[IC] The Walking Dead - Last Life

[True Self]

Isabella looked to Emilio beside her and attempted to scold him, but her scolding skills were lacking, "No. You don't do things like this." Emilio completely ignored her and just got up to race Anton out of the kitchen. She looked down at her plate to see that Chloe had given her tamale to her and she was quite grateful. Isabella thanked her, and waited for the conversation to steer away from crudeness before she began to eat again. Gabrielle noticed that both Chloe and the Doc tried the salsa and they both seemed to really like it and this warmed her heart. She had a big smile on her face and she almost let a tear slip when the memory of Thiago filled her mind.

flashback. Gabrielle stood in the kitchen stirring a pot of rich, red salsa on the stove. She looked about the same as she does now with a gray streak in her jet black hair and she wore a long skirt and a sleeveless collared shirt. She could hear footsteps behind her and felt a warm arm wrap around her waist. Her face turned to smile at a handsome, middle aged Salvadorian man with graying black hair. He gave her a loving smile and kissed her cheek before speaking in Spanish to her as if finishing a conversation they had been having, "Only little has to change. You see, we still can make salsa and share affection like before." He smiled into her happy face again before continuing, "This life has always had ugly evil, but now it is just uglier. We can still live and be happy." He added a few more ingredients to the salsa that he prepared and Gabrielle stirred the pot some more to blend all the flavors together. "I am thankful that you are just as hopeful as I. You are the breath that keeps me breathing and our children are the beats that keeps my heart alive." Thiago picked up a homemade flour tortilla from a plate beside the stove and dipped it inside the pot of salsa. He let Gabrielle have a bite to see if it tasted like it should and she closed her eyes with pure enjoyment. This made Thiago smile with a pleasant chuckle and he just kept his eyes on her. "The world is not over. We are not over. This is our home and we will welcome anyone in need with accepting arms." Gabrielle nodded her head and she would never forget each word he said. "As long as we have each other we should not frown, because with love, there is no hope to lose." The flashback faded and Gabrielle excused herself from the table, hiding a few tears. Before she left completely she stopped and spoke a few words in Spanish out loud to her new guests.

Isabella spoke with a somewhat bothered face, because she could see her mother had a few tears in her eyes, "She says that she is pleased to feed your hungry bellies and that her home is your home. She wants you all to know that she is happy that you are her guests." Gabrielle turned to look at the Doctor Johnson who excused himself as well and Isabella told her he said thank you and she nodded with yet another smile. When her mother left to go to the bedroom and to dress properly for the day ahead, Isabella spoke once again, "It is the Valverde tradition to make every guest feel they are right at home here. I am happy to have new friends." She smiled at them both and stood from the table. When the Doc left to retire, she stayed to clean up.

"There is enough land here to do that I'd guess, however, the garden that we have now has sufficed just fine so far..." Nathan was in the middle of talking when Chloe stood up to whisper something in Doc's ear. His eyes narrowed, when she wasn't looking and he just continued without showing suspicion, "There is some canned food that we've collected over the month or two that Josef, J, and I have been here as well. If any of us have a craving then we do what we can to satisfy it when we scavenge for things in the city and towns." He finished and then watched as Doc excused himself and he was curious to know what Chloe had whispered to him. Why not say what you have to say in front of everyone? He looked over in her direction while she talked with Isabella and his eyes narrowed again. She was beginning to appear sketchy and he didn't like how Doc kept it a secret either. Nathan didn't know Chloe or Doc from Adam and he was beginning to think that it was a problem. He'd let their whispers slide for now, but their whispering wouldn't go without confrontation next time. He finished his salsa and walked outside toward the lake to ready the paddle boat. He walked out before he heard what the doctor said about Joan.

Anton climbed up on the arm of the couch while Emilio was standing in front of Doc's snoring face. Emilio pinched one of Doc's nostrils and that's when Anton cannon balled right onto the Doc's chest and stomach. They both began to scream in wild giggling laughter before running away to escape the wrath that the Doc might unleash. As they made a run for it, Anton grabbed the Doc's gun and high tailed it toward the sun room to hide. Inside the sun room. All the long windows were boarded up mostly, but the ceiling was made of glass and unprotected, but it welcomed the morning sun inside the room which lit it up beautifully. Exotic plants lined the walls and hanging flowers hung from the beams. There was a round table with soft chairs all around and an easel that held up a painting canvas where Isabella did her painting. Emilio hid behind one of the big leafy plants and Anton hid behind one of the soft chairs. He looked at the gun in admiration and Emilio wanted to look too. He rolled over to Anton's hiding spot and they both started to fight over the gun like they had done with the blanket.

[Espatier]

The Doctor was in a wonderful dream of the place that they just arrived at. The doctor was in a boat on the lake, his hand drifting in the cool water while he was on his back. near the dock he could see them... they were waiting, standing still watching his directing, waiting for him to come closer to the dead. The faces were blurrs but there was one that motioned for he to come closer to the shore. The doctor now had both hand on the small dingy were the oars rested on the swivels as he sat up to see the threat more clearly. The doctor began to shake his head no as he started to reach for the oars that were laid on the bottom of the boat. As he bent over to grab them, something attempted to get into the boat but began to sink the boat as he fell into the water.

Something hung on to him from below as he tried to kick his way to the top of the water. As the doctor failed around he could feel that the weight was getting heavier, so as he tried to free himself he could see that nothing was holding him. He began to kick and swim his way to the shore but the dead were waiting for him as well, the dock wasn't a option either.

The doctor lost his breath and as he got pulled under the water hard and fast. He didn't see anything at first because he was more concerned about air and as he threashed about it blurred his underwater vision.

Something grabbed his foot and pulled him, that he was sure of.

As the doctor dove into beneath the water he finally saw his threat. It was farther than reaching distance but he saw it clearly as if it was daylight, the woman in white. The Doctor couldn't tell if it was a wedding dress, cocktail dress or what but he knew that she was dead, she wasn't below the water about a minute ago and it was a threat!.

