Mercy sunk into a crouch as she slunk down behind a solid wooden fence panel, she tilted out from behind it warily, her eyes scanning what she could see of the town in front of her. Her eyes focused on a road blockage to her left. [i]How many people lived here?[/i] Her brow furrowed into a frown as her eyes drifted to the house nearest to them, she could see from here that the windows had been boarded up; glass glittered in the grass beneath the windows sending occasional flickers of light up the dirty cream walls of the house. Her eyes softened as she pulled her gaze away from the house, settling it on the rusted frame of a child’s swing. [i]How many survived?[/i] The thought caused a swirl of dread to constrict her chest. She inhaled sharply in surprise as Tamashii’s hand slid onto her shoulder, causing her to jump violently.

“Focus” Tamashii murmured sternly, crouching low as she moved around Mercy crouching next to her. Her eyes firmly set behind them making sure nothing could sneak up on them; she tested her grip on the hilt of her knife. Mercy tapped her shoulder and the pair moved through the gap in the fence running low and fast over to the house. Mercy edged forward careful to stay low as she passed the boarded up window, she didn't trust herself not to react if rotting arms surged through them. Tamashii stuck close behind her, knife raised defensively. “We take this slow” Tamashii instructed. Mercy ran her tongue over her lower lip nervously; she could feel her palms growing damp as she peeked around the side of the house. Taking a deep breath she slid around the corner of the house her eyes darting around the clearing in front of her, there was an untamed hedge to their left that she prayed was too thick to be harboring any animated corpses, and in front of them a black car had haphazardly smashed through a defiant garden fence.

Mercy lifted her bow a little higher pulling the bow string taut as she approached the car, sinking down onto her knee she bent down looking underneath it, a shiver running down her spine as she did. “Clear” She breathed to Tamashii, lifting herself up she moved to crouch next to the car bonnet, a layer of dirt had dulled the shine of the metal. She turned her head slightly watching Tamashii move up next to her and peer anxiously through the car window. Tamashii’s eyes flashed around the car, the tension in her shoulders easing when she was sure it was empty. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the interior of the car, dried blood stained the two front seats she shifted to her left so she could see in the back of it, the back window had been kicked out from the inside, the broken glass lay dented on the closed boot of the car. Tamashii lurched forward against the car suddenly, her arm curling around the back window and into the back of the car. “Ash?!” Mercy hissed under her breath, jumping up in surprise. Tamashii carefully pulled her am up and out of the car, grasping something in her hand, she took a step back and revealed what she had found. She was holding the strong wooden handle of a moderately rusted metal headed hammer securely in her clenched fist. Mercy rolled her eyes, exhaling in relief as she did. “Jeez, you scared me” She huffed in annoyance, her eyes drifting back to the street in front of them, as Tamashii studied the hammer for damage. 

Mercy frowned as she saw movement across the street from them, a flash of orange through the dreary grays and browns of the buildings around the town. She lifted her bow, readying herself as the figure moved she couldn't be sure whether it was a living person or a corpse, her eyes narrowed as she squinted against the light trying to make out which it was. Tamashii looked up at her, looking in the same direction she was looking, she instinctively ducked behind the car. “What are you doing?” She snapped at Mercy, resisting the urge to grab the other woman and pull her to the floor. “Watching” Mercy answered tersely. [i]There is bound to be more than one...unless[/i] Her eyes scanned left and right of the fiery haired individual she couldn't see any more movement. “What if it’s a person Ash?” She whispered after a moment, hope clinging to her words as she released the tension in her bow and slung it over her shoulder holding the arrow separately. Tamashii lifted her head just enough so she could see the car's bonnet, before looking back over her shoulder uneasily. “We can’t risk making any noise we should-Mercy!” Tamashii started to say, her voice hitching up an octave as Mercy hopped up and slid over the car bonnet. Tamashii’s heart jumped against her ribs, a prickling sensation spreading across her fingers as she watched Mercy glide over to the house’s porch leaving a gaping hole between the two of them. 

Mercy edged up to the raised wooden porch of the house, careful not to go to close to the hatched bottom she couldn't see into the darkness below it. [i]Can’t be too loud...please be a person, not one of them[/i] She licked at her lower lip again before peering round the corner, leaning out so she was visible, she slid the arrow under her arm and took a deep breath cupping her hands over her mouth, breathing out into them and creating a high pitched bird whistle that she hoped would be enough to make a human stop and think. Tamashii had just slid over the car bonnet herself when Mercy’s whistle reached her ears, she froze and dropped into a crouch the other side looking across the street anxiously.