Gabriel brought the blankets back into the small dining room and handed Ivan the quilt. He set the box down next to his spot at the table.

"We could make a fort when dinner is done," Gabe smiled both to himself at Ivan. If Ivan wanted, he could stay. He wouldn't be completely alone when dealing with twins, plus Kubiak found it easier conversing with people younger than him than older.

"How do you all like the soup?" he asked anyway, even though
Audrey clearly enjoyed it.
@DriveEMOut @MissCapnCrunch @Oliver @Vortex

@LordofthePies@MissCapnCrunch@Oliver
Aaron ran downstairs. He sat at his seat and grinned. He began to eat the soup, thoroughly enjoying it. Eventually he heard Gabriel's question. Aaron looked up, his mouth full. "It's dewicious!" He continued to shovel the soup into his mouth, grinning. He swallowed his food and looked at the two new members of their little group. "We could watch movies too. We've got Star Wars. And tomorrow, we can play Monopoly." He suggested, excited to have new company.

@DriveEMOut

Charles kept an eye on the small Slav boy as he left the store and wondered how far the kid was going to make it. Not far apparently as the kid slumped down in a corner and began to sob. Charles debated if he should waste his time talking to him, when that idea was dashed as another young boy with a gun appeared, and seemed to be somewhat territorial. Charles then watched the Slav boy climb up the ladder, perhaps this would not be the last he saw of him. He then turned to face the other boy who repeated his question "Apologies. I am Charles Banesworth, the second of his name, and I too seek a place to rest my head if you would permit me my good man. Speaking of which, what would your name be?"

The quilt was a bit cumbersome for Ivan, but he managed to fold it up enough to be able to carry it. He walked back to the kitchen with Gabriel, looking around at the others. One of them said something about Star Wars and Monopoly, things he'd only heard of and never personally experienced. It occurred to him at this moment that he rather had to use the bathroom, but had no idea how to ask, so he opted to hold it, shifting uncomfortably and rearranging the quilt in his arms. He remained silent, watching the others in the room.

Audrey nodded with the agreements of the soup that was well made. It was also clear that the two would be staying with them for now, though she wasn't quite sure to trust them or not. Though they were just kids, she knew that if her brother could wield a gun as well as he could- then any one could. Watching the quilt overtake the younger of the two new boys, Audrey couldn't help but chuckle. He moved back and forth as the clear sign of the "potty dance" came into view. Standing up from the table she grabbed the quilt from his arms and placed it onto the chair. "I can show you where the bathroom is. I've got magical powers, I always know when someone needs to go." she teased, sticking her tongue out playfully. She began to walk towards where the old bathrooms for the grocery store was, pointing towards the boys room. "You can go in there, I'll give you privacy." she said. Her attention being pulled to what her her brother, Gabriel, and yet another boy were doing. It was clear tonight was going to have a lot of new faces.

@Oliver@DriveEMOut@LordofthePies@Vortex

"Th-thank you." Stammered Ivan, blushing as he closed the door and took care of what needed to be done, walking out a couple minutes later feeling quite a bit better but still a bit perplexed by the girl's perceptiveness. Was he really being that obvious, or was she not kidding about the whole magic powers thing?
@MissCapnCrunch

Malik strode through the street his eyes focused on any trace of his prey. The town wasn't as bad as he had expected, not nearly as much dilapidation or corpses as he was expecting which was nice. Maybe that meant there were other survivors, maybe even his grandfather was still in town. He would have to look more into both possibilities later, now catching sight of specks of fresh blood that was hopefully from the buck. He readied his bow as he turned the corner but stopped finding the buck on its side breathing heavily. He walked up to the animal, knife drawn and without so much as a second thought but it out of it's misery. Despite the chase the kill was clean and it only took one arrow, efficient just the way he liked it. The sun was practically down now though, there was no possible way he was making it back to the cabin before whatever the virus did at night happened. There were plenty of abandoned looking buildings around that would suffice, he was flexible after all. He grabbed the buck by its horns and dragged it behind him in search of a suitable place to rest for the night.

Fuming.

If there was one word to describe Tom's current mood, it would be fuming. He definitely wasn't expecting to be attacked by a group of bandits this far out in the north, but he certainly wasn't going to complain about the fact. The folks in Norfolk had already warned him about these road gangs, but goddamn, he didn't expect to stumble upon them that fast. Breathing in and out slowly through his gas mask to calm himself, Tom skidded the pickup truck to a halt by the side of the road, his mind working on overdrive. He quickly went through the list of things that he knew that he had in his bag and on his body, only to find out that he didn't have nearly enough to take on the bandits all by himself. Cursing out loud, he grabbed his shotgun from the passenger seat and opened the door.

He'd been extremely lucky. An untouched military checkpoint out in the middle of nowhere, fully stocked with guns, ammo and enough MREs to last him for months. After loading up as much supplies into his truck, Tom headed out north towards the city of Salisbury. Unfortunately for him, by traveling through the US 13, he caught the attention of a gang of heavily armed bikers who were quite interested in the heavy bags lying on the back of his truck...