His lungs began to burn as they screamed for air, again his lungs took in the air. But once again he was pulled under the water quickly, then he felt his air leave his chest with a "thump".

The doctor's eyes opened, he caught his breath a screamed loud and long as he could.
he was on the couch still, sweat covered him or was it water, he felt wet. His body finally relaxed as he could something running away but wasn't sure if it was the twins or not. In the other room he cold hear people moving or getting up from a table. The doctor reached for his security blanket.. the rifle. " My Weapon, the rifle, it's gone! " The doctor started to get up while still in a daze from the couch.

[Vgirl]

Chloe enjoyed the company for a bit longer, laughing and talking with Isabella until Gabrielle got up and said something that she didn’t understand. She looked to Isabella for the translation and when she got it she watched, a bit worried as the older woman left the room. She looked again to Isabella, a bit unsure of things before she smiled softly at her saying she was happy to have new friends. Although she didn’t say it outloud, she wanted to promise that she would protect this place and work like it was her own home but in the end the thought made her a bit sad.

As she stood up, she wondered what she would do for the day. Perhaps she would run around a bit and scout out the land that they had with her free time, which she guessed would be a lot. Picking up her plate she made her way to the sink and smiled at Isabella. “I’ll help you clean up.” She wasn’t sure if the water was still working for them but that didn’t mean she couldn’t help clean up in order to thank them for the delicious meal.

When she heard Doc scream she almost dropped her plate, managing to catch it and put it down safely on the counter before she ran to his side. He was sweating profusely and looked very troubled. A bad dream perhaps? “Doc, what’s wrong? What happened?” She asked, eyes wide and alert. She blinked in confusion when he said his rifle was gone and looked around. Everyone was accounted for, or asleep and Gabrielle didn’t seem like the type to take something like that so that only left… Her eyes went wide. “The boys…” She mumbled, panic rising to her voice. “Where did they go?” She asked frantically.

Her thoughts wandered to terrible places, where the boys thought that the gun was a play thing and accidentally shot each other. She bit her lip and tried to calm herself down. Perhaps she was jumping to conclusions. Perhaps he had just misplaced it and forgotten that he had left it somewhere else, but even so, in the back of her mind panic took the main seat. “Oh my god…” She put her hands on her head. She didn’t know that Doc had unloaded in for safety reasons, so the horrible and accidental death of a young boy was her only conclusion.

[True Self]

"They went in there." Joan said as she sat up on the couch and motioned her head in the direction of the sun room door. Doc's scream had jolted her awake and she saw the giggling twins running inside the sun room. She rubbed her eyes and almost entirely forgot about what happened to Josef. When she remembered, she felt like shit again and just forced herself to stand to her feet. After walking over to the sun room and opening the door, she stepped inside and found the twins who were running away after they had been walking up. They had given up on their hiding places and were going to leave the room until they saw someone enter. The boys were both laughing, but then stopped their running once they saw who it was. Joan crossed her arms and confronted them, "Donde esta el arma?" Both Emilio and Anton just smiled, putting their hands up in the air without saying anything. They ran passed Joan and went to go find something fun to do. Joan just sighed and turned to Doc and Chloe. "Good luck finding your gun. They like to hide things and they're good at it too." Joan began to walk away and said, "I need to check on Josef. If you still can't find-" That's when she stopped and realized that her automatic pistol was lying below the couch. She stepped passed the Doc and Chloe to see Anton holding the gun up at Emilio. "NO!" She shouted and ran over snatch the gun away from Anton. The safety had been switched off on accident by one of the boys and it was fully loaded. One slip of the finger and Anton would've taken his brother's life. Gabrielle came out of the bedroom quickly and looked to see what was going on with a frightened expression.

Joan looked down at the pistol and then back at Anton who was crossing his arms with an upset face. Gabrielle took the boys into the room and shut the door behind her without a word. Joan's heart finished slamming against her chest and she sat down on the couch to calm herself. She looked down at the gun in her lap and then realized how stupid it was just to leave it laying around like that. Last night had worn her out and she was too tired to think about the precautions. I'm a danger to everyone. Joan thought as she remembered getting Chole and Josef caught by the soldiers. She thought of all of her mistakes that put others at risk of death and tears wanted to well in her eyes. She punched down on her thigh and managed to stop the tears from forming. Maybe I'm better off gone. She thought and her further thoughts were interrupted by the front door opening. Nathan walked inside and saw everyone inside the living area and they appeared on edge.

"Did I miss something exciting?" He asked, before walking over to the couch that Joan sat on. Joan just ignored him and he asked something else, "Anyway, I'd like your help with restocking." He could've asked Isabella, but he had some questions to ask Joan.

"I have to see how Josef's doing." Joan finally replied, and that's when Isabella walked downstairs. Isabella had went to bring Josef a plate to eat after cleaning up, but he wasn't awake for her to give it to him. He had fallen back asleep.

"He is sleeping again." Isabella announced to them.

"Again?" Nathan asked cocking an eyebrow. He just thought nothing of it and then looked at Joan again, "Well then, let him rest some more. Grab a tamale and meet me in the boat." He started to walk toward the front door and Joan began to get up.

Joan looked at Doc and Chloe and asked them with a low tone which partially concealed the upset in her voice, "Who wants to come?" Doc's gun wasn't going anywhere, and Joan thought it'd be good for Chloe and Doc to explore the outside. Only one could come tho, because the boat had only room for three. When Joan invited them, Nathan stopped in his tracks.

"Why?" Nathan asked, and tried to fix his tone where it didn't sound suspicious. "I think we can handle it. I'm sure they want to rest or something." He said and hoped he had talked her out of it.

"The more hands, the less trips." Joan replied and thought it was a smart idea.

Isabella interrupted and walked over to Chloe, "Me and Chloe will have girl talk." She said with a hopeful smile. She looked to Chloe and told her, "I will show you the outside if you want?" That's when Joan looked at Doc to see if he would join her and Nathan.

