Victor - 'Fresh 'n Easy' Walker, Louisiana - June Hunter-Darling, Augusta Hunter, Malcolm Okada
"No shitting you." He grabbed the cart and followed her back into the store. Pausing with the kids. This was a reunion he didn't want to watch. Yeah he knew Mandy would be happy, that should be enough. It was enough for the logical part of Victor's mind, but that didn't make him want to see her face light up at the sight of someone who wasn't him.

The scowl she had given him when they had reunited themselves. Victor pushed the memory away and looked over at the kids. "So uh, do you guys know Mandy too?"

Mandy - Streets of Walker, LA - Annie, Cricin, and June

Mandy knew the guy was yelling. What he was saying, she had no clue. Probably some insult, but it didn't seem like he was going to follow or shoot her. That was a relief. She'd go back to the store and tell Victor that there were at least two people in town, and they were hard for her to understand.

That was enough running off. Mandy thought. No more of that. Things always went wrong. You meet the wrong people, or zombies. Zombies sucked if she couldn't see them coming.

Mandy turned back down the street that the grocery store was on. Leaving Victor alone was stupid. What if the people inside the store were part of the other group? What if they kidnapped Victor? Mandy didn't know what someone would do to him, but he was still a friend. Someone her mom had trusted.

She looked up and saw someone standing outside the store. Not Victor... No... No way. It had to be impossible. The person had their back turned away from Mandy looking the other way, but the frame the way they held themselves. Mandy shivered, "June?" Hope flared up around her, and she tried to push it away because it was too impossible.

Marcus - Garden District, Baton Rouge - Aubrey

Marcus raised the fire iron in the air as the girl spoke, staring serenely at the sight of the sun's rays glinting off blood and metal, brain and bone. As he wiped the weapon clean on the walker's tattered and soiled dress, he snorted at something he heard the girl say.

"The mean men," he repeated scathingly. "You sound like a fucking child."

Once the poker had been cleaned, he placed it back into the makeshift sling at his side and turned towards her, considering the proposition she had made. It may have behooved him to stay hidden, but he enjoyed being out in plain sight. The great outdoors were lush and full of life, and there was still so much to explore. Even the cosy bungalows that lined this road in Garden District fascinated him; each one was brimming with unique character, as if it had its own story to tell. He often took great pleasure in ransacking long-abandoned abodes and piecing together the the last moments of the families who had lived in there. On some lucky occasions, he had even gotten to meet them, albeit in a noticeably more decaying state than what their photo albums depicted.

In the end, it was her offer of sustenance that truly piqued his interest. Adventure was good, but adventure on a full stomach was great.

"Why are you offering a stranger food?" he asked, his tone casual. "Take your time answering. If I smell bullshit, or if I just don't like what you have to say, I'll take the advice of our undead brethren and try a little long pig tonight."

Mandy - Streets of Walker, LA - June

There was a moment before June turned around that Mandy knew it couldn't be her. Then she turned around and that was all Mandy needed, one good look at her face. June said something, Mandy wasn't sure what. Though she saw the very distinct way June said her name. The movement was perfection, and no one quite said it that way. Mandy had no idea what her name sounded like coming from June, but she knew the shape of it on her lips.

Mandy didn't care that June wasn't the hugging type. She was, and it had indeed been ages. Too long. It really had only supposed to have been a month. She ran forward, smiling and crying tears of joy. June looked different too, especially through the water in Mandy's eyes.

Her arms wrapped around June in the hug that she had been wanted for almost a year now. "I'm sorry."

Victor - 'Fresh 'n Easy' Walker, Louisiana - Augusta Hunter, Malcolm Okada

"Yeah I guess it'd be that Mandy. She hasn't stopped, uh signing about June. Very determined to find her." Victor gave a bit of a wry smile, and started looking through some of the cans to see what he could make. Should be something to celebrate he supposed.

"Weird you say?" He didn't look up from the cans he was sorting. "Do uh, does... Never mind." He shook his head.

Alex Clark - Cells

As both the girl with the bow, who had given him a parting glare, and Magnus left, Alex stared them down the hallway one by one, and then recoverd something from his sleeve, showing everyone else in the cell a crooked grin. "I'll have to thank that bitch later for giving me a weapon." He said victoriously hiding the broken arrowtip again. Sadly it had come at the cost of Richard's shoulder. It had been a hunting arrow, one with barbs. Luckily it had hit him in the meaty part of his shoulder and gone straight through, so he only had a relatively small wound.

