[IC] Walking Dead rp

[QT]

Floyd - Catscoms

"She's in there dammit. Bitch hit me in my-" the raider started, being completely cut off by the tip of a blade. The three-fourths long dagger pierced the side of the man's neck causing him to drop instantly. The thumping sound the guy caused once he collapsed made the crawlers seize chasing after Jess. Instead, they dragged themselves towards the front door of that particular room. Not only did the thump sound call for them, but so did the loud clanks of metal against metal. It was as though somebody was calling for them.

As the crawlers left the room, all one could hear from inside was the grunt of a man followed by the squashing of the crawler's brains. Chunks flew passed the doorframe and into the room. The man's shadow grew in size as he started to enter the room. From inside it would seem as though he were a murderer, it was always the case. But once the man crossed the frame, his long dirty blonde hair made him quite distinguishable. His beard hung from his chin, soaked from his own sweat. His coat completely stained by the descending dust. He still held the knife in his right hand, but his eyes weren't in search of blood. His blue eyes starred directly into the woman's, a look of relief upon his face. "Jess?....." Floyd called out in a faint tone.

But that look lasted a mere second as suddenly, the walkers that attached the harem started for Floyd. Floyd didn't hesitate to act though, instead he rushed into the battle, his blade reaching for the walker flesh. Once in reach, Floyd used his forearm to push one of the walkers towards the back wall. Once he had it trapped, he jammed his blade through the walker's brow and into its brain. As he turned to face the ither, he noticed it was making its way towards Jess. Floyd sprinted towards it, clinger into whatever clothing the beast had left and swung it to the ground. Without wasting anymore tome, he stomped on its face repeatedly until he grew tired.

With the fight completed, he held onto his knees as he tried to breathe normally. Catching ones breath underneath the ground was tougher than one would imagine. In that position, he turned his head towards Jess. "Let's get outta here."

[Myst]

Katie - Catacombs - Lauren

Katie was soothed by Lauren's words and comforting caresses enough for her sobs to decrease, but tears still escaped her eyes as they ran. She heard Bull talking, but didn't lift her head.

Where was her daddy? Was he still angry at her? Was he fighting? Was he hurt? Dying? Dead?

These questions burned in her mind, but she kept quiet. Lauren and Bull was trying to her get out, so she stayed still and quiet, holding on to Lauren. Katie had promised to be a good girl from now on and she meant to keep that promise.

"Lauren?" she whispered. "Are we going to die?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lynn - Cells - Brad

"Wasn't there an errand Tyler gave you to do?" Lynn asked, getting desperate to get away.
But to her surprise he got off of her, going back for his machete. That was all the break she needed. In an instant she was off running, hunting for Tyler.

Her vision blurred for a moment and she shook her head to clear it. She felt that she had a fever. A fever that was steadily rising...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jessalyn - Catacombs - Floyd

Jess was scared at first when she saw the shadow, but when the man finally came into veiw she felt nearly faint with relief. He wasn't a walker.
As soon as she registered that she recognized him.

"Floyd...?" she breathed, not believing for a moment that it was him. When he turned and looked up at her, she scrambled down from her perch.
"Floyd!" she cried in relief and ran to him, throwing her arms tightly around him. He was covered in sweat, dirt and walker blood, but she didn't care. In the emotion of the moment, she pressed a kiss to his cheek.
"I was so afraid you were dead!" she told him, holding on tight. "I begged them to go back for you, but they wouldn't listen to me!"

She pulled back and brushed his hair away from his face. "Eli is dead," she told him. "Killed by the man who sold women to Tyler for supplies. But that man is dead too, killed by his own men when he tried to kill me."
Jess knew she was babbling, but she couldn't help it.

When he said they were going to get out of there, she nodded eagerly. "But what about Lynn? She's here too."

[Atomyk]

Tyler - Catacombs - Lynn

Tyler stood amongst a pair of bodies, his hands covered in blood. He looked calm, almost peaceful, standing there staring at his hands. He looked up to find Lynn at the other end of the corridor, coming toward him. His hands fell to his sides and he looked at her with an expressionless face. "Managed to push them back," he said. "For now." If he was surprised or angry to find her out of her cell, he didn't show it.

"I guess you were right, Lynn."

---

Lauren - Catacombs - Katie

"Of course not, Katie."

