, pretended to nod back off.
-
A tear fell from Holly's chin as she stabbed David in the neck over and over, he was already dead but she continued. Her arm moving up and down. Up and down. Up and down. David hadn't even screamed. Kai sighed, watching the fires dance. She looked up, glad the rain shared her emotions.
-
Alan couldn't bear to watch, once he realized David was bitten. Before Holly even drew back the knife, he threw down the bag of dried meats and plodded down the hallway to explore the rest of the cabin, trying to keep his mind occupied on other things.
He ran his scaly fingers along the wooden paneling until he felt the cold touch of a doorknob. He tried it. To no surprise, it was unlocked.
"Hello," he whispered, testing the waters.
Silence was the response.
He pushed the door open and walked inside. The switch on the wall brought the room to life. Bright colors clashed with the rest of the house. Shiny, hand-painted toy cars and other toys adorned the knotty pine shelves that lines the walls.
He picked one up and looked it over.
It wasn't even dusty.
Kids must have stayed there to go hunting with the guy.
A heavy thought bent in Alan's mind. He set the toy back in its place. God, he hoped they were far away from this place....
He flicked the lights off and pulled the door closed once again.
An unintentional glance to his side, and a cracked door grabbed his attention. He could just make it out in the dim light coming from the living room at the other end of the hall, but it seemed like the cabin had stairs tat led to the basement.
"Hey guys...?" He called over his shoulder. "Should we check out the basement before getting any more comfortable here?..."
-
Holly looked up from David's carcass, blood speckling her face. Her eyes standing out in complete contrast to the crimson red. "S-Sure" she said in response, voice cracking. She stood, noticing her shirt was covered in blood. She sighed, deciding to rummage through wardrobes later. Holly followed after Alan, her knife in hand.
-
Alan lay his paw on Holly's shoulder and looked at her, concerned.
"Holly... It can wait, if you need a moment..."
-
Blaine quickly exited the living room with the others but went upstairs instead. Taking Tyler's gun beforehand, Blaine moved through the quiet hallway, checking through the open doors. He stopped at a locked door with an activated electronic lock. Kicking the door in, the room's purpose became clear. It was a gun storage.
Tyler stood on the porch with Kai, finishing his cigarette. "So, what is Holly wanting to do? Y'know, since we can't stay here like forever." He asked, readjusting the beanie he was wearing.
-
Holly shook her head, "No, I've done this before. Lets go." She pushed the basement door wide open with her other hand holding the knife, ready to throw. "Anybody?!" She called down the stairs.
Kai sighed, brushing a wet bit of hair out of her eyes. She looked back inside for a moment, oblivious of David's dead body. "I'm not sure, she always went with the flow..."
-
Alan flinched as Blaine shoved past him to the other set of stairs.
At the loud crashing sound he made, followed by the deafening silence, Alan dared ask what he'd found. It obviously wasn't a Rabid, knowing how Blaine had dealt with them before.
"Hey, Blaine! Anything interesting up there??" He called up the staircase as he made his own way to the second floor.
-
Holly shrugged it off and began descending.
-
"Well, depends." Blaine replied, making his way back to the staircase. "Do you like high powered rifles?" He asked, stopping as he turned to the corner to see Alan, still at the top of the stairs. "Go on up and see. I'll keep looking." He said, before disappearing off into another hallway.
Tyler snapped back to from staring off in the distance, looking back to Kai. "You okay?" He asked, rubbing his arm.
-
"Yeah, maybe we should look inside, maybe catch up with the rest." Kai said in a tone that was both reassuring and meaning business. Holly made it to the bottom of the stairs where an almost welcome sight waited, a couple kids. They looked to be mostly huskies except a taller one in the middle, a bear. She lowered the knife, "You guys alone down here?"
-
"Do I like high-powered rifles??" Alan parroted. "Hell yes, I like high-powered rifles!"
He quickened his ascent past Blaine to the upper floor and dropped his pipe at the eyecandy that lay before him. He laughed as he "rifled" through the weapons, setting them aside until he came across a shiny black pump-action shotgun.
"Oh, hell, yes," he chuckled as he loaded it up with 20 gauge shells from an ammunition container on the floor. Then, he stuffed some more rounds in his pockets, just in case.
He chambered the first round with a satisfying 'Cha-chick!' Then maxed out the weapon's capacity with the addition of one more shell.
He slung the weapon over his shoulder and hustled down the stairs and almost tripped over himself when he had to double back for his nearly-forgotten pipe.
-
Tyler quietly followed Kai inside, shutting and locking the door behind them.
Blaine reappeared at the stairs, now with boxing tape wrapped around his right hand. "Hey, you two. Have fun outside?" He asked, descending the stairs and stopping a few feet in front of them.
"Yeah, it was freaking fantastic," Tyler replied, slightly irritated. "Where the hell did you two find guns?" He asked Blaine, but looking at Alan.
"Upstairs, there's a hunting room." Blaine replied, giving Tyler his pistol back. "Holly's checking the basement out if you two want to help her." He added.
-
Kai suddenly stopped, staring at David's mutilated carcass.
Holly slowly moved toward the group and they huddled together scared. Still holding the knife behind her back, she slowly walked up to the group.
-
Blaine stood by quietly, stopping Tyler from stepping forward. "Not the time," He whispered to Tyler, keeping a grip on his shoulder.
-
Alan, having Tyler's question answered by Blaine, continued through the hall and down the stairs to the basement, as he'd intended to before being delightfully distracted by Weapons 'R' Us.
"Holly?" He ventured. "You still down here?... You find anything good... or bad?"
The stairs creaked as he descended.
His newly found shotgun nested firmly in his hands, barrel aimed low. His finger rested by the trigger, ready to fire at a moment's notice.
-
"Yeah!" Holly called up the stairs. "Just some kids"
A tear fell from Kai's chin, "D-David...."
-
Blaine and Tyler stood by, Blaines' hand still firmly gripping his shoulder. "He was bit. Check his arm," Blaine said emotionlessly. Tyler ribbed him with his free elbow, shooting him a glare.
-
"H-Holly did this.... Right?"
-
Blaine paused for a moment, letting go of Tyler's shoulder. "Yeah," Blaine finally said ", he asked her. She made the call." He took a few steps back, lighting a cigarette.
Tyler never moved, almost conflicted. He wanted to try and help, but didn't want to make it any worse so he just stood by quietly.
-
She smiled lightly, tears still falling. "Well at least he doesn't have to deal with this shit...."
Holly grabbed the largest one's hand and got them to come upstairs
-
"There's kids down there?!"
Alan fumbled down the stairs and stood behind Holly. He slowly let his rifle down as he took in the pitiful scene.
Two young huskies and a bear cub cowered in the corner of the basement. He could just make them out in dim lighting. They appeared to be the only ones there.
"It's alright. We're not going to hurt you," he coaxed them while he reshouldered the shotgun's sling He carefully approached them with his arms outstretched, palms to them. "My name is Alan. Me and my friends are just looking for a safe place to stay. Bad things are happening outside."
The bear cub's fearful look turned to a scowl as he bravely stepped forward into the light, now clearly hugging a pellet gun.
"Well, then keep looking!" He growled. "Go away! This is our safe place!" The cub was clearly still very much frightened, yet he stood strong in defense of the younger ones. Despite his predicament, Alan still admired the kid's bravery.
Alan turned to look back at Holly. He never was good with kids. Maybe she could back him up?
-
Broke over the top of a hill finally, after a good hour or so of climbing and shifting around the mountainside. Panting, the wolf looked around through his cracked sunglasses, surveying the area for any sign of respite. The wolf was dehydrated, tired, and worst of all lost. Clutching his only weapon, a security baton in his right paw, the canine stood tall again and kept looking until he spotted what appeared to be a home.
"Gracias...Dios..." [Thank...God...] He muttered with a sigh of relief.
Taking a few seconds to ensure his plate carrier and beret was still fashioned properly, the wolf prepared himself for what may be in the house as he descended the small mountain. Granted, he was in plain view while approaching and sparsely used cover, after all, nobody would be way out here. Right?
-
Tyler put a hand on Kai's shoulder, "We'll take care of him." He said, looking to Blaine who nodded.
"I'm gonna go get some fresh air for a minute," Blaine said, grabbing his bat and going out to the porch. He lit a cigarette and looked up at the surrounding mountains, noticing something moving.
-
Holly grinned, in less than a second she was next to the bear cub, wrenching the gun out of his hand. "We'll be gone soon, but don't appreciate empty threats."
Post Merge: August 15, 2017, 08:33:06 AM
Kai nodded, crying she knew nothing except to turn and cry into Tyler's shoulder.
-
Tyler paused for a moment, kind of caught off guard. But he calmed down and held Kai, "It'll be okay.." He said softly, stroking her hair with one hand.
Blaine stepped down from the porch and took off into the woods leading to the mountains. Whatever he saw, he intended to find. He kept a tight grip on his bat, his boots loudly snapping branches and leaves.
-
Several minutes later, the wolf had descended most of the small mountain and was just a short distance away from the house. However, Victor noticed that there appeared to be an armed man outside the front door and two more people on the porch. Shaking his head and cursing himself, the wolf stared at them through his cracked glasses and prepared his baton as he crouched down and slowed his pace, moving to cover at the nearby trees. The wolf started to try and close the distance between himself and the man with the bat, making himself visible only when moving from tree to tree, with the occasional twig snapping.
-
Holly's quick movement startled the cub and gave him almost no time to react.
He held his ground and clung to the pellet rifle with all he had, trying to keep it out of Holly's paws Until he knew he and the younger ones would be safe with the intruders.
He stared into her eyes sternly as he studied her face.
"Promise...?" He begged. "Promise you'll leave soon?"
-
Holly nodded. "We can't stay here forever." Kai gradually calmed down and stepped back, slightly ashamed.
-
Blaine stopped for a moment, seeing the wolf move between the trees. "Damn it," Blaine whispered, then taking off after the wolf. His boots stomped against the ground, making it obvious he was storming right at the wolf.
Tyler stood by for a moment, quiet and slightly blushing. "I'm gonna...I'm gonna go for a little bit," He said, quickly rushing up the stairs. Moving around the corner and into a room, which appeared to be an office, Tyler leaned against the wall and took a deep breath before taking a drag off his cigarette. "Aw hell.." He whispered to himself.
-
Heard the armed assailant approaching from the house, and knew he had been spotted. In a split second decision, the wolf stopped moving and drew his security baton, waiting until the bear was almost upon him before jumping into action.
"Te cogÃ!" [Got you!]
Victor yelled the phrase before he jumped from behind the tree into a spinning kick, hoping to hit the bear at center mass. While his kick was executed well, the wolf misjudged where the bear was and found himself out of range, most likely missing.
-
Blaine backed up, then sweeping at the wolf's feet with his right leg. In the commotion, Blaine dropped his bat a few feet away. He looked at it and then the wolf for a moment, before jumping towards the weapon.
-
Kai sat down on the sofa, not sure whether to cry, scream or run
-
Grunted as he was swept under, stumbling to the ground and causing his sunglasses to fall off. Seeing as the bear was moving away for his weapon, the wolf took the moment stand once again. Still holding his baton, the canine knew he could attempt to go in for an attack while the bear was distracted. Instead, however, Victor simply reached down and slowly picked up his cracked sunglasses, putting them back on his face and gazing coldly at the bear as he chuckled slightly.
"That won't save you."
The wolf said, pointing his baton back behind him at the hill in a small, circular motion.
-
The bear cub's eyes darted around as he briefly weighed his options. He let go of the pellet gun, letting Holly confiscate it from him for the time being.
"It's empty anyway," he sighed in defeat. "I'm Amos. These are my cousins, Nate and Lisa," Nate said as he gestured to the two huskies huddled behind him. They had since stopped shivering with fear and instead wore a collective face of curiosity.
Amos' eyes flashed over to Alan's shotgun.
"That was... my grandpa's," he murmured.
"It was upstairs with the other guns," Alan replied. "Do you know how to shoot a real gun?"
"Of course I do," he defended. "We were going to go hunting in the morning, except-"
"Except your uncle went outside and didn't come back," Alan finished.
The group nodded. Nate continued for Amos. "No one came back yet. Do you know if they're okay?"
Alan gritted his teeth. He couldn't look them in the eyes and tell him that everyone they knew was dead. He just couldn't.
"We might have passed them on the way here," He lied. "I think they said something about leaving town."
A wave of sadness washed over the children.
"They're leaving us here??" Nate wondered aloud.
"Are they mad at me?..." Lisa's eyes welled up with tears. "Tell them I'm sorry...! I didn't mean to disobey them...!"
Nate held his sister as she sobbed into his shoulder.
A moment of silence passed before Amos broke it.
"They aren't coming back... are they?"
Alan sighed and shook his head. "No.... No, they aren't. I'm sorry."
"Is... the store room still unlocked?"
"Blaine broke down the door."
Without another word from Amos, he walked with past Alan and Holly and trudged up the stairs, coming back shortly with an armful of guns, ammunition, and accessories. He struggled, but his face lacked any emotion that would betray the fact that he could barely hold onto the weight of the load in his arms.
Nate still held onto Lisa, and Lisa clung to Nate as her tears continued to fall. He watched Amos vacant-eyed as the bear loaded up empty clips with bullets.
"We can wait it out here," Nate spoke softly, his paws running gently through his sisters hair. "Don't worry about us. Just lock the doors when you go."
Alan stood up and took a couple steps back. He looked at Holly.
-
Holly put the pellet gun down, "You guys have a good while. And... It wasn't your fault. I'm sure."
-
Alan quietly left the basement and climbed the stairs. He passed through the hall and leaned back against the wall in the living room.
His head swarmed with worry and sadness. He couldn't get it to go away. Everywhere he went, it just kept on appearing. So many people. So many lives affected by this... virus. Not even kids were safe. He sighed heavily and let his head roll back with a 'thump!'
Then he mumbled to himself.
"The hell they must go through.... Damn......"
-
"Big talk from the man wearing broken glasses," Blaine said as he rolled over to see the wolf. "Now get that stick out of my face before I put it somewhere unpleasant." He growled, starting to sit up.
Tyler looked around the office, picking up books and framed photos of cars. He stepped out of the room and shut the door behind himself.
Walking to a bedroom, he flipped the light switch and wandered around. "Acted like a total idiot.." Tyler said to himself as he fumbled through the closet, stopping at a brown denim jacket.
Pulling it off the hangar, he felt the inside that was lined with a white wool. He pulled the jacket on and a pair of ranch boots laying nearby. "Huh, never thought the rancher look was fit.." Tyler said before leaving the room , heading downstairs.
-
Kai put her head in her hands. Holly stopped and sat on the stairs, not keen to meeting her sister anytime soon.
-
Tyler stopped for a moment at the living room doorway, taking a deep breath. "Hey.." He said, knocking on the door frame and leaning against it, "I'm sorry for running off like that. I was just.." He trailed off, before sitting down a seat away from Kai. "I'm not gonna be stupid enough to ask if you're okay.."
-
A sad light smile played on her lips as she looked up. "Heh... My life was already messed up, just another shit on top of a crap load." Her arms fell to her legs and she shook her head. "Still have a world to live through. Grieving can wait. Surviving can't. Shall we see what Blaine is up to?" She wiped the tears off her face. Holly stood, her steps soft as she ascended. She walked into the room and stood in the corner looking down, a tear fell to the ground. Kai stared at Holly for a moment, "Thanks sis." she said before looking at David's carcass. Holly spoke, her voice hoarse and cracking, "A-anything useful on him?"
-
Tyler stood nearby, waiting as he checked his pistol. Sliding a bullet in the chamber, he stuffed the gun in his waistband behind his back. "Check him and then we'll cover him up.." Tyler said, grabbing a throw blanket.
-
Kai nodded, patting him down and finding a clip of 9 mm. Tossing it to Tyler she stepped back.
-
Tyler put the clip in his pocket and covered David's body with the blanket. "I'll let you two have a minute," He said, giving Kai a hug before walking out onto the front porch. Taking out his flip lighter, he torched up another cigarette and clasped the lighter loudly.
-
Holly and Kai stood awkwardly before Holly spoke. "I'm... sorry." Kai shook her head "Don't be. It's better than him trying to kill us." She walked outside, standing next to Blaine. Holly brought out her knife and stepped out.
-
Glared at the bear once more through the broken lenses and spins the baton around for a moment before lowering it to his side, contemplating.
"Before what? You gonna beat m-...Oh good, there's more of you."
The wolf adjusted himself to face the pair of of what appeared to be sisters, standing beside the bear. Smirking, the wolf crossed his arms, still holding the baton.
"Quite an army you got here, I'm simply mortified." The wolf spoke again, laying heavy sarcasm into his already thick accent.
Clearly, the canine was not intimidated, and shrugged with a sigh before lifting his baton back again and pointing it to the small mountain behind him.
"Do you know what is waiting in store for you?"
-
"I don't think you do," Blaine replied, "Tyler, get the stick." He looked to the one of the people the wold forgot to count.
Tyler had moved behind the wolf, pistol drawn and held at the stranger's head. "Just set it down and go inside." Tyler said, "Then we'll talk." Blaine added, picking up his bat.
-
Was puzzled for a moment as the bear spoke to a "Tyler." However, once he heard the other figure move behind him, gun drawn, the wolf knew he was outmatched. Despite this, Victor didn't flinch. Instead, the wolf nodded slightly, turning his head just enough to see the canine behind him before laughing again, glaring through th cracked, blackened lenses.
"Dos horas." [Two hours.]
Was the only phrase he spoke, his tone changed from sarcastic to somber. What he alluded to or meant by it, Victor would not say. Reluctantly, he loosely flipped the security baton at the bears legs with an underhand toss and shrugged.
"Do you guys have any pastries, per chance?" The wolf asked in the silence, regaining his sarcastic tone and glancing around at the group.
-
Blaine picked up the baton and handed it to Kai, before looking back to the wolf silently. After a moment, he laughed and replied, "We'll check the supermarket in the pantry. Let's get inside." Blaine grabbed the wolf by his shoulder and walked inside with him.
"That went better than expected," Tyler said to Holly and Kai, putting the pistol back in his waistband. He waited by the door, gesturing for the two to go inside first.
-
Despite the sarcastic response he as given, the wolf maintained his composure and rolled his eyes. Upon being grabbed, the wolf jolted for a second and pondered making a move. After a few seconds, the wolf relaxed and thought now would not be the best time. Sighing, the canine went silent and accompanied the bear inside, carefully glancing around after stepping onto the porch and through the door.
-
Blaine lead them into the living room and gestured for the wolf to sit on the couch. He dragged a chair over and sat down, taking out a pack of cigarettes. Lighting himself one, he looked up at the stranger and asked, "Want one? Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you."
-
Holly grinned, "I wouldn't be so sure. I might kill him." Her knife was still covered in David's blood as she held it loosely. Kai smacked Holly in the back of the head lightly. "We don't murder people randomly!" She held the baton and knife, contemplating fighting strategies.
-
Ambled over to the couch and sighed, simply plopping down on the cushions without grace. Observing the bear, he saw him drag a chair over before sitting directly opposite of him. The wolf clapped his paws together and leaned back, crossing his legs. The wolf was about to reply to the cigarette offer, but overheard one of the sisters behind him threaten his existence. Turning around slightly, the wolf looked at her and the knife she held from over his sunglasses before turning back to face the bear. At this point, Victor was starting to feel uneasy.
"If you are offering me one of those, apparently you are trying to kill me. Although that would be much slower than... her." The wolf replied, discretely gesturing back at the fennec and eyeing the lit cigarette with distaste.
"So, let's suppose you won't give me an early retirement from life," the canine started, leaning forward, "what now?"
-
"Why are you here and what do you want?" Blaine asked, tossing the pack to Holly.
Tyler stood by, arms crossed and tapping his left boot on the ground. Brushing the hair from out of his eyes, he observed the wolf and his outfit.
-
Kai sighed, it was pretty obvious that they were all trying to survive. He had mentioned multiple things that could be important though. Holly caught the pack, pulling one out she put it in her mouth, tossed the pack back then lit the cigarette with her personal lighter.
-
Watched as the bear tossed the cigarette pack away, finally asking the question Victor had been anticipating.
"Why I am here? I am here because I had to run from...them. What do I want? I want to not be here, and some water if possible."
The wolf hadn't realized his thirst until just moments ago, having been moving nonstop for the past few hours. Victor also noticed that the bears companion had been eying his outfit and slowly removed his beret, gazing at it longingly as he spoke.
"I worked private security, basic stuff, ya know? Then somethi-... someone, happened. Me and my co-workers went from unloading money from an armored car and listening to music to flooring it down the highway past screaming people and anarchy... Then came the tree, and now here is me." The wolf finished up, looking back up at the bear and continuing. "I've been getting by, but my luck almost ran out, or maybe it has completely depending on you." He said with a shrug of indifference.
Slowly, the wolf removed his sunglasses and blinked a few times, biting his lip softly before nodding over to the bear and sheapard. "So what about you, huh? Why are you here?"
-
Holly took a drag, then spoke "We're here because this is possibly the safest point anywhere near here." Kai almost laughed at the assumption but kept a straight face.
-
"And we're not exactly fans of being ripped apart by the undead," Tyler replied before walking out of the room. He stopped at the stairs and sat down, sighing.
"Yeah, that about summed it up." Blaine said, looking back to the wolf. "Regardless, I have one last question." He said before standing up and gripping his bat. "Why do you think I should trust you and not take this against your head?" Blaine asked, voice turning cold and serious.
-
Kai left the room to sit next to Tyler. "I'm not gonna watch them murder a random person soooo" Holly grinned at Blaine's train of thought, brandishing her knife.
-
"Wait, what?" Tyler asked, quickly jumping up and moving into the room.
Blaine was still staring the wolf, but he turned his attention to Tyler who was almost right on him. "Hey, you wa-" Blaine managed to say before Tyler cracked the handle of his handgun across Blaine's face.
Blaine crumpled to the floor, mouth bleeding. "You listen to me, damn it! I'm sick of this natural selection shit!" Tyler yelled, pointing the gun at his own friend.
"Who the hell are you to te-" Blaine said, being cut off by Tyler. "I'm the one who's holding the gun, prick!" He yelled, looking back at the others.
-
Holly tilted her head, grinning. Kai stood and turned, one glance through the door told her it wasn't good. She stood there, wide eyed as Tyler held Blaine at gun point.
-
Heard the party speak, and nodded in respect of the reason. Watching as the shepard left the room, Victor frowned slightly and sighed with exasperation.
"Wait...are they dead?"
Suddenly, the bear stood up with bat menacingly and caused the wolf to accept the seriousness of the situation. Placing the beret and sunglasses down gently, the canine stood up slowly with no sudden movement and loooked right back into the bears eyes before he spoke.
"You don't look like a murder, and I don't look like an insane killer, not just yet, so you decide why you should trust me or not."
The wolf replied, gritting his teeth as he watched the bear. The wolf knew he may be staring death in the face, but he was out of options. He could only hope the bear actually wasn't a murder.
"Hacer su movim-." [Make your mov-]
The wolf didn't get to finish his sentence, moments later the Shepard had returned and cracked the bear with the handgun, holding him at gunpoint. The situation had escalated beyond his control, and was at a loss of words for a few seconds. Finally breaking out of his stupor, the wolf looked over at the Shepard and whispered, slowly raising a paw to show no threat, the look of confusion on his face.
"Hey hey, lower the gun, everything is all good..."
Whether Victor should be helping the person who just threatened to beat him to death, was unknown, but it was too late now. Looking back at the fennec sisters, he gestured at the Shepard and silently pleaded for help.
-
Holly nodded and sped across the room, the metal hilt of the knife coming down toward Tyler's hand hard enough to bruise badly but not break bone. Then holding the knife at Tyler's midsection. Kai stood still, eyes wide.
-
Blaine stood up, spitting blood on the floor. "Take Kai...and get the hell out of here, brother." He growled at Tyler, who was still shaking with rage.
Tyler looked back to Blaine, picked his gun up and walked out of the room. Passing Kai, he mumbled something about being sorry.
"As for you..." Blaine said, looking to Victor, "Just stay out of my way and we'll be fine. Now leave, we need to talk." He said, looking to Holly.
-
Kai walked after Tyler, still with wide eyes. Holly stepped back, her knife closing.
-
Having just watched the whole situation unfold, the wolf now knew two things. He seriously underestimated one of the fennec sisters, and was currently in the presence of a very angry bear who still had his bat. Upon being told to leave, the wolf opened his jaw to say something, but thought better of it and instead simply picked up his glasses and beret. Turning around, the wolf huffed and proceeded out the front door, slipping on the beret and sunglasses before muttering.
"Shoulda stayed in Honduras."
-
"He needs to learn his place.." Blaine said, rubbing his jaw. He spit a little more blood out and took a drag off his cigarette. "Maybe your sister can help." He added.
Tyler stopped and turned around, looking at Kai. "I'm gonna lose him, man." He said, weakly almost on the verge of breaking down.
-
Holly raised an eyebrow. "How would you do it? Are you saying we should befriend or negotiate? Or win trust and Eliminate?"
Kai shook her head. "No you aren't. Just... Try and keep him off killing a bit, Holly will do plenty anyways."
-
"If he's what he says he is, then we could use that kind of experience." Blaine said, "But Tyler. He needs to know his place as well." He said, coolly. "That's where Kai can help. It's obvious he likes her." Blaine said to Holly, sitting back down.
"I don't think that's even possible. You can see he's changing." Tyler said, voice cracking and tears beginning to roll down. "As long as he's leading us, he'll keep doing what he thinks is right." He said, looking down at his boots.
-
Holly snorted, "Likes? I'm sure he's fallen for her. Anyways... We're not gonna use force for such... Let's hope Kai can put him in his place without influence, I'm not the one for manipulating emotions."
Kai stepped closer, "Hey, we're not gonna lose him. I'm sure leading is the pressure. Let's.... Let's see if we can put Holly in his place for even a little bit."
-
Was ambling about outside at this point, paws in his pockets as he sang various songs in Spanish. The canine was glade he wasn't dead, and might of found a group of people to roll with. Smilingly slightly, he realized that things were starting to look up. At that moment, Victor was glad he looked up. Maybe a football fields length away from him was a figure, slowly approaching. At first, the canine shrugged it off and figured it was a member of the bears group. However, the wolf quickly realized that wasn't the case when he saw how they were twitching and sporadically moving. At this point, Victor went for his baton, but did not find it. Blinking, the canine watched as the infected being neared the house while Victor was unarmed. Swiftly, Victor turned and ran into the house, although he was careful to just peak in the room where Blaine and Holly were in. After all, he wouldn't be able to fight much if the bear smacked him with a bat first. Quietly, the wolf asked from around the corner.
"Uh, amigo? Don't mean to intrude but, you have another unwanted visitor. This one actually bites so, can I see my baton again please?"
-
Holly looked up from their conversation. "Infected or normal? I mean, you are also an unwanted visitor right now."
-
Slightly poked his head around the corner and glared at the fennec.
"Oh, it's just a normal little girl selling candy. Of course it's infected, ti imbecil, that's why I said he bites. Or she. I don't actually know yet." [You idiot]
-
"Du hast den Arsch offen" {Your full of sh*t} She shook her head and he knife was out in a blur. "Where?"
-
"He called you an idiot," Blaine said to Holly, almost laughing. "I like him already," He said, picking his bat up and going out the front door.
Tyler stepped into Kai and wrapped his arms around here, crying. He felt like hell, was stressed as hell and just couldn't keep it bottled up anymore.
-
Holly smiled, stepping through the door she scanned the horizon. A figure was approaching fast and faster. She nearly dissapeared as she ran towards the figure. As she reached it she kicked the infected in the head, axe kicking with her other foot resulting in a crushed skull.
Kai sighed, she rubbed his back lightly, following Tyler's spine up and down his back. "It's going to be fine Tyler. We'll live our lives out."
-
Tyler half-stepped back, wiping his eyes. "Yeah, I know. I just...my parents, dude. My family is gone, all I got is him." He said, "Holly would just kill whoever we came across. I just...I just need to stay in his ear."
Blaine stood nearby, pulling on his studded leather jacket. "Always gotta take all the fun, man." He said to Holly, leaning his bat against his shoulder.
-
She snorted as she walked back. "Fun? That was boring!"
Kai nodded and wiped a tear that had made it's way to his cheek with her finger
-
Tyler gently grabbed her hand, holding it for a moment. "I'll talk to him tonight, just us. Let him know what he needs to do." He said softly, looking down.
"Yeah, I forgot you're insane." Blaine replied, swinging his bat. "So, rent-a-soldier, that's all you saw?" He asked, turning to look at Victor.
-
Holly grinned and re-lit her cigarette, Kai nodded,
-
Alan stood quietly in a corner of the living room as the whole spectacle with the wolf began to unfold. He wasn't quite sure what to say. One moment, everything was fine, and the next, everyone was at each other's throats. Having watched his actions closely since the wolf arrived, Alan could tell the guy meant him no harm. At least, that's what he'd gathered from the few short moments he'd seen him.
He'd obviously been through a lot, with how he looked and all. They all had. And the middle of a breakout was the worst time and place for people to turn against each other. He respected how he'd stood up to Blaine, and he wished he had built up the gall to do the same.
The whole scene was just a blur; it all happened so fast. But if he remembered one thing, it was that the wolf was thirsty. He wasn't sure why that in particular stuck out to him, but he decided to take it upon himself to help the guy out and not make him feel so unwanted.
He grabbed a couple water bottles from the fridge in the kitchen and went out to meet the wolf on the front porch.
From the corner of his eye, he could see Holly pouncing the Rabid he'd just heard about. A muffled gurgle from the deranged creature and the forest was still once again.
Realizing he was walking in in the middle of a conversation, he simply handed off the bottle to the wolf without a word.
With a soft crack! Alan broke the seal on his own bottle and sampled the cool wash of processed spring water.
-
"I'm gonna go outside, see what they're doing," Tyler said, letting Kai's hand go slowly. He walked outside, boots clunking against the hard wood floors on his way out the door.
Standing next to Alan, he watched Holly and Blaine as they stood around the trees and the dead infected. "Nice gun," Tyler said to Alan, lighting a cigarette with his good hand. The other was bruised, still sore.
-
Kai smiled before following.
-
Essentially gestured out the door and watched as Blaine and Holly went outsize to deal with the situation. Victor watched for a few moments with his paws still in his pocket, assuming Blaine would just smack it and- oh, no it was her again. Upon hearing Blaine say she was crazy, the wolf called out from the porch.
"Oh, thank you for clarifying that. I would've never known. And yes, that is all I saw. Can I have my baton back now? I need to practice my drum solo."
Sighing, the wolf looked over his shoulder as a crocodile approached him. The canine didn't know what to expect, but was content to see that he offered water and not pain.
"Oh, uh, gracias," [thank you] Victor said as he accepted the bottle, quickly cracking it open and downing nearly half the liquid at once.
"Ah, much better." He sighed contently as he looked over at Alan, inspecting him for a moment. Since he was the only person who had legitimately been nice to him so far, he decided he would lay off the sarcasm.
"What brings you here?" He asked just as Tyler walked out the door, glancing over at him. The wolf hadn't forgotten Tyler possibly saving him from the angry bear, and raised his bottle with a nod towards him.
"While not the most subtle move, it was a move nonetheless. Thank you for trying to help me out there."
-
"Thanks, Ty," Alan grinned. He clutched the strap that clung to his chest under the weight of the heavy shotgun. It felt good to be better armed. "Act now, and you can get your own, absolutely free," he joked. "There's a couple more upstairs if'n you want one for yourself."
Then spoke the new guy.
"Safety," came Alan's pointed response to the wolf.
He studied the wolf's face from the corner of his eye as he leaned over the banister. He felt at ease around the wolf, much unlike how he'd constantly felt when around Blaine and Holly. He'd tried several time to repress the feeling, but it always seemed to come crawling back up his spine. The new guy was a welcome addition to the group, in the Alan's mind.
"Name's Alan. Don't let them get to you," he nodded in Holly and Blaine's direction. "They may be a bit brutish, but I think it's just because of the circumstances we've all been thrown in. Just try not to step on their tails, and you should be fine. Probably. So... where were you headed?"
