Fiddling with the folded up picture between his fingers, grief came over Marcus. He felt like he had failed his family. He couldn't save them, nor understand why in the world scientist would be so stupid about a prehistoric virus. He lost his beautiful wife. The last image he had of her was the fear she had in blood shot eyes. The closes thing he had to save himself was his child's baseball bat, yet, he felt like he took his wife's life to soon. Tears filled his eyes. He shoved the picture back into his pocket, moving the backpack slightly. He felt Pepper slightly move within it, making a soft 'meow' sound. She popped her head out and pawed at his hand as he removed it from his back pocket. He felt a slight warmth from the paw touching his hand. "Pepper.." he mumbled.

"Pepper!!" Sarah giggled. She reached over and petted Peppers head that was peeked out of Marcus's backpack. Pepper began to purr. "Marcus, ever heard of the old wise tale about black cats?" Sarah said with a smile as she was petting the cat. "Of course Sarah. Why?" He asked as he began to look around for an sign of a resting area. "Well, Pepper is most certainly not bring us any bad luck!" She said softly. She stopped petting Pepper and looked at Marcus. Pepper meowed for more attention.

"Whatcha looking for?" She said softly. "Just.. looking. Something isn't right Sarah. The grass to the left has been disturbed recently. I thought we were alone in this area." Marcus said, pointing towards a grassy area. Leery of the potential, he shook his head and looked down at the path they were traveling on. "I'm not sure were to go. Signs point to areas that are claimed to be safe, and well.." he mumbled, "They haven't been too promising.. I know." Sarah finished his sentence. They both met eyes together, wondering what each other were thinking, they stood in silence for a moment. "Marcus, I think we need to make camp somewhere till morning. I know we haven't gotten far, but maybe if we settle down nearby, we could find out who disturbed the grass in that area." She indicated in the area of the grass with a nod of her head. Marcus gave a worried look but nodded softly back at her. "Sure. Let's follow this trail for a bit longer. Maybe we will get lucky and run into a car or house." He said. Sarah smiled and reached into Marcus's backpack and petted Pepper once again. "Maybe she will bring more luck for us!" She said as the cat began to purr once again.

Micah J. Stubbe

He had traveled over 17 miles that day, his feet burnt like he had walked on coals the entire time, and his legs stung like they were being stabbed with cattle prods. It was a good sign that he was doing well, pain meant he was still breathing, pain meant he was live and several days from death. As he walked, stumbling a bit, he finally stumbled into the ground, laying in the dust for a few moments, before sitting up, his feet semi-extended and his elbows resting on his knees. Setting his Lionsdale back pack between his legs, he took out a jar of black powder, a box of nails, a 4-inch pipe, two caps, his pocket knife, the pipe glue, and the fuse. First, he cut out a small hole in the center of a cap, then glued the other cap to the pipe. Cutting off about 6 inches of fuse, he laid it inside the tube, so one end was touching the cap, and the other was sticking out the open end of the tube. Grabbing a handful of rocks from the ground, he poured them into the tube, then poured in a layer of black powder, patting it down, and putting a layer of nails on that, finally topping it off with a last layer of gunpowder. Sliding the fuse through the hole he made in the other cap, he glued the cap onto the open tube end, then glued the fuse in place. There he had it, a fourth pipe-bomb for his collection. It only took him about four minutes a time,and they were incredible damaging against the undead fucks.

After he finished the mini bomb, he noticed that his back had begun to feel strain from the position, and his butt was going numb from prolonged contact with the hard, uneven surface. Regretting the fact that his rest was so short lived, he rolled onto his knees then stood, bomb still in hand. Slipping it into his left gun pocket, he now had two per inner pocket. The left were single bombs, whereas the right were dual bombs, duct-taped together for use against larger crowds against undead. He had only been forced to use a dual once, back when he had been trapped in a public emergency room while he was searching for medical supplies. Snapping from his regression, he reached down into his bag and pulled out a broken pack of cigarettes, bringing one to his mouth, he lit it with his black matte zippo, taking a long drag and falling back into his memories.

Snapped back into reality by the burning of his lips from the cigarette, burnt to the filter, he flicked it into the ground and stomped on it, twisting his ankle to grind it in the ground and putting it out. He'd been smoking since he was 11, and had picked up the habit of grinding it into the ground by his chapter leader, a combination of ritual and practicality, after all, the last thing the apocalypse needed was an enormous forest fire. Gazing at the cigarette for a few moments, which felt like an eternity, he picked up his bag and slung it over his shoulder, pulling the bat of the side, and began walking, he had a lot of distance to travel, and the faster he moved, the better his chance at survival. Remembering that, he picked up the pace, Holding the bat on both ends and jogging. He continued to move, a few hours into his progress he saw two figures, moving in the distance. Sprinting far right, off of the trail, he drew out his rifle, aiming down the sights, nearly getting knocked on his ass out of surprise.

