[Try to convince the others.]
"Krisalyn's right," you say finally, looking down at your feet. "What kind of life is this? I want to go..… more. and I think we all should." When a few of the others look at you with apprehension, you go on; "This could be our only chance to go back to a normal life. Aren't you tired of having to live like this?" you try. You'd like to convince them to go, too... Splitting up the group is the last thing you want to do. "Besides - we can always leave later, if we really want to. Right?" You look to Miki for affirmation as you speak the last word, and she nods, as if agreeing with you. At least you all will have the option of leaving later, then, if you want to.
"Maybe you're right," Ursula sighs, crossing her arms. "Lord knows we're all tired of all this..."
"I promise you won't have to deal with the kind of things I'm sure you've had to see so far if you join us," Dick says, dipping his head as he does. "Bro… [view original content]
[Try to convince the others.]
"Krisalyn's right," you say finally, looking down at your feet. "What kind of life is this? I want to go..… more. and I think we all should." When a few of the others look at you with apprehension, you go on; "This could be our only chance to go back to a normal life. Aren't you tired of having to live like this?" you try. You'd like to convince them to go, too... Splitting up the group is the last thing you want to do. "Besides - we can always leave later, if we really want to. Right?" You look to Miki for affirmation as you speak the last word, and she nods, as if agreeing with you. At least you all will have the option of leaving later, then, if you want to.
"Maybe you're right," Ursula sighs, crossing her arms. "Lord knows we're all tired of all this..."
"I promise you won't have to deal with the kind of things I'm sure you've had to see so far if you join us," Dick says, dipping his head as he does. "Bro… [view original content]
[Try to convince the others.]
"Krisalyn's right," you say finally, looking down at your feet. "What kind of life is this? I want to go..… more. and I think we all should." When a few of the others look at you with apprehension, you go on; "This could be our only chance to go back to a normal life. Aren't you tired of having to live like this?" you try. You'd like to convince them to go, too... Splitting up the group is the last thing you want to do. "Besides - we can always leave later, if we really want to. Right?" You look to Miki for affirmation as you speak the last word, and she nods, as if agreeing with you. At least you all will have the option of leaving later, then, if you want to.
"Maybe you're right," Ursula sighs, crossing her arms. "Lord knows we're all tired of all this..."
"I promise you won't have to deal with the kind of things I'm sure you've had to see so far if you join us," Dick says, dipping his head as he does. "Bro… [view original content]
[Try to convince the others.]
"Krisalyn's right," you say finally, looking down at your feet. "What kind of life is this? I want to go..… more. and I think we all should." When a few of the others look at you with apprehension, you go on; "This could be our only chance to go back to a normal life. Aren't you tired of having to live like this?" you try. You'd like to convince them to go, too... Splitting up the group is the last thing you want to do. "Besides - we can always leave later, if we really want to. Right?" You look to Miki for affirmation as you speak the last word, and she nods, as if agreeing with you. At least you all will have the option of leaving later, then, if you want to.
"Maybe you're right," Ursula sighs, crossing her arms. "Lord knows we're all tired of all this..."
"I promise you won't have to deal with the kind of things I'm sure you've had to see so far if you join us," Dick says, dipping his head as he does. "Bro… [view original content]
[Try to convince the others.]
"Krisalyn's right," you say finally, looking down at your feet. "What kind of life is this? I want to go..… more. and I think we all should." When a few of the others look at you with apprehension, you go on; "This could be our only chance to go back to a normal life. Aren't you tired of having to live like this?" you try. You'd like to convince them to go, too... Splitting up the group is the last thing you want to do. "Besides - we can always leave later, if we really want to. Right?" You look to Miki for affirmation as you speak the last word, and she nods, as if agreeing with you. At least you all will have the option of leaving later, then, if you want to.
"Maybe you're right," Ursula sighs, crossing her arms. "Lord knows we're all tired of all this..."
"I promise you won't have to deal with the kind of things I'm sure you've had to see so far if you join us," Dick says, dipping his head as he does. "Bro… [view original content]
[We should search the city. The risk is worth it if it means we might find supplies.]
Heavy risk... but the prizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzeeeeeeeeeeeee.
[Try to convince the others.]
"Krisalyn's right," you say finally, looking down at your feet. "What kind of life is this? I want to go..… more. and I think we all should." When a few of the others look at you with apprehension, you go on; "This could be our only chance to go back to a normal life. Aren't you tired of having to live like this?" you try. You'd like to convince them to go, too... Splitting up the group is the last thing you want to do. "Besides - we can always leave later, if we really want to. Right?" You look to Miki for affirmation as you speak the last word, and she nods, as if agreeing with you. At least you all will have the option of leaving later, then, if you want to.
"Maybe you're right," Ursula sighs, crossing her arms. "Lord knows we're all tired of all this..."
"I promise you won't have to deal with the kind of things I'm sure you've had to see so far if you join us," Dick says, dipping his head as he does. "Bro… [view original content]
[Try to convince the others.]
"Krisalyn's right," you say finally, looking down at your feet. "What kind of life is this? I want to go..… more. and I think we all should." When a few of the others look at you with apprehension, you go on; "This could be our only chance to go back to a normal life. Aren't you tired of having to live like this?" you try. You'd like to convince them to go, too... Splitting up the group is the last thing you want to do. "Besides - we can always leave later, if we really want to. Right?" You look to Miki for affirmation as you speak the last word, and she nods, as if agreeing with you. At least you all will have the option of leaving later, then, if you want to.
"Maybe you're right," Ursula sighs, crossing her arms. "Lord knows we're all tired of all this..."
"I promise you won't have to deal with the kind of things I'm sure you've had to see so far if you join us," Dick says, dipping his head as he does. "Bro… [view original content]
"We need to check the town for supplies," you say finally. "It's worth the risk, especially if food's going to be harder to find now."
"Okay," Zoey agrees, nodding. "Sounds good to me." She grabs one of Sorrel's knives from a sheath on her belt without even asking (Sorrel looks less than pleased, but like always, says nothing) and then moves over to where you've got the 'stew' cooking, sticking the knife in unceremoniously to puncture a piece of meat and bring it up to her face. (You silently thank Sorrel for having the forethought to have washed the knife in question - you don't think you'd be very happy if Zoey had just contaminated your meal with biter blood.)
"Is it done?" she asks you, making a face.
You shrug. "Maybe." It had been cooking for a while.
After staring at the piece of meat for a few moments, as if inspecting it, she moves the knife to her mouth and takes a bite, then flails about in apparent shock as she screws up her face in displeasure.
"Gross?" you question.
She breathes out loudly through her nose as she finishes her show of alarm, shaking her head as she finally speaks. "No, hot," she explains in a pained voice. "Ow. But that too. Probably. I don't think it's done."
You blink at her, then look away, back to the fire. "... Right." More time, then. You should probably start stripping the rest and preparing the parts of the legs you wanted to roast, too, so you get to work on that as fast as you can, ignoring the eyes you can feel on you - Zoey and Sorrel are both clearly staring at you, but neither speaks to break the silence, so you don't allow yourself to think anything of it.
It's better this way - there's often a lot of silence between the three of you (probably in part because one of you simply doesn't talk at all), but you've gotten used to it by now, and unnecessary babbling about your respective tragic pasts would just be counterintuitive to your goal of not getting 'too close' to the two girls. You assume their goal is similar, seeing how little they've shared with you - or at least Sorrel's is. Zoey does seem to... try, sometimes (you think back to her comment on her cook friend earlier) - but you're always quick to shut her down.
Maybe you shouldn't be so quick to do so the next time. You aren't sure. It certainly wouldn't hurt to learn more about the two of them, at any rate... even if you don't want them to know your full story just yet, or ever. You make a mental note to try and be more receptive to Zoey's chitchat the next time she attempts it; there's no real reason not to, so long as you don't allow yourself to become too attached to the two of them, since you still are anticipating things going sideways one way or another.
Heaving a sigh that's a lot louder than you intend it to be, you continue your work on the meal, feeling the gazes of Zoey and Sorrel leave you at last as they turn and walk a ways away, probably to set up the bedding for tonight's camp.
It's later on, when you've all just finished eating and Zoey and you are settling down for the night in your respective spots around the fire - Sorrel is taking the first watch - that Zoey finally speaks to you again (the majority of the meal had passed in silence, just like so many of your moments do now.)
"You know," she muses softly, and you glance at her to see her gaze is focused up at the night sky above you, "My friend who was a cook... he was actually a baker." You raise an eyebrow, though she can't see it, wondering where she's going with this, and say nothing, as if prompting her to go on. She turns her head to look at you as she does, giving you a half-hearted glare. "And I think even he could have made a meal better than that."
You take a moment before you respond. "Not my fault fox meat is so horrible," you say impassively, returning your own attention to the sky above you.
"Sure, you can say that," Zoey sighs. "But we both know you're just not that good of a cook." She's silent for a while, and you think the conversation is over; just as you're about to roll over to go to sleep, however, she speaks again. "You know, it's actually kind of funny," she murmurs, but you hear no mirth in her voice. "He was a real animal lover, and his favorite animal was always foxes. Not wolves, not dogs or whatever... Foxes. He was... a weird kid. But he'd probably be mortified, if he were here..." She trails off, making some sort of gesture that you can't make out from the corner of your eye, likely to imply the fact that you've just been eating the very animal her friend apparently loved best.
You blink, glancing at her briefly. "Your friend, is he...?" Dead, you imply, but do not say out loud.
"Nah, far as I know, he could still be alive out there somewhere," she says. "He lived in Brookhaven, just like everyone else Sorrel and I knew... before. We moved just this year when we graduated high school... wanted a fresh start. Didn't imagine that we'd end up so far from everyone we knew when this shit hit, though." You frown, looking at her fully now.
"Brookhaven? That's where we're headed, isn't it?"
"Yeah," she nods. "It's part of why Sorrel and I are so deadset on heading there when normally... we probably wouldn't be. Community or no community, it's where we grew up. Maybe..."
She falls silent now, and it sounds like it's for good; she doesn't speak for a long time, as if she's at last going to sleep.
Finally, you decide to break the silence - for the first time in a long time speaking to someone when you weren't entirely expected to or prompted.