They were running down halls, turning left and right indiscriminately. Lauren believed she knew where she was going, but the catacombs were increasingly maze-like the deeper you went. "You'll live, no matter what happens." They eventually came across a group of dead men, their blood splattered across the walls. Lauren held Katie closer to her chest in order to protect her from the imagery.

There she stood, frozen in place and holding Katie tightly in her arms. "Lauren," Bull said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. Lauren relaxed at his touch and nodded to him. They quickly moved past the bodies.

[QT]

Floyd - Catacombs - Jessalyn

As the girl embraced him suddenly, Floyd couldn't help but stumble backwards. The girl's large belly collided with Floyd's lower abs, pressing hard against them. Her arms wrapped his shoulders tight, his back flexing from the following squeeze. His own arms just dangled to his sides, he didn't want to touch her and make her feel uncomfortable. But it was ironic because it didn't seem she felt that way, especially when she kissed his cheek. All his dampness was now over her tender lips, adding a touch of condemnation to her purification. Floyd felt so close yet so far for some reason. He tried not to look into her eyes, but couldn't help but peak at them. He didn't remember her appearance, didn't realize how...........

Anyhow, as she spoke, Floyd took everything in, he owed her at least that. But when she mentioned being attacked by a certain man, Floyd noticed the marks on her neck. When she brushed his hair off his face, he forced his own hand to lift up her chin. He didn't care if she felt uncomfortable, he just had to see the marks more clearly. Once he let her be, his face turned to the ground. "I'm sorry" he whispered as he backed away slightly. "I couldn't stop them from takin you" he added, finally making eye contact with her. His eyes were red, not from tears or irritation, but from anger and rage. He was furious that he hadn't been able to protect her like her promised. Floyd lived by a code, a very particular code that her should never crack. It is difficult to explain so he never talks about it.

At the moment it wasn't time to continue thinking of what could have been because there wasn't time for that. When a large cloud of dust fell on his shoulders and moans started to arise from his left, Floyd knew it was time to snap out of it. As Jess asked about Lynn, Floyd knew there was only one way to answer her question. "I promised her I'd keep ya safe, so that's what I'm bout to do" he said in his whispering tone as he took hold of her wrist. With a tug, he started to pull her along, away from the cells that Lynn had been held captive in. He could feel restraint from Jess, but wasn't about to turn around with his decision. He knew Lynn would understand, the woman wasn't an idiot.

[Myst]

Jessalyn - Catacombs - Floyd

Jess was surprise at Floyd's reaction. It touched her heart to see him so concerned with her and her injuries.

"It wasn't your fault," she insisted. "There was nothing you could do."

They didn't have much time to talk about it. It seemed like the catacombs were crumbing around them. Jessalyn was terrified of being buried alive.
But he was going to leave Lynn...
"We can't just leave her," she said, resisting his pull on her arm. "She's all I have left if you leav-..." she stopped herself before completing the sentence. If he left her... she would have no one...

He tugged her along anyway and she knew she couldn't fight him, he was stronger then her by far. She felt like a traitor, leaving Lynn behind to die.
Forgive me, she thought as they made their way out.

-outside-

Fresh air was intoxicating. The first breath of it filling her lungs was the most incredible feeling she had ever experienced. The light of the outside world was uplifting and encouraging. They had made it. They had gotten out alive...

The sounds of fighting and screams faded as they moved away from the nightmare going on below their feet. It was almost peaceful on the surface, a light breeze blowing her hair, playing with the ends and making them curl.

Floyd's firm grip on her arm kept her from falling in relief and exhaustion. "Where... where are we going?" she asked. Whatever happened, she had confidence that Floyd would know what to do.

Tears stung her eyes and prickled her nose as she thought of Lynn. She wiped at her eyes, trying to stop. She didn't need to make things more difficult then they already were. Floyd didn't want or need her tears or her sadness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lynn - Underground - Tyler

Lynn smirked when she found her prey. This time there were no bars between them, none of his lackeys to stop her, no guns to hold her back.
His ass was hers.

"I tried to warn you Tyler," she said, coming closer slowly. "Your stubborn pride is what led to this. If you had just listened to me..." she trailed off and rolled her shoulders, cracking her neck. "But it's too late now. Now it all ends here. For both of us."