Sitting down against the edge of the cell, Alex got his mind racing on what they would do next. "Danny, Luke, think with me." He said. "Or anyone else for that matter." He added, throwing a glance around. "We only know what that guy's told us, and that he took the effort to come tell us in person. He also was present when he captured us. They seem a rather ruthless bunch though." He said, glancing over to Richard who was biting away the pain now adrenaline was running out. "But given the circumstances and what he's told us, I'm guessing we're slaves of sorts now." Alex continued. "Could be a lot worse. In any case, now we're left here I'm going to spend my time usefully, by sleeping, unless you guys have another idea."

Tina - Outside Bar/Apartment - Abram/Sam

She moved out from behind the side of the garden, her eyes downcast. Tina looked between Abram and Sam briefly, crossing her arms. "I, uh..." She paused on that for a moment, thinking on what to say. "George told us what happened upstairs. I imagine he or Liam will tell you what happened, but, this is why we had Tyler separate from us. Tremblay had it out for him, and if we hadn't made him leave, we might have all been taken away."

Even though Tina's fears had been proven correct, she didn't feel any better about them. She'd hardly wanted Tyler to be captured, let alone his daughter or Scarlett. "... But, that doesn't mean we won't help you. I'm tired of living like this, to be honest. We should have all just left this city ages ago, but you know how it is." She nodded toward the bar. "The thing is, I need to keep people like Elyse in Liam out of this. I don't know what you guys hope to do, but understand that trying to sneak into Tremblay's territory won't end well. Maybe you have a game plan in mind, and I'm willing to give you all the info I can, but we need to figure out who we're going to keep out of this."

Swallowing, Tina looked down again, wringing her hands. "I'll take Elyse and Liam out of the city, and anyone who doesn't want to get involved. That's for the best, I think."

---

Monica - Dilapidated House - Ellis/Emma

"Thank you, both of you." Despite her plea for peace, Monica was hardly ready to let her guard down with this kid. With stiff shoulders, she opened the door of the house. "Your welcome inside. I'd like to know where you're from. I notice you have an accent." She stepped inside now, looking over the mess before her. With a deep breath, she offered the boy a smile. "I'm, uh... Monica, and this is Emma. Like I said before, we really don't have anything to offer you for food."

She moved around the table and brought a third chair from the corner of the room toward the center. She hoped she was subtle about it as she placed the third one across from the two others. She sat down, offering Emma a place beside her. "You can ask us a few things, if you'd like."

---

Danny - Cells - Alex and co.

Danny's face was pale as he followed Alex's instruction without saying a word himself. Shannon and Luke looked on behind him, probably too freaked out to do much of anything. When Luke didn't immediately follow what Alex said, Danny snapped and said, "Luke, come on!" He heard the man take a deep breath behind him, kneeling down next to him to hold the arrow shaft. Danny found his mouth going dry at this gruesome business, and he hated himself for feeling weak here. He'd seen just about everything these days, and yet the sight of his friend in such pain made his stomach tie in knots endlessly.

Once the business was over and the arrow was out, Danny shakily moved away from his friend, letting Luke tend to him alone. Richard looked out of it now, all of his energy spent screaming and yelling a moment ago. Breathing in shallow breaths, Danny hastily rubbed his hands against his shirt, groaning at the sight of them. In a moment, Shannon was at his side, touching at his shoulders. She rubbed them softly, her eyes set firmly on Magnus. "Good riddance," she said as he left, leaving them alone with their suffering.

She looked to Alex as he spoke, informing everyone that they were likely to be slaves of some sort now. Shannon felt disgusted. "No," she said, her voice wracked with anger. "No, we're not-- we'll get out of this somehow."

Danny felt Shannon look down on him, expecting him to back her up, but he could only shake his head. "Alex is right. This is how it is, Shannon. We're fucked."

No one in the cell could say much to argue with him.

---

KK - Furniture Store - Jessalyn/Scarlett/Katie

She could only make a vexed noise at Jess' childish display. "Well then, starve yourself for all I care. I'm sure you'll see your boy eventually." She left in a huff, closing the door behind her. There was no way to lock it, but as there were always people in the furniture store at this time of day, Jess wouldn't be able to get far away. KK moved then to another room-- essentially what used to be a model display for the store before it had been modified. She opened the door, here eyes looking upon the two girls inside. They were named Katie and Scarlett, according to to Tremblay.

"Hello, dears," she said, her voice warmer than she had been with Jess. These two were far more likely to lash out, even the little girl. "I'm here to talk to you about how your stay with us will go. I promise, no harm will come to either of you."