"Maybe you'll find your friends, then, in Brookhaven," you tell her, attempting to make your voice sound indifferent. Your words, though, you hope, are friendly enough. "I hope you do." Your unspoken wish, from when you first met Zoey and Sorrel, hangs in the air - that maybe you'll find someone you care about there, too. It's a long shot, you know... But if the rumor is really spreading that Brookhaven exists, maybe ... if anyone else is alive out there after all, maybe they'll be headed there, too.
"Yeah," Zoey mumbles. "Thanks." Then, without another word exchanged between the two of you, she rolls over to sleep, and you follow suit, your back to her and your eyes falling closed.
You're the one on watch when the first light of morning hits, and you know you'll need to wake the others up so you can get going. Traveling always starts for you at dawn - that way you can make camp long before nightfall, so that hunting can be done for the day. It's a little less relevant now that you doubt you'll be doing much hunting for at least a few days, but nonetheless, you walk the short way over to where Zoey and Sorrel are sleeping anyway to wake them up.
They're entwined with one another even as they sleep, cuddling close together. It's something that would probably make you feel embarrassed to see, before all this - but you're long past the point of awkwardness now. Prodding Zoey softly with your foot, you speak - "Hey, time to get up. Dawn."
It's Sorrel who awakens first, though, if only to crack open her angry eyes to glare at you from where her head is rested atop Zoey's in what you think is a somewhat protective gesture. You shrug, but say nothing to her despite the glare she's giving you. It isn't long before Sorrel's gotten Zoey to wake up, too (she grumbles and yawns and protests like always, though you think she seems a little more cheerful today than usual, which is a relief) and the three of you start off towards the city.
Part of you is expecting Zoey to strike up a conversation as you travel, what with the amount of background she had shared with you last night - but she doesn't. Instead, the three of you travel in silence, perhaps even more so than usual. Typically, Zoey would make some sort of small talk at least once or twice - but she doesn't today, instead simply walking quietly with one hand linked with Sorrel's. You roll your eyes as you observe their joined hands; you don't have any problem with their relationship - as far as you're concerned, the two can do what they want - but you do think it might be a little dangerous for them to each only have one hand free to defend themselves with. Whatever - you guess it isn't your place, and you don't say anything, just hang back a little behind them as they walk, following behind with your handgun drawn (you had ammo this time, thankfully) and ready to fire if danger does arise.
The others were right - it isn't long before you're out of the forest at all, and not long after that, you can spot the city in the distance as you crest the hill, spanning out much wider than you might have imagined (the word "city" was definitely closer to the truth than "town" was.) It's closer than you might have guessed, too, so it really doesn't take you quite as long as you were expecting to get close.
As you finally do close in on the outskirts of the city, however, you notice something - that same dull, moaning noise that had come from the herd you encountered before. It's quiet right now, so you think the main culmination of dead must be just inside the city limits - but there are still some stragglers out here, which you take care to remind Zoey and Sorrel not to make any noise while taking out. (Funny - you don't really have to, since you're the only one with a weapon that actually makes a great deal of noise. On that note, you stuff your handgun in your pocket, throwing all gun safety and precautions to the wind, and retrieve your cleaver from your pack instead.)
When you get close enough, just inside the outskirts and close to entering the 'real city,' Zoey seems to notice the noise of the herd for the first time - you're pretty sure Sorrel has noticed it long ago - and looks to you sharply, eyes wide. "Do you hear that?" she murmurs, raising her crossbow a little higher as if to feel a little safer (the hand holding had long since been abandoned, seeing as both of them had had to have both hands free in order to take out a few biters so far.)
"Yeah," you reply at the same volume, nodding your head on instinct despite the fact that her gaze has returned forward. "It's why we need to be quiet. There's a herd up ahead somewhere."
"A herd?" Zoey asks, sounding a little more than annoyed, though you've learned by now this is simply the tone she takes on when she's scared. "And just how do you suppose we're going to get past it then, genius?!"
You blink - you guess you hadn't really thought to say anything to them yet, or prepare, but... you do know the best way to get past the biters...
"Actually..."
Soon enough, the three of you are covered almost head to toe in gore, despite Zoey's misgivings about the idea (Sorrel seems to not be bothered at all.) Before you officially enter the city and, in turn, the swarm of the dead inside it, you remind Zoey and Sorrel to just try and blend in and follow your lead. It's odd, when you think about it, that they just accept you to 'lead' them so easily - though you guess Sorrel, at least, seems very unhappy about the idea, just like always.
Here's hoping I don't lead you into death.
Traveling through the herd goes a lot smoother now than it has for you in the past - no one alerts the dead to your presence, nor does an inconvenient rainstorm come along to wash the gore off. You are safe. That doesn't mean that it isn't still a frightening experience - but for the most part, if you've gotten anything from your months surviving this shit and from everything you've lost, it's nerves of steel. You don't even flinch this time, despite the loud, terrifying noise all around you, as you lead the other two through the herd, searching for a clearing or a notable building to search for supplies in.
You don't see any buildings worth searching yet, but soon enough, the three of emerge into an area much less populated with the dead - it's a neighborhood of sorts, and as you walk down the culdesac, you notice that there are no longer any biters around you at all. Though you aren't sure any of the houses will be worth searching at this point, it's as good a chance as any to regroup and figure out a plan of action through the city, you suppose. You check a couple of houses in silence first, but find only a few usable items (two cans of food and part of a first aid kit.) It's while you're searching the third house that Zoey suddenly speaks up.
"Hey! Look at this!"
You turn to her as she speaks, moving over when she gestures for you and Sorrel to come closer. She's picked up something from the ground - a crumpled piece of paper that you would have simply overlooked, and to be honest, you aren't sure what could be on it to prompt the excitement she's showing. As you peer over her shoulder, your eyes widen as you see what's on the paper - a map, though only of a few miles radius around your current location.
"A map?" you murmur without thinking, frowning. It's a little puzzling to find one like this, but you aren't about to discount your good fortune.
"Yeah," Zoey nods. "It looks like it's from one of those online map directions sites. They put in their destination as a grocery store a few miles from here, but it's got locations of some other places around here, too."
You stare at it for a moment as Sorrel does the same - she seems fairly pleased for once, though her expression is still not exactly happy - then turn away to look over the rest of the house. "Wonder why they left it behind," you muse to yourself, after a few moments, as you finish up searching the room.
Zoey has opened another door beside you, to a bedroom of some sort - and as she does, she recoils, expression a mixture of horror and sadness. "That answers your question," she mumbles, and, curious, you move to glance into the room. There are a couple of bodies on the ground, two girls - a few months of decomposition makes it hard to tell, but it looks like one was already a biter when she was shot, while the other, judging by the gun clutched in her hand, killed herself.
You sigh, shaking your head. It's sad, but you can't exactly find anything comforting to say to Zoey, who looks badly affected by the scene. Instead, you see Sorrel take her hand - and while she doesn't say anything still, you can tell that she's saying a lot even without speaking aloud. You look away to give them a little space, moving into the room and looking it over.
There's nothing of note in here besides the gun, which doesn't have a lot of ammo - but it's better than finding nothing at all. As you finish checking the room, you turn to Zoey and Sorrel. "Nothing else in here."
"Okay," Zoey says quietly. "Then... maybe it's time we decided where to go next." When you stare at her with a raised eyebrow, as if asking her to explain, she goes on; "I mean, that map had some places we can check for supplies. I'm sure one of them's got to have something."
"Alright," you say with a nod. "What's there to check?"
"Well," she says, raising the map up to look at it again. "There's that grocery store that they were planning to go to. Something tells me it'll be pretty picked clean, though." She has a point, seeing as it's nearly three months into the so-called apocalypse - but you wave her on without comment. "And a pet shop, too. It looks like the roads to get there are a lot less major, so we might not run into a lot of dead things on the way. Not sure what we'd find there, though." You don't say it aloud, but you do consider the fact that there could be food at the pet store - whether in the form of animals themselves, assuming any have survived a few months, or in food meant for animal consumption. Not your favorite meal, but again, it's the apocalypse - you eat what you can get now.
"Is that all?" you prompt finally, as she appears to be scrutinizing the map with a puzzled expression.
"No," she says after a pause. "I think this one's a gun shop. The name's a little weird, though." You wait, expecting her to tell you it, but she doesn't, instead simply lowering the map and tilting her head at you. "Maybe we could find ammunition for your gun there."
"Maybe," you agree, though you aren't sure. "How's the route there?"
"They look like busy roads," she tells you, looking to Sorrel for confirmation though the map has already been lowered - the other girl had been looking at it with her, though. When Sorrel nods, you guess that Zoey probably hadn't been much of a driver between the two of them.
So busy roads - a possibility of a lot of dead, but so long as you don't alert them, you could be okay. And ammunition... if the place hasn't already been looted.
The other options are also appealing in their own right - well, mostly. The grocery store, of course, being a supercenter, might have a lot more selection of things to loot, assuming their shelves haven't been picked entirely clean by now. And the pet store, while not the most attractive option as far as what you'd find there, might well be the most sensible one.
You frown to yourself, going over the options in your head, while Zoey raises the map to look at it again.
[We should search the city.]
"We need to check the town for supplies," you say finally. "It's worth the risk, especially if food's going … moreto be harder to find now."
"Okay," Zoey agrees, nodding. "Sounds good to me." She grabs one of Sorrel's knives from a sheath on her belt without even asking (Sorrel looks less than pleased, but like always, says nothing) and then moves over to where you've got the 'stew' cooking, sticking the knife in unceremoniously to puncture a piece of meat and bring it up to her face. (You silently thank Sorrel for having the forethought to have washed the knife in question - you don't think you'd be very happy if Zoey had just contaminated your meal with biter blood.)
"Is it done?" she asks you, making a face.
You shrug. "Maybe." It had been cooking for a while.
After staring at the piece of meat for a few moments, as if inspecting it, she moves the knife to her mouth and takes a bite, then flails about … [view original content]
[We should search the city.]
"We need to check the town for supplies," you say finally. "It's worth the risk, especially if food's going … moreto be harder to find now."
