"Don't you pull that crap on me Nym! You know how much I loved you and yet you picked her for one night." She glared. "At least I broke up with you first before I slept with someone." She said, anger and pain mixed together in her voice. The dark haired girl let her gun fall to her waist and she simply stared at him.

"Bye Nym, I hope you got what you wanted. A life without me. Though it seems the worlds a little short on bar hoes right now." She said, turning and heading into the pawn shop. "Its clear guys. Though we need shelter. Zach how far is that violence center you were talking about earlier? It's bound to have a place to sleep and some food." She said, strapping the .45 to her chest. She glanced to the girl on the floor. "I'm Scarlett." She said, giving a small smile. She then went over to Zach. "Whatever Nym says about me. Don't believe him, please." She said, then stepped back and looked out the window at the nearby buildings for a shelter.

Aurelia stood once the dark haired woman came in and said her name was Scarlett. "Nice to meet you, I'm Aurelia." She said, looking over at Zach and giving him a wink. "That boy is crazy. I hope you guys aren't going to let him into our group. He'll get us all killed!" She whined, running a hand through her blonde hair.

Her heels clinked slightly on the tiled floor under them as she walked over to the window. She then turned. "So Zach, Are you and Scarlett a thing?" She asked, giving a seductive smile.

"I got what I wanted," Nym said with a frown, "and you just helped me out again, now didn't you? What, you can't leave me to die?" Flinging his dying cigarette to the ground, the male lowered his weapon. With a quiet snort, he watched Scarlett walk away. I didn't think I'd see you again. The reason he'd gone to her street was to see if she was alive. He'd gone to get her out of this hell. Instead, he'd picked up a whiny, obnoxious blonde.
Nym watched the pawn shop for a moment before shaking his head. "To hell with the lot of you." It was where they were headed anyway. The blond brushed a bit of ash off of his leather coat and turned to walk down the street. He'd find shelter eventually . . . or maybe he wouldn't even look.
-

Watching as Scarlett entered the building, Zach smiled a bit. It was good to have her back. When he glanced back out through the cracked door, he saw Nym walking away. "The shelter? It's a few streets down. It will take us until nightfall to get there." He looked back to Scarlett just in time to catch her plea. "I'll try not to." He didn't know who Nym was, and he wasn't so sure he wanted to. The man was insane - that much was obvious. Though, he couldn't lie. "Why would you even ask that? I don't know him, and I really don't care what he has to say about you."
He then glanced back to Aurelia, catching her wink. It made him smile slightly. "I think he'll get himself killed before we allow him to stick with us." He reached for Lilly as she stretched her arms up to him, lifting the four-year-old into his arms easily. The gun he'd been holding was on a loose strap so it hung near his side.

"A . . . thing?" When Zach caught the seductive smile on her full lips, he swallowed quietly. "No," he said slowly, instantly regretting the word as it left his lips. "She's my neighbor. We're looking for better food and shelter together." When he looked back to Scarlett, Harper cringed. He couldn't just let it go. His truthful nature just let the words spill out. "I mean, I like her though. I'm glad she's with me. Us, I guess."

He frowned, and Lilly patted his cheek with a dirty hand. "Anyway, we should get moving. It looks like the horde has been scattered, and we have a brief window before the streets are crawling with infected."

Scarlett bit her lip. "I could never leave you to die." She said, heading inside. She then called out the door. "Be safe if you won't join us!" She called, not wanting him to end up dead. She looked back at the others, a slight frown on his face. "I know we don't want him to join. But I still don't want him dead." She said, knowing that it was because she'd always love him. She just couldn't anymore. He had cheated on her, and she cheated on him. Whats done was done.

She shook her head and blushed slightly at Zach's words. "And I like him too. So let's just go ahead and say he's not up for grabs." She grinned, grabbing her pack. "Let's move." She said, looking to Zach to lead the way to the Violence center. Once they were all on there way Scarlett walked close to Zach. "I know you don't know him.. just I don't doubt he'll try and tell you something about that might not be true." She said, frowning. She took one of Zach's free hands and laced it in hers. "Just trust me and don't trust him until I think he's safe." She said, continuing to follow him. After about twenty minutes she could see the center, though it was getting dark fast.

