S.E.E.D.S IC {Anti- Hero & Bluemoon} Rated M for Mature!

[bluemoon]

"There ain't much left here worth keeping."

Oak Ridge, VA--52 miles west of the Danville Rescue Center


Jess stood atop the bronze statue, her feet planted in the saddle of the rearing stallion and her left hand gripping the unknown rider...unknown at least to her. There had not been time to read the plaque before she had vaulted to this position, barely escaping the outstretched hands of her pursuers. From this vantage she had finally been able to thin the competition for this prime real estate. Her Glock G43 subcompact firing round after round until the clip was dry...seven shots in all. With a sigh of relief, she looked down at the inert bodies splayed out around the statue's base. Four of the bastards, and they had been hot on her trail. Seemed the small town of Oak Ridge was not as scenic with its view of the Blue Ridge Mountains as the brochure had indicated. A light chuckle and she sat down behind the rider, resting while keeping her feet up on the horn of the saddle. It was only noon and already it had been a long and grueling day.

It was not so long ago the days had been easier, four months prior to be exact, and Jess remembered vividly the last day of laughter she had enjoyed. A bachelorette party with five friends from school, black cocktail dresses, and plenty of liquor. The local country bar was their venue and they claimed the dance floor for the night, drinking, joking, flirting. They planned to close down the bar and when the last song was played, Jess and Val decided to shake it one more time. They were drunk and laughing, Val with her back to Jess when their gaiety was interrupted by the sound of coughing, then Val was screaming, wiping vigorously at her face as she turned around. The two girls ran to the women's bathroom, Jess trying to help get the blood off the other girl's face, reassuring her over and over that she was fine...that the blood had not gotten into her eyes. But she had been wrong.

Jess never spoke to Val again, hearing from her family that she had been taken to the hospital the following day. It was the first confirmed case of the flu in the bustling city of Roanoke. Two weeks later, a state of emergency was declared and Jess begged her boyfriend to get her out of town...take her to the mountains away from the crowds. An argument ensued and Jess was left with a swollen lip and the realization that she did in fact share something in common with her estranged mother--an attraction to the wrong men. She didn't press the subject again, but only because the illness claimed him a week later. For two months she waited, her classes cancelled, and her life on hold. When she realized that life was not going to get back to normal, she hit the road, hoping to find that isolated town that hadn't seen the plague...but she never found it. What she discovered instead was a world filled with psychos, both infected and not, and a never ending road leading to nowhere.

And so the search continued, leading Jess to this scenic town with its bronze statue of a civil war hero she could not name. If she had not been so tired, she would have laughed...not only chuckled...at herself, at the disease, at the bodies at her feet. She didn't even like country music, little black dresses, or dancing. Yet, that was the best memory she could come up with as she sat here and basked in the hot sun dressed all in black--her leather jacket and chaps soaking in the rays as she sweated underneath them. She slipped her weapon back into the holster on her thigh after slapping in a full clip and pulled down the surgical mask covering her nose and mouth. After another scan of the area, she dismounted her steely steed and walked up the steps of the building before her...Oak Ridge Public Library. 'What are the chances?' she thought as she reached for the handle.

[Anti-Hero]

Oak Ridge, VA--52 miles west of the Danville Rescue Center

"Ya know, I wouldn't do that if I were you." Gael called out with a voice befitting someone who might've one day decided to take up the blues. "All that noise probably has a bunch of em' woke up now. Backside of the building has a busted wall, can't tell you what's inside but I wouldn't take the risk with an empty handgun." He kept one hand holding the shoulder of his backpack and one down by his waist, I mean for all he knew she could have reloaded and the odds were there but he also wasn't looking to put another person who was sane down.

It had been a slog, coming from North Carolina to Virginia, rumor had been there was a place still holding strong and that it might make a good place to sleep, course that wasn't the first time he'd heard that rumor. The military wasn't as helpful as you'd have expected, most of set up place, and then moved on leaving Tom, Dick, and Jane to take care of themselves. Most people didn't know squat about basic survival and even less about its finer points. Hunting, finding clean water, cleaning water, storage, rationing, etc. With that said, those rumors, it wasn't uncommon they proved false. Half the places that were set up didn't get lucky enough to have someone who knew their shit and if they got that far even, half some asshole would try to establish government to take care of himself rather than everyone. But, such is the way of man ya suppose, greed, lack of concern with others, they don't realize they need people. It drove the people who knew their shit away, made them look for other places or to risk it alone. Well, that was the reason for that kind of walk.

He'd come from Texas, now that said he'd found transportation more than once and it had given him a slight edge on moving around, but more than once he'd left a vehicle behind because of collapsed bridges. He wasn't even entirely sure where he was going, but, well here he was, behind some woman who looked like she'd been in a recently tight spot.

