Realistic or Modern Patient Zero (A Zombie Survival RP)

[The Mad Queen]

The following is a collab between myself, Maj , BloodThunder27 , TheTreForce
Colour code= Ralph, Owen, Brian, Shiona, Warren​

Fisher was on his belly now, moving towards Brian as the man had taken a few hits. Then he ordered the Doctor to run upstairs and grab Shiona and her baby. Ralph’s heart sank. Milly and the others would surely need his help too, but it was a question of how he could get them all out.
“I’ll get her and the kids.” He nodded, keeping close to the ground. That was when he saw it, gas filling the room. A smoke bomb? No, this was something worse.
“Tear gas!” He yelled “They’re using tear gas!” He pulled his shirt and coat up in a vain attempt to keep the gas out of his eyes and mouth but he knew it was only a matter of time.
Thankfully, he made it to the bottom of the stairs before the effects started to kick in. He started to cough violently, his eyes and nose starting to burn. He remained low as he tried to climb the stairs.

Warren trudged through the hallway towards Shiona's room, "Michael, get your ass in gear! I'm not carrying you, no matter how much you'd like that." He turned upon reaching the open door to the mother's room, hand over his mouth as he entered the room. "Let's go Shinoa, we need to get you and your baby out now if you want what's best for it." He waited for the woman to grab her baby and took her wrist to lead her out. They exited the room and made their way to the top of the stairs where Ralph was trying to climb up through the smoke and tear gas which was getting thicker by the minute. "You're going the wrong way bub!" He called out to the man as he started leading Shiona down the stairs.

Fisher managed to get a glimpse of Warren and Shiona through the pain in his eyes, still heaving his lungs up due to what he’d breathed in.
“Wait.” He coughed, turning slightly and calling down to Warren “Where the hell is Milly?”

“We can’t stay here!” Owen yelled to his pretty boy companion. The gas seemed to be slowly consuming every crevice of the lodge. Thick burning chemicals floated in through the shot up door and broken windows, making it hard to breath. His arm immediately went up to his nose and mouth, hiding in the crook of his elbow while his irises burned.
The gunfire was getting quieter, it appeared that the other members of the lodge seemed to be doing their best to fell the enemy that had come to take his sister. The window in front of him was almost broken entirely out as it was. He couldn’t see the soldiers in the yard, but hoped that the fog of gas would work both ways and keep them from seeing him as well.
“Let’s move.” Owen tugged on the fabric of Brian’s shirt before jumping over the table and moving toward the window. He grabbed the chair closest to him and swung it through the glass, letting it shatter the rest of the way. Some of the shards scraped his flesh, he could feel the sting of the cuts but it was mostly ignored as he made his way outside, gasping for fresh air.

Brian struggled to breathe as tear gas started filling the room, even with all the windows broken, he doubted that they could get any fresh air in time. He dove through the window after Owen had made his exit. As the gunfire seemed to quiet down, Brian took the chance to continue firing back at the Hazmats. Somehow, some way, they were gonna have to retreat and the group was going to have to find another safe place to hide...or better yet, escape the city. “C’mon you sons of bitches, let’s dance!” He shouted as he reloaded and continued opening fire. Though at this rate, he was mostly spraying and praying. There were plenty of targets, he was bound to hit something.

Owen wasn’t sure what had happened in the span of time between hiding behind the table and exiting the window, but there was nothing but gas and corpses in the yard. Soldier after soldier was left lifeless in the dirt. One was a disgusting smear of gore across the grass from what he assumed was the explosion he had heard earlier. There were plenty of bullet holes both in the lodge and in the people outside of it. The sound of gunfire and pain was thick in the air. His eyes settled on a corpse in front of him, one of Andy’s arrows sticking out of his neck. He wondered where she was, if she was even still alive. Had they lost anyone? There wasn’t time to dwell on it. The fight wasn’t done yet.

Luca had Aderyn in tow, many of the other lodge members seemed to be flooding out, avoiding the gas. He couldn’t see any more of the soldiers, just the pathetic cries of one in the grass, holding his face. Owen took the few steps over to him and looked down at his form, blinded and screaming.

The ginger picked up his rifle, now on the ground, discarded. He should kill him, Owen knew that he should. These people had come to take his sister and kill everyone else. But the man couldn’t bring himself to do it, he was beaten and now unarmed. To kill him now would be needlessly cruel.

"I didn't see anyone else up there." Warren replied to Ralph as he made his way down the flight of stairs, still holding Shinoa's wrist. He could only assume that Michael was still following. They reached the flat of the first floor and the tall man looked around the room, tear gas biting at his eyes. Everything had been neat and nice just hours prior, but now had bullet holes, shattered glass, splintered wood, and a thick cloud of smoke and tear gas filling the lodge to the brim. The broken window that Owen and Brian had jumped out of caught his eye, "Come on!" He hurried across the floor to the window where glass littered the floor. Warren whipped his crowbar out and swept the bottom frame of the opening, removing the jagged edge formed from the glass that still held. His body carefully manoeuvred out and turned to assist Shinoa out, "Here, give me the baby!"

While it was painful, Shinoa was helped out of bed by Warren before they began fleeing, with Shinoa holding Valerie close, keeping her face covered so the poor infant would not inhale the noxious gas. Thankfully, her slippers kept her feet from being shredded by the broken glass that now littered the floor. As they made it to their exit, Shinoa handed Warren the bundled infant before climbing through herself. A broken shard ripped a thread off of her robe, but her safety and that of her daughter’s was much more important. Hopefully now everyone was out of the lodge, but now they were exposed to a large amount of firepower. She heard the unmistakable sound of someone reloading, which frightened her a little.

That ended up being Brian. “Crap, I’m down to my last mag. I’m gonna make it count.” He switched the rifle to Semi-Automatic. “Headshots only, Brian...Headshots only.” He said before opening fire once more.

“What do you mean!?” Ralph yelled at Warren “Where the hell…” It hit him like a tonne of bricks. The hazmats had hostages and using children would be a great way to play on people’s weaknesses. Through the pain in his eyes Fisher kicked the side of a wall, letting out an angry yell.
His first move was to get out of the house and from there he could work on trying to get Milly back. Though as his eyes continued to burn and lungs filled with gas Fisher found it harder and harder to get around. He bumped into part of the banisters on his way downstairs, slightly hitting against one of the walls of the lodge. He fell to his knees, coughing violently as it felt like he was about to pass a lung. Keeping low he started to crawl, making his way to the exit.

Mentioned: Rumble Fish (Milly)

 

[Kloudy]

Hector / Aderyn / Luca / Kypher

​

"Jackal-3, move up! Jackal-2 reload and watch our flanks. Jackal-1 move up and I'll lay down cover. Let's do this and go home dammit!"

“PULL THE TRIGGER ON THE IED’S OUT FRONT!” Luca screamed briefly over the radio before lifting his rifle up.

“Not yet… Nearly…”

Kypher was watching when the two soldiers swiftly began approaching the lodge’s main entrance together. Tear gas had been launched at the ground floor, meaning Luca and the others had low visibility now. Still able to see above the rising plume, Kypher was certain that the two individuals he was tracking would run into a playdoh ball each if he timed it right. They disappeared into the smoke. He counted, tracking their progress in his head despite not being able to see them, conjuring a mental map of their positions in relation to the IEDs Luca had thrown. It was fortunate he had a photographic memory as he could recall their exact position and the exact number written on each, which corresponded to a specific radio frequency too long for any normal person to remember.

A second later, the child’s eyes flew open with apathy. He swiftly switched the frequency to playdoh three and spoke into the radio softly.

“Boom.”

There was a loud reverb as the combustion pressure of the device quickly expanded, rupturing anything within a metre radius of the play doh ball. The soldier had unfortunately been standing right in front of the IED and was thus blown backwards by the force, the entire front of his body perforating. Kypher immediately switched the frequency again and triggered number six with a word, the second soldier stumbling backwards as the improvised grenade went off right in front of him. Unfortunately, the man had tripped just as he went into the smoke, throwing the genius’ timing off and bringing him half a metre short of the blast range, causing him to only suffer minor shell shock. Kypher saw the first soldier lying on his back a few metres clear of the cloud, unmoving, but he couldn’t see the second. With a frown of annoyance, he switched the frequency back to Luca’s.

“Confirmed kill on one target near the entrance. I can’t see the other one. Over.”

Well done, kiddo. Luca heard the kid chime through the radio before the tear gas could properly fill the entire first level of the lodge. He quickly stood to his feet, quick to grab Hector and shove Aderyn toward the trap door leading to the cellar. The three disappeared, narrowly avoiding the smoke. Kypher was still upstairs. There was no doubt the teen was going to have to be brave to face the hazmat suits head-on, especially after their plans had changed so drastically.

“Kypher, make your way outside toward a south-east window. Hector will be waiting outside to catch you. Use the landing and look down, you’ll see him.” He called over the radio as he sprinted through the cellar, assuming that both Hector and Aderyn were following close. The man remembered playing around the lodge as a kid and specifically snooping around the cellar. If he remembered correctly…

He used his hands to grasp a wooden stand that was once littered in aged wine bottles. As Luca moved it from the wall, he revealed a small trap door which led to a small underground passage. They would have to crouch low as it was a tight, cramped space. However the three traversed through the passage and eventually took an old, decrepit wooden staircase up. It led to a latch underneath the front porch. Luca pulled himself up onto the dirt, crawling forward a few paces to get out of the way before using the deck’s length as coverage. He removed the strap of his rifle from around his body and took aim, motioning Hector with a hand to move from underneath the porch to catch Kypher. The ex-capo then resumed providing suppressive fire toward the three soldiers coming in from the right side of the lodge’s entrance. One of them was on the ground dead already. The arrow sticking out from his body was undoubtedly Andy’s.

“Copy, mobilising now. Over.”

Wasting no time himself, Kypher returned the binoculars into the folds of his coat and swiftly switched to the south-eastern window of the second floor. The barricading was light as zombies wouldn’t normally climb so high, so Kypher wondered what led the group to bother plugging the second floor up too as he worked on tearing the planks down. It took longer than was comfortable due to his ironic lack of brawn, but the genius was just in time to leap out into the open a whole flight up for Hector to receive him with open arms down below. Grunting lightly on impact, Kypher was released and steadily got his feet with intent to head away from the lodge. Still, he waited for Luca to make a decision before running off by himself. The others were more likely to follow the rifle-wearing thug than the one of two children present.

Aderyn kept herself low on her stomach, keeping herself close to Luca, and firing at the soldiers twice with her handgun. Her head was pounding. The gunshots rang in her ears, and she felt.. Chaotic. A headache, painful, but as much mental as physical. There was no way in hell she was going to hand over her cousin or the woman that brought her to the lodge, even if she could believe that they wouldn’t be harmed - which was unlikely.

One of those shots missed the hazmat it was aiming for entirely. The other bullet found its mark, lodging into the thigh of the hazmat soldier. This was most certainly going to impede the man’s movement as he was forced down to sit down on the ground, writhing in pain.

Meanwhile, Luca crawled out from underneath the porch using his elbows and toes. Still prone, he aimed his rifle up at the unharmed soldier and tapped the trigger before redirecting his scope to the other. Then he quickly pushed his body off of the ground so that he was standing upright. Hector and Kypher were out there unarmed, Aderyn was shooting at them but was proving to be rather unsuccessful. There was certainly no way she could have killed her father, being a shot as lousy as that. He needed to take pressure off of the three at any cost.

The first bullet hit the last uninjured hazmat in the face mask, shattering the glass that protected his face. Unfortunately, due to the position at which Luca had been lying in relation to where the soldier was facing, he was unable to get a direct hit. It was surprising to see that soldier drop to his knees holding his face, screaming at the top of his lungs. The second soldier was hit in a much more vital spot. With a bullet lodged in his thigh and the other in his neck, he dropped back into the grass, blood gurgling in his throat as it filled his mouth. Luca casually walked over to the second soldier and placed the barrel of his rifle against the man’s face mask before pulling the trigger. The body jolted momentarily against the ground before going completely limp.

As Luca and the others finished engaging the soldiers near the front porch, Kypher took the opportunity to make a break for the side of the lodge. Keeping close to the wall so as to not be seen or hit by a stray bullet, he swiftly passed the generator and noticed it had been tampered with. So they had cut the power. The child returned his attention to the lodge’s corner, edging closer and getting low to the ground so as to take a look at the back porch and its surrounding area. Four hazmat soldiers and two hostages. Kypher glanced back to the porch, then under it at the rucksack he’d left tucked away before pulling back and retrieving his radio from his pocket.

“Kypher- I have eyes on two hostages, they are being held by four targets ten metres clear of the back porch. I’ll wait for a better advantage before dispatching them. Over.”

Luca had thrown some of his play doh balls out by the back porch too, roughly seven to thirteen metres out. It was hard to judge exactly where they were due to the long grass and his lack of elevation, but Kypher reckoned he could make out one or two of the small multicoloured balls nearby to the group of soldiers. None of them were close enough to be called a successful hit, but the group of military men had more or less stepped directly into Kypher’s DIY minefield already. He had Luca to thank for his strong haphazard throwing. There were likely four IEDs scattered about the enemy group, so Kypher would have to wait for them to make a move before he could blow them to shit. He routinely kept peeking slowly so as to not draw attention via sudden movements. Even though he was remaining impressively calm throughout this situation, even the child genius was not exempt from the beads of sweat running down his temples. They would prove their own undoing soon. Just a few more steps in any direction...

At this time, the three hazmat soldiers that cleared out the barracks had since moved. Now they were slowly making their way around the side of the lodge, had been making their way from around the side of the house. Judging by the sounds and lack of communication over radio, it was plausible that things weren’t going so well for their comrades out front. They took refuge against both RVs and the shed, waiting in cover to strike.

Elsewhere in the woods behind the barracks, the last hazmat belonging to the fox squad had made contact with a human, presumably who belonged at the lodge. He instantaneously lifted his gun motioning the old man to continue walking. “Stay quiet, and this will be painless.”

 

[Rumble Fish]

The following is a collaboration between Hyped_Taco King Vioogra King Vioogra Corgi Maj and Rumble Fish

Spoiler: Dialogue colour codes

Colt
Ivan
Nile
Leliana
Aubrey

GM POST
If the noise from Nile’s gunshots hadn’t been enough to draw the undead, the shot coming from the suppressed rifle finished the job. The corpses were flooding the area in front of Moe’s before Ivan had acted. He had done a decent job at clearing a space for his companions to exit the building, but how far could they possibly make it? Each group of bumbling, bloated bodies that had been searching for the group that had shot earlier was now alerted to Ivan’s location.

There was no telling how many had found them in this dense, slumish part of the city. Fifty, sixty? Maybe even more. The stream of moans and crys from extended jaws filled the air like cicadas filling the summer air. Their roar was almost deafening at the prospect of a hot meal. There was nothing left for them but to search and seek, longing to sait a hunger that never seemed to fade.

The streets began to fill with bodies. If it weren’t for them being dead, it would be a claustrophobic affair. When some bodies fell, the others continued to trample over them. Moe’s was becoming surrounded on all sides.
-
Nile was just chillin' on the bed, waiting for the rescue party. He heard America talking to Russia over the radio, which was reassuring, but he felt a little uneased as if what they were saying was a lot more important than he was giving it credit for. Eh, it's probably just nerves. So, as I was saying, he was just cilling on the bed, and holy shit what was that noise. He just heard some loud ass noise outside, it sounded like a gunshot, but just the tiniest bit quieter. The sound repeated 5-6 times before stopping. He looked over to Miss America, and he heard the Russian say "All clear" or something. Nile immediately put two and two together. "That fucking idiot!" Nile yelled as he burst out of the bedroom and ran downstairs to the lobby.

"Help me out down here!" Nile yelled up to his team as he began to push the vending machine out of the way. Flicking his gaze to outside, he saw a sizable horde. Okay, what I did was pretty fucking stupid, But that only brought like a dozen zombies. But this, this shit right here, this has got to be on a whole other level Nile thought as he pushed with all hi might. Eventually, with the combined strength of himself and whoever decided to help, they pushed the vending machine away. "RUN TO THE TRUCK!" Nile yelled out to the rest of his team as he ran like hell out of Moe's.

“Wait, Ivan don’t-!” Colt yowled into the radio before hearing the gunfire. It was suppressed but it still enough to attract more Things. She had told him to be quiet! Why was this so difficult for him to understand?! Colt gritted her teeth angrily as Nile jumped up, screaming exactly what Colt had been thinking. As he jumped out, screaming about getting to the truck, Colt did not have time to even think. That was their only chance if they stayed put they’d surely die! Springing up, she grabbed her firearm, desperately trying to keep her breathing straight. She was getting a horrible rush of déjà vu. Trapped in a small place, surrounded by Things, it rushed through her mind that this could be it. But it couldn’t be! She had to get them out of here.

“Grab everything and run!” She grabbed her own bag and things, “GO! NOW!” She shouted at the two women, ushering them out once they had grabbed their things. She would follow them out, staying at the back meant she could keep an eye on everybody. Being the only one capable with a gun, she was the only one who could completely protect them. She kept her gun (also silenced) held tight in her grip. She was thankful for the moonshine. A sober mind would have already broken down in panic at this point. She did not want to go through that again. However, it made running and trying to focus feel floaty and almost like she was on a pocket of air. Hopefully, she could keep it together just long enough.

Oh God, this was the worst possible thing that could ever happen right now, while she was like this. And Leliana didn't know what feeling was worse at the moment, the pain in her head spreading that felt like it was spreading through to her eyes, or the tingling in her hands to where she could barely feel what she was holding onto? All she had hoped for what a smooth supply run, but no. With an apologetic glance to Aubrey, it unfortunate that her first encounter with time was truly a display of idiocy, Leliana zipped up the medkit and slug it over her body. For the first time during their trip, she drew her pistol, there was no point in her keeping it holstered now that they would have to run through the horde in order to escape if she could even stay on her feet that long. "Don't forget your bag Aubrey, let's go!" The nurse said, a slight shake in her voice.

The blonde hurried downstairs, fingers grazing the wall to help her keep balance as if that would do much, quickly following the older woman and then Nile outside. The sunlight hurt, stinging her eyes, intensifying that head-splitting pain but she had no choice but to keep moving. "My house isn't far from here! We-we-we could go there!" She stammered, trying a few times to get the first word out as she ran, the gap for them to break through the ever-growing wall of bodies getting smaller and smaller by the second. Stinging eyes scanned the area for any sign of their Russian companion or a better way out of this mess. But her mind was too clouded to think, and she could only follow after the dumbass who got them into this situation in the first place

Aubrey smiled a genuine smile at the words Colt was saying to her. A good place with doctors and protection… and a baby. ”I can’t imagine bringing a baby into this world…” And for a second, she basked in the feeling of hope she had.

That feeling was short-lived when low shots were fired, and before Aubrey could even say anything, people were up and moving, telling her to get a move on and grab her things- which she indeed did. She flung her jacket back on and took her crowbar in her good arm, picked up the duffle bag and swung that over her head, making sure it was secure before bolting.

Aubrey wanted to help Leliana. She was still pale and was growing even paler from the fear. She thought about picking her up, but when she got a good look at the horde outside the two glass doors, the thought was whisked away. She slammed herself against the vending machine Nile was pushing and moved it, the loud screeching of the metal against tiles sent a shiver down her spine.

If it wasn’t for the fact she didn’t have time to think, she would’ve been panicking a great deal. Thankfully, or maybe not thankfully, everything was happening too fast for her to properly process what was happening. Aubrey grabbed Leliana’s hand and dragged her out the doors after Nile. They didn’t have much time but if she needed to go at the same speed the girl was in order to get everyone out, then so be it.

Ivan looked to his left as he let go of the radio, clicking his tongue in frustration as he stood. 'Of course there's more. There's always more of these fucking things.' The Russian thought loudly to himself as he stood from where he was and looked around, seeing that everyone had already cleared out from Moe's and was heading in the opposite direction. He quickly followed them, staying behind them a bit to keep any stragglers from falling behind. Speaking of stragglers, it didn't take long for Ivan to notice the new warm body among them.

