[IC] Holes In Your Coffin: A Zombie Apocalypse

[Sergeant]

Ty poked her head up over her dash and watched as a few of the zombies staggered past. She sighed and worried her lower lip. When people started swerving off the road and falling over sick Ty had pulled over too. It had been too dangerous to drive her sixteen wheeler truck anywhere in those conditions. As she waited, listening to the radio and the CB, things went from bad to worse. And now she was three days into a Zombie Apocalypse.

Things couldn't get much worse for Ty. She was on the road with her family back at home. She didn't know if they were safe. If they were infected. It was torture not knowing. And since all the cell towers were down it was impossible to find out without going home. Which was Ty's current predicament. She was trapped inside the cab of her truck. She still had a good supply of bottled water. Her food was gone, both for her and her cat Mr. Sir. And somehow she needed to get home.

Ty's current plan was to detach the trailer from her cab, giving her a smaller vehicle and more speed. But first she needed more food and a lot more gas. Which meant being outside with the Zombies for a prolonged period of time. And she had watched the dead mill about. She knew they were slow and quite stupid. They ignored you unless they saw movement or heard noise. Which meant she couldn't drive her cab up to a gas station because it would attract everything within hearing distance.

So Ty's only option would be to walk. Through a city full of zombies.

Meew

Mr. Sir butted his head against Ty's shoulder, jostling her arm and her shotgun. She ran a hand down his back and crooned at him. The best time would be now during the day. She might have a better chance of not being spotted at night, but she didn't want to wander into a zombie by accident.

"Stay here kitty." Ty patted his head before she took one more look around before slipping out of the cab. She moved quickly and as silently as she could hoping nothing would turn a corner and see her as she scuttled to the juncture of her truck. Ty placed her shotgun down and grabbed the lever that attached the cab to the trailer. Usually she'd have to put down the truck jacks to keep the trailer from hitting the ground, but she didn't want to crawl under anything and waste precious time. So she settled for unhooking everything. It'd cause a rucks when she drove off, but she didn't plan on sticking around.

Job done she picked up her shot gun and eyed on of the zombies. It was staring in a storefront. If she was quiet and used the vehicles on the road to hide her she was good. Ty remained in her crouch as she slowly moved off in the direction of a known gas station. Gas was the most important. Without gas she couldn't go far. It wouldn't matter if she had plenty of food or water if she was stuck in a mass of zombies eager to eat her.

Ty swallowed against the thought. She had watched a few people be eaten alive from her cab, helpless to do anything against the undead mob. It was not something she was eager to experience first hand.

[Polaris North]

Kiseki hid behind one of the garbage cans as zombies stumbled by. He leaned on the wall and was very careful to not make a sound. He had been holing up in the old man's mansion for the past three days, but when his dog suddenly decided that it was a good idea to run out and explore the apocalyptic world. Now why would a dog convince him to leave the safety of his home? Well, it was a very simple reason really.

Tanushi had been a stray and Kiseki saw himself in that dog. He wasn't sure how or why, but he did. For him, losing Tanushi would be like losing a part of him. The dog was also his most trusted friend along with the old man so he just couldn't bear it if both of those living beings were gone. And so, here he was, slinking through the streets and trying to find that Shiba Inu. He wasn't sure where the dog would be right now though. He hasn't run off before so Kiseki didn't know where to look.

Once the group of zombies were out of sight, he took a small peek from the garbage can and saw that the area was clear of zombies save for a few stragglers but they weren't too much trouble. There were cars too which he can use as cover. His blue eyes scanned the best route to get to the other end of the road. If his memory served right, if he made a few turns at the next alley, he should get to a local gas station. Good, he can restock there. He wasn't exactly running low on food but he'd rather have a full pack just in case something went wrong.

He slowly made his way around the garbage can, looked left and right to make sure that the zombies weren't facing him, and then dashed towards one of the cars. He ducked once he got to it and then took a peek again. Okay, this time, the zombie that he was mainly looking out for had moved towards one of the open shops. Okay, that was good. He then turned to the other zombie which had been blankly staring at one of the walls. Kiseki just shook his head. The threat level was low. Best time to move out. Making sure that the zombie stayed inside the shop, he made another dash for the alley and then ran straight into the narrow halls. He stopped and then looked back and waited for a few seconds. Once he was sure that no one was following him, he continued down the alley.