Her mind kept fluttering to Nym, hoping he was okay, and remembering all the dates they had, all the nights they had spent together.. She sighed. of all the people to be alive. Why did one of them have to be the one that had caused her the most pain?

Aurelia walked down the street in her heels, looking at Scarlett and glaring. "Everyones up for grabs in a zombie world.." She said, smirking. She rolled her eyes as the talked, whining every few minutes at the pain her heels were causing her. "So Zach, do you like blondes of brunettes?" She asked, fluttering her eye lashes as she walked up in between them, causing their hands to break apart.

"Alright. I won't let whatever he says get to my head. I trust you." As they started moving, Zach smiled a bit. "Yeah. Let's just say I'm taken." He sent a slightly apologetic look to Aurelia. "Sorry." With Lilly in one arm, he started forward. They had to get to the shelter before they were overwhelmed.

As they walked, he felt Scarlett's fingers bump his. Their hands linked, and Harper sent a small smile to his companion. "Alex always said you liked holding hands," he said quietly, though he obviously regretted mentioning the boy after he'd done so. "I always wanted to hold yours." Zach was very skilled at digging his own graves.

They fell into silence as they walked, listening for the infected as they moved down multiple streets. The only sound was the clicking of Aurelia's heels and her whining. When the shelter was in sight, Zach breathed a sigh of relief. So far there had been no trouble.
Aurelia pushed her way between Scarlett and Zach, and the male frowned a bit. "Please don't," he he said, reaching for Scarlett's hand again. Somehow he found his fingers linked with Aurelia's instead as she intercepted him. "I like them both," he admitted, though was mentally smacking himself for saying so. "But we really shouldn't be talking. The infected could hear us."

Blushing, Zach turned his gaze to the shelter. It was boarded up and dark - perhaps there were survivors inside? He tried to pull his hand away from Aurelia as they moved forward. "We should look around the back for a way in. Maybe there's a partially boarded window or something." He was right: there was a window that was large enough for a woman to slide inside of and pull away the rest of the boards so the rest of them could enter.
"Aurelia," Zach gave her hand a squeeze, "can you get inside and let us in?" From what he could see there was no movement inside. It didn't smell bad, which meant nothing was dead and rotting. Perhaps it was a safe haven.

"No. I'll get my dress dirty." She said, frowning. "How about Scarlett does it?" She asked with a devious grin. Aurelia grinned. "Good, then if we ever get any alone time i'll show you why you should like blondes more." She said in a seductive tone into his ear.

As Scarlett was about to reply to him admitting to wanting to hold her hand Aurelia bumped in between them. She glared at her. "Fine, I'll climb in." She said, going through the window and ripping the boards off so that the others could get in. At the sight of Zach and Aurelia holding hands she sort of prayed that Nym would come back. Sure, he was a pain.. but knowing he was alive but not here was bugging the crap out of her.

"That's not going to happen," Zach said, once again grimacing as his truthful nature bit him in the ass. "I'm sure you're a nice enough girl, Aurelia, but really. . . ." He was blushing like mad now, and trying not to think of what she'd meant. Right . .. that failed dramatically.
By the time Scarlett got the window open, Harper was dying. He readily passed Lilly to her, and then used his held hand to pull Aurelia toward the window. "You have to go in now. It's getting dark." That, and he was certain he'd heard something moving a little ways to his left. "Let's hurry."

When they were all inside, Zach reached for the boards and hammer. It wasn't long before they were boarded in. The flashlights that Scarlett had helped replenish were useful as the clicked on, illuminating a cool white room with supplies stacked along the back counter. It looked like someone either did or still lived there.
"Bandages and medicine," Harper took a few of the items and stashed them away in his bag, glancing about to make sure there was no one else with them. "Aurelia, you should carry some of this. Just in case you ever got separated from us." There was a packed bag a few feet away. Upon checking it, Zach smiled. It was perfect - a pre-made survival kit.