'Hm. Looks like I'll be giving the idiot a finger instead of taking one.' He thought to himself as he ran to keep up with them. It wasn't exactly hard to get away from the infected shambling behind them, but they'd also hold their attention for a good while. Once they'd created a decent gap, Ivan stopped and raised the but of his rifle above his head, intending to drop it down in the hood of the car and set off its alarm. He stopped before he even began its descent and shook his head, knowing more noise would do nothing but add to their already long list of problems. Ivan quickly lowered the rifle and continued running after the rest of the group.

"DONT LOOK BACK! KEEP RUNNING!" Colt roared, there was no point in being quiet anymore, it was now or never. They had to get to the truck and out of there! She had heard Leliana pipe up about being close to her home but she couldn't respond. Her priority was to get everyone safe. She had to find Jenna and Cletus, surely the horde would quickly clock onto them too!

Pulling the keys from her pocket, she clicked them to open the truck as they drew closer. "GET IN!" She yelled. The advantage she had from being behind meant she could watch them all and keep the Things at bay if they got too close. Her gun was raised the whole time. They had to get in now! Under her panic, the veteran was seething with fury. Everything was growing tight, her breathing became harder like trying to do so through a straw. All she could do was hope she could repress it long enough until they were safe.

Nile ran like hell was after him, which it was, to the truck. He was just behind Colt, making him the second farthest from the horde. Approaching the truck, Nile ran and jumped into the bed of the truck at the exact moment Colt yelled "GET IN!". He looked back to the others, seeing a trail of sixty zombies following behind them. "This is so not cool" Nile hissed as he waited for the others to get in with baited breath.

Keeping hold of Aubrey's hand was the only thing making sure the nurse didn't fall. Panic kept one foot going in front of the other, the thunderous sounds of what seemed like hundreds of other soles on the pavement surrounding them joining creating an unholy orchestra. Leliana was sure they were going to be consumed by the crowd of bloodied teeth and decaying flesh, their last sights the broken streets of Aurora. But they kept running, her lungs burning as she just barely managed to keep up with Aubrey, her hand desperate clinging to the other girl. She was prying she didn't let go, not until they were at the truck, not until they were safe.

Speaking of the truck, it was not a sight for sore eyes once it was finally back in view. Just a few yards remained, but those few yards we're still covered in what could be their final resting place if they weren't fast enough, if they couldn't dodge quick enough. And the noise from driving the truck would only make the horde follow, but at this point, they had no choice! From just over her shoulder, she heard Colt scream at them to get in, Leliana holstering her pistol to have a free hand left her and the other girl defenceless, but the door swinging open seconds after they reached the truck. "In the backseat!" She commanded as Nile hoped in the bed of the truck, letting Aubrey get in the safety of the cab first, before following as soon as she was inside. Ivan and Colt would have to hurry, they didn't have long.

The noise faded out after her feet hit the pavement, only the blood pumping through her veins was audible. Everything else around Aubrey seemed to move in slow motion. The outstretched hands and dropped jaws that barely missing them as they sprinted past all seemed impossibly slow. Once thing she noticed was her whole body was numb… Well, numb and tingly if that could happen at the same time.

But just as everything appeared to be moving slow, she was in the truck what felt like a second later. Diving into the backseat and dragging Leliana with her. She flung herself at the truck door, slammed it closed, and collapsed. Aubrey was a mess. She hadn’t let go of Leliana’s hand since she got into the truck and was now sitting in the floorboard of the backseat, knees to her chest.

Too much was happening all at once. She felt like the world was collapsing on top of her. The blood pounded in her ears. Her heart thudded in her chest. Her hands shook and her feet tingled. Her vision disfigured as if she were looking through a fish-eyed lens. She had to get away. She clutched to Leliana’s hand as her breathing quickened and she started to hyperventilate.

She felt like she was dying. She was being suffocated in the car and she didn’t know what to do. Everything seemed unnecessarily bright and loud. Aubrey clenched her eyes closed, and flung her free hand to her chest, drumming steadily and trying to calm herself down. Everything was happening too fast and there was nothing she could do about it. Absolutely nothing.

Ivan continued to sprint towards the truck, only picking up his speed once everyone else had reached it. He practically tossed his rifle into the bed of the truck and hurled himself over the edge, landing hard on his side and probably ramming into Nile depending on where he was. As soon as the Russian had landed, he whipped back up to a sitting position and ripped his rifle from where it'd been laying on the floor of the vehicle. He propped it on the side of the bed and looked down the sights. There was no point holding back anymore, with the truck they'd draw attention whether he shot or not. So why not drop the number a bit? The Russian popped a few shots off, dropping a few of the infected in front as the ones behind them practically tripped over the now twice dead. "Get us out of here!" He said as he continued firing.

Colt was forced to fire a few shots at some Things that came far too close for comfort. The ever-closing gap caused her heart rate to spike higher, she could hear the blood pounding in her ears. The sight of her group finally making it to the truck and clamouring in gave her some hope. She practically flew into the driver's seat, pulling the door shut with her foot.

She ignored Ivan's demands as she fired up the truck and, with a screech of the gears, raced out onto the road. The horde howled like an unholy demon and began to stumble after then but Colt was driving too fast for them. Her dirty forehead and face were clammy and under the grime it was clearly white with rage, terror and despair. Her bone-white hands shook as they gripped the wheel so hard, they'd leave a dent. She didn't look at Ivan. Or any of them. Her eyes kept forward. Her apartment was several streets away. They could stop there to come up with another game plan. She did not say a word and she did not plan to unless she absolutely had to.

Then again, what was the point? She might as well just go home because what effect did she have? None. Might as well just let them run free and do whatever the fuck they want. They did that anyway.
​

 

[Hyped_Taco]

(too lazy to put a photo)
This is a collab between Maj Brax TheTreForce and the one and only, the mighty Hyped_Taco
​

The teen stood up quietly, making his way back out of that room just as the tear gas kicked on the other side. One second turned to two. Then an explosion of the IED’s that Luca had placed out front detonated. Provided with it was the screams of one soldier, followed by another. It was at this moment that Tre decided it was time to act. If he was going to get out alive, there was no way the sixteen year old was going to do so without getting blood on his hands.

Kypher passed him briefly - claiming that one was confirmed dead by use of his radio. Tre was going to use this information to his advantage. Chances were there were other soldiers outside that were disoriented. He could clear out a few with ease. Of course, Warren didn’t want to deal with it - in reality, Tre didn’t either. The reality was that he was one of the few currently left in the lodge that had a fighting chance to survive. He wasn’t going to be able to get through multiple groups of hazmat soldiers. If they were surrounded, he had to fight. In addition to this, Tre had to fall back on the support of both Andy and Warren without having proper time to state his intentions.

The redhead darted out of Owen’s room, dazed. She had a front row seat to the explosion that had disgustingly disposed of the soldiers in the front yard. She coughed, pulling the collar of her shirt up over her nose as she searched for Tre and the others. The whole lodge was filling up with gas. She saw Tre inside Shinoa’s room and panicked. They had a mother and a newborn in a lodge full of gunfire and chemicals.

“Warren,” Andy addressed the male, voice muffled from her shirt. “Get them the hell out of here. Take the fat one with you. You are the only one strong enough to carry them out, we can’t stay here.” Another cough as she struggled to breath with the incoming gas.

Tre ran off and a cloud of smoke restricted Warren's sight on the hazmats out the window. He got up immediately and turned to follow the rascal but ran into Andy in the hall. Tre was nowhere in sight. The gas made its way to his location and he rubbed his eyes briefly before being sent into a mild coughing fit. "Alright, I agree. Where-" He was cut off by another tickle in his throat, "EHEM, where is the fatty? I lost track of Tre." The man's words came out a little loud due to all of the background noise.

“I’ll get Tre. If you can’t find Micheal leave his ass behind. Just get outside.” Andy didn’t wait to see if Warren listened, but instead darted into Shinoa’s room, bow at the ready.

Moments after the hazmats threw their tear gas into the lodge, the effects of it did not take long to affect Michael. His skin and eyes felt as if they were burning, he felt an immense amount of pain across his chest and worst of all, his sight was momentarily diminished due to the gas as well. He was still confused as to why their attackers specifically wanted Brasi and the red-headed girl; Once the girl told Warren to leave Michael behind if he could not find him the neckbeard responded ¨W-wait!¨ he coughed twice due to the tear gas ¨Im here, Don't leave me!!¨ the neckbeard said to let the others know where he was exactly.

Tre held his breath as he made his way through the gas, tearing eyes stinging as he jumped through the window and onto the small landing just outside. Not losing a step of momentum, his feet skid against the shingles - kicking them up before he launched himself from the ledge. He hit the ground with a swift roll and continued running, ravenously tossing the machete in his right hand at the far Jackal soldier. The blade spun in the air twice before plunging through the neck of the far hazmat soldier, blood spraying out from his neck like a fountain as he dropped back onto the grass deceased. Following up, Tre quickly spun in attempt to slice the downed Hazmat’s neck with the opposite blade. He missed horribly, his blade sticking into the dirt. Blades of grass kicked up into the air as he carefully watched the disoriented hazmat soldier and ripped it from the ground. He was still surrounded, though by two as opposed to three.

The disoriented member of Jackal team found himself instantly blessed with sobriety at the near decapitation. "Contact!" He screamed, simultaneously bringing his rifle to bear squeezing the trigger. The call brought the attention of the second remaining member of Jackal who turned and snapped his sights on the young lad with the machete, placing far more accurate shots than the downed soldier.

Tre had taken notice that the dazed soldier had lifted his rifle. Just as he prepared to shoot, the teen slammed the toe of his boot into the nozzle of the gun, kicking it upwards. The shot went off into the air, narrowly missing the teen’s face as a second shot went off. His adrenaline continued surging even as the bullet passed clean through his forearm. Tre grit his teeth, yelling through closed lips as he frantically grabbed the machete with his good hand and swiped at the dazed hazmat’s head. The blade slashed the soldier’s head clean off, forcing it to roll a few meters away as the limp body dropped silently to the grass. The teen began to run off toward the first soldier he killed, refusing to be a stationary target for the last remaining Jackal. He was feeling increasingly tired from the amount of blood he was losing, but Tre couldn’t rest yet.

“Alright. Keep the hostages steady. I’m going in to retrieve the targets.” The leader put up a hand to enunciate his order to the three soldiers he left behind. With the place now full of gas, it would surely be easy enough to find either Andrea Jordan or Luca Brasi and get out. The civilians here were more feisty than the commanding officer had anticipated. He put the loud speaker up to his mouth once more.

“If I do not get my hands on Jordan and Brasi in the next ten minutes. We will euthanize both of these girls. Do not test me.” He threw the megaphone on the ground, and started walking up toward the back porch of the lodge.

Upon seeing the hazmat soldier move, Kypher immediately drew his radio out once more and flicked the dial to the correct frequency to the play doh ball he had left on the back porch’s table. It had remained there ever since he had jokingly rolled it to Colt, much to her dismay. As the soldier climbed the steps and stepped onto the planks a meter away from the play-doh ball, Kypher once again spoke into his radio.

“Checkmate.”

The explosion that went off was perfectly timed, if the soldier hadn’t hesitated at the last possible second he would have been dissolved to a pile of meat-colored goo. Instead, he was merely caught off guard. The sound was loud, if it weren’t for the protective gear that they wore on their ears it might have been deafening. Stumbling back, the commanding officer did his best to regain his composure, searching for the source of the attack. The porch was splintered, wood and glass shattered in the yard at his feet. Realizing his attack had failed, Kypher’s face contorted with anger and he pulled back behind the corner some. It was fine, he’d just get the rest of those yellow-clad men some ten meters away and someone else could deal with the newcomer.

If only Andy had been a few steps quicker, she might have been able to keep Tre from getting a bullet in his arm. Her body acted before her mind could go through the motions of problem solving. It was getting hard to see from all the gas, but she was used to lining up shots without a clear target. Deer and birds often darted behind treelines, this was no different.

She had to work mostly off memory and the flashes of gunfire that could be seen through the haze. Her arrow knocked, pulled to her cheek bone in familiar fashion, but before she could pull off the shot a cough erupted from her covered mouth and she was forced to lower her bow to regain her composure. Andy couldn’t stay here much longer.

When she had enough air in her lungs to hold her breath, Andy took the shot. She let her instincts lead her, the adrenaline pumping through her veins heightening her reflexes. There was no way to watch the arrow through the yellowed air, but she heard his gunfire cease and the thud of his body collapsing to the ground.

Using the tree for coverage, Tre dropped his machete and ripped off a large portion of his shirt. Using his free hand and his teeth he managed to tie a tight knot around the wound using the fabric of his shirt to slow the bleeding. The pain was immense - it hadn’t been the first time Tre was shot but this somehow felt worse than when he took a bullet in his right shoulder. He rested his head against the tree before briefly peering down to see his first confirmed kill only a few feet away. Tre quickly withdrew his machete, placing it into one of his sheaths before scuffling a few feet over to retrieve his weapon from the deceased man. While he was there, he cut a vertical line down the suit to see his torso covered by a kevlar chest piece. He raised an eyebrow before quickly unclipping it. Tre, using a foot, stood briefly to roll the body over with his foot before removing the vest and putting it on himself.

Due to the tear gas having left Michael with a temporary decrease of sight, and with the threat of being left behind by the rest of the group the man desperately began running after the first silhouette he saw, assuming it was Warren´s one. When he finally caught up with the person he assumed was Warren, Michael rubbed his eyes and managed to observe that he had followed the wrong person. He had just fucked up… Again; he had not followed Warren, he followed the red-haired girl from before, ¨A dammit!¨ the neckbeard said.

 

[The Mad Queen]

The following is a collab between myself and Hyped_Taco
Green = Cletus, Purple = Jenna

The girl kept low and quiet. The dead would soon be on top of them unless they kept moving so that's what she did. Within a few minutes, keeping off of streets that were now starting to fill up with infected due to a woman's screams they made it to the general store.
Somebody had been there before. Perhaps the lodge group or other survivors, for a number of shelves had been ransacked.

She led Cletus inside and shut the door, shoving a few shopping carts against it once she noticed the coast was clear. It wouldn't hold long, but at the very least the clattering of the trolleys would alert them to any infected or anything else that tried to make it in. Cammy's tail started to wag, for the dog noticed a few opened packets of food that she started to chow down on. Mostly moulded bread but a few biscuits that were scattered across the floor.

Jenna let out a sigh. She'd wanted to help that woman but bringing her back to the lodge could have gotten people killed. Maybe if they had more time the girl could've talked her down.
She went into her bag, taking out a few goods she'd picked up from the pharmacy.
"Alright, sit down and lift your shirt up." Jenna ordered.

The slash Cletus had just received to the chest shouldnt have came at such the surprise it had just been, seeing that this lady didnt appear to be on her full faculties since the start. Yet still, the slash he received passed faster than the time it took the redneck to say "Holy shit".

At first he didnt even notice he had been stabbed until blood started emerging from his chest, and when he finally seemed to notice it the pain arrived; dear god did it hurt, it may not have been that deep but he still had just been effin stabbed. He was shocked from what had happened in less than a minute, but he had to snap out of it when Jenna basically told him to run.

When they finally got into the store and his companion confirmed that the coast was cleared Cletus finally sat down and lifted his shirt, just as Jenna had told him to do "So... How bad Is it?" He asked

"It's capillary." Jenna explained "So long as it doesn't become infected it should clot by itself. All I need to do here is clean it and cover the thing up."
She got to work, going into the rucksack and digging through some of the medical supplies. Laying out gauze and some antibiotic gel she'd picked up at the pharmacy.
"I'm going to need some running water. Give me a moment."
The girl made her way through the general store, still checking around every corner for signs of infected on her way to the back where the bathroom was. After checking the stalls she made her way over to the sink and turned the tap. Nothing.
"Shit." She muttered. Of course the hazmats had cut off the water supply. With a heavy sigh she went to plan B, and on her way back to where Cletus was sitting picked up a bottle of Vodka. She knew it wasn't the most effective method but she'd just have to make do for now.

With a bottle of Vodka in hand she sat down by Cletus side.
"This is going to sting like a motherfucker. You might want to bite down on something." She handed the redneck a ruler and began by pouring Vodka onto the surface of the wound. After a few moments she dried it using clean wipes and applied the antibiotic gel, laying the final touches with the gauze to keep it covered up.

"That'll do for now. I'll want to take a look at it again when we're back at the lodge."
Jenna stood back up "We still have a mission. Grab food, clothes and anything else you think might be useful in here."
Jenna's rucksack was getting heavier and heavier by the moment but she pressed onwards. There wouldn't be any feed for the chickens in here but she made do with corn, while picking up two bags of dried dog food for Cammy.
She let out a grumble in frustration, for the girl could not carry any more. That was when she saw her saving grace, in the form of school backpacks. With a grin she skipped towards them, and took two for good measure. They were a lot smaller, as after all they were designed for carrying pencilcases rather than large amounts of food but the girl could make do.

She stuffed one to the brim with canned goods, or at least what was left in the store and went for clothes next. Although a few coats had been taken as survivors prepared to brace for Colorado weather, nobody had a need for baby clothes. Jenna grabbed what she could and stuffed into into the school backback.
There were still some clothes left but Jenna just couldn't carry any more. Instead, she instructed Cletus on what to grab while she made a quick peak into the clothing section once more. Food, blankets and winter clothing were on the Redneck's shopping list.

When they finally entered the store and Jenna finally informed him of his newly aquired injury, Cletus sighed while keeping a firm grasp over his now bloodied jacket before responding ¨Well, hurray for my bleedin' injury not bein' fatal, cheers!¨ The redneck sarcastically said with the cheers being the fakest british accent the man could make.

When Jenna got up to get some water to clean the injury, Cletus began to reconsider the life choices that got him right here and now; some of these being accepting passing through this town nearly a week ago, choosing this exact state to begin the vacation in and then there was his favorite one, getting out of the lodge due to the fatass eating two plates of eggs. When he saw Jenna returning with vodka it could only mean one of two things, she lied and he was about to die due to the slash of the knife or there was no water at all… he put his money on the last one ¨Let me guess, water supply is out right?¨ when she confirmed it Cletus had one worry out of his chest.
He had grown in a small Alabamian town, so he already had had his fair share of cuts that where then treated by alcohol by his dad; still, he put the ruler on his mouth and waited for the girl to clean the wound, and when she finally did it hurt like a mf. When it was finally done,he was promptly told to continue getting supplies.

He grabbed his backpack and begin throwing in anything useful he could find; but then the redneck finally something crucial he had left outside ¨Hey so uhh... hehe, i think i forgot good old caroline outside¨ Cletus told Jenna, referencing his revolver.

Jenna just shrugged in response to Cletus' question about the water. There wasn't really a whole lot she could do, and the Vodka was just a plan B anyway. If he was going to complain to her about it, the girl just wasn't going to have it. Too much had gone wrong as it was.
Thankfully Cletus didn't seem to mind all that much.

After patching him up, Jenna looked over at Cammy who was sniffing the isles in search of food and placed the two school backpacks on the dog. It was easy enough to attach given the dog didn't seem to mind, instead gently wagging her tail while looking up at Jenna.

"Who's Caroline?" She asked Cletus, her eyebrow raising slightly when it hit her. People named their boats and their guns so he had to be talking about the latter "We're going to need to head out as is so I'm sure you can just pick her back up again."

She made a few final adjustments to the rucksack. Her shoulders started to sting as the weight of the thing pulled on the girl but it would be a minor pain compared to the hunger she'd feel over the next few days, or to the bollocking she'd get from other people at the lodge for failing to bring back supplies.
"Ivan didn't leave us with a radio so we need to get back to the pharmacy." She gave Cletus another shrug "Same as before, we keep off the streets and hopefully you can pick up...Caroline on the way."

