Katie - Haywood - All Alone

As Bull was led away Katie thrashed and fought her captor. "Let go, let go, let go!" she screamed and finally got a good kick in the man's stomach which caused him to let her go.

The instant she was free Katie took off running. She didn't know where she could go. There were no air vents to hide in this place. People shouted and a few tried to grab her but she dodged and kept running.

She finally got tired in a room that looked like a laundry room. There were clothes and blankets everywhere.
Katie grabbed a large blanket and pulled it under a table. She made a nest out of the blanket and crawled inside out of sight.

She wanted to stay in her blanket nest forever. She wouldn't come out until her daddy came and got her.
Katie started to cry again, her little sniffles muffled under the blanket. She wanted her daddy back. Why had he gone away and left her alone?
Now she had no one. Lauren was hurt. Bull had been taken away from her. She was in this strange place full of strangers. And no one liked her for some reason.

Her daddy would have wanted her to be strong. But she didn't want to be strong. She wanted her daddy back.

Emma - The Invincible Blanket Fortress(AKA the Laundry Room) - Katie

Emma sat down under the table beside the girl without asking permission. As the girl sobbed, she gently stroked her back, just letting her know that she was there. "You know... when I was little, me and my brother would build forts out of blankets, just like this one... They were pretty cool, if you ask me..."

"My brother's name is Daniel, he's a really nice man once you get to meet him." Emma said, placing her hands in her lap after crossing her legs. "You know... I think you look tough... Yeah, definitely. I think that the reason everyone was mad was because you scared them, huh?" Emma gave an approving "Hm" sound. "Yeah... just look at your muscles; heck, I'm scared right now. But- uh... I'd bet you're pretty nice too, though? Am I right?"

"My name's Emma, what's your name?"

Daniel - Haywood Courtyard - Shannon

Daniel climbed off of his truck, standing beside Shannon. He nodded as she spoke. He couldn't disagree; today had been unusually eventful. He took a glance back at the infirmary windows. The largest window was propped open, and Riley stood, watching while buttoning his black pea coat. He could see the little girl through the windows, too.

"Yeah... I... I think that'll do us some good." He said, and lead her toward his apartment.

Audrey - Mess Hall - Robert

Audrey shook her head. Anthony felt for her... but didn't want to ruin her relationship with Henry? "I don't know what you think and Anthony think is going on between Henry and I. No, Robert, Henry is the only man who I consider my father, seeing as my Dad has been gone for quite a while, now. He's not some messed up lover and I'm no slut!"

"A-and Daniel! He's twice the man you'll won't come close to being." She looked furiously into the man's eyes, but was not void of the fear she held of him. She trembled lightly as she spoke.

"You haven't helped me one bit. Robert Dalton helped me; and the man I'm speaking to isn't half the man Robert Dalton was. I'll help Robert Dalton, but not you. You're not the same man you used to be. And just wait till Henry and I tell Daniel; then you'll see what happens to people like you and Anthony." All the while, Audrey's hand hovered around the pistol that was holstered on her belt. She was still geared from the trip

Riley O'Connor - The Infirmary - Valentina

Riley held a small syringe that held 1 millimeter of pure epinephrine. He slowly brought it to the woman's wrist, pushing the point of the syringe into the most prominent vein under her skin. When he was done, he pulled the syringe out, and set it on the tray. She would wake up anytime now, with the added the adrenaline pumping through her veins.

Presently he stood in front of the bay window, as the crowd in the courtyard dispersed. He turned to the little girl, slowly sitting down on the opposite side of the medical bed. "You know, I used to have a daughter. She was real pretty, just like you."

"Would you do me the honor of telling me your name?"

Floyd - House - Jess

His heart was pounding in his gash as the sizzling knife was being applied. The sound itself was horrific, but the pain was even worse. Floyd's head turned in every direction, the shirt still between his teeth. He grunted loudly, but had to force himself to endure that agony. His nails scratched at the lumber beneath him intensely, looking for something to hold, but finding nothing. At times he felt himself pounding the floor trying to transfer the pain to his palms, but was deemed useless.

Throughout the first round of sealing, Floyd could hear Jess' sobs over his own screams. He desired to pull away from his shirt and tell her everything would be alright, but couldn't. He himself wasn't sure what was going to happen, nor did he know if the wound would cauterize. In addition to that, if he pulled away from biting down on his shirt, he might completely pass out. Biting down on the shirt was an scapegoat from the pain. He focused on one thing rather than the other.

His hand suddenly clashed against Jess' leg, holding on to her thigh for dear life. But as he felt he was hurting her, he let go and held onto her clothing, his shut eyes facing in her direction as he continued to struggle against the pain. Now that the front side was shut, it was time to move onto the other side. With that continuing pain, Floyd turned so that Jess could place the knife on the opposite side. The wound looked nearly identical, just a bit smaller in radius. His hand had to move to support his backside, the hand that was holding on to his protector. It may be ironic, but Floyd saw Jess as his protector, not the other way around. In his eyes, she was the one who saved him. She helped him open up and become the person he should have been for years. She opened his eyes to reality, revealing to him the monster he was hiding within. But now he finally became the person he so long desired to be, and it was all thanks to her tolerance of his uttering rage. She stayed with him throughout hard times and more. She was willing to see beyond his wrathful nature, seeing the little things that made him good. She was definitely one of a kind.

But suddenly, those thoughts faded as everything followed. All his thoughts, all his feelings just turned to pitch black as the blade was pressed against his back. Floyd's muscles just turned completely off, allowing his body parts to crash against the hard floor. His wounds just smoked as his body lay motionless on the ground. He looked like a manikin for a second, hopeless, weak. But even in this dark situation, this helpless remedy for cries, there was still light. Before passing out, Floyd had reached his hand out once again. Even with his eyes closed he was able to find the hand of his savior. His grip was stronger than ever before.

Katie - Blanket Fortress - Emma

Katie heard a voice and curled into a ball, trying to make herself as small as possible.
It was a woman's voice. She didn't sound scary. In fact, she sounded silly.
"You're silly," Katie said from under the blanket nest. "No one is scared of me. I'm too small."

She was quiet for a few minutes after the woman, Emma, told her her name. "Katie," she said quietly. She peeked out from under her blanket at the woman. "Nobody likes me. I really want my daddy."

Jessalyn - House - Floyd-

Jess held on to Floyd, putting her arms around him as they laid on the floor. He finally passed out. That was good. He needed to sleep.
A snarling sound made her look up frantically. A walker head appeared in the window. Then another. Then another.
Floyd's screaming in pain. It must have attracted walkers from the surrounding area.

Jess wanted to scream but she bit her lip to stop herself. Whimpers of fear came from her even as she struggled to stay quiet. As long as she stayed quiet, they would go away.
Stay quiet. Don't move.
Stay quiet. Don't move.
Stay quiet. Don't move.

Those two sentences became a mantra in her head. She closed her eyes tightly and buried her face into Floyd's chest.
Stay quiet. Don't move.
They will go away.
They will go away.
Stay quiet. Don't move.

