[indent][b]Mark[/b][/indent]
Mark shifted uncomfortably over the bed sheets, turning his neck awkwardly as he rested his head in a new spot to try and keep his face cool. Waking up wasn't an elegant scene for Mark. He groaned as he realized he wasn't going to get any more comfortable, and made an effort to crack his eyes open. Immediately, he was blinded by the California late afternoon light as the sun beat through openings in the curtains with heavy rays. He sat up slowly, and brought his knees in almost cross-legged for balance as he hunched over; rubbing the corners of his eyes with his knuckles.

At some point in the night he must have moved into the bedroom unknowingly. Wait, he remembered now. The Heineken bottle lay empty next to him now on the bed, as well as two cigarette stubs whose ash now stained the white sheets beside him. Mark glanced around the room, cluttered with strewn about clothes among other things at which were likely the result of a few raids by other survivors searching for something useful. He was surprised he got any sleep in the state he was last night, and at that he slept quite a long while, but he felt the anxiety he had previously now returning.

Mark reached for the pack of cigarettes on the night stand, and drew one from what remained. Hastily, he lit it with the tiny amount of juice left in the lighter tucked in a wrinkle of the bed sheets.

Within a couple of minutes he felt better, and slipped out of the bed effortlessly. He paced around the room for a few moments, taking a drag or two before he tossed the burning cigarette aside onto an uncluttered space of the hardwood floor - and pulled his navy long-sleeved shirt off, and threw it to the side of the room. He stepped over an empty adidas bag and went digging through the nearest pile of clothes. Mark didn't intend to be picky, but there was no way he was going to wear one of these V-necks..

It didn't take very long before he lifted a crumpled t-shirt and briskly slid it on over his torso. It was a simple solid gray tee. Luckily the guy was a size small like Mark. However, as the weeks went by of Mark barely keeping himself together and alive throughout the outbreak he had come to feel very uncomfortable with his arms exposed. It felt dangerous, seeing as those corpses would turn you by a bite or scratch. He wanted his skin covered, even if an extra layer would cook him... Although Les Stroud would always say if you sweat, you die.

Mark browsed the closet for something appropriate. There were only a few jackets he could find still hanging up, but one stood out. It was of a brand very popular in the southeast, one his older brother wore religiously - a Carhartt. It was a dark, almost chocolate brown Carhartt chapman jacket. He retrieved it from the hanger and put it on slowly, testing how comfortable it would be if he found himself bleeding sweat like a sprinkler at any point. It didn't feel too reliable, but whatever right? Oh gosh, Mark was actually being picky.

He stepped out of the closet, rolling his shoulders before straightening the collar. Briefly, he padded at the arms and forearms of the sleeves to check how durable they were. They were fairly tough, he thought to himself; rough more than tough.

Mark strode out from the bedroom now, the door creaking open with a wide swing as his 'goober' boots, as his JROTC instructor called them, thudded heavy steps over the floor into the hallway. He had a new cigarette between his lips now, smoke falling from his nostrils momentarily after a long drag. He looked sidelong into the living room, hesitating a step as he saw that a walker was shuffling around on its knees near the sliding glass door. It had gotten on the balcony during the night. It saw Mark now, and began growling and pushing itself into the door - not realizing what was in front of it. It was relentless.

He roughly guessed how many were out in the courtyard from what he got a glimpse of last night, and he was in no mood or ability to try that route out of the neighborhood. Mark hoped the main street through the rows of condominiums would be safer, plus he was relatively close to the gate entrance right off of the road.