((rawr, sorry! *posts*))

Done with shopping, Hayley followed Michaela outside. Before she got to the door, though, her cart slipped out of her hands and she fell into Chuck's arms, landing where his snacks were until she landed there. "Watch where you're going," Hayley muttered, walking past. She now wondered why in the world she ever went searching for people. She missed being alone, and even if Chuck was a fox and the only way to avoid falling for him was being mean, that didn't mean Hayley needed him.

Hayley joined Michaela in front of the store. "Me too," Hayley agreed. "Let's go inside the apartment, okay? I'll go get Chuck if you go get Akemi, okay?"

"Eh?" he said, nonplussed. First, she well into his arms, then she said that he should watch his steps? He shrugged. Girls were always ... weird. He sighed and walked outside. "Already here. No need to get me," he grinned.

"Sure," Michaela said without smiling. The night somehow depressed her. She walked to Akemi and said flatly, "Come on. We should probably go and find some place to live. I don't think it's safe staying here any longer..."

Indent "Crap..."
Nadia exhaled as she tossed aside her second to last can of food. As hard as she searched, she could find only one last can of food in the house, and it was a can of apricots...she hated apricots.

Indent "I know beggers can't-or rather shouldn't- be choosers but still..." she turned her face up as she studdied the can of fruit in her hands, "Of all the things in the world...it HAD to be apricots."This last can of food was also a harsh reminder that she'd need to go out and find more food, and the sooner the better. She'd rather not completely exhaust the last of her stores, before she was sure she'd be able to replace them.

Indent Nadia knew she'd have to venture out into the world, but she was no fool. She knew that even in the day time it was dangerous. Even in broad daylight, there were still shadows. And the undead- the grays- were more than likely in hiding there. She'd need protection, but her father had been an anti-gun kind of fellow-"Thank you Dad!" - so she'd need to improvise.

Indent After combing the house, she found an old pocket knife, and an iron-wrought table, which she proceeded to break two legs from, at the welding point. Although the table had been crafted to look elegant, the legs were heavily weighted, and would likely prove useful both for offense, and defense against whatever was out there. Nadia secured the knife on her hip, in way that it was easy to access, but not likely to slip away, and grabbed a messenger bag, in which she deposited a flashlight, and one of her clubs into, and proceeded, pull it on, so that it rested on her hip opposite the knife. The second club she took in her dominate hand. After making sure everything was in order- she was secured, covered, and ready to go- Nadia proceeded to exit what had been her home, and shut the door securely behind her. Locking it, with the key she kept around her neck.

"Ah- okay!"
Akemi had been wandering the store looking for some more food that wouldn't spoil, but most of it was either rotten or well past it's use-by. Now she scrambled outside to join the others.
"What apartment is that?" She asked curiously. When she was alone, Akemi had hidden under scraps of metal; it wasn't somewhere the undead had thought to look. They mostly looked in the stores and buildings, not out in the open or in the trash.

"Just that one over there," Hayley said, pointing to what she didn't know was Lorenzo's apartment. "Well, let's go!" Hayley said, in an agitated tone. "The sun has gone down, and it's likely that by the time we get to the apartment we'll be eaten!" With that Hayley quickly pushed her cart up to the apartment, and slowly pushed it up the stairs to the top level of the building, When she approached the hole in the stairs, she floated over it through the magic of rainbows, unicorns and 1337. Then, Hayley picked the lock and pushed her cart in the open door. "Come on, guys!" she yelled down at her friends. In front of her was Lorenzo. Hayley turned around to leave the apartment, but saw zombies at the bottom of the stairs behind her new friends. "Aw, shit!" she muttered under her breath, going all the way into the apartment.

((Hurray, they're in the apartment! :insane: Btw, it's not that important but there's a chunk of the stairway that was blown up, but we can say Haylee and her 1337 skillz jumped it. It was basically my lazy explanation why zombies couldn't get to the top floor ^^;))




Lorenzo's eyes peeled open slowly, awoken by the sound of his door unlocking. Struggling to gain his wits, he sat up, rubbing the crust from his eyes before the reality hit him. Shit, they figured out how to pick locks?!

