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Futuristic Escape from Deadwood

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graytful

criminal mischeif
Escape from Deadwood
When the zombie apocalypse swept the world, the town of Deadwood fell within a matter of days. It has been one week since the first case and only a handful of uninfected remain. A rag-tag group of survivors must come together to fight their way out of the plague-filled town and forge a new path for the future. In a world of sudden carnage, can these unfortunate souls persist together, or will the legacy of Deadwood be forgotten to the jaws of the undead?


  • Town Center
    City Hall, Police Department, Jail, Museum, Bank, Restaurants (4)
    Deadwood City Center.png

    North
    Abandoned Mine, Residential Area, Elementary School, Forest
    North Deadwood.png

    East
    Clement River, Middle School, Grocery Store (2), Gas Station, Commercial Storefronts (4)
    East Deadwood.png

    South
    Residential Area, High School, Gas Station, Swim Center, Library, Auto Shop
    South Deadwood.png

    West
    Grocery Store, Gas Station, Gun Store, Highway, Farm Land
    West Deadwood.png
 
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Avery Pike
Location: Southern Gas Station, Approaching Town Center
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Avery had been holed up in the gas station for four days now. His shitty day job had become the only thing between him and a cluster fuck of undead in the parking lot. The first few days had been hell. Any time those fuckers saw him move through the all-glass store front the would start throwing themselves at the windows and doors with full force. He had left the pumps running, trying to be helpful, only to watch any car that stopped by get swarmed and the passengers torn to pieces and added to the ranks of undead piling up outside. It was all horrifying, but nothing so blood-curdling as the one once-familiar form that shuffled just beyond reach. Violetta. His love. The only gentleness he had known. She had been inside with him when it all went to shit. She had come over to tell him what she was seeing on the news, begging him to leave with her. They were so distracted by the impassioned conversation they hadn't noticed the sick and depraved looking man enter the store until his teeth were already sunk into Violetta's shoulder. Avery, who always had a quiet rage in him, screamed louder than he had in his life when he lunged over the counter and smashed the villain's head in with one of the plastic display bins they kept next to the cash register. But by the time he was done Violetta was gone- lunging at him from behind- desperate to take him with her. Avery cried silently when he had to pry her off him and throw her out by her hair. He barred the door behind her only to watch her throw herself against it, cracking her skull as the fresh blood still oozed from her neck.

On the second day, he covered the windows with newspapers, unable to bear any longer the sight of his undead beloved gnashing her teeth at him, or else devouring strangers in the parking lot. He tried to get through to his sister but everything was down. No power. No reception. No way out. But now that Avery had recovered as much as he could while listening to the world scream and burn outside, he was ready to move on. He had never been worth shit, but all that meant was he had nothing to lose. Not anymore. After stocking up on supplies from the gas station he planned for his escape. The back alley wasn't an option. The only outlet was into the busy parking lot where the monsters were scattered all about.

If you can't find a way, make one. He thought to himself fiercely from the roof, looking down upon the small hoard that was gathered below him, clawing up at him with dead hungry eyes. He almost felt bad for them, that they couldn't anticipate what he was doing as he cranked open the valves of the retail propane tanks. He was shouting, singing, making as much noise as possible to draw all the nearby undead to his feet. It was like the world's most fucked up concert. But it was only about to get more fucked. There were about 30 snarling bodies below him as he opened the valve on the second tank. He tried to ignore Violetta in the crowd but of course she was the only thing he saw as he dropped the leaking gas cannisters down into the crowd below him. He looked her straight in her once-bright eyes and remembered what they had shared as he counted down, letting the gas build up among the bodies below him.

"I'm sorry, mi amor," He begged, his deep voice cracking, as he opened and ignited a silver zippo lighter. He clenched his jaw as he backed away to the other side of the roof, arched his arm, and tossed the lighter into the teeming mass of undead.

BOOM! BOOM!

The tanks exploded, taking the storefront with it. Glass and debris and body parts flew everywhere. But Avery was already gone. He wasted no time making the one story drop into the back alleyway and booking it out to the far edge of the parking lot. He saw the fireball of bodies, some of them still moving but all of them too distracted by the noise and light to keep up with the shadow racing by in the distance. He knew he likely only had a few moments before one of those assholes ran into the pumps and the whole station went up in flames. Avery ran to the left. He still had a long way to go to get to the abandoned mine and see if he had anyone left in this world, but he figured cutting through the town center would give him a chance to fully assess how much was lost and, if nothing else, give him a chance to raid to police station for better gear.
 
Trinity walked along the sidewalk cautiously trying to avoid drawing any unwanted attention from the zombies that could be lurking in the area around her. She couldn't see any but she didn't want to risk it, knowing that if she messed up there most lightly would be no second chance. She started to think about her next move then remembered that her team was still in town from their last game. "If I can get to them then I'll have a better chance of staying alive," She thought to herself as her pace quickened and she made her way to the Northern residential area. Trinity stopped at the swim center when she heard a noise and she pressed her back against the side of the building as she tried to place what the sound was but as she moved her feet made a scratching sound on the gravel, catching the attention of a zombie, its flesh still peeling and she found herself slightly gaging at the smell that it was giving off. She fought the urge to run away as it slowly dragged its way over to her, "If I leave and successfully get away then someone else will have to deal with this," She thought as she swung her bat at the zombie's neck, making it fall over and hurried to move her foot as it tried to bite into it then used her other to stomp on its head. She then walked away, leaving it motionless on the ground before mumbling, "And I'll be damned if let any of these lurkers hurt anyone else." Trinity started making her way to the Town Center, avoiding the main roads while staying hidden and being as quiet as possible.
 
