Matter of Survival[Private]

[annabel]

Tianna was still shaking madly when Gavin spoke, white as a sheet. She shook her head, as if to dismiss his question. "I'm ok... Not hurt." Her hands were scraped and bloody and her knee throbbed from where it slammed against the jerry can, toppling it - and her - over. But no gunshot wounds.


"W-we should probably patch you up quickly. Do you have any medical supplies h-here?"

 

[Tice]

He'd slow the car, saying "I might have some bandaging cloth in the back. Can you do stitches?"


The hip wasn't festering yet, though he slid the car to a stop.


"And get the scotch to wash out the wound."


An infection would be drastic at this time. His eyes were squinted in the pain now that his fervour of adrenaline was gone. A pale look was set to his cheeks, and he leaned his head back against the seat.

 

[annabel]

"Alright, I'll take care of this," Tianna told him with a forced smile. Her expression was worried, but there was determination in her eyes as well.


She rummaged about in the backseat, her heart beating frantically. But they were in luck. Tianna found the bandages in seconds and returned to the front with the scotch in the other hand. In the small backpack that she had brought when Gavin first found her, she had a mini sewing box with some thread. "I think... this should do."


She pulled the lever to lower his seat so that Gavin was almost lying down. "This.. will probably hurt. I... have to lower your pants... Okay? I'll go slow," Tianna said, looking uncomfortable, her cheeks coloring at what she had to do next.

 

[Tice]

Gavin was far beyond the point of shame, and then muttered-


"Whatever you have to do. If I go into shock from the blood loss, a little embarrassment is the least of my worries."


He gripped the edges of the seat, pulling the shirt collar into his teeth to bite down upon. He prayed that the stitches held through the night. His knuckles were bonewhite in their clasp on the chair-arms.

 

[annabel]

She chuckled nervously. "That's true.."


She undid his pants and slowly lowered them, taking her time so that it didn't brush too much against his bloody wound. "Alright.. next, the scotch..." Somehow, her hands no longer trembled, the urgency of the moment somehow triggering a concentrated calmness. Tianna unscrewed the cap off the scotch bottle and took a deep breath before pouring a generous amount onto his wound.


She then prepared the thread and needle, cleansing both tools with more of the scotch. Another deep breath. But before starting, she offered him the scotch bottle. "You might want a swig before I start stitching."

 

[Tice]

He'd take it gingerly, the burning sensation of alcohol already chewing up his hip. A mouthful didn't numb the pain, but rather washed away his worry. The hard liquor didn't go down easy, and he clenched his eyes as he swallowed the gulp. Pushing it to the side, he'd cap it, then. he'd nod to her and the prepared thread. The burn of alcohol covered the sharp pain of the bullet, yet made it painful so.

 

[annabel]

Tianna bit her lower lip as she prepared to do the first stitch. She clamped her left hand on his hip to keep his leg in place and grimaced as the needle bit into his flesh. "Ha... Okay, just a few more."


Her teeth were grinding together nervously, but her concentration was rock solid. The needle pass through the wound a second time, then a third, a fourth, fifth...


She breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as exhausted as if she had just run a marathon. And if Tianna were to believe her heart hammering in her chest, she had just been running. She made sure to knot the thread more than once, nodding satisfactorily as she reviewed her work. It wouldn't exactly win a prize, but Tianna was proud of what she had done. The bleeding stopped and it definitely looked like the stitches would hold. She poured a bit more scotch over the wound once more and finally bandaged his injured hip.


"Gavin? Would you like me to drive? I think I should let you rest." Her eyebrows were still furrowed in worry for him, but she felt a lot more relaxed since the gas station incident. "And, I feel like we should put more miles between those crazy fuckers. Just in case.."

 

[annabel]

(Ooc: was my post ok? I know it was a little long heh)

 

[Tice]

(Just busy. Forgot I was up in line to reply.)


He'd first dismiss her suggestion, but after sitting up straight and the pain lanced through his hip and back, he amended.


"It's a stick shift. Go ahead."


With a movement similar to a crawl, he'd ease himself into the backseat, saying-


"Tianna, understand that I'd be dead today if I didn't pick you up back in town. So...thank you."


It's been awhile since he expressed gratitude, and the burden of days seemed to lift off his shoulders. He placed a blanket under himself, so that the back windshield glass wouldn't cut into his back. The color to his face was still pale, but his eyes lost the cold gleam. He tied his belt around the bandage, securing it incase of any bumps in the road.

 

[annabel]

(Oh ok!^^)


Tianna felt a lot better now that Gavin was patched up. She was still feeling shaken, but so long as he was safe, she felt able to calm down. Besides, there was nothing like someone needing you to temporarily wipe away the panic. Having to take care of him meant that there was no room for fear - only action and focus. Tianna smiled gratefully at him, saying, "I could say the same about me. I'm really glad you found me. Thank you as well."


