[IC] Walking Dead rp

[Myst]

Jess - Haywood - Bruce

Jess could hardly believe her ears. She had been expecting a verbal attack, nasty words meant to scar her.
Instead she got an apology from a man who was remorseful and scared. How could he still love her after all of this? All of those horrible things he had said?
She shook her head. "Bruce... how am I supposed to believe you now? After every-" her voice broke and her hand went up to cover her mouth. She took a few breaths until the urge to cry passed. "I don't know if you really mean what you are saying. You say whatever works for you in the situation."

But despite this she sighed. She couldn't resist someone asking for help, even if it was Bruce.
"I'll help you, because I am trying to remain a good person in this savage world. I do not believe that you love me though. I think that is your desperation talking. I would rather you not say such things unless you are sure that you mean it. Time will tell if you do."
She tucked her hair behind her ear and thought about what she would say to the people outside. "You know Bruce, you should just tell them what you just told me. You made some mistakes... several very bad mistakes. But they happened. They can't be changed now. But you can change how you do things from here on out. You are not going to get their trust back right away. Trust has to be earned. So find out how you can earn it. But no matter what happens, I can't stay here Bruce. Floyd... he saved my life. And now he's out there somewhere. I need to go and find him. Lynn too."

Going behind him, she untied his hands. Coming back around, she gently touched his face near his eye. "I wish I had something to help with the pain, but as long as you keep it clean it will heal just fine."
She pulled him to his feet and brushed off his shoulders. "I'll walk with you. They won't take a chance on hurting me while I am pregnant. Just remember : tell the truth. Tell them how you feel about everything. Everything is going to be okay. I have to believe that, because that is the reason I keep going."

[HellHoundWoof]

Enrique picked up his pistol and slid it into the back of his belt line, he tucked his shirt under it then grabbed his backpack and put it on. He grabbed his shotgun and proceeded to walk out to the truck, he hopped in the back and sat againt the cabin with his pack in his lap.

"Ready to roll," Enrique said with a smile.

[OutlawedPanda]

Daniel waited until all three of them got situated, then shifted to drive. "Rollin out..." He muttered quietly. He kept on for about five minutes, getting a good distance away from the auto garage, and then pulled to the side of the street. "I'm very sorry for this, my friend." He didn't look back, but only stared ahead. "I didn't want to do this in front of the kid, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Daniel unlocked the doors with the key panel on the side of the door. "I'd tell you it wasn't personal but it kind of is."

[Atomyk]

Lauren - Floyd's Cell - Floyd

Lauren didn't flinch; She barely even moved. Perhaps she expected him to snap at her, or perhaps she had wanted him to say what he did. She turned on him fully now, a stern expression set into her face. "I'll be long gone, then," she said. "What do you want me to do? Go out there? On my own? I can't do that. Maybe you can --" She looked around the cell. "Or maybe you can't. Either way, I'm not taking a gamble on my life." There was a strained moment of silence, where the woman hesitated. "... Yes, it's sick and disgusting, but some of those girls would never survive out there, especially not after coming down here. For now, my best bet is stick down here, and I will continue doing that until it's not." She opened the cell door and took a step out. "And don't assume I'm any better than the rest of them."

She exited the cell and locked the door behind her. "You keep talking like that, and you won't be living much longer." Then she was gone.

[Espatier]

Thursday, unknown month, 2012
0642 hours
Livingston st

Latitude:29.971494
Longitude:-90.125257

New Orleans, LA, USA
French Quarters

The old man and the dog travelled past the tail end of the french quarter and made their way to avoid light areas of the dead that were shambling around. Using the compactness of the buildings in Louisiana, the closeness broke the line of sight once the dog or the old man were spotted by the dead. What make it worse was that the old man’s thoughts turned to why there wasn’t alot more bodies than usual.

After darting back and forth then finding respite in hiding on top of a Uhaul truck that provided a temporary bridge of safety to a burned out semi that was jack knifed on the street. It was here that he spent the night and more hours as he sat quietly feeding himself and his dog. The old man still had the fish that he caught and knew that it would go bad if not eaten soon.

The old man knew that he was miles from the ninth ward and that he was still not getting the resistance that he would find in other cities that he had traveled to, which only met one thing to the old man. Others that were “culling” out the dead so that they could live. This would be a two edge sword for him and his companion.

What kind of people would he meet, what type of things would be required of him?. More thoughts raced through his mind as the horror of seeing a live person. But the man wanted to live... he need contact and conversation. Maybe if he did run into someone or even a group that they would be too strange, perfect or normal for his taste.

His four legged companion nudged him to rub her for a bit. The old man’s hand obligated to rub her belly as he began to devise a plan to see what would show up.

Starting the fire wasn’t the hard part, the hard part would be finding an advantage point to observe other coming and from what direction would they take?. To set this plan into motion he would need a clear kill zone and his ruby colored binocular to prevent others from observing him in a “hide” due to normal binoculars would give the casual observer's position away. As the old man choose to start moving again but just a few minutes after dawn to scout the area and choose the best place to start.

after wasting a few hours in finding a place to set up his plans his travels lead him to a place that was a closed community called “Metairie Club estates”. This place had electric gates that wouldn’t move and plenty of wasteful items that were no longer worth anything to anyone but best of all it was next to a small train yard. The train yard was his best bet of finding things useful for the time being.

