[color=662d91][b]Lorelei Jones – Jones Residence[/b][/color]

[i]God…my head… [/i]

Lorelei’s green eyes fluttered open and she gently placed her palm against her forehead. She had been rudely invited to a new day. She rose to sit against the head of her bed and took a deep breath. Her entire body and her entire bed had become painted in a sweltering layer of sweat and she had drifted into a long state of unconsciousness without a single article of clothing.

Lorelei reached for her end table and seized one of the two beers at her bedside. She immediately put the bottle to her mouth and her back sank into her plush pillow. The events of the previous day were fuzzy to her, but as she ingested a bit of liquid courage and came to, the important details become more articulate. She rolled out of bed and slipped into some clothes, putting on a white tee and high-waisted jeans while neglecting her overcoat. Steve would be disappointed in that oversight. She ran her fingers through her sweaty hair and shook her head. Right about now, running water would be a divine thing. But she would have to retrieve some to fill the tub – the tediousness of it all made her tired even [b]thinking[/b] about it.

Once she was ready, Lorelei swung her rifle around her back and shuffled downstairs, grabbing a water bottle from the cupboard. She stepped out onto the porch and folded her arms. There were more people about than she remembered. The house next door had been pried open. [i]Have I really been out that long? I hardly recognize this place at all. [/i]

Lorelei’s gaze shifted to the left, where a faint tower of smoke was visible by the ocean. She pursed her lips and hopped off the steps, heading toward the trail before she stopped dead in her tracks. 

[i][b]BANG.[/b][/i]

Lorelei’s reflexes kicked in and she immediately swung her rifle off her back. [i]It’s too early for this shit.[/i] She pulled back on the bolt and headed in the direction of the reverberating gunshot. She raced to the edge of town to find Steve and Rook staring down an unidentified group. A body lay at Cooper’s feet, a pool of blood accumulating on the ground. She pointed her rifle at the unfamiliar group and stood next to Steve.

“…the hell is going on, Steve?”