Neil had heard Mia, but didn't turn around, he was more or less focused on the task ahead, and since he didn't hear any other concerning sounds, he figured it was okay. It wasn't until he felt someone punch him, his head snapping around to see Charlie. She didn't say anything, which actually concerned him a bit, she looked serious. His eyes scanned the area, and he saw where the others were looking, and where she pointed, and there it was, movement behind a car. How had he missed that? He felt stupid, and cursed under his breath. They hadn't been noticed, not yet, which was good, since it was better to avoid than fight, they didn't need to make any more noise than needed.

He scanned the area, checking to make sure that was all, and he didn't see any other movement. Well, until the cat they had seen before came darting out from behind another car. He cursed and looked over at where the zombie was, then at Charlie. If the thing noticed the cat, and went after it, then he was sure they'd be noticed too, and he didn't want to fight right now, not so out in the open with so many places that others could be hidden.

Luck apparently wasn't on their side, because he watched as the cat darted just past Mia, who he now noticed was hiding behind Cody. He was pleased that Cody had gotten out a weapon though, at least the three of them were prepared. Neil held his breath, watching as the cat ran past the car the zombie was behind, and he heard the groan. The cat had been spotted, he could only hope that the zombie went after the cat, and not them. Sure, he felt bad for the cat, but what else could they do?

"Oh no." Mia whispered as she watched in horror, the zombie moving after the cat. At least the cat was fast, she thought, but she still felt bad. Despite everything she hated seeing anything terrible happen to defenseless animals, but she knew there was not much they could do, only hopefully move on and not get caught out here. They were so close to the building, maybe 100ft away, she thought, and hoped the last bit would be clear, today would be good if they didn't have to fight at all.

Charlie's fingers of her left hand drummed silently on the handle of her bat in anticipation. She didn't make any sudden movements, only watched. "Sonofabitch," she whispered, barely audible, as the cat jolted past them and right in front of the zombie. They all heard the groan and Charlie wanted to let out one of her own. She could feel Neil glance at her but she didn't shift her gaze, watching intently.

Her cigarette was still between her fingers but she didn't dare drop it yet, she didn't want to make even the tiniest bit of noise, even though one of the ashes fell and was blown to where it landed on her hand. She flinched and gritted her teeth against the burning pain and tried to focus on what was at hand. She peaked at the apartment building, they were so close, and if they took the alley just to their left it would likely have another connecting alley that should bring them right to the bottom of the fire escape. The trouble was going down the alley as quick as they could unnoticed.

Cody deliberated what was best to do. They could take the thing out easily, they were all armed, but he, along with everyone else, wanted to avoid fighting as much as possible. Even Charlie wanted to sit this one out, she loved the thrill but she didn't want to draw attention and endanger the others. The fingers of his free hand crossed, in some desperate plea for luck, that the zombie would chase after the cat. And thankfully it began to move after it, but Cody held in his sigh of relief. When it had moved a few feet away Charlie finally dropped her almost-out-cigarette and pressed the fresh burn against her shirt, silently muttering a string of curse words.

((this was a really rough post, I'm so sorry))

(No worries, it happens.)

Neil watched in silence, he noticed Charlie flinch, but he didn't understand why until after the zombie had moved away and she pressed her hang to herself. He frowned and watched her, but there was not much he could do to help. They still needed to be quiet, so the zombie didn't change its course, so he grabbed her shoulder, squeezing lightly, and motioned towards the building. Their best bet would be to make for it as quick as possible, and get on the fire escape. Hopefully they would be safe from there. He didn't wait for a reply though, instead he turned and took off, trying to keep his footsteps as quiet as possible while still moving at a good pace.

Instead of going the long way he just gunned it straight, hoping the others followed quickly, and they didn't get caught. He was watching either side of him as he did, hoping nothing would dart out from the cars or any other hidden place. His heart was racing at this point, knowing that they risked running into a huge group of them, but at this point he felt their best bet was to just run for it. Without looking back once he made it to the first ladder of the fire escape without incident, after tucking the crowbar in a loop on his jeans, he jumped up and his hands caught the cold metal, pulling himself up, hurrying up. The sooner they got off the ground, the better.

Despite wanting to trust in Cody, she knew Neil was smart, and he had kept her safe thus far, he had kept the whole other group safe, so she felt like she could trust him. She slipped out from behind Cody and took off after Neil, this was something she was good at, running. She was quick, quicker than him, she figured, since she was catching up. Her feet made little sound, the flats perfect for keeping quiet. She watched Neil hop onto the fire escape and start climbing, so she did the same, following right after him, not even knowing if the others were with them. She had been up this escape plenty of times, and she planned to take it right to her apartment. Neil was waiting on the first landing, a good ten feet above the ground, the window at this landing was boarded up, so it seemed like they would be moving up. Instead of waiting for the others, like Neil was, she started up the next ladder, her fingers gripping the cold metal.

Charlie jumped when Neil grabbed her shoulder, she had been so distracted that it had startled at her, but she half smiled at him and nodded. Cody took off a milisecond before she did, watching Mia dart in front of him and past the others. Cody was a track runner in high school so ran quick, his breathing not becoming strained or labored, and the easy sprint was nothing on him. However when he got to the foot of the fire escape he stopped for a second, eying how high up they'd have to go before getting an open window.

