[b] New Orleans - The Bus [/b]

Abram smiled as he watched Jess play with her baby. The little boy was so small, but he had made such a huge impact on his mother and Abram. The man had come to be very protective of Jessalyn, protecting her as if she were his own daughter. This sense of protection sounded and made itself known when he spotted something out of the window. It was in the woods on that side of the road, where he spotted a man - a living man - walking past them.

He removed his pistol from his belt and set it besides Jess. "Stay low, I'm going to check out the area." He exited the bus, drawing his rifle. Stepping into the woods, the man watched the figure move in the heavy rain. The rain would muffle the sound of his footsteps, so he made no attempt to be slow and stealthy. It was when he lost sight of the man that Abram became worried. The man slowly kept on his trek, warily watching the woods ahead of him.

"Hold it, buddy..." A voice came beside Abram. His body swiveled and he came face to face with a very ugly man. His mustache and beard were grown out far too much to look remotely decent, and his face was grimy and filthy. "Hand me the rifle, and put yer' hands up!" He snapped. His barrel almost touched Abram's left temple. In a quick motion, Abram swiveled to his left, bring his elbow to the man's head, and send him back. The man attempted to aim again, but Abram's hand came to his shooting wrist, twist it hard. The man dropped his gun with a cry of pain.

Up at the road, the bandit's friends were moving towards the bus. The leader, called Nate, quickly jumped up the bus stairs and pointed his assault rifle into the first seat.
The barrel pointed directly at a young girl who held a small baby. The girl instantly moved to protect the child, but Nate grabbed the pistol in her hand, wrenching it away.

"Hold on, little missy, we ain't gonna hurt you..." He said in his thick Louisiana accent. "Just looking for some food." Nate was a handsome man, and he was quite charming as well.

It was then that a loud shot pierced the air, and Nate's ears twitched and so did his body. "Hank, c'mon! Eric, you stay here!" The man said, and he and his friend left the bus. Eric eyed the girl for a moment, glancing her over... She was a pretty one, that was for sure. He knelt down, removing his ball cap.

"Evenin' ma'am," He said in a southern accent akin to Nathan's. "You got a mighty fine boy right there... He looks like a healthy one, too." Eric came close the the girl's face. "Who's the father?" He smiled in attempt to appear sweet, but all the while, his hand slid closer to her leg. Before he could lay a finger on her, a pair of dark hands came around his head, one seizing his chin, and the other gripping his throat. With a violent pull, Abram snapped the man's neck, dropping his corpse to the ground.

By that time, Abram guessed that the raiders had found their dead friend in the woods, as a barrage of bullets shattered the bus windows. Abram threw himself to the floor, covering Jessalyn and Benjamin. The bullets ceased and Abram took this opportunity to crawl to the stairs of the bus, jumping out and laying prone on the ground. The man took his rifle and pointed the barrel under the bus, getting a clear view of the woods. He aimed down the scope, searching the trees for a target. It was then that a short man peeked out from a tree, firing his assault rifle at the bus, Abram quickly caught the man in his crosshairs, pinpointing his head and firing a single round to kill him.

Quickly, he got up to avoid being spotted. The flash of his rifle had been totally visible against the black road. The sniper dropped to the back of the bus, hiding himself behind the wheel of the vehicle. He fit his barrel under the crook of the wheel and the ground, aiming down the scope. He searched the woods for the sight of another bandit, but he could see none. Then, he spotted it. It was a barely visible, very minuscule glint of metal, but it was enough to give away the man's position. Bullets sailed towards Abram, but the man rolled over behind the wheel in time to dodge them. He quickly repositioned himself, trying to spot the man again. Where had he gone? Abram jumped to his feet, returning to the bus. "Jess, we gotta go-" He was cut off as a hand grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him to the ground. He saw a tall man, most likely the one that he'd been shooting at, standing above him. Abram quickly threw he heavy kick upward, sending the man back a few feet. He jumped to his feet and charged the bandit.

The man threw a heavy punch at Abram, but he retaliated with a swift dodge, throwing his knee into the man's stomach. Abram tackled the man to the ground, kneeling to his chest. He threw a heavy punch to the man's jaw, warranting a pained grunt from the bandit. Abram reached for his knife, but the man kicked it away, placing his feet under his chest and throwing the soldier back. The man picked up Abrams knife and swung hard towards Abram's neck. The man sidestepped, grabbing the raiders arm, and wrenching the knife from his hand and turned towards him. He took a heavy stepped forrward and plunged the blade into the back of the bandits hand. Abram watched the man fall to the ground. He quickly went to bus and stepped in. "Jess, we have to leave... the walkers heard all that..."