She wished Floyd was awake. She wished he wasn't hurt. She wished the walkers would all just disappear.
After a long time she finally dared to turn her head and look.
The window was clear. Did that mean they were gone? She listened hard, but could hear nothing.
The relief was incredible. She melted against Floyd's chest, her limbs feeling numb. One of her hands cradled her stomach.

There was a scratching sound at the door. Jess tensed up once again until she heard the sound of barking and running feet. Dogs. Probably wild dogs scavenging. Nothing to be afraid of.
When she tried to get up, to go and get something to put under Floyd's head, his grip on her tightened when she started to move away. A weary smile came to Jess' face. She laid back down beside him. She'd stay next to him until he woke up.
The water bottle was on the floor nearby. She reached for it and drank a little before setting it within reach of both of them. Floyd would be thirsty when he woke up. He would probably be hungry too. She'd make him something. She'd also clean up the place a little. Getting him to stay in bed while he recovered was going to be difficult, but she was going to have to convince him somehow. Maybe she'd tie him to the bed. That might work.

Making plans, thinking about these things helped to calm her down, helped her breathing to be steady. Soon she dozed off as well.
The world outside didn't matter. They were inside and safe and together. That was all that mattered right now.

Emma - The Blanket Fortress - Katie

Emma listened to Katie. "You that's a really pretty name." When Katie stuck her head out, and spoke, Emma almost smiled at how small her voice sounded. Not that she could say anything; her own voice made her sound like she was younger than fourteen. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I know how you feel. My daddy and my mom have been gone for a long time now. They both got sick."

"I bet you that you're daddy loved you a lot. I don't know where you're daddy is, but I guarantee that he's thinking about you and he's really proud of you."

Robert - Mess Hall/Haywood - Audrey

The words that struck Robert the most was the talk about the real Robert Dalton. She spoke to him as though he's changed, as though he's left the person he used to be. But she was blind, just like everybody else. They didn't see that Robert had not changed, they were the ones who changed. They became reliant on the person they thought a hero, they became reliant to a person that hid behind lies. Daniel had the opportunity to deny Robert's lies, to deny the fact that Tyler was dead, but he didn't. He took the selfish opportunity to take everything, to have the entire community of Haywood on his side. He did that because he knew that there would not be another way he'd be allowed into the salvation. If he told them that six men died for the lives of one single girl, the fathers and mothers of those soldiers would have wanted his head. If he told them that they failed to kill that monster, Haywood would want his head. He was a complete fraud, a weak man that dedicated himself only to his sister, sometimes not even that.

"You think Daniel is a better man than me?! You believe that that man, the one standing out there aiding a raider; You think he is better than me?! The man worries for a killer more than he worries about his sister. He worries about a killer more than he worries about you. I ask for you help, but you give me this? You stand before me to mock me?!" he yelled, taking a step which landed him right in front of Audrey. The girl was a mere child compared to him.

"What is it you wish to do? Will you take this opportunity to raise your weapon? Do you desire me dead, is that it?!" he added, pulling her arm along with her weapon. He forced the girl to hold the gun to his own chest. At that moment, Audrey was pointing the gun at Robert as the large man held her there. "How bout it then child? You think I've lost my way. You say I am no longer the man I once was, but you are wrong. But if you stand by your word, then fire. Pull the trigger to your weapon and end my life......"

A small pause came after that last line. "You are soft. Just like him. You are not willing to make the hard choices, you must have others make them for you. So your next plan is to tell Daniel of what I've done, to tell your guardian Henry. What will they do? Lock me up? Kill me even? I don't think so. For one, you have no proof that I am legible for what occurred in that farm. You think Anthony will speak to Daniel? I may have lost him, but he is no snitch that I guarantee. Secondly, if they decide to believe you, which is a very likable conclusion, I've done nothing but keep us safe. It was obvious those farmers were hostile. They pulled their weapons on my men, the did not deserve to be brought here to Haywood. For all we know, they could have been involved with Tyler. So.......with that said, what's your next move?" he questioned, the entire scene going black.

"BANG!!!!!!" a noise echoed as the darkness faded.

Then we see Robert had slammed the door of the mess hall making the loud echo, Audrey still frozen inside. The man starts walking towards the infirmary, passing by Daniel and Shannon on his way there. He remained quiet and said nothing to the two, completely ignoring them as he entered the infirmary without word. He looked towards O'Conner, eyeing the man to see yet another frightened face. It was clear that nobody trusted him anymore, at least a high percentage of Haywood didn't - the tenants excluded. But Robert's presence interrupted Riley's conversation with the little thief. "It seems the child still holds breath, how inconvenient" Robert begun. "And is that the raider?" he asked, walking towards Lauren's tranquil body. "She is prettier than I would have imagined. We always thought the raiders to be nothing but pirates" he added, standing tall before the injured woman.

He then returned his gaze to O'Conner. "I was informed three raiders entered out facility, so where exactly are the other two? Held captive I assume. Correct?" he questioned Riley. He wanted to know the location of the other raiders because he wanted to take a step to solving a certain dilemma. This was an opportunity Robert could not pass by. The raiders came to them, they didn't have to go out there and look for them. "But I doubt it. Daniel wouldn't do that now would he? You know O'Conner, Pacifist are known to be weak in this time period. There is no room for forgiveness and redemption. Daniel gives aid to this woman, what is he thinking? Does he desire to have her awaken and kill off the rest of our people? You were also there, you saw the horrors these people brought us, so why aid this woman? For all you know she could have been one of the people that killed ours" he said, playing with Lauren's hair. But then he stopped and started towards the exit. "So, where are the others?" he asked yet again before deciding to walk out.

---

Floyd - House - Jess

Slowly the light began to burn his eyes as the gap between his lids widened. His eyelashes weren't preventing the light from getting in, their purpose. The redneck forced his left hand up, grunting as he did. He used his forearm to block the oncoming light, his cauterized wound preventing some of his movements. As his pupils adjusted, he realized there was no light, it was merely the rooms luminosity.

For a second he was wondering where he lay. He turned his head side to side trying to make something out of his location. He starred at the ceiling fan above him for some time, realizing he hadn't moved an inch since the feud with the intruder. Then his entire body started to feel once again, the numbness leaving. First came the draft of cold air from the house, his skin shivering just a tad bit as it regulated. Then his legs awoke, Floyd twisting his ankles which made his wound sting. After that the feeling came running from the tip of his feet all the way passed his waist. The wound pounded like his heart, but even faster. It seemed like a heavy weight was on his abdomen, pushing him down like gravity. But unlike gravity, it stung him intensely every time he attempted to move.