Kiseki let out a shaky breath, calming his fast-beating heart. He should be relatively safer here. The zombies were slow and admittedly stupid from what he saw, and losing them in the maze of walls would be easy as long as he kept his running light. He continued down the dark alleys and then made the necessary turns to make it to the nearby gas station. Hey, maybe if he was lucky, he'd get to see Tanushi here. He stopped when he reached a four-way intersection. He tried to map out what he remembered. Left was to one of those apartments, right was to that police station and straight should be towards the gas station.

Hopefully he was right. He couldn't get lost now. He soldiered on. He smiled despite the situation. No matter how bad it was, he just couldn't help but feel excited. A zombie apocalypse was something that people thought were only fiction, unreal. Now that he was experiencing it himself... well, he just couldn't help but feel excited. Of course he was scared as well. He was terrified. But still, he just couldn't help but feel all jittery like this while he's outside. Hopefully that strength would carry on while he is in search for Tanushi.

[Xandrya]

She stood still as a statue looking down at the street below through the window of her 9th floor hotel room. It had been nearly an entire day since Jen had last eaten, but the fear she felt held her back from venturing outside to get some food. Simply put, she was desperate at this point. Neither one of her parents were answering their phones, and likewise, Jonas was missing in action as well. If he hadn't survived this...catastrophe, how could she? But time was running out, and the thought of slowly starving to death didn't sound the least bit appealing.

"Screw this," she said to herself, walking away from the window. Jen grabbed the dinner knife from her room service tray and went to the bathroom to wash it, but when she turned on the faucet, the water wouldn't run.

Fucking perfect, she thought to herself.

Looking around, Jen grabbed a towelette and used it to wipe the blade clean. She looked at the knife for a moment, wondering how in the world it would help her against a horde of zombies... The thought alone was weird. Zombies? Those only existed in horror movies, and it was a subject you would never think you'd have to worry about. But, they were real now, as much as it didn't make sense, and Jen would simply have to rely on her survival skills to get her as far as she could.

With the knife now securely stuck between her belt and her pair of jeans, Jen left the safety of her hotel room and walked out into the hallway. No sign of life out there, and she wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or it was bad news. She took the nearest flight of stairs to the first floor lobby, and didn't notice anyone around save for a stray dog sniffing around the mess on the floor. Jen didn't pay any mind to it, knowing that she would eventually get too attached to it and that it would place her at a greater risk in the future. When she reached the double doors at the main entrance, Jen collected her thoughts for a moment before stepping out into the streets. She scanned the area to take note of any potential vantage points in case things got out of control too quickly.

[XxLyraxX]

L I L Y

_{How do we arm every boy and girl? Tell me how do we live after the end of the world?}

Bright blue eyes stared back at her from the mirror, fear and determination shining in the orbs. "You can do this." The whisper had nearly been inaudible but she still froze and perked her ears up for any indication that the things outside had heard her, a habit she had developed in the past three days of moving around her house like a ghost. When she didn't hear anything clawing to get in, she turned back to her reflection in the bathroom mirror. "Don't be a wimp. Alec needs you. Be the brave girl he was always telling you, you were." After her little pep-talk she nodded to herself and began braiding her hair away from her face. She hadn't watched many zombie movies but she knew that people got easily caught from having lose hair for the zombies to grab onto. With it in its braid, she grabbed one of Alec's baseball caps off the counter and tucked her hair up into it, turning her head from side to side before nodding in satisfaction. With her jeans and long-sleeved shirt, if she tilted her head down so her face was obscured, she kind of looked like a boy.

She exited the bathroom silently, heading to her room. She gazed around, worried she would never see it again before she shook her head sharply. Don't think like that! You're going to get Alec then you're going to come home. With another shake of her head, she turned to the backpack and supplies laid out on her bed. As her eyes ran over the supplies, she ran through a mental check list. She was probably missing items that would be helpful but she had never been camping before nor has she experienced an apocalypse so she wasn't exactly well-versed in what one would need to survive. She was mostly going off of what the people had in the movies.

