[Save Lizzy.]
(Whoa, very close voting in this one! Sorry about any errors in this, I wrote it on no sleep [pulled an allnighter] at 8 AM… more. So there's probably a lot of errors, lol.)
It takes some deliberation (which thankfully all transpires in the span of a brief second), but in the end you turn to Lizzy and fire your gun at the rioters that are grabbing her. You hit one of them in the head, and it falls; the other you hit in the shoulder, but Lizzy manages to take advantage of the lessened grip on her to grab her gun and spin around, shooting the biter in the face without hesitation. Then she whips back around, eyes searching for Dev, who you turn to look at too.
She's still struggling to keep Phenix away from her, his snapping jaws coming closer and closer with each lunge, and Jack is already rushing to try and help her - but you can see that he will likely be too late. Before you can try and rush over as well, Lizzy fires off a b… [view original content]
I kind of agreed with Lizzy during her little rant until she shot Jack because that was cold-blooded. [Use your last bullet on Lizzy, even though it's a difficult shot. You have to try and stop her from getting away.]
[Save Lizzy.]
(Whoa, very close voting in this one! Sorry about any errors in this, I wrote it on no sleep [pulled an allnighter] at 8 AM… more. So there's probably a lot of errors, lol.)
It takes some deliberation (which thankfully all transpires in the span of a brief second), but in the end you turn to Lizzy and fire your gun at the rioters that are grabbing her. You hit one of them in the head, and it falls; the other you hit in the shoulder, but Lizzy manages to take advantage of the lessened grip on her to grab her gun and spin around, shooting the biter in the face without hesitation. Then she whips back around, eyes searching for Dev, who you turn to look at too.
She's still struggling to keep Phenix away from her, his snapping jaws coming closer and closer with each lunge, and Jack is already rushing to try and help her - but you can see that he will likely be too late. Before you can try and rush over as well, Lizzy fires off a b… [view original content]
[Use your last bullet on Dev, point-blank range. A life for a life - Lizzy shot your best friend, so you'll shoot hers.]
Killing Lizzy is release her from that hellish world... but if you kill Dev you can get your revenge and she will suffer in the same way that you when she shots Jack!
Also, we can use something else to prevent jack's coming back...
Sardines, I want to ask a question - what number are my characters? I submitted Anna way after I submited Eddard (because he originally was totally another character) but I hope they will be introduced together.
[Save Lizzy.]
(Whoa, very close voting in this one! Sorry about any errors in this, I wrote it on no sleep [pulled an allnighter] at 8 AM… more. So there's probably a lot of errors, lol.)
It takes some deliberation (which thankfully all transpires in the span of a brief second), but in the end you turn to Lizzy and fire your gun at the rioters that are grabbing her. You hit one of them in the head, and it falls; the other you hit in the shoulder, but Lizzy manages to take advantage of the lessened grip on her to grab her gun and spin around, shooting the biter in the face without hesitation. Then she whips back around, eyes searching for Dev, who you turn to look at too.
She's still struggling to keep Phenix away from her, his snapping jaws coming closer and closer with each lunge, and Jack is already rushing to try and help her - but you can see that he will likely be too late. Before you can try and rush over as well, Lizzy fires off a b… [view original content]
What is Anna's full name? There is a 13 year old character named Anna submitted as number 93, but that seems too recent to be who you're talking about. There is an Anastasia as number 63, though. And Eddard is number 76.
Sardines, I want to ask a question - what number are my characters? I submitted Anna way after I submited Eddard (because he originally was totally another character) but I hope they will be introduced together.
(Sorry that this part is so short! The next part will be up much quicker as a result (so long as I get votes, that is.))
[Use your last bullet on Lizzy.]
You know what you have to do.
Steeling yourself, you look at Lizzy's retreating figure, raising your gun with shaking hands. Dev seems to notice from beside you, flinching and opening her mouth as if to protest - but before she can say anything, you've pulled the trigger.
Lizzy stumbles, not making a sound, but does not fall; you've hit her somewhere on the back. You can't see if she's bleeding because her clothes are already drenched with the dead blood from earlier - but after a second of pause, in which she moves a hand to her lower back, apparently realizing she's been shot there, she breaks into a run, fleeing into the trees. You aren't sure, but it looks like she's half-limping - you may not have hit her in the head, as it was a difficult shot to make, but judging by where she has grabbed, you've likely hit a kidney. Without medical attention, you doubt she's making it out. You've avenged Jack.
You turn back to face him, tears brimming in your eyes. "I did it, Jack," you murmur. "I shot her..." But Jack isn't moving, and his eyes stare up, half-lidded and unseeing, at the sky above you. You realize with a jolt that your friend is dead. And you don't have a bullet to stop him coming back.
There isn't anything you can use around here, either. None of you had taken any melee weapons with you - and you don't think you can crush your friend's skull with your foot or similar. You just... You can't do that. Taking a few steps back, you gulp at the realization that you've doomed Jack to come back as one of them - the one thing he asked you to prevent.
You can come back for him... Once you regroup with Alice and Thalia, you can go back and make sure he doesn't ever have to hurt anyone. You hope that will be enough.
"I'm sorry, Jack," you whisper, closing your eyes briefly.
A muffled, pitiful sounding noise from behind you makes you open them again. You turn, surprised - you'd almost forgotten Dev in your sadness. She is crying now, on her knees with her head in her hands, like she can't handle what's just happened. You wonder if she's mourning Lizzy or Jack or both. Killer or not, Lizzy was her friend... But she'd seemed upset when Jack had died, too. Whatever the reason, she's sobbing softly now - you can tell she's trying to be quiet, though it's not entirely working - and she's shaking so bad that you can actually see it from where you're stood some feet away. Maybe it's a panic attack, you don't know. You're not good with these kinds of things, but you had a cousin who had them once.
You ... aren't really sure how to feel, to be honest. She seems genuinely distraught - but it was her friend that just ... just killed Jack. And she had made no move to help you when he was shot. Maybe she's as much to blame as Lizzy is.
To be honest, you're numb. You've lost so much now that you can't really feel anything anymore.
But regardless of your feelings, you know that you have a choice here. Dev isn't moving, not yet anyway, and you need to decide - decide whether or not you're willing to let her stay, that is.
"Dev, get up. I'm sorry. We need to go."
"You need to decide where your loyalties lie, now." [Let her decide for herself]
(Sorry that this part is so short! The next part will be up much quicker as a result (so long as I get votes, that is.))
[Use your last b… moreullet on Lizzy.]
You know what you have to do.
Steeling yourself, you look at Lizzy's retreating figure, raising your gun with shaking hands. Dev seems to notice from beside you, flinching and opening her mouth as if to protest - but before she can say anything, you've pulled the trigger.
Lizzy stumbles, not making a sound, but does not fall; you've hit her somewhere on the back. You can't see if she's bleeding because her clothes are already drenched with the dead blood from earlier - but after a second of pause, in which she moves a hand to her lower back, apparently realizing she's been shot there, she breaks into a run, fleeing into the trees. You aren't sure, but it looks like she's half-limping - you may not have hit her in the head, as it was a difficult shot to make, but judging by where … [view original content]
(Sorry that this part is so short! The next part will be up much quicker as a result (so long as I get votes, that is.))
[Use your last b… moreullet on Lizzy.]
You know what you have to do.
Steeling yourself, you look at Lizzy's retreating figure, raising your gun with shaking hands. Dev seems to notice from beside you, flinching and opening her mouth as if to protest - but before she can say anything, you've pulled the trigger.
Lizzy stumbles, not making a sound, but does not fall; you've hit her somewhere on the back. You can't see if she's bleeding because her clothes are already drenched with the dead blood from earlier - but after a second of pause, in which she moves a hand to her lower back, apparently realizing she's been shot there, she breaks into a run, fleeing into the trees. You aren't sure, but it looks like she's half-limping - you may not have hit her in the head, as it was a difficult shot to make, but judging by where … [view original content]
[Save Lizzy.]
(Whoa, very close voting in this one! Sorry about any errors in this, I wrote it on no sleep [pulled an allnighter] at 8 AM… more. So there's probably a lot of errors, lol.)
It takes some deliberation (which thankfully all transpires in the span of a brief second), but in the end you turn to Lizzy and fire your gun at the rioters that are grabbing her. You hit one of them in the head, and it falls; the other you hit in the shoulder, but Lizzy manages to take advantage of the lessened grip on her to grab her gun and spin around, shooting the biter in the face without hesitation. Then she whips back around, eyes searching for Dev, who you turn to look at too.
