Realistic or Modern TWD 1x1 {Caffeine Freak & Maxine}

[Caffeine Freak]

[OOC/CS]​

 

[Bonnie571]

Leo Roaden, nothing more than the outcast her whole like was now barricaded up inside a bar. How did everything lead up to this moment. Everything lost in just more than a blink of an eye. From living in a home with a brother pushing and breaking any thoughts of worthiness, to impatiently walking back and fourth infront of an old closet, chewing her finger nail anxiously. in side the room was a guy, round about the same age her her, with a bandaged & stitched up leg.

Leo had been climbing through a half broken off door into a huge warehouse when her dog, took off in a hurry. Having never done that, she was in a frantic rush to follow, knowing better than to shrug it off. He led her to a blood covered room where a seemingly passed out guy lay with blood seeping from his leg. Not having much interaction with people the past couple months, she had close to no idea what to do. there were 3 options laid out for her
A ) Kill him to save supplies, time and risk, B ) help him and risk the set up she had or C ) Walk away and ignore him.
Option A seemed the safest but that wasn't her concern, even thought it should have been.
She spent almost an hour, dragging the stranger back to the bar just to patch him up best she could and leave him locked in a small room out of fear

Time dragged on slow, every breath feeling louder, until she heard some scruffling from inside the room. Her whole body tensed up, thoughts racing. She turned to the door and opened it, walking in and closing the door directly behind her, locking it
"You thirsty?" she asked, holding out a bottle of water

 

[Caffeine Freak]

Derek Ruth could hear the announcer as he broke into a run for the next base. 'And there goes Derek Ruth! One base! Two Bases! He's going for the home run!"
It was so close he could taste it, his muscles burned but he kept running. Kept running and-

A figure flashed in front of his path, catching Derek in the chin with a swing of a baseball bat. Everything went fuzzy. He could hear the crowd's cheering turn to booing as he hit the floor. The figure lumbered over him as everything went dark. It spoke-

"You thirsty?"

Derek jolted. He didn't realise he'd been dosing off. As the figure approached, he scrambled back, pressing himself against the room's wall. He kept this distance between them for a moment, panting, before ultimately giving into the fact that he was more thirsty than fearful.

Reluctantly, he nodded, taking the bottle from his captor. He gulped heavily, draining it in seconds. When he was done, he gasped for air, then turned his eyes to the girl.

"Where's... where's my bat?" Him and that stick hadn't been apart for years, and he wasn't about to part ways with it now.

 

[Bonnie571]

Leo watched the water quickly empty, raising an eyebrow. What happened to him? she thought to herself as she gave a short whistle and opened the door. Her huge, black shepherd entered, the bat in its jaw gently, as not to damage it. He dropped it at her feet, rolling it behind her
"if you want it back, you have to answer my questions. Cant have you trying to bash my head in now can i?" she smirked, pulling a chair up and sitting on it

"Also, watch your leg. Those stiitches aren't the most sturdy. You keep twitching your legs while you were out" she informed him, motioning to his leg "What happened to you? Did other people do that? if so, where'd they go?" she asked, her eyes hardening


She had no idea what to make of the situation, let alone if what she was doing was the right path "if you try to leave, ill break your bat. i cant risk havvng you run - well, walk, off and telling people of this place"

 

[Caffeine Freak]

Derek braced himself on his hands, stretching out his legs as he sat upright against the wall. "That explains the leg pain." He grimaced as he felt the stitching tighten as he shifted around. "As for what happened to me, I-"

Blank.

He tried again to recall what had happened before he woke up in the room. He was running, running as fast as he could, then-

Blank.

Simply trying to recall the events made him dizzy. The sensation was like reaching for a slice of pizza, only to realise his mate had eaten it beforehand. Derek blinked at the sudden metaphor, that was probably his hunger talking.

"I don't remember what happened to me." Derek rubbed at his temples, trying to sound as genuine as he could. "There was just this dude, with a bat, that hit me, and-" He looked around. "And then you're handing me a bottle of water." He flicked his eyes up and down the girl. "What am I doing here? Where is here?" He dazedly slipped to the side, then got a grip on himself and managed to straighten back up. "You know what, it doesn't matter. You can just, um- roll me my bat and I can get going." He attempted to shift toward the bat behind the girl, eyeing the dog that kept staring at him.