 

[Rumble Fish]

The following is a collaboration between Hyped_Taco King Vioogra King Vioogra Corgi and Rumble Fish

Spoiler: Dialogue colour codes

Colt
Ivan
Nile
Leliana
Aubrey

She felt like she couldn't breathe. Like she was drowning above ground like someone had a hold of her throat and was trying to strangle her. The aluminium bat fell to the floor of the truck, her now free hand moving to grip her shirt. Leliana could feel her heart racing, her chest rising and falling almost as quick as her heartbeat. Her head was throbbing, the pain enough to bring tears to her eyes, Leliana didn't even notice when the truck started moving. She felt her body fling back with the force, but when she looked up, things seemed to be going in slow motion, the sound seemed to be absent or muffled, but honestly, Leliana at this point couldn't tell.

Then suddenly, it all returned, hitting her with the force of her head hitting the ground at Moe's. They were speeding through the streets, infected trying to follow by not being able to keep up with truck thanks to the reckless speed at which Colt was booking it, Leliana couldn't help but remember Andy. "Colt," the nurse said, her voice quiet, slurred almost as it almost seemed like she was struggling to speak. "Colt...re-remember Andy and Luca crashed." She managed to lean forward, finally letting go of Aubrey's hand, "Have to be careful." At the moment, she couldn't recall if Andy had told her what they had crashed on or not, but she knew it probably wasn't natural. The one thing she could recall was the surroundings "My house is...not far. If we can't make it to wherever you're planning."

Ivan was still in the bed of the truck as they sped recklessly down the street. He was as adamant about getting away from the infected as Colt was, but this was a bit much. As much as he wanted to say something, he decided against it, as they were all pretty pumped up with adrenaline at this point and the faster they got somewhere safe the better. As the Russian took a deep breath in, he decided to take stock of the bullets he had left. He released the magazine from his rifle and slid out each of the bullets, adding one because of the bullet that remained in the chamber. After getting the count, he added 30 for each magazine he carried, which was 3 including the one he'd been using. After getting his exact count, he loaded the bullets back into the magazine and inserted the magazine back into the rifle, exhaling sharply as he heard the metallic click of the mechanism.

As they sped down the street, Nile only thought one thing. This has been a really shitty day. First my dumbass stands up, and then those zombies bumrushed me because of it. in my defense, I didn't standing up would make a difference, and who the hell am I explaining myself too. Back to the course of events. Then, I fired up two shots because I had no choice, and that brought in a horde. Boy oh boy that sure did fucking suck! And finally, the Russian comes in and somehow makes things worse! God, this is the worst weekday of my life. Nile thought as they drove along.

Colt’s throat vibrated in a prolonged and furious growl as she drove, eventually slowing the truck down the further they got from Moe’s. All she could hope was that, now they were out of range, the Things would become disoriented and not know where they went. Her apartment was close at this point. She gave Leliana a look through the side of her eye as she mentioned her own place. Briefly removing a clammy hand from the steering wheel, she flashed the nurse an ‘okay’ sign before resuming her focus. She could hear Ivan firing from the back as they left the area which only made that growl grow longer, louder and guttural. Rage pulsed through her veins and she was fighting every fibre of her being to simply stop and throw both him and Nile out. They caused this. Luca was going to kill her for not getting what he requested but what could she do?

Glancing up, she looked up to the building as she pulled the truck over. As the truck rattled off, she turned to look at everybody with a glare, flames dancing behind her pupils. The next person to disobey her orders and put them all in danger was not coming back with them. She could not afford any more liabilities. With just a grunt sounding vaguely like “Come.” She jumped out of the truck, keeping her M4 armed and ready. The block was empty the last she was here but she could not be too careful. Before heading inside, she turned again to the group. All they got as a command was a furious sigh through the teeth and a finger to her lips. Silence or else.

Aubrey... Did not come. She didn't move. If Leliana tried to move, the grip on her hand was keeping her from doing so. The tiredness and panic that she had experienced over the past week finally settled in and she continued to cry, hyperventilating and coughing, not knowing what was happening. Stuff like this had happened before but she never knew what it was. The hand drumming on her chest continued to do saw, but harder. It was rubbing her chest raw but she just couldn't stop.

She wanted to run but she couldn't' feel her legs. She wanted to call out to Colt or Leliana but any sound she tried to make was muted. Nothing she wanted to do was working right. She felt stupid. Why couldn't she do anything right?

Before she could enter the building, the sound of crying and coughing caught her attention. She turned to see the new addition to their fold, Aubrey. The woman seemed distressed, which instantly softened the veteran’s hard glare. She could not hold it against her. But she also could not have her making this kind of noise. Not after what just happened. She gave the others a gesture, telling them to head inside before turning back to Aubrey. With a sigh, she went back to the truck, opened the back door and leant in.

“Hey.” The scarred veteran spoke in a whisper, her voice low and guttural, her throat still sore from the force used to shout during that flurry of panic, “Look at me. They’re gone, we’re safe… for now anyway. If ya come with us, we’re goin’ to my apartment, it’ll be safe. There’s water and ya can lie on the couch, let yerself calm down. Okay?” she spoke, holding a hand out for the girl to grab. She did not want to leave her out here, if she kept crying, it could alert more to their presence.

Ivan hopped out of the bed of the truck as it came to a stop, putting his rifle on his back since he hopefully wouldn't be using it anymore for the duration of their run through the city. Instead of the rifle, the man pulled his knife from its scabbard on his thigh. He held it at the ready as he heard crying from the truck and looked over to see their new member in a state of panic. He was about to comfort her when Colt beat him to it, telling the girl everything was safe. Ivan decided to head inside instead if staying behind to eavesdrop. Once he was inside with the others that were there, a short sigh escaped him as he leaned against a nearby wall.

"Au-Aubrey, look at me," Leliana told her, once Colt had finished speaking. The other blonde was having a panic attack, something Leliana was unfortunately all too familiar with. Once Aubrey had done what Leliana asked, she made sure they kept eye contact. "Colt is right. Every...everything is fine, so listen to me. You're going to have to try to take a deep breath." She was speaking slowly so Aubrey could pay attention, but also so Leliana could focus on getting the correct words out. Her head was still on fire, mind clouded, but Aubrey needed more help than she did right now.

"Okay, inhale. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven," She paused, having Aubrey hold it, before continuing, "Exhale. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven." She would have the girl repeat the process a few more times, hoping to see the other blonde calm down. They probably only had a few minutes to spare. And this was how Leliana's mom calmed her down, how her therapist did. It always managed to help her, and so Leliana was silently praying that it was helping Aubrey. "We need to get upstairs," She said softly, after the fifth or sixth set of inhales and exhales. "Take Colt's hand."

Aubrey's shut eyes slowly opened to look at Colt, filled with fear and worry. She listened and glanced at the hand. She felt that if she stopped drumming she would fall apart. She glanced away before meeting Leliana's gaze. Aubrey nodded at everything she said, maybe a bit too much, but she breathed with her, it gave her something to focus on. She continued to stare at her while she did it until she felt like she could move again. The feeling in her feet came back to her but she was flooded with exhaustion. Too tired to say anything or even thank her, she took Colt's hand, and got out of the truck, helping Leliana out, too.

Aubrey was immensely sore. Her whole body ached (what's new) from her muscles being tense for the panic attack. She wanted to lay down and cry but she felt like she didn't have the energy for that either. After Leliana was out of the car, she realized the girl had a head injury. Quickly, or as quickly as an exhausted person could, she wrapped a hand around her waist to give her support before giving a little nod and letting Colt lead the way.

After getting everyone accounted for, Colt led the shaking blonde into the building accompanied by her fold. Despite her fury towards the two men, she could not show it. Ivan was stubborn and she knew that tearing into him (despite deserving it) would only cause further conflict within the group and she needed them behind her; especially now. Once they had gotten to her door, Colt took out her keys and turned the lock. She turned to the two males.

“Keep. Watch.” She told them bluntly before allowing Leliana and Aubrey to come in with her. She did not trust Nile with her gun-den, a man that mental with that kind of access would kill them all and Ivan, he had seen it already and she did not want to leave Nile to his own devices. Once inside the apartment, Colt crinkled her nose at the smell. She forgot it smelled this bad. The veteran pulled open the blinds and windows and swept the couch clean of whatever junk was on it, turning to the blonde. “Here. Lie here for a bit, let yerself relax. Leli and I will do everything else.” She instructed Aubrey before heading into the gun den to root through everything and begin filling the duffle bag inside with ammo and weapons.

Ivan did as he was told with a sigh, pretty surprised that she didn't immediately explode on him. It was an inevitable event that would happen no matter what he did, but it was good that it didn't happen now. The man leaned against the side of the door quietly, looking around as he held his knife in his hand. Once the adrenaline that was pumping through the Russian's system finally wore off, he allowed himself to slide down the wall into a sitting position, an exhausted sigh escaping from him. This supply run had done a full 180, and he probably wouldn't even get the chance to get the stuff he needed for the alarm system. That paired with the mattresses they weren't able to get, it would be a total bust without Jenna and Cletus. Hopefully they'd made it along just fine and were getting the vaccinations for the infant back at the lodge.

When Colt ordered the two to keep watch, Nile almost immediately saw what was going on. As Colt walked inside, Nile just stared dumbfounded at the door. "Are fucking kidding me? She actually thinks I'm that stupid?" Nile whispered from where he leaned against the wall adjacent to the door. "Can you believe this? One slip up, given a big one, but ONE slip up, and I'm treated like retarded puppy that keeps crapping on the rug." Nile said aloud, to the point where Ivan could hear.

Before Colt could tell her to lay down, she was on that couch and practically passed out. Aubrey didn't notice her telling the boys to stay outside. She couldn't think up a thank you or an apology for freaking out- and she certainly didn't notice the mess in the room. She was so tired. The running, the aching, the pain, all of the weird emotions bundled up in her stomach... It was all too much. She plopped on the couch, a hand on her hat and the other wrapper around herself before falling onto her side. As soon as her head hit the alcoholic-smelling couch, she was out and probably wasn't going to wake up anytime soon.​

 

[FireMaiden]

This is a collab between FireMaiden and Rumble Fish
​

Leliana hated the smell. Stale beer and old take out, almost like Moe's, but just slightly off the mark. Thankfully, a human's sense of smell could adjust and get used to the scent of its surroundings quickly, so while the smell that seemed to permeate most of the living room was causing the throbbing of her head to get more intense, she knew it would only take a few minutes to get used to. And seeing as how she wouldn't have the chance to rest, that was a good thing. Aubrey got to claim the couch once Colt had cleaned it off, Leliana slowly moving to the window in order to get a look outside. Or at least as best she could. The horde couldn't keep up, which was good, but the sound from the truck appearing might have prompted more Infected to crawl out of whatever hole they were hiding in. It worried Leliana because running was one thing, she could just manage that. But fighting? Leliana wasn't sure if she could keep a good grip on the bat long enough to do anything useful. Staring out and overthinking wouldn't help anyway, and Leliana managed to pull herself away in time to follow Colt.

The gun den was...impressive? Or worrying, Leliana didn't know which. Perhaps a combination of both. "I've never seen so many in one place before, " Leliana said softly, leaning her bat up against the wall. "It's-it's cool?" She sounded unsure, but regardless of what she felt, she began to help Colt pack up ammunition. After all, they needed weapons.

Colt stayed quiet for a few moments as she counted everything up, looking to Leli as she complimented the den. She paused and took out her Colt.45, taking that moment to polish it with some gun oil. Once she had, despite the weapon still being almost spotless, she placed it on a table near Leliana before counting some more boxes.

“Thanks.” She replied stoically, “Don’t shoot most of ‘em. But… they,” she was unsure as to what she could still say. The veteran looked to the nurse before continuing. She paused for a moment, looking back the handgun she had just polished with a long sigh and her eyes shut. “It’s my fault. I should’ve been at the back. Could ‘ave stopped ‘im from standin’ up. I almost got us all killed. Again.” She grumbled darkly, shoulders hunched and back to the nurse. Whether or not she was speaking to Leliana was not clear. Going into the rucksack, she pulled out the moonshine, the only good thing to come from that wretched hive. Apart from Aubrey of course. She was glad they could get her out there alive.

"Come in handy?" Leliana managed a chuckle, pausing her slow packing of a duffle bag fo bring a bow close, then further out trying to read it. The text seemed fo be spinning, going in and out of focus multiple times in a row before she could manage to determine what they were. Screws, small ones, but still useful and I to the bag they went. "Everyone laughs at the rednecks til the apocalypse," She said slowly, hands dropping to her side as she shifted to sit up against the clear wall. "Sorry...I can't really tell what all I'm putting in there, I can't exactly see straight." Again, her words were slow, Leliana focusing on trying to get them right. The pain killer she took a little while ago didn't seem to be helping much. "I can keep yoou company though." She paused for a moment, looking up at Colt. The older woman was still angry, Leliana could feel it radiating from her like a furnace. "If-if that's okay?"

“Yeah. Handy.” Colt sighed as she turned around to look at the nurse as she spoke up again while sliding against the wall. With a huff, she shook her head, “Just rest. I’ll do this.” She continued packing things, taking another swig of moonshine as she did, causing her to stumble back slightly as she tilted it back. The veteran looked down as the nurse offered to keep her company. She simply blinked slowly in response. This was all very familiar to Colt. Back at her place after a disastrous trip, at her lowest point.

Wiping her mouth with her sleeve, Colt continued to rummage, taking sips of booze as she went. “If ya can, mind giving this another rub?” she asked, holding up her .45 despite just polishing it, “I just… Please be careful with it.” She went to hand it to her before letting out a sigh, “I’m sorry for getting’ ya into this.” She added before taking an AK47 to inspect.

"I still can't believe that Micheal threw this beauty," Leliana paused for a second, looking around her immediate area for a microfibre cloth, "At a moose." The thought of him being attacked by them was still quite funny, despite the fact he could have been killed...or maybe that's why it was funny? Oh God, that was a morbid thought. Leliana shook her head slightly, reaching for a nearby orange cloth, she put it on the ground in front of her. Next, she slid the slide back, unloading both the bullet in the chamber and the clip, placing them on the cloth at her feet, Leliana raised it slightly. "Was this a gift?" She asked, glancing up at Colt, "Also, I could clean it...I know how to."

“That’s what happened? He’s fuckin’ lucky it didn’t break. I swear,” Colt responded, having not heard the details of how he lost her firearm she huffed with a shake of the head but stopped as Leli then questioned where the gun came from. Her head stopped and she shook it slightly. “Uh, no. It-It belonged to, well, it belonged to a friend.” She added with a sigh. She was unsure as to if she could really explain to her the significance of the gun. She had not openly spoken about Sasha to anybody, not even her father although he knew.

“If you could, thanks.” She added before finishing up her job. However, the image of Sasha filled her mind. Her bright smile, her laugh, her flowing red locks, stunning hazel eyes… everything she’d never get to see again. All Colt could do at that point was bend over the worktable with a shaky sigh, desperate to hold back the urge to cry. She couldn’t. Not now. Not ever; too many people depended on her to be strong.

Colt didn't do a good a job at hiding the fact the gun held a special place in her heart. And Leliana wasn't sure if she should press. The keyword here belonged. Leliana could only speculate on what happened, but...Colt was a veteran, maybe her friend served with her? Maybe war claimed more than it should have. "Your friend was lucky then," Leliana said softly, putting the slid back in place before she moved the barrel bushing out of the way so she could remove the front plug. "She knew you, and this gun is really nice. I like the horses." Next, the slide stop was removed, before the slide and barrel were removed and dismantled, Leliana wasn't lying about knowing how to clean a gun. And it obviously wasn't her first time. Next, she opened the medical bag still hanging off her shoulders and grabbed a few q-tips, so that she could clean the little nooks and crannies that were prone to building up dirt. But she also needed some oil. Looking back up, Leliana felt like she did something wrong, opening her mouth to say something, before shutting it. Her eyes drifted back to the gun in her hands, then back to Colt, "I'm sorry, I-I didn't want to bring up a snesit- sensiti-, " She seemed to be struggling with the word sensitive. "Sen-set-ive, topic."

“Hm. Lucky.” She sighed melancholily, “Dunno if knowin’ me is… lucky.” She took a moment to finish that sentence, genuinely unsure if she could continue. She looked to the woman, a little worried as she seemed to be struggling with her words. If she really was concussed, all she could do was pray that it was not that bad. Then again, when did God ever answer any of her prayers? She blinked a few times, “No, no yer okay um, its fair to ask.” She just did not know if she could go on. Taking on more moonshine, she watched her anxiously. The pair were awful quiet outside. Hopefully they weren't planning something. “Y’okay?”

"Of course knowin you is lucky. If we were out here with jus the boys it...probably wouldn't end well." It already wasn't on the path to not ending well, and as Leliana scrubbed the built-up grime from the slide rails, that reality seemed just a little less likely. "I have not passed out yet, I can still walk, my talking is still mostly normal...other than the pain, my eyesight being a little fucked, and of course the fact my head is still bleeding, yes," Leliana nodded. "I think it's mild." She was not even going to attempt to say concussion, not in the mood to embarrass herself further. "Can I know their name? Your friend, I can tell they meant a lot to you."

Colt paused once again as Leliana spoke up, asking for the name of her “friend”. Colt was unsure how to answer. She couldn’t say no, that would cause tension, more than there already was. After another drink and a sigh she finally answered. “Sasha.” She paused deliberately, “She was mybest friend.” She stopped as her hands began to shake and her shoulders quaked. No, she couldn’t do this. What would they think if they saw her like this? She had already fallen apart during the last trip, it did not need to happen again. Her eyes drew a blank as her mind flashed back to that day. “Collette, where are they?!” the woman shook her head, grabbing either side in both hands with a troubled groan and twitching eyebrows, desperately trying to push that memory from her mind.

"Colt, deep breath," Leliana said softly, apologetic. "Slowly, it's okay." Colt would have just denied to tell her, Leliana would have understood. "You don't have to tell me, it's-it's okay," Leliana continued, "It's alright." She knew what she was looking at, Leliana knew. Colt couldn't hide it, but she shouldn't feel like she should have to. Leliana wanted to say something else, do something that could help, but she knew better. "Don't push yourself, please."

Colt did not move aside from the shaking breath as Leliana spoke, telling her to breath slowly. While it took a lot of effort, she breathed shakily through the nose and out the mouth with the assurance that she did not have to speak, something the veteran strongly appreciated. However, she could speak just that little more. “We went through bootcamp and Afghanistan together. Like peas and carrots.” She sighed wistfully. She still had her framed photo of her and Sasha in her room at the lodge but… there was something else she wanted from here. “I shouldn’t be talkin’ so much. Ya’ve bin through hell yerself. I don’t wanna burden ya.”

Colt's comment about Leliana gave the nurse pause. What did she mean? Could...could she tell? It concerned her, but, having someone to talk to, even just a little, would do them both good. "No, it's okay. Talking...helps." And it did, even if you were convinced it didn't, it really did. There was a click, as Leliana, who had still been cleaning and then reassembling Colt's gun, was finally finished with her small task. "All done, " She said reloading it. "What did...what did you mean I've been through hell? A head injury isn't that bad." Well, it could have been, but it wasn't so everything was fine. Perfectly fine.

Colt blinked and her wavering and bloodshot eyes darted slightly, “I just meant like, well, um,” she rubbed the back of her neck, only now realising what she might have thought she meant, “I dunno, life ‘nd shit. With all this?” she waved a hand out in an overexaggerated movement, stumbling back slightly. She then turned to the nurse once again, trying to give her an unbroken but supportive gaze.

“I mean, I just-” she stopped herself just before she mentioned the antidepressants, realising that could railroad the nurse and she did not want that, “Sorry. I’m makin’ assumptions. Heh, I’mma dummy.” She turned back around, going back to the moonshine. Well shit, she fucked that up. She doubted the younger woman would want to talk to her now. Stupid.

Leliana, despite being a bit impaired, caught onto what Colt what trying to get at, and fell silent, slowly nodding. "You mean my meds?" Leliana asked softly, "If I share, would you feel better about doing the same?" Sometimes, people needed to know they weren't alone, that there really was someone who understood. "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I take Zoloft for it, it's what I asked Ivan to get for me," Leliana told her with a slight chuckle, pushing herself up off the ground. She was unstable at first, stumbling into the wall before regaining her balance to be able to hand Colt her gun. "It's not the only reason I take it, but, it's the main reason." She was now standing next to Colt, not to close, but close enough to safely hand her weapon back. "I'm lucky enough that I mostly just have nightmares, and some panic attacks but..." She flexed her hand, a dry chuckle escaping partially chapped lips, "I'm really hoping Jenna was able to get some for me."