When he caught a strange expression on Scarlett's face, Zach paused and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

Lilly was wandering about a few feet away, cautiously peeking around in the bottom cupboards. She pulled out a pack of crackers and a jar of jelly, eagerly bringing them to her brother. Her round eyes said it all: she was famished. They all were, really.
"Let's gather a bit, and then move upstairs. It's safer up there." He shone his flashlight to the floor. "Don't shine the light at the windows, either." They didn't need the evening horde trying to break in. Zach looked back to Scarlett, looking genuinely worried.

Scarlett looked over at him. "I'm just worried about Nym.." She admitted, taking Zach's hand again. "I do like you Zach, but I don't want him to die." She said, biting her bottom lip in nervouness. "Here Lily, i'll get you that candy bar I promised." She said, rumaging through her bag and pulling out a Hershey bar. She handed it to the girl and patted her head.

She glanced to Aurelia, rolling her eyes. "You might as well consider that dress ruined. If your going to stick with us your pulling your own weight." She said, now understanding why Nym easily left the girl. "And your learning how to use a gun." She said, watching as the girl picked up the pack Zach gave her. "Okay, let's go upstairs." She said, heading up the steps and looking around the top floor. She headed over to a window and peered out at what she could see of the city. Silently thinking about Nym. "Ugh.." She muttered.

Aurelia frowned. "You'll see if it happens or not." She grinned.She followed them up the stairs and watched as Scarlett peered through a small hole in the window. "Looking for him again? He's crazy, we don't need him here." She said, but frowned when Scarlett didn't reply.

Zach laughed as Lilly accepted the chocolate. It seemed that she was already warming up to Scarlett. It was a good sight to see. His little sister didn't smile, but she was close to it.
He glanced back to Aurelia as she took the pack, and his smile grew a bit larger. "In a time like this, ruined clothes are the least of our worries. You should probably find a decent pair of shoes. And better clothes." His brown eyes filled with laughter. "It might help that limp in your step, Aura."

When they headed upstairs Zach was glad to have Scarlett's hand in his again. "I understand," he said quietly, knowing that the woman worried for Nym's safety. "Something tells me he can hold his own, though." They broke hands in order to look around and get situated. There were makeshift beds scattered about. It was strange to see such a well-equipped and prepared area without any people in it. There must have been a reason to move on.
Zach gathered Lilly up against him and started talking to her quietly. It was moments later when the child chose a bed, one that was close to the corner. When her brother had her ready and tucked in, the girl stared at him until he sat down and bowed his head. The child mimicked the action, and a few seconds later Harper was praying with his little sister. When finished, he leaned over to kiss Lilly's head . . . and then Mr. Snuggles', because he was offered up to him.

"We'd best get as much sleep as we can," Zach suggested, glancing at Scarlett as she looked out at the night below. "He'll be alright, Scarlett. He's a big boy." They hadn't heard any more gunshots, so hopefully that meant Nym was settling down for the night somewhere.
Choosing a bed beside his sister (these beds were basically sleeping bags and blankets), Zach reached out to stroke the girl's hair and whisper a few things to her. Lilly was already drifting off, tired after their day of travel and excitement. When she finally did fall asleep, Harper looked up to the others. "We're lucky to be here. We'll have to search for food in the morning."

He sent a slightly disappointed look at Aurelia as she reprimanded Scarlett for searching the night. "Aura, how about you get some rest?" Zach smiled a bit. "There's no harm in her looking, is there?"

At Zach's words the dark haired beauty turned her gaze from the moonlight. "I know he's a big boy." She smirked. "But he's also a very foolish boy." She said, slipping into the covers on Zach's makeshift bed. "Mind if I sleep with you tonight?" She asked, her hand on his chest.

The moonlight poured in from the window and lit up the room. She had her head on his chest, but continued to worry about Nym and her brother Alex. She closed her eyes, trying to rest but a few moments later she just let them fly open. "Okay, sleep is going to be impossible." She said, sighing.