It was a very attractive woman, a man, and their cat, walking and talking.
"Hey! You There, Survivors!"
He called out, standing and jogging towards them, rifle in hand.

Sarah quickly turned around and widen her eyes when she saw a young male running towards them with a weapon. "Umm Marcus!" She said quickly. She pulled her .22 hand gun from her side and clicked it off from safety. Marcus quickly scanned the area to find a good place to take off, if needed "Stay put.." he mumbled to Sarah, back still towards the young man. "Hey! Stop where you are!!" Sarah yelled at the young man. "Stop!" She said once again just in case he didn't hear her. She held her weapon loosely to her side and watched the young man, hoping he wasn't going to do anything stupid.

Marcus slowly turned around and laid eyes on the young man. He sighed and shook his head. "I doubt he wants much, but keep your eye on this one." He said. He could feel Pepper moving around in his pack. The cat wasn't easy to keep calm once Marcus or Sarah began to raise there voices. However, Pepper was great about staying in the backpack. Marcus looked over his shoulder and noticed something off in the distance. He quickly turned and adjusted his eyes. It couldn't be..

"Sarah.. on my count, turn and I will turn to watch the guy." Sarah quickly gave a confused sideways look and nodded. "One... two.. three!" he said. They both quickly turned around. Marcus facing the young man, and Sarah searching the area till she also saw it too. A young female child. "Oh no..." she mumbled, fearing for the worse. She sighed and bit her lip. "What do we do?" She said softly. "I'll take care of the guy, if you can try to help the little one."

"Marcus, we can't afford to take care of a..."

"Hush! Go see if she is ok!" Marcus cut off Sarah and glared at her for a moment. "Fine..." she growled.

Sarah pocketed the .22 hand gun, but left the safety off, just in case. She began to walk towards the young girl and sighed. 'How do I talk to a.. child?', She thought to herself. She was never good with children. "Ummm.. hey.. little gal! Are you ok?" She called out, getting closer to the girl, and noticing she was holding herself pretty well. Too well for a young girl. "Do you know where your mommy and daddy are?" She called out.

Marcus cringed at Sarah being so loud. "Hush! We don't want to fight off anything.. do weee?" He quietly called out to her, still facing the young man. "Who are you?" He called out to the young man.

--

@hagroden@XxLyraxX

Micah J. Stubbe

He raised his rifle, slowing from a job to a walk, moving forward and aiming his gun at the unarmed man.
"We'll keep names to ourselves for now, you try to run and I'll put a bullet in all three of you, got it?"
He asked as he closed the distance between the two of them, his finger at the ready, not on the trigger but near it, however much he wanted to keep them alive, if they were hostile or infected, he would be morally forced to put them down like a sick dog. As he got closer, he lowered his rifle to bring a cigarette to his mouth and light it, still keeping the rifle aimed towards the man's feet. He suddenly stopped, about five feet away from the man, the rifle trained on his chest.
"Either of you infected?"
He demanded in a quiet growl, if so, he would have to assume the child was with them and kill her as well, and he didn't know if that was something he could do, he'd been lucky and never had to kill a child before, and he wanted to keep it that way.

The beast fell under the masked man's twin blades. Its cry was stifled by the tear in its throat, and it made only a gurgle as blood bubbled forth. Fallen and forgotten in a copse of trees, the body was the latest in a sanguine trail carving its way to the western coast.

Augustus flicked his blades clean and returned them to their sheathes at either side of his belt buckle. He let out a muffled breath into the cool autumn air, calming his aching muscles to stillness and dousing the fire of the hunt. He knelt on the corpse and used a clean patch of its clothing to clean the blood from his mask. I am making considerable progress.

Soon, he would be free of his duty. His cure was nearing completion, slowly but surely. The endless stream of blood would soon be over, and he would free mankind from their sins. And for this I am thankful. Yet, he still needed more samples. Day after day, it was more samples, more killing. Augustus entered the trees, quiet as death, hidden eyes searching the sea of autumn for another target.

He spotted nothing for a time. No movement, nor even a sign of life. Then he saw the tracks. Small, hurried tracks, the tiny shoes of a child. They moved toward where he was only minutes before. I must have missed the child during the last hunt. But is it man, or creature? Augustus had found his next mark.

