StoreTyler - Plaza - Liam/Jacob
Berk looked to Jacob, his night vision goggles staring in the man's direction. Tyler swallowed a lump in his throat and said, "But-- But Katie needs me." She needed him to protect her from people like Berk. Tyler couldn't die now, especially not before he could ensure Katie's safety. Even if Jacob was bluffing, Tyler couldn't stand for-- "Ah..." Maybe he was wrong. It was entirely Tyler's fault that this man had gone mad. Tyler had always been the one putting his daughter in danger, no matter how loud he preached about protecting her.
"That's no good," Berk finally replied. "He has to see this." He repositioned the knife at Katie's neck, but was surprised when she fainted in his arms. He managed to keep a hold of her, but as if on cue, music started blasting from the electronics store, playing some sort of pop song from before the world went to hell. Berk froze at this, completely confused at what he was hearing. His hold on Katie loosened, but Tyler was still afraid to take a shot. In the corner of his eyes, he managed to see Liam lurking behind Berk.
In the precious seconds it took Berk to recover, Tyler grabbed the flashlight off the ground and put it directly in Berk's eyes. The man fired his gun in response, but the shot went wide. As Berk attempted to rip off the night vision goggles, Tyler rushed forward with the flashlight. "Liam! Grab Katie!" he yelled, running with the intention of bowling Berk over. He desperately hoped Jacob would cover him if this plan went badly.
Tina - Plaza - Scarlett
She nodded eagerly, desperate to get off the street. "We can check out what's causing that racket later!" Or, well, never, as it probably was no one sane bringing the dead toward them. They ran down the road and burst into the clothing store. Tina heard a gunshot over the horn echoing from behind her. She led Scarlett through the bloodstained hallway and into the department store, where they were forced to witness the start of Tyler rushing toward a man holding Katie. Tina stood in place, frozen, unable to even comprehend what was happening.
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Tyler - Plaza - Jacob
He nodded along with Jacob's plan, though he wasn't sure how easy it would be to scare off a group of raiders. "We're going to need to get a look at them then." He looked toward Jace and Caleb. "That okay with you two? We can't risk you guys getting seen, so, you create a bunch of noise while Jacob and I get close to them. If it's a big group, we'll hurry back into this store and assist with the noise. If it's just one guy, Jacob can do some confronting."
Jace frowned at this. "I haven't been practising my moaning. Not sure I can pull it off."
"We're on it." Caleb said, smirking despite the situation.
The pair then left to go make some noise. Tyler figured there had to be a bunch of stuff in here that still ran on batteries. He gestured for Jacob to follow him and led him back toward the entrance to the electronics store. The unknown group were still making a bunch of noise, but it was soon contested by a crashing noise from behind Tyler. He then heard someone let out a loud guttural scream, which he figured had to have been Jace. He was right, that was the worst moaning Tyler had ever heard.
"Can't see anything," Tyler muttered, trying to look through the gap in the automatic doors. "Maybe we should just make some noise." Then, the noise in the department store stopped and laughter was heard.
Before Tyler could discern the meaning behind this, a man called out: "Katie's here! You filthy filthy--"
Tyler didn't listen to the rest. He abandoned Jacob's plan entirely once he heard Katie's name. Just about everything dropped from his awareness beyond the fact that someone was using Katie to taunt him. He jumped off the ground and ran into the department store. "Katie?!" he yelled, but he was answered by gunfire slamming into the floor tiles beside him. Tyler stumbled to the left and fell into a crouch beside one of the department store racks. In the electronics store, another crash was heard.
"There, there..."
Tyler thought he could hear mumbling coming from in front of him. He placed his flashlight down on the ground and turned it on. It illuminated Katie, tied, gagged, and sporting cuts on her legs. A grimy dirty man wearing what looked to be night vision goggles was hunched over her, his right hand holding a knife to her throat and his left gripping a gun over Katie's shoulder, aiming at Tyler's position. Tyler's mind reeled at the revelation. Voices screamed inside his head, but all he could focus on was the fact that this man was Berk, once a prisoner in the catacombs.
---
Berk
He stared at Katie for a moment, tied and gagged before him. He took in the sight warily. It was dirty... just filthy. He didn't want to be at this any longer than he had to. He'd savour Tyler's anguish, but that was all he could afford. He moved away from her and rummaged through a nearby pile of dirty rags. He fished out an assault rifle and showed it to the girl. "You like it?" he asked in a raspy voice, before laughing. He then rummaged through the pile a second time and pulled out night vision goggles. He hooked the item around his elbow and moved about the store, pushing racks in front of the girl so that she wouldn't be seen by anyone lurking outside. He then crossed the threshold into the next store over, practically skipping as his shoes crunched over broken glass.
At the door into the plaza, he raised his weapon into the air and fired on the ceiling. There weren't that many corpses walking around, but drawing them wasn't the man's main intention. He stepped up to the door and put his ear to it. A loud horn started blowing somewhere in the streets behind him and the man figured he must have got the attention of someone living. Shrugging, he fired once more into the ceiling and moved back to where he'd hidden Katie. "Time to see your filthy daddy," he muttered, grabbing and pulling her. He carried her long enough so that they were in the clothing store, but dropped her amidst the broken glass on the floor. He didn't much care if she was wounded; She'd be dead soon enough anyway.
They stepped into the hallway and the man dragged Katie over the dead bodies. He stopped to put on the goggles before stepping into the department store. Berk then stepped forward and roughly kicked at the rack in front of him. Kitchen utensils fell to the ground, making a large clatter. He waited a few moments for a response, but when none came, he continued to knock things off their shelves. Eventually, thuds and shouts answered him, and Berk figured they had the same idea as he did. Of course, he knew they were just four. He'd watched them enter the plaza, after all.
He looked down the aisle and stared at the entrance to the electronics store. He was about to move Katie forward when two men crowded around the door. Even in the green haze of his headgear, Berk instantly saw one of the men to be Tyler, the filthy leader himself. He laughed out loud and said, ""Katie's here! You filthy filthy man!"