Charlie was hot on her brother's heels, bringing up the rear of the group and constantly checking behind them to make sure nothing was following. Her boots were silent despite their hard bottoms and she breezed past Cody as he froze. "You can do it," she patted his back and jumped up, arms catching on to the bar easily. She pulled herself up, not having to strain much against her lithe body weight. It was a few bars before she could easily set her feet on the step below her, but once she did she was easily climbing. She was at the landing beside Neil only half a minute after he had gotten there. She leaned over the black railing and kept an eye out to make sure nothing was following.

Cody swallowed his fear and jumped, grabbing on with sweaty palms and pulling himself up. He was heavier than Charlie, he had retained a lot of his muscle mass, but he also had a lot of strength, so the hardest part was fear, way more so than actually climbing. When he got to the landing Charlie almost congratulated him, but he was set on hiding his embarrassment for showing fear, so he continued without stopping as he climbed to the next landing, even though Neil and Charlie had waited for him.

Charlie huffed to herself, she knew Cody hated that for a second his fear had broken through, but he was going to be so hellbent on redeeming himself and she knew that too. She made sure that her bat had stayed tucked in place in a loop of her bookbag and waited for a few steps to clear after Cody. She shrugged at Neil, surprised that now Mia was taking the lead, and began to climb after her brother, scowling when he nearly kicked her in the face as he climbed.

Mia wanted to go to her place first, she hadn't been back since the first few days, when all this had happened, and it was nice to think there would be something normal there, even if everything else was gone, she was sure some part of her life was there. She was climbing quick, the days of climbing trees helped her, and being light was also a plus. Before long she was up the one ladder, across the landing, and onto the next, the first four windows along the landing were covered, but hers was higher up, so she kept going. Her lungs were burning as she pushed herself, not wanting to stop. The fifth landing was not covered, neither was the sixth, but she kept going until she stopped at the seventh.

She waited here for a moment, peeking inside the window the best she could. The curtains she had, a bright aqua with a swirly white pattern, mostly covered the window, but she could see in through an opening in them. The door to her place was closed, being right across from the window, but she could see stuff all across the floor. Someone had been in there, and might still be in there, but it didn't matter to her. Cody was the next one coming up, she tested the window, it opened. She had always kept it locked, which means someone else must have used it. She took a deep breath and tugged the window open all the way and climbed inside, staying close, hoping the others were right behind her, in case there was someone here.

Neil didn't get the chance to discuss anything, instead the others were all moving on, so he followed behind Charlie, just out of the way. "Nice view." He teased as he fell back a bit more, making sure he wasn't in range of an angry foot. He had a huge grin on his face. As they climbed he noticed Mia was booking it up the side of the building, he assumed to her place. Most of the windows seemed boarded up, but as they got higher, that wasn't the case. but then he cursed when he saw Mia, she was opening a window and her small body disappeared into the building.

Cody wanted to stop at the first available window, that was the safest he felt scaling up the side of this building, but Mia kept going. He knew they couldn't just leave her and they couldn't slow down, so he grunted something unpleasant and continued to follow her. His palms slipped once and his heart dropped to his stomach but he had enough time to grip on once more, even tighter than before. Everything in him told him to stop, to get to the next landing and not go up another damn level, but he couldn't so he didn't.

Charlie took the briefest of glances back below her to glare at Neil, whose face was covered in a huge smile as his eyes watched her ass. As she lifted her hand to go to the next bar she flipped him the bird quickly before continuing to climb, but her hips swayed just a bit more to tease Neil.

"What the hell," she murmured as Mia continued past open windows and to the seventh landing, that must have been where she lived. Mia was a nice girl and Charlie liked her, but she wasn't particularly pleased that they were passing already non-boarded windows that were barely touched on safe landing. She bit her tongue and followed along, surprised that Cody was climbing so quickly ahead of her.

With a deep "hmph" Cody reached the seventh landing, barely a minute behind Mia. She had already slipped inside and Cody peeked his head in before climbing through, hands already back on his axe, which had been resting tightly in between his teeth for holding and to keep him going as he faced his fear of heights.

Charlie cursed Cody as he followed Mia without waiting. She knew he needed to check on her, a small girl like her probably wouldn't fare well being alone, especially if there was someone or something else in her old apartment, but he knew it wasn't the smartest decision. He should have waited for all of them and Charlie debated giving him an earful for that later. She sighed as she reached the landing, waiting at the window for Neil before she entered as well.

Neil nearly fell when Charlie took the chance to get back at him, swaying even more. After he nearly lost his footing, he stopped watching, now seeing Cody climb in after Mia. At least he felt better, knowing Mia wasn't alone in there, and before long, Charlie was on the landing as well, Neil right behind her. He squeezed past her, bumping her 'accidentally' as he climbed into the window, not hearing anything that made him think they should be extra careful. He scooted in next to Mia, who was standing to the side, looking around the place.

Mia's apartment was literally destroyed. It was just a small studio apartment, her bed was a loft with a desk underneath, the top of which was covered in papers. The couch had its pillows torn off it, and the armchair was flipped over, the coffee table on its side. A bookshelf that she had all her books on was knocked over, books strewn across the floor, some with pages ripped from them. Other things were scattered across the floor, and the wardrobe was open, with her clothes in piles in front of it. The door to the bathroom was closed, which worried her a little, making her wonder if anything was inside. Ignoring that for a moment she looked towards the kitchen, which was just as bad. All the cabinet doors were open, as was the fridge door, and most of it was empty. Plates and bowls were smashed and scattered across the floor, and the bar stools were on the floor.