"Okay," Zoey agrees, nodding. "Sounds good to me." She grabs one of Sorrel's knives from a sheath on her belt without even asking (Sorrel looks less than pleased, but like always, says nothing) and then moves over to where you've got the 'stew' cooking, sticking the knife in unceremoniously to puncture a piece of meat and bring it up to her face. (You silently thank Sorrel for having the forethought to have washed the knife in question - you don't think you'd be very happy if Zoey had just contaminated your meal with biter blood.)
"Is it done?" she asks you, making a face.
You shrug. "Maybe." It had been cooking for a while.
After staring at the piece of meat for a few moments, as if inspecting it, she moves the knife to her mouth and takes a bite, then flails about … [view original content]
[We should search the city.]
"We need to check the town for supplies," you say finally. "It's worth the risk, especially if food's going … moreto be harder to find now."
"Okay," Zoey agrees, nodding. "Sounds good to me." She grabs one of Sorrel's knives from a sheath on her belt without even asking (Sorrel looks less than pleased, but like always, says nothing) and then moves over to where you've got the 'stew' cooking, sticking the knife in unceremoniously to puncture a piece of meat and bring it up to her face. (You silently thank Sorrel for having the forethought to have washed the knife in question - you don't think you'd be very happy if Zoey had just contaminated your meal with biter blood.)
"Is it done?" she asks you, making a face.
You shrug. "Maybe." It had been cooking for a while.
After staring at the piece of meat for a few moments, as if inspecting it, she moves the knife to her mouth and takes a bite, then flails about … [view original content]
[We should search the city.]
"We need to check the town for supplies," you say finally. "It's worth the risk, especially if food's going … moreto be harder to find now."
"Okay," Zoey agrees, nodding. "Sounds good to me." She grabs one of Sorrel's knives from a sheath on her belt without even asking (Sorrel looks less than pleased, but like always, says nothing) and then moves over to where you've got the 'stew' cooking, sticking the knife in unceremoniously to puncture a piece of meat and bring it up to her face. (You silently thank Sorrel for having the forethought to have washed the knife in question - you don't think you'd be very happy if Zoey had just contaminated your meal with biter blood.)
"Is it done?" she asks you, making a face.
You shrug. "Maybe." It had been cooking for a while.
After staring at the piece of meat for a few moments, as if inspecting it, she moves the knife to her mouth and takes a bite, then flails about … [view original content]
[We should search the city.]
"We need to check the town for supplies," you say finally. "It's worth the risk, especially if food's going … moreto be harder to find now."
"Okay," Zoey agrees, nodding. "Sounds good to me." She grabs one of Sorrel's knives from a sheath on her belt without even asking (Sorrel looks less than pleased, but like always, says nothing) and then moves over to where you've got the 'stew' cooking, sticking the knife in unceremoniously to puncture a piece of meat and bring it up to her face. (You silently thank Sorrel for having the forethought to have washed the knife in question - you don't think you'd be very happy if Zoey had just contaminated your meal with biter blood.)
"Is it done?" she asks you, making a face.
You shrug. "Maybe." It had been cooking for a while.
After staring at the piece of meat for a few moments, as if inspecting it, she moves the knife to her mouth and takes a bite, then flails about … [view original content]
[We should search the city.]
"We need to check the town for supplies," you say finally. "It's worth the risk, especially if food's going … moreto be harder to find now."
"Okay," Zoey agrees, nodding. "Sounds good to me." She grabs one of Sorrel's knives from a sheath on her belt without even asking (Sorrel looks less than pleased, but like always, says nothing) and then moves over to where you've got the 'stew' cooking, sticking the knife in unceremoniously to puncture a piece of meat and bring it up to her face. (You silently thank Sorrel for having the forethought to have washed the knife in question - you don't think you'd be very happy if Zoey had just contaminated your meal with biter blood.)
"Is it done?" she asks you, making a face.
You shrug. "Maybe." It had been cooking for a while.
After staring at the piece of meat for a few moments, as if inspecting it, she moves the knife to her mouth and takes a bite, then flails about … [view original content]
[We should search the city.]
"We need to check the town for supplies," you say finally. "It's worth the risk, especially if food's going … moreto be harder to find now."
"Okay," Zoey agrees, nodding. "Sounds good to me." She grabs one of Sorrel's knives from a sheath on her belt without even asking (Sorrel looks less than pleased, but like always, says nothing) and then moves over to where you've got the 'stew' cooking, sticking the knife in unceremoniously to puncture a piece of meat and bring it up to her face. (You silently thank Sorrel for having the forethought to have washed the knife in question - you don't think you'd be very happy if Zoey had just contaminated your meal with biter blood.)
"Is it done?" she asks you, making a face.
You shrug. "Maybe." It had been cooking for a while.
After staring at the piece of meat for a few moments, as if inspecting it, she moves the knife to her mouth and takes a bite, then flails about … [view original content]
I was going to say pet store because it sounds like the least dangerous, but you might use reverse psychology, so I will choose the gun store. Sometimes the obvious answer may be the answer... Or the worst answer... But YOLO right?
[We should search the city.]
"We need to check the town for supplies," you say finally. "It's worth the risk, especially if food's going … moreto be harder to find now."
"Okay," Zoey agrees, nodding. "Sounds good to me." She grabs one of Sorrel's knives from a sheath on her belt without even asking (Sorrel looks less than pleased, but like always, says nothing) and then moves over to where you've got the 'stew' cooking, sticking the knife in unceremoniously to puncture a piece of meat and bring it up to her face. (You silently thank Sorrel for having the forethought to have washed the knife in question - you don't think you'd be very happy if Zoey had just contaminated your meal with biter blood.)
"Is it done?" she asks you, making a face.
You shrug. "Maybe." It had been cooking for a while.
After staring at the piece of meat for a few moments, as if inspecting it, she moves the knife to her mouth and takes a bite, then flails about … [view original content]
[We should search the city.]
"We need to check the town for supplies," you say finally. "It's worth the risk, especially if food's going … moreto be harder to find now."
"Okay," Zoey agrees, nodding. "Sounds good to me." She grabs one of Sorrel's knives from a sheath on her belt without even asking (Sorrel looks less than pleased, but like always, says nothing) and then moves over to where you've got the 'stew' cooking, sticking the knife in unceremoniously to puncture a piece of meat and bring it up to her face. (You silently thank Sorrel for having the forethought to have washed the knife in question - you don't think you'd be very happy if Zoey had just contaminated your meal with biter blood.)
"Is it done?" she asks you, making a face.
You shrug. "Maybe." It had been cooking for a while.
After staring at the piece of meat for a few moments, as if inspecting it, she moves the knife to her mouth and takes a bite, then flails about … [view original content]
(Sorry, really short chapter with no vote - more of a tidbit, really, but don't worry, the next chapter is coming much sooner. As in 99% chance it will come tomorrow. In the meantime, I hope this has no errors - I don't really have time to look over it! Sorry!)
[We should go to the supermarket.]
"The supermarket sounds like the right place to go to me," you tell her. "I don't think it'll be completely emptied out - and besides, if it is, we can just check somewhere else later." Zoey looks a little apprehensive, but she nods anyway, not disputing your choice. She wouldn't have a lot of room to protest even if she wanted to, considering she'd let you make the decision in the first place. Sorrel looks a lot more dissatisfied than Zoey does - but you aren't sure whether it's because of where you're headed or just her usual scowl in place. It's hard to tell with her.
Sorrel studies the map in Zoey's hand for a moment, then gives a jerk of her head towards the door; she begins to lead you out onto the street and, presumably, towards your destination. You don't bother to question her taking the lead now - it'd be kind of hard to argue with someone who doesn't speak anyway.
There are a few dead out here in the neighborhood now, looming about, but none of them notice you. The blood trick really does work wonders when there's no rainstorm or injured people to worry about. It's somewhat of a walk - a couple miles to the store - but the roads aren't too major, and for the most part your journey is peaceful. There are a few moments of terror - close calls in which it seems the dead might notice you - but they never come to pass, and in the end you make it to parking lot of the supercenter without a problem.
As you trek up towards the supermarket - it seems you were unlucky enough to be traveling uphill through this parking lot towards it, partly because it seems to be the service and loading parking lot instead of the consumer one, which would probably be around the other side - you allow your guard to be let down just a little, taking in the store you're approaching. There are less biters around you now than what you had to go through to get here, although there are still a few - but not nearly enough to be any real threat. The only ones around are back on the street, leaving the three of you alone in the large parking lot.
The store itself looks somewhat worse for wear after three months into the apocalypse. What appears to be a small jet or plane of some sort, maybe military grade - you don't really know anything about planes - is crashed on the roof, although it doesn't appear to have done any major damage, except to the corner of the building closest where it's crashed, where some chunks of wall have been taken out. Most of the glass doors and windows in the front are shattered, but there appear to be makeshift barriers and barricades just beyond them, large planks of wood and items of furniture that tell you that someone probably was trying to survive here. You can't hear anything but dead now, though, so you doubt they're still around. The main entrance appears to be blocked by only a sofa of some sort, and the door is still intact, so you'll probably be able to clear it fine once you're up there so you can get inside.
You're just about to turn and whisper to Zoey that she should help you move it when a shout makes you stop in your tracks.
"DON'T MOVE!"
The voice is a little quiet because of distance - you're only about two thirds of the way across the parking lot - but there is no mistaking the warning in it; immediately, you jerk your gaze this way and that as you search for the source of it, Zoey and Sorrel both freezing on either side of you.
It's on the roof of the building where you eventually find the person who's yelled - a man, though he's hard to make out from here. He's crouched low to the edge of the roof - probably why you hadn't noticed him earlier - and though it's difficult to tell from the position he's in, he appears to be a large, muscular man, with gray hair and a short beard. You also do not fail to notice the large sniper rifle he's got pointed directly at the three of you.
"Whoa whoa whoa, wait a second--!" Zoey starts to call back, sounding annoyed.
"Quiet!" the man yells again, cutting her off. "You three need to turn back, now! You aren't welcome here!" He doesn't explain any further than this.
"Why the fuck not?!" Zoey snaps, affronted, and Sorrel looks just as angry beside you. "We're just people, trying to survive just as much as you are! We came here looking for food!"