Water. Check.
Food. Check.
First-Aid kit. Check.
Rope. Check.
Duct Tape. Check.
Blanket. Check.
Matches. Check.

She then turned to the metal box resting next to her backpack and lifted the lid with slightly trembling hands. She knew Alec had thought he was being smart by hiding it under his bed but Lily was a curious child and had found out about it a while ago, but unlike some children, she was smart enough to know it wasn't to be played with.

But she wasn't playing anymore.

The gun gleamed up at her and her fingers halted inched away from the metal. She took a deep, centering breath before wrapping her fingers around the handle, making sure to keep her finger away from the trigger. Under normal circumstances, Alec would be furious at her for touching but she hoped he wouldn't mind this time considering it could very well save her life. she grabbed the harness for the weapon and threaded it through her belt along with the knife that had also been in the case. With both weapons secured, she pulled on her jacket then grabbed her backpack, shrugging it on as she went downstairs quietly. She tiptoed to the back door and peeked out into the backyard. So far the zombies had stayed to the front of the house and the street where most of the noise was. So if she slipped out the back door and under the fence, she should hopefully be fine if she stuck to the alley. Plus, she had been observing the zombies the past three days and she noted that they were pretty slow and as long as you were quiet and stayed out of sight, you would be fine. She could run pretty fast if she needed to so she was sure she would be able to make a quick getaway. She would just need to keep on her toes and alert for danger.

She squared her shoulders as she rested a hand on the door knob. She cast one last glance back into the silent house before she turned the handle slowly and quietly, thanking the fact that Alec kept the hinges on the door well oiled. She slipped out quietly and shut the door soundlessly behind her. She then tiptoed across the grass, avoiding the leaves littering the ground as she made it to a section of fence that was loose enough to slide to the side. She peeked out, looking around for any sign of the dead. When there was none, she crawled out and slid the board gently back into place.

With that, she began walking, quickly and quietly as she glanced around constantly. She knew which direction the city was in but not which streets to take to get there, though maybe the gas station not far from here would have a map. With that in mind, she cut through the alley's as she made her way towards the gas station.

[Xandrya]

The atmosphere outside was eerily quiet, a little too unnerving for Jen's comfort. She reassured herself by placing a hand on the knife as she slowly took some steps forward, her eyes darting in every direction to hopefully detect some form of movement to avoid being caught off guard. She walked parallel to the hotel and then to the buildings that followed it as she made sure to look back every so often.

But then, out of the blue and somehow synchronized, these "zombies" started appearing. They were everywhere. Coming out from behind cars, buildings, etc. Jen instantly felt pure and unrelenting fear, her fight or flight response apparently damaged as she stood frozen in place. Maybe if she didn't move they wouldn't notice her, right? If only...

The zombies, as slow-paced as they moved, started to close in on Jen. She pressed her back against the building, as if that would somehow save her. She had completely forgotten about the dinner knife as well, but in hindsight, it really wouldn't have done much to aid in her survival. Just then, the door Jen was leaning on opened up. The woman lost her footing, nearly falling on her back had it not been for the quick hand that wrapped around her arm to pull her inside. The door was closed and locked again just as quickly, and Jen stood still in the darkness.

"Are you alright?" asked the person who had just saved her life. Jen nodded in reply. "Yes, I am." When her eyes adjusted, she saw a man who appeared to be in his 40s despite of how young he sounded. They both introduced themselves. Lucas motioned for Jen to follow him upstairs. Apparently there were a couple more people in the seemingly empty building.

[Sergeant]

Ty's sense of direction lead her unerringly to the gas station. She poked her head over an abandoned car and watched two Zombies slowly move. They were between her and the gas station. Which wasn't good because the pumps were right there in the open. Ty tightened her grip on her gun and took a few seconds to plan her next course of action. She could make some noise and then skirt around the area while the dead were distracted. It would give her a few minutes to get gas. Which meant she needed containers and first. And maybe robe so she could carry more than one gallon.

Ty nodded her head and set off again, making her way slowly around the walking dead. She paused just around the corner of the station's store and poked her head around. She waited barely breathing as she Zombie slowly turned away from her. Without giving herself a chance to second guess herself she dashed to the door. She opened it hoping against all else that it wouldn't chime.