[bluemoon]

Jess paused mid-grasp, her hand just touching the door handle as her head came up at the sound of the man behind her. A string of curses left her lips, the words spoken under her breath. She could see his reflection in the glass-walled front of the library, broad shouldered, bearded, his hands postured over his weapons in case she tried to draw on him. 'Clever man,' she thought, resisting the urge to reach for her own weapon. She berated herself for being caught unawares, blaming the exhaustion she felt after her run through the park this morning. But excuses would not save her from a bullet.

She turned slowly, her hands raised as she faced the stranger. He looked as road worn as she felt, maybe even a bit worse. But he had the upper hand. She slowly moved her hand to lift the surgical mask off her face, offering him a smile. "Seems I owe you one, thanks for that. I didn't think to check the back." She kept her eyes on him, but also on the surrounding area, for the same reason he had mentioned to her. It would only be a matter of time before a crowd was drawn to join the party. "If you don't mind, I'd like to put my hands down now, and get out of the open. If there is something you would like to discuss, I think it's better to perhaps do it elsewhere."

She could feel sweat starting to run from her hairline, the tension building inside her. The last time she had been caught unawares, things had ended badly. Not so much for her, as for the two men who had blind-sided her. Not that the situation had been great on her end, but she was still out here walking, whilst they were left eating dirt. Perhaps this man was different. He was alone, and he had bothered to stop and give her some good advice. There was a chance she might come out of this unscathed. And there was the fact that he had been wrong about her gun, she had indeed managed to reload. That was one other thing in her favor.

[Anti-Hero]

He pulled one hand from the under barrel of his rifle and let it drop down to his side before walking a bit closer to the edge of the stairs. "Well, I was hoping you might know the place a little better than me but, uh, considering you're walking into a death trap I'd wager we're both a little fucked, eh?" He turned his back to her and sat down on the stairs, looked around a bit, and the courtyard seemed a bit on the empty side, that said it was looking about high noon. no one was out right now. Survivors didn't like the exposure and the damn 'things' didn't do sunlight all to well.

"You can relax, if I was gonna shoot you, I wouldn't have let ya know I was there." He ripped at a chunk of meat in his hand and spoke inbetween mouthfuls, truth was he was damn near lost. The only thing he knew was that he was in Virginia. North Carolina smelled weird and he'd left that smell behind sometime ago after passing through a rundown checkpoint. One of the old military outposts that had been up and down had been reclaimed by a few young survivors. It was nice running into small places like that because usually, if they didn't just outright shoot you than they were willing to do what passed for business nowadays. Kept him supplied anyway and that was really all that concerned him.

The open yard wasn't the best place for sitting but he'd be on his feet somewhere between the last twenty-four to forty hours and it felt kind of good to let the blood rush back to his feet. The way to, wherever he actually was, hadn't exactly been simple, there had been collapsed roads, multiple places that were near impassable even on foot and worse there had been a few small hordes moving up through the area. Even around here he knew they wouldn't be but maybe a day or so behind and it was better to keep ahead of something that sometimes took more than a bullet or two to put down.

"So, even though you look like you're lost as fuck, I'm assuming you have maybe a slightly better knowledge of the surrounding area than me? If so, I need some help."

[bluemoon]

Jess watched the man turn away, her hands going to her sides as he sat down. She scoffed. "Either you're a damn fool or have a big ass set of balls turning your back on an armed stranger in these times. Lucky for you I don't have a need for anything you have at present, or perhaps I'm just paying it forward." She moved down the stairs towards him, careful to keep some distance between them just in case she judged him wrong. "As for this area, I do have a small bit of knowledge about it, drove through and visited a few times. Knew enough to run for the library and this statue when those four infected decided to play tag. Too bad about the library though. I was hoping to catch some rest on the double stuffed chairs they have in the reading room on the second floor."

She sighed, sitting on the steps a few above him, keeping herself at a slight advantage. "Really, this isn't the best place for us to be sitting. I've passed a few of those things through here today, avoided most, but the place is teaming with them. I picked up a map at the convenience store a mile back...that's where I met those jokers...and I think I can help you if you still have a bit of walking left in you and aren't afraid of heights." She sat tapping her heel as she stared at his profile, thinking she was a fool for even considering to trust him, but she had to let her guard down sometime or she would be on her own for the long haul. Too many more nights without any decent sleep and she was going to crash...a sure way to get herself killed.

She stood up, walking down the rest of the stairs and standing before him. "Listen, I think I know a place that might be safe. It's by the playground, not more than a few blocks away. Not my first choice, but the Ritz is full. If you want to join me, we can look at the map together and maybe figure out where you are heading. It's the best help I can offer." She slipped her surgical mask back up over her nose and mouth, once again checking the side streets for any activity. It had been over a week since she had spoken more that a sentence or two, and she felt like she was babbling. It was actually nice to see a normal person again, seems they were getting scarcer the longer this shit carried on.