Reaching up, she pulled her top aside to reveal a nasty looking gouge in her shoulder. Her laugh was without humor. "Too many times in the arena. Got tired. Got slow. One of the rotting bastards nailed me."
She laughed again, a laugh tinged with hysteria. "And you know what's funny? I fucking loved you. I really did. With all my fucking heart. How stupid was I right? How pathetic?"
Her laugh suddenly stopped and her expression turned serious. "Lauren took your kid. Good thing too. She deserves someone who gives a shit about her, who'll raise her right. But at least you can die knowing she'll be taken care of."

She came closer, her eyes were beginning to change, to get a yellow look to them. "I fought the infection, waiting for the chance to take you with me. Before I turn into a mindless rotting corpse I'm going to infect you too, watch you slowly descend into despair like I have. So you can know the torture that I have been through for the past few days, to know what was happening to me and not be able to stop it."

She crouched, preparing to attack. "See you in hell babe."

[QT]

Floyd - Woods - Jessalyn

The light of day completely blinded Floyd, causing nauseating discomfort. He used his free hand to block the sun's rays that personally targeted him. As he adjusted to the new luminescence, his feet began to move faster and faster. He felt Jess' weight being dragged about forcefully, but wasn't about to stop and jeopardize their escape. When they barely got out of that underground cavern, from a distance Floyd could see men shooting at each other. He could see a blaze of bullets bombarding human flesh. Not only was this new world conflict regarding man vs. walker, it still had that literary conflict of man vs. man. The bloodshed was a worthless feud between conflicting sides. If only people could understand that there were no good men in the world, then they would never even cross paths in the first place.

But as the sound of raining shells diminished, Floyd figured they were getting farther and farther from the catacombs. He turned to see Jess wiping her tears, tears of sadness and sorrow. Floyd turned before she stopped, making sure she didn't think she was worrying him - which she was. It seemed like an eternal jog that escape, running through the puzzling woods, ending up nowhere. Every crack their footsteps made echoed through the entire swamps, alerting nearby bait and predators. They had jogged for about a mile or two, quite the time consuming bolt.

Suddenly, Floyd's grip gave up, letting go of Jess as his knees started to stumble. His speed descended slowly as he came to a halt and spun to fall on his back. He collided with the greenish-yellowish grass beneath him, leaves falling from trees above him. His eyes were closed as he felt a pain on his side, the pain one feels from running too damn much. Once the pain faded along with his difficulty to breathe, he turned to see if Jess was feeling alright. For a pregnant woman, she was capable of keeping up just fine it seemed. Hopefully the child was alright though, that was what mattered the most. "You alright girl?" he said in that whispering tone of his as he sat himself up.

He looked in the direction of the firefight, trying to determine how far they got, but couldn't. All he had been thinking about was getting her out of there as quickly as possible, not focusing on direction or anything other than that. He looked to every direction as he stood, still all he had was that knife he managed to steal from the raider's armory, surely not the best weapon. In that instant, Jess' pleads to save Lynn popped up in his head. His blood began to boil, but with a slow exhale, he was able to control himself. Before speaking once again, he stood up. "We have to continue, c'mon" he nodded sideways, starting down the unsystematic path they had been traveling. The sun's rays continued to lay upon Floyd's shoulders, causing the redneck to remove his leather jacket and sweat even more than he already was. At this point, Floyd was paying more attention to where they were headed, marking trees and making sure they didn't go in circles. He turned back occasionally to make sure Jess was keeping up, but didn't turn for anything else.

Finally reaching a small swamp, Floyd stopped. "We camp out here for the night" he said aloud, throwing his jacket towards a nearby tree. He crouched down and damped his hands into the dirty water, using it to wash off impurities that covered his arms. The water wasn't drinkable, it was most likely toxic or something along those lines. Then he sat down just where he was crouching and stared into the lake, not even turning to Jess anymore. He just remained still, thinking about what their next step would be. With the swamp appearing, it mean there was most likely a bigger water source nearby, one that may be drinkable. He'd later have to build a fire and stuff, but right now he just wanted to rest a bit.

[Atomyk]

Tyler - Catacombs - Lynn

A feeling of shock overtook Tyler as Lynn revealed her wound. He hadn't wanted it to end that way. He hadn't even wanted it to end at all. Despite his legacy falling all around him, it took the inevitable death of Lynn to make him fully realize it. "Godammit," he muttered, his bloodstained hands curling into fists at his sides. "Godammit, Lynn. I thought you were stronger than that." Tyler's breathing became erratic as his body became sick with emotion. How could she accuse him of not giving a shit about his daughter? His own flesh and blood? Not a day went by that Tyler didn't think about his two children.