Briar Pike
Location: Abandoned Mine

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Briar had wasted no time getting to a secure location. Eighteen years of foster care had her ready to get into survival mode at the drop at the hat. But on this occasion it had less to do with hats and more to do with her partner in crime (no like... actual crime) suddenly trying to rip her arm off with his teeth. He had insisted it was just a hangover and possibly a concussion from a bar fight the night before, but he spent the entire heist bitching and moaning about how the guy bit him and that it wasn't a fair fight. Briar jacked the light blue 1982 Suburban on her own, doing her best to tune him out, but he was much harder to ignore when, on the ride back, his whining turned into seizing which turned into growling which turned into gnashing his fat mouth at her.

Of course Briar screamed, but the chick was also strapped and wasted no time shooting the fuck. She tried a warning shot first, honest! But when he didn't even flinch, she knew more drastic action was required. So she went for the head (seemed to do the trick), dumped the body on the side of the road, and sped off. Now, Alphie was useless, but he was also her boss's nephew, so Briar did the only logical thing one would do next. She robbed a goddamn grocery store at gunpoint- only for the essentials of course, she was a survivor not an asshole (okay, she was kind of an asshole, but still)- and ran for the hills. That was on the very first day of the outbreak. She had no way of knowing that what happened with Alphie was small potatoes compared to what was about to go down in Deadwood over the next week.

That first night she laid low. She already threw her phone out of the window on her drive up so she wouldn't be traced. She slept in the back of the three-rowed truck, more like a land boat, and stared at the roof until morning. The second day, she went into the mine. She hadn't been there since she was a teenager causing trouble with her brother. She missed the guy. Wished she could contact him. But she knew if she went missing or he caught wind of what happened he would know exactly where to look for her. The third night... that's when she knew something was off. See, the mine was up in the hills, and you could see the whole town from there. Suddenly, she was seeing fires and hearing screams. At first the commotion was on and off, but by the fourth day it felt endless- the ash and cries for mercy that echoed through the town below her. So what did Briar do?

She sat in her car and ate beef jerky with her feet propped up on the dashboard, her glock strapped to her waist in case of trouble, and waited calmly for her brother. You would think hearing the gruesome catastrophe of her her town would make her feel some type of way, but really all she felt was a bit of relief because with all this going on there was no way the cops gave a shit about what she did anymore. She also happened to unwittingly make the best call she could by ditching town quick and watching it all crash and burn from a safe distance. So that felt pretty good. To Hell with society anyways, it never did her any favors. She even had a little party to herself on the night she watched fires spring up on the town center, drinking two entire bottles of wine to herself and dancing around the hillside before going to puke down the mine shaft and calling it a night. But then, inevitably, she started getting bored. A week had passed. No more booze. Massive hangover. Brother yet to show his ugly mug. She was perfectly not in the mood for the arrival of strangers, but on the seventh night of her impromptu camp-out, sitting at the entrance of the cave, pointing her gun at random things, she heard wheels tearing at the dirt road nearby and, suddenly, headlights approaching.

"Well fuck, this should be good." She said through gritted teeth. She figured she would stay seated as she had little confidence in her ability to stand without throwing up, and that did not give off the proper don't fuck with me impression she would need if this went south.
 
Trinity used a few of the connecting alleyways to arrive behind one of the restaurants without having another encounter with the withered demons that seemed to be all over town. She walked to the backdoor and pressed her ear against it, listening for any movement, and sounds or anything else that could tell her if the kitchen the door led to was empty or not. When she heard nothing she turned the doorknob but it wouldn't fully turn. "God damn it, Tony!" She mumbled now irritated as she sighed and then ripped a metal strip off a garbage bin and folded the metal so it was both thin in width and long in length. After doing that she put the end of the metal strip in the side of the door then tried to unlock it with no luck. Trinity dropped the metal strip and looked at the side of the restaurant before walking up to the front. As she turned the corner a black and withered hand suddenly reached out the broken window that she hadn't noticed before. She quickly moved away but the hand grabbed her hair and tried to pull her in through the window. Trinity used all her strength to pull herself away, freeing herself before she got too close, and took a few steps back, her heart now racing. She took a second to calm herself and held her bat tightly as she looked around.
 
Darius sat with his back leaned against the back of a couch. He was surrounded by empty bottles and cans that once held various types of alcohol and in his grasp sat one particularly large bottle of cognac. Cognac was never the marine’s favorite, but when the world goes to shit you tend to take anything you can get your hands on. Lifting his sepia brown hand, he brought the bottle to his parted lips and finished off the sharp bitter tasting liquid. As he swallowed the last drop, the glass container simply fell from his grasp and he lazily watched it clatter against the floor and scatter the other bottles that surrounded his figure.

The amount of hours, or perhaps days he had been in the same spot was lost to Darius. Everything was numb and he didn’t give his mind a break as he consumed drink after drink. He felt like utter and absolute shit but it was by all means better than thinking about who, or rather what he left dead and unmoving upstairs. It was all surreal. Far too insane to be real. He had considered that perhaps, he had just fallen asleep on the plane ride home and a nightmare had dug it’s terrible claws into his sleep deprived mind. Yes, that was feasible and a perfect explanation. Yet, he just couldn’t seem to wake and free himself from the grasp of the hellish nightmare that was slowly dragging him toward insanity.