[QT]

Bruce Levi - Gullibility - Jessalyn

As Bruce became released, he felt the drought of resentment washed away. He felt her gentle, smooth hand on his rough cheek. That motherly warmth transferred to him as they touched. That small gesture made Bruce think for a second. But with an oversight of other thoughts, that little light of hope diminished. Jess then helped him to his feet, but she was blind to what was coming.

"Stupid woman!" he yelled, pushing her aside onto the wall. The pregnant teen's shoulder must have collided with the brick very harshly. That 'resentment speech' he had just given her was an addition to his lies. Bruce was a politician, with politics comes drama, a theatrical act. Bruce Levi was basically an actor who would always change his character to adapt. He used his ability to persuade and influence in order to morph his victim's thoughts. He had just performed act before Jess, making her fall desperately on his side. This sorrow she felt for him was part of his plan to escape. Bruce played her yet again, knowing she was gullible and using that weakness to his advantage.

"You're one stupid bitch you know?!" the mayor criticized, giving her a kick to her leg. "Do you really think I feel sympathy for these people?!" he asked, not waiting for a response. In the meantime, he took the chair and placed it underneath the door's knob, locking it from inside. The soldiers had no idea what was going on inside the cell room, they just figured the screams were from the punishment Bruce was getting.

Bruce then rushed to her and placed his palm against her mouth, keeping her silent. "I thank you for not killing me, but if I go out there, I'd get killed anyway. Even if you're to speak to them, to....to plea for my forgiveness, it wouldn't matter! I did those people wrong, I know I did, but I don't blame myself for it. I did what I had to do to survive. I helped them, but if they don't see it, then to hell with them!" His palm started to squish her face even tighter, now covering not only her mouth, but her nose. "I know I'm gonna die when I step out of this room, actually, if I don't, I still die, so fuck it! But before I die, I'll kill the only thing I really begrudge in this world, YOU! AND THAT DAMN CHILD!" he yelled, moving his hands to strangle her.

His scream alerted the guards, notifying them to open the door. The only problem was that the door was locked from inside, not only by the chair, but by the lock itself. The guards started to slam their shoulders against it, but no luck. They didn't want to shoot because they feared the pregnant teen would get hit by a ricocheted bullet. "Dammit! He must have gotten loose! Don't shoot, she may get hit, we don't know how far the bullets will go!"

"What if we just shoot the knob?" one of the guards asked the other. "Dammit, I don't know how these things work, I was just a gym teacher before this shit!"

[Myst]

Katie - Underground - Tyler

Katie made a sad face. She wished she could have someone to play with. Her daddy was to busy all the time, and she was left alone. Making the smelly men angry was fun, but after a while it got boring. And Lauren wasn't very good at playing.
Katie was going to ask if she could meet the girl again, but the look on her daddy's face told her not to ask. She stayed quiet for a few more minutes, then laid her head on his chest and hugged him.
"Can't I come with you Daddy? I don't want to stay in my room. Please?"

---

Lynn - Underground Cell - Emma

Lynn shrugged. "There's nothing you can do so you might as well just accept it honey. Trust me, if I could get him to take me instead of you I would, but Tyler hates my f*cking guts. Plus I'm not much to look at right now," she added with a laugh that made her wince. "Naw, I'm done. Next time they put me in that arena I'm going to die. But I am not going down without a fight. I'm going to die fighting. Maybe after I'm turned into a walker Tyler will keep me as a pet and I'll get the chance to eat his brains. But I'm not that lucky."
The girl was sweet. She'd be a good mother, just like Jess.
Jess... wherever that kid was, Lynn hoped she was okay. Hopefully the redneck was treating her well, keeping her safe.

---

Jess - Haywood Cell - Bruce

Jess was truly shocked when Bruce attacked her. She should have known, but she had just hoped that...
He would never change... people like him could never change...
She tried to scream as his hands came around her neck. Her hands gripped his wrists, her nails digging into his skin, but it did no good. He was a like a man possessed.
Her lungs began to burn. She scrambled, trying to push him off of her. She tried digging her nails into the skin of his face, causing scratches to form and his face to bleed.

Her vision started going dark...
no... not her baby... not her baby...
Lynn... Floyd... what was she supposed to do...
She couldn't die like this... she had survived too much... her baby couldn't die like this...

With all the strength she could muster, Jess gave a hard kick to the one place on a man that Lynn had taught her was their most sensitive and prized area:
his groin.
Once he released her, she could try to make it to the door. All she needed was to knock the chair out of place, then the men with the guns could come in and help her.

Then she was leaving this place.

[QT]

Bruce - Fallen King - Jessaly

Her nails were as sharp as knives, cutting in deep into his flesh. Her motions were just like a walker's, unbalanced, unsystematic. The gashing blood poured from his cheeks and writs, but Bruce remained motionless. He continued to apply pressure on her neck, attempting to diminish any morsel of breath the girl still possessed. He felt her tender neck tighten in defense to his grasp. Her heartbeat traveling up his arms, feeling every beat down his spine. He felt as though he was picking her off the ground, but it was merely the sensation of murder. She was so light that for a second, he lost sight of her, as if she faded like an empty cloud.

But once she returned, she struck him with punishment. Her foot traveled between his legs in a speed unknown. The force of impact thrashed every nerve in his eternal body, causing the king to collapse like a peasant. The situation was ironic because it seemed as though he was kneeling before Jess at this point, as if the king was bowing down to a prostitute. Though it seemed never-ending, the pain rushed out of his system within a fraction of a second. It was as though his intent - his demonic desire - exiled the discomfort of pain.