She's still struggling to keep Phenix away from her, his snapping jaws coming closer and closer with each lunge, and Jack is already rushing to try and help her - but you can see that he will likely be too late. Before you can try and rush over as well, Lizzy fires off a b… [view original content]
(Sorry that this part is so short! The next part will be up much quicker as a result (so long as I get votes, that is.))
[Use your last b… moreullet on Lizzy.]
You know what you have to do.
Steeling yourself, you look at Lizzy's retreating figure, raising your gun with shaking hands. Dev seems to notice from beside you, flinching and opening her mouth as if to protest - but before she can say anything, you've pulled the trigger.
Lizzy stumbles, not making a sound, but does not fall; you've hit her somewhere on the back. You can't see if she's bleeding because her clothes are already drenched with the dead blood from earlier - but after a second of pause, in which she moves a hand to her lower back, apparently realizing she's been shot there, she breaks into a run, fleeing into the trees. You aren't sure, but it looks like she's half-limping - you may not have hit her in the head, as it was a difficult shot to make, but judging by where … [view original content]
What is Anna's full name? There is a 13 year old character named Anna submitted as number 93, but that seems too recent to be who you're talking about. There is an Anastasia as number 63, though. And Eddard is number 76.
(Sorry that this part is so short! The next part will be up much quicker as a result (so long as I get votes, that is.))
[Use your last b… moreullet on Lizzy.]
You know what you have to do.
Steeling yourself, you look at Lizzy's retreating figure, raising your gun with shaking hands. Dev seems to notice from beside you, flinching and opening her mouth as if to protest - but before she can say anything, you've pulled the trigger.
Lizzy stumbles, not making a sound, but does not fall; you've hit her somewhere on the back. You can't see if she's bleeding because her clothes are already drenched with the dead blood from earlier - but after a second of pause, in which she moves a hand to her lower back, apparently realizing she's been shot there, she breaks into a run, fleeing into the trees. You aren't sure, but it looks like she's half-limping - you may not have hit her in the head, as it was a difficult shot to make, but judging by where … [view original content]
(Sorry that this part is so short! The next part will be up much quicker as a result (so long as I get votes, that is.))
[Use your last b… moreullet on Lizzy.]
You know what you have to do.
Steeling yourself, you look at Lizzy's retreating figure, raising your gun with shaking hands. Dev seems to notice from beside you, flinching and opening her mouth as if to protest - but before she can say anything, you've pulled the trigger.
Lizzy stumbles, not making a sound, but does not fall; you've hit her somewhere on the back. You can't see if she's bleeding because her clothes are already drenched with the dead blood from earlier - but after a second of pause, in which she moves a hand to her lower back, apparently realizing she's been shot there, she breaks into a run, fleeing into the trees. You aren't sure, but it looks like she's half-limping - you may not have hit her in the head, as it was a difficult shot to make, but judging by where … [view original content]
(Sorry that this part is so short! The next part will be up much quicker as a result (so long as I get votes, that is.))
[Use your last b… moreullet on Lizzy.]
You know what you have to do.
Steeling yourself, you look at Lizzy's retreating figure, raising your gun with shaking hands. Dev seems to notice from beside you, flinching and opening her mouth as if to protest - but before she can say anything, you've pulled the trigger.
Lizzy stumbles, not making a sound, but does not fall; you've hit her somewhere on the back. You can't see if she's bleeding because her clothes are already drenched with the dead blood from earlier - but after a second of pause, in which she moves a hand to her lower back, apparently realizing she's been shot there, she breaks into a run, fleeing into the trees. You aren't sure, but it looks like she's half-limping - you may not have hit her in the head, as it was a difficult shot to make, but judging by where … [view original content]
(Sorry that this part is so short! The next part will be up much quicker as a result (so long as I get votes, that is.))
[Use your last b… moreullet on Lizzy.]
You know what you have to do.
Steeling yourself, you look at Lizzy's retreating figure, raising your gun with shaking hands. Dev seems to notice from beside you, flinching and opening her mouth as if to protest - but before she can say anything, you've pulled the trigger.
Lizzy stumbles, not making a sound, but does not fall; you've hit her somewhere on the back. You can't see if she's bleeding because her clothes are already drenched with the dead blood from earlier - but after a second of pause, in which she moves a hand to her lower back, apparently realizing she's been shot there, she breaks into a run, fleeing into the trees. You aren't sure, but it looks like she's half-limping - you may not have hit her in the head, as it was a difficult shot to make, but judging by where … [view original content]
(Sorry that this part is so short! The next part will be up much quicker as a result (so long as I get votes, that is.))
[Use your last b… moreullet on Lizzy.]
You know what you have to do.
Steeling yourself, you look at Lizzy's retreating figure, raising your gun with shaking hands. Dev seems to notice from beside you, flinching and opening her mouth as if to protest - but before she can say anything, you've pulled the trigger.
Lizzy stumbles, not making a sound, but does not fall; you've hit her somewhere on the back. You can't see if she's bleeding because her clothes are already drenched with the dead blood from earlier - but after a second of pause, in which she moves a hand to her lower back, apparently realizing she's been shot there, she breaks into a run, fleeing into the trees. You aren't sure, but it looks like she's half-limping - you may not have hit her in the head, as it was a difficult shot to make, but judging by where … [view original content]
(Sorry that this part is so short! The next part will be up much quicker as a result (so long as I get votes, that is.))
[Use your last b… moreullet on Lizzy.]
You know what you have to do.
Steeling yourself, you look at Lizzy's retreating figure, raising your gun with shaking hands. Dev seems to notice from beside you, flinching and opening her mouth as if to protest - but before she can say anything, you've pulled the trigger.
Lizzy stumbles, not making a sound, but does not fall; you've hit her somewhere on the back. You can't see if she's bleeding because her clothes are already drenched with the dead blood from earlier - but after a second of pause, in which she moves a hand to her lower back, apparently realizing she's been shot there, she breaks into a run, fleeing into the trees. You aren't sure, but it looks like she's half-limping - you may not have hit her in the head, as it was a difficult shot to make, but judging by where … [view original content]
(Sorry that this part is so short! The next part will be up much quicker as a result (so long as I get votes, that is.))
[Use your last b… moreullet on Lizzy.]
You know what you have to do.
Steeling yourself, you look at Lizzy's retreating figure, raising your gun with shaking hands. Dev seems to notice from beside you, flinching and opening her mouth as if to protest - but before she can say anything, you've pulled the trigger.
Lizzy stumbles, not making a sound, but does not fall; you've hit her somewhere on the back. You can't see if she's bleeding because her clothes are already drenched with the dead blood from earlier - but after a second of pause, in which she moves a hand to her lower back, apparently realizing she's been shot there, she breaks into a run, fleeing into the trees. You aren't sure, but it looks like she's half-limping - you may not have hit her in the head, as it was a difficult shot to make, but judging by where … [view original content]
(Sorry that this part is so short! The next part will be up much quicker as a result (so long as I get votes, that is.))
[Use your last b… moreullet on Lizzy.]
You know what you have to do.
Steeling yourself, you look at Lizzy's retreating figure, raising your gun with shaking hands. Dev seems to notice from beside you, flinching and opening her mouth as if to protest - but before she can say anything, you've pulled the trigger.
Lizzy stumbles, not making a sound, but does not fall; you've hit her somewhere on the back. You can't see if she's bleeding because her clothes are already drenched with the dead blood from earlier - but after a second of pause, in which she moves a hand to her lower back, apparently realizing she's been shot there, she breaks into a run, fleeing into the trees. You aren't sure, but it looks like she's half-limping - you may not have hit her in the head, as it was a difficult shot to make, but judging by where … [view original content]
(Sorry that this part is so short! The next part will be up much quicker as a result (so long as I get votes, that is.))
[Use your last b… moreullet on Lizzy.]
You know what you have to do.
Steeling yourself, you look at Lizzy's retreating figure, raising your gun with shaking hands. Dev seems to notice from beside you, flinching and opening her mouth as if to protest - but before she can say anything, you've pulled the trigger.
Lizzy stumbles, not making a sound, but does not fall; you've hit her somewhere on the back. You can't see if she's bleeding because her clothes are already drenched with the dead blood from earlier - but after a second of pause, in which she moves a hand to her lower back, apparently realizing she's been shot there, she breaks into a run, fleeing into the trees. You aren't sure, but it looks like she's half-limping - you may not have hit her in the head, as it was a difficult shot to make, but judging by where … [view original content]
You stare down at Dev for a long moment, silent, as you contemplate your options. Eventually, you sigh, taking a tentative step closer to her. An eerie calm has fallen over you. You are numb to the world.
