Florence Kelowna trotted through the streets of Blackwater. The town had been abandoned by both the living and the undead. She hoped to find resources such as food or ammo to continue onto the next settlement. She had ridden from Armadillo, New Austin to West Elizabeth in a matter of two days. With her husband missing and the undead running rampid, her guards were up and she had entered survival mode. She had hoped to find at least one survivor here at Blackwater. It was the biggest city in West Elizabeth. At least one form of life must have stayed behind, hidden in the cellar or waiting it out on the roof tops.

Cautiously, Florence hitched her horse near the motel and crept through the back alleys with her gun drawn. Both the living and the undead could be hiding in these alleys - and she was prepared for the worst. Finding the backdoor to the gunsmith, Florence went at it with one swift kick from her steel toe boot. She continued to kick in the door, careful not to make too much noise that would attract any attention from any undead that may be around her.. She doubted there was any ammo left at times like these, but it was worth a shot.

Robert Made his way into the town of Blackwater, keeping his gun out at all times in case trouble came about. Originally he wanted to stay away from all towns and settlements as much as possible, as now a days they would be either over run with the undead, or a group of bandits just waiting to prey on unprepared survivors. However, wildlife had been hard to come across the last few days and he was running out of food, only option left was to hope there was something, or someone, that could assist him.

After a few moments he halted his horse. In front of him stood to be the towns hotel, if anyone were left, hostile or not, they would probably be in here. Keeping his gun lifted, he cautiously opened the front door.
"Hello, anybody in here?"

Startled by a voice, Florence froze in her action of kicking in the back door of the blacksmith and began to gravitate towards the source of the noise. Regardless of who she suspected it to be, she kept her gun drawn as she rounded the corner, to find that another horse was hitched next to her's outside the motel. Suspiciously, she stalked near to the motel and took a measured step into the door. She made sure that whoever had just come in here could see her gun from where she was standing. "Who's there?" she asked, attempting to make her voice appear low. Many men didnt fear the strength of a woman.

Lee heard yelling. There were still living people around here? She wasn't really sure how to digest that information. She couldn't decide if she was happy not to be the only one alive or upset that they were making so much noise. They could attract the undead!

She pulled a knife out of her boot and headed towards the shouting.

Robert lowered his rifle slightly. Was that a woman trying to sound like a man? Or a man with a very woman like voice? Either way, he still wasn't sure what if they were hostile. He called back to the person,

"Just a simple passer-byer."

He took a few steps before noticing their gun just barely visible from behind the wall. Rob re aimed his gun.

"Look, I don't mean you no harm. So why don't you put that thing away?"

Lee kept walking. Her steps almost completely silent. She came to an overturned wagon and used it as cover. She peered around the side and examined the scene. If she moved out into the open now, it was very likely she'd get shot. She surveyed silently as the shouting continued.

Hearing and seeing that it was another human who was just as vulnerable as she was, and not an undead, Florence lowered her gun and took a few more steps into the hotel, revealing herself as a woman. She looked over at the man, looking just as cautious as she must have appeared. She was shocked to see that another person was still in town.

"What're you doin' in town, partner?" she asked. "Most folks either left town or turned into one o' them undead creatures."

Lee continued to watch from behind the wagon for a few moments. She eventually decided to get up and move forward when she could no longer see what was going on. She was trying to remain unnoticed. She accidentally kicked something-a broken bottle-and ducked so as not to be seen when it rolled and clanked down the stairs in front of the hotel. "S***!" she muttered to herself.

A woman, his first guess was right. He lowered his gun as she did and gave a sigh of relief.

"Trust me, I didn't want to set foot in another town. But I'm runnin low on my supplies and didn't have another option." He then flipped the question on her, "What brings you into town, Missy?"

Just as he asked the sound of a bottle breaking echoed, causing Rob to pull up his gun again.

"You don't have any friends around here do ya?"

"I'm afraid I'm in the same predicament you are, mister," she said, scuffing her boot along the wooden floor of the motel. "I rode here all the way from Armadillo, hopin' I could find other survivors, or at least some supplies. But there is little to go around and it's slim pickin's off the undead. So, where do-" Florence was abruptly cut off by the clanking of an empty bottle, just outside the front door of the hotel. With her guards up again, Florence drew her gun and took one step out of the hotel. "Who's there?" she demanded, this time not bothering to disguise her voice, as she now had an accomplice.

Lee leapt at the woman, knife in hand. She pinned her to the wall with the knife to her throat. "Whatchya think yer doin', Yer makin' such a ruckus, this place'll be swarmin' with undead in no time." She hissed

"Hey!" Rob put his gun right at this other woman's head. "I'd suggest you drop that knife of yours, I don't want to add you to the number of dead in this town, but that don't mean I won't if I have to."

Lee cast a sideways look at the man. Gritting her teeth, she lowered the knife. "Whaddya doin' here. There ain't nothin' to see here. The undead cleaned this place out forever ago." She stepped away from the woman, but kept a tight grip on the knife.

Florence eyed the woman that held a knife to her throat, with a fire in her eyes. "I should be askin' you that, twinkle toes, with you droppin' glass bottles about," she growled at the woman. Her eyes slid past to the man that had come to her aid, smiling that she was not alone in this. "I suggest you do as the man says.We're all fightin' this thing together...but that don't mean I gots a problem with puttin' a bullet in anyone's skull that gets in my way."

Rob kept his gun pointed at the lady she backed up. He didn't think shed try anything after that, but didn't want to take any chances.
"That seems to be everyone's question here."
He lowered his gun so it wasn't pointing at the woman anymore, but kept it at the ready just in case.
"Same thing as I'm guessing, food and supplies. Now the way I see it, if there's anything left in this town, fighting over it ain't gonna get us anywhere."

"I have more right than any of you. I was born and raised in this town. I been here ll mt life." Lee said defiantly. "But I suppose you're right about the fightin'." She looked up at the man. "Do you mind? I ain't gonna kill yer girlfriend." She pointed at the gun with her chin.

"Alright, alright," Florence waved her hands dismissively. "So we ain't here to fight each other...we've got that straight. But there is one thing I need to ask both of yous," she said, hoping to get both of their attentions. She had traveled a fair way, killed a fair number of these creatures that she had heard people refer to as the 'undead'. What she really needed to know was what it really was. "Do either of you know what's goin' on around here?"

"Ain't it obvious? People got sick. They died, and then they undied. And if we don't get our asses inside, so will we." Lee was surprised the other woman didn't know what had happened. "Some kinda disease."

Florence eyed the woman suspiciously. If she had learned anything from riding across New Austin in this time of crisis, it was that towns were to be avoided. While they seemed abandoned on the outside, there was always an undead lurking somewhere. And where there was one - there was many. "But...why? I mean, why would the undead be rising back to life?"

"I have no idea. I tried to figure that one out. All I gotta say is that I'm glad they only come back to life once. Once they're dead the second time, they don't get up again." Lee said, leaning against the wall. "I been studyin' 'em since..... for a long time." She didn't want to share that she couldn't help feeling like it was her fault the dead were rising.