[Vgirl]

Chloe watched in awe as Joan went in and talked to the boys. She wasn’t sure what she had said, but they had listened, at least to a point and were no longer playing with a dangerous weapon. She let out her sigh too early though as they quickly ran back into the room and began playing with Joan’s gun, with one pointing it at the other. She froze up with her hand over her mouth as she watched things play out. They were lucky that no one had gotten hurt but she could see that it had affected Joan negatively, though she wasn’t sure that the boys had learned anything from that scare.

There was a moment of silence as everyone just looked at each other, Joan looking down at her gun, unsure of what to say. The silence was deafening until Nathan waltzed in the door, seeming as carefree as ever. No one answered his question, as one wouldn’t exactly call what had happened exciting. The word exciting hinted at something that was positive so in Chloe’s mind, a friendly breakfast had been the most exciting thing to happen to her all week.

When Joan mentioned Josef, Chloe looked up. With her sleeping and what had just happened, she hadn’t had the time to give Joan a full report, or tell her how to treat Josef. She looked behind her at Isabella when she made her announcement and Chloe let out a sigh. Well, at least he was no longer panicking over his lack of arm and sleep was good for healing right? Then again, she wasn’t the doctor. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to worry anymore and could let him be alone now, at least until it was time to give him those medications.

Instead of happily accepting the invitation to join them in restocking supplies like she would have, Chloe felt uneasy. There seemed to be a tension, with Joan being upset for not being able to check on Josef and…. Well she couldn’t quite place why she felt tense with Nathan. All she knew was that she wanted out of this situation in a way that wouldn’t hurt anyone’s feelings or make anyone upset.

When Isabella interrupted, Chloe felt relieved and shot a thankful look at Isabella. She smiled at the girl and nodded. “I would like that.” She said feeling saved from a terribly tense decision. She had wanted to take a look outside after all and this way she didn’t have to feel tense while doing it. She could enjoy the morning sun, gentle breeze and the lighthearted company that Isabella offered. Perhaps this way she could even take her mind off of the things that were troubling her; just forget everything for a moment and appreciate the beauty of nature. Just imagining it made her happy.

[Espatier]

" Well I'm not going to get any sleep around here anytime soon and with the rifle empty they can't hurt anyone but maybe Nathan can get the weapon back for me and ask the boys nicely or something to that effect" Doc looked to Nathan for answers. " Besides... I was stuck in that stupid mortar carrier for about a week till you guys found me, which I'm thankful for" Doc smiled at "jone".

" Nathan, if you don't mind , yes I would like to get out of the house and go with you two... unless this is one of those boyfriend and girlfriend time alone things".

Doc didn't want to intrude but it was the way that "jone" had put it... he wasn't sure with women because the doctor wasn't sure himself. He wouldn't have caught the subtle clue earlier even if it was out in the open with Nathan voice pattern changing, the doctor wasn't great on social cues at times. One thing that did disturb him was that lady in the lake... with his daymare that he had but the doctor felt more reassured with two other people with him.

" Well then it's settled, lets go and get somethings.... like toilet paper" Doc smiled.

As they left the house the doctor look up at the truck and smiled remembering that it as locked. Walking down to the dock seemed quiet till the doctor began to speak " anyone having any bad or weird dreams like.... the boat or going out like this.. what I mean is... "visions"?

[True Self]

Nathan busted out in spontaneous laughter after hearing Doc saying he could talk the twins into doing something, but held the rest of it back once he saw the newbies looking at him with blank stares. "Those little sh-" He looked to Isabella and corrected himself for the sake of her feelings, "Those two don't listen to anyone except their mother. And she hardly does anything when they act up." He remembered the rifle he saw Doc carrying earlier this morning. "They hid my playboy- My magazines... and I couldn't find them for three weeks." Nathan walked toward the door and opened it. "I'll be where I said I'd be." Then before he left, heard what the Doc said. He put his hand to his face and said, "Don't put that image in my head. J's like a dude." Nathan said on his way out.

"Yeah, I don't think so." Joan said with a slightly annoyed voice. It was Doc's second time bringing up the boyfriend thing with her and Nathan, and now he was pushing it.

"Let us go!" Isabella squealed happily and took Chloe's hand to lead her to the back door in the kitchen. Outside the sun was all the way risen and both young ladies stepped out onto a back porch. There was a wooden porch swing and potted plants on either side. After walking off the porch, they walked passed the camp stove and Isabella lead the way toward a nice sized tool shed. Behind it was a large garden with columns of freshly growing crops that weren't quite ready for harvesting. The garden stretched out the whole width of the backside of the barn and it was quite impressive. There was one thing for certain and that was Gabrielle and Isabella had a green thumb. "What do you think?" Isabella asked Chloe with a big smile. The chicken coop was vertically beside the garden and the chickens inside seemed spooked. Isabella went over to check on things and discovered that the backside of the coop had been broken into and there were chicken feathers in chunks all over the ground. She gasped loudly when she saw the trail of blood splattered around. Isabella looked inside the coop and saw that one of the chickens were missing. She counted all the hens, but couldn't find their one and only rooster. Isabella looked to Chloe and her face saddened. When she couldn't find any danger around, she spoke to Chloe, "Things like this happen some times. It hasn't happened so much lately. This is sad." She said thinking of her mother's favorite chicken.

---

"It's a rifle." Joan said on the way out the door with Doc. "Should be easy to find. Way easier than your mags." Joan said to Nathan with a slight grin. "I'm sure they were too important for you to be without." She said and grinned at the Doc. Nathan just kept walking and ignored her teasing. They made it to the boat and Nathan stepped off the dock to get in. Joan got in herself and waited for Doc to follow suit. Joan and Nathan heard Doc's question about the visions and they just shook their heads no.

