[IC] The Walking Dead - Among the Ruined - Season 3

[Myst]

Katie - Apartment - Decision

Katie didn't really understand what was going on. Why had Jacob left? Why had he gone on his own and left them behind?
The little one couldn't help but feel a little betrayed, even though the man had not been with them long he was still a part of the group and the group did not leave the others behind. What if he was hurt? What if he was in trouble?

People were voting on whether or not to go after him. Katie listened quietly until she realized a couple of them were looking at her. She blinked a couple of times blankly before it dawned on her that they were waiting for her to vote too.
No one had ever asked her what she wanted to do. She just always followed along with her daddy or was made to go along with whoever was in charge. It was a strange feeling, have to make a decision. What if she made the wrong one?

Katie bit her lip. She looked at her father, but he didn't give any indication as to what she should say. Neither did Scarlett. They wanted her to make this decision on her own.
But she didn't want to.

Anyone could see she was highly uncomfortable in this intense situation. Having just come from being kidnapped and nearly killed by a crazy man, she was not really in a position for serious decisions. Feeling like a big baby she buried her face into her father's hand, small tears squeezing out. "Stay Daddy," she said quietly but loud enough for others to hear. "Please don't go."

[Atomyk]

Danny - Cabin - Alex/Rob

"Not a woman," Shannon said. "A little girl. And there's no choice for me here... I'm going after her no matter what."

Danny let out a laboured sigh, staring at her. He could feel the tension in the room starting to rise. Shannon alone seemed to hold all the power in the world at the very moment, her very stare making him feel tense and electric. Perhaps Shannon had always been his world, and it had been foolish of him to think for a second that she had truly ever left him. They'd been brought back together not just once, but twice now, as if a magnetic force was pulling them together, forcing them through the cracks left behind by this apocalyptic world.

Danny couldn't possibly deny this force any longer, even as Alex reminded him of Outpost's predicament.

"Okay," Danny said, his voice low. He took a breath, trying to collect himself. "I'll go too." Looking to Alex, he shrugged. "I'd hate to ask, but we're going to have to. There's always the Watchers to defend Outpost, but supplies... Well, I remember when the Scouts consisted of just six damn people." Danny blinked at this memory, feeling as if it was suddenly banging against his chest. Myriah was gone. Reggie was gone. Matt turned out to be the worst of them. This moment-- this decision-- felt like the final time Danny would say goodbye to what had been his home these last six months.

"You and I are gonna have to ask, Alex. With Sylar gone, well... I'd say Luke should be the leader now. Maybe you. Maybe Gerry. That's your decision, anyway." With a look toward Shannon, Danny swallowed the lump in throat. He directed everyone in the room to follow him into the next room where everyone was waiting. Luke saw them first, instantly standing to meet them. He looked tired and worn out, more so than even after Reggie's death. The others looked just about as bad off. Finch, the older man that he was, just looked sick.

"We have some bad news," Danny began. "Enrique didn't release all his hostages. He took one, a girl named Emma. She's not much older than this kid here--" He pointed to James, who had taken to hiding behind Shannon. That Danny called him a kid didn't get a response this time. "Her brother was killed by Thomas... Or Tyler I guess, back in Haywood. I don't want to say that it was our fucking fault, because it was mostly mine, I think." Lucas looked ready to argue, but Danny didn't let him. "I'm indebted to this girl in a way. But, fuck, it's more than that. My friend Shannon and I, we're going after Enrique. We're not dumb, we're not going to rain fire we don't fuckin' have on them, but we're going to find a way."

"All of you, Rob, Finch, my friends from Outpost, you can choose where you go from here. I won't say Emma needs you more than Outpost because it just isn't true, but right now she means everything to us, so it's up to you if you... if you come with us."

Almost immediately, James stepped from behind Shannon. "I'm going!" he yelled, though Danny doubted a kid's presence would do much to convince anyone else. Finch followed soon after, muttering that he wanted to help as well. As they had established back in the other room, both Elliot and Richard wanted to go as well. Danny had to admit that the thought of Elliot being with him made him feel relief.

Soon, it was just the scouts who had to make a decision. "Sylar would want to go after them," Cody muttered, the tone of his voice unclear. Whether he meant that be a reason for them to go or not was beyond Danny.

"I'd feel better if you came back to Outpost," Lucas admitted, looking down at his glasses. He was cradling them, rubbing the lenses with his thumbs. "But... I don't know."

---

Tyler - Baton Rouge/Apartment - Scarlett/Liam/Katie

George had been counting on the kids to vote his way, so no one was surprised that Liam voted to go get Jacob. However, Katie's vote to stay brought an uncomfortable tension to the situation. Beyond that, Scarlett's vote and her accompanying speech was certainly the final nail in the coffin for George. Already leaning toward letting him go, Caleb, Tina, and Jace all voted to let Jacob go. They then all turned to Tyler expectantly, waiting to see what his vote would be. "Jacob helped save my daughter, so it'd be noble of me to say we go after him." He closed his eyes. "But... that's also why he left. He doesn't trust us. He's scared. And going after him isn't likely to change his mind."

Moving toward the living room windows, Tyler took a peek outside. "I don't know what you're expecting. That we find him in danger, rescue him, and then he trusts us? What do you think this is? This is real life. Grow up, George."

With that, Elyse and Adam hesitantly voted to let Jacob go, leaving George deflated and upset. He nodded, looking like he wanted to argue. "I, uh..." Instead, George went for one of the bedroom doors. "I'm going to look through the supplies we got." When he was gone, Tyler sighed.

Tina looked around the room. "Look, it's been rough. Let's just all... relax for a while, okay?" She looked down at Katie. "... Anything in mind, Katie?"

[Rithas]

Liam-Baton rogue- Tyler/Katie/Scarlett

Liam eyes flashed down to the ground as they voted to not go after Jacob. "Left to danger" He mumbled to himself as he pushed his legs closer to himself, in an almost fetal position. "Danger...." Liam stuck his head in his legs. "Nobody wants to stop him" Liam seemed to stay still, but if you were to focus on him you would see that he was trembling.
Liam took in a deep breath "So what do we do then?"

Rob-Woods

Rob stayed quiet, there was no time to talk, if he wanted to still be alive that is. He stayed quiet, completely quiet. When they were set free he stayed quiet. All quiet, right until He learned that Emma was gone, and was in fact captured by Enrique and his shit heads. "Oh for fuck sake" Rob wished he could have a peaceful week. A nice peaceful week where nothing would happen. Where he could relax about not being eaten, or back stabbed. Or back stabbed then eaten. He didn't know why, but he always ran into assholes wherever he went. They just wouldn't leave him alone. Walkers were so easier. Some peoples nature really seemed to shine in the world now. But they all knew that.

"Well...I'm going, She's been through enough already. She didn't kill me when I accidentally walked upon this camp and the fact that Enrique has for too many fucking times came up randomly and taken shit. She's kinda my friend...as well" Rob sighed as he rubbed his head. "Also it's kinda your guys fault that her brother died....so.....yeah..."

[SheriffLlama]

Abram - The Road - Group

Abram listened as Samantha spoke, seeming like she had just activated her survival thinking. "That was pretty much what I was thinking, so I think you're right." He positioned the middle mirror so he could look at her. "We can start looking when we hit the outskirts. We've only got two exits left." He said. He was comforted by the fact that Samantha seemed to at least have an idea of what she was talking about. He knew Jess was capable, but she had to worry about ben. Turisa looked like she was a ghost; nearly completely unresponsive to anything he said. He had no idea how Leah was when put under pressure; she hadn't really said much since he'd found her.

