Due to the amazingness of this person's post, I would like to credit her for it. :ninja: But I'm using her idea and turning it into a private RP for a completely different story! :yes:

- The Amazing Stuff -

Originally Posted by Apricot

Survivalism 101


Intro:

In the midst of the Outbreak that seized the world; several groups of the uninfected find themselves trying to survive in trying times. With the stores cleaned out, and the water possibly drugged; they soon realize that they must be resourceful to stay alive. Be it deal with looters, or break into abandoned homes.

They had to be willing to do anything--even if it meant killing each other.

Your survivor is one of the few lucky people that survived the first wave of ailments. Unluckily for them, they have to face the terrors of the undead. Arm them with knowledge and expertise, or see them perish at the hands and teeth of zombies.

- Character Sheet -

Name:
Appearance:
Age:
Extra: *optional

- Accepted Characters -

Zach Harper

Age: 21
Extra:

Honestly, it's a miracle that Zach has survived thus far. He lived in an average neighborhood with his single mother and little sister. When all hell broke loose, his home was attacked. Luckily, Zach was out with friends when it happened.
Ever since he came home and found his mother dead, Zach changed. Instead of the popular kid in his college classes, he was the older brother striving to live. He found his little sister hiding in the house, and they left.

Roaming throughout the city and looking for some help, Zach seems to be getting more and more frantic. Perhaps it has something to do with his little sister's health?

Nym
Here
Age: Roughly 26
Bio: Unknown.

((Omg Esmme thisis the greatest bday gift ever! (: Would you like me to have Scarlett have a younger brother?))


Age: 19
Extra: Her younger brother Alexander was out with his friends when the infection broke out. She hasn't seen him sense, and it's a week later, so she's very worried. She plans to go out and find him. He's the only one she has left. Their parents had died a year earlier in a car accident and she had gotten sole custody of Alex, and had multiple jobs to take care of him. But unfortunately she couldn't keep him from a zombie apocalypse.

Alexander: About two years older than Zach's sister. He's blonde, kind of tall and has hair like Zachs except with blue eyes.

Aurelia Willows
Age: 20
Picture:

((Ooooo. Click here to see something . . . uhm, interesting. :3))

"Lilly?"
Zach Harper slowly stepped around the corner, his grip tightening on the dented crowbar in his hands. His little sister had gone missing . . . and though it had only been a few minutes, that was enough to make the male panic. Rounding the next isle stand, Zach scanned the overthrown and dented cans that were scattered about the floor. Everything was a mess - it had been ever since the sickness started taking over. The worst part was the dry blood that caked multiple places throughout the entire convenience store.

The male took a deep breath, slowly rounding another isle corner. Nothing. Sadly, noise wasn't the best way to contact one another. The undead were drawn to loud noises, and this would be a bad place to draw them. It was the only sanctuary that Zach had found . . . and they were running low on food. Their water had stopped working, and they could only live off of lukewarm drinks from the old refrigerator stands for so long.
"Lilly!"
He let his voice get a bit louder, and he heard a scuffling movement toward the store's front door. The glass had long since been shattered, leaving no shelter from the outside. The only safe place in the entire store was the attic-like area that was only accessible through the ladder that Zach had tied off as an access point. If this was one of the undead, then it could be killed. If there were more outside, then Zach would have no choice but to back off and head up to safety.

Moving toward the sound of movement, Zach's brown eyes narrowed. He crept forward, slowly making his way up without being seen. His relief was obvious as he saw a small form of a girl. "Lilly, what are you doing over here? I told you to stay upstairs." Just as he got within a few feet of her, the child turned. It wasn't his sister, but a torn child with a hungry look in her eyes. There was nothing worse than staring into the eyes of what used to be innocent.
The girl started toward him with an outstretched arm, making a rasping sound that chilled Zach to the core. If he didn't kill the zombie, it would linger about the store for days . . . or some amount of time. Still, brutalizing something so . . . small . . . made Zach cringe. He didn't want to kill a girl that looked like his sister. His mind swiftly changed when he thought of Lilly's safety . . . and the fact that this thing wanted to feed.

The sounds of his metal crowbar striking echoed through the store. It was the only noise for miles around, really. Silence was all that was ever heard in the city now.
As Zach stepped away from the corpse, he muttered a prayer for the child. She didn't deserve this. He needed to move the body . . . and far from the store. Even old blood was enough to draw a horde of undead who were starving for a meal.

"Lilly!" Harper almost struck out with his weapon when he felt a hand grasp his pant leg. His little sister stood staring at the pile of blood and gore with wide eyes. "Lilly, get upstairs. Now." The child numbly stepped backward, and then darted off without a word. She hadn't spoken since the outbreak started.
Shaking, Harper went to find the right isle that held the supplies for his task. It took him nearly an hour, but he got the body of the dead girl outside without incident. Bleach was scrubbed over the tile floor, though nothing could remove the grime within the cracks of the floor. By the time Harper was finished, he was damp with perspiration and the girl's blood. He needed to clean up . . . and there was only one pair of clothing that wasn't completely destroyed with his belongings.

As Zach Harper slowly lifted his crowbar, he stepped back toward the rope ladder that led to the small upstairs sanctuary. It was uncomfortably hot up there, especially since it was nearing the end of summer. Still . . . that was where he could rest. With one last glance to the clean patch of tile near the door, the male reached for the ladder. When he got to the top, he reached out and patted Lilly's head as she stared at him in silence.
"It's okay. We're safe, Lilly." But not for long. They were nearing the point when they had to leave their sanctuary - they needed to find a new one.