Mia sniffled and tried to hold back her emotions. This had been her life, her stuff, and here it was, all destroyed like it didn't matter. Sure she didn't care about the dumb plates and the furniture, but her books, her stuff she collected. Tears spilled from her eyes and she wiped them away as she made her way towards her wardrobe, knowing she might as well find some clothes. "Help yourself." Her voice cracked she spoke, despite her trying to pretend like she was okay. Instead she dropped to her knees in front of the pile of clothes, her small hands ripping through the pile, looking for what she needed. Beside her she started a small pile, adding a pair of jeans, two tank tops, a bra, some extra panties, and socks. She didn't want to take too much, since this was all extra stuff, but her heart begged her to take it all.

Neil felt bad as he looked around, knowing the Mia was likely not feeling too good, seeing her place like this. His feelings were confirmed as he noticed tears, but he said nothing, doubting he could help in a situation like this. While he didn't want to be insensitive, he did move into the kitchen, looking through the empty cabinets, wishing something was left. But the place seemed to be picked clean, even the fridge. He frowned and pulled open other drawers. He did grab a pair of scissors that he found, and some rubber bands. Sure, he didn't know if they would need them, but they were light enough that it wouldn't be a big deal to take them. He also found a pack of AA batteries, with about 5 left, and he set those out on the counter with the other stuff.

Charlie felt bump into her but she didn't say anything, just watched him pass. There was definitely some kind of tension or connection between, it hung in the air so thickly she could practically cut it with a knife, but that wasn't her concern right now, so she followed through the window.

A low whistle escaped Charlie's lips as they surveyed the apartment. Someone had either taken up a brief residence here or had scavenged heavily. When she looked at Mia and how close she seemed to breaking, Charlie truly felt for her. She could only imagine what it was like to find your home like this. Cody began to step towards her and Charlie shook her head. Mia needed a moment and then Charlie would talk to her, she knew Cody sometimes had trouble with words, especially the comforting kind.

So instead Cody glanced through the living room, putting the furniture that he could the right way up so it was easier to look through. Maybe it would help Mia feel a little better to. He put her books in a little stack and then looked for anything of use. There wasn't much left to say the least, everything was broken or, if not, gone, he assumed. He found a beaten up flashlight on the ground and smacked it against his hand after flicking the switch on. It burst to light and though it wasn't high powered it was better than nothing, so he turned it off and slid it into his bag.

Charlie watched Mia, who was sniffling as she sorted some of her clothes. Charlie walked up to her slowly and kneeled as she rubbed the girl's back briefly but soothingly. "Take your time in here, we're not rushing you. And I'm sorry," she murmured so only Mia could hear.

Then the light haired brunette stood up, not wanting to make Mia any more uncomfortable. She headed towards the bathroom, having noticed the door closed, and leaned her ear in close. She didn't hear any noise inside, which struck her as unusual, so she slowly turned the door knob, finding it unlocked. She pushed in quickly, bat in her other hand in case someone was actually in there.

When the door swung open she nearly screamed but covered her mouth so only a second of a high pitched noise escaped, her bat thudding to the floor. "How long have you not been here," she shouted after she choked back the bile in her throat. Curled around the toilet was a decaying human body, male from the short hair she assumed. In its, or his, hand was a bottle of Jack Daniels and an array of pills. It had obviously been a few weeks at the least, the open eyes were dulled and it absolutely reeked. She pulled her shirt over her mouth and grabbed the Jack Daniels and two pills, both still about half full. One was a high end painkiller, Lortab, she remembered taking these at a party when she was 17, and sleeping pills.

"Rest in peace, you damned soul," she muttered and leaned forward, closing the eyelids even though she thought she would vomit.

"You OK," Cody asked from the doorway, heart thumping in his chest. He had heard Charlie's bat fall and took it as a sign things weren't good. Charlie nodded but then shook her head. She tugged her backpack off her shoulders and threw in the bottles and the alcohol and a few bars of soap from atop the sink counter.

"Reminds me of when we found Mom," she muttered, brows furrowed, refusing to look at the body. Their mother had been diagnosed with extreme bipolar disorder and major depression. When she wasn't floating high in her manic states she was this deep deep blue, so morose it made Charlie and Cody scared to see her. There had been one instance when Charlie was young, only six, when she and their dad found her puking in the bathroom, a bottle of pills in her hand. Charlie was too young to understand then, she had peered in from the doorway and Cody pulled her back to his bedroom after his dad told them it was OK and to go to bed, but now she understood much too well.

Neil noticed Charlie trying to comfort Mia, and he smiled a bit, glad that at least one of them might be able to. he knew that he was no good at things like that, so he was thankful the task was not left to him. He checked every drawer in the kitchen and only pulled out a few knives, knowing he could use them for food, if he came across more. These he added to the pile on the counter, and looked around once more. He noticed a small closet near the front door, as he went to it, he pushed the front door closed, locking it as quietly as possible, just in case someone was moving around, they didn't need to get caught. He opened the closet up, there were a few coats hanging there, and a hoodie, he grabbed one and pulled it off the hangar. It was a pale pink, and he as pretty sure the hood had ears on it. He snickered, but put it over his arm as he continued to go through the closet.