As the exit to Baton Rogue came upon them, Abram turned up the off ramp with caution, slowing the vehicle. As he saw the street was empty, he continued to turn right into a small neighborhood. The man pulled to a halt, weighing his options. Behind them, a bridge crossed above the interstate and headed into the city, but in front of them was the beginning of a neighborhood. A small part of him wanted to journey in to the city to find supplies, but the smarter part of him said to go into the neighborhoods. In the initial outbreaks, he'd always seen the heaviest infected population towards the most alive part of the city were everyone was. Meandering among small houses was far safer that winding through a maze of skyscrapers and office buildings.

Abram assumed the safer option, turning around the curbs and heading down the row of houses. The neighborhood slightly reminded him of his own home, long before the outbreak. Small, blue, cliche fenced in backyard... His only regret was that he'd been deployed so much that he didn't have half the memories of it that he wished he had. Of course, he'd made it for most of his daughter's birthdays, but he'd only been to two of her track meets; he'd only met the boy she'd fallen for in college once, and he felt like an overall failure as a father.

Shaking the memories from his head, he focused on driving; intending to get farther into the streets. The farther they were from the big city, the less chance they had of encountering a herd of walkers. He glanced to the right; spotting a rather fat-looking biter meandering around the front yard of a green house. He let it be, continuing down the street, but driving faster so as not to give it a chance to follow them.

Abram pulled to a halt when he arrive in a circular cul-de-sac. A tall house in the middle of the circle had boarded windows, appearing far more secure than the other ones around it. "Samantha, let's check this place out." He said. "Jess, Leah, and Turisa: wait till we come back." The man climbed out, grabbing his pistol from his belt. He left his rifle in the trunk, but drew his knife. He directed Sam to the driveway, going around the back of the house. A walker stood on the far side of the yard, unaware of Abram. He motioned for Samantha to stay, and he crept forward. Apparently, he'd earned the walkers attention, as it turned slowly towards him and snapped at him.

Abram quickly jumped towards the walker, plunging his knife into it's skull. He let it fall to the ground, then dragged it into the bushes. He turned and motioned for Sam to come around. The back of the house was accessible by a porch, and he stepped towards, looking to her. "Shall we?"

The House

[QT]

Hank and DeSean - Outskirts of Baton Rogue

Finally arriving at the East end of the the city, the group started to slow down, driving cautiously through a small town. They had just entered the outskirts of the place, so there wasn't much scenery. Like every other place they've visited, everything seemed rundown and ruined. Houses were nearly torn to shreds, vehicles broken and crashed on the side of the roads - it was an awful site, but not surprising.

DeSean never answered Aaliyah, he didn't know how to. Because Heather was riding with Hank, he couldn't make an inference on the woman's health. But it was smart of Aaliyah to ask them instead of Hank or the other vehicle. It was better not to get involved between Hank and Heather at the moment because things were spiced up as is. If they decided to speak, they would, but right now, didn't seem like either of them were in speaking terms. Jennifer on the other hand had answered Aaliyah - not much of a response, but one nonetheless.

What she had said was, "Were not sure, but let's check up on her once we make a stop. I'm worried like everyone else." Jennifer had been a people person all her life. She was a pharmacist after all, so had to deal with customers on a daily basis. At her job, they rated employees by show of surveys given to customers. Jennifer always got the best feedback from her clients - always. She was the best of the best at what she did, and surely she missed it. She met DeSean at work. The guy used to work in their warehouse as a stoker and cashier. Despite their economic differences and racial inverse, DeSean played a good game and got her for himself. He was a player, always getting the girl. Hank was actually the one that helped DeSean commit to Jennifer though. During that time, Hank believed Heather and he would be inseparable, but issues derailed those feelings.

Anyhow, the three vehicles finally came to a halt at a stop sign. They had a couple houses to both sides of the street and could see more down the road. Hank got out of his car along with Floyd and made their way to DeSean's vehicle. DeSean rolled down his window and looked at Hank. "What's our next move?" he asked the man. "I think we keep going down, head deeper in the city. That way we know if it's safe" Hank responded. "No. Let's just camp out here for the night. Me and Floyd can scout out the area before dark. We can le-"

"No De, were not separating" Hank interrupted. He signaled Aaliyah to come join them, get everyone out the car. Seth got out all slow and down. He still had a blanket around his shoulders as though he was sick, but obviously wasn't - just confused. Floyd returned to the truck and opened the door for Heather. With a nod of his head his intentions were clear - he wanted her and Imogen to join them in the huddle. After doing so, he returned with them, the whole team looking at Hank at this point.

Seeing all the eyes on him, Hank cleared his throat. He looked at Heather for a second before turning to the others. "I know......that in the last few days it's been.......distant between all of us. Thangs happened that drove each and every one of us apart....." he started, pausing to look at Heather one more time. His eyes had this glare in them again, as though throughout that remote time, he was able to get over the blockage in his imaginative road. ".....but we can't let this keep us down any longer. We have to come back. I know......that.....that I haven't been......back for a while now. But I'm here now, trying to fix thangs. We have to stick together. We don't know what's out there" he said, pointing down the road towards the inner parts of the city. "But we can't be surprised. We've seen it all, experienced it all. Together were stronger than this world, we can beat it. We've proven so. Nobody leaves each other's sight. We stick together" he finished and nodded at DeSean.

"Alright guys, let's unpack for the night, were staying in that house right there. Floyd, Imogen, make sure it's clear, but don't take too long. Aiden, get the truck" DeSean ordered the others as Hank took the liberty to go with Floyd and Imogen.

---

Floyd opened the door to the house first, letting Hank take lead. Hank had the rifle, Floyd just a seven inch United States Marine knife he found on their way to Baton Rogue. The two men scouted out the first two rooms, letting Imogen get the third. "Kitchen" Hank whispered to Floyd, signaling the guy to check it before moving on. "Clear" the redneck responded on high alert. "Imgoen, upstairs" Hank ordered as he moved to the living room, nothing in site. There wasn't any sounds either, which wasn't odd, just unused to. Usually they were fighting walkers, so it was kind of hard to believe there wasn't one in sight.

The two men then joined up at the back of the house, looking through the window to the backyard which was also empty. Hank was about to radio DeSean that the house was clear until he remembered Imogen had the upper floor. He and Floyd returned to the stairs and whispered up. "Is it clear?"

---

Outside, Seth waited beside Aaliyah. Seeing Hank return from his phase sort of gave him the courage to also walk away from the agony. He removed the blanket around his shoulders and gave it to Aaliyah. "Umm......thanks" he gulped, still not making eye contact with her, but blushing a little. He fixed his glasses and gulped again. "I'ma....help Aiden unpack the stuff" he said, walking off to do just that.

DeSean and Jennifer remained in their vehicle. "Is he really back?" she asked DeSean who knew him more than everyone else - possibly even Heather. "I don't know yet baby, we'll see I guess. He looks better though that's for sure" DeSean commented. "He actually looked at Heather did you notice? Do you think they'll get back together?"
DeSean's eyebrow raised as she asked that. "Are you seriously asking that? C'mon Jen! It's not the time to talk about that okay. In this......fucked up world, it isn't fairy tales and romance. Just worry about survival okay?"

Jen's eyes saddened, but she nodded in agreement. DeSean was right though, just put it a little on the blunt side. "Now c'mon, let's unpack so we can go inside."

[Myst]

Katie - Apartment - Play?

