RPApocalypse {M ~ IC} (H)

[Wobbles]

Rated Mature for violence, language, and jumpscares.

http://share-fastly.picmonkey.com/prod/photo_posts/m7VspTXMVmD_8412297.jpg

OOC ~ Always Accepting (http://role-player.net/forum/showthread.php?t=49949&p=1691117&viewfull=1#post1691117)




Approximately 6:30 AM


I shouldered my bow and gazed up at the early morning sky. Mist cloaked the forest (http://www.scenicreflections.com/files/Misty_forest_Wallpaper_m8or4.jpg) in a grey blanket, and though it was cold and moist, I enjoyed it.

Well, what little of it I could.

Those - those things were still out there. They attacked us at random. Just last week one of our comrades had died. We'd buried him on the far side, hoping the Hyenas would stay clear of us. No such luck. I could hear them howling in the distance.

I looked upwards again. One of their hovercrafts (http://cdn01.wallconvert.com/_media/wallpapers_1366x768/1/1/alien-spaceship-siting-5264.jpg) was up there somewhere, way up there, probably watching me right now. I shuddered at the thought. Alien stalkers. Not creepy at all.

I turned and marched back down the slope from whence I came. All our advanced weaponry was the first target. They'd blown up the ships, planes, and even triggered some A-bombs. That wiped New York out for good.

I sighed as the ground softly made its way past my feet. At least I wasn't all alone. That would have been terrifying. But as it was, I had some companions. Some were pretty good cooks, too.

I paused for a moment. Something rustled in the undergrowth. Gods, don't let it be a Lizard. No way I could take one of those one by myself. But it was only a plump rabbit.

Whoa. A plump rabbit? Dinner is served, folks.

I carefully and quietly nocked an arrow to the string. The rabbit's ears twitched. A slow breath, and a loud twang later, my next meal lay bleeding out into the soil. I picked it up by the arrow and continued marching, a bounce now in my step.

There was only one Hunter among us, and I was good with a bow, so occasionally I'd go out for a walk and come back with some meat. Surprisingly enough, both our Scavengers were guys. I'd given them a hard time about it when they were chosen - the men cook for the women now! But it was all in good fun.

I crested a ridge and jogged down the opposite side, brushing away some overhanging branches and entering a small clearing. A few limp forms were splayed in various locations, and I grinned. The lazy bums. They hadn't even gotten up yet.

With much banging and commotion as could be mustered, I made my way over to our makeshift kitchen. I hit a pot loudly with my arrow.

"Oi!" I yelled. "I guess I get all the breakfast then?"

[CrumpetCannon]

I awoke about as comfortably as I always did, which of course meant I felt like I'd been dead for about three years, and so I was slow to rouse completely, the chill in the air slowing my movements a tad and forcing me to hold the thin covers around myself to combat the bite of the cold against my skin.

"What time do you call this?" I moan groggily, so groggily in fact that I transcended groggy itself. I checked my watch to answer my own question, and found that it was before noon. "What kind of savage wakes up in the am?"

I looked over at Spidey, who still held the arrow and the pot threateningly, as if daring me to fall back to sleep. God, of all the times to not sleep through an alarm, I had to choose the time when the blanket was particularly comfortable. I stumbled to my feet, with such a lack of finess that it probably looked like I was falling in reverse.

"Yep, I'm awake. For now at least"

I stifled a yawn, and then another, then a third yawn tried to break my defences. The fourth declaration of tiredness won out, despite my brave resistance, and I was forced to wage the white flag of morning and surrender control of my body to the damned noise. I noticed the rather fat rabbit that Spidey had clearly salvaged from whatever unholy place where people woke up early.

"I got this" I took the rabbit from her grasp and sat a ways away from the group to skin it, some people didn't appreciate the smell. "Ya know, we should really find some vegetables, or at least something painted green. An all meat diet won't do us much good, and they say eating nothing but rabbit will kill you outright"

In a few swift motions I had de-limbed the rodent and peeled its fur and skin from the meat inside, finishing the process by twisting the head off like a screw top jar, I then used the small Swiss Army knife i carried to scoop out the offal from the pink carcass, thats when the smell came into play, luckily the hunting trips with my father and brother had prepared me for this, and the pungent odour did nothing to dissuade me.
I dug a small hole and buried the skin and entrails, far away from the camp. The covering of dirt would hide the smell and prevent any hyenas or lizards from stumbling across it and, by extension, our camp. Come to think of it, I looked around swiftly, did you get wolves in these forests? My word, I knew nothing about America.

[Mane Of Kurls]

I awoke suddenly at the loud banging and reflexively reached for my rifle, but it was only Spidey trying to get us up. I relaxed a bit and removed another rock out from under me.

Yup, I'm definitely going to be sore today.

I stretched a bit and rubbed my eyes, trying to clear away the remnants of sleep. My back ache per the usual, but that's what I get for sleeping on the ground all the time. Then again, we're all kind of forced to. I looked around at my fellow survivors and was once again baffled how this rag-tag group managed to get together. Everyone had come to California for one thing or another, but that was far in the past. Ever since those...well, Shadow Things came, we've barely survived.

Those things are the reason we can't live in a house or anything. It's like they know exactly where everything is. If we went even close to what used to be civilization we'd be torn apart by Hyenas, Lizards, or who knows what. At least here we can hide ourselves and hope they don't find us. I looked around at everyone again, sighing internally.

Everyone here is so young...how did it come to this?

Everyone was about the same age except me, being about 4-3 years older than everyone. I was a natural choice as a guardian. I knew how to handle weapons and was of course the eldest. It made me feel responsible for all of them. I could hardly keep a stone face when one of our group died last week. If I lost anyone else...

I shrugged the thought off. Best not to think about that now. I instead turned happily and expectantly towards Crumpet who was preparing a rabbit Spidey had caught. Food is always a welcoming sight, so seeing it immediately brightened up my mood. Maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all.

[Soulio]

Crouching low in the bushes, I watched as what I assumed was Spidey kill a rabbit. After a few minutes of waiting, I followed her footprints to a small campsite.
"About fucking time..." I grumble before I speak up.
"Um... Hi... I'm SoulReaper... And uh, are you guys by any chance Spider-Fan, Mane of Kurls and Crumpet Cannon?"
He wasn't sure if it was them, but It was worth a shot. At the very least, they weren't and he'd be on his merry way. Or they could just kill him and take what he had on him.
"I also have a car with some stuff in it, if that helps..."

[Wobbles]

I grinned. "Vegetables? In the morning? C'mon, don't be such a mother, Crumpie!" I laughed and made my way to the center of the clearing, starting up a small fire. The other scavenger, Craze, either wasn't up or was out. Probably the latter, but I was too lazy to look. I scratched my neck - it felt like there was someone watching me. I shrugged it off and smiled at Mane of Kurls, who had just woken up.

Suddenly a voice rang out behind me. Instantly on the defensive, I drew my sword sheathed at my side without thinking and whirled.

Oh. Bother. NOT something to kill.

When he introduced himself as SoulReaper, my face lit up. "Heya! Another survivor! Yep, that's us. A few logs of people are still asleep, but yeah. I'm Spidey." I sheathed my sword and stuck my hand out in a jovial manner. It'd been a while before anyone else came.

[CrumpetCannon]

I had stood to attention as soon as I had noticed the newcomer, my knife held cautiously yet firmly in preparation for having to defend myself, not that I could do much good with this thing in a fight, anyway.

Once the newcomer introduced himself as SoulReaper, I let out a sigh of relief, calming my tensed muscles as much as possible. Not very much, it turned out.
I nodded in greeting and went back to extricating the rabbit's meat from the bones, which I threw into a bush, thinking of no use for them at this time. I then deftly chopped up the flesh into bite sized chunks of moist meat, ready for a beautifully bland rabbit stew.

Once this was done, I was left with a few handfuls of mortally challenged rabbit, which I deposited into a large stew pot and brought over to our little kitchen, utensils and cutlery ranged out across the relatively flat surface of a fallen tree trunk, from which I selected a separate metal container which held some clean water from a previous trip out into the surrounding forest. I poured most of the water into the stew pot along with the meat chunks and then set about adding a range of flavourings, namely some herbs I had found a few days earlier that had tasted alright, and didnt seem to be poisonous.

The mixture was runny, with no real vegetables to thicken the broth or add any substance to it, regardless, I took it over to Spidey's newly lit cookfire and set it down carefully upon the bundle of flaming wood, hoping the uneven surface would not topple the pot at all.

"It'll be more like rabbit soup than rabbit stew, but at least it's food. And it'll fill us up just fine"

[Mane Of Kurls]

I jumped a little at hearing the sudden voice, but hearing actual english from somewhere other than those in the group helped me refrain from reacting with my rifle. I turned toward the voice as Spidey drew her sword and spun toward it as well.

It was another survior. He introduced himself as SoulReaper. Spidey took to him instantly, sheathing her sword and extending her hand in greeting. I figured she could make all the introductions and I'd make sure nothing went awry.

I used my rifle to pull myself to my feet. I grabbed my bladded tonfas and strapped them to my waist, watching as Spidey interacted with the newcomer. He seemed genuine, but in these conditions I decided to remain cautious toward him until he proved himself trust worthy. Sometimes you just never know.

[Soulio]

I was surprised by Spidey's sudden deadliness, but even more surprised by her sudden social attitude. She had a sword, and I had a pistol. Odds are, I would've won.
I take her hand in mine, and after a quick shake, I turn to everyone else.
"Hey guys..." I see the stew going on the fire, and immediately I begin to salivate.
"I-uh... I have some canned stuff in my car if, if uh, you could use anything..." I say, my mind being clouded by thoughts of warm food.
For the past three weeks I've been eating either nothing at all, or cold food. It would be nice to finally have something warm for a change, and if I could help it be better, then I'd jump at the chance.

[Mane Of Kurls]

After seeing the kid nearly start drooling from the rabbit that was cooking I couldn't help but smile. Eating canned food can keep you alive, but a hot meal goes a long way and it looked like he hadn't had anything hot or fresh for awhile. I stepped forward, hefted my rifle over my shoulder and extended a hand.

"Good to see someone else has survived. Name's Mane of Kurls. Kurls with a "K" that is. You can call me Mane, or Kurls, or whatever else you happen to think of."

I continued to smile as I spoke, honestly glad he was here. The canned food would definitely help us out, and if he was any good with the pistol he had then we'd be better defended from attacks.

"If you want someone and I can follow you to get your cans and store them here and then we can have some hot soup. Sound good?"

[Gamer_KM]

I Drove the Bus from hell through the forest and saw a group of people ,Living people, and nearly put the bus in a tree, i stopped it and got out ,cussing under my breath, then said "Hello Party People, fun police, give me your fun" and giggled at my own joke

[CrumpetCannon]

I stared, positively flabbergasted (God I love that word) at the scene playing out before me, namely the massive fuckin' bus coming close to being rammed bonnet first into a nearby tree, before a guy with a fedora charged out to promptly utter the single worst joke I'd ever heard.

I groaned. Loudly.

"Ohh, we certainly know how to pick 'em. For all our sakes, we'd better hope none of the Shadow's bestial puppets heard you driving that thing through here"

My instincts as a group scavenger kicked in and I was forced to acknowledge one thing. While there was strength in numbers and we could certainly use the help... More mouths to feed.

I didnt get up from beside the stew pot, but I did turn to face Soul, a new idea springing excitedly across my mind.

"Tinned food, hm? By any chance do you have any..." I leaned forward like a dog sighting a particularly choice bone. "... Vegetables?"

One could dream.

[Gillykat]

Gillie walked over to them,yawning. She had a knife at her side."Hey."she called out."Room for one more?"

[Craze]

I kicked a rock and watched it stumble across the forest path. It was cold outside, but not as cold as it was last night. I had another restless night, switching sides all the time. Eventually, around 5 in the morning, I decided to get up and go for a walk.

I know. Not the smartest thing to do during an Apocalypse. Not to mention I had nothing to defend myself with, what was I thinking? After a while, I had decided to turn back for our settlement instead. Not that I was that essential to the group, I just didn't feel much for dying.

"Well..." I said, after I walked into the group. "There I was, thinking I was up early." I smiled and rubbed my temples. "New guy?" I asked with a nod towards SoulReaper.

[The Cockatiel]

Tiel heard something utterly inexplicable and stopped walking. A bus? Who in their right mind would be driving any kind of vehicle out here? Then again, who in their right mind would be here in the first place? Although, they didn't really have a choice. She didn't really have a choice. It wasn't like gaming, where you could pull out or restart or grab a different character off a roster. Shouldering her rifle, the stock fitting comfortably in her cupped hand, she rested her other hand on the handle of her makeshift knife and started walking toward where it sounded like the bus had stopped. The knife wasn't really a knife, just a jagged piece of metal duct taped to a slender piece of broken cinderblock. As she got closer, she thought she heard voices. Which was also very weird, because unless those alien-demon-things could talk in English (and some very weird English at that) she hadn't thought there were people around here. Unless, perhaps, she thought in dry humor as she heard a joke, they mean to kill us with their comedy. Lowering her rifle so she could shoot, or stab, anything that attacked her, she quietly advanced toward the camp and saw real people. Backing up a little so she wouldn't spring at them unawares, she approached with an, "Ahoy the camp!", her rifle back on her shoulder. The bayonet gleamed slightly, since she'd made sure to keep it polished, but the rest of her looked as patched-together as her knife. T-shirt ripped at the shoulders and waist, knee length cut-off jeans, ragtag sneakers, and the seatbelt from a plane instead of a normal belt, buckled over her shirt.

[Mane Of Kurls]

Before I could shake Soul Reaper's hand a multitude of things happened. First, a bus that somehow still had gas and worked had been driven through most of a forest and parked right by our campfire. Secondly, another new survivor showed up out of nowhere armed with a rifle and I think a bayonet on it. I momentarily face-palmed at the current situation and the recently told joke as I tried to quickly think about how to handle all of this.

"Yeah, he's new. Craze, SoulReaper. SoulReaper, Craze. How about you two go and grab the canned stuff that SoulReaper has and bring it back. Grab a knife or something just so that you're armed and be careful."

I turned towards Crumpet

"Hey, we may need a bit more food than that. You can cook up some of whatever Reaper's got when he and Crumpet get back. Also yes, some veggies would be nice for once."

I then turn towards the Bayonet chick.

"Hi. Welcome to our camp. Please don't shoot us or be stupid. Have a seat, some food, and we can exchange name's and what not when I get my head screwed on strait."

I glanced over at Gilly.

"Good morning Gilly."

I then finally focus my attention on Bus Guy.

"Okay, you, dude. First off, why the hell did you drive a bus through a large forest to our camp where you could have very easily been tracked by Hyenas, Lizards, and who the hell knows what so that within minutes we could all be very swiftly torn to shreds. Secondly, where the hell did you get a bus!?"

I inwardly heaved a deep sigh

I was wrong. It's going to be a lloooonng day

[Wobbles]

My head felt like an automatic machine gun. This way! No, that way! Here! There! Nope, nope go over HERE now!

A bus, bang, took out my favorite tree. I liked that tree! I almost took my sword to the driver, but another person showed up. Apparently I was the greeter - Kurls' salutation was, eh, a bit, not ME enough. So I approached her and grinned.

"Heya. What's your name? I'm Spidey." I turned for a second as Craze entered camp. "Look what the duck dragged in!" I called, before turning back to the newcomer. "Busy morning. Never had this many people show up in one day!" I gave a short nod and returned to the small circle gathered around the fire. I sighed heavily.

"I'll go with 'em," I said to Kurls. "I'm stronger than I look!" With that, I spun again and marched off towards Soul and Craze. The mist was finally beginning to clear, and I gave a small shiver. It was still cold. "Let's get moving."

[The Cockatiel]

"Shall I accompany you or stay here?" Tiel asked. Kurls' greeting had irritated her somewhat - as if she was going to shoot someone! - but she didn't really blame him. He didn't know who he was dealing with yet. "And I have a few extra weapons back at, well, I guess you could call it my base. It's a basement, actually, so that would be a fairly accurate description. My name's Tiel, by the way," she added.

[Mane Of Kurls]

I nodded at Spidey in confirmation for them to go. Still waiting for the explanation for the bus, I turned toward Tiel with an apologetic expression.

"Sorry, Tiel right? It's just a bunch of things suddenly happened so I'm a bit off right now. I'm Mane, or Kurls, which ever you prefer. If you don't mind to wait here for awhile, once Spidey and the others get back I can go with you to collect you weapons. Until then I guess just wait for the food to be done. Or help me figure out what the hell I'm going to do about this bus."

I turned back to the bus, looking it over and humming a bass line and beat-boxing to it as I thought.

Well, on the bright side, at least now we have transport for everyone in case of emergencies.

[Wobbles]

The Quexilaka hissed at his monitor. More of the insolent man-beasts. "I thought the last Boral raid would teach them," he growled to his superior. His accents were sharp, quick. He blinked, the constant flow of blue momentarily cut off. The taller, standing Quexilaka glared down at him. The upwards flowing blue turned a shade deeper, and he let out a disapproving cluck.

"Fix it, Zadra. You seemed to have successfully multiplied them. Our audience grows restless."

He turned on his heel and walked to the opposite side of the room and flipped a switch. Hundreds of holograms popped up, each showing a forest scene. Several contained 'man-beasts.' A fire crackled in one, where a tallish man was crouched, stirring some liquid in a bowl.

"What do you propose we do about it, Eder?" Zadra asked. Eder cocked his head, then stretched his purple features into a grin.

"I do think we have some hungry pets."

Zadra smiled and turned back to his control panel. "I shall test the Losal (http://images.wikia.com/creepypasta/images/0/0a/Dont-be-afraid-of-the-dark-scary-creatures.jpg) on them."

~*~*~*~

The earth shifted as if parted by a great hand under it, and a blur of beige shot from the newly formed hole. It paused, raising its unearthly blue eyes to the sky and sniffing, then let out a guttural scream and bolted to the right. The thing was as slim as a starved child, with nasty sharp teeth gnashing and drooling everywhere. It smelled flesh. And smoke. And fire...where there was fire there was humans. Where there was humans, there was food.

Food, of course, being the humans.

It screamed again and continued to run towards its target. It was almost there, but there was this big - yellow - thing? It hissed at, then swiped at it was a claw, ripping a chunk of the metal out. With a pleasured screech he tore savagely at the metal, going straight through the bus, leather seats and all, before bursting out the other side.

Mmm... humans.

[CrumpetCannon]

I whirled around at the sound of screeching metal, seeing the terrifying creature rend solid metal and durable upholstery apart with naught but its claws and apparently the sheer motivation of its insatiable hunger, I suddenly felt a bit humbled about my craving for vegetables.
But then I remembered this thing was likely not just passing through our camp to pick some juicy berries, it was very likely, nay, a certainty that this creature wanted to eat us. I was always good at the art of deduction.

I scrambled away as best I could from my crouching position near the stew pot, striving to put as much distance as possible between me and this bipedal nightmare weasel. The only available weapon was this tiny little knife and the boiling water in the pot, and as appealing as the prospect of unloading the pot's contents upon the creature's head was, sustaining food was a rarity in the apocalypse, and I'd rather not waste this flavourless concoction on such a relatively small fry Shadow puppet.

"Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit" I back pedalled wildly, swinging my arms in ridiculous flailing motions, as if they could keep the damn thing away. "Monster in the bus! Someone shoo it away!"

[Mane Of Kurls]

"Monster in the bus!"

I heard the shout and imediatly spun towards the bus, my reflexes on high alert. Sure enough there it was, whatever it is.

Shit! I knew that bus would draw attention to us! What the hell was that idiot thinking!?

I brought my rifle up and squared it against my shoulder. It was my old hunting rifle, a one shot black-powder muzzle loader. It would only hold one shot at a time and took at least 7-10 seconds to reload with no stress. Because of that I learned to become frighteningly accurate with it. If this thing thought was going to make a meal out of MY survivors it had another thing coming.

I relaxed, focused my breathing. Time seemed to drag slightly as I brought the scope up to my eye.

Calculated for distance.

Anticipated movement.

Inhale.

Aim between the eyes.

Pull the trigger.

I felt the force of the recoil and heard the crack of the rifle. I could now only hope I aimed right.

[The Cockatiel]

"Somebody shoo it away?" Tiel asked, amused despite the gravity of the situation. Her occasional hubris did not extend to thinking she could fight the thing hand to hand, so she whipped her rifle up as she spoke. Kurls shot just before she did, and she held her shot for a moment, waiting to see what had happened. It was smoky, but she could she the thing writhing around on the ground, scuffing up leaves and handfuls of dirt. Kurls' shot had hit it just below and to the right of the head, the thing looked like it was dying but you could never really tell. Bringing her rifle back up, she sighted for a half a second and gently squeezed the trigger back, the echo of the blast slapping back toward her as the force of the recoil pushed against her shoulder. Without pausing or bothering to even think about it, she snapped the bolt forward, ejecting the shell, then back in place, and returned the rifle to her shoulder while she waited to see if it was dead.

[Soulio]

"Yeah, I have vegetables. Loads of em'." I said before readying my gun for the trek back to my car.
The bus had come as no surprise to me. I'd seen worse in Oregon.
Spidey came over and as I was about to lead her and Craze off, when a screech and then the sound of torn metal began to fill the air.
"Fuck." I said quietly before dropping to my knee.
Wish I had my AR... I thought, still waiting for the opportune moment to fire.
When the shot made by Kurls went off, I decided to shoot around the vicinity in case he missed, and then grabbed Spidey's hand.
"If we can get to my car, I have an AR. Much better than what we have now. We gotta hurry."
I didn't wait for her to nod. I instead just bolted off in the direction I came, and hoped she would follow.

[Wobbles]

The Losal wailed in agony, its voice like nails on a chalkboard. If one was to decipher what it said, they might be able to distinguish a "NNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOO, NAAAAAASTY FOOOOOD, NASTY FOOOOOOD," which may have been humorous in a different situation, but not in this one.

My breath caught as the thing burst from the bus. "Z-z-zombie!" I yelled, diving behind the kitchen log. After two shots I peeked up. Wait. That wasn't a zombie. I hopped up again, slightly embarrassed. Hey, everyone's got a fear The thing looked, sounded, and smelled like a zombie. I was about to nock an arrow to finish it off, but Soul grabbed my hand. I looked up at him, eyes wide, before nodding. "BYE," I yelled before following him.

The Losal struggling to his feet, making low growling noises and regarding the remaining members with cold eyes. It squealed again and leapt for Kurls. As soon as the first enemy was down, well, Tiel was next.

[Mane Of Kurls]

As the creature pick itself up and charged at me with a screech I was filled with an mixture of adrenaline, fear and oddly enough respect.

That thing just took two fucking bullets and it's back up. This is gonna suck.

I dropped my rifle and grabbed onto my bladed tonfas, lifting them into position and sliding my feet into a seisan stance. As the creature ran toward me it tried to catch me with it's claws but I was able to side-step it and trip it up due to it have two bullet wounds. Before it even hit the ground I put my foot against it's back and stomped, forcing it with a thud to the ground. I then quickly crossed my tonfas and forced its head to the ground, the blades creating an X over the creature's neck. I paused for a bit, honestly surprised I did so well. I looked up at Tiel and grinned.

"So, you want to finish or should I?"

[The Cockatiel]

"I"ll be your backup for when something goes wrong," Tiel suggested, checking her bayonet and loosening her knife in the tapered leather pouch that passed as a sheath. Invariably, in these situations, something happened that upset everything. Aiming her rifle again, she waited for Kurls to kill the thing. She was more curious than anything to else, to see if the thing would actually die and if Kurls would be able to do it.

[Wobbles]

The Losal wailed in pain, thrashing under Kurls' foot. At the momentary distraction of his captor looking up to address Tiel, it raked it's razor sharp claws along Kurls' calf, bit him, and shoved him to the ground before dashing away, gnashing its teeth. Two had gone the other way, hadn't they? Maybe it could get those. These were too armed. As it passed Craze, it chittered at him, then continued.

[Mane Of Kurls]

My moment of victory was cut short as I felt a sharp pain from my leg.

"Ow, fuck!"

I became unbalanced and was immediatly thrown off the creature, my leg wound beginning to bleed profusely.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck! Tiel, Shoot him!"

I felt angry and fustration wash over me as I ripped some cloth from my shirt and tied it around my wound. I had fucked up again, not only injuring myself but now that creature was after Reaper and Spidey and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I mentally cursed myself, hoping Tiel could make the shot.

[Soulio]

"Come on! It's just up the hill!" I sighed in relief.
I made it up the hill, and right where I left it was my shitty car. Good mileage though.
"Alright. If that thing has any sense, it'll be coming for us. Just keep watch, and I'll try and find the thing."
I hadn't used the AR in a long time, mainly since I found no need to. I had a decent amount of ammo, but I'd still need to find a lot more.
I heard the screech, and as I turned, I saw it come bounding up the hill, blood flowing down it's body, and what could only be described as angry hunger in it's eyes.
"SHIT!" I screamed as I loaded the rifle.
I aimed at the creature, and fired center mass.
"Get in the car! Get in the car!"

[The Cockatiel]

Tiel had eased her rifle up when the creature and Kurls went down together in a pile. She was tempted to take the shot, but didn't at first, sidestepping and trying to find an angle where she wouldn't have to worry about killing Kurls. Her shot missed the head by only an inch or so, the bullet hitting the creature in the ribs just below the shoulder and she growled in frustration, throwing the bolt of her rifle and digging her hand into her pocket for another pair of bullets. She pushed them both in the chamber, hearing the familiar clink, clink of metal on metal, and pushed the bolt down again. "Didn't get him," she growled, irritated. "How badly are you hurt?" she asked Kurls in a professional tone as she put the brass casings from the first two shots in her other pocket. "Bleeding? How bad?"

[Wobbles]

I whirled towards the creature, paying no heed to Soul's commands. "No way, dude!" I yelled, unsheathing my sword. "No sacrifice plays for you today!" I backed up until I was next to him, sword down low. "I think I gotta cut its head off..." I said, shivering. Zombie monkey was still coming.

The Losal screamed again when the fourth bullet pierced its chest, but kept lumbering towards the pair, leaving a blood trail and panting like a dog. Bullet after bullet ripped through its body, and finally, it collapsed in a shuddering heap a few feet from the two.

I approached it cautiously, and it lashed out at my ankle. I yelped and leapt to the side, noting the blood on its claws. I deftly stabbed it through the temple, and it moved no more. I kicked it, disgusted, and muttered a curse. "I think it hurt someone," I said. "Look at the claws." My eyes widened, hoping neither of the Scavengers got it. Always told them they needed to be armed...

