[b]Katie - Apartment - Play?[/b] 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. -------- [b]Jessalyn - Road/House - Group[/b] 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 [i]someone[/i] else... [i]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...[/i] 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... ---- [b]Heather - Baton Rouge/House - Hank's group[/b] 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 : [i]what else could he possibly have to say to bring her lower?[/i] 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...