When her daddy asked her what they should do to relax, Katie wasn't sure what to say. Everything and everyone was so sad and it felt like when you stretch a rubber band too far.
She bit her lip and said the first thing that came to her mind.
"Play," she said quietly, then cleared throat and spoke again. "Play... we should play."

Going over to the wall with the mural, she picked up the paint brush she had been using earlier and went to a blank section of wall. She started to draw a crude picture of her kitten but stopped after only a few strokes. "Guess what it is," she said, turning to the others. When no one said anything, she drew a little more. "Now guess."
She went on until someone guessed she was drawing her kitten. Then she held out the brush. "Now someone else takes a turn. Start drawing and we have to guess what you're drawing."

It wasn't much and likely would not interest the adults too much, but Katie loved to draw and she loved games. Playing always made her feel better. Besides, the adults hadn't had any kind of play in so long she doubted they rememebered how.

---

Jessalyn - Road/House - Group

Jess bounced Ben lightly during the car ride. The motion lulled the baby to sleep, which was good. Sleep meant no noise. And since she had just fed him he would likely be asleep for a little while. She smiled down at his little face and kissed his forehead. She hoped they found a place to stay that had water. She needed to give him a bath and get one of her own. Cleanliness was highly important now, especially with a baby. They couldn't afford him getting sick. Well, they couldn't afford any of them getting sick.

Soon they were in Baton Rouge. An old Garth Brooks song, Calling Baton Rouge, started playing in her head and she started to hum it under her breath.
She winced and turned away from the window when she spotted the walker in the street. How many people had lost their lives here, on a day that should have been like any other normal day? Were their bodies still in the empty shells of their homes? Or had their reanimated corpses moved on, following the feast of human flesh?

They ended up in front of a large three story house. Abram and Sam left the three other girls in the car as they went to check out the house.
It was pretty silent in the car. Jess watched her baby sleep but her mind was somewhere else.
Well... with someone else...

Sitting in that house together... revealing their troubled pasts...
Sleeping together on the floor... right after she had sealed up his wound...
That last arguement... he had left the house...
that was the last time she had seen him...

Jessalyn felt herself tearing up. How many times had she beaten herself mentally for that arguement? If only she could go back... she would never have fought with him. She would have hugged him tightly and never let him out of her sight.
She tried to hold out hope that he was still alive, but it had been so long now. What if he was dead? Or worse, a walking corpse?
Jess shook her head sharply. She couldn't bear to think of him that way.
Where was he now? Had he moved on? Forgotten about her? Did he think she was dead too? Did he ever give her a moment's thought? Or was he glad to be rid of her?

What worried her more then the answer to those questions was the fact that she might now ever get the answers at all...

---

Heather - Baton Rouge/House - Hank's group

Heather barely felt when the car stopped, didn't even register people getting out. She had been a virtual zombie, pardon the expression, ever since her talk with Hank.
His words kept replaying in her mind. He had rejected her. Ever since she had been molested by those cannibalistic raiders he had barely looked at her. Did she disgust him that much? Did she disgust everyone that much?
No one spoke to her. They whispered yes, but no one spoke. No one understood. What had happened had broken her spirit. She was no longer the hard bitch she had been before, especially since the one person she had tried to lean on had made it throughly clear he wanted nothing to do with her anymore.

What was she to take from that but that he blamed her? That they all blamed her.

They all blamed her...
She was dirty... disgusting... filthly... no one wanted anything to do with her anymore...
Why was she even here anymore? She should leave... wander off and leave them be... maybe if she just started walking she could leave all of this behind her...?

Now.
Now was best.
No one was paying attention anyway.

But then her door opened. She looked up without moving her head.
Floyd, obviously wanting her to get out. She heard Hank's voice. Making a speech was he?
Her look said what she couldn't say : what else could he possibly have to say to bring her lower?

He wanted her to get out. Fine. She would oblige him.
She went to stand in the group huddle. She stared at the ground during Hank's speech. She didn't really pay that much attention to it. So he was suddenly moving on? How great for him. Well she hoped he didn't expect her to act like nothing was wrong. She had been sure you couldn't break a broken heart, but he had proved her wrong.
He had shattered her already broken heart.

Screw this whole 'staying together' bullshit. Things would never be the same with all of them, not when people looked at her and saw...
When she got the chance, she would make it easier on all of them.
She would leave...

[wolverbells]

Samantha – Neighborhood in BR

Samantha had been glad that Abram agreed with her. She knew what she was taking about most of the time, but the small altercation that her previous group had ran in to had made her second guess herself in every way. She had fallen into a deep hole of depression and anger. It was time she stepped up and tried to be more productive. Especially with a group as small as theirs. She needed them for her survival until she found Scarlett.

As they neared the city, Samantha’s stomach began to do flips of kind as she began to think of what they could possibly run into. She looked up as Abram took an exit and began to make mental notes of the things they passed. “I hope we don’t run into those trucks here….. The last thing we need is some unnecessary confrontation.”
Once they stopped in a cul-de-sac, Sam looked over her shoulder, towards the backseat and grabbed the closest blade to her. The less noise the better.

The blonde girl followed Abrams lead as they neared the house, nodding at him once when he motioned for her to stay still. It made her want to smirk at how he doubted her, but she didn’t argue. Not at a time like this. She pushed her old, arrogant thoughts away and reminded herself that it was all about strategy. If they wanted to stay alive for the moment, they needed to take things step by step rather than to barge into things. Her impulsive ways were now in the past.

Samantha’s eyes followed Abrams every move as well as sweeping the area around them every few seconds. Once he had taken care of the lone biter, she made her way over to the steps of the back porch. “Shall we?” The words made Sam smile slightly as she looked at the man and she nodded, walking up as quietly as she could to the door.
The house wasn’t too bad, and the doors looked sturdy enough to withstand any biters from either outside or inside. Sam reached down to open it and frowned as she heard the familiar clicking sound of a locked door. “No problem.” Her voice was a hushed whisper, barely loud enough for Abram to hear.

From her left boot, she slid out two slender metal sticks. “Lock picks.” She bit her lip as she stuck them inside the lock and played around with it as quietly as she could. It had been a while since she last picked a lock, so she feared that maybe this time she wouldn’t be able to get it. Her troubled thoughts were quickly eased as the click of the door unlocking rang in her ears. She slid the lock picks back into her left boot and looked up at Abram, giving him the heads up that she was going to open the door.

Grabbing the blade with her right hand, Samantha took a deep breath and opened the door. She let it swing open, hoping Abram would catch it before it slammed into the outside wall, and made her way into the house. She hardly every took the lead in the supply runs that her former group would make. She was fast, but she was small, so they’d always have her in the middle.

Once she made sure the room was cleared, she waited for Abram to walk in and from then she’d follow him, choosing to watch over his back than to leave hers vulnerable to a stranger.

_______________________________________________________________
Scarlett – Baton Rouge – Tyler, Katie, Liam

Scarlett sighed of relief when she saw that George had been outvoted. Of course she was sad to see someone go but at the same time, she didn’t know these people. The less people that were there, the easier she could sleep at night. It didn’t matter though. No matter how well she knew these people it wouldn’t help her sleep. She needed to find her sister.

Katie had begun talking with everyone else about playing, and as everyone moved towards the couches and chairs, Scarlett took the opportunity to slip away from the group.
She quietly made her way towards the stairs and down to the first floor. She didn’t dare go past the last step though. Instead, she sat down on the second to last one and leaned against the railing, watching the sun begin to set in the outside world. Her mind began to drift back to the days where she would have killed to be outside. When she’d sit in class and stare out the window wanting to feel the sunlight on her skin. Now, all she wanted was to be indoors. To never see what was beyond the front doors.