"Welp, looks like there's only two paddles... Anddd your on the end so." Nathan said to Doc before starting to paddle himself with the other one. The boat was an old motor boat, so it seemed ridiculous paddling - but it was necessary to keep the walkers from hearing the loud motor. "By the way Doctor, there is no toilet paper where we're headed." He said and continued paddling. The boat was floating toward the other end of the large lake where the mountains were behind it. The water sloshed against their paddles as they made to the middle of the lake to take a break. Remembering Doc's odd mentioning of visions, Nathan spoke up, "Heard from Gabrielle and Isabella that a few people died in this lake."

"No you didn't." Joan said rolling her eyes at his attempt to creep out Doc.

[Espatier]

When Nathan busted out laughing it was apparent that the kids were in charge and the mother wasn't active in her role as a mother that would protect her child in this dangerous world. The children would do as they please and not listen to anyone else. This is a recipe for disaster and the kids will get someone or all killed in that home, it would be just a matter of time thought the doctor. So it will be time to move on with or with this group for death is looming near, maybe that was what the dream was about the doctor thought to himself.

"Yeah, I don't think so." Joan said with a slightly annoyed voice.

The doctor smirked at the comment.. ok, so they are not a couple then, but why .... jezz. Who can understand young people of today, everyone speaks in code the doctor thought to himself. They continued down to the dark waters of the lake.

"Well, looks like there's only two paddles... And your on the end so." Nathan said to Doc " No problem... just keep up with me" The doctor laughed. The doctor's thoughts fell back to his days at Georgetown University Crew team and the endurance that was need to row as part of a crew. It wasn't anything like that in this small boat but the doctor could defiantly handle this with ease, it was his forte`.

"By the way Doctor, there is no toilet paper where we're headed." That seemed strange to the doctor... I mean how many places that you have ever been to that didn't have toliet paper just lying around, everyone in the world didn't just say " oh, don't for get to grab every roll of toilet paper", besides the toilets would only flush once and not refill. The doctor continued to paddle then said " Seems kinda strange that everyone would grad every single roll, weird".

The Doctor talked about other things too... that was when Nathan said "Heard from Gabrielle and Isabella that a few people died in this lake."
" I imagine so" The Doctor replied

"No you didn't." Joan said rolling her eyes at his attempt to creep out Doc.

" That's ok... the dead in my dreams whisper to me their secrets and I'm just tiring to figure out what they are trying to tell me. " The boat got silent " This is the part where your going to make fun of me isn't it?" The doctor asked.

[Vgirl]

She chuckled as Isabella pulled her along once again. “I’m coming, I’m coming.” She smiled, shielding her eyes as they walked out the door into the bright sun. When her eyes finally adjusted she found a beautiful yard. A smile rose to her face as she slowly stepped took more steps towards the grass. “Beautiful…” She mumbled, looking around. Isabella brought her attention to the garden and her eyes widened, mouth falling out. “Wow…” She whispered, “Just wow.” She repeated louder this time, walking towards the garden. “Isabella, this is amazing.” She was at a lack of words to describe it any better.

Finally she began to hear clucking and she looked to where the sound was coming from. The coop was littered with feathers and as she walked closer she discovered that it wasn’t the best smelling either. She hurried over to Isabella when she heard her gasp and put a hand over her mouth. There was a hole in the coop and a trail of blood and feathers. “Oh no…” She whispered. Isabella seemed saddened by the discovery and Chloe made her way closer to the girl, putting a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. In any other situation they would think it was a wild animal, but now they didn’t know what it was and there was no way to replace whatever was lost.

Slowly she took her way from the girl’s shoulder and tried to give her a smile. “Come on. We should fix up the coop.” She winked and flexed slightly, “I’ll help you.” She said chuckling, trying to bring the smile back to her face. It would give them something to do and would help them in the long run. Besides, if they didn’t fix it by tonight, they would lose the other chickens as well.

[True Self]

"Guess J shoulda been more clear about where she invited you to." Nathan responded to Doc when the doctor was confused about the toilet paper dilemma. "See those mountains behind me?" Nathan asked Doc as he began rowing again. "We're headed there to re-stock on food and propane that we keep hidden in one of the mini caves near the mountain pass."

"Thiago wanted to keep the family's necessities in a secret location for storage and emergencies. If raiders attacked us, then they wouldn't be able to find all of our food and important supplies." Joan explained to Doc.

Both Nathan and Joan looked at Doc like he was a little crazy when he mentioned the whispering dead in his dreams, and Nathan was the first to speak up. "Dreams are just sleep illusions Doctor." He found it odd that he had to explain to someone far older than him that dreams had no real significance. "Anyways, trekking across this lake might seem like an inconvenience to us, but the mountains are the only way to keep the food preserved in Gabrielle's natural cooler."

"What do they whisper?" Joan curiously asked Doc with a highly interested look on her face. Unlike Nathan, she was less of a skeptic toward dream symbolism and she was anxious to know what Doc was speaking of.

The paddle boat arrived at the mountain's edge, and Nathan was the first to hop out onto the shore. He would've offered a hand to Joan, but he was not the gentleman type like Josef was. Joan checked to see if her automatic pistol was loaded before stepping off the boat herself. She stared off toward the mountain pass and scanned the area to see if there was any threatening movement. Nathan waited for the Doc to get out before reaching back down inside the floor of the boat to retrieve his own weapon. When he leaned back up, sharp hedge shears were visible in his hands. "Have to improvise at times like these..." Nathan said to them with a smirk. He hadn't grabbed a weapon for Doc, because he wasn't planning for him to come. "I would stay near us if I were you." Nathan said to the doctor, as he began to lead the way down the mountain pass. There were high shrubs and large rock formations as they walked and there were so many risks for a biter to jump out from behind at any time. Joan and Nathan walked on either side of Doc and Doc stayed in the middle just in case. Joan kept her gun raised and focused it at any corner or boulder that they had to pass. It wasn't too long before the three made it too a crowd of large rocks that seemed to be leaning against each other and in-between was a small opening that seemed too tight to squeeze through. Nathan walked to the side of it where a hidden, more reasonable opening existed. Once inside, there was an opening on the side of the cave's roof that let in sun light and it partially lit up all of the supplies. There were a good amount of propane tanks, a month's collection of canned food, and even back up fuel. Since the Doc had joined them, it would only take one trip to the boat and they'd be ready to row back to the house. Joan knelt down carefully to begin stacking as many cans as she could, but then she stopped with an intense pain in her shin.