((Aww thats cute.))
Scarlett Andrews peered out of her small apartment window into the nothingness of the city. From her third story window all that could be seen was crashed cars, garbage, and blood everywhere. Her green eyes glanced over to the buildings across the street. There was many paper signs on windows saying 'Help', 'Out of FOOD' or 'SURVIVORS INSIDE'. But Scarlett didn't dare look for others help. Don't trust anyone was her motto.

Last week it had been clear that anyone could be infected. But the only problem was that you didn't have any symptoms until the infection got to your brain, then you were gone. Crazed. You were just a shell with no way of controlling yourself. All you wanted to do was kill and run around aimlessly for food. You turned. . . savage. The infection took three days to get to your brain, so if you made it past the first three days of the outbreak, You were safe. Unless you got bit.

The infection had been some airborne disease due to a new type of crop protector made in Ohio. It was supposed to kill anything that got onto farmers land, except people. But it backfired. It killed animals and insects, yes, but it also got into the food of thousands of people. And since it didn't kill the people, it turned them mad.

The dark haired woman shook her head gently. No need to think of whats already happened. She had to find her brother. She grabbed her large brown pack and flung it over her shoulder, climbing out her open window and onto the fire escape. Within moments she was in the street, her shovel in hand. She had run out of food, and had to get a better weapon. Her black combat boots moved swiftly across the street, careful to not make any noise. She wore a simple black tank top with a tiny bit of lace, and then dark, ripped skinny jeans.

The only other things she wore was a silver heart locket and then black, fingerless leather gloves so she could keep a good grip on her weapon. Since it was metal it was rather hard to hold onto it in the heat of the moment. She knew she only had about two hours to get to the convenience store and back, so she continued in a hurry. The infected usually came in flocks at certain times of the day, but there were still a few dazed ones around the city. She had no clue where the flocks went.

At a loud clank coming from an alleyway nearby the woman took off in a sprint. Of course she had a weapon, but it still frightened her to use it out in the open. She could take them down one at a time, but in the middle of the street would probably bring more infected into the situation. They ran to loud noises. And blood.

Within moments she ran into the convenience store parking lot, heading up to the broken glass door and stepping inside. Glass crunched under her feet as she glanced around the store for food. She glanced around the room with her emerald eyes and headed to the canned food section. She'd be needing to find a weapon, but right now she would have to find as much long lasting food as possible.

((I figured I couldn't physically sing it to you, so why not have someone else do it for me? :XD Happy B-day, Scar!! :hug:))

Zach had just slipped on a "clean" shirt over his head when he felt a tiny hand grasp the corner of the garment. "What, Lilly?" The child was staring down through the opening at a figure moving slowly through the canned food isle. His eyes narrowed, and he reached for his crowbar. With dirt and blood still smeared his features, Zach looked the part of a hunter. His shoes were worn thin, and his father's wedding ring was on his left hand - but he hadn't found his mother's ring for his sister. His dirty jeans and worn black t-shirt were in better condition than Lilly's torn and dirty nightgown, but there was nothing they could do about that.
Watching for a few moments, Zach tried to convince himself that the girl below was possibly not one of the creatures that plagued the city. A few moments later, he silently moved down the ladder and avoided the scattered remnants of rubble and glass that would give away his presence. He'd done it so many times that Harper knew where to step almost without looking now.
He waited for the female to move around the corner again before approaching. Apparently his attack on the zombie child had drawn another. Hopefully this one wouldn't draw any more undead to the store. With a slow breath to steady himself, Zach tightened his hold on the crowbar . . . and stepped around the corner.

There was a silence before he tapped a can with his foot, drawing her attention to him. The look on Harper's face said it all: he wasn't going to let her live. But . . . when he saw the woman's face, everything changed. He knew this girl. Scarlett had lived next door - they'd talked a few times, and they'd been friends. Heck, in the beginning when the outbreak started, he'd saved her from being bitten. After that he'd assumed she was turned . . . and lost.
"Scarlett?" Zach looked crestfallen. If she didn't reply, then she was an undead. He would be forced to kill her.

((Thankies <3 ))
Scarlett turned abruptly. "Zach!?" She asked, running and pretty much colliding with him to hug him. It had been a week since she had seen him when he had saved her life. She had been running around their apartment building looking for Alex when a man ran down the hallway and tackled her, but Zach had smashed his face in with a crowbar. She had been so thankful.

She hugged him, uncaring of his hunter appearance. "Are you and Lily okay?!" She asked, looking up at him. She had seen what had happened to his parents.. but she hadn't seen if his sister was okay. "I can't find Alex. I've been roaming the city every day looking for him." She said, biting her bottom lip. "And when I ran out of food I decided to just come here and hope to find a better weapon then this bent shovel." She said, showing him her sad excuse of a weapon.

"The apartment complex is completely empty now. Other then a few stray animals, But I still only take the fire escape. I don't want to take any chances.." She said, thinking of his heroic act again. "Sorry if I'm rambling.. But I haven't seen one sane human in four days." She stated softly. She looked up at his face, having to completely memorize him to get a grasp on reality. She hadn't talked to anyone in six days, and two days after that it seemed that no one was sane anymore. She hadn't seen a survivor since a few days after Zach saved her.