Ding-ding

The melodious tone of the sensor was apparently in working order. Ty cursed as she pulled the door shut behind her. The closer zombie was already turning towards the door. Ty cursed again and looked around for anything that could be used to keep the door shut. Not that it would stop the freaking zombies for long. Glass wasn't as good as a solid wood door. Watching a zombie go through glass was a real stomach turner. Even more so if it was the only thing separating you from the hungry dead.

Ty looked for anything that could work to tie the doors together. When she came up short she let go of the door with more curses and stripped off her belt. With quick movements she tied it around the doors and none too soon as the zombie walked right into the glass. Ty wasted precious seconds waiting to see if the thin leather would hold.

[Polaris North]

"Oh finally." He muttered to himself as he saw the gas station come into sight. He was quite relieved to see that he would finally be able to restock. Again, he doesn't like spending his rations that would only last a few days. If he could scavenge, then he would. He was about to step out of the alley and the sneak his way towards the gas station when someone already beat him to the punch. Though he couldn't hear it, from how the zombies around had reacted, the ringer of the gas station still worked and they were now heading towards the woman who had entered.

Oh no. That was bad.

This was really bad. That door wouldn't hold. Kiseki counted the zombies in the area and there were only two of them. One too much for him though. The dark haired male desperately looked for something, anything, to use to help the woman. It was rare to find another living, breathing human being who wasn't out for your flesh. And... and hey, maybe she could help him with finding Tanushi! But there wasn't anything he could do. He didn't have a weapon and all he was good for was running.

Running. He was good at running. In fact, he was the fastest in his team. Maybe he could distract them long enough and then lose them in the alleyway. That plan could work right? It should work. His whole body trembled with nervousness and fear. He could feel his entire body protesting with his wishes to save the woman. Doubts plagued his mind. Could he even save her? Could he survive if he wanted to save her?

"Come on Kiseki. You can do this." He muttered to himself in Japanese. He placed a quivering hand on the wall beside him and the other on top of his heart. He took a deep breath and then let it out. Believe in it. He could do this. He placed one foot in front of the other as he made their way towards the zombies. He looked around to check if there were any more incoming. No, there were none. He stopped and picked up a rock. Get their attention. He picked up several more and then began throwing it at one of the gas pumps to create sound. If he screamed here, more of the zombies would pop up. Hopefully this would be enough to get their attention.

And surely, it did. The two turned to him and then slowly walked towards him with the intent to eat him all up. Okay, what's next? Run. Run like your life depends on it. But wait, it did. Kiseki turned and ran into the alleyway and began making several turns while he was inside to lose them. Of course, he made sure that they followed him inside first before he made his move to lose them within the labyrinth made of concrete.

[XxLyraxX]

L I L Y

Interactions: @Polaris North

Lily had been quite lucky so far. By staying to the ally's and avoiding any streets she came across, she in turn managed to avoid most of the zombies. She could hear some moaning and groaning behind fences but whenever she came across them she kept quiet and tiptoed past, avoiding accidentally kicking any rubbish littering the ground. She just hoped she wouldn't get lost in this maze of alleyways. However, she knew the gas station was in this generally direction, she's walked there plenty of times on her own. Of course those days there weren't man-eating monsters out for her flesh but if she didn't make any noise she would be fine.

She noticed she was starting to become a bit thirsty from all of the walking but she knew she needed to ration..ration? Was that the word she was looking for? Anyway, she knew she needed to save her water and food because she didn't know when she would be able to get some more. All the people in the zombie movies or when any natural disaster happened always went to the stores and cleaned them out and so she was pretty sure the gas station had suffered the same fate. But she couldn't see what use anyone would need of maps she this was her hope that there would still be some left that she could grab.

She was just turning the corner of an alleyway to cross to the next when suddenly something slammed into her. She was caught off guard and sent flying, her hat becoming knocked off in the impact so her long braid went tumbling down her back. She hit the ground on her side and laid there for several moments, dazed before her instincts kicked in and screamed at her that lying prone on the ground was the best way to get herself eaten. She scrambled to her feet, hand flying to the gun holster where thankfully the weapon still rested. She jerked it out and pointed it shakily in front of her, finger on the trigger but not pulling. At least, she thought she was holding it right. She was fairly sure she was pointing the right end at the figure in front of her. However, when she actually focused on just who or what was in front of her, her movements stilled. It wasn't a monster knashing their teeth and moaning, but a boy that looked older than her but not quite an adult yet. Her mouth dropped into a little "o" as the child stared at him with wide eyes. Should she say hello or high-tail it in the other direction?