 

[Bonnie571]

Roger noticed his shift before Leo did, instantly snarling its teeth and letting out a low growl.
"i wouldn't do that if i were you. He has one hell of a bite" she warned with a grin, standing closer to the large dog. She didn't not believe him, but she wasn't falling for it. He knew there was a guy at least, which worried her. Was it the same guy i almost got attacked by? maybe they're a group.. she thought to herself before leaning down and picking up the bat

"You're not leaving here. Not only does your leg need to heal some before you can walk on it well enough to protect yourself, but i can risk leaving tracks or....survivors. You have, two options" she paused, running a finger along the bat "Option one, my dog here bites your throat to the point of snapping your neck. Or you have option two, stay here and let me help your leg and have you help me figure out who the fuck has been around here messing with shit" she offered, tossing the bat over to him "if you use that on my dog if you pick option one, ill make sure you never walk again. Living in a dark room covered in your own piss, shit and blood" she warned, as she stood up, and unlocked the the door

Leo didn't mean to be so harsh, rude and defensive, but she didnt know how else to handle the situation. Her and people weren't ever on the same page, never knowing exactly the right way to be, though she felt if she was friendly he'd take advantage of that

 

[Caffeine Freak]

Derek blinked. Well, at least she gave him the illusion of free choice. It wasn't like he had much of a chance escaping even if his leg wasn't busted. Going against an armed girl and Fido there didn't make the odds shine too much in his favor.

"Option two it is." Derek breathed, defeated. After carefully shuffling over to his bat, gripping its familiar wrapped handle once more, Derek shakily drove the end of the bat into the floor - using it as a makeshift walking stick to hobble along. "Can I at least get a tour of my new hotel?" The bat wobbled as he leant over on it, but Derek more or less managed to remain upright. "It's not like I can split anyway."

He didn't quite know why, but the urge to get back on his feet and start looking for- for someone kept buzzing in the back of his mind. Whichever reason, Derek was in no shape to step back outside for a while yet, so he figured he might as well bode his time by not making an enemy out of the person who quite possibly saved his life.

"I'm, uh- Derek, by the way. Derek Ruth."

 

[Bonnie571]

Max smiled, waving her hand at the dog, making it happily trot of, heading over to its bed amongst the bar. She turned to the guy, looking at his makeshift walking stick "We'll find you something safer to use soon. but sure, you can have a tour" her voice now more calm, less defensive. She ran a hand through her hair and chewed on her bottom lip for a moment as she thought of where to start

Her eyes flickered as she gave a nod to his introduction. At least he's not trying to be a snark. Maybe this could be less painful for the both of us she thought to herself before clearing her throat "im Leo. Leo Roaden" she introduced herself, before doing a half spin and taking off into a large open room, clearly the entrance and main room of the bar "This is the main room, where i keep all the weapons and food, mainly eat and take watch through that window" she pointed out to where she had a sniper placed up poking out ever so slightly of a boarded up window to the left of the barricaded entry door

"Since you're not really in a stance to fight, you'll be keeping watch while i check the perimeter. May aswell occupy yourself" she shrugged, then without a wait, took off for two side rooms "One is for ammo, scavenging clothes and list for whats proirity" she showed the table in the back of the room with scattered papers and maps with clothes in boxes as well as ammo "You will sleep in that room, ill be in the main room for night shift" she pointed over the parralel room which had multiple sleeping bags, blankets, torn and flat pillows "Sorry its a mess. i dont usually have visitors that are alive" she chuckled slightly embarrased

 

[Caffeine Freak]

Derek's eyes flicked all over the place as he carefully hopped after Leo. "Alive visitors, huh?" He resisted the instinct to gulp. "This place get many visits?" A fortified bar in the middle of a ransacked street no doubt attracted scavengers willing to try their luck. Derek just hoped he'd at least be able to walk straight if another one of these visitors cropped up.