Before you can say anything, the man is shouting back - "Well, there isn't any here for you! I'm warning you, I will shoot!"
Sorrel bristles even more at his threat, though Zoey seems to deflate a little visibly. "Listen," she tries, sounding like she's trying to be reasonable, though the annoyance in her tone is still audible. "All we need is a little help! Considering the alternative is dog food, I'd rather not have to turn back!"
You know you have to do something, fast - the man's finger is on the trigger, and he looks as hostile as Sorrel does, though it's a different kind of hostility, cold and calculated instead of rage-filled as she appears.
When the man is silent, Zoey sighs softly, resigned, then raises her head to stare at him again. "Please!" she says, stepping forward as she does so; then the man is shouting at the same time as she's trying to make one last attempt to reason with him.
"I SAID --!" he says, as she calls up "We just need--"
Before either of them can finish their thoughts, a number of things happen in rapid succession.
First, Zoey reaches into her pocket, presumably for the map, as if to brandish for him to see your genuine intent. Second, Sorrel flinches from next to you, staring at Zoey with wide eyes and making a move as if to try and stop her.
Third, the man pulls the trigger, a loud BANG of gunfire sounds right beside you, and Zoey crumples to the ground.
(Sorry, really short chapter with no vote - more of a tidbit, really, but don't worry, the next chapter is coming much sooner. As in 99% cha… morence it will come tomorrow. In the meantime, I hope this has no errors - I don't really have time to look over it! Sorry!)
[We should go to the supermarket.]
"The supermarket sounds like the right place to go to me," you tell her. "I don't think it'll be completely emptied out - and besides, if it is, we can just check somewhere else later." Zoey looks a little apprehensive, but she nods anyway, not disputing your choice. She wouldn't have a lot of room to protest even if she wanted to, considering she'd let you make the decision in the first place. Sorrel looks a lot more dissatisfied than Zoey does - but you aren't sure whether it's because of where you're headed or just her usual scowl in place. It's hard to tell with her.
Sorrel studies the map in Zoey's hand for a moment, then gives a jerk of… [view original content]
(Sorry, really short chapter with no vote - more of a tidbit, really, but don't worry, the next chapter is coming much sooner. As in 99% cha… morence it will come tomorrow. In the meantime, I hope this has no errors - I don't really have time to look over it! Sorry!)
[We should go to the supermarket.]
"The supermarket sounds like the right place to go to me," you tell her. "I don't think it'll be completely emptied out - and besides, if it is, we can just check somewhere else later." Zoey looks a little apprehensive, but she nods anyway, not disputing your choice. She wouldn't have a lot of room to protest even if she wanted to, considering she'd let you make the decision in the first place. Sorrel looks a lot more dissatisfied than Zoey does - but you aren't sure whether it's because of where you're headed or just her usual scowl in place. It's hard to tell with her.
Sorrel studies the map in Zoey's hand for a moment, then gives a jerk of… [view original content]
(Sorry, really short chapter with no vote - more of a tidbit, really, but don't worry, the next chapter is coming much sooner. As in 99% cha… morence it will come tomorrow. In the meantime, I hope this has no errors - I don't really have time to look over it! Sorry!)
[We should go to the supermarket.]
"The supermarket sounds like the right place to go to me," you tell her. "I don't think it'll be completely emptied out - and besides, if it is, we can just check somewhere else later." Zoey looks a little apprehensive, but she nods anyway, not disputing your choice. She wouldn't have a lot of room to protest even if she wanted to, considering she'd let you make the decision in the first place. Sorrel looks a lot more dissatisfied than Zoey does - but you aren't sure whether it's because of where you're headed or just her usual scowl in place. It's hard to tell with her.
Sorrel studies the map in Zoey's hand for a moment, then gives a jerk of… [view original content]
Your ears are still ringing as you drop to Zoey's side, shocked, taking in the growing puddle of blood she's now laying in. Her eyes are as wide as yours, and she's gasping, looking terrified, as blood spreads around her hands, which are frantically clutched at her upper torso, as if to try and keep the blood from spilling out. You can't tell exactly where she's been hit, shoulder or chest - but either way, it's bad, and she's losing blood fast. You're reminded of another time, a few weeks ago, when you were crouched next to someone else who was hurt like this. You shiver at the memory. Jack...
Before you can do anything to help Zoey, you're shoved roughly aside, where you tumble to the ground; picking yourself up, you see that Sorrel is in your place now, hurriedly trying to help Zoey stop the bleeding and mouthing things frantically to her as she does.
"Jesus Christ, Lloyd!" comes an angry shout, a female, and you turn to see a woman rushing towards you across the parking lot. The door is closed behind her, but you can see that the couch has been cleared out of the way - and that there's a figure standing in the doorway, staring out at you though shadowed by darkness.
Lloyd looks down at you all in silence, seeming perhaps remorseful, then stands and hurries to ladder leading down off the side of the roof.
"S-Sorrel--" Zoey chokes, voice tiny and scared, the most pitiful you think you've heard her sound, and you turn to see Sorrel with a first aid kit opened beside her, fumbling to remove Zoey's shirt and bandage up the wound as fast as she can. You can't help but wonder if any amount of time will be fast enough. There's so much blood - and from the bottom of the hill, you can see some biters, drawn from the streets by the gunfire and making their lumbering way towards you.
The woman reaches Sorrel's side as you stand, and she moves her long blonde hair behind her, out of her way, as she stoops next to her. But Sorrel seems unwilling to accept her help. She jerks her head towards the woman and lets out a horrible hiss of rage, looking like she's ready to tear her throat out. The woman, surprisingly, does not flinch; instead, she meets Sorrel's angry gaze and returns it with one just as firm.
"Stop! Calm down!" she tells her sharply. "Let me help you, or she will die!" Sorrel still looks venomous, but at the suggestion that her continued hostility could lead to Zoey's death, she backs down a little - but she does not untense her shoulders or stop shooting the stranger the same furious glare.
The blonde woman rifles through the first aid kit Sorrel's got out, then removes some supplies from the backpack on her back as well, laying them out and moving closer to Zoey's side, where the girl still seems to be in pretty bad shape. The stranger moves so her back is to you, so you can't tell what she's doing, but you guess it's assessing the wound somehow or another.
"You!" The sudden voice is hers. You blink in surprise, shocked at being addressed, but look at the stranger nonetheless, and she meets your eyes. "Do you have a weapon?" she asks you. You nod.
"Then keep the infected off of us," she tells you. "I have to stop the bleeding before we can move her inside. You need to stop them from reaching us."
You only nod again, not bothering to mention that you don't have a huge amount of ammo. If it means saving Zoey's life, you'll do what you can. Besides, you can always switch to your cleaver if you have to.
You hear the stranger speaking lowly to Sorrel now, but you tune them out; instead, you turn to face the approaching dead, retrieving your handgun from your pocket and preparing yourself to start shooting. You wait, at least, until the biters are a little closer so that you might have an easier time aiming.
As you pull the trigger and kill the first biter, it becomes clear to you that you needn't have waited. You'd forgotten how good your aim was - and it seems it hasn't been affected at all by the chaos happening right now. Your hands aren't even shaking. You're almost too used to this by now. One by one, you take down the approaching dead with a few well-placed bullets, only needing one or two shots for most of them, until there are seven bodies laying on the parking lot in front of you. You point your gun at the next biter - there are still three more approaching that you can see, though there may be more ready to come out of hiding - and pull the trigger again only to hear the familiar click signifying you're out of ammo. Shit. Didn't you have more than that? It takes you a moment to remember that the spare handgun ammo - what you don't normally carry with you, at least - is in Zoey's pack. Sighing, you replace your handgun in your pocket and retrieve your cleaver, moving forward unflinchingly towards the three biters you have yet to kill.
The first one goes down easy; you embed your blade into its skull with one effortless move, then yank it back out and watch as it falls down unmoving at your feet. The next one is closer than you'd realized, so you take a quick, blind swing at it, slicing out at its face and cursing when you don't quite hit your mark; its jaw has come off its hinges, but that's the most damage that's been done. As it reaches out decayed hands for you, you stab forward with your cleaver, straight through the top of its head. It falls, and you topple unexpectedly with it, your cleaver not coming out of its head so easily this time.
Tugging the try and dislodge the blade, you glance up intermittently to see the last biter coming closer and closer - before long, you know it's going to reach you, but your cleaver isn't budging. Any moment now you're going to have to abandon your effort - but you'd rather keep trying for now, as you know stabbing it is a lot easier kill than trying to bludgeon it to death with a handgun will be. Still, the biter is lumbering more quickly towards you than you might hope, and you curse as you make one last desperate tug at your blade before giving up on it and moving to take your handgun back out.
You haven't even managed to get one hit on the dead guy when a loud gunshot rings out, and you whirl around to see the man from earlier - Lloyd - has made the shot. He's approaching fast across the parking lot, and you shift warily on your feet as your stare at him, unsure of what to think. He might have just saved you, but he also shot Zoey - and something tells you it probably wasn't you he was worried about when he killed the biter. His eyes are on the blonde stranger, who, as you turn to look, seems to be finishing bandaging up Zoey's wound. Zoey's eyes are closed and her breathing shallow; she appears to be unconscious.
Sorrel turns around to look at you - then she seems to notice Lloyd approaching, and she whips around to face him, snarling viciously as she rises and starts to rush at him. This time, Lloyd doesn't shoot - thankfully - and you manage to reach Sorrel before she does him, pulling her back. "Stop!" you hiss, "Not right now!"
Sorrel yanks out of your grip to turn her glare on you instead, looking the angriest you've ever seen her. She looks to Lloyd briefly, then back at you again; you think if she had spoken, she probably would have said something along the lines of 'he shot Zoey.' Probably.
"We can deal with that later," you whisper to her. "Right now Zoey needs you." Sorrel's eyes widen only a fraction, but it's enough - you can tell she's reconsidering, and she stares at you for a long moment before stalking back over to the woman, who turns and says something to her softly. While the two of them work on lifting and carrying Zoey, you turn to glare at Lloyd instead. Whether or not he meant for this, he might well have killed her - so you aren't going to let him feel okay about what he's done. He looks slightly disconcerted by your hostile look, but says nothing, turning back to stare at the others. Up close, you can see him better - he's much taller than you, probably around 6 foot, and somewhat muscular. He looks to be somewhat older, too - in his mid 50s, most likely.