Tyler shot up like a rocket once he heard Katie's name. Berk aimed his weapon near Tyler's feet and fired, forcing the man to take cover. He then crouched low behind Katie and pulled his knife from his back pocket. He held it to Katie's throat and aimed his rifle in Tyler's direction. "There, there..." Berk cooed, watching as Tyler turned on his flashlight.
"Berk!" the man whispered. Berk felt like laughing.
---
Tyler - Plaza - Jacob
Tyler couldn't see Berk's expression under the goggles, but the man was smiling. He was fucking smiling. Tyler felt his body flood with anger and warmth, his adrenaline soaring just at the sight before him. His body urged him to scream and jump at this man, but Tyler recognised that as a hopeless idea. Berk had Katie. Berk was going to kill Katie. There was nothing Tyler could do about it.
"You know who I am," Berk said, the gun in his hand shaking. "I know who you are. We both know why this needs to be done."
"Wait," Tyler pleaded, licking his lips. "Please wait. She's just a little girl. She hasn't done anything."
Berk seemingly paused at this. "She's your filthy daughter."
"No, no--"
"A lot of men died just because they didn't want to be filthy like you." Berk's knife was repositioned, and he began to slowly push it into Katie's shoulder, the tip just about breaking skin. A sudden bile rose in Tyler's throat and he felt himself growing light headed. His entire body screamed at him, but he stayed put, unmoving. He couldn't keep it up for much longer. "I need this," Berk said. "I need you to go away."
"Jacob!" Tyler moaned. "I-- I don't know what to do!"
Berk's gun fired, slamming a bullet into the rack beside Tyler. "No one fucking moves!" he yelled.
---
Tina - Near The Plaza - Scarlett/HORN
She was rushing down the stairs with a pack of equipment when Liam slid by her, running downstairs. Tina's mind boggled at this and she called out to him, but he proceeded to ignore her. She hit the bottom stair to see him dodge everyone and run out the front door. Tina swore at this and dropped her pack between Adam and George. "Guys, get your shit out of there and get moving!" She then handed Scarlett a pistol and gestured her out the door. "Change of plans for us, we have to grab Liam!"
They started sprinting up the side walk, Liam's small frame disappearing down the street. As they ran, Tina asked, "Do you know how to shoot?" Without really waiting for a response, she simply followed with, "Just be careful!"
The crossed on to the next street but couldn't see Liam anywhere. Tina groaned and pointed to the end of the road. "That's where the guys will be, but-but--" Tina's free hand balled into a fist repeatedly. "Two fucking kids. You have to be joking." Avoiding the chained undead, Tina and Scarlett cleared two blocks before they heard a loud horn emit from somewhere nearby. "What in the world is happening?!" Tina cried, putting one hand to her face. She looked up at Scarlett, her face pleading at the other woman for some idea what to do.
"Do you-- Do you think the horn will draw Liam to it? Or, damn, it could scare him... I don't know, I just don't know what to do."
---
Danny - Cabin - Enrique/Rob
Like he'd hoped, Shannon managed to get clear before Enrique's gun fired. The slugs slammed into the wood in front of Rob, sending wood splinters flying. Danny then dropped to the side, hitting the ground hard and banging his head against the ground. His ears rang and splinters from Enrique's second shot showered over him. He managed to crawl down the hall and duck into the next room, beckoning Rob to follow him as he did so. He looked down at the end of the hall to see Shannon crouched there, but the sudden onslaught of gunfire sent her moving.
In the room, Danny crawled over to the fireplace, swearing every time a shot slammed through the cabin. He manoeuvred himself so that he was facing Rob and shook his head. "We might die," he said, strangely calmly. Maybe it was the fact that all of this was starting to feel unreal. "Rob, you need to go. Follow Shannon and Finch and sneak out back. I'll stay in here and make sure they focus on the cabin." For that to happen, Danny figured he'd have to start firing back, though he probably wouldn't live long beyond that. "Please, there's no need for us to both die here."
He nodded along with Jacob's plan, though he wasn't sure how easy it would be to scare off a group of raiders. "We're going to need to get a look at them then." He looked toward Jace and Caleb. "That okay with you two? We can't risk you guys getting seen, so, you create a bunch of noise while Jacob and I get close to them. If it's a big group, we'll hurry back into this store and assist with the noise. If it's just one guy, Jacob can do some confronting."
Jace frowned at this. "I haven't been practising my moaning. Not sure I can pull it off."
"We're on it." Caleb said, smirking despite the situation.
The pair then left to go make some noise. Tyler figured there had to be a bunch of stuff in here that still ran on batteries. He gestured for Jacob to follow him and led him back toward the entrance to the electronics store. The unknown group were still making a bunch of noise, but it was soon contested by a crashing noise from behind Tyler. He then heard someone let out a loud guttural scream, which he figured had to have been Jace. He was right, that was the worst moaning Tyler had ever heard.
"Can't see anything," Tyler muttered, trying to look through the gap in the automatic doors. "Maybe we should just make some noise." Then, the noise in the department store stopped and laughter was heard.
Before Tyler could discern the meaning behind this, a man called out: "Katie's here! You filthy filthy--"
Tyler didn't listen to the rest. He abandoned Jacob's plan entirely once he heard Katie's name. Just about everything dropped from his awareness beyond the fact that someone was using Katie to taunt him. He jumped off the ground and ran into the department store. "Katie?!" he yelled, but he was answered by gunfire slamming into the floor tiles beside him. Tyler stumbled to the left and fell into a crouch beside one of the department store racks. In the electronics store, another crash was heard.
"There, there..."
Tyler thought he could hear mumbling coming from in front of him. He placed his flashlight down on the ground and turned it on. It illuminated Katie, tied, gagged, and sporting cuts on her legs. A grimy dirty man wearing what looked to be night vision goggles was hunched over her, his right hand holding a knife to her throat and his left gripping a gun over Katie's shoulder, aiming at Tyler's position. Tyler's mind reeled at the revelation. Voices screamed inside his head, but all he could focus on was the fact that this man was Berk, once a prisoner in the catacombs.