[Mane Of Kurls]

I tightened the make-shift bandage and pulled myself up to my feet with my rifle. My leg felt like it was on fire, but I could still stand on my own at least.

"It'll be fine for now, but I'll need to take a look at it later. It doesn't feel serious, just freaking hurts."

I quickley surveyed the campsite. Everyone was still accounted for and unharmed. I wasn't sure about Spidey or Reaper until I heard the gun shots. I instinctively reacted and went to run towards the noise but the moment I put pressure on my leg flares or pain spread in it, stopping me in my tracks.

"Fuck. Okay, Tiel, we should stay here. The creature is heavily wounded so I'm sure those two can handle themselves. Help me gather everyone together and pack up. We need to get out of here before more things show up."

I grinned for a moment as I got an idea.

"Oh by the way, how do you feel about sleepovers?"

[The Cockatiel]

"About... what?" Tiel asked, raising her eyebrows as if to ask if Kurls had gone crazy. "Sleepovers? Yeah, sure, let's have a nice little party in the middle of the California backwoods," she answered sarcastically before turning serious. "I don't think that's quite what you had in mind. What are you thinking?" She bent down and started repacking someone's bag that had been left laying on the ground when the rabid rat thing had attacked. Well, maybe not a rat. A rabid ferret.

[Mane Of Kurls]

I laughed at the sarcasm. It was honestly a bit relaxing, even if she probably thought I was crazy. I quickly instructed everyone to pack up and began packing the few things I owned as I explained myself.

"You said you had a 'base' of sorts with weapons. If it's easily defendable we can all make our way there and hide out. Get our selves sorted out, fix up my leg, restock our ammuntion and try to find an even better place to stay. It's obvious those Shadow things know where we are. They only sent one creature because they're toying with us. If so, then we might as well bunker down and make them bring the fight to us."

I looked to her to see if she aproved of us suddenly barging into her place, hoping she didn't mind too much.

[The Cockatiel]

"So basically you're invading my temporary home with a bunch of crazy people with guns?" I asked, pausing a moment to study him. "That would normally sound like a bad idea, but I'm all for it. And it's more of a hole in the wall slash ground than anything, because it's part of a house and a basement type thing, but I think it'll work. As long as there aren't any more of you," I hastened to add. "I don't think we could fit many more people than I've seen already. Should we go now and leave someone here to tell the others where we've gone?"

[Mane Of Kurls]

I smiled, glad something today was going well.

"Hey, don't judge them just because of me. They're good guys. Besides, what you call crazy I called awesome."

I chuckled to myself as I slung my bag over my shoulder and adjusted it so ot wouldn't bang against my leg.

"And no, everyone you've seen plus you and the other two new guys should be everyone here. Also, while I would like to get going as soon a possible we should wait for Reaper and Spidey. Seperating the group would just make evryone more vulnerable. Reaper had some canned food in a car or something that they went to get, so after they get back with those we can head out.

[The Cockatiel]

"All right, I guess," I said. I had hoped to be moving now so that we had plenty of time to settle in before it started to be afternoon. It could get dark fast, and there was always the chance of afternoon storms. Getting caught in one of those wouldn't benefit anyone. Leaning my rifle against the nearest tree, I sat down right next to it and waited, letting out a small sigh. Bored within seconds, I started singing softly, half humming and half vocalizing, tapping my fingers on my knee in time with the rhythm. I couldn't remember all of it, since I hadn't seen the show in years, but I remembered most of how the tune went.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMBWqr91whI for song)

[Mane Of Kurls]

After figuring a plan out with Tiel I felt some relief and sat down against a tree next to her. I started to drift off in thought when I heard humming coming from Tiel. I looked over and she was humming some tune I didn't recognize. After listening a bit I grinned and began to beat-box along with her, humming a bass line that harmonized with her tune. It had been awhile since I had done anything musical with someone and was thoroughly beginning to enjoy myself. Plus doing so helped me not focus on the pain my wound was giving me.

[The Cockatiel]

I wasn't expecting Kurls to start beatboxing along with my song. I'd never heard a beatboxing version of the music either. Still, I went along with it, faintly surprised that he was musically inclined. I made up some of it as I went along, but the song was repetitive, especially the verses, so theoretically it could go on forever. Or until the singer got bored of it. I kept singing, remembering more of it as I continued, various bits and pieces of the melody falling back into place.

[Soulio]

"Yeah, it does. Maybe they managed to trap it after we left. It must have gotten away after taking a swing at someone. Doesn't it look like a zombie a little?" I crack a smile, and quickly look at Spidey.
"Hmm."
I turn towards the shitty car, and search my pocket for it's keys. I quickly find it, and after stretching my limbs a bit, I start the car up.
"You getting in hotstuff? Or do I need to pull you in?"

[Wobbles]

I give Soul a glare that would wilt a flower. "Z-zombies. I hate zombies." I shuddered again, then raised my eyebrows and spoke fast. "Scusemewhutdidyoujustsaynow?" Then I grinned. "Don't think you could pull me in if you tried." But I got in. It'd be faster, anyway.

[Craze]

just ignore this

[Soulio]

"Well then. I won't mention Zombies again. Any-who, have any questions for me that I might need to answer? Like if I'm a psycho mass murderer who eats rats, and lives in a sewer tunnel? Answer's no by the way."
She's kinda cute...
Oh shut up. Not this again. You see a girl and this happens.
What?
Oh nothing... Just don't be like last time.
Uh... huh...
FUCKING TALK YOU DOLT! DON'T JUST DRIVE!
Being alone for three weeks made me somewhat lonely, so I started talking to myself in my head. It kept me company and somewhat sane.

[Wobbles]

I laughed. This guy was funny. "I think I'll stick with more traditional questions. How old are you?"

What? I was curious. The guy WAS shorter than me...

I leaned forward. "Gods, I hope Craze didn't stand there and get mauled. Turn left here."

[Craze]

My heart was pounding in my chest. I swear I could hear it pounding in my forehead like a dwarf was hammering on my frontal lobe. That... thing just passed me. Without doing anything.

It didn't do anything!

I let out a nervous laughter, which only made me seem more stupid than I already was. I looked around. "Soul?" I called. "...Spidey?"
I looked around, searching for my companions. I threw up my hands in disappointment. "Anyone?"

Muttering with anger, I made my way back to camp. They left without me, dammit.

[CrumpetCannon]

I picked a few jagged twigs and leaves from my clothing, perhaps hiding in a bush was not the best stratagem for evading that hellish monster, it's not like it could just shear the whole bloody thing in half with a flick of a finger or anything.

The camp was a bit worse for wear, with multiple trails of footprints, tracks and just plain gouge marks in the soil, a remnant of the massive scuffle that had gone on while I had hidden in the bush.

The best offence is a good hiding spot.

My head practically lunged towards the direction of the cookfire to assess the validity of my fears, I only hoped that- Yes! The stew was unharmed! It simmered gently, just about ready for consumption, not tipped over, without any loose bits of flesh or an eyeball or two bobbing along. Just as it should be. I let out a sigh of relief.

Oh. I should probably check on the others, them too...

A quick sweep revealed Tiel and Kurls, mostly unharmed apart from a nasty looking wound on Kurl's calf. However, I was unable to locate Craze, Gilly, Spidey, Soul or the guy who came in on the bus. Not good.

I weighed the choices mentally. On one hand, my ragtag group of companions might be in danger or worse, jeapordy, and it was my not exactly sworn duty to assist them in their hour of need.
On the other hand... Stew.

Bugger it, my companions need help, I'm sure Kurls and Tiel would prevent any wild animals from pilfering the contents of the pot, or at least make sure some is left for me to cry over. My poor baby.

I set off outside of the camp, following the trails of deep, running footprints and savage claw marks to the outside perimeter. It didnt take long before I heard my first clue.

"Anyone?"

That sounded like Craze, lets get this (search) party started! I emerged from a densely packed area of foliage to wave at Craze.

"Over here. Where did everyone else get off to?"

[Gamer_KM]

I looked a round, i had my sword in my hand, "God damn it i blacked out again" I said slamming it back in to its sheath

[Mane Of Kurls]

I continued to beat-box with Tiel for awhile while waiting on everyone until I was interrupted by a loud growl. This one, however, was quite familiar. I picked myself up with my rifle and started walking towards the stew pot with my stomach continuing to rumble. I motioned for Tiel to follow me over and I spotted Crumpet emerging from a bush. What cracked me up was he immediately looked toward the stew pot as if it was his child. I chuckled a little and called out to him.

"So are we going to be allowed to eat the soup or what?"

[The Cockatiel]

I followed Kurls toward the stew pot. "Just have some anyway," I suggested. "It's food, it's here, and I have more back at base. If he takes off it's his choice, but he's leaving the food. That means we get it if we want. I'd leave some for him, though. Guys as a whole tend to get cranky when you're hungry."

[Mane Of Kurls]

I laughed.

"Well, if you insist. And yeah, we do that sometimes. Can't be helped."

I brought a worn bowl out of my bag and poured some of the soup in. As I brought it to my mouth I paused, realizing for once in this apocalyptic wasteland that I might need to use my manners.

Quick, I need to think of something to say so I don't look like and idiot!

"Oh, umm...would you like some?" I asked, offering my bowl to her. It was done a bit awkwardly though so some spilled onto my shirt.

...nailed it...

[Soulio]

"I'm sixteen. May not look it, but I am. What about you? You look about 17, 18."
I turned left shortly after answering her, and found Craze moping back to camp.
"Oh noo... We forgot Craze." I told her as I pulled over.
"Hey Craze! Wads up buuddy? Wanna ride?"

[The Cockatiel]

“Well done,” I commented with a grin. “Thanks for the offer, but I'm not hungry. I had some food right before I headed out, which wasn't too long ago. You better wash that off when you have the chance," I suggested. "Feral dogs, or their new post-apocalyptic equivalent, will smell it from a mile away.”

[Mane Of Kurls]

"Oh, yeah, right. Dogs and such."

I turned away slightly embarrassed from my soup fail. I quickly drained the soup and my stomach felt nice and warm. I then grabbed a shirt from my bag and changed, rolling the one with soup on it up so I could wash it later. I sat down and began to clean out and reload my rifle while we waited for everyone to gather.

"So Tiel, how did you end up out here in California? Also, how did you even find us out here in the middle of no where?"

[The Cockatiel]

"I was looking for a friend about twenty miles closer to the coast," I answered. "Thought she might have made it. Buried her, took some supplies from her house, and decided to come out here. My parents always said we'd come to Yosemite someday, but we never did. So I thought I'd finally come, since I was in the area. Came here from Nevada. I was at my base this morning but came out hunting. That's when I heard that bus." I nodded toward the partially wrecked vehicle. "Heard your voices, and figured you sounded human enough to be relatively safe, so I came down to check it out. What about you? How did you end up here?"

[Craze]

"Oh. Hey!" I said to the familiar face that came my way. But before I could run up to him, Soul and Spidey crossed my path. Soul asked me to hop in. I shrugged. "I'd be a fool to say no." I said and jumped into the car. I took place next to Spidey. "Hi." I said with an overdone smile.

"I'm fine with you guys flirting and everything," I said, "But at least take the time to take me with you like you promised."

[CrumpetCannon]

"Yes, the flirting is a bit creepy, but it's not like I'm one to come between you two and your apocalpytic-boogaloo"

I regarded the car critically, considering coming along as well, the decision came quickly.

"I think I'll stay here, people. Me and Craze are the cooks of sorts, so if we're splitting up into two groups, it'd make sense that I stay here if Craze is joining the car party. Without me here everyone will start sucking nutrients from the tree bark, drop people into the apocalypse and you suddenly see who can make a three course meal and who burns the house down cooking packet noodles."

My point made, I incline my head to the leavers and make my way back to camp, sitting down beside the stewpot and finally sampling some of my beloved concoction, which turned out to be pretty good for something that was essentially rabbit, water, and slightly more edible leaves.

[Wobbles]

I gave Craze a hurt look. "F-flirting? I wasn't -" Then I shot Crumpie a glare.

"I WASN'T FLIRTING," I growled. I huffed and cross my arms, refusing to look at either of them. What a ridiculous thought, ME flirting... Hmph. I turned back to Soul.

"Ehm, well, errrrr I'm not 17. That's for sure..." I hemmed and hawed. "I'm...15...ish?" My voice rose in a questioning manner. I realized I was red and gave Craze a sharp elbow to the ribs before he could say anything.

[Soulio]

"Dude, I haven't seen a girl in months. Sorry I'm getting rid of the competition..." I said, a grin plastered on my face.
"I'm kidding." I said after seeing Spidey glare at me.
I was surprised when she said she was fifteen. Given, I had been wrong before. I saw her jab Craze in the ribs, and nearly died I was laughing so much.
"Holy shit! You got fucking absolutely mullered!"
Regaining my composure, I parked the car right outside the camp, and heard Crumpet say something about it.
"Hey! I can cook ramen noodles just fine! After burning the water a bit, but still! By the way, here." I toss him a jar of assorted vegetables, and sit on the hood of the car.
"Sooo... what now? And also, who knows how to shoot a gun straight?"

[Wobbles]

I gave a royal facepalm. Boys...

"I think Tiel's more in your age range," I joked. "I'm the youngest here. And smallest. And weirdly enough a Guardian." I poked Craze. "Dude, get out, I can't until you do, genius," I joked. I slid out after him. At Soul's question, I cocked my head. "Guns? Nope. I can't handle the kickback. Bah, I weigh under 100, it'd send me flying. I'm dang good with this bow, though," I said, quickly nocking an arrow and pegging a floating chunk of rabbit in Crumpie's stew. I grinned and pulled the arrow out, nibbling on the rabbit while giving Crumpie a slightly evil smile. He and his precious stew....

[Mane Of Kurls]

I sighed as I finished reloading my gun.

"Me...I'm came here to meet up with some friends and go to a convention. I was even going to do some cosplays and such." I chuckled, remembering all the plans my friends and I had.

"Well, until all of this happened. I'm not even from here. I actually flew in from across the country. Left everything behind..." I trailed off as thoughts began to consume my attention. I quickly snapped out of it when everyone began to show up at the campsite. Using my rifle as leverage I stood up and answered Reaper with a grin.

"I can, best shot from the South-east at your service. Now, seeing as everyone's here we can get moving. Tiel has agreed to let us all atay at her base, where she has more food and weapons/ammuntion. Everyone else is basically packed up so grab your stuff, some soup and let's get out of here before
more things show up."

[Soulio]

"Well, I can make some room in the car, move some shit into the trunk, and we can get as many people as possible into the car. Make the trip a whole lot faster. That bus is going no where thanks to Crashy McGee over there." I gesture towards the bus that has the front slammed into a tree, and then to it's driver.
"We all might be able to fit, actually. It'll just be a bit cramped."

[CrumpetCannon]

A single, solitary tear slid down my cheek as I watched a portion of my stew sail away upon the lofty flight of Spidey's arrow. That girl would be the death of me, through accidental archery misfire or sheer unadulterated agitation.

I sighed, her actions were certainly a sign of something other than cockiness, and my duties as a 'Scavenger' (what a wholly unflattering title) were to feed the group and keep them strong. That in mind, I filled three bowls with stew and brought them back over to the car, handing them out sternly. Sometimes I felt as if I was the oldest member of the group, the mother figure of sorts, which would have been satisfying had I been a woman, or any older than 16.

"Point taken, Spides. Take these and try to get the stuff inside into your body, by any means necessary, I don't care how you do it, by mouth, by emergency stomach access valve, by black magic, just get some sustenance before I start telling you to do your homework"

I turn to leave before suddenly stoping and turning around to face them, my expression friendly yet firm.

"And for the sake of whatever deity you wish, stay safe"

[DukeWolfRein]

There were many sights that the inhabitants of the broken and tethered world of the apocalypse were used to. Fallen comrades, fallen monsters, fallen comrades being eaten by monsters. However, there was something to be said by the sight walking along the road into Yosemite. Tied, impaled into more like, to a heavy iron chain were two lizards and a hyena. Were they alive? Gods no, that would make him an imbecile. Did they serve a purpose? Of course. In the week or two following the apocalypse, he had noticed that not only did the monsters stay away from the stench of their dead, but that were they to spot you around their dead, they would not attack you. It wasn't a big effort after the first three days anyhow. He supposed the disheveled clothing didn't help any. The leather padding on the shoulders and waist helped tons when carrying stuff or fighting these things though.

"Living easy!! Livin' Free!! A season ticket on a one way ride!!!" He sung as he entered the park and watched the creatures get near and proceed to run away. "Don't need reason! Don't need rhyme!! Ain't nothing that I'd rather doo!!" The lizards let out growls as they ran away from prey and the hyenas did their stupid laughs of frustration. "I'm on a Highway to Hell!!" At that moment, he heard shots far away. Survivors.

Dead things on a chain are awesome at scaring things off, not light though, horrible for running even more so. He dropped the chain and ran towards the direction of the shots. Slowly but surely the Lizards and Hyenas piled up behind him as he ran. There were six in total and bo were they hungry and pissed. He had to find these survivors though, it had been days since he had seen another person. She was nice though, and to think the hyenas were after her the whole time.

He spotted the bus through the canopy and smiled as he turned and unshathed his swords "Come on then!!" The Lizards let out loud growls as they came at him. He ran, went on his knees and skewered both of their torsos, finishing them off as he moved forward the Hyena coming at him. One paw came at him and he barely dodged it and proceeded to make the Hyena's head the resting place for his swords. He rolled next to the Hyena as a Lizard man slashed as him and shot it with his M1, losing balance at the unprepared shot and stumbling back. His swords in the Hyena's head and his back on the ground. The two remaining Hyenas growled softly as they appeared in front of him. The first one went forward and was met with the butt of the rifle, the next pounced also but was met with road as he rolled to the side and aimed from the ground. The shot echoed as the Hyena's brain splattered the road and the other growled itself out of its daze and pounced at him. His rifle went neatly into the beast's throat and he smiled, not before the Hyena slashed as his shoulder. The shot was muffled, the blood everywhere and yet he got up and checked his shoulder. The leather padding was destroyed, but he didn't feel any other wound. Lucky day.

He got his swords and then sheathed them. Leave the corpses, and tell the other survivors of his trick? Yeah, that seemed like the thing to do.

[Wobbles]

I started violently, dropping the bowl of soup on my foot. "OW," I yelled. Dang soup was hot. I heard fighting beyond the bus.

"Crap," I muttered. "Soul, get everyone in the car. I'll handle this."

Taking the approach of my namesake, I scaled the side of the bus and stood on top, watching the battle on the opposite side, arrow drawn back. When it was over, I saw the man stop, and I cleared my throat loudly. "State your name and business," I called, arrow still aimed at his head. A curl fell over my shoulder, but I paid it no mind.

[Mane Of Kurls]

I couldn't help but smile at Crumpet.

Don't worry Crumpet, we'll get through this one way or another. Alright everyone, load up! Reaper, I suposse you'll ne driving. Tiel, take shotgun so you can give Reaper directions. Everyone else just fit in how you can."

I went over to the campfire and quickley stomped it out. I began to hum to myself as I waited for everyone to get in the car. I checked my wound under the bandage. The bleeding had stopped but it looked a little nasty. I took some fresh water from a canister in may bag and cleaned it out as best I could. I then re-wrapped it in a new piece of cloth. It would deffinatly bother me for a bit but it should completely heal by a week or so.

[CrumpetCannon]

I regarded Kurks a bit dubiously, eyebrow raised.

"You want to fit all of us in that one car?"

I chuckled a bit.

"If we had some rope, we could lash a few of us to the roof and to the front bumper, I hear it improves the shock absorption from a crash" I giggled at my own joke before suddenly turning serious. "That was not a suggestion"

[Soulio]

I was already in the process of moving everything into the trunk when I heard a shot far off. I began to move faster, and finished moving everything. I was given a reason to get everyone in the car, so I did.
"Everyone in the car, now!" I yelled with force. I shouldered my rifle, and fell to my knee a few feet behind Spidey. From the looks of it, the guy had a rifle, and she had a bow. Faster firepower would be better in this situation. Given she did have the higher ground.
What are you going to do?
Well, if he becomes violent, I'll shoot him like I did to Johnny back in Oregon.
Alright. Don't let people get hurt.
Fuck off!

[Mane Of Kurls]

(Continuation of last post)

I then looked over past the bus at the sound of more gunshots. I brought my rifle up and saw Spidey run over, bow nocked. When the sounds of the fight quieted down I heard here shout towards whoever survived the fight.

Another suvivor? Sounds like whoever it is can fight, but we may need to start rationing food with so many people...

[DukeWolfRein]

((Sorry for the sudden change in writing style, I just realized I forgot to write mine in first person.))

The daze was broken by the sound of a voice. A small voice, however it carried authority. My clothes were stained red after the fight and my face was also a red mess. Yet, I looked up and smiled.

"Hello! My name is Jose! I heard shots and figured it would be a good thing to come and check out in case someone needed help. I don't think the bow and arrow are necessary, I mean you no harm."

My arms raised quickly to my sides I took a moment to look at her. Looker, yet young. A group of young survivors perhaps? She seemed to know how to handle that bow and arrow though, and there was a sword too.

[Wobbles]

((No problem!))

I eased back on the string, returning his smile. "Jose, huh? Sorry I got all up and in arms. We just got attacked by a zombie monkey, so we're all a bit wary." With a quick twirl, I replaced the arrow in the quiver and hopped down from the bus. "We were just moving our base. This bus attracts all sorts of monsters." I gazed at the carnage Jose had created, before turning back to him with a smile. As usual, I was way shorter. Drat.

Nonetheless, I stuck my hand out. "Care to join us?"

[Soulio]

"Spidey, how often do you guys check for any concealed weaponry? Back in Washington I had a few incidents with "friendlies". I won't feel at ease until he comes up innocent." I said as he put his hands in the air.
I wasted no time going towards him. Damn anyone who would think me paranoid.
I was instilled the factor of being suspicious by my mom and dad, as well as my uncle. It helped him and my dad were in the military, and after serious talking, they agreed to teach me a few things.
"Arms straight across please. Legs apart." I asked as I approached him, switching to my pistol just in case. I wasn't about to take any chances.
I did spot him taking a glance at Spidey, a ping of jealousy hit me.
"Hey, my chance. Not yours. Besides, you're probably too old for her anyway..." I whispered to him.

[Wobbles]

"Soul!" I cried, bopping him on the head with my bow. "Chill out, dude, I know an innocent when I see one. And I heard that!" I whacked him again, just to be sure. I turned back to Jose and shook my head. "He's a newbie to the group. Don't let him boss you around." I grinned. I loved to tease people so much.

[DukeWolfRein]

I smiled again and chuckled "Oh that's fine, I know where comes from. I can assure you that I only have one very large weapon....and two swords and a rifle." I winked at both of them and walked towards the bus. The remains were clearly the result of a battle. One of those monsters he had seen coming out of San Fran. "You mentioned a Zombie Monkey?"

It was then that the attraction between the two became somewhat obvious and this made him feel a bit better about the group. Young love and all that jazz, always a bit of a romantic.

[Soulio]

"Ow!" I moaned as I rubbed my head.
"Sorry. I still need to get used to trusting people wholly. Anyway, I believe there's enough space for one more in the car. If anything, someone's gonna have to sit on the floor or on someones lap."
Holstering my pistol, I put out my hand as a gesture of good faith.
"Sorry, bro.

[Wobbles]

Good grief, that flirting again. What was I gonna do with him? Next time I might just slap him. I saw that look in Jose's eyes. "Oh no, no no no I see what you're thinking and NO. I, like, met the guy about fifteen minutes ago!" I raised my hands, as if to say 'Nuhuh!'

"Zombie monkey... yeah, I believe the official name is... like... Losal? I don't know. It looked like Gollum on steroids. Creepy little thing. Ripped up Kurls' foot. Speaking of which, we need to get out of here." I trotted towards the group, leaving Jose and Soul behind, and placing Craze, Crumpie, and Tiel between me and them. Good heavens, the hardships of being a girl. You hit a guy and everyone assumes you like him.

[DukeWolfRein]

There was a moment of quiet as the named Losal travelled through my mind. There had been a group of them. I had seen them come at us and rip through concrete and steel. The only reason I lived was because...My hands reached the hilts of my swords. I ran back to the bodies of the two Hyenas and dragged them back towards the way Spider came. I looked over at Soul "Hey! Care to grab those two lizards? We're going to need them if we want to move without interruption."

[CrumpetCannon]

"So now as well as fitting myself, Soul, Spides, Craze, Gilly, Kurls, Tiel, Gamer and the new guy in the SUV, were also bringing along a massive hyena beast...?"

I looked from person to person, as if one of them could provide some further explanation of how we'd go about this.

"I really wish we were on a boat so I could say that one line from Jaws. You know the one"

[Soulio]

"Got your back." I said as I jogged over and grabbed one of the bodies.
I dragged it over to a nearby tree so it was out of the path, and then I immediately went to get the other one.
"Fuck these things are heavy..." I said as I moved it.
"Sooo, I'm Soul. Sorry again about earlier."

[DukeWolfRein]

"That's alright. Name's Jose." The last of the bodies was placed against the bumped and the sword plunged into their bellies, leaving their entrails exposed. I had seen it work before, so this would not be a problem. One by one I tied them to the back bumper by their guts and hit the backdoor lightly "Alright, that's it. That should keep these things away as we traverse around. Their lower instestine usually holds for quite a while."

[Mane Of Kurls]

"I guess so Crumpet." I said with a shrug. I watched the new-new guy and Reaper drag the body over to the car.

Huh, looks like there's someone my age for once

I walked over to Spidey and leaned against my rifle.

"So, we all ready to go?"

[Wobbles]

I looked around and nodded. "Yeah," I answered Kurls. "I think we're all good. I think Tiel should drive, since she knows the way to her place." I wrinkled my nose. "Do we have to have the carcasses?"

[DukeWolfRein]

"They are important to keep the other beasties at bay. I would usually ask where you kids are going, but I figured it's probably somewhere safe, and judging by your numbers we may have a bit of a small squad in our hands." The top of the SUV suited me fine. I placed the butt of my rifle against my shoulder and moved it around "I'll be up here in the crow's nest. Those zombie monkey things might not be stopped by the dead Hyenas."

[Soulio]

"The car may be a piece of shit, but it's my piece of shit. No carcasses. Besides, it won't make them not hear the sound of a motor running. And it'll be a better idea for you to just get in the car. There aren't any handles on the top. The only thing that'll happen is you getting killed or seriously wounded."
I pulled out a knife from the trunk, and cut off the carcasses, and kicked them out of the way.
"Tiel, you wanna drive, or give me directions? Up to you."

