[centre][h2][color=black]Anthony "Leo" Strayker[/color][/h2][/centre]


[centre][hider=Leo's Quote]
[centre][i][color=silver]
I've learned the lesson that when you're in the middle of something that seems overwhelming, or you're in a bad situation and it seems like it's the end of the world or whatever, then you learn that it's not. Everything I was afraid of when I was growing up, I've become. I've taken on my nightmares, like the devil and the end of the world, and I've become those things. When you think about it, the end of the world is a little bit like death: We all know it's going to come eventually, and as we get older, we feel we see the signs more and more distinctly. When death finally comes for you, will you fight the icy embrace or will you finally see that the end of our life is not impossible... but inevitable.[/color][/i][/centre]
[/hider][/centre]


[centre][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGWzq5OrpCI]Theme Song[/url][/centre]

[color=black]___________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/color]

[centre][color=Gold]Corner of N.Lombard Street 
and 
E.7th Street

Bancroft Elementary School
Wilmington, Delaware[/color][/centre]

[color=silver]Leo felt the cold metal of a wrought iron fence as he stood upon the corner that overlooked an Elementary school named Bancroft, the air was quiet and still where he stood, there were no birds chirping and no animals of any kind making their presence known which was in a lot of cases a bad sign. He on the other hand did not hear anything else such as feet dragging, moaning or otherwise which was a good sign. Drawing his attention back to the large elementary school Leo crossed the car littered street as he looked upon the shattered windows of the school. He spotted no movement, but that in itself did not mean much, at least not in the windows he was looking into. Truth be told schools were not hot spots for scavenging mostly because they are not known for keeping supplies of food that didn't expire, which meant to him that he could possibly find some supplies. However tactically given the large size of the building and the unknown inside he could very well be walking into a virtual death trap. Not to mention his supply of bullets had been dwindled down to practically nothing, Leo walked the perimeter of the school slowly sure to keep his guard up just in case, he counted the entrances into the school there were seven including the main entrance, but there was no telling if he could use them or not in case of emergency. Leo sighed as he put his fingers to his chin and scratched a notable thinking gesture for him as he thought of different scenarios that he could find himself in. 

Given he did enter the school he might possibly find students inflicted by the disease whom were still wondering the halls not to mention possible teachers and security whom didn't make it. Then again with everything that had gone on it was very plausible that no one was in the school when the town fell in the first place, no one goes to school when the world is going into chaos. Perhaps of he remained on the first floor only he would reduce his chances of injury or worse, there was after all many broken windows to go through if he did meet a lot of infected inside. At this point Leo had not much to lose and all to gain, there was no victory without risk or sacrifice, Leo made his decision as he approached the main entrance of the school, he would remain on the ground floor just in case and locate materials if any in the school. Pulling one of his Beretta's from its holster Leo silently came up the stone cracked stairs, looking in through the window on the door he saw the main hallway of the school. There didn't appear to be any sign of movement from within, Leo gently held out his hand and made a fist as he pounded on the door and looked through the glass. The noise seemed to echo the empty corridor but he received no immediate response, with a click he pulled on the handle to the door as it clicked and he entered the school. Leo clicked on the flashlight attached to his Beretta an shined it around the front entrance, besides the scatter paper, books, bags, and opened lockers he was completely alone.

The place looked like a war zone, but that was to be expected, after all why exactly would it be any different with a school? Just more naive thoughts that maybe the children could have been spared this hell. Age however didn't matter no more now, everyone was now in the same boat if they wanted to be or not. Leo shined his light up to a sign over a broken door door which read main office, it was as good of a place as any to start. Making his way forward he crossed through the broken door and took a look around, he was careful to check his corners before he proceeded in, old habits never truly died. Looking around the medium sized room it was in shambles like the rest of the school was, even so he did not see any blood on the floors which meant perhaps he had been wrong about looting, and perhaps even more so right about not countering much resistance here. Pipe dreams however were not one of the things he cared for which is why he has stayed alive so long, five steps ahead. The room was clear and besides the countless children's drawing littering the floor there did not seem to be anything of use. Turning from the room Leo went back into the main hallways and made his way down the door lined hall. He preformed the same procedure as before when securing each room he went into, all the doors seemed to be ripped off the hinges which only supported his thought of looters hitting this place already, and it also gave him the thought that perhaps he was not alone right now. Leo eventually came to the end of the hallway where he located one door that was still in tact from a distance, it seemed to be the only door not busted down, in fact he saw an old wooden chair pressed underneath the knob, probably to keep it from being opened.