She’d have to leave soon. She’d have to set off and find Sam. In all honesty, she could have been in another state by now. All she could hope for was that Sam had either escaped, or was already dead. Either of those two was a better option than being man handled and passed around like a rag doll.

Scarlett’s eyes began to fill with water as she thought about her sister. The tears spilled and ran slowly down her cheeks as she thought about what fate her family had been given in Arizona. Hopefully they were somewhere safe. Just like there had been massive sanctuaries in other areas, there had to be some in her home state. All she could do was pray that they had gotten to one in time.

[SheriffLlama]

Abram - Baton Rogue Neighborhood - Sam

Abram watched as Sam produced the tools from her boot, working the lock. When she finished, he cracked a small smirk. "I won't ask where you learned to pick a lock." He said, bringing his pistol to eye level. He pushed the door open, checking each corner of the room; right, then left. The procedure was engraved in his head; as it was with every soldier. Before the outbreak, his storming procedures were executed alongside a man 6'5 and twice his size, not a girl that barely hit 5'3.

When he saw that the back room was clear, he allowed enough room for Sam to come inside. The room was a white kitchen, equipped with all the necessities. The man looked around quickly, opening a door to find a small pantry with a rather unpleasant smell. On the lowest shelf sat a large stack of canned goods. "Cans..." He remarked to Sam.

He looked through a tall, open doorway into a living room, and a set of stairs lead to the second floor. He stepped into the living room, his eyes scanning for a threat. A large, now useless, plasma screen TV sat on an entertainment cabinet. Cautiously, he stepped to the staircase, making his way up. He checked two of the three rooms, leaving the third for Samantha.

The large bedroom looked like a master bedroom, outfitted with a large TV and a king size bed. The smaller bedroom was filled with a large bed, adorned by a bright green cover. He stepped to the nightstand, where laid a cracked picture of a teenage girl and a boy. Abram suddenly felt strange, taking over these people's houses. He put the thoughts aside and continued into the hallway again. He opened a small door that shielded a short staircase. At the top of the steps, Abram saw that he had entered the static, the temperature in the room drastically warmer because of the insulation. If the cold became unbearable, they could come up here and sleep in the warmer temperature. The limitation was, however, the fact that there was no exit besides the staircase.

As Abram went out back, he saw a small part on the side of the porch that could be removed. He knelt down and pulled the plank away, seeing that the space between the porch and the ground was almost two feet tall. It was a perfect place to crawl into in case of an emergency... The house seemed almost like the jackpot.

He went inside as Samantha rounded into the kitchen, chuckling a bit. "It looks like we've found ourselves a home."

[Roran Hawkins]

Alex Clark - Cabin - Danny/Rob

He blinked his eyes as if a glass of ice-cold water had been thrown in his face when he learned that the hostage not released was a child. A bloody child. He frowned and sighed deeply as he let his face rest in his hands, leaning heavily on the table. This entire fucking situation... Danny however, or Rudy, whatever he was, stood up and decided that he would go save her together with Shannon, and Alex looked up at him with newfound respect and a tingue of sadness. Somewhere he had hoped for Danny to return, but alas. He followed the group towards the next room, where he leaned against the wall, trying to stay awake as Rudy began his speech.

"We have some bad news, Enrique didn't release all his hostages. He took one, a girl named Emma. She's not much older than this kid here. Her brother was killed by Thomas... Or Tyler I guess, back in Haywood. I don't want to say that it was our fucking fault, because it was mostly mine, I think. I'm indebted to this girl in a way. But, fuck, it's more than that. My friend Shannon and I, we're going after Enrique. We're not dumb, we're not going to rain fire we don't fuckin' have on them, but we're going to find a way. All of you, Rob, Finch, my friends from Outpost, you can choose where you go from here. I won't say Emma needs you more than Outpost because it just isn't true, but right now she means everything to us, so it's up to you if you... if you come with us."

Alex overthought the conqequenses of what Danny had just said. He sighed as he let his eyes scan the gathered crowd, and before he had much chance to see what their choice would be, James, Elliot and Richard were prepared to join Danny. He himself felt conflicted. He wanted to help Danny save that girl. After all what Enrique had done it was the right thing to do. But could he really abandon the Outpost? Looking at the Scouts, a bunch of exhausted, demoralized and disappointed men, he knew that that was all that protected the Outpost from the crawlers and other humans. They were needed, however pitiful they looked. A wry smile broke through on his face as he realized he probably looked pitiful aswell. A short moment later it was clear that the group around Shannon, those used as hostages during the stand-off earlier that day; would join Danny and Shannon, while the Scouts remained indecisive, waiting untill someone of their own group'd give an example.

"Sylar would want to go after them," Cody muttered, but did not add anything about what he was going to do either. "I'd feel better if you came back to Outpost. But... I don't know." Lucas added to Cody's words. Alex stepped forwards and sighed deeply.

"We are, thanks to our actions, as much responsable for that girl's safety now as the safety of the people back at the Outpost." He began, avoiding calling the Outpost his home. He still did not feel anything near 'at home' there at all. "Helping to save that girl is the right thing to do, but we cannot leave the Outpost unprotected." He continued, looking at the scouts gathered in the cabin. "I suggest that we split in two groups, one with most of the firearms we still have to protect the Outpost, that still has to be our number one priority, to create a safehaven in this mess of a world, and that another group will aid in saving that girl, Emma." Alex said, adding her name to give some more personality to who or what they were saving. "I'll be going to save that little girlwith Danny and Shannon."

Despite some approving nods and a thankful gaze of Shannon, he just felt as if he signed his own will.

[SheriffLlama]

Emma - Bed & Breakfast - The Pack

Emma observed Enrique's eyes as he stared at her. Slowly, he cracked a smile and laughed a little bit. "I like that, Chiquita... She has nerves - I like that." He pointed at her with his right index finger, stepping towards her. "Aye, see that's what all of you boys need..." He looked to Trey and motioned inside. "Take her inside, get her something to eat."

Trey nodded and gripped Emma by the arm, pulling her towards the building. He closed the back door, and led her to one of the rooms. The room was furnished with a bed, a desk, and a broken television. Trey dropped his rucksack on the desk and unzipped it, producing a large can of soup. He pulled out a large bag of utensils and pulled out a spoon, replacing the bag. "Hope you like vegetable soup..." He muttered, sliding the can and spoon across the desk. He produced a knife and began to offer it to her, but then hesitated and picked up the can. He worked the lid of the can off and then returned it to it's place.

Emma took the can and ate quickly; trying desperately to satiate her hunger. Trey looked at her, slightly amused. "When was the last time you ate?" He asked. She gazed towards him, but didn't respond. "Not very talkative... I see." The man nodded slightly. Emma sat the can down when she was finished. "Keep the spoon." He said.

She slid the utensil into her pocket, straightening herself. Trey set a bottle of water on the desk and zipped his bag, sliding it onto his shoulders. "Like I said earlier.... don't do anything stupid." He went towards the door and opened it.

"Why do you follow him?" Emma questioned before he left. The man turned his head in surprise, but his eyes seemed to search for his answer.

"Enrique.... has some dark methods. He also has dogma and I respect him for that. He's also saved my life several times." Trey said. "Everyone has their problems, but not everyone is as respectable as Enrique." With that, he closed the door and walked away."

[wolverbells]

Samantha – Baton Rouge Neighborhood – Abram and the girls
Samantha had stayed quiet as the two of them slowly made their way from the back room to the rest of the house. She had observed the cans and whispered quietly to Abram that they’d go through every cabinet and drawer that the kitchen had for any food once they were done settling in.