The shadowed man turned to follow when the sound of scraping rock echoed from somewhere near the road. Augustus spun, flying through the woods with a phantom's speed. He stopped near the edge of the woodlands when he saw another victim of the plague, a beast in a boy's skin shuffling towards a set of boulders curiously formed into the shape of wings. Augustus raised his blades, poised to strike, eyes locked onto the glare of the beast's spectacles.

Augustus' vision flashed crimson and an exploding pain in his head nearly caused him to reel.

***

"...the Rose Plague, they're..."

...who are you?

"...won't leave you..."

Stop it.

"...I'll figure this..."

BEGONE!

***

Augustus shook his head, glancing back up. A boy, barely an adult, moved towards the winged stones. The masked man narrowed his eyes, studying the boy's skin. He did not seem to show signs of infection. Yet, his eyes seemed panicked, somehow.

Then, Augustus knew. The child. He is looking for the child. The notion was reminiscent to him, and he found himself wanting to help. But he could not risk a direct confrontation. Not yet.

Augustus stepped forward, standing at the edge of the trees' shade. Arms at his side, he simply stood, watching the boy. Before long, the boy's gaze met his, and their eyes locked firmly. Augustus stood for a moment longer, then faded back into the woods. Follow me, child.

@XxLyraxX

Astrid was having a simply splendid time. She was on her stolen yacht, parked in some dock with a box full beer next to her. True they weren't cold, ice had melted a while back, but man what wasn't to love about this life. She had gotten so relaxed she allowed herself to strip to her bra. The sun beat down on her skin filling her with warmth. A pair of sunglasses she had found in the cabin rest upon her nose, and she was leaning back in a fold up chair. Over the armrest of the chair Astrid's hand was constantly touching the .22 that lay on the floor beside her. Reaching slightly beside it her hand dug into a box of cheez its. Tossing one into the air she caught it in her mouth, enjoying the amazing taste.

Eventually she got too warm from the sun and decided she needed to take a dip into the ocean. Lifting her sunglasses from her face, Astrid peered around the dock area cautiously. If she decided to get in the water she would have little to no way to protect herself if something happened. After a few minutes of scanning she rationalized that if she sat there staring all day she would crisp like a potato chip. Mmm potato chips. Now she was hungry again. Throwing another handful of cheez its in her mouth, Astrid dove into the water, but not before removing her jeans. Wouldn't do to walk around in wet clothing. The water felt amazing, but all she could think about was what would happen if someone walked up on her. How embarrassing would that be.

The turning of the season towards autumn meant that the temperature outside was slightly more tolerable than it had been in the peak of July. For that, Kennedy was thankful. Even more so, Enzo was more than satisfied to not be burning to death in the thick coat of fur that he donned. The shepherd trotted happily at her side, along the pier where they had ventured to that day. It had been a quiet day, almost too quiet. Kennedy feared that what may appear as a break for once would soon turn into a fight or flight situation.

The Taurus pistol bounced in its holster on her hip as she continued to walk down along the docks, where old and abandoned boats sat anchored without any hope of their owners returning to take them out on the waves ever again. Something that this plague hadn't managed to ruin was the view of the ocean and all its beauty. It had taken months, but the young woman had finally made it west. Of course, she would have like her first visit to the Pacific ocean to be under better circumstances, but unfortunately it was this or nothing.

A splashing sound that was distinct from the calm lapping of the waves against the pier caught Enzo's attention. After everything that had happened up to that point, Kennedy had learned to trust her companion's instincts. Cautiously, she reached for the weapon at her side and flipped the safety off, removing the .22 from its place and securing both hands around it. Another splashing sound came from the edge of the dock and Enzo let out three sharp barks. Turning with the gun in her hand, Kennedy spun to see a young woman swimming off the dock.

Raising the gun, she took a step forward. Trust wasn't abundant among strangers like it used to be, and Kennedy had no idea of knowing whether this girl was infected or unfriendly. "Enzo! Heel." The shepherd moved back to Kennedy's side and sat, but a low growl still emitted from his chest. Kennedy hoped his barks had not drawn the attention of any more unwanted guests. Keeping her weapon steady, she called out. "Easy there. You might want to get out of the water now, before my pooch joins you." Her voice was kept even, not a threatening tone but not a weak one either. "Are you infected?" She questioned. It would make sense that if the girl knew she was a goner she would take one last swim in the ocean to be sent off.

Kennedy waited for a response, hoping this was a friendly and not a foe. Lord knows she's run in to too many enemies and not enough allies.