---

Tremblay - Plaza/Furniture Store - Alison/Floyd/Jessalyn

Tremblay stepped into Alison's office abruptly, a serious expression plastered on his face. He paid Floyd little attention as he spoke to the nurse, "I need you and Becca to attend to a matter for me. Head down to the receiving rooms, and you'll know what I mean." His French accent was restrained at the moment, sounding almost American. "And I'd like you to come with me. You probably don't want to-- but I'm bringing you to Jessalyn." He held the door open to let Alison leave first, Once she was gone, he continued holding it, waiting for Floyd to move. Whenever the man moved, Tremblay would briskly close the door behind him.

Without a word exchanged between them, Tremblay led Floyd out of the infirmary, through the plaza parking lot, and out the front entrance of the complex. Across the street from the plaza was a furniture store-- a large one, part of a growing chain before the world went to hell. Tremblay was using it for a multitude of reasons and it was fortified in its own right. Of course, if there was ever an attack, the plaza would always be the safer location.

A small walk in the store brought them to the bedroom housing Jessalyn. He stepped aside and let the pair have their reunion, though eventually Tremblay would say. "We all should talk." He would eventually bring them both to his office of sorts, or maybe it was more accurate to call it an information center. Surrounding a desk were boards filled with maps and information of Baton Rouge and the surrounding area. Countless lists of the various people living in the area and the kind of relationship they had established with Tremblay's group. Tremblay offered the pair to sit at a sofa while he brought the chair from his desk around to sit in front of them.

"KK is still around if you need anything for Ben, Jess. Make sure he's comfortable, as we'll have a lot to talk about, I think." Crossing his arms, he leaned back in his chair to eye the pair of them carefully. "We'll see to your job around here eventually, Floyd, but what to know right now is everything you know about a man named Tyler Salem. He was based in New Orleans for a time, I imagine you two might know of him."

Katie - Furniture Store - Scarlett, KK

Katie had blacked out after Scarlett had picked her up. When she woke the child had been distraught to find one of her ribs broken, a cut on her head that hurt and her daddy missing. And calling it 'distraught' was putting it nicely.
The only thing keeping her from going off the deep end and screaming constantly was Scarlett. The woman held her and kept her quiet, soothing her and rocking her.

A medical person had come to see Katie and asses her injuries but the little girl had shown her feelings on the matter by trying to bite him. Twice.
Katie was NOT going to be a good girl here. She hated this place. She hated these bad people. She wanted her daddy, but they wouldn't give him back. She hoped they all died for what they had done.

So when KK entered and tried to be nice, Katie only stared at her with mixture of fear, pain and distrust. "I want daddy," she said, her voice low and a little broken when she spoke because of the pain in her chest. She turned her head so her face was pressed against Scarlett's chest. "It hurts... Mommy, it hurts when I breathe..."

She had taken to calling Scarlett 'Mommy' now, even though the bad people knew she wasn't Katie's real mother. It didn't matter to Katie. In her eyes, Scarlett was her mommy now...

---

Jessalyn - Furniture Store - Tremblay, Floyd

Bitch. That was the only word Jessalyn could think as the woman left. Well no that wasn't true. She was also thinking 'good riddance'.

Gazing down at her son, Jessalyn's face softened. He gurgled, blinking his dark eyes as he focused on his mother's face. Laying him down on the bed, Jess played with him as she waited. It was strange, how such a small being could keep her so centered. Floyd was important to her of course, but Ben was her whole world. This baby, concieved without love and born amid hatred and death, was her light, her anchor in this hellish life.

The door opened and Jess immediately glared at Tremblay. It was about time the bastard came to-

Her thought was cut off when she spotted the other person with him. Leaving Ben safely on the bed, Jess stood. It was as if time had stopped once again. He was here, in front of her. After all of the searching and worrying and sleepless nights praying for him... he was here...

Her vision swam as tear pooled in her eyes then fell, flowing down her face unchecked.
"Floyd," she murmured before finally finding her feet and doing what she had dreamed of since they were seperated.
She ran to him, threw her arms around him and kissed him with all of the passion she had in her heart. She clung to him in desperation, as if once she let go he was disappear or be taken from her again.
"I didn't want to leave," she blurted out. "I didn't. Abram made me leave. He said we would come back for you but then he wouldn't let me go back. I'm sorry. I'm sorry Floyd. I love you. I love you so much. I love you..." she kept repeated those three words as she kissed him.

Finally she was able to pull away and wipe her eyes. Beaming at him from ear to ear, she pulled him towards the bed.
"I need you to meet someone," she said.
Picking up her baby, she turned to Floyd. "This is Benjamin Daniel... my son..."