Now Lynn was going to die, as naive as ever.

"You're always disappointing me," he said, taking a step backward from Lynn. "Now you're just going to die. Alone."

[Myst]

Jess - Woods - Floyd

They ran for so long. Jess got tired and her legs started to hurt. When they finally stopped she felt like her lungs were on fire. But whenever she tried to slow down he'd pull her to go faster. She understood why. They needed to cover as much ground as possible.
BUt she was so tired...

She nearly cried when he finally laid down. She leaned against a tree then slid to the ground, trying to take even breaths.
When he asked if she was okay she nodded. "I'm fine," she tried to sound convincing. She didn't want to be a burden for him. She didn't want him to leave her behind.
"But... I am a... a little bit... thirsty," she said, hesitating several times before finally getting it out. "But it's not urgent," she added quickly. She was hungry too, but kept that to herself.

Soon they were up and walking again, then time he wasn't holding on to her. Jess kept up as best as she could, forcing a smile when Floyd looked over his shoulder at her.

The swamp was less then appealing, but Floyd seemed to know what to do so she didn't argue. She followed his lead of washing up a little. She was really thirsty by then, but wasn't about to drink the swamp water. She wasn't that desperate yet.
"Do you think there might be some... er, cleaner water around?" she asked, not wanting to seem like she was complaining. "I just don't think we should drink this water."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lynn - Catacombs - Tyler

"You still don't get it," Lynn said, shaking her head. "You never will. You will never understand anything beyond your own selfishness."

He called her weak, said she was going to die alone. She only smiled. He knew where to hit, but so did she.
"At least you don't have to worry about Katie. She's young enough that she will probably forget this whole thing. Lauren and Bull will become her new parents. She'll forget all about her douchebag father. She's going to forget all about you Tyler. She'll be happy with her new father. Wonder how long it'll take her to call him daddy, for him to hold her in his lap and make her feel loved?"

She knew she was pushing beyond the limit, but she was dying so why should she give a fuck.
"You've lost your empire and your daughter. Which one upsets you more? That you're a failure or that you'll never see your kid again? That another man is going to raise her?"

She suddenly lunged towards him, mouth open, snarling as her teeth prepared to sink into his flesh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Katie - Woods - Lauren, Bull

Katie held on tightly to Lauren until she felt a rush of air. She lifted her head, her eyes wide in shock and awe.

They were... outside...
She felt the fresh air on her face, saw the sky. The little girl had longed for the outside for so long. The grass, the dirt, the trees, the sky... the blue sky...

"Lauren?" she whispered, as though she was afraid talking too loud would break a spell. "We're... outside...?"

The sounds of fighting could still be heard as they left the city behind, heading into the woods until the sounds faded and all around them was quiet.
Katie wiggled to get Lauren to put her down. Once she was on her feet the child looked around in a daze at this world that she had been denied for so long.

She swallowed hard, then looked back towards the city.
"Will... will my daddy come?" she asked, partly hopeful and partly afraid. The last time she had seen him he'd been so angry. Did she really want to see him again?
"Lauren?" she asked, looking up at the woman with tears shining in her eyes. "Does he not... not love me anymore?"

[Atomyk]

Tyler - Catacombs - Lynn & Enrique

He stared at her, his heart full of pity. To think he actually cared about this woman once, but she was nothing now. It was heartbreaking to see her so sure in her delusions. "I will die before she calls another man daddy," he said, suddenly deciding to stand his ground. He was the last man standing now, and he wasn't going to let this empty shell of a woman walk all over him. "And I'm not dying any time soon."

He stood and waited for her to approach. He had no weapon, but he had killed without a weapon many times before. Her words cut like knives, but he kept himself from recklessly lunging at her by remembering that no matter what, he was right. He would live and she would die. He would get his daughter back.

"Fuck y-" He was cut off by Lynn's sudden lunge. He threw his forearms forward to push her back, managing to get them under her jaw. He grabbed at her lower jaw with his left hand and pushed at her with his right, but he found himself stumbling backwards. Her strength surprised him, but why would a dying woman hold anything back? Grunting, Tyler kept her jaw firmly locked at arm's length, but he managed to stumble over one of the dead men on the ground. He yelled out and fell backwards on to his back, Lynn snarling on top of him.