[Alltoni]

It had been almost 24 hours since I had been separated from the rest of my group, and with no way to get back to them, I decided my best chance was to just keep moving. So I began walking and only stopped to eat some stale crackers that had been given to me before the separation and once to sleep. I woke up around 7am and continued my journey until I heard voices. Were they human? There was only one way to find out. So I quickly ran up to a tree and took a nervous breath before peeking around to see a group of actual human beings standing in front of me. They weren't the friends from my church group, but they might as well have been.I was so happy to see real people after being so afraid that I wouldn't make it. I almost wanted to cry. Almost.

As I looked over the camp I noticed that it seemed that they had just been through quite a bit. There were several dead creatures on the ground, a knocked over tree, and apparently several newcomers, judging by the bits of conversation I could hear. Cautiously I stepped out from behind the tree and shyly cleared my throat to make myself known. "U-Uh," I stammered. "Hi." I had always hated starting conversations.

[DukeWolfRein]

I looked at Soul and shrugged "Gonna be hard with the new arrival." A smirk spread over my face as I looked up at the girl by the tree and put my hand up "Hey." The girl seemed shy, yet their group was getting bigger.

"You seem lost, is there anyone else with you?" I approached her slowly, lowering my gun in the process to show no aggressiveness.

[Craze]

I shook my head. All these guys 'flirting' with Spidey. It was kind of disgusting to see, honestly. All these guys jumping at her like crazed monkeys.

Again, I got lost in the conversations. Everyone just kept talking and I was simply standing there like "mhm" "yup" and "yeah".

[CrumpetCannon]

I allowed my reasoning to fly away into the ether at that point, shrugging my shoulders and smiling in some sort of 'fuck it we're all gonna die anyway' level of resignation.

"Well, who am I to argue with the TARDIS car, I'll curl up in the boot. Road trip, guys!"

(Obligatory 'just woke up' short post)

[Alltoni]

I looked to one of the guys from the group who approached me. "No," I answered. "I was with a group, but I got separated from them sometime yesterday." I looked around at everyone else in the group, who looked just as tired and beaten as my previous group.

[Wobbles]

I cocked my head and the newcomer and waved before turning back to the group. "I actually think I know the way, but do you want a minor to drive?" I grinned. "Not like there's any cops left, hehe."

[Gamer_KM]

i shrugged everything was going by so fast i was hard to keep up. "I can Drive anything smaller then an SUV." i stated then i walk over to the bus and opened the front pulled out the battery and the jumper cables and walked back to the group and said "Fyi I am Gamer_KM"

[Wobbles]

(For Optimal Enjoyment) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=mjp-zrxwsCk)

~Tiel~


I tossed my rifle in the passenger seat. “I’ll drive,” I said, sliding in. “Let’s hit the road.” I saw Spidey slide in after Craze, looking a bit wary of something. I had a feeling it wasn’t creatures.
I beckoned to the newcomer through the window. “You’d better come with us. There’s monsters on the loose.” After she got in, I started it up and we got going. It wasn't that long of a drive, but with this many people...


Eder hissed loudly, his glowing blue eyes tight with anger. “You have failed your mission, Zadra. I want one of them to die! The audience grows tired of seeing the man beasts thrive.”

Zadra ducked his head in submission. “I – I am sorry. I thought the Losal would do more damage –“

“It didn’t, imbecile! Do what it takes... there will be a death tonight!”



~Tiel~

As the SUV raced past, a large mound of dirt seemed to grow eyes and raise its head, blinking. Several others did the same. They rose, and the dirt spilled off, revealing hyenas. The leader howled, then bolted after the SUV, others in tow.

I glanced in my rearview mirror and cursed loudly. “Get down!” I yelled, pressing my foot to the floor. I clenched the wheel tightly, every so often risking a look at the mirror. I swerved sharp right, showering the trees in dirt. I heard some surprised yelps from the backseat, but I didn’t have time to check them out. I slammed my foot on the gas, but the pack was gaining. I turned back and my eyes widened.

A cliff.

I yelled something indecipherable, and yanked the wheel to the left. The rear right tire slid off the edge and I gasped. “EVERYONE LEAN FORWARD!” I said, flooring it again. The tire spun wildly as the speedo pegged.

Suddenly there was a loud bang, as a hyena appeared on the hood, legs spread, claws digging into the metal. It snarled, and slashed at the windshield. I screamed, grasping for my rifle. It had fallen too far away to reach. The hyena slashed through the hood, and the engine coughed loudly. The hyena grinned, yelping with laughter.

There was another one by the door, teeth ground into the metal, ripping the door off like it was a chew toy. A string of curses escaped my lips as the side window shattered, spraying glass all over me. A giant claw appeared, and I pressed myself against the seat, praying to God that by sheer luck they'd miss.

But they didn't.



~Spidey~

I buried my face into my hands as Tiel was dragged out of the car. The hyenas leapt off the SUV and formed in a little huddle around her. Her screams filled the air, and I shivered. Hadn’t we just gone through this last week? Not again. I didn’t look up. I didn’t want to see the carnage. When the howls subsided, I whispered to the person next to me (who I was pretty sure was Craze) “Is it over?”

[Craze]

"Hyenas..." I whispered under my breath when the hyenas appeared in front of us. "Drive." I said, determined. "DRIVE!" I said again, this time yelling. The events happened so quickly and so sudden, I was barely realizing what I was doing or what was happening.

I scurried away in fear as a hyena jumped up against the car and I was pretty sure I almost nudged Spidey in the face. Luckily, I didn't. Not so luckily, the hyenas managed to get onto the car.

I couldn't believe what was happening. Tiel was dragged out of the car with brute violence, being thrown about like a puppet. I watched as the hyenas claimed their prey. Tears began to collect in my eyes, but I wanted to press them back. It didn't work.

I slowly nodded after the screams stopped. "Y... Yes..." I said towards Spidey. "I think so.." I whispered under my breath.

[Gamer_KM]

I Wanted to scream as the driver was drug out of the SUV the beast started to rip in to her , i know in the back of my mind it was to late but i didn't care, i pulled my shot gun free of my coat and pointed at the beast and unloaded it in to them 6 shots. i let out a shaking breath "god damn it" i said "I am sick of this bull"

[DukeWolfRein]

The moments went by inside the SUV without much action. When the first howl came, however, my haira stood on end. Hyenas. "Watch out for the..." the SUV came to a stop and Tiel was ripped out of the car.

"GET BACK HERE!"

I broke the window and fell out, my hands reaching for my swords as I stumbled toward the huddled group. The Hyenas kept eating away as I regained my footing and threw a sword hitting one. They turned and growled. My hands held my remaining sword and rifle. The Hyenas let out their laugh and ran away. That was not expected. Neither was what was left of Tiel.

[Alltoni]

I did as I was told and climbed into the vehicle with everyone else. The next few minutes went by so quickly my head was spinning by the time it was over. I had only been with this group for a little while and one of us had already been killed. I trembled with fear, the poor girl's screams still haunting my mind. "W-what just happened?" I asked shakily.

[Soulio]

I watched as Tiel was ripped from the car, and immediately I reached for my rifle, but since I had somehow ended up in the back, and right in the middle of two of us, I could only fire two poorly aimed shots. I heard the screams echo through the air, and all I could do was sit. When Jose threw the sword, they dispersed, but left Tiels torn body for any animal around to scavenge.
I was speechless. I had to clench my fists, and bite down hard on my tongue to keep from bursting in outrage. I set my rifle down on the ground, and leaned back in the seat.
"Spider. If you know the general way to her place, then go. We can't just sit here. We have to mourn later. And it's what she would've wanted."

[Wobbles]

My hands were shaking uncontrollably. This was the first time I'd been present to a death... every other time, someone had herded me away or something saying that I was 'too young.' I was always angry, but now, all I had was panic. The danger was still right there, and now they were putting ME in charge?!

"Fine, jammit," I muttered, throwing the car door open and getting out. The car was still half off the cliff. "Someone help me get it off the edge!" I yelled, tugging uselessly on the bumper.

[CrumpetCannon]

Time seemed to slow down as I witnessed the hyena's claws dig into Tiel's chest, tiny little splotches of blood appearing on her shirt right where the claws penetrated inwards like sick skewers into fresh butcher meat.
While everyone else was screaming, shooting, shouting or driving, I was staring. Staring right at the poor woman as she was yanked bodily from the car, for one horrible, endless second, our eyes had met.

The most disturbing thing was that I saw no fear in those glistening orbs, I'm not too sure what I saw, and I didn't have time to ponder, because at that moment the beast pulled, and suddenly time was working at twice it's normal pace, and Tiel's body lay crumpled on the floor behind our vehicle, I saw limbs pointing in odd directions a second before the hyenas descended upon her, then the screaming started, and I swear it never ended.


* * * * *

"Someone help me get it off the edge!"

I was pulled from my reverie by Spider's voice, her tone hollow and broken, echoing exactly how I felt inside. Unlike her, I wouldn't be able to speak for a long while. Not that I would be sick, but because I could still hear the screaming, and I worried that if I opened my mouth I'd make an equally horrifying sound.

She had moved. She had moved just before they jumped on her

I didn't agree, I didnt nod. I just got to work extricating the car from its precarious position upon the cliff edge, our efforts were enough to eventually get all four wheels into land.

[Soulio]

I got out of the car, along with Crumpet, to go and pull the piece of shit off the cliff.
Good lord this thing is heavy...
Told you you should have driven.
Spidey got in first, and she knows where to go.
Whatever...

I looked behind us, at the bloodied body of Tiel, and immediately looked away. I would mourn later.
"On the count of three, pull. One... Two... Three!" I pulled with all of my strength, and hoped they would do the same.

[Gamer_KM]

i got put as well and help pull "i was built for gaming not pulling tanks off cliffs"i said

[Mane Of Kurls]

Everything was a blur. Time itself seemed to slow, torturing my eyes, burning every part of the gruesome scene in front of me into my mind. The heynas as they chased the vehicle. Tiel, ripped from the car and our lives. Everyone reacting to what was going on, but I was frozen. Another death in the group. This time it wasn't even a usual member. It was some random survivor we had welcomed in and she died the same day. If anything I felt worse than before. My hands clench, my leg burning with pain. With all of my promises to keep us safe I had failed again. Her screams penetrated my head and seemed to echo and ring without stop. I crawled out of the vehicle in a daze to help how I could with pulling the vehicle away from the cliff, the screams still ringing in my mind even though the scourve of them was long gone. I was wrong. Very wrong. This was going to be a horrible day, and everything after was all downhill.

[DukeWolfRein]

The sword laid on the ground, the blood of the one Hyena it hit barely there. The mangled body laid before me as I picked up the sword. There was movement, but barely death twitches. A raspy breath of air as the body got rid of things it didn't need anymore. It was a familiar sight. My hands carefully picked up the broken girl and laid her across my shoulder. I walked back to the SUV everyone was pulling and spoke slowly and clearly.

"We need to figure out what to do with the body before they come back."

The Hyenas were not smart creatures, yet they had tactics of their own. The girl from before all this had been chased by them. Especifically her, and no one else. When they finally got to her they had left as they had done so this time. Yet they came back in greater numbers, guided by the smell of her corpse back to base. I looked down the cliff and looked at them.

"Although, there seems we might only have one choice."

My clothes were soaked with even more blood by now. It worked as a way to diguise myself in this world. More blood meant less fighting. The beasts saw it that way anyhow.

[Wobbles]

I nodded gratefully at those who helped, and seeing they were in shock, I swallowed. I had to take charge. I straightened and raised my voice. "Everyone back in the car. We need to get out of here."

I slid into the driver seat after brushing the glass and blood away, forcing myself not to look at the carnage a few feet away. I turned the key, and the engine turned over and over but wouldn't start. I cursed under my breath and popped the hood, inspecting the smoking mess. The distributor cap and catalytic converter had been displaced. I quickly replaced them and slammed the hood, hopping back inside and starting the car with ease. I gripped the wheel tightly.

"Okay, um, everyone hang on to something," I said. "You're being driven by a minor."

[Gamer_KM]

I slid in to the SUV "Don't worry you Didn't flip a battle tank over, i have i put my shot gun between my legs

[Soulio]

I looked at Jose.
"What the fuck, dude. We aren't going to throw her of a fucking CLIFF! Would you do that to your mother? Your family?"
I put my hand next to my pistol, ready to draw if necessary. WE had to retain some semblance of humanity.
"Does no one else here agree?"

[DukeWolfRein]

I raised my hand and waved it slightly at Soul. "I don't plan on doing so, it is definitely not my first choice. I just need to know whether we're okay with travelling with a rotting corpse in the back, or leave her here to attract more Hyenas to track us down. I'm not saying the girl doesn't deserve a burial, but we do not have the time or resources for that right now."

[Wobbles]

I gave a frustrated sigh. Jose and Soul again. I got out, slamming the fragmented door, and stormed over to them. "We don't have time for this! The hyenas -"

At that very second, a howl sounded, horribly close. The color drained from my face. "Get in the car. Now." I turned to see the first beast at the edge of the clearing, galloping straight for me. I yanked my bow from the back seat and scrambled atop the SUV, nocking an arrow and pegging the hyena square in the eye. I took a running jump, ripped my arrow out of its eye, and sprinted back to the car. "Leave her! Get in, NOW!" I yelled, slamming the door. Crap, I didn't have a window. I prayed I wouldn't receive Tiel's fate.

[DukeWolfRein]

The choice were simple then. I ran towards the dead Hyena and raised it up quickly, leaving the body underneath it and running back into the SUV. There would come a time to get our dead and bury it, today was not that time. I looked at Spider and looked out my broken window "Nice shot."

[Soulio]

"Good. We should leave her. Spidey, where-" I was cut of by her, only for her to be cut off by hyenas.
We were told to get in the car, but I waited for everyone else.
I saw Jose put her body under the hyena that Spider had shot, and couldn't help but get annoyed at the time he took for literally everything. There was no need. She'd be found anyway. I'd seen hyenas eat other hyenas, so at best all he was doing was prolonging her bodies consumption.
"Spidey, this car does not do well backing up. You'll have to find another way to get back on the road."

[Mane Of Kurls]

I quickly followed instructions to get back into the car, still in a daze. My leg throbbed as I was once again squished inbetween my fellow survivors. I reached into my bag and grabbed onto the one thing in this apocalypse that gave me comfort. An old Gameboy Color with a Pokemon cartridge in it. I began to feel better when I remembered the color of the device.

It was teal colored.

I felt such rage and sadness build up in me. I began to control my breathing to steay my emotions and put on a brave face for my companions. Now was not the time for reckless anger. I needed to keep calm and help everyone left get to saftey. Make a plan. Survive.

[Gamer_KM]

I started to reload my shot gun then i jumped to the back window and busted it out "Drive Damn it i'll Keep them off are ass" i said "Aal faal Rah Hiif Mii"

[Wobbles]

I saw about three hyenas in the rear view mirror, nosing through the carnage of what once was Tiel. I bit my lip. A new way? Jammit. I took a sharp left turn to get away from the cliff, accidentally drifting. "Watch the sides!" I called out to no one in particular. "That's our weak spot!"

I was pressed against the seat to keep my whole body from trembling. I wanted to break down, cry, curl up in a ball... but no. I couldn't. I had to keep going. Right now, everyone seemed to be looking to me for direction.

It's not fair, part of me whined. I'm the youngest, least exposed, least experienced... and they expect me to handle it for myself AND them too?
Shut up and drive, the other part of me said.

A sudden snarl snapped me to attention. I looked to my left to see a hyena keeping perfect pace beside the car, staring at me, and I almost screamed. I forced myself to look back where I was going, trusting someone would shoot it. "Guys," I said, voice quavering with fear. "Guys, um..."

[Gamer_KM]

"I SEE IT" I yelled I leaned Back And aimed for the Knee and pulled the trigger as it fell i sliced its head with my sword i sat back up pumping my gun and said "Fus ro dah" and shot another

[Soulio]

I had managed to get a window seat this time, and thus was able to lean out of the window.
I had seen Gamer knock out my back window, as well as climb onto my supplies, and was quite angry.
"Asshole! Off the shit! Lean out the side window, not the back! They'll be going for the sides! And don't talk to a girl like that!"
I was annoyed at the fact that Gamer had no manners, and the fact that there was a death, and my car was methodically being destroyed, I was slowly beginning to lash out at people.
I took aim at one of the hyenas nearing the left side, and shot it in the forehead.
"Hyena nearing right side!" I yelled out.
I took a glance at Spider, to see if she was doing alright. I had seen her when she saw Tiel, and emotions clouded driving capability.
"Spidey, just breath, and you'll be fine. We all will be fine. Just focus on driving."
I shot another Hyena, but this time in the leg, making it slow down.
"Damn."

[Gamer_KM]

"Don't Bitch Shinigami"I said "And I Know Where They are coming from"
and as another hyena came up to the back i shot it taking out the window
"And I'am sorry i have a piss poor time" i said

[Alltoni]

Things didn't stop when the fight was over. We had to keep going. I helped pull the car onto solid ground and watched as the people fought over what to do with the poor girl's body, which I tried to avoid looking at. Just the thought of her being mauled like she was made me gag. Don't think about it. I told myself.

Then just as quickly as it had ended it all started again. We piled into the car and began to head out. I felt bad for not being able to help, with no weapon and being stuck in the middle, but then I saw that they could handle it themselves. It made me nervous seeing everyone so tense, and I wondered if they were always this way. I held on with everything I had and just waited for it to all be over.

[Soulio]

"I swear to god, if you don't fucking cover the most important fucking area, and get off the important stuff I'll fucking shoot YOUR most important area!"
I shot another Hyena that had made its way close to the side, and watched as it tumbled down the road, lifeless.
I was slowly beginning to imagine them being Gamer.
I would not have someone be on my shit, and break my shit, and just tell me to fuck off, IN MY SHIT.

[DukeWolfRein]

"Interesting tidbit about Hyenas. They are actually pretty good climbers." The thud on the roof came and shook the SUV. I aimed at the roof and then shook my head and looked at Spider "I need you to do a hard turn so that we can throw it off, or else it'll more than likely-" At that second claws dug through the ceiling and tore it open "...maul us. SHOOT UP!" My rifle let out roars as I discharged it on the beast on the roof. It would seem that the SUV would not make the trip, but hope would prevail. I waited as the others shot it up and managed to hit it between the ribs before it rolled off in a bloody mess. I looked over and saw Toni next to me "Hey...we'll be fin, promise!" One of my hands settled on her and the other on Soul's shoulder "We need more than just a screaming leader if we're going to make it through this drive."

[Gamer_KM]

at this Point i took of my hat and glasses throw them in to the SUV and Leaned out the window Pulling My katana free i hooked my legs so i didn't fall out and slashed at every thing that moved
Ta hell with you i yelled at the hyenas as i killed them
then i sat up and cut the feet of the one on the roof

[Wobbles]

My fingers kept getting tighter and tighter around the wheel. I said nothing, though I would have liked to yell some not so nice things.

Aw, jammit.

I yanked the wheel as hard as I could to the right, then to the left, and on an adrenaline instinct did a few donuts. Might have been fun if I hadn't been watching for the yelp and thud as the last hyena hit the tree. My eyes were wide and I was pretty sure I was breathing... a little too fast, maybe?

I floored it. We were almost there. I realized there weren't any more hyenas. I saw a large landmark rock and slowed, turned right, and finally stopped. I tried to take my hands away, but I couldn't unclench them from the wheel. "W... We're here," I said in a soft voice.

[Gamer_KM]

After Being Almost Thrown out the window we stopped i un-locked my legs and land in a pile on the ground "ow" i said standing up and pulling my stuff out the window I pumped my shot gun there was still danger but as i could see nothing was after us.

[Soulio]

(There are 34 guests here right now... Holy hell.)
I jumped out of the car, and immediately punched the side so hard I left a tiny dent.
I pointed at Gamer, my eyes on fire.
"When I say get off of my stuff, GET OFF!" I yelled before opening the trunk to inspect the damage.
A few crushed bags of chips, and a broken arrow, but other wise, everything else was in decent order.
"You're lucky." I told him before handing out a few granola bars.
"Here." I handed Spidey one last, to attempt to see if she was alright.
"You ok? Need anything?"

[Alltoni]

I held my breath and covered my head, so as not to scream, when the creature-Hyenas, as they called them-tried to claw through the roof. I was comforted when I felt someone's hand on my shoulder and looked up to see the guy who had greeted me when I first found the group. "I'll hold you to that." I said.

Then, just like that, it was over. We had arrived at wherever it was that we were going and everyone piled out of the car. I fell to my knees when I stepped onto the ground, to weak to stand from all the fear and adrenalin rush that had been flowing through me. "So where is here exactly?" I asked as I shakily tried to stand back up and accept the food that one of the guys was handing out.

[DukeWolfRein]

My legs felt good touching the ground, I grabbed Toni up and placed her arm on my shoulders to help her stand "I think this is a base of theirs." I led both of us slowly towards the house and smiled at her "You got a name?"

In such a small time there had been a shift. This world was filled with things out to get them. I wasn't a hero, if anything I would probably die a villain, or the visage of one. Yet these people at this time were of importance now that I knew I was not fighting alone.

[Gamer_KM]

"Shinigami look at it this way, you still have your face" I said Stuffing my gear back in to my coat

[Alltoni]

I wasn't expecting anyone to help me up, but when I turned to see who it was, I found it was the same guy it had always been. "Thanks." I said, shyly letting him help me. "Yeah, I'm Toni. So what's your name?" I asked, curious to know what to call the only person that seemed to notice me.

[Wobbles]

I took a shaky breath and glanced around at the group. I could see both Kurls and Crumpet were still in shock, and I, being pretty much the one longest in the original group other than Craze (who I could see was also in shock) was going to have to step up. I took the bar and smiled. "Thanks," I said. "I'm fine. We need to get inside." I stuffed the bar in my pocket and began working at moving branches away from a small clump, revealing a door. I yanked it open and pulled a flashlight from my belt and clamped it between my teeth. I descended quickly and came back with a large bag. I tossed it to Soul. "Get everyone to get your supplies and put them in here," I said firmly. I descended again, but for a different reason. I took several deep breaths, and concentrated, changing my expression from panicked and scared to confident and strong.

Masks - something I'd always been good at. Right now, these people needed a strong mask. I'd been told before I had a strong leadership aura - meaning what I did affected others. If this was true, it would make a big difference right now.

I flipped a lightswitch on, to reveal a clean, homey looking basement. I investigated to see that there were 3 rooms. One of them had a back door leading into a small clearing. I designated this as the other girl -what was her name? I hadn't caught it - and me to have it. Then I decided to put Craze, Crumpie, and Kurls in one room and Jose, Soul, and Gamer in the other. There was still the main room to be the kitchen and living room, which was good. At least we'd be more sheltered.

I reappeared, looking a leader. Didn't mean I felt it, though. "Everyone," I said. "Grab your stuff. We need to get in and get the food stored before they catch our scent."

[DukeWolfRein]

Walking with a bag in one hand an holding Toni with my other around her waist I walked down and dumped the stuff where the storage seemed to be "Name's Jose, nice to meet you Toni. Are you good to walk now?" The place seemed like a good base of operations. There was a bit of a smell, but that was just from the fact of it being underground. My thoughts wandered to Spider, her hands had been shaking ever so slightly when she came back up. It was in times like these that the truly strong were those that didn't even know their own strenght.

[Soulio]

"Everyone, I need the boxes in immediately. They have my primary supplies. Jose, sorry to break you two up, but I need you to get anything that you see that isn't in a box into this bag. If there is not enough room, come get me, and we can figure something out. It's getting dark, and we all know what happens then." I grabbed one of the largest boxes that contained mostly food and some ammo, as well as two boxes that held sweet snacks.
As I went back up the stairs, I saw Spider standing idly by, a look of concern on her face.
Two of the group were in absolute shock, and were just sitting there. I had no idea what to do, and at her age, I don't think she does either.
I would ask her later about how to deal with them.

Before I went back to grab another box, I was curious to know the hygiene situation.
Did this place have running water? A generator?
I ran back down the stairs, and found the bathroom. A quick turn of the knobs made my hope a truth. Cold water was coming out of the shower head, but no matter what I tried, the hot water would not work. But still.

I then checked the lights, and those also worked.
"YES!"
I ran back up the stairs, a smile on my face.
"We have running water!" I shouted quietly.

[Alltoni]

I nodded in answer to Jose's question, then let go and took a step back. "It's nice to meet you to Jose." I said, then turned to look at one of the other guys from the group who was telling everyone to get boxes. I adjusted my backpack on my shoulder and headed back up the stairs awkwardly, wondering how I could be of help to anyone.

[Mane Of Kurls]

After the frantic drive to Tiel's base I was regaining my sense of thought. Jose, Spidey and Reaper seemed to have everything under control so I let them. My rifle wasn't made for car chases or fighting off a hoard of hyenas so I wasn't able to help with fighting. I kept my head down and thoughts to myself, all of them running through my head a mile a minute.

We finally arrived and I helped everyone move the equipment and food inside, my injured leg slowing me down a bit. Spidey sorted us into rooms and I put my bag onto a cot and sat down, gathering my thoughts. I heard someone say something about running water but it bearly registered. I breathed in deeply and exhaled, trying to clear my mind. I stood up and searched around for something to cleanse my wound. I found a small bottle of Hydrogen Peroxide in a cabinet. I sat back on my cot and pulled back the bandage. The wound didn't seem infected but the gashes were a bit messy. I opened the bottle and poured it over the wound, gritting my teeth a bit. It stung, but not for long. I re-wrapped the wound and walked around a bit and found Spidey.

"Hey, good job driving. I'm glad we got here in one piece."

[DukeWolfRein]

The bags were filled up and in place by the time the sun finally started setting. The room Spider had put me in held the other two guys' stuff. I had nothing but my swords and rifle. I slowly walked outside and looked around.

"We need to decide a watch schedule. In case anything shows up and ruins our hiding place."

Thre SUV looked messed up and barely able to keep itself up. I guess that's one of the things we pay for surviving what most didn't. A life of running and fighting. I grasped my swords and sighed.

[Gamer_KM]

I helped put the stuff inside ones i saw we had power i said"hell yeah" i ran over to a wall socket and jammed my computer's power cord in it i plugged the other end into my laptop a light next to the power cord came on. i pushed the power button, the screen come to life after i jabbed in my password i smiled mostly everything was running

[Alltoni]

I helped carry some of the boxes in, and wondered what else needed to be done. I couldn't sit idly when there were still things to do, it was how I was raised. But when I discovered that we were taking a rest, I wandered my way to the rooms and found the one that didn't have any of the guys stuff in it. I sat down on the cot and put my backpack down in the floor. Unzipping it, I pulled out the bible that I had tucked away in it. I opened the front cover and picked up the picture of a group of people all wearing bright blue shirts. Tears began to fill my eyes as I scanned over the faces and remembered everything we had gone through before we were separated. Maybe I'll find them again. I told myself, trying to find some ray of hope in this desperate time.