He didn't bother with the coats, but noticed a backpack in the bottom. Crouching down he pulled it out, it was black and white zebra striped, and when he opened it, it was mostly full of notebooks and books. "Hot damn." There was a huge grin on his face as he pulled out a pink Nintendo DS. Checking the game in it only made him happier, it was Mariokart. He was so taking this, he thought. He dug through the backpack more, and grabbed one of the notebooks and a few pens. Satisfied that there was nothing left he moved to the counter and set the stuff down. He had been so busy he didn't notice Charlie and Cody near the bathroom, but something smelled terrible. Neil moved in beside Charlie and almost gagged at the smell, getting a glimpse, he thought he heard her say something about her mom, but he didn't press. "Close it, before Mia comes over." He whispered, grabbing the handle and pulling it shut, not waiting to see what they thought about it.

Mia sat there, she was done sorting through the clothes but didn't feel like moving. She didn't reply to Charlie when she had talked to her, and then Charlie wandered off, when the bathroom was opened there was a terrible smell and Mia felt sick, so she didn't move. Cody had gone over there, talked with Charlie, then Neil had come over and closed the door. She took a deep breath and pulled her pack off, shoving the few things in there as she did. The jeans took up more space than she would like, but she would need them, so she kept them in there. As she got up, pulling her pack up with her, she climbed the ladder to her bed and looked at it, it didn't look like anyone had slept there, admittedly the ceilings were low, and you were not far from it when you were in there, so most people wouldn't like it, but Mia had always felt safe.

Without really thinking, Mia climbed into the bed and nuzzled against the pink, fuzzy blanket that was up there. She hadn't been in this bed in a long time, and she missed it.

Charlie didn't reply to Neil as he closed the door, she was actually glad he had. Her eyes glazed over a bit as she was warped back into old memories. Cody nodded at Neil, glad he was shutting the door. He knew Mia was already feeling rough and she didn't need to see that, it would make things worse, if that was possible.

"Come on, try not to think about it," Cody comforted Charlie but she didn't respond. Just nodded vaguely to whatever he had said, she was too lost in thought, and grazed past Cody and Neil. Cody tried to pull her back but she yanked her arm away and walked into the living room, glancing around. She let Mia have her moment in her bed, Charlie barely even registered she was up there, and picked through Mia's books, not really reading the titles. Her mother's memories never affected Charlie well and this was no different.

Cody watched Charlie closely and sighed. He had taken their mom, in all her mood swings and finally leaving, better than Charlie had, and it always worried him for his sister. But she was a hard shell to crack through to, even for him. "I think we have anything we could get," he said to Neil. It was probably best for them to move on but both Mia and Charlie seemed too distracted. Charlie had sat on the armchair Cody had earlier put back in place, a knee tucked under chin. She hadn't even retrieved her bat from the bathroom doorway. Her jaw was set so tight Cody could see it and imagined how much it would hurt when she finally relaxed it, but he didn't say anything. It wasn't like she would hear him anyhow.

A part of Cody had feared Charlie would take after their mom. She was the more... sensitive of the two, if that was the right word. Not so much that she cried or was hurt easy, but when things hit her, they hit hard. He knew some of his worry over her inheriting their mom's bad habits had, for a time, soured his relationship with his sister. It took a lot of working on it for her to forgive him, she wasn't stupid and had noticed him always watching her when she expressed any kind of emotion, which was why she bottled it up. Eventually she let some of her anger go after a major blow out where she punched him so hard she nearly broke his nose, for making an accusing statement of her acting like their mother, who she had grown to resent. After that she moved into his apartment, complying with her dad's wishes. He was gone most of the time and Cody was old enough to take care of her when she was still a minor.

Mia curled up in her bed, it didn't smell the same though, the whole place smelled bad, no longer like her home that she loved. Taking a deep breath she snaked her hand under her pillow and sighed in relief when her fingers brushed against the small plush animal. She pulled it out and looked at it, surprised after all this time to have it, yet there it was, a small white cat plush that was ragged and had mismatched eyes, but it was the only thing she had from her childhood, and the only constant in her life, ever. She stroked her finger over one of the buttons it called eyes and a smile formed on her face. It was this that reminded her that this was just a place, and most of these were just things that didn't matter. Holding tight to stuffed animal, she climbed down from the bunk, making a small thud as she hit the ground. "Sorry." She mumbled as she looked at the others, feeling dumb for being so emotional. She had missed all the commotion with Charlie, and frowned when she saw her sitting there, she looked so distant.

Mia pulled the blanket from the bunk and walked over to Charlie, covering her shoulders, and setting the small stuffed cat on her leg. "I'm sorry." For everything. Charlie had tried to help her feel better and she wanted to do the same. She offered a smile and then moved to where Neil and Cody were. "Should we check out the rest of the apartments in the hall?" She asked, her attitude a complete turn around from what it had just been.

Neil shrugged as he looked at Mia, she was in a better mood, certainly. He doubted that Charlie would be happy with what Mia had done, but at least Mia tried. Neil would have liked to try and do something but he was sure nothing he did would help. "Yeah, let's go." Before he went out the front door, Mia waiting beside it, he grabbed his crowbar from the counter and followed her as she opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. Neil was close behind her, and wondered if Cody was going to follow, or if he needed to take care of his sister. He would understand either way.

Mia went right across the hall, that door was open as well. There were some papers in the hall, but no sounds or movement. This apartment was in the same state, everything gone through and stuff a mess, but Neil hoped there was something. It was another studio, he was thankful for that, because the only place someone could really hide was in the bathroom, which is where he went first. This time the door was open and it was empty, making him sigh in relief. "Get whatever is useful." Neil stated, pretty much to whoever was there. He started in the bathroom, going through the cabinets. No one had really taken the stuff from there, and he was thankful when he found the razors and deodorant. A man had clearly lived here.