"We're fine," Zach said, embracing the girl in return. It was sad that their first hug had been in a time like this. Only a few weeks prior everything had been safe - and then the outbreak started. "Lilly's scared, but she's safe." He nodded toward the rope ladder behind him. From the gap in the ceiling one could see a child's face illuminated slightly. She was watching, as she always did.
When they separated from their embrace, Zach looked over her appearance. She looked just as survival-ready as he would expect - though she was still wearing the same pants. He knew because of the small blood stain near the ankle - when he'd defended her from a crazed man, she'd gotten a bit of blood on her shoe. That day was the first time he'd ever struck out with the intent to wound someone. Now, it was something he tried not to think about.
Looking at the bent shovel in the woman's hand, he smiled a bit. "We'll have to look for something. This place was wiped clean of weapon material when we got here." Harper's brown eyes filled with a strange expression. "And we're running low on food." Honestly, hearing her voice was like hearing a beacon of hope. He hadn't heard anything but his own words since the outbreak started - nothing besides the screams of the dying and the moans of the dead. Scarlett's rambling was music to his ears. Anything that beautiful that broke the silence was definitely angelic.
"Ramble away! I miss hearing words." He met her gaze as she scanned his face . . . and then motioned toward the ladder. "Come on up. We can talk more once we're off the ground."

Once they were safely up in the overheated attic area (it wasn't quite big enough for the three of them to stretch out comfortably), Zach pulled up the ladder. After one last glance at the store's entrance, the male looked back to Scarlett. Lilly had scooted off behind her brother, keeping herself hidden from the newcomer.
Finally, Harper realized what Scarlett had said. "Alex?" He recalled that Scarlett had a younger brother, and it was difficult to imagine that a mere child had survived for as long as he'd been missing. "How long has he been missing?" As he spoke he reached for a large can. Using a can opener that looked ready to fall apart (he'd found one in the store, though it was a reject from the looters that passed through earlier), he pried open the can and passed it over to Scarlett after taking a bite. The fruit wasn't fresh, but it was certainly worth eating.
A slight blushed filled his features as he realized he'd just used Scarlett's fork to take a bite of her food. "Sorry. I do it to Lilly, too." After swallowing, he reached for the half-empty bottle of juice that was sitting near the rest of their gathered supplies. They were really running low - they had a week left, max.

Scarlett flashed her pearly whites in a grin at his blush. "It's fine, Zach. I can deal with your cooties." She said, smiling at Lily. "I won't bite. I swear." She said, running her slender, pale hand through her dark hair. She had gotten upstairs so quickly she forgot to respond to what he said below. "I miss hearing words too. After a week of only hearing myself talk, I thought it would be better to be a mindless zombie then to go on alone." She said, patting the top of his hand.

"He's been missing since the day of the outbreak. And I know you think he's probably dead since he's so young.. But I still have to look for him. I went to his friends house to see if he was there and ended up having to bust a window to get inside. But there was a note on the fridge from his friends mother saying they were going to be hiding out at her mothers. But there was no address. She just said she'd try and get Alex to me as soon as possible.." She said, frowning and taking a bite of her fruit. "But he's all i've got. I have to at least try to find him.." She breathed, taking a breath from all her talking.

"Since were both running low on food I think we should find a different place to hide out in. There's gotta be houses we could bust into, or old schools, churches, any place that held canned food drives, Etc." She said, taking another bite of a sliced peach. "Thank you for this. I ran out of food yesterday.." She said, enjoying her peach slices.

Thank god she had found Zach. Of course they hadn't been the closest of friends, but he had helped her on multiple occasions while raising Alex. Since Alex was just getting to that stage where he needed a male role in his life, she had always asked Zach to talk to him, and Zach had come through.

"Well, good. There are quite a few cooties to go around." Zach smiled a bit, and then glanced back at Lilly. Though she'd seen Scarlett on multiple occasions, the girl was still just as shy. "Right. Lilly stopped talking after . . ." he paused for a moment, and Lilly shuffled about uncomfortably. "After we left home. The radio cut out a week ago, and now it's just me talking." When the girl patted his hand, Harper smiled. "I'm glad you're here, Andrews."

He listened quietly to what Scarlett had to say about her little brother. The thought of such a young child out there alone made Zach's heart drop. Still . . . there was a chance that he was outside of the city when everything hit off. "He might be safe," was the only thing he could say without lying. He wasn't a big liar - in fact, he told the truth even when it was painful to do so. He watched Scarlett eat her fruit, looking worried as she did so.
Harper had really liked Alex. The kid was a little guy who needed a man's influence on his life. Granted, the only things they'd really done together were temporary. They played catch once. Another time Zach had an extra kids meal, and he dropped it off for Alex. They'd had a few conversations that were intelligent, and Zach knew that the boy was off to a rocky start. Scarlett did everything she could for him. It was frightening to think that someone as young as Lilly was out there with someone else.

"Life is more important than hoarding," Zach said when he was thanked for the food. With a soft smile, he reached out and offered the juice to Scarlett. "I was going to move on tomorrow morning. You have the right idea." He dreaded going anywhere in the city, but that was where they would find food. "We can hit houses all down the street. There's a violence prevention center at the end of the block. We can look there."
As long as it was light outside, it was alright. The night was when the hordes come out onto the streets - it was their time to roam. The sound of crunching glass made Zach's expression change. He went into hunter mode once again.

"Stay." His features were dark as he shifted around so he could look toward the store entrance. There in the shattered glass stood a barefoot man. He didn't look familiar, which was comforting. Harper watched for a few moments as the male swayed unsteadily, walking through the glass without looking pained. He didn't feel it: he was infected.
Reaching for his weapon, Zach gripped it tightly . . . and then closed his eyes. It seemed that the infected were being drawn in. They would definitely need to move now.
With a thud, the door-like panel covered the opening. "It's going to get really hot in here," Zach said huskily, trying to draw himself back into a civilized mindset. "But I don't want to hear him moving around all day." And he wasn't about to go down and kill him if it only drew the others. He'd seen at least three other zombies shuffling around outside the windows. Perhaps it was the smell of blood that drew them. Perhaps they followed Scarlett's trail.