As Gavin slithered to the backseat, she moved in front of the wheel. "Alright, so... I'm going to try finding some place for us to rest. I'd like to take a look at your back once we've put some more miles between us and those guys." Tianna didn't feel great about him lying on a bed of glass, but she was still convinced that the sooner - and the farther - they drove away from the gas station, the better.


She left the highway, deciding to meander through empty, residential streets, convinced that the gang would never search for them through there.

 

[Tice]

"Sounds like a plan." He replied as the car navigated itself like a beast through the streets. By now, a good deal of residences were decrepit, rundown and forlorn. She had taken to driving the car well. Sitting up so to peer out the window, he'd see the undetailed blur of buildings roll by.


"This is all too bad. I planned on showing you how to handle a gun today. Feels like I'm eating a brick in my stomach right now, though. How's your end of the spectrum holding up? Anything we need to talk about?"

 

[annabel]

As they rode through the residential area, a knot was forming once again in Tianna's gut. None of these houses were guaranteed to be safe. She knew well enough what dangers could lie within as she had started off the apocalypse in similar suburbs. The last thing Tianna wanted was for Gavin to feel the need to help her. No, she'd have to scout and clear a place to rest all on her own. And, of course, with him in such a vulnerable state, she felt the added pressure to actually survive her zombie encounters.


"I'm just so relieved you're okay," she said with a weak smile. "Um, I think I'm holding up alright? This morning was.. really traumatizing for me. It was scarier fighting those humans than it ever was fighting zombies. Does that...even make sense?" She chuckled nervously. Tianna would be happy if that was the last dangerous encounter with humans they'd ever have. But chances were, in this new world where everyone was in survival mode, it would happen again and again.

 

[Tice]

"Yeah, I could understand it. Don't dwell on the idea of killing another human being. They're sick minded. The infected can't help it; they're brain dead. But as for those that kill for sport or want..."


He wasn't sure if he could handle the strain of clearing these homes. The bullet had cut some tendons in his hip, making it near impossible to move. He felt useless in this position, dwelling on what he could do rather than couldn't. Before the outbreak, he was a diehard optimist. Now, realism set into his mind. There's a good chance winter could kill him if his hip doesn't heal right.


"I can see how terrifying it is to compete with other living beings. There's no excuse for their actions and makes you question your own sanity."


After a moment, he'd state rather than ask-


"That was your first kill."

 

[annabel]

"You're right... God, I can't understand how some people can kill so easily? I'm sure I'm going to go to fall asleep with that guy's cracked skull etched into my mind, haunting me." She shook her head, as if to chase the image away, but didn't succeed. "I just... feel like such a monster. The way I smashed him up like that. I was so fucking scared. I didn't want to take any chances, you know? I'd only hammered that guy in the balls and because I didn't do him in... he could have killed you!"


She sighed, slowing the car down at a circular street, deciding that was as good a place as any to start clearing off a home. There was a huge corner store a short distance away and she had spotted a medical clinic at walking distance as well. Tianna hoped to scout in there and find better medical equipment. You could never be too prepared for shit.

 

[Tice]

He'd sit up in his seat, saying-


"You need help clearing one of these little hoodlum homes?"


He too saw the clinic and pondered whether they'd still have painkillers. Course, junkies probably raided the place, but who knows. He'd look around, then say-


"He probably would've killed me."


And with that, he regretted his stop at the station. With the handgun empty and his knife gone, he felt primitively naked in the world.

 

[annabel]

Tianna shook her head. "No, Gavin, I'd like you stay right here," she said gently, with a kind smile. A part of her worried that if she was gone too long, something might happen and she wouldn't be around to protect him. But there was no helping it. Tianna needed to clear a safe place for them - it just had to be done.


"Um, I'll try to do this as quickly as I can. I don't feel quite comfortable leaving you alone here but I'm not sure we have a choice.." she added, biting her lip nervously.

 

[Tice]

With a wave of the hand as though to dismiss it, he'd say-


"Alright, go. Do be quick, because I don't feel comfortable with you out there, either."


He'd lean his head against the back of the seat, deciding to abide his worries with sleep.

 

[annabel]

Tianna nodded her head in grim determination before answering, "Okay, I'll be back soon." She tried to smile reassuringly at Gavin, but was far from sure she succeeded. The girl then left the car with her hammer and a flashlight in hand and, walking straight ahead, approached the house immediately in front of them. Her heart was pounding so that it was the only thing she could hear in the eerie, dead silence of the empty street. Taking a deep breath, she slowly opened the front door, listening intently for any sound of zombies.