"Tried to forget about that..." She mumbled when she looked down at the bruise, and reached for the cans. "Huh?" She said and stopped again to reach inside her pocket. When she discovered what it was, she smiled at the guys, "I know what we're having for dinner tonight." Joan held up a pack of hotdogs and remembered that she took them from that hotel in Denver. She left one pack in her pocket as a reminder and left the other packs in the truck.

"Fuck yes." Nathan said and his mouth began to water. "It's been too long..." He said, thinking about the New York Style Dogs that he use to eat back home. Nathan walked over to the back of the cave where several icey, rock shelves were that made up Gabrielle's natural cooler. The vegetables and jams were stored in jars that were sealed tight to preserve them better. Nathan asked the Doc to grab a few jars and he himself grabbed two tanks of propane. It wasn't long before they made it back to the boat and they filled up the boat quite nicely with the supplies. Joan was going to hop back inside to leave until Nathan stopped her with his words, "What the fuckkk...." That's when Nathan grabbed Joan's gun out of her hand and dropped his shears on the ground, before racing back toward the mountain pass. Joan's eyebrow's rose and she was starting to feel pissed off very quickly as she watched him run off with her gun. He stopped behind one of the high boulders and peeked behind with the gun aimed toward a mountain ledge.

"What the hell are you doing?.." Joan asked as calmly as possible before clenching her fists. She was not very happy at this point and Nathan had better have a good answer. Nathan put his finger to his lips and swayed his hand to signal for the Doc and Joan to get behind the boulder. Joan tried her hardest to keep her cool, but she really wanted to punch him in the back of his head.

Nathan stayed peeking behind the boulder for a good while before turning back around with a confused expression. "I thought I saw someone." He said to them. "Guess my eyes are just fucking with me."

"Give me back my fucking gun." Joan warned with a pissed off look.

The expression on Nathan's face was clearly angered and he shoved the gun back into her chest, "Here, take it." He felt he was only looking out for them and he acted out of surprise. Nathan just glared at her and waited for her reaction.

Joan's eyes widened and she let the gun drop on the ground. Before she could unleash, a human figure could be seen walking in the mountain pass in Doc's vision. The figure in the distance was walking to the right in the direction where a larger cave was at.

[Espatier]

"Guess J shoulda been more clear about where she invited you to." Nathan responded to Doc when the doctor was confused about the toilet paper dilemma. "See those mountains behind me?" Nathan asked Doc as he began rowing again. "We're headed there to re-stock on food and propane that we keep hidden in one of the mini caves near the mountain pass."

Doc listed to the explanation and nodded in agreement but wondered why they just didn't below the permafrost layer in the ground near the house.

Both Nathan and Joan looked at Doc like he was a little crazy when he mentioned the whispering dead in his dreams, and Nathan was the first to speak up. "Dreams are just sleep illusions Doctor." He found it odd that he had to explain to someone far older than him that dreams had no real significance. "Anyways, trekking across this lake might seem like an inconvenience to us, but the mountains are the only way to keep the food preserved in Gabrielle's natural cooler."

"Maybe so... but to me they are real and I have been experiencing "Déjà vu" so I'll leave it at that".

"What do they whisper?" Joan curiously asked Doc with a highly interested look on her face. Unlike Nathan, she was less of a skeptic toward dream symbolism and she was anxious to know what Doc was speaking of. " When we get back we can maybe sit down and trade dream to understand what they say to us... but you have to listen, it's that simple. " Doc smiled to her.

time passed and the boat landed finally.. Nathan pulled out a melee weapon "Have to improvise at times like these..." he said to them with a smirk. " Indeed" The doctor smiled back and followed the small group to the "cooler". While in the center doc felt that he had some value but he felt guilty that "J" was watching his back...

Gathering the canned goods, making small talk at the cave was refreshing until the unseen threat was see by the good doctor. Nathan was still pissed and so was "J" but a figure appeared from the woods. Doc moved without saying anything to anyone and took cover near a boulder, put his finger to his lips and swayed his hand to signal for enemy ahead.

This wasn't good... each and every time, those two argued and LOUDLY. Maybe this was the time it might cost everyone their lives. the doctor feared.

With two cans in his hands... this was as good as it was going to get. More than likely they attracted the attention of some biters. Now he wish he didn't come at all.

[True Self]

A promising smile began to curl at the corners of Isabella's mouth, and she said to Chloe, "Yes, we should fix it up." On the way, to the shed Isabella smiled fully this time and told her, "I am so glad you like the garden! Planting things makes me happy." Isabella opened the shed doors and peeped her head inside. Inside the shed were many tool and other things. There was even an four wheeler (ATV) that was parked in the middle. She pointed to a piece of plywood that was leaning against he side wall and excitedly said, "There is a wood that we can use!" Isabella helped Chloe carry the plywood out and Chloe found the extra chicken wire that they needed as well in the back of the shed. It didn't take too long before the chicken coop was patched up and Isabella took Chloe's hand to show her more of the outside. As they walked back passed the back porch, Isabella looked to the porch swing, "That is where my mother loves to sit and watch the sun rise and fall." She said to Chloe as they walked. "Come, I will show you my favorite place."

Isabella's face lit up as they grew closer to the lake, and she ran for the end of the dock. She spun around with a large smile and took off her sandals, so that she could place her feet in the water when she sat down. "Do you like to fish?" Isabella asked Chloe. "Josef tried to show me how, but I could not catch a fish." Her face turned pink and she spoke again, "Josef caught many fish and Nethan caught one baby fish." She giggled a little more than she probably should have at the thought of Nathan and his fishing. "My father... he use to love to fish. He always let them be free again after he fished for them." Isabella said, which made her happy. Just then, Isabella wondered about Chloe's parents and wanted to ask about them, but then she thought that she shouldn't. Instead, she just swished her feet in the water and waited for Chloe to respond. She pulled a red ribbon from the waistband of her pajama bottoms and proceeded to tie her hair up into her usual pony tail.