Mia's gentle setting of the comforter over Charlie's shoulders surprised her, but she pulled the blanket around herself and smiled at the stuffed animal. "It's OK," she whispered, but her throat was dry and her words were crackly so she wasn't sure if Mia had heard but she appreciated it anyways. The smile faded as the others walked away.

"We'll be there in a sec," Cody said to Neil and Mia, adding in a murmured "I think", watching them enter the other apartment. Neither of them yelled and there wasn't any sound of commotion so he figured they had it handled, and he walked over to his sister. He squatted down so he was below eye level at her but she was staring straight ahead. Cody grabbed on to her knees and his thumbs rubbed in smooth circles.

"Look at me, kiddo," he whispered to her and he could literally see her eyes refocus as she noticed him. "That wasn't Mom," it seemed like a dumb statement but it was what Charlie needed to hear and she slowly nodded. "Don't get sucked back there. You're here and you're OK," he soothed and she sighed, her knuckles white as she gripped on to the comforter.

"Yea," she breathed out and Cody wasn't sure if his words were helping at all but at least she had spoken. He stood up and grabbed her face gently, tilting it down and leaning so he kissed her forehead affectionately. Charlie finally let go of her death grip on the blanket and patted his hand. "You think she's leave alive, wherever she went," Charlie pondered as she stood, leaving the blanket but bringing Mia's stuffed cat. She put it into her bag to give back to her later.

"I try not to think about it, Charles. It's easier just not knowing. Even if all this hadn't happened, she'd still be gone, so it doesn't matter much," he answered honestly. Charlie nodded even though she didn't necessarily agree, she wished she knew what happened to her parents, but she didn't and she did realize she couldn't do a damn thing to change that.

"Let's go, they probably think I'm being a baby," Charlie grumbled and this time let Cody give her a quick hug as he had tried to do when she walked away earlier. She pulled away first and gave him a pretend smile before turning on her heel and heading over to the apartment.

Cody followed after his sister and they entered the studio apartment across the hall, gazing around the living room. Charlie headed for the kitchen, not finding much food save for a pack of hot chocolate mix and a bag of dried pineapple chunks. She did, however, find a few candles, definitely helpful, and when she stood on her tip toes to peer on top of the refrigerator, she found an opened pack of cigarettes. "Bingo."

Neil took what he could from the bathroom, putting it in his pack, and moved into the main room, smiling now that Charlie and Cody had come over. He smiled and teasingly grabbed the pack of cigarettes from Charlie, "Hey, thanks for finding these for me." He grinned and put them in his pocket, hoping it didn't upset her. He was dumb, he didn't know how to do all that emotional stuff, instead he just pushed past it with jokes and alcohol, which is what he was really looking for. He opened the fridge, an awful smell coming from it, making him gag. Whoever had taken food didn't take everything, he supposed. Pulling his shirt up over his nose he looked around, and grinned. In the back, behind the remains of some takeout, was a half full bottle of Absolute, which made him beyond happy, even if it was old.

He pulled the bottle out carefully, avoiding everything else, then shut the fridge once more, the smell getting a bit better. He set the bottle down on the counter as he pulled his pack around, then slid it into it. "This will make everything better." But there wasn't much of a smile when he said that.

Mia was moving around the living room, tryign to find anything useful. There wasn't much, a whole lot of empty beer cans on the ground, and other garbage. She frowned, but she did find a wadded up dollar bill, which made her giggle a bit. "Haven't seen one of these in awhile." She said, looking over at Cody, holding it up.

"Asshole," Charlie joked back at Neil as he plucked the pack of cigarettes from her. She didn't really mind, she could easily just bum off of him if she didn't find anymore. "I'd kill for some fresh takeout," she murmured as she looked past Neil's shoulder into the fridge. The Chinese boxes literally had mold on them, but it didn't sour her memory of the delicious spicy food. She used to sit in the apartment she shared with Cody, refusing to wear pants as she claimed the living room to eat take out and play video games.

"Don't I know it," she murmured, half seriously, after all it was the truth, as Neil found the vodka. She pulled away from near the fridge and continued going through the cabinets, taking a half used box of matches she found. She spotted a few empty bullet casings on the counter and wondered who had used the gun they came from and why. And why were they no longer there.

Cody smiled at Mia's small find. "When this started, I had this thing of trying to leave money from wherever Charlie and I took stuff from, she teased me for it constantly," he laughed at the memory. He had soon figured out no one would be coming back to claim the money and that made his frown fade a bit, but he pushed that thought away. "Guess you can put it in your piggy bank," he joked before glancing back at the coffee table he was in front. Underneath a mess of used napkins and papers, he saw the corner of a piece of paper. He could barely see red lines on it and he fished it out, making the mess on the table scatter about. It was worth it, however, when he saw a map of California. Someone else must have been planning to travel somewhere or other too, and Cody grinned, waving it in the air in triumph.

Neil couldn't find anything else useful left in the kitchen, and moved around the rest of the place. Once again he check the closet by the front door, grabbing a grey hoodie that seemed his size. "Hey Cody, there might be some clothes in your size. If you need any." He shrugged, as he kept looking through, trying to find anything else useful. There was a fabric sheath that had one of those cheap katanas you get from stores in the mall, but he pulled it out anyways, taking the sword out and swinging it around a bit. Even sharpened he was sure the handle would break if they tried to do anything with it, but it amused him all the same. "Ready to go to the next place?"