[Wobbles]

I gave Kurls a tired smile, trying to keep the bold front up. "Thanks. It runs in the family, I guess. I'm gonna go park the SUV in a better place. You should get your leg looked at," I said as I walked away.

I parked the SUV a few hundred feet away from the backside of the basement, on the trapdoor side. I sat there, my knees pulled up to my chest, and when I was sure nobody could hear me...

...I cried.

[Soulio]

"I'll take first watch. I need a breather anyway," I said as I walked up the stairs.
I saw Spidey walk toward my beyond massacred SUV, and felt concerned. While she had a stance of leadership, the way she walked and the way her head drooped, signified that she was upset over something. I decided not to do anything about, or at least not right now.
I did, however, get annoyed at the fact that my SUV was even worse of than before. I'd either have to do some serious repairs, or find a new car. A new car sounded better, since I knew very little on how to fix cars. Basic maintenance, but nothing extremely fancy.
The sun was nearing its setting, and I felt a slight ping of fear. Night was never a good thing anymore. More of the hyenas and lizards came out to prey at night.
I held onto my rifle, and wrapped my sweater against my body. I'd get someone else to keep watch in a few hours.

[CrumpetCannon]

I didn't bother telling anyone that I was going out for a while, they all seemed preoccupied with their respective tasks and methods of passing idle time. It wasn't a particularly smart thing to go outside, unarmed, without telling anyone, but the fact that I wasn't exactly in the right state of mind went without saying.

I slipped out of the front door and made my way past Soul, who stood in that reserved, tense stance that was typical of someone on night watch, he held his rifle with white knuckles, the cold affecting us already.
As I walked, I managed to catch a glimpse of Spidey entering the SUV, clearly in a state of dejection, I considered consoling her for a moment, but reasoned that if she was anything like me, she would rather be alone with her inner machinations.

I came to a tree towards the edge of the property, it was an ash or something, botany had never been a hobby of mine. I took out my small knife and brought the stainless tip up to the coarse, almost black bark, where it stood aloft for a second as I considered my design. Content with it, I began carving something into the wood, something that would hopefully stand for as long as this tree did, the wood beneath the bark was an appropriately lighter shade than the bark, and the design was clear. The task was tedious and wrought a terrible pain upon my wrist, and so it was a great way to clear my mind.

I snapped the blade away, appreciating my work for a second before nodding and stepping away from the tree to go and stand at the doorway, the milky illuminations of the twilight sifting across the tallest tree around.

[DukeWolfRein]

My back touched the wall as I settled outside next to Soul.

"I am not one to go against directions, however I thought, that having two people keeping watch would be better."

I smile as I fixed my rifle on my back and looked off at Spider leaving with the SUV. That was their leader walking away to wash away the fear of another dead friend. The sun gasped for more time as it went down the horizon, engulfing us with the one thing we dreaded the most nowadays, shadows. I saw the boy they called Crumpet walk back from the woods and waited for Spider.

"She's taking a bit too long, don't you think?"

[Soulio]

"She saw a death. You can never take too long to mourn," I said quietly, still watching the shadows move and falter.
"I just hope she doesn't do anything dangerous."
I saw movement in the trees, and immediately raised my rifle. While it was hard to see, I could make out the outline of an owl eating a rat.
"Just an owl," I told Jose.
"So you and the new girl are getting friendly."

[DukeWolfRein]

"I but help someone who needs help. In a world like this you can't get attached to anyone." My hands rested on the wall as I watched the owl rip into the rat. Nature kept on without need of being told that humans were no longer on top. The stillness of the incoming night started settling in.

"How did you find them? This little group?"

[Wobbles]

I realized several people could see me and pulled a jacket from under the seat. It was stained with blood. I wiped my face with it anyway. I sat up, started the car, and moved it to a place secluded enough where no one could see it, hear it, or find it and got out.

It was a garage I had found earlier in the year, conveniently close but far enough away for comfort. It was a body shop for the small town of Oakhurst, and had the equipment I needed.

Grief was a load too heavy for my shoulders. I couldn't lift it on my own and I sure wasn't going to ask anyone else for help. I circled the car, inspecting the damage, and decided the hood was a good place to start. I pulled some epoxy from the shelf and after laying the fiberglass, mixed up the chemicals and got to work.

It took an hour. During the time I forgot completely about everything, and the sun set. It was very dark, and I knew I had to walk back, so I stopped at the hood. It would have to dry anyway.

It gave me a good chance to let out my pent up emotions. It was better if no one saw me crying anyway. Around 9, I sucked it up and began the half-mile trek back to the base.

[DukeWolfRein]

Soul

"I heard a radio broadcast a month ago, and I followed the coordinates. After I saw what looked like a person, I got out of my car, and followed who happened to be Spidey. And you didn't answer me." I knew he was trying to avoid the statement, but I couldn't help myself.

---------------

Jose

"I don't like the girl if that's an answer to your question." I smiled slowly and looked at him "My eyes are set on Spider anyhow, I always did like strong girls. Good under pressure and all that fun stuff." I winked and then chuckled. The owl let out a screech as it flew away with its prey. A rat scurried away and the final rays of sun disappeared behind the horizon.

-------------------

"How about no. That is something I will NOT let happen." Holy shit jealousy.
"Besides, the girl likes you from what I can tell."

-------------------

"Ease up, I'm not about to take someone else's girl. Besides, she's too young for me. As far as Toni goes, if she feels safer being with me then so be it. However, this is no time for romances, and it won't be until we're truly safe." I looked at his gun and out into the woods "Soon we'll have to find jobs for everyone to have if we're to keep our little group from going to shit."

-----------------------
"Sorry. Being rejected for someone else happened to much to me before the world went to shit." I looked down at my gun, embarrassed.
"I personally think you're wrong. Caring for people makes you fight harder to stay with them. Without it, what's the point? As for jobs, you're right. But we can't have jobs without relative safety. And I think where we are now is an excellent place to begin fortifying."

------------------------

"I was stuck with a group of survivors before. Military nuts the whole lot of them, very handy with weapons. Also, very tight-knit and romantic. I walked away from their bodies after they decided to stay back for one person rather than run. Did I fight? Of course, I don't let anyone die, regardless of their reason...but I knew that I had to keep on living, even if my friends were dead. I blacked out, ran for days, when I finally came to I was covered in blood and lying next to a burnt pile of Lizards." I softly punched Soul's shoulder "You guys are chaos. A mess. Yet I don't think that's bad. True we lost someone today, but that couldn't have been helped anymore than the sun setting." My mind dragged me back to the Hyenas that I meant to tie to the bumper. Perhaps...but who knew. "We need a leader more than not. And one chosen by many. We need food and protection. What's the rabbit stew boy's name? He held on to that thing throughout the whole affair. I take it he's your group's cook?"

--------------------

"I'm assuming he's the cook. Crumpet, I think. Remember, I only got here today as well. And we are a mess. But that also means you are too. Any point today you could have gone off and left us. But you stayed and helped. That means you're with us. And we do need a leader. The question is, who is that?" I knew that Spidey was the unofficial leader of the group, but who would be the official leader?
"We have food, of that I'm sure. We have minimal protection, even more so now that we're here," I gestured to the basement, " and we have you and me, and Spider. It may not be much, but it's still something."

--------------------

My hands held the swords at my side and I nodded "Spider, you and myself. How handy are you without a gun?" The howl of a Hyena from miles away reached them. The lack of a moon in their small area hid them well though, and they would be left untouched for now.
--------------------

"Not bad, but nowhere near good. I've always wanted to figure out how to use a sword. Judging from how you use the swords, you prefer them over guns." An idea then popped into my head.
"Can you teach me? How to use a sword?"

---------------------

I grinned and looked at him with a hint of teasing in my eyes "To wield a blade, one must be ready to add arms to his torso. To kill a Hyena without getting hit, one must let go of the fear of being struck. To kill six or ten of them....one must be willing to admit that death comes only after one's enemies are dead before one's eyes." I took one of the swords and felt the blade, the cold steel against the tip of my fingers "In this moonless night, how much can you really see?" I crouched down and looked up at Soul with a look of curiosity "Have you been able to notice the three Hyenas that trotted by silently? Or the Lizards scavenging off to the west?"

-------------

"I saw one of the Hyenas. But no Lizards." I was both amused and intrigued by the way he spoke of the sword, and couldn't help but feel slightly empowered.
"Teach me. I want to learn."

-------------

"I'll teach you, but first we must find you your own pair of claws." Another howl, this time a bit closer. The night breeze danced around our camp and sent a chill against pur faces. I looked out into the woods and then at Soul. "She's been gone for too long."

-------------

"True. I'm going to go look for her." I stood, and made sure my rifle was full. Should have made sure earlier, but I forgot.
I began to walk, and then figured I should have him stay.
"It's best if you stay. In case anything comes and tries to kill us all." Not waiting for a response, I began to walk off, and saw that my SUV was gone, but tire tracks told me the direction it went.

------------------------

I nodded as he walked off and looked at the Lizards raised their attention to the howling. They sped off looking for the Hyena. At night they played games with each other. Taunting the opposing species until a fight broke out. There was a hidden art to their madness. My hands stood with a sword, an extension of my being. A Lizard noticed a glint and stopped. Oh? Hello.

[Amythelovelyelf]

It was night again. I already spent an hour being chased by a lizard. damn freaky things, always trying to kill me just as i wake up from my treetop nap. I got lucky he was alone; or at least I led him off enough to deal with just one. I was not taking a chance anything could hear me. I preferred lizards or losals, luckily I hadn't encountered an assassin yet. There is no way I could survive a group of hyenas. But there is always a trick to keep safe in the morning from losals and possibly ward off hyenas...I will do anything to survive.I say this to my self every day. Why I don't know yet, been alone, too long to count. But I will live, maybe it's worth it.

I took out a jar and filled it with blood and guts of the lizard,pulled my spear out of its head, wiped it off and secured it onto my back so that the point stuck out just above my head. Then I put the rag around my hair and wiped the blood on my hands on the rest of my skin. If the losals can't smell me while I run, or rest, I'll be okay. Then I heard them, the hyenas and shot up a tree like a squirrel, My gun clicked against my boot for a moment and I cringed. I looked out and tried to see..what is that? a car? AN SUV, there was someone walking away from it, that means people! and there were also Hyenas and lizards in the direction that person was headed... I'll think about food later, this was too good a chance to pass up. I'd have to leave my tree. I jumped down and put on my dark cloak and ran along the car tracks towards that person. I hope where ever she is going, I could tell it is a she, from a few feet away, they better be heavily armored..."excuse me" I tried to be as quiet as possible. Darn! She can probably smell the mix of hyena blood from a dead one I found three days ago mixed with fresh lizard, but I put my hood down, maybe she wont attack. "Excuse me" I started slowing down, i thought she could see me now.

[Wobbles]

I cocked my head. Noises. Crunching of the feet mixed among the howling. I halted, heart rate rising. Where was it coming from? I heard it in front of me and behind me.

Hyenas?

My throat almost clamped shut with panic. After what I'd seen today, I -

"Excuse me?"

Whip.

Twang.

Pfsh.

Thud.

As fast as lightning, I nocked an arrow, spun, and fired. It struck a tree and stayed, quivering. My green eyes were wide.

STUPID, I yelled mentally. HYENAS DON'T TALK!

I assessed the woman in front of me. Significantly older than me, covered in blood, and looking battle worn. I lowered my bow. "I - I'm sorry," I stammered, before clearing my throat. "We were attacked today, so I'm a little jumpy. You a survivor too?"

Suddenly, Soul appeared behind us. I gave a wave before turning back to the girl in front of me. I stuck my hand out. "I'm Spidey. You are?"

[Soulio]

I saw Spidey through the trees fire an arrow at a figure, and immediately sprinted the rest of the way, rifle raised.
But then I rounded the corner and saw her wave at it, and then I saw it was another person
Good god how many are we gonna find today?
"Um... Hi..."
I saw Spideys slim form change stance from offensive to supportive and open. It amazed me at the sudden changes she could do.

[Amythelovelyelf]

Standing up from my crouch. I cracked my neck. And shook her hand, firmly and quickly. "Names Amy! Thats okay, I'm naturally jumpy, good thing I'm not very tall." Still holding Spidey's hand, waved over to this new person. damn, I miss people, warm people. " Hi I'm Amy, Listen" I tried to keep eye contact with them both speaking fast, "the way you're headed has a pack of hyenas and maybe two lizards, possibly more but I could only see a glint in the distance and movement. I'm going to assume the people up there, you know them. I wanted to warn you. And if you let me, help you." I bit my lip, took a deep breath and softened my voice."We will get properly introduced later, I'm sorry to startle you. I might need a bath eventually." Putting my serious face back on." Right, lets go."

[Wobbles]

"Well, that's just bantha fodder," I muttered. Then a cocked my head again. "Wait... Amy? Weird..." I shook my head and trotted to the arrow in the tree, yanked it out, and stuffed it back in my quiver. "We need to get going, then. Follow me, guys." I took a quick pace, for me, though it might have been slow for them. What can I say, I'm short!

Soon we reached the base. I trotted around the front to see a large lizard eyeing Jose. I cursed at it in Aurebesh, grabbing a rock and banging it against the blade of my sword. It hissed and scampered away.

Somehow I could tell when they didn't want to fight. And tonight was one of those nights. I just felt...watched, like there was a massive audience collectively holding their breath to give us a break from attacks.

Well, THAT was a creepy thought.

[Mane Of Kurls]

After Spidey went out I went back to my cot and laid down, giving my leg a rest. I pulled out my Gameboy Color and turned it on, keeping the volume off so it didn't attract any unwanted company. I played for a little while and it helped easy my mind, nothing but me and my Pokémon. After awhile I figured I should probably check on everyone.

I powered the Gameboy off and picked myself up off the cot, using my rifle as a bit of support. After making sure my tonfas were secured to my waist I headed upstairs to see if I could find anyone. As I stepped outside I was met with Spidey and Reaper coming back with yet another survivor.

At this rate we'll need to start going to towns for food.

I leaned against my rifle in the door way and grinned.

"Welcome back. Have a nice walk in the moonlight? And I see we have another survivor joining us. My name's Mane of Kurls. You can call me Mane, or Kurls" I said. I couldn't see their face well due to the light and the cloak whoever it was wore so I had no idea what to expect. The person was short, but hey, most of the guys in out rag-tag group were short, who knows?

[Amythelovelyelf]

"Okay, A! I need to learn how to do that. B! what on Earth did you just say?" Whatever this girl just said felt like cotton in my mouth. I turned to the boy, man, hard to tell now a days, and wiped my hand off on my cloak and offered it. "Sorry never got your name." It was so instinctual to smile, but i had to try not to, I haven't brushed m teeth in a while. "I would like to vehemently apologize for my smell...and rudeness earlier." That why they were looking at me funny, wasn't it? That had to be it. started to wonder if they had a shower, all of them looked decently clean. Maybe they'll hate me less when my first aid training becomes useful.

Oh someone came out! There was one guy a few feet from her and one in the door wayI yelled, " Hi I'm Amy TheLovelyElf. Call me Amy, for now. I apologize in advance for my overwhelming stench and personality" Oh my Lord, i'm the oldest person here and my kids would only be 2 and 4...sigh

[Soulio]

I followed Spidey, or to be precise, walked next to her. We were about the same height, and thus walked at about the same pace, all the while keeping my rifle ready. The new girl seemed flighty, almost paranoid, as though at any time she would be killed.
We stopped just outside the base, and staring at Jose was a Lizard. Yet it wasn't attacking.
Then Spidey somehow drove it off with some banging, and New Girl began to talk.
"I'm SoulReaper, but you can call me Soul. And you're fine. We don't all smell like roses and dandelions."
"Spidey, can I ask where the hell my car is?"

[Mane Of Kurls]

I shrugged, laughing.

"Don't worry, I don't mind. Besides, I'm probably in about the same condition."

She seemed alright. Once she got closer I could see what would probably be a spear with here, though her cloak covered anything else she might be carrying. And...huh, she actually looked older than me. That was honestly a first, seeing as I had been the eldest for the longest time. That is, until today. I spoke again to Amy.

"Come on, we should all get inside. It's actually warmer in the base than out here and a bit safer too. Plus we apparently have running water and electricity."

I leaned a bit on my rifle, my leg starting to hurt again. The bandage I had wrapped around it was crude but it still held. Hopefully the newcomer new more about treating wounds than I did, otherwise I might not be able to heal up as fast as I wanted to.

[Amythelovelyelf]

"Crap! you're injured! Go sit! Why are you standing?! " Looking around I tried to give my best sorry smile, "Looks like the Curls over there has a good idea. if you don't mind." I motioned to the door way with my chin," and proceeded in," we can all get acquainted in there. I stepped into the base, a sudden shiver going through me And kneeled by the nearest wall without a window and took off my cloak settling my spear down, at 5 feet high by itself that must have been a sight, then layed my .308 rifle, softly, and finally removed my bag. I smiled as I passed the injured one. and walked over to the sink, putting the water on a low stream, warmer than my frozen hands so it was acceptable, and rubbing my hands together with lemon oils I took out of my bag."So, while i get blood and you don't want to know what, off my hands" I looked to the door way at Spidey and the others,"Unless more people are coming, I think stuff will stop happening long enough to get acquainted. So far I know your name is Spidey." motioned over to the girl i met earlier, flipped my hair back at the injured boy, "You have loose dressings and are still bleeding. Ya'll know me as Amy, and I'll shut up and let yall talk." I stuck my face in the stream to taste the water, and started gulping it down. I swear this is a heaven sent, I will thank these kids so hard from now on, so long as they let me stick with them.

[DukeWolfRein]

The lizard ran away as the other got back, more on account of Spider startling it than anything. I smiled and nodded a hello to the newcomer. She smellled of Lizard blood. Ah, she knows their fears and dismissal also. I watched as they all walked into the base and went back into the woods. Lizards and Hyenas kept moving around and getting closer. Hm, were they cutting conflict for something else? But what? The lizard from earlier screeched at a distance and walked back with a handful of its kin. Then it hit me. That Lizard hadn't known of them. The lack of moonlight had been a blessing until it was disturbed by someone speaking at one of them. Crap, more of them. My swords ready the beasts stood there, surrounding the base. Not many, but enough to prove a challenge. He couldn't raise alarm in case of more showing up. Alone then. I whispered softly.

"Come then. There are other worlds than this."

The first lizard looked up and screeched, yet no attack. The beasts dispersed. I knocked on the wall slowly and sighed. Crisis averted.

[Amythelovelyelf]

There was a familiar screech and shuffle outside, I stood up, shutting off the water but still not turning anywhere, twitched and took even breaths. Danger again? I started wiping my hands off on my clean undershirt and said nothing more, embarrassed and angry that I let my guard down. Crap, sigh, I left my guard down, alone for almost a year and seeing people has got me regressing.

[Wobbles]

I grinned at Amy. "What did I say? Well, that would ruin the dignity of the English language. Hence why I cursed in a fictional language."

Man, I was such a nerd.

As I passed Jose, I said, "You'll only be on guard for another hour or so, then I'll come take duty."

I didn't really realize my hands were shaking, but I when I walked into my room and deposited my weapons in the corner, I had to take a few deeps breaths to calm down. I sat next to Toni, looking at the picture she had in her hands. "Hey," I said softly. "You gonna be alright?"

[Amythelovelyelf]

I nodded to Spidey. Impressive and amusing. Everyone seemed to be calm, so I started breathing normally again and turned off the water leaning back on the sink, surveying the room. I wasn't going to let my guard down again.

[Mane Of Kurls]

I shouldn't have been suprised when I was ordered to immediatly sit down so Amy could fix my leg up better. The command sounded very motherly though. I walked over to a chair and sat down, putting my tonfas on the floor and leaning my rifle against the wall. I peeled back the bandage so Amy could take a look at it. Needless to say it looked worse than it felt.

There were multiple gashes and puncture wounds where the Losal had clawed and bit me. The skin around the wounds were red and puffy, more from being torn apart than anything else. Cleaning it a bit earlier should've gotten rid of any infection. Most of the wounds had clotted with blood except for a couple of places.

"Well, anything you can do? I tried to fix it up myself but it's a little rough."

[DukeWolfRein]

I was alone. Surrounded by silently moving beasts. There was something silly about their way of getting near and then retreating. Almost like they were playing musical chairs, except every time they congregated there were more. Thus my nerves were on edge. The night breeze did nothing to hide my scent or those hidden inside the base. I knocked on the wall once more, hoping, praying, that someone would come out. It was nerve-wrecking watching them get bigger and bigger. They were in the tens by now and it did not look any better. They would have to fight for their turf and make sure that whatever came through after that night knew that they would not be bullied. There was a hiss. Something scampered by my feet and the end of my blade caught it. A snake. It slithered, its head spilling out. I had broken my own promise. I had made noise, however minimal. A Hyena walked closer than they had dared before.

[Soulio]

I had moved to the bushes as everyone began to go inside, so in case Jose needed it, I could surprise the pack. It made them confused for a few seconds every time.
I watched Spidey go inside, and was regretful I hadn't had time to talk to her.
Awww, look at the wittle Romeo trying for the not so hapless Juliet.
Haha, very funny. Remember, you're me.
True, but I'm also the voice inside your head that you keep a secret from everyone.
I shook my head, annoyed at myself.
One of the Hyenas got startlingly close to Jose, yet did nothing but stare at him.
It sniffed him, and as though he wasn't ready to die just yet, backed off.
"What the..." I whispered silently to myself.

[Amythelovelyelf]

Snapping out of surveillance mode I went back to my bag,kneeled, and pulled out a white case pushing it under the injured boy's leg. While I sifted through it and laid out needed supplies, inspecting the wound, I decided talk would ease what was coming," so, Curly-haired one, tell me about yourself. Tell me of how you got here and how you got these scars" I smirked doing my best Heath Ledger impression. While he talked I unwound the bandage and held his ankle under my arm, glad to see it wasn't as bad as I imagined. Nasty but didn't need aggressive treatment." good job , by the way, we won't have to amputate it." I winked.
I took a clean wad of cotton opened a bottle of my own ido-kalol chemical concoction and soaked the cotton in it. I wait now... Best case scenario he won't feel anything, worst case, he yelps

Once he gets into the story, I applied the soaked cotton to his wounds and started blowing on them. Without waiting for a reaction, I insisted" I promise the more you talk the less you feel!"

[Mane Of Kurls]

I mentally rolled my eyes.

Yup definitely the motherly type. She does realize I'm not a kid, right?

"I can guess by your accent that you're not from around here like I am. And my name is Kurls by the way. I'm basically from all the way across the states. I had saved up enough money to come out here and meet some of my internet friends and go to a convention. As you can see, it didn't really work out that way."

I internally winced at the solution she applied to my wound and kept going.

"I've been with Spidey, Crumpet and the others for awhile. You, Reaper, Gamer, Toni and Jose all showed up today. How you guys all found us within the same day is beyond me. The reason I'm injured is because before you, Toni and Jose caught up to us we were attacked by a creature called a Losal. Nasty thing. Took three bullets and was still going strong. After awhile we all ended up here. Well...almost all of us..."

I trailed off thinking about Tiel, but shook the thoughts out of my head.

"Anyways, it's good to have someone that's good with medicine. Otherwise if any got seriously wounded we'd be in trouble."

[Amythelovelyelf]

" Ah! So I got a bunch more people to meet?guess we got lucky. And you're right, I'm from Brooklyn, ova' in New York." I looked around, frowning at the outside, hoping the two left outside were okay.They were alone long before me, I'm sure they can handle themselves "I'm guessing you all pull watch one at a time." I started putting some ointment I "stole" from a drugstore a few miles back." A Losal you say? little ugly critter? Nuts as a can be?" I pondered and started wrapping fresh bandages over the wound and got an idea, pulled out a little green jar, smelled it and after wrapping the leg tightly twice, sealed the 'cast' with the dark gunk inside. " your skin will stain lightly brown green when you take the bandage off in a day, its safe. and your leg will go a tiny bit numb tonight. On the bright side, nothing will bite you for a while." I chuckled.
There was the rustling and scritching again. I packed my case and stood up slowly, hand holding my spear, admiring the point, as if I were going to polish it . "Yo, Kurls, Any idea whats going on out there? It doesn't feel right."

[Mane Of Kurls]

I shrugged.

"Beats me. But I haven't heard a thing from Reaper or Jose. WE should probably go see if everything's alright."

I stood up using my rifle for support. My leg did feel a lot better, and with the stuff she applied would probably be better in a couple days.

"Thanks for looking at my leg by the way. Feels a bunch better than before."

I hooked my tonfas to my belt and motioned for Amy to follow me outside to check on the others.

[Amythelovelyelf]

I looked Kurls up and down and nodded walking up behind him. I threw my gun over my shoulder along the way. It's nothing, you're imagination from living like a monkey for too long.

[Wobbles]

Zadra drummed his fingers on the table, blue streaming eyes squinted into a glare. He watched several holograms of families of his species, Quexilaka, huddled in front of large holographic displays, eyes wide, and sometimes mouthing things to their family members.

They were enjoying it. The suspense was wonderful. These man beasts... they gave such wonderful, emotional reactions.

But he wanted them to suffer as he had suffered. Eder wouldn't allow it - the master said the people wanted the man beasts to have a rest. He gave a soft hiss and his fingers flew into motion over the keyboard in front of him. Only tonight would they rest... he would crack down hard tomorrow.

As if on cue, a semi-transparent blue stream poured overtop the base, rippling down like water on an overturned bowl. When it touched the ground, all sounds were cut off. The howling, the rustles, everything... silent. A bold hyena approached the wall and sniffed it, then flattened its ears and scampered away. All the other beasts did the same.

"Tonight," Zadra growled. "Tonight you rest. But you just wait until tomorrow..."

[Mane Of Kurls]

As I stepped outside The first thing I noticed freaked me out quite a bit.

"Hey guys. The hell is that?"

I pointed a bit away from the base as some blue transparent thing descended over us. I looked up and it seemed to circle around us.

What the hell...this isn't good. This isn't good at all

It looked like...a barrier or something. Which meant multiple things. One, they Shadow things knew exactly where we were. Two, while the barrier might keep things out it would also probably keep us in, trapped like rats in a cage. Three...we were currently nothing but their play things. My knuckles turned white as I tightened my grip around my rifle.