"Maybe," Colt answered the nurse before she continued to speak and admitted to having PTSD which made her eyes widen a little. She gulped slightly as she felt the back of her neck grow hot as she described her nightmares and panic attacks. Rubbing the back of her clammy neck, she slid down the wall, one hand still on the bottle and kicked off her prosthetic. Her leg needed a break.

"Hmm, I know what ya mean. Ya weren't there but, last time I went out on a run," she gulped, "I had an extreme panic attack. Left me fucked up for days." She stopped there. The woman bristled at the foggy memory of that morning. She gave the woman a look. Despite them having moved on from it all and apologies given, she hadn't forgotten. Maybe this would make it clearer to the nurse. "Anyway, I'm real sorry if I pushed ya."

Leliana nodded, "No no, you didn't push, is good that someone knows. And to be honest, I'm glad it's you," The nurse said with a slight smile. "If anyone else knew, they might do that little thing where they push to much." She paused, glancing behind them to the door, then back to Colt. "And it's...nice to have someone know. It's weird not having anyone to really talk to, but, and I'm saying you have to, but if you ever want to talk, you can talk to me." She gave Colt a smile, "For now though, we should maybe go make sure nobody is killing each other?"

Colt watched Leliana as she spoke once again, telling her that she was glad it was her she was talking to. Colt gulped slightly and averted her gaze, not sure how to feel about it. She genuinely appreciated it, but she could not help but worry a little. As she then mentioned they should focus on not killing, Colt sight. "I just dunno what t'do with 'em," she shook her head glumly.

"I think...maybe we should find Jenna and Cletus, then go back home," Leliana said softly, "We can't get what...Luca? He wanted the mattresses right?" A breif laspe in her memory, which was odd since that had happened earlier that day...it was weird. And while she did still want to go by her house, they couldn't, they didn't have the time, or really, the faith in either one of the boys. Nile was going to be on Leliana's shit list for a while, and while she knew his options were limited, Ivan's choice of distraction was almost just as idiotic. "Aubrey needs some rest, Luca and Andy need to be updated...and there's this knot in the pit of my stomach telling me something is wrong." Or maybe she just felt sick, either way, heading back to the lodge was their best option. "I don't know how we're gonna get ahold of the others, Ivan has the radio right?"

Colt groaned at the mention of Luca. She had been ignoring that niggling voice in the back of her head and now she had to face it, the veteran grew paler and her body quivered at the thought of how Luca and Andy would react to this failure. The woman sighed as she rubbed her forehead upward, pushing her greasy fringe up temporarily before it fell back over her eyes.

"I'll deal with 'em. I'm in charge so it's my fault. Only seems fair." She didn't want Leliana in the crossfire especially now. As she now mentioned she felt something was wrong, Colt kept quiet. Truthfully, she thought so too. She had heard nothing from Andy or Luca. Surely they would have contacted her with updates to the list or something else. And Jenna and Cletus... where was that moonshine? "We'll go back to the area, see if they're around and once we got 'em, we're goin' back. Yer right." She stood up, albeit shakily and having to lean on the wall, "I've heard nothin' from 'em. Somethin's gotta be wrong."

Leliana ran a hand through her hair, wincing slightly as one of her fingers grazed the bandage on her forehead, a slight tiny of red seeping through the gauze. "He's not...entirely misunderstanding, and Andy shouldn't be too upset. Nothing that happened is your fault, just...unlucky circumstance." The nurse sighed, letting her arm fall back to her side. "Should we try contacting them? I'm a little worried axually." Her intution about stuff being wrong came true half the time, but given the current state of the world, if something was wrong it could litteraly be anything. "I uh...maybe Jenna and Cletus are still in the area Ivan left them? If nothing bad happened, they should still be working through their tasks."

Colt sighed as she nodded at Leliana slowly, she had to tell them what happened. Getting out her radio, she switched it to the channel. "Get everything together." She told the nurse before pressing to talk, "Luca. Andy. Come in." She spoke into it, waiting for a response. All she could hope was that her gut instinct was wrong.

The Mad Queen Brax Maj King Vioogra Corgi Togy Hyped_Taco ​

 

[The Mad Queen]

The following is a collab between myself and Hyped_Taco
Green = Cletus, Purple = Jenna

Cletus was about to tell her that Caroline was his gun, but the girl seemed to get it pretty quickly, this made him real happy because it meant he didn´t need to explain her that he put a name to his guns.

His backpack was getting heavier by the second, the redneck may not have even know what the hell he was grabbing by now but if it was possibly useful then to the pack it went; when the girl told him that Ivan had just taken the radio with him made him mad af "Hold up, you tryin' to say that ruskie just took our only way to communicate with blondie´s group? that asshole, how are we supposed to find those fuckers and get the hell out of here now?" he asked, without the keys of the truck and the radio they were basically stranded inside Aurora with an ever-growing zombie hoard due to the goddamn junkie firing his gun.

Jenna squeezed the ridge of her nose. Cletus was right.
"Yeah, I really don't think he thought things through. That's why we need to get back to the pharmacy. It's where he left us so my best guess is that someone from that group will head there and try to pick us up. As much as things have gone to shit due to Nile's total absence of a brain I don't think Colt wants to leave anyone behind."
She was counting on that, otherwise the three of them were screwed. Given the heavy supplies they were now lugging around there was no way they could just walk back to the lodge, not at least without drawing the dead behind them.

"Right, fuck it. We'd best be off." She gripped her axe in hand once more and headed out the door. One of the infected was already waiting out side but the girl took it down with a kick to knock it back and two swings to the head. While Cammy stuck by her side she led Cletus into one of the nearby alleyways and the group were on their way back to the pharmacy within a few minutes.

"Well ain´t that great, now we got to go back from where we just left cause of the junkie and the ruskie" Cletus replied to Jenna´s plan to return to the pharmacy, seemingly abandoning the rest of the places they had been assigned to raid in the first place.

"Alright let´s get the hell out of 'ere" The redneck said while the pair headed out the door; the girl took out the only infected outside with her axe still impressing Cletus a bit, the only way in which he knew how to deal with the infected was with his guns and a bit of luck to get it in the head, yet there he was now seeing Jenna swiftly taking down this thing in mere seconds with a melee weapon. They continued walking through the alleyways until he finally saw her again, his dear old Caroline "Goddamit yeah!" Cletus exclaimed before dropping to the ground to get her back.

A knot in Jenna's stomach tightened when Cletus shouted. Shit. The girl dashed behind Cletus and, using a free hand gave him a hard smack on the back of the head. "Are you crazy?" She hissed "What did I tell you about keeping quiet? You can fuck your gun later, you inbred twat, but you're going to draw those things in."

As if on command, the dead piled into the alleyway. There were four in total and the girl knew there would be more soon.
"Oh, fantastic." Jenna nodded "If I die because of you, Cletus I will make sure our time in Hell is so much worse for you."
Cammy whimpered at the sight of the approaching dead, backing up behind Jenna who gripped her axe tightly "No gunfire. That just draws a horde." She hissed once more "That and, I'm sure fucking your gun might be difficult after you've fired it."
The girl stood her ground initially, taking down two of the approaching dead. The first she kicked back against one of the alleyway walls and delivered a heavy swing to the head while the second got a little too close for comfort, almost gripping the girl by the arm but Jenna quickly used her free arm to put it down with two strikes to the temple.
She looked down the alleyway, noticing that three more had joined in and saw that one of the approaching dead had a cycling helmet. There was no way she could kill it.

"Oh, for Christ sake." She sighed heavily, shaking her head "Fall back. We're going around them." Kicking one of the approaching undead back she turned on her heels and ran.

"What the hell was that for?" The redneck asked moments after being smacked in the back of the head by Jenna who then began to hiss at him "Ah shut it brit, I´m sure the feckers are too busy due to the junkie to even notice that we are he-" he couldn´t even finish his sentence before four infected arrived at the alleyway "...wack"

The undead began to slowly approach them, but before they could get near them the coffee addict shit talked him again "Oh being here with yall is hell enough for me alright" he ignored the comment about him fucking his gun and prepared for battle. Cletus approached one of the undead and whacked him several times in the head with his gun; while the zombie dropped dead the the redneck was able to push the second one into the ground, barely escaping the undead´s bite.

"Yeah I can agree to that" he responded to Jenna´s idea of retreating and followed her when she began to run.

"Next time don't open your mouth that wide unless you're sucking your Cousin's..." Jenna hissed back at Cletus, still trying to be quiet. She turned a corner only to stand face to face with three more infected. The first one went down easy enough, the girl wasn't even sure if it knew what was happening before she killed it with the axe but the second reached towards her.

It slumped back before it's bloodstained claws got around Jenna's throat.

She kicked the third out of the way and kept running, not sure where she was going but still doing her best to avoid the city streets. Cammy ran ahead several times, constantly looking back and avoiding the clutches of the infected by swerving from side to side around their legs. There were six in total chasing the three but Jenna's blue eyes lit up slightly for the sign for the pharmacy was in view.

"Get inside. I have an idea."

Mentioned: Rumble Fish (Colt), Togy (Nile), King Vioogra (Ivan)

 

[Brax]

​

The Italian’s eyes darted to the source of his name, finding Owen just as he was asking where Andy was. Luca didn’t have an answer for the man. The two had been separated when the hazmats first made contact, though it was the result of his orders ultimately. He turned from Owen to look around, but was unable to find that fiery mane with a quick scan.

“What the hell are you doing?” Andy snarled, choking on the thick chemical ridden air to address the fat lard of a human standing behind her. “I told you to follow Warren!” The air was becoming too dense, and she assumed it was only getting worse downstairs. There wouldn’t be time to run down the stairs, if she could even see well enough to make it out the front door. The window she was now stationed at was broken out however, and Tre had made the jump from the second story seem like nothing.

But she wasn’t Tre. Andy was a good climber, but this action movie bullshit wasn’t something was experienced in. They were winning though, she could tell that much by the distinct lack of gunfire in her front yard. She coughed again, it wracked her body as she desperately tried to cover her eyes and mouth. Andy was out of choices.

“We’re going to have to jump.” Andy informed Micheal. She backed up to get a running start at the jump, but found herself halting right as she got to the window. That wasn’t going to work, the window was waist high and she wasn’t nimble enough to dive out of it and avoid broken bones. Instead Andy pulled her body carefully through the open window so her legs dangled off the edge. Her eyes settled on Luca’s mop of black hair.

“Luca!” Her voice carried from the window, words caught in her throat as she struggled not to cough.

Upon hearing her voice, Luca felt a bit of relief. He turned one last time to face the girl, smoke billowing out of the window behind her. How long was she sitting in the fog? The man hustled over to the bottom of the window, whistling to her just as he extended his arms. Of course, there was no proper way to deal with this situation. Luca wasn’t a man clad with muscle, like Owen was. He dropped his gun onto the ground. When Andy dropped from the ledge and landed on him, extended arms did absolutely nothing. No, Andy came careening down on top of the man and flattened him onto the ground like a pancake.

The air was knocked from the girl’s lungs as she smacked forced Luca to the ground. As quickly as she could, she pushed herself off his form, a sharp pain radiated from her left wrist as she struggled to breathe. Between the fall and the gas, she felt as though her chest was on fire.

“Oh god, I’m sorry.” Andy said on reflex, coming to her feet. She didn’t make a habit of apologizing, but the man had been nice enough to do his best to cushion her fall with his lean form. The girl stumbled to her feet and smiled relieved as her eyes focused on her brothers mop of head across the yard.

There was a groan. Luca remained on the ground, even shortly after Andy had already pushed herself off of him. It was likely that she wasn’t feeling much better than he was, but at the very least he was able to cushion her drop. Surely, Owen’s lazy ass should have been the one to take this job over, but Luca was never good at properly delegating the dirty work to begin with. There was a pain in the side of his knee from when it was banged awkwardly by Andy’s foot, but he was still able to move around. That would be a problem for tomorrow’s Luca.

With a familiar voice coming through the communications, Luca found himself sitting up. Colt and the rest of the lodge were still out. If they came back now it would be to run back into a firefight. It was at this point that Luca found himself at a crossroads. If they came back, the group would get some much-needed backup in the form of some extremely fine shooters. However, it was possible that Luca would be ordering them to their death. He looked up at Andy briefly, not responding to Colt immediately. Then he looked over at Owen. The Italian turned his head to find Tre up on the shed, who had been holding back and waiting for possible further instructions. Finally, there was Aderyn, who was shaky and scared at best. Luca removed the radio from his waistband and held the button on its side with his thumb.

“We’re under attack. Stay where you’re at and await further instructions. If you don’t hear back by the end of the day, assume we’re dead.” Luca placed the radio back on his belt and stood up to his feet with a small groan. He reached into his pocket and removed a cigarette from the pack, lighting it nonchalantly. Then he bent over, taking his time when picking the rifle up off of the ground and wrapping the strap around his torso so that the weapon hung limp across his abdomen. Luca exhaled a large amount of smoke from slightly-parted lips as he cocked his head towards Andy. Half-opened eyes peered into hers. He had no orders.

Featuring: Maj
Mentioned: Rumble Fish

 

[Maj]

​

[fong=kameron]
“Andy!” It seemed that Owen had finally seen his sister and ran over to greet her, throwing his arms around her and spinning her around. “Thank god you are okay. Why in the world…”

“Put me down!” Andy growled, smacking his shoulder till he obliged. “We have no time for this.” Once back on her feet, Andy looked back and forth between Owen and Luca. “We have to get the girls. It’s only a matter of time before they realize that we aren’t going to comply. Half the soldiers are already dead.” Her eyes darted to the hazmat clad corpse with her arrow sticking out of its neck.

“I agree.” Owen nodded, but his gaze was dark. “But Andy, the whole place is filled with tear gas and there is armed men all over them. If we try anything they will shoot the girls down before we get near them.”

“I have a plan.” It was a risky plan, and it was just as likely to get everyone killed as it was to end with the girls freed. Realistically she didn’t care about Beth or Milly, she had never even spoken to them. However, she knew that Owen did, and these soldiers had made it clear that they were here for herself and Luca. They were a group now, they lived together and she had to at least try to free them. The worst part, is her plan being executed relied heavily on Luca and Owen also risking their lives, but she knew that as long as there were hazmat soldiers left on her property, no one was really safe anyway.

“If I can get to the roof I can shoot the men holding Beth and Milly,” Andy explained. “They won't be looking for me up there, and it’s likely I can get a few shots off before they know what is happening.” Owen his mouth to protest but she held up a shaking hand to silence him.

“I don’t think I need to give you my credentials. I won't miss.” The woman took another breath to begin speaking again but choked, the remnant of the gas still in her lungs.

“Might hurt her leg if she moves it the wrong way, though.” Luca retorted as he took hold of the cigarette between his index and middle fingers. Even though Andy was having a hard time recalling the one time she stormed off in anger to shoot her bow at a stationary target, he would never let her forget.

“That isn’t what I’m worried about Andy. Once they do see you up there, and they will, you will become an instant target for a hoard of armed soldiers,” her brother protested.

“They have made it pretty clear that for whatever reason they want me alive. I’m the only one I trust to make that shot quick enough that they don’t just immediately open fire on the hostages.” However, Owen still wasn’t convinced. His lip pursed in thought as he crossed his arms over his chest. While what Andy had been saying was true, he wasn’t thrilled at the idea of letting his sister take such a large risk. His other option was to leave Beth and Milly at the hands of the soldiers, which wasn’t any better.

“At least take Luca with you for back up,” Owen finally agreed, but his twin shook her head in disagreement.

“No can do. He has to cover you. The girl’s are blindfolded and bound. Even if I shoot the men holding them we have to get them to safety before they realize what is going on and shoot them anyway. You are the only one strong enough to carry them to the lodge if necessary. However…” The woman trailed off, wincing.

“I’d be right out in the open.”

“Right, which is why Luca needs to stay somewhere on the ground floor to cover you as much as he can so we can get you and the girls back to cover with minimal damage.”

Luca shook his head from side to side. Owen could fight back all he wanted but the man wasn't offering a plan at all to counter Andy's own. Even if he did, all three of them knew chances were slim it would be as easily executable. Light hues found themselves fixated on Andy once more before he continued speaking.

"He's got a better chance with me watching his back than anyone else. Let's move. With any luck it'll go our way." Though, naturally, the man was assuming the worst without properly vocalizing it.

“I know. It’s almost like I planned it that way,” Andy responded with a smirk. She moved to leave, getting to the roof involved climbing back into the house and while she was not looking forwarding to breathing more of the fumes, there wasn’t time to waste.

“Wait.” Owen grabbed her arm and pulled her back before she took more than a few steps. His emerald eyes focused on her face. She could almost see him thinking, trying to think of a plan that didn’t involve her going to the roof alone.

"I'll go with the girl." Declared the big, underwear-clad man with a hunting rifle cradled in his arms. He had been as quiet as he usually was but he wasn't liking the odds of this plan any better than Owen was. Not to mention, he didn't trust Andy to make the shot under such intense pressure. He didn't really trust anyone for that matter.

Himself, on the other hand, that was someone he could have faith in.

Even now, the Doc's pulse was up because of the running around but the stress of the situation was not affecting him as it was the others. His hands didn't shake from the cold nor nerves and he looked as calm and cool as always. "Firefights aren't my forte but marksmanship is something I am very good at. I also didn't inhale the gas as she did. With both of us, the chances of success are much higher."

“See,” Andy said with a small smile. “Now we both have backup.” She gave her brother’s shoulder a small squeeze as a sign of comfort before breaking off from him. The redhead didn’t bother to roll her eyes at the doctor’s bragging, because he was right. There were a lot of guys and the two of them might be able to kill a few of them before they were spotted.

“Be careful,” Andy added as an afterthought. It was a silly gesture, there wasn’t any being careful in this situation. The four of them were blatantly putting their lives at risk, but it felt like the right thing to say. Pulling her shirt back up over her face in a useless attempt to avoid as much of the gas as possible, Andy nodded to Hector and led the way back into the house on route to find her way up to the rooftops.

shadowz1995 Brax Rumble Fish

 

[King Vioogra]

The Two Stooges

Ivan chuckled a bit at Nile's analogy before looking over at him. With a sigh, he shook his head a few times and leaned his head back against the door. "So it was you. The one who shot the gun and got us here." The Russian looked over at Nile with a look of mild anger that than changed to sympathy. "How many of them were there? Coming at you I mean. Because if it wasn't a life or death situation I will actually take your fingers." He said, not giving much time in terms of response in between the statements. If it were either the gun or his life, that was something he wouldn't hold against the guy, but if it was just him being reckless he had no reason not to. As he waited for a response, Ivan took the rifle from his back and laid it against the wall next to him.

Nile leveled his gaze to look at Ivan. He held up two fingers. "I was being a dumbass, they got attracted to me, one grabbed me, and so I shot" Nile said with a shrug. He made sure not to mention just how stupid he was, because even he has shame. Nile rubbed his forehead a little, all the yelling and threats he'd heard having given him a little bit of a headache. "But I don't think it warrants this. You gotta have read the subtext too, right?" Nile asked Ivan.

"I see why they'd be as upset as they are. A mistake may be a mistake, but you put everyone's lives at risk. What do you think would've happened if I hadn't gotten there when I did? That big ass horde would've gotten to you first and you'd all be dead." Ivan said, his tone dropping into a more serious tone as he basically went on with lecturing a 34 year old. He was about to continue on his rant when a realization struck him." How'd they even figure you out? You all should've been sneaking."

Nile listened to what Ivan had to say, not enjoying it in the slightest. He wanted to fire back by saying all he wanted him to do was turn on a car alarm somewhere, or that there's no connection between not being trusted and incompetent to being considered dumb enough to fire a hail storm of bullets the second he's within ten feet of a fire arm, but for some reason, he decided against it. "I can do without the lecture Putin. Jesus, you people act like I don't realize this shit" Nile muttered. "They get to be mad, I get to be mad. Everyone gets to be mad. Wonderful way the world works" Nile muttered under his breath. "I was being a dumbass" Nile restated.