Mia shrugged and stuffed the dollar into her shorts. She wasn't sure why she wanted to keep it, but she did, and she looked around but couldn't find much else. She kicked an empty can around, watching Neil as he played with a sword. "I'm ready." She said with a shrug, knowing there was nothing useful here. She watched as Neil left the place, not really waiting on anyone else. He had tucked the sword back into the sheath and slipped it into the side of his pack, and was handling the crow bar. This time she hung back, waiting on Cody and Charlie.

Neil stepped back into the hall and headed to the left, going to the first door that he found. He moved the handle a bit and it was locked, and as he stood there he noticed a horrid scent. Despite that he was curious, and leaned against the door, listening for movement. He swore he heard a rustling sound, and paused, trying harder to hear. There was a crashing sound and suddenly a bang on the door. Groans soon followed, and he took a step back. He didn't think they could bust down the door, but he wasn't sure. What he was curious is if survivors had been in there, and then got infected. They might even have supplies, but there was no way of knowing how many were there. It seemed like one, but he could be wrong. He wondered what the others would think about it.

Charlie followed Neil out of the kitchen, who walked off to play with a sword. Cody was waving a map in the air and Charlie shot him a thumbs up, to which he grinned and stuffed it in his front pack pocket. They had discussed finding maps to map where they had been and where they would go, but this was the first valid one they had actually found.

"Guess so," Charlie shrugged but Neil was already walking off. Charlie's hands felt empty and she noticed she had forgotten her bat. She held up a finger to Cody and jogged out of the room and back to Mia's. That bat was her new favorite and she would not leave it because she had a stupid almost meltdown. She grabbed it and returned to the hallway, Cody giving her a scowl for going off on her own, even if they knew Mia's apartment was safe.

Cody smiled at Mia, who had waited on them this time, and they made their way to Neil, who was listening closely to the door. Charlie stepped forward, she could hear the groans from across the hall, and her eyes widened. With her fingers tightening around the handle of the bat she bit down on her bottom lip, making eye contact with Neil, who hadn't yet busted open the door.

"Could be some good stuff in there," Cody murmured from slightly behind Charlie. Charlie nodded, if there was only one zombie in there and they skipped over an apartment filled with good stuff because they thought it was too dangerous, she would kick them all in the ass, herself included, for days to come.

"Doesn't sound like many," she said, half questioning uncertainly. A hand ran over the top of her hair and she smiled when her fingers bumped over a few bobby pins in her hair. She pulled out too, only a few strands of hair coming loose, and she knelt in front of the door. She wiggled the two pins into the lock, brows slightly furrowed in concentration.

"Where did you learn that," Cody answered in a slightly interrogating voice, as an older brother he didn't necessarily approve of his baby sister knowing how to pick locks. Charlie smiled smugly and shrugged her shoulders before focusing again. She heard the click and pulled the pins out, staying on her knees on the ground as she listened. It seemed whatever was in there hadn't heard as it continued to groan incoherently. She could hear dragging feet like it was shuffling around.

She stood up, wiping her hands on her black skin tight leggings and returned the bobby pins to her hair. "So," she said, leaving it at that. If they wanted to go in now they were fully able to. She needed to know what the others wanted even though she was full aware that she wanted go in.

Neil was pretty sure there was only one, and the others came over and more or less agreed that they should go in. He wanted to kick down the door, but before he could even suggest it, Charlie was picking the lock. He grinned as he watched her, not really too surprised she knew how to do it. He did too, but he hadn't in awhile. He noticed Cody's questions but just grinned, clearly Cody didn't know everything about his sister. He waited impatiently, turning the crowbar in his hands. he hadn't killed a zombie in awhile, and if there was only one, he wanted it.

"I'm going in." Neil turned the handle, gripped his crowbar tight, and took a deep breath. Once he pushed the door open, there was a crashing sound, and he saw a chair being knocking over, the zombie crawling over it. But he also saw another in the kitchen area, scrambling around the cabinets. He trusted that Charlie and Cody were right behind him to deal with that one, so he took a few large steps, readied his weapon, and swung at the one as it cleared the chair, the metal making instant contact with the head. The cracking sound of bone was louder than he thought it was, and blood and what might have been teeth flew across the room. It was messed up, but he felt satisfied.

Mia had been waiting just behind the others, not wanting to get in the way. She also nervously was looking down the hall, hoping nothing else came near. She watched in awe as Charlie had picked the lock, and wondered where she had learned that, Cody felt the same. Neil opened the door, completely fearless to what was inside, but she stayed behind, not wanting to be in the way. Or get hurt.

Charlie smiled as Neil strode in, he seemed fearless and ready for the kill and somehow she admired that, and she shrugged at Cody and followed. Her eyes quickly took in the zombie in the living room, and in a second Neil was swinging his crowbar with all his might. She knew he could handle it and she quickly glanced at the one in the kitchen.

Cody let out a low whistle at the zombie slamming against the cabinets. Its hair was mangy and had mostly fallen out, he assumed it was once a woman by the length, or what was left of it, and its skin was pallor, almost gray in tone. Its eyes were sunken in and a vivid blue that shook his bones. A few fingers were missing on each hand and it had a limp either from its human life or from an injury of some sort. A long ragged shirt, stained with blood and possibly vomit, hung on its bony shoulders and it almost growled as it locked eyes with him.

Charlie took a few steps towards it but in a lash out, Charlie wasn't sure of what, Cody had thrown his tomahawk like ax. It landed with a wet THWACK in the side of the zombie's neck and dark red blood swelled out, the walking dead letting out a gurgling noise. Charlie glanced over at Cody, eyes wide in shock and a hint of being impressed, and Cody mimicked Charlie's signature shrug.