"Lilly, where's the light?" In the darkness there came the sounds of rustling clothing . . . and then a soft click. A dying flashlight flickered on, and it was passed to Zach. "If you need light, it's here." He set the flashlight near the "door." "We don't have any batteries left." His demeanor was already calming, though he was hyper aware of the zombie below them. It was more than unnerving.
There was a moment of silence during which nothing could be heard. The only sound was the most quiet of breathing - their own - mingled with the light crunching of glass (which faded a few moments later). The quiet was a constant friend to any survivor or infected alike: the city was dead.

"Where were you when it all started?" Zach finally asked, trying to drown out the sound of their unwanted visitor as he knocked over a stand in the store below them. Lilly curled up in a tight ball as Harper turned off the dying light.

"I'm glad to be here, Harper." She said, a small smile on her face. "Listen, I know theres little chance of him being alive.. but just I've been taking care of him for two years now and it's so nerve racking to not know where he is.." She said, he face going pale at the unwanted visitor below.

When he shut the door and it went dark she scooted closed to Zach. "I have a flashlight and a pack of batteries in my bag." She said, taking her brown sack off her shoulder and rifling through it. She then pulled out a regular sized flashlight and flipped it on, then passed him the battery container.

"I was at work. I'm a waitress part time at the diner a about a block away from where we used to live. And then suddenly the tvs were all broadcasting that there was infected people running around the streets. At first we all thought it was a joke, so we continued to serve the people their food, but then one of the customers just. . . snapped." She said, looking down at her hands. They were shaking. "He flung himself over the table and latched onto his wife's neck." She said, recalling how her blood spilled over the pancakes she had just sat in front of the woman. She had been rather nice.

"So that's when I bolted. I figured that if I didn't find Alex soon then he'd be killed, so I ran home and left my apron somewhere in the street." She said, a small smirk on her face. "When I got home I screamed and screamed for him but he left a note saying he was going to his friends. And then I ran into the hallway to go and thats when you saved me." She said. "And I'm forever in debt to you for that, Zach." She said, her eyes showing how thankful she was.

She saw how uncomfortable Lily was and rifled through her bag again. After a moment or two she pulled out a small, brown teddy bear and handed it to the girl. "Here. His names Mr. Snuggles." She smiled. "He calmed me down whenever I was upset, maybe he can do wonders for you too." She said, hoping that Lily liked it. "It was mine when I was little, and then I gave it to Alex. I know he's too old for it now but I still brought it along. Our parents gave it to us.. so I just couldn't leave it behind." She said, putting her sack behind her head and laying down to use it as a pillow. "Where were you?" She asked softly.

He took the flashlight gratefully, opening the package of batteries and refilling the old one. He set the old batteries beside a small pile of things that he knew they would leave behind. By the light of a single flashlight, he listened to Scarlett's story. It was chilling . . . but it was accurate. Everyone had thought the outbreak was a hoax. The panic that followed resulted in the destruction of the city.

Lilly seemed to like the stuffed bear that was offered to her. Crawling forward, she took the animal and touched its small nose. It was slightly warn, and smelled like Scarlett's family. Burying her face in the Mr. Snuggles' tummy, the child sent a glance toward the other woman. She was no longer scary, as Lilly had thought a few moments prior. It wasn't long before the child was laying down on her makeshift bed a few feet away, stroking the bear's ears and stuffed arms.

"Where was I?" Zach watched as Lilly seemed to calm down a bit, playing with the bear for a while before falling asleep. He lowered his voice so his sister wouldn't hear it all, though that was impossible with the complete silence. "I was out with friends." He smiled grimly, shaking his head. "We were driving through town after a day at the park, and we thought the radio was a . . . well, a joke." It was true. They hadn't believed the announcements and quarantine warnings. "We hit a girl. She was bloody, like . . . she'd just killed something. When we all got out of the car to check on her, she just . . . got back up. She bit our driver." Zach frowned. "It was his birthday. We all panicked after that."

Harper felt guilt tugging at him as he thought of the friends he'd just abandoned. "I went home. They went their own ways." His voice lowered to a whisper, and he looked down at Scarlett as she rested. "The neighborhood was in chaos. There were people running around saying it was the end of the world. I saw some people breaking into our front door, and by the time I got there. . . ."
He sent another sad look in Lilly's direction before continuing. "They got my mother. Lilly was hiding." Swallowing, he went on. "They left after they took the money and whatever they thought they could use. I looked for Lilly everywhere, and then I heard you yelling." He hesitated again, looking down at the flashlight in his hands. He flicked it off, but not in time to hide the regret on his face. "I picked up one of the dropped weapons that the men left, and . . . got to you."

That's when he'd seen the upstairs window blinds flicker. He'd run to get Lilly then, and he carried her from home. They ran . . . and learned to hide. They survived, and that's what mattered. There was a long, thick silence before Harper whispered again. "Everyone we know is gone."
After shifting around a bit, the male managed to find his place. Lying down, he felt his sister curl up behind him. "We don't know how far this infection has spread, either. What if we can't stop it? Will everyone end up like this?" Zach sighed, closing his eyes against the darkness. "I miss the sound of birds in the morning. Do you remember that?" Though it had been less than 2 weeks, it still felt like a lifetime since normality had influenced them.

Scarlett laid closer to Zach and then turned on her side so she could face him. Her dark curls fell gently around her face. "Don't feel bad about killing that man.. It wasn't your fault.." She said, her voice weak. "They can't think anymore.. they're nothing but shells without insides." She said, taking his hand. "Their too far gone to be people anymore. Don't feel guilty." She said, squeezing his hand gently and then releasing it. "And besides. I'd be one of them if you hadn't of saved me.."