"Devyn," you say, using her full name in an attempt to get her attention. After a short pause, she moves her hands from her face and looks up at you, still shaking like a leaf. She says nothing. You can see that her breath is still coming in gasps. Thunder rumbles above your heads again, but still no rain falls.
"You need to decide where your loyalties lie," you tell her. "Now." You can't linger here long - it's only a matter of time before Jack comes back, and you still have to warn Thalia and Alice about the herd. Thankfully, as shaken as Dev seems to be, she seems to steel herself before she stands and faces you completely. You can tell she's trying to look tough, though the fact that she's still hyperventilating slightly does kind of ruin that - and the fact that she's sort of absentmindedly hugging herself, probably to try and calm herself down. But the effort, at least, is impressive.
"You -- you shot her," is all she says, quietly, voice almost as shaky as she is. You are a little surprised by the firmness of her tone, though.
"She shot Jack," you reply flatly. "I had to." She doesn't argue with that, only looks down at her feet, and you think you see guilt in her expression. Probably because she wasn't able to stop Lizzy any more than you were.
"He's going to come back," she mumbles.
"Yes," you say. "He is. That's why ... we need to get out of here. Whether you go with me or try and find Lizzy is your call."
She pauses, looking back up at you. "O-Okay." Her arms move, and she's no longer hugging herself for comfort. "I'll ... I'll go with you," she murmurs, not meeting her eyes. You don't ask her why she's made this decision; you only nod, turning the direction you think you need to head. The two of you will need to travel fast in order to try and cut off the herd; you know it's dangerous - you're pretty sure it's the only reason Lizzy was attacked by biters in the first place, since you all had stopped moving like the dead - but you can't let anyone else die. Not if you can stop it.
"C'mon, then," you tell her. "We have to be fast." Without another word, you take off, running now, and she hurries to keep up with you. You don't know how long you run for, but it's in silence. Neither of you has much to say to the other, you suppose. Not after what happened. It's probably better that way anyway. You don't know what you could say.
Eventually, you emerge from the trees onto the road quite close to where Thalia and Alice were; you'd taken a diagonal path through the large woods so as to not have to spend as much time traveling down the road. Hopefully you've beaten the herd here, but it's hard to know for sure - you did spend quite a lot of time going the opposite direction at first, and then with what happened... No. You don't want to think about it. You can only hope that you haven't been too late.
You and Dev slow to a brisk walk up the road, climbing up a rather steep hill. As you walk, you glance to her, slightly apprehensive still after all that transpired. You wonder if she blames you for what happened. You think if you weren't feeling so numb about everything you might be blaming yourself. It's something you can't help but do often when things go wrong.
Before you can ponder on it longer, the two of you reach the top of the hill - and as you do, you look down. You can see the city in the distance, and its outskirts, where you had made your camp.
The herd is there. You are too late.
"No," Dev gasps from beside you. You take a step backward.
The mass of dead before you is noticeably smaller than before - you guess some of them did come after you into the woods after all. But there are still a lot... and as they move onwards toward the city, you cannot see Thalia and Alice anywhere in their midst. Not that you would be able to recognize them if they were... turned... or hell, even pick them out among the crowd from this far away. You put your head in your hands, the numbness fading fast, and let out a choked noise of mixed disbelief and horror. This can't be happening.
"Elias," Dev says to you, and you turn, lowering your hands. She looks sorrowful. Slowly, she tears her eyes away from yours and looks back out at the crowd of dead below you. Thalia and Alice could still be out there, hiding somewhere, or worse, in trouble - but they could also be dead.
Dev's next words come out in an anguished whisper. "What do we do?"
You look down at your hands, realizing with a jolt that you never put your gun away. But it's empty. And Dev... Dev doesn't have a gun at all. Maybe... If you used the dead blood trick again...
[We have to go down there and look for Alice and Thalia. They could still be alive.]
[We turn back. Find Jen and the others. There's no way Thalia and Alice survived.]
[Let her decide for herself.]
You stare down at Dev for a long moment, silent, as you contemplate your options. Eventually, you sigh, tak… moreing a tentative step closer to her. An eerie calm has fallen over you. You are numb to the world.
"Devyn," you say, using her full name in an attempt to get her attention. After a short pause, she moves her hands from her face and looks up at you, still shaking like a leaf. She says nothing. You can see that her breath is still coming in gasps. Thunder rumbles above your heads again, but still no rain falls.
"You need to decide where your loyalties lie," you tell her. "Now." You can't linger here long - it's only a matter of time before Jack comes back, and you still have to warn Thalia and Alice about the herd. Thankfully, as shaken as Dev seems to be, she seems to steel herself before she stands and faces you completely. You can tell she's trying to look tough, though the fact that she's still hyp… [view original content]
[Let her decide for herself.]
You stare down at Dev for a long moment, silent, as you contemplate your options. Eventually, you sigh, tak… moreing a tentative step closer to her. An eerie calm has fallen over you. You are numb to the world.
"Devyn," you say, using her full name in an attempt to get her attention. After a short pause, she moves her hands from her face and looks up at you, still shaking like a leaf. She says nothing. You can see that her breath is still coming in gasps. Thunder rumbles above your heads again, but still no rain falls.
"You need to decide where your loyalties lie," you tell her. "Now." You can't linger here long - it's only a matter of time before Jack comes back, and you still have to warn Thalia and Alice about the herd. Thankfully, as shaken as Dev seems to be, she seems to steel herself before she stands and faces you completely. You can tell she's trying to look tough, though the fact that she's still hyp… [view original content]
[Let her decide for herself.]
You stare down at Dev for a long moment, silent, as you contemplate your options. Eventually, you sigh, tak… moreing a tentative step closer to her. An eerie calm has fallen over you. You are numb to the world.
"Devyn," you say, using her full name in an attempt to get her attention. After a short pause, she moves her hands from her face and looks up at you, still shaking like a leaf. She says nothing. You can see that her breath is still coming in gasps. Thunder rumbles above your heads again, but still no rain falls.
"You need to decide where your loyalties lie," you tell her. "Now." You can't linger here long - it's only a matter of time before Jack comes back, and you still have to warn Thalia and Alice about the herd. Thankfully, as shaken as Dev seems to be, she seems to steel herself before she stands and faces you completely. You can tell she's trying to look tough, though the fact that she's still hyp… [view original content]
[Let her decide for herself.]
You stare down at Dev for a long moment, silent, as you contemplate your options. Eventually, you sigh, tak… moreing a tentative step closer to her. An eerie calm has fallen over you. You are numb to the world.
"Devyn," you say, using her full name in an attempt to get her attention. After a short pause, she moves her hands from her face and looks up at you, still shaking like a leaf. She says nothing. You can see that her breath is still coming in gasps. Thunder rumbles above your heads again, but still no rain falls.
"You need to decide where your loyalties lie," you tell her. "Now." You can't linger here long - it's only a matter of time before Jack comes back, and you still have to warn Thalia and Alice about the herd. Thankfully, as shaken as Dev seems to be, she seems to steel herself before she stands and faces you completely. You can tell she's trying to look tough, though the fact that she's still hyp… [view original content]
[Let her decide for herself.]
You stare down at Dev for a long moment, silent, as you contemplate your options. Eventually, you sigh, tak… moreing a tentative step closer to her. An eerie calm has fallen over you. You are numb to the world.
"Devyn," you say, using her full name in an attempt to get her attention. After a short pause, she moves her hands from her face and looks up at you, still shaking like a leaf. She says nothing. You can see that her breath is still coming in gasps. Thunder rumbles above your heads again, but still no rain falls.
"You need to decide where your loyalties lie," you tell her. "Now." You can't linger here long - it's only a matter of time before Jack comes back, and you still have to warn Thalia and Alice about the herd. Thankfully, as shaken as Dev seems to be, she seems to steel herself before she stands and faces you completely. You can tell she's trying to look tough, though the fact that she's still hyp… [view original content]
[Let her decide for herself.]
You stare down at Dev for a long moment, silent, as you contemplate your options. Eventually, you sigh, tak… moreing a tentative step closer to her. An eerie calm has fallen over you. You are numb to the world.
"Devyn," you say, using her full name in an attempt to get her attention. After a short pause, she moves her hands from her face and looks up at you, still shaking like a leaf. She says nothing. You can see that her breath is still coming in gasps. Thunder rumbles above your heads again, but still no rain falls.
"You need to decide where your loyalties lie," you tell her. "Now." You can't linger here long - it's only a matter of time before Jack comes back, and you still have to warn Thalia and Alice about the herd. Thankfully, as shaken as Dev seems to be, she seems to steel herself before she stands and faces you completely. You can tell she's trying to look tough, though the fact that she's still hyp… [view original content]
[Let her decide for herself.]