"Nice shot," she mumbled. The zombies hands still reached out for her, not even taking notice of the blade in its neck. It almost looked like it wanted a hug, it was both comical and sad. Charlie hefted her bat over her shoulder, grip tighter than a boa constrictor wrapping around its prey, and her red lips puckered out in concentration. The zombie took one more step and so did Charlie, like a weird tango, and Charlie swung. The thud resonated in the echoing kitchen and the corpse fell to the floor, landing on the blade so it went further into its neck, almost completely severing the head. For good measure Charlie hit again in the back of its indented head and this time the blade went through. Charlie bent down, ripping the blade from its neck, the body didn't so much as twitch, and stood back up.

"Team work, huh," she said to Cody as she walked back to him, the ax twirling in her fingers so she held onto the blade so Cody grab the handle. He half chuckled and nodded his thanks at retrieving the ax.

"Should we get to searching," Cody asked and glanced at Neil, whose zombie victim looked very dead. He thought he had seen a tooth fl out and that was impressive. He moved his look to Mia, looking over her to make sure she was alright.

The one Neil had hit dropped. Hard. He stepped back to avoid an outreach hand that came flopping towards him, but as he looked down at his handy work, he knew the thing wasn't going to move. Now he was able to look at what was left. It was a man, from what he could tell, short grey hair, but the rest... it was just a mes. Grey skin that was sliding from the bone, hollow and just a shell. Clearly they had been like this for awhile. He wondered what happened. Maybe they were a couple trying to survive, one of them got bit, but didn't know, or they thought they could save them, and locked themselves in here, and then they both ended up turned.

Shrugging, he looked around the place, not wanting to think about it. The bathroom door was wide open, and everything was knocked over, likely from these two bumping around all this time. But this place didn't look raided. This brought him hope that there would be something of use, perhaps these two had time to grab some items they needed to survive. Already he noticed a few bottles of water, and a can of something on the counter int he kitchen. He was looking at everything else, sorting through what items were scattered around the couch, and he saw about the most beautiful thing in the world. "Charlie!" he called as he dug out three cartons of cigarettes, two just about full, and another about half full. The cartons had a bit of blood, and whatever else on them, but he didn't care. He stacked them beside him and pushed the coffee table out of the way, hoping for more. Though what could be better than all those, beautiful, yet stale, cigarettes. All that was left was a few empty bottles of vodka, an empty pack, and a lighter with no fuel.

Mia had watched as they all worked and felt pretty useless, just standing there as she did. Taking a deep breath she entered once the zombies were dead, not wanting to be in the way. Neil seemed to have the living area handled, and Charlie and Cody were in the kitchen, so she made her way to the bathroom, which hung wide open. There wasn't much in there, a few half empty bottles of shampoo, but she did find a pill bottle, and reading it said Vicodin, which she knew was good for pain, so she slipped those into her backpack. She also took a bottle of perfume that was there and a bar of unopened soap.

She left, wondering what the others had found.

Cody followed Charlie fully into the kitchen, both searching and carefully sidestepping around the grotesquely body splayed out on the floor. Cody opened the fridge and nearly vomited, the stench of rotting fruit and dairy products was absolutely disgusting, and though he wanted to gag violently, he simply closed the fridge and moved to the cabinets, where Charlie was already rifling through the top ones.

Charlie's fingers skimmed over the few objects she found in the top cabinets. She had found an extremely useful find: a bottle of supplement vitamin pills. It was perfect for if or when they didn't have enough food to sustain them and to also keep their health in better check. It was mostly full, it seemed only a few had been taken out, which was very convenient. She had also stumbled upon a half used roll of duct tape and a few glow sticks. It seemed the couple had been adequately enough prepared, though something tragic obviously happened considering they were both turned by the time Charlie and their group had arrived.

Cody went through the drawers and bottom cabinets, finding little. What he did find, however, showed he had at least some luck on his side, as by the time his search was over he had a roll of a toilet paper, a Swiss army knife, and a nude colored joint wrap for sprained or hurt knees, ankles, and the likes. His last discovery was a Hershey's chocolate bar, only slightly melted, and he hid it in his pack to surprise the others with later.

"Coming," Charlie shouted back to Neil, the new supplies in her hands. She nearly dropped them when she saw Neil had hit the jackpot: cigarettes. Three packs of 'em and two unopened. She slyly slipped one of the packs from Neil's stack and slid it into her back pocket, winking at him. It was redress for him taking the pack she had found earlier, she was sure he'd understand. "Good job, Survivorman," she joked and slipped her finds into her backpack.

"Should we keep going through the complex or head back?" Cody asked when he joined the others. He rolled his eyes at the elation Charlie and Neil apparently had over the cigarettes. "If you two are working on the car we need to get back before it's too dark," with that he glanced at the partially boarded up window in the living room. The sun was still out and it seemed only slightly dimmer than earlier, but he knew that could change quickly. It was already extremely risky being in the city, it would only get worse at night.

Neil couldn't find anything else very useful, and he was ready to move on. As he was getting up he noticed another bottle of vodka, this one being about half full, just by where the body was. He grinned and snagged it, careful to avoid the zombie, not wanting to smell like it. He turned his pack around and squeezed that in there too, knowing they were going to need it. This wasn't the most entertaining life, so they had to make it interesting somehow. He looked over at Cody and shrugged, "Yeah, we can come back tomorrow if we need to, or something. I bet there is more. But I don't want everyone to wake up in here, if there is anyone left."

