Co-post (Siksta and Moon)
Inside the gymnasium of the Middleton High School, a small group of people restlessly moved among the dozens of beds set up as a make-shift infirmary. They wore grim expressions as they observed the "patients", mostly friends or family, tied to the beds, most of them with bloody bandages covering recent bite wounds. The school had been overrun only six hours before, the main entrance breached by hundreds of the undead. They had lost more than fifty people to the horde, finally getting barricades set up and confining themselves to a small area of the school. Now, more than half of the victims had turned and there was little else to do but put them out of their misery. One-by-one they were given back to their maker.
Further along the corridor, a lone woman stood by a side door, her pistol drawn, looking though the glass pane impatiently. Her long black hair was tousled, the white streak stained a deep red from blood, but not her own. Her shoulders sagged and her sighs came frequently, but she remained true to her post. Her name was Andi and she had been spared the grisly chore in the gym--only to be given sentry duty. As she waited for the runners to return from their errand she wiped ineffectively at the new stains on her clothing, her hands coming away red.
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Andi threw the door open as soon as the awaited runners appeared, her sights pinned on their undead pursuers. Suddenly a jeep came into view and without warning mowed the dead down, a man jumping from the vehicle and heading her way. One-by-one her group filed in and she sent them down the hall, paying them little heed, her attention now on the man.
"Hey there cowboy...you can stop right there," she warned when he was just a few steps from the entry, aiming her gun at his chest.
The cowboy had his bow out and an arrow notched already when he was stopped by the chick at the door to the school. She had tattoos and multi-colored hair, luckily there weren't any deaders around or he might've had to force his way past this cute little sentry. But he simply stepped back slinging his bow over his shoulder and pulling his hood down, holding his hands up peacefully smirking at her. "Whoa there little lady, name's Zeke Edge. Just fixin' to see if y'all are okay."
Andi eyed the stranger suspiciously, noting his weapons and that good ole boy attitude. She had heard about trouble already brewing with raiding and the like and wasn't about to fall victim to his charms. "Mmm...good Samaritan, huh? Well, you can just keep going...nothing here but dead men walking. We got enough troubles...don't need no more. What say you just turn around and get back into your jeep?"
Zeke chuckled and was happy to be on his way, he did his good deed and he still wanted to get further south before dark. He tipped his hat at the girl. "Alright, ain't lookin' for trouble y'all stay safe now. Ya'hear?" But as he turned he saw a horde of Walkers bum-rushing towards the school. He quickly loosed his ready arrow dropping the Screamer at it's head before he ran to his jeep, grabbed his main bug out bag with food, his arrow making kit, and other supplies, and locked the jeep. Then he was rushing through the door and lifting the woman up with one arm. He took them both inside the school, kicking the door closed behind him just as the Zombies crashed into the barricaded entrance.
As soon as they were inside, Andi struggled against the grip Zeke had around her waist, her feet almost touching the floor. She glared at him, pushing against his chest to little effect. It was obvious he was concentrating on the door, his stare riveted on the frame, perhaps wondering if it would hold. She struck him on the opposite shoulder. "Hey...how about letting me down? ...Zeke... We need to get to the gymnasium, it's the safest place. Let...me....down."
The Southerner looked quizzically up at the woman on his shoulder then grunted lightly. "Oh right sorry 'bout that." He put the woman down and quickly notched another arrow. It wouldn't do much good through a metal door, or even the glass of a window, but if any of them got in or if he could rig some kind of explosive to the arrow it would be a big help. The door was holding for now, but the undead were relentless fuckers and with enough time they would get in. He wished he paid more attention to his parents bomb-making lessons. Then maybe he could plant some mines, but for now he'd listen to the local. "Well lead on little lady, this is your neck of the woods. I'm just a simple country boy. So you got a name?"
Andi looked at Zeke and shook her head. "You really are a cowboy...damn...out here in the big city." She started walking towards the gym, the smell of death assaulting her as she neared. "It's Andi...and thanks...for that out there. You probably saved my life." It wasn't long before she reached the doorway and stopped abruptly, causing Zeke to bump into her from behind. The occupied cots now held corpses, blood dripping from the bodies onto the floor in puddles, gore plastering the walls. The seven remaining occupants turned as the newcomers entered, their faces filled with grief and remorse. As for Andi, she was speechless and could only stare.