Once the tour concluded, Derek supposed his gratitude was in order - even if she technically was keeping him hostage. "And, um, thanks for patching me up and letting me stay here. I'm sure it must've been tempting to just let the walkers have me, heh..." His chuckle bordered nervousness.

Keeping watch didn't seem too choring, and it'd actually be a welcomed break from hopping around the city and squatting in smashed-in buildings every night.

His leg still screamed at him, but Derek more or less managed to keep his balance, and was able to hobble onward without leaning on his bat.

 

[Bonnie571]

Leo shrugged, trying to think “just last week a horde came through and almost broke through the door but this bar holds up well” she paused “there tends to be a lot of survivors trying to raid the place. That’s why I took to staying alone. Can’t get screwed over” she added quickly. She had no clue why she was telling him this but decided that if he was going to stay and help, it would be best to get to know each other

At his thanks, she smiled brightly, a soft sweet tone now in her voice replacing the distant defensive one, “no need to thank me. I’d have wanted the same in return. The temptation was strong, just not strong enough” she teased with a grin

Leo took off to grab her machete “I’m going to sweep the perimeter. Cover me. Also, he’s gonna stay here right on your ass just Incase you decide to try shoot me. Not that I think you will but you get it right? Safety first” she spoke with an apologetic tone
“Watch” she called, the shepherd getting up and planting himself down into a drop, eyes fixated on Derek, watching him closely

 

[Caffeine Freak]

Derek eyed the dog as he approached the boarded up window, picking up the rifle leaning nearby. "Cover you and don't shoot you. Seems simple enough." He muttered, poking the barrel through the boards. While he wasn't too proficient with guns, he figured the force of the weapon would be enough to knock a walker over even if he didn't score a headshot.

So he stood with the rifle, sweeping his eyes along the exterior, all the while pretending the dog wasn't staring at him. He had no intention of stabbing the girl in the back, on the contrary, he felt an ounce of satisfaction that he was able to pull his own weight.

 

[Bonnie571]

Leo walked up the long stretch of street to the left of the bar. The road seemed clear until a walker started approaching. Smirking, she drew her machete and walked up, swiftly swinging the machete through its neck. The body dropped lick a sack of potatoes as the head rolled into the ground near her feet. She stomped, stopping the growling and snarling sounds coming from the head.

She continued her search, entering a small convenience store she had left in case she needed a quick raid close by. She kicked in the glass door and climbed in. Beginning the typical sweep, she hadn’t realised there were come walkers heading down the road towards the sound of the glass being shattered.

The store was cold and dark, only the light from the glass door seeping through. She walked to the very back room and found a box full of canned food, pallets of bottled water, even some cheap grocery store dog food and treats. Scoring, she began to stack everything, pulling out her roll of duct tape, taping everything into a huge package. Pre-occupied into making thick handles out of tape to pull it back, she didnt hear the sound of growls getting closer

 

[Caffeine Freak]

Derek peered through the scope at Leo as she disappeared inside the building.

Minutes passed. He began to tap the side of the rifle.

A walker shuffled around the corner where he saw her go in, then another. Then more. Sensing it was his turn to drop the walkers, Derek squeezed the trigger. The rifle was suppressed, which would avoid attracting any more walkers, but it wouldn't do much to alert Leo inside that they were closing in.

His first shot missed the walker. The next caught another in the shoulder, just not the one he was aiming at. It stumbled to the side a little, but was otherwise unfazed. Derek cursed under his breath, Call of Duty had made this seem a lot easier. Instead, he re-aligned the rifle and aimed at the shop window. The target was big enough that he didn't miss, and the resulting sound of the cratering glass as the bullet passed through and struck the interior wall would hopefully get Leo's attention.

After that, he resumed firing, about one in every five or six shots finding their mark.

 

[Bonnie571]

Hearing the loud crash, she jumped, spinning around to catch a walker lunging itself onto her. She let out a loud grunt as her back collided with the cracked concreted floor. She placed her forearm up under the walkers jaw, pushing it up as she reached for her dropped machete. She grabbed it with her free hand and she swung it into the side of the walkers head, pushing deep enough to push the walker off of her and finish it off. She grabbed the supplies and began to drag them out into the street. She began pulling it as she took out a couple walkers when they got too close.