[Anti-Hero]

"Foolish, big balls, death wish, these days don't we all have atleast one or two things wrong with us?" He laughed and stood up waving his hands slightly forward with a bit food still lingering in his mouth. "Well, sweetheart you just lead the way and I'll make absolutely sure you don't die. Or I'll betray you, shoot in the back strip you of everything worth while and move on...sad to say that would be the most actions I've had in years." He laughed and moved into a stretch, while it was only a few miles away it was still right back to walking, seemed that's most of what he did these days.

He was used to sleeping outside more often outside more often than not and didn't mind a bit of lack of shelter, sometimes the stars were nice, especially if you didn't have half dead creatures growling at you from just inside the shadows cast by the trees, buildings, or whatever. It didn't matter where you were in the United States, the sickness had damn near taken over and the human population was dwindling.

"Hell, now that I think about, its been couple weeks since I've even seen a person that didn't have a problem chit chatting." He unslung his weapon from his back and stepped into her wake, keeping tired eyes hanging just above the ground. This, was something of a breath of fresh air, he sighed a bit in gratitude, almost like lifting a weight off his shoulders that had been 'being alone'

[bluemoon]

It was an unusual sound to hear these days and Jess smiled despite herself at his laughter, the expession lost behind her surgical mask. She knew he was right, nobody was normal anymore, not with the shit that was going on, her included. Without pause, she started out at his urging, realizing she was doing exactly what she had just commented about, turning her back to him. His comment did not help with her trust issues, and a backwards glance was her response, her eyes narrowing at him. As quickly as she cast the glare, she turned back at his next words, shaking her head in frustration.

The pace she set was slow at first, quickly evolving into a jog. She kept to the streets, staying away from the shadows and buildings as much as possible. It was the best time to travel...the hottest time of the day...especially when the sun was out. In no time she was sweating again, the moisture dripping down her body and soaking into her clothes. She covered most of the distance without a misstep, the route familiar enough to get there without referring to her map. With the playground in sight she was starting to feel relief at their good forturne, a mistake she quickly realized as she caught movement to her right and came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the street.

"Two o'clock," she said softly, her breath a bit elevated as she moved backwards slowly into the outreach of a tree's canopy. A small ice cream shop across the way was her focus, the opening of the broken front window alive with shadowy forms moving within its interior. She drew her weapon, holding it at her side as she waited to see if they had been spotted. She counted to thirty before she skirted around the oak's trunk and moved across a grassy embankment to the next block, noticing the first of the infected stepping outside of the protection of the building.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" she growled under her breath, taking off at a run for the sandy enclosure of the playground. She dodged the stationary equipment, leaping over the slide and slipping between the lopsided swings, not bothering to check behind her. She nearly vaulted to the top of a chain-link fence, grabbing the branch of a stately elm along its perimeter and looking up into its branches at a large treehouse.

"This is it!" she called back, as she swung herself around and started climbing the sections of timber that were screwed into the tree. It was not as easy as she had anticipated, the lengths cut for a child, her added size and her grip on her weapon making the going a bit more tricky. When she finally reached the doorway, she had to duck to get inside, only able to stand at the peak of the structure. Other than the height, it was roomier than she had expected and she quickly dropped her pack and leaned out the opening to lend aid if needed. She had always wondered what the inside of this playhouse had looked like...thinking it was a shame the children in the playground could only look at it...so close and yet so out of reach of their tiny little hands.

[Anti-Hero]

"Well, well that was quite a show!" He stood at the edge of the street watching her easily skirt the playground equipment and take a hop, skip, and a jump to avoid their would-be predators. She was lucky she was agile, him on the other hand, well, he had a more effective way of dealing with things in front of him, that's what he'd tell you at least. He stepped off the asphalt and his boot planted firmly into the sand, he slung his rifle back over his should and gripped a just behind the satchel on his belt. His empty hand came back up occupied with a worn hatchet that had seen better days, but it do the job just fine. He flexed his hand and rotated his wrist to get a good stretch as he walked across the playground, stepping up on the slide on dropping back down with a slight grunt so as to gain the attention of the infected. Worked like a charm every time.