---

Sucking in a short breath of air, Joan decided it was a bad time to punch Nathan in the throat, so she picked up her gun from the ground. Keeping her distance for Nathan's own safety, Joan crouched near Doc and eased over to take a look at what was going on. Nathan was on the opposite side from them, hiding behind a shrub and taking a look himself. The distant figure entered the larger cave and once Nathan decided it was safe, he walked out from behind the shrub to retrieve the hedge shears he let drop near the boat. He unloaded all of the supplies he grabbed into the boat and then headed back to Joan and Doc. "I'm going to check it out." Nathan said, and made his way back down the mountain pass with the shears resting against his shoulder as he walked.

Joan didn't object and watched him leave without a care. She walked over to put the cans in the boat and sat down inside herself. "Ready?" She asked Doc. Her mind began to wander and Laina crossed her mind. No matter how mad Nathan made her, Joan remembered that it would never amount to what she'd done. If he ever found out, Joan wasn't sure how he would react. She put the paddle down that she was going to use to leave both of the guys if Doc didn't hurry up. Her face dropped between her knees and she blew out as much steam as she could before looking up again. Joan didn't say a word, but she just sat there and it was clear that she wasn't going anywhere without them.

Nathan made it back passed the smaller cave where the food supply was, and kept hidden behind high bushes and rocks as he drew near the larger cave. Someone or something was out here and, if it was human, there was a chance they could come across their hidden supplies. When he made it close enough, Nathan could see a cloaked person standing outside of the cave's entrance as if looking inside the cave to see if it was safe. Nathan snuck up behind the person and readied his shears to poke into the cloak figure's back. Before he did this, he quickly said, "Put up your hands and turn around slowly." The unknown person in the cloak walked forward as if unaware that he or she had been poked, but then began to twist around awkwardly to reveal a woman with fragile blonde hair. Her skin was grayish, white and her eyes were slightly yellow and hazey with darkened lips. A light rumbling groan escaped her lips, but the female walker did not lunge at him. Her face was oddly pretty as if she had only just turned recently and there was hardly any blood on her at all. Nathan jumped back and opened his shears to chop into the brain eater's neck, but was stopped by a whistling sound that flew passed his ear and he put his hand up to his cheek to find that it had been slashed. He looked at his hand to see the blood and then looked up to see a woman with shoulder length, strawberry blonde hair standing on the rocky ledge above the cave.

"Step away from her RIGHT NOW." The unknown woman said with a crossbow aimed at Nathan's forehead.

[Espatier]

“J” picked up her gun from the ground and crounch low next to Doc and eased over to take a look at what was going on. Doc could see that Nathan was on the opposite side from them, hiding behind a shrub and also.

“ Look” Doc mouthed to Nathan without speaking, while pointing to him eye first them, pointing in the direction of the person.

The distant figure entered the larger cave.

“ Damn it... we’re going to have to move all of that stuff, they walked right up into that place like they alrwady knew what was in that place”. Doc explained in a harsh whisper.

Nathan decided it was safe, he walked out from behind the shrub to retrieve the hedge shears he let drop near the boat. He unloaded all of the supplies he grabbed into the boat and then headed back to Joan and Doc. "I'm going to check it out." Nathan said, and made his way back down the mountain pass with the shears resting against his shoulder as he walked.

“ Whoa, whoa, whoa, what if he has a gun, may I remind you that a bullet can kill you if it breaks the skin and causes an infection?”.

Joan didn't object and watched him leave without a care. She walked over to put the cans in the boat and sat down inside herself. "Ready?"She asked Doc.

“ What?!, are you going to just let him walk by himself?” Doc questioned.

She put the paddle down , her face dropped between her knees and she blew out as much steam as she could before looking up again.

“ Shhhh!” Doc hissed “ I’m going after him, wait for us both.... please”.

Doc believed that “J” was going to leave them both but he knew that he could swim and it wouldn't be so bad of a swim if it happened.

By the time that Doc was coming up the trail. Nathan snuck up behind the person and readied his shears to poke into the cloak figure's back. Before he did this, he quickly said, "Put up your hands and turn around slowly." The unknown person in the cloak walked forward as if unaware that he or she had been poked, but then began to twist around awkwardly to reveal a woman with fragile blonde hair. Her skin was grayish, white and her eyes were slightly yellow and hazey with darkened lips. A light rumbling groan escaped her lips, but the female walker did not lunge at him. Her face was oddly pretty as if she had only just turned recently and there was hardly any blood on her at all.

Doc stumped backwards as he fell back onto a tree...

Nathan jumped back and opened his shears to chop into the brain eater's neck, but a whistling sound flew passed his ear and he put his hand up to his cheek to find that it had been slashed. He looked at his hand to see the blood and then looked up to see a woman with shoulder length, strawberry blonde hair standing on the rocky ledge above the cave.

"Step away from her RIGHT NOW." The unknown woman said with a crossbow aimed at Nathan's forehead.

“ Easy partner “ Doc yelled out as he exposed himself the possible shooter from a position near the boulders. “ Mike!” Doc looked at Nathan “ Mike, please... back away from this lady’s friend and lower your blades, please. “ Doc explained to Nathan hoping that he had some common sense in understanding that he was calling his name as mike for a reason. “ I’ll ask you to lower your weapon in good faith as mike has done, please” Asked the doctor from the strawberry headed woman holding the crossbow.

“ My Name is Bill and my next question is what is your name and why are you here?”

Doc was trying one to defuse the situation, two... save nathan’s ass. the doctor thought.

“ I don’t want to fight but if we must, then we must but that person “ Doc nodded to the dead woman by nathan. “she still mean something to you as mike means something to me”. Doc’s tone changed to a softer ring. “ if you want to trade, then let’s trade and be done with it, then go are separate ways then”.