You stare down at Dev for a long moment, silent, as you contemplate your options. Eventually, you sigh, tak… moreing a tentative step closer to her. An eerie calm has fallen over you. You are numb to the world.
"Devyn," you say, using her full name in an attempt to get her attention. After a short pause, she moves her hands from her face and looks up at you, still shaking like a leaf. She says nothing. You can see that her breath is still coming in gasps. Thunder rumbles above your heads again, but still no rain falls.
"You need to decide where your loyalties lie," you tell her. "Now." You can't linger here long - it's only a matter of time before Jack comes back, and you still have to warn Thalia and Alice about the herd. Thankfully, as shaken as Dev seems to be, she seems to steel herself before she stands and faces you completely. You can tell she's trying to look tough, though the fact that she's still hyp… [view original content]
I have a feeling that if we pick the first one, Jen will die. And if we will pick the second one, Thalia and Alice will die. Sorry, but I care for my sister more. [We turn back. Find Jen and the others. There's no way Thalia and Alice survived.]
I have a feeling that if we pick the first one, Jen will die. And if we will pick the second one, Thalia and Alice will die. Sorry, but I care for my sister more. [We turn back. Find Jen and the others. There's no way Thalia and Alice survived.]
[Let her decide for herself.]
You stare down at Dev for a long moment, silent, as you contemplate your options. Eventually, you sigh, tak… moreing a tentative step closer to her. An eerie calm has fallen over you. You are numb to the world.
"Devyn," you say, using her full name in an attempt to get her attention. After a short pause, she moves her hands from her face and looks up at you, still shaking like a leaf. She says nothing. You can see that her breath is still coming in gasps. Thunder rumbles above your heads again, but still no rain falls.
"You need to decide where your loyalties lie," you tell her. "Now." You can't linger here long - it's only a matter of time before Jack comes back, and you still have to warn Thalia and Alice about the herd. Thankfully, as shaken as Dev seems to be, she seems to steel herself before she stands and faces you completely. You can tell she's trying to look tough, though the fact that she's still hyp… [view original content]
[Let her decide for herself.]
You stare down at Dev for a long moment, silent, as you contemplate your options. Eventually, you sigh, tak… moreing a tentative step closer to her. An eerie calm has fallen over you. You are numb to the world.
"Devyn," you say, using her full name in an attempt to get her attention. After a short pause, she moves her hands from her face and looks up at you, still shaking like a leaf. She says nothing. You can see that her breath is still coming in gasps. Thunder rumbles above your heads again, but still no rain falls.
"You need to decide where your loyalties lie," you tell her. "Now." You can't linger here long - it's only a matter of time before Jack comes back, and you still have to warn Thalia and Alice about the herd. Thankfully, as shaken as Dev seems to be, she seems to steel herself before she stands and faces you completely. You can tell she's trying to look tough, though the fact that she's still hyp… [view original content]
( I feel guilty because I haven't posted a new part yet, so even though I'm not at a part where there's votes in the writing, I decided to post what I had as a little 'tidbit', I guess! More coming soon! No votes this time, though.
There are probably a ton of errors in this, I honestly think I'm concussed right now and my writing/editing skills are completely shot. All I can offer you, however, are my apologies. As I really am in no state to edit this any more right now.)
**[We have to go down there.]**
"We can't abandon them," you tell her quietly, looking up from your gun to stare at Dev. "They could still be alive down there somewhere. We have to look for them."
She stares back for a moment, letting out an audible, shaky breath before nodding tentatively. "You're right. Okay." She shifts a little, looking uncertain. "But should we ... try and blend in again? Do you think the dead blood will still work?"
"I think so," you say, though in truth you aren't so sure. You aren't about to tell her that, though. "Just... We'll just act like one of them. And if things *do* go to shit, we can make a run for it." She nods again, saying nothing, before the two of you slowly start down the hill, approaching the herd. It's difficult to keep from moving quickly - you're worried about Alice and Thalia - but you know that if you run, it will all be over.
Eventually, you reach the mass of rioters. You unintentionally let out a barely audible sigh of relief when none of them turn to look at you; thankfully, they don't notice. The noise from the herd is terrifyingly loud as they moan and shuffle forward towards the city, and you feel yourself shaking slightly in response - it's quite possibly the scariest thing you've ever heard. They weren't moaning this loudly before, when you passed through at the farm - or maybe the thunder drowned them out, you don't know. Either way, it takes all of your willpower not to make a sound.
It's a few minutes later that you spot it - a small shed off to your right, in the midst of the herd. The shed is made of concrete, and you aren't sure what it's for - but you *are* sure that it's the only building around here. If Alice and Thalia were anywhere, it would be there. You look to Dev, and thankfully, after a moment or two, she happens to steal a glance at you; once you've caught her eye, you give the tiniest head tilt towards the building, trying to cast her attention towards it. She only gives a slight nod. Clearly she's seen it.
You slowly adjust your path through the swarm of biters to move toward it, still slow as the dead all around you. It isn't long, considering, before you reach it, and, without hesitating, you grab for the handle as soon as you're within reach, swinging the door open and moving inside. Dev follows behind you and shuts the door. You have no idea if any of the dead saw you - you hope not.
The click of a gun makes you turn your head - and then you're face to face with someone quite familiar. She lowers her gun, eyes widening, then moves to your side, enveloping you in a hug.
"Alice!" you gasp softly, hugging her back. Eventually, she releases you, backing up a few steps to look from you to Dev and back again. Thalia stands behind her.
"I can't even begin to tell you how glad I am to see you," Alice says softly, smiling. But you can tell that the smile is forced - you doubt that she's missed the fact that Jack and Lizzy are not with you. Nor are Jen and the rest.
"Where are the others?" Thalia asks you in a rasp, and you're surprised by how weak her voice sounds.
"Are you okay?" Dev replies quietly, looking concerned. Thalia waves her off.
"I'm fine," she says. "Just-- it's just been a long day. But where--?"
"Gone," is all you say, looking at the ground. You don't want to have to see Alice's face.
There's a long pause before anyone speaks, but when the silence is broken, it's Alice, her voice soft and anguished. "Lizzy? And... and Jack?"
"Jack's dead," you tell her, the hand not still clutching your gun clenching into a fist. You feel sick. "And Lizzy's--" You raise your head, glancing to Dev, who looks at you as you do. Her expression is enough to make you falter. "--Lizzy's gone too."
"No...," Alice murmurs, and as you finally turn to look at her, you see that she's moved one hand to her mouth in an expression of horror.
"I'm sorry, Alice," you mumble. Your voice breaks. You honestly don't know how much more of this you can take... Your uncle, your best friend - they're both gone. And your sister might well be gone, too. You wish for the numbness again. To feel *hurts.*
After a pause, Alice moves to your side again, placing a hand on your shoulder. "No," she says softly. "You don't... you don't have to be sorry. *I'm* sorry. God, Elias, I... Jack was your best friend, I can't begin to imagine..."
"It's fine," you say, meeting her eyes sadly. "Don't worry about me."
She doesn't reply, but the look she gives you tells you that she *is* worried - and that that's not likely to change.
Then, after a moment, Alice turns to Dev. "I'm sorry for your loss," she tells her quietly. "I know Lizzy was your friend." Dev just nods, looking away and moving her arms to her sides to hug herself yet again.
"How did you get in here?" Thalia asks suddenly, a tremor still audible in her voice - though it sounds a little firmer now. "I can still hear them... There's still hundreds of them out there."
"We used a trick Dev knew," you explain. "When you cover yourself in their blood, they ... ignore you." You're honestly surprised Alice hadn't seemed to notice - she'd hugged you, after all. But as you give her a quick once-over, you can see that there's no blood on her clothes; you guess the blood on yours has dried by now.
"Oh," is all Alice says, seeming to finally see the gore you're covered in. "That's... well, that's smart."
"It's how we can get you out," Dev says. "If we can cover you, too..."
But Thalia seems to have caught on to the same thing that you have. "That blood is dry," she points out softly. "You aren't spreading it to either of us."
Dev looks at you, eyes wide. "What? No, we--"
"We can kill one of the monsters outside," you say quickly. "One of you has a knife or something, right?"
"I have the one you left with me," Alice replies. Her tone is somber. "But Elias... We can't go out there. If we open that door - they'll see us. We won't be getting out of here. There's hundreds of them. They'll - they'll swarm the door."