As the girl rushed towards the door, Bruce launched himself into a full-throttled bursting run. But as his hand came to her shoulder, a light blinded him mercilessly.

James 2:13
"For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy."

That light burned his skin like a rash, pushing him back into the darkness of the cell. He held his forearm to his face, preventing the light from incinerating his eyes. He felt a small flame commence in his abdomen, but in result, blood emerged in the shape of the fire. Another flame to the thigh, another to the shoulder. The embers stopped once the king fell upon his red water, putting out the furnace of pain. The light stopped burning, it actually looked peaceful and soothing to the eye. At this point, Bruce felt no pain, he just lay on the tainted wall, staring at the light. He had a smile on his face as though he was being awarded with beauty, but suddenly, that attraction was blocked by a figure. The small shadow stood between him and the light. Bruce reached out to move it, but his hands lay too far from its frame. His hands were waving side to side in attempt to remove the stain from the pure light of life. Bruce didn't hear any sound during this time, just a palliative hum. The blur did not move, instead, it multiplied. Two more shadows started to block the light, these were actually approaching Bruce. His heartbeat began to rise as his body started to shiver from the sudden frigid temperature. Still, he did not speak.

The two shadows stood next to him, Bruce turned from one to the other with his one good eye. The blur in his pupil still prevented him from making anything out of them. Once Bruce turned back to the light, he noticed something he hadn't. The lone shadow, the first blur had become synchronized with his vision. He started at the bottom of the shadow, slowly going up its physique. The shadow had the body of a woman, a pregnant woman. Her eyes glimmered even brighter than the light behind her. She was no longer a shadow, but light itself. Her stomach, round like the halo of an angel shined along side her very presence. When he recognized the being, he made sense of the situation. He lay on the cell wall and looked at his own body. He noticed the blood gushing form the bullet wounds. The puddle underneath him was gored in blood. The shadows that once stood on each side of him transformed into Haywood guards, both pointing their weapons at their king's head.

As the chill continued, Bruce finalized his return to reality. He knew for certain he would soon go into that good night, but raged, raged against the dying of the light. He was refusing to let himself die, but the cold breeze continued to maneuver its way through his inner soul. It froze all his systems, all his organs - kidney, lung, liver. He felt himself shutting down, his vision declining back to that blur once more. His jaw open as though he were about to say something, but his head dropped before words could be spoken. The cell room was then filled in silence.

[Myst]

Jessalyn - Haywood - Death is ugly

Jess managed to knock the chair away from the door before she felt a heavy hand grabbing at her shoulder. She gave a hoarse scream from her sore throat.
An instant later the door blew open. Jess didn't have time to close her eyes so she saw the whole thing.

Bruce's body flew backwards as the shots rang out. Blood spattered everywhere, getting spots on Jess' face and clothes. She stared wide-eyed as he bled to death. The Haywood guards blocked her view of the body.
Now that the threat was gone Jess began to shake. So close... she and her baby had come so close to death... that had been the closest brush so far...
And for it to be the father of her baby...

Jess buried her face into her hands and started to sob.
Why? Why had he hated her and their baby so much? Men were supposed to be happy when they had children, or even if they weren't happy they just ignored it. She had never seen such anger, such hatred, such a desire to destroy.

The guards tried to ask her if she was okay but she barely understood them. Red marks from his fingers on her neck were now turning purple, beginning to bruise. Her face was streaked with tears and her eyes seemed glazed over. Her hair was messy and her clothes rumpled from the struggle.

One of the guards lifted her up and carried her out of the cellblock and to a residential building. People whispered and stared. Jess closed her eyes, not wanting them to see this moment of weakness and despair. If she had just killed Bruce herself he wouldn't have had a chance to try to hurt her baby. But even as she thought it, she knew she couldn't have done it. Even now, knowing how much he had hated her, she couldn't see herself killing him or anyone. She just didn't have it in her to kill. That made her a weakling, a burden to those around her.

She was laid on a bed in one of the rooms and, while one of the other guards sat with her, the one who had carried her ran off to find someone, anyone, who could help her.

[Rithas]

Rob-Haywood-Guards

Rob realized that his ability to be somewhere at the worst time to be at that exact place had struck again, he was just told to wait. So that is what he did, he heard people shouting. Rob tried to listen to the somewhat distant sounds when he heard something very familiar, a gunshot.
"What..." Rob muttered as he looked around, That was definitely a gunshot, and gunshots mean people are trying to kill each other....and that means that this place is probably not the most safest place in the world, but it does mean lots of people. It just happens to bring up the question of what type of people they are. So, Rob....What is it?
"Can I move, or are you just going to hold me here...I mean come on, Clearly somethings going on!" Rob spoke to the guards. His voice was quite raspy. But he guessed a lack of water would do that.

[HellHoundWoof]

Enrique sighed and opened the door on the side he was on, he put one leg out and sat there for a moment thinking about what to say but he had nothing. He looked at the British chick then at the back of the drivers head, he took his other foot out of the truck and placed it on the ground outside. He cleared his throat and slammed the door behind him and began making his way away from the vehicle. He held his shotgun in one hand and walked off he turned a corner and rushed down the street towards where he knew his busted ass truck would be.