She didn't know who this boy was or if he was friendly or not but the child could feel her body start to tremble in slight fear and anxiety, the gun giving it away as it bounced slightly in her hand as she kept it shakily pointed at him.

[Xandrya]

“I found these guys not too long ago,” Lucas said to Jen as he guided her down the dimly lit hallway, “They were in a situation very similar to yours; cornered and just about ready to die had I not come along.”

For some reason, Jen thought that Lucas was taking a quick stab at her survival skills, or lack thereof. She only replied with a quick nod as they turned the corner. Once they approached one of the last doors on the right, Lucas reached for a key. He then proceeded to unlock the door and motion for Jen to follow him. As she walked inside, she froze in place. Her breath caught in her throat as she stood before two lifeless bodies leaning against each other on the ground, both with what appeared to be fresh neck wounds. Something inside snapped, and Jen finally reacted. She turned around and bolted from the room, trying to get away as fast as she could from Lucas who was jogging after her and asking her where she was going.

Jen reached the stairwell and rushed down way too fast, eventually causing her to miss a step and tumble all the way downstairs. She was in a moderate amount of pain from the fall, and despite her blurry vision, she kept her eyes on Lucas as he descended the stairs with some sort of tool in hand.

[Sergeant]

Ty stared in horror as some kid appeared in the gas station's parking lot. She watched frozen as he picked up something and tossed it at the zombie currently still occupied with the glass door. After it was hit the thing turned and headed after the kid.

"Damn it." Ty finally snapped out of her stupor and lurched forwards grabbing at the belt. She had tied it tight and by the time it was undone both the boy and the zombies were gone.

"Damn it." Ty cursed again as she ran from one side of the building to the other. But for all her efforts she couldn't catch sight of the boy or the zombies. She paused listening, but nothing. She felt torn between what was necessary and between helping the boy. She could only picture her children. Yet what could she do at this point? Wander aimlessly through the city hoping to catch a sight of him?

Heartbroken Ty returned to the store, grabbed three gas cans and a skein of rope. She propped her gun by the side of one of the pumps and got to work. It was slow going and she felt bad as the price ticker went higher and higher with no intention of paying. Maybe one day she'd settle her debt here. Both to the store and to the boy. With the cans filled she tied two to her back, hefted the last one and her gun and headed back towards her truck.

[Polaris North]

The plan had been working absolutely flawlessly, surprisingly. He had quickly lost the two zombies in the alleys and he still knew where he was. However, he still didn't move to stop. No, not yet. He was still nervous, thinking that the zombies would find him if he stopped. Just another corner and he'd stop. He was pretty sure he had left anyone following him in the dust. Boy, he was really glad that he had an affinity for Track and Field, or else he wouldn't have survived. Then again, if he had taken, say, kendo, he would have been able to simply smash their heads inwards and completely erase them from the world.

Kiseki's eyes brightened up when he saw the next corner. He swung around to turn, but he felt something slam into him. He stumbled backwards in absolute shock as well. He heard something slam on the ground but he was still recovering from it. After only a moment, he was back in action and ready to run. However, his eyes sat upon that of a figure of a young girl sprawled on the ground. Huh? That didn't look anything remotely like those zombies. The girl had panicked and stood up.

He was too late to see the gun holstered on her waist. She had the gun pointed directly at him and he was forced to throw his arms up in fear of being shot. However, it became obvious that she had done it out of instinct but didn't look really willing to shoot someone. She was scared, evidenced by the bouncing of the gun in her hands. But the fact that any provocation might cause her to actually pull the trigger and he'd be dead.

"U-Uh..." He stammered out. "I... um... come in peace?" It was the best he could muster for now. He was scared of the gun, not the girl. She didn't seem capable of killing someone in cold blood. It's more that she would accidentally pull it after all.

