---

---

Spotting a stand of Bamboo near a creek Diana entered then a short time later came out with an eight foot length to which she attached her shingle (Red cross flag she liberated from a failed convoy that she displays when she gets near other breathers)

Once she had it ready she climbed onto Redhawk hooking the bottom in her left stirrup and holding it with her left hand and moving onto a road or drive she’d discovered leading her towards the windmill more or less.

As she rode to both announce her approach and to steady her own nerves she sang an old blues gospel Soul of a Man
She found comfort in the old song as she remembered hearing it the first time back when the world was a place that was becoming harder to believe wasn’t a dream.

---

”Hey Doc you need to stop daydreaming else some mucky ill get cha.” Said Larry one of the irregulars she rode with.
Sergeant Wains told the skinny boy to leave her alone because she’d had it rough the past few days.

It had been hard but that’s not why she allowed her mind to wander, no she was taking tally of all the things she’d never know, that she’d never see, that were faded dreams.

She had been luckier than most her parents having money to pay for her college but making by on mostly scholarships so she’d had enough money herself to buy a lovely little fixer upper that could see the bay and gate on clear days and in quiet little neighborhood.

She had a little Bug convertible she had bought at the police auction lucky no collectors had know it was up for sale or else the bid would have climbed past her willingness to pay but that was how her life had been; “A Lucky One”

Nw she was in a new world and it was filled with horrors that should have given her nightmares but she’d never had one of those before or even here. She wondered if she were broken.

Beneath her was a good horse whose name was Redhawk a name he’d had when he was given to her by a family of Ranchers who had had a woman in trouble and needed a C-section delivery to save child and mother. She loved horses.

Then the thought of love popped in asking why hadn’t she ever found love or even a lover before it all passed away? It wasn’t as if men or women hadn’t ever showed her any interest.

---

---

She’d allowed her mind to wander again, pressed her luck again and she thanked whatever was watching over her that she had luck and a good horse as her sharp eyes scanned the area around her. 20/10 her vision was an asset in this new world as it revealed the blurry distance giving her a better chance to spot danger before it got close enough to harm her though she was no fool to think it allowed her to see the well hidden.

The windmill people had to have watchers and they had to be good to have so easy to spot an asset as those gleaming white blades that turned gracefully in the sunlight. She had seen some sign of recent activity here and there as she traveled toward hope or damnation but no people.

Then she was startled hearing the sounds of gunfire or so she thought till she realized it was fireworks.

Was someone using them to draw or distract infected like Wains had several times or as silly as it seemed celebrating? She registered the direction as best she could and knowing whatever the reason the sound was like chumming the waters as far as the infected were concerned so she wasn’t headed anywhere in that direction and lucky for her the windmill...mills……

Dam there was more than one, she thought but didn’t alter her course headed towards them like the lighthouse beacon to safe harbor

"Hey, what the fuck do you think you're doing",

Johnny smacked the back of his head against the top of the dash when the voice spoke. "Ah, fuck!!" he blurted, as he stood and turned to see the stranger. Rubbing his head with his left hand, he used the other to hold it up defensively when he saw the gun. His revolver was holstered at his hip, clearly seen upon a glance. "Hey, whoa! Easy there, I'm armed. Let me put my gun down."

He very carefully and slowly pulled the weapon out and set it on the hood of the car next to him. Walking back over to where he was, he now held both his hands up. His first thought was that she was from Toxo, and he didn't want to upset her. Even still, he didn't really have the time for this.

"There, see. Now we can be friends," he said cooly, though on the inside he was a mess. "I'm just trying to help my friends, I'm not one of the psychos out here." He really, really hoped she wasn't either. "My name's Johnny, Johnny Blackburn. I have a group, couple days ride away on horseback." His horse, Brisco, started walking toward them as the clever animal had taken a longer, safer route. "I was, kind of famous back in the good old days. You know, before. Maybe you've...heard of me? Had a couple of hits on the rockcharts, the Grim? That was the band." Usually this method worked in calming people down and gaining trust, whether they knew of him or not. This girl was hard to read in the moment though, she must have been through hell.

Sonya looked, cautious, as the strange man raised his hands and slowly removed his gun from his belt. Unwavering, the woman didn't let her guard down for a second. The man then said he was just trying to help his friends. Toxo member, perhaps? Sonya saw the horse walking towards them slowly. So it belonged to him, then. He was strangely calm in the face of a gun being pointed at him, Sonya observed.

"No, don't think I've heard of you," Sonya replied grimly, even though the name "Grim" did faintly ring some bells in her head. Despite her cold attitude, Sonya did lower her gun after that, albeit cautiously. "Don't think I trust you. I'd blow your brains out if it didn't cause so much noise," Sonya added, never taking her eyes off the man. He did look familiar, it was true. Maybe he wasn't lying about being a bit famous.

It would be a bad time to tell her that he was there for that very reason, to make noise. Feeling a little disappointed that she hadn't recognized him, he tried to remain as calm as he could. "Oh, well...thanks, I think?"

"Blue," Sonya introduced herself, finally putting her gun away completely. "I'm here to pick up some ingredients. Don't get in my way," she said harshly, unaware of the hoard of zombies that were probably making their way towards the station as they spoke.

"In that case, you should probably know that this place has been looted Blue," he told her, then walked over and started petting the horse. Whether this woman was a friendly or not, she had the jump on him. He kept away from his weapons, trying to gain her trust as again he smelled the decay coming with the wind. "Not from me, it's been looted for a long time. I didn't check everything though so I suppose, have at it."

A dark thought sprouted in his mind in mid conversation, something unlike himself but these were desperate times. She wanted to look for ingredients, why not just let her and leave her to her fate. He winced a few times as he thought quickly about how things could play out. Eventually he stayed true to himself, hoping she wouldn't just shoot him here once she heard what he had to say.

Looted? Well, fuck her. Sonya huffed in an annoyed manner. This Johnny could thank his life for not being the looter. He'd be dead if he was. Sonya didn't know why she trusted his word, though. maybe it was what he said next that took her attention away from it.

"You should probably also know, I'm trying to lead a horde here," His hands went up half defensively this time. "There coming, any minute now, just over the cliff," he told her and pointed. "More than I've ever seen, and they're going toward my home. There are good people there and I'm trying to protect them."

"You what? Are you out of your fucking mind?!" Sonya shouted as Johnny revealed his plan. The man already had his hands up defensively, but Sonya didn't hesitate. She had her gun up again, ready to shoot. "You ain't getting me killed here," Sonya spat, falling silent only when Johnny continued about his reasonings. Oh. He was just trying to protect his people.

"If I can get these vehicles all honking at the same time..." he pulled out a showed her his blow horn. "Maybe they will all come this way. Once they come down the cliff, it would be near impossible for them to climb back up."
In the sky, he noticed the vultures were again circling high above just a ways off. The smell of the dead came with a harsher wind and rain clouds formed overhead. The horde was already here.

"Shit. If you help me, there's food, water...maybe I can work in a warm bath? I mean, just for you not me. Or not with me...not that I wouldn't...I mean, uhh, sorry nevermind. But, it's okay if you go. I understand, just know that I have to do this. If you want to shoot me then just shoot me, I'm not afraid to die for something I believe in."

If it were any other moment, Sonya would have blown the guy's head off. But it wasn't. What ever compelled her to feel just that little bit of emotion, maybe it was that lingering fucker Sonya knew was guilt that kept nagging at her, she suddenly felt for the man. Feeling a surge of anger for being such a pathetic leader and having let her own people down, having let them die, not protecting them... It pissed her off. At least this man was doing something, even if what he was doing was probably doomed to fail and goddamn pathetic. Regardless of that, maybe it was the sliver of humanity left in Sonya that weighed on her decision to not shoot him. And what he said next... It would make Sonya want to help him, which obviously was highly inconvenient and frustrated Sonya. He didn't owe this man anything, yet she felt the urge to help him out in his task of... honking the horns, I guess, or whatever he was so passionately going on about.

"Look, I don't give a crap about a bath," Sonya replied curtly, even though the thought did sound nice if she was honest, "but I could do with some alcohol or fuel if you have any." She decided to ignore Johnny's cute fumbling with his words about the bath.

"For whatever it's worth, I'll help you. Don't ask me why, maybe I just feel sorry for you," Sonya continued, putting her gun away and walking over to another car with a stoic face. Really Sonya just wanted to achieve some sort of peace, a feeling of 'I did my best, I helped'. She wanted to make up for her own mistakes, and helping this man would be her way of trying. And she thought he was a bit pathetic, to be honest. But he was trying, damn it. It was more than Sonya could say for herself.

"I'll take it," he replied, she wasn't the first woman to feel sorry for him in his lifetime. "Thanks." He always tried to see the good in people, even in a world filled with more of the bad. This time it paid off, as he gave her a friendly smile and pulled out a flask from his back pocket. "There's more back home, not so much fuel. You got a car or something?" He offered for her to drink some of the irish whiskey he had inside the flask.

Sonya took the flask gladly and took a long sip. It was good, the familiar burning down her throat way too rare a feeling. "Thanks." Johnny took a chug of it as well when it was returned.

"Okay, make as much noise as possible," he started with the plan, but as he spoke the dark clouds started to loom in overhead. The sky turned darker and the air became cooler. A bolt of lightning struck far off in the distance, followed by the booming of thunder. A light rain would quickly pick up. "Use the diesel truck over there and keep sounding the horn. I'll try to get closer and bring them this way. When they start coming, you take off down the road on foot. I don't think it has gas. I'll catch up to you and pick you up."