-
Holly took a drag of the cigarette and her complexion softened. The maniacal grin melted into a soft smile and she sighed as she blew smoke. It was almost as if she was a different person but then she shook her head, her face returning to stone cold. Kai, holding the wolf's baton decided to return it. She walked up to the wolf, tapping him on the shoulder and offering the baton. "Sorry for those two." She said gesturing to Holly and Blaine. She was genuinely happy that Holly wasn't a complete psychopathy.
-
"Alright, let's get back inside. We'll talk about our next move," Blaine said loudly, slinging the now blood-dried bat over his shoulder. He stepped on to the porch and sauntered inside.
Tyler followed him into the living room and they carried David's body out into the backyard. "We'll bury him tonight," Tyler said to Blaine, noting they were alone outside. "And we need to talk afterwards," He added, Blaine grunting in the affirmative.
-
Kai and Holly stepped inside silently
-
Respected the crocodiles decision and sighed, nodding in agreement . When he was tapped by Kia and offered his baton, the wolf accepted it graciously and slipped it back into his belt.
"Thanks, and don't worry about it, I understand they are cautious and...armed." He said with a shrug, yawning before glancing back at Alan. "Well, honestly I don't know where I am going. I figured the wind would guide me, turns out it only leads to tornadoes." He replied, kicking the porch softly a few times as he thought about the situation.
The canine overheard Alan mention more guns, but stored it away for later. So far, he perceived the crocodile as friendly, and the rest of the group as levelheaded and no-nonsense. Well, except Holly. Holly kinda scared Victor. Shaking off his thoughts as the bear called out for everyone to go inside, Victor nodded to Alan and headed inside. Plopping down once again on the couch, he left enough room for someone to sit beside him and asked Blaine,
"So, what now?"
-
Holly leaned against the wall, playing with her knife.
-
Alan followed the rest into the living room and sunk into the couch across from Victor. He had the feeling things were about to turn into another dramatic soap opera. He reached over and grabbed the bag of jerky he'd left there earlier and started snacking again.
-
Blaine was walking through the back door as Victor asked his question. Taking a moment to sit down in a chair and set his bat down, he replied, "We can't stay here forever. Too close to the city, plus this is camping season. Tons of people come to this area." He took a moment to open a brown bottle he got from the fridge. "So, we need to find a new place. Everyone likes you already, well some excluded," Blaine said, looking at Holly, "So obviously you're stuck with us. No arguments."
Tyler came in at that point and flopped on the couch, loudly sighing. "There's always Norcal. Nothing but forests and rich pricks' 'vacation homes'." He said, head leaned back and arm slumped over his eyes.
-
Kai sat down, Holly still playing with her knife, a small trickle of blood ran across the blade's edge
-
Nodded as the bear informed him he would be staying, and smiled a bit. Maybe now he wouldn't be stuck on his own all the time. Upon Tyler mentioning vacation homes, the canine bit his lip and replied;
"Vacation homes, hm? That isn't the worst of ideas. Granted, we are going to have to assume nobody else thought of the same idea and is sitting there nice and cozy right now." The wolf said as he leaned forward a bit, glancing at the rest of the group.
At the moment, Victor didn't really know where to go, so the wolf wasn't going to be complaining about and location they would pick to head off to. Absent mindedly, the wolf wolf tapped his baton against the sofa as he became lost in thought.
-
Holly flicked the knife, her blood speckling the ground with a slight wet smack! "Then we'll kill them."
-
"We're not those things. We don't kill people just because we want what they have," Tyler protested, leaning forward and switching his glare between Holly and Blaine. "If we run into people, we should negotiate." He finished, leaning back into the seat.
Blaine sat quietly for a moment, putting a cigarette out, before answering. "Okay, if we find anyone peaceful, we'll negotiate. Otherwise, we treat them like the dead." He said, yawning. Looking out the window, he could see the sun had already set.
"Well, I don't know about you people but I'm tired as hell. I'm going to bed," Blaine said, hopping up and taking his bat. He disappeared up the stairs into the master bedroom, throwing his jacket and boots on the floor before flopping on the bed with a loud groan.
Tyler yawned and stretched his arms, groaning after a moment. "He's right, man. I'm beat like a dead horse." He said looking to Kai, Victor and Alan.
-
"But what if there's people still living in-" Alan began to trail off as Blaine lumbered away.
He turned to everyone else. "Not everyone has left. There's no way. If it were me in their shoes, I would just lock my doors and blockade them and the windows, assuming I had enough food to last me whenever I thought this thing would be over, then I'd wait it out. Actually, strike that. I'm always hungry. I wouldn't last even a week locked up in my own home. But then again... this is only the end of the first day. I don't know. I just think we're assuming too much. That'll get us killed. We need a better game plan other than to kick in doors of random homes. Anyone chillaxing in a summer home around here probably also has guns. I mean who else would be out here other than hunting fanatics??"
His arms flailed as he tried to make his point and bumped into the wall-mounted moose head towering above him.
"Case and point," he added with a yawn.
"Maybe we can figure something out in the morning. Been a helluva day." He stood and made his way to the mouth of the hall- "Goodnight, all." -then pushed in the door to another one of the bedrooms and locked it behind him. On the nightstand lay his heavy pipe. Leaned against it was his shotgun. He fell forward onto the bed and passed out almost instantly.
-
Listened intently to the group as they discussed what to do about possible inhabitants, glaring over the top of his sunglasses at Holly when she proposed her idea.
"I must agree with Blaine, if they are friendly than we can talk. If not, then it is them or us." The wolf said with a grunt, leaning over the armrest of the couch slightly as his beret started to slide off his head.
Staring at the blood that Holly flicked off her blade, the wolf listened to Alan as he flailed his arms about and panicked over the situation. The wolf was having to press his face into the armrest to keep from laughing at this point, snorting slightly when he hit the moose head. Raising his head again, the wolf saw the bear and crocodile take leave. Victor didn't want to go to bed just yet, instead pondering whether he should take a walk around or try and find something to snack on. Lazily looking over at Tyler, the wolf asked;
"May I have the pastries I requested now?"
-
Holly had her lips pursed, as to not burst out in laughter. Kai sat patiently, nodding at Alan's points. Kai shrugged, "That is a valid point Alan, but also we are kind of in the spot that a boarded up home full of guns and food is going to be just what we need."
-
"Yeah, follow me." Tyler replied, tossing his coat in his spot and grabbing the bottle Blaine left.
Walking into the kitchen, he opened the cabinet and grabbed himself a snack cake. "Help yourself." Tyler said to Victor, mouth full of food.
-
Holly sat next to Kai and leaned back.
-
Rolled off the couch and removed his beret completely, tossing it on the living room table before following the shepard. Glancing around, the wolf eyed his surroundings curiously, and perked his ears when Tyler opened the cabinet. Peeking over his shoulder, the canine saw various snacks and smiled. They weren't the same treats he had back in Honduras, but they would work for now.
"Nice." Was the only word Victor said before he reached into the cabinet himself, pushing aside various things in search of something he may be in the mood for.
-
"Well, rooms are upstairs unless you prefer the ground floor. There's like a guest room by the front door, I think." Tyler replied, taking a drink from the bottle and grimacing slightly from the taste.
He made his way back into the living room, laying down on the couch. Looking up at Kai and Holly, he sarcastically asked "Soooooo...how's the apocalypse?" He kept the bottle on his chest, one hand keeping it in place.
Blaine laid in bed, still dressed, and stared at the ceiling. He was restless, every few moments rolling around the large bed. "This..is..complete...CRAP!" He yelled, effortlessly throwing a pillow at the wall which knocked a vase over.
-
Holly answered seriously, her hand dripping blood from when she cut it earlier. "Horrible yet somehow wickedly interesting." Kai sighed and smiled softly. "Great. Yours?"
-
"Ehh, you know. More drama, less action." Tyler replied, smiling back at Kai.
-
Her smile widened a little, Tyler made her feel okay in this hell
-
"Soooo," Tyler said as he rolled over and sat down right. He took another drink, grimacing again, before continuing, "What do you guys wanna do? Alan and prickface are sleeping and the new guy is stuffing his fave." He finished, his face now blushed, before lighting a new cigarette.
-
Holly shrugged, lightly cutting into her palm. Kai grabbed Holly's knife, closed it and stuffed it into her pocket. "Dunno, I mean, me and Holly are nocturnal naturally and we take pills to fix that but I don't see any pills. So we'll be up all night."
-
"Oh, huh." Tyler replied, yawning loudly. He stretched his arms and sighed, taking another drink.
-
Holly picked at the cut, forcing her nails into the soft flesh. Kai pulled Holly's hands apart and sighed.
-
"Here, take this." Tyler said, handing Holly the almost half full bottle. He laid back out on the couch, resting his head on his arm.
-
"Thanks?" She poured a little on the cut, which was now bleeding a lot. She then took a swig of the stuff. She winced slightly and drank a little more. Kai sat with her eyes closed, Holly trying to avoid forcing herself to bleed more,
-
Tyler soon began quietly snoring, having passed out moments ago. His tail swished and twitched around.
-
Kai sat there, waiting for the moment when all was quiet. Holly slowly finished the bottle and faded from consciousness. Kai smiled softly, her gaze occasionally resting on Tyler's face. Then she heard a crash from outside. She was up in an instant, holding both knives open and ready
-
Had opened up a snack cake and was nibbling on it, thinking about his overall predicament until he heard a crash upstairs and a yell.
"¿Que?" [What?] Victor said through a mouthful of the treat, glancing over curiously and putting down the other half of his snack cake. Within a few seconds, Victor poked his head in the stair well and called up;
"Everything alright?"
He wasn't really keen on walking into the bears room and interrupting... whatever he was currently doing. Victor actually enjoyed having a head.
-
Blaine appeared at the top of the stairs, yawning and hair messy. "Yeah, I couldn't sleep. It's all good up here," He replied, yawning again.
Tyler snorted but quickly passed back out. He was a heavy sleeper, having lived near the main highway back in Los Angeles.
-
An infected cougar and a wolf stumbled through the patio doors, stopped and both their heads snapped up to stare at Kai. She held her breath, slowly moving into a position for a move to kill them both. For once she could actually see the lifeless eyes. The rage and hunger in them. She wished Holly was awake but she had drank herself to sleep. She wouldn't wake up soon. Suddenly both infected ran at her, she ran to the side, kicking the legs out from under one, then round-house kicking the other one in the chin, dislocating it with a satisfying pop!. She then stabbed it in the neck, leaving it to die she walked to the other, stabbing it in the heart. "Sleep well in Heaven..." She smiled sadly, yet the second infected had not died and was stumbling towards Kai silently.
-
Meanwhile, Alan slept like a log - a log that was being sent through the saw mill over and over again. It would take more than a spilled vase or a couple misplaced Rabids to wake the snoring croc.
-
The second infected barely got it's paw on Kai's arm before Holly barreled into it, pulling her knife from it's neck and gutting the thing. Her face, speckled in blood was a grimace. It showed of humanity. But then it turned into hate and crazed violence. "You okay sis?" She asked as she put her foot on the thing's skull and leaned. Kai nodded, eyes wide as Holly cracked the infected's skull grinning. "Why didn't you wake me? This looks like it was fun"
-
Tyler woke up to the skull cracking and jumped up. "Ah hell.." He mumbled, gun in hand. Crouching down, he looked over to Kai. "You okay? I should've woke up.." Tyler said, rolling the nearby infected away with his foot.
-
"Nah, It's fine." Kai waved it off before thanking Holly. "If it wasn't for you sis.. probably would have been bitten or something..."
-
Tyler stood up, quietly going out to the patio doors. He lit a cigarette and went outside, which was almost pitch black and almost silent. He shut the doors behind himself and checked his gun before stepping off the porch and into the darkness.
-
Nodded to the bear as he appeared at the top of the steps, glancing over slightly just in time to see the Fennec sisters dispatch two rabid.
"Oh. Maybe we shouldn't stay here tonight." The wolf said, biting his lip and looking over at the bear once again.
"It appears as though we had even more unwanted visitors." Sighing with frustration, the wolf stepped into the living room and looked at the two sisters, as well as Tyler before he left.
"I wouldn't go out there if I were..." He started, but trailed off as the German Shepard exited. Glancing at the dead bodies and the sisters, Victor picked his beret off the table and said.
"Maybe we should leave before uh, that happens again. And again. And again...?"
-
Holly nodded, Kai stared after Tyler
-
Tyler stood quietly in the nearby forest, listening intently to the distant moaning of hordes. Taking a long drag on his cigarette, he began to walk the perimeter of the home.
Blaine came downstairs, having pulled his boots back on. "If we're going, let's gather up supplies. Holly, come with me and we'll get guns. You," Blaine pointed to the wolf, "Get food. And Kai, go find that idiot before he gets himself mauled." He finished before going back upstairs to wake Alan up.
-
Kai nodded and sprinted through the door, Holly went upstairs to find guns. "Where?"
-
"Back room, over here." Blaine said, walking to the mini armory. He stopped, throwing a bag on the floor. Throwing ammo inside it, he stopped and slung a shotgun across his back.
Tyler stopped around the front trail, crouching down and looking up the road. A few figures, grouped together, stood far down the road and moaning could be heard.
-
Holly stepped into the room and slung a few shotguns over her head, then shoved some ammo into them and stuffing what she could into her large pockets. Then, picking up another shotgun and holding it at the ready she hustled down the stairs. Kai spotted a figure crouched on a trail, she approached slowly, knife in hand.
-
Blaine followed after Holly, carrying a duffel bag and an AR. Stopping in front of Victor, he paused before handing him the rifle. "Since you're more experienced and all, security guy." He said before tossing the bag down and unslinging the shotgun he took. It was a Serbu Super-Shorty, small and compact with a pump grip.
"I'll go wake Sleeping Beauty," Blaine said, heading back upstairs and into the room Alan chose. "C'mon, wake up meathead," He said, patting the gators shoulder. "Either wake up or I'm carrying you."
Tyler spun around, gun drawn and aimed at Kai. "Damn! What are you doing sneaking up on me? I could've shot you.." He said, standing up and holstering his gun. Stepping up to Kai, Tyler stopped and looked around for a moment before looking back to the fennec. "Need something?" He asked, fixing his jacket collar.
-
Victor nodded to the bear and turned, venturing back into the kitchen to stock up. The canine had spotted a medium sized black backpack near the pantry, and decided to use it to stock up on water and non-perishables. Minutes later, Victor returned to the living room with a backpack full of food and various drinks.
"Alright, this should last for a while, at least until we reach the vacation homes." Looking at Blaine through his cracked sunglasses, the wolf spoke as he glanced over the guns and bag he had.
Upon being handed the assault rifle, Victor nodded in thanks but frowned slightly. Rifles were not his style, and his peers often poked fun at his overall innacuracy with longer, shouldered weapons. Deciding he wasn't in a position to pick and choose, Victor simply racked the slide and checked for ammo before switching it to safety.
As the bear went to go wake up Alan, Victor waited in the living room, figuring it would be best to not split up any more than everybody already is. Adjusting his beret and plate carrier, the wolf looked out the window to his left and beyond the darkness of the woods. Slowly, Victor was starting to feel uneasy, he whispered;
"Tengo un mal presentimiento de que..." [I have a bad feeling that...]
-
"We're getting the hell out of here, we don't want to be here when those get here" Kai said, pointing at the horde. Holly cocked the shotgun and grinned
-
As Alan began to stir, his eyes drifted open.
"No, no, it's... Saturday," he mumbled.
It took him a moment to register to hulking figure at his bedside.
In a wide-eyed panic, he scrambled away and tumbled backwards onto the floor.
"Sh-!"
Whump!
The impact knocked over a small, but cluttered table, scattering its contents beneath the bed.
Then it all came rushing back to him.
"Blaine!" What's going on? Did something happen? It's still dark out..."
As if to answer his question, gunfire and yelling echoed up from the stairwell.
"Consider me already downstairs!" Alan snagged his pipe and shotgun and flew down to the living room to join up with the rest.
A twitchy border collie crashed through the window and rushed him before his feet even reached the bottom step. A swift Sparta-kick to the chest sent her stumbling back, and a well-aimed shotgun blast sent her right back through the window she came in from. The kick from the gun was almost nothing to the hefty gator, having absorbed nearly all the recoil against his solid shoulder.
He hurried over to the curio cabinet and heaved it to one side to block off the now-shattered window.
"What's the deal??" He yelled aloud to no one in particular as he rushed up to the back door and squeezed off a few rounds into the approaching hoard. "Why are there so many?? What's drawing them here?!"
-
Holly walked out the door and took a knee. Bracing the shotgun with her shoulder she loosed a round into anything approaching.
-
"Oh, damn it!" Tyler yelled, hearing the gunfire erupt from near the house. "Let's go, stay close!" He said to Kai before taking off back to the house. Shooting two walkers in his way, he brazenly chose to jump through the living room window.
Coming in with a flurry of broken glass, Tyler quickly brushed himself off and starting firing on the enclosing horde. "You got a better gun for me, bro?!" He yelled to Blaine who was across the room.
"Got you!" Blaine replied, sliding a Mini-14 semiautomatic rifle. He went back to join Holly, blasting away the heads of walkers. Tyler took up a spot near the window he crashed through, shooting stragglers.
-
Kai followed close behind, taking the same window. She grabbed a shotgun from the ground. She looked at it for a second. It seemed like a collector's, Benelli M3, Benelli Armi issued. 20 Gauge. She racked a few rounds in before taking a place at a window, kneeling she fired at anything close.
-
Tyler kept firing, spotting one that made it past the others. Before it could stumble over to Kai, Tyler swung the butt of his rifle. It collided with it's skull, making a sickening crack. "Damn, dude." He said, looking at the fennec. "Where the hell is Blaine?" He yelled, getting cut off by a loud roaring engine.
Blaine's black Blazer came screaming around the front, plowing over a crowd of walkers. Rolling down the window, he yelled, "Get your asses in here! We're out!"
Tyler grabbed a bag and held a hand out to Kai, looking at her with a half-blood speckled face. "Come on, let's go," He said gently over the gunfire surrounding them.
-
Kai looked up, blood covering her face and shirt. She grabbed his hand and stood, Still holding his hand she ran towards the Blazer, Holly stood and slowly backed towards the Blazer, firing at anything close enough to get to them
-
Tyler opened the back door of the truck and climbed inside, pulling Kai in. He kept the rifle aimed at the door, ready to hold any unwanted visitors off. "I gotcha, man." He said to Kai, wiping the blood off her face with his free hand.
Blaine blared on the horn, waiting for the others. The nearby walkers were dwindling but the distant moaning grew even louder, attracted by the noise. "Damn it, hurry the hell up!" Blaine yelled, cigarette clenched in his fist.
-
Kai nodded slowly, "Th-thanks Tyler" Holly pulled her knife out with her other hand, leaving the shotgun slung across her shoulder, with the knife she gutted what ever came towards her then made a break for the Blazer, " START DRIVING BLAINE! TYLER, LEAVE THE BACK OPEN!"
-
((Victor and Alan, just catch up in your replies))
Blaine hit the gas once the others were in, keeping at decent speed. He kept a pistol in case of any surprises at his window.
Tyler kept the door open, still holding onto Kai with his arm. "No worries." He responded, watching the door. Firing a shot at a sprinting walker, Tyler yelled to Holly, "Let's speed this up!"
-
Holly sprinted after the Blazer and jumped into the back, Kai then took a position with her shotgun, firing at the few that were keeping pace with the Blazer.
-
Blaine hit the gas and sped past the incoming horde, turning sharply onto the main road. Laughing loudly, Blaine hit the steering wheel with his palms and smiled. "Hell yeah! We got the hell outta there!" He said, turning the radio up and relighting his cigarette.
Looking in the rearview mirror, he checked head count. Alan and the new guy in the very back, the twins and Tyler in bench seat. "Yo, dude. Hop on up here, help me navigate." Blaine asked Holly, popping the glove box open to reveal a road map.
Tyler adjusted himself in his seat, taking his coat off and laying it with his rifle in the floorboard. He checked his arms and hands for bites but couldn't find any. It didn't help that the adrenaline rush was making him shake uncontrollably.
-
Holly climbed into the passenger seat and started looking at the map. Kai was apprehensive to but wasn't shaking as bad. She oulled off her hoodie and looked up and down her arms and legs, there was nothing serious and she sighed in relief
-
Tyler took out his pack of cigarettes and lit one, sighing happily as he blew out smoke. "Y'know, my dad always said these helped with stress. Always thought he was full of crap until now.." He said, looking to Kai and laughing slightly. Looking back down, he took another drag and sighed.
Blaine leaned back in his seat, one hand holding the wheel and the other holding the stick shift. He listened to the radio, occasionally glancing over at the map which was useless in the dark cab of the truck.
-
Holly gave directions, her eyes were almost as acute in the dark as in the light. Kai snorted quietly and laughed a bit. Smiling warmly she leaned against the wall of the truck.
-
Was standing at the bottom of the steps queen his eyes went wide, his memory returning to him. He had forgotten to tell them about the horde he saw while crossing the mountain. However, Victor had no time to ponder this as two rabid came through the windows. Quickly switching his weapon off safety, Victor was forced to simply spray his weapon twoards them due to being so innacurate. Only a few rounds struck, but that was enough to take them down.
Seconds later, the wolf heard Alan and Blaine fly down the stairs, unleashing a shotgun blast and hitting another rabid in the process.
Without hesitation, Victor scrambled for the backpack full of food and water, picking it up and slinging it over his shoulder. Before following the crocodile out the back door.
"Oh my..." He said, glaring at the rest of the horde as he felt for Alan's shoulder, pushing slightly as he pointed to the truck.
"Time to go!" He said as he sprinted off the back steps, still holding onto Alan as they barreled to the truck, narrowly missing some of the rabid. In the haste, Victor stumbled and his sunglasses slipped off his face and into the grass around him.
Letting out a small sigh of anguish, the canine pondered going back, but instead simply threw his weapon and bag into the back of the truck before hopping in himself, giving the bird to the approaching horde. At that point, the wolf was pretty angry. Not because they nearly died, or that they had to leave their refuge.
But because they took his sunglasses.
-
Tyler stretched out and yawned loudly, rubbing his eyes. "So no bites?" He asked Kai, eyes still closed.
Blaine changed the CD in the radio, swapping it out for some punk demo. "So, it's a few hours until we get there, huh?" He asked, looking to Holly.
-
She looked up at no-one in particular "Yeah, maybe four hours at most." Kai shook her head, "Lucky enough to have only been nicked by glass."
-
"Get your asses in here!!"
Alan heard the bear roar over the mess of Rabids screaming from the trees.
Victor rushed past him, pointing to the truck.
"I know!! I'll meet you there!"
Two more raging furs fell through the front door, and still more approached in the distance from the back.
"Damn!!" He couldn't afford to waste his ammo on this! He had to go!
No-one else waited another moment; they were all already in the truck. He didn't have time to think.
As the truck's engine revved and began to speed away, Alan hustled and grabbed onto the back, with just barely enough grip to pull himself in. He rolled over the tailgate and fell into the bed, really testing the truck's suspension. He panted heavily, and tried to find his breath.
Good thing I did well as a quarterback, he thought. Come to think of it, this almost feels like a football game itself. Crowd creaming... Rushing the ball... Working with the team... and heavy impacts.
Alan wiped the sweat from his brow, only seeming to replace the sweat with the blood from a wound he attained from pushing on the nail-riddled side of the curio cabinet to block off that window.
But this is no easy game. We lose this one, the stakes are our lives. We can't lose.
He wiped his palms on his sleeveless white tee.
"-four hours at the most," He'd picked up from one of the sisters.
"Four hours till what," Alan asked. "Where to now?"
-
Victor was panting lightly as he watched the horde fade behind the truck, speeding down the road and off into the distance. The canine held his beret down on his head and leaned against the wall of the truck. As everybody gradually calmed down, Victor unzipped his black backpack and revealed the various non-perishables and water, taking inventory. The supplies would easily last until they reached the next destination. Looking over at Alan, the wolf said.
"Straight to hell, that's where." The canine huffed and adjusted his plate carrier, still agitated about his eyewear.
Spotting the black AR Blaine gave him, Victor looked over and asked the others that were in the back of the truck with him;
"Anybody want to trade?" The canine figured there wasn't enough ammunition in the world to compensate for how many times he would miss with a shouldered rifle.
-
Holly nodded. "Can't do shit with this" She handed him the shotgun,
-
Alan scowled. Holly's comment almost felt personal.
"I'll have you know shotguns are very handy for short-to-mid-ranged targets." He kicked back against the wheel well and toyed with the safety on his own shotgun. "And that's exactly what we'll be dealing with."
He then eyed Victor curiously.
"What do you mean by that?" He asked the wolf. "I thought that's what we were leaving behind us."
-
"I know that, fire-arms smart ass. But I have this," She said, flipping the knife. "And that," She pointed at the shotgun, "Isn't what I have been training with for 11 years, I started fire-arms a year or two ago."
-
"Do I need to pull this truck around and hit someone with my ring hand?" Blaine said loudly, still watching the road. He grumbled for a moment before returning to the music and the road.
"I got a few scratches, myself. Didn't exactly plan on jumping through that window." Tyler replied, turning to face Kai. He took a drag off his cigarette, then putting it out on the bottom of his boot.
-
She smiled, "Me neither, but I think it may have been necessary," She said, obviously joking
-
"Yeah, doors are extremely overrated." Tyler replied, laughing. "So, you okay? Like, with David and all the other shit?" He asked, in a quiet tone. The street lights, even if they were rare, were still working which occasionally broke the darkness in the truck.
-
She nodded silently as the light flew across her face. The rare glimpse of her face showed pain and sadness. Better than no emotion.
-
"I'm sorry.." Tyler whispered, holding Kai's hand. Another flash of light showed his face, painted with understanding. "It'll get better." He said, smiling.
Blaine, driving in the middle of the two lane road, was busy talking to Holly to hear anything else.
-
Victor listened to the conversation between the two about firearms. Victor looked over at Alan again and said, in a more morbid tone of voice;
"What...or whoever is waiting for us there may be worse than what we just left."
Somewhat stretching out in the bed of the truck, he looked over the shotgun he was given curiously. Victor had some experience in shotguns before, but not as much as he did regarding handguns. Zipping up the backpack again, he slid it over towards Alan to allow himself more room and offer some snacks.
At this point, Victor was so low in the truckbed that he couldn't quite see anything other than the sky and various trees passing around him, much less the road in front of the truck. Blaines driving did make him slightly nervous, but its not like there is any traffic to worry about. Right?
-
"Dude, why would you say that?" Alan asked Victor in consternation.
He reached into the bag and pilled out an individually-wrapped rice square. He frowned slightly, the snack reminding him of the delicious jerky he'd left behind.
"You don't know what's up ahead. How could you?" His tone wasn't antagonistic, but skeptical. Vic sounded like he already knew what was going on - like he'd been there already. What he knew, and the information he was sharing, didn't seem to add up. It made Alan uneasy.
-
Kai nodded, a brief smile crossed her face and she sat back, putting the shotgun down. She looked up at the stars, her eyes catching the occasional gleam.
-
Blaine slowed down, passing a few burnt out cars. Speeding back up, they drove past a sign reading "Rest Stop". Rolling up his window, he turned back to the others. "Keep an eye out, guys." He said, before looking back to the road.
Tyler sat back up and locked his door, then grabbing his rifle. He watched the window, looking at the abandoned cars gathering at the side of the road.
-
Victor realized he had said too much, or said too little of something he wasn't supposed to reveal just yet. Pretending as though he was just joking or being cautious, Victor shrugged and smirked at Alan.
"Ah, just worried about what is ahead. I've seen some stuff, can't be too careful. A bunch of homes secluded homes with a rough hillside and good view wouldn't be-" Victor stopped speaking, a bit too suddenly. This time, his face did give away the small bit of concern he held. Although this time, the canine wasn't worried for what approached.
Upon seeing Blaine open the window and alert them of an upcoming rest stop, Victor leaned up and readied his shotgun, preparing for whatever danger may be approaching. Well, that's what he told himself anyways. The canine didn't meet Alan's gaze again, and instead seemed focused on the road ahead.
-
As Victor's will to carry on the conversation dissipated, so did Alan's.
He sighed and simply nodded.
"Whatever you say, man. I just... hope you're wrong...." His gaze shifted past the wolf and ahead in the direction that the truck was going.
Click! Gun safety: off.
-
Holly opened her knife and laid it on her lap. Kai turned her shotgun's safety off and checked the chambers. Full
-
The truck came to a stop at the rest area, which looked almost unphased to what was happening in the world. Blaine shut the engine off, the headlights dying and bringing the darkness back. "Alright, let's go in groups. Victor, you're with us. Alan, you go with the others." He said, hopping out of the truck. He slung his shotgun over his shoulder and kept the bat in hand.
Tyler climbed out shortly after, pulling his coat back on and checking his rifles' magazine. "Okay, we'll take the ranger station nearby," He said, pointing to a guide sign reading 'Ranger Station Irene'.
-
Holly got out, holding her knife in her right, the rifle in her left. Kai stepped out after Tyler, her shotgun up and ready to shoot. A large bag's strap slung across her shoulder.
-
Blaine gestured to Holly and Victor before taking off to the rest area, stopping at a closed building. "Alright, find a window or door. And try to be quiet if there's any infected. Sound's gonna travel." He whispered as he looked around for a way in.
Tyler lead the others down the road towards the ranger station. "It's really nice out here. Well, apart from the obvious." He said to Kai, staying at her side with his rifle ready. Lighting a cigarette, he hummed quietly for a moment.
-
She nodded, letting her shotgun fall to her side and pulling out her knife. Holly followed, her knife in a stabbing stance. She went another way and found a side door that looked like it hadn't been used in years, rust flaked the hinges, "Blaine," she called quietly.
-
Hopped out of the truck when it stopped, surveying the surrounding area. The wolf glanced over when his name was called, and silently nodded to Blaine. With his shotgun slung over his back and security baton in his right paw, the wolf uneasily took a few steps towards the rest stop.
"Agradable y tranquilo." [Nice and quiet.] Victor whispered, slowly following Blaine and Holly.
Upon reaching the closed building, the wolf spotted a window and slowly started to raise his baton. Seconds later, Blaine indicated that sound would travel, and the canine was just about to smash open a window. Lowering the baton, Victor shook his head and flattened the beret he wore. Watching as the two went on opposite sides of the building in search of a way in, the wolf turned back around and kept an eye out for any rabid that had possibly heard or seen the truck approach.
-
Alan followed Tyler to the station, and surveyed the area as he stored more shells into his shotty.
The whole area appeared to be dead silent, minus a few insects doing insect things. Not a soul in sight. Made since, seeing as no one would want to go to the rest stop in the middle of a disease outbreak. At least, he hoped so....
He checked his safety again. Off. Good.
His attention then went to Tyler as the shepherd took a drag from his cigarette.
"Hey, Ty," he asked, "What are we hoping to find at the ranger station?"
-
Kai shrugged, "Guns? Information on progression of the disease?"
-
"Stations only keep one rifle, doubt they left it." Tyler whispered, "They may have some info, but they'll more than likely have medical supplies and survival gear." He stopped after a moment, turning to look at the two. "I used to be a Boy Scout, if you were wondering why I knew all that." He whispered meekly before turning back around and continuing down the road.
Blaine came around the side and checked the door. The handle clicked and creakily opened. "Hell yeah, nice." He whispered, "Yo, wolf. Let's go," He loudly whispered to Victor before turning his flashlight on and entering the building. Empty, at least of rabids. There were bodies, at least five, strewn about and riddled with gun wounds. "Holy hell.." Blaine whispered, stepping into the middle of the room.
-
Tilted his head and turned as the bear called him over, glancing around the area once more before backing himself up around the building and towards Blaine. As the bear stepped into the building, Victor turned curiously as he heard another whisper. This time, the canine appeared visibly startled when he spotted the bodies. However, his reasoning for being afraid was much different this time.