The house he was in, or rather his own home, had plenty of large windows and two doors located in the front and back. The whole layout of the house was a sitting death trap. However, Darius never made a move to barricade himself in and the infected out. He simply welcomed them with a volley of bullets. The first few to stumble in made it all the way to the experienced marine’s feet. He had considered letting them have at it, to simply let go and give up so he could be with his wife and daughter once more. Only one thought made him lash out at the last second and kick the undead being off of himself. What if none of it was real? What if he stayed alive just a little longer and eventually woke to see his love beside him with their child nestled in her arms? His heart was set aflame at the possibility, so with tears streaming continuously down his face, Darius refused to die.

That was days ago now. The tears had long dried, leaving salty trails in their wake. His eyes were dull, mind blank, and his body numb. It felt like he was halfway there to becoming one of them. With all of his booze gone and only two magazines left for his pistol, the heartbroken husband and father finally stood. His body ached in protest after staying in place for so long and his mind screamed as a hangover sank its teeth in. For the fourth time, the 27 year old retched, “Fuck.” His voice barely rasped the curse out but it was filled to the brim with every emotion between anger, pain, and guilt. He couldn’t tell if things had quieted or if he was just too hungover and drunk to tell. Nevertheless, he took slow swaying steps to his emergency military bag and swung it over his shoulder. He had to go, he didn’t know where to or how far but being here, at home, it hurt. Far more than any physical pain he could imagine. With that, he nearly stumbled out of the back door. He left his two loves as they lay to rest in their home. One he thought he would spend the rest of his days with, and the other he never even got the chance to meet. His feet dragged him toward the nearest grocery store as he fought to keep his guilt at bay.
 
Avery Pike
Location: Town Center, South Eastern Restaurant
Interactions: Trinity Smith ( Spencypoo Spencypoo )

☣ ☣ ☣​
Avery hugged the side of the library as a few infected ran towards the burning gas station in the opposite direction, like moths to flame. He wondered if they felt cold. If they craved heat. Or if they were just responding to the most obvious stimuli around them as an indicator that something living may have caused it. He shook the thought from his head. If he survived this he would have the chance to observe their behavior more closely. For now he needed to stick to what he knew, which was the back alleyways that led from the South side to the town center. The alley's seemed clear, but the moment Avery breached the South Eastern edge of the town center he could smell fire and death. Something bad happened here. He turned a corner of an old pizza place only to jump back at the sight of a girl having her hair yanked through a broken window. He grasped the crowbar that he lifted from the back room of the gas station tightly in both hands and felt a pang in his chest as he watched the girl pull herself away. She freed herself, but she had yanked the creature out of the window as she did so. Avery locked eyes with the girl. She was young. Scared. And looking around bewildered as the zombie was getting back to its feet.

Avery stepped in without further hesitation. He brought the heel of his foot down on the creatures spine, sending it sprawling flat on the ground again as it snarled and continued reaching for the girl. One swift, forceful crack through its skull with his crowbar and the force of his thick biceps was enough to end it. Avery stepped away and then looked to the girl once more. The first living person he had seen in days.

"You okay?" He asked in his low soft voice.
 
Trinity slowly nodded as her senses pulled her back into reality and she looked at Avery. "I'm... Fine, thank you" She gave him a small smile and carefully walked through the broken window, keeping her guard up while being cautiously aware of everything around her. She made her way to the kitchen then took a butcher knife and a wrapped up a warm loaf of uncut bread, putting it in her small bag. "Why is this still warm? I wonder if there's a possibility someone else could be in here-" She thought aloud. As she made her way to check the other parts of the kitchen she discovered that most of that food was covered in mold and spoiled. Trinity shook her head unable to make sense of it seeing that she was the only one she knew was in the room. She sat in one of the chairs by a table in the back of the restaurant as she took out the bread, closely inspected it, and then cut it up using the butcher knife.
 
The creaking of the ladder under Stark set weights in his gut. The man wasn’t particularly afraid of heights at all, no, but he sure as hell wouldn’t like to fall. At his age, and in this kind of place, that could really spell the end of him. He wasn’t so old to the point he was brittle, but he was old enough that things broke easier than they used to. Sure, breaking an arm wouldn’t be a problem, but a leg? An ankle? That wouldn’t be ideal.

As he heaved himself onto the roof, Stark’s feet would sweep out from under him, kicking the ladder down with a loud clatter. He caught himself, however, and pulled the rest up, breathing heavily as one would if they felt the wind rush from their lungs. The rush.. Oh yes, the rush. Though falling wouldn’t be ideal, the rush was certainly something else. When faced with danger.. just that little boost.. that adrenaline jump.. it was great.

He tried to kick those awful thoughts from his mind as he got to his feet, but it certainly brought itself back up. What if he just jumped? Would it hurt? The challenge of surviving with a broken bone.. all he needed was some challenge. Maybe he’d get some, trying to survive in a group.

You see, Noir’s been alone for this time. He’s seen some come and go, he’s seen how awful they look, their struggle of maintaining enough supplies for the lot of them. He’s thought about it, but truly, he doesn’t know who all he can trust. He’d make his rounds, then come back to the roof. Surely, the biters couldn’t get him from where he was. Up high?

Plus, if he were to make himself known, biters wouldn’t be his complete concern. He wasn’t going to make some shelter for people, no rendezvous point, nothing. Usually around this time, pairs or groups would come by and take things. As long as he’s out of sight, nobody could try and attack him or take his things. The only problem now is—

Noir looked around the rooftop he’s made his shelter on. A poorly constructed tent-like structure with his coat laying on the ground as if it were some kind of bed or place to rest. Empty water bottles and cans scatter the roof, and his structures lay low. There were a few points on the roof where Noir could look down. He used these points to watch survivors or biters, and he was great at keeping quiet.