She got up. "But since your tired i'll let you rest. Okay?" She asked, kissing the side of his face and then heading over to the stairs. "I'll be downstairs if you need me or want me." She said, heading down the steps after grabbing a flash light. One the lower lever she did rounds, making sure all the doors and windows were bolted, though a few were still slightly easy to get into. After a minute of wandering she came across a waiting room area and saw all over the walls, pictures and letters taped or nailed.

She got closer, putting her hand on a picture that had been drawn by someone named 'Clara' it was a picture of six stick figures all holding hands. One labeled Mommy, then daddy, then the rest were brothers and sisters. But at the bottom it said 'Daddy where are you?' Then her emerald eyes scanned to a letter that had been written by a boy talking about how if his parents found this he was going to grandmas house.

Tears rolled gently down her face as she ran her fingers over the pictures. "Where are you Alex?" She asked softly, putting her forehead against the wall and closing her eyes. What had humanity done to deserve this?

Aurelia frowned. "Well I guess its okay for her to look.." She said, smiling when Scarlett went downstairs. She then went over to Zach and curled up. "What if I just ran around in my bra and underwear?" She asked, trailing her fingers up his chest. She placed a soft kiss on his neck. "I'll rest if you let me sleep with you." She said, giggling. She put her hand in his hair, running it through gently. "Come on, Zach. No one wants to end up alone in a zombie world. We have to have someone.." She said, kissing his neck again. "And Scarlett won't know." She whispered.

"I won't argue with that," Zach admitted, knowing from what he'd seen of Nym that he wasn't making the wisest decisions. When Scarlett slipped in beside him, he didn't object. If anything, he moved over to allow her more room. "I will never mind," he whispered, covering her hand with his own.
A few moments later, when Scarlett got up, he looked a bit disappointed. "Alright. I'll be here when you come back." He gave her a smile and watched her go, slowly closing his eyes after she disappeared. The light from the moon was comforting, and the building was stuffy or too hot, like the attic that he'd been in for days.

The sound of light shuffling made him slowly open his eyes, and he started a bit when he felt Aurelia curl up next to him. "That would be . . . difficult to ignore," he said, shifting slightly to put a few inches of distance between them. Her touch froze him, though, like a dose of addiction. Zach slowly reached up to pull Aurelia's hand from his chest, trying to keep his breathing under control.
"I don't think that's a good idea," he breathed, closing his eyes as she ran her fingers through his hair. Every touch made it hard to think - this was his love language. Physical touch was the key to his heart, for sure . . . though he knew it made everything difficult.

"We aren't alone," he said in a ragged voice, swallowing thickly and sitting up. "Please, Aura." He paused to collect himself. "I'm not like that." His brown eyes moved over the blonde, and he sighed quietly. "You're beautiful. Not many people would ever say otherwise. And . . . you're tempting." His face was dark in the moonlight as a blush continued to assault him. "But it isn't right."
As though to console her, he stroked her arm. He was amazed by how soft she was . . . and immediately had to force his thoughts elsewhere.

((T^T I'm crying for Scarlett, here. SO sad!!! :cry: Oh, and Nym will make his appearance when everyone drifts off. ;)))

((Kay then i'll have them go to sleep soon :3 ))

Aurelia sighed when she heard Scarletts footsteps coming back upstairs. "We'll continue this some other time." She said, kissing him once again on the neck. "And next time you won't get away too easily." She said in a seductive tone, heading over to her bed. The blonde laid down and winked at him.

Within moments she had fallen asleep, not caring if Scarlett had seen them or not. She curled up in the makeshift bed and started to dream about the day the outbreak had started. She had seen Nym roaming around the outside of her work yelling for Scarlett, but hadn't found her. So she followed him, hoping to get a companion before everyone died off. Turns out he was crazy.