As she neared the bar, she let out a strong whistle, the dog breaking its position and rushing over to pull on a thick rope tied to the handle of the side door, opening it just in time for her to pull the supplies in without having to fumble for the door.

Leo sealed off the door and let out a hefty sigh, dragging her legs as she walked back to the open space when Derek had been covering from “thanks for the warning shot. Just in time too” she thanked, stretching out her back and wincing slightly.
“Lay low to let them pass by. I’ll be out in the back having some canned peaches if you care to join” she offered quietly with a smile

 

[Caffeine Freak]

Derek swore that canned fruit never tasted so good until he'd spent a day on nothing but half a jar of peanut butter. "Gladly." He set the rifle down and hopped over.

"I don't suppose you have a can opener?" Derek quizzically examined the perimeter of the can. If he was out by himself he'd just lay it on the floor and keep bashing it with his bat until the lid popped off, but something that felt like humility prevented him from doing it now.

As he met eyes with Leo, a rather peculiar feeling skipped in his gut. Now that she was a lot less blurry and was sat next to him - it hit Derek that she was actually rather cute. Well, perhaps cute wasn't the best word to describe someone holding a machete, but all the same, it took Derek back to a time where he'd been more interested in girls than planning how he was going to survive until the next day. Realizing he'd just been staring, Derek quickly switched to glancing around. He silently cursed himself for letting Stockholm syndrome creep up on him so early.

 

[Bonnie571]

Leo grinned as he hopped up. They headed out the back into a paved out car park, tall barbed wire fences stood as easy protection outside. She had to do some repairs where it had rusted but otherwise it was as if it was just put up.
She sat on a small curb and took out the can “no I don’t but I have this beaut” she smirked as she held up her machete. She turn the can horizontal and cut a long slit down the side, draining all of the sauce out. She then cut the slits wider, leaving the can almost like a tin bowl “here” she handed him the can of food

After doing the same for herself, she began to eat her peaches slowly, trying to savour it. Since she got Derek here she had to force any idea of his looks or friendship out of her mind in case he wasn’t so friendly, though now that he proved he had her back, at least for now, she let the thoughts creep into her mind in small portions. His dark brown messy hair from laying down for so long made his features look so much more rugged yet gentle, probably because he wasn’t angry. She looked away and cleared her throat
“I er, I don’t want to keep you held here so you know. I just can’t risk anything ruining all the hard work and time gone into it all. When I trust you enough then you’re free to leave” she spoke gently, her thumb tracing the groves on the can “on a bit of a happier note, where’d you get your bat? You seem like you’re nailed to it or something” she asked curiously, looking over at him

 

[Caffeine Freak]

"It's fine, I'd be doing the same to you if the roles were reversed." Derek eyed the fence. "Oh, this old thing?" He shouldered his bat as he helped himself to the peaches. "Had it since I was a kid, played my first game of baseball with it. We've been though a lot together, and she hasn't bent or dented on me once since." Derek was acutely aware that he was describing his bat as if it were a romantic partner, and quickly changed tact. "And, y'know, when you kill enough walkers with something - you sort of get attactched to keeping it handy." His eyes slid to the dog. "And... what's his name- How'd you two meet?" He gestured with his head to the dog.

 

[Bonnie571]

Leo gave a small giggle “you seem very attached to your bat. It’s nice to see someone else with the same sort of bond to their sense of protection like I do” she smiled before looking at her dog that was helping itself to a big bowl of kibble and some rabbit she had hunted on the night she found Derek.
“I bought Roger before the outbreak. He grew up with nothing but having to protect himself and me. We’ve been through the brink of death together. He killed 3 people that were trying to..do some horrible things to me. He’s been there from day one. If I lost him....” she paused, wiping away her tears, looking over at her dog “if anyone were to hurt him.. I’d loose my humanity and just fuck someone up. He’s my rock and I’m his” she smiled. Eating another peach

“What about your family? How were they? Do you have anyone left?” She asked softly, trying not to pry too much to the point of hitting a nerve

 

[Caffeine Freak]

"Not anymore." Derek fiddled with his bat. There wasn't much he could bring himself to add, so he simply replied, "How about you? Any friends? Loved ones?" He switched glances between her and the dog. Three people. If it wasn't for Rodger, they wouldn't be sitting around eating peaches. The thought gave him a newfound respect for dogs everywhere.