"Imposible..." [Impossible] Victor whispered the word as he eyed the bodies, his arm going limp somewhat as he lowered the baton. Realizing he was standing in shock, the canine attempted to maintain his cool. Closing his maw, the wolf turned back around, keeping his back to the fennec and bear before speaking with a somewhat shakey voice.
"What... Uh, what happened, do you think?" Victor wouldn't face the room again, lost in his own thoughts. The canine once again realized something he thought about before.
He really should've gone back to Honduras.
-
She walked up to one of the bodies and nudged it with her foot. Then she suddenly stomped, smashing it's nose with a satisfying crack!
Kai walked along, knife in hand
-
** Rest Area, San Gabriel Mountains **
"Well there goes identifying that guy." Blaine said, crouching down at another body and waving his light over it. "Bullet wounds, lots of them. I'd say military, maybe? No they'd be in the city...could be raiders." He said, beginning to pat and check the body for any useful.
** Ranger Station Irene, San Gabriel Mountains **
They soon reached the ranger station, an SUV parked out front. The driver's door was hanging wide open, blood smeared across the window. A body, presumably a park ranger, laid nearby.
Tyler sped his pace up and ran up to the body. He kneeled down and checked the ranger. The body was covered in bites, indicating he was at one point overrun by walkers. But the most disturbing thing was a bullet wound to the head, and it was fresh.
"Keep your guard up. This guy turned," Tyler said to the others. "And someone put him down recently." He finished, standing up and shouldering his rifle. Walking to the station entrance, he stepped up the stairs to the porch. The door was unlocked, conveniently, and Tyler held it open for the two.
-
Holly smirked, "Then we have competing survivors..."
Kai sighed, "Then we have well armed survivors that may or may not want to kill us."
-
"Then let's hurry, maybe we can sneak out under the radar." Tyler replied, following the two inside the station.
Tables were upturned, papers scattered across and furniture was hastily moved. The walls still carried PSA and Boy Scout posters, some covered with specks of blood.
"Okay, let's split up and look around. I'll take this hall," Tyler said, pointing his rifle at the hall marked "Offices". He walked off, trying to keep his boots from clanging against the wooden floors.
** Rest Area **
"Either way, we're not ending up like these guys." Blaine replied, standing up and stuffing a pack of bandages he scavenged in his bag.
Walking to the door, he pulled it open and poked his head out. "Alright, we're clear. Let's go check the campsites." He said to the two before stepping outside.
-
Kai looked around, spotting a sign labeled "Rec Rooms and Meeting Rooms" She walked towards the hall, shaking her head.
Holly followed, her knife at the ready
-
Tyler stopped in the hall, reigniting his cigarette. A quiet crash could be heard in the nearby room.
Shouldering his rifle, he tossed his cigarette down and stepped toward the door. He kicked it open, seeing it was empty. But as Tyler walked in, someone grabbed the barrel of his rifle and jerked it from his hands.
The gun clattered across the floor, Tyler and the stranger following suit. They brawled around the room, Tyler slamming the lupine against the wall. The lupine countered with a kick to the gut which sent Tyler down to his knees.
"Agh, shit!" He grunted as the lupine grabbed his head and wrapped his arm around Tyler's neck. He fought back but slowly started blacking out from the sleeper hold.
"Just...die..already.." The lupine grunted as Tyler's sight faded to black.
-
Kai heard crashing and rushed towards Tyler, silently pushing the door open, she cocked the shotgun. "You wanna get turned into swiss lupine or you gonna get the hell off Tyler."
-
"Pull that trigger and I bleed him like a stuck pig," The wolf said, revealing a knife at Tyler's throat. Tyler woke up for a moment before the wolf knocked him out again.
-
She snorted, "You'd still be dead, I doubt you want that" Her voice was cold, emotionless. She stepped closer slowly her face twisting into a grin.
-
The wolf, wearing a black bandana over his face and a hood, pulled a handheld radio and clicked the button saying, "Let it begin.."
Dropping the radio, he cackled for a moment before coldly saying to Kai, "You can kill me if you want..but you're all dead. All of you," He finished before pushing the blade against Tyler's jugular.
** Camping Sites **
As they looked through the first campsite, a few shouts and shots could be heard in the distance.
Blaine stood up and looked back at the other two, "You guys hear that?" He turned back to the nearby clump of Redwood trees.
-
Kai ran incredibly fast, fueled with adrenaline, hate and desperation, forcing her knife into his neck. Kicking his body to the side she kneeled next to Tyler, ripping the bottom of her shirt off and pressing it lightly against the cut. Looking up she hoped Holly and Blaine were fine. Holly grinned, "Showtime."
-
Tyler woke up after a moment, coughing and breathing heavily. "He..he got the u-uh, drop on me...damn it, my neck." He groaned, still dazed as he looked up at Kai. "You don't know how I glad I am to see you.." He said, weakly smiling.
Blaine drew his shotgun and crouched down by a tent. Looking over to Victor and Holly, who were hopefully hiding as well, he said, "Keep a few alive. I want to know what they wanted."
Rustling began in the nearby brush, the shouting growing louder.
-
Holly had already rolled to the tallest grass possible and had the rifle in prone position. Kai smiled, still lightly pressing the cloth on his neck. "A-and... I'm glad you're alive..."
-
Tyler pulled himself up to look Kai in the eyes. He waited for a moment before finally whispering, "Ah, screw it.." He moved in and softly kissed her, before snapping back and nervously laughing. His face was almost flushed red, as he took the cloth from her.
-
Had followed the pair silently, lost in his thoughts as Victor watched Blaine loot the bodies and take the bandages. The wolf looked over the bodies for a few moments, hoping to find something of use, but turned up with nothing. Shrugging slightly, he watched the fennec and bears back as they headed out of the building, shotgun at the ready.
Finally, the group reached a small camp, and Victor lowered his weapon and poked at the tent with his barrel, glancing over the smoldering fire and various wrappers from food.
"It appears as though-" The wolf started, but was cut off as Blaine indicated there was movement nearby. Staying silent, the canine carefully listened and indeed heard the commotion nearby. Following suit, he crouched down against a tree nearby the tent, and readied his weapon.
"No promises." He whispered to Blaine as he requested to take survivors. Killing innocents was a crime in Victors point of view, apocalypse or not. And the wolf would punish them as he was taught back home. With death.
-
Kai closed her eyes, and had obviously enjoyed it. Her face slowly got red and redder.
-
A few survivors emerged from the brush, wielding various weapons. They slowly and quietly moved through the woods before stepping into the camp site.
Blaine fired first, blowing one's knee off to ensure he could have one alive. Firing again, he hit another at center of mass. The survivor flew back and disappeared into the grass.
** Ranger Station Irene **
Tyler looked up, hearing gunshots outside from a distance. His ears perked up, and he quickly stood up clutching his rifle in one hand.
"Let's hurry up here and get back to the others," He said, holding out a hand to help Kai up.
-
Kai gripped his hand, wishing she would never have to let go. Standing, she looked at Tyler, "And promise me, that you'll live long enough to do that again." Holly pulled the trigger three times. Three people fell with blood pluming from their heads. She crawled closer then burst from the grass, stabbing one in the thigh then wrenching his weapon away then hitting him in the head with the butt of her knife, all in quick succession.
-
"The balls on this guy! Thinking he actually had us! What a dick! We're survivors!! We're supposed to be in this together!!"
The angry gator glared at the corpse of the lupine that was bleeding out too quickly to do much of anything. His face paled, and his eyes grew foggy.
Alan's eyes lowered to the radio that skidded across the room.
"Well... whoever is on the other end of that radio is in for a rude awakening. They're better off going up against a whole hoarde of infected."
Suddenly, a soft creaking noise came from out in the hall.
Footsteps?
He waited, silently, hoping it would sound again to confirm his suspicion.
No such luck. There simply wasn't time.
Alan nearly jumped out of his scales as a very angry fur came charging at him from the doorway. With little time to react, he played it only as well as one could hope. He ducked from the knife flying at him, then, from the ground, thrust out with a powerful kick to the knee, snapping it instantly, and making the guy collapse in a screaming heap.
He looked around frantically, trying to find something to silence his screaming. A stray hat did just fine. The wounded feline didn't protest and, instead, bit down hard on the bit of headwear. Tears streamed down his cheeks, and agonizing groans of pain rushed from his flared nostrils.
Alan got to his feet and lifted his shotgun, feeling stupid for having been caught so off guard. He stood against the wall, and waited for any others that might try to rush the building.
-
"I swear," Tyler replied, smiling back at Kai. Turning back to Alan, he said, "We'll go through the windows, they've probably got the front covered."
Busting out a few of the room's windows, Tyler cleared one out and climbed through. Landing with a dull thud, he quickly pulled himself back up and stood by the window to help them out.
-
"Ugh, more windows." She hopped through the same window as him. Landing well she pulled out her knife.
-
Opened fire immediately after Blaine did, clipping one of the strangers and aiming for another. Unfortunately, the last survivor bolted from Victors view, and he was unable to get a clear shot. Looking over at the survivor the bear wounded, he noticed him reaching for his weapon. Unsure if it was a melee weapon or firearm, he didn't want to risk both the bear and fennec while they were occupied with the rest.
Since he was close enough, the canine darted out from behind the tent and swiftly kicked the downed survivor in the face as he looked up before dropping his shotgun and drawing his baton. The canine unleashed a flurry of blows on the survivor, aiming for his injured knees as Victor yelled;
"So, I've got this new drum solo I've been working on!" Continually beating him as the fight around the wolf ensued. When the dust settled, Victor ceased his assault and looked up at the fennec and bear, panting as he said and pointed;
"One uh... one got away."
-
Holly looked up after making sure the one she had put down was still alive. "Got 'em" She gripped her rifle and ran toward the sound of feet falling on the ground.
-
Blaine secured the other, kicking him next to the one Victor had. "Bring 'em back safe and sound!" He yelled to Holly, laughing. He turned back to the survivors, his face still carrying a smirk as his grip around the bat handle tightened.
Tyler crouched down by a tree near the building, aiming his rifle at the road. "Hey, c'mere..." He whispered to Kai, still watching the road. Taking a moment to quickly fire up a cigarette, he readjusted and glanced back at the fennec.
-
Holly's legs burned from the speed she was forcing them to maintain. She bolted towards the foot falls. Slowly she could see the runner, gaining on them every second.
Kai stood next to Tyler then crouched next to him. "Hm?"
-
Alan jumped through the window to meet with the rest of the group.
From the look of things, they'd handled their wave of foes nicely.
"Blaine, there's another back in that room," he said upon taking notice of the bear's collection of hostages. "He's a bit bow-legged, so he shouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon."
As he scanned the rest of the grounds, the scattered bodies caught his gaze.
"What do they want?" He asked Blaine.
-
Victor watched as Blaine dropped the other survivor next to his already incapacitated one, and spotted Holly dart off after the escaping figure. Panting lightly, Victor looked down at the two before glancing back up at Blaine.
"So, what are you gonna...do?" He asked, unsure of how to proceed. The canine wasn't quite sure of the bears plan, but noticed that his grip tightened on the bat. At this point, the wolf realized that it wasn't going to end well for the survivors.
As Alan encountered the two, Victor hailed him and twirled his baton, shrugging as he gazed down at the defeated furs.
"Maybe... They were just gonna ask for directions?"
-
Holly tackled the remaining survivor, pinning the fur to the ground. "You gonna come back without a fight or am I cutting your legs deep and dragging you?" Her eyes wild. The pinned feline was a sleek female, fear showing plain in her eyes but not her voice. "I'd prefer death to you savages, you've lost your minds!" Holly sighed, "Guess that means I'm dragging you," The feline's frantic protesting was cut off by a scream, Holly had buried her knife deep into the feline's right thigh, "Try running now." She said smirking as she dragged the screaming feline back to Blaine and the others, trailing blood. "Shut up or we'll feed you to the rabid animals out there that come to your voice." The feline grudgingly obliged, her screaming quieting to a whimper. Kai looked back and noticed it was Holly's captive. The feline left a trail of blood behind but surprisingly there wasn't too much blood. Holly had put it in the area with the least blood vessels and had left the blade in, staunching the flow slightly. Once she pulled it out it would be a different story.
-
Kai crouched next to Tyler, a questioning expression on her face.
-
((Sorry for the long lapse in posting. Mental health is a pain in the ass.))
Tyler set his rifle down, sitting down next to it with a huff. "I forgot.." He said, taking a drag off his cigarette. Watching the scene unfold before him, he was numb to it. His eyes were glazed over and he was detached from the noises.
Blaine forced the survivors to line up, kneeling. He kicked one who took his time, pushing the canine into the wounded feline.
Tossing his shotgun aside, Blaine tightened the glove on his right hand before taking grip of his baseball bat. He paced for a moment, then spinning slowly on his heel with a sadistic smirk plastered across his face.
"Hi, I'm Blaine...and you tried to kill us," He said, almost laughingly as he gestured to the group, "Not cool. You have no idea how not cool that shit is but we'll get to speed here shortly." He finished, his voice turning cold and vicious.
-
(I got ya man)
Holly cleaned her knife with her shirt, glaring at each one.
Kai sat next to Tyler, resisting the urge to rest her head on his shoulder. She was so tired, the comforting void of sleep pulling at her. Just a seco- No, she fought it off, keeping her eyes open
-
Tyler pulled Kai close, still watching the line of survivors. "It's cool if you want to sleep, I'm not going anywhere," He said, calmly, turning to look at her. He smiled slightly and pecked her cheek before looking back to Blaine.
"So, who's the leader?" Blaine snapped, one of the survivors shakily pointing to one of the bodies. "Well, hell. That's a pain." He said, kicking the corpse. "For one of you, that is."
-
Holly snorted and accidentally cut through the hem of her shirt, "Shiiiiit..."
Kai nodded slowly, her eyelids becoming heavier. They slowly closed and her head slumped onto his shoulder,
-
Tyler smiled as she fell asleep, combing his paw through her hair. She was keeping him distracted from what was going on around them.
-
A soft and quiet whisper of a snore came from her sleeping body, a light smile slowly developing on her mouth
-
Watched as Blaine pushed the survivors together, lining them up and catching the shotgun as Blaine tossed it aside. Glaring over the group of defeated would-be murderers, the wolf added after Blaine spoke.
"If you try to run or try to fight, you die. Stay and cooperate, you live... quiźas... [Maybe] The wolf whispered the last word, looking over at Blaine as he seemed to grow livid from the whole scenario. He didn't think the bear would let this end peacefully.
-
Holly nodded in agreement to Victor and closed her knife.
-
"So, what kind of a game are we gon-" Blaine cut off, a bullet whizzing past him. A thud could be heard, Alan being hit in the head. One of the survivors, the feline, held a pistol shakily before dropping it and putting his hands up in fear.
Tyler quickly covered Kai's ears, trying not to look back behind them. Keeping her close, Tyler turned to the survivors with a grimace.
Blaine looked at Alan's body before slowly and shakily turning back to the three. Quickly, like lightning, he slammed the bat against the felines' head over and over.
Grunts, whimpers and cries were the only thing heard in the desolate woods.
-
Holly gritted her teeth. She decided she would disembowel the dead feline and decorate the forest with bloody genitals. Kai stirred slightly, her chest rising and falling with slow breaths.
-
Blaine lifted his bat and stopped Holly, leaving the bloody tip in her face. "This...is my kill." He grunted.
Tyler stood up, deciding he had had enough. He picked up Kai and walked back to the truck. Gently setting her down, he sat in the backseat with her and waited for the others.
"Now...the two of you. Get out of here.." Blaine barked, the remaining survivors slowly running off into the brush. "You two, back to the truck." Blaine ordered to Holly and Victor. He stayed behind, cleaning his bat off before finally rejoining them.
-
Holly stared at the dead feline a moment before walking back to the truck and sliding into the passenger seat.
Kai's breathing came light and steady, a couple strands of hair falling to her face.
-
Heard the gunshot, and turned to see the feline armed with a handgun, and the crocodile fall before the piece of lead. It took the wolf a moment to process this, quickly stepping over to Alan to see if there was anything to be done. Alas, he could not help the crocodile. Kneeling by the body, the wolf sighed in anguish, ignoring the grunts and cries of pain as Blaine exacted revenge.
The wolf took a small pile of leaves nearby and used it to cover his short term friend, turning slowly as he watched Blaine. Indifferent to the survivors, the wolf would may have shot them had Holly not stepped in front of him. Still wielding both his shotgun, as well as the one Blaine tossed aside, Victor glanced down beside the dead feline and spotted the pistol. While the fennec and bear spoke, The canine nudged it with his foot before slinging one of the shotguns over his back and picking it up.
It certainly was no Desert Eagle, but it was a pistol nonetheless. Now, the wolf had a Walter PPQ M2 pistol, as well as three extra magazines he found on the felines corpse. Victor felt guilty, taking the weapon that was used to strike down Alan, but decided it would be usefull. Looking back over at Blaine before the survivors ran off, the canine nodded solemnly to the bear and followed Holly, Tyler, and Kai back to the truck, allowing him a moment alone. When he rejoined the group, Victor offered the shotgun back and said,
"Boy, this was a good idea, huh?" The wolf laid heavy sarcasm in his voice, but lost it when he asked, "Why did you let them go?"
-
Holly shrugged fro the front, "I dunno, I would've decapitated them, but getting eaten alive is more painful I guess."
-
"I don't want them to get eaten..." Blaine grumbled, climbing in the driver seat. He shut the door and continued, "I want the sight of me doing that to their friend to burn in. They can live for all eternity, but in fear."
Tyler wrapped an arm around Kai and put his headphones in. He was tired, the music soon causing him to drift to sleep next to the fennec.
-
Holly listened intently in the silence, hearing faint music and rhythmic breathing. Kai still slept, her soft breaths slow and steady.
-
((DON'T DIE ON ME NOW ROLEPLAY))
-
(( well I fixed my device so I guess I'm back. Sorry for not getting in touch, guys. ))
Tyler snored in his sleep, his music device eventually dying.
Blaine changed the CD to one he found in the vacation cabin. It was an Alice in Chains album, probably belonging to the now deceased co-worker.
-
((Yay! Welcome backss))
Post Merge: October 09, 2017, 05:34:13 AM
A slight bump in the road jolted Kai awake, for a moment her eyes went wide and she reached for her knife but calmed once she realized were she was. She slowly nodded back towards sleep with Tyler. Holly studied the map and looked for somewhere to go.
-
Tyler groaned, still sleeping, and moved his hand up to his own throat. After a few moments, he snapped up and awake. His breathing was fast and his body was shaking.
-
Kai's light sleep turned into a worried stare at Tyler. She assumed he had a nightmare, even Holly looked back at them. But neither of them dared break the silence between them as they listened to his breathing.
-
Calming down, he looked up at the two. "It was just a..just a bad dream." Tyler mumbled, turning to look out the window. His hands were still quivering, as he clenched his teeth.
-
Holly snorted, "Well that's apparent." She said turning back to the map, Kai on the other hand clung to him softly. All she could give him was the slightest warmth and comfort.
-
Tyler draped an arm over her, his hands finally relaxing. He combed through her hair with one hand and propped his head up with the other.
Blaine was silent, stuck in the music and driving. He sometimes mumbled something, but otherwise the only noise he consistently made was his flip lighter.
-
Holly looked over the map, looking for a summer home to go to. Kai smiled lightly, closing her eyes.
-
Tyler stretched out as much as he could, still holding onto the fennec. He groaned before leaning his head on his backpack.
"I don't think I'm gonna sleep.." He whispered to Kai.
Blaine yawned before finishing another energy drink and another cigarette.
"Anything yet? I'm running on empty here.." Blaine asked Holly, slowing the vehicle while maneuvering between piled up cars.
-
Kai nodded slightly, pressed up next to him. The events of the past days were getting to her. People were dropping like flies.
Holly shrugged, "There are a few summer homes here," She said gesturing to a road up in the mountains.
-
"Well, that's where we'll stop." Blaine replied, making the turn and gunning the speed.
** 15 Minutes Later **
Parked outside of a tall perimeter fence, Blaine peered out his window into the house's yard.
"Looks clear. I'll stick with the truck, you two." He said, looking to Tyler and Kai through the rearview mirror. "Find a way in and open the gates."
Tyler nodded, pulling back the slide on one of the handguns from the cabin. He opened the door, hopped out and walked quietly to the fence.
Blaine pulled the truck around to the driveway gate, shutting the engine off to lower noise.
Tyler checked the fence and found that, while tall and metal, it was still perfect to scale over.
"I can climb this," Tyler whispered, looking back to see if Kai was nearby.
-
Kai was right behind him, holding her knife. "Sure, I'll stay here until you get over. If anything comes, I'll keep them away." Holly looked out the window, staring out. She would kill anything coming for her sister.
-
"Be careful.." Tyler said, kissing Kai quickly before climbing up the fence.
Reaching the top, he jumped down and landed in a hedge. After recovering himself, he made it to the front gate and let Kai in before the others.
-
The slightest blush spread across her face. Kai entered through the front gate joining up with Tyler again.
-
"You feeling okay?" Tyler asked Kai, keeping a hushed tone as he crept through the yard.
Stopping at a wall, he checked a panel and hit the gate entrance button. The sound of a small engine starting and a gate moving came in distantly.
Blaine started the truck and pulled into the driveway, stopping under the carport. He climbed out and opened the back door, pulling duffel bags out.
-
She nodded slowly, "Fairly."
Holly hopped out, brandishing her knife and rifle hanging from her shoulder.
-
"You sure? You seem...well, I doubt 'lost in thought' would fit." Tyler said as he approached the front door. It was locked, but could be easily picked.
-
She sighed, "I'm trying best not to think." She said, pain hinting her voice. She followed him, hoping they were not hopping through another window.
Holly stalked up to them. "We might have to take this place by force, remember. They'll probably have more supplies and weaponry, siege tactics won't work. I suggest one or two of us sneak in, kill the inhabitants and maybe wring a little information out of them... If there are any inhabitants."
-
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Kill 'em all, blah blah." Tyler replied, having picked the door Iock. Taking his pistol out, he tapped the door with his boot and it creaked open.
Stepping in, the house was quiet and messy. Clothes were strewn about the stairwell, pictures were knocked over and cabinets were hung wide open. .
"Seems quiet," Tyler said, being cut off by Blaine loudly groaning in the back of the house. He seemed to have found a way in before they had. "Well, mostly. You wanna help me clear the second floor?" Tyler asked, turning to Kai.
-
Holly stepped in, prowling around the first floor with her knife. "Seems like they left in a rush. Or were killed,"
Kai nodded, crouching to pick up a picture. She looked at it, wondering what their life might have been like.
-
Tyler went up the stairs, gently holding Kai's paw as they ascended to the second floor. He paused, choosing which hallway to check first. Deciding on the third doorway, Tyler slowly stepped down the hall with his paws retreating to his coat pockets.
Blaine finished hauling the bags into the kitchen, shutting and locking the patio doors behind himself. Kicking his boots off, he tore his coat and shirt off as he panted.
"Ugh, too freaking hot." He mumbled as he sprawled out on the living room's small, leather couch.
-
Holly shrugged, she wasn't able to feel heat well. Kai followed Tyler, up the stairs, knife in hand. She stopped at the first doorway, and put her ear to it silently. She was listening for bangs or the scuffle of walking, yet found none.
-
Tyler stopped at the end of the hallway, facing a closed door. The others he had passed were wide open, rooms all messy. All except this door.
"Odd..." He muttered to himself, deciding whether to ignore it or take the risk alone. "...damn it."
The door knob slowly rotated, finally clicking. Tyler faced a teenage male, a maned wolf. It was infected, distracted with something on a dresser. Turning around, it paused for a moment to examine Tyler.
Tyler was almost frozen, gun aimed at the wolf's head but something was holding him back. Like a moral tether or something. The wolf growled and shuffled forward, limping from a leg wound.
Two bangs echoed through the house.
Blaine snapped awake and looked to Holly. "You hear that?" He asked, pausing for a quick response before jumping off the couch and bounding to the stairs.
-
Holly nodded, already running up the stairs, Kai on the other hand wheeled around and ran towards the room Tyler had entered. "Tyler?"
-
Tyler sat up, pushing the body off himself to face Kai. His face was misted with blood, his shirt almost a crimson red.
"Here...it knocked me down but I got 'em..." He said, looking up at the small fennec with an almost thousand yard stare.
-
She reached out to help him up, Holly was running towards the room
-
Tyler took her hand and pulled himself up, shutting the door behind them. He flashed a weak smile to Kai before looking over to see Holly and Blaine coming down the hall.
"Holy hell, what happened?!" Blaine asked, putting a hand on Tyler's arm. He looked to Kai and asked, "What happened to him? Was he bit?"
-
Kai was scared enough, the shouting wasn't helping. "I-I'm not sure, he said he killed it b-but it knocked him over."
Holly was looking Tyler up and down for any scratches or bites.
-
Tyler wrapped an arm around Kai, glaring back at Blaine. "Quit yelling, dude." He snapped quietly, Blaine backing away apologetically.
"I'm fine. Honestly," He said, looking to Holly. No bites could be seen, but a shower and change of clothes were in order.
-
Kai sighed, calming down as much as she could. She wasn't prepared to lose more people. Holly on the other hand did one last sweep, "Well, we might as well look for a shower or house around here. Maybe drinking water."
-
Tyler wiped his face off with his coat sleeve, sighing slightly. "Lights are still on, I'd bet water is too." He replied, before softly nuzzling Kai's cheek.
Blaine patted Holly on the shoulder and said, "Let's go fix up some place to sleep in the living room. We shouldn't stay in separate rooms until we know we're for sure safe." With that, he walked off and his boots could be heard stomping down the stairs.
-
Holly nodded as he walked off. Then she turned to Tyler, "Hurt her in any way, and I won't give a single sh*t if you still have a consciousness or not. I'll kill you slowly." She walked to the stairs and began to descend to join Blaine. Kai sighed, "Geez." She stood rigid next to Tyler, eventually loosening up.
-
"Typical of her." Tyler replied, looking down and rubbing his neck. "Guess I should probably change, huh?" He asked, gazing back up at Kai and cracking another timid smile.
Blaine was already in the living room, throwing blankets he found on the large empty floor. "Toss me those pillows, would ya?" He asked Holly, gesturing to the couch cushions.
-
Holly tossed him three of the four, leaving the fourth on the couch. Kai raised an eyebrow, "Quite, you better find clothes first." She said, sharing his smile.
-
"Definitely," Tyler replied, pulling his now ruined coat off and throwing it to the floor. "But honestly...you feeling okay? Blaine upset you, that was obvious." He asked, his smile still there but more concerned this time.
"Oooh, what a day." Blaine said, stretching and yawning before kicking his boots off. Soon after, he flopped down on his makeshift bed and went straight to a quiet snore.
-
Holly sat on the couch and sighed, ears twitching. She was listening out for anything dangerous while also getting rid of as much excess heat as possible. Kai's smile twitched into a frown for a moment, "No... Not really..." Her boyfriend had been killed, her friend was starting to become a serial killer, and things were deteriorating.
-
"Is it...David?" Tyler asked, gently grasping her paw with his own. His smile faded into a look of concern, which could be heard in his voice.
-
"Yes... Among other things..." She sighed holding Tyler's hand, "Including your brother, and Alan..."
-
"Blaine...is a whole other story." Tyler quietly replied, looking into one of the nearby rooms. "But it'll get better..." He added, nuzzling her cheek again.
-
Kai sighed, "God I hope so," she said, smiling slightly. Tyler was becoming the best thing in this damn world. Holly played with her knife, contemplating best killing techniques.
-
"Well, as much as I love being here," Tyler whispered, "I gotta get out of this shirt. See you downstairs," He smiled, and sauntered off to the living room to find his bag.
-
Holly occasionally glanced at him as he cleaned her knife with her shirt. It was surprisingly not that dirty, just splattered with blood in a few places.
-
Blaine was fast asleep, curled up like a child in the bundle of blankets. His snoring had subsided, instead he was almost silent apart from the occasional jumbled sentence he'd blurt.
Tyler stood in the kitchen, watching the two as he changed into a plain black t-shirt. Walking back to the stairwell, he stopped behind Holly.
"I'm not gonna hurt her, Holly." He said quietly, "And if something does happen....I'll gladly let you end me."
And with that, he ascended back up the stairs to find Kai.
-
Kai had wandered into the first room, and was digging through the mess, looking for anything useful. There was probably nothing but she needed something to do, she was restless and didn't want to stop doing something long enough to start thinking of what had happened. What was happening. Holly nodded even though Tyler was gone.Maybe she had underestimated her sister's choice in men. She was beginning to think she had good taste. Or maybe just Tyler was the only good person left besides her. Even so, she agreed with her choice of Tyler over Blaine.
-
Tyler stopped at the first room, quietly watching Kai search through the mess. Picking up a book, he tossed it to the floor with a small thump.
"You busy?" He asked, resting against the door frame and wearing a small smile.
-
"Not exactly," She said looking up at him with a weak smile.
-
Tyler quietly nodded in return, walking over and crouching down to help look for anything useful.
After a few silent moments, Tyler looked up and rested his paw on hers.
"You don't have to bottle it all up, Kai..." He said in a hushed tone, his face showing pure concern. It killed him watching her break down like she was, feeling like he couldn't help.
-
"I..." She shrugged, grasping for words. "That's not me Tyler..." That was the one thing she couldn't bear to carry on her mind. Being a burden to anybody else, putting her problems or ideas into other's heads. "Typical me, huh?" She said in a slightly humorous tone, laced with sadness.
-
"I know it isn't, but you gotta just.." Tyler said again, his tone serious. "..Just let me help you."
He kept a hold of her paw, rubbing the top of it with his thumb. He kept his other paw under his chin, trying to not clench it up.
-
She sighed, "Alright, I'll try Tyler. But don't go aro-" She stopped abruptly as her other paw brushed against something. She looked at an abandoned jacket next to her and reached into it;s pocket, pulling out a lighter. She smiled, "Look what we have here," She examined it, it was barely half full. But it was still a lighter.
-
Tyler used it to light one of the spare cigarettes he had on him, handing it back right after.
"I'd say that'll come in handy," He replied before sitting down on the floor next to Kai.
-
She laughed, "It probably will," She sat as well, "Wonder where we should go next, or if we should start to hole done and occasionally go for a supply grab..."
-
"Doesn't sound like a bad idea. It's more defensible, with the iron fencing and all." Tyler replied, leaning against her and resting his head against her shoulder.
-
She nodded, she really did want to have somewhere they could settle down and defend easier. She smiled slightly, contemplating the options.
-
"And it's a neighborhood, lots of empty homes. Who's to say we all have to coop up in this place forever?" Tyler said, fumbling with the cigarette between his fingers before taking another drag.
-
"True." She said, "We could always reinforce just a few houses. Make our own little four person community," She said laughing a little. Holly played with her knife, looking and listening out for anything coming.
-
Tyler yawned slightly, stretching his arms with a loud groan. "Yeah, like one of those '50s sitcoms. Just don't call me Sheriff Andy." He said, laughing.
-
She laughed, now that was an old reference. But she got it, "Does that make me Helen?" She asked with a chuckle,
-
"Weeeeell," Tyler said, looking away with a chuckle. A few more moments of silence passed before he turned back to her.
"So let's talk, about everything since this all started." He said, putting his cigarette out.
-
She sighed once more, "Must we?" She asked, her smile dying out.
-
Tyler stopped, his ears drooping slightly and his tail no longer wagging. "No...no, it's okay.." He quietly said, before climbing up on the nearby bed. Laying there, he stared at his own small flip lighter as he fumbled with it through his paw.
-
She immediately felt bad, sitting there. "Alright, fine." She said, "But I'm not gonna ramble on, you at least have to ask me a question to get me started." She said with the slightest smile.
-
Tyler hopped off the bed and slid back down next to Kai, taking a moment to put his cigarette out.
"Let's just start with...David. I know you haven't been able to mourn him, Kai." Tyler said, in a matter of fact way.
-
"Well uh... I knew him a couple years..." She laced her fingers together, "One of the only people that accepted me..."
-
"Apart from Holly?" Tyler asked, placing a paw on Kai's interlaced fingers. "He seemed like a...great guy from the few times I met him before..."