Yeah...this week's definitely gonna suck.

[Soulio]

"What is that thing?" I wondered as I stepped out from the bushes. Mane and Amy were standing at the top of the stairs, staring at the faint blue barrier that had descended upon the base.
"I wonder..." I said as I walked toward the barrier. If this would kill me, I hoped someone would feel something.
I touched it, bracing myself for some kind of shock. It never came. My hand passed right through it, and all I felt was a slight tingle on my skin. I tested it even further, and stepped through, then back inside.
"So it'll let us in and out. At least we have something going for us for once. Jose, I don't think we need to keep watch tonight. The Lizards and Hyenas looked almost afraid of the thing." For the first time in a long time, I felt truly safe, but I knew full well it wouldn't last.
"Weeell, I'm going to take a nice, cold shower. Haven't had one of those for a while." I walked down the stairs, and grabbed some things from the bag I had personally brought in before it got dark. Mainly just some personal hygiene stuff.

[DukeWolfRein]

There was a sudden blue wall between us and the beasts. They scampered off and something clicked as Amy and Kurls came out. We're being watched. I ran at the wall and hit my swords with it again "They're..." and again "..fucking..." and again "...TOYING WITH US!!!"

The wall was unmoved and unscathed. The beasts howled, but there was silence. The wind blew, but once more there was silence. I pressed my head against the barrier, not care what it would do to me. This whole time running and covering my tracks. Losing every group that took me in. Hunting, bathing in blood, eating the very things that hunted me, and they knew all along. They knew where and who I was with. Were they watching everyone? I wanted to scream to the sky if they were, such things get you killed though. They can't know you know.

"We should get some sleep. Doesn't look like anything can break through this thing."

I walked back to the base with my head down and my swords held tight. There was a restless night ahead.

[Wobbles]

I stood from the bunk and ran outside. What was all the commo- oh.

I watched Soul step in and out of it, and then I saw Jose get angry. I raised my voice, putting on that leader face and command tone.

"Everyone chill out."

I realized I probably looked ridiculous, in my t-shirt, jeans, slipper boots, and sword hastily stuck through my belt loop - not my fault I was trying to go to sleep - and being shorter than EVERYONE was a little hard to. I spoke up, despite this.

"If I know anything about anything, rest tonight means attacks tomorrow means we need all the rest we can get tonight. Everyone sleeps tonight." I stayed, just to make sure they'd actually do it. I realized I was in a slightly defense stance, with my fists curled, and I hoped I wasn't glaring.

[Amythelovelyelf]

I watched Soul walk past me. Then Jose. "This day has been crazy." I sighed. Unsure of what to think I took my stuff to a wall facing the entrance and sat down on the floor leaning my head back for a moment.Another day of not getting eaten, joy... I took a swig of cactus water I had in my bag and tightened my cloak around me, spear leaning next to me. Personally, this weird blue circle is new and I was used to the danger of being killed by things I can recognize. I wasn't going to sleep since I fell out of the habit of sleeping at night so I chewed on some green coffee beans.

Spidey came rushing out, almost gave me a heart attack. This is not good for my blood pressure, or hers.Not that anyone here is old enough to worry about that. I chuckled at her inwardlyGuess she's the boss 'round here. but continued chewing, and watching everyone.And Sighed.

[DukeWolfRein]

The ceiling looked blank in the darkness. My clothes were hung up after a thorough washing in the sink. I had found a blanket and was wrapped in it. So many thins were running through my mind. I heard coughs and snoring. That was a pretty deep masculine snore, more than likely Spider. I smiled and the rested my head against the cold wall. Tomorrow there should be a fight. There would be. It had been too long since a fight.

[Mane Of Kurls]

I followed everyone back inside and as everyone settled down to sleep I realized something.

I couldn't sleep.

Besides the fact I don't normally sleep well this current circumstance had just put me on edge. I stayed in the living room area with a small light on playing my Gameboy trying to exhaust myself enough so I could fall asleep. The possibilities of what could happened floated around in my head, taunting my imagination. I tried to focus on my game but was only mostly distracted. After awhile I put it in my laptop and leaned my head back against the wall with a sigh.

What has the world come to? Why did this happen? As far as I know nobody even knew about the Shadow things until they showed up. Why couldn't they just've been friendly and everything still be the same? Here I am, hardly alive, stuck across the continent in this hell hole. Waiting for the sun to come up and us to be attacked. How long will this last, till we're all dead?

I shook my head again clearing my mind. I couldn't think about that now. I sighed again and returned to my game

[Soulio]

I had went to an area that was unoccupied, trying to collect my thoughts. I had held it together in front of everyone to make everyone think I could stay calm in a situation no matter how bad. To an extent I could. I had to vent however. I had found a thick towel in my bag, and had found a pin I pushed into the wall to keep the towel on the wall. I had begun punching it well over half an hour ago, and was happy when it made next to no noise. I had actually broken skin from hitting it so hard, and I held back the tears of pain and loss. I thought of the towel as the Hyenas that had torn Tiel to pieces, and then thought of it as myself. I was upset at myself for not being able to help her. I could've done something and saved her. But I was helpless. I punched harder, my hands beginning to feel like they were jello. And then my thoughts wandered to Spider, and it made me even more upset.
How could I develop feelings for a girl that I had literally met hours ago? She was very beautiful, that much I was sure of. And she was strong, friendly, but was still vulnerable enough to be human. Something about the way she carried herself was very attractive to me. I punched the wall one last time, and as I pulled the pin and towel off the wall I realized the towel was quite red, and the wall now had a small hole in it from my hitting.
I was exhausted, and so I went to the room that had all my stuff, and rolled out my sleeping bag. I fell asleep right as my head hit the "pillow".

[Jason Todd]

I walked in with my Kimber raised and checked the two corners of the entrance. Suddenly I heard familiar voices and walked into the main room. "Yo My fellow RPA'ers wassup!" I said with my usual swagger. Holstering my pistol I pulled a chair from the table and sat down, "Hope I'm welcome, and for all ya'll who don't know, I'm Sean, Captain Sean"

[Wobbles]

I couldn't sleep. I knew that no one else could, either, but... still. I knew I would need it later, but I couldn't. I sighed and slipped out of the thin covers, going out the trapdoor and standing on the balls of my feet. The weather seemed to have been blocked my the shield... it was snowing. I approached the shield and listened. I could almost hear the little white flakes falling to the ground. I stared at the white flakes, so white, so pure.

Suddenly I saw hyenas, and blood, and mangled bodies covering the snow. I winced and closed my eyes, raising my hand to my head, but the image wouldn't leave. It's not real, I told my self. It's just a vision. Not real. But I was still breathing heavily. My hand was shaking.

I sat, cross-legged, looking out into the dark night. This was all so stupid. So stupid. I couldn't - I -

Abruptly I stood and walked out of the shield. I watched it reclose, and I became aware of the sounds around me.

And I screamed.

[DukeWolfRein]

I pulled Spider back in and looked at her sternly and shaking my head. I wrapped the blanket around her and pulled her back to base "We follow our own orders or else we're not really leaders." I set her down against the wall and smiled "You should be careful little wolf."

This was, so far, the most interaction I've had with our fearless leader. The noise had alerted me as she had walked out. I looked at her shivering before walking out of the barrier and ran as I saw hee scream but didn't hear anything.

[Wobbles]

I almost screamed again, startled, but I didn't when I saw who had pulled me back in. I sighed quietly. "I - I can't sleep," I admitted. "Not after today." I pulled the blanket closer around me. I stared at the tree in front of me. To release that scream felt good... I'd been holding it for too long.

"How do you do it? Living on your own? I can't imagine life without these guys. I -" I stopped and shook my head. I'd imagined many different ways I'd handle my first death and this wasn't one of them.

[Soulio]

I heard Jose leave the room, and for a second thought nothing of it. But then I wondered why someone would be going outside.
With a groan I pushed myself up and grabbed my pistol.
I walked up the stairs, and saw Jose and Spider standing. Jose was telling her something, but Spider was just staring at something.
"Everything alright? Are you ok, Spider?" Jose could go to hell right now. My eyes and concerns were fixated on Spider.

[Mane Of Kurls]

I paused playing my game upon hearing the voices of the others that were up. I could hear them fairly clearly. I stayed where I was listening to what was going on. Jose seemed experience and Reaper would be a good support for Spidey. It was hard. She had stepped up to become the leader amd the youngest in the group. In many ways she was stronger than all of us, stood taller than even me. But even the strongest of us need a hand every once in awhile.

I saved and turned off my game and closed my eyes in concentration. We couldn't expect her to do and think of everything. Jose, Reaper and I could could hold our own in a foght but we needed more that fighting skill. We needed a plan. As I listened to the conversation coming from the other room I began to think of how to get us out of this mess with everyone alive.

[Wobbles]

Jose

"Alone? I'm never technically alone. I always have my thoughts." I knelt down and grabbed her hand slowly. There was a slight trembling still, but she felt stronger now. "Truth is, death and sadness are a given in this world now. And we have to learn to deal, we all have our coping mechanisms. I have my will to fight anything that stands between me and my swords, Gamer has his computer, Soul has his crush on you, and you...you have this extreme will to live and survive." I smiled and moved my hand to her cheek.

"You are so strong and so brave. I would be proud to call you leader. And I would stand loyal friend and hunter at your side, never doubt that.”

---

Spidey

I looked at Jose, eyes wide. "I - I -" I couldn't find my words. I looked down. His hands were warm. "Thank you," I finally managed in a whisper, then looked back up with a slight smile.


---

I looked at the sword by her side and smirked. "So, can you handle that thing as well as you seem to handle an SUV? Or is it just for decoration?" My hand reached out for it and pulled it out before she could speak. It was a sturdy piece of steel, not light like mine, but it would do in a fight. "I bet you have difficulty just trying to swing it around." I chuckled and looked back at her.

---

"Hey!" I protested, attempting to grab it back. "I can handle it just fine!" I laughed and managed to snatch it away, before doing a couple of quick swings in a figure 8 pattern. "It was an old sword, but I sharpened it up and got used to the weight. It'll knock a hyena's head clean off," I said, grinning. I might be small, but I was strong.

---

I laughed as she showed her moves and intercepted her last figure 8 by slightly drawing one of my swords and blocking her "Oh of course, I'm sorry brave amazon. I just figured..." I twirled, bringing her in closer and then pushing the sword down and grabbing her with my free hand and pulling her closer "...That one does not lower her guard...." Our faces an inch away "...in the presence of a master swordsman." I picked up the sword, grabbing her the whole time and slowly slid it back into her sheath "I'll be the death of you, not Hyenas." I smiled again.

---

My eyes went wide, and I stared up at him. True. He was better than me. Much better than me... I gave a slight smile. "But you forget that I could kill you before you could get with a hundred feet of me," I said, spinning out of his grasp and putting my hands on my hips. I raised my eyebrows. "And you don't have a shield to protect from that!"

---

I shrugged "Fair enough, I do have my rifle, but I don't like causing that much fuss. Speaking of, the silence in here is almost deafening." I looked out past the barrier and sighed "If we do get attacked tomorrow, we need to have a set defense team, not the chaos that was today. By the way, is it just me or is it cold?" I looked at her with the blanket around her shoulders and then at myself. Nothing but boxers and a tank top. Yeah, that'd do it. I heard someone speak up and looked up. It was Soul. Had he seen their sword antics just a few seconds before? I hoped not. I didn't need a jealous person getting on my case about something stupid.

---

I grinned. "I think it's just you, what with your choice of attire and all." Suddenly my attention was drawn to Soul. "Hey, Soul... Yeah, I'm ok. Now. I don't think anyone can sleep, though..."

I hoped he wouldn't get jealous. I knew he sorta liked me, but I needed everyone to work together, not be internally conflicted because of me.

[Alltoni]

I quickly tried to wipe away my tears as the girl walked into my room. "Yeah, I'm fine." I lied. We sat in silence for a moment before a noise sounded outside. The girl-who I believe was called Spider-quickly ran out to see what was going on. I just sat in the room by myself, if there was a fight going on, especially with those creatures, I wanted to be the last to find out about it.

I eventually returned the picture to my bible and put it back in my backpack. I laid down on the bed and closed my eyes to try and fall asleep, unfortunately, sleep never came. After a long time of just laying still, I sat up with a sigh and looked around. What was there to do? I got up and set off to find the bathroom.

When I found it, one of the guys from the group walked out and I noticed his hands were scratched and bleeding. I wanted to ask about it, but thought it best to leave him be. I stepped into the bathroom and turned on the sink, after a few moments I realized that there was no hot water and shrugged. Oh well, cold will work just the same. I thought and washed my hands, then splashed water onto my face. It had been rough, even with my other group. I wondered if my sisters were alright, then I thought about the rest of the group, about the one's we had lost. I couldn't help but let a few tears fall from my already wet cheeks. What had the world come to?

[Amythelovelyelf]

I was going to bound to my feet when Spidey screamed Soul and ,I think his name is Jose, were out there and those three seemed bonded so best I don't interrupt. I was in trance like stillness thus far and slowly stood up and walked to the sink to drink more water. Kurls was seated in the living room so I walked over, squeezed his shoulder, nodded to him,then went and leaned on the door way and kept silent watching the three outside interact while I stretched and cracked my bones back in place. Its still dark out bit i feel it, play time is almost over

[Soulio]

I had seen the entire thing, and at first, it seemed like he was offering her help, but then he did his tricks with his sword and even pulled her oh so god damn close, the slightest lean forward would make their lips touch.
I was gripping onto my pistol extremely hard, and I could feel the blood begin to flow down my hand once again.
I had to turn away before I went and hit the guy, but I could still hear the teasing in both of their voices.
"You asshole..." I whispered quietly.
Ooooohhh shit. The voice inside my head said. Even though it was me, it was afraid of me.
They finished their dance, and she responded to me.
"Good." I said, then immediately went back inside.
My hands were balled extremely tight, and when I looked down to see how much blood was slowly running down my hand, I could see the white under the blood, quite visibly too.
I reached into my bag after throwing the pistol down on the sleeping bag, and pulled out a simple glass cup. I walked back up the stairs, outside of the dome, and not caring if Spider saw or not, I threw it as hard as I could at a tree, noise be damned. The glass shattered with a satisfying clink, and that still had not eased my rage.
I went back inside the base, and set up the towel again. I hadn't checked it last time, and it didn't have too much blood on it. It would now.
I pinned it back up, and then envisioned it was Jose.
I punched it all night.

[Wobbles]

The Next Day, 5 AM


Spidey


I got up quietly. The ground was cold, instantly chilling me to the bone. I peeked out of the window to see the ground was covered in snow. The silence barrier seemed to have thinned. It was my favorite time of day... when it's misty and nothing's awake yet, but the sun teases us with a tiny bit of light.

I slung my bow and quiver over my shoulder and crept into the furthermost room. I peered at the quiet faces, before choosing one and poking it.

"Craze. Wake up."

---

​Craze

"Uh? What?..." I mumbled, blinking with my eyes. I nearly jumped out of bed when I saw Spidey in front of me. "Oh! Oh, hey, it's you..." I said, laughing a little while I scratched the back of my head.

"What'd you wake me up for?" I asked, my eyes still narrowed as I yawned a couple of times. "Is there something wrong? It's like, 5 in the morning..."

---

I gave a small smile. "I'm going hunting - do you want to come? You've been pretty quiet."

I straightened. "It's my favorite time of day, after all."

---

"Well, my words easily go missing within such a big group..." I muttered, stepping out of my bed. "...And everything's just happening so fast."

"I prefer the sunset..." I said, looking at the morning dawn and the snow, "...but I guess they're pretty alike." I smiled.

---

I nodded. "Yeah," I said. "What with all the new people... and the death..." The word was like acid in my mouth. I looked down, focusing on pulling myself through the ankle-high snow. There was a moment of silence, the only sounds being the small crunch of the snow under our feet. "About the death," I finally said. "Are you, y'know, all right? You looked pretty freaked out in the car."

---

I only nodded in agreement with Spidey's words. The word 'death' made me remember Tiel's death, it was still so fresh in my mind. I had seen a few things, but Tiel's death was quite frankly the most horrid.

I felt a little wimpy after Spidey asked. "Uh.. well, I.. um.. I've seen worse." I said, giving an attempt at a convincing smile.

I hadn't seen worse at all. I wasn't used to anything. The face and gnashing teeth of the hyena that jumped right against the car's window was still imprinted in my memories.

---

I snorted. "You're a terrible liar."

I looked up and sighed. "I understand. I've..." I trailed off, lost in thought. "I've never seen a death before," I murmured. "They always shooed me away."

I stopped for a moment, silently nocking an arrow and releasing it with a muffled twang at the bush to my right. "But everyone was in shock, so I had to..." I shook my head, retrieving my arrow and slinging the dead rabbit over my shoulder. "There's been too much of a toll on everyone, and I'm fresh, so I'm taking charge, but I don't know how much more I can take.”

---

"But a liar none the less.." I said, a little startled by the sudden shot of the arrow. "I've seen deaths.. but.. they were not as brutal as Tiel's." I coughed away the lump that was in my throat.

"Why not give the leadership to someone else?" I asked, worried if I didn't say something stupid. "Let someone else do the work... someone who's older, who can maybe... well, cope with it. No offense, of course."

---

I shrugged. "Kurls was in shock. You saw him. Crumpie can't fight. You..." I raised an eyebrow. "You can't either. I'm the only one left that's experienced."

I continued forward. "I can cope. It's just... difficult sometimes." We continued for several minutes, before I stopped suddenly. There was a distant... growling sound. I couldn't place it directly, but it was all too familiar. I felt my heart rate rise. "Zombies," I whispered, trying not to panic.

---

"Gee, thanks." I laughed at the eyebrow raise. I didn't mind though, I knew it was true. "I guess you're right.. You're the only one among us with skillz!"

"It is difficult. For all of us." I said. I could've said something else, maybe some loving words to reassure Spidey, but this was the truth. "We just have to make the most of it. Live while we can. Survive."

"Zombies."

I knew all too well how Spidey thought about zombies. I wasn't scared to death of zombies, but that didn't mean I wasn't afraid of them. They weren't any less scary than the Hyenas or Lizards.

"Maybe.. maybe we should turn around.." I muttered, although I didn't know if Spidey heard me.

---

I knew Craze said something, but I couldn't hear it. Blood rushed to my ears as the first disfigured creature stumbled out of the woods. I backpedaled, nocking an arrow and aiming it. I felt the panic rising in my throat as at least five more followed the first, snarling and drooling. I struggled to keep my breathing level. "We need to get out of here," I said, turning. But there were more. They'd encircled us.

I quickly switched my bow to one hand and unsheathed my sword, tossing it to Craze. "Here, act like you know what you're doing," I said.

---

"Act like you know what you're doing. Right." I said, gulping with slight fear as I held the sword rather clumsily in my hands. I stepped backwards a little when the first zombie came my way.

"Act like it... Act like it..." I repeated to myself, my feet trembling. "...Act."
Without even thinking about it, I lunged the sword at the zombie's head. I closed my eyes, hearing the piercing noise of the sword cutting into flesh. When I opened them, the sword was stuck in the zombie's head and the zombie was waving his arms around, trying to get free.

"Get off!" I shouted as I pulled loose the sword and swung it again, this time into the zombie's face to finish it off. Another zombie came my way, but I only noticed him afterwards and was startled by it, tripping backwards a little. I lunged forward with the sword again, and as luck would have it, I instantly chopped off the zombie's head.

With slight disbelief, I nervously laughed as the zombie's head rolled into the snow.

---

I raised my eyebrows. "I take it back," I said through my Legolas-style rapid fire. "You can do just fine with a sword!" I guessed it took about five arrows to kill a single zombie - and that's if I got the shot. My hands were shaking so badly I didn't even know if I could pull the string back. But pure adrenaline fueled my performance, and before I realized it, two of the disgusting things were lying on the ground with my arrows sticking out of their faces. I turned on the others - there were about 6 left - and continued my assault. "They just - keep - coming!" I spat between shots. Another fell. One got dangerously close. I used the tip of my bow to ram him in the stomach, then pierced his skull with a loose arrow.

---

"I know! They're like freaking wasps!" I swung the sword again, aiming a little lower by accident. I chopped of a zombie's leg and it was now clumsily strutting across the battlefield, bumping into his fellow zombie mates. "And we're the honey..." I said, shivering with disgust.

To get rid of the disgust, I killed off another zombie. I can't believe I was doing all this. Killing... things. Even though they were not human, it felt strange. But somehow I enjoyed it, too.

It made me feel like a badass.

Okay, enough fooling around, Craze, I told myself. I took a moment to breathe as more zombies surrounded us. I overestimated myself and ran into a group of them, swinging the sword around aimlessly, hoping to hit something.
Somehow I managed to get rid of them, too. Except for the one I hadn't seen. The one behind me. As I turned around, I saw it coming right at me and I fell to the ground. As clumsy as I was, the sword escaped from my hand. The zombie stood right in front of me, taking a moment to look at his prey before eating my pretty little brains.

---

He was definitely making more progress than I. I'd successfully killed 4, and Craze had gotten about 7 including that last bit. Only a few left... maybe we'd actually make it out of this alive!

Then suddenly he was down on the ground. I stopped for a moment, and started to rush over, but four closed in in a small circle around me, reaching with their greenish hands. I yelled, angry, and threw punches wildly. I managed to get away and fire in a blur, leveling all of them. I panted for a moment, then remembered.

I ran, scooping up the sword and slashing precisely at the zombie, knocking him off Craze. I finished it with a single strike and dropped next to Craze. "Are - are you okay?!"

---

No. Sadly, I was not okay.

A massive scar reached from under my left eye to my lips, and I could've sworn the zombie had bitten me in either my arm or my shoulder. My shirt was ripped, blood seeping over my face. Not to mention I was covered in dirt.

But I was already friggin' relieved I wasn't dead.

Without saying a word, I jumped into Spidey's arms, not even wondering if this was the right moment or the right time. It was a short hug, but good enough to say a massive thank you. "I think we need to go, before more show up." I said confidently. "My wounds can wait."
I wish that was true. They hurt like hell, but right now it was more important that we escaped from this place.

---

I leaned back, slightly startled, but gave Craze a tight squeeze before scrambling to my feet. "Let's get out of here," I said as I glanced over his wounds. Dang blood would leave a lovely trail... but who cares, he wasn't dead!

I collected the few unharmed arrows with disgust and we began to walk back to the base. I made sure I went slow - I didn't want him to, like, pass out or whatever (I don't know anything about medicine!) but we made it back around 6. I'm sure we were a lovely sight, covered in blood and guts.

[CrumpetCannon]

I was awake unnaturally early, either from some sort of temporary sleep disorder or from sheer chance, I was going to settle on a combination of the two.

Dressing lazily, I got ready and made my way towards the front door, thinking perhaps of going on a quick lookout for some berries or an apple tree or... Something.
What I was greeted with was a slightly less unappetising sight, specifically Craze and Spidey, covered in what was clearly not squirrel meat, Craze sported an ugly gash on his face, and as I looked at it I realised for the first time that I had no idea what kind of medical expertise the group had. It was not a nice thought.

This new, immediate danger broke me from my self-imposed exile quite effectively, and in no time I was beside the two, ushering them into the base while watching the surrounding area, aware and alert for any threat, new or old. Memories of the Losal still fresh in my mind.

We got inside and I set about bringing some water to boil, ready to sterilise a bandage and cover Craze's wound as best I could. I turned to the pair with a raised eyebrow, and talked for the first time in ages.

"You look like shit"

[DukeWolfRein]

"You ain't nothin' but a hound dog." One rabbit, two rabbit. "Cryin' all the time." Black rabbit, brown rabbit. "Well you ain't ever caught a rabbit." I had caught 7 so far, all stuffed in a bag. "And you ain't no friend of mine!" Throwing my sword I caught the deer as it ran. Dead on in the lungs. I dragged it back and passed the barrier as Spider and Craze left. How silly, going off in pairs. You get no good game in pairs.

"Time to skin and get these beasties ready for breakfast and lunch!"

The rabbits hung on a makeshift hanging line that consisted of two sticks and some tree vines. The deer, however, was proving a bit more difficult. No matter, it'd be good cooking. I turned and smiled as I heard Craze and Spider come back "Oh, hey there....you..." My hands took out my swords and I ran past them looking around. I turned to Spider "What happened?"

[Wobbles]

I helped Craze sit, then sat myself, using a towel to wipe my bloodstained face. Wait, what? It already had blood on it. I stared at it, then shrugged. I turned to Jose and Crumpie, my eyes wide with fear. "Zombies," I managed, trying not to freak out just saying that. My adrenaline rush was over - the fear was catching up to me now.

I looked down and inspected my arm. I hadn't noticed before, but I had a cut from my elbow to the underside of my wrist. I shook my head, ignoring this. "I'm fine, but couldn't get there in time for a zombie to give him some trophy scars."

[Soulio]

I walked out of the room, my face a perfect example of calmed rage.
I saw Craze and Spider in the main room, both of them bloodied, but mostly Craze. I shrugged slightly, and while there was a part of me that was worried about Spider, I was too angry to even act upon it.
My hands were red with blood, and some of it was still fresh. I had only had an hour of sleep last night. I wanted Spider and Jose to see my hands, so I made it a point to make my hands as visible as possible without looking stupid.
I reached into one of the boxes that we had brought in yesterday, and pulled out a granola bar for breakfast. I kicked it over to everyone, and walked off back to the room.
I got on some fresh clothes, and went to the bathroom to clean my hands. While it burned, I knew I would have to endure the pain so I wouldn't get an infection. The skin was ripped, and very red. They would be hurting for a few days. I wrapped them lightly with gauze, and went to the main room with the first aid kit from my bag.
"Here." I said as I dropped it at their feet. I again left the room.

[Alltoni]

I woke to the sounds of panicked people. I quickly sat up and looked around. My first thoughts were if my sisters were okay, but then everything came back to me. I wasn't with that group anymore, but I was still worried that someone was hurt. So I stood up and made my way out into the main area of the house, seeing everyone crowded around two people. It was the girl from before, and one of the guys. Man, I needed to learn these people's names. Both of them were pretty bloody, so I walked around the group until I could see the full extent of their wounds. I winced with pain as I saw the guy's gash and cuts, then I looked to the girl. What happened to them? I wondered.

"Zombies."

A wave of panic washed over me. I wondered if they were alright, how many of them were there, and if either had been bitten.