It did eat at Noir to hear people call for help. The pity he felt for them, the itching feeling of wanting to help, but Noir wouldn’t do much if others called out. Last time he did, well, it was more of a gang-associated plan. They attacked him, left him with nothing. He wasn’t going to fall for it again.

—how is he going to get down safely now? He knocked the ladder over, his only way up. Shit. Now he was really going to have to ask somebody. He’d keep his gun ready. Loaded, drawn, and set on his belt, which was now covered by the coat he tossed on. He crouches down to his watching point, waiting.

He’d watch what looked like two others in the distance, but he made no sound. He just sits. He watches. He waits.
 
Ethan Bradshaw
Location: Abandoned Mine


The cool, tranquil air of the hills being broken by the sound of a lone engine made Ethan internally cringe. He had always enjoyed some measure of peace and quiet, however those were in the days before it became fashionable to eat thy neighbor. Now, as the old blue truck rolled along the dirt road he silently wished for any sound of human life other than screams of anguish and terror or gunshots or the damn primal groaning of the undead. His eyes too often left the pothole ridden path and drifted toward the mirrors that occasionally gave glimpses of the ruined Deadwood. Those fleeting looks told the same tale of every other town he had raced through or around in the days since the world began to end.

It would be a lie to say his heart didn’t drop when he first saw the town, after all there were a number of folks in Deadwood he cared for in his own way besides the family. He was well aware of what would be, could be, waiting for him in his old home now corrupted by the foul madness. However that inner flame which had driven him through days of literal hell would not be extinguished so easily, Ethan refused to let despair drag him down. A couple nights ago while he was holed up in a crummy inn he pictured himself coming all this way just to find out Freddie and Quint had sensibly left town. He actually laughed at that idea, it would be a cosmic sort of poetic justice but one infinitely better than the other picture that too often filled his mind.

The truck bounced slightly as it went over a pothole, the shotgun following suit as the butt lightly landed on Ethan’s thigh. He was almost happy for the little distraction that took his mind off Deadwood and onto how much of a fool he was not taking five or ten extra minutes preparing. Not that he had an arsenal under his bed or a pantry full of dried goods but he could have brought more than a box of shells and a shotgun. It was a damn dumb move but all that internal berating went out the window as his headlights landed on an old Chevy.

Immediately stopping Ethan eyed this unexpected surprise with a furrowed brow. The vehicle looked pristine in comparison to his own that had been slapped and beaten by viscera covered hands. Drumming his fingers against the wheel he huffed a breath and even though it could be a damn dumb decision he continued, his lights passing over the mine’s entrance and he audibly exhaled once more upon seeing the lone figure waiting there. Coming to a total stop a modest distance, his door facing the entrance, he kiled the engine. Well aware of the situation he exited minus the shotgun for rather obvious reasons. He only took a few steps before halting for equally obvious reasons.

Hands at his side and calm as can be Ethan skipped the pleasantries, "Lookin' for a Freddie and Quinton Bradshaw. Figure I'll ask if you've seen 'em since you're here."



Interaction: Briar Pike ( graytful graytful )
 
Freddie Bradshaw
— location: South residential area, heading east / interactions: None / mentions: None

Three days. Three days in utter despair. Freddie had locked herself in her apartment and barricaded the door. The windows were high up enough from the ground that there was no need to barricade them as well. The woman had been pacing back and forth, trying to figure out her next move. She knew that if she stayed inside for long enough, she would soon be joining the ever growing mass of dead bodies walking around. The noises coming from outside the door indicated several corpses were roaming the place, and occasionally munched down on someone new.

"If I stay here, I'll eventually starve. If I don't stay here... I'll get ripped to pieces." Freddie's words were barely audible as she continued to pace back and forth. "I need to get up north... Maybe things aren't so bad there..." she knew it wasn't true the second she uttered the words, but she had to cling onto some shred of hope that her family was okay. Her feet took her to one of her drawers, where she desperately looked for that one city map she had kept for no apparent reason.

Her fingers shakily spread the map out onto her dining table, index finger coming to a rest approximately where she was right now. Fastest route up north was straight through Deadwood. Town center could bring advantages in the form of decent gear, but Freddie could only assume it would be the most infected area. Instead, her eyes shifted east. It was the next best thing.

Another day passed as the brunette went in and out of panic attacks. Leaving her home would be the ultimate step out of her comfort zone. Nay, her safety zone. Packing whatever she though essential into a back pack, she started thinking of the best escape. The door was the easiest, but also the most dangerous. Besides, the elevator was probably out of service and there was no telling how many zombies she'd find on the lower levels. Shifting attention to the window, she was three stories up and a jump would most likely end with one or two broken legs.

Her hands clumsily opened the window as she popped her head outside, trying to see if there was anything she could use to climb. There wasn't. The only way she'd be able to climb down would be to somehow go from window to window. Or fashioning some kind of rope.

After scouring her apartment for any fabric that would hold, Freddie ended up with a squalid... rope-type thing. She secured it as best she could and let it fall out the window. Putting on her backpack, she took a deep breath. "I'm fucking crazy for this."