He stumbled to his feet just as the door creaked open. Fortunately he wasn't greeted by the grey undead, but by a huge supermarket cart being pushed in by a dark-haired female. Still groggy with sleep, he squinted, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

Before he could say anything though, the girl had whipped around and was headed back towards the staircase. Not sure what else to do, he picked his revolver off the floor and followed her.

Once out in the corridor, he saw others were making their way up the staircase, followed closely by zombies. "Fuck, you idiots lead them here!" he cried out. Clumsily reloading, he opened fire on the shambling corpses.

"Shi-" Nadia quickened her pace, as her eyes registered the steady transition from day, to night. She'd have to make this a quick run, or risk it all. She put herself at risk just venturing out as late as she did.
"Next time, I start earlier...."
she thought, as she went.
"Make my feet swift, and my mind strong." she prayed, " I really don't like the idea of becoming a gray's dinner."

Nadia tried to jog-as best she could, considering the weighted messenger bag, that slapped her hip- as she attempted this.

"I really need to get a back pack..." she muttered to herself. Just then, she heard a groan, and froze midstep. In that moment, she felt her body gear up....fight or flight. She stood absolutely still as she waited... Seconds passed and she heard the creature banging around, the sounds however, were growing farther and farther, away from her general direction. Her tensed muscles relaxed, and she coninued on.

A few blocks later, she was at an old super market.

Nadia retrieved her flashlight, and shone it around the entrance first, then the ceilings closets to her. She quickly located the canned goods isle. She blinded shoved cans of fruit, veggetables, beans & rice, peaches-not apricots- into her bag. When the bag reached a certain weight, she decided to duck out. All that remained in the night sky, was the faint glow of red on the horizon. She clicked off her flashlight, in order to draw less attention herself.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she fast walked back, singing in her head to help pass the time. Thankfully, she'd not encountered anything on her way back to the house. Once she made it up the front walk and inside, she locked the door behind her, and barricaded the door.

Peeling off her bag, and the pocket knife, she curled on an old matress and sheets, and fell asleep.

((the big, bold part in my last post is where I edited it. I highly suggest you read it.))
((ohman, I can't wait to interact with Nadia! You write her well, Pop! :3))


Hayley pulled her revolver out of its holster and helped Lorenzo shoot the remaining zombies. "Sorry 'bout that," she said, after the last zombie had been shot. "If we'd left sooner... anyways, thanks for letting us stay in your place," Hayley said, pushing her cart through the door without asking permission. There was no time to go somewhere else anyways, and Hayley would sure as hell rather stay alive than not stay here for fear of imposing.

((I agree with Anna, hopefully Nadia can find everyone soon! And I read the bold part, hehe.))

"Yeah, sure..." Lorenzo muttered, distracted for the moment as he ticked off the number of shots he'd fired in his head. Ammo conservation was key. Suddenly, his brow twitched, and he realized the full meaning behind Hayley's statement. "Whoa, wait a sec, this isn't a fucking hotel! This is MY apartment!"

He chased after her, managing to stumble in front of the cart. Clenching the plastic mesh in one hand, he swung the other arm in a dramatic gesture around the room. "Does it even look like you'll all fit in here? This is a studio fucking apartment!" He noticed a small scattering of porno mags and hastily kicked them under his dingy couch.

"And even if you all could fit," he continued, slightly flustered, "What makes you think I even want you here? As I recall, you didn't even want me to share the same alley way as you, so why should I welcome you into my place with open arms?!"

:: I'm sorry I haven't posted in such a long time! I was really busy with school and things! :gonk: And me too. I'm excited to go meet Nadia! x3 ::

"You know how to pick locks?" he said, impressed. He was about to shoot them back but the two had finished them already. As he looked at the two of them, he felt a sharp pang of jealousy. He scowled and walked inside.

"Porn," Michaela said in a small voice, turning red. It was true. It was his apartment, so what was she doing here? She pretty much knew that he hated her anyway. But the porn magazines did make her giggle though.

"Come on, man," Chuck said. "Don't you want some ... uh ... company? And Mikee was the only one that didn't want you there." He grinned at the girl.