Johnny reclaimed his long-nosed revolver and put his quiver and bow around his shoulders. Giving Blue a nod, he mounted Brisco and took off back up toward the cliff. As he scaled up the safer end, he began squeezing his horn as he rode off out of sight. The horse climbed up the slippery slope and on the other side was a sea of the undead. The masses were moving as one giant entity, like a school of fish in the ocean. One by one they marched, many already getting stuck in the forming mud.

It was working, as the horns blew a vast portion of the horde broke off and separated toward the noise. Some noticed Johnny and came for him, though he kept the horse a good distance away until he reached the edge. Sonya was sure she was going to get fucked over for this. It was a lousy plan, and for some reason she was on board with it. Inside the truck, she observed as the wave of zombies finally arrived, chilling Sonya to her core. She couldn't believe she was about to lead them here. Taking a breath, she smashed the horn down, causing a noise that shattered her ears by the sheer volume of it. She couldn't believe she was doing this. This was suicide. Johnny rode Brisco over to the edge where he could be seen by Blue, from down below. "They're coming!"

Not wanting the horse to knock him off again, he jumped off himself and started to pull Brisco down by the reigns. The animal stirred and whined, causing Johnny to lose his grip and then slip down the slope. However once the horse saw the zombies approaching, it quickly followed down to the base ground with much more grace.

The zombies shattered ankles and hands as they landed hard on rocks and surface, yet still rose again to pursue the living. Johnny jumped back onto Brisco and rode over to Blue. "We should lead them a few miles out just to be sure," he spoke urgent and quickly, as the dead were now piling over one another as they fell from the slope. Johnny offered his hand to Blue to lift her on the back of the horse.

Only a portion of the zombies followed, failing Johnny's plan by a long shot. Still, it was going to be a problem for Sonya, the portion of zombies that followed them on horseback was way too big for them to handle. Thunder was roaring in the skies. It was going to rain.

"How the fuck are we going to lose them? We can't go to your precious people and we can't just lose these zombies somewhere. Did you have a backup plan?" Sonya jabbed, feeling anxious.

"You are the backup plan," he told her.

Then she had an idea. It was risky, but better than none. "We could lead them to the city. There are more zombies there, but it's easier to lose them when we aren't out in the open and have lots of places to hide." Besides, Sonya couldn't go back to Johnny's group's base even if the horde wasn't heading there. Sonya was that well known she couldn't mingle with groups.

"It's gonna take a couple of days on horseback to reach the city, we could also end up trapping ourselves. The zombies keep walking forever until they find something to eat."

They rode up a good eighty yards or so ahead of the zombies, gaining speed as they went. In order for Johnny to return home, he'd have to make a huge circle back around the zombies which could take weeks. He tried to stay optimistic, hoping Parris could handle the rest. "I have food we can cook up. Rabbits, squirrels...I had a pretty good morning." Johnny was trying to make small talk as they rode along the barren highway.

Sonya listened to Johnny ramble, feeling a slight pit in her stomach. She really didn't want to spend any unnecessary time with this dude, because getting attached meant getting vulnerable. And she already had Natalia to drag her conscience.

Being on the horseback made Sonya anxious. She wanted to feel her feet on the ground. She felt out of control. She hated nothing more.
"Right. Scrap that, you can just drop me off to the suburbs. We are going into the right direction anyway, it shouldn't be too long a way," Sonya said, looking at the farmland scenery that went by slowly as they rode. "Hopefully your crew will survive," Sonya continued. She didn't give a fuck about the group, to be frank, but she didn't want Johnny's efforts to be in vain.

Giving an affirmed nod, the two kept riding in silence. The sounds of the weather around them was all that could be heard. The rain started to pour and the wind became harsher and more frequent. The thunder was constant over the skies, as it drowned out the sounding of the horns to most of the horde. A portion still followed them, but the majority would turn and wander in aimless directions into the trees and fields. More than half still roamed toward Johnny's home base.

Sonya winced as the rain began dropping down after a while. The scenery had changed slightly from the last time they spoke, their journey mostly ruled by silence. The woman felt the uncomfortable burn on her bicep as the fabric of her jacket continually brushed over the irritated flesh. Her wound was inflamed already, and the slowly falling rain didn't help make her feel better.

Sonya didn't like being too far away from her usual neighborhoods, that's why she had requested the man take her back where she came from. It wasn't that Sonya didn't appreciate his offers, it was just that she hated relying on anyone, even for food.

"You're too decent a person. It's gonna get you killed out here," Sonya commented as the suburbs were nearing the field of their vision, breaking the silence. "Thank you, anyhow. I don't say that often, just so you know."

"No problem," Johnny replied. "Thank you too, and you're a pretty decent person yourself, whether you realize it or not." When they pulled closer to the destination he stopped the horse and helped her off.

"You're a good ways ahead of the horde, I'd say keep heading that way until you find where you need to be," he told her as he handed her the flask of whiskey to have. "Keep it, it's not much but it'll last a while. I have to start heading back, I'll take a different route." Johnny gave her a nod and mounted Brisco again, starting to trot off from the woman. "If you ever find yourself heading my way again, just know you made a friend and that I owe you. Until then, take care of yourself, Blue."

Taking the whiskey with a nod, Sonya gave the man one of her rare smiles. It was subtle, so he might've missed it.
"Take care," Sonya's last words were as she turned and began walking.

It would be impossible for Johnny to get ahead of the horde again before they reached the PMC, though he still rode his horse with haste through the muddy fields and forest hoping they would survive the horror heading their way.

After parting ways with Johnny, Sonya had been walking around for a while. It was eerily quiet, almost too quiet. The woman tried to ignore the strange gut feeling she had.
Sonya's ammo was almost out, so if a horde attacked, she would have only a handful of bombs to defend herself with. Sonya had to find a safe place to tinker some more of her special explosives, else she'd be toast.
Well. Maybe she'd be toast anyway. Sonya felt strangely out of breath. She noticed she was sweating even though she was merely walking. It wasn't that hot out, either. Every time her jacket brushed over the wound on her arm, she hissed. Something was wrong. Maybe the dirty bandage hadn't been a good idea after all.
Sonya was nearing the town, big buildings towering ahead of her. There was something oddly comforting about the concrete blocks, even though Sonya knew full well the city was practically swarming with the infected. Swiping the cold sweat off her forehead with a pale hand, Sonya hastened her pace. This was no time to let a small scratch on her bicep get to her. She was stronger than this.

Meanwhile, Natalia was fighting to escape said town, slipping in and out of alleyways, seeking an escape from the lurking horde of undead freaks. Each step felt like something was off, a wince following the sharp pain that would rack her lithe body. There was no time to check, but Natalia was sure the fall from the truck had fucked her up in some manner. She just hoped it wasn't a broken bone.. Those were the worst, took too long to heal for her liking. Natalia would freeze at the sudden shuffle of gravel under boots, her knife rising to defend her from whatever was around the upcoming corner. She would lower her figure, neglecting the stabbing in her side, eyes and attention too focused on the prior sound. As soon as she got around the corner, Natalia would hurl herself forward, realizing much too later that this was no infected...

"Wh-" Sonya's words died on her lips as a figure lunged out from behind a coner. Loosing her footing and falling back, Sonya found herself staring at the sky with a searing pain on the back of her head. How had she not heard the sound? She had thought she had been cautious... Maybe she wasn't in the best condition right now, which resulted in her guard being down. She had been walking perfectly stealthy just moments before, avoiding the hiding zombies just fine. Apparently she had been a bit noisier than thought previously.
Trying to push the figure off of her - this wasn't an infected for sure, they were never this coordinated - Sonya grunted. Her vision was blurred from the hit, and her inflammed arm hurt too much to be any use. Something stung on her cheek, feeling like a sharp object had scratched it.
Wait. Sonya recognised this person, even through her slightly shaken vision. Could it be...
"N...Nat? What the fuck?" Sonya rasped, trying to get a hold of her surroundings. Shit, she was seriously out of it, wasn't she? Maybe she should have taked up on Johnny's offer of the bath after all. Injured and alone, she couldn't defend herself if need be. Well. She wasn't alone anymore, was she...

Natalia grimaced upon impact, losing hold of her knife as she tackled the figure before her. She had realized much too late, that this was indeed her friend Sonya.. not an infected. She would groan, her ribcage felt as if it had been beaten several times with a hammer, the fall making it all the worse. "Oh my god.. Sonya?! Shit I am so sorry..." Natalia shifted her weight off of the other woman, removing herself from the straddled postion she had been in. "You look horrible... What the hell happened?"
"Thanks for the compliment..." Offering a hand to Sonya, Natalia would look her over with wary eyes, spotting the knick her knife had left. "Fuck, is that from my knife? We need to get you somewhere safe Sonya... I need to fix you up." Without awaiting a reply, Natalia moved away, peering around the building to assure nothing had heard them. Her attention would travel up the building in front of them, it would have to do. "Come on, hold onto me, let's get inside this building. I don't have any shirt left to make bandages so I will look for something else in there."
Sonya's head was a bit foggy. She watched sluggishly as Natalia moved off of her, fussing about fixing her up. Wait... were they going somewhere? "Fix me... yeah, that's what you do best," Sonya mumbled a delayed answer with a small smirk, taking Natalia's hand and pulling herself up. She groaned as she used the injured hand accidentally, flinching from the pain but holding tight. When had she let herself get this weak? She was supposed to be taking care of Natalia, not the other way around.
"I thought you went back to Toxo. Why are you even here?" Sonya asked the woman while holding support to her. Then she noticed Natalia was walking funny, as if she was being careful of something. "Did someone attack you? Are you okay?" Anger already burning in Sonya's veins. "Fuck, if someone hurt you I'm gonna fucking kill 'em," Sonya threatened, although her current state didn't exactly communicate dangerous.