She fell silent for a moment at his words. "Yeah, I remember the birds." She said, though as she thought of it she realized she couldn't remember. "Well.. not as well. What I miss the most is the sound of life. People running around, honking horns.. there was sound constantly. And now it's just..gone." She said, looking at his eyes.

"If it spread then theres a good chance we won't be able to stop it. But theres gotta be survivors, it's not like the whole world could just die off.." She said, trying to give him some hope. "Your the only person i've ever know thats still alive." She admitted. "And i'm thankful I found you. It will be nice to not have to be alone at nights. It was so weird to go to sleep not knowing if the next time I woke up would be my last."She whispered, watching as Zach's chest rose and fell.

"I can't get over that I found you. It's so unreal to see you.. normal." She said, her hand reaching out and feeling his heartbeat. It felt nice to feel a different one than her own. "You have no idea how relaxing it is to feel your heartbeat." She grinned. "For days i've had to feel my own just to know I was alive."

It was so nice to just look into her eyes. Zach could see little in the dim light (there was a gap between the panel and the exit, so it allowed some daylight to enter their hiding place), but he was happy to see what he could. "I will never regret saving you," he whispered, "but I wish things hadn't turned out this way."
He found himself reaching for Scarlett's hand as she pulled her fingers away. Harper stopped himself before doing so, but . . . still. He'd longed for some kind of physical contact ever since the outbreak started. Lilly helped - she ended up curled against him most nights. Still . . . it was one thing that Zach had loved about being around people. He was the kind of guy to hug everyone, shake hands with the others, always touching someone in some fashion.

Feeling Scarlett's hand press against his chest made him remember. Closing his eyes briefly, Zach covered her hand with his own. "We're alive," he breathed, "and you're the best thing I've seen since this all started." Truthful - as always. "I thought we were alone."
His fingers slowly slid between Scarlett's. "We made it. There have to be others." Zach's brown eyes met Scarlett's for a while before he reached forward to brush some hair from her face. "God knew what He was doing when He made you, didn't He?"

A dark blush set over Scarletts features. "I don't know about me but he sure knew what he was doing when he made you." She whispered, not wanting to wake up Lily. When he laced his fingers with her's the dark haired girl scooted up beside him and put her head on his chest to actually listen to his heart beat. Her hand still laced with his. "Is this alright?" She asked softly, not wanting him to be alarmed by her being all over him.

She tilted her head back a little to look into his dark eyes. The room was dim but she could still see his face. "Your the best thing i've seen too." She breathed, reeling his breath on her skin. "I wish it wouldn't of turned out this way either. But hey, at least we have each other now.." She said, looking over at his sister. "I'm sure it got pretty lonely with just her. And I know I cried every night wanting someone with me." She said, thinking of how she had longed for her ex even though she hated him. She just had to have someone with her, any strong, loving male that she could curl up with in such dark times. And Zach was perfect.

She knew that she was taking things a bit too fast, but in a rule-free, careless world you had to find someone, cling to them, and hope to god a zombie didn't take them from you the way they had taken everyone else.

Harper sat still as Scarlett adjusted herself, resting her head against him. "It's good," Zach said quietly, a light blush filling his features as well. The contact just felt amazing. It felt . . . real. Feeling another's warmth one one side and his little sister's on the other, Zach smiled a bit. This was better than sitting in silence and waiting for another passer by to come.

"It got lonely," he whispered, scanning over the woman's features before letting his head rest against the floor, "but I am grateful for Lilly. I must have been hard, being alone." He closed his eyes, enjoying the light weight of someone resting against him. "We have each other now. Let's keep it that way."

He fell silent after that. Listening to the soft breathing of Scarlett and his sister, Zach closed his eyes. It was easier to fall asleep than it had been in weeks. He was even able to tune out the soft shuffling sounds from below them. A sense of relief filtered over them for those brief hours.
-

A small beep filled the attic area, bringing Zach back to the world. Dawn. They'd slept through the rest of the previous day and night, and now it was time to start getting ready to leave. The best time to move was around nine - Zach had been keeping an eye on it for a few days now. The infected gathered in groups around noon, so they had a few hours to get to the next safe area.
"Scarlett," Zach whispered, gently resting a hand on her arm. She was still against him, and their hands were still linked softly. It felt like a dream to wake up and find that she was still there. There they were in the middle of an apocalypse, and he had an angel with him. "We need to get ready to leave."

Scarlett awoke to Zach's voice telling her they had to leave soon. She groaned, her face still pressed into his chest. But she was soothed to know she hadn't been dreaming, and that he was still there. She blushed when she sat up and noticed their hands were still linked. "Kay. Theres a hardware store down the street we could stop by to see if we can get any weapons. And theres a pawn shop not to far from here. Which means guns." She said, releasing his hand no matter how nice it felt to have them linked.

She packed up their flashlights into her bag and then looked back at him. "Is there anything else you want to take? I can carry it in this. It's pretty big." She said, stretching her arms and yawning. "So what kind of building are we looking for to stay in? I have a map of the city in my pack. I stole it from one of the memorial buildings a day after the outbreak. I figured i'd need it eventually if I had to leave the apartment." She said, pulling the map out of the front zipper pocket and unfolding it. She gently handed it to him and yawned once more.

"I'm so glad I found you." She grinned. "That's the best I've slept in days." She said, giving him a quick hug. She put her head in his shoulder for a moment. "Thank you, again, for saving me. Someday I hope to repay the debt." She said, releasing him and looking at him.

"I don't want to overburden you," Zach said with a smile. "I have a bag, too." He passed her a few water bottles, though. It was always best to distribute the weight for traveling. "I was worried about having Lilly carry food, but it's good to know you're here now." He passed over roughly half of the food as well (though most of it was not the canned stuff). The heavier things went into his bag, though he didn't mention it.