One of the bikers had been too confident. Speeding fast towards the truck, the man definitely did not expect Tom to pop up from behind the truck and fill his chest with lead. The biker died before he even hit the ground, his motorcycle crashing into the cluster of trees by the side of the road. Pumping the shotgun to chamber a new round, Tom took aim at another one of the biker headed his way and pulled the trigger.

They tried to stop him by forming a roadblock of sorts with their bikes with their guns at the ready. Knowing full well that they wouldn't be giving him milk and cookies if he stopped, Tom floored the gas and plowed through their roadblock before they had a chance to open fire. Tom couldn't help but smile as he heard a loud CRACK as one of the bikers went under the pickup truck.

A bullet landed close by, sending wood splinters all around him. Having loaded his shotgun with slugs, Tom pumped the weapon and leaned out of the cover of the tree. Taking aim, he caught one of the bikers by surprise and pulled the trigger. The man's chest practically exploded into a red mist as he fell dead, the rest of his comrades taking cover behind the trees around them. "Come on, you motherfuckers! I've got plenty more where that came from!"

The bullets pinged off the back of his truck, with the occasional few hitting the back window and passing over his head. They had managed to take out one of his tires, but that isn't going to be enough to stop him. Tom thought about slowing down and ramming the bikers off the side of the road, but he knew that they'd just shoot the living shit out of him if he did. Instead, he stepped on the gas in an effort to put some distance between him and the bikers. After he was sure that he'd given himself a few seconds worth of breather, Tom slammed on the breaks and stopped his truck by the side of the road. Without wasting another second, he grabbed his shotgun from the passenger seat and stepped out, taking cover behind his truck as he waited for the first biker to reach him...

Having abandoned the truck and its contents, Tom had made a run for the woods off the side of the road, hoping the gang wouldn't follow him. Unfortunately, they did. After a short shootout and nearly two hours of running, they eventually called off the chase. Hunting down a helpless prey was one thing, but this one fought back. They didn't care so much about vengeance anymore, not after having three of their friends killed and another two wounded. The majority of them went back to the highway, eager to loot the truck and go about their business; but two of them stayed behind. Exhausted, they stopped by a small stream to rest for a few minutes, breathing hard and looking behind their back for a threat they would never see coming.

After satisfying themselves that there were no danger, one of them knelt by the stream to fill his water bottle. The other one kept watch behind them anyways. He neglected to keep a watch on his comrade. After a couple minutes of resting, the one on guard turned and called out to his friend that it was time to carry on.

The words caught in his throat.

His friend was lying half in the running water, his upper body being bent downstream and legs anchoring it to the shore. A hasty inspection revealed that his neck had been sliced open, his blood pouring out to travel downstream. Panic gripped the man's heart and he turned towards the direction where his other friends had gone off to, intending to warn them.

He opened his mouth to scream, but only blood would come out...

---

That had been days ago. Now, sitting down inside crumbling bar at the heart of Salisbury, Tom idly thought about the events of the past few days. They had gotten quite close in killing him. Had the gang not called off the chase, they'd find out that he had practically ran into a dead end. The woods ended and made way for a large open field with no cover whatsoever. Had they chased him for a bit longer, they'd more than likely gun him down then and there. Fortunately for Tom, they didn't. Having killed five of them and wounding about two, Tom sincerely doubted they'd be out looking for vengeance.

Remembering the reason behind the whole conflict, Tom wondered if he'd ever get his truck and (most importantly) the supplies he scavenged from the checkpoint back anytime soon. "Unlikely..." he thought out loud, swirling around the bottle of whiskey in his hand. "If they're not complete dumbfucks, the gang would be long gone by now."

"Ah well, no use crying over spilled milk."

Putting the bottle down, Tom stood up and looked around the room. For such a small joint, the bar was not all too bad. Sure, all of the furniture that was not nailed down had been looted long ago by other people, but aside from that the place was pretty cozy. Not to mention, the whole establishment only had one entrance and absolutely no windows, making it easy for Tom to barricade himself in for the night.

There was still an hour or so of daylight left, so he figured it'd be better if he stepped out of the bar for ten minutes or more and check the surrounding buildings for anything useful. So far, Tom hadn't encountered a single soul in Salisbury and he thought it unlikely that he'd meet anyone anytime soon. With that in mind, he slung his shotgun behind his back and opened the door outside... only to come face to face with a man dragging a dead buck behind him.

"Oh," Tom exclaimed, dumbfounded. "Hello there."

@Drakeonis

"Huh?" Malik replied equally dumbstruck for a moment. "Good Evening."