With utmost vigilance, Natalia led the woman into the building, her eyes darting to every dark corner of the room to reassure herself the building was safe. The faint dripping of water would send her head jerking in the sounds direction, heaving a sigh upon realizing the source. "No, no.. I'm okay.. I came into town with three others from Toxo, we were looking for the source of the fireworks we saw and heard. Ended up finding The Saint pretty jacked up, I don't even know if she made it but I risked my life as well as the group that came with me to save her.. I don't know, I guess I let my humanity get the best of me." A disgruntled exhale would follow the words, bright eyes falling downcast. "Uhm, that girl, Lauren, the one that I stabbed way back and ended up getting into Toxo, she was apart of the group. Anyways, I fell off the trucks bed as it took off, it hurt but I think I'm okay. I told them to keep going."
"So you almost got yourself killed for a stranger? Your kindness is going to be the end of you, Nat," Sonya half growled, but her voice had a tint of warmth to it.Natalia drew her knife once more, securing the small building before motioning for Sonya to sit atop the old, worn couch before them. The room looked to be some kind of waiting room, a receptionist desk left deserted, connecting to the rest of the building likely used as some sort of compact office. "Wait here, I have to try and find something to help your wounds.. Natalia would walk off, heaving herself over the desk to gain access to the rest of the building. So Sonya really did care about her... Nat couldn't help but grin youtfully, Sonya's protective nature always something that lightened Nat's mood. There was however, no time to relish in it now, Sonya was in dire need of medical attention. Remembering she had picked some of the contents of her backpack up after the fall, Natalia swiftly removed the pack from her back, rummaging through the items remaining. "Yes! Her voice rang out, but would quickly be hushed, remembering their situation. Natalia brought her and the backpack back over the receptionist desk, stopping in front of Sonya. In her hand was a miniature first aid kit, holding three alcohol wipes, some gauze, bandaging, and Neosporin. "You ready? This is going to sting, or just hurt like hell..."
Sonya eyed the kit in Natalia's hand warily, however she knew Natalia knew what she was doing. Groaning unenthusiastically, Sonya corrected the posture to give Natalia a better access to her wounds.
"Do your magic," Sonya replied. She was feeling a lot worse than a moment ago. Was it really all the wound's doing or whas there something else? "After you're done fixing me we can take a look at you. I don't care if you think you're alright, I can full well see you're not. Don't pull that shit with me," Sonya said with a harsh tone. It made her mad to think Nat had gotten herself hurt by something as stupid as falling off a truck.
Taking a breathy intake, Sonya prepared herself for the pain to come.

Steady hands would place the necessary supplies before them, sat upon the short coffee table Natalia had planted herself. Her eyes would roll at Sonya's words, teeth nipping the wipes sealing open to give her access. Moving briskly, Natalia dabbed first at Sonya's cheek, generously swiping at the surface wound there. "This is from my knife, it's going to make you sick.. I dip it in a poison I make, but it won't kill you, luckily it wasn't a stab wound." Natalia drew a grateful sigh, continuing to carefully sanitize the cut. Sonyawinced in discomfort, but kept her mouth shut like a warrior. Next the Neosporin would be applied as a salve, protecting the cut from dirt or debris. "You're going to feel like shit for a while, but it should wear off within the day. Need to find you water to flush out your system. I have two bottles in my pack, but you'll need more." After mentioning the water, Natalia withdrew one, unscrewing the lid to apply the liquid to a piece of gauze. This would be used after unwrapping the bandage that had already been applied, a bleak wince coming from Natalia. "God.. This looks horrible Sonya, what in the world did you do? It's getting infected, you're lucky you have me." A playful smirk would trail her words, nurturing hands disinfecting the wound with the water first and alcohol wipe after. This earned her a pained grunt from Sonya, which she was clearly trying to keep down.The same process would follow, the wound dried and dressed before Natalia would sit back, eyeing her work. "Alrighty, lookin' good. We are going to have to change that often, don't want too much moisture or else it'll never scab over." Natalia glanced down at her abdomen after, running her fingers over the tender skin, baring her teeth in response. Her ribs were either bruised or broken, but that was something they couldn't fix and would likely heal on its own. However, her leg felt aggrivated in a manner unlike a broken bone, but the girl was reluctant to look.

"Thanks," Sonya granted Natalia a rare thank you. She felt slightly better after Natalia taking care of her. She hadn't dared to mumble any excuses at her when she had questioned Sonya about letting her wound get so bad, even though she had wanted to. Holding her tongue was the best thing to do when Natalia was full-on nurse mode. Feeling foggy from her rising body temperature - she had slight fever, probably - Sonya probbed herself up better and took a look at Natalia, who was now examining her own body. Sonya's brow furrowed slightly. There was clearly something wrong, but since Natalia wasn't doing anything, Sonya assumed it was something that couldn't be fixed.
"What now?" Sonya asked, trying to sound more sympathetic and less harsh. Today had been full of action, and even more social contact than Sonya usually had. Not just with Natalia, but with that Johnny dude, too. Sonya hoped she wasn't becoming too soft. Caring about people really didn't do anything but end up getting her worst off in the end.
Head clouding with rising fever, Sonya found her mind wandering off to all sorts of worlds. It had been a long time since she had last been sick. Maybe even decades. Usually she was highly analytic, always thinking about how to survive, nothing more. How to survive, live with her guilt and protect those she held near and dear. Now, though... Now was the first time Sonya felt something that she dubbed as longing. She had experienced her fair share of longing after losing her group, but other feelings she most often ended up suppressing. Survival was her first priority, after all.
Looking at Natalia, trying to read her face, Sonya found herself just staring. How had they even managed to become friends?
"I wish things weren't like this," Sonya blurted, easily making it the most emotion packed sentence Sonya had said in the presence of Natalia. Maybe it was her injuries clouding her judgement. "But I'm glad you're here."

Natalia's face would contort in thought, eyeing Sonya's complexion. It was obvious fever was beginning to set in, Natalia was well aware, however she was oblivious to how she'd fix this issue. She would contemplate different options, absentmindedly staring directly at the fever sick woman. The silence would be broke by Sonya's voice, a vulnerable essence coming off each word. Natalia had never seen Sonya so kind, of course she always cared for Nat, but being this open was rare. Natalia parted her lips to speak but her words would falter, instead a heated rosy hue invading her otherwise olive cheeks. She would avert her eyes, clearing her throat before speaking, "U-Uh, me too Sonya.. Glad you're here too.. But you won't be much longer if we don't get this fever under control!" Natalia quickly rerouted the conversation, heaving herself from the sitting positon in front of Sonya, to grab another water bottle. Using the water, she would tear the remaining back portion of her tanktop, leaving her lower back and stomach bare. She folded the cloth carefully, soaking it with the cool water and then applying it to Sonya's forehead. "Lay back, close your eyes, here take a sip of the water too.. Try to relax."
"Touche..." Sonya admitted at Natalia's comment. She was right. Still, Sonya wasn't thinking logically at the moment. It was hard for her to think about anything coherent.
When something cool pressed against Sonya's forehead, a wave of relief washed over her. Sonya complied at Natalia's command to lie down, not before taking a sip of water. It was rare to come by such good tasting water... Or tasteless, to better phrase it. It wasn't cold, more like lukewarm, but it didn't matter to Sonya. Lying down, Sonya looked at Natalia through heavy eyelids. There was a certain sense of comfort to her presence, something Sonya couldn't quite put her finger on. It was rather ironic, since Natalia was working for Toxo, Sonya's enemy by all means, yet the woman was the safest Sonya felt around with.
"You didn't have to ruin your shirt for me," Sonya said sluggishly as she realised Natalia's midriff was bare. "The nights get cold, you know that." Sonya's healthy hand danced at the ripped hem of Natalia's shirt, almost curious in manner. Then she let her hand lay still. "Hope you know what you're doing."

Considering Sonya's words, Nat would glance down at her shirt, shoulders rising and falling in a shrug. "I ripped it a bit for that Saint girl, so a little more wouldn't be life altering." Natalina scoffed out, watching Sonya's hand play with her tattered shirt. "If I freeze, I freeze. The cold will help your fever though, but I don't want it to get too cold, you'll feel worse." Natalia examined the room thoughtfully, trying to assess the situation. She would have to find something to use as a blanket for the night, surely there was an old tarp or something of the sort laying around. Holding a finger up, Natalia would run off to search for something they could put to use, rummaging through the back room and side rooms, reappearing with a bundled up table cloth. She walked back towards Sonya, shaking the dust from the cloth before letting it fall over Sonya, a content smile plastering Natalia's features. "Perfect, keep covered, you're going to break that fever soon and start to feel cold as hell. That's good though, can't get too warm or too cold. Natalia gave a simple nod, crossing her arms, clearly satisfied with her discovery. "This building should keep us safe, the door has a lock and the windows are boarded up, looks like someone was held up in here for a while, wonder where they went." Pausing, Natalia would glance around the room, "Just in case, I will stay up and keep watch, you should get some rest." The woman found her spot on the coffee table once more, unholstering her knife in case it was needed. She observed Sonya for a moment before shifting to face towards the door, resting her cheek against her fist.
"Ain't you the survivor," Sonya quipped tiredly, a half-assed smile taking over her face. "When I'm feeling better it's my turn to take watch," Sonya added confidently, not sure if that would ever be the case.

---

---

---

Diana is aware of how vulnerable she is out in the open so when she spots two lone Infected so she stabs the sharp end of her Red Cross Banner into the loose soil by the road then unlimbers the Psycho Softball bat giving it a few practice swings to ready her shoulder muscles. Then using her perch atop Redhawk to sweep the area to see if its a couple or a wedding party and is thankful they are traveling in only a the pair she had spotted.