"This way..." he mumbled to himself looking down the street, he noticed a corpse not far from him then two more approached from his left. He pulled his backpack under his arm and stuffed his shotgun into it, he put it back on and unfastened his axes handle taking it into his left hand. He let the closest corpse approach and when it raised its arms he sidestepped and swung the blade of his axs into its head, it embedded itself through the nose and halfway through the skull. He pryed it out and let the ugly bastard fall to the floor, he watched as the other two approached slowly stumbling along. He stood there patiently his axe at his side and pushed his hair back, he chuckled and walked away from them. He continued down the road a smirk on his face, thinking about nothing in particular just simple things.

[Atomyk]

Shannon - Truck - Daniel & Amelia

There was a long moment of silence after the man left the truck. Shannon looked toward Daniel, but there was no discussion between them as they continued on their journey. Briefly, Shannon worried that the man would go back to attack James and Polyester in anger. Polyester was there to protect James, but could he protect James against that kind of man...? She tried to put it out of their mind; This supply run was not going to take very long.

Finally, after a morning that had felt like forever, they had arrived. Clearview Mall stood across the parking lot, its grey concrete walls looking pristine contrasted with the litter and refuse scattered about the parking lot. Between the white paint stood a few vehicles, the remains of garbage, shopping carts, and the dead. She spied the word Target in big red letters by the shopping mall entrance. It was smeared in blood, and it appeared someone had been using the logo for target practice.

She turned in her seat and looked toward Amelia. "You guys ready to do this?" Shannon asked.

---

Bex - Cells - Emma & Lynn

Bex had been standing off to the side, trying to avoid conversing with the young girl any longer. Of course, he couldn't just let Lynn and the girl talk all they wanted. Bex moved to interrupt them when Lauren emerged from the deeper part of the cells. "Bex," she said, calling him over.

"... How'd the food go?" he asked.

Lauren paused to look over at Emma's cell. She grabbed Bex's arm gently and moved him further away from the occupied cells. "Bull likes the guy. He's going to tell Tyler that he should be offered to join us." Lauren hesitated slightly, and Bex put a hand to her shoulder.

"Did something happen?"

Lauren shook her head. "No, not exactly... Look, I'm going to tell you this because I trust you, okay? But if he does end up joining us, I want you to keep an eye on him."

Bex blinked at her. "Uh... huh?" he stammered. "Shouldn't you tell Bull this? Or Tyler?"

"No. No, really..." Lauren sighed in frustration. "I'm just really tired, Bex. Okay? Just do what I ask, please."

Before Bex could respond, Lauren was quickly walking away. She offered a wave over her shoulder before she was out of sight. Bex resumed his business and knocked on Lynn's cell door. "I'm going to need you two to quiet down," he said.

---

Tyler - Katie's Room - Katie

"No."

Tyler stared into his little girl's eyes, and his heart broke. He wished more than anything to let her out of this world and to give her a normal life.

"I'll send in Lauren to look after you, okay? But daddy has some very important business to take care of." Tyler hugged Katie and held her closely to his chest. "Soon, you'll be able to do whatever you want. I promise."

His other children would be his progeny. They would carry on his legacy and wipe clean this city of the virus. In that new world was where Katie could live her life again, and he as well if he ever lived to see it. For all of Tyler's grandeur dreams, he wasn't entirely sure he would live to see them complete.

"Soon." He placed Katie on the bed and stood up. He looked briefly at her drawings and smiled. "Next time, ask one of my men to go get me if you need me. You can't sneak out on your own, Katie."

[OutlawedPanda]

Daniel - Clearview Mall - Amy and Shannon

The man slid from the truck without word, which unsettled Daniel. He'd swerved and wound the streets intentionally in attempt to make sure that the guy couldn't back track to the garage. He noted that shannon watched him go wearily. Daniel shifted gears and pulled away, not looking back at the survivor he'd just left to die. A part of him chided himself for the decision he'd just made. What would dad have done...? He shook his head briefly; it didn't matter what Dad would have done. Dad was gone.

As they arrived at the mall, Daniel's eyes looked around. He spotted two walkers, but they were almost a hundred yards away. climbed out of the truck and nodded to Shannon. "Yeah, I'm ready."

[QT]

Guards - Haywood - Jess/Rob

The guards near the gates waited patiently for the all clear. They knew what had been going on in the complex, but were instructed to remain at the gates till further notice. The gunshots had indeed phased them, but they weren't gonna disobey orders. As Rob spoke out, the guards again loaded their weapons and kept him in sight. "You shut your mouth. We were ordered to remain at the gates until told otherwise got it, so that's exactly what we'll do" one of the two guards exclaimed.

In the mean time, the guard that had aided Jess to her room had found someone that could help. An old man, one of Haywood's tenants, had some medical history. He was a registered nurse for the Red Cross back in his prime, but never really took it as a profession. The old man looked over the pregnant girl, checking her pulse and the temperature of her forehead. Her skin seemed really cool and clammy, her pulse weak and rapid. The old man moved quite slowly, but efficiently. He put one of the pillows that laid around under her legs. "You must keep her legs elevated" he informed the guard. Then he covered her with two thin blankets. "Check the medical supplies for Epinephrine, I need it."

"Right away!" the guard called out as he rushed towards the infirmary. The other guard just watched from the door without speaking.

The old man then turned to that door-guard. "What exactly happened out there son? Why would Bruce kill Eli? They were best of friends" the old man struggled to ask. He wasn't the only person confused, everyone was. The entire Haywood society had no idea why these events occurred. They were all asking the question, wondering if they should remain in the small town, or fade off and find somewhere else to live.