"Weapons are good. The guns have been cleared out, but we can look anyway." Zach had watched from the doorway as looters went down the street earlier that week. The sounds of gunshots hadn't lasted long, honestly. "It's a good place to head for." Every place she mentioned sounded nice. Hopefully there was enough left for them to salvage. As he finished packing away the last of the clothing and food, Zach took the map that was offered to him. "This is helpful. I was a bit disappointed when I found out this store didn't have any maps. Every gas station has a map stand, right?" They must have been taken by looters as they left town, though.

His eyes moved over the key places that Scarlett mentioned, and he mentally started mapping their course. They needed to move fast if they were going to get to the pawn shop first. Sure, the walk itself would only take an hour . . . but everything took twice as long with the infected moving around. The roamers were the worst - and if you saw one, it was onto you like a starving beast. The noise would draw others. . . .
"We'll leave as soon as we've all eaten and taken care of business. We want to be ready for anything." He lowered the map just in time to hear Scarlett's relief-filled voice. "I'm glad you found us, too." He was almost surprised by the hug she gave him, but he enjoyed it thoroughly. "Let's hope you never have to repay it. I'd rather know that you were safe for the rest of your days."
Meeting gazes for a moment, Zach chuckled. "Would you like some stale chips and old salsa for breakfast? We can open another can of fruit to share, too." Lilly was sitting up and watching as they packed, her little face full of sleepiness. She moved over to whisper something in her brother's ear as he sat down.

"You get started on eating. I'll be right back with Lilly." He smiled a bit. "I forgot to take her down before bed." Though the bathroom didn't work, it was a nice place to clean up with a mirror. They had to go outside to actually use the restroom. "Don't go anywhere, alright?"
Lifting the panel from the floor, Zach carefully listened for signs of their infected guests from the previous day. Finally nodding, he tossed down the ladder and snagged his crowbar. He slid down first, waiting for Lilly to follow. The little girl clung to her brother's pocket as they walked through the store quietly. They were out of sight within moments.

Their trip was quick, and there were no incidents. Zach took the time to scan the area and make sure they weren't in immediate danger. It seemed as though the infected that had been nearby had wandered on elsewhere. They didn't always move so quickly, but Zach wasn't about to complain.
Harper followed his sister up the ladder, and sat on the edge with his feet dangling through the opening. "Let's finish up breakfast and get moving." They shared a small package of peanuts (Zach insisted that the protein would give them energy for their trip) before Harper finally nodded. "I'll go down first. You two follow."

He slid his backpack over his shoulders and squirmed about until both he and the bag fit through the opening. He was on the floor in moments, watching with his weapon ready. "Clear. Let's get moving."

Lilly acted starved (she practically was . . . they all were) as they finished off a bag of chips, can of salsa, and large container of cut fruit.

Scarlett went down first and then slowly helped Lily down as well. "When we get to our next hide out i'll give you a candy bar I had in my freezer. It's probably one of the only chocolate bars left considering chocolate was one of the first food items to go due to it being long lasting." She said, helping Lily onto the floor. She tightened the straps on her bag around her shoulder and looked down at the little girl. "And I can put Mr. Snuggles in the bag if you don't want to lose him." She said in a hushed tone. Scarlett had always been great with kids, and she knew that Lily must be going through a lot right now.

She had her shovel armed and ready for anything, she glanced to Zach as they headed outside of the broken door. Before letting Lily walk out she made sure to check the streets. "They're clear from what I can tell. We'll probably be able to get there without a problem." She said, slowly stepping from behind a white van that had crashed outside of the store. Shopping carts laid around the parking lot everywhere. "If only these weren't so loud. We'd probably be able to take Lily around in them." She said, grinning.

The dark haired woman led them on down the street. For ten minutes nothing was said, just silence.It was how they could tell if those mindless beasts were coming. But suddenly Scarlett saw one rumaging through a dumpster on the side of the street. "I'll kill it before it see's or makes noise.." She said grimly, not wanting to, but it had to be done. It if saw them it would call for others. She took her shovel and silently walked down the street about a 100 steps off the road.

She looked to Zach, making sure he blocked Lily's view before her shovel collided with the zombies neck. She had given it such a powerful hit that it fell to the ground, then she threw yet another powerful smack at its face, and then it stopped groaning and reaching for her. She frowned and kneeled before it, closing her eyes and offering a small prayer to what seemed like an infected homeless man.

She then stood up and headed back over to Zach. "It's done. Let's keep moving." She said, then looked back at him. "Make sure to never get their blood on you, or you'll get infected. Do what I do and once you give them the kill blow, cover or turn your head. If it gets on your body your fine, but if it gets in your mouth your dead in three days." She frowned.

"Common rules of infection and quarantine," Zach muttered, looking down at the fallen man. He patted Lilly's head as she finally was allowed to step up beside him. "You hear that, Lilly? Don't let them touch you, alright?" She'd heard it before, and she was wary . . . but a child can only remember things for so long.
Harper was sure to keep Lilly from seeing the dead creature. "Thanks for that." Motioning toward the shovel, he smiled a bit. "I hate killing them." They might not be sane now, but they were completely normal humans at one point. Zach was sad to see how much trash and grime covered everything. It hadn't been long, and already the city was a wreck. Riots had gone through the streets, leaving broken homes and torn bodies behind. The very smell of the city was appalling.