You open your mouth to protest, but nothing comes out; closing it again, you look away. You hate the fact that she's right - and you *know* she is. But you *can't* leave them behind - you can't leave *Alice* behind.
"I can't lose you," you say to her finally, faiingl to hide the tremor in your voice as you do. You meet her eyes again. "You're all I have left, Alice. I ... I can't ..."
"Don't say that!" she interrupts you. Her expression looks almost angry for a moment, then it softens, and she steps forward, putting a hand on your cheek in what you think is a gesture of comfort. "Elias, don't say that," she repeats, softer and gentler this time. "Jen could still be alive. You can't give up hope." She slowly lowers her hand; the place it touched still feels warm.
"I can't give up on you either," you tell her firmly. "There has to be a way we can get you out of here."
"Maybe there is," Thalia speaks up. You turn to her, surprised; you guess you'd sort of forgotten about the others for a moment. You feel your face heating up a little, but quickly try and dismiss your embarrassment - there's no time for it anymore.
"Elias, Dev," Thalia continues, looking to each of you. "You both have extra layers on, don't you? Take those off and give them to Alice. Maybe together it'll be enough." You blink at her, eyes wide, before glancing down at the vest you're wearing, smeared with blood - while Dev is already pulling off her light jacket.
"What about you?" Dev says to Thalia. "You can take my coat - Alice can have Elias's--"
"No!" Thalia says. "There's no way to know if it'll be enough! Alice *has* to take both. You have to leave me behind!" Her voice is determined - clearly she doesn't plan to give you an option here. Still, you aren't about to give in that easily. You won't let anyone else die.
"Thalia, no," Alice cuts in, at the same time that you speak up - "We aren't doing that!" Thalia looks from Alice to you.
"I swore that I would protect you kids," she says, voice quieter now. "I failed. Jack and Rema are dead, and we have no idea what happened to the others." You're about to protest, but she continues before you can: "I'm not letting anyone else die. I *promised* myself I'd keep you safe."
But you only shake your head. "*No.* You're coming with us, Thalia." You try to keep your voice as firm as hers is.
Instead of the instantaneous reply of protest you are expecting, Thalia falls silent - and you see her face fall as she does, sadness taking over her features. After a moment, she turns away, as if she is unable to even look at you - and then she speaks, softer than you think you've ever heard her speak before.
"No, Elias, I'm not." Slowly, with deliberation, Thalia reaches up to the collar of her shirt. She yanks it away to expose her shoulder and neck.
An ugly wound is visible there, and it takes you only a moment to recognize it for what it is.
Thalia looks to you all, letting out a shuddering breath, and you hear both Dev and Alice gasp.
( I feel guilty because I haven't posted a new part yet, so even though I'm not at a part where there's votes in the writing, I decided to p… moreost what I had as a little 'tidbit', I guess! More coming soon! No votes this time, though.
There are probably a ton of errors in this, I honestly think I'm concussed right now and my writing/editing skills are completely shot. All I can offer you, however, are my apologies. As I really am in no state to edit this any more right now.)
**[We have to go down there.]**
"We can't abandon them," you tell her quietly, looking up from your gun to stare at Dev. "They could still be alive down there somewhere. We have to look for them."
She stares back for a moment, letting out an audible, shaky breath before nodding tentatively. "You're right. Okay." She shifts a little, looking uncertain. "But should we ... try and blend in again? Do you think the dead blood will still work?"
"I think s… [view original content]
The three of you stare at the wound on Thalia's shoulder in shocked silence, none of you daring to speak. You don't know what you could say. Thalia - the last adult, the person who tried so hard to keep all of you safe - she's bitten.
"You have to leave," Thalia murmurs, her franticness fading now that she's revealed to you just why she wants you to abandon her. Clearly she's counting on you heeding her words now that you know she's dead either way. "Just go. I'm going to turn, you know I am. You three need to get out of here."
"Thalia...," Alice murmurs, voice somber. But she trails off, clearly not knowing what else to say.
When you don't speak up, Thalia meets your eyes specifically, moving forward to put a hand on your shoulder. "Elias," she says. "Listen to me. Take them and leave. Please."
Looking into her eyes, which convey more sorrow and care for all of you than you think could ever be spoken aloud, you find that you can't deny her this any longer. She'll die either way. But this way, at least the three of you can get out.
"Okay," you finally say, voice soft and shaky. You can't believe that you're doing this. But if it's what she wants...
"Thank you," Thalia replies, just as softly. She gives you a smile, weak but warm. "I believe in you. You can get out of this, I know you can. And you can find Jen and the others."
You only nod, unable to speak to respond to her. You don't know what you would say anyway. Instead, she moves forward and opens her arms slightly, and without hesitation, you give her a hug.
"Now go," she murmurs as she pulls away, handing you the rifle off of her back. "And survive."
Alice moves up to hug her as well, and then, once you've transferred some of your bloodied clothes to Alice and transferred a melee weapon to both you and Dev, the three of you are leaving, saying soft words of farewell to the last adult in your group. It's just you three now. You will yourself not to look back at Thalia as you slowly open the door and file out into the herd.
Thankfully, none of them seem to be noticing you. Now it's just a matter of getting out. You start off in the direction of the farm; maybe you can find Jen and the others after all. Either way, you have to get out of the herd. Alice and Dev follow you, albeit slightly spread out so as not to call attention. The horrible moaning all around you makes you shiver, but you force yourself to keep walking, slowly. Another rumble of thunder overhead startles you, but you are thankfully composed enough not to let it show. And it seems the other two have done the same.
Your progression forward through the herd is gradual, on account of you moving so slowly, but eventually you can see the edge of the herd, closer to the city than it was when you first came through this way. You're almost there - just a little more and you'll be out. Safe.
And then you feel a raindrop hit the top of your head.
You bite back the urge to curse as rain starts to fall all around you; of all the horrible, cliche things to happen at a time like this, this is possibly the worst. But you don't know what will happen - maybe the 'scent' will wash off slow enough that you can get out of the herd. At any rate, running is probably the worst thing you can do right now, so you continue to move forward slowly, stealing a glance at Dev and Alice in turn as you do. Both of them are looking at you, but when they see you continue walking, they seem to do the same.
The rain gets heavier, and seeing none of the rioters turn to notice you, you think briefly that you're going to make it. But as soon as the thought has crossed your mind, a moan sounds very close behind you, and you spin around to see that a biter is mere inches away from you, jaws gaping and one hand outstretched. Frantically, you retrieve your cleaver and slash at the monster's head, watching as it falls dead at your feet. But you aren't in the clear yet - noises from all around you tell you that the others have noticed you, too.
Cursing, you whip back around to look at the others; they're both fighting off biters that have noticed them, too. But you can't get to them. Trusting that they can hold their own, you yell for them to hear - "Run!" As soon as you've spoken the word, you break into a sprint yourself, trying to shove through the mass of dead to get out of the herd.
But it proves a lot more difficult than you initially thought. There are so many of them, and even as you try to push through, they're noticing you; you barely manage to jump back before one can bite you, and then you have to move quickly to the side before another can grab you. There are too many, too close together - there's no opening anywhere in front of you. Cursing again, you look around, weapon raised in shaking hands as the dead converge upon you... there!
There's an opening to your right, and you take it, running as fast as your legs will carry you (which is still a little slow, considering you're still recovering from that gunshot wound) and doing your best to keep the biters off of you, swinging with your cleaver at any creep who comes too close. Miraculously, you're making it so far - but there's still a long way to go before you're in the clear. You hope to whatever deity might exist that you can get out of this - and that Alice and Dev can, too.
There are a lot of close calls, but thankfully, you eventually emerge from the mass of ghouls - but you don't stop running yet, you can't, they're still after you. You sprint towards a hill before you and frantically climb it, almost slipping because of how wet it is. Hopefully that will at least slow the dead down, as they're nowhere near as coordinated as you. You don't look back to see, though - just keep running, despite the aching in your legs. The only thing still carrying you forward at this point is the adrenaline. You adjust your direction so that you're running in what you think is the direction of the farm now.
Eventually, you reach a building, a small cottage of sorts at the edge of what seems to be the start of the large woods that lead to the farm. As you approach it, you finally turn to look behind you - and are surprised to see that there are no biters. They've either lost interest or you've outrun them for now. You aren't sure which.
But Alice and Dev are nowhere to be seen. Clearly you've outrun them, too. You feel cold terror wash over you at the realization - they could be dead. You've left them... And they could be dead. Alice could be dead.
Slowly, shaking, you retrieve the rifle Thalia gave you from where it'd been stored in your backpack. You stare at it for a few moments. You aren't good at shooting one of these - you'd never been put on watch if Thalia could help it as a result - but at least you have it.