You're still glaring at him when Sorrel and the stranger pass you, moving quickly, Zoey carried as gently as possible between them - though you doubt moving her is good for the wound either way. Still, it's better than leaving her out here and getting swarmed by the dead, you suppose. Begrudgingly, you turn and follow them after them, careful to walk behind Lloyd, seeing as you don't trust him much - or at all, really.
Whoever has been standing in the doorway opens the door for you when you all reach it, though you can see he looks cautious. Though he's fairly tall, you can tell he's still just a kid, younger than you even - probably around 13 or 14. As you make it to the door last, he steps back, running a hand through his blond hair and looking away from you, still seeming skeptical. He says nothing, only looks to the stranger as she lays Zoey down on the couch that you guess was previously being used to block the door, alarm clearly visible on his face.
"Gustav, don't just stand there," the woman barks at him. "Block the door with something else. We can't allow any infected to get in here."
"Okay," Gustav mumbles, sounding a little annoyed at being ordered around, but he does as told, moving to start pushing an armchair that's lying on its side some feet away. You move to join him and help - and though he looks suspicious of you at first, after a moment, he simply shrugs, not protesting as you move beside him to help push.
Once you've blocked the door, you turn to face the strangers, narrowing your eyes. The woman is checking over Zoey again, probably to make sure the wound hasn't reopened.
"Your friend might have been lucky," she says at last. "But she isn't out of the woods yet. The bullet passed right through, but that's still a lot of blood to lose, and it could get infected." She turns to glare at Lloyd. "Not that it's exactly your fault she was hurt in the first place."
"Hey--" Lloyd interject, somewhat softly. Judging by his previous silence and body language, you guess he's normally a quiet sort of guy - hard to believe after he just shouted at you and shot your friend, though. "Ari, listen," Lloyd goes on, sighing. "I thought she was going to pull a gun... I was just trying to protect the kid."
"He's not yours to protect!" Ari snaps. "He's my brother. My responsibility, not yours. And besides, protecting him or not, you could have killed this girl! You might still have!"
"She could have been dangerous," Lloyd argues, though his voice doesn't rise as Ari's does. "I was just doing what I had to to keep us safe."
Ari looks like she's about to shout something more at him, but then she glances at Sorrel, looking at Zoey now with a mournful, worried expression (it looks out of place on her normally hostile face.) Sighing, she turns back to face her - but the look she shoots Lloyd tells you that this argument is not over. "She needs to be kept an eye on," she tells her. "She could go into shock, or her wound could reopen. I'm no doctor, but I did what I could."
Sorrel only stares at Ari in response, face giving away nothing.
"You can stay here for a while with us," Ari goes on finally when the silence hangs just a little bit too long. "She'll need to heal up. Rest. Being on the road won't be good for her now. Besides, we could use the extra hands around here."
This is when Sorrel finally seems to snap. She snarls, whipping around to face Ari fully, but as always, does not voice her quarrel, only growls at her. At Ari's confused look, Sorrel juts an accusatory finger at Lloyd, who, meanwhile, also looks a little dissatisfied.
"Is that really a good idea?" he asks. "We don't know if these people are dangerous."
"Well, you're the one who shot her, so it isn't your decision to make," Ari tells him.
Sorrel, however, still does not seem convinced. Sensing her hostility, you narrow your eyes and frown before speaking up yourself. "How do we know you aren't dangerous?" you ask them coldly. "You shot our friend, and you tried to turn us away when we needed help. Why should we stay here and help you?"
"You don't have much of a choice," Ari huffs. "She could die if you leave! She might be stable for now, but what if her wound reopens? You don't have another option. You have to stay here with us."
Sorrel looks absolutely livid, and you worry for a moment that she is going to attack Ari. Instead, however, she settles for flipping her off.
Judging by the glares both Lloyd and Gustav are giving you, you aren't all too welcome here - even Ari seems somewhat aggressive in her stance. You have no idea if you'd be safe here - and these are the people who hurt Zoey in the first place.
But if you do leave... Ari could be right. Zoey looks okay for now - her wound is bandaged up, and maybe she could survive even if you left to hole out somewhere else instead - but there is still the possibility that leaving could cost her dearly. You clench your hands into fists, looking down at your feet as you think it over.
"Fine. We'll stay here with you. But it doesn't mean we forgive you."
"No. Give us some supplies and we'll be on our way. We'll take our chances on the road."
Your ears are still ringing as you drop to Zoey's side, shocked, taking in the growing puddle of blood she's now laying in. Her eyes are as … morewide as yours, and she's gasping, looking terrified, as blood spreads around her hands, which are frantically clutched at her upper torso, as if to try and keep the blood from spilling out. You can't tell exactly where she's been hit, shoulder or chest - but either way, it's bad, and she's losing blood fast. You're reminded of another time, a few weeks ago, when you were crouched next to someone else who was hurt like this. You shiver at the memory. Jack...
Before you can do anything to help Zoey, you're shoved roughly aside, where you tumble to the ground; picking yourself up, you see that Sorrel is in your place now, hurriedly trying to help Zoey stop the bleeding and mouthing things frantically to her as she does.
"Jesus Christ, Lloyd!" comes an angry shout, a female, and you turn to see a woman … [view original content]
Your ears are still ringing as you drop to Zoey's side, shocked, taking in the growing puddle of blood she's now laying in. Her eyes are as … morewide as yours, and she's gasping, looking terrified, as blood spreads around her hands, which are frantically clutched at her upper torso, as if to try and keep the blood from spilling out. You can't tell exactly where she's been hit, shoulder or chest - but either way, it's bad, and she's losing blood fast. You're reminded of another time, a few weeks ago, when you were crouched next to someone else who was hurt like this. You shiver at the memory. Jack...
Before you can do anything to help Zoey, you're shoved roughly aside, where you tumble to the ground; picking yourself up, you see that Sorrel is in your place now, hurriedly trying to help Zoey stop the bleeding and mouthing things frantically to her as she does.
"Jesus Christ, Lloyd!" comes an angry shout, a female, and you turn to see a woman … [view original content]
Your ears are still ringing as you drop to Zoey's side, shocked, taking in the growing puddle of blood she's now laying in. Her eyes are as … morewide as yours, and she's gasping, looking terrified, as blood spreads around her hands, which are frantically clutched at her upper torso, as if to try and keep the blood from spilling out. You can't tell exactly where she's been hit, shoulder or chest - but either way, it's bad, and she's losing blood fast. You're reminded of another time, a few weeks ago, when you were crouched next to someone else who was hurt like this. You shiver at the memory. Jack...
Before you can do anything to help Zoey, you're shoved roughly aside, where you tumble to the ground; picking yourself up, you see that Sorrel is in your place now, hurriedly trying to help Zoey stop the bleeding and mouthing things frantically to her as she does.
"Jesus Christ, Lloyd!" comes an angry shout, a female, and you turn to see a woman … [view original content]
Your ears are still ringing as you drop to Zoey's side, shocked, taking in the growing puddle of blood she's now laying in. Her eyes are as … morewide as yours, and she's gasping, looking terrified, as blood spreads around her hands, which are frantically clutched at her upper torso, as if to try and keep the blood from spilling out. You can't tell exactly where she's been hit, shoulder or chest - but either way, it's bad, and she's losing blood fast. You're reminded of another time, a few weeks ago, when you were crouched next to someone else who was hurt like this. You shiver at the memory. Jack...
Before you can do anything to help Zoey, you're shoved roughly aside, where you tumble to the ground; picking yourself up, you see that Sorrel is in your place now, hurriedly trying to help Zoey stop the bleeding and mouthing things frantically to her as she does.
"Jesus Christ, Lloyd!" comes an angry shout, a female, and you turn to see a woman … [view original content]
Your ears are still ringing as you drop to Zoey's side, shocked, taking in the growing puddle of blood she's now laying in. Her eyes are as … morewide as yours, and she's gasping, looking terrified, as blood spreads around her hands, which are frantically clutched at her upper torso, as if to try and keep the blood from spilling out. You can't tell exactly where she's been hit, shoulder or chest - but either way, it's bad, and she's losing blood fast. You're reminded of another time, a few weeks ago, when you were crouched next to someone else who was hurt like this. You shiver at the memory. Jack...
Before you can do anything to help Zoey, you're shoved roughly aside, where you tumble to the ground; picking yourself up, you see that Sorrel is in your place now, hurriedly trying to help Zoey stop the bleeding and mouthing things frantically to her as she does.
"Jesus Christ, Lloyd!" comes an angry shout, a female, and you turn to see a woman … [view original content]
Comments
[We should search the city. The risk is worth it if it means we might find supplies.]
[We should search the city. The risk is worth it if it means we might find supplies.]
Heavy risk... but the prizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzeeeeeeeeeeeee.
[We should search the city. The risk is worth it if it means we might find supplies.]
[We should search the city. The risk is worth it if it means we might find supplies.]
[We should keep moving. We have enough supplies as it is, and it's going to be dangerous in there.]
[We should search the city. The risk is worth it if it means we might find supplies.]
Hey Super sorry to bother you but i just wanted to ask when is Forumlands starting?
Somebody said... prize?
Me too
When I finish Chapter 2 of the Walking Dead fanfic I'm doing, which should be soon.
[We should search the city.]
My characters shall be here soon! I can feeeeelll it.
[We should search the city. The risk is worth it if it means we might find supplies.]
Matthew and Cynthia Davis, right?
Yeah, that's them.
[We should search the city.]
"We need to check the town for supplies," you say finally. "It's worth the risk, especially if food's going to be harder to find now."
"Okay," Zoey agrees, nodding. "Sounds good to me." She grabs one of Sorrel's knives from a sheath on her belt without even asking (Sorrel looks less than pleased, but like always, says nothing) and then moves over to where you've got the 'stew' cooking, sticking the knife in unceremoniously to puncture a piece of meat and bring it up to her face. (You silently thank Sorrel for having the forethought to have washed the knife in question - you don't think you'd be very happy if Zoey had just contaminated your meal with biter blood.)