Ivan sighed at Nile's response, putting his palm against his forehead before looking over at the other guy and letting out a sarcastic "You don't take criticism very well do you?" It was obvious that he was annoyed at even being told he did something stupid and thought everyone should just forget it. Deciding that arguing with him would get him nowhere but a shouting match, the Russian turned away and leaned his head against the door frame again."But I still understand where you're coming from. I was in the same spot not too long ago. Best just to do your best to make up for it and then forget about it. If Colt wants to hold a grudge, let her. As long as we make it out alive there's not much she can hold against you." Ivan inhaled deeply and entered a sort if relaxed pose before a quiet grunt came from his mouth. He then stood up drew his knife again, looking down at Nile and speaking flatly."I'm gonna check the floor, it'd be best if you stay here as to not piss Colt off anymore."

"No, no I don't" Nile admitted with a shrug. When Ivan told him the best course of action, Nile nodded. "I planned on doing that" Nile said, as Ivan got up. He raised an eyebrow at him when he drew his knife and said he was going to check the floor. "Yeah, you do that" Nile said.

"Alright. I'll be back." The Russian said as he started walking down the length of the hallway, looking into whatever windows weren't covered and quietly trying the doors. Most of them were unfortunately locked, or met with light thudding that meant there were infected on the other side of the fake wood. When Ivan got to the end of the hall, he tried to door to find that it was unlocked. The man opened it slowly and looked in, seeing an infected standing in front of the door as it lunged out at him. His instincts kicked in full force, his hands raising against the infected individuals chest before thrusting the knife in his hand into the infected's skull under its jaw. The corpse twitched lightly before falling limp to the ground with a quiet thud. The Russian let out a quiet huff as he looked down at his bloodied hands and knife, before shaking his head and making his way into his apartment before giving Nile an okay sign.

Looking over to Ivan as he opened the door, he saw the zombie walk out towards him. He watched as Ivan promptly killed it. "So....We just search it?" Nile asked as he stepped over the deader body and into the apartment. "I think you just killed Freedom's neighbor dude" Nile said, glancing back to the deadest body as he made his way into the apartment's tiny kitchen and began rifting through the cupboards.

"Whether it was her neighbor or not, it wasn't human." Ivan said as he let Nile go into the apartment ahead of him. He was about to step in when he heard a door open and then Leli started coming towards them talking. "Alright. We'll run through here real quick then be ready to go. How are thi- wait what happened to you?" Ivan said, interrupting himself as he saw a bandage on her forehead. He took a step closer, inspecting it while keeping a respectable distance, looking over it to make sure nothing was fatal." When did this happen?" He said, looking from the bandaged wound.​

 

[The Mad Queen]

The following is a collab between myself and Hyped_Taco
Green = Cletus, Purple = Jenna

Apparently, while both of them were currently trying to escape certain death at the hands of the infected Jenna thought it was a great time to continue shit-talking Cletus "Oh shut the fuck up you fucking brit and save your homo insults for later" he quickly hissed back at her.

3 infected appeared ahead of them, but before Cletus could get his gun out the girl managed to get them out of the way "… Damn" the redneck quickly said while they continued running.

He opened the door and got inside, only closing it once his partner had gotten in as well "Alright brit what´s your idea?"

Jenna just rolled her eyes at Cletus' comebacks. Between him and Nile it seemed like the girl was going to die surrounded by idiots. At this point she'd take Michael over one of them for going on a run, or hell she'd take Marcus.
But he was right about one thing, she could save tearing him a new one for later. They needed to focus for now.
Once she was through the doors Jenna got to work "We need to close off the entrance, but leave a gap. We're going to force the dead into a bottleneck. One or two at a time."
The two got to work, throwing everything from shelves to large packs of diapers onto either side of the two doors.

She had just about managed to move another chair into place when the dead arrived. Six in total
"Get ready."
The first infected she easily dispatched with the axe and it slumped forwards onto the makeshift barricade. Two more followed after it, slowly pushing parts of it away with their bodies but it just about managed to hold. She took down the second with a clear swing and it slumped over, it's arm falling over the barricade.

Jenna took a sharp step back as the third tried to grab her, missing by inches as it's cold, decaying fingers brushed against her arm.
"Fucker."
The two got to work, taking down one infected after the other and within minutes the barricade was covered in unmoving corpses.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she examined their work, and slowly sat on the floor of the pharmacy.
"Give me a poke when Colt or Ivan gets here. I'm taking five."

Removing the rucksack and bag from her shoulders, she felt a small wave of relief wash over her body. There was no way she could have carried all of that back to the lodge. Still, they had what they came for. Food, medicine and baby stuff. Three marks off of the shopping list.
Cammy approached the girl, nuzzling her head under Jenna's arm as she demanded attention. The girl happily obliged, and smiled as she petted behind the dog's ears.

All the three of them could do now was wait.

 

[Nomad_Queen]

Catelyn O'Conner
Before the Fall
The warm sun-kissed Catelyn's face as she turned her gaze onto the old two-story yellow house that she grew up in. So many fond memories ranging from spending all night with her parents in the backyard to her first kiss. Letting out a sigh Catelyn walked towards the front door and politely knocked three times waiting for an answer. The door slowly creaked open showing the slightly wrinkled face of her mother smiling ear to ear at the sight of her daughter.
"Oh, Catey...You've grown so much..." Catelyn's mother Laurel said in a raspy voice while covering her mouth with one hand. Laurel slowly stepped back from the doorway and motioned for Catelyn to come inside of the house.
"I'm sure your curious...As to why now your father and I would like to see you in person." Laurel questioned while closing the front door and walking into the living room and sitting down on the couch.
"Unless its to apologize and admit you're wrong I don't want to hear it, mom." Catelyn snipped back towards her mother while leaning against the wall acting a small rebellion against sitting down with her mother.
"...Your father and I didn't handle the situation the best...I can admit that even if he doesn't want to but-" Laurel was suddenly cut off by the sound of her phone ringing, slowly rising off the couch she let out a sigh and walked into the kitchen were her phone was.
"Hello...David, David wait slow down...uh-huh. Yes, she's here...What are you talking about? Are you serious?... Catey turn on the news channel please!" Laurel said slowly walking back into the living room with the phone in her hand and shock on her face. Catelyn made a confused expression while marching over to the television remote and flicking it on to the local news network.
"-esidents are urged to stay inside and off of the streets as a disease is starting to plague the small town of Aurora. The hospital is overrun with sick patients and pandamonium is striking in the form of violent and gruesome assaults ris-" A loud crash was heard outside causing the power to suddenly switch off. Catelyn rushed over to the window while Laurel was still in shock while talking to David. Looking outside the window Catelyn saw a car wrapped around a powerline pole outside fear filled her body as she turned around to look for her mom that suddenly vanished.
"Mom!" Catelyn shouted through the house causing her mom to walk halfway down the stairs. Laurel was now sporting hiking boots and attire and had a backpack in her hands she descended down the rest of the steps.
"Your father says we need to go off the grid until this all gets dealt with," Laurel said handing Catelyn the small backpack while walking into the kitchen.
"Mom, no okay the news reporter said to stay indoors not live in the wild." Catelyn pleaded with her mom fruitlessly while Laurel continued to back another backpack with bottled water and other survival necessities.
"Catey please, I know your father and I haven't really been supportive of your lifestyle choices but have we ever lead you wrong?" Laurel turned towards her daughter pleading while holding her hand softly. Catelyn looked back at the television and gave a soft sigh before speaking.
"We shouldn't go too far away in case we need to make it back home." Catelyn reluctantly agreed with her mother and started packing her bag with water and food.
The Fall
Shivers ran down Catelyn's spine as she was walking through the cold winded wilderness tracking a rabbit. Little footprints found their way into the soft ground below her telling Catelyn a tale of what traveled through the forest. Slowly following the footprints Catelyn heard a twig snap ahead of her, she brought her rifle up to her shoulder and looked through the scope. A single hare sat in front of her maybe fifty meters away. Focusing on her breathing like her father said she inhaled then slowly exhaled before holding her breath ready to fire and...
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three gunshots rang out behind her back in the direction of her families camp. Panic filled her heart as she threw the small 22. bolt action rifle over her shoulder and started a mad sprint towards the gunshots. In her haste to make sure her parents are okay Catelyn tripped on a root sticking out of the ground and rolled slightly down a hill twisting her ankle and hitting her head on a rock knocking her out.
Catelyn didn't know how long she was unconscious for but when she awoke nighttime started to descend upon the snowy forest setting her ankle caused her to shout in pain when weight was put on it. An hour later she figured out where she was thanks to a compass and soon Catelyn headed out towards where her parents camp was. Walking upon the campsite she looked from the safety of the tree line she saw a figure shambling around the campsite it was her father. Catelyn filled with joy ran out of the tree line calling out to her father.
"Dad, what happened? Where is mom? Were those gunshot-" Catelyn stopped dead in her tracks as her father turned towards her but he was different he was no longer David but was now something else it took a step towards Catelyn while reaching towards her.
"No...Dad no please not you..." Catelyn took a step back knowing full well what had happened to her father before her. When it was clear her father was dead Catelyn grabbed her rifle off her shoulder and aimed it at his head as he grew ever closer towards her.
"Dad if there is anything left please...please just stop..." Catelyn's croaks of denial left her lips as tears started to race down her cheek imprinting into the snow beneath her feet. David took another step towards her causing Catelyn to close her eyes and fire the small 22. rifle. The gunshot quietly echoed out through the woods as the bullet ripped past what used to be her father and into the woods hitting a tree. Terror filled Catelyns heart as she was now out of ammo and out of options she put the rifle back behind her shoulder and started to stumble away from her father. No matter how far she shuffled he was always a couple of steps behind her.
After The Fall
Catelyn walked through the forest for a day devoid of thought, sleep-deprived, and limping from her twisted ankle. Slightly turning her head Catelyn noticed her father or what remains of him still chasing her slowly and ever-present. Tears would run down her face but her tear ducts ran dry hours ago all she could do now was try to find shelter but she was lost in the forest and had no time to find her bearings. Faint noises from all around trickled into Catelyn's ears bird chirps to her left, leaves crunching behind her, a car engine ahead of her. A car engine ahead of her? Catelyn snapped out of her daze gaining a little bit of speed she looked upward seeing a truck coming to a park not that far out.
"Hey...Hey!" she attempted to shout but it wasn't loud enough for the person coming out of the truck to hear her at least not yet. Catelyn picked up her pace and started a shambling run towards the truck drawing closer and closer towards the owner.
Rumble Fish​

 

[Rumble Fish]

The following is a collaboration between Hyped_Taco King Vioogra King Vioogra Corgi and Rumble Fish

Spoiler: Dialogue colour codes

Colt
Ivan
Nile
Leliana
Aubrey

Leliana left the gun den, glancing back in the direction of the older woman. She was hoping that her gut feeling was wrong, that everything back home was fine. That nobody was hurt and they were just being paranoid. But Leliana knew that when they got back, whether or not everything was fine, tensions would be running high no matter what. Aubrey was asleep on the couch, another mouth to feed, and if everything had gone smoothly, her presence alone would be enough to cause issues. The nurse sighed, she had a few minutes and they didn't have much to pack up, she needed to tell the boys.

Grabbing her bat, she slowly stepped out into the hall, looking down both ways she quickly found Ivan nearby. "Hey, there might be a problem at the lodge, we gotta get ready to head out once Colt gives the word," The girl said, "We have to get what we can from her apartment, or I guess anywhere else we can get to fast." As Ivan asked about the bandage, Leliana shook her head a little.

"Moe's, Colt got attacked by a freak, I went to help, got grabbed and fell," Leliana said with a slight shrug, "I hit my head on the floor, it bounced into the door frame, got cut. Aubrey stepped in a finished it off, Nile was...well, I don't know what he was doing. Anyway, I'm fine, Ivan." She flashed him a quick smile, "I would really like it though if I don't get hurt again." She glanced past him, into the open apartment, the back to him, "You two need help? It could get done faster."

Colt simply stood and watched. She wanted to mention something but before she could open her mouth, there was a crackle from the radio. Like a flash, Colt had the radio up to her ear, pausing as she listened to the Italian’s response. “We’re under attack. Stay where you’re at and await further instructions. If you don’t hear back by the end of the day, assume we’re dead.” Colt could only release a strained gasp at this response and lowered the radio, her complexion pale and her hand shaking. The thought of the Lodge being under siege made the veteran want to launch into action without a second thought. But even with moonshine in her system, she knew this would be suicide. Slowly lowering the radio into her pocket, she stood up before looking at the four of them. The Marine poked her head out of her door, looking to see Ivan and Nile further down the hall. With a cough, she cleared her throat into her fist to draw attention. "Boys. In here please." she gestured to inside the door before slipping back inside and waiting for them to come. Once they did, she spoke.

“I need ya’ll to listen t’me. Now.” She spoke in a low voice, not wanting to excite or frighten them, “The Lodge is under attack. We’re getting’ Jenna and Cletus; grab everything y’can that we collected. I’ll tell ya the plan once we’re all together.” She instructed them clearly with a hard glare streaked across her scarred face. In truth, there was no plan. Not yet. Luca had instructed her to not come back. Colt knew what orders were, that was obvious. But they were farther away than initially planned. She could not simply sit here and wait. By the time he would request help, she knew that it would be far too late for them to be effective. She may have not had a plan but she had time to think, until they had Jenna and Cletus. She stooped and gave the sleeping blonde a shake of the shoulder in an attempt to gently wake up.

“Head to the truck once ya’ve got yer stuff. Two minutes. Not a second longer.” After speaking, Colt rapidly packed everything from ammo to alcohol into her duffle bags before quickly heading into her bedroom, looking for something she wanted to bring to the Lodge, purely for emotional support.

Despite doing everything in her power to fall asleep, her mind wouldn't let her. She laid on the couch, listening to the conversations around her. When she heard Colt talking urgently, she really started to tune in.

Hearing the words 'The Lodge is under attack.' confused her. Is the Lodge their home? Shoving aside her body's need to not move, she sat up and turned to face the group, "What's going on?" She mumbled, rubbing her eyes with one hand while the other was stuck to the brim of her hat once more, "Is the Lodge where you're from? I don't think I ever asked but how many people do you guys have there?"

Watching Colt head off into what she could only assume was her room, she picked up her duffle bag and stood up. Pain shot through her leg. Quickly sitting and rolling up her pant leg, she saw she had a nasty knot on her shin. "I must've banged it getting into the car or something..." Grimacing, she rolled her pants back down and limped after Colt. While he mind was still foggy and recovering from the earlier events, she just felt empty. All of the panicking had sucked the little amount of emotion she still had left in her out completely, "Can you explain what exactly is going on?"

“Truck.” Colt barked once again, “I’ll explain later.”
Mentions: Brax (Luca) ​

 

[Rumble Fish]

The pickup of Jenna, Cammy and Cletus was swift. The veteran did not waste any of her brain-power attempting to explain what was happening. The Lodge was under attack, that was the extent of her knowledge. That and Luca did not want her to interfere. While Colt understood the order, that did not mean she was going to put her feet up and wait for an “Okay we didn’t go down like the Hindenburg, may we request some help?”. No sir. As she drove, she rested an arm on the door with the window down, chewing the end of a burning cigarette. Her flask sat untouched in her pocket. Granted she was already having to focus much harder on the road given the moonshine’s effects (at least it did not blind her good eye) and if it took the monotonous motion of chewing to do so then so be it. She had to think. Hard. Disobeying Luca was a no-go. She had first hand experience of what disobeying orders caused. She gave Nile and Ivan a split-second side-eye glare before turning back to the road. Them bursting in, even by surprise would end in their deaths easily and how was that any help? She had to listen. But if they were going to do it this way; at least it could be her way.
Colt remained silent as they finally trundled from the barren streets towards the forest, the road becoming every turbulent and causing the truck to jump and hop to accommodate to the uneven terrain. She had no intention of driving right up to the Lodge. That would be suicide. Heading off the road, she carefully drove the vehicle through the rocky forest before coming to a stop out of sight of the Lodge. Once there she turned the engine off and finished off her cigarette before finally speaking. Her sore throat made her words guttural and the amount of ethanol in her system caused slurring but it was still clear. She turned around to face the rest of the group in the truck.

“’Kay. The Lodge is bein’ attacked and Luca told me to stay put till he said so. If we did that, it wouldn’ matter when he asks, we’ll be too late at that distance. I’m stoppin’ us ‘ere. Here’s the plan. We gear up and sit. I got silencers in them bags for almost any kinda gun; use ‘em. I don’ want nothin’ that’d attract anythin’ to us. So don’t wander. But; Hazmats and Things are to be killed on sight. We cannot go rushin' in. We dunno how many there are, how many guns they 'ave or how far they'll go in killin' us. Think. About. This. If Luca calls fur ‘elp we gotta be ready to move ASAP. I’m gonna get out and look around. I don't wanna peep from ya'll unless it's important. Capish?” She explained as bluntly as she could before opening the door to the truck and stepping out, jarring her knee which made the woman wince.

Once she was out of the Lodge, the scarred woman sighed shakily. She did not want to show it, but internally she was terrified. What if Luca or Andy were killed before they could tell her to come? What if they were all slaughtered? She should have stayed with them, she could have done more to help them. She was useless here. She could not even her team own in line. As Colt stood, she shifted her weight from the real to the fake foot. She was not even a whole woman. Only one leg, semi-blind in her left eye and peppered in all kinds of scars. At least she could possibly have them shoot at her which would give the others a chance to flee or fight back. Only less than a fortnight ago, she was retired from war. But God seemed determined to drag her kicking and screaming right back into it. But with innocent civilians (less so with the likes of Luca or Nile) under attack and potentially being killed; what choice did she have?

Colt was broken from her thoughts as a flurry of movement out of the corner of her bad eye caused the veteran to whirl around, and in a swift motion, she had unholstered, raised and fired the silent handgun. One body dropped, but not the one she had aimed at. Another Thing she had not even seen. Raising the gun again, the veteran let out a strangled yelp of fear, everything freezing up. All she could do was stare with the weapon still raised and ready to shoot again, but the shock of the first shot had not worn off and her trigger finger was stuck. Was this mission over before it even started?

Hyped_Taco King Vioogra FireMaiden The Mad Queen Corgi Nomad_Queen Togy Maj Brax ​

 

[The Mad Queen]

Doctor Ralph Fisher: The Lodge​

Blinded by the gas, his lungs burst into flames as the doctor tried to make his way through the bottom floor of the house. Still, he was dedicated. If he succumbed to the gas as the hazmats moved in there was little doubt he'd be killed. The police station had been the same, so despite his credentials he was little more than target practice for the death squad hired by his own government.

He wasn't much of a fighter, so engaging in a firefight would be a death sentence to. While he played out every scenario in his head he managed to find a window and climbed out of it, touching the shrinking layers of snow with his belly on the south side of the lodge. The coldness soothed him and thinking quickly, Fisher picked up a layer and moved it around his eyes. From the inner to the outer corner, taking care not to allow the contaminated water touch the rest of his skin for it dripped onto the snow below.

Parts of his vision slowly returned to him as he rolled around in non exposed snow, anything to get the lingering tear gas off of his clothes. As he looked up, half expecting to be facing down the barrel of a gun he instead saw nothing. Relief did not wash over the man though, for the forest lay in front of him. Good cover made it an ideal hiding space for the mercenaries, despite the yellow of their suits.

He kept on his belly, and after taking a deep breath moved towards the trees. Why would they want Luca and Andy anyway? The mercs were throwing a lot of manpower into taking the two alive, and based on the gunfire and screaming he'd heard there was little doubt they'd lost a few men. An outright assault would have killed everyone at the lodge and yet the mercenaries were holding back. Why?

What did a don and a college student have that was so important they'd risk their lives over?
As he crawled back towards the window, just to have another look inside of the lodge and get people out he heard a click behind him. His brown eyes widened.