@Wintergrey

Marcus instantly got angered by the man. "Who the hell do you think you are asking that fucking question?!" He snapped at the guy, reaching behind him and grabbing for his baseball bat. "You come running towards us with your damn rifle and you tell me not to worry about your name, boy!" He said calmly. "Tell me your damn name, and I will tell you if I am infected." He said. Pepper was becoming more uneasy in his pack. "Girl, stop!" He said, reaching around and patting his book bag. He kept his eyes focused on the man coming at him. "Don't you think you coming at me unexpectedly gives me the right to ask the questions? You did stumble among us!" Marcus snapped again.

"Marcus, cool down!" Sarah said in a slight panic noise. The last thing she needed was the young male to attack because Marcus was loosing his temper. Sarah looked back at the young girl and watched her pull out a notepad. She didn't have any fear in the little girl, but stay focused just in case this was becoming a trap. Sarah began to fear for the worse. It was odd how a young man and a little girl came about at the same time. She watched at the girl placed the paper on the ground and stepped away. Sarah raised her hands to show no weapons or harm to the little girl. She smiled softly and proceeded forward to pick up the note. Sarah grabbed the note and read it. She looked up at the little girl and nodded. "Wait here.."

She placed the note in her pocket and smiled once again. She held her hand up to indicate to wait and turned around to go to Marcus. She looked back twice before getting back to Marcus. "Marcus, I am grabbing Pepper." She said while unzipping his back pack and pulled the shiny black cat out of his pack. Pepper instantly began to purr in her arms. She placed Pepper in her arms like a baby and began to pet her belly. She turned back towards the little girl and smile. She slowly walked towards her, and stopped where the note was originally at. "I know your scared. It's a scary place. Would you like to pet my friends cat?" She said softly, kneeling down onto one knee and stilling smiling softly. "We can help you. We aren't infected and just trying to make our way through, just like you and your brother."

@hagroden@XxLyraxX

@SweetOwlette
Micah J. Stubbe
"I think I'm the man with a rifle on your chest."
He growled softly, offering a bit of smirk as he place his finger on the safety, flicking it off and raising the barrel to Marcus's head. He really didn't want to do this, but the mans defensiveness and temper suggested that they may be infected, in which case the bullet in his barrel had the name Marcus carved into it.
"Now I'm gonna ask one more time."
He stated, taking a step back and preparing for the worst.
"Are. You. Infected."

Marcus was growing impatience. "Fucker." he mumbled to himself. He brought the baseball bat to his side and gripped it. "Lower your damn weapon, and I will put mine down. If you do that, I will tell you anything.." He growled. The last thing anyone needed was a rifle firing off and those things come running. Marcus felt Sarah pull the cat out of his pack and didn't argue. "Don't lose her Sarah!"

Marcus focused back at the young male and sighed. He was worried the young male would be stupid about things. "I don't mean harm, it's the last thing I want to do. Like I said, you lower your rifle, I will put my bat down and we can talk about this man to man." he said, raising one hand up to show he was being serious.

@hagroden

Micah J. Stubbe
He eyed the man for more than a few moments, weighing in the possible ways this could go. He did have his SAP gloves on, so if it came to a fight the odds would still be in his favor, he knew how to throw a punch that could knock a man out without a subtle equivalent of brass knuckles, the gloves were almost as bad as a gun, short range at least. Making his decision, he flipped on the safety, and swung the rifle so it returned to his back, wrapped around his shoulder and under the arm opposite was a long stretchable piece of fabric, tied tightly at both ends of the rifle and duct-taped.
"Now answer the question."
He said lowly.

Marcus sighed in slight relief and put his hand down. "Sarah and I are not infected. In fact, we haven't seen any infected in about a week." He slightly turn to look at Sarah and his cat Pepper. "In case you were wondering, the cat is safe too. Animals seem to be immune to this virus." He said softly. He raise his baseball bat and slid it back into it's rightful place in his back pack. He held up his hands again and slowly began to walk forwarded. "However, the little girl behind us, I have no information about.. if you couldn't tell. Sarah can handle her on her own." He stated, continuing forwarded. "Are you infected--" feeling silly asking the question, knowing the answer. "-- and whats your name?" He began to roll up his sleeves and took his gloves off to show no blisters or open wounds. Just minor scratches from the travels Sarah and him had endured.

@hagroden

Micah J. Stubbe
Stepping forward, he shook the mans hand before replying.
"No, and My Name is Micah Stubbe, and I've picked up from your girlfriend, damn good catch by the way, that your name is Marcus?"
He asked, his eyes on the young woman, before looking back and meeting his. The cigarette had nearly burnt out, so he dropped it with his mouth, stepping on it and twisting, custom to his ritual of putting out cigarettes. Watching the man roll up his sleeves, he did the same, revealing full arms of a collage of tattoos, but no blisters or even scars. After he was sure the man had a good look, he rolled his sleeves back down, checking the underside of his boot a bit as he stood.