"This is the Lynn I remember," he said through gritted teeth. Lynn snarled and snapped in his face, loosening his tenuous grasp on her jaw. Her eyes had turned a milky yellow and her skin a sickly grey.

The change was complete. Lynn was now one of the undead.

With his ribs beginning to stab with pain from Lynn thrashing on top of him, Tyler realized he was running out of time. With Lynn now turned, he wasn't sure he had the strength to shove her off. "Fuck! FUCK!" This was not how it would end. Not without Katie; He needed Katie. "Katie!" he cried out, having nothing else on his mind but her.

Then, Tyler felt the weight of Lynn begin to lift off of him. It happened so suddenly, that Tyler believed for a second that Katie was pulling Lynn off of him. "Get off him, bitch!" a gruff voice yelled. Lynn was pulled off Tyler entirely, and he could see that his savior was not Katie, but Brad. "Look at you, more rotten than ever!" the man screamed, wrestling with the zombified Lynn. She had turned on him now and Brad was battling with her for dominance. Before Tyler could even think to stand up and help, Brad was crying out in pain. He threw Lynn against a wall and proceeded to repeatedly smash her head against the wall. Over and over and over again. "Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you!" Brad was hysterical, his eyes unblinking and his voice nothing more than strained sobs. After far too many hits to count, Brad let Lynn go, her head reduced to mere mush.

Tyler stood up, feeling nauseous.

Brad turned to him, his body shaking uncontrollably. "I did it," he said, a grin appearing on his face. It was a maddening grin, Tyler thought. Brad looked like a child who had just done his chores. "I did it for you, boss. I told you she was rotten. All of them. Now it's just... Just me and you..."

Tyler couldn't help but stare at the bite wound on Brad's upper right arm. Brad saw him staring and began to shake his head uncontrollably. "No, no, no... No, we can cut it off. We can just cut it off, right at the shoulder. H-Here." Brad bent down and picked up a machete. "I-It's mine. I dropped it. Didn't want to accidentally hit you... Just chop it off, okay?" He held it out, his face full of snot and blood. Tyler took the machete from him gingerly. "R-Right, okay boss. Make it quick, if you can."

Tyler turned over the weapon in his hand, staring at it. "I'm sorry, Brad."

Brad blinked at him confusedly. "What? N-No, boss. I... Tyler. Boss. We'll just... I-I l-"

Tyler buried the machete in Brad's skull.

***

He hurried down the corridor, finding more dead bodies than zombified ones. Most of them were his men. They were all dead, probably. Stupid bastards weren't prepared for this sort of assault. He supposed he should have blamed himself, for making them cocky. He wanted to be mad, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Most of them had been monsters. They were dead long before today.

He stopped at the entrance to the cells when he saw someone moving. Not dead, but possibly undead. Tyler walked toward the injured man and stood over him, his machete lingering over the man's head.

"Are you bitten?" he asked.

---

Lauren - Woods - Katie

After putting Katie down, Lauren collapsed next to her. She managed enough strength to sit up on her knees and hold Katie by the shoulders. She started into the little girl's eyes and found that she had nothing to say. She wanted to tell Katie how awful her father had been. That he was an awful man who she was better off not seeing anymore. How was a little girl supposed to understand that? Lauren knew she would be breaking Katie's heart and she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Thankfully, her giant hairy lout of a man rescued her. He sat down next to them and placed a hand on Katie's shoulder, above Lauren's. "I'm sorry, girl, but your daddy didn't make it." Lauren turned toward Bull, but he kept his eyes on Katie. How had she not thought of that? It was a lie, but a lie somehow less ghastly than the truth.

"I'm so sorry," was all Lauren managed to say as she hugged Katie.

[QT]

Floyd - Woods - Jess

She looked extremely tired, as though that path had done her wrong. But every time he'd turn, she would give him a smile, obviously fake. Floyd didn't say anything though, he didn't want her to feel wrong for making him worry. Even though their situation was bad, Floyd was going to continue fighting to survive. He turned to his jacket when she asked about a water source. He bit the side of his lip as if questioning a decision. Then with a hurried stand, he started for it. He picked it up and opened up one of its pockets. Out of it, he pulled out one of those 8 fl.oz. water bottles. "I took it when that kid showed me around the catacombs" he said, tossing the water bottle towards Jess. "It isn't much, but it'll have to do for now" he added. He'd given her the water before regretting the decision of drinking it himself. He put her before himself because of that child living in her stomach. She needed more than him, more food, more water, more overall care.