But the others are still gone, and you are still alone. You have no idea what to do.
You were heading for the farm... and if Alice and Dev got out, maybe they'd go there. While you'd never spoken of a meeting place out loud, it's clearly the best option for one at this point - and maybe they'll realize that, too.
If they're out of the herd in the first place. While you're scared to death of going back there, part of you wonders if you might have to... If they're still stuck, trying to fight their way out. It's been such a long time, but... you have no way of knowing for sure. Maybe they need your help. Though you're not sure how much help you would be if you went back now; it might well just be a death sentence.
And if you went back now and they were already on their way to the farm, you might miss them entirely - they could get there and move on after waiting too long without any sign of you. You aren't sure which is worse.
Either way, you risk ending up alone. You lower the gun and move one hand up to rest on your head, sighing. You have no idea what you should do.
[You have to move on, to the farm. If Alice and Dev survived the herd, that's where they'll be. Going back is pointless - if they aren't out by now, they're probably dead.]
[You have to go back to the herd. There's no way of knowing if Alice and Dev are still alive or not, and maybe they're in trouble.]
Comments
[Use your last shot on Lizzie.]
I want to go Bigby Wolf on Lizzie SO bad right now.
I kind of agreed with Lizzy during her little rant until she shot Jack because that was cold-blooded. [Use your last bullet on Lizzy, even though it's a difficult shot. You have to try and stop her from getting away.]
[Use your last bullet on Dev, point-blank range. A life for a life - Lizzy shot your best friend, so you'll shoot hers.]
Killing Lizzy is release her from that hellish world... but if you kill Dev you can get your revenge and she will suffer in the same way that you when she shots Jack!
Also, we can use something else to prevent jack's coming back...
The real life Lizzy (who doesn't use her account here, I forgot she actually has one though) wanted you to know that she liked your comment, lol. :P
Sardines, I want to ask a question - what number are my characters? I submitted Anna way after I submited Eddard (because he originally was totally another character) but I hope they will be introduced together.
[Use your last bullet on Lizzy, even though it's a difficult shot. You have to try and stop her from getting away.]
[Use your last bullet on Jack. End his suffering and make sure he doesn't turn.]
What is Anna's full name? There is a 13 year old character named Anna submitted as number 93, but that seems too recent to be who you're talking about. There is an Anastasia as number 63, though. And Eddard is number 76.
(Sorry that this part is so short! The next part will be up much quicker as a result (so long as I get votes, that is.))
[Use your last bullet on Lizzy.]
You know what you have to do.
Steeling yourself, you look at Lizzy's retreating figure, raising your gun with shaking hands. Dev seems to notice from beside you, flinching and opening her mouth as if to protest - but before she can say anything, you've pulled the trigger.
Lizzy stumbles, not making a sound, but does not fall; you've hit her somewhere on the back. You can't see if she's bleeding because her clothes are already drenched with the dead blood from earlier - but after a second of pause, in which she moves a hand to her lower back, apparently realizing she's been shot there, she breaks into a run, fleeing into the trees. You aren't sure, but it looks like she's half-limping - you may not have hit her in the head, as it was a difficult shot to make, but judging by where she has grabbed, you've likely hit a kidney. Without medical attention, you doubt she's making it out. You've avenged Jack.
You turn back to face him, tears brimming in your eyes. "I did it, Jack," you murmur. "I shot her..." But Jack isn't moving, and his eyes stare up, half-lidded and unseeing, at the sky above you. You realize with a jolt that your friend is dead. And you don't have a bullet to stop him coming back.
There isn't anything you can use around here, either. None of you had taken any melee weapons with you - and you don't think you can crush your friend's skull with your foot or similar. You just... You can't do that. Taking a few steps back, you gulp at the realization that you've doomed Jack to come back as one of them - the one thing he asked you to prevent.
You can come back for him... Once you regroup with Alice and Thalia, you can go back and make sure he doesn't ever have to hurt anyone. You hope that will be enough.
"I'm sorry, Jack," you whisper, closing your eyes briefly.
A muffled, pitiful sounding noise from behind you makes you open them again. You turn, surprised - you'd almost forgotten Dev in your sadness. She is crying now, on her knees with her head in her hands, like she can't handle what's just happened. You wonder if she's mourning Lizzy or Jack or both. Killer or not, Lizzy was her friend... But she'd seemed upset when Jack had died, too. Whatever the reason, she's sobbing softly now - you can tell she's trying to be quiet, though it's not entirely working - and she's shaking so bad that you can actually see it from where you're stood some feet away. Maybe it's a panic attack, you don't know. You're not good with these kinds of things, but you had a cousin who had them once.
You ... aren't really sure how to feel, to be honest. She seems genuinely distraught - but it was her friend that just ... just killed Jack. And she had made no move to help you when he was shot. Maybe she's as much to blame as Lizzy is.
To be honest, you're numb. You've lost so much now that you can't really feel anything anymore.
But regardless of your feelings, you know that you have a choice here. Dev isn't moving, not yet anyway, and you need to decide - decide whether or not you're willing to let her stay, that is.
"Dev, get up. I'm sorry. We need to go."
"You need to decide where your loyalties lie, now." [Let her decide for herself]
[Walk away and leave her.]
"You need to decide where your loyalties lie, now." [Let her decide for herself]
[Walk away and leave her.]
omfg WTF Lizzy ??!! damn jack,
why do you have to die like this, damn I want to kill her!!!
I know I can't vote now, but I really wanted to say this xD
[Let her decide for herself]
Yeah, mine is Anna. Well, 93 is not that bad, I guess.
[Let her decide for herself]
I want Dev to come with us, but it's not fair to force her to.
"You need to decide where your loyalties lie, now." [Let her decide for herself]
[Let her decide for herself]
"You need to decide where your loyalties lie, now." [Let her decide for herself]
"You need to decided where your loyalties lie."
"Dev, get up. I'm sorry. We need to go."
Submitted a character.
"You need to decide where your loyalties lie, now." [Let her decide for herself]
"You need to decide where your loyalties lie, now." [Let her decide for herself]
[Let her decide for herself]
[Let her decide for herself.]
You stare down at Dev for a long moment, silent, as you contemplate your options. Eventually, you sigh, taking a tentative step closer to her. An eerie calm has fallen over you. You are numb to the world.
"Devyn," you say, using her full name in an attempt to get her attention. After a short pause, she moves her hands from her face and looks up at you, still shaking like a leaf. She says nothing. You can see that her breath is still coming in gasps. Thunder rumbles above your heads again, but still no rain falls.
"You need to decide where your loyalties lie," you tell her. "Now." You can't linger here long - it's only a matter of time before Jack comes back, and you still have to warn Thalia and Alice about the herd. Thankfully, as shaken as Dev seems to be, she seems to steel herself before she stands and faces you completely. You can tell she's trying to look tough, though the fact that she's still hyperventilating slightly does kind of ruin that - and the fact that she's sort of absentmindedly hugging herself, probably to try and calm herself down. But the effort, at least, is impressive.
"You -- you shot her," is all she says, quietly, voice almost as shaky as she is. You are a little surprised by the firmness of her tone, though.
"She shot Jack," you reply flatly. "I had to." She doesn't argue with that, only looks down at her feet, and you think you see guilt in her expression. Probably because she wasn't able to stop Lizzy any more than you were.
"He's going to come back," she mumbles.
"Yes," you say. "He is. That's why ... we need to get out of here. Whether you go with me or try and find Lizzy is your call."
She pauses, looking back up at you. "O-Okay." Her arms move, and she's no longer hugging herself for comfort. "I'll ... I'll go with you," she murmurs, not meeting her eyes. You don't ask her why she's made this decision; you only nod, turning the direction you think you need to head. The two of you will need to travel fast in order to try and cut off the herd; you know it's dangerous - you're pretty sure it's the only reason Lizzy was attacked by biters in the first place, since you all had stopped moving like the dead - but you can't let anyone else die. Not if you can stop it.
"C'mon, then," you tell her. "We have to be fast." Without another word, you take off, running now, and she hurries to keep up with you. You don't know how long you run for, but it's in silence. Neither of you has much to say to the other, you suppose. Not after what happened. It's probably better that way anyway. You don't know what you could say.
Eventually, you emerge from the trees onto the road quite close to where Thalia and Alice were; you'd taken a diagonal path through the large woods so as to not have to spend as much time traveling down the road. Hopefully you've beaten the herd here, but it's hard to know for sure - you did spend quite a lot of time going the opposite direction at first, and then with what happened... No. You don't want to think about it. You can only hope that you haven't been too late.