Then that pain faded once Floyd regained the feeling in his hands. He felt another person's fingers interlocked with his, so turned his head to that direction - to his right. There, sleeping silently beside him was the girl. Floyd recalled the events of the night before, the girl struggling to save him, but succeeding. She was the one that stepped up and saved him this time. She did everything Floyd told her to do, from heating the blade to cauterizing the wound all by herself. Floyd basically owed her his life, not only that, but he was proud of her for the first time. He always thought her a girly girl, an inside woman. To him, she was one of those spoiled children who always had their butler doing whatever it is they needed to get done. But after last night, after not only hearing her back-story, but also saving him, his thoughts completely altered. But there she lay, her head on his chest like a sleeping child. She was peaceful, beautiful. He didn't want to disturb her peaceful rest - she deserved it - but had to in order to get up, or at least attempt to.

Floyd pulled his right hand away from Jess' and gently poked the girl on the shoulder. He might have done it more roughly than he should have. "Jess, wake up. Wake up Jess" he whispered to the girl. For a second he was wishing that everyday could be the same. Not the deadly intruder thing, but waking up to Jess, she was that beautiful in his eyes. He still didn't exactly know what had come over him, why he felt that way, but knew he did and wasn't really questioning it. It was one of those odd feelings that one does not understand, but isn't worth thinking about it because its for the best. "C'mon girl, wake up" he whispered again, taping his finger on her forehead this time.

Valentina - Infirmary - O'Connor

"-of telling me your name?" Was all Valentina understood from the doctor who helped her; put a bandage wrap around her head. While the doctor was busy with the woman, Valentina had somehow stolen a scalpel, and like the way she held her precious bottle of water, she held her new weapon close, afraid that the woman would wake up a moving corpse, bite into the doctor's throat, creating a waterfall of blood and screams... But none of that happened, because the doctor helped the woman. Still, the girl stayed as far away as possible.

What the doctor said just seconds ago - that she was beautiful, caught her attention, and Valentina. At first she liked it, having recognised the word and understood the doctor. However, memories of how her eye and face was scarred returned, and before a smile could form on her face and her guard could be dropped, Valentina was upset and had her guard up again. The doctor, after all, had lied to her.

Thankfully for the doctor, however, Valentina could not get angry at him for mentioning the unmentionable. She was surrounded by danger after all - she was sure of it.

1 year ago...

"I pray you let me look upon the bond." Valentina said to a boy dressed in renaissance garbs standing opposite of her as she pointed conspicuously at a huge roll of paper tied to his belt. The boy looked shifty and conniving as he rubbed his hands in anticipation, too much like a stereotypical arch-villain to be realistic. Upon Valentina finishing her line, the boy flashed a shark smile at her as he pulled the roll of document from his belt.

"Here 'tis, most reverend doctor," The boy said in a rather unnatural accent, "here it is." He handed the roll of paper to Valentina, who took it with a well-hidden but strangely obvious look of distrust on her face.

"Shylock, there's thrice thy money offered thee." Valentina countered, maintaining a look of authority and defiance about her in her Venetian judge's robes, despite her fear for her suitor's friend. Had make-up not caked her smooth and unblemished face, she would have easily looked flushed and revealed that fear.

"An oath, an oath, I have an oath in heaven!" The boy then spat out his words, "Shall I lay perjury upon my soul? No. Not for Venice!"

"Why, this bond is forfeit, and lawfully by this the Jew may claim a pound of flesh, to be by him cut off nearest the merchant's heart." Panicking slightly at the gravity of the the situation, Valentina continued to improvise, stalling for time, asking for mercy for her suitor's friend without sounding like it. It helps to be in a judge's robe, "- Be merciful; Take thrice thy money; bid me tear the bond."

The play was a success, and the daring director who staged the redesigned Shakespearean work considered innovative and resourceful. This, despite the fact that it was a graduation play staged in an acting school, where Valentina attended after-school lessons after joining an acting club at her elementary school. Several distinguished guests had attended, much to the benefit of everyone involved.

"Dad! Did you like my play!?" Valentina had asked her father upon coming out of the backstage after most of the audience had left, coming up to him energetic, almost bouncing off floor and walls, excited, both her fine, perfect silver-blue eyes glittering with anticipation, "Did you like my play!?" Before her bear-sized father could reply, she'd pounced on him, hugging him.

"It was beautiful, my little Kotik." Her father had said as he looked her in the eyes, telling her things that words alone will never expressed. With his daughter, he'd never had to lie about her acting abilities. They smiled widely at each other. If only a man who was clearing his throat to attract attention did not interrupt them, they would have gone on further to express their love for each other.

"Uh hi, yeah, I'm sorry..." An awkward man about twice as thin as Valentina's father and a head shorter came up to them, adjusting his tie - he was sweating as if he was in the Mojave desert, "I'm an agent from uh... you know, all the way from Hollywood and I'd like to talk to you guys about something."

***

"I... It's-" Valentina struggled with words once again - with how they felt so unfamiliar, yet so familiar at the same time, "My name is... V... Va-Valentina." She finally said, and as if adding something that she had long forgotten but remembered all of a sudden, "Valentina... Vetrov."

Abram Chamberlin - New Orleans

Abram Chamberlin had decided to move; and so, three weeks after the firefight outside his home, he loaded all of his supplies into his Ford Focus and drove away. He gripped the steering wheel with his hands and pulled a sharp left to avoid a walker. On the console of the car, his pistol sat in the holster instead of a soda can. The man's eyes kept focused on the road, but his mind seemed to wander. He recounted the past few days in his mind, as he often did when he had time on his hand- which, come to think of it was all the time.

It was when his gas meter rang that he stopped the car. He climbed out of the door, pulling the pistol from the cup holder, and quickly glancing to each direction, to the right; woods, behind and ahead, the road, and to he left, a long driveway led down to a house in the woods. He considered checking it later, but for now, decided to refill his car. He went back to the trunk and popped it open. Two red gas cans sat beside his diminishing supply of canned food. In total his cans amounted to about twenty-four. Abram took the filled cans and pulled open the gas lid. He patiently poured the first can in, then proceeded with the other. After he screwed the cap to the tank on and shut the lid, he returned the cans to the trunk and closed the back of the car.

Presently, Abram returned to the driver's side of the car and climbed in, starting the vehicle and shifting in to drive. He pulled into the long driveway and continued toward the small house. As far as he could tell, the place was relatively safe and void of walkers. He pulled to the front of the house and shifted into park, grabbing his rifle from the seat beside him and climbing out of the car. He slung the rifle over his shoulders and brought his pistol to firing position. With marksman's skill, he kept his gun level to position, stepping close to the door. He gripped the doorknob, but cursed as he found it was locked. He had half the mind to blow the lock to pieces or to smash the door, but that would have been counterproductive. It was then that he heard a man's voice. It was ever so faint, but with his ear close to the door, he made out words.

"Wake up... Jess, wake up" He didn't know if the man said more, as he pulled his ear away. It was a good thing that he hadn't shot the lock to pieces. A man and a woman were in the house, though he doubted the house belonged to them. Then again, what belonged to who didn't really matter squat, nowadays. With that, he knocked roughly on the door, then backed up to his car, hoping it was far enough not to frighten whoever answered the door. He lowered his gun and waited for the door to open.