The house was rather nice. It gave a very homey vibe and it made Sam feel comfortable to be in it. Hopefully lady luck would be on their side so she could be able to lay low here for a few days at the least. They could certainly block the entrances with the couches and, fortunately for them, most of the windows were boarded up. This way, the small group could move freely along the house without having to worry about being spotted.

She kept close to Abram, not letting anything distract her. She followed him upstairs and stood at the last step, looking both left and right. After watching him make his way down the hall with the two rooms, she decided and going the opposite way to the other room. On her way there, to her left, was a bathroom with the door wide open. She paid little attention to it, giving it a quick once over to make sure nothing or no one was inside, before continuing to the room. With a deep breath, Sam gently opened the door with her foot, moving ever so slowly as she entered the room.

It was a sort of nursery. Not really a room for infants, but not exactly a toddler room. There was a mix of baby toys and toddler toys scattered around the room and by the back wall were two beds that were made for children that were transitioning from the cribs to big kid beds. Sam lowered her blade and sighed, smiling a bit. The room was part blue and part pink, giving signs that the kids that once resided here were fraternal twins. It was a like a blow to the stomach as the thought of her own twin sister popped into her mind and she wiped the few tears that had slowly fallen from her eyes. The room was connected to the same bathroom that she had passed in the hallway and didn’t bother to walk into somewhere where she had already been.

She had stayed for a few minutes in the room, running her hand over the children’s belongings and opening up a few drawers. “Clothes….” Her voice was a hushed whisper as she dug through the baby clothes and grinned. The young mother that waited for them outside would be more than happy to hear what they had found inside.

A creak from the hardwood floors made Sam’s head snap up and she quickly snapped back to reality, grabbing the blade once more and walking to each door to find Abram. The second floor was empty, so she practically skipped down the stairs only to find him coming back in through the kitchen from outside. She was glad to see him smile, and hear him chuckle. It meant they were in the clear. “Good.” Sam responded, the same light tone in her voice. “I’ve always wanted a two story house. We should tell the girls. I’m sure they’re growing anxious. Plus, I want Jessalyn to see the baby room upstairs.” She patted him once on the arm, the same way she’d hit her old soccer teammates when they’d win a game. As she walked past him she glanced over her shoulder as she remembered what he had mentioned about her lock picking skills. “Oh…. And I only learned how to pick locks after the biter mayhem started. Someone had to unlock all those dorm rooms in the university.” She grinned and turned back to look forward, turning the corner and making her way towards the front of the house. Once she had gotten to the truck, she waved at the girls and walked to the side of the truck, helping Jess and Leah out. “You guys will like it in here. Especially you, Jess. I think you’ll like what I found upstairs.”

[Damo021]

Aaliyah and Imogen - Baton Rouge/House - Hank's group

The group had finally reached into the east end of the city as the group of vehicles slowed down, carefully picking there way through a small town area, it was definitely the outskirts now and much like New Orleans the place didn't seem to fair any better looking run down and ruined as much as the last place it was a awful and sad site to see but alas one which was not to much of a surprised for people nowadays... It felt much like the norm. There was a momentary silence on the radio from Aaliyah's question, maybe no one knew how to answer? or the group was far more separated then she feared. Eventually Jennifer answered her, the answer didn't do much to calm her worries over Heather but was a little reassuring that others cared but she agreed with Jennifer about checking up on her, At least communication was slowly coming back a little more for them.

The group came to a stop at a stop sign, Aaliyah couldn't really see why but more concerned at glancing around every now and again to make sure there was no walkers nearby or coming out of the run down houses, fortunately the coast looked clear as she looked ahead out the window to see what was going on. She could see Hank followed by Floyd go over to DeSean's vehicle but seemed to be discussing something that warranted them to stop at a potential dangerous, It was around that time Hank signalled her over and got the others out of the car to go over to the rest of the forming up group while Floyd open the door to motion them out of the vehicle and group up with the rest of the group, Imogen grabbed her Crossbow from the seat, She already had her other weapons on her always to be on the ready for anything in a new area while Heather still looked so down and out... Poor woman.

After Hank made his speech, it was great in a way that the group seemed t be slowly going back to their old selves, Hank appeared to be suddenly back out of no where, like how the hell did he just do that? Aaliyah made a note to check up on him on it later just to make sure he was okay. Imogen on the other hand followed Hank and Floyd into the house that was selected for them to stay in for the night, As the two men scouted the first two rooms Imogen checked the third. "Dining Room clear" She whispered keeping alert with her crossbow loaded and aimed in the direction she was going, Cautiously she made her way up the stairs ordered to check, Other than the odd creek coming from Imogen as she stepped on a few steps there was no other real sound at all, it was eerily quiet but this did not stop her from doing what was asked of her without hesitation.

Imogen checked every room upstairs thoroughly including wardrobes in the bedrooms, behind the shower curtain in the bathroom, she left nothing a miss as there was no walker insight.. Hell she even cautiously checked the large Airing cupboard in the hallway just to make sure no unpleasantness where not shoved in there, after all no one wants a lethal surprise in the middle of the night. Soon after she came to the top of the stairs seeing Hank and Floyd at the bottom. She smiled a little at them. "All clear up here guys." She answered. While this was going on inside Aaliyah was still outside with the rest of the group She smiled as Seth gave her the towel he had been wearing all this time and thanked her as she folded it in her arms she nodded and smiled at him as he went of to help Aiden unpack the stuff as he put it, but it was cute to see him sort out his glasses and go.

Aaliyah did not go to assist with unpacking any stuff like she normally would with the medical supplies but instead wanted to check up on Heather more than anything else, There was enough people to help pack while she went over to have a quiet word with her close friend, She was worried sick about the woman.. feeling like she let her down and should of been the one to take her place and go back then when something horrific happened, She still to this moment was not even sure what it was as Imogen certainly wouldn't tell her. Was it for her own good? either way her friendship and care for Heather never wavered and she wanted to let her know she would always be there for her. Standing next to her Aaliyah gathered her thoughts for a moment.

"Hey" She said softly watching as the others went to work on unpacking. " I just wanted to say I am sorry.... I feel that it should of been me out there and not you." She paused for a moment. " I know something bad happened to you out there and I wont force it upon you tell me, But I wanted you to know for what it is worth my door is always open for you to talk to me okay." Her speech was soft as she looked at Heather for a moment she gently placed her soft hand on Heather's shoulder. " I am worried about you, so are the others even if it may not seem like it, I asked about you while we were on the move.. What I am saying is we still care about you, You have been there for me since day one and I will always be here for you." She stopped after that as she stood with her friend weather anything she said got through or she said what she meant correctly but Aaliyah could only hope.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Turisa - Baton Rouge Neighbourhood – Abram and the girls.

The ride to baton rouge was mostly a quiet one with only Abram and Samantha speaking when they slowed and turned of at the ramp, Turisa had been quiet as a ghost on the journey, she had been so used to being alone for so long it was hard and strange to be with other people, Every time she ended up with some one something happened like the girl with the asthma that went of looking for her father. What made it harder was Jessyaln with her baby.. Turi never knew if any in the group especially Abram even noticed the picture she had not hidden in the glove box of the lost infant child which had destroyed her so much, it was the one of the main reason for her being so silent and non responsive, It was like fate playing a little joke on her for failing.