The last time Floyd had seen her she had been very pregnant. Now he was finally meeting her son, the baby he had helped protect along with her, the baby he had saved the life of along with hers. Gently, she placed the baby in his arms. Ben focused on this new person, staring at him solmenly for a few minutes. Suddenly he seemed to make up his mind about this person because he reached up with his tiny fist to grasp at Floyd's nose.

Aubrey - Garden District, BR - Marcus

Aubrey frowned as the man called her a child, it wasn't like she meant it like that. "I'm not going to call them thugs because they aren't that. Nor will I call them raiders because they have yet to raid my shelter. They're just rude and mean to others. So they're fucking mean men." She contained the urge to roll her eyes but she couldn't stop the sarcasm from flowing.

If it wasn't for the ending comment that the strange man had said, Aubrey would have probably stuck to her plan, but as she heard the words 'Long Pig', the blood drained from her face. The young woman gave the man a blank stare, like a deer in headlights, and stuttered slightly.

'Run!' Her subconscious shouted at her.

Her body reacted before she could acknowledge what she was actually doing. Her survival instinct kicked in and she quickly reached back for an arrow, pulling it out of its quiver and setting it. She already had a target in mind, which made finding the thigh easier. With a quick breath, Aubrey wasted little time in letting the arrow fly, though she didn't wait to see the reaction. The girl turned on her heel and sprinted as fast as she could, even though she knew she wasn't the best runner in the world.

Marcus – Garden District, Baton Rouge – Aubrey

As soon as she reached for the arrow in her quiver, Marcus' hand shot towards his waist. He was fast on the draw, but he had underestimated the woman. Just as his glock was poised to fire, the bow twanged and the broadhead screeched across the distance, piercing his thigh.
When the tip tore his skin, Marcus collapsed to one knee and roared a plethora of profanity as the metal sheared through muscle. Even stronger than the pain, however, was the adrenaline fueling his desire for a most sadistic revenge.

As the girl turned and ran, Marcus fired three shots at her back in quick succession. His aim was shaky, but he knew at least one bullet would find its mark, and then she would pay. He earned his vindication when the third bullet caught her in the tricep.

He could tell by her reaction that she was young and inexperienced; the pain had obviously overwhelmed her, considering how hard she had crashed to the floor. She was barely stirring now and Marcus seized his opportunity. He hoisted himself up to both legs with herculean effort and stumbled towards her feeble form. The curses came spewing out of his mouth now as he felt the muscles in his thigh searing and working against the foreign object lodged inside. Every fibre was tightening around the shaft of the arrow and each step brought him great pain, but he was consumed by his objective.

Marcus rolled her over roughly and climbed onto her, pinning her down with all of his weight, both hands around her throat as he pressed firmly, squeezing his digits into her neck until he could feel her windpipe.

“You fucking degenerate,” he growled. “How quick to violence you are! Isn't it odd, how you thought I was the strange one? All I did was enjoy a little dance; you tried to kill me for some colourful phrasing. Literalism will be the death of you, dear girl!”

At the last word, he breathed a theatrical sigh.

“Such a shame, we're not even on a first-name basis yet. You strike me as a Sally. Are you a Sally?”

Marcus kept his left hand wrapped around her throat, using his right to fire the glock at the sky.

“Come on, tell me your name,” he pressed. “Let's have a nice little chat. It'll be the last one you have before my friends chew the meat off your bones. You might as well enjoy it. I know you're a Sally, Sally. You've got everything Uncle John needs. Long, tall Sally!”

He listened to their hissing and shrieking in the distance: the gunfire had drawn them. Their sense of hearing was admirable for something 'dead', though they were still useless, shambling morons. To hasten their arrival, Marcus pocketed the gun and moved his hand to the girl's arm, which was now bleeding copiously.

Flashing her a sweet smile, as though they were exchanging pleasantries over dinner, Marcus clutched and squeezed her wounded limb as hard as he could, causing carmine to spurt out even faster.

Aubrey - Garden District, BR - Marcus

The blonde had barely gotten to the sidewalk before a pain she had never felt before sent her into shock and had her legs locking on themselves. Aubrey had barely felt the concrete when it met her temple as her mind was focused on the searing pain coming from her tricep. She had let out a pain filled scream before completely shutting up after she had fallen.

"Holy fucking shit...." She hissed as she blinked furiously and tried to make the world stop spinning around her.

She had barely begun to clear her mind when her body was suddenly flipped around and the creep of a man climbed on her.