Scarlett came upstairs just in time to see Aurelia getting out of Zachs bed. The dark haired girl frowned. "I'll sleep in my own bed tonight Zach." She said softly, heading to a bed next to his. She laid down, closing her eyes. She could hear his heavy breathing next to he and knew that Aurelia had done something to him. She bit her bottom lip until it was red and then fell asleep as the pain numbed.
((Sorry its short! >.< I could've said more but I wanted it to be morning. Lets just say we might have a surprised attack sometime in the morning for them :P ))

((You should totally listen to this song while reading/posting. . . . It's got zombie written all over it. :XD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrnR0...9C1&lf=mh_lolz))

"I hope we don't," Zach replied breathily, trying to regain his sense of calm. He was anything but tired now, thanks to Aura. He looked uncomfortable as Scarlett returned. When she mentioned sleeping in her own place, he nodded slowly. "If that's what you want," he whispered, not trusting his own voice. He swallowed quietly as Scarlett chose a sleeping bag, and closed his eyes. "Good night."

It was a few moments later when he finally laid down again, taking comfort in the fact that he was nowhere near Aurelia. Zach thought about sleep until it finally took hold, ignoring the warmth that spread through him. Why do I have to be surrounded by two of them? Everything was so simple with only Scarlett beside him.
-

It was many hours into the night when the sound of a crash filled the building. It was followed by many other sounds of movement, though none of it seemed to be getting any closer. Zach sat up, reaching for the gun he had set a few feet away. A soft red glow stopped him dead, and he frowned when he realized what the light was coming from.
Nym was leaning against the wall near the stairs, one arm resting on his knee. A cigarette was in his hand, and he sent a glance toward Harper that looked amused. "They can't reach you. Go back to sleep, lover-boy." A bloody blade rested beside him . . . and it looked freshly used.

((Yes it does! *bobs head to music* xD ))

Scarlett sat up the crash and was blinded by a red light. She blinked and then saw Nym. She jumped up, running over to him and giving him a hug. "This doesn't mean were together but never leave again!" She said, squeezing him and then releasing him. "I'm going to need your help finding Alex. You know your way around the city better than I do." She said, looking at what used to be her love.

"And i'm starting to understand while you dumped Aurelia with us. She's such a pain.." She mumbled, glancing to the sleeping woman. "All she does is flirt and whine." She said, looking over at Zach with a frown. "And steal men.." She mumbled, leaning against the wall. Relationships never turned out well for Scarlett. It seemed she always ended up in relationships where she was used and left. Nym had been different though. He had at least liked her, and was with her for awhile before he cheated. But the man after Nym just used her for a month, then said that she wasn't good enough anymore.

The dark haired girl sighed and looked at the bloody knife. "Did they break in downstairs?" She asked, her gun already being unstrapped off her chest so that she could put it in a fighting stance.

Nym looked partially comfortable with the sudden embrace. "Keep your voice down, Scar." The blond then looked back downstairs, lifting his smoke to his lips again. "They can hear you." His pale eyes moved back to her face slowly, and Nym's smile spread wide. "I studied this city when I came, yes? All part of the job." That was something he'd never told Scarlett. He didn't talk much about his actual job . . . but it was apparent that secrecy was part of it.
"That woman," he motioned toward Aurelia, "is live bait. It's a shame she's still using your resources." Nym looked at Scarlett for a long moment, and then turned his gaze back to the stairs. It was too dark at the bottom to see anything. Scarlett's question and threatening stance made the male chuckle. "Don't get yourself worked up. I covered up where they broke in." Though he'd obviously killed something that made it past the flimsiest of wooden barriers.

He hadn't stood, instead he remained sitting. The smoke that misted about his hand would have drawn more of the infected - they were drawn to smells that reminded them of the living. Luckily the barriers downstairs had been shored up. "They'll wander off by morning." He sounded more certain of that than anything he'd said thus far.

In the darkness it was difficult to see the blood stains, but splotches of darkness clung to Nym. He'd killed quite a few of the infected - and obviously he was taking the outbreak harshly. The only difference was his reaction: he destroyed the infected while others strove to survive.
-

From where he sat, Zach slowly laid back down. There was no use in invading the others' privacy. Still, it was hard not to listen to them as they spoke.

She sat down beside him. "Yeah, I guess you could consider her live bait.." She said softly, a smirk on her full lips. "Ah yes, the job you never told me about." She said, looking down at her hands after strapping the gun back to her chest. "The one I just stopped asking about because no matter what I did you wouldn't tell me." She said, looking at a few blood stains on his clothes.