She could hear the sound of footsteps as well as a low, familiar moan that could only be a zombie. Her flashlight aimed ahead, she entered warily, wishing her heartbeat would stop pounding so loudly in her ears. Glancing left then right, Tianna spotted the zombie walking clumsily down the stairs, swaying as if drunk, his rotting legs threatening to give out beneath him. She smiled. This one didn't seem like much of a threat. Once he spotted her, he began walking forward with more purpose, his arms held out in front of him as though to keep his balance. She approached him calmly, her heart already easing as her confidence rose. With one, forceful bang, she felled the zombie, watching as it dropped like a sack of potatoes at her feet.


Tianna then explored the rest of the house, but found nothing more than a half zombie, severed from its legs, crawling on the kitchen floor. It stank like shit and rot and it took all her willpower not to barf as she approached it. It left a bloody, brown trail on the tile floor as it moved and not wasting a second, Tianna hammered it on the head with one swift blow. Before returning to the car, she heaved both bodies down the basement stairs. There was no way she'd tolerate their putrid stink for longer than necessary.


Returning to the car, she smiled at Gavin. "All done!" She wiped sweat from her brow before adding, "Do you think you could walk up to the house if I supported you?"

 

[Tice]

Gavin cracked his jaw with his palm as he grimaced, saying-


"Yeah, I'd make the journey. I'm a bit of a heavier build than you, though. You think you can drag my ass up there?"


He smirked a bit, before easing himself out from the leathered seats. Bastards ruined a good car with their gunplay. Stepping out of the vehicle, he'd lean gingerly to his side, taking the weight off his other leg.


"If we have to do any running, it'll be the death of me."


(Yeah, I've been spotty. Not intentional, just forgetful. I browsed interest checks when I came back and got wrapped up in a few. I didn't lose inspiration for this roleplay, just...fell between the floorboards.)

 

[annabel]

(ooc: Oh ok, no worries. I enjoy this roleplay because it's pretty much the only one I've got where the action moves pretty fast, without compromising quality.)


The honest answer was, 'no, she did not think she could manage to haul his ass up there.' Tianna wasn't at all sure she had the strength, but... what choice did either of them have? She smiled, trying to hide her doubts, answering, 'Absolutely! I'm tougher than I look.'


She placed her shoulder underneath his armpit, placing her arm around him. 'Okay. So you can lean against me. We'll go as slow as we need to...' (In other words, as fast as Tianna was able, which was probably at slug speed.)


She didn't reply to Gavin's comment about running, afraid that they'd jinx it and have to break into a sprint. You mean, it would be both of our deaths...she thought to herself, knowing that she wouldn't be able to just abandon Gavin to be eaten alive, even if it meant getting eaten herself.


So the two hopped over to the house, Tianna's face soon turning red with the effort. She had to chase away her thoughts, as they kept insisting that she wouldn't have the strength to make it to the door. Luckily, they were nearly halfway...


'Almost there...' she said, nearly out of breath, commanding her muscles not to buckle, refusing to let the injured Gavin drop painfully onto the hard ground.

 

[Tice]

The movement was a festering pain on his leg akin to a swarm of red ants multiplying around the bandaged wound. Although he swung his good leg in a sense similar to a crutch, the movement of one side of his hip was as terrible as moving the other.


He observed the decrepit home, a pure example of the destruction riddled. Though structurally sound, it was open in the windows and by no means waterproof. California was a temperate area, to be sure, but due to its proximity to the ocean can be stricken with storms.


The air was humid already, coating his throat with each dampened breath. Rain was coming soon and shelter was needed. The primal instinct was reinforced by lack of modern heating, making flash hypothermia deadly even in June. However, the exertion would kill Tianna if he didn't change the scenario. Pulling his weight off her frame, he'd push himself forward with pumping his arms and free leg, dragging the hip after stepping forward.


And yet, silence. The home was cleared to the full extent and subtle enough not to drag another hoard inward. Any oncoming storm will muffle the next few hours' sound and give a bit of time for a campfire inside. Perhaps even a cooked meal.

 

[annabel]

Tianna's brow furrowed in worry as Gavin shifted his weight off of her. She didn't like him trying to walk on his own and yet, selfishly, she had to admit it gave her sore, weak muscles a much needed break.


"There's a couch on the right, just as you enter. You can lay there if you like. I can see about food."


She looked up, realizing that the sky was darkening, thick clouds veiling the sun. They seemed on the verge of bursting. She was glad they had found shelter before the imminent downpour.


"Let me help you," Tianna said, inching closer to him. Tired or not, she couldn't in good conscience let Gavin handle this alone.