Jessalyn - House - Floyd, Abram

Jessalyn woke when she heard Floyd's voice. She moaned in protest, pressing her face more into his chest. "Five more minutes," she said in a muffled voice. Just five more minutes of laying there, pretending...
The knock at the door made her eyes fly open. She tensed and gasped, her arms clutching Floyd for dear life. No more. They couldn't take any more raiders or attacks. Not with Floyd injured.

Jessalyn got up. It was difficult, but she managed to help Floyd up too. Her back hurt and she pressed a hand against it to relieve some of the pressure. Creeping forward, she looked out the window cautiously.
"It's a man," she told Floyd. "He has a car. And a gun. He's big."
She looked back at Floyd with wide eyes. "What do we do?" she asked, having complete confidence in whatever he said. She trusted him with both her life and her unborn child. He would know what to do and she would listen.

Jess didn't bother to deny the fact that she was terrified. The last stranger who had come around had hurt Floyd badly, had nearly killed him. Her eyes went to the body that was still laying where it had fallen. She winced and turned away, her mouth watering a little. This was not the time to throw up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Katie - Blanket Fortress - Emma

A loud bang made Katie scream and go back under her blanket nest.
Loud bangs meant guns. Guns meant killing.
Or had the monsters come back? Had they followed her to the strange place? Were they going to get her like they had gotten her daddy?

The blanket whimpered and shook like there was a puppy inside. The blanket moved until it was in Emma's lap.

Myriah & Reggie - Outpost - The Council & Matt/Tyler, Bex & Enrique

The council stood on the wooden dais that served as the meeting place for the town. Eleven men and women stood before their community of about fifty people, their faces grim. The news was going to upset some people, all of them knew. Myriah and Reggie stood at the front, whispering into each other's ears. Eventually, Myriah placed a hand on Reggie's shoulder and stepped forward.

"Hello, everyone," she said. Her voice was low and steady. When Myriah spoke, people tended to quiet down. Myriah never needed to speak up. "Today's meeting will be a brief one. We have some news to discuss with you and a change in some of our plans. But first-" Myriah nodded to someone in the audience. She continued to speak as the pushed through the crowd. "As you are all aware, we are a very multicultural group of individuals. We all come from different places and different backgrounds. We all have different beliefs and different lives. But here we are, together." She paused as Richard and Elliot walked on to the dais. Elliot looked absolutely miserable. "I think it would be a wonderful opportunity for us all to try and become familiar with a little taste of a culture unfamiliar to us."

Myriah placed her hands on Elliot and Richard's shoulders, beaming. "These two young men will be offering classes on American Sign Language. But that's not all." She stepped forward and swept her gaze across the crowd. Somehow, no matter who they were, Myriah made it felt like they mattered. That somehow in the fraction of a second her gaze was on them, Myriah was their best friend in the world. "I know English is not everyone's first language here," she continued. "I invite everyone to sign up for language classes. Whomever is willing to teach can teach. Just because the lives we lived before our gone, doesn't mean we have to stop living. I hope that this will be another opportunity to bring our community together and to help take back a fraction of the lives we lost to the biters."

The crowd murmured approvingly. It sounded like a good idea and no one could find fault in it, even if most of them had no interest in learning. Myriah waited for them to die down before she continued. "You can go now, boys," she said, leading Elliot and his brother off the stage. She turned back to the crowd. "Now, Reggie has something he wishes to say." Myriah stepped back and Reggie took her place. Unlike her, he didn't once smile at the crowd. His relationship with Outpost was one of respect, not friendship.

"My scouts have been working diligently to track the biters in the area, and we have come to a distressing conclusion." The man let that sit. He had an air for the dramatic, probably because it made people listen. "There is a horde that will be hitting Outpost on its way into the city. Our walls have protected us for this long, but they can not take the force of an entire horde bearing down on them. What we need to do from this moment on is to prepare. We will have to fight back." Reggie looked into the crowd, seeking out the young men. His words were mostly for them, after all. "Unfortunately, we don't have the manpower for a siege. With both my scouts and the people on the wall, it still isn't enough. That is why we must hold off on the wall's expansion in order to focus on training our soldiers."

Reggie balled his right hand into a fist. "I need anyone- anyone- willing to join my people to do so. We need to fight for our community or before long there will be no community to fight for. If you care about Outpost, then I urge you to join me." When Reggie stopped talking, it was deathly quiet. The crowd had been shocked by the news that their long awaited expansion was being out on hold. Not only that, but none of them had even imagined a horde would come through. Outpost was supposed to be safe from these kinds of things.

But Reggie's words inspired some. Both men and women stepped forward and cried out. "I'll join!" they said. "I'll fight for Outpost!" Reggie smiled and nodded with approval.

"You can sign on tomorrow, during our scheduled scouting mission. When I get back the next day, we will begin preparations. Outpost will not be going down without a fight."

The crowd broke out into applause.

***

Reggie, flanked by Lucas and Rudy, opened the door to the cabin. Reggie grimaced at the blood and broken furniture. Thomas was quick to greet them, apparently having been waiting. "Sorry about the mess, boys. We had a bit of a walker accident."

Reggie shouldered his rifle. "We call 'em biters."

Thomas shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me." He jumped off the couch with surprising gusto. "My boys were just resting up."

"We have to get fucking going, dude," Rudy said, speaking up. "You should be happy we came after the sun came out."

Thomas smiled at this and walked toward the hallway. "Hey! Bex! Enrique! Get your butts out here!"

Bex shuffled into the room, looking like he had one hell of a night. Rudy found himself grinning at the sight of him. "I'm ready," said Bex.

---

Bex - New Orleans - The Scouts & Hazel's Pub

Here they were, in the heart of New Orleans. Bex didn't imagine he'd be back so soon and especially not after such a rough morning. Reggie had said it was imperative they change up their plans and ransack what they could from one of the city's more wealthy neighbourhoods. His reasons why were a secret, or at least they were to the three potential recruits. "The priorities are things that we can use," Reggie had said. "Food, clothing, tools, even small things like spoons and forks. You grab what you can but you must be careful about it. You start ransacking too much clothing and you have no room to carry food. It's about being smart and managing what you take." Then Reggie had given Bex and the others an odd look; A look intended to convey a message. "And under no circumstances are we to hoard items for ourselves."

Once they were into the city proper, Reggie had started to divide them into smaller groups. These groups were maneuvered in a way that spread out like a cone so that they could hit a larger number of buildings. Out of the group of eleven that they had, Bex noticed that Reggie never left Tyler or Enrique in the same group as him. They didn't show it much, but Bex realized the Outpost men were a distrustful sort. They were also a disciplined sort. No matter who Bex was grouped with, they moved with an efficiency that would have put Tyler's old group to shame. They tended to communicate wordlessly, sometimes not even having to signal to each other. Bex had watched a walker get the jump on Rudy, but before Bex even anticipated a movement, Rudy had turned the walker into the waiting blade of another man named Jerry.