---
Berk
He stared at Katie for a moment, tied and gagged before him. He took in the sight warily. It was dirty... just filthy. He didn't want to be at this any longer than he had to. He'd savour Tyler's anguish, but that was all he could afford. He moved away from her and rummaged through a nearby pile of dirty rags. He fished out an assault rifle and showed it to the girl. "You like it?" he asked in a raspy voice, before laughing. He then rummaged through the pile a second time and pulled out night vision goggles. He hooked the item around his elbow and moved about the store, pushing racks in front of the girl so that she wouldn't be seen by anyone lurking outside. He then crossed the threshold into the next store over, practically skipping as his shoes crunched over broken glass.
At the door into the plaza, he raised his weapon into the air and fired on the ceiling. There weren't that many corpses walking around, but drawing them wasn't the man's main intention. He stepped up to the door and put his ear to it. A loud horn started blowing somewhere in the streets behind him and the man figured he must have got the attention of someone living. Shrugging, he fired once more into the ceiling and moved back to where he'd hidden Katie. "Time to see your filthy daddy," he muttered, grabbing and pulling her. He carried her long enough so that they were in the clothing store, but dropped her amidst the broken glass on the floor. He didn't much care if she was wounded; She'd be dead soon enough anyway.
They stepped into the hallway and the man dragged Katie over the dead bodies. He stopped to put on the goggles before stepping into the department store. Berk then stepped forward and roughly kicked at the rack in front of him. Kitchen utensils fell to the ground, making a large clatter. He waited a few moments for a response, but when none came, he continued to knock things off their shelves. Eventually, thuds and shouts answered him, and Berk figured they had the same idea as he did. Of course, he knew they were just four. He'd watched them enter the plaza, after all.
He looked down the aisle and stared at the entrance to the electronics store. He was about to move Katie forward when two men crowded around the door. Even in the green haze of his headgear, Berk instantly saw one of the men to be Tyler, the filthy leader himself. He laughed out loud and said, ""Katie's here! You filthy filthy man!"
Tyler shot up like a rocket once he heard Katie's name. Berk aimed his weapon near Tyler's feet and fired, forcing the man to take cover. He then crouched low behind Katie and pulled his knife from his back pocket. He held it to Katie's throat and aimed his rifle in Tyler's direction. "There, there..." Berk cooed, watching as Tyler turned on his flashlight.
"Berk!" the man whispered. Berk felt like laughing.
---
Tyler - Plaza - Jacob
Tyler couldn't see Berk's expression under the goggles, but the man was smiling. He was fucking smiling. Tyler felt his body flood with anger and warmth, his adrenaline soaring just at the sight before him. His body urged him to scream and jump at this man, but Tyler recognised that as a hopeless idea. Berk had Katie. Berk was going to kill Katie. There was nothing Tyler could do about it.
"You know who I am," Berk said, the gun in his hand shaking. "I know who you are. We both know why this needs to be done."
"Wait," Tyler pleaded, licking his lips. "Please wait. She's just a little girl. She hasn't done anything."
Berk seemingly paused at this. "She's your filthy daughter."
"No, no--"
"A lot of men died just because they didn't want to be filthy like you." Berk's knife was repositioned, and he began to slowly push it into Katie's shoulder, the tip just about breaking skin. A sudden bile rose in Tyler's throat and he felt himself growing light headed. His entire body screamed at him, but he stayed put, unmoving. He couldn't keep it up for much longer. "I need this," Berk said. "I need you to go away."
"Jacob!" Tyler moaned. "I-- I don't know what to do!"
Berk's gun fired, slamming a bullet into the rack beside Tyler. "No one fucking moves!" he yelled.
---
Tina - Near The Plaza - Scarlett/HORN
She was rushing down the stairs with a pack of equipment when Liam slid by her, running downstairs. Tina's mind boggled at this and she called out to him, but he proceeded to ignore her. She hit the bottom stair to see him dodge everyone and run out the front door. Tina swore at this and dropped her pack between Adam and George. "Guys, get your shit out of there and get moving!" She then handed Scarlett a pistol and gestured her out the door. "Change of plans for us, we have to grab Liam!"
They started sprinting up the side walk, Liam's small frame disappearing down the street. As they ran, Tina asked, "Do you know how to shoot?" Without really waiting for a response, she simply followed with, "Just be careful!"
The crossed on to the next street but couldn't see Liam anywhere. Tina groaned and pointed to the end of the road. "That's where the guys will be, but-but--" Tina's free hand balled into a fist repeatedly. "Two fucking kids. You have to be joking." Avoiding the chained undead, Tina and Scarlett cleared two blocks before they heard a loud horn emit from somewhere nearby. "What in the world is happening?!" Tina cried, putting one hand to her face. She looked up at Scarlett, her face pleading at the other woman for some idea what to do.
"Do you-- Do you think the horn will draw Liam to it? Or, damn, it could scare him... I don't know, I just don't know what to do."
---
Danny - Cabin - Enrique/Rob
Like he'd hoped, Shannon managed to get clear before Enrique's gun fired. The slugs slammed into the wood in front of Rob, sending wood splinters flying. Danny then dropped to the side, hitting the ground hard and banging his head against the ground. His ears rang and splinters from Enrique's second shot showered over him. He managed to crawl down the hall and duck into the next room, beckoning Rob to follow him as he did so. He looked down at the end of the hall to see Shannon crouched there, but the sudden onslaught of gunfire sent her moving.
In the room, Danny crawled over to the fireplace, swearing every time a shot slammed through the cabin. He manoeuvred himself so that he was facing Rob and shook his head. "We might die," he said, strangely calmly. Maybe it was the fact that all of this was starting to feel unreal. "Rob, you need to go. Follow Shannon and Finch and sneak out back. I'll stay in here and make sure they focus on the cabin." For that to happen, Danny figured he'd have to start firing back, though he probably wouldn't live long beyond that. "Please, there's no need for us to both die here."