For a long moment she sat in silence. "Why'd you come back?" She asked softly, looking down the stairwell into the darkness. It seemed to be calling for her, begging her to enter it. "When the outbreak first happened I tried to call you. But the phone lines were dead." She admitted, frowning. "And I was so upset because I couldn't find Alex. My one responsibility in life and I lost him." She sighed, her anger at herself shown clearly in her voice.

"Thank you for rebuilding the barrier..If they would have gotten in while we were sleeping then we'd be dead by morning." She said, looking down at her dirt covered black combat boots. She moved one slightly so it was half way off the top step. "I thought you were dead." She said simply, her surprise that he was alive hadn't warn off ever since she saw him this morning.

Nym narrowed his eyes at her mentioning of his job, taking another draw from his cigarette. He breathed out slowly not agreeing or disagreeing: it was true, though. He'd never mentioned his work, and he always shot down her questions about it. Apparently it paid well, though. He'd always been well equipped. Looking back, he'd always been well-equipped for an apocalypse.
"I came back because I didn't want you dead, Scar." That was why he came back recently. "We all lost something in this. Regret is pointless." He'd never been too fond of Alex, but he'd understood why Scarlett cared. When he heard the self-directed anger in the woman's voice, he leaned his head back against the wall and stared at the ceiling. Nym apparently had no consoling words for her. He rarely did at any given time.

"Like I said, I don't want you dead." He looked at the stairs again, and then stared at the burning stick in his hand. The glow illuminated his features, showing nothing but the uncaring mask he usually wore. "Besides, I needed somewhere to rest without getting eaten." He chuckled as though the statement was ironic. "Not that it matters."

Scarlett's statement made him smile a bit. "And I thought you were dead. Lucky us." He glanced toward Zach and Lilly with a slight smirk. "Isn't he your neighbor? That kid that likes Alex?" He ignored Scarlett's surprise at finding him alive and well. Honestly, it was a common thing. Nym ignored a lot of things in every situation.

"I don't want you dead either, no matter what you did to upset me." She said, then grimaced. "Or who." She leaned against the opposite wall, eying him. "Yes, He's my neighbor." She said, sighing. "Don't worry, I haven't slept with him. Unlike you I get to know my men first." She said, nodding at the way he had nothing to say to console her. He had always been that way. Only once had he tried and that was when he stumbled in on her with another man a week after they broke up. She had felt slightly guilty over it, but they hadn't even been together so she didn't think she was of fault.

"And please be a bit nice to him and his sister. They're a lot better than the company you brought along." She said, glancing to Aurelia. "That woman's lucky if I don't shoot her by the end of the week." She said, then glancing over to Zach. He was such a nice guy, allowing her to join his group. She then looked to Nym. He had sort of joined on his own terms.

Nym's expression was dark as he looked to Scarlett's face. "Yes, you get to know them quite well first." Taking an angry pull on his cigarette, he glared down to the bottom of the stairs as though daring something to come up. "You know I'm not nice, Scar. He'll get no special treatment."
That was when he followed Scarlett's gaze to Aurelia. "And that one . . . she'll get extra attention. It won't be from us, though." It would be from the infected, for sure. His pale blue eyes moved back to Scarlett as she regarded him for a while. "I'm surprised you found anyone else. These people don't look like survivors." Well, Zach did. But Nym's definition of survivor meant no ties to anyone else - if Lilly slowed them down, Nym wasn't as desperate as Harper to keep her with them. He didn't have as many attachments - and that's usually how it was. Scarlett had been the exception . . . and even she had been turned on.

There was a sudden rasping cry from somewhere downstairs, and Nym sighed before reaching for his blade. "You may as well keep these people safe." The blond stood, nudging Scarlett's foot with his own. "You always cared more than I did." Without a trace of fear he walked down into the darkness, searching for the source of the noise.
-

"Does he ever use caution?" Zach asked quietly. He'd been unable to fall asleep with the others talking. Scarlett was quiet, but Nym's low voice didn't fit into the "whisper" category. Heck, without light, how was Nym supposed to see down there?