Quinton Bradshaw
— location: The southwest grocery store in the eastern part of town / interactions: Freddie / mentions: None

Quinton hadn't slept properly in four days and judging by the look of things, a peaceful night was nowhere to be seen. The image of his dead and half-eaten step-father on the lawn kept popping back into his head every time he closed his eyes, and every night he had nightmares of various scenarios that might have taken place inside the house. Sprinkled into those nightmares were flashes of whatever fate Freddie could have possibly suffered. It was enough for him to not want to fall back asleep, and so he didn't.

Getting to Freddie's apartment — where he hoped he would find her — had taken him on a detour through the east part of town. He had managed to sneak himself into the southwest grocery store, in hopes of finding something. The place was a mess; broken glass, trash and empty cans littered the floor and it looked like most of the shelves had already been searched. In the air hung an awful smell of meat going bad and the couple of bodies that roamed around didn't contribute to the place smelling any better. Quinton's grip on his axe tightened as he sneaked around, trying to find something that would keep him somewhat full for the journey ahead. He had just reached out for a bag of beef jerky when something took hold of his ankle.

The man went flying down to the floor and was greeted by an old man trying to bite his foot off. Next thing he knew, the axe was buried in the old man's head. His eyes widened in chock and his hands dropped the handle as he scooted away from the man. The sight in front of him evoked a strong urge to throw up, but he kept it in. Quinton didn't notice he had cut his hand until he saw the trail of red blood it was leaving on the floor. His adrenaline was still too high for the man to feel any pain, but he knew it would hurt like a bitch in just a moment. That is, if he stayed alive for long enough; the commotion had attracted the rest of the stragglers inside the grocery store.

Quinton lunged forward to grab a hold of his axe again and a sharp, shooting pain shot up from his left hand. He tried his best not to look at the cracked skull, but it was already too late. The nausea that took ahold of him would have been his demise if it wasn't because someone grabbed his arm to drag him away.

Once out in the open, the two figures pressed their backs to the back of the grocery store and Quinton finally bent over and threw up. He hadn't had a chance to see who his savior was yet, but he could hear them sob next to him. "I thought for sure you'd be dead." His sisters voice made his head snap in her direction. Both of them battled with holding back tears. Just as he was about to go in for a hug, Freddie pressed her index finger to his chest, keeping him away. "Dude, you just threw up." The two of them chuckled, but then there seemed to be nothing holding back Freddie's tears.

"Hey, it'll be alright..." Quinton embraced her anyways, trying to comfort his younger sister, but Freddie knew just as well as Quinton that he was lying.
 
Briar Pike
Location: Abandoned Mine
Interactions: Ethan Bradshaw ( screaming armadillo screaming armadillo )
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As the strange truck drew closer Briar's stomach turned, catching a strong whiff of blood off the air. She swallowed down the dried fruit and bile that tried to rise in her throat and kept her eyes focused ahead. She identified the source of the smell pretty quickly as the truck parked a safe distance away. It looked like a playground of demonic two year olds had gone finger painting over the vehicle with guts and god knows what else. The driver obviously knew Briar was there- the stolen Suburban was anything but discreet- but displayed what she assumed was good faith by parking a respectable distance away. When the driver got out of the truck Briar snorted. She didn't know what to expect but it surely wasn't some rustic cowboy man. Briar had no idea what was going on down in town but if this was any reflection of the carnage occurring then her morbid curiosity was definitely piqued. She listened to his inquiry with eyebrows raised, an expression of seriously? resting on her face.

"Listen, compadre," Briar responded somewhat mockingly, letting the wrist of her gun-holding hand go limp so the weapon was lazily pointed into the mine and away from the stranger, but clearly still at her disposal. "I don't know anyone worth knowing, and anyone worth knowing definitely don't know me. I don't even know what the hell has been going on down there the past few days."

Briar took a breath, feeling more stable with the adrenaline of confrontation. She lifted her gun hand in the air and slowly got to her feet with her free hand pressed against her throbbing temple. She walked to the front seat of her suburban and, still facing the stranger, opened the door behind her with her free hand. She reached back and grabbed a water bottle before leaning against the seat.

"You some kind of cop? One of those yee haw Chuck Norris types? Cuz I ain't done nothing wrong. And I could use a little information about the situation out there," She opened to bottle and took a long swig. Relief washed over her face as the acidity of her vomit was drowned out. "But I don't talk to cops, comprende?"
 
Avery Pike
Location: Southeastern Restaurant in Town Center
Interactions: Trinity Smith ( Spencypoo Spencypoo )

☣ ☣ ☣​
Avery watched with apprehension as the girl walked inside. He couldn't believe she had been making it all by herself. Though perhaps she hadn't always been alone. Either way, he kept his eyes on the perimeter while the girl found food. He heard her mention warm bread and the possibility of another person nearby.

"That guy might have turned recently. Someone living might be around. Hard to say." Avery suggested. He felt tense. Waiting. Listening. The pressure for him to get what he needed and get to the mine was starting to get overwhelming. Standing in one spot like a sitting duck didn't help the feeling.

"Um. I'm Avery," He said over his shoulder. "Look, I have to get moving. Where are you headed? I could... we could watch each others' backs... for now. Police station probably has some better weapons we could salvage. I could... I could use some help. But we need to go now."

Avery cleared his throat. He didn't know how to feel, asking a stranger- and such a young woman nonetheless- to face this hellscape with him. To kill with and for him. Not for him... but to keep each other alive. Mutual protection. Avery had always been the master of his own safety. He was a hulking dude. Nobody tried to fuck with him before unless they were looking for trouble or to prove something in the ring. But now opponents were everywhere, and they didn't have the same rules. There was no respectability. The world was a death match now. Nobody survived that alone.
 