The bodies of the creatures twisted in a fashion that made your skin crawl whether you'd seen it once or a couple hundred times, it never seemed to lose that unsettling effect on one's person. The first one, a little larger than the other inched forward in the wake of a series of clicks and an obnoxious growl that Gael met with a whistle. It cord and the bastard limped into a odd run that had, what passed for hands, hit the ground for balance. In seconds the distance between Gael and the infected had closed and the other two were agitated enough that they weren't far behind. When the gap went from feet to inches Gael's hatchet came up fast and strong and cleaved through the mushy skull of the infested creature. It never took much force but it sure was messy. The head near exploded on impact and the thing came crashing to the ground leaving the other two mid run and spewing caustic saliva all over the place. Gael pulled his hand back and threw the hatchet that impaled one of them and threw it against a broken down car while the other ran into the much smaller blade of a knife he had drawn and once again slammed into deep into the skull. He pulled his hand back shook it and let the corpse drop, retrieved his hatchet gave it one more good swing to finish the job and then holster both weapons.

"See, ya got all that fancy foot work and left my old ass down here to clean up." He threw his hand up at her jokingly and took one more look over his shoulder before leaving a heavy sigh and making his way toward the tree. He gave it once over and then with a questioning look shrugged his shoulders and started making a cautious climb, testing his weight against each branch before pulling himself up.
"Damn kids...always forgetting how stiff we get." He huffed as he pulled himself inside and took a corner to himself, sure it was a little small, but it was certainly better than the tree trunk he'd slept in last month.

[bluemoon]

Jess moved out of the way while he climbed up to the tree house, nodding at him before moving towards her pack. "Nice moves with that axe old man, " she said with a hint of humor. "I'd say you've had some practice with it...even so, with that gait of yours I'm surprised you haven't been taken out yet." She looked in his direction, appraising him casually. "I'm going to take a wild guess...back woods survivalist or maybe a hunter?" She stripped off her gloves and hospital mask, offering him a smile, the rest of her protective gear staying on until she knew it was safe. Idly, she rubbed at her wrists, rolling them until the joint made a popping noise. Self consciously, she tugged at her jacket's sleeves, pulling them lower on her hands while she moved about the small space.

The inside of the playhouse was mostly bare, the only furniture a small table with kid-sized chairs. She stepped over to it and reached into her pocket, pulling out the map she had mentioned earlier. It was a bit crumpled, and when she unfolded it, she smoothed it out on the table's surface. "You asked for help, and this is it." Another grab into her pocket exposed a small stub of a pencil. She got on her knees to get at the right level and circled the town of Oak Ridge. ""This is where we are located. I am not sure what your destination is, but I was heading for Danville, which is about 50 miles east of here. There is a military-run refugee camp there...or at least there was as of two week ago. They were broadcasting on an AM station then, not a loop, and they claimed they had fresh water and supplies for sale or trade. They were also offering beds, but only for short term. Seems they're full up unless you happen to be a survivor with needed skills."

She drew a line from their location to Danville, following the most direct route. "Anyhow, I lost my radio...or rather it was stolen...and haven't had any way to verify if they are still up and running. By my best estimation, it should take three to five days to get there following US 58 and heading over to 29. Of course, you may have something else in mind, but there are not too many places left to go." She left the map open and went over to the doorway and looked out. It was still quiet out in the playground, the streets empty except for the dead bodies, abandoned cars, and litter strewn about everywhere. What a strange thought to think of that as empty... She pulled her head back in and sat down against the back wall. "I don't know about you, but I could use some rest. Don't plan on traveling any time soon. I still have a few hours left in me...I can take first watch if you like?"

[Anti-Hero]

"You're in the ball park, Marine. Former anyway." He slung his pack down of his back and leaned his gun up against it and the walls creating the corner of the little home. He idly adjusted himself to find some variation of comfort in what little area could be made available for him and his slightly overwhelming stature, by comparison to the playhouse of course. The moment she pulled the map out he waited for a moment before he gestured for her to let him hold onto it just for the moment, it was easy enough having learn to read maps to effectively memorize the path he intended on taking within a few minutes or so.

The military run camp might be a good place to trade skill for supplies or respectively, to scavenge assume it hadn't been picked clean. At the mention of a radio he gave her a quick look and nodded to his own pack, "I feel like most people are out for radios these days. I've been all up the east coast and a lot of people claim they have a cure or supplies or what have ya, most of its a lie, but I'm looking for a place up round these parts that I heard rumor of before all hell broke loose, if you're interested, I may need someone to tag along. Though you wouldn't be the first to turn it down or to accept, lost a few along the way so to speak."

He flopped back onto his pack and used it as some sort of lumpy pillow, a nap didn't actually sound like a bad thing when all else was considered and either he'd wake up with a person watching his back or he wouldn't wake up most like. "Ya know, all in all I could use a nap." He tossed on leg up on to his knee and fell into a relaxed position heaving a bit of a sight before belching slightly and closing his eyes. "Couldn't even say I'd fall asleep, but atleast shutting the ole peepers wouldn't kill me."