Scarlett nodded a little. "Just know i'm sorry for what I did. But not once did you apologize for what you did. You just said it happened." She said to him, watching as he started down the steps. "I'll try to keep them alive. Just promise to keep yourself alive." She said, then sighed as he disappeared. At Zach's voice the woman got up and sat beside him.

"No. He doesn't take any caution with anything he does. He was that way before the outbreak too. Always starting fights over the slightest thing, never afraid to do what he pleased. At first I thought it was sexy. But then I realized it meant he wasn't afraid of losing me either." She whispered in a low, velvety tone. "We broke up because he cheated on me. But a week later he came over to apologize and found me with another man.." She said, clearing her throat. "I regret the way I acted. But it's not like I cheated.. I just looked for love after I broke from sadness.."

She said this to make herself feel better about what she had done, but it didn't work. She knew it was partially her fault. She put her hand in Zach's hair, gently running her hand through it. "I'd love to be with a man that was less complicated than I was." She said, a small, sad grin on her face.

Other than a bitter chuckle, Nym didn't reply to what Scarlett said. Keep himself alive? Sure. As he stepped down into the darkness, the male took the cigarette from his lips so he could see without the source of light in front of his face. It took a few moments, but the dim light from the moon slipping through the cracks in the boards and the burning cigarette gently lit up the room. There were still shadows everywhere with no clear sight of anything, but Nym wasn't worried.
He was alert - and that was enough. Nym silently moved through the downstairs area - the kitchens, the supply area, the area near the front door - before he found what he was looking for. Everyone had been intent on keeping zombies out, but they hadn't searched for infected inside the building. One infected male who looked like he'd once been a medical staff member clawed his way to his feet as he saw Nym approaching. The creature had already consumed the other "survivors" that had once taken residence in the building. The reason no one had smelled the mess was because it was in a back room that was rather small.

"Luck struck you between the eyes, didn't it?" Nym slowly stepped forward, watching the infected male snarl and lunge forward. Nym only smiled grimly, letting the creature impale itself - which didn't do much to stop it. It was the brain, not the vital organs, that needed to die. Shoving the male away, Nym kicked it down and finished the job with his blade. It was messy, but . . . at least the thing was dead.
After searching the other bodies to ensure they wouldn't be getting up anytime soon, Nym wrinkled his nose and stepped back. He was sure to close the door tightly, locking it with the corpses on the other side. By the time he came back upstairs he was tossing his cigarette behind him.

With an uncaring glance toward Scarlett and Zach, he took his place at the top of his stairs. The bloody knife rested beside him again - and he crossed his arms. He would continue keeping watch, apparently.
-

"Sounds rough," Zach whispered, frowning up at Scarlett as she sat beside him. Apparently she was no longer upset with him about Aurelia. That, or she'd forgotten due to Nym's arrival. It was a relief, honestly.
When Scarlett messed with his hair, Zach smiled. "He's right in front of you," he whispered, reaching up to catch Scarlett's wrist. He fingered her hand for a few moments, and then kissed her fingertips before yawning quietly. "And he's falling asleep. With a guard dog like Nym, I think I'll rest more easily." He frowned. "That doesn't mean I like him, though."

He was assaulted by another yawn, and that's when Harper finally released Scarlett's hand. "We should both get some sleep. If we want to live, we need it."

Scarlett smirked. "In front of me? Last I checked the man of my dreams wasn't easily seduced by blondes.." She joked, But let him kiss her fingers. She nodded and got under the covers with him, curling up by his chest. She glanced over at Nym, frowning, and then burying her head in Zach's chest.

If Nym wanted things right between them he'd have to apologize, but she doubted her ever would. He had too big of a pride to apologize. The dark haired girl sighed and shook her head slightly. After about five minutes of thinking, she fell asleep to the sound of his heart beat and breathing.