You and Dev slow to a brisk walk up the road, climbing up a rather steep hill. As you walk, you glance to her, slightly apprehensive still after all that transpired. You wonder if she blames you for what happened. You think if you weren't feeling so numb about everything you might be blaming yourself. It's something you can't help but do often when things go wrong.
Before you can ponder on it longer, the two of you reach the top of the hill - and as you do, you look down. You can see the city in the distance, and its outskirts, where you had made your camp.
The herd is there. You are too late.
"No," Dev gasps from beside you. You take a step backward.
The mass of dead before you is noticeably smaller than before - you guess some of them did come after you into the woods after all. But there are still a lot... and as they move onwards toward the city, you cannot see Thalia and Alice anywhere in their midst. Not that you would be able to recognize them if they were... turned... or hell, even pick them out among the crowd from this far away. You put your head in your hands, the numbness fading fast, and let out a choked noise of mixed disbelief and horror. This can't be happening.
"Elias," Dev says to you, and you turn, lowering your hands. She looks sorrowful. Slowly, she tears her eyes away from yours and looks back out at the crowd of dead below you. Thalia and Alice could still be out there, hiding somewhere, or worse, in trouble - but they could also be dead.
Dev's next words come out in an anguished whisper. "What do we do?"
You look down at your hands, realizing with a jolt that you never put your gun away. But it's empty. And Dev... Dev doesn't have a gun at all. Maybe... If you used the dead blood trick again...
[We have to go down there and look for Alice and Thalia. They could still be alive.]
[We turn back. Find Jen and the others. There's no way Thalia and Alice survived.]
[We turn back. Find Jen and the others. There's no way Thalia and Alice survived.]
ehhhhh InKennyWeTrust is right. [We turn back. Find Jen and the others. There's no way Thalia and Alice survived.]
[We have to go down there and look for Alice and Thalia. They could still be alive.]
[We have to go down there and look for Alice and Thalia. They could still be alive.]
[We turn back. Find Jen and the others. There's no way Thalia and Alice survived.]
[We turn back. Find Jen and the others. There's no way Thalia and Alice survived.]
[We have to go down there and look for Alice and Thalia. They could still be alive.]
[We have to go down there and look for Alice and Thalia. They could still be alive.]
I have a feeling that if we pick the first one, Jen will die. And if we will pick the second one, Thalia and Alice will die. Sorry, but I care for my sister more. [We turn back. Find Jen and the others. There's no way Thalia and Alice survived.]
I had to change my vote because of that. I don't want to lose myself xC
[We have to go down there and look for Alice and Thalia. They could still be alive.]
Ehhhhhhhhhh I can't help it [We have to go down there and look for Alice and Thalia. They could still be alive.]
There are probably a ton of errors in this, I honestly think I'm concussed right now and my writing/editing skills are completely shot. All I can offer you, however, are my apologies. As I really am in no state to edit this any more right now.)
**[We have to go down there.]**
"We can't abandon them," you tell her quietly, looking up from your gun to stare at Dev. "They could still be alive down there somewhere. We have to look for them."
She stares back for a moment, letting out an audible, shaky breath before nodding tentatively. "You're right. Okay." She shifts a little, looking uncertain. "But should we ... try and blend in again? Do you think the dead blood will still work?"
"I think so," you say, though in truth you aren't so sure. You aren't about to tell her that, though. "Just... We'll just act like one of them. And if things *do* go to shit, we can make a run for it." She nods again, saying nothing, before the two of you slowly start down the hill, approaching the herd. It's difficult to keep from moving quickly - you're worried about Alice and Thalia - but you know that if you run, it will all be over.
Eventually, you reach the mass of rioters. You unintentionally let out a barely audible sigh of relief when none of them turn to look at you; thankfully, they don't notice. The noise from the herd is terrifyingly loud as they moan and shuffle forward towards the city, and you feel yourself shaking slightly in response - it's quite possibly the scariest thing you've ever heard. They weren't moaning this loudly before, when you passed through at the farm - or maybe the thunder drowned them out, you don't know. Either way, it takes all of your willpower not to make a sound.
It's a few minutes later that you spot it - a small shed off to your right, in the midst of the herd. The shed is made of concrete, and you aren't sure what it's for - but you *are* sure that it's the only building around here. If Alice and Thalia were anywhere, it would be there. You look to Dev, and thankfully, after a moment or two, she happens to steal a glance at you; once you've caught her eye, you give the tiniest head tilt towards the building, trying to cast her attention towards it. She only gives a slight nod. Clearly she's seen it.
You slowly adjust your path through the swarm of biters to move toward it, still slow as the dead all around you. It isn't long, considering, before you reach it, and, without hesitating, you grab for the handle as soon as you're within reach, swinging the door open and moving inside. Dev follows behind you and shuts the door. You have no idea if any of the dead saw you - you hope not.
The click of a gun makes you turn your head - and then you're face to face with someone quite familiar. She lowers her gun, eyes widening, then moves to your side, enveloping you in a hug.
"Alice!" you gasp softly, hugging her back. Eventually, she releases you, backing up a few steps to look from you to Dev and back again. Thalia stands behind her.
"I can't even begin to tell you how glad I am to see you," Alice says softly, smiling. But you can tell that the smile is forced - you doubt that she's missed the fact that Jack and Lizzy are not with you. Nor are Jen and the rest.
"Where are the others?" Thalia asks you in a rasp, and you're surprised by how weak her voice sounds.
"Are you okay?" Dev replies quietly, looking concerned. Thalia waves her off.
"I'm fine," she says. "Just-- it's just been a long day. But where--?"
"Gone," is all you say, looking at the ground. You don't want to have to see Alice's face.
There's a long pause before anyone speaks, but when the silence is broken, it's Alice, her voice soft and anguished. "Lizzy? And... and Jack?"
"Jack's dead," you tell her, the hand not still clutching your gun clenching into a fist. You feel sick. "And Lizzy's--" You raise your head, glancing to Dev, who looks at you as you do. Her expression is enough to make you falter. "--Lizzy's gone too."
"No...," Alice murmurs, and as you finally turn to look at her, you see that she's moved one hand to her mouth in an expression of horror.
"I'm sorry, Alice," you mumble. Your voice breaks. You honestly don't know how much more of this you can take... Your uncle, your best friend - they're both gone. And your sister might well be gone, too. You wish for the numbness again. To feel *hurts.*
After a pause, Alice moves to your side again, placing a hand on your shoulder. "No," she says softly. "You don't... you don't have to be sorry. *I'm* sorry. God, Elias, I... Jack was your best friend, I can't begin to imagine..."
"It's fine," you say, meeting her eyes sadly. "Don't worry about me."
She doesn't reply, but the look she gives you tells you that she *is* worried - and that that's not likely to change.
Then, after a moment, Alice turns to Dev. "I'm sorry for your loss," she tells her quietly. "I know Lizzy was your friend." Dev just nods, looking away and moving her arms to her sides to hug herself yet again.
"How did you get in here?" Thalia asks suddenly, a tremor still audible in her voice - though it sounds a little firmer now. "I can still hear them... There's still hundreds of them out there."
"We used a trick Dev knew," you explain. "When you cover yourself in their blood, they ... ignore you." You're honestly surprised Alice hadn't seemed to notice - she'd hugged you, after all. But as you give her a quick once-over, you can see that there's no blood on her clothes; you guess the blood on yours has dried by now.
"Oh," is all Alice says, seeming to finally see the gore you're covered in. "That's... well, that's smart."
"It's how we can get you out," Dev says. "If we can cover you, too..."
But Thalia seems to have caught on to the same thing that you have. "That blood is dry," she points out softly. "You aren't spreading it to either of us."
Dev looks at you, eyes wide. "What? No, we--"
"We can kill one of the monsters outside," you say quickly. "One of you has a knife or something, right?"
"I have the one you left with me," Alice replies. Her tone is somber. "But Elias... We can't go out there. If we open that door - they'll see us. We won't be getting out of here. There's hundreds of them. They'll - they'll swarm the door."
You open your mouth to protest, but nothing comes out; closing it again, you look away. You hate the fact that she's right - and you *know* she is. But you *can't* leave them behind - you can't leave *Alice* behind.
"I can't lose you," you say to her finally, faiingl to hide the tremor in your voice as you do. You meet her eyes again. "You're all I have left, Alice. I ... I can't ..."
"Don't say that!" she interrupts you. Her expression looks almost angry for a moment, then it softens, and she steps forward, putting a hand on your cheek in what you think is a gesture of comfort. "Elias, don't say that," she repeats, softer and gentler this time. "Jen could still be alive. You can't give up hope." She slowly lowers her hand; the place it touched still feels warm.