@XxLyraxX

[XxLyraxX]

L I L Y

Interaction:@Polaris North

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Lily continued to stare at him with wide-eyes, brain working in over-time as it ran around in circles trying to figure out what to do. He didn't look like a monster. And if he wasn't a monster out to eat her, then she didn't have any business pointing a gun at him. She tried to picture herself in his shoes; she wouldn't want a gun pointed at her either. With that, she carefully put the gun back into the holster before she grabbed her hat from the ground, dusted it off, then piled her braid back inside it.

"I'm sorry about that. I thought you were a monster that wanted to eat me." She said quietly, straightening her backpack on her shoulders. She bit her lip, shoe scuffing the ground. This was the first living person she had conversed with in three days so she honestly wasn't sure of what to say. How's the weather? Nice day for a zombie apocalypse wasn't it? Then her manners kicked in. "My name is Lily, it's nice to meet you. Are you okay? We ran into each other pretty hard." She herself wasn't all that hurt, just a bit bruised from where she had collided with the ground. Thankfully she wasn't cut or bleeding. She checked to make sure the knife was still secured on her belt then swung her backpack around to peek inside to make sure nothing was damaged. When she saw that everything seemed to be fine, she shrugged her backpack back on then looked at the boy in front of her. "Um..I should probably be going. I need to make it to the gas station before it gets dark."

As nice as it was to talk to another human being, Lily really needed to find a map before it got too dark to travel. Not only that, she would need to figure out a place to stay for the night. This boy probably had important things he needed to attend to as well and she shouldn't keep him from them any longer.

[Xandrya]

Within a fraction of a second, something in Jen's mind clicked. She used nearly all of her strength to get herself up and away from the base of the stairs. Lucas then hurriedly made his way downstairs, chasing her as if she were his prey that he just couldn't let escape. When Jen managed to get to the front door, she opened it only to find herself face to face with a horde of zombies, the idiots still trying to break through the door. One even managed to get a hold of her shirt, but Jen pushed the door closed and was easily able to herself.

When she looked behind her, Lucas was within an arm's reach. Quite a few thoughts regarding her escape went through her head, but none of them ended well for her. Either way, it was kill or be killed, and she wasn't about to die in the hands of a deranged killer.

A few seconds into their staring contest, Jen attempted to land a punch on his jaw, but Lucas reacted quick enough to block her. That's just what she wanted him to do. With her hand tied up, she kicked up her knee into his groin as hard as she could. Jen instantly fell his hand loosen around her wrist before he dropped to the ground in pain. She then ran upstairs again, hoping to all hell that she was able to escape through a window.

[Polaris North]

Kiseki let out a shaky sigh of relief once the young girl lowered her gun. Now that the tension had subsided, he had a proper look on her and was surprised to see that she was younger than him. Probably. But wait, what was a girl this young doing out in the streets alone? This was a dangerous place, certainly not a place where she could simply waltz around without any fear of being eaten alive by the zombies. Then again, she was very wary and instincts seemed to kick in when they had bumped into each other.

He was snapped out of her thoughts when she apologized for her actions. "A-Ah, it's fine! I can understand why you would do that." He quickly said. It was actually good that she was like that. At least he wouldn't have to worry about her not properly protecting herself because she was naive right? There was a moment of silence between them. He, himself, was trying to formulate something to say. She wasn't the first person he ran into but certainly the first person who didn't leave after the initial hello's and hi's. Then she spoke, introducing herself and asking if he was fine. Kiseki bowed his head, "O-Oh, nice to meet you Lily. I'm Kiseki." He said, mustering a bright smile to ease the mood. "And I'm fine. I've suffered worse in training." He said jokingly. Though it was true, somewhat. He hadn't even fallen so he wasn't hurt.

Lily seemed to want to excuse herself, telling him that she was heading for the gas station. "You too huh?" He said but after a moment of pause, remembered to add an explanation. He was going the wrong way after all. "O-Oh! I was running from the zombies to distract them for the person inside the gas station. I... I'm not sure if that person's still in there b-but I think there shouldn't be too many zombies there." He then rubbed the back of his head, looking at the alley that he had used before he had made the turn. "So, um, want to go... together?"

@XxLyraxX