Trinity wrapped up the bread and stood, "That would make sense especially considering how the doors were locked" She walked out the building and stood beside Avery. "I'm Trinity and I was on my way to the Northern residential area to see if I could get my team to help me out here- " She paused for a second, in the middle of her sentence as a sickening thought entered her mind. "If they haven't been turned..." while endless possibilities ran through her head as she said this and shook her head. "No, I'm sure they're still alive and well!" She said this aloud but she was telling it to herself, She was trying to convince herself it was true. "But I guess it's smart for us to stay together" She looked ahead and then back at Avery "...Lead the way."
 
As the two in the distance spoke, Stark continued to wait silently. He contemplates how he’ll speak with them, how he’ll have to give up his pride to ask for help. It was a shame, really, but he had no choice. He had to continue and scavenge, even with what little he had, he was getting by. However, this wouldn’t even hold him for a day, he never got to make his rounds. He wonders, should he go in with force? Should he attack the pair as he was before?

Surely they had supplies, he could take some... no. He didn’t want to place the burden of nothingness onto others, he didn’t want other people to suffer as he did. So, like the covered content person he was, he’d wait for them. They’ve just gotten around, so they’re bound to come here. Everybody comes here, they always come for the same thing. They all need what’s here. These people couldn’t be idiots and pass up an opportunity like this.

Who knows, even if they don’t, it wouldn’t be any shame. Perhaps it was the divine wrath of Stark’s sins coming back to him. He’d be left for dead on this roof, or left to suffer the wasteland with a broken bone or few, it was up to fate at this point. He’s like a cat, really. He stalks these people, but not as potential prey, as potential help. ‘Come, but don’t get close’, ‘Talk to me, but keep it brief’. He was quite contradicting.
 
Avery Pike
Location: Town Center, Between Museum and Resturant
Interactions: Trinity Smith ( Spencypoo Spencypoo )

☣ ☣ ☣​

"Trinity." Avery said firmly, a greeting and an acknowledgement. "Alright, I'm heading North, too... I'll take you as far as I can once we check the station."

With a curt nod he turned and walked close to the wall around the side of the restaurant. He peeked a head around the back alley to see an already-downed undead. It looked like its head had been smashed in. He glanced over his shoulder at the girl behind him and her blood-slicked bat. He made a mental note to keep his own head clear of her swinging radius before pushing down the alley to get his first glimpse of the town center. What he saw would have phased him if he hadn't already come to terms with this new state of things.

The city hall looked like it had been bombed. There were a number of living corpses shambling around the square and quite a few actual corpses scattered around the streets. There appeared to be a larger number of enemies near to police station. It made sense. Avery knew he wasn't going to be the first person to try to raid the police station. But, from the looks of it, he might be the first person to do so successfully. As he was scoping the scene something on the roof of the station caught his eye. Some kind of movement. He squinted, but couldn't fully make out what he was seeing. He would have to wait to get a closer look. In the meantime, he had to figure out how to clear the square. From what he could tell, the creatures responded to light, noise, and movement. If he could make enough light and noise, they two of them might be able to move undetected. It worked at the gas station, anyway.

He signaled the girl to follow him back behind the pizza shop and around the neighboring restaurant until they were in the ally next to the museum. He scoped the scene again and then he got an idea. There were a few cars near the city hall and the bank. Some looked totaled, but others looked like their alarms were in tact. Avery backed up and turned to Trinity.

"How's your aim? Can you hit one of those cars and make it go off?" He asked. He looked around for something to throw and saw there was plenty of debris to choose from. Avery stooped down and grabbed two baseball sized chunks of concrete. "If you can do that, we can keep running around the back of the museum and restaurants until we're on the far side of the square, across from the police station. We run across while they're distracted and get out of their line of sight."

Avery handed Trinity one of the chunks of concrete and held the other himself. He didn't have time to question his own plan. It was only a matter of time before one of those things noticed them and alerted the rest. They needed to act fast.

"On the count of three, okay?" He said to her, stepping forward again to get a good view of his target. He pulled his arm back, winding it up for a not-insignificant throw across the town square. He was a close-range fighter. Distance wasn't in his comfort zone. He only hoped his new acquaintance had better aim.

"One... two... three!"
 
Trinity made a semi-offended face as she looked at Avery "Of course I can you can't play professional baseball with shitty aim." Trinity held onto her piece of concrete and tossed it in the air a few times, weighing it so she knew how much force she would need to put into the throw for it to reach the target. and found a sensor on the bottom of a rearview mirror then focused on it while she slowly reeled her arm back, and patiently waited for Avery to finish his countdown as she took few steps back. Once Trinity heard you say three she released the concrete, sending it flying toward the sensor on the car. The mirror slightly cracked but sure enough, the alarm started blaring and she covered her ears to block out the noise as a group of dead souls made their way to the source of the sound.

Once she was sure all of them had gone to investigate the alarm that was still going off she took that chance to quickly make her way past them, thankfully without getting the attention of the group of rotting lurkers that now surrounded the car. Trinity felt bolder and had more hope than before now that she knew everyone wasn't infected. That there could still be people out there just trying to get by like her and Avery. She stayed close to the wall and took out her bat as she waited for Avery to catch up to her, then slowly and cautiously started moving further, going behind the next building.
 
