[center][color=#00FF72][b]C A R S O N   H A C K E T T[/b][/color][/center][indent][sub][color=#00FF72][b]Location:[/b][/color] [i]Valero House[/i][/sub][sup][right][color=#00FF72][b]Timeframe[/b][/color] [i]Early Morning[/i][/right][/sup][/indent][sub][hr][/sub][indent][sub][color=#00FF72][b]Interaction(s):[/b][/color] [i]Survival Squad group chat[/i][/sub][/indent]
One of the last things Carson expected was a text message. For a moment he thought who it could be as he fumbled for his phone. His dad? Did the Helena approach shore to try to establish contact? Mom or his sisters? He hadn’t heard from them since they sent him a message claiming they were being evacuated out of Fayetteville by air. Nope, a local. Who was Jason…? The skater guy, right. [color=#00FF72]”You got the message too?”[/color] He looked up from the chess board.
Similar questions had swirled around Alena’s mind. She knew the forest cottage where her parents had been spending time was far from civilization. Did her mom or dad find a hill that had cell reception? Nope. [color=#FF7F00]”Aye. You answering?”[/color]
[color=#00FF72]”Yeah, I got it, but the meeting’s past my bedtime.”[/color] In order to keep the night watch and still get enough sleep, the survivors at Valero’s had staggered schedules, with Carson usually sleeping between 13:00 and 21:00.
[color=#FF7F00]”Hmm…”[/color] She scratched her chin, scribbling into the watch schedule. [color=#FF7F00]”How about you go to bed when we get back, I’ll take your watch and you take mine? An overnight shift will work better for the hunt than a morning one anyway.”[/color] She’d just signed herself up for 21 hours awake with only a three hour power nap, but she’d have things to occupy herself with and university had made her go through worse. That statistics course in the third semester was brutal.
[color=#00FF72]”Alright, thanks.”[/color]
With that settled, Carson shot the group a quick message before they went back to their chess game.

[hider=Message][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/M1M6WMX.png[/img][/center][/hider]
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[center][color=#FF7F00][b]A L E N A   S O K O L O V Á[/b][/color][/center][indent][sub][color=#FF7F00][b]Location:[/b][/color] [i]Valero house - nearby streets[/i][/sub][sup][right][color=#FF7F00][b]Timeframe[/b][/color] [i]Noon - early afternoon[/i][/right][/sup][/indent][sub][hr][/sub][indent][sub][color=#FF7F00][b]Interaction(s):[/b][/color] [i]None[/i][/sub][/indent]
She didn't even know someone in the town had her number, though given the situation she didn't mind one bit. Of course she first had to ask mr. Valero where the gazebo the message referred to was. No matter, as the situation involved all of them, she would've told him of the meeting regardless.
[color=#FF000C]”It’s good to see people taking initiative.”[/color] He said, a bit embarrassed that he hadn’t done anything himself earlier, [color=#FF000C]”Let me know what you cook up. But Eventually, you will have to let others in on it.”[/color]
[color=#FF7F00]”Stand together or die alone, I know.”[/color] She reassured their host, [color=#FF7F00]”If there’s any trouble, call and we’ll come running.”[/color]
Immediately, she threw a few extra things into her crossbow case - a spiral-binding notebook, a mechanical pencil and a map she got out of mr. Valero's car, readying it to grab it whole and go when the meeting time approached.

[code]13:30[/code]
[color=#FF7F00]”So, do you actually know anyone else in that group?”[/color]
[color=#00FF72]”Eeeeh… We’ve said ‘hi’ to each other when we passed in the street?”[/color]
[color=#FF7F00]”You’re not a people person, are you?”[/color]
[color=#00FF72]”Well how many do you know?”[/color]
[color=#FF7F00]”None.”[/color] She admitted immediately, [color=#FF7F00]”My flight home was supposed to be leaving ten days from now, I didn’t think it’d be necessary. Aside from you and mr. Valero, the only time I’ve spoken to someone from here at length was when I went to see doc Barlowe to ask if she’d take me on for a few months. Fuck it, let’s go make friends.”[/color] She grabbed her trusty, budget Hypertac and slung its the case over her shoulder, setting out early.

The two walked carefully, hunting crossbow and polehammer made of a fence pole, a paving block, rope and duct tape at the ready, taking note of which houses were showing signs of activity and cursing the cold along the way. The walk took about three times as long as it should’ve, Alena stopping every few dozen steps to look around and listen. Everything had gone upside down and inside out. Usually when trying to be unseen and unheard, she looked ahead, trying to pick out horizontal lines in the predominantly vertical lines of a forest, hunting. Now, she was concerned about what was behind her, looking for vertical, humanoid shapes in a city full of vertical lines and pretty much being hunted. Finally, they stood at the designated meeting place.
[color=#00FF72]”Quarter to two. Now, are we that early, or are we in the wrong place?”[/color] Carson shrugged.
[color=#FF7F00]”You tell me, you were leading.”[/color] She sat down, both of them keeping an eye on the earnest buildings.
[color=#00FF72]”If we’re in the wrong place, they’ll send a message.”[/color] He dismissed his own concerns, taking a seat on the opposite bench.