They soon turned down into a quiet part of the neighbourhood, literally it was silent, It made sense coming into these kinda of areas as they tended to less populated than that of the central or down town area or larger cities, from her experience Abram made the right choice and a safer one at the but remained silent as she was looking out through the window checking the surrounding's it was clear this used to be a nice area that had been turned into nothing more than a ruined with run down houses, It was a awful and sad site indeed. A walker caught her eye but the fat things was mopping around a green house and luckily never caught it's attention.

Abram eventually brought them up to a Cul-de-sac and pulling up in front of a three story house, A lot of the windows were boarded up meaning people used to be here, did it originally get over run or did they just leave in hope of finding another or safer place? either the way place looked much more secure than anywhere else and was in a quiet neighbourhood. Abram took Samantha with him as he told the other girls to stay in her truck as the other two left towards the house to check if it was secure for the small group, despite Turisa best efforts to keep an eye on them from the truck she lost sight of the two as they went round the back of the house from the driveway, other than that it pretty much stayed silent in the truck with no one really speaking up. The wait was evil and long, Turisa even wondered if the two if they got inside were okay or not she was getting anxious and frigidity resisting the urge to jump out the truck and check in on the place herself.. After all she was a cop even if from the wrong state.. It wasn't as if the jurisdiction still stood any more.

Fortunately Samantha had returned to her truck and waved to the three of them, this must of meant that the house was clear and secure enough for them, It would be interesting to see what was inside, The woman was helping out Jess and Leah out of the vehicle while Turisa grabbed the truck keys before climbing out of the passenger side she was on. She took a moment to look around, despite the sight the area seemed so peaceful, although quiet was something she was not used to coming from Chicago to New Orleans but being a city girl probably had something to do with that. When the girl's were clear of the truck and of the road Turi looked at the driveway before looking down the road from the Cul-De-Sac for a few moment and actually spoke for the first time in a while.

" You guys go on ahead, I am going to back up the truck on the driveway." She said with that hint of Latin in her accent, She then moved over to the drivers side of her truck before climbing in, She started up the truck and drove it round a little so the rear was facing the driveway as she looked ahead up the road, There was a temptation to just drive up the road and go and leave them. That very though alone made her think of herself and what she had become just thinking of abandoning people, She had been alone for so long dealing with her own trauma that she seemed to loss herself, She was a police officer, sworn to protect and serve.. Something she failed in greatly, She once had a great heart to but since been broken and closed.

The truck sat there for a few more moments in the street. She looked in the mirror seeing the three other girls and one with the child before looking down at her own picture. "Dam it, get a hold of yourself Turi" She whispered to her self and shook her head.. Putting the vehicle in reverse she drove it back and onto the driveway making sure the vehicle was close and get to leave with if necessary for the group. Switching the engine of and climbing out she locked the vehicle before looking at them again, before looking down a little and away and as went round and into the house to find Abram in there, First impressions where good, in fact the best place she seen in a long while.

[Myst]

Jessalyn - Baton Rouge House - Abram, Leah, Samantha

Jess cocked her head curiously when Samantha mentioned finding something upstairs. She couldn't imagine anything she was specifially be happy about except something that would benefit her baby.
She cuddled Ben, who was just starting to wake up, and followed the girls into the house. When she saw the room, she gasped and went still, staring with wide eyes. Slowly she entered, almost afraid to breathe in case it was a dream. A baby's room... toys and clothes... diapers and teething rings... even a rolling walker and a crib.
Tears sprang to her eyes, she smiled and looked at Samantha. "I'm sorry, I love it I really do. It's just that last baby room I saw was... the baby had been..." she shut her eyes as if to shut out the memory. Hurrying forward, she laid a slightly fussing Ben down on a padded rocking chair and began going through the clothes. She was crying happily and was sure the others thought she had gone mental.
"It's like a miracle!" she exclaimed, holding up the clothes and wiping her eyes. "Clothes! Actual clothes! And diapers! No more scraps of cloth. I can actually put my baby in real diapers."

Ever since he was born Jessalyn had felt guilty for not giving him the things she wanted to give him. That he had to wear an old tied shirt for clothes and had to use scraps of cloth for makeshift diapers, that she had no toys for him to play with or cuddle, no supplies of any kind.
But here she had everything she could possibly need for him. Why had no one taken these things? Raiders or drifters? Why had these things that were useless to others but priceless to her left behind?

Suddenly she stopped smiling. Jess leaned back and looked at Samantha bewildered. "What kind of a person am I?" she asked, shocked at herself. "Am I really celebrating because someone's children are likely dead? How can I be happy about someone else's tragedy?"

---

Heather - Hank's Group - Aaliyah

Heather listened as Aaliyah spoke. She knew the younger girl was trying to help, and she knew that the girl actually believed everything she was saying.
"It's nice that you care," she said after a moment. "But the others don't, so don't speak for them. Especially our fearless leader," she added bitterly. "He has made quite clear he wants nothing to do with me."

She rubbed her face to stop herself from screaming, raging or both. "I assumed everyone knew," she said quietly. "It doesn't make any difference now. You might as well know so you can be disgusted as well. You should at least know so that you can stop wishing it upon yourself."

Heather went to the car and sat in the seat, waiting for Aaliyah to join her so that they would be out of earshot of the others. "We were attacked," she said, staring off into space as the memories came back. "A group of scavengers we thought were looking to rob us, but it was more then that. They were..." she sighed, not really wanting to say it. "They were... they were cannibals Aaliyah. Crazed hillbilly lunatics who wanted to eat us. But not before they had their 'fun' with me..." she looked down, not wanting to see the disgust in the younger girl's eyes. "They held me down and attacked me. They molested me and attempted to rape me. Hank tried to fight them, but they hurt him badly. There was nothing he could do. If Floyd hadn't appeared when he had..." she didn't even finish the thought. She cleared her suddenly dry throat and looked at the sky, still not wanting to meet Aaliyah's eyes. A few stray tears fell down her cheeks. "He has barely talked to me since, and only then to basically tell me to leave him alone. He wants nothing to do with me. And the others?" she scoffed. "They just whisper about me, like I'm some kind of wounded animal that they are trying to decide whether to shoot or not. Maybe that would be best. Put me out of my misery, you know? I could have gotten through this. I could have. With him. But now..." she shook her head. "Now I'm broken and he is moving on, ignoring the pieces."

[QT]

Hank - A new day

As the house was pronounced clear, Hank told Floyd to recheck the entire place again. He signaled Imogen to come back down. "Let's get settled in here for the night. Have Aiden help you bring our stuff inside. We need to move fast though, I'd prefer being inside right now, before it gets dark. And Imogen.." he paused, placing a hand on her shoulder as she finally got down to the first floor. "....keep an eye on Heather for me alright? I'm just.....worried" he said in a whisper" then tapping her shoulder again and smiling as he left the house and moved towards the truck.

He and DeSean started to unpack, taking a majority of their stuff into the house. Floyd on the other hand was doing laps around the house, not literally, but walking and checking every spot. He still had his knife strapped to his belt just in case, but no real firepower. Suddenly he paused as he saw something on the ground. He crouched down and picked it up. In his hand was a dirty small teddy bear the size of his hand. That's when he started to remember things he thought he had forgotten. He remembered the first time he put his hands on Jess's stomach. He gulped and sniffed trying to forget, doubting he'd ever see her again. It had been so long, yet he still had some hope left. The world was big, or empty or whatever. The odds of them finding each other again was one-thousand to one, but those odds had been proven wrong once before.