It was approaching mid-day by the time Bex found himself slumping against the wall, his arms sore and his back stiff. He was little more than a pack mule at this point, his bags filled to the brim with the spoils of the day. They were on the second story of an abandoned house. The place looked divine compared to most of the other dumps they'd swept through. The furniture hadn't been ransacked and none of it was toppled over. The sickly green wallpaper was spotless aside from the seven months of dust it had accumulated. It wasn't hard to imagine an elderly couple lived there once.

Luke lounged in an armrest, a radio to his ear. Reggie's voice issued instructions to Luke, telling him to only do two or more locations. "We could camp out in one of these houses," Luke responded. "They're secure enough."

"Today's gone well, but that doesn't mean the city's stopped being dangerous," said Reggie's voice. "We'll hit a few more places and do one last rendezvous. The only camping out we'll be doing is out in the forest."

"Alrighty, Reggie. Roger that." Luke stood up with a sigh. "Day's almost done, guys. Wanna hit that motel we passed by?"

Jerry moved from his seat and adjusted his backpack. "Fine with me," he said. Bex gave his agreement with a nod.

On the street, they didn't have many walkers to contend with. Most of the corpses they passed were not about to get up and start walking. With the street relatively free of vehicles, there were no places for hungry walkers to be hiding, making for an easy walk to the motel. Bex watched Luke as he scanned the upper windows for signs of movement. "Don't see much. No biters banging at the windows, at least." He walked across the small parking lot and gestured for them to follow. At the entrance, Luke trained his rifle on the door. "Get the door, Jerry."

Bex had to admit that Luke surprised him. His heavy-rimmed glasses and awkward demeanor gave Bex a strong impression of what he felt was a nerd, but Luke was far from a stereotype. He was quick to lead the charge, always volunteering to check out a place that the group had thought to be dangerous. He was a bit reckless, but somehow still unbelievably calm at the worst of times. They had witnessed a walker devouring a man and a child two houses ago- a sight that Bex had found himself unable to look directly at- but Luke hadn't batted an eye. He had taken out the walker before turning to Bex, saying, "I'm sorry. Children are always the hardest, aren't they?"

Jerry stepped forward and threw open the door. Luke rushed inside, his gaze sweeping the hallway. He stepped to the side and gave the wall three loud thuds! Then, he waited, his hand held out to keep Bex and Jerry back. After what felt like about a minute, Luke shrugged and let them come inside. "At least we know it's not swamped. The motel's not that big, so we shouldn't have to split up. You keep an eye on our backs, Bex." Bex nodded, and the group pushed further into the motel.

Floyd - House - Jess/Abram

The struggle to stand seemed to be an endless journey. First the grunts of pain, secondly the vigorous shaking of the legs. Jess' hands were like needles at this point. Even though the girl did her best to help him up, the tug was hurting Floyd more than she'd imagine. But of course Floyd didn't show her that pain, just held it in like the man he was.

Once standing, the blood from his heart rushed through the veins in his legs. The numbness in them faded quicker than the walker virus spread. He lay on the wall holding his side as he faced Jess. He was about to tell her something when a sudden knock abruptly caused a scene.

Helplessly, Floyd watched as Jess ran to the front door. It was too late to tell her to back away. The entire time she looked at him for guidance, for protection.

"What do we do?" she asked, her eyes filled with fear, or so they seemed.

Before deciding to speak, Floyd wanted to take a look at the situation at hand. He started dragging himself down the wall towards the door. At times, his shirt would catch the friction of the wall and tug him backwards. The sudden movement caused him pain, but again he forced himself to prevent showing it. Soon enough he was at the front door. Slowly and cautiously he peeked out the window and stared at the armed black man.

"Get me the knife!" Floyd whispered forcefully. He stretched out his hand waiting for his knife. Once he got it, Floyd turned towards Jess. "Go upstairs and lock yourself in the room, I'll get ya when it's all over" he ordered.

He waited for her to do so before moving on to the next step. He headed into the kitchen, grunting as his wound was being forced. He pulled his jacket from one of the chairs and out it on, covering all the blood and pain. He then struggled to get back to the front door but was able. Floyd proceeded by placing his hand on the knob, his blade on the other. He opened the door in a way that his right hand - the one holding the knife - was invisible.

He stared at the black man, watching him in silence. The two men just stood there, Floyd not saying a word. But the silence was broken when Floyd decided to speak. "What do ya want?!" He called out, stressing his vocal cords. And once again, the silence returned in a pause to hear the black man answer.

Riley O'Connor - The Infirmary - Lauren/Valentina/Robert

He smiled at Valentina as she stammered the words. "That is a very pretty name." He offered. He stood up to take his coat off, just as the doors opened, and in-stormed Robert. Riley listened to his comments for a moment and shook his head. "No, Robert, the lass is my patient, and I'll formally ask you to leave her be. I don't know what you think she's going to do; she's injured and unconscious. Even if she were to wake up angry or even as a walker, it's not like I'm defenseless." At that, he slid his coat all the way off, letting his pistol, a .357 revolver, hang in it's holster on his belt. "As a matter of fact, there was only one raider. He's locked in Daniel's office until we can find a better place to detain him. Daniel may be compassionate, but his brain isn't the size of a wee peanut. The third of the group was actually a small lass that was younger than Ms. Valentina here."

Emma - The Blanket Fortress - Katie/Magic Blanket

"Hey, now. Don't worry, sweetie." She coaxed as Katie, who'd obviously interpreted the booming as a gunshot, crawled into her lap. She carefully pulled the blanket away until she could see Katie's face. "Don't worry, we're safe." She gently stroked the little girl's hair. "Would you like to go somewhere to get some food? We don't have to eat with everyone else if you're not ready for that, yet. We can go to my house."

Audrey - Haywood -Robert/Henry

Audrey's heart pounded as Robert tightly gripped her arm and forced her to pull the gun on him. A few tears escaped her eyes as he yelled in her face. She couldn't hide the fact that he scared her. She closed her eyes and waited for the man to strike her down. When a loud bang resounded from behind, she felt her arm jerk, and her finger squeezed the trigger, sending a round in to the far wall. She opened her still tearing eyes to see that Robert was gone. Instantly, she turned and hurried from the mess hall and out of the building, going towards the apartment building that she and Henry lived in.

She found him in the main room of their apartment, sitting on the couch that doubled as his bed. He'd refused to let her sleep on the couch when they'd first arrived and made her take the bedroom. He turned to look at her before jumping to his feet and putting his arms around her. He was much larger than she was, albeit Audrey barely hit 5'6 and weighed in around 120 pounds.

"Come on now, tell me what happened." Henry said in his kind and gentle tone. Audrey quickly recounted the encounter with Robert, Henry listening intently. "He's right."

"W-what do you mean?" Audrey muttered.

"We can prove it to Daniel, but how are we going to show the others?" Henry said. "I'm sorry, but it's the word of an old man and a girl versus the word of Haywood's military captain."