Covering his nose as they passed by a crashed vehicle, Zach tried not to say anything. They needed the silence. As thick and horrid as it was, they needed it. The only sound that followed them was the scuffling of their own shoes. When Harper lowered his hand, he pointed toward the pawn shop. They were on the right track, though it would take time to move quietly and out of sight.
It was nearly an hour later when they reached their destination. With Lilly standing beside Scarlett, Zach held up a hand. "Let me check first," he whispered, listening at the door. It was closed, which was usually a good sign. Still, if any infected had found a way in, he didn't want to make a lot of noise. Getting noticed without a safe place to run to wasn't a good idea.

Zach opened the door quietly, slowly stepping inside. The daylight lit up smashed cases and shelves, items scattered or left behind everywhere. As he continued his search, he found nothing out of the ordinary. The looters had gotten there first, but it would be a good place to look for extra items. Weapons, for sure.
Stepping back to the door, he waved the girls in. The door was closed quietly behind them. "It looks like the guns might be scarce. We can keep looking, though. Surely there are some left somewhere." His eyes moved to the other weapons, though. There were a few decorative blades that looked useless (which was probably why they had been left behind), though on the floor was a thick pocket knife. Zack lifted it and blew the dirt from it's side, flicking it open. Granted, he wouldn't want to fight the infected with it, but it would be a good tool.
He slid it into his pocket before looking about again. There were stray bullets on the floor for some kind of handgun - they'd been dropped and forgotten in the rush to escape. Zach asked Lilly to gather them (which she did, though with Mr. Snuggles in one hand she moved slowly) and then moved on. There was a lot of old junk in the store, and it was hard to sift through without making much noise.

"Let me know if you find anything," he whispered to Scarlett, keeping both her and Lilly in sight at all times.

Scarlett nodded and started to search the area for any weapons. She sighed, glancing at the useless weapons that had been left behind. But suddenly she came across a back room. "Stay here Lily." She said, seeing that she was near her. Scarlett turned the door knob but groaned when it didn't budge. She then kicked it a few times right by the knob and it flung open. "Jackpot!" She grinned, knowing there had to be something in here. She glanced around the room finding a shot gun, a Colt .45, and an FN SCAR. "Wow, I wonder how they got this baby into the shop." She said, picking up the FN SCAR.

"Okay, i'll take the .45 if you want the Scar, and then we'll just take turns using the shotty if we can't find another gun." She said, starting to shove boxes of ammo in her sack and tossing a few to Zach. She then looked to Lily. "Do you want a knife?" She asked, knowing Lily wouldn't be using it.. but it might make her feel better to at least have a weapon. She glanced around until she found a pretty, but small blade and then found a holster for it to wrap around Lily's waist. "Do you want this one?" She asked, kneeling before her.

Lilly looked a bit excited to have a weapon on her waist, and touched it lightly before nodding. She seemed to approve. Watching with wide eyes as things continued, the child stayed quiet.

"Sounds like a plan." Zach stashed ammo in his bag, and then moved on to find a couple ammo belts. They would be useful - and they didn't have to dig through their bags to get the ammunition in case of an emergency. Strapping one about his chest, he moved to do the same for Scarlett. "I'll carry the extra gun." He was the male, so it made sense for him to carry the heavier weight.
Fingering the SCAR, Zach began to figure out just how to reload and work the gun. It didn't take him long, and by the time he finished he was nearly whistling in appreciation. "This is powerful. It can't be legal to have it here." They had found good weapons - that was always a boost for the hope factor.

Bang.

"Did . . . you hear that?" Zach frowned, trying to decide whether or not he'd just heard the faint gunshot. When the sound came for a second time, he shook his head. "This close to noon? What are they thinking? The horde will be all over them!" Harper moved to the nearest window, peeking out.

"There's . . . someone out there."
-

The figure stood as though there was no fear in him. In fact, he wasn't afraid. If anything, he looked more than ready to kill anything that moved. From his mouth he pulled a cigarette, breathing the smoke out as he looked down at the corpse near his feet.
He looked . . . deadly. The gun in his hand was a heavily modified .45, and his expression showed that he didn't give a damn about anyone but himself. In fact, he almost looked like he was having fun drawing the infected out of their holes. Every time something moved, he took aim and fired. Each time it was more precise a shot than expected. It only took one bullet for every person.

Within moments Scarlett was out the door. Once she was in the street she saw who was shooting the bullets. "Hey asshole! Your gonna get us all killed!" She called, yet quietly. Though the damage was done already. She could already hear the screams of the infected coming towards the street they were on. "Zach, Hide Lily!" She called into the shop.

Scarlett charged down the street to confront the male but stopped dead in her tracks. "OF ALL THE FREAKING MEN STILL ALIVE IN THIS FREAKING COUNTRY!" She yelled, recognizing the man as her ex. She took out her .45 pointing it at him. "Your so lucky I don't shoot you where you stand." She growled, shooting a bullet at the ground near his foot. She then rolled her eyes, shooting him a glare and going back into the shop. "It's too late, the hoards coming. Get Lily up somewhere high and don't let that guy in, whatever you do." She warned.

She just couldn't get over how the one man she wanted dead was still alive. The man that had cheated on her, but then the next day came running back to her and saying he loved her, not the girl from the bar. But she wasn't stupid, so luckily she had dumped him.

Aurelia ran swiftly behind the blonde male trying to keep up. "Why are you drawing the zombies too us!? How stupid are you!" She screamed, her voice cracking at her anger. Her long blonde hair blew gently behind her when she noticed a pretty woman charge out of a pawn shop and yell at the man she was with. "Who the hell's that!?" She asked, jumping when the woman shot at the ground by her companions feet.

"You better be getting me out of here! You know I can't shoot a gun and I'd hate to get blood on my new dress!" She groaned, looking down at her pretty light pink dress that matched her pink slightly heeled shoes. She had been at work during the outbreak, and hadn't had time to change.