"You wouldn't understand if I told you sir. I just need you to take care of this girl right now okay?" the guard asked, not waiting for the old man to respond, rather have him focus on Jess.

As the medicine made its way back to the room, the old man wasted no time to act. He injected the syringe in her arm and administered the Epinephrine. "Now we wait" the old man muttered.

Suddenly the gates to Haywood were opened from the inside. There were only two gates in the entire colony. That one, and the other one in the opposite frontier. The other one lead to the cell building where Bruce's body lay dead. Anyhow, the front gates had been opened, the light of day seemed to shine on the two guards outside. "What the-" the guard nearest to the gates called out as he backed away from the gates. "Is it over?" he asked the guards that opened the boundaries of Haywood. "Yes, we've taken down the king. In the process, we lost Elijah as well."

"What?!! That motherf*cker! What now huh? Whose gonna run this place?"

"Calm down Jarrett! We'll figure it out later. Right now were mobilizing."

"Wait...." guard Jarrett paused as he turned to the other guard closest to Rob. His eyes were as wide as cantaloupes. "....So were going now? But isn't it too early for that? We haven't even planned anything out, we haven't told anybody anything, I mean-"

"Calm down kid!" the guard named Robert said, placing his hand on Jarrett's shoulder. "The trade was scheduled for this time, that's when we'll make the first strike. The issue is that the girl is in bad shape. I know we are putting her life on the line, but if we don't do this then Tyler will have time to retaliate. We take down that monster, take back our women, and return to rebuild Haywood. That's the plan! Got it! So both of you, and..........You! I don't know who you are, I've never seen you before, but if you know how to use a gun, then you're coming with us got it?" Robert asked, not waiting for the new guy (Rob) to respond. Jarrett and his partner started into the city, loading themselves into vehicles along with their rifles. They had three trucks, about five men in each.

Charlie, the guard that brought Jess the medicine was instructed to retrieve the girl and load her into the one van Haywood had. They had a plan, it was basically to raid Tyler's men during the trade and take the supplies, but keep Jess out of harm. They would make it seem as though the trade went as scheduled, but in the process, take out all the men and stand one step closer to taking down Tyler. Since Tyler never attended these trades, they would then assault Tyler's hideout. They knew it was dangerous, but if they didn't do it first and surprise these raiders, then they'd probably get attacked themselves for not following through with the trade.

"You can't move her, she's not in a good state, she should remain at bedside!" the old man stated, putting himself between the guard and Jess. "Sir I understand, but we need her now."

"But why? What are y'all gonna do with her?"

"Nothing sir, we just need to move her to a safer location, that's all. Now please step out of the way" Charlie instructed, picking Jess up and taking her to the van. He laid her down gently and then mounted the black vehicle himself. He knocked on the side of the van to let the driver know they were ready. Soon enough, the operation had begun.

[Rithas]

Rob- Haywood- Guards

Rob listened, quietly sighing at being told to shut it. These guards don't like me do they? Rob rolled his eyes. The guards kept talking, and more talking; But Rob just stayed silent. Rob was deep in thought about the whole situation and he wasn't really listening.

"The trade was blah for this blah, that's when we'll blah the first blah. The blah is that the girl is in blah blah. I know we are blah her blah on the line, but if we don't do this blah Tyler will have blah to blah. We take down that blah, take blah our blah, and return to blah Haywood. That's the blah! blah it! So both of blah, and..........You! I don't know who you are, I've never seen you before, but if you know how to use a gun, then you're coming with us got it?" Rob looked up and his eyes widened.

"W-Wait what?! Umm, I don't think that's the best Idea....I mean I know how to but still, You can't trust me! I'm just a random stranger!" Rob stammered as he took a step back. "You couldn't be serious about this!?" Rob questioned.
Oh come on! I know I have bad luck but seriously!?...Well, to be honest this might not be too bad. I could gain trust, maybe they have supplies....I don't know.....

[Atomyk]

Tyler - Catacombs - The Bull

After leaving Katie, Tyler went on a search for Lauren, but he hadn't been able to find her. He needed her to look after Katie, at least for a few hours. It was about time for the trade, and Tyler didn't need to worry about his daughter for the time being.

Tyler eventually found the next best person lounging about in the dining hall. "Bull, I need you to either find your girl or go watch Katie. You mustn't let her out of your sight."

The Bull looked up from his bowl of peaches and sighed. "I'll find her, but-"

"But?" Tyler put a hand on the table and glared at Bull. He wasn't in the mood for debate.

Bull looked almost hurt at this. "That guy we captured. I think we should extend an offer to him."

"... Ah, yes." Tyler looked off to the side and tapped his fingers on the table. Normally, he himself examined the potential recruits, but he simply did not have time today. He just hoped Brad hadn't fucked up the supplies somehow. "Go ahead and ask him yourself then, but don't let him near the armory, for fuck's sake." The new ones tended to be dangerously trigger-happy.

The Bull grinned. "Hell yeah! And don't worry about the little girl, boss."

Tyler nodded. "Good."

---

Brad - Outside the Catacombs - Tyler

All of the supplies were ready and accounted for, Brad knew. He had checked once, twice - no, at least five times. As much as Brad was against the deal, this is what Tyler wanted, so Brad spared no expense. He was in the gated parking space outside the Catacombs' entrance with the supplies. Al and Gregory stood off to the side, their hands in their pockets and looking quite exhausted after moving the supplies. Brad couldn't sit still like them; No, he had to be moving between the boxes, ensuring everything on the list was there. It had to be the sixth time now he was checking, maybe seventh. The other two raiders gave Brad odd looks, but he ignored them.