Tyler - Plaza - Jacob
He was busy finding what he could for the cat when Jacob spoke up. Tyler straightened up and looked over what Jacob was grabbing. "Watch Adam," Tyler said. "He may already be abusing the supplies they got." He then busily began shoving what he'd gathered into his bag. In addition to what the cat needed, Tyler made sure to add to the children's medicine Jacob had already gathered. He wanted to make sure there was enough for Katie in case she ever got sick.
The pair then left the pharmacy and stepped into the super market. Considering food was apparently not a priority, Tyler figured they should head back to the department store. "We still have time to grab something before we meet back up. If you can't think of anything, I have an idea." They traced their steps and began navigating the department store's aisles, shining their flashlights down each one. They found a few corpses along the way and were forced to deal with each one before moving along. Eventually, Tyler came to the section of the store he'd been looking for: the toys.
"Something for Katie," Tyler mumbled as explanation. He hastily added Liam to the end of that to not seem cold. He wasn't quite sure what Katie would have wanted, but he figured a stuff animal would do. Maybe? It'd been so long since Tyler had found himself in a toy aisle. Back in the catacombs, it had been Lauren who had found belongings for Katie. Tyler had always been so busy with his nonsense.
At the end of the aisle, Tyler found elaborate toy mansions and a large assortment of dolls. Those might have been appropriate once, but Tyler felt dumb even considering giving Katie dolls to play with considering everything that was happening. He instead instead moved on to the next aisle, where the toys gave way to arts and crafts. There, like it had been waiting for him, was an art set laying against the rack. He grabbed the box and examined it, seeing that it was partly for kids, as it had black and white drawings to be colored in. Tyler figured Katie would rather a blank piece of paper to work with. Nonetheless, the set contained a large assortment of pencil crayons and markers. Happy with it, Tyler flashed his light in Jacob's direction and told him he found something good. He made sure to grab a stuffed giraffe on the way out for Liam.
Medicine and toys in tow, they returned to the door to find Jace and Caleb waiting for them. "A little late," Jace said.
"We went to the pharmacy in the super market," Tyler explained. "Found everything we needed."
Caleb grinned. "Well good, you guys can sleep comfortably tonight." He pointed to the bloated pack strapped to his back. Jace nodded and directed them back into the hallway, but a loud bang from the clothing store across the hall made them stop. Tyler asked what that was, but the noise of what was unmistakably gunfire answered him. Jace swore at this and moved everyone back into the department store.
"That's an issue," Jace said, flashing his light down the aisle. "Most of the stores on this side are blocked off. The only exit is at the other end of that hallway."
"We don't know that for sure," Caleb said. "We haven't explored the buildings enough."
"Well it's damn unlikely!" Jace let out a shaky breath and swore again. "Okay, okay, stick behind me and we'll head into the next store over. We have to find another way out."
The next store over turned out to be dedicated to electronics. They were forced to shove the automatic doors open manually in order to get inside. Jace quickly led them toward the front of the store, but a loud bang from the department store made Jace jump. He ducked behind a row of televisions and gestured for everyone to follow suit. "Whoever's back there probably isn't friendly."
"How do we know?" Caleb asked.
"They're damn arrogant, making all that noise!" He turned to look at the group. "Just stay low and quiet. If we're lucky, they'll pass by us and we can sneak out behind them."
Tyler turned to Jacob beside him. He shook his head and asked, "Do you think...?" He leaned in closer to whisper. "Maybe this was on purpose?"
Tina - Apartment - Liam/Scarlett
Tina burst into the living room, her breathing already ragged. Most everyone turned to her, startled. "Katie," she mumbled, trying to find her voice. "Katie's gone."
Adam jumped to his feet. "What? Gone? What do you mean, gone?"
Tina touched at her hair and felt like heaving. Katie was only a little girl and Tina had lost her. What was wrong with her? Words began tumbling out, "I was waiting on the stairs for her to go to the bathroom, but she was taking so long! I checked on her and she wasn't there, but there wasn't any noise or-or anything! I couldn't find her anywhere near the bar!"
Adam looked down at the ground, his mind reeling at the news. "Did someone take her? I don't..."
"Could it have been the Tremblay group?" George asked.
Both Tina and Adam shared a look. "Well, uh..." Adam mumbled. "I... don't know. Maybe..."
Tina began nodding to herself. "You know what? Maybe she... Maybe she went to find her dad? She could be heading for the plaza!"
"The poor girl doesn't even know where that is," Elyse said.
"No, no, I guess not, but..." Tina made a frustrated noise and began pacing the room. "We just... need to focus. We need to go out there and look for her." As she paced, she looked toward Adam. "You're getting up and searching the area. You and George." She then looked to Scarlett. "You and I will start heading to the plaza. It's not that far and it's entirely possible she might end up there." Tina then stopped in her tracks. "And, uh, Elyse. You have to look after Liam. And the cat." The old woman nodded. "Everyone, shake yourselves off and meet me downstairs. I'll grab us some equipment." Tina then quickly barrelled out of the room, leaving the others to get ready.
He was busy finding what he could for the cat when Jacob spoke up. Tyler straightened up and looked over what Jacob was grabbing. "Watch Adam," Tyler said. "He may already be abusing the supplies they got." He then busily began shoving what he'd gathered into his bag. In addition to what the cat needed, Tyler made sure to add to the children's medicine Jacob had already gathered. He wanted to make sure there was enough for Katie in case she ever got sick.
The pair then left the pharmacy and stepped into the super market. Considering food was apparently not a priority, Tyler figured they should head back to the department store. "We still have time to grab something before we meet back up. If you can't think of anything, I have an idea." They traced their steps and began navigating the department store's aisles, shining their flashlights down each one. They found a few corpses along the way and were forced to deal with each one before moving along. Eventually, Tyler came to the section of the store he'd been looking for: the toys.