Stark couldn’t quite see what they were up to. He shifted himself around a bit so his knees wouldn’t lock or something. His eyes squinted as he leaned in slightly, trying to get a focus on what.. oh fuck. He sees the girl’s arm move back, he knew that stance anywhere. She was going to throw something. Shit. He was about to call out to them, tell them not to be reckless, but it was too late. The concrete releases itself from her grasp, hitting a car directly. We’re these people fucking insane? Did they have a death wish??

The alarm went off, the biters made their way to the sound. Noir’s focus wasn’t even at the scene anymore. He was fixing up his coat, his gloves, his gun. He got up and made his way quickly to his make-shift shelter. Oh God, they probably saw him, they’re trying to get him killed. It was pointless, there’s nothing he could’ve hoped for. All of these people must be the same. It was then that he turned back to see the scene. It clicked to him.

They set up a diversion.

Noir watched as they would make their way to a new point, the biters distracted by the noise. Shit, these people were clever. He definitely had a thing or two to learn. He lurks his way to a new watch point, taking his coat off and using as a top cover. Doing this, he’d darken the inside of this shelter, masking him from the outside. Whether or not they saw the point, they likely wouldn’t see him there. Though, it may have been smarter to change the cover, as that was his cover for the last point.

He didn’t quite notice though, nor would he notice the refraction of light from his sunglasses. From any other point, it seemed like a dark zone with two piercing white circles staring down.
 
Avery Pike
Location: Town Center, Western side of Police Department
Interactions: Trinity Smith ( Spencypoo Spencypoo ), Noir Aguillard ( yourlocal-eboyy yourlocal-eboyy )

☣ ☣ ☣​
Yes! Avery cheered silently as he watched Trinity's perfect shot. His own throw had been far too short, but the sound was covered by the loud beep! beep! beep! of the car alarm. Realizing that Trinity had already started running, Avery sprinted behind her from building to building until they were on the restaurant on the far side of the square facing the police station. He peered his head around the corner. It had only been a few second and the undead were running towards the car from every corner of the square. The ones closest to the car starting to tear and throw themselves at the vehicle in hopes of finding a bite to eat. Every second they waited their window of opportunity shrunk.

"Alright, Trinity. Across the square to the other side of the police department. Ready? Go." He signaled her and immediately booked it across the vulnerable gap. He did his best to stay low despite his nearly six-foot frame. Beads of sweat began forming in his thick wavy hair and running down his forehead. It felt like it took ages to cross the gap, but it could only have been fifteen seconds or so when he threw himself behind the side of the police department. He held a hand over his mouth as his breath grew heavy but didn't waste any time. He backed up to try and get a view of what he had seen moving on the roof. He couldn't see all the details, but enough to determine signs of human life along with the noticeable glint of lenses. He went to look to Trinity but the shifting gaze made him notice a ladder looking as if it had fallen from the angle of the roof. He looked to the roof again and pursed his lips to quell a comedic smile forming there.

"Hey," He shout-whispered. The car alarm was still going off but he knew it wouldn't go on forever and he couldn't be too safe. "Do you need help? We have to get inside fast!"

Avery didn't know what had gotten into him. In the past he didn't give fuckall about the well-being of others. He was certainly no hero or helper or savior. But now he was, perhaps recklessly, offering help to anyone he ran into. He had to remind himself to be reasonable. If this guy gave him a single reason to doubt him or held them up too long he wouldn't hesitate to move along.
 
Trinity took off and ran across the square, trying to get to the other side as fast as she could then she pressed her back against the building barely even winded. She looked over at Avery confused then looked up in the direction that he was to see what he was talking to but was too short to be able to see. Even though she couldn't see whoever it was, that didn't mean there wasn't anyone there so she grabbed a single piece of bread from the cut-up loaf she took earlier then threw in the direction were Avery was looking. She could tell that it landed on the roof but had no idea if the person had seen it. She then spoke in a low voice as something occurred to her. "Uhm Avery what if they're infected?" She took a step back still trying to see with no luck. At this point, she was tempted to throw more bread.
 
Ethan Bradshaw
Location: Abandoned Mine​


Even though he didn't exactly appreciate the snarky remark Ethan didn't say anything. Frankly he was both too used to and way too old to get worked up over little things like that while also being nowhere near stupid enough to take chances with somebody holding a gun. So he held his tongue, however he couldn't stop his brows from raising at the apparent ignorance of the woman to current affairs. Cities burning down while the local residents eat each other seemed like the kind of headlines people notice. The brief surprise turned into a quiet suspicion, something any normal person would have when faced with a grumpy, gun wielding person who hangs out at an abandoned mine. Now Ethan *had* been giving a pass to all that considering everything, yet now he was more than a little unsure of this stranger. Then again, if she was dangerous then he would have been plugged by now. Unless she was out of bullets that is.

For now he just considered her a bit of a bad apple and figured it was best to not upset her.

While the probably not a miner made her way to the Suburban, Ethan found himself looking toward Deadwood. For days he had considered then reconsidered the best way to go about his search, but now that he was here it felt like no amount of planning could possibly help. The town may not be very large but it was still big enough that going door to door was entirely impractical. He had the time but not the supplies and there was no guarantee he could scrounge up enough to last. Or that he would even survive that long. No, as much as he hated to admit it Ethan knew he would have to rely on luck rather than his own perseverance.