Marcus chuckled for a moment. "Oh Sarah? No.. no.. she's more like a daughter to me than.. a girlfriend. I knew her mother before the outbreak. Sarah was a problem child growing up. She landed herself in trouble a few times and I was always the one coming to her recuse." Marcus turned back and watch Sarah kneel down and offer the cat to the little girl. "Change girl now. This whole new world has changed her.. in a positive way." Marcus looked back at the young man and nodded. "Sorry, Marcus Carwhile." he said watching Micah roll up his sleeves. He looked at the tattoos for a slight moment, before looking back at his face. "Your quite young to have all those tattoos." He stated. "What brought you here? Or more importantly, ready to kill us." He said with a slight chuckle.

@hagroden

Micah
He sat down, chuckling softly, gesturing for him to do so as well by patting the ground next to him. Reaching into his pocket and pulling out his pack of cigarettes, he offered one to him, setting the open pack on the ground, he lit one up for himself and began t puff on it. After a few moments, he blew out a lungful of smoke and replied.
"I'm older than I am."
He said soberly, looking at the ground between his legs and shuffling the dirt around with his feet. His thoughts shifted to some of the fucked up shit he'd seen in his travels, men women and children hanging from lampposts, thousands of the undead simply wandering around, and the bodies of his friends, with their blood on his hands.

Augustus' plan to lead the boy was spoiled by something he had failed to see from the road. There was a crash from the brush before him, and the gradient fur of a large husky bloomed from the leaves. It must have belonged to the boy, hidden from view by one of the boulders nearby. In an instant, Augustus weighed his options. He knew there were only two: slay the dog, or flee towards the tracks and hope they boy was able to follow.

Cursing under his breath, the masked man spun, sprinting into the thick of the woods. Practiced steps guided him between trees, carrying him forward with all the speed he could muster. He could still hear the dog's snarls, close in pursuit. The thing was quick, quicker than he, even in the woods.

Still, he moved toward where he had last seen the small tracks. The dog grew nearer still, near enough to lunge, and Augustus felt teeth brush his calf as he broke to the right, putting a tree between the two of them. The animal twisted in an instant, readying itself for another leap, and Augustus threw himself back in anticipation.

The dog stopped dead, twisting its head around. Its ears perked up. Augustus sucked a deep breath through the roses in the beak of his mask. Someone's there.

The husky's tail began swaying and it trotted off in the direction of the interference, forgetting its previous engagement. Augustus watched it go, putting air back into his lungs. He followed after several moments, moving carefully, making all the noise of a mouse.

The dog's heading took him to another edge of the woods, and revealed something curious. A path was cut through the trees, and bodies had collected on it. But these ones were filled with life. They were speaking among themselves, and though the air seemed tense, there was no hostility.

Augustus contented himself with a position in the trees, hidden from view. He watched as the dog went to the person closest to him, a small girl. The boy's companion, Augustus thought. He looked back into the trees. Now I only hope he can follow.

@XxLyraxX

Marcus sat down next to Micah and was facing towards Sarah and his cat. He looked over at Micah and smiled when he offered a cigarette. "I quit when I was younger, but I doubt that matters now." He said with a low chuckle and took on for himself and light it up. Inhaling it deeply and letting it out slowly. "Ahh.. Taste of death is amazing." He laughed. He listen to Micah's response about being older than he really should be. He nodded, understanding that statement. He watched Sarah grow up way to quick for her age too. He also watched over children who lost everything, saw some stuff that no child should ever see.. to loose them to those things. He sighed and dropped his head down to the ground and sighed. "Ya... I think this whole thing has made everyone more.. wiser." He took another puff and looked back at Sarah. "Are you going anywhere, or wondering?"

Marcus noticed that the little girl was smiling when petting Pepper. His cat always seemed to bring the best out of people. Sarah smiled and just let the little girl do what she was comfortable with. She wasn't going to push anything. Suddenly, a beautiful dog jumped out and the little girl instantly hug the dog. Sarah stood up, cuddling Pepper a bit closer. Sarah had a slight fear of dogs, but wouldn't show it to the little girl. Sarah watched the young girl handle the dog with care and give it commands, she knew she would be ok.. someone knew how to care for the dog. "Is that your dog?" She asked when the dog sat down and looked at Sarah. She began to pet the underside of Pepper to keep her purring. "I can help you find your brother. We won't hurt you." She said in a calm voice.

@hagroden@XxLyraxX