Anyhow, Floyd finished his little check up and headed back to the house. By the time he got to the entrance, he noticed Seth, Aiden, Jennifer, Hank and DeSean were already inside. Aaliyah and Heather were still talking outside. "C'mon! It's gettin dark!" he called out to the two women as he entered the house, leaving the door slightly opened for them to follow.

Hank and DeSean were in the kitchen talking - map on the table in the center. Floyd took the liberty to join them, leaning on the kitchen's door frame. DeSean turned to Floyd and just nodded, which Floyd returned the gesture. "We'll head down this rode in order to prevent the center of the city. That's looking like downtown, we'll be safer to stay away from there. That's probably high in population" Hank stated. "Are we all goin?" Floyd asked from his position. Hank turned to the man, then back to DeSean. "Yeah, were not leaving each other's side anymore. Were safer together, stronger too. Were all going" Hank assured. DeSean nodded in agreement. "Alright then, let's just get some rest now, we'll start tomorrow morning."

With that, the little group was dismissed. Floyd stayed in the kitchen and sat near a corner, sharpening his knife with a knife sharpener he found in a cabinet. DeSean took his wife upstairs to one of the rooms where they started talking to each other about who knows what. Hank on the other hand returned to the main room where Seth and Aiden were. Seth turned to Hank, looked to see if he was doing alright. Seeing the young adults concern, Hank put his hand on Seth's shoulder. "You alright?" he asked him. "Are you?" Seth asked in return. Hank swallowed, unsure how to answer. He felt as though he was alright, as though he was coming back to his usual self. But deep down he still had doubt. he wasn't sure if he was faking his return, or if he'd actually return. But despite that doubt, he gripped the Asian boy's shoulder tighter. "I'm here" he whispered at him. "I'm here" he repeated. "Now let's all get some rest" he said aloud to the rest of the group.

[Atomyk]

Tyler - Baton Rouge/Apartment - Scarlett/Liam

Most everyone was thankful for something to take their minds off what had just occurred, so they were more than willing to play along with Katie's game. On the couch, Adam laughed a little and offered, "So, uh... an animal?" Then, quickly, he snapped his fingers. "Wait, sorry, I'll be more specific. A dog."

Caleb, leaning over the couch with a smile, shook his head. He pointed to Katie's yet-to-be-named kitten. "Definitely a cat."

Off to the side, Tyler found himself relaxing, smiling broadly at his own daughter taking charge to cheer the others up. It was just a game, but it meant more than that, really. Everything felt so much more significant these days, when life expectancy was cut so much shorter. It was why Tyler couldn't really relax completely when two of the people he thought he could count on had just promptly left. Perhaps George just needed some time to calm down, but Scarlett... well, Tyler didn't want her running off as well.

He slipped away to follow her out the front door. He didn't have to go far to find her, for she hadn't gone further than the bottom of the stairs. Tyler paused awkwardly in front of the door, staring down at her and recognising what probably should have been a private moment for the girl. He almost said something, but instead chose to lean against the wall in silence. If Scarlett thought he was watching her to make sure she wouldn't leave, then that was fine by him. He really didn't want her to go, so if he had to come off as domineering in order to assure that, then so be it.

---

Danny - Cabin - Rob/Alex

He watched as Shannon looked relieved at the amount of support they were receiving. He too was thankful for the outcome, especially so when Alex made the suggestion of splitting the scouts into two. A part of Danny pained at taking these people away from Outpost, but his obligation to Shannon and Emma meant everything at the moment. The compromise was fair... more than fair. It was far better than Danny thought he deserved. Still, when he thought about it, it wasn't about him at all; it was about Emma, and Danny thought that poor girl deserved a lot at the moment.

Quickly after Alex, Chris stepped forward and said, "Me too. I want to... so bad. I can't let that guy go." Nodding, Cody hastily agreed with him.

Danny looked toward Jerry and Lucas, the two scouts he'd known the longest. They both look conflicted, but eventually Jerry said, "I'm not leaving Outpost. Sorry."

Lucas shrugged at that. "I'll go. I mean... it's not forever. I haven't been able to get my mind off what happened at Haywood... I think this is fair. I think it's right."

Realizing she was one of the last to make a decision, Charlie awkwardly touched at her hair. "I... wouldn't be much help to you guys," she said. With a small sigh, the girl reached down and gingerly touched at her leg. "My leg's still a mess. At least in Outpost, I can be on the wall if I have to." With a few awkward glances toward each other, Phineas and Zane eventually mumbled that they'd rather go with Charlie back to Outpost.

With that out of the way, Danny felt like he could finally breathe. He smiled at Shannon, and she smiled right back. It was absolutely ridiculous they were smiling over what was likely a deadly rescue mission, but it was finally a moment where they felt like they were truly doing something. "I'm tired of being a victim," Danny recalled Shannon saying the night before. "I keep having to watch people around me get hurt, and I can't ever do anything about it." It might have been foolish, but this was Shannon finally taking control, unwilling to be a passive member of this world.

They began dividing up the weaponry, giving the bigger share to Jerry's group like Alex requested. There wasn't much to go around, as it was largely the scouts providing the weapons. Danny's group still had the weapons from the safe, but he was harshly reminded that it had been the scouts' property begin with. Still, there was enough for everyone to carry something, excluding Liam. Elliot was eager to get his hands on something, but Richard was in his face at every moment, reminding him of the dangers of guns.

Danny wished they could take more than just a few extras, but it simply wasn't possible. It was with a heavy heart that he handed the last of the ammunition to Charlie, who smiled at him sadly. It was getting late at this point, and the scouts had to get back to Outpost. Jerry offered that Alex take the vehicle, but Danny said they needed it more. They left with little fanfare, but in the silence that followed their leaving, Danny realised that their mission had truly started.

In the common room, Lucas detailed an immediate plan of action. "Taking the trail Enrique took, it'll put him closer to Metairie than to New Orleans. Can't say where he'll go from there, so that's why we need to catch up. There should be a scout vehicle on one of our routes into the city, but Enrique may have... compromised it. Or taken it, even. Either way, we take that route into the city and find a means of transportation as soon as possible."

Danny nodded, agreeing with Lucas. He looked around the room, finding himself met with grim faces and determined expressions. "There's no time to sleep," Danny asked. "Not until we find a vehicle. Everyone ready?"

And so their trek into the city began. To Danny, it almost felt like a scout mission.

[Rithas]

Liam-Baton Rogue-Scarlett/Katie/Tyler

Liam looked up as Katie began to draw, he curiously watched as she drew something. At that point there was no guessing what it was. "Ah....um" the more she drew the more Liam was quietly sure what it was. He didn't say it of course, as if somehow it wasn't he would be rather embarrassed. But, eventually it was called out. Katie then offered for someone else to draw. For a quick second Liam eyes dashed to the others. Before very hesitantly getting up to take the brush. Liam smiled faintly, He remembered how everyone said he was brilliant at drawing. That he was destined to do something with art, to be honest Liam always wanted to do animation of some sorts.

"Uhm...." Liam placed a finger to his mouth as he thought about to draw. He didn't want to bore them with a long, if good drawing. But there were so many drawings, suddenly Liam smiled as he started to draw a rocket. Well, a cartoon one. He didn't remember what the real ones looked like, so he just drew a few bits of the rocket before turning around. Did anyone even remember rockets anymore? "Guess"

Rob

Rob went back to watching as the scouts decided who was leaving and who was staying. Rob thankfully had his own ammo and gun. Well, once he found it after it was taken by Enrique group. He watched as they made up a plan, which was basically catch the hell up before it was too late. Rob sighed as he moved off the wall. "Let's go save someone!" He said wistfully.