He then started to collect some branches of wood that lay all over the ground. Bark and lumber were also useful to start a fire, so Floyd stripped that from the trees around them. Carrying all that nature, he started working on getting the fire started. He used some of the birch bark which was a very delicate fiber which would easily catch fire to begin the process. He removed his boots and started to carve out the leather from the toe of the boot. Underneath all the leather, there was steel. The steel toed boots would make it easy to create a spark when razed against his blade. With a thrust of his knife against the boot, a spark started, causing the birch fiber to light up a bit. He did it again, the light getting brighter. He moved the birch bark and placed it within the branches and lumber he had collected. Floyd then laid on the ground and started blowing softly into the fire, making it rise. Afterwards, the redneck sat across Jess as if building a fire was just a daily routine for him - which it actually was.

"Don't get rid of that bottle, I'll need it to get ya more water later" he said, turning to the ground as he played with a small stick. He just sat there silently, the sound of wilderness echoing behind them. He felt back at home, though he didn't want to go back. In an odd way, this new life on the road was much better than what he had before. Though he's experienced many hardships, hardships a regular person should never experience, these hardships have made him feel really alive. He's been raised to survive, that's exactly what he's doing now. Though in this case, he's no longer fighting for his own survival, but for the girl and her child's. When that thought came to mind, he actually turned to look at her. Watching her over the flame made her shine; it was as though she was completely cleansed of everything. He wanted to turn away, but he'd never experience what he was experiencing at that moment. It was a new emotion, unnamed and not understood. His knee rose along with his arm. He placed his elbow on his knee and placed his knuckles on his lips, all while playing with that stick. It was peaceful, very quite and it felt nice being back home. "I'll set up some traps later to catch us sum dinner" he said, breaking away from that silence. Floyd didn't say much, he believed in that saying - actions speak louder than words.

[Myst]

Katie - Woods - Lauren, Bull

Katie face showed her heart breaking. "No!" she screamed. "Not my daddy, no!"
She started to cry her eyes out, wracking sobs that shook her small body. "Daddy! Daddy!"
She barely felt the arms that wrapped around her, barely heard the words that were spoken. She wanted her daddy...

Her mommy had gone away. Her big brother had gone away. Why did her daddy leave her?
"I want my daddy," she sobbed. "Make him come back. I don't want him to go away like mommy. I want my daddy back. Bring him back," she begged.

It was a long time before she finally quieted down. Large tears still spilled down her cheeks, her eyes red and swollen, her lip trembling. Katie stared off into space, not speaking or making any kind of sound.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Jessalyn - Woods - Floyd

Jess took the bottle he offered gratefully, hurriedly drinking a large mouthful. She took about sip and savored it, letting it sit in her mouth for several minutes before swallowing.
Then she handed him the bottle. "Here. You need to drink to," she said, having left half of it for him. They would need to share everything from here on out.

She watched him make a fire almost out of thin air. He was so incredible to her. It seemed like he could do anything. He was unlike any man she had ever known before. Certainly different from Bruce.

The thought of her baby's father made her wince in pain. She stared into the fire, the light playing off of her hair and making her eyes seem to glow.
"The leader of Haywood was the father of my child," she said, needing to talk about it. She hugged herself, looking small and fragile. "When I told him about the baby being his, he tried to kill me. He said he wanted me dead, me and the bastard child inside of me," she said, her voice starting to break a little. It still hurt to think about it. This had been the first chance she'd had to sit and really reflect on what had happened to her in the last few days. The weight of everything started to weigh on her shoulders, making her feel emotionally drained and physically and mentally exhausted.

Tears swam in her eyes, but she wouldn't let them fall. "Eli died trying to stop him," she continued. "He tried to stop Bruce's madness. "In the end... I think he was a good man. At least, he tried to be."

She looked up at him, her eyes heavy with sleep. Getting up, she moved closer to him without asking if it was alright. She needed to be near someone, to have some kind of human contact with someone who wasn't trying to kill her or use her.
Sitting beside him, she laid down so that her head was nearly touching his leg. Knowing that he was near made her feel safe enough to relax.
"Don't leave me," she murmured as her eyes drooped closed.