"Is it done?" she asks you, making a face.
You shrug. "Maybe." It had been cooking for a while.
After staring at the piece of meat for a few moments, as if inspecting it, she moves the knife to her mouth and takes a bite, then flails about in apparent shock as she screws up her face in displeasure.
"Gross?" you question.
She breathes out loudly through her nose as she finishes her show of alarm, shaking her head as she finally speaks. "No, hot," she explains in a pained voice. "Ow. But that too. Probably. I don't think it's done."
You blink at her, then look away, back to the fire. "... Right." More time, then. You should probably start stripping the rest and preparing the parts of the legs you wanted to roast, too, so you get to work on that as fast as you can, ignoring the eyes you can feel on you - Zoey and Sorrel are both clearly staring at you, but neither speaks to break the silence, so you don't allow yourself to think anything of it.
It's better this way - there's often a lot of silence between the three of you (probably in part because one of you simply doesn't talk at all), but you've gotten used to it by now, and unnecessary babbling about your respective tragic pasts would just be counterintuitive to your goal of not getting 'too close' to the two girls. You assume their goal is similar, seeing how little they've shared with you - or at least Sorrel's is. Zoey does seem to... try, sometimes (you think back to her comment on her cook friend earlier) - but you're always quick to shut her down.
Maybe you shouldn't be so quick to do so the next time. You aren't sure. It certainly wouldn't hurt to learn more about the two of them, at any rate... even if you don't want them to know your full story just yet, or ever. You make a mental note to try and be more receptive to Zoey's chitchat the next time she attempts it; there's no real reason not to, so long as you don't allow yourself to become too attached to the two of them, since you still are anticipating things going sideways one way or another.
Heaving a sigh that's a lot louder than you intend it to be, you continue your work on the meal, feeling the gazes of Zoey and Sorrel leave you at last as they turn and walk a ways away, probably to set up the bedding for tonight's camp.
It's later on, when you've all just finished eating and Zoey and you are settling down for the night in your respective spots around the fire - Sorrel is taking the first watch - that Zoey finally speaks to you again (the majority of the meal had passed in silence, just like so many of your moments do now.)
"You know," she muses softly, and you glance at her to see her gaze is focused up at the night sky above you, "My friend who was a cook... he was actually a baker." You raise an eyebrow, though she can't see it, wondering where she's going with this, and say nothing, as if prompting her to go on. She turns her head to look at you as she does, giving you a half-hearted glare. "And I think even he could have made a meal better than that."
You take a moment before you respond. "Not my fault fox meat is so horrible," you say impassively, returning your own attention to the sky above you.
"Sure, you can say that," Zoey sighs. "But we both know you're just not that good of a cook." She's silent for a while, and you think the conversation is over; just as you're about to roll over to go to sleep, however, she speaks again. "You know, it's actually kind of funny," she murmurs, but you hear no mirth in her voice. "He was a real animal lover, and his favorite animal was always foxes. Not wolves, not dogs or whatever... Foxes. He was... a weird kid. But he'd probably be mortified, if he were here..." She trails off, making some sort of gesture that you can't make out from the corner of your eye, likely to imply the fact that you've just been eating the very animal her friend apparently loved best.
You blink, glancing at her briefly. "Your friend, is he...?" Dead, you imply, but do not say out loud.
"Nah, far as I know, he could still be alive out there somewhere," she says. "He lived in Brookhaven, just like everyone else Sorrel and I knew... before. We moved just this year when we graduated high school... wanted a fresh start. Didn't imagine that we'd end up so far from everyone we knew when this shit hit, though." You frown, looking at her fully now.
"Brookhaven? That's where we're headed, isn't it?"
"Yeah," she nods. "It's part of why Sorrel and I are so deadset on heading there when normally... we probably wouldn't be. Community or no community, it's where we grew up. Maybe..."
She falls silent now, and it sounds like it's for good; she doesn't speak for a long time, as if she's at last going to sleep.
Finally, you decide to break the silence - for the first time in a long time speaking to someone when you weren't entirely expected to or prompted.
"Maybe you'll find your friends, then, in Brookhaven," you tell her, attempting to make your voice sound indifferent. Your words, though, you hope, are friendly enough. "I hope you do." Your unspoken wish, from when you first met Zoey and Sorrel, hangs in the air - that maybe you'll find someone you care about there, too. It's a long shot, you know... But if the rumor is really spreading that Brookhaven exists, maybe ... if anyone else is alive out there after all, maybe they'll be headed there, too.
"Yeah," Zoey mumbles. "Thanks." Then, without another word exchanged between the two of you, she rolls over to sleep, and you follow suit, your back to her and your eyes falling closed.
You're the one on watch when the first light of morning hits, and you know you'll need to wake the others up so you can get going. Traveling always starts for you at dawn - that way you can make camp long before nightfall, so that hunting can be done for the day. It's a little less relevant now that you doubt you'll be doing much hunting for at least a few days, but nonetheless, you walk the short way over to where Zoey and Sorrel are sleeping anyway to wake them up.
They're entwined with one another even as they sleep, cuddling close together. It's something that would probably make you feel embarrassed to see, before all this - but you're long past the point of awkwardness now. Prodding Zoey softly with your foot, you speak - "Hey, time to get up. Dawn."
It's Sorrel who awakens first, though, if only to crack open her angry eyes to glare at you from where her head is rested atop Zoey's in what you think is a somewhat protective gesture. You shrug, but say nothing to her despite the glare she's giving you. It isn't long before Sorrel's gotten Zoey to wake up, too (she grumbles and yawns and protests like always, though you think she seems a little more cheerful today than usual, which is a relief) and the three of you start off towards the city.
Part of you is expecting Zoey to strike up a conversation as you travel, what with the amount of background she had shared with you last night - but she doesn't. Instead, the three of you travel in silence, perhaps even more so than usual. Typically, Zoey would make some sort of small talk at least once or twice - but she doesn't today, instead simply walking quietly with one hand linked with Sorrel's. You roll your eyes as you observe their joined hands; you don't have any problem with their relationship - as far as you're concerned, the two can do what they want - but you do think it might be a little dangerous for them to each only have one hand free to defend themselves with. Whatever - you guess it isn't your place, and you don't say anything, just hang back a little behind them as they walk, following behind with your handgun drawn (you had ammo this time, thankfully) and ready to fire if danger does arise.
The others were right - it isn't long before you're out of the forest at all, and not long after that, you can spot the city in the distance as you crest the hill, spanning out much wider than you might have imagined (the word "city" was definitely closer to the truth than "town" was.) It's closer than you might have guessed, too, so it really doesn't take you quite as long as you were expecting to get close.
As you finally do close in on the outskirts of the city, however, you notice something - that same dull, moaning noise that had come from the herd you encountered before. It's quiet right now, so you think the main culmination of dead must be just inside the city limits - but there are still some stragglers out here, which you take care to remind Zoey and Sorrel not to make any noise while taking out. (Funny - you don't really have to, since you're the only one with a weapon that actually makes a great deal of noise. On that note, you stuff your handgun in your pocket, throwing all gun safety and precautions to the wind, and retrieve your cleaver from your pack instead.)
When you get close enough, just inside the outskirts and close to entering the 'real city,' Zoey seems to notice the noise of the herd for the first time - you're pretty sure Sorrel has noticed it long ago - and looks to you sharply, eyes wide. "Do you hear that?" she murmurs, raising her crossbow a little higher as if to feel a little safer (the hand holding had long since been abandoned, seeing as both of them had had to have both hands free in order to take out a few biters so far.)
"Yeah," you reply at the same volume, nodding your head on instinct despite the fact that her gaze has returned forward. "It's why we need to be quiet. There's a herd up ahead somewhere."
"A herd?" Zoey asks, sounding a little more than annoyed, though you've learned by now this is simply the tone she takes on when she's scared. "And just how do you suppose we're going to get past it then, genius?!"
You blink - you guess you hadn't really thought to say anything to them yet, or prepare, but... you do know the best way to get past the biters...
"Actually..."
Soon enough, the three of you are covered almost head to toe in gore, despite Zoey's misgivings about the idea (Sorrel seems to not be bothered at all.) Before you officially enter the city and, in turn, the swarm of the dead inside it, you remind Zoey and Sorrel to just try and blend in and follow your lead. It's odd, when you think about it, that they just accept you to 'lead' them so easily - though you guess Sorrel, at least, seems very unhappy about the idea, just like always.
Here's hoping I don't lead you into death.
Traveling through the herd goes a lot smoother now than it has for you in the past - no one alerts the dead to your presence, nor does an inconvenient rainstorm come along to wash the gore off. You are safe. That doesn't mean that it isn't still a frightening experience - but for the most part, if you've gotten anything from your months surviving this shit and from everything you've lost, it's nerves of steel. You don't even flinch this time, despite the loud, terrifying noise all around you, as you lead the other two through the herd, searching for a clearing or a notable building to search for supplies in.
You don't see any buildings worth searching yet, but soon enough, the three of emerge into an area much less populated with the dead - it's a neighborhood of sorts, and as you walk down the culdesac, you notice that there are no longer any biters around you at all. Though you aren't sure any of the houses will be worth searching at this point, it's as good a chance as any to regroup and figure out a plan of action through the city, you suppose. You check a couple of houses in silence first, but find only a few usable items (two cans of food and part of a first aid kit.) It's while you're searching the third house that Zoey suddenly speaks up.
"Hey! Look at this!"
You turn to her as she speaks, moving over when she gestures for you and Sorrel to come closer. She's picked up something from the ground - a crumpled piece of paper that you would have simply overlooked, and to be honest, you aren't sure what could be on it to prompt the excitement she's showing. As you peer over her shoulder, your eyes widen as you see what's on the paper - a map, though only of a few miles radius around your current location.
"A map?" you murmur without thinking, frowning. It's a little puzzling to find one like this, but you aren't about to discount your good fortune.