"I can't give up on you either," you tell her firmly. "There has to be a way we can get you out of here."
"Maybe there is," Thalia speaks up. You turn to her, surprised; you guess you'd sort of forgotten about the others for a moment. You feel your face heating up a little, but quickly try and dismiss your embarrassment - there's no time for it anymore.
"Elias, Dev," Thalia continues, looking to each of you. "You both have extra layers on, don't you? Take those off and give them to Alice. Maybe together it'll be enough." You blink at her, eyes wide, before glancing down at the vest you're wearing, smeared with blood - while Dev is already pulling off her light jacket.
"What about you?" Dev says to Thalia. "You can take my coat - Alice can have Elias's--"
"No!" Thalia says. "There's no way to know if it'll be enough! Alice *has* to take both. You have to leave me behind!" Her voice is determined - clearly she doesn't plan to give you an option here. Still, you aren't about to give in that easily. You won't let anyone else die.
"Thalia, no," Alice cuts in, at the same time that you speak up - "We aren't doing that!" Thalia looks from Alice to you.
"I swore that I would protect you kids," she says, voice quieter now. "I failed. Jack and Rema are dead, and we have no idea what happened to the others." You're about to protest, but she continues before you can: "I'm not letting anyone else die. I *promised* myself I'd keep you safe."
But you only shake your head. "*No.* You're coming with us, Thalia." You try to keep your voice as firm as hers is.
Instead of the instantaneous reply of protest you are expecting, Thalia falls silent - and you see her face fall as she does, sadness taking over her features. After a moment, she turns away, as if she is unable to even look at you - and then she speaks, softer than you think you've ever heard her speak before.
"No, Elias, I'm not." Slowly, with deliberation, Thalia reaches up to the collar of her shirt. She yanks it away to expose her shoulder and neck.
An ugly wound is visible there, and it takes you only a moment to recognize it for what it is.
Thalia looks to you all, letting out a shuddering breath, and you hear both Dev and Alice gasp.
"I'm bitten."
The shipping continues! Good news is I think everyone will be distracted with Episode 4 for a while so no biggie if you're not feeling up to snuff.
The three of you stare at the wound on Thalia's shoulder in shocked silence, none of you daring to speak. You don't know what you could say. Thalia - the last adult, the person who tried so hard to keep all of you safe - she's bitten.
"You have to leave," Thalia murmurs, her franticness fading now that she's revealed to you just why she wants you to abandon her. Clearly she's counting on you heeding her words now that you know she's dead either way. "Just go. I'm going to turn, you know I am. You three need to get out of here."
"Thalia...," Alice murmurs, voice somber. But she trails off, clearly not knowing what else to say.
When you don't speak up, Thalia meets your eyes specifically, moving forward to put a hand on your shoulder. "Elias," she says. "Listen to me. Take them and leave. Please."
Looking into her eyes, which convey more sorrow and care for all of you than you think could ever be spoken aloud, you find that you can't deny her this any longer. She'll die either way. But this way, at least the three of you can get out.
"Okay," you finally say, voice soft and shaky. You can't believe that you're doing this. But if it's what she wants...
"Thank you," Thalia replies, just as softly. She gives you a smile, weak but warm. "I believe in you. You can get out of this, I know you can. And you can find Jen and the others."
You only nod, unable to speak to respond to her. You don't know what you would say anyway. Instead, she moves forward and opens her arms slightly, and without hesitation, you give her a hug.
"Now go," she murmurs as she pulls away, handing you the rifle off of her back. "And survive."
Alice moves up to hug her as well, and then, once you've transferred some of your bloodied clothes to Alice and transferred a melee weapon to both you and Dev, the three of you are leaving, saying soft words of farewell to the last adult in your group. It's just you three now. You will yourself not to look back at Thalia as you slowly open the door and file out into the herd.
Thankfully, none of them seem to be noticing you. Now it's just a matter of getting out. You start off in the direction of the farm; maybe you can find Jen and the others after all. Either way, you have to get out of the herd. Alice and Dev follow you, albeit slightly spread out so as not to call attention. The horrible moaning all around you makes you shiver, but you force yourself to keep walking, slowly. Another rumble of thunder overhead startles you, but you are thankfully composed enough not to let it show. And it seems the other two have done the same.
Your progression forward through the herd is gradual, on account of you moving so slowly, but eventually you can see the edge of the herd, closer to the city than it was when you first came through this way. You're almost there - just a little more and you'll be out. Safe.
And then you feel a raindrop hit the top of your head.
You bite back the urge to curse as rain starts to fall all around you; of all the horrible, cliche things to happen at a time like this, this is possibly the worst. But you don't know what will happen - maybe the 'scent' will wash off slow enough that you can get out of the herd. At any rate, running is probably the worst thing you can do right now, so you continue to move forward slowly, stealing a glance at Dev and Alice in turn as you do. Both of them are looking at you, but when they see you continue walking, they seem to do the same.
The rain gets heavier, and seeing none of the rioters turn to notice you, you think briefly that you're going to make it. But as soon as the thought has crossed your mind, a moan sounds very close behind you, and you spin around to see that a biter is mere inches away from you, jaws gaping and one hand outstretched. Frantically, you retrieve your cleaver and slash at the monster's head, watching as it falls dead at your feet. But you aren't in the clear yet - noises from all around you tell you that the others have noticed you, too.
Cursing, you whip back around to look at the others; they're both fighting off biters that have noticed them, too. But you can't get to them. Trusting that they can hold their own, you yell for them to hear - "Run!" As soon as you've spoken the word, you break into a sprint yourself, trying to shove through the mass of dead to get out of the herd.
But it proves a lot more difficult than you initially thought. There are so many of them, and even as you try to push through, they're noticing you; you barely manage to jump back before one can bite you, and then you have to move quickly to the side before another can grab you. There are too many, too close together - there's no opening anywhere in front of you. Cursing again, you look around, weapon raised in shaking hands as the dead converge upon you... there!
There's an opening to your right, and you take it, running as fast as your legs will carry you (which is still a little slow, considering you're still recovering from that gunshot wound) and doing your best to keep the biters off of you, swinging with your cleaver at any creep who comes too close. Miraculously, you're making it so far - but there's still a long way to go before you're in the clear. You hope to whatever deity might exist that you can get out of this - and that Alice and Dev can, too.
There are a lot of close calls, but thankfully, you eventually emerge from the mass of ghouls - but you don't stop running yet, you can't, they're still after you. You sprint towards a hill before you and frantically climb it, almost slipping because of how wet it is. Hopefully that will at least slow the dead down, as they're nowhere near as coordinated as you. You don't look back to see, though - just keep running, despite the aching in your legs. The only thing still carrying you forward at this point is the adrenaline. You adjust your direction so that you're running in what you think is the direction of the farm now.
Eventually, you reach a building, a small cottage of sorts at the edge of what seems to be the start of the large woods that lead to the farm. As you approach it, you finally turn to look behind you - and are surprised to see that there are no biters. They've either lost interest or you've outrun them for now. You aren't sure which.
But Alice and Dev are nowhere to be seen. Clearly you've outrun them, too. You feel cold terror wash over you at the realization - they could be dead. You've left them... And they could be dead. Alice could be dead.
Slowly, shaking, you retrieve the rifle Thalia gave you from where it'd been stored in your backpack. You stare at it for a few moments. You aren't good at shooting one of these - you'd never been put on watch if Thalia could help it as a result - but at least you have it.
But the others are still gone, and you are still alone. You have no idea what to do.
You were heading for the farm... and if Alice and Dev got out, maybe they'd go there. While you'd never spoken of a meeting place out loud, it's clearly the best option for one at this point - and maybe they'll realize that, too.
If they're out of the herd in the first place. While you're scared to death of going back there, part of you wonders if you might have to... If they're still stuck, trying to fight their way out. It's been such a long time, but... you have no way of knowing for sure. Maybe they need your help. Though you're not sure how much help you would be if you went back now; it might well just be a death sentence.
And if you went back now and they were already on their way to the farm, you might miss them entirely - they could get there and move on after waiting too long without any sign of you. You aren't sure which is worse.
Either way, you risk ending up alone. You lower the gun and move one hand up to rest on your head, sighing. You have no idea what you should do.
[You have to move on, to the farm. If Alice and Dev survived the herd, that's where they'll be. Going back is pointless - if they aren't out by now, they're probably dead.]
[You have to go back to the herd. There's no way of knowing if Alice and Dev are still alive or not, and maybe they're in trouble.]