Her battle ground was perfect for a calvary attack a wide and smooth set of 4 traffic lanes across and perhaps 185 feet long before 3 cars blocked 2 lanes of the road causing a pinch point between jersey wall and guardrail then another 100 feet of open ground where an old tractor trailer rig blocked access to the rest of the highway. And that was the west end of where she was; in the east end was looked like a chain crash that had partially burned and judging by the open hoods had been salvaged.

She used the sound of her horse’s hooves to draw the infected up on the road then she danced Redhawk sideways nudging the well trained horse with her knee to draw them close to the corner then charge with a quick pump of her mounts stirrups. The 16 ½ hand 7 year old gelding launching in a ground eating run that he controls how close they approach because Diana has dropped his reins leaving the next part to his judgement.

They positioned the two infected into a following line Redhawk letting the vile creature pass barely close enough to allow the tip of the now slightly battered bat in his mistresses left hand to make contact with the first in line. He was the gift who was a curse to those he had belonged to before Diana. Redhawk was a proud gelding and as she’d been told only allowed women as his mount.

He had been trained by the man’s sister who’d died three weeks before she met them and he bit and kicked and played tricks on men who tried to ride him. He was a spoiled horse you his use and teaching Diana the horsemanship she needed kept her and her unit close while his wife healed.

She’d learned why the man said trust the horse he knows the ground better than she and he as a proud Gelding still enjoyed a good fight and this time as he had many before kept them on target peeling away after contact and wheeling at a safe distance as Diana recovered.

Behind her she saw the satisfying sight of her target folded up on the road maybe two strides from the contact her BF displaying how little he cared as he made a play for Diana.

She walked him in a circling and expanding spiral Redhawk showing off his fancy back pedal. She urged her mount to bounce forward towards the male infected and when he charged at the red horse’s chest and Diana pivoted him and hit the sweet spot with her knees resulting in a powerful double kick into the Infected chest sending him flying as Diana dismounted.

She didn’t strike his skull with all her power, knowing anatomy she knew the weak points of the skull keeping him down for the count followed by her holding out her right arm and catching the horn of her saddle to swing back up but this being the third Tuesday of a month with an E in it or that completion of this stunt was still 50 - 50 at best she busted her rear and Redhawk came back a stood over her with a very disapproving equine stare.

”I know, I know don’t worry I’ll catch up soon” she said as she stood and dusted her now slightly bruised rear end

Then added ”You on the other hand were perfect I only had to lean out 2 feet to make contact but I guess the nice takedown did make up for it”

Once she was back in the saddle she reached in a saddle pouch and pulled out an old green bottle filled with homemade aspirin poured a touch on her tongue before screwing back on the cup and unslinging a bota of water to wash it down.

”Watch the bumps please I bruised my rear” naturally he didn't listen as they once more turned towards the Windmills

Nick Swift



________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Perched atop the roof of a church, one hand grasping the girth of the wooden cross atop it as a safeguard, the hooded figure known as Nick Swift crouched, his keen eyes surveying the town below him through the concave eyepiece of his binoculars. He hadn't been there long, just long enough for a quick snack and a survey of his next target. Below him, several low snarls rang through the otherwise silent air, as claws ran raw and bloody scratched in annoyance at the walls of the building, trying to in desperation to reach for a meal far out of their grasps. Their hunger never seemed to end, even after they had devoured enough that the contents of their digestive tracts burst open. It was rather sad to watch, the once intelligent, functioning creatures, barely able to comprehend anything other then the feast they endlessly hunted for.

Taking a small bite from the granola bar he had swiped from the house over, he lowered the eyepiece, setting the binoculars onto the surface next to him. His long leg draped over the edge of the roof, dangling above the agitated infected below, taunting them. They reached out for the appendage, but it was still far from the reach of their rotting clutches. Snickering softly, the man's left eye began to twitch, and his silence was broken, as once again, he began a conversation with the only other person who had lived long enough to stick with him this far.

"You saw that right? The decent-sized crowd a few streets down? What if we follow it from a distance, and wait for them to spot some helpless human, and observe the resulting dinner party. It sounds delightful to me." His voice cracked multiple times throughout his sentence, yet he took no notice of it.

His body tilted to the right side, and he spoke again, this time in a slightly more ragged voice, laced with reason. "If we do that, we might attract unwanted attention instead, sides, there isn't exactly a whole lot of buildings on that street."

His argument was a decent one, but he wasn't going to let himself win so easily. "Ah, but if we do, we could also possibly test out how much destruction a small horde can do while on fire, after all, I did see a few bottles of booze in the church. If not, maybe I could pluck whatever poor soul they happen to come across out after they've been munched on a bit, so we can observe how the newly reanimated react to being in pieces?"

The argument went back in forth a few more times, before he finally conceded, his decision to quickly snatch a few bottles from the church already put into motion. The crinkly wrapper from his finished granola bar was dropped, making small traces of the irritating crinkles as it swiftly floated to the ground. The infected of course, took notice of this, and pulled away from the church's walls long enough to lunge for the source of the noise.

Seizing the moment by the neck, Nick leaped from the rooftop, landing on the ground with a soft thud, rolling into the impact, his body absorbing the impact. The distracted monsters of course, noticed the sound, and were already rearing back onto the shaking unstable feet they walked on. Nick had already taken off, propelling himself over top of the fence nearby, as the sounds of his pursuers running feet followed behind him. He could hear the first one already body slamming the wooden fence, forcing his brain to act quickly. There were three of them, not enough to be a gigantic threat, but enough to pose a great risk. Fighting them wasn't the best option, which left him with option number two.

He dove inside the large hedge that grew loosely around the nearest house, the branches catching his for a moment, before he rolled into the shrub deeper, freeing his pack and sinking deeper into the hiding place. The thick branches of the hedge scratched at his face, prodding his body in uncomfortable ways, almost making him reconsider his plan. However, before he could force his way out of the hedge, possibly making more noise, the sounds of a wooden construct coming down halted him in place. From his limited vision, through the thick foliage he had trapped himself in, he could vaguely witness the infected pour through the gap in the fence, their bodies twitching erratically, as they stepped into the yard.

He couldn't move, he could barely breath. If he tried to move now, they would be on him in a matter of seconds. He didn't like his chances of trying to fight them while branched in, literally.

The only thing Nick could think to do, was wait it out.

He was content to do that, when one of the twitching head's of his hunters, turned towards the bush. It probably couldn't see him, but if it came closer, it would probably find him. He needed to do something, right now. His eye flicked down to the ground, trying to see if he could move his hands enough without making a sound, when his gaze caught the shape of a stone. Nothing large, but large enough to throw and make a decent sound. His eyes lit up for a moment, and his hand slowly snaked towards it.

His fingers began to brush the tip of the stone, when a snarl broke the tense silence.

He had been spotted, he was done for, what had been the point, this was where it e-

His opened his eyes, nothing was tearing into him like a carnivore into it's prey, in fact, they weren't even looking at him. The tweeting of a bird had caught the attention of the undead beasts, and they were attacking the fence again, this time on the oppisite side of the yard, trying to chase after the sound of life as it fluttered away in a panic.

A moment later and they had broken through the wooden barrier blocking their path, charging after their quarry at full speed. It was then, and only then, that Nick Swift let out the breath he had been holding it, and felt his body loosen up, as relief filled his body. He had been saved, by pure coincidence. Jesus Christ.

When he couldn't hear the sounds of death anymore, Nick's mouth opened, and he snarled at himself. "At least if they did eat us, we would have given them indigestion, those poor sobs."

Ignoring the comment, he struggled his way out of the hedge, stumbling out of it a few moments later, one of the branches giving him one final smack as he did. Brushing his hoodie off, the loner took a quick glance in the direction of where the undead had run off to, before silently making his way back through the first hole in the fence they made.

The rest of his endeavors went rather smoothly, as he exited the church, stuffing a few bottles of alcohol into his pack, mumbling to himself the entire way.

Some part of him still wanted to chase after the small horde, but he wasn't in the mood for it anymore, so instead, he scaled the nearest building, and began making his way towards the highway, as he had nothing better to do with his time.

"So, shall we head towards the tallest bridge and see if we can drop the empty bottles on anything?"

"Empty bottles? Seems we're in a party mood, let's do it! Hell yeah!"

“Damnit, damnit, damnit.”

Alek was pacing behind the bar of her little shed, shaking her head in irritation. After listening to Ryder and Lauren chat, she had headed to the cafeteria for a bit to get some food. Oddly enough Lauren and Ryder had headed to that same exact place. This time she didn’t listen to whatever they were talking about and chose to ignore them and focus on her breakfast. The pancakes were awesome today, which was weird of her to think since she didn’t even like pancakes. The morning was going pretty well for her after breakfast, that is, until she found out that there was a big meeting happening tonight with Ryder’s crew. The meeting wasn’t the problem, it was the fact that they were going to have it at her bar.

“Of course they are. He always likes a chance to piss me off. “ She muttered to herself in Russian. That would be the second night in a row that she had to look at Ryder’s face. It was hard enough having to listen and be nice to him for one night, two nights in a row was just irritating. Alek usually wasn’t one to hold as strong of a grudge against someone as she did Ryder, but every time she looked at his face all she could think about was the smile on lips after he shot a bullet through the back of her father’s head. She had known her father was a goner back then since he had been bit, but they had begged Ryder to let them take him out and put him down in their own way. They wanted to be alone when it happened, to give him love in his final moments, but he refused and insisted that he was doing them a ‘favor’. Alek had never seen it that way, no matter how many times she went over it in her head.
“Fuck this day..”