"Something for Katie," Tyler mumbled as explanation. He hastily added Liam to the end of that to not seem cold. He wasn't quite sure what Katie would have wanted, but he figured a stuff animal would do. Maybe? It'd been so long since Tyler had found himself in a toy aisle. Back in the catacombs, it had been Lauren who had found belongings for Katie. Tyler had always been so busy with his nonsense.
At the end of the aisle, Tyler found elaborate toy mansions and a large assortment of dolls. Those might have been appropriate once, but Tyler felt dumb even considering giving Katie dolls to play with considering everything that was happening. He instead instead moved on to the next aisle, where the toys gave way to arts and crafts. There, like it had been waiting for him, was an art set laying against the rack. He grabbed the box and examined it, seeing that it was partly for kids, as it had black and white drawings to be colored in. Tyler figured Katie would rather a blank piece of paper to work with. Nonetheless, the set contained a large assortment of pencil crayons and markers. Happy with it, Tyler flashed his light in Jacob's direction and told him he found something good. He made sure to grab a stuffed giraffe on the way out for Liam.
Medicine and toys in tow, they returned to the door to find Jace and Caleb waiting for them. "A little late," Jace said.
"We went to the pharmacy in the super market," Tyler explained. "Found everything we needed."
Caleb grinned. "Well good, you guys can sleep comfortably tonight." He pointed to the bloated pack strapped to his back. Jace nodded and directed them back into the hallway, but a loud bang from the clothing store across the hall made them stop. Tyler asked what that was, but the noise of what was unmistakably gunfire answered him. Jace swore at this and moved everyone back into the department store.
"That's an issue," Jace said, flashing his light down the aisle. "Most of the stores on this side are blocked off. The only exit is at the other end of that hallway."
"We don't know that for sure," Caleb said. "We haven't explored the buildings enough."
"Well it's damn unlikely!" Jace let out a shaky breath and swore again. "Okay, okay, stick behind me and we'll head into the next store over. We have to find another way out."
The next store over turned out to be dedicated to electronics. They were forced to shove the automatic doors open manually in order to get inside. Jace quickly led them toward the front of the store, but a loud bang from the department store made Jace jump. He ducked behind a row of televisions and gestured for everyone to follow suit. "Whoever's back there probably isn't friendly."
"How do we know?" Caleb asked.
"They're damn arrogant, making all that noise!" He turned to look at the group. "Just stay low and quiet. If we're lucky, they'll pass by us and we can sneak out behind them."
Tyler turned to Jacob beside him. He shook his head and asked, "Do you think...?" He leaned in closer to whisper. "Maybe this was on purpose?"
Tina - Apartment - Liam/Scarlett
Tina burst into the living room, her breathing already ragged. Most everyone turned to her, startled. "Katie," she mumbled, trying to find her voice. "Katie's gone."
Adam jumped to his feet. "What? Gone? What do you mean, gone?"
Tina touched at her hair and felt like heaving. Katie was only a little girl and Tina had lost her. What was wrong with her? Words began tumbling out, "I was waiting on the stairs for her to go to the bathroom, but she was taking so long! I checked on her and she wasn't there, but there wasn't any noise or-or anything! I couldn't find her anywhere near the bar!"
Adam looked down at the ground, his mind reeling at the news. "Did someone take her? I don't..."
"Could it have been the Tremblay group?" George asked.
Both Tina and Adam shared a look. "Well, uh..." Adam mumbled. "I... don't know. Maybe..."
Tina began nodding to herself. "You know what? Maybe she... Maybe she went to find her dad? She could be heading for the plaza!"
"The poor girl doesn't even know where that is," Elyse said.
"No, no, I guess not, but..." Tina made a frustrated noise and began pacing the room. "We just... need to focus. We need to go out there and look for her." As she paced, she looked toward Adam. "You're getting up and searching the area. You and George." She then looked to Scarlett. "You and I will start heading to the plaza. It's not that far and it's entirely possible she might end up there." Tina then stopped in her tracks. "And, uh, Elyse. You have to look after Liam. And the cat." The old woman nodded. "Everyone, shake yourselves off and meet me downstairs. I'll grab us some equipment." Tina then quickly barrelled out of the room, leaving the others to get ready.
Tina - Apartment - Katie/Liam/Scarlett
Happy that her idea was going over well, she quickly grabbed a tarp out of the storage room and laid it down in front of the mural so that they wouldn't get paint on the carpet. She then got out her collection of paint and let the kids go at it. She offered George a brush but he politely refused. Adam was too out of it to participate and Elyse enjoyed watching others paint. Tina began adding to her side of the wall, but she found herself distracted by the kids more often then not. Liam seemed too self-conscious and afraid to paint on the wall much, but Katie took a quick liking to the idea. Tina smiled at their pictures, paying particular interest to Katie's, who was drawing what appeared to be a large family of people. She decided to ask who they were, and Katie responded that it was the people she missed.
Elyse made a noise at this, and Tina also felt sadness for the girl. Family, friends... Tina couldn't quite imagine losing all those people at Katie's age. She leaned down and suggested that Katie put their names above the picture, but Katie responded that she needed to go to the bathroom. Tina nodded and put down her brush. "Okay, let's go." She stepped outside the front door with Katie and waited at the top of the stairway to give the girl privacy. "Don't go outside, okay? Call for me if you run into trouble."
He'd been waiting for her. The girl. Katie. He'd seen her before... fleeting glances. Down. Down in the filth. Her daddy wouldn't dare let her go near him, but he saw her. He remembered her, just as he remembered every face that crossed his path down there. Down in... He stepped cautiously, his foot brushing against a broken bottle. He'd been squatting under the bar ever since he left. That man. That bastard. He'd trapped him in the filth, forced him to fight. Join or fight, they said. He always fought. He'd never join such filth. They lived in filth, for they were filth.