[Atomyk]

Lauren - Woods - Katie

There was really nothing for Lauren or Bull to say. They stayed with the girl as she wailed and cried, offering her a pair of shoulders to cry on. Lauren wanted to cry with her, but she managed to hold it in, Bull didn't need both of them breaking down on him. How could she have let herself get so deep into Tyler's group? When Lauren was at her worst, she had figured there had been no other choice but to fall into such a crowd, but was that really any way to live? That couldn't be it, it just couldn't.

Her heart went out to the other innocent victims back at the hideout. Hopefully most of them got away to safety.

Bull nudged her shoulder and nodded to the other side of the clearing. Lauren got up and followed him, keeping Katie within her sights. "It took her a while to calm down," she said, her voice exhausted and strained.

Bull shook his head. "It's hard losing a parent, especially at that age."

"How do you know that?" she asked, looking him in the eyes.

He shrugged. "Lost my mum when I was little," he said. "Don't remember her too well, but I do remember cryin' a ton. I remember weird little things, like how she smelled and shit."

Lauren put a hand to his shoulder. "I didn't know that." She began absently tugging at his beard. Bull grimaced. That always tickled him.

"It's gonna be like that for her, too." He looked sadly toward Katie. "That is if we can keep the lie up."

"It might not be a lie. We don't know if he-"

"We know." Bull grabbed her hand gently and pulled it away from his beard. "No way he's dead."

Lauren wasn't sure how to respond to that. She sighed. "You need a wash. We all do."

With a deep breath, Bull looked around at their surroundings. "I'll look for a place where we can camp out for the night. We'll figure out what do in the morning... Whatever you decide, Lauren." Bull then walked away into the line of trees. Lauren was thankful he added that last bit; She needed him on her side.

Lauren returned to Katie and sat next to her. She didn't say a word.

[OutlawedPanda]

Emma - Catacombs/New Orleans - James/Walkers/Haywood Guards

Immediately when the shots hit the wall, James put her down; away from the corner. He hurried to the turn of the corridor, peeked out, fired a burst, and dodged a return fire. He jumped out again, firing his rifle and hitting someone; a loud "Agh!" coming from the hall. Emma's heart raced as she sat helplessly. She could shoot a pistol well enough, Daniel had made sure of that, but she didn't have one and she couldn't use an assault rifle like James could. Besides, she was barely conscious anyway. James swore loudly, accompanied by the moans of undead people.

It happened fast; James fired continuously at the walkers, but there were so many. It only took an instant for them to swarm him. Emma scrambled to her feet, painfully running. She lost grip in her step, and went tumbling, just in times to see james fall. To her horror, his gun pointed towards her and misfired as it hit the ground. The three round scattered through the air, the last one piercing through Emma's shirt, and then sinking into her lower back. Emma screamed in pain, which drew the attention of the walkers. The last thing she heard before slipping out of consciousness was the sound of automatic gunfire.

~ Outside the Catacombs, the Haywood Convoy ~

Emma woke with a shock, her chest heaving and and back screaming in pain. Her vision began spot, but she could make out her surroundings. She lay in the bed of a truck, the stars hung over her head. She tried to sit up, but a strong hand pushed her back down. "No, no, don't try and sit up! You'll reopen the wound." The voice came from her right, and the words were inlayed by a heavy Scotland accent. Suddenly, a looming figure stood over Emma, and she could make out the face of an older man with rough, red hair and a scraggly beard.

"Where- where am I?" She asked through heavy breaths.

"You're safe, lass. Now I need you not to talk, you're breathing is already uneven as it is. My name is Riley O'Connor, and I'm going to take care of you." The man disappeared for a second and then came back with a clear mask and blue pump. Emma did not retaliate when he placed the mask over her mouth and nose, slowly pumping the blue end. Emma found her lungs slowing down and her head quit pounding. It was then that she became aware of the situation. She felt a breeze run across her stomach; but why could she feel it against her skin? She looked down to see a tightly wrapped bandage covered her lower abdomen. Her warm soccer jersey was gone and her only covering on top was her grey t shirt, which was pulled past her belly-button so that her wound could be tended to.

"My- my brother..." Emma stammered difficulty.