He was roused from his musing as the stranger spoke up. Whatever dad senses he had left must still work because they sounded off when she said ‘Cuz I ain’t done nothing wrong’. For a long silent moment he stared at her before nodding his head toward his own truck, “Ain’t a lot of cops these days I imagine.” He said that as calmly as if he was telling her what cereal he buys, bought, at the grocery store. “The ones still alive are busy enough. World’s pretty shit.” That last bit seemed like the most obvious thing in the world with a gore covered truck behind him.


Interaction: Briar Pike( graytful graytful )
 
Avery glanced to Trinity and contemplated her point as, he assumed, whoever they were talking to was contemplating their next move. He hadn't even considered the person might be bitten. But he had a feeling that if he were infected the guy would be rabid and stumble off the building after them by now, or else would be incredibly sick and in no state to fight.

"Good point. I'll check this out while you look for a way in. If you hear trouble then... I guess we'll know." Avery whispered to her. What he didn't say is that if this ended badly he didn't want her to get caught up in it. "Don't go in without me. We don't know what could be inside. Just come back if you find something."

Spencypoo Spencypoo
 
Briar Pike
interactions: Ethan Bradshaw ( screaming armadillo screaming armadillo )
☣ ☣ ☣​
Briar had mixed feelings about the news. Most of the cops being dead? Chef's kiss, wonderful to hear. But the implications of the most armed people in town not standing a chance against what was happening down there? Not so gourmet. Up until that point she had tried to keep herself from connecting the dots, but now the image of Alphie seizing and trying to bite her flooded her mind.

"So that's it, huh?" Briar felt her mouth go dry and suddenly her tone was more serious. "Just people gone fucking crazy? That's.... yeah... yeah honestly that seem about right."

The moment of concern fled as quickly as it arrived. Briar took another swig from her water bottle.

"Well then, vaquero, you either stupid or crazy or both thinkin' you gonna find anyone you lookin' for alive in that mess." She paused for a moment and thought about how her position wasn't really any different. Briar didn't fuck with hypocricy so she owned up fast. "Well I'm crazy stupid, too. I'm waiting for someone here..." She hesitated as she pushed away the thoughts of what her brother might be doing right now. She was starting to get overwhelmed and needed a distraction. She looked back up to the older man and smiled, the mischief in her eyes never really leaving. Briar never had the apprehension for strangers instilled in most girls. She had ample faith in her ability to make someone regret trying to take advantage of her. But she also knew that most people weren't half bad. It was only people with a sense of authority that merited caution.

"How 'bout this, Chuck. I'm bored. If my bro ain't here by tomorrow I'll help you look for Foo Foo and Quinoa or whatever. Sounds like I need to catch up on current events anyhow. But for now... it's dark. You'll only be putting yourself at risk going back down there tonight. If the people you're looking for have made it this long, they can make it one more night. And I could go for a cowboy story or two, ey?"

Briar's offer was genuine. Most people didn't trust her because she wasn't educated or polite, but she was always real so decent people, or people trying to be decent at least, seemed to pick up on that most of the time.
 
Stark heard someone call out. It was inevitable, how’d they.. Noir looks to a spot on a nearby surface and sees the light reflected onto it. Of course. Of course it’d be his glasses. He was cautious, about to speak when suddenly a piece of bread lands on the roof. Alright, that’s badass.

Noir shifts out of his shack, taking his coat off with them. He’s lurking around, trying to stay out of view, but not quite taking into account how loud he’s moving around. He hasn’t had food in a while, and the bread had him excited. Though, he wouldn’t eat it yet. He had no idea if it were a trap or not, if anything, the bread could be poisoned somehow. He simply shoved the piece into his pocket and moved along.

He made his presence known now, standing near the edge of the roof. He calls out to the two below, “Hey. Just saying, I wouldn’t go in there at all, really.” Noir stated, hands in his pockets. “And for helping you with that piece of advice, you owe me, so, help me out an’ pick that there ladder back up,” He’d say, more-so as if he were demanding. He was trying not to seem vulnerable, weak, helpless. Which were all things he was definitely NOT.

The man flicked a bit of hair from his face before continuing “An old guy like me won’t do so well on a jump down.” As he spoke, he was studying the two. Surely, they couldn’t be alone, yeah? They definitely had to have a group. “The name’s Noir. Well, that’s what you can call me anyway. Though, you likely wont need to waste your memory on that one,” He said with a slight, yet somewhat offensive smile.

”I don’t do this..” He waved his hand at the two of them “..tag-along thing you’ve got going on. Oh, and by the way,” He starts, pulling the bread from his pocket. He’d look to the girl who’d clearly thrown the bread in the first place. “What’d’ya put in it, if anything at all, of course?”

graytful graytful , Spencypoo Spencypoo
 
Trinity shrugged and put a hand on her hip obviously already annoyed by Noir then casually responded with a stone-cold expression, "I took it from the kitchen of a restaurant but uh- old man Jenkins, I already don't like you so if you want to die then go ahead and starve up there with your slice of bread and little attitude you have going on there but if you want a better chance at living I suggest you stop acting like a complete dingus and just come with us." She said while still holding her bat in her other hand. "Oh and if it wasn't already made clear I won't be handing you shit until you apologize."

She then smiled up at him then nodded at Avery, walking around the other sides of the police station. She then checked all the windows. Locked. Then she tried a side door. Also locked. Trinity groaned, slightly more irritated than before then swung her bat at the window, shattering it. Hearing the noise and how loud it was, Trinity cursed under her breath and quietly looked on both sides of the building to see if she attracted any unwanted attention. To her surprise, she saw nothing. Letting out a sigh of relief she quickly stepped away from the window, remembering what happened last time she got too close to one.
 

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