It was no wonder the filth eventually died out. Their filth crushed and smothered them. He was freed... but no, not truly. He would never be free, not while that man still lived. Tyler. Leader of the filth. He stalked that man for as long as he could, thinking of all the ways he'd remove his filth from the Earth. He'd ended up losing him for some time, but he found him again and again. The leader of the filth was always spreading his filth wherever he went. That little girl, she was filthy too. She'd been with him for so long... how could she not be? So he followed them both, the filthy leader and the filthy girl. He didn't know why he waited so long... perhaps he felt bad for what he had to do. Perhaps waiting made it all the more better.
Tyler had found new people to corrupt, and he couldn't wait any longer. He had to do it now. He had to make Tyler cry. Had to make him bleed. When the little filthy girl stepped off the stairs and into the bathroom, he knew this was his chance. He crouched, walking silently on two feet. He crept up behind her, grabbing her before she could do her business. His foul-smelling arms wrapped around her and his dirt-stained hand covered her mouth. He knew he'd gathered quite the look in his travels. He hadn't had time to bathe, not lately. Still, no matter how dirty he was... this girl was simply filthy. He began pulling her roughly and brought her outside the bar. He kept low to avoid the eyes of the tenants upstairs and pulled Katie down the side walk. The filthy man wasn't too far away. Soon, he and his girl would be gone and the Earth would be clean.
Tina
She waited on the top of the stairs with her arms crossed. She'd worried that Katie wouldn't know what to do with the pails in the bathroom, but the girl's silence indicated that Tina hadn't needed to worry at all. Eventually, though, Katie took longer than Tina would have liked. She moved down the steps and called out Katie's name. "You okay in there?" she asked. She waited for a response, but none came. Sighing, Tina stepped into the bar and slowly moved her head into the bathroom. "If you need help, I--"
She wasn't there. Katie was gone. Tina stumbled backward as if struck and felt her heart suddenly leap at her chest. "Katie! I told you not to go outside!" she cried. She spun around and looked over the bar counter, but didn't see her. She stepped out of the building and whipped her head back and forth. Fuck! Fuck! How could she--
She ran around the building and din't find Katie around the greenhouse either. She didn't understand how this was happening. She'd not expected anything to happen! The barbed wire on the windows kept the dead outside. Even then, Katie hadn't made a noise. If she was attacked, there would have been a noise. The only other explanation was Tremblay, but that didn't make any sense either. "Katie" she cried one last time, turning around and running back into the building. She sprinted up the stairs, not knowing what she would tell the others.
Happy that her idea was going over well, she quickly grabbed a tarp out of the storage room and laid it down in front of the mural so that they wouldn't get paint on the carpet. She then got out her collection of paint and let the kids go at it. She offered George a brush but he politely refused. Adam was too out of it to participate and Elyse enjoyed watching others paint. Tina began adding to her side of the wall, but she found herself distracted by the kids more often then not. Liam seemed too self-conscious and afraid to paint on the wall much, but Katie took a quick liking to the idea. Tina smiled at their pictures, paying particular interest to Katie's, who was drawing what appeared to be a large family of people. She decided to ask who they were, and Katie responded that it was the people she missed.
Elyse made a noise at this, and Tina also felt sadness for the girl. Family, friends... Tina couldn't quite imagine losing all those people at Katie's age. She leaned down and suggested that Katie put their names above the picture, but Katie responded that she needed to go to the bathroom. Tina nodded and put down her brush. "Okay, let's go." She stepped outside the front door with Katie and waited at the top of the stairway to give the girl privacy. "Don't go outside, okay? Call for me if you run into trouble."
He'd been waiting for her. The girl. Katie. He'd seen her before... fleeting glances. Down. Down in the filth. Her daddy wouldn't dare let her go near him, but he saw her. He remembered her, just as he remembered every face that crossed his path down there. Down in... He stepped cautiously, his foot brushing against a broken bottle. He'd been squatting under the bar ever since he left. That man. That bastard. He'd trapped him in the filth, forced him to fight. Join or fight, they said. He always fought. He'd never join such filth. They lived in filth, for they were filth.
It was no wonder the filth eventually died out. Their filth crushed and smothered them. He was freed... but no, not truly. He would never be free, not while that man still lived. Tyler. Leader of the filth. He stalked that man for as long as he could, thinking of all the ways he'd remove his filth from the Earth. He'd ended up losing him for some time, but he found him again and again. The leader of the filth was always spreading his filth wherever he went. That little girl, she was filthy too. She'd been with him for so long... how could she not be? So he followed them both, the filthy leader and the filthy girl. He didn't know why he waited so long... perhaps he felt bad for what he had to do. Perhaps waiting made it all the more better.
Tyler had found new people to corrupt, and he couldn't wait any longer. He had to do it now. He had to make Tyler cry. Had to make him bleed. When the little filthy girl stepped off the stairs and into the bathroom, he knew this was his chance. He crouched, walking silently on two feet. He crept up behind her, grabbing her before she could do her business. His foul-smelling arms wrapped around her and his dirt-stained hand covered her mouth. He knew he'd gathered quite the look in his travels. He hadn't had time to bathe, not lately. Still, no matter how dirty he was... this girl was simply filthy. He began pulling her roughly and brought her outside the bar. He kept low to avoid the eyes of the tenants upstairs and pulled Katie down the side walk. The filthy man wasn't too far away. Soon, he and his girl would be gone and the Earth would be clean.
Tina
She waited on the top of the stairs with her arms crossed. She'd worried that Katie wouldn't know what to do with the pails in the bathroom, but the girl's silence indicated that Tina hadn't needed to worry at all. Eventually, though, Katie took longer than Tina would have liked. She moved down the steps and called out Katie's name. "You okay in there?" she asked. She waited for a response, but none came. Sighing, Tina stepped into the bar and slowly moved her head into the bathroom. "If you need help, I--"
She wasn't there. Katie was gone. Tina stumbled backward as if struck and felt her heart suddenly leap at her chest. "Katie! I told you not to go outside!" she cried. She spun around and looked over the bar counter, but didn't see her. She stepped out of the building and whipped her head back and forth. Fuck! Fuck! How could she--
She ran around the building and din't find Katie around the greenhouse either. She didn't understand how this was happening. She'd not expected anything to happen! The barbed wire on the windows kept the dead outside. Even then, Katie hadn't made a noise. If she was attacked, there would have been a noise. The only other explanation was Tremblay, but that didn't make any sense either. "Katie" she cried one last time, turning around and running back into the building. She sprinted up the stairs, not knowing what she would tell the others.