Ryder wasn't exactly sure what they did differently, but the pancakes were fucking amazing today. He made sure to let the cooks know, because the praise was well-deserved. Ryder gave praise when it was due; but he also gave punishment when it was due. He left the mess hall with a place in mind. Alek's. He hadn't heard back from the woman about using her bar for a meeting place. Not that he was asking, but he wanted some acknowledgement. He found Alek very amusing. He was positive the woman hated his guts. Could he truly blame her? He shot her father in the head when she asked him not to. Back then, Ryder wasn't going to risk some emotional moment turning into weakness, and possibly have a eater running around because somebody wasn't strong enough to off him. It wasn't easy to pull the trigger, but it was necessary.

He made his way towards the little shed that housed Alek's bar. It was a good setup. Ryder was proud of what they've built together here. It's not only a fortress; it's also a home. He didn't bother knocking. This was Ryder's home, after all. He barged in through the door, spinning his bat in a dramatic fashion. He immediately spotted Alek pacing behind her bar. "Oh-ho!" he said loudly at the sight of her, walking towards the bar with a grin. "Am I interrupting something? Are you fucking stressing about the meeting?" he looked around, humming. "Place looks fucking perfect, Alek! What's wrong, then?"

The moment Ryder walked through the door there was a visible difference in Alek. She stopped in her pacing and let a look fall over her face. It wasn't the type of look that couldn't be seen through. It was an expression she had worked very hard in building over the last few years and one she took a little pride in. You couldn’t see her hate or disgust, you couldn't see fear like he no doubt expected to see, you really couldn't see anything in her features. It was a true poker face. She breathed in slowly and then shook her head. "Nothing wrong." She said, grabbing a shot glass from behind the table and sliding it towards him. Raising an eyebrow in question, Alek pulled out a bottle of whiskey and held it up. She waited to pour, not knowing if he truly wanted the drink, why waste such a valuable thing after all?

"I lost something is all." Alek's voice was neither hateful nor pleasing, though it was always hard to tell if she was trying to sound mean or if that was just the way her accent made her voice sound. "What can I do for you?"

It honestly hadn't taken Ryder long to figure out Alek behaved a certain way around him. He talked to his people; he knew others perceived her very differently from the "blank fucking slate" that he did. He would give her that. She had an amazing poker face. One he was honestly proud of her for. It was hard to pull that type of shit off, even harder to face your father's "murderer" and not openly scowl. He slipped onto one of the barstools, setting his bat down on the stool beside him, and eyed the shot glass she had slid towards him. It would be tempting, but surprisingly, Ryder wasn't much of a drinker. Back before this shit, he would be a social drinker, because it was always a good thing to loosen up possible business partners. He applied that to today. Sometimes, he used their stash to his advantage. For now, he rose his hand while shaking his head.

"Let's not waste the good shit on little ol' me," he joked with a wink, and eyed her for another moment. "If you've lost something, sounds like something's wrong." he pointed out, resting his elbows on the bar top and humming. "I can't visit a good friend?" he laughed a bit, knowing she was far from a good friend to him. He still liked to fuck with her, though. " Seriously, though. What have you lost? I may be able to help."

Alek shook her head while placing the bottle on the counter, instead of pouring the drink, and ran a hand through her hair. "No need to bother yourself with. It is just a personal item I usually wear." She was lying of course, but she made it pretty hard to tell that. The item she was speaking of was the necklace with her mother and father's rings on it. She usually wore it every day, but she had been so tired this morning that she had forgot to put it on. In reality it still rested in the small box of her important belongings that rested under her bed. Not wearing it made for a good excuse to give to him, but she cursed herself a little for making him get the idea of snooping around even more than he usually did. Alek didn’t really have much to hide, but it was the point of the matter. People going through her place wasn’t something she liked. "I will find it. Only a matter of time."

Ryder tilted his head to the side, a tick that had been with him almost all his life. It was a good indicator he was actually listening to somebody and taking what they were saying in. Some would say it showed he cared; most would say it was because he was looking for a weakness he could use later against them. He studied her face for a few seconds after she finished speaking. She didn't look like she was lying, yet he didn't trust many people around here. Funny, since he had them for protection. "Look, we are in this shit-hole together, so we can help each other-" the radio on Ryder's hip crackled to life. He was still waiting to hear from the first group that went out, so it was about time they were tuning in.

What came out, though, made his blood go cold. Lauren's voice, cutting through the empty bar, loud and clear, "Base, base, come in. This is Lauren. Natalia's separated from the group. Large horde, can't stop. We're in the truck. Shit! " Ryder could barely react before the walkie spat out, "They are fucking everywhere!"

Though, it didn't end there. Natalia's voice came through shortly after, sounding as if she was standing in the bar, "Uh... Yeah.. Yeah I am fine Lauren. It would be dumb coming back, keep going, make sure that girl gets tended to. Check her wounds... I'll see you guys soon.."

Ryder stared at a spot above Alek's shoulder for a few seconds before his eyes snapped to her. "Well," he snorted, cracking a grin. Nothing on his face gave away his pounding heart or twisting insides. "What a fucking shitstorm going on out there. Seems like this place isn't such a shit-hole, after all." he began to reach for the bottle of whiskey, his fingers wrapping around the neck, when the walkie came to life again. He nearly threw the bottle, his fingers tightening on it briefly, before he released it.

"Hey, boss," a male voice came through, sounding a little shell-shocked.

Ryder ripped the walkie off his belt and held it to his mouth. "Go for Ryder," his eyes briefly went to Alek. He wondered if it would be a good idea to let her hear what might possibly come through that walkie. It could be something that he wouldn't want everybody knowing, but he wouldn't just up and leave, either. He wanted to show Alek there was some trust there. Just not complete trust.

"There is a woman approaching us. On horseback... um... singing."

Ryder blinked, looking at the walkie like it just grew a mouth and said those words itself. "Come again?"

"A woman is approaching on horseback, singing... with a white flag that has a red cross on it..." the guy suddenly let out a hiss into the walkie. "Now, she's kicking some infected ass. Hotdamn. I might be in-love."

Ryder was standing up, pushing the glass towards Alek. No time for a drink, it would seem. He needed a clear head anyway. While his worry for Natalia was gnawing at him, and his curiosity about this girl that needed tending to was racing through his head, he had to concentrate on the things that were closer to home. Like a possibly crazy woman who could or could not be a doctor. If she was a doctor, they could use all the doctors they could get. If she wasn't a doctor... Ryder would cross that bridge if it came to it. According to Clyde, his Southern drawl unmistakable, the woman could kick ass. "Keep your fucking pants on, Clyde. Which tower?" he demanded, and lowered the walkie. He winked at Alek. "Duty calls, sweetheart. I'll have to come back for that drink later. Perhaps, at the meeting," he gave her a wicked grin as he returned the radio to his belt after getting an answer from Clyde. He began to head towards the door, whistling a light tune, his bat resting on his shoulder.

Alek breathed a sigh of relief as Ryder walked out of her bar. Her sigh had nothing to do with being afraid of him, it was more due to the fact she could only stand to be semi nice to him for a certain amount of time. She pulled the shot glass she offered him towards her and poured some whisky into it for herself. "British douche," Alek muttered in Russian once he was far enough away that he couldn't hear. She brought the shot glass up to her lips then and quickly drank it back. Despite having to look at Ryde, Alek had to admit that she was pretty interested in the woman that one of the guards had spoken about over the radio. A crazy woman singing on a horse with a red cross flag waving around. It was interesting to say the least, even to Alek, who usually wasn’t interested in much that went on around here.

"Let's see if she makes the cut." Alek said to no one in particular.

---

---

Feeling a bit happier Diana leaned back in her saddle and sang a happy tune (The Boy From Black Mountain)



She sings as she feels lighter at the thought she’ll have a hot shower, something other than pine nuts and squirrel to eat, and clothes not stiff from being washed in a creek.

She can’t see the people but her sharp eyes do show her that they have been working the area to clear fields of fire down to the battered road. She sees branches and small trees cut at angles and open areas of prime sunlight and growth empty of all but grass.



She heard the chief telling her when they were riding into what he thought was a raider ambush zone; he was using her as bait and a way to draw them out. And here she sat like a lure dangled before a fish.

So as she sang she went over how she was presenting herself as bait

How do I look

• Pistol hidden in left rear horse bag
• Machete in sheath in bed roll behind me
• Flag fluttering in nice breeze (Hope they see medical person)
• Bat in back sheath. They shouldn’t see it as a threat with the Infected wandering around; my having it ready should tell them I’m not an idiot
• Clothing clean and patched, I am observant of hygiene as a Doctor must be; who wants a nasty doc to give them a fever?

Eventually, the zombies lost track of the truck's noise. The town began to thin out into scattered buildings and eventually they were outside the town's limits and on their way to the ranch. Lauren imagined the zombies stupidly scrabbling to the last direction they heard the truck.

Like always, they never headed directly towards the Toxo base. They went away from it, far enough away from town to lose the infected, and then turned hard left to get back into Toxo; essentially sling shotting the stupid fucks off their trail. It's a good thing they weren't intelligent. Virus, parasite...whatever the Hell it was. They weren't going to be eating anyone else on this truck.

The Saint was still unconscious. Maybe she did do some work against that horde. But hey, just like Natalia, the Saint screwed herself by trying to help people who couldn't help themselves. Lauren smirked down at her, condescendingly. Was she dreaming? Lauren's smirk quickly faded when she realized she related to the woman on the ground. Lauren didn't remember her feverish dreams when she was dying from Natalia's poison. How come she went out of her way to help this woman, and out of her way to kill Lauren? How come she immediately brought it up when they got on the truck? Why do these people pretend like they are righteous, like they are saving anyone, when really they are just fucking stupid? It didn't make sense.