"Yeah," Zoey nods. "It looks like it's from one of those online map directions sites. They put in their destination as a grocery store a few miles from here, but it's got locations of some other places around here, too."
You stare at it for a moment as Sorrel does the same - she seems fairly pleased for once, though her expression is still not exactly happy - then turn away to look over the rest of the house. "Wonder why they left it behind," you muse to yourself, after a few moments, as you finish up searching the room.
Zoey has opened another door beside you, to a bedroom of some sort - and as she does, she recoils, expression a mixture of horror and sadness. "That answers your question," she mumbles, and, curious, you move to glance into the room. There are a couple of bodies on the ground, two girls - a few months of decomposition makes it hard to tell, but it looks like one was already a biter when she was shot, while the other, judging by the gun clutched in her hand, killed herself.
You sigh, shaking your head. It's sad, but you can't exactly find anything comforting to say to Zoey, who looks badly affected by the scene. Instead, you see Sorrel take her hand - and while she doesn't say anything still, you can tell that she's saying a lot even without speaking aloud. You look away to give them a little space, moving into the room and looking it over.
There's nothing of note in here besides the gun, which doesn't have a lot of ammo - but it's better than finding nothing at all. As you finish checking the room, you turn to Zoey and Sorrel. "Nothing else in here."
"Okay," Zoey says quietly. "Then... maybe it's time we decided where to go next." When you stare at her with a raised eyebrow, as if asking her to explain, she goes on; "I mean, that map had some places we can check for supplies. I'm sure one of them's got to have something."
"Alright," you say with a nod. "What's there to check?"
"Well," she says, raising the map up to look at it again. "There's that grocery store that they were planning to go to. Something tells me it'll be pretty picked clean, though." She has a point, seeing as it's nearly three months into the so-called apocalypse - but you wave her on without comment. "And a pet shop, too. It looks like the roads to get there are a lot less major, so we might not run into a lot of dead things on the way. Not sure what we'd find there, though." You don't say it aloud, but you do consider the fact that there could be food at the pet store - whether in the form of animals themselves, assuming any have survived a few months, or in food meant for animal consumption. Not your favorite meal, but again, it's the apocalypse - you eat what you can get now.
"Is that all?" you prompt finally, as she appears to be scrutinizing the map with a puzzled expression.
"No," she says after a pause. "I think this one's a gun shop. The name's a little weird, though." You wait, expecting her to tell you it, but she doesn't, instead simply lowering the map and tilting her head at you. "Maybe we could find ammunition for your gun there."
"Maybe," you agree, though you aren't sure. "How's the route there?"
"They look like busy roads," she tells you, looking to Sorrel for confirmation though the map has already been lowered - the other girl had been looking at it with her, though. When Sorrel nods, you guess that Zoey probably hadn't been much of a driver between the two of them.
So busy roads - a possibility of a lot of dead, but so long as you don't alert them, you could be okay. And ammunition... if the place hasn't already been looted.
The other options are also appealing in their own right - well, mostly. The grocery store, of course, being a supercenter, might have a lot more selection of things to loot, assuming their shelves haven't been picked entirely clean by now. And the pet store, while not the most attractive option as far as what you'd find there, might well be the most sensible one.
You frown to yourself, going over the options in your head, while Zoey raises the map to look at it again.
[We should go to the gun store.]
[We should go to the supermarket.]
[We should go to the pet store.]
[We should go to the supermarket.]
[We should go to the pet store.]
[We should go to the pet store.]
[We should go to the supermarket.]
[We should go to the pet store.]
[We should go to the supermarket.]
[We should go to the supermarket.]
Ok
Btw can you send me a link to your Fic i want to get to know more about your style as writer
I was going to say pet store because it sounds like the least dangerous, but you might use reverse psychology, so I will choose the gun store
. Sometimes the obvious answer may be the answer... Or the worst answer... But YOLO right?
http://www.telltalegames.com/community/discussion/76328/the-walking-dead-humane-ep-1-ch-2-is-out
[We should go to the pet store.]
[We should go to the supermarket.]
[We should go to the supermarket.]
(Sorry, really short chapter with no vote - more of a tidbit, really, but don't worry, the next chapter is coming much sooner. As in 99% chance it will come tomorrow. In the meantime, I hope this has no errors - I don't really have time to look over it! Sorry!)
[We should go to the supermarket.]
"The supermarket sounds like the right place to go to me," you tell her. "I don't think it'll be completely emptied out - and besides, if it is, we can just check somewhere else later." Zoey looks a little apprehensive, but she nods anyway, not disputing your choice. She wouldn't have a lot of room to protest even if she wanted to, considering she'd let you make the decision in the first place. Sorrel looks a lot more dissatisfied than Zoey does - but you aren't sure whether it's because of where you're headed or just her usual scowl in place. It's hard to tell with her.
Sorrel studies the map in Zoey's hand for a moment, then gives a jerk of her head towards the door; she begins to lead you out onto the street and, presumably, towards your destination. You don't bother to question her taking the lead now - it'd be kind of hard to argue with someone who doesn't speak anyway.
There are a few dead out here in the neighborhood now, looming about, but none of them notice you. The blood trick really does work wonders when there's no rainstorm or injured people to worry about. It's somewhat of a walk - a couple miles to the store - but the roads aren't too major, and for the most part your journey is peaceful. There are a few moments of terror - close calls in which it seems the dead might notice you - but they never come to pass, and in the end you make it to parking lot of the supercenter without a problem.
As you trek up towards the supermarket - it seems you were unlucky enough to be traveling uphill through this parking lot towards it, partly because it seems to be the service and loading parking lot instead of the consumer one, which would probably be around the other side - you allow your guard to be let down just a little, taking in the store you're approaching. There are less biters around you now than what you had to go through to get here, although there are still a few - but not nearly enough to be any real threat. The only ones around are back on the street, leaving the three of you alone in the large parking lot.
The store itself looks somewhat worse for wear after three months into the apocalypse. What appears to be a small jet or plane of some sort, maybe military grade - you don't really know anything about planes - is crashed on the roof, although it doesn't appear to have done any major damage, except to the corner of the building closest where it's crashed, where some chunks of wall have been taken out. Most of the glass doors and windows in the front are shattered, but there appear to be makeshift barriers and barricades just beyond them, large planks of wood and items of furniture that tell you that someone probably was trying to survive here. You can't hear anything but dead now, though, so you doubt they're still around. The main entrance appears to be blocked by only a sofa of some sort, and the door is still intact, so you'll probably be able to clear it fine once you're up there so you can get inside.
You're just about to turn and whisper to Zoey that she should help you move it when a shout makes you stop in your tracks.
"DON'T MOVE!"
The voice is a little quiet because of distance - you're only about two thirds of the way across the parking lot - but there is no mistaking the warning in it; immediately, you jerk your gaze this way and that as you search for the source of it, Zoey and Sorrel both freezing on either side of you.
It's on the roof of the building where you eventually find the person who's yelled - a man, though he's hard to make out from here. He's crouched low to the edge of the roof - probably why you hadn't noticed him earlier - and though it's difficult to tell from the position he's in, he appears to be a large, muscular man, with gray hair and a short beard. You also do not fail to notice the large sniper rifle he's got pointed directly at the three of you.
"Whoa whoa whoa, wait a second--!" Zoey starts to call back, sounding annoyed.
"Quiet!" the man yells again, cutting her off. "You three need to turn back, now! You aren't welcome here!" He doesn't explain any further than this.
"Why the fuck not?!" Zoey snaps, affronted, and Sorrel looks just as angry beside you. "We're just people, trying to survive just as much as you are! We came here looking for food!"
Before you can say anything, the man is shouting back - "Well, there isn't any here for you! I'm warning you, I will shoot!"
Sorrel bristles even more at his threat, though Zoey seems to deflate a little visibly. "Listen," she tries, sounding like she's trying to be reasonable, though the annoyance in her tone is still audible. "All we need is a little help! Considering the alternative is dog food, I'd rather not have to turn back!"
You know you have to do something, fast - the man's finger is on the trigger, and he looks as hostile as Sorrel does, though it's a different kind of hostility, cold and calculated instead of rage-filled as she appears.
When the man is silent, Zoey sighs softly, resigned, then raises her head to stare at him again. "Please!" she says, stepping forward as she does so; then the man is shouting at the same time as she's trying to make one last attempt to reason with him.
"I SAID --!" he says, as she calls up "We just need--"
Before either of them can finish their thoughts, a number of things happen in rapid succession.
First, Zoey reaches into her pocket, presumably for the map, as if to brandish for him to see your genuine intent. Second, Sorrel flinches from next to you, staring at Zoey with wide eyes and making a move as if to try and stop her.
Third, the man pulls the trigger, a loud BANG of gunfire sounds right beside you, and Zoey crumples to the ground.
Sorry, sorry, sorry. xD
Zoey you baka. Why would you try to put your hand in your pocket without saying anything while someone is pointing at you with a gunnnnnnn pls pls
I'll facepalm for you ;>
Zoey, what you did was stupid, good job.
Your ears are still ringing as you drop to Zoey's side, shocked, taking in the growing puddle of blood she's now laying in. Her eyes are as wide as yours, and she's gasping, looking terrified, as blood spreads around her hands, which are frantically clutched at her upper torso, as if to try and keep the blood from spilling out. You can't tell exactly where she's been hit, shoulder or chest - but either way, it's bad, and she's losing blood fast. You're reminded of another time, a few weeks ago, when you were crouched next to someone else who was hurt like this. You shiver at the memory. Jack...
Before you can do anything to help Zoey, you're shoved roughly aside, where you tumble to the ground; picking yourself up, you see that Sorrel is in your place now, hurriedly trying to help Zoey stop the bleeding and mouthing things frantically to her as she does.
"Jesus Christ, Lloyd!" comes an angry shout, a female, and you turn to see a woman rushing towards you across the parking lot. The door is closed behind her, but you can see that the couch has been cleared out of the way - and that there's a figure standing in the doorway, staring out at you though shadowed by darkness.
Lloyd looks down at you all in silence, seeming perhaps remorseful, then stands and hurries to ladder leading down off the side of the roof.