Robert - Haywood

Once O'Conner revealed to him the location of the other raider, Robert nodded in appreciation. He let go of the patients hair and moved towards the exit. Before leaving he took one last look at the doctor. "You should worry more about our sick rather than these animals" he said right before leaving the infirmary, indicating that comment to both the thief and the unconscious raider. The man had a decently sized smile on his face. It was obvious he got the information he needed from the good doctor.

Robert then headed to the other side of the same building, which happened to be Daniel's office - the one that used to be his. The man took wide gliding steps, using his span to get places much faster and not seem as though he was in a hurry. He then confronted a guard once reaching the office entry. Robert was informed by the guard that Mayor Crowe - Daniel - ordered him to keep the raider within the office at all times, that the man must be detained there. "I shall speak with this raider brother" Robert told the guard as he attempted to walk through the doors, but was uncommonly met with force. The guard stepped between Robert and the door as he placed his hands on the officer's shoulder. "Sir, I was ordered to keep him isolated from everyone but the mayor" the guard informed Robert.

For a second Robert looked startled, but within a fraction of that regained his stature and rank. He brushed off the guards hand and pushed the rather small man towards the door, causing the guy's head to clash against the frame. "Step aside soldier" Robert demanded. "No can do sir. Again, I was ordered to-" he started but found himself cut off as Robert began to speak. "Your new orders are to stand aside. Now THAT is an order soldier!" Robert grunted fiercely, his neck pulsing from the inside. With fear just like Audrey's, the soldier moved away from the door and let Robert enter the premise. Once inside, the doors were once again shut.

The light inside the office hadn't changed a bit. It had that same gloomy look that it did when Levi stood in charge. Robert entered to find a rather large man sitting on a solitary chair. The shadows concealed his image, but once Robert lit one of the nearby candles, his face was visible. The man looked ragged, as if he'd been struggling all his life - which was indeed probable. Unlike most of the people of Haywood, this one seemed to be quite nourished, a big man. Robert didn't fear the man's height nor weight, at this moment he was stronger, had always been stronger for that matter. There was no comparison between the two, they looked like complete opposites. The large man was a murderer, a rapist, a sexually driven maniac. On the other hand, Robert saw himself to be the messiah of Haywood, a savior among the people who have yet not recognized him for that, but eventually will. The time would come where the truth will be revealed and the people will see what a failure Daniel has been for the passed three weeks.

But there would be no introduction, the raider deserved no such leeway. Robert busted into a power walk, pulled his pistol from the back of his belt and jammed it across the Bull's face, causing the man to spit blood from the side of his mouth. Since his hands were detained, there wasn't anything he could do but bleed. Robert proceeded by picking up the man's face with his left hand. He came in close to stare into the man's eyes. "Where is Tyler?"

Walter - Forest/Unknown

It was cold. Very cold. Walter had been surviving quite well over the past few months, despite having no past survival experience, apart from the occasional episode of Ray Mears. After losing everyone he just… kept travelling, it was the only thing he could think to do. His mind didn't want to stop and think about the past, he just wanted to focus on moving. He had just now stumbled into a forest. He knew it was dangerous, but then, at the same time, it wouldn't be dangerous… at least not as bad as the cities.

There seemed to be only a few walkers about and once in a while Walter had to stop to deal with them, piercing his knife through their skull. Even after all these months he had gotten skilled at killing, yet hadn't gotten used to doing it. It just didn't come natural to him. Whenever someone needed help though, he gave it, which he'd done quite a few times to all the various groups and people he'd met on his travels.

Walter trekked on through the forest, not knowing what to expect. He thought he could make out something resembling a log cabin in the distance, though it was miles away.

Abram Chamberlin - House - Floyd/Jess

Abram nodded to the man in respect, trying to be as polite as possible. "Evening, sir." He said. He eyed the man's empty left hand, as he right was concealed by the door. "I was just looking for a place to stay tonight; I don't mean any trouble." Abram took account that the man looked fierce, and would probably be a challenge to fight. "How about- uh.. How 'bout I just dischamber the my round and you can get rid of whatever piece you got in your other hand, there." He carefully gripped the slide of his gun, making sure that his hand was clear of the chamber, before pulling the slide back and ejecting the round.

"Now- don't take this the wrong way, but you look like you're in bad shape, pal." Abram said. "My car is up on the road and I've got food. Plenty of it, too. So I'm hoping we can... maybe work something out and not start a firefight?"

Hazel + The Pub + Outpost Scouts

Hazel walked around in her home, switching on power in every room and checking to see if it worked. Some wires seemed broken, but other then that it was a steady surge of power. And power meant things were looking up. So she wiped her hands off on her pants and walked downstairs.

At the bottom of the stairs she gasped, her eyes wider then tomatoes. Someone was infiltrating her base of operations, not just someone though. These men were armed, they were a group, they had numbers. Where she was carrying no weapon they had two a piece, where she was one girl they were around three. She had no idea if they had more numbers. But she was going to die.

"H-Hello?" She hiccuped, it was loud and full of fear. She stepped away from the staircase, and had her hands raised. She looked down, she had nothing to protect herself so why should she try to fight?

Jessalyn - House - Floyd, Abram

Jess didn't want to leave Floyd alone, not with how badly he was hurt. She wished she had a gun right now.
"I don't want to leave you," she told him. "But I understand. I'll listen to you. But please, be careful."

She hurried up the stairs, but stayed at the top within sight of the door. If anything happened to him...
Her heart was pounding in her throat. She held her breath as he opened the door. The black man was big and had a gun. What if he decided to attack? With Floyd hurt, would he be any match for the stranger?
If the man did attack Floyd, what would she do?

If he attached her Floyd, she'd make him regret it.
Her Floyd...
That was what he had become. He was her Floyd. He was her protector, her provider, her friend and would be her baby's father figure.
And he was the man she was falling in love with.

She was brought from her thoughts, and her blushing face, by the man answering Floyd.
He just wanted a place to stay for the night? That wasn't asking a lot. But what if he was just trying to get inside the house? Then when he saw what they had he would attack them.
But he did offer to empty his weapon. And he had food. Food was important because they didn't have much of it. She wondered if he had medical supplies too. Floyd was going to need some as he recovered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Katie - Laundry Room - Emma

Katie peered up at Emma. Her tummy did feel empty...
But no, she couldn't. Bull was locked up. He needed food too.

"Can we bring some to Bull?" she asked, her pleading eyes staring into Emma's.

In a short time Katie was bouncing happily up the stairs, a small roll with cheese in it I her hand. It wasn't much, but she didn't want to take too much from these people. They were strangers after all.
Emma followed behind her, telling her to slow down and that they had to be quick in case someone came along.

Katie threw open the door. "Bull! I'm here! I brought you-!" her excited words were cut off when she saw a man there with Bull. He did not look nice.
"Where is Tyler?"
Katie frowned and stomped towards the man. "Don't talk about my daddy," she said, well more like demanded. "He went away. Like my mommy did."
She was angry at this man for making her remember. She looked at Bull, tugging on his arm. "Bull? Are you okay? Bull?" she frowned up at the man. "Don't you hurt Bull. He didn't do anything bad."