Walking closer Leo heard noise coming from the room, his immediate thought was that given the evidence there was infected trapped in there so he approached with caution. Getting in front of the door he looked through the glass still in center of the door, it was spider webbed but still visible. He didn't see anything at first, but when a gray colored hand hit the glass his heart jumped slightly as he put his gun up and shined the flashlight. He heard the moans from inside, the moan of a child, approaching the glass again he cautiously looked in and soon wished he hadn't. The room has several bodies in it, most of them looked dead, he could see the puddles of blood on the floor. The hand that had smacked the window belong to a young boy who had shambled back into the room not fully aware that Leo was even there. The child seemed to be the only movement he could see, however he tapped the door a couple times and kept looking through, the only movement was the child the bodies on the floor remained motionless. Leo couldn't leave the kid like this, looking down he slowly put his hand on the chair and removed it from under the knob as the door slowly clicked up. Leo put his free hand back as he grabbed the kukri from his back and took some steps from from the door. Moments later the young brown haired kid stumbled through the door and instantly caught sight of Leo and started to move towards him his hands stretched out. From looking at him he wasn't any older then eight or nine, probably the reason why the looters couldn't kill him. Leo on the other hand... well this wouldn't be the first time he had to take the life of a young child he was ashamed to admit, which is why it came easier for him. 

Leo waited patiently as the boy limped his way up to him, Leo prepared the kukri when the boy was close enough Leo slammed the blade down and struck the young man in the head, blood sprayed sideways as Leo removed the blade, the young man fell to the floor with a soft thump and did not move again. 

[b]"Riposa in pace piccolo"
(Rest in peace little one)[/b]

Leo wiped the blood on a near by torn banister and replaced the blade walking past the young man and back to the classroom, he entered the room shining his flashlight around securing his corners, however thankfully the young boy was the only one in there. Just in case thought Leo kicked each body with his feet an backed away but they were motionless as before. Leo made his way over to the desk on the fall wall and took a look underneath it just in case before he sat down on the edge of it, reaching into his pocket he pulled out a rather tarnished photograph and looked at it.

[centre][img]http://i1310.photobucket.com/albums/s655/Andy_Forge/daughter_zpsxl9o0tkt.png[/img][/centre]

Turning the picture over there was a  child's handwriting on the back on bright blue pen that had faded much by now but he could still read it in his mind word for word:

[centre][i]Dear daddy
I took this picture for you
in hopes that while your away
That you will never forget me
An always come home

Love
Katie[/i][/centre]

If Leo had but one regret in life it was that he allowed his work to consume so much of his time where he could have been spending it with her. So many wasted years protecting this country, putting his life on the line, sacrificing for his family so that they could be safe at night. To be alive now and know what the world was becoming it all seemed damn pointless, the very country he protected was now devouring itself from the inside out. An there was not a thing he could do about it. Now he had nothing to hold on to, nothing to kill the pain, just his thoughts, memories he could not escape, regrets that eat at him every second of every day. If there was a hell for him, this would be it and he couldn't deny he deserved to be here now. The only reason he would not kill himself was because he deserved to be here to suffer like they suffered and to live with that fact that he would probably never see his little girl ever again. Leo stood up abruptly and flipped the desk he was sitting on over to the ground in frustration as he closed his eye's and took a deep breath. What the hell was he even doing here? Why the hell was he trying so hard to survive when it was nothing but a fruitless gesture, when he knew that there was not a damn shred of hope?

[b][i]"Promise me you will always come back to me Daddy."[/i][/b]

Leo opened his eye's as the last words his daughter spoke to him flashed through his head as he slowly looked down at the photograph sighing deeply as he slowly returned it to his pocket. She was alive, she had to be somehow someway she was out there somewhere and he had to find her no matter the cost. Leo turned from the desk as he walked towards the door when he suddenly heard static come from behind him. He could heave swore he heard voices through the static. Turning around he pointed his flashlight at the floor, moving it around the edge of the room he saw a black device near the far edge of the wall. Walking over he picked it up realizing it was a short range walkie talkie, the fact it was still working was surprising enough as he turned it over in his hand looking at it. He heard more static, walking towards the broken window he slowly pressed in the button and spoke:

[b]"Is there anybody there that is still alive? Over."[/b]

He listened for a couple seconds not really expecting any kind of response but maybe just maybe there was still some kind of hope out there, and as long as Katie was out there he would look for it.[/color]