Danny - Cabin
Jesus Christ, he screamed inside his head. He wasn't cut out for any of this. Danny was the furthest damn thing from a leader he could even think of. All he'd wanted to do was listen to Reggie for the rest of his days, but now he was forced so far out of his comfort zone that he knew he had to be making mistakes. As Rob finally moved to pull Shannon backward, Danny turned the corner and fired on Enrique, aiming at his upper body. They were relatively close to each other, but Danny wasn't the best shot, and he truly didn't desire to murder Enrique, no matter how much he didn't like the guy. During this, he cried out, "Move, Shannon!"
Jesus Christ, he screamed inside his head. He wasn't cut out for any of this. Danny was the furthest damn thing from a leader he could even think of. All he'd wanted to do was listen to Reggie for the rest of his days, but now he was forced so far out of his comfort zone that he knew he had to be making mistakes. As Rob finally moved to pull Shannon backward, Danny turned the corner and fired on Enrique, aiming at his upper body. They were relatively close to each other, but Danny wasn't the best shot, and he truly didn't desire to murder Enrique, no matter how much he didn't like the guy. During this, he cried out, "Move, Shannon!"
Well, okay. Xenonia, just ignore it for now and User can reintroduce his character into the scene later if he wants.
It's probably best just to avoid the shooting for now.
So, yeah, edit your post, User.
So, yeah, edit your post, User.
Yo, @User, I realise there's a mix-up on who's interacting with who, but for the future, you should probably ask before you shoot out another character's leg! If he's cool with it, then whatever, but if not you should probably change it.
Oh and, just so everyone knows, it's best to put where your character is and who they are interacting with at the top of the post, to avoid confusion. There's a lot of characters running around after all.
Oh and, just so everyone knows, it's best to put where your character is and who they are interacting with at the top of the post, to avoid confusion. There's a lot of characters running around after all.
Danny - Cabin
Great, Enrique wasn't fucking around. Sending Shannon out probably wasn't the best idea, in hindsight, but Danny wasn't sure what was the best idea at this point. An idea had occurred to him, but Shannon's ranting earlier kept him from carrying out with it. Now that she was being threatened right in front of him, her concerns about his own safety seemed like the least important thing in the world. He swivelled his head toward Emma and let out a defeated breath. "Get James," he mouthed. "Sneak out back." At the back of the cabin was a section near the floor that had been damaged when the scouts took out the generator hooked up out back. They'd boarded it up, but it was still notoriously weak, as Danny had pointed out to everyone when he was opening up the safe. Hopefully Emma would get what he was trying to infer, or hell, maybe she was smarter than him and had a better idea of sneaking out. Either way, he wanted her to go.
"Are you serious?" Danny heard Shannon ask. "I don't know if you remember, but Tyler killed my friend. Why would he be here? Why would I line up my friends for you to-to..." He heard her voice falter as she took a step back. Danny let a shaky breath, wishing he could at least reach out for her or something. "Just leave us alone," she continued. "Your scouts already attacked me once, and now you're doing it again." Danny wondered if Enrique saw the irony in that. He looked across to Rob and raised his hand to get the man's attention. He mouthed for Rob to grab Shannon and pull her back in a few moments. God, did he wish he could just sign to these people.
Shannon took another small step backwards. "James is hiding right now. Scared. Just... go. Please."
Tyler - Plaza - Jacob
They'd managed to clear a couple of blocks without incident, though Tyler noticed that a couple of walkers were chained up in the area. He figured they alerted other walkers to their location, but thankfully few got the message. The clothing store they eventually entered had its windows thoroughly smashed, giving Tyler the impression that they wouldn't find much here, but Jace assured him that the store connected to a couple others, like a plaza. Apparently the bulk of the stores, including a super market, were behind the building and on the next street over.
They moved to the back of the store and stepped into a crisp white hallway. Blood spatter lined the walls and a couple of idle corpses littered the ground. In the middle of the hall stood a single walker, standing in place and looking at the wall. "Do you think the others will be getting up?" Tyler asked. Caleb shrugged, before stepping forward and stabbing the first corpse in the head. Jace followed after and the group methodically moved by each corpse until they got to the lone standing walker.
"These ones always freak me out," Jace said, staring it down. It didn't move to look at them, strangely. It almost seemed dead standing up. "I think they get like this without a lot of food in the area. A few of the chained ones Tremblay has do this." He turned to Tyler and Jacob, frowning. "They replace them for ones that make more noise eventually." When Jace stepped forward to kill it, it finally moved. However, its reaction time was sluggish at best, allowing Jace to easily dispatch it. With that out of the way, the group continued through the hallway.
They stepped into a pitch black store and Jace told everyone to turn on their flashlights. Tyler flicked his on and looked around, finding racks of plastic bowls and utensils. Kitchen supplies, which indicated this was probably a department store. "We'll probably find blankets and sheets around here," Caleb said. "Maybe even a pharmacy. If not, I know there's one in the super market."
Jace nodded and pointed his flashlight down the aisle. "I don't think we have to worry about the dead in here, but be careful anyway. You never know what's hiding in the shadows." He stepped forward and nudged Caleb to follow him. "You two stick together. Whether or not you find anything, meet back at this door in fifteen minutes."
Once they had left the aisle, Tyler turned to Jacob. That the others had gone off on their own was a little suspicious, but finding supplies was more important at the moment. "Where should we look first?" Tyler asked, desiring to defer to Jacob for the time being.