Emma came forward, trying to stop her from talking. Emma was afraid of this man.
Katie stuck her chin out stubbornly. "Who are you?" she asked. "Why are you being scary? It's not nice."

Bull - Haywood/Office - Robert/Katie/Emma

Things had been a blur for Bull once the soldiers locked him up. No one was talking to him, no matter how often he asked about Lauren. After spending several hours alone with nothing but a silent guard at the door, Bull began to believe they might not even bother to feed them. He knew he was better off than most, but he still got hungry like everyone else. Already it was gnawing at him, having not eaten since yesterday.

But he didn't mind. If he had to go without food so Lauren could get the help she needed, Bull would never eat again. He could sit here forever if he had to.

Someone did come eventually, but not with food. The door closed behind the man and he stood staring at Bull, his features largely hidden by the dim lighting. When he went to light a candle, Bull was sure he wouldn't like where this was going. When the light came on, the man walked toward Bull and smashed a pistol into his face without heistation. A sharp pain flowed across Bull's face and he exclaimed, "Fuck!" He wasn't sure about his teeth, but Bull could taste the coppery taste of blood. He spit it out, not caring if he got any it on this asshole's feet. As the man grabbed his face, Bull helplessly pulled on his restraints. He was forced to stare into the man's eyes- eyes that reminded Bull of Tyler, strangely. "Where is Tyler?" the man asked.

Before Bull could respond, Katie waltzed in with the teenage girl from before. Bull broke out of the man's grip and quickly looked away, suddenly ashamed. "Don't talk about my daddy," the girl demanded. "He went away. Like my Mommy did." Bull nodded, his eyes still downcast.

"Tyler's dead," Bull said. "That's what your men came to do, wasn't it? You should be happy."

---

Bex - The Pub - Hazel

Luke stopped suddenly and held his hand out to halt Bex and Jerry. From behind Luke, Bex could just barely see a girl at the end of the hallway. She was frightened, clearly; It was all over her poise and expression. She uttered out a greeting and stepped forward with her hands in the air. Luke began to laugh. "Don't worry, it's alright," he said, lowering his rifle. Hesitantly, Jerry followed suit. Bex wasn't sure what the policy on meeting strangers during scouting, but he doubted it was supposed to be like this. Perhaps Luke realized they could easily overpower the girl if they needed to.

"Are you passing through, or do you live here?" Luke stepped forward, closing the gap between him and the girl. "I thought a hotel would be filled with biters."

Floyd - House - Jess/Abram

The black man seemed to be as desperate as both Floyd and Jess. He disarmed himself and revealed to Floyd that he had decent amount of supplies - food. But in return for those services, he wanted to basically take shelter in the home Floyd and Jess settled. The last time a stranger showed up Floyd was shot down, so who knew what would happen now?

Floyd still held his hand behind the door, keeping it hidden from the man. Though all he held was a knife, the guy outside didn't know that so had to remain cautious, which he did. He was still over there by his truck keeping his distance from the house. It would seem he wanted conformation before stepping forth, which Floyd understood. But that wasn't what was running through the redneck's mind. All he could conjure up in his brain was the possible threat the man could become. At this point, Floyd was basically helpless. he was injured severely and would require at least a day or two to recover from such wound. In addition to that, he had a pregnant woman who he had to take care of and was failing to do so. She had just showed him that he can't make it in this world alone, that even Floyd needed help sometimes.

It was true that they were running out of food, the two had shown signs of gluttony and eaten a lot of what the house supplied for them. So the decision to allow this stranger in would be both risky and rewarding. This person wasn't another pregnant teenager, he was a grown ass man - muscles and everything. He hospitality and speech patterns made him seem a little strange, especially to Floyd - the redneck who believed nobody on earth is good. But the black man was right, Floyd wasn't feeling good, nor looking it. His face was dripping with sweat, not from fright or concentration, but from pain. He was hardly keeping his balance as he watched the black man from inside the home.

Then suddenly, the decision was made. Floyd dropped the knife, the clinging sound with the ground audible to the black man's ears. Floyd used his newly-empty hand to open the door entirely, showing the guy outside that he was no longer armed. "C'mon" was all Floyd said, allowing the black man to make his way towards the entrance. But as he did, Floyd's vision started to blur. He felt as though all his muscles began to shut down as he now found himself falling to his side. He used all his strength in attempt to catch something to hold himself up, but eventually fell as he clashed against the ground just like his knife. He looked down towards his wound, applying pressure into it. As he then pulled his hands away, they were tainted with blood. That was the last image Floyd saw before he fell unconscious once again. All that movement had re-opened his wound.

---

Robert - Haywood - Bull/Katie/Emma

As the two little girls busted through the so-guarded door, Robert turned to meet their eyes. The newcomer's eyes lit the room up like the solitary candle Robert illuminated earlier. Her eyes were like a purified lake, water so clean one could see straight into its bottomless depth. Compared to Emma - the other girl in the room - Katie was but a child. She was as naive as the rest of them though. The girl even revealed to Robert something she should have kept to herself

"So you are Tyler's daughter?" he started, the question irrelevant because he already knew the answer. "You have such pretty eyes little one" he continued, Katie running towards the defenseless raider. "Your friend here was the one being bad, just like your father" he stated, pausing after that comment. He walked towards Bull, but was met by the child's large charisma. "Who are you?"

"Why are you being scary? It's not nice.

Robert couldn't help but chuckle at the child's extreme maturity. She acted like she was older than most, as if she had the right to get answers. But like stated before, she was as naive as the rest.

"I am Robert Dalton, military leader for our beautiful town known as Haywood. But believe me when I tell you this child, I am not the scary one. I am a mere figurine to the fright your father brought to all these people. He was the scary one, not me" Robert answered, soon being addressed by the tied up raider. The man stated Tyler was killed by Haywood Militia.................he was most definitely wrong.

Robert then moved passed the child, his thigh running into her little stature and pushing her abruptly to the side. He once again stood before the raider before speaking directly to him. "Tyler yet lives pirate and I know you know where he stays!" he grunted, angered by the raider's lies. "We live under the rule of the man who failed to kill your leader. He was sent to those catacombs with a squad of about ten" he started, turning his head towards Emma before revealing the rest of the story. "But the man desired to move by his own agenda. He put his personal goal before the goal of the people who now call him Mayor. Instead of finding your leader, Tyler - the monster - and killing him, he decided to save the girl before you...........Emma. In the process, I lost six of my dear brothers. SIX! Lives lost to save the life of an impotent girl!" he yelled, turning back to Bull, watching the man from above.

He took Bull by the hair and pulled his head upwards, making the raider face him. "Look at me while I speak coward" he taunted, then switching his gaze to the little one. "Your father was a monster. He took mothers and daughter to the cells and did unimaginable things to them. For all you know he might have killed your mother! And he still holds breath. Let me tell you child..." he said, letting go of Bull and bending enough to be at eye level with Katie. "I will find your father. And when I do, I will unleash the wrath of Haywood upon his dying corpse. He will beg for his life like the coward he is. You've lived in his shadow far too long, I will set you free of his grasp" he told the blue-eyed kid.