"Is everything here?" asked someone from the gate.

Brad spun around and saluted Tyler. "I've checked a number of times, everything Haywood's asking for is here." Tyler stood for a moment staring, before eventually giving Brad a smile.

"Good job, I'll need you three for the deal."

Brad nodded obediently. They would make the trade at the gate; Al and Gregory would carry the supplies into whatever vehicle Haywood brought while Tyler looked the girl over. Once everything was packed up, the girl would move across the gate and the trade would be complete.

Brad already hated the bitch.

---

The Bull - Floyd's Cell - Floyd

The Bull came waltzing into Floyd's cell, a big grin on his face. "He-llooo! Floyd, my man, do I ever have good news for you!" The man burst into a laugh that almost sounded like giggles. His belly was always bursting with laughter. "See now, I told the boss how impressive you were in the arena. I mean, yeah, four deadheads is only four deadheads --" He shrugged. "-- But you were stylish, man. Entertaining. Creative. I like that, and so do the other guys."

Bull extended a hand to Floyd. "We'd like you to join us, man."

---

Shannon - Clearview Mall - Daniel & Amelia

As Shannon hopped out of the truck, she felt a chill that made her shiver. She hugged herself and looked skyward. It was harder to keep track of time these days, but Shannon figured it had to be November now. She'd lost count the last few weeks she had been traveling with Lexi. "We should make sure to get some candy," she suddenly said. "You know, like a belated Halloween. Besides, I promised James chocolate." She giggled to herself. Halloween had been one of her favourite holidays once upon a time, but the 31st had lost some of its grandeur once monsters started walking the streets every day. An absurd image of walkers ringing a doorbell and receiving human limbs in their treat bags entered her head.

Christ.

Shannon rubbed at her eyes. "So, you guys have some crazy military moves to show me, right?" She was only half joking.

[Winter]

Amelia - Clearview Mall - Daniel & Shannon

Amelia placed a hand on the side of the truck before vaulting over onto the ground, levelling her carbine to her shoulder as she looked down the scope at the walkers, lowering it once it seemed they weren't aware of their presence. "We can get candy if we have time, but we're here for medical supplies and food first" she said as she checked their surroundings. She pushed the carbine onto her back before pulling out the silenced pistol. "Take point Daniel, I'll bring up the rear. Shannon should stick between us" she said before giving him a clear nod to get this moving. Amelia didn't know how long they had, but she didn't want to overstay their welcome.

[OutlawedPanda]

Daniel - Clearview Mall - Amelia and Shannon

Daniel shook his head at Shannon's comment. "I'm afraid not, but I believe you're smart enough not to die." Unless you have eleven years to spare... He went the the truck bed and pulled out his bag. "But there's your first trick-or-treaters over there." He cocked his head in the direction of the distant walkers. "And I'll bet good money that we'll find a ghost and maybe a Frankenstein inside." He slid the straps of his rucksack over his shoulders and pulled his pistol from his waistband, half-cocking the chamber to check for a round.

He nodded as Amy noted the he should take point. Daniel assumed position and began forward away from the truck. "Keep an eye on my six." He called back. It felt good to do this; he loved the feeling. His adrenaline was picking up and he felt himself become more aware. Just like the field... He slowed as they came to the glass doors, and he peered inside to look around quickly. He saw no threat through the dirty glass, and he forced the doors open, as the automated slide was definitely out of order by now. The large hall was open and uncluttered, but garbage and trashcans were scattered here and there.

The hall conjoined with into a four-way intersection, where four red pillars stood and touched the ceiling. At the end of the opposite hallway, he spotted a large Target sign. "Should we hit the Target first?"

[QT]

Haywood - Trade Route - Raiders

The van had been on the road for about ten minutes. For months the trade was done outside the gates of Haywood, but this day would be different. Since the acceptance of trade was shattered, the Haywood guards would finally be on the offensive. They've been planning this with Elijah for many months, nearly from the beginning of the trades. The plan was to drive to the center line of the two-way street that connected Haywood and the raider catacombs. They would then blockade that same street with about two vehicles, one of them being the black van that carried Jess. Of course, once Tyler's men drive up to the vehicles they won't be too happy because protocol would be altered. One of the guards, most likely Robert, would explain that they will no longer do trade outside of Haywood gates and this would be the new location where it should occur. He will probably say it was an order from Bruce Levi, though it obviously wasn't, but Tyler didn't know that.

Two other trucks would be hiding in the woods, the men prepared to ambush the parked raiders. They could possibly end Tyler's life then and there, making it easier to take down the catacombs later on. "Everyone gear up!' Robert called out to the men in the blockading trucks. He stood before the sliding door of the van, looking into the distance of the street, waiting for the raiders. The men in the woods were armed from head to toe. They had their assault rifles pointed and ready to fire, safeties off. Robert looked back at the truck, hoping the girl was okay in there. If anything went wrong, their first priority was to make sure she remained safe.