((It's okay Nicca :)))



Lorenzo rubbed his temples in frustration. "Alright, alright give me a goddamn minute to think," he groaned, releasing Hayley's cart and stomping into the kitchen area. He scooped up a cigarette packet from the floor, lit up and relished the intake of nicotine. After a few silent puffs, he considered the situation.

The pros: more weaponry on his side; the potential to use one or more of them as a distraction/bait should things go bad; sex???
The cons: more rapidly diminishing supplies means more trips outside; having to accommodate nonsmokers; socializing

Keeping them around was inconvenient, but the pros seemed to outweigh the cons overall. He took one last deep drag on his cigarette before turning to the rest of them.

"Alright, you all can stay," he relented, running a hand uncertainly through his hair and tapping the ash from the end of his cig into the sink, "But I want to make this clear; I'm not a fucking babysitter. Everyone's still responsible for their own food and ammo supply. No more using the front door." He shot a look at Hayley. "You gotta use the fire escape to get to and from the apartment. And most importantly, no bitching about my smoking habits."

He shifted his weight to the other foot, folding his arms over his chest. "How's that set with everyone?" he asked.

"I know how to do a lot of things," Hayley said to Chuck with a wink.

Hayley raised an eyebrow at Michaela. She hadn't seen Lorenzo's stash, so the thought running through her head was Tourettes?

Hayley blushed when Lorenzo shot a glance at her. The fire escape really was the obvious choice. "Those terms sound fair and I won't make the same mistake twice," Hayley agreed. "And... thank you," she said sincerely as she walked past Lorenzo into what seemed to be the living room and the bedroom.

((sorry its so choppy. I'm tired, and I didn't want to make it seem like Hayley had suddenly gone mute.)) ((also, can we pretend Hayley's cart is already in the kitchen because of all the pushing and things? I really don't know how to write that smoothly.))

Michaela was about to say something but Chuck cut her off. "That's fine with us. Thanks," he said said quickly. He nodded at him, then yawned. He was terribly sleepy ... But sleeping was very dangerous for him.

But there were people here. They'd wake him up, right? He pursed his lips, wondering. He wasn't so sure about Lorenzo ... He seemed pretty cool ... But Michaela would hopefully wake him up ... Hopefully she wouldn't hit him accidentally with the big bat she was holding.

And if she did, hopefully it was an accident.

Michaela seemed rather irritated at being cut off. She nodded and said, "'Was just wondering ... When was the last time somebody else lived here?"

(( Aww, thanks. I don't know how to make her run into you guys though.....Maybe I'll make her go patrolling.....Yeah that might work, lol. ))

:: lol yeah xD ::

Lorenzo, noticing Chuck's yawn, walked over to a linen closet and pulled out an arm full of wrinkled blankets. Setting them on the couch, he turned to Michaela.

"More than a year, I suppose. Back before all hell broke loose, when I still maintained contact with people from the art school." He sat down on his bed, leaning back on one arm. He grinned devilishly, "Used to have a different girl here every night! Heh. Bet they're all dead by now."

He took a drag on his cigarette, exhaling through his nose. "Anyway, feel free to set up a bed or something, that's about all I can give you." He tapped the ashes into a nearby dish, then added, in a joking manner, "Unless someone wants to sleep with me?"

She couldn't help but stare about how bluntly he spoke and her eyes widened at the last sentence. "W-What?" she spluttered. She stared at him like he was insane. Chuck couldn't help it. He burst into laughter at her reaction and went towards the wrinkled blankets. "Thanks, man," he said, glancing at Michaela. She still looked shocked and embarrassed at the same time.

She shook her head. "Maybe Blanket wants to," she said quietly. The dog looked at Lorenzo curiously and sniffed his butt. Chuck laughed loudly again.

Hayley raised an eyebrow at the crumpled blankets. The stains were definitely... interesting. "Cool, thanks, Lorenzo." She really hoped those stains were from food. "I think I'll pass on the latter, but it seems like Michaela is considering," Hayley said with a smirk.

Hayley snatched the least disgusting blanket for the pile, since none of the others made any move to do so. She rolled it up into something resembling a pillow and laid down. "G'night, guys. I hope I see you in the morning," she said, sleepily.