"S-Sorrel--" Zoey chokes, voice tiny and scared, the most pitiful you think you've heard her sound, and you turn to see Sorrel with a first aid kit opened beside her, fumbling to remove Zoey's shirt and bandage up the wound as fast as she can. You can't help but wonder if any amount of time will be fast enough. There's so much blood - and from the bottom of the hill, you can see some biters, drawn from the streets by the gunfire and making their lumbering way towards you.
The woman reaches Sorrel's side as you stand, and she moves her long blonde hair behind her, out of her way, as she stoops next to her. But Sorrel seems unwilling to accept her help. She jerks her head towards the woman and lets out a horrible hiss of rage, looking like she's ready to tear her throat out. The woman, surprisingly, does not flinch; instead, she meets Sorrel's angry gaze and returns it with one just as firm.
"Stop! Calm down!" she tells her sharply. "Let me help you, or she will die!" Sorrel still looks venomous, but at the suggestion that her continued hostility could lead to Zoey's death, she backs down a little - but she does not untense her shoulders or stop shooting the stranger the same furious glare.
The blonde woman rifles through the first aid kit Sorrel's got out, then removes some supplies from the backpack on her back as well, laying them out and moving closer to Zoey's side, where the girl still seems to be in pretty bad shape. The stranger moves so her back is to you, so you can't tell what she's doing, but you guess it's assessing the wound somehow or another.
"You!" The sudden voice is hers. You blink in surprise, shocked at being addressed, but look at the stranger nonetheless, and she meets your eyes. "Do you have a weapon?" she asks you. You nod.
"Then keep the infected off of us," she tells you. "I have to stop the bleeding before we can move her inside. You need to stop them from reaching us."
You only nod again, not bothering to mention that you don't have a huge amount of ammo. If it means saving Zoey's life, you'll do what you can. Besides, you can always switch to your cleaver if you have to.
You hear the stranger speaking lowly to Sorrel now, but you tune them out; instead, you turn to face the approaching dead, retrieving your handgun from your pocket and preparing yourself to start shooting. You wait, at least, until the biters are a little closer so that you might have an easier time aiming.
As you pull the trigger and kill the first biter, it becomes clear to you that you needn't have waited. You'd forgotten how good your aim was - and it seems it hasn't been affected at all by the chaos happening right now. Your hands aren't even shaking. You're almost too used to this by now. One by one, you take down the approaching dead with a few well-placed bullets, only needing one or two shots for most of them, until there are seven bodies laying on the parking lot in front of you. You point your gun at the next biter - there are still three more approaching that you can see, though there may be more ready to come out of hiding - and pull the trigger again only to hear the familiar click signifying you're out of ammo. Shit. Didn't you have more than that? It takes you a moment to remember that the spare handgun ammo - what you don't normally carry with you, at least - is in Zoey's pack. Sighing, you replace your handgun in your pocket and retrieve your cleaver, moving forward unflinchingly towards the three biters you have yet to kill.
The first one goes down easy; you embed your blade into its skull with one effortless move, then yank it back out and watch as it falls down unmoving at your feet. The next one is closer than you'd realized, so you take a quick, blind swing at it, slicing out at its face and cursing when you don't quite hit your mark; its jaw has come off its hinges, but that's the most damage that's been done. As it reaches out decayed hands for you, you stab forward with your cleaver, straight through the top of its head. It falls, and you topple unexpectedly with it, your cleaver not coming out of its head so easily this time.
Tugging the try and dislodge the blade, you glance up intermittently to see the last biter coming closer and closer - before long, you know it's going to reach you, but your cleaver isn't budging. Any moment now you're going to have to abandon your effort - but you'd rather keep trying for now, as you know stabbing it is a lot easier kill than trying to bludgeon it to death with a handgun will be. Still, the biter is lumbering more quickly towards you than you might hope, and you curse as you make one last desperate tug at your blade before giving up on it and moving to take your handgun back out.
You haven't even managed to get one hit on the dead guy when a loud gunshot rings out, and you whirl around to see the man from earlier - Lloyd - has made the shot. He's approaching fast across the parking lot, and you shift warily on your feet as your stare at him, unsure of what to think. He might have just saved you, but he also shot Zoey - and something tells you it probably wasn't you he was worried about when he killed the biter. His eyes are on the blonde stranger, who, as you turn to look, seems to be finishing bandaging up Zoey's wound. Zoey's eyes are closed and her breathing shallow; she appears to be unconscious.
Sorrel turns around to look at you - then she seems to notice Lloyd approaching, and she whips around to face him, snarling viciously as she rises and starts to rush at him. This time, Lloyd doesn't shoot - thankfully - and you manage to reach Sorrel before she does him, pulling her back. "Stop!" you hiss, "Not right now!"
Sorrel yanks out of your grip to turn her glare on you instead, looking the angriest you've ever seen her. She looks to Lloyd briefly, then back at you again; you think if she had spoken, she probably would have said something along the lines of 'he shot Zoey.' Probably.
"We can deal with that later," you whisper to her. "Right now Zoey needs you." Sorrel's eyes widen only a fraction, but it's enough - you can tell she's reconsidering, and she stares at you for a long moment before stalking back over to the woman, who turns and says something to her softly. While the two of them work on lifting and carrying Zoey, you turn to glare at Lloyd instead. Whether or not he meant for this, he might well have killed her - so you aren't going to let him feel okay about what he's done. He looks slightly disconcerted by your hostile look, but says nothing, turning back to stare at the others. Up close, you can see him better - he's much taller than you, probably around 6 foot, and somewhat muscular. He looks to be somewhat older, too - in his mid 50s, most likely.
You're still glaring at him when Sorrel and the stranger pass you, moving quickly, Zoey carried as gently as possible between them - though you doubt moving her is good for the wound either way. Still, it's better than leaving her out here and getting swarmed by the dead, you suppose. Begrudgingly, you turn and follow them after them, careful to walk behind Lloyd, seeing as you don't trust him much - or at all, really.
Whoever has been standing in the doorway opens the door for you when you all reach it, though you can see he looks cautious. Though he's fairly tall, you can tell he's still just a kid, younger than you even - probably around 13 or 14. As you make it to the door last, he steps back, running a hand through his blond hair and looking away from you, still seeming skeptical. He says nothing, only looks to the stranger as she lays Zoey down on the couch that you guess was previously being used to block the door, alarm clearly visible on his face.
"Gustav, don't just stand there," the woman barks at him. "Block the door with something else. We can't allow any infected to get in here."
"Okay," Gustav mumbles, sounding a little annoyed at being ordered around, but he does as told, moving to start pushing an armchair that's lying on its side some feet away. You move to join him and help - and though he looks suspicious of you at first, after a moment, he simply shrugs, not protesting as you move beside him to help push.
Once you've blocked the door, you turn to face the strangers, narrowing your eyes. The woman is checking over Zoey again, probably to make sure the wound hasn't reopened.
"Your friend might have been lucky," she says at last. "But she isn't out of the woods yet. The bullet passed right through, but that's still a lot of blood to lose, and it could get infected." She turns to glare at Lloyd. "Not that it's exactly your fault she was hurt in the first place."
"Hey--" Lloyd interject, somewhat softly. Judging by his previous silence and body language, you guess he's normally a quiet sort of guy - hard to believe after he just shouted at you and shot your friend, though. "Ari, listen," Lloyd goes on, sighing. "I thought she was going to pull a gun... I was just trying to protect the kid."
"He's not yours to protect!" Ari snaps. "He's my brother. My responsibility, not yours. And besides, protecting him or not, you could have killed this girl! You might still have!"
"She could have been dangerous," Lloyd argues, though his voice doesn't rise as Ari's does. "I was just doing what I had to to keep us safe."
Ari looks like she's about to shout something more at him, but then she glances at Sorrel, looking at Zoey now with a mournful, worried expression (it looks out of place on her normally hostile face.) Sighing, she turns back to face her - but the look she shoots Lloyd tells you that this argument is not over. "She needs to be kept an eye on," she tells her. "She could go into shock, or her wound could reopen. I'm no doctor, but I did what I could."
Sorrel only stares at Ari in response, face giving away nothing.
"You can stay here for a while with us," Ari goes on finally when the silence hangs just a little bit too long. "She'll need to heal up. Rest. Being on the road won't be good for her now. Besides, we could use the extra hands around here."
This is when Sorrel finally seems to snap. She snarls, whipping around to face Ari fully, but as always, does not voice her quarrel, only growls at her. At Ari's confused look, Sorrel juts an accusatory finger at Lloyd, who, meanwhile, also looks a little dissatisfied.
"Is that really a good idea?" he asks. "We don't know if these people are dangerous."
"Well, you're the one who shot her, so it isn't your decision to make," Ari tells him.
Sorrel, however, still does not seem convinced. Sensing her hostility, you narrow your eyes and frown before speaking up yourself. "How do we know you aren't dangerous?" you ask them coldly. "You shot our friend, and you tried to turn us away when we needed help. Why should we stay here and help you?"
"You don't have much of a choice," Ari huffs. "She could die if you leave! She might be stable for now, but what if her wound reopens? You don't have another option. You have to stay here with us."
Sorrel looks absolutely livid, and you worry for a moment that she is going to attack Ari. Instead, however, she settles for flipping her off.
Judging by the glares both Lloyd and Gustav are giving you, you aren't all too welcome here - even Ari seems somewhat aggressive in her stance. You have no idea if you'd be safe here - and these are the people who hurt Zoey in the first place.
But if you do leave... Ari could be right. Zoey looks okay for now - her wound is bandaged up, and maybe she could survive even if you left to hole out somewhere else instead - but there is still the possibility that leaving could cost her dearly. You clench your hands into fists, looking down at your feet as you think it over.
"Fine. We'll stay here with you. But it doesn't mean we forgive you."
"No. Give us some supplies and we'll be on our way. We'll take our chances on the road."
"Fine. We'll stay here with you. But it doesn't mean we forgive you."
"Fine. We'll stay here with you. But it doesn't mean we forgive you."
"Fine. We'll stay here with you. But it doesn't mean we forgive you."
"Fine. We'll stay here with you. But it doesn't mean we forgive you."
"Fine. We'll stay here with you. But it doesn't mean we forgive you."