---

Floyd - Cell - Bull

As the giant rock golem opened the door of his cell, Floyd looked up to meet him. The redneck's eyes were squinting tightly because a sudden gleam of light that attacked. Floyd looked hopeless there on the ground, motionless and without words. A lot of prisoners whom have been left alone for a certain amount of time end up talking to themselves, Floyd was an exception. He never really desired conversation, he was a loner. Before the outbreak, all the conversation he listened to was via his radio. He was fond of acoustic music and soft rock. He hadn't listened to any music since he abandoned his cabin before the world went to hell. If he was given the chance to retrieve one thing from that day, he'd pick the radio.

Anyhow, the Bull's voice echoed loudly in that small cell. It sounded like grunts, but it could still be deciphered as English. It irritated Floyd how Bull thought they were friends or something. In all, Floyd didn't believe he had friends, he had an overall thought that there were no good people out there. He'd prefer staying away from others so that he wouldn't get attached to someone he'd later lose. It would fuck with his mind in some way or so he believed. But then, Floyd's ear turned to Bull's words as he asked him to join them.

"We'd like you to join us, man."

The man's hand was extended to take Floyd's. The thought of joining these pirates ran through Floyd's mind. He thought of all the outcomes and possible hazards joining them would bring. But also, he thought of what would happen if he didn't. Would he again face off in the arena against infinite amount of walkers? Would he be murdered for deciding not to join them? There was no way of knowing, the only thing Floyd did know was that if he joined them, he'd have a better chance of surviving. Not only that, but he may be able to escape this rotten place during night or something.

So with all set and done, Floyd took Bull's offer. He reached for the man's hand and helped himself up. "Ya got sumplace I can get cleaned up?" he asked the man in a near raspy-whisper. He still had that black undead blood all over his clothing and some on his face. The tray of food the raider-girl had provided him was empty. As much as he hated it, he didn't have a choice but to eat what was given to him. When people gave him things, Floyd thought he'd later owe them, but this situation was different. All he wanted to do was kill these people in cold blood, but only when the chance revealed itself.

[Atomyk]

Daniel, Shannon & Amelia - Clearview Mall

Amelia followed as Daniel took point, keeping an eye for any unseen walkers as they closed towards the mall. Surprisingly the entrance they took appeared to be vacant, the sounds of one or two nearby being the only indication that they weren’t entirely safe. Amelia turned to look in the direction Daniel motioned to, giving a simple nod. “Sure, just keep your eyes peeled and your ears open, first sign of anything more than we can handle we should get out straight away” she clarified with a serious tone. She took a few steps forward, standing beside Daniel before turning to look at him, “How do you want to do this?” she asked, referring to what strategy they would use to safely progress towards the other side of the mall.

Daniel took a moment to observe the area again. “Just tread lightly and stick to knives and such, only use your gun if you have to.” He nodded to confirm to himself. He kept an eye on the right and left as they paraded through the cross-section.

It was as if she was seeing an action movie in person, as Shannon watched Amelia and Daniel suddenly become tense in their demeanor. They were unlike anyone else Shannon had ever traveled with. These two instantly understood each other in a way Shannon didn’t think she would ever relate to. She decided to can the jokes and the inane comments for the time being; She didn’t desire to become like Lexi. “Got it,” she said, following the pair obediently.

Amelia nodded before she took her knife from it’s sheath, holding it so her thumb rested on the hilt, the blade pointing the same direction as the barrel of her pistol which rested upon her wrist. She kept her aim pointed to the floor as she began her advance, moving slow and steady in sync with Daniel. Every time he’d move up and come to a stop, she’d move up a little further and do the same, simple standard covering technique as they soon came upon the store. Amelia looked to Shannon, waving her over before pointing towards Daniel, then at her eyes, then back to him. Signaling that she was going to cover him during their entrance to the store.

Daniel reached back with his right hand and slid his tomahawk from the strap on his rucksack. He gripped the middle of the hilt and held it with his right hand under his shooting arm. As they approached the large opening to the store, Daniel peered around quickly. He took a quick step in and help his pistol to the right and then to the left. “Do you want to stick together or should we branch out to cover space?”

With every step Shannon took, she felt more at ease. There weren’t very many walkers, even fewer than she expected. It was still not enough to let their guard down, but it was clear that the mall was far from overrun like they had feared. “I’m probably the least capable here, so Amy and I should look out for medicine while you try to find some food.”

Amelia moved in behind Daniel as he gave the all clear, motioning for Shannon to follow up behind her. She gave a quick glance around before nodding, “That’s probably a good idea, you’ve got the radios I gave you earlier, if you see or hear anything just give the button a press” she said before taking her own radio and attaching it to her ear, clicking the ‘on’ switch. She looked to Shannon again, “Ready to go?” she asked.

“Yeah.” She inched forward, attempting to stay very close to Amelia. It was nice to have someone like Amelia to rely on; Shannon knew she had never been the strongest of people, and that was especially true nowadays. It was an irritating thought she might actually be bringing her companions down, but she had accepted that possibility. All she could do was try her best to live and support those she cared about. “Amy, do you think that--” Shannon paused as her shoes squelched in a puddle of blood and brain matter. She looked down the aisle to find more dead monsters further down.

Before Shannon could say anything else, a man decked out in camo grabbed her roughly from behind. She cried out as she felt her body be flung to the ground, and a weight suddenly pressing down on her stomach. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another man attack Amelia with a knife.