"Turn around, slowly. Put your hands on your head."
With his hands raised, the doctor did as he was told,
"Are you Ralph Fisher?"
He gently cleared his throat "Are you..."

Fisher was cut off with the but of a rifle striking his face. Everything went black. He wasn't sure how much time had passed but when he came to, he had his back against a tree and two shapes standing over him.
"Oh yeah, this is the one."
"Sir, this man wasn't our objective. Did orders change?"
"I lost six of our men to that run down log cabin. The hell am I sending in any more. The rest can capture Brasil and Jordon."
His vision was blurred, but he could still make out the slight yellow on their suits. There was something about the voice of their leader, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He reached for his sidearm, only to find it was missing. Of course they'd taken it.
"This is personal."
The police station. That's where he knew him from.
"You killed your own man." Ralph muttered, getting a punch to the stomach for his comment.
"You made me do it, Fisher."
"If you're going to shoot me, then shoot me. Just let Milly and the other hostage go."
"That's not up to me." The leader shrugged, leaning closer to Ralph "And even if it was, would I really listen to you again?"

He took a few steps back "One dead because you distracted us, another two when they tried to find you. Needless to say, I did my research on you."
"You shot that boy yourself! That's not on me!"
The leader nodded towards the remaining soldier "Watch the perimeter. I'm going to be busy for a minute or two."
"Yes sir."
He faced Fisher once more "You killed at least three of my men. I won't forget that. So once my job in Aurora is finished I think I'll pay a visit to New York. I have connections there. They'll make it look like an accident."

Ralph's only response to that was to yell and dive for the mercenary, jumping onto him and trying to pin him to the ground. His lungs still burned and the side of his head and eyes still stung but there was a burning rage inside of the man too, the likes of which he'd never felt before. He threw punch after punch to the man's head, his fist becoming bruised as it collided with the mask.

His onslaught didn't last long, for the mercenary quickly came to his senses and kicked Ralph off of him. Both men were on their feet now, and for a brief moment he reached for his sidearm only to move his hand away. Ralph lunged once more but he didn't last long, for after one punch to the chest the mercenary caught his hand and twisted his arm, striking Ralph in the stomach with his knee.
With the wind knocked out of Fisher the mercenary continued his onslaught, throwing a few hooks at his enemy's face.

He pinned him against a tree next and while Ralph tried to defend himself the mercenary would not stop, going for the face and leaving it more bloodied and bruised after each strike. Fisher didn't even have a chance to hit back, focused instead of trying to block what he could. He'd never been in a fistfight before and it showed, for the movement of his arms were wild, trying to get a grip but failing time after time.

The only part of him he managed to protect completely was the throat, but it wasn't long before he lost his footing and slumped to the ground under the pressure. From there he tried to protect his ribs, throat and face from an assault of kicks while his back was against the tree.
"Not so clever now, are you?" He grabbed the doctor by the collar and hoisted him to his feet, delivering another punch to the side of his head and sending him back against another tree.

Fisher tried to stand his ground once more, even getting a few licks in before he was overwhelmed once more and kicked against the tree.
"I'm going to take my time."
While the doctor tried to stand, the mercenary quickly drew his sidearm and fired a round straight into left kneecap. Clutching the wound, Fisher yelled in pain and fell to the snow once more.
"Please...I got your men killed. I know. But my family had nothing to do with it. Leave them alone. Take my life, but not theirs."

The mercenary said nothing as he approached, instead simply resting his sidearm against Fisher's other kneecap.

 

[FireMaiden]

Spoiler: Color Code

Colt
Leliana
Cletus
Ivan
Jenna
Aubrey
Catelyn

This is a collab between King Vioogra Togy FireMaiden The Mad Queen Nomad_Queen ​

Feeling of hope ran its way through Catelyn's heart at the sight of the truck filled with people in the distance. Step after step she grew ever closer towards the strangers while ignoring the sharp stabbing pain in her ankle and resisting the urge to collapse from exhaustion.

Crack!

Catelyn felt a stinging pain that branched out like tree roots through her arm. The bullet stopped her momentum causing her to spin before stumbling to the ground, a warm liquid dripped through a tear that was now in her shirt. Panic ran through her body as blood started to trail its way down the side of her head while gritting her teeth Catelyn struggled to push herself up onto her back.

Trees started to look like they were swaying in slow motion and blurry. Catelyn's eyes drifted skyward as she closed her eyes without realizing it. The sharp pain in her arm snapped her back to attention and helped her to focus on reality a little longer.

"Please...don't kill me..." She pleaded through mumbling lips while maintaining her eye-line upwards hoping that whoever just shot her would not kill her. Closing her eyes again Catelyn started to drift in and out of consciousness.

Nile stared blankly at Colt after she'd shot. He did nothing but stare for a few seconds before letting out a snort. Then a little chuckle. Then he broke down laughing.

"Hahahahaha! Not so easy keeping the finger off the trigger, eh?" Nile said in between chuckles. The realization that might've screwed them over dawned on him, but he gave that thought no mind, instead deciding to focus on what he considered comedy gold at the moment.

And then another realization dawned on him. That other zombie went down to a shot to the arm, and it wasn't getting back up. That made no sense.

Then the zombie spoke. And Nile stopped laughing, almost immediately, his face changing to a look of shock. Running over to the downed person, he kneeled over them. He looked over their body in search of the bullet wound, but he couldn't find it, mostly due to the disturbing amount of blood already smeared on them. "Fuck, where's the wound!?" Nile asked himself in frustration.

"Nile shut the hell up!" Leliana barked. Unlike the ride out to Aurora, Leliana had sat in the bed of the truck on the way back with Cletus and Ivan, leaving room in the cab for everyone else. It had been a cold ride, but she was the one who decided to sit back there she couldn't complain. So she had a very clear view when Colt fired. The nurse was up and out of the truck in seconds, eyes on the girl going down, but her goal was Colt. She stepped between Colt and the mystery person, hands gently stretching out, touching Colt's arm as she stepped closer. "It's okay Colt, breathe," Leliana said softly, "No more danger, everything is okay." She gave Colt a warm smile, "Go sit down in the truck, okay? Take a minute, I can handle this." With that, she turned back to the woman on the ground, and now Nile who was not exactly helping the situation.

Leliana, med kit still on her shoulder, she knelt down beside the girl. "Nile, go make sure that the infected is really dead, okay?" Leliana told him sternly, giving him a glare as she looked to him. He probably shouldn't say no. Without waiting for an answer, she turned her attention to the woman. "I'm sorry about this, I promise it wasn't intentional," She told her, opening the medkit grabbing the rag from inside, dousing it in rubbing alcohol. "This is gonna sting, but that's good. You need to stay awake, it's not good to pass out." Leliana pressed the rag to the woman's arm briefly, before moving it to clean up the blood. "It's just a graze, good. No stitches required this won't take long I promise."

Ivan was sitting in the bed of the truck resting his eyes when the crack of a gunshot shot him awake. The first thing he did was shoot up, covering his ears as he practically growled at the ringing that now filled them. He looked up, expecting the shot to have come from Nile again, but it was Colt instead. He then turned to look at the intended target, which was underwhelming to say the least and likely didn't warrant a bullet. When the closer one dropped at a shot to the arm instead of the usually required brain-buster, his attention was taken as Leli and Nile got out of the truck and went over to the closer fallen. He had no idea what they were saying as the ringing in his ears still sounded, but it was pretty obvious it wasn't an infected. The Russian sat up in the truck and looked over at the others, speaking a bit louder than intended, but not loud enough to do much but spook the nearby wildlife. "Get them in. We don't have time to just sit here." He climbed out of the truck as he spoke, making his way over and waiting until they'd stopped the bleeding in her arm.

 

[Hyped_Taco]

​

Michael was just as confused as the red-head was, he really thought he had followed the right person this time ¨Idk I thought you were Warren!¨ the neckbeard quickly replied to her moments before the girl told him they now needed to jump off the window ¨We gotta do what now?!¨ the fatass responded with concern, still, the girl carefully jumped out of the window to then land safely on the ground.

Since he was a child he had always wanted to jump out of a window as if it were an action movie, and it seemed that now it was the moment to actually do it. It took him almost a full minute to arm himself of valor to do it… plus it didn´t help that he heard someone getting up the stairs, and even though it hurt him due to whatever gasses that were thrown inside the lodge, the neckbeard inhaled the biggest amount of oxygen as possible so he could yell at the top of his lungs ¨LEEROY¨ the heavy man said while running towards the window, and when he finally jumped out he finished his warcry ¨JENKINS!!¨.

​

Michael ungracefully fell on top of his ass which now hurt him like hell. He frantically looked around everywhere to try and find any of his fellow survivors; he finally found four of them, but apparently, they were separating into two groups; the redneck took the quickest decision in his life and decided to go with the doctor and the muscled guy, since he feared Luca quite a bit ¨g- Guys wait for me!¨ Michael said while he began to waddle towards them.

Mentioned: Brax Luca
Interacted: Maj Andy/Owen shadowz1995 Hector

 

[shadowz1995]

Andy walked back in the destroyed entrance to her home. She tried not to think about the wreckage that had once been the last thing she had of her family. The porch her and her uncle used to drink coffee on and watch the sunrise was now as much lead as it was wood. It seemed the fog had started to dissipate at least to some degree. Andy could see the dining room table her mom had sat at when she had gotten her acceptance letter to nursing school, now flipped on its side and full of scorched holes. There was no time to dwell on those details now, focusing on anything other than the task at hand was suicide. The redhead swallowed hard to relieve the tightness that had threatened to set in her throat and pressed on, walking up the stairs with her hand ready at her quiver.


The last several minutes had been surreal. Her heart was still racing in her chest but instead of making her feel jittery and unstable as it often did, Andy felt a sense of heightened clarity. Adrenaline was a hell of a drug.


She had lost count of all the nights she had crept up to the roof in her lifetime. For some reason the girl had always gained a sense of security from being up high. When her mind became too claustrophobic to handle she would slip up to the roof and lay down on the rough shingles. Something about the stars and the fresh air grounded her more than anything else ever could.


Andy paused at the window at the end of the hallway. It was useful that her normal climbing spot to the roof was on the side of the house and therefore she was at less risk of being seen. Placing her palms on the glass, Andy slid the window open before turning back to the doctor.


"Are you a good climber?" The woman asked. Her voice was muffled by her shirt, but still clear enough to be heard. She didn't ask the question to be condescending. Rather, it was a genuine concern as the shingles could be slick if you weren't careful. One slip could mean revealing their position and getting shot.


"Enough to not fall." The doctor replied, slinging the rifle over his shoulder. He wasn't much of a free hand climber but he was fond of rock climbing. He often did it as a full body exercise before the outbreak so he knew he probably wasn't going to lose his grip. Iced over metal was going to be new territory for him to climb though.


The gas hadn't affected the Hispanics breathing too much but his eyes certainly were not benefitting from its effects. "Let's move quickly. The gas is dissipating but it lingers still."

The girl nodded in agreement. She couldn’t help but wonder if her lodge would never rid itself of the smell of gas. Andy slipped out the window, twisting her torso in a familiar manner so that her feet stood in the sil while she faced the outside of the house, arms reaching for a stable chunk or roof to pull herself up on. Andy wasn’t particularly strong, but years of archery had given her more than enough upper body strength to pull her thin frame up onto the roof. She did her best to keep low as to not alert the soldiers on the other side of the house. The explosion that had happened only moments before was more than enough to keep them distracted for the time being.


Sliding her bow off her back and making sure it was securely placed on the roof so it wouldn’t slide off she leaned down to offer the doctor her hand. He was in good shape for someone his age, but there was no reason to make the climb harder on him than it had to be. She didn’t pretend to be strong enough to hoist him up, but her grip would provide some balance for his transition to the roof.


The offered turned out to be a godsend because Hector was a little too big for the window and his positioning to hoist himself upwards was incredibly awkward. He had more than enough strength to muscle through it but discrepancy and stealth was what was needed at the moment.


The doctor settled in beside the redheaded girl, the rough, frosted tile roofing irritating his bare skin. Still, he kept focused and nodded his thanks to Andy before pressing the stock of the rifle against his shoulder and staring down the sights to their supposed targets.


It took a moment but the ladies were located along with their captors. The older man spoke softly, wisps of fog leaving his lips from the cold, "How do you want to do this, Niña? The bow is silent. You can remove the two captors before they notice what's happening. The moment I fire, all eyes will be on us. But I can drop them faster."


His eyes were transfixed on his target and unblinking as he continued, "I think it would be best if you were to take them out and I'll make corrections should you miss."


Andy resisted the urge to scoff. She never missed, but Hector had no way of knowing that and she wasn't going to turn away help. The likelihood that any of them would be able to make it out of this unscathed was almost non existent. The best girl could hope for was that they would be able to get the job done and have their lives intact by the end of it.


"I'll handle the ones holding the girls. Like you say, I should be able to kill them both before they realize what's happening. However, our work isn't done there." The redhead eyed the horizon taking note of at least six or seven more soldiers. There was no telling for sure if there were more lurking in the treelines, or even just more on their way.


"It's going to take us, Luca, and whoever the hell else decides to help us to keep Owen from turning to swiss cheese down there. We have to keep firing till it's not safe to do so." She looked over into the doctor's eyes as she steeled her nerves, letting her mind wander to the numb logical space that had become familiar over the last several days.


"You are already going to have your fair share of work to do patching us up. Let's try to keep surgery on my brother off your to do list, yeah?" Andy took several slow breaths. She wouldn't be able to shoot her bow from her belly and standing meant opening herself up to fire. As slowly as she could, the girl made her way to the chimney. The brick would do little to protect her from gunfire if they chose to retaliate, but at least it would help hide her for a time.


Andy pressed her back to the coarse coldness of the brick. She could feel it pressing through her tank top, scraping at the tender flesh of her lower back as the fabric slid up as a result of her slowly sliding up to a standing position. Her soles of her boots scraped against the icy metal shingles. It was an uncomfortable sound, the sort of nails on a chalkboard sensation she got when someone chewed on ice too loudly. She flexed her fingers, feeling warmth and flexibility extend through each digit. Her heart was pounding, but she had become accustomed to the sensation, somehow it had become the more natural state of being.


If anything, it allowed her to be able to think clearly. There was no room for self doubt or fear although both did their best to be present. The only things left were the bite of the October air on her cheekbones and the slamming sensation of her heart, so strong that it almost pushed the air from her lungs. In the most natural motion, Andy’s hand reached down to the quiver attached to her hip. Her fingers gently gripped around the shaft of one of her remaining arrows and slid upward. The soft fletching shifted as her fingers slid up, breaking the wax that held the pseudo-feathers in place. Tiny bristles of soft plastic brushed against her calloused fingertips as she focused on her breathing. Good breath control was at least fifty percent of being a good archer, and she needed to be great.


There wasn’t a lot of time to waste as she took the time to inhale slowly through her nose and then exhaled through her mouth, a cloud of steam from her warm breath filling the air like smoke. But she did it all the same, making sure that she was one hundred percent ready before she turned to face the soldiers, leaving the shelter of the chimney.


When she turned outward on her heels, her hand simultaneously brought the arrow to the string, knocked it and drew. The string let a sort of spring like sound as it stretched in the brisk air, pulling it to her cheekbone, knuckles resting on the side of her face. This was all routine for Andy. Breath, check your stance, draw. Her muscles moved through the motions before she had conscious thought to do so. Emerald eyes stared down the sight of the arrow, the gleam of the steel tip at the end was used as her sight. Andy would have to be quick. As soon as this arrow left her fingers, she would have to draw again. While she had the element of surprise, she made a note of the positions of the soldiers.


The one standing above Milly would be her first target. His head was turned toward the leader as he approached the house. He had no idea she was standing up here, watching him. As soon as she was sure that her shot was lined up, Andy let her two fingers release the taut bowstring. It flexed back into its default position and launched the arrow with it. The cylindrical carbon arrow soared through the air just as Hector had described. Silently. Andy was already slipping another arrow from her quiver when the first landed it’s mark. Her eyes never left it as it burrowed inches deep into her target’s neck. His gun dropped as his gloved hands went to his throat and fell to his knees, drowning in his own blood.


Her second arrow was already knocked and drawn as she desperately tried to line up her shot. The other soldier wasn’t positioned as well and she knew they wore plenty of armor under those rubber suits. In fact, the throat was about the only place she knew for sure that she would be able to land a killing blow.. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as she watched him turn to his comrade, realize what was happening and then raise his gun to Bethany’s head. There wasn’t a clear shot to his neck, and she didn’t trust her arrow to pierce anything else, but if she didn’t take the shot, Bethany would die.


The arrow flew almost on instinct. It wasn’t an ideal shot, but given her choice of weaponry it was about the only one she could take. Andy hoped desperately that Hector was as good of a shot as he said he was as she watched it go all the way through the soldier’s hand. He screamed in agony as he dropped his rifle, buying them precious seconds. Andy knocked another arrow.


'Seems like I was right to be worried.'


The moment the soldier turned his head around in a desperate search for the one responsible, his head snapped backwards in a gory explosion of skull bits and brain matter. The .308 round Hector had sent his way carved a bloody ruin through the soldier's cranium.


There was no time to be wasted as the doctor slid another round into the chamber. The next closest soldier had dropped low at the sound of unexpected gunfire and was beginning to call in the casualties over the radio before a round pounded against his chest, completely knocking the wind out of his body and sending his diaphragm into spasms. His agonized gasps were the only sound coming through over comms.


The hazzie rolled over to try and crawl behind cover only to be greeted by a second round through the back of the head, ending his escape prematurely.


Reinforcements were coming now. Drawn to the noise of gunfire. Hector could see the approaching movement in the distance and focused his scope in that direction. "We're going to need to move soon." His accented voice declared.

Maj Rumble Fish (I think that's everyone)

 

[Rumble Fish]

The following is a collaboration between FireMaiden The Mad Queen Nomad_Queen Hyped_Taco and Rumble Fish

Spoiler: Dialogue colour codes

Colt
Cletus
Leliana
Jenna
Catelyn

As soon as the body hit the ground and uttered those weak words, Colt froze up, everything seemingly locking in place. Even Nile's mocking laughter could not break her out of it. She had just shot a living person! An unarmed civilian! Colt let out a distressed squeak as she suddenly felt a hand on her arm and heard Leli speak to her turbulent state, telling her to go back to the truck. Already she felt like her ribcage was constricting her lungs and her skin was pale and beaded from sweat.

"'Kay." Colt gulped, attempting to control her rapid and shallow breath, "Okay. Okay, okay-" she continued in a distressed mantra as she did as the nurse had ordered with no retaliation. Getting in the driver's seat, she leant over the steering wheel struggling to regain her thoughts. First Alex now this? How many times was this going to happen? She could only glance outside once in a while, hoping they would do as she said and stay put. Ivan had the right idea of bringing the stranger inside. She could not exactly deny it.

After they both entered the pharmacy and killed the infected that entered in a kind of bottleneck, the redneck sat down to rest; the last few hours had been quite tiresome, plus the stab from before hurt like hell, so he closed his eyes and took a nap. Cletus then woke up when blondie´s group finally arrived, they could have taken between a few minutes or a few hours to arrive at the pharmacy, but hell if he knows, the redneck was still exhausted from all of this shit.

Still, the pick up was swift, and in no time they were back at the forest; yet before they could get back to the lodge Colt stopped the vehicle to explain to the rest of them that the lodge was now under attack ¨Well… shit that sucks.¨ Cletus responded, the fact that lodge was now under siege in the exact day almost half of them had gone on a supply run seemed like a cruel joke from fate, almost as if a god or two were now messing with them all.

The girl also told them all to gear up since they would go help the rest of the guys at the lodge shortly; after checking that he still had everything he needed, the redneck decided to take a nap inside of the truck, if he was about to die in their ¨reconquest¨ of the lodge then at the very least, he didn´t want to go feeling like shit. The redneck had almost fallen asleep when a shot could be heard in the air, he quickly got out of the truck and said ¨If it was the junkie again I swear to god-¨ he stopped talking after he saw several people of the group checking a body, apparently Colt had just shot a girl by accident. Cletus approached Colt and said ¨Happens to the best of us yall.¨ the redneck said referencing the time he had almost headshot Andy by accident.