He sighed and looked over at Mia, who was just waiting on them. "I'm ready." Neil said, and she nodded, then they both looked at Cody and Charlie. He was sure they would follow, so he gripped his crowbar, his pack, and headed out of the apartment and back down to Mia's. He hoped nothing had appeared outside and they would make it home without problems. Honestly he wanted a nap, and to just chill for awhile, he had been going far too much. Mia had followed him, and watched as he filled his pack with the rest of the stuff he had put on her counter. She sighed and followed him as he climbed out the window and onto the fire escape. She was glad the place wasn't too far away.

She followed behind him, and waited as he stopped to look around. She didn't notice any movement in front of them, she didn't look much else, otherwise she was sure she'd want to just stay here. She barely noticed Neil starting down, and she he was on the landing below before she could even start.

Charlie and Cody followed, carefully surveying around them as they traveled back to Mia's. Just because they didn't have any major incidents in the first time didn't mean something hadn't happened upon them while they'd been searching. However they seemed lucky enough as they made it to Mia's window. Charlie watched Neil already make his way out, climbing down with ease.

"What are you thinking about," Cody asked as Charlie's eyes glazed over a bit. She glanced at him and a raised an eyebrow, letting out a brief sigh of air through her nose. In truth she was having another daydream where this was all a bad nightmare. A pointless, terrible dream. But it was pointless reality and she knew that.

"Tired," she mumbled and hefted herself out the window and started down the stairs, bat tucked securely in a loop on her bag so it wouldn't fall. Cody stole a peek at Mia and smiled half heartedly, stomach churning as he leaned over the railing of the landing and looked down. They were quite a ways up and it made him severely uncomfortable. Going down seemed even more dangerous, especially because he'd constantly have to look down behind him.

But he bit hard on the inside of his cheek and joined the others in going back down, breathing slowly and climbing at a pace slightly less of the others as he kept himself calm. His ax handle was once against between his teeth, his jaw hurting with the pressure of the bite he had on it so it wouldn't tumble down and either break on the ground or injure one of the others.

Neil moved rather quickly, wanting to get back and maybe even get a nap in before they were going to work on the car. But he was out of breath by the time he went down a few ladders and stopped for a minute. Charlie was right behind him, followed by Cody, and he noticed Mia was there at the end. He was glad she was at least able to keep up, otherwise he would have just left her. His pack felt heavier now, and he shifted it before heading down the next ladder until he made it to the bottom. Honestly, despite being so tired, he wanted to just run home and pass out, but he didn't. He knew they needed to be careful.

He sighed and jumped off the very last ladder, leaning against the wall of the apartment and taking a deep breath. He knew the others were right behind him, and they would want to get moving, but he couldn't help it. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, now feeling extremely tired. "Go on... without... me..." He gasped, joking with Charlie as she trailed behind him. He held out his hand, trying to hide his grin.

Charlie suppressed a dimpled smile at Neil's joke, glancing up to make sure Cody was ok as he followed. She jumped off the last ladder, feet hitting the ground with a soft thump. She playfully smacked Neil's hand away, her finger tips lingering for just a moment, and rolled her baby blues, rubbing her palms on her leggings.

"If you say so," she shrugged and grinned. She peered up one last time at Cody, who was almost at the end of the set of ladders, and strutted past Neil, throwing a smirk at him over her shoulder. She withdrew her bat from the loop in her stained bookbag and gave it a light toss in her hands to orient it.

Cody followed the others, stomach long past the point of churning. As he reached the bottom, just catching the end of Neil's joke to Charlie and her response.

He let himself fall from the last ring, it was a short distance but his heart still dropped, and when he landed, righting himself as straightened up, he knew it was best to bend your legs when you fall, he glanced up to see Mia following and held out his hand to help her with the fall down.

( Precarious Fool: sorry it took so long)

Neil watched Charlie and held back a laugh, shrugging as gripping his crowbar. He hoped they didn't need their weapons, he just wanted to get back without incident, he got to fight for a bit, with no real danger, and what was better than that? Shaking his head he watched as Cody dropped to the ground, the guy didn't look so good, but he said nothing, it didn't matter. He seemed like he could hold his own, so it wasn't exactly his problem. He watched as Mia used Cody's help for the drop. At least they seemed to be getting along okay. Mia wasn't so bad, but slightly annoying to him, and he hated that she needed babysitting because she was no good with a weapon.

Shaking his head he looked at the street ahead of them, it was empty. Well, mostly... a car scattered here and there. The houses were boarded up or broken down, and it hadn't been a very nice place to begin with, now it was so much worse. He doubted there would be anything left, but he did want to come back to these apartments, they didn't even hit one floor, he was hopeful there would be so much more. "Shall we?" He asked, but instead of moving he just pulled a pack of cigs that he had put in his pocket, and lit one, then held out the pack and lighter to Charlie. He wasn't too worried about anything, so he figured they could, it was easy to drop if anything showed up, anyways.

Mia smiled at Cody, "Thanks." She felt weighted down by her pack, while there wasn't much in it, she had shoes from her closet, clothes, and that hoodie that Neil had set out. A few odds and ends, but it still felt so heavy, and she almost fell on the ladder a few times. Shaking her head, she looked over at Neil, who was urging them to move on, yet wasn't even moving himself. Sighing she started anyways, she was sure they'd be right behind her, and it was better to get home as soon as possible.