Amelia spun around as she heard the commotion from behind, a momentary look of shock staining her expression before she focused in on what was happening. She raised her pistol to shoot the man attacking Shannon before the other man arrived, swinging a knife towards her arm which she only just managed to avoid as it glanced off the barrel of her pistol, knocking it from her hand. She ducked as he swung for her again, charging forwards into him and tackling him against a wall before giving him a hard knee to the stomach. The man grunted, growling “Bitch!” before he grabbed her roughly by her hair and threw her across the floor. She hit the floor hard, feeling the wind pushed from her lungs causing her to cough as she pressed a finger to her ear. “Trouble!” she managed to get out before the second attacker was on her again aiming to kick her in the head. She deflected the kick, rolling to her feet before she once again re-engaged the man.

He aimed another punch towards her head which she once again blocked, slamming her fist hard into his exposed jaw before kicking him against the wall again. In doing so she hadn’t seen the third attacker who blindsided her with a tackle, taking her back to the floor as he tried to pin her. She struggled, but the other soon joined him and she found herself unable to fight against the weight of both of them upon her.

Daniel was moving the second he heard the scream. He absent mindedly switched off the safety. Trouble! He heard Amelia call into the headset. Daniel turned the corner and saw Amelia pinned against the wall, and Shannon against the floor. It took two men to hold Amy back, but Shannon stood no chance against the man. Daniel took three heavy steps away from Shannon before launching himself into the man on top of her. The rolled twice before Daniel slashed into the man’s arm with his axe. He held the man on the floor, put his pistol to his head and pulling the trigger.

The man had been pinning Shannon to the ground, one hand over her mouth in an attempt to shut her up. She had tried to yell, but all she got were a bunch of dirty fingers on her mouth for her efforts. She had bit down on his hand, so the man instead held her jaw. His other hand pressed down on her face, so hard that she believed her nose was breaking. Then, finally, she was freed by Daniel, who wrestled the man away from her. She managed to sit up to see Daniel execute the man. The shot rang out, though muffled slightly, and blood splattered across the floor. The two men on Amelia hesitated, one of them deciding to pull away and shoulder his rifle. “Tyler’s going to be so fucking pissed!” he exclaimed, aiming the gun at Daniel. The other man shoved against Amelia so she couldn’t interfere. Shannon was closer to the man than Daniel, so she attempted jump off the ground and slam into the man’s legs. She slipped in the copious amounts of blood and only managed to get the man’s attention. He fired now, his shot puncturing Shannon’s arm. She screamed and collapsed fully to the ground.

Amelia felt the weight ease off as one of the men holding her left to confront Daniel. She attempted to use the opportunity to fight off the other, but a firm blow to her stomach caused her legs to wobble a little. She gritted her teeth, coughing as she continued to push against him. While the two men had held her they’d weakened her with repetitive punches to her stomach, causing her to struggle to keep herself standing. She turned her head as the second shot went off, hearing Shannon scream which brought back the horrifying memory of Naomi. In desperation she gave one last push of energy, moving his body just a little in front of her before she head-butted him hard, causing him to stagger backwards. As quick as she could she pulled her carbine from her back and leveled it to her arm, firing at the man who stood above Shannon reducing his head to pulp as more blood spattered across the room.

The man who had been holding her had recomposed himself and charged her again as she turned to finish him off too, but as she fired he’d got in close and pushed the rifle up causing the bullets to pepper one of the stores lights causing sparks to rain over them. They remained locked in a grapple, Amelia looking to be too weak and outmatched in strength to keep it up as he slowly gained ground over her, forcing her arms down as he pushed her onto her knees.

As the final raider had Amy on her knees, Daniel quickly stood, placed both hands on the man’s shoulders and gripped his shirt. He forcibly threw him to the ground and let him slide against one of the aisle shelves. “Help Shannon!” He shouted to Amelia. The man staggered to his feet and attempted to throw a punch, but Daniel sidestepped the blow, brought himself around the man and pulled him into a choke hold. Daniel forced the man’s throat against his forearm and bicep, roughly applying pressure until the fighting man went limp.

Amelia slowly rose to her feet once Daniel had taken care of the last Raider, holding a hand to her stomach which had been punched multiple times. She threw the carbine onto her back before staggering to Shannon where she sank to her knees, pulling out bandages as well as some medical tweezers. She wasted no time as she dug into the wound and pulled the bullet, holding the arm tightly to stop her moving before pressing down on it as she looked to Shannon, “It’s gonna be alright” she reassured, knowing this had to be painful as she hadn’t even been given any morphine. She needed to stop the bleeding, so she tied a rag around the arm tightly while she took a needle and suture thread from her backpack, taking the rag off again as she began to quickly stitch the wound. It was going to scar there was no getting away from that. But at least she’d be alive and that was the main thing. When she was finished she re-bandaged the arm firmly. Pouring some bottled water over it to keep it relatively clean. She sat back and finally caught her breath.

The pain was incredible. Shannon could not discern what happened after she was shot. All she could think about was the pain, how it felt like a hot knife was plunged into her arm. She cried and moaned on the ground, trying to focus on her friends. Eventually, she realized Amelia was kneeling over her. Shannon tried to sit up, tried to reach out for Amelia, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She coughed, realizing it was not just her arm that felt like it was on fire now. As Amelia pulled the bullet out, her reassurances fell on deaf ears as Shannon screamed. It wasn’t long before she was passed out.

Daniel lowered the man to the ground, turning him over and pulling both his arms behind his back. He looked around for a moment. Rope; he needed rope. He reached down and untied the man’s boots and pulled out his shoelaces. He tied the man’s hands together and stood up.