Tina - Apartment - Scarlett/Katie/Liam
It was unusually quiet, she thought. Adam was usually so much louder, always talking about whatever came into his head. That he seemed too tired to say anything at all was actually somewhat concerning. She'd thought the presence of new people would make things a lot more lively, but aside from Elyse's small talk with Scarlett, everyone in the room were acting like the corpses outside. She finally couldn't take it any more and stood off the couch. "Does anyone want to do anything?" she asked.
George turned to her and lifted an eyebrow. "What is there to do?" he asked.
"Well, lots of things..." Chores popped into her head almost immediately, but Tina didn't want to start proposing work right away. The new guys deserved to relax, she thought, at least until their friends came back. Instead, she directed everyone's attention to the mural on the wall. "I mean, like, we should do some painting."
"I meant to ask about that..." George mumbled.
"Tina did most of it," Elyse said, beaming. "She's very talented." Tina blushed at this. Compliments always sounded nice coming from Elyse.
"Yeah, and you guys can help," Tina said. She looked toward Katie and Liam in particular. "What do you guys say? Just... don't paint over what I've already done." She laughed at this, though she'd probably not be laughing if they did paint over it.
Great, Enrique wasn't fucking around. Sending Shannon out probably wasn't the best idea, in hindsight, but Danny wasn't sure what was the best idea at this point. An idea had occurred to him, but Shannon's ranting earlier kept him from carrying out with it. Now that she was being threatened right in front of him, her concerns about his own safety seemed like the least important thing in the world. He swivelled his head toward Emma and let out a defeated breath. "Get James," he mouthed. "Sneak out back." At the back of the cabin was a section near the floor that had been damaged when the scouts took out the generator hooked up out back. They'd boarded it up, but it was still notoriously weak, as Danny had pointed out to everyone when he was opening up the safe. Hopefully Emma would get what he was trying to infer, or hell, maybe she was smarter than him and had a better idea of sneaking out. Either way, he wanted her to go.
"Are you serious?" Danny heard Shannon ask. "I don't know if you remember, but Tyler killed my friend. Why would he be here? Why would I line up my friends for you to-to..." He heard her voice falter as she took a step back. Danny let a shaky breath, wishing he could at least reach out for her or something. "Just leave us alone," she continued. "Your scouts already attacked me once, and now you're doing it again." Danny wondered if Enrique saw the irony in that. He looked across to Rob and raised his hand to get the man's attention. He mouthed for Rob to grab Shannon and pull her back in a few moments. God, did he wish he could just sign to these people.
Shannon took another small step backwards. "James is hiding right now. Scared. Just... go. Please."
Tyler - Plaza - Jacob
They'd managed to clear a couple of blocks without incident, though Tyler noticed that a couple of walkers were chained up in the area. He figured they alerted other walkers to their location, but thankfully few got the message. The clothing store they eventually entered had its windows thoroughly smashed, giving Tyler the impression that they wouldn't find much here, but Jace assured him that the store connected to a couple others, like a plaza. Apparently the bulk of the stores, including a super market, were behind the building and on the next street over.
They moved to the back of the store and stepped into a crisp white hallway. Blood spatter lined the walls and a couple of idle corpses littered the ground. In the middle of the hall stood a single walker, standing in place and looking at the wall. "Do you think the others will be getting up?" Tyler asked. Caleb shrugged, before stepping forward and stabbing the first corpse in the head. Jace followed after and the group methodically moved by each corpse until they got to the lone standing walker.
"These ones always freak me out," Jace said, staring it down. It didn't move to look at them, strangely. It almost seemed dead standing up. "I think they get like this without a lot of food in the area. A few of the chained ones Tremblay has do this." He turned to Tyler and Jacob, frowning. "They replace them for ones that make more noise eventually." When Jace stepped forward to kill it, it finally moved. However, its reaction time was sluggish at best, allowing Jace to easily dispatch it. With that out of the way, the group continued through the hallway.
They stepped into a pitch black store and Jace told everyone to turn on their flashlights. Tyler flicked his on and looked around, finding racks of plastic bowls and utensils. Kitchen supplies, which indicated this was probably a department store. "We'll probably find blankets and sheets around here," Caleb said. "Maybe even a pharmacy. If not, I know there's one in the super market."
Jace nodded and pointed his flashlight down the aisle. "I don't think we have to worry about the dead in here, but be careful anyway. You never know what's hiding in the shadows." He stepped forward and nudged Caleb to follow him. "You two stick together. Whether or not you find anything, meet back at this door in fifteen minutes."
Once they had left the aisle, Tyler turned to Jacob. That the others had gone off on their own was a little suspicious, but finding supplies was more important at the moment. "Where should we look first?" Tyler asked, desiring to defer to Jacob for the time being.
Tina - Apartment - Scarlett/Katie/Liam
It was unusually quiet, she thought. Adam was usually so much louder, always talking about whatever came into his head. That he seemed too tired to say anything at all was actually somewhat concerning. She'd thought the presence of new people would make things a lot more lively, but aside from Elyse's small talk with Scarlett, everyone in the room were acting like the corpses outside. She finally couldn't take it any more and stood off the couch. "Does anyone want to do anything?" she asked.
George turned to her and lifted an eyebrow. "What is there to do?" he asked.
"Well, lots of things..." Chores popped into her head almost immediately, but Tina didn't want to start proposing work right away. The new guys deserved to relax, she thought, at least until their friends came back. Instead, she directed everyone's attention to the mural on the wall. "I mean, like, we should do some painting."
"I meant to ask about that..." George mumbled.
"Tina did most of it," Elyse said, beaming. "She's very talented." Tina blushed at this. Compliments always sounded nice coming from Elyse.
"Yeah, and you guys can help," Tina said. She looked toward Katie and Liam in particular. "What do you guys say? Just... don't paint over what I've already done." She laughed at this, though she'd probably not be laughing if they did paint over it.
Markus Finch, though he's about 20 years younger still.
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