"Get off you fucking creep!" Aubrey tried to shout at him as he grabbed her throat and used all of his strength to keep her down. She feebly smacked his arms and clawed at his hands as she tried to stop him, her mind racing to find an escape. His leg was too far down for her to hit the wound, but the arrow stuck out far enough for her to be able to grab the end and push down, forcing the arrowhead to dig deeper into the man's muscle. She had been paying little to no attention to his words as she raced against time to get away from the lunatic.

When the pain registered with him, Aubrey reached out with her good arm and took hold of her bow, swinging it with all the strength and force she could muster, up to the side of his head.

The satisfying sound of silence and the feeling of air rushing into Aubrey's lungs were her two signs that she had found a way. "Fucking creep!" The girl yelled as she bucked the rest of his body off of her and scrambled to get on to her feet, which resulted in her half crawling away.

Marcus – Garden District, Baton Rouge – Aubrey

Marcus' teeth clenched as she tugged on the arrow, momentarily distracting him with the intense radiation of pain that made his thigh feel like it was set ablaze. With his attention diverted, there was no way he could have prepared himself for the girl's cunning coup de grace.

The bow collided into the side of his skull with a force he could never have imagined. He grunted as blood flew from his mouth and his torso swung dangerously. Brilliant, white lights popped across his vision like fireworks and the world spun so violently he thought he might vomit.

Marcus fell to the floor, but just as she had almost extricated herself, his hands flung out and he grabbed her hard around the ankle.

“You...” he groaned, steadily becoming more coherent. “You crafty little cunt, you conniving bitch, you scullion! You rampallion! You fustilarian! I'll tickle your catastrophe!”

He lunged at her and wrapped a hand in her hair, pulling her head back ferociously. Just before he dipped his head to tear her throat open with his teeth, a loud noise made him freeze in his tracks and look up.

“Let her go!” commanded someone new, pale and trembling.

The first thing Marcus registered was the man's blanched face and trepidation. The second, however, was the bow he was holding and the arrow that was pointing between Marcus' eyes.

“You kids and your toys,” he spat. “Existing in your own Robin Hood fantasy land. Jejune, vapid worms!”

“Let her go,” the man repeated, with a slightly stronger note of confidence. “Or I'll kill you.”

“That cadence of pusillanimity suggests otherwise, sweet bowman.”

“You won't be able to pronounce those big words with an arrow stuck in your throat. Walk away.”

The smile faltered from Marcus' face. He could not risk it. With a look of deep loathing, he capitulated and let go of the girl, slowly backing away.

“Better run fast,” advised Marcus. “The mean men are coming.”

He watched the two archers flee into the distance, one's arm over the other's shoulder, fending off the dead. The sound of his demented cackling followed them, louder and more sinister than the firing of any bullet that day.

Floyd

Why wasn't he smiling? Instead he cried alongside her, planting his forehead on her shoulder so the kisses would stop. They felt uncomfortable on his rugged dry skin - burned by the sun rays that were killing the ozone layer. His tears refreshed him as some would scrape down his cheeks then fall to the surface as they reached his chin. Was he forcing himself to cry? To show Jess some compassion so she wouldn't feel so let down by their reunion? Floyd honestly didn't know the answer, but knew the situation. Yet he still could not bring himself to smile.

Floyd had seen the light in Jessalyn's eyes, the spark of joy that overwhelmed her actions. She was not thinking anymore, just acting upon obsessive instincts. It was difficult to be happy in a position so drawn together by horrors. This wasn't what he wanted, to find Jess once again locked somewhere she did not wish to be. Where was Abram? He swore to protect her, stay by her side at all times, yet he was not present.

During Floyd's journeys, he learned to forget them. He coped with the idea that they were alive, but he would never see them again - and found peace. And now, when the odds stood against him, after losing old and new friends, a speckle of positiveness crashed into his life. He thought it simple teasing, something that would be given to him for a little time, then stripped from his grasp like everything else had been. His mind wanted to believe they would be together again, but his heart didn't seem to find that same optimism.

Jess ranted over and over that she loved him, repeating it with more intensity as she continued. Floyd no longer believed it, it was hard to. In all means, they once knew each other, but Floyd changed who he was - who he had been. Jess was absent this change, not seeing the things he'd done and probably would have done if he were on the opposite side of the spectrum. The redneck believed he would have killed for Hank, for DeSean, for that entire group he learned to respect. It didn't make any sense, but his little time with Hank and the others made him feel more important and needed than his time with Jess - or was it that he just forgot how it felt to be by her side? Unanswerable questions kept roaming through his tired mind. It showed in his face how fatigued he was, not sleeping at all the night of their arrival. He would never admit it, but he was afraid of what was to come.