The man in front of him was indeed an imposing figure. Clad in full body armor and wielding a shotgun, Malik was smart enough to know when he was clearly outmatched. The panic that should've came with that realization never did though. If the man wanted his things or the buck he could've very well just shot him as he was exiting the building. He doubted based on this that the man was hostile; still, it was probably in his best interest to not antagonize the man at all. He was the the only living person other than his grandfather, that he'd seen since the world ended after all.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir. My name is Malik Cole." He dropped the buck in order to better interact with the man. "I apologize If I've been rude at all, but you are the first person I've seen in a long time. I haven't had much of chance to keep up with my etiquette training."

@Menoitios

Aaron got up, and took the remainder of his soup back to his sentry spot. He looked down at the other boy as he talked and thought for a moment. "We'll have to lock you and your falcon in a room, and you won't get dinner." He lowered the ladder. As he saw the sun about to set, he beckoned. "Faster! Or you'll die from the virus!" His virus was still pointed at the other boy. His scarf covered his mouth, so his voice was a bit muffled.
@Vortex

Ivan walked back to the others, looking out the window down at the boy he'd run into at the Video Store. It seemed like they were slowly forming a party of sorts. First Ivan stumbled across these lovely chaps, now the young man with the falcon had followed. Glancing up at the horizon and noticing the sun setting, he carefully backed away from the window. He'd come to fear nighttime since the virus, which was perfectly reasonable if one thought about it.

@DriveEMOut

"How dare you, I refuse to be locked-" Charles was abruptly cut off as the boy yelled at him to hurry along noting the fact that it was almost dark. Charles decided that it was best to follow the instructions for the time being, he could argue and bicker with the boy once he was in safety. Martel, seemingly aware of the situation left his perch on Charles's shoulder and flew to the top in safety as Charles continued to climb the ladder. As he finished, he gave a curt bow to the boy "Thank you for the accommodation lad, your service is appreciated" he said as he looked at the setting horizon, he wondered if anyone else was out there tonight, and if they would make it.

"Velcome." Said Ivan in a hushed, shy voice, holding out his hand. He normally wouldn't greet someone like this, but it was rare to see the same person twice in this day and age. "Ve...Ve met in the store. Is girl with the rifle here?"
@Vortex

Aaron turned to Ivan. "Go find Gabriel. I need to speak with this guy." He turned back to Charles. "Listen, I need to lock you in for tonight because there is a big possibility that you will either kill us and take our food, or take our food. Despite what I said earlier, we will give dinner to you and your bird. Which by the way, is very fascinating. Now, I hope you understand."
@Oliver@Vortex

"Прости" Ivan said hurriedly as he drew his hand back, immediately obeying the request and running back to the cleared out area.

@DriveEMOut @LordOfThePies

@Oliver@DriveEMOut

Charles began to accept the handshake of the Slav boy when the older one interrupted him and told him to go find a person called Gabriel, so Charles opted to smile at the boy instead. Charles then turned to the boy who seemed to be in control of the place, or at least wielded some degree of authority "No I do not. The Slav boy is also new here, that I know for certain, so I fail to see why I am seen as a threat to you" Charles said, slightly frustrated with the situation, as Martel swooped back onto his shoulder "Is it my bird, Martel? Because I can assure you that he is very well trained and only kills on command, and I assure you I will not be commanding him to be doing so" he said wondering if that would be enough to convince the boy otherwise or if he would be set in his ways.

"I see you as a threat because you are willing to kill or steal. Regardless of what you say, you will still be monitored. Don't worry, I mostly trust you now. Aaron Berr. And you?" His rifle was still in his hands, and he wasn't going to drop it just for some handshake. "And if you'll excuse me, I have to guard." He made the windows airtight and sat down in his chair.
@Vortex

Ivan looked around for Gabriel, but found no sign of him. He was fairly certain the boy was just shooing him away when he sent him to find Gabriel, so Ivan decided to wait for him instead of searching. He took a seat at the table, swinging his legs idly and resting his head in his arms. In a position like this, he was rather likely to fall asleep. He was extremely tired, after all. It was hard to sleep with the bloody virus crawling around and filling the streets with bodies.

Charles sighed still not seeing it as a legitimate reason, "I fail to see why you think that. And I fail to see why that makes me different from anyone else in the godforsaken wasteland. We all have to do what we can to survive these days" But Charles saw that the boy, named Aaron apparently, was not going to change, and he would rather be kept in a room than face the horrors out there. So begrudgingly he accepted "My name is Charles Banesworth, its a pleasure to meet you Aaron Berr", noting that he had now taken a seat he said "Now if you would be so kind, would you please show me to my accommodations"
@DriveEMOut

Ivan had slipped into an uneasy unconsciousness, slumped forward onto the table. His mind quickly filled with the usual images of his family breaking down, the long and terrifying trip across Europe and over the atlantic ocean from Russia to America, his father's tears as he shot Ivan's mother, his own wife...
The dreams took strange turns, warping the events into scenes more nightmarish than they already were to begin with. Hopefully Gabriel would come back soon.