[Vgirl]

Chloe smiled when she saw Isabella smile once again. Almost immediately her cheerful personality returned and it made her remember something she had heard once before, ‘Like water off a duck’s back.’ She chuckled slightly before taking the piece of plywood and carrying it over to the coop. While Isabella went to grab more chicken wire, Chloe found a saw and cut the wood into more manageable pieces. While Isabella held the pieces in place, Chloe nailed the pieces in, pushing on it to make sure it would stay in place. After that was done they fixed up the chicken wire and the two girls stood back to admire their work. It wasn’t professional, but it would hold and hopefully protect the chickens from anything else that came around.

It wasn’t long before Isabella took her hand again to show her around. As they walked past the back porch with the sun shining down on it, she couldn’t help but smile. She remembered back to when she was a child; a better time, a more peaceful time. Almost everyday her mother would take her outside to sit on the porch or deck and read to her. They read so much that it would barely take a few days to burn through single chapter book. She remembered how she would sit and wait on the deck for her mom to come out with a new and interesting book to read to her and how delighted it made her feel. It really didn’t matter what kind of book it was, being read to by her mother was always the best. A melancholic look appeared on her face for a moment before Isabella spoke again, causing her to quickly change her expression and turn to her. She didn’t even have time to respond before she was pulled along once again to a new place.

“Wow…” She said, staring at the beautiful water in awe. She could see why Isabella loved this place. Chloe shook her head in response to Isabella. “No, I’ve never fished before.” Chloe chuckled at her story and reaction. She seemed to be fond of Nathan, even if Chloe wasn’t, but she kept her mouth shut about that. As Isabella talked about her father, Chloe made her way down the dock, taking off her shoes and socks and rolling up her pants so she could sit beside Isabella and place her feet in the water. She shivered slightly at the temperature pulling her feet out for a moment before easing them back in.

By the time she was adjusted she turned to Isabella to see her hair tied up and she smiled. “You look good with your hair up.” She commented before swishing her feet in the water. “My sister used to love playing with my hair when it was long.” She chuckled slightly, “It was a bit of a pain and when I got it cut it took her a while to get used to it.”

[True Self]

The strawberry blonde kept her aim on Nathan and looked in the direction that the Doc was shouting from. She released an arrow at the Doc's feet and shouted back "Stay where you are!" He had gotten close enough for her to still hear him without complication though. The cloaked walker girl started to walk toward Nathan and he brought up his shears again, and that's when the woman on the ledge aimed her crossbow back on him. "Don't even." She warned with her finger on the trigger. She dared for Nathan to make a move.

"Are you insane lady?! I'm not going to stand here while that thing is coming at me." Nathan yelled, and stepped back to avoid contact with the cloaked biter. "Whoever that was to you is NOT alive anymore." Nathan stated obviously, but it was clear that she needed to hear it. Mike? Nathan thought when he heard the Doc, but he caught on quick to the doctor's fake names.

"She's not coming for you." The lady on the ledge said as she kept one eye on Nathan and the other on Doc. She heard what the man who introduced himself as "Billy" said and looked over at him. "I don't need to know who you are. Just leave us be." She warned again.

The cloaked biter girl got dangerously close to Nathan, but then maneuvered passed him to a dead bird that was on the ground with an arrow through it. The bird had just recently been shot down and it was still moving it's wings. The cloaked walker picked the bird up from the ground and bit into it's neck which killed it quick and she began to eat the bird piece by piece. She seemed to be the least bit interested in eating Nathan or Doc. When she was through eating, the blonde walker turned back to the cave and aimlessly made her way inside to explore.

Joan was growing more and more curious by the minute about what was going on, as she waited in the boat, and she decided she'd go and look for herself if the guys took much longer. Though, she still felt like she needed more time to cool down, because of what happened with her and Nathan. Joan sat there a few more minutes and then her curiosity got the best of her and she stepped out to go see how things were going.

---

Isabella gasped and she beamed at Chloe, "We can go in the boat! Josef-" Isabella remembered about Josef's arm and then thought of something else. "Maybe Nethan can show you. The three of us can fit in the boat." She said excitedly. "I am still learning, so it will be hard to show you how by myself." Chloe's compliment to her made her feel good and she beamed at her again with a thank you. "I have always wished to have a sister." She said as she pictured what it would be like. She also tried to imagine Chloe with long hair, but she just couldn't. Isabella wasn't the best at visualizing things and she really loved Chloe's hair the length it was. She picked her feet from the water and offered a hand to help Chloe up. "There is one last place I would like to show you." Isabella smiled in anticipation.

On down the lake, Isabella led Chloe to a large tree that stood near other trees, but this one was different. Built between the thick limbs was a nicely built tree house. "Before my father joined the police force, he loved to build things. Not as much as he loved to protect people, but he still built this with love. Just for me." Isabella said with a contagious smile. "I say that the dock is my favorite place now since I am older, but this tree house is more than that... it is special. I have not been up in a very long time, but my brothers go in all the time now, now that they have gotten bigger." She said with a giggle. "I know!" She said beginning to climb the sturdy rope ladder. "Follow me!" Isabella said with giggling laughter. She felt like a kid again as she climbed up the tree and made it inside the spacious house. It was quite homey inside with round pillows to sit on and small paintings that Isabella painted. Some of the paintings were damaged by the twin's rowdy playing and there were toy cars and other things that the boys had left laying around. Isabella kept her head leaned down as she walked over to a special corner where a little wooden table and chair was, and where a small closed, child sized easel was folded against the wall. "I would come here every day." She said as she got a rush of nostalgia. Isabella reached down to touch the table where her initials had been painted on with purple paint and it creaked and something flopped and fell flat underneath it with a thud. She looked below the table to see a painting of Thiago in his police uniform and it was very detailed and colorful. She kneeled down to prop it back up against the wall facing away from sight. She kept that special painting there, so the boys wouldn't find it. Isabella wanted to keep it hidden inside the tree house, because that's where she felt it belonged.