-
"Apart from Holly. Yeah. Open, friendly... Hurts to know almost everybody like him is dead by now." She opened her paw/hands and held his hand.
-
"I honestly doubt that...we survive. People like us..." Tyler said, pointing to Kai and himself. "We find a way. We fight the dead."
-
"Literally," She said with a small laugh.
-
"Well, as long as I'm still here, you'll never be alone or unaccepted." Tyler said, giving Kai's forehead a gentle peck. He came down and rubbed his nose against hers, smiling. "Promise."
Blaine was still passed out, mumbling, "Stay...o-out...of.." He trailed off before going back to silence.
-
She smiled, "I'm sure."
Holly thought she heard something banging. Sounded like a fence being shaken. Her grip tightened on the knife as she stood to go to the door to look.
-
Tyler's ears twitched as he heard the shaking. He stood up and walked to the window, slightly moving the curtains. "Did you hear that?" He asked in a hushed tone.
Blaine grumbled and rubbed his eyes, slowly waking up. "Hmm..ugh. What's going on?" He lazily asked Holly.
-
Holly shrugged as she pushed the door open and put her knife in her pocket, grabbing her rifle. She stepped outside, took a knee and looked down the scope. In the distance there were a few damn wolfs pressed against the fence. They looked to be rabid, there clothes torn and froth coming from their mouths. "Just a few infected. I'll go kill 'em before they make too much noise." She put down the rifle and pulled her knife back out. Kai went to the window and stood next to Tyler, peering out. "I see a few more infected. Nothing else... But how did they find us?"
-
"Noise? Smell? Hell if I know..." Tyler replied, shrugging his shoulders. His gun was still in his waistband, ready at a moment's notice.
-
Holly crept towards the wolfs, with a few felines in the mix. There was about 4-5 and Holly's fingers tightened around the knife.
Crack!
A red plume flew from Holly's ear. She winced and dropped to the ground, rolling towards a nearby patch of high grass, incorporated into a fake garden. Kai nearly screamed and backed away from the window.
-
"Damn it! Damn it!" Blaine yelled, almost falling over trying to get to the weapon bag. He quickly unzipped the bag and pulled out the assault rifle.
Tyler pulled his gun and fired a few shots out of the window at the infected. After a few moments, it was silent again.
"Okay, I think we're good fo-" Tyler was cut off as a loud crack zipped through his shoulder. He grunted before falling to the floor, unconscious from the impact.
-
Kai caught him before he hit the ground. "Shit." She took his gun and went to the window, scanning for anybody firing. She spotted a figure, stationed in a tree. They obviously weren't alone. Firing off two quick shots the figure fell from the tree. She resumed looking. Holly slowly crawled back towards them, blood running from her ear onto the ground. Her ear was a thin thing, packed with blood vessels to be used for self cooling. Such a wound could be fatal if left long enough.
-
Blaine ran out the front door, unloading half a clip at the treeline before jumping over the porch railing. Landing near Holly, he scooped her up and carried her inside.
"I gotcha, man! Just hold on," He said to her, stumbling up the stairs.
Tyler was out cold for a moment before slowly waking up. His ears were ringing, his vision blurred. "Ungh...what h-happened..?" He managed to blurt out before Blaine came rushing in.
He tossed Holly on the bed and threw the rifle down, going to the dresser to find something to bandage her ear.
-
Kai continued scanning for any more shooters. "I got one, not sure how many more there are." She said, relatively calm yet her voice was shaking. She pulled back from the window long enough to grab Tyler and look at the wound. She wished he had stayed out longer. "This is gonna hurt." She said, pulling off his shirt. She wasn't lying as she put her thumbs on either side of the bullet wound and lightly pulled in either way so she could get a good look. It was a complete penetration, small entry, the bullet looking to be a FMJ .223 caliber round. Probably from a hunting rifle. She sighed as she saw that it hit no important nerves or lymph nodes. Just needed to be cleaned and bound. "You were shot."
Holly groaned holding her ear to help stop bleeding. Her vision was starting to blur a little, the blood beginning to drop to the bed.
-
Blaine found a shirt, tearing it into a strip before wrapping it around Holly's ear. "You're good, man. I'll hold 'em back, just make sure he's okay, Kai." He quickly said before grabbing the rifle and taking off.
Tyler laid back on the floor, a small puddle of blood building up under his shoulder. "Well, I c-can feel that..is it b-bad?" He asked, trying to lift his other paw to the hit shoulder.
A string of shots could be heard from the next room along with a volley of screaming curses.
-
Kai shook her head no. "Should be alright." She took his shirt and tore off the hem, wrapping it around Tyler's shoulder and under his armpit multiple times.
Holly sighed, the woozyness was being replaced with pain.
-
A loud crash came from downstairs, with two sets of loud footsteps. One disappeared into the first floor, but the second slowly began to ascend the stairs.
Blaine was too busy trading gunfire with the few outside to hear the intruders.
Tyler grabbed the shotgun off the bed that Blaine left, checking the tube for a shell count. Five in, one in the chamber.
"S-stay here...don't come out until..I come get you," Tyler whispered to Kai, regaining some strength and all his awareness. He shut the door and turned to the hallway entrance, shotgun leveled to the middle of the doorway.
-
Kai stalked to the doorway, knife out. She would kill anything threatening once Tyler shot.
-
A blast and a scream, ending with a dull thud could be heard. Then pure silence, even the outside gunfire stopped.
Tyler slumped against the wall, his wound bleeding again from the recoil. The other intruder came rushing up the stairs, only to be blasted like his comrade.
"You...you can come out now...." Tyler weakly yelled, rapping his knuckles against the door.
Blaine had caused the end of the outside gunfire, finally being able to pin and neutralize the other raiders. He came out of the room and found Tyler, lifting him up and taking him back into the room with Kai and Holly.
"We're clear." Blaine stated, tossing the rifle and shotgun to the floor.
-
Holly shook her head, trying to clear the onslaught of numb darkness. "T-thank gosh." She said.
Kai sighed, she was gonna have to see about helping Tyler again. She walked to him, undoing the wrap around his shoulder. Re-studying the wound it looked about the same but torn open a little wider.
-
"Sorry about that," Tyler sheepishly said, looking down at the floor. He winced as she checked the wound, doing his best to keep out of her way.
Blaine threw himself on the bed, next to Holly. "I'm really...really starting to hate people." He groaned before lighting a cigarette. He lit one for Holly and passed it to her.
-
"Me too." Holly said solemnly, taking a long and slow drag. She blew it out and winced,
Kai wrapped the cloth back over the wound, hoping it would hold okay.
-
Tyler moved his shoulder a bit, the bandage staying in place. "Thanks," He said, nuzzling under Kai's chin.
-
She smiled, "Try to stay out of trouble for a bit." She said, tilting her head back slightly as she giggled.
-
Blaine began snoring, having passed out from all the adrenaline. He rolled over and stopped, going to a quiet mumble.
"I'll try my best buuuuut trouble does find me," Tyler replied, laughing. Even with a bullet wound, she had a way of making him happy.
-
Holly sat, smoking. She pulled the cigarette from Blaine, wouldn't do to burn down the new place.
Kai smiled, "To be truthful, I'm not sure what trouble has with you." She said with a smile, looking up at him. She was shorter than him, not a lot, but she still had to look up to look him in the eyes.
-
Tyler kissed her forehead before yawning loudly. "I'm literally about to pass out sooo.." He said before clearing a spot on the floor. Tossing a few blankets and pillows down, he kicked his boots off and laid down.
Sitting up, he patted the spot next to him. "Might as well all sleep in here. Probably safer than all being split up." He said before laying back down and checking his bandage.
-
She sat down next to Tyler, smiling. She wasn't going to sleep well if she did. But, at least she was with her sister and Tyler.
-
He nuzzled up next to her, letting a content sigh escape.
"Good night, babe." He quietly said, quickly kissing her before laying down and passing out. His gun laid by his side, near the bed, for any emergency.
-
Kai sat, thinking over the day. Holly smiled, "At least your happy sis." She said.
-
Blaine rolled back over, taking one of the throw blankets and going back to sleep.
Tyler was still passed out, occasionally wincing or smiling in his sleep.
-
Kai suddenly realized she had just been kissed, nuzzled and was sleeping next to Tyler. She managed to control herself, but she blushed. She couldn't stop that.
-
** Next Morning **
Tyler and Blaine had woken up before the other two, taking the free time as an opportunity to clear the bodies and wash off the days' worth of grime and blood.
Tyler could be found in the kitchen, the shepherd busy at cooking. His arm was still sore but manageable with some Ibuprofen. He was dressed in a red and black flannel button up, with some clean blue jeans and boots.
Blaine was outside, attempting to fortify the wrought iron fences. He was changed into a fresh white t-shirt, black drainpipe jeans and his old combat boots. His bat, now recently adorned with a barbwire wrapping, was laid up on a nearby tree.
-
Kai woke up in a cold sweat, the remnants of a bad nightmare fading from her mind. She sat up and stood after rubbing her eyes. Leaving the room she came down the stairs stretching, "Hey, Tyler." She said, smiling. Her hair wasn't too bad, but it was still draping down over her left eye. Holly rolled off the bed, her eyes flew open and she reached for her knife. Realizing she was alone, she shrugged, leaving her knife in her pocket. She just laid there, deciding to do nothing for a couple minutes.
-
"Morning, hun." Tyler replied, turning the stove off. His shaggy hair was pulled up into a bun, still messy though. Turning to her, he brushed the hair out of her eye and pecked her forehead. "You get some decent sleep?" He asked, going over to the fridge.
-
She nodded, "I'll take it you found plenty to cook with." She said smiling,
-
"Just some basics, nothing fancy." Tyler replied, still in the fridge looking for a specific ingredient. His tail was wagging slightly, and his mood was chipper despite being shot.
-
Kai was glad that at least Tyler could stay happy-ish. So she should too. (gotta go today)
-
(Okie dokie, holmes.)
Tyler took the rest of the food he needed and went back to the stove. He hummed some older rock song to himself as he cooked, occasionally cursing from a grease burn.
Blaine came inside, slamming the door and groaning loudly. Kicking off his boots, he wandered into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Pulling out a bottle, he cracked the top and took a swig.
"Hey, you two." He said, nodding at Kai before taking a seat at the kitchen island bar. "What are you cooking, dude?" Blaine asked as he sniffed the air.
"Bacon and eggs. You," Tyler replied, pointing the spatula at Blaine. "Stay out of it until Holly's here."
That order solicited a whine from the bear, who took another drink.
-
Holly came down the stairs in the same jeans but a new clean-ish white shirt with a band name on the front. Reading the name she snorted, some indie rock band named Fall Out Boy. "Holly's here." She said, "Did I miss anything?" She reached up to her ear, undoing the makeshift bandage. She grimaced as she pulled it off, it was stained with blood, and so was the hair around it.
-
"Crap, let me go find some fresh bandages." Blaine offered, hopping up and leaving to go search. But not before taking some bacon.
"Hey, I saw that! I know where you sleep!" Tyler yelled, getting a distant laugh from Blaine in return.
"But no, you're right on time." Tyler said, turning off the stove and opening the cabinet to get plates. He started serving out the food, setting the plates on the kitchen bar.
-
Kai rolled her eyes, Holly sighed. She didn't need anything, the blood had already dried. But, he was already gone. Kai hadn't been just interested in robotics, biology was also a favorite. This was becoming an increasingly sought for cross of fields, being able to model a robot or function after nature's best. So, she had studied anatomy and knew a thing or two about wounds. "Hey Tyler?" She began questioning. "How's your shoulder holding up?"
-
"Huh?" Tyler looked up from his plate, finishing a piece of bacon. "Oh, it's pretty sore but nothing I can't manage." He said, taking another bite.
Blaine came back, grabbing his plate and going to the living room. "Ehh." He mumbled, having forgotten what he even left to go find.
-
Kai nodded, Holly bit into a piece of bacon, chewing silently she stared off into nothing. Kai on the other hand took a small bite of egg.
-
"So...this community seems defensible. I mean, as long as we don't have constant attacks like last night." Tyler said, looking up at Holly and Kai before taking another bite. Even though he had already talked to Kai, he knew Holly and Blaine would be tough sales.
Blaine finished his plate and went back outside, heading towards the garage.
-
Holly raised an eyebrow, "You sure? I mean, it would be an easier defense point but we need to keep moving if we want supplies. And I doubt we're becoming farmers over night." Kai bit into a piece of bacon, looking between Holly and Tyler
-
"We can go on trips to find supplies, that's not difficult." Tyler replied, taking a swig of the drink Blaine left. "Plenty of houses nearby and a town." He added, finishing his plate off and taking the dish to the sink.
-
"Hm. We probably won't live long enough to burn through it all..." She nodded. "Alright, we'll defend this point." Kai smiled, then continued eating.
-
"Hell yeah, man." Tyler replied, tossing Holly a cigarette as he doled one out for himself. Lighting it, he looked over at Kai and smiled. "So, you wanna go with me on our first supply run? Blaine can roll with you," He said, looking at Holly for the last sentence.
-
Kai nodded, Holly snorted. "Yeah, we'll give you two love birds some space." Kai rolled her eyes, "Yeah yeah, jealous, sis?" She asked teasingly,
-
"Well, we'll go get ready." Blaine said, putting his dishes up. Tyler followed him upstairs, going back to the rooms where the teen had been.
He picked his coat up, the blood now dried and fading. He pulled it back on along with his boots, stuffing the .45 pistol in the side of his right one.
Blaine was in the room they had all slept in, grabbing the guns and his leather jacket. Zipping it up, he met up with Tyler at the top of the stairs, handing him the AR.
"You two stay together, okay? I'm sure I don't have to tell you that," Blaine laughed, playfully punching his friend's arm.
"Don't worry about us, man. I know I won't have to worry about you two," Tyler replied, laughing along with him. Blaine threw up a thumb and made a stupid face, making Tyler laugh harder.
-
Holly and Kai smiled, watching the two. Holly shrugged, "We'll be fine, ya'll have a fun murd- I mean, supply run." She shook her head. Kai squinted at her sister but decided to drop it. "Alright."
-
Tyler got the keys to the Blazer and slung the rifle over his shoulder, walking down the stairs and out the front door. Walking around the house, he opened the driveway gate and climbed in the black truck.
Turning on the radio, he put in one of his CDs' that Blaine kept for him in the glove box. It was a fast skate punk album, something Tyler had found one day at a downtown music shop.
Waiting on Kai, Tyler set the rifle by his seat and took his coat off.
-
Kai grabbed the shotgun and followed him, sliding into the seat next to him. Still wearing her hoodie she sighed, sticking her hands into the pockets. She nearly looked cold.
-
"You wanna use this? You look cold.." Tyler asked, offering her his coat. The truck was already started, but the heaters hardly worked at all.
-
"No, I'm not cold. Just unable to feel heat well. Probably because I'm a dessert fox..." She looked down at her hands in her pockets. She pulled them out and laced them together, setting them in her lap.
-
"Oh, okay." Tyler replied, feeling a little awkward after misreading her. He tossed the coat in the back seat and put the truck in drive, pulling out of the driveway and onto the road to the nearest town.
After a few minutes, Tyler looked over at Kai and watched her for a moment. "So...you have a place in mind? Apart from the undead, we practically have this town to ourselves." He asked, laughing a little at the end.
-
She smiled, "I don't know, maybe we should explore the neighborhood, meet the neighbors."
-
"Oh ho, yeah. I think they gave us a hell of a house warming present." Tyler replied, smiling. He winced quickly, having strained his shoulder.
-
She glanced over at him. "Maybe I should drive us back." She suggested. A wound was not to be torn open or such. "But in all honesty, I'm not a fan of bullets. Maybe we should give them a few in return."
-
"I...kinda promised Holly I'd keep you safe. I'd rather not go looking for trouble.." Tyler said, looking at the road. He was being honest, he didn't want to be the reason she died in this new world.
-
"Alright," She said with a small smile. Tyler might not have been able to anyways.
-
They pulled into the small town, basically comprised of one main road and some suburbs. Stopping the truck in an alley, Tyler killed the engine and grabbed his rifle, leaving his coat behind.
Shutting the door behind himself, he readied his rifle and lit a cigarette. The town was quiet, very much so when compared to the place they were previously. Birds could even be heard chirping in the distance, making it feel like a normal morning.
-
Kai opened the door, but then thought for a moment, grabbing Tyler's jacket and putting it on. In case he forgot it. Stepping out she shut the door and joined Tyler.
-
"It's a nice day out." Tyler commented, his free hand stuffed in his jeans pocket. A grocery store could be seen down the road.
"So, where to first?" He asked, draping an arm over her shoulder. He looked at her while combing his paw through his ever growing beard.
-
"The grocery store I guess. Better go through the perishables before the canned food." She said, reaching her hand up and holding Tyler's hand that was over her shoulder.
-
Tyler smiled and squeezed her hand, "Grocery store, it is."
The further they got down the road, the more deserted the town appeared. There were cars but no signs of movement, undead or alive.
They reached the grocery store entrance, generic in appearance with "Sale!" signs and displays. Most of the quick spoiling foods were gone but the shelves weren't barren by any means.
"Should I grab a cart, dear?" Tyler asked jokingly, looking down at Kai.
-
She laughed quietly. "Please do," She scanned over some of the shelves, still in Tyler's embrace.
-
Tyler used his free hand to grab a hold of a loose shopping cart, pushing it along with them.
"This is...this is nice." Tyler said, blushing underneath his brown and black fur. "And I'm glad I met you.." He added, nuzzling Kai's cheek.
-
She smiled, blushing slightly under a thin layer of cream fur. She sighed, "I wish this would've been in less... Life threatening times." She suddenly smiled. "But. We must make the most of it regardless."
-
"I know I am," Tyler said, smiling as he scanned the shelves and grabbed cans.
-
"At least we don't have to pay." She said smiling, grabbing cans and putting them into the cart.
-
A few aisles away, cans could be heard crashing to the floor. Followed by a raspy growl and slow footsteps.
Tyler knelt down, grabbing the pistol out of his boot. "Leave the cart.." He whispered as he took her hand and quietly moved to the end of the aisle.
-
Her knife was immediately in her free hand. Her ears twitching.
-
Tyler stopped at the aisle where the noise originated from, crouching down behind the end cap shelves.
As he turned to look around the corner, the walker was beaten down by a leopard in black. The male's face was covered by a mask, and he disappeared as soon as he appeared.
"What the hell?" Tyler whispered as the sound of car doors slamming and tires squealing could be heard outside. He took off after the sounds, seeing a sports car take off from outside the store.
-
"Looks like our neighbors..." She said, groaning. "I guess we're gonna have to get as much as possible to avoid them."
-
"Good thing I brought this along," Tyler replied, taking his empty backpack off. He loaded a few nearby cans into it and put it back on, wincing with the strain it put on his shoulder.
"Let's get back to the cart and finish loading the bag. Then we can get back to the truck.." Tyler said, unslinging the assault rifle.
-
"Sure." Kai went back to the cart and continued grabbing all the cans possible.
-
Tyler quietly followed her and set the bag down, loading the cans into it.
Once it was full, he zipped it up and slung it onto his back. "Okay, let's-"
"HEY!" A loud voice roared, making Tyler turn around. It was another masked anthro, his dark attire making it hard to tell his species. Regardless, he charged at them with a knife.
Tyler mentally checked himself, feeling his pistol in his right hand. The rifle was tied to the bag, his reasoning being to keep him less cluttered.
"You pric-!" Tyler yelled, being cut off by the blast of his gun. The man collapsed, bleeding from his cheek. A few more voices and car doors slamming could be heard up front.
Tyler turned to Kai and pointed to the stock room entrance as he yelled, "Run! GO!"
-
She stayed, stony faced. "Either we're both going or neither." She said, checking the shotgun's chamber.
-
"You think I'm as crazy as Blaine? Let's just go!" Tyler loudly whispered, grabbing her and running to the doors.
Once they got through the other side, he took a breath and said, "There's more of them than us...and we can't help the others if we're dead."
"Let's get out of here.." He continued, walking to the nearest exit door. It took them to an alley with a wall running parallel to them, windows of house peeking over. One was open, the curtain flapping in the breeze.
The sounds of a truck came from the end of the alley along with yelling and screaming. "Go, through the window. I'll be right behind you." He said.
-
"Oh god, more windows." She climbed the wall swiftly and dropped into the room, surprisingly silent. Brandishing her knife, shotgun slung across her back, she waited for Tyler.
-
Tyler stepped back and got a running start, jumping off the wall and throwing himself through the window.
He came down with a thud and quickly recovered, pulling Kai down and leaning against the wall. He slid down, arms wrapped around the fox. "Shhh..." He whispered as the yelling got louder.
The truck slowly crept by, a voice loud enough to be made out. "Let's go around the block, we'll flush 'em out!" The voice yelled as it diminished in the distance.
-
"Let's get going to find a hiding place." She whispered, barely loud enough for the sound to reach Tyler's ears.
-
"Give me a minute, my arm..." Tyler groaned, checking his bandage. More blood, which made Tyler groan a little louder but he caught himself.
In an attempt to take his mind off the pain, he nuzzled Kai's shoulder. Occasionally a small whimper could be heard from him.
-
She wrapped an arm around him. "Let's go. I'll check it soon." She said soothingly.
-
Tyler grunted in agreement and let her help him stand up. He checked the bag, still okay, and put his pistol in his waistband.
"My face can't take another fall like that," He groaned, rubbing his cheek. "I guess you lead the way, miss." He added, managing to muster up a smile.
-
She helped him stumble towards a hallway, it looked like it lead to the bedrooms.
-
Tyler opened one of the doors, leading to what used to be a bedroom. The bed frame was leaned against the wall, a dresser and nightstand parallel to it. The windows were mostly boarded up, a break in the boards allowing sunlight to illuminate the room.
He shut the door behind them and moved the frame to barricade the door. Panting as he leaned against it, Tyler pulled his flannel shirt off and checked the bandage. More blood was staining the once clean, white gauze Kai had applied.
"At least..we're hidden," He stumbled saying before half-collapsing to the floor. He tossed the backpack to the side along with his gun and groaned for a minute before going quiet.
-
Kai bit her lip and kneeled next to him and undid the bandage, checking the wound it was torn open once again. Was it ever going to actually finish healing? She wrung out as much blood as possible before re-applying it tighter.
-
"I'm sorry.." Tyler mumbled, laying his hand over hers and looking up at her. He looked like he was on the verge of tears, turning his gaze to the ceiling.
"If I hadn't come up with this idea...we wouldn't be in this mess.." He continued, his voice cracking around the end.
-
"Tyler. It isn't you're fault but you need to stop talking." She pulled the gauze tight and sighed.
-
"Okay." He quietly responded, going back to silence and staring at the ceiling. Even as the gauze hurt from constriction, he held in any grunt or whimper with a neutral face.
-
She sat back. Now they just had to wait, she had her knife in her hand, ready to strike.
-
"They'll take their time...probably aren't even close yet.." Tyler flatly said as he leaned himself against the wall. He grabbed the bag and untied the rifle sling from the side, putting the gun in his lap.
He took out his pack of smokes and lit one, taking a long drag.
-
"Somehow I doubt that." She said, somehow still keeping a calm voice. A loud crash signified their entrance into the house.
-
"Well...maybe you're right." Tyler quietly replied, propping himself up with the rifle. He lifted it up and shouldered it, clicking the safety off and unfolding the foregrip.
Loud crashes and yelling could be heard as the group, most likely just a fraction of the main force, turned the house upside down to find the two.
Two pairs of footsteps began to grow louder, doors being kicked open as they got closer.
-
Kai readied her knife, not making a sound. Her breathing was barely audible and her ears twitched, listening.
-
(Don't kill the black bear juuust yet. He's going to play a part later on for all the characters.)
The door knob turned, clicking open, and the door pushed against the bed frame.
"Oh ho, I think we got a winner here.." A lighter, male voice said as the other pair of footsteps came up the hall.
"Well, open it then you stupid spotted cat!" The other voice yelled, gruff and gravelly.
"I'm a leopard, not a CAT! And it's blocked, you idiot." The leopard, Tyler assuming the same one from the store, replied.
Quickly the door came crashing open, the bed frame slamming on the floor. The leopard, now unmasked, waltzed into the room with a machete in hand. He was handsome, Tyler had to give him that, but he had a scumbag vibe to him.
Following him was a black bear, much taller and bulkier than Blaine even when he went to the gym often. His hair was cropped, his left eye pure white but it's stare could still be felt. He was dressed in biker attire, completely unarmed.
The leopard since entering the room had been staring at Kai, with an annoying grin. "Who the hell ar-" Tyler began to yell before the leopard cut him off.
"Shut up, meat. Hey, Farrow. I think I'm gonna take the girl, y'know call it payment?" The leopard said, beginning to walk towards her. Until he was slumped against the wall after a burst of bullets.
"The bear kicked Tyler, who sprayed the twisted leopard down, into the wall. The shepherd collapsed to the ground, still conscious but in pain.
"Hey, pal, now that one's free but DON'T ever pull that again!" He yelled, cackling by the end of it.
-
Kai growled, something she had never done before. She really was getting irritated that Tyler was constantly being hurt. His wound might tear so many times it wouldn't heal. Her knife glinted as she crouched, ready to stab.
-
"And as for you..little mis-aRGHHH!" The bear yelled as Tyler bit at his shin, growling the whole way. As chomped down harder, he looked at Kai as if to cue her to take him down.
(Just knock him out, he'll return eventually)
-
She jumped at him, swinging the butt of her knife up at his chin. "Night, *sshole."
-
Tyler stood up, taking a deep breath. Spitting blood out of his mouth, he took another breath before picking the backpack up.
"There's more...get ready." Tyler groaned as he shouldered the rifle again. A few loud shouts could be heard coming down the hallway. As Tyler walked to the door, he stopped by the leopard and kicked the body in the head.
"Scumbag." He whispered as he stepped to the door.
-
Kai followed behind him with her knife at the ready. "..."
-
Tyler stepped around the corner, firing bursts into the two walking down the hall. He bounded forward, unloading another burst into the last intruder.
Noticing the front door, Tyler made another split second decision that again wasn't very smart. He ran straight into the door, busting it down with his good shoulder. Landing the door on another raider, Tyler shook his head and brushed the dust off.
-
Kai came behind him, "Keep him alive. Just knock him out or something, we need a hostage or at least information on this rat nest."
-
Tyler nodded, turning back to the raider and hitting him with the butt of his rifle. Lifting the door up, he grabbed the newly captured prisoner and tossed him over his shoulders.
Handing Kai the backpack, he turned back to the street and checked around. "We're clear for the moment, let's hoof it back to the truck." He said, taking off down the road. The pain had given way to adrenaline, his wincing disappeared and his shoulder went numb.
-
She caught the bag and slung it onto her shoulder next to the shotgun, then she took off after Tyler following him down the road towards the Blazer.
-
Reaching the truck, Tyler opened the back and tossed the prisoner in. He struck the captive again, ensuring he'd be quiet for the ride.
He took the keys out and hopped inside, starting up the truck's engine. The radio sprang to life and began blaring loud speed metal. "Crap! Damn it Blaine!" He yelled as he turned the volume down. He opened Kai's door as walkers showed up to investigate the noise.
-
She slid in next to him, still tense and her knife glinting in her hand. "Let's get the hell out of here. Now."
-
Tyler hit the gas and sped down the road, avoiding the recently made blockade on the exit of town. The truck bounced as it slammed into the dirt, sparks flying as Tyler maneuvered it back onto the road.
After a few minutes, they were out of town and halfway back to the mountain house. Tyler lit a cigarette and rubbed his bad shoulder with his free hand.
"You alright?" He asked, still looking to the road. He wasn't exactly looking forward to telling Blaine what had all happened.
-
"Yes, but the moment we get back you better let me check you. You're falling apart Tyler, stop before you can't go anymore. At least heal for a few days." She said, in a stubbornly caring voice. She was not happy with all the craziness going on.
-
Tyler took a moment before responding, taking another drag of smoke. His free hand found Kai's, holding it for a bit before returning to the wheel.
"I know. I just...thought it'd be a good time away from the others and..I didn't expect that to happen." He said, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "But okay, I'll let you take care of me." He shot a look at her, smiling like an idiot.
-
A small smile crept onto her face. "You better,or else you can't take care of me." She said in a humorous tone
-
"Oh well, I think I can handle that." Tyler replied, letting out a small chuckle.
Pulling back into the driveway, Blaine was there to meet them as he shut the perimeter gate. He stepped up to the truck, taking the backpack from Tyler.
"So, how was the trip?" He asked, smiling. Though he smile disappeared as he noticed all the bruises and the blood stain on the shepherd's shirt. "Dude, what the hell happened?"
"Some bear, named Farrow, happened. Got a gang, I guess they run..the town or something." Tyler replied, wincing in pain as he leaned against Kai.
"Well, damn it. Get him inside, he looks like hammered crap." Blaine said, rubbing his temples.
-
Kai gestured to the truck, "We got one of 'em in the back. Knocked out. Might be useful as a hostage or information." She then helped Tyler inside.
-
Tyler took the reins as soon as they entered the house, throwing himself over and onto the couch. He dropped the rifle and kicked his shoes off, which offered him a little comfort.
Sitting up, he pulled his shirt off and tore the bandage off his wound. It looked worse, torn even more and still bleeding. "Oh that's just fantastic." He muttered as he pushed the bandage back on, keeping much needed pressure on the wound.
Blaine popped open the truck's back door, taking a look at the prisoner. Another feline, a panther this time. "Well...let's get you somewhere." He laughed, picking the prisoner up and dragging him into the garage. The door loudly slammed and locked.
-
Kai sighed, "I'm going to go get another bandage, try not to die or pass out." She then bounded up the stairs.
-
Tyler threw a Boy Scouts salute up, laying his head back. "Don't worry about it, doc." He muttered. Tossing his cigarette in the ashtray, he got up and walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge.
Cursing quietly as the cold air hit his wound, he went back to looking through the fridge for a drink.
-
Kai came back downstairs holding a strip of cloth, contemplating if she could even sow the wound shut. They would need to clean it out, alcohol would do the trick. She crept up behind Tyler, nearly completely silent. "Anything alcoholic in there? Preferably stronger than beer?"
-
Startled, Tyler jumped up and hit his head on the shelf in the fridge. "Ah, Jesus! You scared me...and yeah, there's some here." He replied, grabbing a bottle and a soda can. He kept the can, opening it with one hand, and gave the bottle to her.
Sitting back down on the couch, he looked cautiously at Kai for a moment. "Sooo...why did you need that anyways?" He asked, looking up at her.
-
"Sorry." She looked at it, reading the back. Some whiskey, this would work. "Here, drink some. You'll need it." She handed him back the bottle. "Not all of it though."
-
"Ugh. Well, it is for medical purposes." He said before doing as told. Finishing that, he took a giant drink of soda to wash out the burn.
Laying back on the couch, he looked up at the ceiling and just waited to get everything over with. He was honestly looking forward to not jumping through anymore windows in the near future.
-
"No, you just needed something to numb it a little." She took the bottle and poured a small trickle of what was left onto the wound. It was alcohol, it would hurt, but clean the cut well enough. Then she wrapped the strip around his wound. She pulled it tight.
-
Tyler winced for a moment until she finished, moving his arm around a few times. Standing up, he pulled his shirt back on and rubbed his chest. It was still sore from that bear's kick, occasionally throbbing with pain.
"Thanks.." Tyler said, biting his lip for a moment. "So I'm just gonna ask 'cause I'm getting a vibe...are you mad at me?" He rubbed his neck at the last part, feeling unsure and uneasy.
Blaine came back out of the garage, wearing a pair of padded mechanic gloves. His shirt had blood speckled on it, still very fresh. Lighting a cigarette, he bobbed his head to the boombox next to him that was playing a loud metal song.
-
Holly wandered downstairs, drawn to the conversations. She saw Tyler looking uncomfortable in front of Kai and slowly backed away, this was not where she wanted to be. She went back up the stairs to find more clothes they could actually wear. Kai smiled a little, "Well I'm not." She said with a small laugh, "But you better not get too hurt. Or I will be."