Derek hadn't given much thought to people he cared about since the outbreak happened. They were there, then they were not. It was no more complicated than switching halftime. Still, he felt a strong sense of guilt for repressing his feelings. Pride wasn't worth much against zombies.

His can was empty, and he placed carefully aside.

 

[Bonnie571]

“They all turned. I took him and ran as far as I could. If there is any, I wouldn’t know where to look” she shrugged off and ate the rest of the peaches quietly, leaning over and taking Derek’s empty can. She stood up and gave a small yawn, not having any sleep for around 29 hours. She offered out her gloved hand to help him up.

“Did you have any belongings? I didn’t see anything in the rush of trying to get you back here. We can go get anything if you think you left anything behind?” She asked thoughtfully, never really thinking about looking his lost items if he even had any.

Leo never got the chance to morn her friends and family, she was so rushed into everything that surviving and finding something to eat and somewhere safe to sleep was priority. Having someone to talk to was .... different. She wasn’t sure if what was happening was right or common but she felt like it didn’t matter what usual people would do. Life wasn’t normal anymore. The dead were coming back, that’s far from normal

 

[Caffeine Freak]

Derek took Leo's hand, getting to his feet. "Well, I uh..." He felt pretty stupid for mentioning it, but Derek said it anyway. "Only other thing I had on me was a baseball. Nothing special like my bat, but it had come in pretty handy." Only Derek would forsake weapons in favor of batting a baseball at the undead. "Oh, I used to play baseball. Y'know, in case you couldn't tell." He made a sarcastic gesture to his bat as he followed her back inside.

He wasn't sure what he was expecting when he asked her if she had any friends or family left, but something about being around someone who lost as much as he had was almost as comforting as it was melancholic.

 

[Bonnie571]

“Would you like to go get it?” She offered, waiting for his reply. Leo had never met someone so connected with a sport, enough to carry around a baseball bat that he had from practically day one, she found it admirable that he was able to still hold onto something so important with everything that had happened
“Why’d you start playing?” She asked, tilting her head slightly

So far, everything was going smoothly, they hadn’t attempted to kill each other yet and neither of them had a reason to not trust the other. Leo had hope that maybe she wouldn’t have to be able for the rest of the apocalypse, though that seemed unlikely. No one lasts that long now-a-days, especially when you’re in a duo or group.

 

[Caffeine Freak]

"Yeah, actually. It'd save me searching for a new one." Derek scratched the back of his neck. It felt silly putting her at risk to go find a baseball of all things, though really he imagined the girl could handle herself better than he could. "I don't think I ever stopped playing." He mused. "In the game, someone throws a ball at you, then you hit it away, then you run. Now, life's throwing all... this at me, and all I can do is parry and run. Playing just made me feel like I could handle whatever life throws at me, and it still does." Derek blinked once he'd finished. He'd never been one to use construed metaphors, but here he was, using baseball as a philosophy of life.

 

[Bonnie571]

Leo was quite shocked at his response. It was a lot than she thought it was. She smiled and gave a small nod “that makes it a lot easier to understand, I never knew a sport could be so deep to someone. Guess now though it’s hard to find people that are alive and actually still human” she paused, looking over at the supplies room “I’m going to get packed before we head out. We’ll leave at night though, it’ll be safer since there’s a horde that should be passing through almost all day tomorrow. I assume because of the weather” she informed, smiling slightly “rest up, you’re going to need it”

 

[Caffeine Freak]

Derek nodded. Resting sounded like a pretty darn good idea to him. Once they'd finished talking, Derek went for the side room - or, well, his room. "Guess I'll see you at nightfall, then." He offered a brisk wave to Leo before he disappeared inside, falling asleep practically instantly. Under normal circumstances, it'd be pretty difficult to get any sleep even if he was exhausted - but something about knowing that Leo had his back let him rest easy.