Jenna just rolled her eyes when Cletus dozed off. So much for being able to rest herself, she thought. There was little point in trying to get the Redneck to take watch as she just suspected he'd fall asleep anyway.
Still, there'd be time for rest if they got back to the lodge in one piece so with a heavy groan she stood to her feet and kept watch. Hauling her shopping into the back of the truck took more effort than she'd have liked to admit but at least they wouldn't be going home empty-handed.

There would be words for both Ivan and Nile, but for now it could wait. The lodge was under attack, and Colt gave the order to kill any Hazmats on sight. Jenna kept her hands in her pockets to hide the fact they were shaking. Putting down infected was one thing, but this was simply too far. Maybe she could talk Colt into just letting her keep watch?
As her thoughts were clouded around what to say a gunshot went off, sending Cammy off of her as the dog sat at the edge of the truck with her ears pricked up and causing the girl to shoot upright, axe in hand. Either Nile had lost another brain cell and the dead would be on top of them soon or the dead were already there.
It was Colt. The dead were already upon them then it seemed.

Her eyes scanned the area, prepared for a fight when she stopped. The woman wasn't infected. Jenna covered her mouth, her blue eyes widened with shock. She dashed to the side of the woman with Nile and Leliana but the nurse already had it handled. She may have had an attitude towards her but at least she knew what she was doing.

Just a graze. It could have been a lot worse.

Darkness filled the void of Catelyn's mind while small voices of panic lifted its way into her ears tempting her with information. First was a man's voice a mixture of panic and frustration laced its ways into his words. Then a softer voice broke through to Catelyn commanding and apologetic feelings were behind the words causing Catelyn's mind drifted to memories of Sandra her ex.

"Sandra?..." Catelyn mumbled disoriented about what Sandra was doing back in Aurora but very suddenly a loud bang echoed through Catelyn's mind. Which caused her to snap her attention back to reality her eyes slowly open as her breath quivered with fear. Catelyn winced in pain looking down at her arm that Leliana was holding. Then she looked around to her left seeing another girl with purple hair and a man standing next to her making sure she was okay.

"Wha-...What?" Catelyn groggily questioned while moving her free hand to her head wiping a small trail of blood and dirt off of her head.

Suddenly a loud voice boomed towards the small group forming around Catelyn as a voice commanded them to get in the truck. Catelyn turned to face the source of the voice and noticed a man walking towards them. Catelyn starting to feel claustrophobic started to panic a little bit her breath was quick and uneven as she moved her free hand to her foot gripping her shoe tightly. Trying to hold onto something in fear she would float off in and lose herself in the sense of fear.

Two more people near the truck were talking for a second before one of them a girl entered the driving seat of the truck and the other a man stood their waiting. It was at that time the dog caught her attention causing Catelyn to attempt to push herself slightly away from it. Not that Catelyn didn't like dogs but it was more that she had a bad experience with them and found it hard to connect with dogs.

Keep her awake. Jenna's speciality may have been with animals but that was pretty much common knowledge. She noticed the gunshot victim moving away from Cammy, who was gently approaching her and trying to sniff the newcomer.
"Stay." Jenna whispered. The dog did as she was told, so got a gentle pat behind the ears as the girl approached. "What's your name?" She asked, her voice gentle yet clear "I'm Jenna."

"Hey hey hey, I need you to stay still okay?" Leliana cooed softly, "Cammy is a good girl, she won't come any closer, we promise." She needed someone to back off. Nile or Ivan, Jenna could stay since she was helping, but the woman needed space, Leliana knew how this felt. Injured, surrounded by strangers, the woman was gonna panic. She could already tell her patient was scared, being shot has that effect on people. "Jenna, I'm gonna need help sitting her up, I can't bandage her wound while she's laying down and keep it clean." If she was on a bed it would be no problem, but at the moment they needed to take it slow. "Ivan, just watch our backs, okay? We'll get her into the truck in a minute." She took a moment, her hands leaving the rag that stuck to the blood on the woman's arm, to properly get the medkit situated. Leliana's hands were bloody, she needed to clean them off before she did anything else, but she had to check and see if the bleeding had stopped. Or at the very least, slowed. As she leaned forward again to check the bleeding, she glanced do Jenna. "Did you manage to get what Ivan asked for?" She wondered quietly, "If you did, could I take them?"


"Cammy is best girl." The girl added with a smile, but this faded as she faced Leliana, turning girl yet Jenna nodded gently "I know. Do you know what kind of gun hit her? Was it just a graze or is the damn thing lodged in there?" She whispered to Leliana, trying to make sure that the poor woman couldn't hear her. She looked to be around Jenna's age, maybe a year or two older but looks could be deceiving. She didn't even have a name yet, let alone an age.

She did raise an eyebrow at Leli's last question. Why would she be asking about Ivan's mental condition? Unless...Unless it was a lot worse than Jenna realised. She hadn't noticed any withdrawal symptoms on the man but maybe he had run out of his dose a mere day before their run. Regardless, she'd still have words for leaving her and Cletus without any communication, but she'd be gentler.
"So you know about his back pains?" She muttered, keeping her voice low "Yeah. Had to get into the back of the pharmacy but I got plenty. That sort of stuff is hard to talk about though so I'll sneak it to him once we're back at the lodge. Don't worry." She gave the nurse a half-smile "I know a thing or two about hiding meds." She winked

"A 45, I think," Leliana responded, "Just a graze if anything was stuck in there I would have felt it." Once the stranger was propped up, Leliana pressed a price of gauze to the cut, before grabbing some on the roll to wrap it. "Colt is gonna take this hard, I'll go talk to her, you get this one into the bed of the truck, okay? Getting her in the cab would take to much work." Leliana told Jenna, briefly glancing up at the older woman, before back down at the stranger's arm. "Back pains? What did he...oh goddamn it." Ivan gave Jenna some bullshit excuse, didn't he? "Jenna, those are for me, not Ivan. I wanted him to get them for me but he had to come and give us back up thanks to Nile," She said, hushed and quiet. "Look, if you want to have a long and in-depth talk later, fine, but for now, put them in the medkit. I really need them. Promised Colt I'd do something if it became a problem and guess what?" Leliana decided to leave it there, her focus entirely back on the stranger. Her wound was wrapped up, but she could be feeling light-headed with the sudden loss of blood. "Find her some water or a snack, there should be something in our bags.”

"Could've been a lot worse." Jenna shrugged. The situation was fucked as it was, but adding a little bit of that silver lining couldn't hurt, right?
Her eyes widened a little when Leliana admitted the truth "Oh. Well thanks for being honest." Things made a little bit of sense to her and it was like a small cog in the girl's head turned. Leli snapping at her and being bitchy for seemingly no reason one day and then being incredibly helpful the next. She was guilty of snapping a few too many times herself. Between the dysphoria and then getting used to hormones she could be a real bitch back in the day. It may have been worse back then but she still had her moments.

Maybe the lodge could work out after all, that was if the Fascists hadn't burnt the thing to the ground. She gave the nurse a small smile, trying to reassure her even a little. Her attention turned to the wounded woman and Jenna got to work, helping her into the bed of the truck. The only thing she missed was the extra muscle mass, but the girl kept her body in check. Lying her upright as instructed she sat by her side, going through the bags to find her anything useful. "You're going to need to stay awake, love." She told Catelyn.​

 

[Brax]

Luca looked over to Owen. All of those years spent neglecting guns for their destructive nature had finally come at a cost. There was no conceivable way that Owen came out unscathed. Regardless of the backup that Luca, Aderyn or anyone else provided, he was still one man who was running at a militarized group stocked with projectile weaponry. Luca wondered if Andy was aware that Owen was throwing his life away, much as he believed the imbecilic red-head had been adamant on doing much of his life. The italian was familiar with the bravado because he was not exempt of poor-decision making. This was far more foolish.

He extended a finger to the man, letting him know to wait. It made more sense for Luca to round the house first and find a place to use as cover before Owen took the reins. Followed by both Andy’s brother and his niece, he rounded the side of the lodge carefully. First cover belonged to the front of one of the RV’s. A peek around the side resulted in bullets being fired from around the corner. Instead of playing this game, Luca quickly dropped into a prone position. Recognizing quite a few pairs of legs using the two RVs as cover, the man aimed and sprayed at both sets, hoping that only two soldiers had been close enough to notice. Without having enough time to see the fruits of his labor the man pushed himself up to his feet. He rounded the corner of the RV with his sights aimed up.

Once Tre heard the rifle fire from behind him, he was able to take it as a signal to act. With one good arm, the kid would drop down from the top of the shed, turning to slash downward vertically across the front of the third Hazmat’s face. Due to the relation of the hazmat in comparison to himself, there was no easy way to strike in motion and land properly. Tre had turned his body in time to land both feet onto the ground while facing the soldier but could not slash downward and keep his balance at the same time. This forced him to roll back, though he did spring back up to his feet rather quickly. The pulsating pain in his shoulder was resounding. As a result, the teen was becoming increasingly anxious about falling unconscious due to the overwhelming frustration that came with the injured tissue and muscles surrounding the wound.

Luca rounded the corner to find a soldier waiting for him. Surprised and running on pure adrenaline, he didn’t have to spare even a millisecond to think before acting. Using the butt of his rifle he slammed the man’s scope out of his face, before sending the heel of his boot swiftly into the man’s face mask. It dented the plastic in slightly. The soldier stumbled backward as Luca lifted the scope of his rifle up in time to load a few bullets into the man’s torso. However, his rifle wasn’t the only one to fire.

The soldier that had been using the back of the shed for cover had proven to be elusive. He was able to turn to the side just as Tre slashed downward. The youngster had missed him entirely. Just as Tre got back to his feet, the soldier had taken aim at him and fired. The bullet made contact with Tre’s right pectoral muscle, forcing his legs to go limp and his body to crumple onto the grass like a marionette. Luca, witnessing this sight in horror, was unable to contain himself. He released a saddened yell as he continuously fired at the soldier who had downed Tre, dispensing his brain matter among the bullet holes that had soon riddled the side of the lodge. Skidding aside Tre’s body, Luca looked for a pulse. Two seconds had passed in that time. Then he whistled to Aderyn. The man hoisted the body over his shoulder and moved it into proper cover; the shed. Among the three bodies behind in the area, one had no signs of injury aside from the small bullet wound in his right thigh. One of Luca’s bullets must have hit a femoral artery for the man to die as quickly as he did.

It was then that Owen rushed past him. Noticing the man had moved to act, Luca lifted his rifle and took aim once more.

Maj Meredith

 

[Maj]

​

Owen knew that running out into that open field was a deathwish, but he also knew that Andy would never have asked it of him without thinking there was no other way. He watched from around the corner as Andy did as she promised and felled the man holding the gun to Milly’s head. The man crumpled to the ground, clutching his neck and seconds after, her next shot got the man in the hand to keep him from pulling the trigger. As Hector shot the other man holding the hostages, he knew there was no time to waste. Milly and Beth now had large targets on their backs.

He stood, bouncing on his toes as he took his breaths in rapid succession, doing his best to psych himself up for what was likely the most dangerous stunt he had ever pulled. For the first time, he could feel the fear trying to overpower the adrenaline of the fight. Owen had been in his fair share of scraps, but never like this. The lodge had become a warzone.

That made it all the more imperative that he get the girls to safety. The citizens of the lodge had fended off the hazmat attackers so far, and he had to keep faith that they would continue to do so. With one final deep inhale, the man rushed forward toward the hostages.

There had been a time that Owen could run bases with the best of them. However that was six years ago and many cigarettes had passed since. He did his best to channel those skills as his boot clad feet, dug into the squishy, thawing dirt. His arms pumped at his sides, as he propelled his large body forward, but he could already feel the sting of the cold air in his lungs as he ran. Owen could hear the soldiers beginning to shout as they saw him move. It wouldn’t do him any good to focus on them, hesitation would only get him shot.

He could hear the blood pumping through his temples, each thud of his heart was so loud it threatened to drown out the deafening sounds of gunfire. The whiz of a bullet near Owen’s head caused the young man to duck on reflex, but he kept moving all the same. His focus on getting to the girls blinded him to the man at the treeline, with his mop of red hair in his sights. A hulking form like his was an easy shot. The bullet tore through Owen’s shoulder, blood pouring from the wound, down his back and soaking through his shirt. He did his best to stay on his feet, but the pain that surged through his body made it difficult. Gritting his teeth, he trudged forward forcing himself back to a run until he made it to Beth’s side.

“Don’t panic,” Owen grunted. He could feel the blood flowing from his shoulder with every heavy beat of his heart. “It’s me.” The twin began his work at untying Beth’s bounds as quickly as he could.

“Owen!” Her voice was watery, likely from the tears that had obviously flowed freely from beneath her blindfold. He could tell how scared she was, but there wasn’t time for happy reunions. Even pausing long enough to free her was a huge risk, but he would move faster if he only had to carry one of them.
With her hands freed, Beth tore down her blindfold. Her relieved smile faded quickly as her blue eyes darted down the burgundy stains that were soaking through his shirt.

“You’re bleed…” but, Owen cut her off, scooping Milly into his arms.

“Don't worry about that now. No matter what happens. Keep running for the lodge."

Mentions: Brax shadowz1995
Interactions: Rumble Fish

 

[Rumble Fish]

The following is a collaboration between Hyped_Taco King Vioogra Hyped_Taco Nomad_Queen The Mad Queen Corgi and Rumble Fish

Spoiler: Dialogue colour codes

Colt
Cletus
Nile
Leliana
Aubrey
Catelyn

“پسرم را بگیر! لطفا! او را نجات ده!” Colt’s eyes flashed open as that woman’s doomed howl rushed through her mind. Thankfully, the memory fizzled as she heard the redneck speak, telling her it happened to everyone. The vet hummed quietly and smacked her lips slightly as she kept her view forward, chin on the steering wheel as she looked up through the windshield and towards the towering trees. She did not even want to look outside. How was any of them going to listen to her now? Everything she had said was thrown out the window as soon as she raised her weapon. Great.

Colt miserably sipped her whisky as she watched through the open window what was happening to the stranger. It didn’t look good. She just hoped the combined medical knowledge of Jenna and Leliana could help her. They were not doctors like Ralph or Hector but she could only hope they could help. Colt had many nick scars from grazes and knew how bad they could be. She turned to Cletus temporarily, “Can I trust ya t’watch over ‘em? I’ll join ya in a few minutes.” She instructed the redneck. While the others were busy looking over the stranger, they needed a set of eyes watching over them. She did not want to approach them. Not now at least. She had to regain her composure before she could do anything. She kept a fuzzy mental note to instruct Cletus to stand on her slightly blind side.

Aubrey had lazily taken in everything that had happened over the past few seconds. Her brain was too muddled to really take in what was happening, so the only brain power she could muster up was used towards a few questions- Where is her sister, do they always find random people like this, and who is the dog lady and farmer man?

And that’s exactly what she asked when she sluggishly walked towards Colt, “Hey... I have a few questions if that’s alright by you.” She was only asking because she knew it was the polite thing to do- she was going to ask either way, “Do you always find random people out and about and take them in? It could be dangerous at some point... Also- are the dog lady and farmer man strangers?” Being very bad at reading the room, she didn’t realize how upset Colt was not how freaked everyone was.

Catelyn's struggle to push herself away from the dog ended quickly when Jenna stopped the dog with a simple command she then introduced herself as Jenna and asked for Catelyn's name. Around the same time Leliana the girl helping Catelyn asked her to stay still and said that the dog was a good girl.

"Catelyn?" she questioned still a little out of it as her vision was still having trouble focusing Catelyn moved her uninjured arm to her head while trying to adjust herself. Someone named Ivan was instructed to watch their backs Jenna helped to prop Catelyn up while Leliana asked Jenna a question.

Jenna muttered something quietly in response before asking her own question about what kind of gun shot Catelyn. Catelyn didn't understand what kind of gun a .45 was but she did understand when Leliana said it was just a graze which gave her a little comfort. The next thing Catelyn knew it looked like Leliana was arguing about something or explaining things very sternly to Jenna.

Catelyn was hesitant at the idea of getting into a truck with strangers but she had no other options right now. Being out of supplies and injured meant she would have to lean on the strangers until she could get out back on her own.

Being very weary of the dog when Jenna helped her into the back of the truck Catelyn sat down rubbed her ankle. Looking around at the various people in the ragtag group caused her eyes to start feeling heavy, Jenna handed her a snack and a half full water bottle instructing Catelyn to stay awake.

"Uh, my father? Did you guys get him?" Catelyn said almost shaking her head struggling to remember if it was really his corpse chasing her.

In the long medical interchange that happened between the brit and Leli, Cletus understood jack shit of what was even going on; the only thing he got was that the brit had thought that the ruskie needed medicine that Leli actually needed… or something like that.

And then he was asked by Colt if he could keep an eye out for everyone here while she went to rest or something which left the redneck… quite confused ¨uhhh, sure yeah¨ the redneck said, although confused as hell he would still do the task just given to him. Cletus then turned his attention back to the girl on the ground, which seemed fully awake now, but he still had a question for the nurse ¨Hey so like, dont we clean her wound with some alcohol or something?¨

"Catelyn's a great name." Jenna smiled "I know a few."
Subscribers and followers. She felt she knew them but they'd never met face to face, unless she'd bumped into one at a convention and it had slipped her mind.
"Your dad?" Jenna asked. At the mere mention of it, her thoughts turned to her own father back home. What was running through his mind? Aurora had been completely cut off from the rest of the world but simply having an entire town disappear would raise suspicion.

Especially if some high-profile individuals with say, millions of fans were there. It was a little shitty how the disappearance of hundreds of people would be brushed aside next to that of a celebrity but that's just how the world operated. Jenna couldn't change that.

Cover stories about a chemical leak killing everyone or even that of a virus not as horrific as this getting loose were possibilities. Did he think she was dead? The most important person in his life, wiped away by simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. How would he even cope with that. All the more reason to get the hell out of town and reach out to him. Even a small message telling him that she was alive. It took a moment but the girl was able to snap back to focus. There wasn't anything she could do for her own dad now, but she could help Catelyn. "We just found you, love." She shook her head "There was nobody else..." She paused

"Jenna..." Leliana nodded to the infected laying on the ground behind them. She didn't want to say anything out loud, in case she was wrong, but Leliana had a bad feeling about the body laying back there. Jenna could probably catch onto what she was trying to non-verbally say before the nurse's attention turned to Celtus. "Took care of it already hillbilly, I know what I'm doing." There was venom behind her words, hidden in the flat town she had used, though he shouldn't take it personally. Everyone was having a pretty bad day. "Whether in the truck, I'm gonna go check on Colt." With that, the nurse stood, grabbing the medkit. "Keep her calm okay...pretty sure I heard some shots near the lodge a few minutes ago. Don't think anyone had noticed us yet, but I'm worried." Leliana then turned, heading off to the truck.

"Hey Colt," She said softly, glancing at Aubrey. Maybe the expression on the nurse's face would tell the other blonde to let her handle it. Hopefully. "Her name is Catelyn. She's okay it was just a graze, nothing to worry about. Didn't even need stitches." The nurse gave Colt a soft smile, "Celtus obviously doubts our abilities though, real rude of 'im don't cha think?" She chuckled before the slight smile softened again. "Don't beat yourself up about it, she'll understand. I promise. It was a mistake, an accident, shit happens." She paused, glancing in the direction of the lodge. "We still need you Colt. Everyone at the lodge needs you too. And once we're done, and everything is safe again, you are gonna take a break. You deserve it."

Just after Leliana motioned to the infected on the ground for Jenna to take care of it, Nile placed his foot on it's neck, which, by the way, had a gaping hole in it. The thing let out a moan, indicating it was definitely still alive. Colt's shot must have not gone through the skull. The zombie began to move it's arms upwards, grasping at air in attempt to grab Nile's head. It tried to bend it's head to bite his leg, but that wasn't possible. Luckily the thing was too dumb to realize it could grab his leg too.