"Amir! Amir!" Robert called out, the door suddenly opened by the guard outside. "Yes sir?" Amir responded as he entered the building. "Escort these two beautiful ladies to the mess hall please. Prepare for them a wondrous meal, they look very hungry" Robert commanded Amir who started to take the girls out of the room by force. Amir saw Bull int he background bleeding, but said nothing. He now understood what was happening, he had been there the day of the attack and knew the truth behind what occurred. The man still had mixed emotions though, never sure who he truly called leader.

Once they left the premises, Robert shut the door, locking it from inside this time. He returned to face Bull, picking up his face once again. "Now, I'm going to ask you yet again. Where is Tyler?!" he asked, a fist suddenly colliding with Bull's lower abdomen. "Where is Tyler?!!!" Another fist coming across his face, Robert's knuckles red as the blood that shot out of Bull.

The sound of a gun clocking them emerged from Robert's hands. On his right hand he held a pistol pointed straight at Bull. "If you do not tell me where Tyler is I will shoot you" he stated calmly, his pistol reaching Bull's forehead. "Do you think I'm joking!!!" Robert yelled, anger by the silence of the room. He switched his target and pointed the gun at Bull's foot, firing at it but missing barely. The man stared into the raider's eyes, his own red like the sun at dawn. Robert then put his weapon away and walked side to side - thinking - planning. "If you do not tell me where Tyler is next time, I will kill both your friends. First the woman.............then the child" Robert finished, walking out of the room before Bull had the chance to say anything.

As he exited the office, he ordered a couple of soldiers who were still on his side to move the prisoner to Bruce Levi's cells outside of Haywood. Daniel didn't know about them, nor did any of the uninformed militia guards. "Move him there this instant, we don't want to find ourselves in odds with our Mayor now do we?" And with that, Bull was taken to the cells all while Daniel enjoyed the company of Shannon, completely blind to the issues that occurred beneath his feet.

Jessalyn - House - Floyd/Abram

Jess watched as Floyd allowed the man to come inside. But her attention was soon off of the man and on Floyd. He was weaving a little where he stood. Just as she was about to call to him he collapsed.

"Floyd!" she screamed and ran down the stairs. She didn't care what the stranger did. He was forgotton.
Jess got to her knees beside Floyd and shook his arm gently. "Floyd?! Floyd please wake up!"

Hands grasped her arms and she cried out.
"Calm down," the stranger said and moved her aside.
"Help him," she begged, tears in her eyes. "Please. I don't know what to do without him."
"Is he your man?" he asked.
Jess hesitated. She looked down at Floyd's face. Was he? She knew how she felt, but did he feel the same way? After everything that happened, she couldn't imagine life without him now. He was her only friend. He was her family now.
He was...

"Yes, he is," she said firmly, touching his face gently before looking at the stranger. "I have nothing to pay you with, but please, please help him."
The stranger nodded. "I'll do what I can."

--

An hour or so later Floyd had been moved to the couch in the living room. The stranger, who Jess had learned was named Abram, had stitched him up with some supplies in his truck. He had also brought in the food and few medical supplies from the truck.

He now sat in the kitchen eating. "You are a good cook miss."
"Call me Jessalyn," she said. "And I think everyone is a good cook now a days. As long as it's hot it's good."
"That's true," he agreed. "So how far along are you?"
"I think five months. The only doctor I talked to died a while ago."
"Sorry to hear that. You and your man been here long?"

Jess felt a little bad for deceiving him about her and Floyd's relationship, but she was a little afraid of what he might do if he thought they weren't together. He was still a stranger, even though he had helped Floyd.
"We just found this place. It was abandoned. A man came along before you got here. He asked for help against a walker, then when Floyd killed it he tried to rob us. Floyd was shot in the process."
"Your man's tough. He'll pull through just fine. Especially since he's got two reasons to live," Abram said, nodding at her swollen stomach.
Jess blushed a little. Getting some of the soup she had made into a bowl, she went into the living room. Abram watched from the kitchen table as she sat beside Floyd.

She brushed his hair away from his forehead. "Floyd?" she called gently, nudging his arm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Katie - Haywood - Emma, Bull, Robert

The child was shaking with rage. How dare this bad man talk about her daddy?! How dare he call him bad?!
"Take it back!" she screamed in anger, running to attack him but being grabbed and held back by Emma. The young woman tried to calm her but Katie was inconsolable. "Take it back! My daddy loves me! He would never hurt my mommy! I want my daddy! I hate you! I hate you! You're a bad man! I hate you!"
Emma glared at Robert. "She's just a little girl," she told Robert. "Can't you be just a little human?"

Katie was pulled from the room by Emma and the other man, named Amir, fighting the entire way. She kicked and screamed, repeating that she hated Robert over and over. Several of the people of Haywood heard the commotion and whispered among themselves. A few went off to tell Daniel.

In the cafeteria, Emma tried to get her to eat by Katie refused. She mainly cried out of anger and heartache. "Emma?" she gasped and coughed. "M-my chest h-hurts-s..." she whimpered.
"You're getting too upset," Emma said, stroking her back. "You need to breathe honey. Calm down and breathe."
"I c-c-can't," she hiccupped.
Emma stood and held Katie to her, looking at Amir. "I'm taking her to my place. Tell Robert exactly what you see, what is happening to this little girl. Tell him he can go to hell for what his is putting this her through."

At Emma's place she laid Katie on the bed and covered her with a blanket. She patted her back and stroked her hair, singing softly, trying to get the child to calm down before she hurt herself. Katie ended up throwing up from crying so much. There wasn't much in her stomach to begin with so it was mainly water.
Finally Katie ran out of tears and just laid under the covers shivering and whimpering.
"Em-ma?" she asked. "D-do you thin-k my d-dad-dy is s-still alive?"
"I don't know honey," she answered honestly, keeping the prayer that he was to herself.
"B-but B-Bull and Lauren s-said he..." Katie whimpered.
"Maybe they thought he was," Emma said, not wanting to tell the child that the only people she knew well were liars.
"T-Then why isn't h-h-he com-ming to get me?"
"I don't know. No more talking sweetie. You need to sleep. Just close your eyes and try to sleep. I'll stay here with you, I promise."

Katie fought it, but she was so tired from crying and the stress she was under that sleep finally won. She drifted off, small whimpers coming from her.
Emma kissed her forehead and got up, heading for the small kitchen area of the little apartment she had been assigned. She wondered where Daniel was and when he would be back. She had to tell him about all of this. They needed to keep Katie with them and safe. She was sure that Robert would use the fact the she was Tyler's daughter against them as some point. She didn't want the little girl to pay for her father's sins. There was no telling how the people of Haywood would react, but Emma prayed they would do the right thing by Katie.