"Considering?" Michaela said loudly. "No way, Hayley!" She shook her head and looked at the blankets. The only one left was disgusting. She could live without one. She pulled Blanket (who seemed unwilling to stop sniffing Lorenzo's butt) and carried him to the corner of the room. She laid down beside the dog and closed her eyes. Some sleep would be wonderful ... At least now she's way more safer here than the old broken shed she used to sleep in.

She closed her eyes, ready for some sleep.

Lorenzo faked a hurt ego, "Come on, I give you the finest lodging available, fresh linen, comfortable atmosphere and you won't even toss me a pity fuck?" He laughed, putting the cig out as he pushed Blanket away with his foot. "Fine, have it your way."

He stood, walking over to the kitchen area. A cluster of roaches scattered into hiding as he flung open a cupboard, filing through the assorted cans before settling on ravioli.

"There's 5 of us, so only 2 of us should be asleep at any time, in case an emergency occurs," he stated bluntly, fumbling through a draw until he retrieved a can opener. Steel punctured aluminum, and dinner was served. "Like I said, I'm not gonna babysit you all."

"Maybe the girls were dead drunk crack addicts. That's why they slept with you," Michaela muttered quietly. "Chuck, you stay up." "W-What?" "Come on! Ladies first, dude." "I don't care about ladies first. The last time I slept was a day ago. Let me have my rest--" "Well, I haven't slept since -- since -- a long time!" she snapped, closing her eyes. "Good night!"


Chuck grumbled something unintelligible and rubbed his eyes. He was terribly sleepy; he couldn't risk sleeping before. He wasn't a very light sleeper and if firecrackers were playing two meters from him, he would still be in sleep state, drooling. He always slept at the top of the roof; like Hayley did, or at a locked room. It made him wish he had a pet that was a light sleeper; like a dog. Or a cat. Or a monkey.

Or a unicorn.

Then he would have no worries. He yawned and looked at Michaela. She was already sleeping. Hopefully she wouldn't snore.

He then realized that he was still incredibly hungry ... Hasn't he just eaten? He looked at Lorenzo's food, wondered if he should ask for some, then decided not to. He took a red apple he took from the grocery and took a large bite of it and said, "Ya know. I think I remember ... My w-wife (he sort of choked at the word, not because of the apple) had a friend who grew onions on her garden... They said it was healthy for you ... And I think it's still there. There must be hundreds growing and sprouting and rotting there. Which means a big supply of food." He shrugged. "It's kind of far from here though."

Hayley was already asleep and softly snoring, so she obviously would not be on duty first. That's not to say that she wasn't cuddling with her rifle. While Hayley was sleeping, she had a very strange dream about a singing ravioli singing about his birthday, and how horrible the world was now that it was infested with zombies. She muttered in her sleep, in horror.

[[lol @ Anna's singing ravoili! :XD]]


"Really? Why isn't your wife taking care of her garden, eh?" Lorenzo scooped more slimy cold pasta into his mouth, "More importantly, why aren't you there with her? Is the bat-weilding terror there your little fling?"

He contemplated the journey to the friend's place; a steady supply of fresh food certainly had more appeal than the diet of salty canned crud he'd been on since the outbreak. He scarfed down the rest of the ravioli, flinging the can into a corner of the kitchen.

"She's dead," he said shortly, finishing his 'dinner'. "She was in a birthday party for her friend when them zombies (He couldn't believe he just used that term) started attacking. There wasn't that many and ..." He took a deep breath. "I wish I was there. I probably could've protected her," he said quietly, so quietly Lorenzo might not have heard. Unless he has good hearing.

Terry kept tripping over the dead bodies, both human and undead. She couldn't help it, they were everywhere. W-where...did they all come from? she thought. The last thing she remembered was her sister's helpless screaming, and consent scraping noises from outside their apartment. Then....nothing. Now, she was running through the streets, tripping over dead...everything...at who knows what time of night. Oh god, please, please let there be someone out here. Her footsteps echoed down the road, bouncing off the now empty apartments. "Somebody please help me!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, as she finally stopped running. She looked up. She was in front of an apartment, freshly littered dead on the front steps. Breathing heavily as she swept an arm across her forehead, she swore she could make out a small speck of light through the window.