Lauren had read her history. She was always fascinated by the era of humanity when they believed what she did now. It's where she got her idea to get spears made to fight the zombies. Back in the age of knights, where the weaked served the strong, the zombie apocalypse would never have gotten this far. People like the Saint wouldn't have existed. The Lords and Ladies would have had the fucking balls to lock people out, to kill refugees before they got in, and eliminate those already infected inside the safe houses. Instead of wasting time looking for a cure, they would have done what was necessary. Then, those people died and were replaced by hateful ones. Those hateful ones were replaced by stupid ones, and finally they were replaced by weak ones. Now, here we are. The wonders of the first world. Lauren bet the tribes and villages in places like Asia, Africa, and South America were doing just fine.

Well, still. Maybe they could save this Saint. Not just keep her alive, but really allow her to put her skills to some good use, rather than wasting it on useless people.

The truck rumbled it's way down the concrete road until the walls and towers of Toxo were visible. Whispering Pines Ranch, as it used to be called by it's previous owners. If Ryder hadn't taken over, that place would be crawling with zombies.

"Toxo base, this is Lauren and the pick-up truck crew, we're almost back to base and..." Lauren briefly paused as she saw a woman on a horse.

"Who the hell is that?" Lauren asked the radio as the truck began to approach behind the woman. The truck slowed down as to not run her over. Lauren saw the doctor's pattern on the woman. Someone wanting to enter Toxo. Lauren slapped the roof of the truck and told a command to the driver.

"Drive 'round her. We gotta get into base. Don't worry, I'l shoot her if she tries anything." The truck slowly went to the right side of the horse. It dipped at a slight angle as the two right wheels crackled on the dirt on either side of the road. Lauren rebalanced herself as the unconscious woman slid a little to the opposite side of the truck bed.

She smiled cheerily at the horse rider as they went past, waving with her gun hand.

The gate opened up, recognizing the truck and closing quickly behind them, not risking letting the horse rider inside.

Lauren hopped over the truck bed, opened up the hatch and grabbed the unconscious woman, heaving her over her shoulder with a grunt. The passenger and the driver got out, and Lauren approached them.

"Take her into the doctor place, or whatever. Nat might be cross with us if she dies because you dropped her, so be careful." She winked at the man on the left, and the two of them nodded.

"Christ, hope this chick was worth it." The guy, (Walter?) said, recieving the woman like a sack of potatoes.

Lauren clicked on the safety and put in her pistol in the back of her pants. The cold steel pressing up against her skin was always a reassuring feeling. She began to seek out Ryder, for further orders and to relay information on the situation to him.

The instant Ryder's foot met the ground outside of Alek's bar, the grin dropped from his face. Emotions were running wild through him, beating around like hummingbird wings inside his head, but he had to shut it all down. It certainly wasn't the first time he had to push through an overwhelming day, and it certainly wouldn't the last. It came with being a leader of such a large and powerful group, after all. On his way to the tower Clyde was perched on - he could see the idiot looking through his binoculars gawking - his walkie came to life. He stopped mid-step, heart lurching itself into his throat, hoping it was Natalia.

The voice that came through was Robbie's, one of his best scouts, that had went with the group that checked out the first sight of explosions. He sounded winded, panting into the walkie, "Come in, Ryder."

Ryder immediately felt foolish for his reaction, and straightened himself out. He gave a quick glance around, to assure nobody had saw, before bringing the walkie to his mouth. "Well, well, it's about damn time. Quite the shit show out there, gentlemen. Assuming you got caught in the main act?" he said, continuing his walk towards the tower.

"Yes, sir, we did. Barely escaped. We... lost someone." Robbie said, an undertone of sadness in his voice.

"Well, shit," Ryder whispered to himself, shaking his head. He didn't enjoy losing good men and women. But, it was a risk they willingly took when they stepped outside the walls. "Where are you located?" he didn't bother asking who. Just another soldier, lost, in this war against the undead.

"On the other side of town, towards the South. The horde was thick. We're going to follow the mountains and get back that way." Robbie sounded like he managed to catch his breath, and Ryder could hear the crunching of rocks beneath boots. No sounds of a truck, though.

Ryder stopped beside the ladder, his other fingers tightening around the handle of his bat. "Where's the truck?" he asked slowly. When no response immediately came, Ryder whispered into the walkie, "Are you not going to answer my question?"

"Y-yes, sir, I am!" Robbie quickly said, a streak of fear in his voice. Ryder's lips twitched upwards. Ryder didn't get off on causing other people fear or pain, but it was a damn good and effective way to lead. It was obvious he was successful by Robbie's reaction. "We lost the truck. During the escape. Wrecked it. I'm really sorry, Ryder." it all came out in one quick breath.

What the fuck else was going to happen today? "Get back here within an hour. Run if you fucking have to. If you aren't back within an hour..." Ryder let the threat hang; the small scouting group already knew they would be punished for losing one of the trucks. Ryder just wanted to make them sweat more.

Ryder didn't bother waiting or even listening for an answer. He knew he wouldn't see them within an hour unless they managed to find another vehicle, which was highly doubtful. This was part of their punishment for losing the truck. The climb to the top of the tower didn't take long; it was easy to master once one did it for as long as Ryder had. Everybody in the group had to be young, fit and capable of pulling their own weight, or else they weren't allowed to stay. They wouldn't gain points, members weren't allowed to help those they weren't working, and they would just starve or have to leave. Even eating in the mess hall took some points, unless somebody was higher up on the food chain. Like Ryder, Natalia, and Lauren. A couple of others were allowed to eat for free, too, but majority of the group had to pay.

He walked over to Clyde, staring at the man who didn't even realize he was there. Ryder rolled his eyes. He was surrounded by dumbasses. The chair Clyde was sitting on the edge of was a simple folding one, one of the only ones light enough to haul up there easily. The fact the man hadn't heard him coming was beyond Ryder's understanding, but Ryder had quickly learned Clyde wasn't the brightest in the group. He did what he was told, and that was about it. Clyde was balancing the chair on its two front legs, elbows propped on the railing as he looked through the binoculars.

Ryder slammed his foot on the back of the seat, causing a loud bang as the chair was forced to sit on its back legs. Clyde jumped up, whirling around with widened eyes, placing a hand over his heart. "Wow, Ryder! You scared me half to death!" he said, shaking his head, and shakily holding out the binoculars.

Ryder chuckled, leaning his bat against the railing and taking the item. "How you didn't even hear me come up is beyond me, Clyde. Keep that up, you'll be taken off watch duty, and put back in the fields." the leader said, holding the binoculars up to his face.

"O-oh, yes sir, sorry sir!"

Ryder ignored him, searching out the source of supposed singing. He couldn't hear anything, of course, but when he spotted her, he could tell she was singing. "What the hell..." he whispered under his breath.

Somehow, Clyde heard that, but not Ryder coming up the ladder. "I know, right! I wasn't sure I could trust my eyes after seein' 'er!"

"Clyde," Ryder said calmly, and at the man's acknowledgement, he continued, "Shut the fuck up."

"Yes sir!"

Ryder sighed quietly and continued to watch the woman. He wasn't an idiot. That flag meant she could be a doctor. But, again, he wasn't an idiot. It could be a lie. She seemed a little crazy, coming up on horseback, singing. Ryder hadn't seen anything that stupid in a while, and he saw a lot of stupid stuff on a daily basis. He took in what she had on her, from what he could tell. The horse looked nice and healthy. She looked clean and healthy, from what he could tell. There seemed to be a weapon on her back. He felt himself starting to grin. Oh, if only she knew what she was walking into. A lot of people had an issue when they were told to give up all of their weapons, they were checked over twice, then confined until Ryder had a few talks with them and trusted them enough to let them wander around. After it was all over, and they realized how good they had it, though, they sung a different tune.

He observed the woman a couple more minutes before doing a quick sweep of the area. He knew Lauren should be getting back soon. He saw dust picking up in the distance, a small flash like the sun glinting off something metal. Like a truck, perhaps. There Lauren was. He looked back at the woman, just as his and Clyde's walkie came to life. Lauren's voice came through, almost like an echo with the two walkies right next to each other, "Toxo base, this is Lauren and the pick-up truck crew, we're almost back to base and... Who the hell is that?"

He chuckled, grabbing his walkie while still looking through the binoculars. He watched the truck avoid the woman on horseback. "Welcome back, princess," Ryder said into the walkie, eyes still locked on the horse rider. She was growing closer, and soon, she would be at the gates. "We're wondering who the hell that is, as well," he answered as the gate was being opened to allow the truck inside.

He shoved the binoculars back into Clyde's hands. "Keep an eye on that woman. Any funny business, radio immediately," he commanded, and didn't wait for Clyde's acknowledgement as he made his way back down. It didn't take him long to approach the truck that had just rode in. He was walking up in time to see Lauren handing over an injured woman to one of his men. A woman he had never seen before, either. He frowned, waving his bat in the air to catch Lauren's attention. He was relieved to see she had made it back okay, yet he didn't have time to linger in the emotion.

"Hold the fuck up!" he shouted as the man - Walter, if memory served - began to rush off. Walter immediately froze at the sound of Ryder's unhappy tone. Ryder grew closer, eyeing the injured woman, and looked at Lauren. "What the fuck is this? Do you think our fucking medical supplies grow out of the ground or on the trees or some shit?" he demanded, swinging his bat and glaring at each of the three members of the little scouting party. "Whose bright ass idea was it to risk life and limb for a fucking stranger that will only waste our resources?" he eyed Lauren, highly doubting it was her, leaving only one answer. Natalia had said to get that woman help. He'd have to have a long talk with her once she got back, because she would get back.