Forcefully, Jess dragged him into the room as Floyd's steps became hesitant to follow. The man stared at the back of her head unwillingly, just exhausted of it all. He didn't understand why she was so happy? Not for seeing him, but the overall emotional resonance was what he was questioning. Did she not know what these people were capable of? Floyd did. They were trading supplies for people who were to be their slaves - destined to free labor. Then as Jess turned to face him, Floyd noticed what lay between her arms. His squinting eyes opened as widely as possible. Lost in the moment, he had not even noticed she was no longer pregnant. He looked down into the baby's eyes when Jess interrupted his gaze by passing her baby to him. As gently as he could, he took the child with his hands, positioning him like Jess had a second ago. In that moment, Floyd was able to look up at Jess and finally give her a faint smile - his humanity and affection still stored in his new shell, one that would have to be broken again.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Still not saying a word, Floyd refused to sit down on the sofa provided. Like in Alison's doctors office, the man couldn't find himself that comfortable. He believed everyone was his enemy at this point - not Jess or the others of course - but everyone at this community. Therefore, despite the recollections that Tremblay's question brought, Floyd kept to himself. He merely huffed at Tremblay and looked at him with disgust. He crossed his arms and laid back on the wall looking at Jess and hoping she wouldn't say anything. If they succumb to answer his questions, then they just show they're with him - an aspect Floyd didn't even want to think about.

Scarlett - Furniture Store - Katie/KK

For once, lady luck had dealt Scarlett a good hand by having Katie still unconscious when they were both separated from Tyler. It had been a fairly rough separation; even if with both father and daughter unaware of what was happening, Scarlett still put up a good fight to keep them together.

Once in the strange room, Scarlett had sat herself down on where she thought Katie would be most comfortable and stay there, keeping the small girl close to her. Until the child woke, Scarlett would stroke the sides of her face, or run a hand through her hair. Even when Katie did finally wake up, she kept doing the same so she wouldn't freak out. It amazed Scarlett how much Katie and Tyler were on the same page with most things. Katie refused any sort of medical attention and Scarlett did not try to stop her what so ever. Katie had a right to be mad. She'd only step in if something were to get out of hand.

When the door opened once more, Scarlett opened her eyes and looked up, getting slightly annoyed from being taken out of her thoughts. She was replaying the scene before being loaded into the truck. Sam's voice had rang loud and clear in her ears and sure enough, he sister was running at top speed towards them. It pained Scarlett to not be able to hug her sister and tell her how much she loved her. She must have gone through a lot when she was taken.

"I think Katie might have a broken rib." The blonde wasted little time in speaking with the woman who had entered. Katie would have trouble healing and would only get worse if she didn't receive medical attention from someone that she trusted. She wrapped her arms gingerly around the little girl when her small face pressed against her own chest. "We may talk about anything you want, but I would like someone, preferably a woman, to come in here and check my daughter out." It was weird having the words come out of her mouth. Scarlett had never had the chance of actually having kids, so the word was foreign on her lips; but since Katie had pulled out the mom charade, then Scarlett would play the game too.

____________________________________________________________

Aubrey - Under construction apartments - Levi

As Aubrey had begun to stand up, the man she had fought off suddenly grabbed her by the back of the head and pulled hard, causing tears to come out of her eyes as she screamed in pain. "Let go!" Not only had he managed to grab her ankle and drag her back, but he now had her practically on her toes, back arched so that the pain of her hair being pulled wasn't as bad. She didn't even want to run anymore. Aubrey wanted to turn around and dig her hunting knife right into his eye socket.

Aubrey's eyes widened as she glanced at the man's face, watching in horror as he started to near her neck. "No! Please let go! They're coming!" Her voice was at the brink of breaking, being between a sob and a shout.

Although she fought feebly against the crazed man, Aubrey still went ahead and shut her eyes tight, knowing what fate had in store for the next few minutes. The loud noise that soon followed was the only reason that she opened her eyes. One eye, in fact. Just to see if the lunatic had stopped, and sure enough he had. Aubrey wanted to cry at seeing the man aiming his bow at the psychopath.

The girl couldn't speak. She just looked at the man as she waited to see the reaction of the reincarnation of Shakespeare. When he did let her go, she quickly retrieved her curved bow and retreated with the other archer, thanking whatever god or celestial being put him in her path.

______________________

After fending off the undead, Aubrey had led both her and the archer to a near by apartment complex that had been left under construction when the outbreak happened. This was where she came to hide from everyone, and where she had lived before she was found. Kerry, Magnus, and a couple of others knew about it, but they never bothered her here, which she was more than grateful for.