[Amythelovelyelf]

When I saw Soul coming back I ducked out of the door way as fast as I could. I knew those eyes. Alot of women thought men were cute angry, I just saw rage,blind rage and that scared me, no matter the age. Now being an adult I knew not to get involved with personal problems of people so I rummaged and left Antibacterial ointment and bandages out and stepped out to sit on the roof. Spear in hand and cloak on I just watched the line till morning.
Then. .. hours i couldn't count later there was Spidey, and someone I hadn't met yet walking out, maybe to hunt, then that pretty boy, Jose, hunter too I supposed. Next thing i knew everyone was rushing back, blood everywhere, I had the experience but before I could speak up their own system popped up and I stood back. I'm new, might as well be invisible...

Soul looked like the rage still burned thou, I understood all too well how he felt. I am not his mother! I should butt out! how silly it all seems looking back but everything hurts so much more tight now...this is no way to live on the brink of death. I put a small tube of ointment and clean bandages, in plastic, by his door. Lets hope he thinks it wasn't me. and I went back quietly to the living room, the hospital in full swing. I leaned against a wall and just shouted generally." I am a licensed nurse. Some one should be watching for things that should be dead!" I didn't want to interrupt but i got on my knees by Spidey and..the other guy and started cleaning of the blood to get a good look if they needed sutures." Zombies used to be cool. hold still guys! Spidey you are gonna be real pretty when this heals" I always joke when people ar einjured. bad habit i guess

[DukeWolfRein]

I walked out of the barrier, feeling the noise rush at me from every direction. No moans or groans, no shuffling. Whatever it was had chased Craze and Spider was long gone. My swords stayed at my hands as I walked in and saw Soul walk back to the spot he had been at all night long. Their eyes met ever so slightly and I didn't know how to feel at the pure rage directed my way. I was about to say something, but then I saw Craze's state and Amy walk out to start helping him. I walked up behind Toni and placed my hand on her shoulder "Dear, do me a huge favor and go stand by the main opening. Anything rears its ugly head and you scream, you got me? No playing hero, just scream." I kneeled down next to Amy and looked at Craze. The guy was scratched to hell, and maybe even...no, I didn't know if he was bitten or not. I looked over at Spider and with a look knew she was alright.

"Spider, I think you should check on Soul, he was bleeding pretty bad. Amy and I will look over Craze."

All their names were in there, just from listening to conversation here and there. I was nosy though, that was my problem, or advantage. We needed everyone up and at 'em if, and when, the zombies or beasts came a'knocking, and that included Soul. There was only one person that could calm him down. My eyes shifted to Crumpet for a second and I smiled as if everything was fine. "Listen, I know you're worried, but there's some rabbits outside. He's going to need some food in him to help with the recovery." Then there was Kurls. I had seen the boy now and then, I knew his name only in passing, but that was the best way to get people's attention anyhow. "Kurls, would you be so kind as to help Toni keep watch? I will be right up, I just need to make sure Craze is alright. Thank you very much."

My eyes went back to Craze and then I turned to look at Amy "Do you see any bites?" There it was, the question was out. I felt that it needed to be asked. No one else had bothered. Yet, I was no leader. I was just damage control right now. I liked being damage control. Meant that my wits weren't as fried as I thought.

[Amythelovelyelf]

Ripping off the rest of his shirt, I rubbed I took a clear look at him, left side injuries only. It was only nick on his shoulder but gota be careful with..Zombies, seriously? " Jose hold him, Bite on his shoulder and neck, shallow, just cuts on his face." I jumped up and got my bag." I have never worked with Zombies before but This stuff will kill any infection I've ever heard of so lets hope he got here quick enough." I pour some peroxide on his shoulder and then wipe it off and pull out a small vial of red liquid. smiling spider venom antidote mixed with type O blood, kills everything...everything that isn't human, I think" Craze? Hold tight, you'll feel this, but the adrenaline will hit you fast." I was not going to say how risky this was. I was praying the whole while.
Once i bandaged his shoulder and neck I laid him down, head in my lap. " Close your eyes, relax. My boy if this doesn't make you gorgeous, I don't know what will." I took out sutures, my thinnest thread, I hate doing this to young faces, but this is a battle field, an emergency. A stitch at his lip, and one on his cheek ought to keep his face in one place. I hadn't taken time to notice anything else. I looked up at Jose and around me, stroking Craze's hair.

"Now I've started teh worrying part. Spidey. you sure you got no bites?"

[Mane Of Kurls]

I blearily blinked, slowly waking up. It was the first time in a long time I'd slept in an actual bed and I was enjoying it far too much. I rubbed my eyes and swung my legs over the side of the cot. I heard the murmur of voices coming from upstairs so I quickly dressed, put my hair in a ponytail and trudged upstairs. To my great surprise I found many people already awake and...with wounds?

Dammit, what did I miss this time?

"Uhh, guys? What in the world happened to you?"

[Wobbles]

I glanced over my arms. "No, just a scratch. I think I tripped," I joked. My face grew serious. "Be careful with him. That's my friend you got there." I nodded to Jose and stood, holding my injured arm away so the blood wouldn't drop on my pants, and stepped outside.

I saw Soul and approached him. The first thing I noticed was his hands. I stood behind him, absolutely silent. That was one of my bonuses...I could creep up on anyone. "Gee, what's you do, juggle boiling oil?" I said suddenly, half-joking to lighten the mood. I felt a drop of blood slide from my finger to the ground.

[Soulio]

"Punched a wall for four hours while you and Jose were having a ball." I informed her as I loaded my rifle. I looked at her, my eyes showing nothing but sadness and absolute rage and jealousy.
I stood up, and slipped on my coat. I looked out the door and saw bandages and some ointment that I quickly grabbed and put on my hands.
"I'm going into the small town we passed yesterday. I need you in case there's any game to kill. Unless you have more important plans with Jose." I didn't wait for her to answer.
"C'mon. We're wasting time. Here." I handed her the left over bandages and ointment, and left to wait outside.

[Amythelovelyelf]

I saw Spider and Soul milling back and forth as I blotted Craze's face and put ointment. The Angst filled the air like syrup and I felt older than I was for a second. I shrugged it off and turned back to my patient. "Stay like that", not that he'd move... Up at Jose" Thank you alot Jose, Can I ask you to tell Spidey to clean up her wounds, don't think she'd respond to me shouting her name, so she doesn't bleed out everywhere leaving a trail for who knows what." I chuckled reaching for green jar again.

[DukeWolfRein]

I looked at Craze for a second as Amy closed the wound on his face. Painful to look at, but hey, chicks love scars. I frowned slightly at the thought of bites. I looked at Amy "You let me know as soon as he's better." And then I turned to Craze "And you, try your best to get better." I got up with the ointment and watched as Spider walked by "Yo, kid! Don't bleed everywhere!" I walked up to her and handed her the ointment "Keep your wounds clean, we don't need infections." I looked at Soul and smiled with a hint of a frown "You too. Try not to roll around in the mud too much."

I walked away and looked at Kurls "Zombies old boy. They have made our acquaintance. I don't know if you heard me before, but there's a scared little girl keeping watch and I need you to help her with that. I'll be up as soon as I get some fresh clothes on. Could you please do that?"

[Amythelovelyelf]

I nodded to Jose gratefully, I dabbed some liquid bandage into the spaces between the sutures and pulled a warm oversized(for me, because I stole it off a dead man ) sweater out of my bag, laid it across Craze's chest," You don't know me yet, My name's Amy," I spoke softly and close so I wouldn't strain his healing, or maybe out of habit, "but you can lay in my lap for a while, or when ever you feel like it get up." I stroked his hair and finger combed it away from the cut and bandaged areas ." Just try not to talk if you can help it. Or frown alot.You're lucky they missed vital areas." I was probably overwhelming him, I wasn't even sure he was still listening to me with all this mania, but I was more concerned with the bites. Zombies... Motherf-ing. I almost Can't believe it but Damn... Since the invasion started I gt paranoid and started preparing for my worst nightmares. I was still praying my experimental medicine didn't make him worse. Tears almost welled in my eyes. What have I gotten myself into? This young guy...what if he doesn't take well to anything I've done. MOTHER F-ING ZOMBIES, I felt like a resident all over again.

[Mane Of Kurls]

"Yeah, sure thing."

I went back downstairs to grab my rifle and tonfas. I then walked up stairs and found Toni on watch. She look almost like a frightened rabbit, and with everything that was happening I couldn't blame her. I walked over and introduced myself.

"Hey, you're Toni, right? Jose wanted me to come up here and help you with watch. My name's Kurls, in case you didn't catch it earlier."

[Alltoni]

I turned around when I felt a hand on my shoulder and saw Jose. I awkwardly nodded at his request. "Uh, yeah, I guess." I said then turned around to find the door. Once outside I sat down in the silence, noticing the blue barrier and wondered when it had showed up. I didn't want to be out here by myself in the cold, especially with all the monsters that were roaming around. I was terrfied.

I jumped when I heard the door open and whipped my head around to see who it was. "H-hi." I stammered, my heard trying to thump out of my chest. "Yeah, I'm Toni. It's nice to meat you Kurls." I held my hand out to shake his.

[Craze]

I felt like talking, but the scar made my jaw ache so I decided to shut up. People, coming from everywhere, started to worry about me or to take care of me. I felt loved, sure, but the pain was terrible. I didn't feel like admitting it, but I felt less 'safe' when Spidey left.

Soul passed the room once, but all he did was shrug. Heartless bastard. I could see in his eyes he was worried about Spidey. Sure, there was reason enough to be worried about her, seeing as how she's terrified to death about zombies. And she didn't exactly look good either.
But what about me? The least he could do was ask if I was okay. Well, I didn't care anymore. If he was so persistent on ignoring me, I'll do the same.

"Thanks, man." I told Jose before he left. "Appreciate it..."

"Hey, Amy." I said with a smile. I'd seen her before, but we didn't exactly get a chance to interact yet. "I.. I'm Craze. But you probably heard the others already."

[Mane Of Kurls]

I smiled and shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you as well. Here, I grabbed a jacket. I don't think it's your size but it'll keep your warm."

I handed the jacket to her noticing how cold she looked. It was my jacket, but I figured the cold would keep me alert. I looked around the area outside of the barrier. The zombies or whatever had attacked Spidey and Craze seemed to have disappeared for now. The snow was starting to come down heavily blocking some of my vision, but I could still make out the blue of the barrier so we were still safe for now.

[Wobbles]

Zadra resisted a unsavory remark as he turned his head back to Eder, his cheek stinging.

"Fool!" Eder hissed. "You think we are doing this for you? No! Look at the mess you've made! You've ruined the young one's face and terrified his companion. They've bonded now! And the love that was blooming - it's being smashed by your idiocy."

"But-"

"Silence, cina. If you continue to drive the events on revenge, I will take care of this myself."

"Look at how they loved the tension!"

"It does not matter! If you do it again, I'll throw YOU to the hyenas."

Zadra gave a low growl and turned back to his keyboard. He knew what he was doing...

[Amythelovelyelf]

I smiled down at Craze "Hello Craze, It's a pleasure making your almost formal acquaintance." I lightly rubbed his unharmed cheek and leaned forwards talking softly "If it hurts to talk, it's best not to for a bit anyways. We'll be eating soon anyways, I think, of course you'll have to chew on your right side but Jose caught some rabbits so that should be good." Then I frowned, two people I helped take care of in less than 24 hours, much worse than anything I handled day to day, though I had some funny cases in my residency...I laughed inwardly at my memories. Looking around the room,, I saw everyone wind down from the sudden kick of adrenaline and thanked the lord my mentor convinced me to take an ER job. You get the weirdest patients and everyone there is the best they can be.
I looked back at Craze. "Zombies, must have been disturbing, the only thing worse would be giant spider clowns..." and i continued to absent mindedly run my hands through is hair.

[Soulio]

Spider
I frowned, confused. What -- ? I started to say something, but he walked out. A hurt expression clouded my features, but I pushed it away and quickly wrapped my arm and grabbed my bow. "Don't you let him die," I said to Amy. "We'll be back in an hour or two," I said. "If anything goes wrong, Kurls, you're in charge." With that, I dashed out.

I skidded to a halt, before giggling. "You don't even know where your car is."

Best to keep up a good attitude, I told myself. Leader aura, remember? It wears off on other people...

Soul
"Then where is it?" I asked her.
Why in gods name did you decide to bring her along? I asked myself.
I looked at her wrist, and saw the faint outline of trickling blood.
"Can you shoot? A gun, I mean."

Spider
I trudged away, with a sigh. "Follow me," I said. "And no. Never have, and can't. I much prefer my bow. " I tried to nock an arrow and draw it back, but sudden pain shot through my wrist and I gave a small cry, yanking it away. Fresh blood seeped through the bandage.

Soul
I got worried, surprisingly enough, and grabbed her wrist.
"What. Happened?" I asked with a growl.

Spider
I winced again as his grabbed my wrist, and tried to pull away. I couldn't though, so I snapped back. "I got in a kriffing fight and got HURT. Happy now?"

Soul
"No. Haven't been since last night." I let go of her wrist, and continued walking.
"I was CONCERENED, if you didn't notice." I balled my hand into a fist, making pain shoot up my arm. But I didn't care.

Spider
I scowled and marched forward again. "Didn't seem too concerned to me." We walked on in silence for a few minutes before arriving at the shop. I said nothing but slammed the newly repaired hood closed. You wouldn't have known it was the same hood as yesterday - it looked brand new. I crossed my arms. "You wanna drive, or do you want me too? I don't want you hurting your hands any more."

Soul
"I'm fine. Just extremely upset." I got into the driver seat, and was surprised to see the hood look brand new.
"How'd you do that?" I asked her as I started the car.

Spider
"Fiberglass. Epoxy. Bodywork. Took hours. That's -" I stopped and looked out the window. "-that's what I was doing yesterday, while I was gone. I felt bad your car got so screwed up."

Soul
I backed up, and felt guilty. I was treating her like shit, and she had worked on his car for hours.
"Thank you. I appreciate it." I wasn't ready to apologize for earlier, however.
"So, what was going on last night?" I asked, doing my best not to clench the wheel.

Spider
I watched the trees go by, occasionally spotting some creatures. "Last night..." I murmured. My eyes hardened, because it was hard to remember anything but the sudden grief.

"I - I couldn't handle anymore," I said after a long silence. "I mean, my first death, and they all expected me to be their leader, and I'm the freaking youngest of everyone!" I realized I was yelling, and lowered my voice.

"I went out of the barrier, let off a little steam, probably would have gone and jumped in the river if Jose hadn't pulled me back in." I knew it was a sensitive topic, but I pressed on. "He gave me what I needed to carry on, but I - I don't even -" I stopped, and realized my nails were digging into my palms so hard they were bleeding. I slowly I clenched my fists and rubbed my palms on the my jeans. I opened my mouth to speak, but couldn't. I was afraid I'd break down.

Soul
I was clenching the wheel. Fury was building in me, but it was being overpowered by concern and worry.
I stopped the car, and turned to her.
"Hey. I can understand where you're coming from. My first death wasn't good for me either. The only difference between you and me is that I was alone when I saw it. It still haunts me. But you have to learn to let it go. It wasn't right for people to put all of the problems on your shoulders. Your too young to carry that much. We all are." I smiled for the first time in what felt like an eternity, and gave her shoulder a light squeeze.
"There is a reason I'm upset. Why I punched a wall for the entire night."

Spider
I smiled back, a weary smile, but a smile nonetheless. "Yeah?" I said. "Why's that?" I was pretty sure I knew the answer, but he'd listen to me so I was going to listen to him, too.

Soul
"Last night was excruciatingly similar to something that happened to me before the world ended. There was a girl that I liked very much, and I saw her at a dance we were at. It was very similar to last night. Seeing you and Jose, that... fuc--- that close," I fought back the urge to clench my hand, "brought back some bad memories. And to make matters worse, you happen to look a bit like her, too."

Spider
I frowned and looked down. "I know how that feels," I mumbled. Then I looked up again. "But if you noticed, I got away as soon as I could." I hope he had. Jose was strong, and I wasn't, and frankly, I'd never been that close to someone before. How was I to know not to look someone in the eyes when they're close like that? I had no clue it would paralyze me.

Soul
"I saw the entire thing. That's why I left after getting my answer. And why my hands are bloody. I tore skin on my hands. And to be honest, it hurts like hell." I laughed as I said it, and looked at Spidey.
"I'm sorry. I should've been there, but I was too jealous to think straight."

Spider
"It's alright. I should have been there for you, too."

I grinned. "Yeah, I'm sitting over here complaining about this scratch while Craze is..." I trailed off, not wanting to finish it morbidly, so I gave a confused stare and arched my tone up as if questioning. "...getting beautified?" I laughed.

Soul
"I'm still trying to figure out Nurse Beautification. She's kinda out of it. We should be there in about ten, fifteen minutes, by the way."

Spider
"Same here. She has my real name, so it's a little weird, but...I just hope she can save Craze. Another failure on my part, I panicked over the - the - zombies" I shivered "and he got hurt because of it."


Soul
"Calm down. It's not your fault. Things are going to happen, and not always for the better."
I was very wrong on the time, since we actually got into the town shortly after me saying that.
"Whelp... We're here." I got out and helped her out as well, and handed her my pistol.
"It'll still hurt your hand, but nowhere near as much. All you need to do is point at your target, and squeeze the trigger. Don't pull it, it makes the gun move. We can't have our fearless leader without a weapon."
"So here's the plan. Just raid the houses. But stay close. I go in first, you next. If something goes for me, just squeeze the trigger."

Spider
I nodded quietly, holding the gun as I had seen in the movies. The house was eerily quiet, and my feet creaked on the floor. I cringed, but continued to follow Soul. I refused to even THINK the victims of the apocalypse in this town had turned into zombies.

Soul
We walked silenty through the house, the only sound the creak of the floorboards. We went into the kitchen, and after a quick search had found four cans of beans.
I put them in my backpack, and kept moving.

----
We had gone through three of the houses when I heard the familiar growl of a Hyena outside.
I was prepared to shoot it, but before I did I looked out the window and noticed well over two doezn Lizards and Hyena's.
"We need to get upstairs. Now."

Spider
Crap, I thought. "Follow me," I hissed, taking the stairs two at a time and leading us into a room with a window that looked down on the congregated creatures. "Do we just go the way we came, or..?" I noticed there was a large, branchy tree right outside the window, but I had no time to process the thought. A snarl came from behind, and I whirled to see a disfigured Hyena limping towards us. I recognized it as the Hyena that had ripped up the hood of the SUV yesterday morning. It sniffed at us, then licked its chops hungrily. Slowly, matching the Hyena's forward pace, I stepped towards the wall. When my fingers touched the glass of the window, I unlocked it and slid it up, ever so slowly. "When it springs," I murmured. "Jump into that tree. I'll keep it at bay. Trust me," I added.

Soul
I nodded, and crouched on the ledge of the window.
I watched Spider and the Hyena stare at each other, and I readied my rifle just in case.

Spider
It jumped. I fired twice, and it yelped, but continued to advance. I made sure Soul was in the tree, then got on the ledge as well, fired again, and leapt for the tree.

Or, I tried to.

I felt pain rip through - through something, I couldn't tell what, and I cried out, turning and emptying the rest of the gun's magazine into the hyena's head. With a painful spring, I made it to the tree. I cursed loudly as the creatures below circled the tree.

Suddenly dizzy, I looked down and saw my shirt ripped, and my side gushing blood. I winced, gently touching a hand to the gash.

Soul
I grabbed her before she lost her grip on the tree, and pulled her tight next to me.
"Hey, you ok?" I saw her shirt was ripped, and her side was bleeding.
"Hold onto me. I need to wrap your side."
I pulled off my backpack, and carefully took out some gauze. If this backpack dropped, we were screwed.
I wrapped her side, and made sure she was still close to me. I wouldn't let her die.

Spider
I didn't protest as Soul pulled me closer. Gosh dang, it hurt. I wasn't sure the extent of the damage... I was just praying thanks to God that the Hyena didn't rip me apart. I could almost feel the blood draining from my face, and I leaned against the tree, grimacing. The animals below were whipped into a frenzy as a few drops of blood hit the ground around them.

Soul
I looked down at all the Hyenas around the tree, and was so glad they couldn't climb.
I looked at Spider, and saw she was as worried as I was.
"We're trapped. And with no way to contact the others. And I don't know what to do."

[DukeWolfRein]

"12:43" My Galaxy S3 flashed at me. "12:44" I had heard the car in the distance as I finished my second round outside the barrier. "12:45" Something wasn't quite right. They were headed into town, or so I had overheard. But where? I walked a few minutes deeper into the forest and looked around. Tracks. Tire tracks somewhere. "12:56" No other sound in the forest. No moans, groans, growls, hissing or shuffling. Something was definitely wrong. The tracks finally appeared. "12:59" I followed them closely and saw more tracks trailing behind them, fresher. Beasts. No shoe tracks. No zombies. Yet. Crap. I started running along the tire tracks and saw the beast tracks turn into a run as well. "13:05"

"13:30"

I finally ran into town and pinched my lower lip and whistled loudly. The echo pierced my ears.

----- "11:30"----

I ran up the stairs and looked at Kurls and Toni "Hey guys, I going outside the barrier and watching a perimeter. Two or three rounds should be enough and by then Spider and Soul should be back and we can eat!" I smiled and then ran out of the barrier before they could say anything.

The forest felt quiet and peaceful. I came upon the remains of the Zombies and examined them "Nice swordsmanship." I kept walking and noticed the first set of tire tracks and discovered the shop "Ah, we have our own garage." I walked back and saw a Hyena. It came at me. My blade met it before its jaws met me. Down. "Just you?" The forest was quiet. I took out my phone and looked at the time.

------"12:42"-----

[Alltoni]

I looked at the jacket Kurls held out for me and shyly took it. "Thanks." I said, sliding myself into it. It was rather large and baggy, but it kept me warm, which made me happier. We sat in silence for a moment before I glanced at him and opened my mouth to speak. "So," I started, not even sure what I was going to say. "How long have you been with this group?" I mentally slapped myself for not thinking of any better conversation topics.

Suddenly out of nowhere Jose appeared and told us that he was leaving. I didn't think it would be a good idea since it was just him, but he left before I could say anything about it. Good luck. I thought, hoping he wouldn't come back like the other two people from before.

[Mane Of Kurls]

After Jose left I spoke to Toni but kept a careful eye on the barrier and mentally kept track of time as best I could while he was gone.

"I flew over here to meet up with some friends and go to some conventions. Flew in as in from across the country. I'm a bit far away from home, but ever since this mess happened I found a new home. This group. I've been with Spidey, Crumpet and Craze and them for a long time and it didn't matter where we were, we stuck together and toughed through everything that's happened. Home is where you find comfort and can rest easy, and this group is all I have left for that."

I sighed a bit and check over my rifle and tonfas to make sure they were in good fighting condition and that the gun was ready to fire.

"So what about you, how did you find us? And strangely enough on the same day as everyone else. You don't even have a weapon do you?"

[Alltoni]

I nodded, listening to Kurls tell his story and wondering just how far far away from home was. When he asked me about how I came to find the group I looked down. "My church youth group was going on a mission trip out here. We hadn't even began our work when all this mess started." I explained, fidgeting with the jacket. "We stuck together, tried to survive, but even so some of us were killed. Two days ago we were attacked by a huge group of...of...monsters-I don't even know what they were-and I got seperated from my group. I had to walk for a long time to find you guys." I sat quietly for a moment to let it sink in, then continued to answer his question. "No, I don't have a weapon. Only a few people in our group had them, and the rest of us did what we could." A part of me wondered if I could even learn to use a weapon. A pistol maybe, but I didn't think I would be good at anything else.

[Wobbles]

I turned my back to the tree. Even that small movement sent shock waves of pain through my side. I grimaced, breathing heavily. Jammit, there was no way I was dying up in a tree, but that's what it was looking like. I could feel exhaustion threatening, especially with my wound, and I struggles to keep my eyes from closing.

Then I heard the whistle. I shot to attention. "C-can you whistle?" I asked Soul painfully. One of my legs hung limp off the branch I was on.

[Soulio]

I heard the whistle, and thought nothing of it until Spider asked me if I could whistle.
"Yeah. Why?" I asked ignorantly. Then I realized what she wanted me to do.
Before I did that, I pulled her over to me so she was lying on my lap. She needed to lie down, or else she'd pass out.
"Just lay down, and breath." I told her.
I took a deep breath, and whistled loudly. It echoed in my ear for a few seconds, and I hoped it would be heard.

"Since we're going to be up here for a while, what can we do to pass the time? Tell stories of old? Sing songs? Dance until there's no tomorrow?" I laughed at the last one, hoping to cheer her up.

[DukeWolfRein]

The whistle registered and I looked west. Right then, now for a distraction. I ran towards a house and opened the door. I took my swords out and started slashing into the furniture, leaving chunks of wood and stuffing everywhere. I took the mess and ran outside with it. Crap, fuel. I ran back into the house and raided the kitchen. Matches? No. Oven mittens? What, no. Questionable knife? ...Maybe. Ah, zippo fuel!. I ran back out and met with three Hyenas and the howl of the others coming from the west. I threw the contents of the fuel on the pile of broken furniture and took out a zippo and threw it in. The flame went up immediately and the Hyenas ran at me. I ran, I ran west and fast.

I turned a corner and saw the tree and the beasts around it. Oh look, there's....Damn kids and their climbing trees. I ran by the tree once. Twice. Thrice. Finally had most of the beast crowd following me. "TRY TO COME DOWN!!!" I ran back towards the fire. Hoping that my plan would somehow work. It's not every day that a miracle happens.

[Wobbles]

I couldn't help but give a small laugh at Soul's blunder, but it was half-hearted. I allowed myself to close my eyes. I almost answered, but I heard a faint yell from the bottom of the tree. I blinked and slowly sat up, favoring my side. "What's h-happening?" I muttered. I couldn't really look down in my position. I was afraid I'd get dizzy and fall. That'd be fun!

[Soulio]

I put my arm over her body to keep her from moving too much, fearing she would fall.
"Jose, who looks slightly exhausted, is currently running around, trying somewhat successfully to round up the Hyena's. At the time, he has about three of them on his tail, and the other nine are still at the base of the tree. No, wait, make that seven. Two have just left the building, just like Elvis."
I went to grab my rifle, but remembered it fell just as I jumped into the tree.
"GO GET THE OTHERS! THERE'S TOO MANY TO HANDLE ON YOUR OWN! I'LL THROW YOU THE KEYS TO THE CAR!" I yelled to Jose. I tossed the keys where I saw Jose continuously lap, and hoped he would be able to pick them up.
"hey, I just met you, and this is crazy, but here's my number, so call me maybe..." I started to quietly sing.
"C'mon, you know you wanna join in." I chuckled to Spider.