"Just keep your mouth shut," Nym growled at Aurelia, rolling his eyes. When he saw Scarlett, a disbelieving smile spread over his face. As he drew his cigarette back from his lips, the blond blew a kiss in her direction. "I missed you too, Scar." He didn't flinch as she shot near his feet, but instead lifted his own gun in response. "You'd be a fool to kill off one of the only survivors in the city, yes?"
When Scarlett headed back toward the pawn shop, he mentally marked which building it was. His attention returned to the infected that began to scramble out onto the street seeking a fresh meal. "Girly, shut up." Nym's blue eyes flickered over to the nearest zombie, and a gunshot rang out moments later. "I know you can't fight worth a damn, but your mouth could kill any sane man." Her constant complaining and bickering was starting to really grate on his nerves.
-

Lilly was tucked away in the corner of the shop with her teddy bear clutched tightly to her. The sound of the gun scared her, and honestly Zach didn't know what to say to calm her. "You know him?" he asked when Scarlett returned. She looked angry enough to shoot someone . . . heck, he thought she did until he heard the gunshot from outside again.

They weren't in the most defensible position, but the safes and large items would channel any infected through one spot: directly in front of them. "I won't let him in, but . . . isn't he a survivor? Isn't there a greater chance of survival in bigger numbers?" Zach flicked the safety off of his SCAR and glanced at the shadow that darted in front of the window. It was seconds later when another shot rang out. The sound of a dead body colliding with the building made Lilly squeak in fear.
-

As the horde began to gather, Nym laughed. "Do you think I started shooting because I wanted to live?" He knew very well that the infected were drawn to noise. Oh, he knew very well. He'd known before anyone in the city had a clue. Or even an inkling of a clue. "This is hell on earth. Welcome to Gehenna." The lowest level of hell - and they were in it. That was certainly what it felt like.
Taking another long drag of his smoke, Nym shook his head and fired at a few more infected. They were starting to mass at the fences between houses, and they were streaming out from down the street somewhere. "Get up high somewhere, yes? You want to live. I'm sure that lovely woman in the shop will adore your company." Right.

"Know him? Unfortunately I used to be with him. You probably saw him once or twice around the apartment." She sighed. "If you come outside to help kill them off I suggest you board up the building. It looks like Nym brought a girl along. She could probably hide in here with Lily." She said, and with that she was out the door. She had seen him blow her a kiss but she was too angry to yell at him for it. She began to shoot at the zombies heads, something that Nym had taught her when he took her to gun classes on one of their dates.

"Couldn't let you have all the fun, now could I?" She called, then glanced to the girl he brought. "Get in the shop if you want to hide." She called, glaring at Nym the whole time. "Why in the hell would you draw them to you? Then again theres many things you do without thinking of the consequences!" She called, shooting a zombie in the back of the head as it ran towards him.

She watched as the girl went inside in heels and a pink dress. "You pick her up at a bar too or was it the corner this time?" She teased, though there was a slight coldness in her voice. She glanced back to the shop to see if Zach was coming out. The horde was almost gone, so they'd be able to find shelter soon before more came.



Aurelia nodded and ran inside the pawn shop, seeing a handsome boy and then a small girl. "I need to hide somewhere!" She squeeked, trying to hide beside the girl. "That man is crazy!" She said, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I'm Aurelia by the way, Sexy." She winked at Zach, brushing her bangs out of her blue eyes. The blonde knew that pickings were getting slimmer, and she wasn't about to get stuck with crazy ass Nym.

Zach couldn't recall ever seeing Nym, but it was possible. Those were the days before he really started talking with Scarlett and her little brother. "I'll . . . stay here with Lilly." He didn't want any infected getting in behind Scarlett . . . and she seemed to know how to handle herself around the infected. As she left, gun blazing, Zach tried not to look a bit shocked. He hadn't known she was that good.
Frowning, he went about gathering loose boards. Lilly stayed in her corner, watching all the while. Just as Zach was finally pounding the last nail into the board over the largest window, a woman appeared. She moved in to sit beside Lilly, and at first Harper looked ready kill her. It wasn't until Aurelia spoke that he realized she was still . . . normal.

"You were with him?" Zach looked back out the window, watching as Scarlett approached the stranger. He was brought back to his current situation as Aurelia introduced herself. A blush dusted his features as he turned back to the boards. "Zach Harper," he said, starting to get the window finished. There was only one other window (it was a big shop, but with few entrances), and then the side door and front door. Luckily the side door was already barricaded.
As soon as he finished with the windows, he looked to Lilly and Aurelia. "Stay down, stay quiet, and don't move." He would talk later.

Stepping outside, he kept close to the building in order to keep protection over his sister and the woman inside. He could see Scarlett and Nym, and all three of them swiftly slowed the number of approaching zombies with the steady flow of bullets. Despite the slowing tide, the noise was surely drawing more of them from within the city's limits. They didn't have long.
"We need to get to shelter!" Zach called out to Scarlett, eying Nym warily.
-

"You could've just run off with your boy," Nym growled, glaring right back at Scarlett as Aurelia took off. It was a pleasure to see her running away from him instead of after him. "Why draw them in? Because," he paused to fire in the direction of another infected and take a draw on his cigarette, "sometimes you know there's a clock ticking somewhere. There's a time limit on your days, and I'm tired of waiting on fate to decide." He tried to ignore her jab about acting without thought, but it was in vain.
"At least I don't run off and cry to the nearest suck-up who will take me!" He growled at her next question, rolling his eyes and taking aim again. "On the corner, Scar. Your corner." There was a business building near the corner of the neighborhood.