On their walk back, Aubrey hadn't even asked for the man's name, but she had given him hers. All she did was thank him, then thank him some more. After the adrenaline had gone, she could really feel the wound in her tricep and it maybe her queezy and dizzy to say the least. Luckily, they had already made it to her small shelter inside the building when she sat herself down and covered her tricep with her hand. "Thank you.... again.... The man.... He said he was going to eat me..." She knew he probably expected some sort of explanation of the little show he had to break up in the street, but she didn't know where to start and she didn't want to talk at the moment. "Can... Could you help me get the bullet out?"

Victor & Mandy - Grocery story. Walker, LA - June & Co.

"Of course I am." Mandy responded wiping away her tears, she followed June inside.

"Maybe." Victor responded to Augusta just as they came inside. Mandy spotted Augusta and hurried over the girl to give her a hug.

She signed quickly to her asking her how she was, then paused and said, "Sorry dumb question." She gave her a wry smile.

"I've got some ideas for dinner, with what we've got." Victor said half signing.

"Oh I saw some people, around the corner, near the liquor store." Mandy said out loud. She didn't explain why she had been over there.

Levi - Under Construction Apartments - Aubrey

“I really shouldn't, Aubrey,” said Levi shakily. “If it's still in there, it's best not to take it out. It might be the only thing keeping you alive.”

The colour had drained from his face at the sight of her arm, as if it was he who had been shot. She was losing blood rapidly and he felt that digging around for the bullet might make the situation even more dire. Recalling the little experience he had treating wounded children in Palestine, Levi knew that finding the exit wound would be a blessing. If there wasn't one, Aubrey would most likely succumb to death or have some degree of paralysis for the rest of her life. In this world, the two outcomes were equivalent.

After rummaging through the bedside desk and finding the emergency medical supplies that Aubrey had stashed away, Levi pulled the entire drawer out from the body of the desk and set it onto the bed next to her. With no time to look for a pair of scissors, he elevated her arm above her head, retrieved an arrow from his quiver and used the tip to cut through the shirt's arm.

After the fabric had been split open, Levi carefully pried it apart from her skin; her congealed blood was like glue, causing the shirt to create a horrible ripping sound as it was peeled off.

Staring at the ragged flesh opened the floodgates and a deluge of traumatic memories threatened to overwhelm him. He shuddered at the ghosts of wounds that flashed across his eyes, his concentration becoming increasingly compromised as he searched for the exit wound.

Fortunately, he did not have to look far, as it was almost directly on the other side of the entry wound. There was still hope for her. Levi, ignoring the pleading of his olfactory system, leaned in and was assaulted with the intense scent of rusted metal. Forcing down an instinct to retch, he peered in at the wound and searched for bits of fabric that might have been pushed inside.

After he had determined, to the best of his ability, that there were no bits of cloth in the wound that would lead to an infection, Levi began to clean the wound thoroughly. His fingers slipped in the slickness of her blood.

As he poured solution on the wound, he wished she would have screamed. Her placidity was unnerving and unintended. Even though a pain-induced cacophony would possibly attract walkers, it would at least confirm her alertness. She made nary a sound and all he could do was hope that she was not, as her silence seemed to indicate, about to fall unconscious.

He unfurled the roll of bandage and began to wrap it tightly around both wounds, covering it in layers and layers despite his best efforts to be as economical with it as he could. The bandages would need to be changed, after all, but right now, he needed to stop the bleeding no matter what the cost.

Once he had knotted the bandage tightly, Levi stood next to her and applied pressure to the gauze with his palms. With the combined strategy of raising her limb over her head and squeezing the wrap, it seemed that the bleeding had stymied significantly.

He felt as if he should be talking to her in order to retain her consciousness by giving her something to focus on, but at the moment, he was at a loss for words.

There were men, women and children in Palestine who he had helped to save, but he would never forget the faces of those whom they had failed. The prospect of Aubrey's impending addition to the group which haunted his dreams, and the knowledge of what he would have to do if she breathed her last, entrenched him in a morose silence.

Aubrey - Under Construction Apartments - Levi

Aubrey had kept quiet as she watched the young man look around her room for supples, feeling as if the room was moving in circles slowly. "Is it normal to be dizzy?"

She groaned in pain as he began to work on her wound, biting her lip and balling her hands up into fists as she tried to not scream or make any other sort of noise. Her face paled as she thought about what he was doing, and every now and then, her vision would become fuzzy.