-
"Promise." Tyler replied with, wrapping his arms around the smaller fox. He squeezed her into a hug, feeling better with what she told him.
-
She hugged him back, resting her head against his collar bone. She really was short.
-
"Sooo..I think we should crash out for the day and watch a movie before the power is gone." Tyler suggested, nodding to the TV. His tail began wagging, causing him to quickly grab it to stop. "It'd really help my arm heeeal~" He jokingly added, brushing his nose against hers.
-
She laughed, a welcome sound. "Alriiiight. We can watch a movie."
-
Tyler smiled and hopped on the couch, patting the spot next to him. Turning the TV on, the movie player started and a random action film came on.
-
She sat next to him, trying to figure out which movie it was.
-
A few minutes later, Tyler was passed out leaning his head on Kai's shoulder. He was softly snoring, his tail still slowly wagging.
-
Kai smiled and continued watching, half wanting to fall asleep as well.
-
Blaine came inside through the back, opening the fridge and grabbing a bottle. He walked into the living room and flopped down in one of the chairs.
"Aww, look at you two. How precious." He said, snickering as he opened the bottle. Taking a long drink, he took his gloves off and lit a cigarette.
-
Kai laughed, "Yet how far the world falls, to show the true precious things."
-
"Yeah, it does." Blaine replied, turning back to the TV.
Tyler mumbled a bit in his sleep, his face contorting into fear for a quick second before going back to no expression.
"So...he treating you right?" Blaine asked, breaking the minutes long silence.
-
"Yes, but not himself." She said with the barest of smiles.
-
"Get used to it. He's never been known to take good care of himself." Blaine said, setting the bottle down and leaning forward. He rubbed his temples before looking back up.
"He'll always push himself to the limit for the right reason," He continued, "Which I'd say is you right now. It's admirable but...extremely suicidal. Just don't let him push that far."
As if on cue, Tyler sputtered for a moment before waking up. Rubbing his eyes, he looked over and waved at his brother. Blaine reciprocated the wave with a peace sign and smile.
-
Kai nearly laughed, "Speak of the devil, he's awake!" Holly came down sighing. Upon seeing the scene she took a chair herself, "So, we still gonna hunker down here?" She asked. Kai shrugged,
-
"You think I'm gonna give up to that Farrow idiot? Hell no!" Blaine replied, taking a bitter swig of his drink.
Tyler ignored the conversation, instead choosing to nuzzle up to Kai and try falling back asleep. Brushing his hair out of his eyes, he found sleep to be hard to achieve. His chest was still sore, throbbing every few minutes.
-
She slipped her arm around his waist sat quietly. Holly laughed, "Hopefully we can figure out where this rat's nest is."
-
"Well when we do find him..." Blaine paused, grabbing his barbed wire bat and held it in his hands tightly. "He's going to have one hell of a headache." He finished, his eyes internally burning white hot.
Tyler went back to watching the movie, looking up at Kai for only a moment. "I wonder if Bruce Willis made it. Die Hard was a great movie so I hope he did." He said, laughing a little before the pain cut him off.
"Oh wait! This part!" Blaine yelled, pointing at the flat screen. The character, obviously the main, was running around in a firefight with German canines. "That's why I always keep my shoes with me." He jokingly said, pointing the main character running on broken glass with bare paws.
-
Holly snorted, "Ah, so thaaaat's why they are wet in the mornings." She said jokingly. Kai nearly laughed, but she just hugged Tyler closer.
-
Tyler winced from the tight hug, but quickly smiled in reciprocation. He felt safer then in that moment than he had even before the outbreak.
"You know it, Hans. Yippee ki-yay and all that," Blaine replied, laughing along with Holly. Finishing his drink, he tossed the bottle into the nearby wastebasket.
Looking back over at Kai and Tyler, he snickered slightly. "See, Holly, they're sooo cute. When are we gonna be like them?" Blaine jokingly asked, still laughing.
Tyler replied not in words, but in a classic middle finger.
-
Holly snorted once more, "You? And me? If that ever happens then we'll be nothing like them. Two phycos does not make one lovey-dovey couple." She said with a laugh. Kai also, replied with a classic middle finger. Something under normal circumstances she would never do. But this was not anywhere near normal.
-
"Speaking of two psychos, I think I should introduce you to our new guest." Blaine said to Holly, pulling his boots and gloves back on. Finishing the ladder laces on his boots, he grabbed the bat and sauntered off to the back door.
Tyler sat back up, stretching his good arm and yawning. A few pops of tired bones and a visit to the fridge later, Tyler was back on the couch intently focused on the movie.
"Y'know, my dad took me to see this as a kid. Totally cool for a toddler, am I right? But it was fun. Probably the only memory I have of him though...apart from him leaving." He said, breaking the silence. He nervously shifted his shirt, trying to not show any emotion after divulging such personal information.
-
"Are you okay with watching this?" Kai asked, Holly stood to follow Blaine.
-
"Yeah..." Tyler replied, scooting over to nuzzle her cheek. He still had to hold back any tear that dared try and streak down his face.
Blaine gestured to the garage door before opening it for Holly. "Ladies first~" He jokingly said, doing an exaggerated bow. Sitting in the middle of the room was the captive, bloodied and passed out. He was tied up to a folding steel chair, his feet anchored in place with bricks.
-
Holly stepped in, holding her hands behind her back. She looked at the captive down her nose, even though she wasn't much taller than Kai. Just an inch or two. "Why the chair?"
-
"I'm a psychopath, not rude." Blaine retorted, resting his bat on his shoulder.
"So after getting to our friend here, real nice guy by the way. Oddly loves knitting." Blaine rambled on, walking around the sleeping raider. "He let me know a bit about this Farrow guy, well before taking a nap. Speaking of which," Blaine finished before kicking the underside of the steel chair.
The raider awoke with a squeal, almost lifting the seat. Still shaking, he looked at them both before sighing.
"So..do you want to stay here? Like this house." Tyler asked, looking over at Kai.
-
She looked at Blaine. "Really, I think you're more of a sociopath.." She shrugged, "Also, nothing wrong with knitting." Holly said, with just a slight smile. "Anyways, we won't hurt you, unless you try to escape or harm us. Then, you're getting it."
Kai thought for a moment. "We have to stay in a single place eventually. How else are we to rai-" She suddenly stopped, aware of what she was about to say.
-
Tyler's eyebrows raised slightly, along with his ears, at the last part of what she said. "How else are we to what?" He asked, turning to face her. The TV was the only light on, casting them in moments of darkness and light.
The captive kept his silence for a moment before looking back up. "I already told him all I'm going to say. My leader is Farrow. And he's going to gut all of you." He growled, showing a few missing teeth. Clearly Blaine's handy work.
-
Holly laughed, "Not if we smoke them out first." She grinned, "Then we'll skin their pelts." She said matter-of-factly.
Kai bit her lip. "Raise children." She said before sighing. "It can't be done very well when we rely on run and gun."
-
Tyler blushed under his fur, his ears going red hot. "C-children? Wow, you're thinking ahead." He stammered, fiddling with the bandages on his hand.
"You think you can take us out? You're dumber than you look, fox." The captive replied, spitting more blood out on the concrete floor.
-
"That's how I think, and I'm not implying us." Kai said. She smiled just a little, "Though It could be."
Holly laughed, "I'll take that as a compliment." She said flipping open her knife.
-
"Well, you would make a good mother." Tyler replied, squeezing her hand gently before letting go. "I'd probably be a bad father, though." He added with a sigh, choosing to occupy his hands with lighting a cigarette.
Blaine turned the radio up, preparing for any unsettling noises. "Just make sure he can talk, I don't read sign language." He said, setting his baseball bat down.
-
Holly snorted, "Kai does. No idea why but she does." Holly smiled, "I think we'll start with his fingers. Wanna tell us where this Farrow piece of steaming sh*t bases operations?"
Kai smiled, "I'm sure you would do fine, you certainly do well as a woman's man."
-
"Eat me." The captive said, spitting on the ground.
"I honestly doubt that, babe." Tyler sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm doomed to be like my father. An irresponsible prick who can't even help himself." He said, tears hazing his vision.
-
"Eh, we'll keep you alive 'till we run out of food." She said, completely serious. She reached for his tied hand and took her knife, pressing it against the index finger's base.
-
The captive shook the chair, making it extremely difficult for Holly to do anything to him. Blaine grabbed his bat and moved the fox to the side.
"Stop...moving!" He yelled, slamming the barbed wire bat into the prisoner's knee. Howling, the captive stopped shaking and began cursing loudly. "Now talk or I go for the other!" Blaine yelled over the music, which kept the others inside from hearing the howls.
-
Holly squinted at the captive, resourceful, but Blaine was ruthless. She would have to remove a few more fingers.
-
"Okay!" The captive yelled, gritting his teeth. "I'll talk...Farrow..he has an outpost in town. The city hall." He groaned, wincing often from the new gash in his left knee.
Tyler brushed the tears from his eyes, mad at their existence. He hated feeling this vulnerable, letting his normally internal dialogue spill out in front of her.
Pulling on his flannel, Tyler stood up to go outside. "I'm going to go check on them and the raider." He said, grabbing his knife off the table.
-
She watched him, "Try not to get too bloody, we're gonna run out of clean shirts soon." She said with a laugh and a smile.
-
Tyler opened the garage door, walking inside in time to hear the captives' confession. "You two having fun without me?" He asked, tossing his cigarette down.
"Never, bro. You wanna take a whack at him? I mean, he already spilled his guts buuuuut hey, I'm game." Blaine replied, offering the bat to Tyler.
"Nah, I'm all good on that." He replied, watching the captive sigh in relief. "So he tell you where Farrow is?" Tyler asked, looking at Holly.
-
Holly nodded, "Town hall." She looked to the captive. "Now, I'll take those fingers." Kai sighed and sat in the living room, lisetning to the loud rock music and staring at the ground.
-
Holly's actions were cut off by the sound of a gun discharging, the captive's head rocking back and stopping.
Tyler held the smoking gun, literally, for a moment before putting it back in his waistband. "Rather not. The screaming was killing the mood inside." He said, still coldly staring at the corpse before leaving the garage.
Blaine looked over to Holly in slight shock, mouthing the word "damn". He walked over to the corpse and kicked his chair over.
-
Holly laughed, "Should'a told him he hadn't given up the information."
Kai watched him enter from the corner of her eye. "The captive dead now?"
-
Tyler waited to reply until he had sat down, tossing the gun on the coffee table.
"I took care of it." He finally said, putting an arm around her shoulders. Staring out the window, his face seemed like stone in that moment. Gone was the carefree attitude from before the outbreak.
"So, town hall. Who's going? I doubt you'll let the little sister roll along." Blaine replied, turning the radio down.
-
"Neither her or Tyler. They've had enough action for a while, and besides." She gestured up and around them. "Gotta have somebody protecting this place."
Kai stared at the wall, pondering things she regularly pondered.
-
"Gotcha. Well let's get ready shall we?" Blaine asked, picking up the bat and walking to the door.
"What are you thinking about?" Tyler asked, snapping out of his stare and mood.
-
Holly followed, "How we going about this?"
Kai sighed. "How this will affect the world. Death. How small we all are."
-
"We do what we do best. Cripple them and flush out Farrow." Blaine replied, opening the back of the truck.
"When did you get from kids to death all the sudden?" Tyler asked, gently squeezing her shoulder.
-
"Kids die. We will die. All in barely a fleeting moment of Earth's existence." She shrugged and smiled sadly. "Yet children have children eventually. It keeps going, a moment making a century."
Holly nodded, checking her rifle. She didn't have much ammo with her, but it probably would work.
-
"That's pretty ethereal, dude." Tyler replied, scratching his nose. "But either way, we won't be dying any time soon. Or the kids." He added, returning her smile with his.
"We'll grab the ammo and guns from inside, should be some more shotguns and pistols." Blaine said, tossing the gear he had into the truck.
-
Kai laughed, "I'm sure."
Holly tossed the rifle over her arm, the strap digging into her shoulder.
-
Blaine walked into the house, leaving the door open for Holly. He fetched his jacket, backpack and the rifle Tyler left on the table.
"You two got the house, hold it down. We should be back by sun up." Blaine said, sounding more like a parent than just a fellow survivor. He hoofed it upstairs before Tyler could protest, going on to collect the ammo.
Tyler crossed his arms and let out a defeated huff, his ears flopped down and tail tip twitching.
-
"To be honest, I think ya'll got the harder end." Holly said, grim. She ran up after Blaine.
Kai opened her knife, inspecting it.
-
"So I think I'm gonna cook us some dinner while they're gone," Tyler said, nuzzling Kai's cheek with his muzzle before hopping off the couch.
He checked the bag and pantry, taking out different options before cutting it down to two. "Which do you prefer? Stew or pasta?" Tyler asked, holding two different tin cans in his paws.
Blaine was changing when Holly showed up, pulling a black hoodie on. He had his jeans tucked into his now tightly laced combat boots, a knife stuffed in the side of one.
"You ready to do this? I'll admit, even I'm a bit nervous." Blaine asked, pulling his leather jacket on.
-
Kai raised an eye, "Me? I would go with pasta."
"Then you still have a shred of sanity, my friend." She shrugged, "Me, I never had one. I was made for this sorta thing."
-
Blaine put his paw on Holly's shoulder, gripping it gently. "Dude, you've got sanity. It's your sister down there, just like mine is that goof downstairs probably making puppy eyes at said sister." He said, laughing at the last sentence.
"Pasta it is." Tyler replied, standing up and sauntering over to the counters. Combing through the drawers, he found a can opener and got to work on cooking.
-
Holly shrugged. "Lets go," She said wondering whether or not the twelve shots she had with her were going to be enough.
Kai watched, she had never been much of a cook but still better than Holly.
-
"We'll split the guns when we get in town," Blaine replied, removing his paw from her shoulder. Walking down the stairs, he pulled up his hood and reloaded the AR.
Tyler finished what he needed at the moment and let the food simmer, walking over to Kai. He leaned over the back of the couch, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her cheek. "So, you wanna pick the next movie?" He asked.
-
Holly followed, heading towards the truck.
Kai laughed, "I'm not the best at choosing these kinds of things."
-
"Oh, come on. You always picked the best movies back when we all used to hang out," Tyler said, smiling from the warm memories. "Kinda one of the reasons I always liked you." He added, ruffling his hair with a paw.
Blaine hopped in the truck and started up the engine.
-
She smiled, "Hope that wasn't the only reason..." She looked at the titles on the DVD's. She got up and pulled one out, a comedy.
Holly hopped into the other side of the truck, knife ready.
-
"Oh definitely not. You're cute, for starters, then you got a great sense of humor." Tyler replied, still leaning against the back of the couch. "And you're incredibly smart." He added, using his fingers in a joking way of counting.
The truck took off into the dark road, the sound of the engine dying off in the distance.
-
Kai smiled, "Well it's either gonna be Going In Style or John Wick."
-
"John Wick is the better of the two any day," Tyler replied, going back to the kitchen to start the sauce. He stopped at the fridge, grabbing a drink before going to the stove.
-
She put the CD into the DVD player and put up the case. She whispered something unintelligible and smiled slightly, watching him from the corner of her eye.
-
Tyler loudly hummed some rock riff as he finished cooking. He caught himself staring at the fox a few times, blushing as he'd snap back to the whatever task he was doing.
Blaine stopped the truck on the outskirts of town, the smell of cordite still thick in the air.
-
She started up the movie and still watched him from the corner of her eye.
Holly scanned out the window then hopped out, knife in one hand and her rifle loose in the other.
-
Walking back to the couch, Tyler sat next to Kai and propped his feet up on the table. "Just got let it simmer for a while." He said, adding a naturally stupid grin at the end.
Blaine followed suit out of the truck and went to grab the bags from the back. Coming back, he dropped them on the ground and opened the zippers.
"So, you got first picks. Except for this one," He said, picking up the sawn off double barrel. Almost mirroring his brother, he added the same stupid grin.
-
She shrugged, "I got the rifle, " She nearly added that he should wipe the grin off his face, that he looked like his brother. But she didn't, it wasn't quite the same. Not exactly. Their eyes were different, the patchwork of unique markings in the skin and fur of their faces was different. She had a tendency to pick these differences out.
Kai nodded, smiling softly. Barely a curl to the corners of her mouth but it was a genuine smile, she looked to the side at Tyler. "Wonder how long the electricity is going to last."
-
"Seems like all these houses had some kind of generator system, but that'll only last so long without fuel." Tyler replied, taking a drink. "So I'd say another week or so?" He added, turning to face her. He liked her smile, especially when it seemed the most genuine.
"Yeah but that'll only last so long, Holly." Blaine replied, standing back up to face her. "And even if you're good with that knife, they'll outnumber you and...that ain't happening." He trailed off, his face scrunched up as he knelt back over the bag to dig out ammo.
-
"Fine, I'll hang back and pick 'em off when they come for you. How's that?"
Kai nodded, "So, do we binge watch everything here until power is out or save it?"
-
"Well I figured we go in all Army of Two style, but that works too." Blaine replied sarcastically, stuffing two handguns in his jacket along with spare clips.
Standing up, he rubbed his nose and looked up. "I just don't want to see you get hurt. You've already been shot," Blaine said as he pointed to her bandaged ear. "I can't be the only crazy one in the group."
"To be honest, I'd rather take advantage of the nice weather and go hiking tomorrow. Maybe we could find some things for here," Tyler replied, wrapping an arm around her as he finished the sentence. "And that'll conserve on electricity too."
-
She smiled, always having loved hiking. "Like old times 'eh?" She asked, the movie beginning to take a turn to more action.
Holly snorted, "We're all crazy, but at this point it doesn't matter much. I would first check all openings for snipers though. Can't be too careful here."
-
"Definitely, that's why I dressed in my spy attire." Blaine said in a joking tone, gesturing to his all black clothing. He pulled the black bandana up over his muzzle, zipping up his jacket to complete the look.
From the distance and what Blaine could see, the town was generally small excluding the nearby suburbs. But on foot, the city hall was miles away and the main street was right in the middle of their way.
"Looks like it could get very hairy down there. All those cramped alleys are kill zones." He said, pulling his mask down to light a cigarette. Passing one to Holly, Blaine continued.
"I'll need you at my back, to be honest. If I get pinned down with you picking guys off here, I'm as good as dead." He slung his rifle to the his side and kicked at the dirt while he waited.
****
"Definitely. Except this time, there's undead buuuut that's fine in my book." Tyler replied, chuckling. "Since now I've got a cute little fox at my side." He added, ruffling her hair with his nearest hand.
-
Holly snorted, "Spy? Well, I guess I'll come with." She said, squatting to take a shotgun. The same one Kai had used earlier in their running escape. "Tried and true," She took a couple shells, shoving them into a pocket. "Let's get going shall we? We have siblings and dinner to get back to."
Kai smiled, a strand of hair falling to her face to cover her eye. "I'm wasn't the cutest, obviously. Buuut, I know I am now. I doubt anybody else is left other than Holly that's cute anymore."
-
"Oh, hush. You've always been cute, at least to me." Tyler replied, brushing the strand of hair behind her ear. Pausing for a moment, he quietly leaned in and kissed her.
****
"Ooooh yeah, I'm starving." Blaine replied, laughing as he started off down the road towards the town.
-
Kai's face cycled through surprise, a blush and closed eyes in bliss.
Holly followed after, wishing she had a pistol instead of the shotty.
-
The sound of Tyler's tail could be heard thumping against the couch, along with the movie. But, as if clockwork, the buzzer on the timer rang out and snapped him out of the kiss.
"Oh shi- um, food's done...I'll b-be right back," He awkwardly said as he slipped off the couch and into the kitchen. Holding his tail down, the shepherd walked up to the stove and quickly shut the alarm off.
****
"So, you got the rifle and that shotgun? Anything else?" Blaine asked, taking a drag on his cigarette. He made sure to step lightly on the gravel road leading up to the town.
The road was walled off by tall trees on each side as it descended into the town which was almost unlit. Except for what appeared to be the city hall, where Farrow most likely was.
-
"A knife and my wits. That's about it." Holly said, her eyes scanning the buildings.
Kai nodded slowly and sat stiffly, a blank look on her face. Her cheeks seemed to be on fire and she could barely think.
-
(So my phone went out of service, my bad :/ )
"Gotcha..so I say we stay low and quiet at least until we're close enough to the city hall." Blaine replied, finishing his cigarette off and pulling the bandana up over his short muzzle.
Abandoned cars began popping up along the road, most unusable or burnt out. Looks like Farrow made sure nobody could scavenge here, the bear thought to himself. Smaller lights began becoming visible the closer they came, some on the road and others on the rooftops.
"Let's cut through the woods for cover.." Blaine said, gesturing to the tree line at his left.
****
Tyler returned with two bowls and silverware, setting both on the table along with another bottle he got from the fridge. Sitting back down, he noticed her blank stare and stifled a laugh.
Kissing her cheek, he pulled back and patted her leg. "Hey, dinner's done. Let's eat," Tyler said, with a familiar smile that turned into a smirk.
Picking up his bowl, he dug in with a lack of class. He had always eaten like every meal was his last, as his parents were always poor growing up.
-
(Is alright)
Kai laughed, Tyler never did eat the cleanest. She ate, careful not to get sauce on the clean shirt she had found. She was feeling restless, everybody else seemed to be doing something. She had an idea though, so she ate quick.
Holly nodded, "There might be more in the forest, but that's the better bet." She began to make her way towards the forest, somehow avoiding every twig and most of the leaves.
-
Blaine followed Holly, making sure to stay in her path to avoid any brush or debris. "So..after we kill Farrow, what next? You wanna stay or keep going north?" He asked in a hushed volume, looking for anyone patrolling the woods.
****
After cleaning off the fur around his muzzle, Tyler set his bowl down and sighed contently. The movie finished, returning to the menu screen before he turned it off.
-
Holly shrugged, "They seem to want to stay, and if we wanted to go why would we take out Farrow?"
Kai finished and stood picking up both his and her plate and bringing them to the sink. "I'd wash them but I'm going to go fix the windows upstairs." She said, wandering off into the garage to find a blowtorch.
-
"Because he tried to kill us? My brother and your sister, personally?" Blaine retorted as he equipped his rifle, checking the optics.
The town was much closer at this point but more importantly, signs began to pop up that made it apparent their path was well travelled by patrols.
****
"No, it's okay. I'll do it.." Tyler replied, trailing off as she disappeared from sight. He walked to the sink and tried the hot water knob, which poured out a steadily increasing heat.
"At least that still works." He mumbled to himself, taking his overshirt off to show an older Alice in Chains shirt. Starting the dishes, he looked out the window into the nearby brush and trees.
Finishing up the few plates and bowls, Tyler drained the sink and took one last look out the window. Something moved in the brush, but it was quick so he chalked it up to nerves.
-
Holly muttered a few swears, "We may have to dodge some patrols." She said in a hushed voice. "Also good point."
Kai found what she was looking for. Lighting the blowtorch she began to cut pieces of the garage door apart.
-
Blaine followed quietly, stopping for a moment to check behind him. A distant pop of a twig echoed, causing his ears to twitch under the hood.
"Yeah, we better hurry." He said, catching up to her.
****
Tyler walked upstairs to the bedroom they all slept in, turning the lamp on and seeing the mess left by his brother. "Are you kidding me?" He groaned loudly, kicking the bags under the bed.
Sitting down on the bed, he took his boots off and laid back with his arms outstretched. Returning a hand to his muzzle, he groaned again as he thought about what happened downstairs.
-
Her knife heavy in her pocket she held a large stack of folding metal. She brought it up the stairs with the blow torch, going towards a different room and going in. She set down the stakc and began welding pieces to the window.
-
Tyler stood up and decided to clean the room, hoping the monotonous task would clear his mind. He made the bed and cleared the floor of debris from the firefight, listening to the loud work that Kai was doing.
His shoulder began to throb after finishing the work, occasionally causing him to wince in pain.
-
Kai decided she would have to check up on Tyler after she was finished. Soon she moved to the next room, the metal welded to the windows had slits big enough to fire through.
-
Once he finished cleaning the room, Tyler changed into some shorts to sleep in later. He set his handgun on the nearby dresser, leaving the safety off in case of any unwanted visitors.
Opening his backpack, he began looking through the random things he'd gathered from their travels or that were saved from the apartment.
-
Holly stopped and her ears perked up. One was muffled, do to the bandages but she still had keen hearing. She stood still, listening for more movements to judge which direction they were moving.
Kai finished up and went to the room Tyler was in. She stood outside of it and knocked, she wasn't the type to barge in like Holly probably would.
-
The door creaked open, with Tyler leaning out to see Kai. "Oh, hey. You done putting those welding classes to the test?" He asked, opening the door further to allow her inside the now almost spotless room.
****
A few more footsteps could be heard in the distance. Blaine stood next to Holly, flicking the safety off the assault rifle.
-
"Yeah, pretty much," Kai said with a nod. She stepped in, putting the blowtorch down next to the door.
Holly flicked her knife open and waited, ready to stab.
-
"Let's go, while we got distance. I'll be right behind you." Blaine whispered, trying to keep his own footsteps quiet. The distant noises slowly grew in and out of hearing, patrolling the forest.
****
"Weeeell, my contribution was more of cleaning out a room to sleep in." Tyler replied sheepishly, gesturing to the made bed and barricaded windows. He walked back over to his bag and sat down again, taking a few CDs' and an old group photo out.
-
Kai laughed, "It is important."
Holly nodded, creeping faster towards the church.
-
"Most definitely, babe." Tyler replied, standing up and setting the CDs' on the dresser. He stood there for a moment, running a hand through his hair.
"So what do you wanna do now?" He asked, keeping his hand in his now longer hair.
****
They reached the treeline and Blaine moved to an abandoned car for cover.
-
Kai shrugged, she liked Tyler as he was but the longer hair was nice. They could probably wait on a haircut even though nobody would judge hair anymore. She noticed her own was creeping farther down her back. "Figure out where the power is coming from?" She suggested.
Holly followed suit, crouch sprinting to a car near Blaine's.
-
"We can do that," Tyler replied as he walked up to her and slipped an arm around her side. Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, he smiled at her and nuzzled her cheek.
"Or we could go for that walk. It's not too late out," He said, letting a lock of brown hair fall over his face.
-
"I should probably check that shoulder of yours first though," She said firmly.
-
"Ooooh okay then." Tyler replied, stepping back to take his shirt off. Turning around, he looked back at her.
"So, it still look bad or is it healing?" He asked, nervously rubbing his arm. He hated being shirtless in front of others, one of his various anxieties.
****
"Okay, when it looks clear, we bolt for the closest building." Blaine whispered, sliding closer to the the edge of the vehicle.
-
Kai examined his shoulder for a moment, occasionally softly manipulating the skin around it with her fingers. "Healing, but it looks like you've torn it quite a lot. Not necessarily a good thing."
Holly nodded, sliding closer to her own vehicle's edge.
-
"Sorry 'bout that..but y'know, had to keep you safe and all." Tyler replied, wincing as she messed with the wound.
****
Blaine nodded to Holly and bolted for the nearest home, finally reaching the fence. Throwing himself over, he landed hard into a bush.
"Ah hell...oh crap!" He yelled, noticing the infected coyote in the backyard. His rifle was tangled up in the branches and his handgun was stuck in it's holster.
-
Holly ran after Blaine, hopping over the fence near him and landing on her feet. She pulled her knife back out and stood, staring at the infected. If it charged, it would be gutted.
Kai stopped, stepping back. "And I appriciate that. Just try not to use it too much."
-
"I won't," Tyler replied, turning to sit on the end of the bed. Pulling his shirt back on, he looked up at her and smiled. "Y'know something? The apocalypse look suits you. It's cute," He said, gesturing to her now longer hair.
****
The infected coyote turned around, it's face disfigured and bloody. It didn't growl as it slumped after Holly, as of its vocal chords had since decayed.
Blaine still fumbled with his pistol as the coyote grew closer.
-
She moved towards it and stabbed at it's temple, her hand moving much faster than Blaine's pistol. A hand couldn't get stuck as easy.
Kai laughed, "I don't feel very cute," she said with a smile.
-
Breathing a heavy sigh, Blaine laid back in the bushes for a moment.
Once he regained his bearing, he stood up and brushed off the leaves and twigs that stuck into his jacket. "Thanks for that...so let's head through the alley." He said, pointing to the open fence gate leading to the small road.
****
"Oh shush.." Tyler replied, standing up and walking over to her. Brushing back a lock of hair over her ear, he kissed her cheek softly.
"You're the cutest thing I ever saw," He whispered, bumping her nose with his.
-
Holly nodded, crouching next to the body to pull her knife back out of it's head.
Kai smiled wider. "Well, that power isn't gonna find itself..."
-
"Well then, let's go find it." Tyler replied, returning her smile as he wrapped an arm around her waist.
Letting her take the lead, he nuzzled her cheek and laughed at the feeling of butterflies in his stomach.
****
Blaine crept up to the gate, peeking around the side. At the end of the alley, a truck could be seen passing by. The back was full of masked survivors, more of Farrows' men.
"That's going to be a problem.." He whispered to himself as he readied his rifle.
-
"Yeeep" Holly whispered behind him. She readied her own rifle, no time for a knife here.
Kai went down the stairs towards an outlet to figure out where the power lines came from.
-
"If the power isn't browning out, the generator must be high-end. Especially considering we never heard it kick on." Tyler replied, standing a few feet away. He turned off the unnecessary electronics and lights, attempting to save up any energy left.
****
Blaine took point, lowering his bandana to light another cigarette. The alley was walled off with brick fences and garages, the sides covered in crude graffiti and warnings.
"Seems like these guys are a hell of a lot more organized then we thought. They're like a damn militia," Blaine said, occasionally looking over his shoulder.
-
Kai nodded, checking the general direction of where the power source was. It seemed to be towards outside. She followed it along slowly, taking soft steps. She followed it outside, she stopped at the door and opened it a slight bit, looking around outside cautiously.
Holly nodded, reading some of the warnings and watching trucks pass by. "Isolate any smaller vehicles or groups would be our best bet. This isn't exactly a video game, throwing a bottle ain't gonna cut it. Wait for them to be alone then take 'em out as quickly and quietly as possible..."
-
"Man, I really miss video games..." Blaine whispered to himself, reaching the end of the alley. Peering around the side of the wall, he noticed more than he expected.
The road led to an intersection, which ran across Main Street. But the road had been converted into a checkpoint of sorts, with blockades and walls made of sheet metal with wood. Occupying the checkpoint were, to Blaine's counting, at the least ten militiamen who were armed to the teeth.
"Yeeeah, we're not getting through that way. Too bad we don't have a big siren or something, could totally draw in the dead." Blaine said, keeping a hushed tone as he looked back at the fox.
******
"I got your six.." Tyler said as he decided to follow her, keeping a hand on the pistol in his waistband. Outside was eerily quiet, the silence only being occasionally broken up by the leaves rustling.
"You think they're okay? Those were some seriously bad dudes we ran into.." Tyler asked, looking around the yard. His ears occasionally twitched at the sounds of the leaves, mistaking it for footsteps against fallen leaves.
-
Holly chuckled, "So do I man." she thought for a moment. "I like where you're going though. I got an idea." She grinned like a madwoman, her eyes flipping between the forest and the men, her ear occasionally twitching at sounds. "But we're gonna need a lot of the dead. A lot,"
Kai nodded, stepping out while she pulled her knife from a pocket and stepped out, following where the line would have gone. She wondered where it had been that others hadn't cut the power or gas. That would have been smarter. So where was it? Her ears twitched every once and a while, she was listening for tell tale sounds of living beings. Breathing, footfalls, possibly if close enough a heartbeat or a random twitching move. Nothing could stay completely still.
-
"So how do you expect to get a horde in here without getting chomped?" Blaine replied, still watching the guards down the road.
****
Tyler stayed behind the smaller fox, deciding to take his pistol out in case of anything. The silence fueled his paranoia, leading him to never stay still. His head was on a oscillating swivel.
-
Holly shrugged, "We could always run throug[size=78%]h the forest but that's not gonna help much... I can scream decently loud, but we don't know how many are in the vicinity."