Lauren halted as Ryder asked his question and made clear his disapproval. He probably already knew the answer as to who's bright idea this was. Hopefully, he wouldn't get too mad at Lauren, and instead realized when you put a bleeding heart like Natalia in charge things like this are bound to happen. Lauren, on the other hand, was only following orders. Well, when people screwed up they always said that, but in her mind this was a win-win situation. She would prove her loyalty to orders she may not agree with, and Natalia was the one who fucked up. All's good, right? If she really wanted to screw Natalia, she might just say the woman was a nobody, and let her die. Natalia would have saved her anyway, even if she wasn't the Saint. Still...what if Natalia survived? Then Ryder would catch her for lying. Plus, on a moral sense, Lauren wouldn't want to lie to Ryder anyway. It would also be interesting to see what he would do with the information that at their mercy was the Saint.

"Sorry, boss," Lauren began with confidence. "Natalia's idea. I would have left her, but, y'know. Orders."

She hesitated for a moment, not terribly long, but there was a brief pause.

"Also, we think that woman right there is the Saint." She pointed at the pale, unconscious woman slung over Walter's shoulders. "That could be fun, if you were willing to try and keep her alive."

At this moment, Lauren did not envy Ryder. He had a lot of choices to make. Lauren probably would have already shot the saint, shot the horsewoman, and told everyone to go home. That might be what Ryder was going to say, but if he was a fan of anything, he was a fan of calculated risks and power moves. That woman outside claimed to be a doctor, after all. Either way, Lauren was ready to execute his orders.

It wasn't uncommon for Ryder to feel overwhelmed. He ran a decent-sized operation in the middle of an apocalypse where not only did they have to worry about getting eaten, but they also had to worry about people putting a bullet in their heads. Being overwhelmed was almost normal at this point. The real trick was how a leader handled being overwhelmed. Before shit hit the fan, Ryder worked an overwhelming job. He had his own business - of course it was overwhelming. He had to make sure his business was the best of the best, not only stayed afloat but was successful, and that he kept everybody in line. This gig? Wasn't too terribly different. He had to make sure his group was the best of the best, not only survived but thrived, and that he kept everybody in line. He had the mindset to deal with all these stressful things going on at once. Natalia, this injured woman, the possibly crazy doctor outside their gates. He was able to keep the tension out of his shoulders, and the stress from causing a hardness to form around his mouth.

Ryder stopped his frown from being too obvious when it was confirmed this was Natalie's idea. That shit wasn't going to fly. He taught her better than that. At the pause, he gave Lauren a once-over, and waved his hand at her. "C'mon, darling, spill the fucking tea," he used his bat like a cane, putting his weight on it and returning his gaze to the injured woman and a fidgety Walter. They did need to speed this up, after all, since that strange woman was about to be at his gate. He didn't like that at all. The gate was well-built, like the walls, of course. He wouldn't let this place be open game, but he still didn't like strangers just waltzing up on horseback singing.

At the mention of the Saint, his eyebrows rose up. He had always been interested in the mysterious person that left angel wings on walls around the city. He clicked his tongue, straightening back up, and chuckling. He smiled so big, his teeth could be briefly seen. "Well, well. You might have saved this woman's life, after all. I would not fucking mind having the Saint as a guest in my oh-so humble home," he gestured around, winking at Lauren. "Fun, indeed, darling. Fun, indeed." his smile slowly dropped, his playfulness giving away to seriousness, going straight back to business.

He pointed his bat at Walter, who immediately straightened up the best he could while having the woman's dead weight on his shoulder. "Bring her to the infirmary. Watch her. I doubt she'll be moving anytime soon, but don't let her out of your sight," he demanded, always mistrusting of newcomers. In this world, one had to be. Honestly, Ryder was mistrustful of everyone before this new world. It benefited him much better in this world. Walter nodded and rushed off to do as Ryder said, heading towards their makeshift infirmary that was stocked with their medical goods.

He turned his attention back to Lauren, and stepped closer to her. "I want the story on what the fuck went down out there later. But, right now, we have to deal with this bullshit outside. You know the drill when a stranger approaches - stay. On. Fucking. Guard." with each word uttered, he motioned at her with his bat, looking her straight in the eye. After a moment, though, he grinned, reaching out to give Lauren's shoulder a quick squeeze, his touch lingering. "You damn well know that, though, don't you, darling?" he didn't bother waiting for acknowledgement, turning around and giving a sharp whistle while spinning his pointed finger up in the air. "Open up the gate!"

The gate was operated by a lever on a platform secured to the top of the gate next to it. Somebody was always there, much like the guards on the watchtowers, to see who went in and out. Of course, there were more exits, but only a selected few knew about those. Two men came up behind Ryder and Lauren, guns drawn, as the gate began to slowly slide open. Ryder didn't bother drawing the pistol on his hip. He had enough firepower around him, and he didn't need to a gun to be intimidating. "It seems like this Doc makes house calls," he said to Lauren, a large grin on his face as he spun his bat before using it like a cane again. He looked very relaxed, not a care in the world, a happy man. He was anything but, though everybody around him would never know that.

---

Lauren kept eye contact with Ryder as he spoke, listently intently to what he had to say. She nodded when he placed a hand on her shoulder. She followed him to the gate. As it opened, Lauren raised her her gun and leveled it on the incoming person. This was the first time in a while a straggler approached like this- brazenly and in the open. It was the first time ever someone came to them singing, though. The guard had to respect that. Lauren chuckled at Ryder's comment. She raised her gun a little, a gesture to the stranger.

"Guns on the ground, hands in the air, lady!" Lauren called out to her, not wanting to take any chances. She had seen quick draws before. The horse was a variable Lauren wasn't particularly fond of, either.

Hearing Lauren be so commanding just reminded Ryder of why she was one of his favorites. Lauren was the type of woman Ryder greatly admired. Strong, honest, didn't take anyone's shit. She was one of the few around here that got away with more things than she honestly should. But, her loyalty to Ryder was obvious and clear everyday. Ryder couldn't imagine having anybody more loyal or resourceful on his side. Between her, Natalie, and a couple others, he was a lucky man, indeed. In this world, it was hard to find useful and loyal people. For now, he waited to see what this strange woman would do once the gate was completely open.

Diana studied the woman trying to decide if she was naturally rude or power hungry the former preferable to the later.
"Well I have a gun and dropping it might prove as dangerous as drawing it, it's a pistol" she looks behind her at her bedroll.

Her hands are raised and she is exposing her palms to the nervous people at the gate.
"I'm a Doctor seeking a position in a village where I can practice my skills and hopefully find a young person or two to teach. I can fight if I have to and my mount matched to me so I'm good at mobility attacks.
I can cook and I can sew and don't mind working hard if I can have access to water to clean myself.
I can claim that as a Doctor I am here to preserve life but that's meaningless so I guess I'll say I hope this works well for all involved.
Now if you want me harmless let me dismount then its just me and yall won't shoot redhawk.

Diana smiles her sweetest and honest hopeful smile as she waits to see how fate plays out.

Ryder tilted his head to the side after the strange woman finished her little speech. Amusement lashed through him, causing his lips to twitch upwards. What was this, a fucking interview? He let out a low whistle, studying the woman atop the horse. He looked like he wasn't worried about her presence at all. "Damn! I don't remember putting an ad in the paper for a doctor," he said, grinning at his own little joke.

Diana giggled at the big man's joke about her situation that fit proving he was at least intelligent a good sign when dealing with potential religous zelot or hopeful warlord; she was crossed fingered for Leader sort.

"News paper, haven't had one of those in a bit; Name's Doctor Diana Lovegood and I'm here to help"

Lauren raised an eyebrow and glanced at Ryder. She made a motion with her head, signalling the two armed men to follow her when she moved. This Doctor was on a mission, apparently. A do-gooder of some kind. Still, they could use a doctor, a real one. Especially if it meant keeping Grace the Saint, alive. Maybe Grace really did have some guardian angels, after all, Lauren thought. She was interested to see where this went. At the very least it would be entertaining. As far as she could there really was just one of her. There was no real cover to hide behind. There were armed guards in well-placed positions. She felt confident that they had nothing to fear. At the very least they could just take all her stuff, but having a medical proffesional onboard would be useful. That was up to Ryder.

"All right...keep those hands up then. " Lauren slowly approached, the two armed guards following behind her. It didn't look like she was armed, besides a baseball bat. Good for smashing zombie skulls, but the three of them could handle it easy. She made a gesture for one of the boys to circle round behind her.

"Gonna pat you down now." Lauren said, shouldering her gun by it's loop. The doc's clothing was a bit baggy, there could be a knife or something under there. Lauren was confident that with her being surrounded, the "doctor" wouldn't try anything stupid. One thing that struck Lauren as she began roughly placing her hands on various articles of clothing, checking for weapons and the like, was that the doctor smelled like...soap? Weird. Usually people were in pretty poor hygiene out there, alone. I mean, in toxo, it's not like the place was filfthy but this woman, upon closer inspection, was aggressively well-kept. Lauren didn't find anything after her thorough search, save a surgical kit that clipped on. Lauren unclipped it and held it infront of her to make Lauren's point.

"Okay, doc, this is how it's gonna work. Until you can prove yourself, we own you. Own your stuff, own your horse, own your soap. Keep that in mind before you pass through that gate." Lauren kept eye contact, standing close to the doctor.

Diana sighs as she pictures one of the local wood carvers spotting her blades and care kits and taking several of the percision tools so as they can carve a better bare and the thought makes her queasy.

"I don't mean to sound demanding, but in my bags are very hard to replace surgical tools which I ask be treated as the medical tools they are, and Redhawk is a good horse if you're a woman, but if I were a Man near him I'd keep my eyes open.
Also in the bags are my apothcary tools and drugs I've learned to make; I'd watch the drugs people get curious and my poppy and peyote sends them on a vision quest and some are just dangerous to use if you don't have the skill" Diana says with a hopeful smile.