"He isn't!" Zach protested quietly. She was joking, but the male still took it seriously. They settled down, then, and fell asleep within a few minutes. He isn't. More like, he doesn't try to be.
-

When morning came the sound of someone moving around woke Zach. Slowly looking about him, he saw Lilly missing from her place. As panic struck him, Zach was about to sit up . . . when he saw his sister sitting cross-legged a few feet away. She was watching Nym clean his blade with wide eyes, her bear clutched to her tiny chest tightly as she did so.
Nym didn't seem to care or notice the child's constant gaze, but instead merely inspected his weapon before sheathing it. At that point he touched each of the other survivor's guns which were laid out on the floor before him. He'd cleaned them all, making sure that they were reloaded and ready for action.

Harper frowned, watching the other male go about checking each weapon. Zach's hand gently rested over Scarlett's waist as she rested against him, though how it had gotten there he had no recollection. Not that he minded in the least.

"Good morning, lover-boy." Nym loudly snapped a clip into the gun he was holding (Scarlett's) before setting it down. "I see you slept comfortably." His pale blue eyes lingered on Scarlett before he lifted Zach's weapon and checked the clip.

"I . . . did." Zach responded truthfully, and then frowned a bit. "And you didn't. Did you sleep at all?"

"I slept enough." Again, he snapped the clip in loudly.

Scarlett awoke to the two talking and noticed Zach's hand on her waist. She blushed brightly, hoping that Nym hadn't seen. That had been the same way he held her. She sat up, slipping out of the sleeping bag. She glanced at Nym who was cleaning her gun. "How'd you get that? It was strapped to my chest while I slept." She said, eying him.

She stood up and stretched, heading over and taking her gun from him. She smiled at Lily and then leaned against a nearby wall. "Lily do you want some food before we go?" She asked, then looked at the others to see if they were hungry. She sort of felt sick at the moment so she wasn't about to eat anything. She kneeled before Lily, sitting her back pack in front of her so she could pull out which can she wanted, then she handed her the an opener after showing her how to use it.

She then glanced at Nym. "You might want to wake your sleeping beauty up." She said, remembering how the girl he cheated on her with was blonde. Heck, maybe it had even been Aurelia.

Nym smiled without looking at Scarlett. "I know how to get things from you without you knowing." He lifted an unlit cigarette to his lips and smiled a bit. "You sleep deeply when you have male company."

He let her take the gun with a smirk, and then moved on to the next weapon. It wasn't long before they were all fixed up and ready to go. "Sleeping beauty, eh?" He looked over at Aurelia for a moment before reaching for his pistol. Even Lilly saw, and she covered her ears just before he fired off a shot.

"Are you crazy?!" Zach stood, moving toward the window to look out at the street below. "You'll get us trapped in here by firing off!"

Nym shrugged, watching as Aurelia freaked out. "Bright and early, Sunshine." He then tossed the empty bullet shell at the blonde. "Eat. You'll need it." He looked to Scarlett then, and his expression changed slightly. "You'll need it too, Scar. Just something small."

When things calmed down a bit, Zach moved to sit beside his sister. She had already chosen a can of chicken noodle soup to eat, and had opened it all on her own (with Scarlett's instruction). Instead of using a spoon, she sipped from the broth and sucked up the noodles with it. Zach knew she wouldn't finish it, so he'd make sure none of it went to waste. "We have food and shelter. Why are you so eager to leave?"

Nym smiled slightly, looking over at the window. "Because this place isn't meant to hold off the hordes, Lover-boy."

"My name is Zach," Harper said with a frown, not liking the name that was being placed upon him.

"Sure thing." Nym ignored it . . . he had a severe case of selective hearing.

Scarlett shook her head slightly. "If I eat i'll puke. You know how I am in the mornings." She said, sighing. That was Scarletts one downside. She didn't eat much, for when she did she usually got sick unless it was something good, or something light.

She couldn't help but laugh at Aurelia's freak out, but when Zach yelled at him she bit her lip. "Yeah, Nym." She said, smiling. She smiled at Lily as she opened the container by herself and then started to collect all their things. "Nym's right. This building may be nice but it's not built to keep them off. But we probably should pack up the sleeping bags so we'll have a little comfort." She said, starting to roll up her own.

Aurelia screamed when the gun went off and stood up looking ready to hit him. "Are you crazy?!" She screamed, throwing one of her pink heels at him.