Matt-Baton Rogue-Tremblay, Magnus

Matt was busy talking to Tremblay about the place when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around to see a man who was around the age of tremblay, if not a little bit older. The man seemed to smile as Matt looked upon him. They both seemed to examine each other for a second before both smiling once again. The man let out a hand. "My name IS Magnus, pleased to make your acquaintance " Oh how fancy. Matt looked at him, he guessed he was important. or just....really wanted to meet him. But he seemed to have this aura of importance.

"Ah, Nice to meet you, I'm Matt...Micheal didn't speak of you? But we didn't have that much time to speak anyway" Matt smiled as they shook hands.
Magnus chuckled. "Most often don't, But....you could call me second in command here. I'm pleased to hear that you will be joining us." The man's eyes seemed to betray his face. All it did was very sternly look at him. It reminded Matt of a bond villain.

Matt looked back at Tremblay, looking at his face to see how he was reacting. Even if you couldn't get much off him.

[wolverbells]

Samantha - Baton Rouge Neighbourhood - Abram and the girls

Samantha watched as Jess began to get excited over their find. She quietly walked over and kneeled next to where Jess had laid her baby and began to make cooing noises at him.

When she began to speak up about how bad she felt, Sam frowned and shook her head, wanting to reassure Jess that everything was alright. "No. Hey.. Don't worry. You don't know where these people are. Maybe they found refuge elsewhere. The doors were all locked and the windows are boarded up. That means they knew what they were doing when they left the house." Samantha sighed and stood up, walking around and looking through the room. "You can't let things like that cloud your mind, Jess. Not anymore. You have to be strong for both you and your baby. Don't forget that."

Sam took her leave, letting the young mother and her son have some alone time in the kids room. She made her way back to Abram and gave both him and Turissa a small smile. "We should probably begin to secure the doors again. I doubt we'll have enough time to make a supply run today. Sunset isn't too far off."

Scarlett - Baton Rouge -Tyler

After a bit of silence, Scarlett looked up as she heard the creak of the wooden floor under someone's step. She already knew that she wasn't going to be left alone for too long. Especially after the young man had made a run for it.

With a sigh, she reached up and dried her tears before glancing over her shoulder to see who it was. Tyler. Of course. It didn't feel uncomfortable for him to just stand there. It just made her a tiny bit upset that she wasn't able to get a few more minutes alone.

"I'm not going anywhere. You don't have to watch over me like a child." Scarlett stood up and managed to smile at him when she turned to face him. "I've made both you and Katie promises." She began to walk up the stairs and stopped when she reached the top, waiting for him to move out of the way. "I keep my promises. My time to find Sam will come. For now I just have to hope for the best." Her voice was soft, listening out to the others playing their game of sharades.

[Myst]

Jessalyn - Safe House - Longing...

Jess nodded. Samantha was right.
"Thank you," she told the girl as she left the room. She looked down at Ben and smiled. He was here and now. She needed to focus on the present. Sending up a quick prayer for the family that used to be here, the young mother started undressing her baby boy from the dirty torn and stained old T-Shirt she had used as clothing for him. Now they had actual baby clothing and it was all little boy clothing. She rubbed her cheek against the soft material.
First thing she did was use some of the water from her bottle to pour into a cup and wash him off a bit. She kissed and made raspberry noises against his stomach, making the baby laugh and giggle. Not loud enough to bring danger but loud enough for the others in the house to hear. She dressed him in a blue onesie with a cartoon lion on the front. It was a footed onesie so his feet would stay covered and warm. Ben giggled and kicked, loving the feeling of clean soft clothes.

Jess smiled. It was that warm smile that only mothers seemed to have. Her eyes were soft and full of love. At that moment, she glowed like the sun.

But... there was still something missing.... something she desperately needed... someone....

[Roran Hawkins]

Alex Clark - Cabin

Soon everyone who wanted to join was ready, and two teams were made. Most of the weapons and supplies went to those returning to the Outpost. The already depressed sphere turned grim as those preparing to save the girl prepared themselves to move out. Danny led the 'campaign' and got the entire group moving with the strict rules that there would be no sleep untill they'd find a vehicle. Alex didn't entirely agree with that, since it wasn't very practical, but he understood that it was more of a sign to tell the rest they would be moving at a high pace. All day long. Alex himself felt strangely awake after the sleepless night of the fire, the chase and this entire thing. He remembered the feeling from pulling all-nighters to finish assignments at university, but he knew that after a while he'd be hit by a wave of terrible and irresistable exhaustion.

[HellHoundWoof]

Enrique-The B&B- Emma

Enrique bent down and picked up the knife, he tossed it to Buck. He motioned for everyone to walk to the bed and breakfast, he pointed to Berkley and then to the shed. Berkley understood and moved to the shed checking for weapons or fuel. Enrique himself walked back to the Bed and Breakfast and instructed the rest of the scouts excluding Trey to go and unload the trucks, and then hide them nearby, and to remove to keys. He wanted to be as careful as possible, so long as no one knew where they were they could be safe. After everything was loaded inside the Pack was tasked with securing the bed and breakfast, looking for any side entrances, covering all the windows with cloth and cardboard and paper. Everyone restocked on ammo and got some food, Enrique had Trey tie Emma's hands but she could still wander around. She would be sleeping in a bedroom upstairs where Trey was to watch her. Enrique himself was sleeping in a corner on the ground floor, with a view of the front door. He had a small gas burner in front of him heating up a can of beans. Colton was sitting in a small wicker chair and cleaning his rifle, the two were having a casual conversation about the time before all this. And the movie that Buck had quoted earlier, Gladiator. Enrique was thinking about Sylar in the back of his mind, it wasnt exactly his worst fight but he could have done better. He thought about how Amanda would have reacted, then remembered it was Sylars fault. The bastard was the reason she was dead, he set the fire. It peeved at Enrique that there was no proof, it was unprovoked, but it helped him to have someone to blame. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, he shook one out and held it in his mouth. He stretched out his left leg and raised himself off the ground a bit so that he could reach into his back pocket, he felt the lighter and brought it out of his pocket. He lit his cigarette and then stuffed the lighter in his pocket. He took a short drag off the cigarette and then tapped the ashes off of it.

"Man I miss the old days, when it was simple, good guys and bad guys. Not scrounging for food, everyone for themselves no good, no bad, just people. And we gotta do what we gotta do to keep our people alive, and I fucking hate that. I have gone so far over the edge that I've just lost sight of the morality. I killed Sylar like it was nothing, I would have killed that kid who was aiming the rifle at me. Hell I fucking cut Georges throat for mentioning Amanda."

He took another long drag and blew the smoke upwards looking at the ceiling, "I think I'm loosing it Colton, I feel like I'm not just a survivor, I feel like a fucking bad guy."

"With all due respect," Colton said looking up from his rifle, "Bottle that shit up. If you loose your nerve, we get fucked. Understand? You are our leader, if you start having some emotional fucking crisis in the apocalypse, people die! And its a weakness to have those emotions, these guys? The Pack? They respect and love you out of fear, fear that if you arent leading them someone worse will. That they'll die without your leadership, so you bottle that emotion shit up."

Enrique smiled and looked at the intensity in Colton's eyes, he let out a chuckle and flicked the ash off his cigarette.

"You are almost scary," He said laughing a bit. He took a final drag of his cigarette and then tossed the nub, he pulled the beans off the fire and began eating them with his knife blade. They were piping hot but it felt good, like warmth rising from his stomach. It made him chuckle and he offered some to Colton who graciously accepted.

He was