[Wobbles]

I gave a light smile and closed my eyes again, trying to push the pain in my side to the back of my brain. I joined in softly. "It's hard to look right, at you baby, but here's my number, so call me maybe..."

[DukeWolfRein]

I kept running and saw Soul drop something. Ah, keys! KEYS! THE SUV!! Oh wait, two more Hyenas. Crap. I grabbed the keys and my ears picked it up. That sound. I ran towards the fire and remembered where the SUV was. As I ran down the street I yelled as hard as I could. "BEFORE YOU CAME INTO MY LIFE I MISSED YOU SO BAD!!"

I rounded the corner and saw the SUV. I made a beeline for it and reached it just in time for a Hyena to jump at me and barely miss me. My swords came out. Seven of these pretty little things. Oh boy.

"Alright then...Who wants my number?"

The first one pounced on me and got a faceful of blade, jumping back yelping and knocking one of its brothers down as it tried to get its bearings. The next one lost a paw, but not before tearing into my leather padding. Two more came and were parried and stuck in the stomach, their guts spilling. Those were two down and five to go. The next bit down on my sword and took it from me. I almost fell forward but used my fall to cut into its skull. Three. The previous one and the one without a paw came at me, dropping me to the ground. I pushed my blade through the crippled one's head and shielded myself against the other one's attack with its brother's body. I needed my other sword. The Hyena bit and clawed through the dead one's corpse and I saw my chance as it got stuck by the ribs. I got up and ran to get my other sword, only to be met with the other two. This was not panning out very well. They pounced and by some miracle I dodged them and struck one in the stomach. I watched as the hurt Hyena got off its kin's corpse and walked forward, meeting the one I hadn't struck. I needed my other sword. I ran and slid between them, grabbing it off the corpse and being met by a pouncing Hyena. Crap. One slash across my chest. Crap. The finishing bite. No sir. I drove my blade deep into its skull and got up just as the hurt Hyena looked at me and growled. I was bleeding from the wound. It hurt. It came at me and I screamed "YOU DARE TO HURT ME!?" The Hyena stopped and backed away. I slashed its eyes out. It yelped and tried to run "YOU DARE TO COME AT ME!!??" I took off its front paws and it was left to drag itself forward. "YOU FUCKING BEAST!?" I drove my blades into its back and slashed away without thought. My wound hurt. This was the first time I've been hurt. This whole entire ordeal and now they hurt me. I stopped and looked at the carved corpse in front of me. It could have been anything.

I drove the SUV and hit two Hyenas as I parked it under the tree. I got out and looked at the remaining ones. My wound stung. I was hurting. Not like this. I ran back into the SUV and drove into another one as it tried to hit the SUV. I yelled out "I'M GOING TO DRIVE AROUND, GET INTO POSITION TO DROP HER AND I'LL CATCH HER."

[Amythelovelyelf]

I put a pillow under Craze's head and covered him." Rest," I whispered, resisting the urge to kiss his forehead on instinct,"I gotta check something." It had been a while and there was neither hide nor hair of Spidey nor Soul, plus Jose ran out the door to "check the perimeter" and it doesn't take that long to walk the circle, I'd seen it from the roof. Something was a miss, I donned my cloak again and pulled on my padded leather gloves and my spear and padded out the back window, scaled a tree to the roof and stood out searching the horizon till I saw it. A FIRE in the distance. That didn't seem good, I sighed. I jumped back in to get my gun and walked to the entrance. "Umm excuse me You two. Can I leave this place in your care for a bit? gotta step out. Very sorry." I hugged Kurls lightly and said sorry again then scurried onto the roof to look thru my gun's sight. I was not about to leave two injured people , a cook and a young girl alone without a damn good reason... glowly circle or no glowy circle

[Soulio]

"JUST GO GET THE OTHERS DUMBASS! I'M NOT DROPPING HER! THERE'S STILL SEVEN MORE! NOW GO! AND DON'T EVEN THINK OF CLIMBING UP, BECAUSE THEN WE'RE ALL STUCK!" I was annoyed that he would risk our safety, as well as my car's just to be the hero.
I looked at Spider, and saw her skin was getting pale, and she was taking smaller breaths.
"Hey. Hey, look at me. You're fine. Once Jose get's everyone here, Nurse Beautification will help you. Ok? Now, what's another song? Hmm... Ah! From a native of Seattle, Washington, Thrift Shop.
I'm gonna pop some tags, only got twenty dollas in my pocket..."

[Wobbles]

I nodded slowly, and the words came out in a quiet voice. "I-I'm huntin'...lookin' for a come-up... this is... awesome..." I skipped the bad word, because it just wasn't my style.

Dang it, no. I couldn't go now. I forced myself to come to consciousness, fueled by the rage of Tiel's death, stupid hyenas were NOT taking me today. I clenched my fist involuntarily, clenching my jaw. "Ever heard.. Counting Stars?" I said. "Lately.. I've been.. I've been losing sleep.." I began to sing.

[Soulio]

I laughed very hard at how she skipped the bad word. It was very innocent and cute.
I saw some color come back into her face, as though she refused to give up.
"Uh, maybe once or twice, but I can do my best." I began the next part after she finished.
"Dreaming about the things that we could be
But baby, I been, I been prayin' hard."

[DukeWolfRein]

[For Effect: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT_nvWreIhg

I drove the car against another one, this time making sure I went over it a couple of times. There was another one that I took out by sticking my blade out the window at the right moment. Five more to go. I hit one more and squashed its head in with the front tire under the tree. I parked the SUV and got out. There was something much more primal about the four of them getting together and looking at me. I could handle four. They growled at me and looked up at Spider and Soul. "Hey! No, you deal with me now." They looked back down and let out their laughs as they charged in.

One dodged and another kicked back as I tried to keep them as far from the SUV as possible. I ran back as they came after me. Another dodge and a small scratch on my arm as one slashed but got blocked by my sword. One movement and two as they came at me and missed by inches. I kicked them back and blocked their blows, leading them farther and farther from the SUV. "BRING HER DOWN!!" I screamed and kicked another back. They were too big to try and come in at once against a small opponent like me. Yet they got smart and started slashing more often, resulting in my torn clothes and a few scratches here and there. I rounded the corner with them after me and smiled as they growled. I ran and they came. Through the streets and lawns I made them chase me. Towards the fire.

I stood in front of the fire and looked at them as they surrounded me. "Good. Now then, what will it be?" They came at me once more, this time I would make sure they died, even if it meant me going too. One of them went forward to bite me and I kicked it back digging my swords into its skull and twirling around just as one tried to attack me from behind. Instead it got two swords in its stomach and a shot through the head. The other two growled and one pounced, getting a rifle butt to the face and getting its face beaten to a nice pulp before I looked up to the last one. I dropped my rifle and smiled "Hello." The Hyena growled and snapped its jaws at me, yet it wouldn't come. We circled each other slowly before it ran at me. I ducked and rolled under it. The fire spread through its fur, drenched in fluid that had been all over the road from earlier. The Hyena yelped and ran around and back over to where the SUV was. I picked up my swords and rifle and ran after it.

The SUV rested under the tree as the Hyena sprinted towards it. There was a shot and it fell forward, spinning towards a lawn and laying there as its body slowly burned away. I walked towards the tree and looked up.

"Now will you please come down?"

[Amythelovelyelf]

I tied my spear off to my back and trained my gun on the fire and slowly scoped till I saw the car. It was the SUV, there were 4...5...7 Hyenas chasing the car! I followed the car to a tree with two figures in it. Damn kids, I choked on several emotions. I noticed the driver ramming the creatures down one by one and decided it was time to prepare teh hospital again. I jumped down from the roof and set up the full medical set in the living room, AGAIN. then sat back and waited by the window. "hey you two," i spoke to the guards at the door," I think we are gonna come up with more casualties today...is it always so busy here?"

[Wobbles]

"I say no more countin' money, we'll be countin' stars," I finished, struggling to sit up. There were no hyenas left, but I couldn't stop to think about how that happened. Jose...I hoped he was alright. Slowly, I gritted my teeth and began to slowly make my way down the tree.

Everything was fine (except the excruciating pain in my side) until about fifteen feet from the ground. The world suddenly tipped upside down and the branch slipped from my grasp. I knew I was falling, but the constant blood loss (that wasn't letting up) had caught up to me and I blacked out.

[Soulio]

I had let go of Spidey when she wanted down, and I was slowly going down the tree along with her until she fell.
"NO!" I yelled before rushing down the tree until about ten feet up.
I jumped, knowing full well my legs would be seriously hurt.
Quickly crawling over to Spidey's limp body, I checked for a pulse, and was happy to feel one.
"JOSE! GET THE FUCKING CAR! NOW!" I screamed as I stood up with her in my arms.
"FULL SPEED, BACK TO BASE, NOW!" My legs were screaming at me to fall to the ground, but I used all the will I could to stand up.
Please don't die, please don't die...

[DukeWolfRein]

I looked at them as I stumbled against the SUV and opened the doors, pushing them into the backseat. I had seen the fall as I got closer to the SUV that I had left under the tree. After the adrenaline settled down my chest and arms were burning, and my legs felt like they had been torn apart. I started the SUV and drove off. I didn't look back, I didn't ask questions. I could barely breathe. The effort of that last sentence was enormous now that I thought back on it. In we went into the woods and through the road back to base. I could hear talking from behind me, but I focused as much as I could to getting back. I turned into the clearing leading to base and then parked outside the barrier. My lungs burnt from all the running and my arms went down after I opened my door. I stumbled out of the car and then took a deep breath as I saw Amy, Kurls and Toni come and help Soul and Spider. I leaned against the hood of the SUV and closed my eyes. Just 5 minutes to rest. Just 5 minutes to sleep. Just...Those...Five...

[Amythelovelyelf]

I saw the SUV speeding up the path and i smacked Kurls on the back lightly. "Get, I'll need man power probably Soul AND Spidey are injured now." Noone listens to me then I tapped the girl on the shoulder." I'm sorry young lady, would you please assist me by first getting out of the door way and second, standing by the supplies, you'll be my nursing assistant." I gave them a soft smile and pulled off my over shirt, pushing up my thermals' sleeves up. just like residency

" Holy Hell in a handbasket!"I laid Spidey down on my cloak and had Soul sit by the wall, NOT facing Spidey and me. Go for the on who's bleeding first I tore open the seam of Spidey's shirt and started by pouring old water to clean the blood, good thing she was asleep. Then started the disinfection and inspection. it was nasty cuts and i had to cut open her pant leg completely and did the same run thru there. While i was cataloging the injuries I checked her pulse, weak but alive, and shouted over still looking only at spidey, "What happened to you soul? I can guess hyena, but why can't you walk?" its easier to ask than guess. Anyways, there was alot of damage on her side and i dint want to iss one bit, she coudn't spare to lose anymore blood. But I had to wait before working on her further, if she bled again I would be responsible and she could use the rest.

In about half an hour I was done treating and sealing her wounds, read, I put a dam on hr blood vessels and waited for platelets to form and tried to jostle her awake, checked her vitals when she didn't immediately open her eyes. Heart, beating. Eyes, Focusing. Lungs, breathing. I sighed and covered Spidey up so she could stay warm. as I was cleaning my hands I looked out the window, Jose was snoozing wkwardly, heh, poor hero, I'll leave him. I whispered to Toni, handed her a blanket I saw in the corner, and Pointed to Jose. Then walked over and squatted before Soul.

[Craze]

I only just woke up, feeling slightly better. However, the pain was still hurting my jaw and I felt broken. Everything ached, from the tips of my toes to the peaks of my hair. I stood up, but I felt the pain in my feet and apparently I had stood up too early. "Nope." I muttered and fell over, managing to break my fall by leaning on a table.

As the spots disappeared from my view, it was only then I noticed the commotion going on in the room. Spidey sat in the very same room, bleeding to death apparently. I rushed over to her, a tad clumsy because my left foot was badly injured, and practically fell on my knees next to her. "A-Are you okay? No, of course you're not okay... what happened?! Zombies again?"

[Mane Of Kurls]

During the events in town

Kurls

"Wow. I'm honestly amazed you made it here by yourself without anything to defend yourself. Do you know how to shoot a gun or anything?"

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Toni

I noticed his surprise and then realized just how lucky I really was. "Well, I didn't have to walk for too long by myself, just about a day or so." I muttered, then looked at him when he asked about guns. "Yeah, I can shoot a gun. I don't like to, but I can." I answered. I preferred pistols to rifles, but I could shoot anything if I had to.

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"Alright then, prove it," I said with a grin.

I picked up my rifle and offered it to her.

"How would you hold and use my rifle? If you can show me you know how to shoot, or even if I end up teaching you about my rifle, I'll let you use it when you're on watch. Wouldn't want you out here defenseless now would we?"

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I stared at the rifle for a moment, wondering if he was serious. When I realized he wasn't joking I shyly took the rifle and looked at it. I checked it to make sure it wasn't loaded then glanced at Kurls. It was awkward that he was watching me. "You want me to shoot it?" I asked, my tone showed the smallest hint of my not wanting to.

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I smiled a bit at that and shook my head.

"No, that'd be a waste of ammo. Just show me how you would hold and aim it. That rifle is a black powder muzzle-loader. It's an old hunting rifle, and with the way it's designed you only get one shot before you have to reload. I'm good at reloading and it takes me a minimum of seven to ten seconds to reload it. That's the bad news. The good news is that it's probably one of the most accurate rifles you'll ever use, with very little recoil."

I motioned for her to try it out.

"Go on, it won't bite. And by the way it is loaded, but the only way to fire it is to pull back the hammer. It isn't pulled back, so even if you pulled the trigger it wouldn't go off."

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Looked the gun over again and nodded at everything Kurls told me. I remembered all the times I had seen my dad with his muzzle-loaders before and remembered how I hated the loud bang and the awful kick it produced. But fortunately for me, I didn't actually have to shoot it...yet.

I shyly gave the gone one last look before I pulled it up to my shoulder and looked down the barrel and lined the sights up. "I'm not very good with being accurate with guns, so even if it is the most accurate gun in the world, I'll probably miss." I said, slightly joking then let the gun down from my shoulder. "That was probably horrible, wasn't it?" I asked.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I shrugged.

"No. You've got the right form, but you're a little off. Here."

I went over to her and lifted her arms into the correct position.

"You're gonna want to stand like this. This gun honestly has a lot less kick than normal rifles so you should be able to handle it pretty easily. Now, look down the scope this time rather than the sights," I said jokingly. "You'll only want to use the iron sights if something is very close. And if it is really close, well you probably shouldn't be using this rifle in the first place."

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I tried memorize how Kurls corrected my position and felt a little stupid when he told me to look through the scope instead of the sights. "Right," I said. "I knew that." I pulled the gun up once again and looked through the scope. I looked at all the trees and the snow-covered ground. "Better?" I asked without pulling away from the gun.

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"Honestly yeah, much better. Now after you have the right position you have to do step two, which is the actual shooting."

I leaned over her and adjusted her arms slightly.

"Now, you have to concentrate. Hear and see nothing but the target. It will be moving so you have to calculate for that."

As I said this I put my arms around her and guided the rifle to simulate the calculation.

"There might also be wind, think of that as well. Don't think about these too hard though. Let you're instincts take over. Breath in. Breath out."

I took heavy inhales and exhales, thinking about how I went about shooting.

"Then once you're ready you take one last breath in. And then you shoot. Don't exhale when you shoot, do it right after the inhale to steady yourself. Think you got it?" I said, pulling away from her. It was weird to be teaching someone to use my rifle.

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I listened to everything Kurls told me, trying to forget how awkward it was to have someone leaning over me to teach me how to shoot the gun. I tried to mentally put myself into a situation where I would need to use all these things, and then worried that I wouldn't be able to let my instincts take over. "There's only one problem." I said, letting the gun down and looking at Kurls. "I have no instincts for gun-shooting. I've always hated shooting guns, especially rifles. I don't know if I would be able to do all these things and still hit what I'm aiming at." I wasn't trying to make excuses; I was just trying to figure out a way that I could teach myself how to do these things without thinking.

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I smiled at her encouragingly and took my rifle back.

"Hey, don't worry so much. When and if the time comes and you have to shoot it'll just happen. It's weird cause it's one of those 'in-the-moment' things. I have no doubt in my mind that if you had to you could hit anything you wanted to. But here..."

I reached into my pocket and held out a combat knife for her to take.

"At least take this when you don't have my rifle, alright? Just so that you have something on you at all times."

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I let Kurls take the gun and nodded at what he told me, showing that I understood. He then pulled a combat knife from his pocket and held it out for me. I looked at him for a quick moment, and then took the knife, pulling it out of the sheath a little. It looked well taken care of and sharp. I gave Kurls a smile. "Thanks, I'll take good care of it." I said.

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I nodded.

“Good. It’s a good knife, I’ve had t for a long time.”

As I resumed my watched I felt Amy walk past me and soon after the SUV showed up with injured Spidey, Soul and Jose. I quickly helped Amy get everyone inside the base, handing my rifle off to Toni so I could use both my hands and she could keep watch.

Dammit, people are getting injured more often now, and these three are most of our defense. I’d hate to think what would happen if anyone else sustained injuries.

[Alltoni]

The one thing I had greatly feared was happening. The group that had left were coming back beaten and worn out, and not only that, Spider had the worst of it. Kurls handed me his rifle but then Amy asked me to help her, so I awkwardly wondered what to do with the gun. Quickly I decided to set it down safely leaned against one of the counters and followed everyone inside. I panicked slightly when Amy asked me to be her nursing assistant, I wasn't very good with blood or injuries(thanks mom.) I followed Amy to Spider and did everything she asked me to, wincing when I saw the wounds and imagined how painful it must have been.

After it was over I washed my hands to wash away what little blood had gotten on me. Amy then handed me a basket on the counter and gestured toward Jose. She whispered something, but I couldn't hear what she said. I looked at the basket and saw that it had some of the food that we had collected and then looked to Jose. He looked...worn out, everyone did, but he looked like he had just used everything that he had on whatever had just happened out there. I walked outside and shyly stepped up to him. "Here," I said, holding out the basket to him. "You look tired, so we thought this might help."

[Soulio]

I had gone at sat near Spider, and looked forward as Amy worked on her. I could see everything and was acknowledging it, but stayed still. I saw Jose collapse, and Toni work on him as well, but I could not move. I would not move.
Amy finished with Spider, and as I sat there, she kneeled in front of me, expecting me to tell her what was wrong with me.
"She fell out of the tree... And I jumped after her. I'll be fine. Worry about her." I said robotically.
A sudden fear hit me, and I gripped her arm tight.
"Don't let her die. DON'T LET HER DIE!" I screamed before letting go and becoming silent.
Don't die... Don't die...

[Amythelovelyelf]

I reached over and put my handon Craze's unharmed shoulder." Glad to see you're up but don't touch her right now, she needs to get out of critical condition. In fact, if you, or anyone else, can find her another pillow or blanket, once you feel comfortable walking" I looked back to Soul, nodding until he grabbed my arm. I was almost taken aback by Soul, But I squeezed his wrist and looked into his eyes breathing steadily."You need to calm down, we have one less defender so we gotta be on alert. I believe in her will to live. She will live if she's given proper rest, She's alive and I'll monitor her." I bit my lip ," I just need someone to help carry her to a cot once she's stable. I'll finish this job only then.And then she needs to not be disturbed at least 24 hours" This was all gonna get intense quickly. I looked over at Spidey and took a deep breath, I only pray for the dead I just believe in the living. I hardened my face and raised my eyebrows. "Now for you, how do you expect to survive and help her with these legs? I can tell this isn't a bite or scratch. " I placed my hands between his knee caps and shins and slowly started to lean my body weight on them.

[DukeWolfRein]

Jose

There was a dream of a bridge. Why was there a bridge? Who care about the bridge. There was a crowd on it, walking over it. Behind them were Hyenas. Behind them there were the Shadows. Walking towards us. Towards me. I was alone. I had my swords and rifle. I dived into the crowd. Zombies. They were going down. I felt quick and invincible. Then the Shadows grabbed me and threw me against the floor repeatedly. And as I laid there, with my dying breath I told them "Are you not entertained?"

"Huh?" I awoke with a bit of a start. My whole body was still in pain and I looked up to see Toni holding out a basket to me. My sight was red. Trails of blood came down from my forehead and there was a scratch near my ear. I touched her hand holding the basket and smiled "Thank...you." The blanket was warm and the food painful to chew. I looked over at her "...Spider?" Talking was still a tremendous effort. I felt weak and hot. I didn't want a fever to happen now, that meant infection. I couldn't risk being infected.

----------------------
Toni

I hadn't realized that Jose was sleeping, so I jumped slightly when he suddenly woke up. I could see the pain on his face and wondered if there was anything I could do. I looked back toward the base when he asked about Spider. "She's resting right now, but she should be fine." I wasn't sure of that, but I had to say something so he wouldn't worry himself to death. I noticed the blood slowly dripping down his face and frowned. "Wait here just a second." I said, then went into the house and grabbed a towel, bowl of water, and band-aids, praying the cuts weren't to big for them.

---------------------------

Jose

I watched as Toni walked away and smiled slightly. She came back with the water and band-aids and I looked at her with a bit of amusement as I raised my shirt and uncovered the huge wound across my chest. I chuckled slightly "Kiss it....and....make it....better?" I looked at her, almost pleading her to laugh. I wasn't used to being this helpless. I hated it, but I had to find a way to get through it, even if it meant making someone blush or slap me. My eyes closed again, against my will. I was slowly fading back out, but I had to come back, lest Toni think I died on her and freak out. I forced them open and went back to smiling as she began to clean my scratches.

----------------------------

Toni

I looked at the scratch across Jose's chest and winced. I couldn't help but laugh when he asked me to kiss it and make it better. I dipped the corner of the towel in water and gently tried to wipe away some of the blood that had dried on it. I don't think a band-aid is going to cover this. I thought, then wondered if they had any more bandages. I'll have to check in a little bit. I concluded, then noticed that Jose had closed his eyes. "Don't fall asleep on me." I said jokingly.

-------------------------

Jose

"Who could....fall asleep...with a nurse...as pretty...as you?" I coughed a bit, no blood in that cough thankfully. I looked at her and winced a bit as she cleaned the bigger wounds. I felt like the last thing I wanted to see was a Hyena, and yet I knew I'd throw myself against them if they popped up. My mind kept wandering back to the scene at the town. If I had known better I would have just taken the SUV and left them on their own. They hadn't done much for me except give me a roof. If anything I felt that this group was somehow still alive only because I had held my breath for them. I had fought anything and everything that stood between us and going forward. I thought it was the love to fight, the want to go on and slash through the things that saw us as food. But it was much more than that. I took Toni's hand and pulled her forward, moving her so that our faces were barely touching.

"Have I...done good?"

-------------------------

Toni

I blushed slightly at Jose's complement. "Thank you." I said, then rinsed the rag out in the bowl of water, going back to try and clean the actual wounds. I tried to make it as painless as possible, but I knew it would hurt anyway, and Jose seemed to be off in another world, almost mindless of the pain.

When I first saw Jose move I thought that it may be because I hit a tender spot, but then he pulled me close to him. It was awkward that our faces were so close, but I tried not to pay attention to it when he asked me a question. What is he talking about? Does he mean with letting me clean the wounds...or something else? I tried to quickly think of an answer for his question, but not knowing what exactly he meant it was hard. "Yeah, you've done very well." I said, hoping that would help calm him down. I stared into his dark eyes for a moment, seeing all the pain and hopelessness that filled them. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him in that moment. He, and everyone else, had gone through so much, especially everyone this morning, and then just a little while ago. So many injuries, so much pain. "Everything will be alright." I whispered.

---------------------

Jose

"Good." I kissed her cheek and then sighed "We need to....disinfect my wounds." Talking came a bit easier now as I straightened up and then looked at the base. Everyone was in there, running around trying to make sure Spider, Soul, and Craze would be okay. They didn't another patient to take care of. I slowly walked away from the SUV and looked at Toni "You know...would you...like to be my girlfriend?" The thought came suddenly, that the reason I had left everything up to luck back at the town had been because there wasn't anything really to go back to. I would have died back there only because I had no one to come back and smile as they saw I was okay. My goal had been to kill and get people out at the cost of my own life, yet it wasn't a noble sacrifice. It was stupid and selfish. Spider had seen death and was still shaken by it. Soul was a great guardian, but his emotions got the best of him. Craze was hurt, and more than lilely infected. Kurls was also hoping nothing would happen to his legs, though he was a pretty sharp guy, you could tell from his eyes. Toni had already lost her previous group to reasons unbeknownst to me and probably didn't need someone else dying. Amy would hold them together, but that was still not a reason to die or risk my life unnecessarily. I smiled slowly and looked at her being taken aback slightly.

"So?...What do you say?"

-------------------------

Toni

I blushed brightly when Jose kissed my cheek, but he let me go and I awkwardly nodded at his statement. "Yeah, I didn't bring anything out here to disinfect." I said, then helped him stand up, grabbing the towel and bowl as we walked back toward the base.

I was caught off guard by his question, and it showed. My face turned a bright shade of pink as I thought about his question. I've only been here for a day. I thought. But then again, I might not be here tomorrow. I thought about the poor girl's death and everyone's wounds. Would the same thing happen to me? I couldn't stand to think about that question.

So?... What do you say?

I looked back up to Jose shyly and gave him a smile. "You know," I started. "The world might come to a complete end tomorrow, so...why not."

-------------------

Jose

I smiled as I placed my arm around her and walked past the barrier. The noise died and my feet ached with every step. Slowly but surely. In all of this mess there was always something that would make sure hope stayed around. I placed my mouth next to Toni's ear and whispered softly "If I were to die tomorrow, I need you to know, that your answer was the highlight of this whole entire mess."

We slowly made our way to the living room and I sat down on the couch, my wound was bleeding from the effort and the other cuts were starting to burn. I looked at Toni and coughed "Well, we got this far."

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Toni

I let Jose put his arm around me and would have done the same if I wouldn't have been carrying a bowl of water and a wet towel. As we continued to walk I was suddenly aware of Jose whispering into my ear. I blushed slightly then smiled at him. "I'm glad I could bring some joy through all the hopelessness." I said softly.

We made it inside the door and I quickly set the bowl and towel on the counter before helping Jose walk into the living room and onto the couch. "I wonder what Amy did with the peroxide." I said, then saw her still sitting with Spider. "Amy, do you think you could give us some help." I said, knowing she could handle Jose's scratches after seeing the way she handled Spider.