Something halfway covered beneath a round pillow on the floor was spotted by Isabella and she went over to see what it was. When she picked it up, it was a chocolate bar that had been forgotten by one of the boys. "It is still good to eat." She said with a bright smile and walked toward the window on the opposite wall and climbed out. "My brothers must never do this, but I use to do it by myself all the time." Isabella said to Chloe as she looked back at her and stepped onto a thick branch outside the window that hung high above the ground. She sat down and encouraged Chloe to join her. Isabella tore open the chocolate bar and broke it in-two and offered the other half to Chloe. "We can share." She said happily as she bit into her own block of chocolate. The branch Isabella sat on had a perfect view over looking the lake. Other branches hung down, but there was still a partial view of the mountains. Nostalgia was beginning to overwhelm her and she began to cry.

[Espatier]

The strawberry blonde kept her aim on Nathan and looked in the direction that the Doc was shouting from. She released an arrow at the Doc's feet and shouted back "Stay where you are!".

** Keep wasting those arrows, lady... keep shooting them ** Doc thought to himself. " Boy, do I wish that I had slept in the @#$#% truck I would be standing here with a bunch of idiots that hopefully will die soon" Doc's thoughts raced to all the events that put himself into this position. Doc began to tell himself that this group can't survive as a group and that when he return that he should leave.... after getting his rifle, of course".

the mysterious woman said to Nathan "Don't even." She warned with her finger on the trigger. She dared for Nathan to make a move. All Doc could do was watch in horror as that thing that once a human moved closer and closer to him. "She's not coming for you." The lady on the ledge said.

** Lady you are just messed up in the head!** the doctor was thinking as this this got closer but then passed him. ** Thank you lord jesus, budda, krishna or whoever is listening!**

The dead woman went for a dead bird that was on the ground with an arrow through it.

" Can you talk to the dead like me?. Because this one isn't talking back to me". The Doctor closed his eyes and hoped that he would have another vision but nothing came.
** Maybe I have to dream it?** The doctor thought to himself.

The Doctor began to retreat back to the rocks.

" Ok.... No one got hurt, let our people go!" The doctor yelled from safety now. " Mike, you ok?... can you move slowly back this way please" The doctor asked.

Doc wasn't sure but he thought that he hear someone coming from the boat...

[True Self]

"Is he sane?" The strawberry blonde asked Nathan after she took her aim off of him. The woman thought that the other man was out of his mind for speaking about the dead like that. She pointed her crossbow up, but kept it ready in case either strangers tried anything. She heard what "Billy" said and replied to him while looking at Nathan, "I'm not keeping you, so scat." She stayed where she was on the ledge and waited for them to leave. Nathan closed the shears and walked away to regroup with Doc. He was glad that at least someone came for him... he wasn't surprised Joan didn't. He turned back to see if the cloaked walker was still gone and then turned back to look at Doc.

"This crazy bitch doesn't want to talk, so let's get going." Nathan said, his lack of respect toward the woman was clearly evident.

Joan could see Doc and Nathan standing together in the distance as she began to walk down the mountain pass. The mountain scenery was always beautiful in the morning time and she just cleared her mind and took in a relaxing breath. She chose to let go of her anger toward what happened between her and Nathan, but she wouldn't forget. She wasn't too far in when something caught her attention in her peripheral, but when she turned to look there was nothing there. Joan turned around, but there was nothing but the lake not too far away and the boat just as before. As she turned forward again, she kept walking up toward where the boulder was and the high shrub was that the group was hiding behind earlier when they spotted the movement ahead. She drew closer to Doc and Nathan as she kept down the mountain pass and just as she was within screaming distance, she stepped passed another shrub to her right and she saw someone or something standing there in her side vision. Just as she jerked her head to the side to look, something lunged at her and knocked her in the temple with a blunt object. She fell on her stomach and lifted her chin from the ground to look at the Doc and Nathan not too far off in a dizzy daze. Joan didn't have time to yell out for help when she had gotten hit and she was still too far away for the guys to notice. She felt herself being drug away by her feet and she could taste the dirt before her eyes fell shut and Joan passed out. When they would return, the guys would find that the boat was empty.

[Espatier]

Doc waited for Nathan to clear the field of fire that the crossbow woman commanded to say the least. As Nathan cleared the area Doc told him "lets get out of here with what we got before something else bad happens". The doctor was relieve that no one was hurt and they were safe and sound. Doc began to run down the path to the boat, unknowingly passing "J"s position to get to the boat.

The Doctor just stood looking at the empty boat.

** This was about the stupidest thing...this whole day was fucked up. First the amputation, then the twin's hiding the rifle that COULD have changed this WHOLE outcome ** The doctor was thinking to himself. ** I should have stayed in the vehicle, matter of fact this was the last straw. I get back, play "cool" wait till someone finds the rifle, then leave. These people are going to die anyway. **

"Gezz" Doc spoke out loud " what the fuck..." Doc stamped his foot, then kicked dirt away. " We've been robbed... No, we were raped. I don't fucking believe this ....shit!".

" Lets get the heck out of here " Doc told Nathan as he came from behind. " This wouldn't have happened if I had that rifle, Damn it!" He cursed again. Doc kept walking in circles like he was missing something, then it hit him. " Where's "J"?". He calmly asked Nathan.

Both men looked around but saw nothing. Doc jumped the gun quickly by saying... " They kidnapped her!... I knew it, they followed us, watched us then took her!". Doc was upset about everything. The food was gone, some red headed woman played "head games" then took what belonged to the house. " What kinda of people are we dealing with?" Doc took his hands and went down to one knee. " How are we going to get her back?, We don't have a gun, Nothing useful..." He looked up to the sky then back down. "Maybe some frickin rocks and some harsh language will get them to lets her go?" Doc continued to bury his face in his hands. "What do you want to do? Follow them if we can find a trail?"