When he had finished, Aubrey had sighed of relief and leaned back onto the wall, closing her eyes and practically panting. Her face had been drenched in sweat and a few tears that would slip out every now and then. She had been cut before and even had a stab wound on her thigh, but never had she been shot. It was a whole other world of pain for her. "Thank you..." With her eyes closed, she frowned slightly, but did not open them again. She had yet to ask for his name. How rude of her. "I'm sorry. I haven't asked you what your name is?" Her voice was faint, as if she was on the brink of falling asleep, which she was. She could feel the adrenaline from earlier receding, and in its place it left a heavy feeling of exhaustion.

'Stay awake.

"I hit my head pretty hard. How did you find us? Why didn't you shoot him when you had the chance? He's going to kill more people." Talking was the only thing from keeping her awake. That, and the fear that the lunatic might have followed them.

Levi – Under Construction Apartments – Aubrey

Levi was relieved to hear her begin an interrogation. Now that she had broken the ice, it did not seem as difficult for him to converse with her.

“My name's Levi, Levi Pascale,” he informed her. “The gunshots brought me running. I thought there were other survivors being attacked by walkers.”

Levi paused for a moment, his eyes flickering over her mien as if he was attempting to gauge something by scrutinising her reaction.

“I didn't kill him because I saw the arrow in his leg.” he told Aubrey darkly. “You shot him first. There's no way you would have been able to fire that after what happened to your arm.”

Aubrey - Under Construction Apartments - Levi

"Levi..." Aubrey muttered to herself, acknowledging his name.

She tried to keep herself calm and focused on her main goal, which was to seem somewhat coherent but her attempts were all in vain as a giggle escaped her lips at Levi's observation. She didn't know why she had laughed. Maybe because she wasn't completely lucid at the moment, or maybe because it was difficult to believe she had just fought off a cannibalistic psychopath.

"I did." She breathed, opening her eyes and blinking a bit. So far the room had stopped spinning but she still felt a bit faint. "The man said he would have 'long pig'" Aubrey attempted at doing the air quotes with her fingers but flinched at the pain in her arm. "D'you know what long pig is, Levi? It's human! He was going to eat me!"

As she spoke, her voice came back to normal. The woman scoffed as she remembered the creep and shook her head. "All I did was offer him shelter and food for a day or two. This is what I get for being nice to strangers.... But you came along! More people should be like you."

Ricky - Old Jefferson, Suburbs - Chae, Miguel, Moksha

Ricky was snapped out of the black by a gunshot that was definitely not the .38 special in his hand. Finding himself back in the red, the chef tried to slow his breathing, tried to take in the situation. The dogs were dead or running. The last of the pack having scrambled back under the fence even as his saviour greeted him. A woman with a gun managed a "sup" as his first impression. The man on the ground couldn't help but wonder if he was going to die. He supposed that it was a possibility, but he was hopeful, especially considering that they were in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. The last thing anyone needed was another zombie. He quietly set his revolver down and moved his hand away from it. He was on his back, on the ground, in no position to be negotiating much of anything, so he supposed there was no need to make any sudden movements.

"How are ya, eh?" he managed with a nervous half-smile, in response to his rescuer's greeting. "Thanks, eh? Dogs went fuckin' nuts when I grabbed that bike..." he added. Meanwhile adrenaline continued to pound through his veins, Ricky did his best to slip back toward a normal state of functioning. He found the orange, and tried to take in the situation. It was more than just the two of them. There was a man with her, and he looked a bit irritated. Probably hadn't been all for saving the imperilled chef. They also had a cat, though it was more of a kitten he supposed.

He wasn't much for cats normally, but in a world where even man's best friend had gone crazy, something as cute as the feline tucked in the woman's grip was a welcome sight. Easily distracted, mostly because he was trying to cope with the fact that he had almost died, and wasn't sure if he was actually safe yet, he began to sit up. He grabbed his piece, carefully picking it up so the web of his hand wrapped around the hammer, and his fingers curled around the trigger guard, making it clear that he didn't intend to hurt anyone with it. "So... You two need a third wheel? Or, I guess I'd make four." he tried, drawing attention to the cat, hoping that might make the fact that he was relatively well-armed a little less prevalent. Anything to stay alive a little longer. Richard was beginning to think it would be safer in the swamp, but still needed someone to run a boat for him. He supposed these two could do that if they wanted. Indeed, with three, they could run a larger boat, and maybe even do well in the swamp. Then again, if he could find Greg, he wouldn't need anyone. None of that mattered, though. He was still on the ground, and still hoping he could get these people to either leave him alone, or let him share in their next exploit. Whatever that might end up being...