[/size]
[/size][size=78%]Kai's head snapped to the side, she thought she heard something, but instead she spotted an insect scuttling through the grass. She had mistaken it with something larger rustling through the grass. "Hmm...' She was still walking, and had made it to the end of the power line. It was going straight into the ground, a small manhole beside it. She sighed, "So it was underneath us."[/size]
-
"Well, allow me miss." Tyler said, handing her the pistol as he took a flashlight out, resembling a mag-lite. Pulling the manhole open, he held back retching as a foul smell came out.
"Jesus Christ! Agh!" Tyler coughed out, covering his nose with his shirt. Going back to the hole, he flashed the light in and revealed a dead body at the bottom.
****
"I got it!" Blaine quietly yelled, throwing his bag down. He unzipped the side pouch and dug through it before pulling out a handful of fireworks.
"Think this'll draw 'em in?" He asked, looking at Holly with a devious but hopeful look.
-
Holly returned the look, yet wondering where the hell those had came from. "Possibly..." She said, feeling for her lighter which was in her pocket. "We'll need to run the moment we set these off."
Kai looked down, twitching. The smell hit them both really hard, she pinched her nose, "Who the hell is that? The resident's former owners?"
-
"I bought 'em for the fourth of July...before all this. Forgot about them." Blaine said, wrapping the bundle of fireworks in twine. "But yeah. We can toss it down the road and flank that emplacement." He added, standing up to face her.
"Probably. Must of opted out of...all this," Tyler said, gesturing to everything around. Peering back down the hole, he noticed the glint of what appeared to be a shotgun by the body. It was a grim, yet useful, find that cemented his theory.
-
Holly nodded, "Let's get this party goin'!" she shouted quietly, pulling out her lighter and lighting it, holding it out for his to light them.
Kai sighed, "Tyler, can I have the flashlight please?" she asked, stepping closer to the edge of the hole.
-
"Here you go," Tyler replied as he handed Kai the flashlight. He leaned back and tried to take a breath of clean air, which was near impossible. The sounds outside the compound fence began again, removing the ominous silence.
****
Blaine quickly lit the longest fuse, giving them a short minute before detonation.
Turning the corner, the bear lobbed the bundle of burning fireworks far down the road near the closest wood barricade. Shortly after landing, the fireworks went off, cascading the raiders in colorful sparks.
Blaine tugged on Holly's sleeve for a moment before taking off down an alley leading to Main Street. The sounds of the dead began to intensify as he git closer to the road.
-
Holly followed, shooting glances over her shoulder occasionally. She dashed after Blaine, eventually catching up and staying next to him.
Kai took the flash light and sighed. "Ladies first, am i right?" she said, getting on the ladder and descending. Once at the bottom she pushed the body over with the toe of her shoe. Revealing light decay and a shotgun with a few shells scattered tucked in one of it's arms. But then it twitched. She swiftly pulled the shotgun from it's arms, jammed a new shell in, braced it against her shoulder and blew it's head to pieces. It stopped twitching.
-
As he crouched down, Tyler stopped for a moment after the noise outside died down again. The silence was short lived, as a loud whistling lead to bursts of gunfire.
Diving in, Tyler crushed the withering corpse feet first as he landed. Shutting the hatch, the gunfire became muffled. "Does this damn thing have a lock?" He said to himself before finding it.
****
Blaine found a nearby door, stopping to posture up. He kicked it in and moved inside to find cover. "This building should have a view of that barricade, we can flank them that way." He said, readying his rifle for any strays from the incoming horde.
-
Holly nodded, checking the mag on her rifle. She followed him, glancing back. A low growl was following them. "Just a moment, " She pulled out her knife, waiting next to the door. A stray ran through the door, impaling itself on Holly's knife. She slit it's stomach open, spilling the contents as she pulled her knife out and slammed it's head, forcing it to the ground.
Kai looked up for a moment, then started to look around. Mostly it was just a generator set into the wall of a small room, a low hum filling the air. Somewhere under the hum was a growl. She readied the shotgun, prowling farther in silently. She didn't move like she usually, she was lower to the ground, her steps more calculated and silent. The shotgun resting comfortably in the crook of her shoulder she swept it back and forth flashlight hooked on a strip of cloth hanging from her jeans. As she dissipeared into the darkness there were multiple loud bangs, the flashes of light revealing Kai moving at extreme speed, disabling two children and a woman rabids.
-
Sure, just make a form in the companion . I'm okay with it but not sure about Blaine))
-
(( I'm cool with it. Just do the form, read the rules in the OP and enter the roleplay appropriately. ))
"Oh, hell yeah. That totally didn't kill my appetite." Blaine said, watching Holly aggressively dispatch the straggler. Gunfire and loud voices could be heard outside, at some points drowning out the moans and growls.
Blaine gestured to the door, taking a small flashlight out from his jacket to light the way. Keeping one hand on the rifle, he held up the miniature light as he slowly walked through the building.
****
Tyler laid back against the concrete wall, ignoring the close corpse as he watched Kai move through the darkness. "Jesus Christ..." He let out, almost in disbelief. The increasing loud gunfire above snapped him out of his daze, the wolf backing away from the entrance in case of anything.
-
Holly snorted, "It's gonna get worse." She followed him, knife out and ready. Her rifle was hanging at her side, swinging with her walk.
Kai held up the light, revealing a bloody mess of a woman and two children, a child's head had been blown mostly off, it's remains on the floor, the next had it's throat slit and had been disemboweled. The woman had an obvious gunshot wound, point blank to her stomach and a large cut up her throat. Kai was standing amidst the bodies, blood spattered over her shirt, face and hands. "Damn, my last clean shirt." She looked around for a moment, before walking over to a light switch. She made sure she stepped loudly, as to alert Tyler to where she was and if she was still moving normally. She flicked the switch and the room flickered before lighting up, halogen lights on the ceiling. The hum soon picking up. She looked to Tyler, then studied the room in more detail.
-
Tyler rubbed his eyes as he regained his vision from the bright lights. Ignoring the bodies, he stood up and checked the hatch. The gunfire stopped, the sounds of vehicles soon taking over. "What the hell...?" He whispered to himself before turning around to find Kai.
****
"Guess we should let the dead have all the fun," Blaine replied, stopping at another closed door. Kicking it in, he entered a large, mostly empty room with large windows facing the road.
-
She nodded, following Blaine to the room. She thought for a moment then shrugged. "Let's be quite, we don't want to bring the horde towards us."
Kai shrugged, "I'm not sure. We should check, just a peek." She walked back to the entrance, climbing up the ladder and looking back at him from halfway up.
-
"Go on...I'll be here to pull you back in if need be." Tyler said, looking up at the fox.
On the other side of the hatch, groups of Farrows' men swept over the home like hungry predators. Sounds of smashing and yelling could be heard from inside.
***
"Well, might as well make ourselves comfortable." Blaine whispered, finding a old chair to sit in. He lit himself a cigarette and tossed the pack to Holly along with the lighter.
-
Holly caught it, pulling one out and lighting it. She took a long slow drag and watched out the window at the vacant street.
Kai nodded, unlocking the man hole and pushing it open just slightly. Looking out the small slit she watched as a few men swept past the manhole, one stopping to inspect it. The rest continued on. The single man was getting progressively closer. The rest were gone, so Kai primed herself, crouching on the ladder. She flipped the manhole open, climbing out at an incredible speed, pulling her knife out and knocking him out, then dragging him back to the manhole, dropping him down the man landed with a loud thunk and a few cracks. It seemed his legs were now broken. She climbed down, closing and locking the manhole.
-
Tyler dragged the man towards the back of the room, quickly improvising a rope to tie him up to a pipe. Standing back up, he brushed the dirt off his jeans and turned to face Kai.
"Jesus, dude. You're soaked," Tyler said, "Don't get me wrong, I love the blood and guts look." He chuckled as he took a bandana out from his back pocket. Cleaning the blood from the fur on her face, he couldn't help but stare at her eyes.
****
"This is nice. Honestly." Blaine said quietly, taking his jacket off. "Even if we're gonna see a bloodbath in a few." He continued, noticing the horde of undead overwhelming the barricade. Screams began to overtake the yells, gunfire growing shorter.
-
Kai smiled, just a little ad he cleaned her face. She looked back into his eyes for a moment, before looking back to the now tied up fur. We have about, hmm. I'd say three minutes until he wakes up." She placed a hand on the one cleaning her face. She smiled, looking back into his eyes. "I don't feel amazing, blood is sticky."
-
"Nothing that can't be cleaned off," Tyler replied, kissing her now clean cheek. He turned to look back at the fur, looking him over for a minute.
"So three minutes then?" He said, laughing as he blushed. He started cleaning the paw holding his, taking his time with the process. "Because with that fall, I'd say five." The wolf added.
-
She laughed, "If, of course he does wake up." She shrugged, looking down to Tyler's hand. "Thanks, Tyler. But I'm sure a shower will do better."
Holly nodded, flicking her cigarette, a shower of sparks and ash. She then put it back into her mouth, surveying the street. She laughed, "Hell yes, sounds like their losing ground."
-
"Yeeeah, if that's even an option after these guys leave...sounds like they're raising hell up there." Tyler replied, looking up at the concrete ceiling. He put the bandana, now stained red, back in his pocket.
He walked over to the male fur, crouching down next to him. Keeping his pistol in reach, the wolf patted the coyote down for weapons. Tossing a bowie knife and revolver over to Kai, Tyler stood back up and sighed.
"These guys have to be part of Farrow's militia. Which means he knows where we are and...he's definitely not happy." He said grimly, turning back to the fox. "I should've slit that prick's throat when I had the chance.."
****
"Well, let's find a clear way out once they move down the main road. We can follow them to City Hall if they last." Blaine said, hopping out of his seat. He stuffed the jacket in his backpack, readying his rifle again.
The horde stormed over the barricade, few staying behind to finish feasting upon the corpses of the militiamen. Blaine noticed a weapons cache near a few infected, who were busy eating the body of a man who tried getting to the cache.
"Change of plans. These guys are well armed, that cache looks military." Blaine said, walking up to the windows. "Let's see what they left us." He added, turning to Holly with a smile.
-
Holly grinned, "Hell yes." She walked up next to Blaine, "Gameplan? I could probably sneak past and use something from the cache."
Kai nodded, catching the knife and revolver. She slid them to the wall opposite the fur and sat next to them. "We should either move or hope Blaine and Holly wipe them out."
-
"Yeah, I like that. We'll sneak around, I'll handle them while you find something." Blaine replied, shouldering his rifle.
****
"Screw that." Tyler replied, still looking at the fur. "I'm gonna kill every single one of these pricks." His voice was cold and emotionless like his brother's.
-
Holly nodded, slipping out the door. Crouching she silently ghosted across the street, using abandoned cars for cover. Slowly she made her way to the cache, around the feasting. Yet she ran into a straggler, she killed it quietly and put it down onto the ground quietly. She then entered the catch.
Kai raised an eyebrow, "Hold up, we need this one alive."
-
"Do what you want with him," Tyler replied, turning around to pick up the revolver. It was fully loaded, a .357 caliber. "But when you're done, he's done. And then I'm going to find another way out of here to deal with those gatecrashers." He finished, stuffing the revolver in his waistband next to the M1911.
Sitting down next to her, he took a deep breath and attempted to collect himself. Once calm again, Tyler set his gaze back onto the coyote.
****
Blaine followed, less stealthy, her down the sidewalk and kept his bat ready. Speeding up as Holly got to the cache, the bear entered the makeshift checkpoint bat swinging. The sounds of skulls cracking could be heard around the block, along with Blaines' "unique" commentary.
-
Loud cackling could be heard from inside the cache, A lot had already been taken but Holly had found her prize, stepping out she brought an L-sight to her sight, now holding an M16A2. Ramming a mag into the chamber she smiled, a wicked grin. A plume of red flew from a female rabid nearby Blaine and heading for him. It fell to it's knees, it's head having three holes in one side. Soon multiple had fallen, Holly pulling out the mag to shove another in and putting a few rounds in the rabids now approaching her. She was making quick work, though she fell back into the armory for a moment to put a bayonet on the M16 then stepping back out, efficiently slicing through the few that got near her.
Kai nodded, putting a light arm around him. "Being pissed wont help Tyler. It's more strategic to wait for the others to come back first and work with them." The fur tied up began to groan, an eye opening then quickly both flitting open. He winced in agony, reaching for his pistol to realize that it wasn't there and his arms were tied up. "wh-who the!" He thrashed for a moment, before focusing on them. "So your the rats," He grinned a stupid, mischievous grin, "A pretty one eh?" Kai stood up, walking to him. Leaning over to look into his eyes she stared back into his with such intensity you would have to wonder if her eyes were made of stone. His grin died quickly, she straightened up, took a step back, then kicked him in the head. His head snapped to the side, blood dripping from his mouth. She squinted at him, "Tell us everything you know about Farrow or this operation." He looked up at her with pleading eyes. "Never," His voice strong but his face telling a different story.
-
"I'd do what she says before I start cutting digits." Tyler said, still sitting against the wall. He was using the bowie knife to clean dirt from under his nails, staring at the prisoner.
****
Blaine cracked the last one against the head, causing an echo of the deafening blow. Panting, he looked up at Holly and smiled. His face and once clean white shirt were now spattered with blood.
"Anything else in that cache?" He asked, walking up to Holly as he laid the bat over his shoulder. The rest of the horde was out of sight, but still audible from the distance.
-
"No need," She said, aiming her shotgun at his foot point blanc. "I assure this will hurt. A lot. You may or may not die from it." She brushed some stray hair back, 'Now talk, before you lose your leg." He looked up at her, "F-fine. Farrow's the boss, he runs this shit. He coordinates us and keeps us working and alive. This 'operation' was to wipe out a nuisance before it got out of hand. Or to... To capture those that remain alive, females with a higher life priority."
Holly nodded, "A couple pistols and piles of ammo. These guys weren't using much apparently, just stockpiling."
-
"You're trafficking survivors?" Tyler said, stuffing the knife into his boot. He stood up and took a few steps toward the prisoner, stopping behind Kai. "Hun, would you please blow his foot off now?" He asked, using an oddly sweet tone.
****
"Always wanted one of those M9s'," Blaine said, shaking the thought off. "No time, we gotta roll." He finished before taking off down the road towards City Hall. Stopping at an alley, he turned and kicked through the gate blocking entrance.
It was dank, but seemingly clear of any undead from the horde. Blaine stopped, waiting for Holly.
-
Kai nodded, "Gladly," She said in the same tone, the man shook his head "No please no! Leave me alive, please! I could help you!" Kai sighed, "Stop yelling," She said, changing her aim to his left hand. A powerful bang filled the room, his hand now a bloody mess.
Holly followed after Blaine, "We'll come back. Grab some more," She said, a couple mags somehow in her pockets. She looked back, still carrying her M16. She swept it inside the gate, seeing nothing.
-
longboi enters the forest. STOP SMOKING BEAR! i am here to prevent forest fires >:(
-
(This is a serious rp. No off topics or roleplaying without a form/character. Please delete your comment and leave, longboi.)
-
(( NEEEEERD! ))
"Beautifully done, hun." Tyler said, stifling a dark laugh. He stepped forward and crouched down, tugging on the prisoner's boot. "Hey pal, you'd better give us some more information before I let my darling girl here take another extremity off." He said, smiling.
****
Blaine followed, keeping his rifle ready. "So, you think after this we should stay? Or keep moving north? I've always been partial to snow, myself." He asked, laughing to himself as he ruffled his now shaggy mohawk back.
-
A scream echoed throughout the room, the prisoner yanking at his binds. Kai grinned, "Maybe between the legs next?" She said, aiming the shotgun with one hand. The fur shook his head vigorously. "A-all I know i-is that w-we were g-gonna sell survivors off to a-another g-gang up n-north."
She shrugged, "Why would we be attacking these guys if we didn't plan to stay here? Being vigilantes isn't going to get us far out here, Blaine." A shot rang out. It wasn't nearby, probably a last pocket of survivors out in the open.
-
"I don't want this town. All I know I want is to kill this Farrow guy for what he did." Blaine retorted, keeping his pace behind her. "I didn't even want to lead this group but I have. Even if it got others killed." He added, huffing at the end.
****
"Nice, where up north?" Tyler asked, standing up to run a hand through his hair. The gunfire and sounds of destruction upstairs quieted down, but the trucks never started back up. "And I guess your friends aren't leaving until they find the other two? Bad decision." He added, brushing a bit of Kai's hair to the side. "If you're scared of her, imagine what her sister is like."
-
Holly nodded, "Understandable. But who knows what we'll run into up there. I want this guy dead just as much as you do. He threatens our lives. I can't have that." She said, gravely serious. "And besides, I doubt they would have lasted very long anyways. If any of us had led I'm sure more of us would be dead Blaine. You're doin' fine." A quiet groan emanated from somewhere behind them. Her ear twitched, she spun, a few twitches of her finger and an infected wolf fell from the brush, coming to a dead stop at her feet. Nudging it with her toe she then raised her foot, slamming it into it's skull. It was obviously dead now. She looked up at Blaine, "We should get going, more might be attracted to the shots."
Kai's grin widened, her face turning to an evil grin. "Aw, thank you darling."
The fur's eyes widened, "S-so this isn't the one we were warned about?" He shivered, still wincing due to his hand mostly missing. "S-somewhere up closer to Fresno." He sighed, "They were offering a loooot of money, especially the for women."
-
"Thanks...honestly." Blaine replied, lighting another cigarette. He adjusted the straps on his pack and readied his rifle, noting the exit of the alley ahead. "So we got three or four more block 'til City Hall. You ready for that? They'll have heavy firepower up there." He asked, walking towards the gated exit.
****
"Honestly, bud. Thank you." Tyler said, quickly taking his handgun out and firing a round into the prisoner's head. "Sorry but that guy was really making my stomach turn." He said, turning to Kai. A few shouts, probably orders, were audible from the ceiling.
"You ready? Or should we wait for the other two?" Tyler asked, checking his clip.
-
Holly nodded, "Hell yes." She picked up the pace slightly, continuously sweeping her sight left to right.
Kai laughed, "Mine too."
"we should probably wait for the others, easier that way."
-
Blaine stopped at the exit, waiting a moment before opening it slowly. The road was littered with bodies of infected, bullet casings scattered around them. Farther up the road, another checkpoint was unmanned.
As the bear and fox walked down the road, a number of shots began to echo from the center of town. "Looks like they reached the base. That's good, they'll be distracted for a while." Blaine said, throwing his bandana to the ground along with the butt of his cigarette.
****
"Then I guess we have time to kill." Tyler said, laughing as the pun hit him. He looked around the panic room, noting a set of chairs and a table along with a built in wall bench.
Taking a seat at the bench, Tyler tossed the weapons he held on the ground and let out a tired groan. "All I wanted to do was sleep, dude. And now here we are." He sighed, gesturing to the messy room.
-
Holly nodded, "Let's cause some mayhem," She checked the safety of the gun and the cartridge. Off and full.
Kai laughed at his first statement before joining Tyler on the bench. "Now would be the perfect time, Tyler. I'll wake you up when they show up, how's that?"
-
"Sounds perfect." Tyler said, snuggling up next to Kai. He let out another tired sigh and drifted into sleep. His head drooped down onto her shoulder.
****
"Hold on now, let's sneak inside before we start shooting," Blaine replied, checking his rifle and pistol. Both were full, the rifle carrying hollowpoints and the pistol holding full metal jacket rounds.
-
Kai sighed, cupping his cheek with a soft hand. "Sleep well..." She looked up, listening to the shouting outside.
Holly nodded, crouching down and heading towards the town hall.
-
Blaine stopped at another alley entrance, opting to take it instead of the road. Sprinting through the muck, he stopped as the sound of a rocket whistled through the air before exploding on the side of the building.
"Holy hell!" The bear yelled as he braced himself from the vibrations. Regaining his composure, Blaine picked his pace back up and headed towards the exit.
The road in front of the town hall was a mess, groups of infected tearing their way into the building. Members of Farrow's militia could be seen in the windows and on the roof, wielding military weaponry and apparel. Across the road, on the side of the town hall, was a service entrance that was unguarded.
"We got our opening, should probably take it while those guys are busy." Blaine said to Holly as he stashed his pack in a nearby dumpster. He stuffed the pistol in his waistband and tied his bat to his belt.
-
"at this rate, they won't be for long." Holly said, prepping herself for a dash to the other side. "If they spot us, act like rabids." She said, "Better than being alive." She sighed, making sure her weapons were secure.
-
Blaine nodded, then dashed across the road first. He tripped a few feet from the door, but recovered in time to set up by the entrance. Gesturing to Holly, he shouldered his rifle and dropped two infected whose attention had been drawn.
****
The squads upstairs began setting up defenses, awaiting Blaine and Hollys' return. They didn't bother checking the panic room, assuming the others had tagged along with the two.
Tyler happily snored as Kai held his cheek, a small smile growing on his face. "Don't...leave.." He mumbled in his sleep, tail slowly wagging.
-
Holly sprinted across, rolling at the end to avoid stray bullets. She stood up next to him, dusting herself off. She had gotten a small cut in the process but otherwise fine. An infected came out of the brush near them, heading for Blaine. Holly barely noticed it, turning towards it as it jumped for Blaine.
Kai sighed, leaning back against the wall. She looked up, wondering if they were inside of the defenses.
-
Blaine fired a few rounds into the leaping infected, leaving it a twitching mess on the floor. He froze up for a moment as he examined the scene around him, gunfire still erupting around them. Cordite was strong in the air, along with the smell of rapid decay.
Snapping back for a brief moment, the bear turned and kicked the side door in. The wood around the handle exploded, sprinkling chunks of splinters to the ground. "Alright, let's go!" He yelled, firing another few rounds at two militiamen outside. One took a round to the face while the other ducked to hide.
A loud FSSH followed by an echoing pop came from the roof, a red flare hanging high in the sky over town.
****
Two soldiers walked outside from the cliffside home, stopping their route to the garage in front of the manhole. One, an athletic jaguar, followed the other, a stocky buck with shaved antlers.
The buck took out a can of chewing tobacco, placing a dip in his lip before talking. "So, we have one dead in the garage but two missing. If the male survived that rifle round, that is." He finished, checking his bolt action rifle.
"Well, let's get searching around the perimeter.." The jaguar replied, before a flare appeared from the town over the horizon. "That's from town! Ah hell!" He exclaimed before following the buck inside.
****
"Sounds like somethings' wrong." Tyler sleepily whispered, having woken up to hear the echoing conversation from outside. He looked up to Kai, brushing a lock of her hair back, before sitting up to stretch.
-
Kai nodded, "Sounds like Holly and Blaine have started to go to town on them." She watched him while tucking the stray lock behind her ear and looking over to him.
Holly took a knee, firing three short bursts into the cover the fur was behind, hoping one of them would clip the fur. She then turned and followed Blaine in with her M16 sweeping the room. "Hey Blaine, you want the shotty?"
-
"I hope so." Tyler said, being cut off by the sounds of trucks roaring alive. The sounds dissipated as the vehicles drove out the way they came.
Tyler hopped up and climbed the ladder, looking out of the manhole. One truck, a Toyota with a lift kit, was still parked outside the garage. Sounds of a few soldiers could be heard from inside the house. It sounded like they had made themselves at home.
Hopping back down, Tyler sighed as he locked the hatch back. "We still have company. I'm getting really tired of waiting, babe." He said, beginning to pace around the small room. His anxiety was rising, causing his ears and tail to twitch erratically.
****
"Nah, keep it for later!" Blaine replied, firing another volley of returning rounds before slamming the door shut. Quickly, he pulled a nearby bench in front of the door to barricade it.
"Okay, we're on the bottom floor. Three floors, that's a lot of ground to cover." The bear said aloud, speaking to himself as he mentally mapped out a game plan. Readjusting his rifle sling, he pulled out another cigarette and lit it up with a shaky hand.
"Alright killer, follow me." He said, shooting Holly a sarcastic finger gun as he finally regained his level. Jogging down the hall, Blaine stopped at a doorway to the stairs. Going up, they passed a few dead infected along with one unlucky soldier.
-
She followed, stopping to pat the soldier down and was rewarded with a few tucked away mags, she slid them into her pocket with the others and continued up the stairs, stopping at the edge of cover and cautiously poking her head and the barrel of the M16 out from the cover to sweep the room. She jerked back as the wall behind her was peppered in bullet holes and some chipped shrapnel rained down the stair way. She poked out again and a few bursts from her signaled the end of some stationed furs. She signaled for Blaine to follow as she slowly moved from cover to cover, still wary of other furs.
Kai nodded, "I know, me too. But, most of them have left... Who says Holly and Blaine get all the fun?" She asked in an adventurous tone. Picking up the shotgun she looked inquisitively to him.
-
"And that right there is why I love you," Tyler laughed in response, pulling the slide back on his M1911. He began walking to the ladder, stopping to give her a playful kiss on the cheek.
"You ready to go kill some slavers?" He asked, whispering to her with a mischievous smile.
****
Blaine nodded and followed, keeping down as suppressing fire tore up the walls above. After a few moments, the firing stopped as the soldiers reloaded their weapons.
"Keeping going, I'll fire back!" He yelled as he aimed his AR and let off a few rounds. His was met with another burst, clipping the bear's ear and grazing his cheek. "Ah, damn it that stings! Forget it!" Blaine cursed, returning to following the fox.
-
Holly laughed, "Yeah let's go hero." She said, running from cover to cover and taking a couple shots back at the furs. She clipped one's hip and heard a satisfying yell of pain. She gestured for Blaine to follow as she opened multiple doors looking for anybody or thing.
Kai nodded, following after him smiling. "Let's."
-
Blaine covered Holly as she swept through the rooms, firing at anything moving. Two soldiers barreled out of one room only to get dropped by a few bursts from Blaines' rifle.
"We almost done with this floor?" He yelled, firing another burst at a soldier storming the hallway. His body collapsed against the wall, hitting the floor with a dull thud. "Because I think he may have been the last one." The bear added, taking a final drag off his smoke before tossing it at a corpse.
****
Tyler opened the hatch, pulling himself up with one heave. He stopped, turned and crouched to help Kai out of the panic room.
"I know you can handle yourself but stay behind me, okay? At least if it gets heavy.." He whispered nervously, not unsure of himself but of the odds. Dodging death wasn't easy in this new world, especially when the living were trying to kill them along with the undead.
The shepherd quietly stepped up to the porch, checking through the back door's window. One was in the kitchen, while two others were out of view in the living room.
Opening the back door, Tyler took out the knife he retrieved from the prisoner and tip toed behind the first soldier. He pounced, covering the jaguar's mouth with one hand while the dog slit his throat with the other.
-
Longboi's brother, Longboi2, enters the room and was revealed to be part of the army that the others were fighting. Longboi2 pulls out a grenade and releases the pin. He runs with the grenade towards Blaine and Holly. The grenade exploded and in that moment, Longboi2 knew he had avenged his brother and **censor** up. Everyone died as the blast killed MILLIONS and the R(I)P was ended.
((forgot my pass soz))
Get back in the /trash/can boi
-
Holly nodded to Blaine, barely visible from the doorway she had poked her head out from. "Almost." She swiftly crouched to a nearby body and patted him down, finding a frag and a magazine for the body's now empty pistol. Picking it up she pulled out the empty mag and rammed the new one home, wishing she hadn't kept the shotgun. It was beginning to get crowded. She nodded and stood, taking the shotgun off and tossing it to the nearby torn up bed, littered with holes. "In case we need to beat a quick escape without weapons."
Kai silently slipped in beside Tyler, taking a position beside the door leading to the main room. She nodded to Tyler, gesturing at both men, then gesturing to the one closest to her and slitting her neck with her thumb. Her knife slid from an unknown pocket with only a slight rustle of fabric.
-
"Gotcha." Blaine said, standing by as she dumped the shotgun. Stepping back out into the cordite-scented hallway, he ran a bloody hand through his now raggedy mohawk which was so long it had now begun to limp over.
Taking a moment to check his facial wounds, the bear turned back to Holly and playfully punched her arm. "Alright man, it's the home stretch. Don't die on me, you prick." He said, laughing at the final statement.
*****
Tyler nodded in agreement, quietly setting the dead guard's body down. He left the knife in the man's neck, opting to draw his pistol instead.
Grabbing a pillow nearby, Tyler kept it close to the end of his pistol. When Kai would attack the first guard, he planned to use the pillow to silence the gunshot to the second guard's head.
-
Kai wheeled and entered the room silent, making her way very fast to the nearest guard while the second was glancing the other way, she gripped him around his mouth and constricted his throat with the crook of her elbow, then slit his throat, with only the sound of light shuffling. The second was still turned, remarking on what a shame it was that the world was now in ruins, nothing left to rule.
Holly chuckled, "And you better not either. We got a dinner waiting for us hopefully, it would be rude to miss that!" She said with a joking tune and a slight grin. She checked the mag on her M16. Only a couple bullets, but she would be able to change it quickly under fire, She nodded to Blaine, "To the top?" She asked smiling.
-
Tyler lunged at the guard, wrestling the pillow against him. Once he had the shot, he took it and dropped the guard with a quiet hiss from the pistols' receiver.
"Okay, any more of these gimps?" Tyler asked rhetorically, crouching down to remove the dead guard's plate vest. It took a moment, but after a few curses the straps came undone.
****
Blaine smiled and nodded, following the fox up the stairwell. The surrounding gunshots began to grow quiet as the horde thinned in numbers.
-
Holly hurried to follow, soon passing Blaine. She wanted to be done with this as quick as possible before the remaining forces managed to realize the Army of Two making it's way to their leader. She swept her sight across the top of the stairwell, not seeing any guards yet.
Kai shrugged, keeping her knife loosely gripped in her hand. She lowered the body and patted it down as well, finding only a pistol, an extra mag and unstrapping his plate vest, which wasn't in the best condition but usable.
-
Blaine caught up to her, looking up at the buzzing fluorescent lights. One way led to a dead end, a window facing the side of an adjacent building. The other led to what appeared to be the offices of judges and council members of the town.
"This way." Blaine said, gesturing to his right. The sounds of an argument could be heard down the hallway, ending with a gun shot and thud. The bear sped his pace up, reaching what was labeled as the mayor's office. A militiamen, far better dressed than other grunts, laid half dead on the floor, clutching his chest in pain.
Farrow stood nearby, by the main bay windows. Smoke rolled from his nostrils as the tall and stocky bear took a drag from a cigar. "Company! Good, Joe, now you won't die alone.." Farrow remarked, as he rolled his sleeves up.
Blaine tossed his bag and rifle down, tearing the strap holding his bat apart. "So you two are the others. Too bad you didn't bring the other two. Would've made stringing that mutt of yours up easier." Farrow stated, looking to Holly as Blaine stood angrily by.
****
Tyler pulled the vest on, now easily able to work the straps. He checked over the pouches for ammunition but came up short. "Okay, I'd assume we're finally alone again." He said, counting the bodies before looking around the now almost destroyed home.
"Well, so much for home sweet home. Damn pricks." He growled, fixing the overturned couch. Sitting down, the dog sighed and leaned over to put his face in his hands.
-
Holly stepped in beside Blaine, a grave look on her face. She raised an eyebrow, her M16 still held loosely in her hands. A quick aim and pull of the trigger and it would be all over... Wouldn't it? Instead she didn't even bother to aim, a loud bang filling the air. Joe's head now had a new bullet hole. She popped the mag out and rammed the next in, never taking her eyes off Farrow. She then took a step back. She wasn't dumb enough to give up the advantage of having a ranged weapon, there was no point for honor when survival was on the edge.
Kai walked around the sofa to stand behind Tyler, Leaning over the couch she sighed. "At least this should be one of the last of these... Raids." She thought for a moment, silently and gently massaging Tyler's good shoulder and his neck. "We still have an entire neighbor hood of homes we can settle in."
-
"Wouldn't do that, sweetheart." Farrow said, having drawn his handgun as Holly dispatched Joe. He clicked back the hammer and aimed the barrel at her, taking another drag from his cigar. "You think I didn't find out where you were? Right now, my men are at your home. Looking for those two." He said with a dull tone, stepping closer to them.