She knows she is their figurative property and gets the feel this is a militant society and needs she try and adjust her skills with people to these people.
What did these people expect of her, would she be forced at hard labor or allowed to be a doctor, a real doctor; one not worried about HMOs or all the bullshit admistrators. She wondered if in this small community she could watch over them as they fought of who knows what sort of flu to come, delivered their babies and helped keep them healthy.

Lauren clipped the surgical kit onto her belt-loop. "Yeah. You don't wanna sound demanding. That wouldn't be polite." Lauren was wondering about the thought process of this woman, "Diana Lovegood." Doctor Lovegood? Sounded made up. Either way, it was kinda funny.

"Okay, Doctor Lovegood, any reason your name sounds like you're in a porno?" Lauren said, signalling one of the guys to look at the horse a little closer, breaking her eye-contact with Diana.

"Watch it," Lauren said to the armed guard before Diana could respond. "Redhawk doesn't like men." She said, laughing a little bit. The guard smiled, but still kept his distance from the animal as he looked for weapons or points of interest.

Diana sighs as she glances at redhawk then relaxes seeing he's being good as if he knows their situation.

"The name comes from Cornwall and is spelled Luggar, Luggard, Loveguard, Lugard, Lovegrove, or Lovegood; my dad was Elijah Lovegood, my mom Tisha Moon-

"Okay, slow down there, champ." Lauren rudely interrupted, causing Ryder to grin, "Didn't ask for your life story." Lauren quickly glanced over her shoulder at the guard behind her and Ryder, flashing them a befuddled look. Returning her focus to the situation at hand.

"You aren't the first person to point out how my last name sounds like a pornstar name or the last. I'm not trying to fight just point out the tools, drugs and everything I have be used to save your's or someone you care for's life"

Says Diana softly almost as if she were sighing.

Lauren smiled. "Well, originality died long before everything else did." She said, ignoring her comment about the contents of her saddlebags.

Though she kept her eyes on Diana, she turned her head to the side and raised her voice so Ryder could hear her. "Whaddya think, Ryder? She seems clean." Both in the sense of she had no weapons on her, and no apparent ill intentions, and literally clean.

Usually, Ryder would have jumped in and taken over this whole process himself, but he found enjoyment in watching Lauren do her thing. A reminder of what she could do, and how she could inflict the rules, was always nice, since she would often be put in charge of her own groups or when Ryder and Natalie were gone. It wasn't often he let somebody else take charge like that, but at times, he liked to see what his people were capable of. After all, he had to make sure he was training them right, preparing them for this world, hardening them. He wasn't only here to lead them; he was here to help them, too. They were his people. He smirked when Lauren acknowledged him. That right there was why she was at the top of his list. She didn't forget about him, proving her loyalty in that little moment. It made pride swell in his chest.

He took a few steps forward, resting his bat on his shoulder, his other thumb hooking into the belt loop of his pants, and eyed the doctor. Lauren wanted to see what Ryder would do. There were a lot of ways this could go, and all of them were fun. She went silent, letting Ryder take the reigns as he began to speak. "Doctor Lovegood, well, well, well," he briefly bit his bottom lip, rocking back on his heels. "What a goddamn pleasure. I'm Ryder Hooper. This little spitfire of a woman is Lauren Watson." he walked closer, getting closer to Redhawk in the process, and not minding his distance. He had doubt the horse didn't like men. He guessed he'd find out. "That's Gerald Carter, and Kevin Pang," he motioned to the armed guards, not taking his eyes off of Diana.

"You do indeed seem clean. And like you know what you're talking about. That intrigues me. Greatly." he clicked his tongue, and tilted his head to the side. "Let me make one fucking thing straight, though. We decide what the hell is important, understand? Nobody comes up to my gate, asking for a place, with a demanding tone. We may need a doctor, but I won't hesitant to show you your place here." he said, his tone of voice casual, as if he was talking about the weather. But, the threat was clear. He caught sight of the bat on the back of Redhawk, and grinned. "Aw, we have something in common," he waved his bat towards Diana, narrowly missing Lauren's shoulder, causing her to flinch a little. "We're bonding already!" he began to walk on the other side of Redhawk, reaching out absently to slide his hand down the horse's neck as he passed, his intent to grab the bat.

Why was it always this way, always pushing buttons buttons she refused to acknowledge.

"Sorry if I sound demanding but I'm a bit attached to my tools; without them someone dies or one of your men tastes ergot before I destill it and I get blamed. I was negotiating as well and I do need a place to keep the skill at medicine alive and the back of a horse means a small library. I need a student to teach or it dies when I die." Diana bites her lip then goes on, "I want to keep people alive and I have skills that can do that, i want to keep around me healthy, deliver the babies and watch over those babies and their health. I don't want power, not my field. "

She knew she'd rambled a bit but she couldn't help it as she thought how casually these people could abuse her or just kill her horse because they want to prove a point but she'd rolled em and now she waited to see how they felt.

Ryder was trying really hard to not laugh, but he was unsuccessful. He let out a laugh as he picked up the doctor's bat, looking it over. "You are really fucking sure of your skills, aren't you?" he noted, returning the bat to its place on Redhawk. He walked around the back of Redhawk carelessly, trusting the horse to not lash out, and ended up behind Diana. "I hate to break it to you, Doc, but there aren't any babies here. Plenty of men and women to tend to, though. Speaking of which..." he stepped up beside the doctor, resting his arm on her shoulder, using her like a prop. "We may have a way to test those amazing damn skills that you love to ramble on about. We have a little birdy that could use a helping hand. Up for the challenge, Doctor Lovegood?" he asked, speaking directly in her ear, and putting a little weight on her shoulder. He made it obvious she didn't have much of a choice.

"I am a Doctor Mr. Hooper, confidence is a prerequisite when you are cutting into a living human body. she says looking over at the man who is leaning on her.

Then taking a deep breath she tests the waters ”If there is a person needing my help may I ask to have access to my tools and to be lead to this person as quickly as possible?”

Ryder let out a laugh right in Diana's ear, shaking her a little with the laughter. "Mr. Hooper? I haven't heard that in a long damn time," he looked towards Lauren, not immediately acknowledging the doctor's question. "Why don't you show me that type of respect?" he teased, throwing a wink in the other woman's direction. "Maybe then, you'd be my favorite," he continued, his grin becoming a little cruel along with the harsher tease. Ryder was trying to get under Lauren's skin, like he did with everybody. He enjoyed playing mind games with people; it threw them off guard, and let him have the upper hand. It was part of how he reminded everyone of their place. In Lauren's case, it was working. Fully aware of the reasoning behind his mindgames, Lauren tried not to let it get to her, but it did anyway.

Ryder gave the doctor a shake before stepping away from her. "Of fucking course you can have access to your tools! After we go through them," the leader said cheerily, walking in front of Redhawk and reaching out to give the horse a rub between his eyes. "Doesn't like men, huh?" he said, slightly amused as he glanced at Diana, before grabbing Redhawk's reins to begin leading him through the gate. "We'll go ahead and show you to the injured party. She's a fun party, too." he grinned, waggling his eyebrows in a playful manner.

Diana couldn't help but laugh as she hoped the annoying and worriesome Redhawk watch his manners. Then she was crushed and worried so swallowing she makes one more request this directed at Lauren her expression honest worry "I know its pushing it but please don't put your hands on my surgical tools and leave me half the whiskey to clean my hands and tools. The kit came from a National Guard's little museum and is from Viet Nam. the tools are in little clips on leaf style levels and have a grab tab so if they are being inventoried they aren't soiled." then she pauses as she has a Eureka moment.

"Don't worry Diana," Lauren responded, patting Diana's surgical tools. "Your equipment is safe with me. I'll keep all of my stupid friends from eating the drugs inside." She was still keeping watch on the surrounding area, just incase.

"It might speed it up if I can have yourself or one of your men help me by handing me tools. They can't fidigit, touch their faces, lean on or touch anything but tools when I point and ask. I know that sounds bossy but at the table working with people that are not trained I have to be someone's life is on the line....I'm here to help" the last bit with begging expression.

How would things fall Diana had made the decision was how they fall but she was confirmed in her choice like a Holy Oath to herself. She'd become what she had after Medschool because people and the chance of litigation made her uneasy, she had been afraid. Well she wasn't afraid no more as the saying goes and like a mother with her child Diana would see Medicine and apothecary survive as sciences.

"Well, I'll help you with that, Doc. I've got your stuff, anyway. Follow me once we get inside, your lucky patient will be in the infirmary." Lauren said, walking back inside Toxo. The horse would be led inside and hitched somewhere near the barn, and Lauren beckoned for Diana to follow her.

Ryder whistled to himself as he led Redhawk through the gate into Toxo. He ignored the two women, waving one of the other men over. "I'm going with the ladies. Take good care of Redhawk here. Beautiful horse." the leader commented, handing the reins over. He wasn't too concerned with allowing Diana access to her tools, in all honesty. He only wanted to make it clear that her stuff was theirs now, and they decided what to do with it. Once Radhawk was led away, he turned his attention to the two women, spinning his bat in his fingers. "Lauren, take Kevin. I trust you to handle this correctly. I have some other business to tend to. Sorry I don't get to see you work your magic, Doc. What a shame. Though, if you manage to save the little birdy's life..." Ryder shrugged, not looking too concerned with the outcome either way, "We'll see what happens." he noded at Lauren, before he began to walk away, whistling. Though, suddenly, he stopped, snapping his fingers. "Oh!" he turned around, eyes locking on Diana. He shook his head. "Where are my fucking manners?" he said, swinging his bat out in a wide arch and sighing to himself. If anything, the doctor would think he was a bit on the dramatic side. He gave Diana a charming smile, beginning to walk backwards as he stretched his arms wide. "Welcome to Toxo, Doc."