-------------------------

Jose

I looked at Spider and a wave of sadness washed over me. She had to make it, she was our little ray of hope. I couldn't help but chuckle as I thought of how authoritive she got, her squeaky voice carrying over our arguments and fights. She had to be okay. I held Toni's hand and squeezed it lightly. "Just get me something to disinfect it and I'll work on it myself. Let Amy take care of....Spider." A coughing fit followed and my wound let out more blood. At this rate I would bleed to death by coughing. Lovely.

[Halfbreed443]

I had been wondering around for weeks, hiding whenever I saw any of those creatures. I was covered in dirt and my clothes were ripped in random places. I hadn't showered since finding out everything and everyone was gone, afraid to gear attention to myself. Today was different, today I saw a SUV being chaced by one of the many creatures I'd seen. I followed the car knowing I'd find more people. I had a hard time keeping up with it seeing that I was on foot.

I lost the car after following it for a few minutes but kept walking in the direction it was headed. I was tired and hungry and dirty. I had been alone since the second day of my families vacation. The rest of the family went site seeing while I stayed in the hotel room with what my mother feared to be a fever. Two hours later I fall asleep and wake the next morning to find the room in the same condition id left it in. Looking outside all I saw was ruins, it's a wonder how I survived.

[Wobbles]

I was underwater. I felt the water pressing down on and around me, like a heavy blanket that couldn't be dispelled. It was peaceful at first, but then the faces filled the water. I opened my mouth to scream, but water flooded in and I choked. It didn't taste like water, though - it was warm and syrupy. I tried to swim to the surface, but one of the faces - Tiel - reached out with a ghostly hand and thrust it into my side. Corresponding pain shot through my body, and I stopped, paralyzed by agony. It just kept getting worse. I saw the surface moving farther and farther away, and more water filled my mouth. The ghost of Tiel began to speak, first in ghostly, whispering tones, but then her voice firmed into a masculine, pained voice.

"-zombies again?!"

Instant fear and shock set my brain on alert. I tried to open my eyes but something - was in - my mouth -

My head lolled to the side and I coughed. Blood splattered on the white sheets, pooling instantly. Oh. So that's what I was choking on. I turned back, to see Craze with a nice set of stitches running up the left side of his face. He was looking at me, startled.

I wanted to say 'well don't you just look gorgeous' but I could hardly breathe. The people above me blurred, and I sucked in a hitching breath. I faintly noticed Soul, but nothing could register but the pain. My side felt like it was on fire, and I moved a cautious hand to my side before yanking it away with a small yelp.

Zombies. I heard something about zombies. I rolled my head up to look at Craze, and managed to say, "Z-zombies? Are there - are there more?" The panic was pretty obvious in my eyes. I was one of the group's main fighters and I felt like I was dying. I couldn't let them down, but there wasn't much I could do. I coughed again, spilling more blood onto the sheets.

My mind immediately began calculating what would happen in the worst possible case and I found myself hyperventilating, filling my mouth with more blood. Lizards, hyenas, aliens, spiders, throw anything at me and I could laugh in its face, but not zombies.

[Soulio]

Amy began applying pressure onto my knee caps, and after a few seconds pain began to shoot up my legs.
"AGH!" I yelled shortly afterwards. I guess my legs weren't as alright as I thought.
I heard Spider begin to cough, and immediately moved toward her, pushing Amy away.
She coughed up some blood, and looked panicked, but was still curious about Zombies.
I had to smile. Of all the things she wasn't afraid of, so far the only thing she was frightened of was Zombies.
"No, there are no zombies. Just us." I told her, elated she was alive.

[Amythelovelyelf]

I was a tad self satisfied to hear Soul scream but then I heard the cough and saw the spot of blood. My heart rate sped up, i could barely hear myself over it's beating. NO one listens, ever, war, no war, no one listens I never had someone in that condition come to so quickly! and the bleeding, it hadn't stopped, it was likely internal. Blaring horns and flashing EMT lights blazed through my head and i regretully decided on drastic measures. "Okay boys, down, stay in your respective corners, better yet turn away. Please." I kneeled before Spider and lifted her head to keep the choking down and threw off the covers. " Stay with me here Spidey. You'll pull through I promise. It's just us, no zombies. Spidey I'm going to have to permanently close your wounds now that you're conscious. I promise at the end I'll give you painkillers, just for you." I covered Spidey's torso with my cloak and only revealed her torn up side."Lover boy, scoot over, keep her head and shoulders elevated and squeeze her hand, she will have to squeeze back. Keep her conscious!" I got up in a, grabbed a bucket, and ran to gather snow and a cloth, Stuffed my pockets with dry branches and took a match out of my back pocket. I slid the snow next to Craze " You're helping. Spidey, no sleeping." On my way in. I saw Jose.

I tried to set the branches on fire with a match in a random bowl . Once it set, I turned to the pair. While Spidey was a priority Icouldn't ignore him."Jose...." I almost whined" You, my sweetie, shouldn't get so beat up. "I held his face looking to his eyes. "Stop coughing, take a nap while your sweetheart cleans you up." Words were just a way to keep people alert, alert people are alive. That's all that mattered.I took a look at his wound quickly and frowned deeply giving Toni a bottle of Hydrogen peroxide. I put a hand on her shoulder and guided it to his chest, To a spot left of center and pushed." I'm sorry, I can see blood isn't your thing but if you can pull through it for Jose," I paused for only a second." You will make a good caregiver yet. Keep your focus on him. You have it in you to grow strong. okay? Keep pressure here till it stops bleeding, use whatever you need." I continued running about, I took ethanol out of my bag. "I need something metal, thin or rod like, but metal!" Never in my life Had i gone through this sort of emergency with out a partner or a professional emergency physician but I heard a teacher once say, Diamonds become more brilliant under pressure, and there is no greater pressure for a medic than war. For the first time in my life, i prayed for myself. I was losing my mind, but I had to keep a cool head. So what to do but put my hand in the slush and splash on my face. What's worse, I was still thinking about Jose,worried it was internal bleeding.

[DukeWolfRein]

I heard Spider come to. Our hope was back. And I looked up to see her two knights get closer. Amy seem to go into double time and was a hurricane around the room giving orders and making sure everyone stayed calm. I looked at Toni, my hand still on hers, squeezing it harder at the sudden rise of activity and action. Then Amy came to me. There she was making sure to scold me in the most caring way possible. I smiled as she held my face. "Thanks Mom, but I got this." She switched back to Toni and pushed her to do what was needed and necessary. I looked up.

"Hey, she's as brave and willing as her man."

The room was quiet. Well damn, I hadn't said anything that bad. There was a pulsing though, why was everyone so quiet that I could hear my own heart beating? And why had it gone so dark? Why was it so hot? A fever? Can anyone turn the lights back on? Where was Toni's hand? I couldn't feel it anymore. Toni? Where....I felt like screaming, but I couldn't. I had passed out again. This time trapped in my own mind.

[Mane Of Kurls]

As I watched everything happen at one point I just couldn't handle it anymore. I grabbed my rifle from where Toni left it and headed outside. It was still fridge, but mostly because Toni still had my jacket. I shivered a bit as I walked around the base. Compared to the injuries I saw the others have my leg didn't feel nearly as bad. Outside of the barrier I could see dark silhouettes moving around. More hyenas chasing the scent of blood more than likely. I walked up to the very edge of the barrier and examined it closely.

I had never actually had the time to figure out what it was. I ran my fingers through it. It felt like a thin layer of pressurized air as my hand passed through it. As I messed around with the barrier I noticed one of the silhouettes coming closer. I gripped my rifle tight and aimed it just incase. Soon a hyena was right at the barrier, just standing there staring at me. No growls or yips or anything, just staring. My heart racing I slowly lowered my rifle. I crouched down on my side of the barrier to where I was eye to eye with it.

"Shit, this is beyond intense. If that barrier lifted for any reason I'd be beyond screwed. If any one saw me right now they'd freak."

For a couple minutes we stayed there doing nothing but staring at each other, nothing but the blue glow of the barrier between us. I couldn't understand it. Why wasn't it trying to claw at me and rip me apart for a snack? After awhile I heard a howl in the distance. The hyena looked back towards the other silhouettes, looked back at me and then turned and padded away until it was nothing but another dark form in the distant snow. I stood up and watched it go, once again baffled by it's behavior.

"Things keep getting weirder and weirder"

[Craze]

"She was asking me." I snarled at Soul. "And grow up, will you. Don't be so dramatic." I turned back to Spidey. "Don't worry, you're safe. For now. But you need to rest. Besides..." I turned to Amy now, "You're in good hands." I gave Amy a friendly pat on the shoulder and smiled.
Ow. Shouldn't have done that. My jaw ached from talking, but smiling only made it worse. I rubbed it in agony. "Gah, dammit." I muttered. I stood up slowly. "I'll go get some pillows and blankets, then."

"You're helping." Amy told me. I was startled, I didn't even know what was going on, I had just woken up. But I just nodded like the good lap dog I was and started helping her out with... well, whatever she was planning to do.

Before I left, I gave another worried look in Spidey's direction. Soul sat next to her, squeezing her hand. I shook my head and grunted, then followed Amy.

[Icedream]

I had finally decided to return to my house after a long day of unsuccessful hunting to find my house torn apart. Tired, and just not in the mood to do anything about it, I looked in the pantry to see if there was any food left. "It looks like it was raided." I had started talking to myself without noticing. "I'm starving here. Can't you just leave me a piece of bread? Please?"

I could hear the sounds of more of those... things coming closer, So I hid in a hole under the floorboards I carved out earlier. It was really cramped in there, But I needed rest . I eventually forced myself to sleep.

I woke up and left the house to find the sun, high in the sky. "It's times like these
that I wish I still had a working clock..."

Now that I'd gotten some sleep, I decided to investigate around the house. "After I take a look around to find out what happened, I need to get out of here. Why are you talking to yourself? Shut up, idiot." After finding nothing but a puddle of blood and some furniture knocked over, I decided on a direction, and started running.

[Amythelovelyelf]

I rolled my eyes at Jose's voice. I will worry about Wolf later.not that i have a choice. I got up to get something metal, highly unsure of where. But when I swiveled around I came face to chest with Craze standing directly behind me."Wha? Oh my Craze, I meant stay by Spidey," I didn't want to overload the boy,but he seemed okay enoughyeesh, thank god they're young. "Use the snow and cloth to keep her awake. Thank you for the pillows." I would give everyone a hug once we made it thru. I chuckled to myself desperately.

"This next part is vital, she will scream," I looked at Soul, "possibly break your hand, keep squeezing," And looking at Craze," keep her fever down, she will have one." I wanted to add pray but decided against it. I leaned over Spidey A loose hair falling on her face," you my dear, need to bite down on something I rolled up clean parts of her former shirt and carefully putt them in her teeth, holding her jaw open, I'm sorry."

I added extra cushion under Spidey's head and raided the kitchen until I found...A BUTTERKNIFE. Perfectly thin and blunt. Not even useful for butter half the time... but improvisation is the spice of life. So I spilled the alcohol in another bowl and rubbed my hands with it and let the knife soak, wrapping a strip of denim, from that which was formally known as Spidey's pants, in the bowl and kneeled before Spidey's body again. I ran my nail over the deeper torso scars 'till I hit a leak. Damn it! its a pulmonary vessel. I passed my hand through the fire quickly to burn off residual bacteria and cringing and put my finger into her warm side so I felt the spot, while my other hand set the knife thru the flames. I waved it a bit until the flame went out and then put the knife back in the fire and watched it until the tip was almost red. I took out the knife, bent the blade into a small curve and the second the reddness subsided, took my finger out and applied the curve of the knife to her side, then heaped snow on the wound. Ofc it was quickly a puddle and i saw inspected the wound to be brown and brusing black, but that' s normal. her skin was smoldering but closed for good measure i threw the knife out the window and continued running my fingers over her to be sure no bigger injuries were missed. Luckily, it was horrible but fixable. I sutured the wide gash on her thigh. the hyena NEARLY missed her artery here and sat back, my mind still racing. My arm was on the verge of cramping from applying bandages and medical tape and i was running dissappointing low. The last time I cauterized anything, Jason and I were college seniors and he got his finger nearly chopped off in the till. He was just as experienced with it as me at the time so he was there to help and support me. I shook my head and focused my tunnel vision, even the humming from the forcefield seemed to disappear. Just a little more and we can rest. just for a minute, rest... I applied more cold water to my face to keep myself alert

[Alltoni]

I jumped when Spider began to cough, then tried not go gag when I saw the blood dripping out of her mouth. I turned away, unable to handle looking at the poor battered girl. I silently prayed that she would be alright. A wave of happiness washed over me when Jose's hand tightened around my own. It would take a little bit of getting used to, but I wasn't going to give up on him. Suddenly I was handed a bottle of peroxide and a rag. I panicked for a moment when I realized that Amy was going to leave me to clean up Jose. I let her move my hand and listened to her words of encouragement, smiling when Jose commented.

Amy left and I continued to dab peroxide on Jose's scratches. After a few moments I looked to his face and noticed his eyes were closed, and his grip had loosened. At first I thought he was asleep. "Hey," I said gently. "You wanna at least lay down?" I waited for a second, but he didn't respond. I grabbed his shoulder and shook him a little. "Jose?" That didn't work either. There's no way anyone can fall asleep that fast! I thought. I moved my hand to his cheek, quickly realizing how warm it was. I began to panic. I pressed my hand to his forehead and discovered his fever, then quickly tossed the rag onto the couch. What do I do?! I didn't want to bother Amy again, because Spider seemed to need a little more attention, but I didn't think anyone else would be able to tell me what I needed to do. Just calm down, you can't do anything if you're freaking out. I told myself, taking a deep breath.

I laid Jose down on his back and rushed to the kitchen to get a bowl of cold water and a rag. I set the bowl in the floor beside me and soaked the rag in it. After ringing it out slightly, I folded it and put it on Jose's forehead. I couldn't think of any other way to bring down his fever. Maybe when he woke up Amy could give him some medicine. I gave him one last look, then went back to cleaning his scratches, cooling down the rag on his forehead ever-so-often.

[Wobbles]

I heard voices, but they became more and more faint until all I could hear was a loud ringing. Amy appeared above me ad stuck something in my mouth. I almost panicked. What were they trying to do, suffocate me? I felt something warn in my hand, and gripped as tight as I could at the moment, which wasn't tight at all.

Something ran along my wound painfully, and I squirmed, trying to get away from it. It hurt, dang it... More pain, and something moving inside me. I bit lightly on the cloth - it hurt, but nothing I couldn't -

Sudden heat flared in my side and I screamed, though it was muffled by the cloth. Whatever was in my hand, I hope it wasn't easily breakable because I clung to it with all my strength. The pain and heat continued, and I arched my back as tears began rolling down my face. I writhed, trying to escape this horrible agony.

Why are they doing this? I thought frantically, mistaking healing for torture. I - I thought I was -

A cross between cold and hot. Steam. I give a soft whimper and coughed the remaining blood in my mouth into the rag, letting go of whatever was in my hand and dropping my arm to the bed. My side throbbed agonizingly but it was better. I shivered, now cold. I felt feverish, and blinked slowly to see Amy, Soul, and Craze standing above me. I sucked in a spasmatic breath before slipping into a deep, tortured sleep.

***

Zadra gave a laugh. It sounded like a knife ripping through cloth. He stared at the screen, smiling giddily, and murmured to himself, "Delicious! Oh, delicious! Just wonderful... It's too good! Fearless leader struggling for her life! HA! HAHAHA!" He broke into an uncontrolled fit of giggling.

Eder breezed in, setting a thin board down on the table. "Zadra," he spoke gruffly. "The shield is too much of a crutch. Oxidize it, but make it look like it's still there. They're so vulnerable right now it's unbelievable. Almost every fighter is injured, and one is on the brink of death. You know what to do."

[Soulio]

My hands were hurt as it is, but as Spider began to squeeze my right hand, I could feel the blood rushing up to my hand. I could feel the bones straining to stay strong, but she had surprising strength.
Good god! What the hell did she do before the world went belly up?!
Shit, I think my hand just broke.
I felt searing pain emanate from my hand, and when I moved a finger, it shot pain all through my right side.
"AH!" I screamed, doing my best to endure the pain. She was crying, and I couldn't blame her.
She eventually passed out, and I could feel my hand beginning to throb, which made it even worse.
I looked at Amy.
"Well, she broke my hand. What the hell does she eat?" I asked. I was sure she would be fine, mainly due to the professional look on Amy's face. Spider would be fine.
I then looked at Craze, an anger in my eyes.
"We need to talk, asshole."

[DukeWolfRein]

I ran and ran down the forest path without any heading. There were Hyenas and Lizards and Zombies. Chasing after me. I was weaponless. It felt as if every time I ran they just got closer and closer. They would devour me and I would instantly wake up in another part of the forest, being chased once more. I would scream out.

"...Toni..." I moaned softly in my sleep.

But she wasn't in the forest. She wasn't anywhere to be found and as I ran looking for the base, there seem to be less and less discernable features in this forest. So I once more got devoured, and once more woke up running. I stopped. I couldn't run anymore, it was a nightmare. They surrounded me. I felt something cool on my forehead. What? Why was my forehead cool all of a sudden? My sword appeared in my hand. I attacked and ran, attacked and ran, attacked...and was eaten once more. I woke up, this time with both swords. I went at them, one by one. I lost and got eaten once more. I had my rifle. The beasts surrounded me, and yet they would not attack, so I did. I tore threw them, for every time they ate me I would carve into their flesh. I screamed out into the sky.

".....Where...is she?" My eyes shot open and I sat up looking around.

Spider was asleep, yet there was a smell. Burnt flesh. So they had closed the wound after all. I smiled and then looked at Toni through half-opened eyes and a sweaty face. "Hey there good lookin'....Where were you?"

[Alltoni]

I looked back toward spider when I heard her scream, and watched Amy for a minute. Then I suddenly realized how painful that must have been and turned back to Jose. I had a strange quirk that usually kept me from doing things like what Amy could do: I would sympathise so much with people in pain that I could almost feel their pain myself. I shivered and went back to trying to clean Jose's wounds.

I froze when he said my name and quickly looked at him. "I'm here," I said and grabbed his hand with my left, continuing to work with my right. I only had a couple more scratches to clean, and I quickly finished them, setting the rag and peroxide aside. I turned back to Jose, watching his face sleepily twist into different emotions; worry, anger, fear, confusion. I wondered what he was dreaming about, but I knew whatever it was, it wasn't good. I took the rag off of his head and dipped it back into the cold water, ringing it out a little so it wasn't dripping. When I turned back to Jose, I discovered that he was awake, only slightly, but awake nonetheless. I blushed and smiled at his comment and placed the rag back on his forehead. "I've been right here." I answered. "Where were you?" I sat up on my knees so he could see me better.

[Amythelovelyelf]

I pulled the bloody rag out of her mouth knowing too well how painful such a backwoods operation was. Worse however, for Spidey, it must be horrifyingly scary to be only half conscious and in extreme pain and discomfort but couldn't help chuckle quietly at Soul."If you can move your fingers, it's sore, not broken, she's probably stronger then that when healthy." I felt the tangible tension between Craze and Soul, I put my hand between their eyes," before you two discuss your differences, one more request and you can tend to your own business, I'll put a shirt on Spidey and one or both of you help carry her to a cot. Who knows what else will come out of the deep today." Once she was out of harms way, and recovering, we would all breath easier. I wiped my forehead, sweat stinging my eye.
After making a turn-around gesture with my pointer finger, without waiting I reached over for my sweater, the one I originally used while treating Craze, it fell while he was asleep and had a few drops of dry blood but I put it on her and it covered her almost up to her knees. I stroked her hair out of her face frowning and stood up, knees cracking from having been on them so much. I'm getting old too quickly, heh. "Ready, Steady, Go?" I could easily carry her to the cot alone but why risk doing everything myself?I'm still uninjured, better to stay that way.I threw the blanket over my shoulder and put the pillow under my arm. "Are either of you good to carry Spidey, gently?"

[Soulio]

"I got her." I said as I picked her up. My hand shot pain up through my side again, but I did my best to deal with it.
My legs were still in pain, so I had to deal with extra weight, as well as work with my hand.
I carried her into the room she slept in last night, and laid her down before putting a blanket over her.
I left the room, and went up to Amy.
"Um... thanks for... everything. We haven't properly met. Names SoulReaper, but you obviously can call me Soul.
And um... Are my legs going to be a problem for me? When I jumped out of that tree, I know I hurt myself, but how bad? And also, anything I should do with the hand Spider wanted to keep for herself?"

[Amythelovelyelf]

With Soul carrying Spidey away I took this opportunity to put out the fire, yawn, ruffle Craze's hair, pour the alcohol back in the bottle and store it. I caught a look at the couple and decided not to interrupt just yet. I reached out and shook Soul's Unharmed hand. "Its been nice working with you, You know I'm Amy." I almost smiled, bent my finger to gesture follow me. I laid the second blanket down and fluffed her pillow before taking out two red pills and placing them on a table near the bed and moving a chair next to the bed." Sit please." I stepped out and came back with a glass or water, placing it next to the pills. One more look at Spidey, a check of her pulse and breathing; I fixed my hair and took a long deep breath. Now recollected, I turned around.

I squatted again looking up, " So Soul, I am sorry about your hand, I can spare you one extra-strength painkiller because you'll need your hand more than usual now but you can move it so that's it, you'll have to wait and the pain will subside on its own. Now about your legs, it must have been a tall-ass tree, I didn't feel like you dislocated anything but you sent a hell of a shock through your bones, but pain means everything is connected." I rolled his pants up and pressed against the muscles to check for bruising Glad to see none. I handed him a white pill from a small tube i kept deep in my side thigh pocket and moved to rotating his right ankle until I felt it make a minor click. I repeated this on my left ankle." You could have shattered your legs or, worse, jammed your spine." I elevated his left leg onto my shoulder and massaged it to increase blood flow and just in case pushed the joints into their sockets. As I repeated this with his right, that one clicked as I pushed the knee in and I continued to massage it while talking. " From what I can tell your joints are intact and you don't have a major fracture but this can take at least 2, at most 4 hours to repair, your body will do it on it's own. That's the good news. The Bad news is I cannot determine 100% whether you have a micro fissure. That would require a splint to keep safe if you do, and when the adrenaline kicks in and you stop feeling the pain. That's bad because if you endanger your legs again you could become permanently wheelchair-bound. I have a feeling you'll risk it. Am I right?" I smirked a small bit at him and lowered his leg.

[Wobbles]

(For Optimal Enjoyment) (http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MC4oMhWpSc8&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DMC4oMhWpSc8)


Mane Of Kurls



I heard the crunch of snow again and I turned expecting another hyena. Instead what stood just beyond the barrier was something else entirely. I wore some odd full body suit and a mask with large frills. It actually looked more childish than anything else. I leaned against my rifle watching it look around at the base and barrier, finally focusing on me. I felt a chill go through my body but it had nothing to do with the cold. The thing then stepped forward..


Through the barrier...no...


My heart rate spiked, fear began to spread throughout my body like a wild fire. I quickly brought up my rifle and aim at the creature as it started towards me. My aim was true and the shot rang out into the air for all to hear as the bullet sped towards the creature. It hit exactly as I aimed, strait between the eyes. But as I lowered my weapon I felt horror grip me. The bullet had merely dented the mask the thing wore and it was still trudging towards me, taking it's time as it to toy with me. I shouted a warning to those inside and unhooked my bladed tonfas. nearly everyone inside was injured and I refused to let it even lay a single finger on MY survivors.


I fell into a comfortable stance, my karate and tonfa training quickly flowing through my mind. As I readied myself a blade on each arm slowly extended from it's wrists, the slide of the metal ringing against my ears. The thing stopped a few feet from me. It was nearly exactly my height, and there was a brief moment of silence as we gaged each other. My technique was counter offensive so I waited for it to make the first move. I was not to be disappointed as within second it brought a blade up swinging at me. I quickly blocked it and switched my stance g in for a blow but it was quickly blocked as well. We stayed like this for another moment, blades and eyes locked to each other. I couldn't see anything beyond the dark holes cut in the mask but I could feel it staring not at me but into me, as if to examine my soul. It was then the real fight began.


We suddenly disengaged and what followed was nearly to fast for the eye to follow. I was put to my limit as the creature relentlessly attacked my with multiple slashed and stabs, my tonfas whirling in my hands as I blocked and countered. I was wondering how long the two of us would be locked like this until I felt a pain lance through my leg as I slipped in the snow. The creature immediately took advantage and slashed at me.


My first wound.


After that things began to worsen. My injuries began to slowly add up, slashes across my chest, arms and face. I began to slow down, unable to keep up with the creature. The lack of a jacket was also taking it's toll, the cold wind stacking against me as it's frosted breath burned against my injuries. I suddenly felt my leg lance with pain beyond any wound I had. The thing had managed to strike my old wound and reopen it making the cut far deeper. I slipped and my leg began to give way to the pain and that was all it needed. I saw it step forward and before I could move I felt something colder than any ice slide through my body. It was the fridged touch of cold steel. I stood there for awhile, the creature's blade was all that kept me from falling to the ground. Time seem to slow as the reality of what happened crashed down upon me. It slowly withdrew the blade from my body and I fell to my knees, the snow around me a deep red from my blood. I felt my body begin to become unnaturally cold as I looked up toward the creature. As it looked down on me I felt as though it stared at me wondering if this was the best the survivors had to offer. I coughed, flecks of blood coating my lips, and the assassin grabbed me by the jaw and dragged me back to the door of the base. It threw me down onto my knees, and it raised one of it blades for the final blow and I felt a sudden heat run through me as I filled to the brim with rage.


NO!


I rolled as the blade came down and as I came out of the roll I quickly slashed at it, severing its Achilles tendons. I felt surprise from it as it toppled to the ground, suddenly unable to control it's legs to stand. I grimaced and crawled my way on top of it, stabbing my blades into it's body to give me leverage. I reached its head and placed my tonfas in an X across it's neck. With rage in my heart against this vile thing that dared try to come after my family, my home, I closed the X with what strength I had left separating it's head from it's body. As it's blood began to mix with mine I collapsed onto the ground, my adrenaline fading and the pain from my wounds became more noticeable.


I felt a shadow come across me. I glanced up and saw Toni. I reached for my rifle, grabbed it and slid it over to th.

I smiled at the face above me, knowing I had finally managed to succeed to protect the one's I'd come to know and love. I began to knowingly breath my last.


"Don't forget...you only get...one...shot. ....Make sure....you.....make....it count...."


I sighed as my last breath left me, a smile on my face as the light around me slowly dimmed to black.