Two guards approached them from behind, the sounds of their rifles' safeties going off echoed grimly. "Damn it. You think you can kill me...her," Blaine growled, pointing the bat to Holly, ", that easily? You're a god damned moron." He finished, Farrow laughing in response.
"I may be, but I'm not the one who's about to be eating his own friend." Farrow stated, before firing a round into the bear's leg. Blaine collapsed in pain, clutching his leg as blood poured out uncontrollably. The black bear cackled, distracted from Holly for the moment.
****
"I know. But don't you think this close to the bigger cities, we'd be more at risk for this kind of thing?" Tyler asked, leaning back and melting into the shoulder massage. He took his now half-crushed pack of cigarettes out and lit one, sighing as he blew out smoke.
-
Holly rushed forward, leaned down and barreling into Farrow, even though her frame was small there was still considerable power behind it. She wasn't aiming to knock him over but that would be a welcome side-affect. She was rather just using him as a break to get as close as possible, planting the barrel of the M16 right around his liver. A full mag would probably make it through any plate vest he may be wearing. If not it would be easy for her to trail it up to his exposed neck. "You shoot, I shoot. Even if you shot to kill I'd be able to take you with me." She said loud enough for the guards to hear.
Kai nodded, "Mayhaps we should move further into a rural area. But, then again, anybody with a brain would be doing the same." She looked down inquisitively towards him, waiting for a response.
-
The guards nodded, looking to each other uneasily for a moment. Lowering their rifles, Farrow growled at them. "Damn it, girl. You've pissed me off real bad this tim-" He yelled, laid on the floor, before two loud gunshots cut him off.
The guards collapsed to the floor, Blaine dropping the small pistol he kept in his waistband. "Just shoot the prick...already.." He groaned before passing out in a mixture of his and Joe's blood. His bat laid nearby, almost calling out to the fox.
Farrow looked up at Holly, smiling as even his dead white eye's gaze pierced through her. "Well? Isn't this what you wanted? Go ahead, little girl." He spit, leaving one to almost expect his words held real venom.
****
"It'd still be nice, up north. All the snow and trees, mountains. Hell, we could find a cabin or two." Tyler replied, looking up to catch her eyes with his own. "Those kids you were talking about would love it.." He added, the confidence in his voice almost faltering as he held one of her hands.
-
Holly raised an eyebrow, "High and mighty words for those who've fallen." She said before bringing the barrel of the M16 lower to his thigh, shooting both in the larger arteries, then dropping to her knees beside Blaine. "Shit shit shit..." She took his shirt off and constricted it above the wound, slowing blood loss and then using a few strips from her pant legs she bound the actual wound. She then took Blaine's bat, taking heavy steps back to Farrow, a maniacal grin plastered across her face. Raising the bat she smiled, then brought it down on his skull with enough force to dent the bat.
Kai smiled, a genuine smile. She gripped his hand tight but then let go, hopping over the back of the sofa to sit next to him, pushing an arm behind him and wrapping it around his waist.
-
Blaine faded in and out of consciousness, his hearing ringing as his vision blurred. He crawled to the closest table, attempting to pull himself up as the thuds from the bat echoed in the office.
Managing to lift himself up, he stumbled onto the couch where the bear stayed. "Ah damn...hell.." Blaine groaned, clenching down on the now stained bandage.
****
Tyler grunted as her arm brushed past his shoulder's wound, but quickly melted again in her embrace. He wrapped his free arm around her waist and quietly sat by, finishing his cigarette.
After putting his cigarette out, Tyler yawned loudly as he took the plate vest off. After a moment of fidgeting with the straps again, it came off and the dog threw it down. He returned to the fox's embrace, snuggling up to her. "So after today's events, I feel I can for sure say I'm tired." He said, looking out the window.
-
Holly took one last smash, then turned and hurried to Blaine. "Can you hear me? We got to get the hell out of here. Now. Before whatever he sent to home returns." She said, offering a hand.
Kai laughed, combing her net of hair straight, working out the knots with her other hand. "I'm sure Blaine and Holly will feel the same once they get back," She said, a light tinge of worry to her voice. She refused to believe that they wouldn't come back. They would. They had to. They were strong, they would make it. They. Would. Be. Fine. She repeatedly convinced herself, the rush of the past events finally clearing enough for her to worry.
-
"Gotcha.." Blaine replied weakly, fetching his bag and weapons. Using Holly as a crutch of sorts, he readied his rifle and checked to see if his leg worked correctly. Pain scorched up the muscles as he tried to put pressure on it.
****
Tyler noticed the look, albeit brief, of worry flash across Kai's face. He sat up enough to face her eye-to-eye, keeping a grasp of her hand. "You're thinking about them, aren't you?" He asked.
-
Holly helped him stand on his good foot. "One leg bud. I'll help." She said, compassion and worry barely managing to worm it's way into her voice. She put an arm around his chest, under his arms and helped him to move without using his other foot. She muttered something about recovery as the walked/hopped out the door of the office.
Kai nodded slightly, "They'll be fine, Tyler. I'm sure of it." She said, more trying to convince herself rather than him.
-
"Thanks, man." Blaine replied as they moved down the hallway to the stairs. He cut down two soldiers making their way up to Farrow's office, clearing their way out for the moment.
****
"You saying that for me or you?" Tyler asked, squeezing her hand for a moment. "I mean, I'm not the best with reading people but you seem more worried.." He added, a pang of empathy ringing through his tone.
-
Holly nodded, Her M16 hanging loosely as she supported Blaine. More hobbling steps down the stairs she managed to cut down another running up the stairs towards them unsuspectingly. This was going to be hard going to get back to the truck. Once down the first flight of stairs she looked around, silently cursing the fact they chose a town hall as their base. Nothing to help, unless... She looked around, eventually spotting what she was after. A couple wheelchairs packed away in a corner for special needs visitors. "Hey Blaine, fancy a ride?"
Kai nodded, not answering the first question. She squeezed his hand back, no noise making it's way past her throat, the quietest whimper whine-like noise escaping her throat. She sighed, "How long has it even been... An hour or two? I have no reason to be worried..."
-
Blaine nodded in agreement, adjusting his rifle's sling. "As long as you don't get me killed, Holly." He said, sitting down in the wheelchair. The fit was snug but enough to keep him in place for the meanwhile.
****
"It's been two...and I'd be worried too. I just..don't know why I'm not." Tyler quietly replied, gently bumping his nose into hers before giving her a quick but reassuring kiss. "Like you said, they'll be fine and we'll move on at first sunlight.." He added, a low but rumbling crack of thunder echoing outside.
-
Holly laughed as she began to push him to the stairs, ducking under the occasional shot that rang throughout the room. Furs outside were onto them. She managed to get him down the stairs without much problem, stopping to peek around the corner, for now the remaining forces where keeping their distance. But why? What where they waiting for, that now became apparent as loud rumbling came from outside, a convoy of more furs. She silently cursed, pushing out the door they had burst in before and waited in the shadows with Blaine for the convoy to pass.
Kai smiled from the kiss, then sighed and nodded,
-
The convoy slowed to a halt around the corner and the engine could be heard shutting down. The sounds of multiple people could be heard moving down to the back of the buildings, which gave them an opening.
"Better get moving, man. I'm starting to fade.." Blaine said, sounding weak and almost sickly. He reloaded the rifle quietly, unfolding the built in foregrip.
*****
Tyler leaned back and laid against Kai's chest, taking the moment to abruptly fall asleep. Quiet snoring would soon follow, along with newly developed twitches.
-
Holly Holly reached over and thumped him on his head lightly, "You better not die on me ya prick." She said, then sprinting across with him with only the sound of a few bumps and rattles. She stopped behind a burned out car in the middle of the road, catching her breath and then continuing the sprint. She made it to the other side without messing up and began to push him through an alley towards the other side of the block to get him to the van, trying to avoid most of the furs. She could hear a few passing conversations and shouts, waiting in the shadows until they moved on, then continued to push.
Kai put an arm around him, the other toying with the hem of her ripped and bloody shirt. When the others did get back she really would need to take a shower, it was starting to smell. She was fine with the iron smell but decaying flesh was gross. She thought for a moment then checked her few small cuts, one along her hip and another on her hand, probably from jumping through a window. It had already began to scab but... she noticed some blood near the one on her hand. And she doubted it was her. Even though it seemed they were fine if it didn't come from a direct wound through biting or scratching, couldn't it be like an STD, spreadable through most bodily fluids... including blood? The more she thought the more the cut seemed to be tinged green. She shivered, wiping her palm on her thigh and putting both arms around the snoring dog laid against her body. She distracted herself with wondering how he managed to rest his head against her chest while she was shorter than him... That amused her enough that she nearly forgot of her worries, but didn't notice slight creaking from outside. It seemed they still weren't alone. She looked up in time to be catch a man by his eyes, it looked like another fox, but she wasn't sure due to a mask covering his face and the small frame blanketed under a heavy coat. The important thing for her, was he didn't seem to have a weapon, but was just staring at the mess, before eyeing her like she was dangerous.
(Mind if I add a new character in? Or you prefer I make another form first?)
-
(( Go for it, dude. Post a profile later if you can, but it's cool regardless. ))
"Yeah, yeah. I'm more worried about my truck with it just sitting out and about." Blaine quietly said, lighting his last cigarette with some trouble from the wind. Lightning rippled across the sky, thunder soon following with a short delay.
"So I left my other bag back there...but that's fine. I hid a gift for the-" He said, cut off by an almost distant explosion. "Well, there it goes. Found some grenades on that prisoner...rigged 'em to a timer." He explained, a little bit of life returning to him as he began to get excited.
****
Tyler was laid on the couch, in view of Kai but not to the intruder. Sleeping heavily, he didn't even wake up to the presence of another person. But his pistol was still in his waistband, having fallen out on the dog's stomach.
-
Holly laughed, "Best parting gift ever." She said as she ran towards the other side of the block and down the side of the small street towards the forest, looking back she could see the street was mostly empty other than a few bodies and the glint of glass. She turned back until realizing the glint of glass was pointed towards her. She swerved with Blaine into an alley, just in time for a loud bang to signal the explosion of shrapnel near them. A bullet had made a new hole in the wall near her head. It would have gotten her if she hadn't noticed. She sighed, "Geez, can't a woman get some peace while pushing a handicapped bear down a street in an apocalypse after raiding their base and killing their leader?" She asked sarcastically.
Kai stared him down, daring him to make a move towards them. Her hand slowly crept towards the pistol, closing her fingers around the grip and sliding her index into the pistol's trigger guard. The intruder didn't notice, but swept his coat back, pulling a pistol. Kai slowly pushed Tyler off of her, making sure not to wake him up and resting him back down on the sofa. She then stood, wheeling around and raising the pistol, aimed straight at the man's chest. "Put. It. Down." She quietly spoke as the man struggled to aim his pistol. He sighed and dropped it with a heavy thunk. She cocked the pistol and gestured for him to come closer. He did, his hands up, "J-just please don't kill me." he spoke with a soft voice, sounding like the typical jock. Kai nearly laughed. "Who do you work for. Farrow?" The man shook his head vigorously, "Who the **censor** is Farrow? I just came to see if there were survivors." Kai sighed. "Well you have you're answer." The man snickered, before realizing his situation once more. He then quickly ducked, pressing himself against the sofa and Kai shot in retaliation, narrowly missing him as he dropped to the sofa. The man then picked up his pistol and stood, firing off three shots. Two missed. One hit with a sickening noise, burrowing through her left arm and into her hip. She screamed and dropped to her knees in pain, shakily raising the pistol once more to the stranger's head. He aimed once more and pulled the trigger, the barrel pointed straight at her heart. But nothing happened other than a dull click. Kai spoke through clenched teeth, opting to clamp her hand over the bullet wound on her hip as her arm steadily dripped a puddle on the floor, soaking it with her blood. "D-Drop. The **censor** Gun." She tightened her finger around the trigger and the stranger dropped his, eyes wide with fear and his blood pumping with the realization that the woman on her knees before him was bleeding out because of him. All. Because. Of. Him. It was at this point he realized the Shepard on the couch, fast asleep. It occurred to him that he may have just murdered this fur's wife. With a shaky voice he pleaded "Please just don't kill me." Kai scoffed, "Why shouldn't I? You tried to kill me, and you may have succeeded." She said, equally shaky. Her mind was fogging and the edges of her view were beginning to blacken as more and more blood pooled beneath her, seeping up her pants.
-
Tyler woke up after the gunfire stopped, groggy for a moment before noticing the intruder. And the blood. Following the short trail, it lead to the last person he hoped for. Turning back to the intruder, Tyler began to uncontrollably shake and a primal growl grew from his throat.
Visions began clouding the dog's mind for a moment, flashes of ripping the man's throat out and gunshots. Though that could wait, she couldn't.
Crashing off the couch, Tyler slid and grabbed Kai. Quickly placing his hand over the wound on her hip, he frantically tried to keep pressure on it. "Just...shit! Damn it!" He sputtered out, unable to even put together a sentence.
****
Blaine obliged, turning to return fire. A few bursts and one fell in the distance, not stopping their fire by any means.
"C'mon man! Put that track class to use!" He yelled, laughing as he fixed the loose stock on the AR.
-
She laughed, "As if," She said, then sprinted with Blaine out of the alley, fast enough in a zig zag, hectic pattern fast enough to keep most of the bullets way off target. Her breath soon began to come harder and she began to pant as she made impressive progress towards the forest, finally barreling past the first few trees into the cover of the forest, then stopping to rest her arms on her knees as she panted and shook her head, shaking the short, boyish hair loose from it's precarious position, pinned behind her fox-like ears. She looked up at Blaine and sighed heavily. "Not much farther, how you hangin' in?"
Kai put her blood covered hand on his, removing it from her hip. "Just g-get something to b-bind this arm." She said shakily, "I'll b-be fine." She never took her eyes or the gun off the stranger, who was reaching back into his coat slowly, backing away at the same time. "Get your arse back over here now dammit!" Kai shouted at the stranger, bloody spittle accompanying the shout, blood must have splattered onto her lips at some point, her legs now soaked in it. The shout surprised even her, she was struggling to stay awake, her vision blackening fast.
-
Tyler nodded, running over to a nearby pile of clothes strewn across the floor. Grabbing a shirt, he slid back over and ripped it apart with his bare teeth. Tying the strips around the wound, he tightly bound it.
"Now what? Just tell me what to do." He shakily asked, touching her arm. Glaring at the intruder, Tyler awaited her next command.
****
"I'm fine, still here and still alive." Blaine flatly replied, shifting in his seat. "Might as well ditch the chair here. Help me up?" He asked, holding out a hand in anticipation.
-
"Thank you Tyler," Kai said, her voice growing shakier and weaker. "Just make sure he doesn't escape. I.... I need a moment...." She said before promptly passing out from blood loss with her hand clamped around the wound in her hip which was not bound yet. The cloth around her arm was already red and beggining to seep. The intruder had moved closer, afraid of what the angry fox would have done if he had disobeyed, but now he moved to run as Kai slumped over, guessing Tyler would opt to tend to his wife rather than chase him. But he didn't take into account wither the fact that she wasn't Tyler's wife and had passed out in a safe place laid on the floor. Or that there was a pile of gear blocking the door he ran to. He frantically tried to get past it but gave up, pressing himself to a wall and holding a long wicked knife in his hand, staring at Tyler with crazed eyes. He was beggining to feel the guilt if what he had just done.
Holly nodded, taking his hand and helping him up, then supporting him as she walked towards the hill on top of which was their truck.
-
Tyler caught her as she passed out, laying her safely down beside him. Collecting himself, he took another towel and bound her leg wound tightly. "You're going to be okay...I promise." He whispered, shakily brushing her hair back.
Picking up the pistol, Tyler stomped slowly over to the intruder and jabbed the pistol into his chest. "I swear to God. YOU BETTER FIX HER OR I'LL EAT YOU ALIVE!" He yelled, tears angrily building in his eyes.
****
Blaine hobbled along through the woods, struggling to keep the rest of his gear. Once they reached the truck, the bear stopped and climbed into the passenger side.
-
Holly hopped into the driver's seat, firing up the truck she looked out the window before turning the truck around and soon they were ripping down roads back towards the home they currently resided in. "Hey Blaine, mind putting something on?" She asked, nodding to the stereo.
The stranger yelped and pulled his mask off, revealing that he was in fact a fox. Looked to be an arctic one. He nodded, "A-alright" he said, slowly edging around Tyler and towards Kai, then dropping to his knees beside her. He pulled the bandage off her hip loose and parted her shirt and jeans to give him a clear area around it to work with. "I'm no medical expert though s-sir." He said before lightly probing the wound with his pinky finger, soon pulling it out along with the bullet. This however caused even more bleeding, he wasn't sure how much more blood the fennec could lose, there was already at least a few pints watering the floor. With shaky hands he pulled a lighter from his coat, soon managing to cauterize the wound, mostly and re bandaging it with the fresher side. Then he looked to her arm, which was in bad condition. He moved the bandage up and constricted it, giving the fennec more time, he then began to observe and probe, the bullet had mostly missed bone but had hit a major artery and chipped bone. He slowly managed to get the chips of bone out but he couldn't do anything for the artery, better to let a professional do it. It was around this time that Kai woke, taking sharp intakes and slow exhales, she could barely breathe, think or move. She was on her lat bit of blood. She applied pressure to her arm, pressing the other side against her body. "T-Tyler." She whispered, shaking and barely able to form a word. Only his name.
-
Tyler slid closer, leaning down to her. At this point, the tears he fought to hold back came crashing down. "Yeah, hun? I'm right here.." He said, cradling her hand as his voice shook. If he had the choice, he'd have rather been torn to shreds and eaten alive than this.
****
Blaine took out a blank CD with scribbles on the front in black marker. Putting it into the stereo, the CD loaded and a grunge guitar riff began (Would? by Alice in Chains).
As the song began, rain started to heavily fall. The roads glistened with the newfound water, almost flooding. Fidgeting in his seat, Blaine grew uneasy. Something wasn't right.
-
Kai weakly gripped his hand, "I'll.. L-live Tyler." She said wincing and breathing hard, not enough blood, she was beginning to fade back out of consciousness but she gripped his hand and weakly wiped a few of the tears. As she fought unconsciousness the intruder was backing away towards the door he had came through, trying his best not to make noise but a creak in the floor betrayed him. He then turned to walk towards the door, giving up on silence. Then Kai's hand relaxed and her head slumped back to the floor, her eyes closing. If he were to check her pulse was still coming weakly but he didn't need to check that, her chest rising and falling with a sharp and constant breath.
Holly felt it too, willing the truck to go faster. Shortly they arrived, noticing the mess and scattered gear along with the ruined interior. But then, a stranger came running out of the house and straight past the truck. She kicked the door open "Blaine, I'll come back reaaal quick." She said while she hopped out into the rain and tore down the grounds after the stranger who looked back for a moment, freaking out. The fox had gotten up? But then he realized it was a different fox, moving towards him at frightening speeds. She then tackled him, forcing him to the muddy ground. She gripped his collar and pulled him to his feet and dragged him back through the mud to the truck, while the intruder kicked and struggled, she opened Blaine's door and helped him out.
-
"Damn it!" Tyler yelled, seeing the intruder flee. He took a moment to ensure Kai was okay and then pursued him out the door. Seeing Holly tackle him to the ground, he slowed his pace but his grip on the gun was increasing.
Blaine climbed out of the truck, cursing and yelling at the unknown man. "He shot her! You need to help her, I'll deal with him!" Tyler yelled, stopping by Holly. Blaine mustered his strength and hobbled over to his brother, staring down the intruder. "Go, we'll lock him up." The bear growled, barely noticing his own wounds.
-
The man cowered in the face of three angry furs, "I can't do anything else! It's not like a blood transplant is a good idea or even achievable! I told you I'm not a f*cking professional!" He shouted in response, fighting to be heard over the rain. Holly froze for a moment. "Shot. Her? Her as in my sister!? My f*cking sister?" She threw the man face first into the dirt and mud, planting her shoe on his head, grinding his face into the Earth. "I will bury you. Right. Here. But first." She let up and ran inside, after shouting to Tyler, "Get his *ss tied up." She dropped to her knees beside Kai and gently cupped her head, lightly shaking and managing to get Kai to groan and wake up once more. She stared up at Holly with almost blank eyes. "H-holly?" She murmured, Holly nodded, her eyes brimming with tears, but she didn't let a single one fall. "Your gonna be fine, Kai. You'll be fine." She said, Kai looked down at her arm, at the hole in it of ripped flesh. She tried to move it, barely managing to get her shoulder to twitch. She was already having a tough time to breath. Holly helped her to move it, Kai whimpered with pain, not being able to even scream. She then sighed after Holly let go, "That's bad." She said shakily. "Just bind it, I need to be able to think better to fix it." She said between heavy gasps and weak breaths. Holly nodded, removing the cinch above the shot and bandaging the wound with a tight strip of cloth.
-
Tyler grabbed the intruder by his coat's collar, dragging him through the rain and mud. He ignored his own shoulder's pleas for restraint, using his bad arm to lift the man.
Blaine followed, carrying his now dented baseball bat that still held clumps of Farrow's fur. "Tyler... let me handle it.." He said, being cut by a bark from the dog.
Kicking in the garage door, Tyler tossed the intruder down next to the corpse of the prisoner. Grabbing rope, he forcefully held the fox down and hogtied him, leaving a small amount of slack. "Why the hell are you in my home? Shooting my people? My girlfriend?!" He yelled, tossing the gun on the table in a fit of rage.
-
Holly continued to tend to a weak Kai. The stranger struggled to get as far away from Tyler as possible. "I-I came to find survivors... I thought..." He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before shaking his head and looking up at Tyler. "I expected her to kill me, the way she held the gun so tight..." He felt his guilt hit hard for a moment, "I thought she was alone... I thought I could put her out of her misery." He sighed and his voice shook as he looked up at Tyler. "J-just shoot me. Please."
-
"Unlike you...I don't kill the living." Tyler replied, slumping into a nearby chair. "Blaine, leave us for a bit. Could you?" He asked, looking up to his brother who nodded after a moment. The bear left, locking the door behind himself.
-
Holly looked up at Blaine from what would have seemed like a corpse if Kai's breathing hadn't been so heavy. Kai wearily tilted her head to the side to look at Blaine, her usually calculative and passive eyes blank and resembling only pain. Holly was on the brim of tears.
The stranger half sighed and half growled. "Just kill me. Please. I'm sure you want revenge,"
-
"Kai..." Blaine said, his tone faltering at the sight. He knelt down, gently grabbing her hand. "Shouldn't have left you two alone, huh?" He tried joking as tears began to run down his face. It was probably the only time she saw him cry, giving him some embarrassment.
****
"Shut up." Tyler replied, looking away from the prisoner. His usual lively eyes had faded, leaving a shell of the person that once inhabited the dog's body. "You think you get to escape this guilt?" He asked, slowly turning to face him.
-
Kai looked up at him, her eyes seeming clouded. She seemed stabler than before but still barely able to move. She gripped his hand weakly. In a shaky voice she spoke, "I'll be fine, Blaine. I'm sure the opportunity you and Holly used was worth it." She took a sharp ragged gasp and continued, "I just need some time, Blaine. I'll live. And don't you dare doubt it." She said, a little bit of life coming back to her eyes. Holly laughed, tears finally spilling slightly, "I won't doubt either."
The stranger almost laughed. "I sooooo wish." He wriggled even farther from Tyler. He was scared of what the dog would think up. he really liked having all his limbs intact. Having nothing broken was also preferable though.
-
"You think I'm going to kill you, don't you?" Tyler said, standing up to walk over to him. Kneeling down, he stared at him for what felt like hours. "Don't worry. You'll live with it." He whispered before standing up to sit back down in his chair.
****
Blaine smiled, patting her hand before setting it back down. Taking a moment to wipe the tears from his face, the bear collected himself before looking back down to Kai. "Yeah, the opportunity was well worth it. They won't be bothing us anytime soon." He said, before continuing. "You want me to go get Tyler?" He asked, looking to both Holly and Kai for a response.
-
Kai nodded somehow, before mustering her strength and pulling herself up and with the help of her sister to sit on the couch, better than laying on the floor. Holly sat beside her for a moment before getting up and slowly going up the stairs.
The stranger sighed, hanging his head. This fur was smart, knowing the worst possible punishment was to let him live. He could almost even feel pain from his guilt. He barely even knew why he had done it.
-
Blaine knocked and entered the garage, hobbling on his bad leg. He stopped by the shelves, taking a quick breather before unfolding himself a chair.
"She'll pull through. Barely." Blaine said, briefly glancing at the fox as he told his brother.
Tyler took a deep breath, countering it with a cigarette. "Good...we're not going to kill him." He said, pointing to the fox. Blaine stared in response, mulling it over.
"Okay. We'll leave him locked in here." Blaine replied, "Now go see her. I'll watch him." The bear then looked to the fox, tapping the stock of the shotgun he brought on the ground.
Tyler locked the garage door behind himself, slowly walking into the living room. Stopping at the doorway, he looked at the bloodstains across the floor. Shuddering at the memories, he turned back to the couch and sat down.
He quietly held her hand and sat there without a word, as if he was afraid of leaving that moment in time.
-
The stranger looked up at Blaine, just staring back at him.
Kai laughed a slight bit, barely managing it. "All I wanted to do was take a shower." She said in a joking tone as a warm smile played on her lips, she sighed and gripped his hand as well as she could and leaned her head on his shoulder.
-
Blaine stared back, intensifying his glare. "Y'know what they say about looking into the abyss? It looks the hell back so quit staring at me." He said, laying the shotgun in his lap before lighting his own cigarette.
"Like I said, bloody look suits you." Tyler replied, laughing along with her. He brushed her hair back with his free hand before kissing her forehead. "Please wake me up next time.." The dog whispered with guilt washing his tone.
-
The stranger nearly laughed, looking down at his tied up arms and legs.
Kai looked up at him, "Alright. But you gotta promise me that you'll understand this wasn't your fault. Okay?" She asked, putting her good hand on his.
-
"I promise.." Tyler said, brushing his now long and matted hair back. Another crack of thunder rumbled the house, the storm outside picking up as rain poured in through the busted windows.
"You wanna go upstairs and sleep or down here?" He asked before yawning. "I'll carry you if need be."
****
"We're gonna be here for a minute so you might as well get to your life story and all that jazz." Blaine sarcastically said, propping his feet on the other chair.
-
Kai yawned as well, "I don't really mind." She said, less shaky than before but still faint. She looked up at him. "But.. um... One request?"
The stranger laughed, "As if. I wish not to relive it. Or to recount it to somebody who is prepared to injure me."
-
"Listen, pal. You keep up with this poor pitiful me crap and I WILL injure you." Blaine growled, cradling open a can of bitter drink. "I'm just hear to watch you and I'm bored so let's hash it up. You owe me for shooting my brother's wife or whatever.." He trailed off as he took a swig from the can.
*****
"All you gotta do is ask, dude." Tyler replied as he knelt down to face her on the couch's level.
-
The stranger sighed, "Alright alright, born somewhere in Texas, grew up a little, parents divorced and I moved here, then joined the military for a couple years, came back and since then been trying to forget it all behind a nice cozy life up here. And that's finally gone to sh*t as well." He shrugged, "My life's story in 10 seconds about. There ya go."
Kai spoke quietly, "Mind if I sleep with you tonight? I'd feel safer."
-
Tyler picked Kai up, carrying her in a cradle position. "Why do you think I asked, dude? Of course." He said, bumping his nose against hers. He proceeded up the stairs, and stopped at a cleaner room. Opening the door, he set Kai down and stepped back.
"I'll be back, gotta go change into something...clean." Tyler said before disappearing off into the house.
"Well that sucked." Blaine flatly replied, burping a little at the end of his comment.
-
The stranger nodded, "Yup, as you can probably guess I'm a sh*t story teller, but what did you want? Once upon a time there lived a happy family?"
Kai nodded and sighed as he left, closing her eyes and trying to move her elbow. It wasn't moving but she guessed it was because of how tired and weak she was. As she thought she slowly drifted into a quiet sleep.
-
Tyler returned, changed into a pair of basketball shorts and a shirt. He climbed up on the bed, laying down next to Kai. "Good night, hun." He whispered as sleep began to take him away.
-
Holly quietly opened the door, peeking in before closing it once more. She then padded down the stairs and joined Blaine, the glint of her knife shining in her hand.
-
"Hey there, slugger." Blaine said with a slight slur as Holly came in the garage. He returned to the small model kit he found in the assorted junk around.
-
The stranger looked up at her, "Sibling?" Holly nodded, squinting at him for a moment.
-
Blaine fiddled around the wing of the small airplane, using a small tool to affix it. "So, what's the reason for you gracing me and my pal with your presence?" He asked, still squinting as he focused on the model.
-
The stranger shrugged, "Looking for survivors. To get supplies." Holly played with her knife, causing the stranger to wince for a moment, expecting her to stab him
-
"Nah, I meant Holly. But that's good to know." Blaine said, his back still turned to the stranger. He looked up at Holly and yawned before awaiting her reply.
-
Holly laughed, "Gracing you? If you must know, I'm bored. And your pal is on my black list." The stranger somehow managed to press himself even farther away from Holly and Blaine. Holly grinned devilishly, "I ain't gonna kill ya buddy."
-
"Bored, huh? I am, too. Trying to think of how we'll be able to leave him alone without him getting away," Blaine said, finishing the last bits of the model airplane. He was bored as well, the painkillers for his leg kicking in.
-
Holly laughed for a moment, a maniacal tinge to it. She walked up to the stranger who tried desperately to get away but she caught a grip of the rope and yanked him back, grabbing his wrist she began to cut through his index fingers. This caused a lot of screaming from the prisoner as she managed to cut them both completely off. "Suck it up, f*cker." She said before standing walking to the door. "I'd like to see him fire a gun now." She said before pushing open the door and closing it behind her. She then crashed on the couch, a single tear managing it's way down her cheek. She reached up and undid the bandages around the thin flesh of her shot ear. She felt around for a moment, feeling the puckered wound before dropping her hands to her sides holding the dry bandages, caked with blood.
-
Blaine quietly grabbed a set of bandages from an old emergency kit Tyler had found in the garage, using the other medical supplies to tend to the stranger's wounds. Once he finished, the bear set the rest of the emergency kit down nearby for the fox. It had some water and old rations for any kind of disaster scenario, except the one that happened.
Before leaving the room, Blaine turned to face the stranger. "You live with it." He calmly said, shutting and locking the door behind himself. Walking to the still trashed and now bloody living room, he stopped behind the couch.
"You okay, Holly?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
-
Holly's ears perked up, she calmly wiped the tear and stood, turning to face Blaine. "Yeah, I'm fine." She said, her voice almost hoarse. She looked at him with a face that would discourage further interrogation. For anybody sane, at least.
-
"You know it's hard for you three to lie to me." Blaine replied, looking down at her with a bit of empathy. He took a moment to brush his hair back before looking back to her.
-
She nearly laughed, "Fine fine. Just kinda shocked. My sister did almost die after all." She looked away and shifted her feet a little.
Kai stirred for a moment, waking up slowly. Through blurry vision she could make out Tyler's face. She silently tried to move her arm once more, it barely even twitched. She couldn't ignore that it probably wasn't able to be chalked up to her being tired. She decided to wait 'till tomorrow and put her other arm around Tyler, then fell back into a fitful sleep.
-
"I know. But she'll live so you can too." Blaine replied, stepping around the couch to sit beside her. "And by that I mean you don't have to relieve your pain by cutting up a stranger." He said, turning to face her.
-
She laughed, "I would have done it anyways." before sitting back down next to him and leaning her head back onto the couch's back. She sighed/groaned and rubbed her eyes. "How's your leg, Blaine?"
-
"Comfortably numb. Still hard to move it though, but I'm getting around." Blaine answered, patting his hand softly against the fresher bandage. His leg was fully numb, the pats not even registering. "It could've been worse though. Those shots in the hall nearly clipped my face." He added.
-
She worried for a moment, but no. He had kept feeling for a while, there was no severed nerves. She nodded, "Just glad no other life-threatening wounds took place."