"So like, anyone got a knife I can use?" Nile asked, turning to look at the others. "No takers? Fine." Nile said as he grabbed ahold of his claw hammer and pulled it from his belt. Bringing it up, he slammed it down into the undead's skull. There was a crack as the claw pierced the skull, but the zombie didn't fall limp. Tainted blood began to pour from the wound, making Nile cringe. Pulling back up, Nile yanked out the hammer, the flesh making a squelching and ripping noise as a whole segment of the skull was cracked off.

"OH, oh Christ almighty that's disgusting," Nile said, blanching. Lifting the hammer up once more, he brought it back down on the nearly exposed brain of the zombie. The bloodied claw made a disgusting squishing sound as it sank into the brain, killing the zombie. Gagging, Nile stepped away.

Colt had lit another cigarette in an attempt to settle her frayed nerves. They really were stuck between a rock and a hard place. Any further back, they were at the mercy of the city's ravenous horde, any further forward and they would be straight into the firing line of the current battle in the woods. The woman coughed gutturally at the inhale, fairly unaccustomed to the habit despite dipping into it occasionally but she knew if they saw her drinking that would just make them lose more faith than they probably already had. She looked to Aubrey as she asked who Jenna and Cletus were and why she took people in. Never mind; the woman took out the bottle of moonshine and took a swig from it.

"The woman's Jenna. She's a good'un, gettin' good with a gun and, well, smart. Cletus... well, I'm sure he's got 'is uses. They're alive." She responded before contemplating her answer for the girl's first question. "Seems so. But, I dunno. Look-um, I'll explain later." She added with a slight hiccough. She didn't want to think about exactly why she did what she did. It brought back too many memories. Painful ones. Thankfully she did not have time to let them sink as Leliana approached and told her about the shot woman, Catelyn. Colt looked through the driver window at the nurse as she spoke. Colt sighed unhappily and lifted up the moonshine in a slightly wavy hand.

"Shouldn't be makin' mistakes." She mumbled before turning to the nurse as some mentioned a break. Colt snorted slightly, the corner of her mouth twitching in an attempt to smile, "Don' worry 'bout me. Ya'll need a break. All of ya." Her expression became glassy as she stared off through Leliana into the woods, "I just hope we're no' too late." Her shaggy eyebrows dropping with concern. They didn't just have adults. Children were in there. She was still fighting every fibre to not charge in guns a-blazing. She couldn't afford to make any more mistakes.

Catelyn's mind began to grow clearer since she was finally able to take a break and sit in the back of the truck. Pain filled her legs and feet as the muscles screamed from constant use. Jenna told Catelyn that they only found her and Catelyn was about to tell her that the zombie chasing her was her father but Leliana quickly helped Jenna to understand.

"Jenna, come help me please?" Catelyn asked hopping out of the bed of the truck which she immediately regretted momentarily forgetting about her twisted ankle. Catelyn cried out in pain while stumbled a few steps fowards eventually stopping herself and hoping on her one good foot to keep balance. Taking her time she made her way over to her fathers corpse right as Nile stepped away gagging.

Slowly Catelyn fell to the ground on her knees over her father's corpse she took a deep breath in and immediately regretted it. The smell of death was something Catelyn would never get used to as she moved around her fathers body. Catelyn slowly undid his hiking boots taking them off the corpse she put them next to her. Moving up to his belt she lifted up his shirt slightly and undid his belt taking it off the corpse. A small thud could be heard in the dirt Catelyn looked over and saw a empty knife sheath, letting out a sigh she picked it up and added it to the pile. Catelyn then started searching through his pockets, she found a small pocket knife and an orange handled flint and steel fire starter. Taking a moment she sat they're looking at her dad's corpse one last time. Feelings of sadness mostly filled her body and it wasn't helped by the fact her father's face was bashed in. In a way, though it helped her to distance her emotions, her and her father were never really close especially after she came out but it was still her father laying before her gone.

"He wouldn't have lived long...he had lung cancer...In any case, Jenna? Can you help me up?" Caitlyn question looking back up at Jenna as if everything was normal with her hand held out.

"Mistakes happen. And in this case, is more than forgivable, I didn't even know that anyone else was so close to the lodge." Leliana glanced towards the back of the truck, noticing she wasn't there. "You probably saved her from having to do something horrid, I think that infected was her dad. She asked if we found him. Graze or not, you still downed it, Nile finished it off." A bright side to this situation. Once again, Leliana turned to look in the direction of the lodge. She hadn't heard anything for a little bit, but Luca gave them all an order. And order that if they didn't listen to, could get people killed. "I'm really worried. Shinoa and Valerie are in the middle of that. So is Milly. We can't do shit though," She sighed, "Heard anything from Luca yet?"

"I know," Colt spoke around her cigarette as she stared on. She exhaled smoke through her nostrils as she then turned to Leliana. "No, I haven't. I dunno how long they're gonna wait. We've seen they don't like followin' orders." She added before expression broke from her default look of stoic concern as she looked to the nurse, her brow furrowed unhappily and her eyes glassy. "Even if we went in..." her breath shook, "I don't think we could help." They had everything stacked against them. "We dunno how many there are, how many guns they got, why they're 'ere, what they'll do..." she drifted off, her voice now low. The last thing she needed was for the others to hear. Leliana was the most trustworthy right now.

"Not now at least. We've got two," Pausing she glanced to Aubrey, "Three injured. Not enough people to help take back the lodge unless we knew what was going on. We could send someone to go scout, but I don't think that would end well. Call it a gut feeling." She could think of a million ways this could go wrong, someone getting killed or hurt. The ones still back at the lodge would need medical attention, people still able to function. Who knows what the Hazzies were doing. "I don't think the boys are gonna want to sit still much longer, you up for being a drill sergeant? I've noticed nobody really listens to me." She chuckled, "Maybe it's cause I look a bit like a 12-year-old."

For the first time today, Colt was completely stumped on what to tell them. They didn't seem to listen, even before they left. She looked to the nurse worryingly. "I mean... what d'I even say?" She could not just repeat the same things over and over and if she slipped up in her wording, she would not hear the end of it.

Aubrey nodded slowly at what Colt was saying, "Dogs are cool, I guess...." Is all she took out of what she said. As Leliana came over, she gave a small wave as the girl glanced at her. She was half-heartedly listening to everything the two were talking about, but she heard plenty of names she didn't recognize, "You all have a big group, don't you?" Aubrey shuffled in her spot a bit, her hand still fumbling with the brim of her cap.

Continuing to listen to them, she cut in before Leliana could respond to Colt, "If you guys want someone to scout, I don't mind going ahead. I'm used to being by myself. Honestly, it's weird being surrounded by people."

"No Aubrey, it's not safe. There's the dilemma of not knowing what's going, and wanting to find out, but those guys are ruthless. You get caught, you die," Leliana deadpanned, looking back to Aubrey. "We can't afford to take that risk, not yet. And yeah, big group. Best bet is to just stay put. If we hear something that's really bad, we can figure it out from there." She then looked to Colt. "We'd die if we didn't have you, despite how they act, the boys know this. If they don't listen to you, or Luca, there's gonna be bad consequences. All of us want to go help, our friends, our family, is there in that lodge. But we can't afford to do anything rash. We could get killed, they could get killed. Is a hard choice, but we have to say put. Why not tell them a version of what I just said? You're pretty intimidating, don't think they'd be willing to fight you. And if they do, and try to leave, we stop them. We can't risk going right now. Make them understand, you can do it."

Jenna glanced over at the body, Leliana's small gesture turning yet another cog in her head. "Shit." She muttered, shaking her head gently. Losing her own father was possibly her worst fear, so she couldn't even imagine what Catelyn was feeling. Nile went to town on the body and Jenna winced. She was about to storm over there and give the junkie a piece of her mind and a toe-up his ass but something stopped her.

Catelyn called for her help, and then hopped out of the back of the truck before the girl had a chance to stop her. "Catelyn, stop." She called after her "You shouldn't be moving around, it could make thing worse..." She stopped, noticing that the girl was lying next to her father's body. Scolding could wait, the woman had to grieve.
Jenna's method was shutting down and getting mad at everything, and it appeared Catelyn's was looting. A little weird, but everybody had their way. Who was she to judge?

Jenna glanced down at Catelyn, unsure of what else to say. "Cancer's a c***." She sighed "I'm sorry...." She lowered her head for a moment, giving the woman the time she needed.
When asked to be helped up, Jenna did just that and helped the girl back into the truck. She was gentle, making sure not to touch the woman's wounded arm.

Catelyn tossed the boots into the bed of the truck with the leather belt and empty knife sheath she decided to keep the small pocket knife and fire starter. With Jenna's help she sat down on the end of the truck looking around into the woods she wondered what they were doing here. Absentmindedly she moved her hand to her arm were the gunshot wound was.

"Which one is Colt?" Catelyn croaked out to whoever would listen in the bed of the truck. Leliana said earlier the name Colt and that the name belonged to a girl. From what Catelyn could hazily remember Colt either shot her or lost someone in a similar way.​

 

[Rumble Fish]

Still puffing like a chimney, Colt listened to the woman as she told her what she could potentially say. It was at times like this Colt was glad to have Leliana with her. This nurse had been incredibly effective during this whole experience. Without her, Colt worried she might have gone off the slippery slope and killed Nile when she had that urge to. She turned to the nurse, looking to reply before the voice of the woman she had injured spoke up, making the Marine freeze. She let out a deep sigh and took one more swig of moonshine. This was going to go badly. She just knew.

“At least I can take responsibility fur my mistakes.” She grumbled to the nurse before getting out the driver’s side, stumbling a little as she landed. Straightening herself, she walked around to the back of the truck where the woman was. “I am.” She answered as she had asked for who she was. Colt knew that her demeanour alongside the large scars on her face could seem intimidating, but she could not look weak. Not now. “I’m real sorry fur this, ma’am. We’ve ‘ad a rough day but still, I shouldn’tve panicked.” She could feel her throat close the more she spoke. After speaking, Colt turned away to look around the woods, raising her assault weapon, not that she intended to use it. Not now. Not until Luca told her to. Once she spoke to Catelyn, she hoped to talk to the group again. She needed to think.

After Catelyn asked the question the driver's side door was opened as a women stumbled out of it walking towards the bed of the truck. Catelyn heard a small confirmation from the women that she was Colt. Catelyn looked at the woman's face seeing a large scar run across her face and a lit cigarette between her lips. After Colt apologized to Catelyn she turned away looking into the woods Catelyn didn't know why but she let out a sigh before jumping back onto her feet doing her best not to hurt herself.

"We've all had rough days ever since shit hit the fan...Reactions are all we have left you either let them control you or you work on reigning them in. In any case you can make it up to me." Catelyn said while limping towards Colt, when they were standing next to one another Catelyn looked over and softly took the cigarette out of Colts mouth putting it in her own. "What's so rough about your day?" Catelyn questioned while taking a long draw of the cigarette and looking deeper into the woods.


Colt almost bit the cigarette in half at the woman’s quip about controlling her reactions. What the hell did this civilian know about this kind of decision making? Granted she had just been shot, but still, it was not appreciated. She opened her mouth to retaliate but before she could get a word out, the cigarette had been plucked from between her teeth by the woman. Colt just blinked at the gesture but said nothing. She had more in her pocket. Besides, her lungs needed a break. At her question about how “rough” her day was, her slightly cloudy left eye twitched in an effort to not erupt into an unfiltered tirade.


“…Yes.” She answered before turning away to beckon Ivan over. She had seen the man standing around. If they were going to stay back and not intervein, they needed to know the extent of the problem. Taking out another cigarette, she lit it but paused in putting it in her mouth. “Ya said ya were good at sneakin’ some time back. If ya weren’t lyin’ I gotta job for ya. I want ya t’scout ahead and see if y’can see what’s goin on without bein’ seen. I’d need ya t’come back as soon as ya can and tell me everythin’ okay? If we’re gonna help, we gotta know how bad it is.” She glanced back to Catelyn, “I gotta figure out what we’re gonna do with these newcomers. If ya can do that, I’d be grateful.”


Ivan had just been standing around at a loss of what to do. He couldn't stand just sitting there while loves were at stake. He'd been deep in thought when Colt motioned for him to come over, followed by her telling him to scout ahead and assess the situation at the lodge without being detected. A short smirk passed his lips, one he quickly suppressed before clearing his throat. "Consider it done." He said as he reached for the rifle on his back, taking it off and setting it against the truck. After that, he removed the jacket he'd been wearing along with his shoes and socks. With a quick breath, he jumped up and down on his now bare feet. With each impact on the ground, the amount of noise that came from his feet making contact with the dirt below lessened as he leaned his forward, landing on the front of his feet. It had been a small eternity since he needed to effectively sneak among armed individuals, so this'd be a decent test to see if he still had it. Once the Russian reached a volume he felt was suitable enough, he turned to the others and spoke in a quiet but audible tone of voice before walking into the woods towards the lodge. "I'll be back shortly. Don't let them do anything stupid, Colt."


“Yer one ta talk.” Colt waved her hand, her tone jokingly dismissive, “Just don’t get yerself hurt.” She added honestly before turning to the rest of the group. “Right. Until Ivan’s back I don’t wanna see anyone leavin’ this area. Once we know the scale of the problem, we can make a plan. Once Luca gives the go-ahead, we need to be fast. I know its hard, but we can’t afford to be rash. We don’ want ‘em to die cause of us. We gotta wait.” She spoke before looking to Cate. “Ya’ll’ve stumbled into a shitstorm, ma’am. But we’ll do what we can for ya.” She took a drag of her cigarette, swaying a little as she stood with the occasional stumble back or forward to regain balance. Lucidity draining.

Jenna held back when Catelyn and Colt talked. There was little she could add without making things worse, but surprisingly the woman seemed to be taking getting shot incredibly well. Jenna would have been furious, wanting to tear whoever shot her in two. Listening in to Ivan's and Colt's conversation she rolled her eyes at the Russian's words. "What, like leaving the untrained civilians without any form of contact?" She muttered to herself, watching as he walked off. Given that it'd be a few minutes, Jenna took the time to go through some of her bags, gently unclipping the backpack off of Cammy and doing a quick count. Right now, all she could do was wait so keeping her hands busy and mind occupied was a must.

Cammy walked up to the girl and nuzzled her head to get under her arm. It could have been that the dog was sensing her nerves or maybe it was just typical behaviour from the animal. After all, a dog was never happy unless they were the centre of attention. Jenna took it as the former and stroked behind her ears but then had to hold Cammy back slightly as her nose picked up on some of the food grabbed, including the dried dog food. Zipping the bag back up, Jenna got to work on rubbing Cammy's belly. Anything to pass the time.​

 

[Maj]

​

Time came to a standstill upon being blindfolded and grabbed. She had tried to cry out for Bethany for help only to be gagged and hit as a result. In the darkness and constriction of the soldier’s grip, Milly felt everything shake as she could hear the carnage going on around her. The blasts, gunfire and shouts rang through her ears into her head, causing her to shake it rapidly, only to be held still even more than before. Her inability to settle herself caused her to simply freeze. She had dropped Snowy at the river and with nobody to cling to or ask for help, her blindfold became saturated in tears. She had heard what they had said about killing both herself and Bethany if either she or anyone in the Lodge did anything.

Trapped, her mind was the only thing that could escape. All Milly could do was try to go back, back home and to her mother. What had they been doing the days before everything fell? After desperately searching, she finally came to a particular memory. Twilight in September, they were huddled together under Milly’s weighted blanket cooking toast and marshmallows over a gentle and clicking fire while watching all of the ‘Toy Story’ movies on an Ipad. She had been cuddled against her mother, she’d give anything to hear her voice, smell her scent or be held in her safe grip again. Knowing she could be shot at any point, she held onto that thought for as long as she could. She wanted her mother to be the last thing on her mind when it happened.

After what felt like an eternity, Milly felt the tight grip of the Hazmat suddenly release, causing her to drop to the ground. As that memory fizzled away, all she could do was sob under her gag, praying that whatever happened next would be swift and painless. Through the chaos, a particular voice caused the youngster to jump up a little. Owen? He was speaking, to Bethany! She was alive? Before she could react, she felt a pair of strong arms suddenly lift her.

“N-N-No-! No!” She cried behind her gag, squirming in the grip as the blindfold was yanked off and she winced at the sudden light. Through that temporary blur, she could see a familiar and vivid red looking down at her. Relief washed over the younger girl as she gripped tightly onto the man, trying to thank him profusely but amidst her fear all that came out was intelligible mix of whimpers and squeaks, tears still rivering down her face. Her mind had shut down, she could barely hear anything. All she could do was cling to the man with a koala like grip and cry; but not for him.

Owen’s grip on the girl was tight. She was light enough to easily carry, her thin frame fit into his right arm snuggly. The child was light enough that it didn’t even disturb the wound in his shoulder too much, although it was still freely bleeding and he was sure that he was smearing blood on Milly as they ran for the doors. Beth was in front of him, he made sure to keep close behind her. From the sounds of gunfire, the soldiers weren’t done taking shots at them yet, and he would rather the bullet hit him than the frightened blonde in front of him.

She had listened to him at least, her long legs pumping quickly across the yard. He didn’t find it too difficult to match her speed and was relieved to see the lodge well within reach. If they could just make it a little further, they would at least have some semblance of shelter from the onslaught of bullets. She looked behind her for just a moment, enough to look and make sure he was still there, but Owen ushered her forward. There wasn’t time for her concerned glances.

Just as the man began to think they might make it, things took a turn for the worse. Owen growled in pain a bullet hit him in his muscular thigh. The force of the shot sent him to his knees and him and Milly went tumbling to the ground. This was worse than his shoulder wound, the blood was already pouring at an alarming rate from the wound, and the pain was so intense he found it hard to catch his breath.

He tried to come to his feet, but found it difficult to do so. The weight on his leg only caused more blood to flow down his haunches and into his sock. Beth turned, moving to come and help.

“No.” Owen instructed, struggling to speak as well as stand. “Take Milly and go.”

Milly gripped tighter than she had ever gripped anything in her lifetime. She kept her face buried into the man, covering her ear with her free hand in a failed attempt to block the sound out. Her heart stopped as Owen growled in pain and they both fell to the ground, the impact sending a shockwave through her fragile body. Milly yowled at the feeling before trying to get up, but failed as her legs had become essentially useless from the terror coursing through her veins. She turned to see Owen struggling to get up, but told Beth to just go.

“No...No, no no no!” Milly squeaked, was he going to die? She had already lost her mother and, while there was no comparison, this man had saved her and the thought of losing him too terrified her. She looked up, seeing there were still soldiers everywhere. With a frightened cry she shimmied towards Beth, still looking back at Owen anxiously, silently praying and begging him to get up.

Beth hesitated to move, although she reached her hand out to Milly who was walking toward her. He had risked his life to save them, and had now taken two shots to show for it. He wasn’t dead yet, but she was convinced that if she left him limping across the yard, it wouldn’t take him long to end up that way.

“If you let that little girl suffer because of me Beth, I swear to god,” He spat. It was uncharacteristically cruel, but she knew that he was only doing it to urge her onward. At the end of the day, he was right. Letting Milly get hurt wasn’t something she was willing to risk either. The tears felt like they had never stopped flowing down her face, but as frustration consumed her she felt her eyes sting as a response. Beth took the girl’s hand, and hurried toward the lodge. Leaving Owen to drag himself across the yard. If she could get the small girl to safety, maybe she could go back and help him.

Milly cried out as Beth took her hand and pulled her along as she weakly pulled in an attempt to run back to Owen but failed. Her spindly frame was dragged along as she attempted to keep up. She tried to look behind her to Owen but couldn’t. All she could do was shut her eyes and prepare for the potential pain of being shot. They did not open again until the door slammed behind them and she turned to see both herself were safe inside but Owen was still outside. He hadn’t followed them? The weight of what had just occurred hit her like a train. Milly whined and crouched low, curling into a small ball, covering her head with both arms and squeezing her eyes as tightly shut as possible. Now she was unbound, seeing everything that had happened and people being maimed including the older kid she had seen Luca slung over his shoulder, everything shut down. If this was what they were going through, what was the rest of the world like?

Interactions: Rumble Fish