-
"Yeah, what would you do without me?" He laughed, stretching his arms out before touching the graze on his cheek. "But like I said...it's healing." Blaine added, looking at Holly's ear.
-
She noticed this and turned slightly, hiding the scabbed tissue from his view. "So is mine, I'm fine."
-
Blaine sat his hand on her shoulder for a moment, quietly staring at her for what felt to him like years. The rain continued, pattering against the windows that were still intact as thunder rumbled overhead.
Tyler woke up for a moment, shaking off another set of night terrors. He lit a cigarette and sat in bed, resting a hand on Kai' s arm that had been draped upon him as he had slept.
-
She stared back for a moment before looking away. Why did he care so very much about some small bullet wound? Maybe because he was charged with protecting everybody else. But then why didn't he act like this before. When Kai was shot. Or when Tyler was.
Kai's quit breathing and a faint hiss of static were the only other sounds, the hiss coming from her long forgotten bag tossed to the floor.
-
Tyler looked down to Kai before quietly hopping out of bed, quietly walking over to the source of the static. "What the hell?" He whispered, opening her bag and looking inside.
Blaine retracted his hand, looking away before getting up. He silently stood there before walking around the couch and up the stairs slowly. Rubbing his temples, the bear stopped at the top of the stairs and lit a cigarette.
-
Kai's bag was full of bits and pieces, one in particular looked like it was meant to be a speaker of some sort. It had been flicked on at some point, possibly one of the intruders having messed around with it. Somewhere at the bottom was a small pocket of more normal things, pencils, pens, erasers and a few small boxes. The speaker was quite easy to turn off, a large switch with some tape labelled 'On/Off' in neat handwriting.
Holly sighed and ran a hand through her short hair. Pondering so, so many things.
-
Tyler shut the speaker off, yawning as he closed the bag. Standing up, the dog walked back to the bed and finished his cigarette before cuddling back up to sleep.
Blaine found his respective room, dumping his belongings at the side of the door when they had found the home. He opened the door and walked to the bed, flopping down loudly. He sighed, staring at the ceilings' popcorn texture until fatigue lulled him to sleep.
-
Holly still sat on the couch, wide awake and staring out the windows. Kai stirred once more, this time staying awake. She silently and gently separated herself from Tyler and stood. Stretching her good arm and legs she rubbed her bad one, which was hanging limp beside her bandaged hip. She walked to the door, pushing it open she closed it gently and stalked downstairs, joining her sister on the couch. Holly put a gentle arm around Kai, who in turn put one lower around Holly. They sat like this for quite a while, the occasional question and answer between them The stranger had long since fallen asleep, barely having touched what Blaine had left him.
-
Tyler and Blaine both slept quietly for the most part, the former still occasionally whining from night terrors. As the night progressed, the storms grew to a crescendo and died with a whimper.
-
By the morning Holly was passed out with an empty, unmarked bottle on the table, sitting beside her was Kai who had a passive hand resting upon the M16. Her other arm rested around Holly gently, sometime while they were asleep she had changed her bandages and managed to get her arm to move again. She sat with a once again calm and passive look, occasionally clouded with pain as she occasionally shifted. Her hip was still horrifyingly painful and her arm pained her when she moved it. When she could at least.
-
Tyler and Blaine had already woken up, having taken turns using the shower while it still worked. They exchanged their bandages out for cleaner ones and changed into their last set of fresh clothes.
Sitting at the kitchen table, the two silently shared a pot of coffee and a cigarette. A normal morning ritual, even in the apocalypse. Tyler still looked worn out, not getting much sleep during the night.
Blaine sat across from him, rubbing his temples in hopes to cure his morning headache. "I'm never drinking...again." He grumbled, laying his face on the table top.
"That's what you said last time." Tyler replied, taking a drink of his coffee as he stared out the kitchens' bay window. Adjusting his beanie, the dog took a drag off his cigarette before loudly groaning.
"Ugh...not so loud.." Blaine whimpered quietly.
-
Kai watched them throughout the exchange before standing and laying Holly down. She then walked to the kitchen table taking a bar stool and sittong, perched on the edge. "Morning Tyler, Blaine." She spoke, quieter than her already barely audible voice. She took a deep breath before resting her cheek in the cupped palm of her good arm, her elbow braced on the table. Her other hung limply at her side. Holly continued to snore quietly.
-
Blaine waved his hand in response, only looking up to drink from the steaming mug in front of him.
"Morning, Kai." Tyler said, goofily smiling at her before taking a sip from his own mug. "You sleep good? Well that's a stupid.." He asked before he was cut off.
"Question? Yeah, real stupid." Blaine snickered, still face down on the table.
-
Kai smiled wearily, yet still soft and genuine. "I slept alright, what about you two?" She asked, before taking another deep breath and straightening up slightly.
Holly stirred and rolled, falling off the couch with a loud crash. A few curses between yawns later Holly was up and sitting beside her sister, the two looking almost identical other than the small hole in Holly's ear and their hairstyles.
-
"Tossed and turned all night." Tyler dully said, still looking at Kai as he spoke.
"I slept like a damn baby." Blaine said, looking up at Tyler with a smug smile. Tyler smiled back just as smugly.
"Guess that means you can help me CLEAN UP!" Tyler barked, causing Blaine to recoil and clench his head. Tyler snickered, turning back to the two.
"Ear's healing nicely," He commented, pointing to Hollys' wound.
-
Holly had burst out laughing until he mentioned her ear. She then calmed down and nodded, "Looks like it's only an ugly-*ss piercing now" she said with a snicker. Kai watched this all, occasionally finding herself staring at Tyler
-
Tyler laughed at Holly's reply, taking Kai's limp hand as he did. They sat in silence, Blaine whimpering from his hangover breaking the quiet.
"So...what are we gonna do? I mean, like, staying here?" Tyler said, taking a final drink of his coffee.
-
Holly thought for a moment taking a sideways glance at Kai who looked back at Holly. They both half shrugged. Kai's hand curled around Tyler's, holding his weakly. It appeared it did still work. Kai sighed, shifting to move her other hand from her cheek to over her mouth. She thought as well for a moment. "I think we should stay here. We've cleared it out already." Holly shook her head. "I think we should go topple the slavers up north." Kai sighed, "Holly, we're not going to live very long if we be vigilantes."
"I'm not trying to be a vigilante, I'm just pissed!" Holly snapped back.
"Please, think this through. We might not be as lucky as we have been so far, Holly." Kai said, as calm as ever.
Holly growled, "And we might be luckier, these f*ckers have to die. Furs like this will kill us eventually."
Kai shook her head, "Then we'll have to be ready, going for them now isn't very smart, Holly. Me and Blaine can't even help as much yet."
"Well what else are we supposed to do!?" She half shouted, angrily.
"Wait and prepare." Kai replied, her voice firm and slightly raised.
"What do we do when they overwhelm us!? We'll have the edge if we attack first!" Holly snapped back.
"Then we'll have to prepare more then." Kai snapped back, almost close to a shout and her hand dropped from Tyler's.
"Prepare what?! It's not like we ca-"
SMACK!
Holly was cut off by Kai slapping her across her face. "I need you to think rationally about this, Holly." Her voice once more quite but still firm.
Holly looked taken-back, looking away for a moment before sighing.
-
Blaine and Tyler sat quietly during the exchange, the bear sighing and lighting another cigarette.
"She's right. We need to be rational." Blaine groaned, "But those slavers will come back." He pulled himself up from the chair, bracing against the table as he stood.
"We should stay, but at another place. Too much blood here." Tyler said, looking down at his empty mug. "A little farther up north is best. Easier to grow things, most likely cabins." He continued, looking back up at them.
"And we can still watch for those slavers. They'll come into town at some point to check in." Blaine said, crossing his arms as he regained some strength to stand.
-
Kai nodded slowly, a compromise. Holly turned to look at the two and nodded as well. It appeared they both agreed.
-
"Well then. I got to go look through what weapons we brought back." Blaine said before finding his rifle, that had became his makeshift cane, and going outside.
Tyler stayed behind at the table, pouring himself another cup of coffee. He quietly took a drink, smiling at Kai as he glanced over at her. Returning to his view of the yard, he finally spoke. "What do you want me to do with the fox, Kai?"
-
"Make sure my sis here hasn't mutilated him too badly. Either than that... See if he wants to help." Kai said in a soft voice.
Holly shifted in her seat.
-
Tyler took in her response for a moment, confused by the last part. He shook it off mentally and nodded, standing up from the table. "Okay, well, I'm off to do that. Have fun...doing this, babe." He said, gesturing to them sitting before giving Kai a quick kiss. Walking off, he disappeared down a hallway.
Blaine stood outside, the back of the Blazer open and guns sprawled out over the tailgate. He took inventory mentally, thumbing over the various ammunition they had found from the dead guards.
-
Kai waved before turning back to Holly and continuing to talk with her.
-
Stepping into the garage, Tyler quietly shut the door behind himself. Sitting down on the folding steel chair, he took out his knife and began cleaning the dirt from under his nails. "So my....wife, as you say, wanted me to ask you something." He said, still staring at his hands.
-
The stranger looked up, still drowsy. "What. If I'm ready to have my neck slit?" He asked in a bile and defeated tone.
-
"Actually, the opposite. She wants you to help." Tyler replied, standing up from the chair. He walked over to the prisoner and cut the rope restraints from his hands and feet. The dog stuffed the knife back into its standard and walked back to his chair.
"So, that's your option. Do as she says and help or stay locked up in here. Even when we leave." He said, glaring at the arctic fox.
Blaine finished compiling the "spoils of war" as he liked to call them. Holly's M-16 carbine, another AR styled rifle that had been modified recently, a few modified shotguns and an assortment of handguns. Ammo was plentiful, at least in boxes from the city.
-
The stranger looked up at him like he was crazy. "Fine, fine. I'll do what your 'Princess' commands, why don't I just bow to you as well sire?" He said in a spiteful tone.
-
Tyler punched the fox in the jaw, laying into the blow. He shook his hand, wincing for a moment. "Call her that again and I'll make sure the next one knocks teeth out." He growled, towering over the prisoner.
-
Silenced by the punch he stranger had closed his mouth tight for it in anticipation. He also winced before raising an eyebrow but nodding. He pushed himself to his feet, just as Kai stepped in, Holly somewhere still in the kitchen.
-
"Good choice..." Tyler lowly said, still glaring before he huffed and turned to Kai. "Hey." He greeted her, rubbing his knuckles from the punch.
-
"Hi," Kai replied before turning to the stranger. "So I'm guessing he complied?" The stranger raised an eyebrow, "Complied?"
-
"Yeah, complied. Y'know, the two options." Tyler answered, sitting down in the steel folding chair. He kept his knife close in hand, watching the arctic fox.
-
The stranger snorted, "Less of comply. That's just a choice." Kai shook her head, "Not a choice. That was a "Yes or No" question. No meaning we would drop all further interaction. Including untying you."
The stranger shivered slightly. The constant calm and collected demeanor was almost frightening. He at least expected some kind of sharp anger towards him. But nothing.
Kai sighed, "So, what did my sister do to you?" She asked.
The stranger replied by lifting his hands, showing the missing index fingers.
Kai shook her head, "Tsk."
-
Tyler sat quietly by, calmly staring at the prisoner as they talked. He lit a cigarette and returned to the task of nail cleaning, still keeping an ear out.
Blaine hobbled inside the house, tossing a black duffel bag down as he shut the door behind himself. Taking a moment to test his leg, he walked back into the kitchen to find a drink.
-
Holly had beaten Blaine to the fridge, and was sitting there with one in hand when he entered the kitchen. She waved before taking a long sip.
Kai went off mumbling to herself as she paced, somewhere between frustration and calculation. Her brows furrowed slightly as she paced and mumbled.
-
"Everything okay?" Tyler asked, still focusing on his nails and keeping the blade in control.
Blaine waved back, wincing as he knelt down to get a drink. Standing back up with a groan, the bear snapped the top off and chugged half of the drink which left him gasping for air.
-
Kai nodded as she paced before stopping. "Well he's almost useless without his index fingers..."
"Ouch" Said the stranger.
"Oh deal with it." Retorted Kai, she turned to face Tyler, looking even more tired, the circles under her eyes deep. She looked worse than previously noticed, she blinked hard before sighing. "We could still use him though..." She trailed off, losing herself in thought once more.
Holly watched, "Don't drown yourself there, bud." She said before taking a sip of her own.
-
Tyler nodded, putting the knife away. He stood up and walked over to Kai, cupping his pal on his face. "What do you want to do? Just give me the word." He said softly, sighing at her condition.
Blaine mumbled in response, hobbling over to an empty chair. He groaned, placing a weary hand over the bandages on his leg. "This was so not worth the payoff.." He sighed.
-
Holly snorted, "Your telling me? But it may or may not have been worth the payoff. We might bee in worse danger if they were still not afraid of us." She took a long sip and shrugged. "Who knows."
Kai put a hand on his and pulled it down to her other, shot arm. "All I need you to do is cut him out of his ropes and I'll take care of the rest. Okay?" She asked,
The stranger laughed, "You lovebirds done yet?" He asked, fully ready for another good punch.
Kai didn't even bother gracing the stranger with a reply or a response.
-
"You get one. Another one and I'll drown you in the river for fun." Tyler said, snapping his head to face the prisoner. Slowly turning back to face Kai, he nodded in understanding.
Stepping over to the prisoner, the dog pulled the knife back out from its' scabbard and roughly cut the ropes off. He stood back up and backed away, still keeping himself somewhat between the two.
"That's why I said we should have left." Blaine replied, taking a drink as well. "Once those slavers show up for their next shipment and find a town of undead, they'll be so pissed they'll be fit to tie." He added.
-
Holly nodded before slumping over on the table and sighing. "I got no idea man. None at all." She said.
Kai nodded, before speaking, "Are you skilled in anything, that doesn't require index fingers, that is."
The stranger laughed, "I can probably still pull a trigger." He shrugged, "I can wire things up and am alright at field assessments and medical support."
Kai nodded again and put her hand on her hip. "Y'know we could probably make use of the wiring..."
-
"You seem...too squeamish to do medical work." Tyler said to the fox before turning back to Kai. "True because I don't know a damn thing about wiring unless it's hooked up to an explosive." He continued, returning his glare to the prisoner.
-
"I'm not a friggin' surgeon!" The stranger retorted.
Kai shrugged, "I'm decent enough in wiring. I studied robotic engineering after all." She looked to the stranger down her nose, the stranger squirmed. She was gazing quite intensely down at him. "You might be next to useless after all."
-
"To have survived this long, you'd have to something other than how to clean scrapes and shoot a gun." Tyler said, givjng the stranger an almost inquisitive look as he stood by the glaring fennec.
-
He laughs, "Of course, of course. But not much other than hand to hand combat. It isn't very hard when most of your opponents can't coordinate well. And, military training. Somewhere in there we get taught a few things."
Kai nodded and rolled her head on her shoulders, causing a few subtle pops.
-
"Military training, huh?" Tyler asked, sarcastically cocking his head sideways as he asked. "Is that where you learned to piss and moan like that the other night?" He continued, stifling a laugh of his own.
-
Kai was having trouble keeping a grin off her face while the stranger huffed.
-
"Relax, man." Tyler said as he kneeled down, patting the prisoners' boot. "I'm just busting your chops. After all, you shot my girlfriend. Which was, again, not cool." He continued, staring at the fox for a moment before breaking the glare into a collected smile. "So, any other skills before we decide whether you leave the island or not?" The dog asked, sarcasm seeping through.
-
Kai laughed at this one. The stranger sighed, "I know how to make a fire." He said in a light tone. "But seriously, other than that I ain't got much to share. Firearm repair and maintenance might come in handy if you have some sort of standard issue for military. Carbines would be the easiest for me." He shrugged, "Which isn't very special of military backgrounds and I can cook which is, again, pretty useless if you've all made it this far."
-
"Not really. I can't cook worth a damn and I haven't asked her." Tyler replied, gesturing to Kai before turning to face her. "Do you cook?" He asked sarcastically before looking back to the prisoner. "But honestly, that gun skill may save your ass here, bud." Tyler finished, standing back up.
-
Kai laughs, "Sorta, Holly and I flip back and forth when we live alone." She nodded in agreement with his last statement. They did have an M16 now, could be useful.
The stranger sighed and stayed where he was. Kai rolled her shoulders back and put her hands behind her head, lacing her fingers together.
-
"Well, let's let him rest before we let 'em out." Tyler said, walking past Kai as he headed to the door.
-
Kai turned and followed after Tyler and closed the door behind her. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, trying to straighten it out. Holly laughed, "That's why I keep mine short." Kai rolled her eyes at this, "No, you keep it short because I make you cut it when you have no commitment to your hair." Holly shrugged, "Guilty as charged." Kai laughed a little. "Well I'm gonna go see whether the shower is broken or not." She said, walking up the stairs slowly.
-
Tyler sat down at the table with the others, sighing. "So here's the deal and I know you two are gonna hate it....but she wants the guy to stay." He said, lighting a cigarette at the end as he awaited the obvious argument from the others.
-
Holly, who had been in the process of drinking whatever it was she had, choked on it and put it down, trying to spray it over the counter. Swallowing she looked at Tyler, "For real?" Somewhere upstairs came the sound of water beginning to run, Kai had managed to get it working but it was cold water only. She didn't mind.
-
"Yeah. She made it clear so I have to respect it." Tyler replied, intertwining his hands uncomfortably.
"Doesn't mean we have to like it...but she's got more right to decide than us." Blaine said quietly, taking another sip from his drink.
"He's apparently good at cleaning and maintaining rifles like we got from Farrow. Don't know how much I'd trust him with firepower but it may help." Tyler continued.
-
Holly shook her head and sighed. "It's not like he can really shoot anymore." She said
-
"Wouldn't put him past it. He still has the rest of fingers, can still shoot a pistol if he needs to." Blaine retorted, wincing again at the radiance of pain that shot through his thigh. He gripped it and groaned, the bandages causing his leg to be more sore than it had been.
"Still hurting?" Tyler asked, Blaine nodded in reply.
"We need medicine for that. At least antibiotics with all of us having bullet holes in us." The dog said in a matter-of-fact tone, "But you two are far beyond scouting health...so I'm going to go. Alone." He finished, taking a slow drag from his cigarette.
-
Holly raised an eyebrow, "Somehow, that is the worst idea I've heard today, and yesterday. And probably the day before that." She shrugged, "But seriously? Alone?"
-
"Obviously. You two are beat to hell and I'll be damned if Kai goes. I'm not losing her again." Tyler replied with a stern tone in voice, almost ready for an argument.
"I'll take the bolt-action and head out tonight on foot. We passed a veterinarians' office on the way up here so that'll be the spot." The dog continued, Blaine shrugging in almost agreement with the last part of the statement.
-
Holly shrugs as well, "Well, I'm sold but not so sure about my sister." She said with almost a grimace.
-
"She'll understand.." Tyler replied, knowing he was just lying to himself. He knew she'd rail against it, but he also knew they all needed the medicine before they came down with fevers.
"If anything, I'll make it up to her when I get back." Tyler continued, feeling the thud of another lie. Survival wasn't guaranteed when even the living wanted you dead, he thought. But again, reward over risk.
-
Holly looked worried but shook the look from her face and polished off the bottle she had. Minutes later soft footsteps made their way down the stairs. Kai ran a hand through her half dry hair, untangling it the best she could. In relatively clean clothes she looked happy to not be covered in dry blood.
-
Tyler smiled as she walked in before looking back to the others. "So I guess it's decided then." The dog said as helooked down at the cup of coffee Blaine had slid over to him before taking a long drink.
"You three should be fine while I'm gone." He said, deciding it was best to treat his decision like a bandaid. Better to tear it off quickly than drag the ordeal out.
-
Kai raised an eyebrow as she took a seat, facing them all. Holly slid her the last of her own bottle, which Kai downed before speaking. "What exactly have we decided?"
-
Tyler bit his knuckles for a moment, looking at Kai before he continued. "I'm going out for medicine...by myself." He said, internally bracing himself for what would come next.
"He made a good point. Without antibiotics, Holly and I are as good as dead." Blaine said, hoping to make the news go smoother.
-
Holly also internally braced herself, she was not expecting this to go pretty. Kai, however, only looked up at Tyler and shrugged, "I think you should take our new addition, but I'm alright either way." Holly just looked at Tyler and back at Kai, as if to ask if this was the same fur.
-
"You sure?" Tyler asked, equally shocked at her cavalier attitude towards the situation. "I guess he can come along. Just don't make me sleep on the couch if he does something stupid." He added, taking another drink from his mug.
-
Kai laughs, "If you're on the couch then I'm on the floor." She looked down to her bottle and glanced up at Tyler, her eyes calculating and borderline menacing. "Of course, You will be coming back." She said. It wasn't a question. It was a statement.
Holly winced at this one. "If you die out there, this insane chick will go and drag your body back. And then burn it probably. Maybe with salt."
Kai laughed. "That would be unnecessary."
Holly looked to Tyler, "So, you got your excursion. Go get the new guy, show him the ropes of being a slave."
Kai shot Holly a look. To which Holly responded with an uncomfortable smile.
-
"Promise." Tyler replied, setting the empty mug down on the table before leaning down to kiss Kai on the cheek. "I'll be back to see you before we go." He said before disappearing upstairs.
Tyler finished dressing, now looking like one of Farrow's survivalists. He had his plate carrier on over a black thermal, with olive drab cargos and hiking boots. Grabbing one of the ARs' they retrieved from town, the dog made his way downstairs and to the garage.
Tyler shut the door behind himself as he pulled his beanie on. Stopping in front of the fox, he crossed his arms and finally spoke. "You want to get some extended time with fresh air?" He asked in a calm and respectful tone which he hadn't ever used with the prisoner.
-
The arctic fox rose an eyebrow but stood, "Where to?" He asked, probably wondering if he was being brought to his execution. Patting in his jacket he retrieved the same knife he had before, testing out if he could hold it properly with his index finger missing. He fared well, just had to adjust his fingers.
-
"You're going to help me get medicine for my family." Tyler replied, "This is how you live with it." The dog tossed the fox some clean clothes, or cleaner than he had. "Get dressed. And I'd recommend keeping that knife in the open where I can see it. Come out when you're done." He ordered, shutting the door behind himself.
Stepping back into the kitchen, Tyler waved at his brother and Holly. "He's coming with." He said, looking down at Kai before slightly holding out his arms. "Can I get a hug for the road?" Tyler asked with the standard goofy smirk he had forever.
-
The stranger nodded, putting his knife down on a cluttered table and changing once Tyler had left.
Kai laughed and hugged him tight, her head barely reaching his chin.
The stranger picked his knife back up and stepped out of the room, looking at them all.
-
Tyler turned to see the fox, not loosening his embrace with Kai. "One second." He said, before turning back to the fennec still occupying his arms.
"Gonna miss you, little fox." Tyler said, giving her one last hug and kiss before grabbing his backpack and rifle. "Take care of them, okay?" He asked her, gesturing to Holly and Blaine.
"I resent that statement." Blaine said, taking another drink from his mug of coffee.
-
Holly nodded, "I also resent that statement." Kai just tilted her head slightly. "Come back in one piece, and not in a body bag."
The stranger laughed, "That's what my girl said before I went off to the military."
Kai turned to look at the stranger with a dark look, "You better make sure he comes back. If you do. And he doesn't..." Her eye twitched slightly. "I'll bury you, right there." She said, pointing out a window at a section of dirt. "And I'll make sure you're breathing when I do."
Holly looked over at Kai with a raised eyebrow, Kai just wiped the look from her face and looked over to Tyler with a smile, "Come back safe."
-
"Cross my heart," Tyler said as he returned her smile with one of his before waving for the fox to follow. As they left the kitchen, Tyler turned to face him as they walked. "That's my girl, no one like her." He said, laughing as the dog opened the front door.
Blaine groaned loudly, leaning his head back as he covered his face with his hands. "The boredom is gonna kill me before the undead do." He said, leaning forward and laying his head on the table as he hissed from the leg wound.
Tyler stepped outside and took a breath of fresh air. "Ah, nice day...well, relatively." He said as he noticed a few undead slumped against the gate. They seemed more malnourished than the ones in the city, but it had been almost two weeks or so since the outbreak began.
He stood by, turning to look at the fox. "Hey..I never caught your name by the way, you want to handle those two with your knife? Should be an easy job." Tyler asked, readjusting his rifle sling.
-
The stranger nodded, "Better than shooting them. We don't want more coming here." He looked to Tyler as he walked beside him. "M'name's Jonah."
"From what I can gather, your name is Tyler?" The fox pulled the coat he'd been wearing, open. He looked as if he was about to suffocate in it, but he rushed slightly, past Tyler to the gate and pulling them all by the hair through the gate partially so he could deliver killing blows easier.
Holly laughed and nodded, "I might die of alcohol deprivation."
Kai snorted, "You can't die from alcohol deprivation. That isn't even a thing."
Holly raised an eyebrow, "Yes it is."
Kai nodded slightly, "But not the kind you're thinking of."
-
"Nice and silent, good job." Tyler complimented, walking up to the gate and lifting the hinge up. "And yeah, that's correct." He said as he opened the gate with a rusty screech. Stepping through, Tyler held it open for Jonah.
Blaine laughed at Kai's retort. "It's best to sober up anyways. Rather not get chomped because I was distracted." He said, lighting a cigarette before he took another drink of his coffee.
-
Kai nodded, "I feel a couple pounds lighter now that I'm not covered in blood."
Holly spoke, "Somehow I doubt it."
"You caught me, only a couple grams lighter." Kai said in response.
Jonah nodded, "Wouldn't want to make a ruckus yet, not so close to the base."
-
"So we're heading pretty far. I packed us some things, food and essentials." Tyler said as they walked down the pathway to the main road. "I lied when I said it was a veterinarians' office. It may be a bit further, but I saw an emergency clinic in town." He confessed, tiredly adjusting his bag strap.
They reached the road and had to turn right to head into town. "So Jonah, you up for more of a challenge?" Tyler asked, looking to the fox with a serious face.
-
Jonah nodded, "We're going to have to be quick if you want to maintain that lie," said Jonah. Then he nodded, "Let's go, "
-
After an uneventful hour, the two were almost in town and near the clinic. "Looks clear. Let's rest for a moment." Tyler said, dropping his pack on the ground. They were distanced from the road, with enough visibility to it to tell if they were in danger.
Sitting down, the dog pulled the backpack to himself and unzipped it. Retrieving two bottles of water, he tossed one to Jonah. "Hopefully, we can find a working car and drive back." Tyler said, sitting crosslegged as he took his beanie off.
-
"That would be nice," Spoke Jonah, who caught the bottle and crouched across from Tyler, looking down at the road before cracking the bottle open and taking a sip. He rolled his neck and sighed, "What are you hoping to find down there?" He asked.
-
"Medicine. If we don't get it, we might as well shoot ourselves and save the undead the trouble." Tyler replied, taking a long drink after.
The clearing was quiet, apart from the local wildlife which almost seemed unaffected by the plague. But the sound of diesel engines broke the peace, three cargo trucks speeding past. The two were safe from being spotted, which benefited them as two more trucks with mounted weapons followed the convoy.
"Damn. Those must be the slavers." Tyler said, pulling his beanie on before readying his rifle. "At least they aren't looking for supplies. But they are looking for people." He added, nervously scratching his cheek.
-
"Let's just hope they'll pass and we can be on our way to get back and warn the others before they decide to check out the houses." said Jonah before looking out towards the convoy, keeping from being seen.
-
(Sorry if I'm typing a lot of stuff. Just having bursts of actual motivation for once.)
After another few quickly passed blocks later, they arrived at the clinic. A few seemingly untouched vehicles were parked outside, likely having belonged to the former staff here.
Tyler didn't stop until he reached the building's doors, taking his knife out before turning to Jonah. "Do what you do. You've been alive this long." He said before opening one of the blood-stained glass doors. A light wave of cold air came out from inside, bringing a smell of rotting flesh.
Once inside, Tyler took the lead and entered the lobby first. The room was small, seeing as it was only a small emergency clinic. The desk, usually manner by a receptionist, was barren with blood sprayed up the wall. The dog grimaced at the sight, turning back to the task at hand.
"Take the side rooms, I'll check the back offices." Tyler whispered to Jonah as he quietly made his way down the hallway leading to where patients would usually be seen.
-
(Sorry for the ridiculously long wait, a few things popped up and depression decided that would be a nice time to flare up. Hopefully I'll be more active now.)
Jonah nodded, gripping his knife tight and keeping it close to him, ready to attack as he took quiet steps beside Tyler, branching off to the nearest side door and stopping in front of it.
Slowly, he pushed the door open with his free hand, taking a moment to do a quick glance of the room. There was a mess of blood and rot on the patient bed, but he couldn't see any other sign of infected.
Keeping his guard up, he crept to the bedside table, a card sat on top of the table. Blood mostly obscured the message, looking to the body, he covered his nose. The stomach had been mostly eaten out, a picture clutched to it's chest was a picture of presumably the patient and their beloved. He took a moment to search the room, coming up with some Amoxicillin, both the generic and Augmentin variants.
Stuffing these into his jacket he pushed the door open and moved to the next room.
-
((I completely understand, dude. It's good to have you back.))
Tyler slowly walked from room to room, almost all containing some sign of what had happened weeks ago. He held a rag to his face, hoping to block some of the horrid smell that lingered.
Finally reaching a locked door, the dog took his time to examine it before deciding to just cave it in. Kicking under the handle, the door swung wide open and Tyler stumbled through.
"Oh damn...oh...damn." Tyler slowly said as he stood back up to see what appeared to be leftovers of the pharmacy. Pain medications, antibiotics and even anti-inflammatories.
He dropped his pack and began to shovel the supplies inside, not even bothering to sort any of the mess out.
-
Jonah sorted through the next two rooms with no problem problem, coming up with some antibiotics and pain medication. He pushed the third door open slowly, but something heavy on the other side slammed into it, it shut with quite a bang.
He stepped back, holding his knife at the ready he took a heavy kick at the door, it swung open. Through the now unblocked doorway an infected lunged out at him, it's face half rotted away he could barely tell what it was anymore.
Kicking it back he lunged in turn, stabbing it under the rib-cage and again through the throat. He then pushed the dead body back and took a cautious step over the body. looking at what was in the room. It was an unpleasant mess of smell, rot and things thrown to the floor.
Searching among the mess, he found another body, one of a doctor or nurse, judging by the clothing. Crouching next to it, he patted the body down, he came up with nothing but a few pens.
Standing back up he left the room and resumed his search in the next room.
-
Tyler finished clearing the pharmacy, closing his pack and slinging it back over his shoulder.
The door to the hall slowly opened, followed by the dog cautiously making his way out. He quietly followed his way back out to the entrance, deciding to wait for Jonah outside.
Finding his way to the steps outside the front doors, Tyler found a spot under a half wall by the stairs. Covered from the road, he felt safe enough to light a cigarette and await his comrade.
-
He cleaned out the rest of the side rooms, coming up with some antibiotics, morphine and other lesser pain medications.
Creeping outside, he stuffed everything he'd come up with into his jacket, as he did not have a pack.
Looking around, he joined Tyler. "We good to go? Maybe we should look for cars, maybe with keys in them still. Some people might have left something in the panic."
-
"Yeah, sounds good." Tyler replied, tossing his cigarette before hopping up and off the patio. He stopped, waiting for Jonah to take the lead.
"You search, I'll cover your back. Liable to have some walkers come by soon." He said, checking his rifle for a moment before looking back up to the fox.
-
Jonah nodded before moving to the street and looking in through car windows and trying doors. The scarce cars left abandoned were mostly locked and he didn't exactly want to be around long enough to pat down bodies for keys.
Moving to yet another car, he yanked on the handle and the door popped open. Looking in, a key was left sitting in the ash tray, but it was out of gas. The moment of elation gone, he closed the door and moved on.
"At this rate, we'll have to break windows or draw gas." He commented as he tried another door. Quiet shuffling could be heard in the distance, possibly attracted to the bangs from the office or the passing convoy.