"You're brother is leading one of the attacks." He slowly and threw a navy blue blanket over her, returning his hand to the pump. When O'Connor seemed satisfied that her breathing had regulated, he quit pumping, but left the mask around her head. She breathed through the ventilation on the mask as he carefully picked her up, and carried her to the truck's cab. "You're going to be okay, now."

The last thing Emma saw before falling into a deep sleep was O'Connor producing a walkie-talkie. "Robert; Daniel Crowe's sister is alive and well. We're awaiting your return."

[Atomyk]

Tyler - Catacombs - Enrique

The man had enough strength to utter that he hadn't been bitten. He looked pretty bad off, and Tyler considered ending the man's life right there. However, something stopped him. Tyler found himself taking pity on the man, even if he had been an enemy. He was a warrior; Tyler would need warriors.

He leaned down next to the man. "Here, I'll help you walk." Tyler put the machete on the ground and scooped the bloody man into his arms. With a deep breath, Tyler pulled the man to his feet. He leaned on Tyler heavily, his blood staining Tyler's own clothes.

Tyler pushed as fast as the man would allow. He managed to say his name was Enrique, but his wounds didn't allow him to say much else. "I'm Tom," Tyler said, leading Enrique down corridors he'd been down a thousand times before. "Fuckers had me chained up down here. I fought in their arena a few times and somehow managed to live this long." Tyler shook his head. "What a mess."

They reached their destination soon after: the women's quarters. Tyler couldn't very well leave without seeing what had become of his so-called legacy. They stepped inside, needing only to go as far as the doorway to see what had happened. Gore littered the walls. Blood, guts, and dead bodies painted the room. A few walkers were still inside, feeding on the lingering remains.

"Oh god," Tyler said, a lump forming in his throat. He felt tears sting at his eyes and his whole body began to shake. He had cared about these women, no matter what anyone believed. Some of them had even carried his children. They and the hope they had carried with them were reduced to nothing more than this grisly painting. "Let's get out of here," Tyler said, his voice touched with sadness. Tyler turned his back on the room, though it felt like he was turning his back on everything he had ever fought for.

Tyler began bringing Enrique to the front entrance. Chances were likely they would have an easier time getting out from that direction, especially now that the fighting had began to simmer down. The sound of gunshots had become more erratic and Tyler figured that his men were probably all dead or captured by this point. Whatever fighting remained would be between Haywood and the released walkers.

As they rounded a corner, Tyler spotted a group of the said walkers at the end of the hall. He licked his dry lips. "I'll have to put you down for now, buddy." He would probably have to leave the man behind completely, but Tyler didn't think that would be a huge loss.

But as Tyler began to put Enrique down, shots rang out. Tyler awkwardly spun Enrique and himself around to spot the attacker. Tyler's eyes widened at who he was seeing. "Bex?"

Bex lowered his rifle and peered curiously at Enrique. He opened his mouth to speak, but Tyler moved to interrupt him. "Bex! It's me, Tom. We need to get this guy out of here before he bites it."

Bex didn't respond immediately. Tyler's knuckles whitened as he gripped the machete. He hadn't known if Bex was one of the loyal ones. This one had always been a bit a tough nut to crack. He had pledged his life to Tyler months ago, but Tyler had always seen a glint of self-righteousness in Bex's eyes. He thought he hid it so well, but Tyler knew better.

"... Tom. I'm sorry, my head's completely rattled." Bex stepped forward and put a shoulder under Enrique. "Just hold on man, alright?"

Tyler nodded and started forward, his face a mask of grim determination.

[QT]

Floyd - Woods - Jess

"Don't worry about me, ya need it more than me" Floyd answered. She wanted to hand him the water bottle, share what he'd given her, but Floyd rejected it. He gave her the water because he cared about the child and about her. She obviously needed twice the care of a regular person, which was a problem at this point, but couldn't be neglected. Floyd was there and now he had to battle this burden, he had no other choice. Well, he had a choice, but he had already made one, one that meant he'd take care of this girl and her unborn child.

When she started sharing her experience at Haywood, Floyd's nerves became startled. He remembered their first encounter and her story about the child's father. How the man basically violated her for mere pleasure, then leaving her to die. From memory, Floyd remembered that Lynn was the one who took her after she was left in solitude, saving her life. The woman was a total bitch, but in the long-run she was the reason Jess was siting before him. She saved Jess and her child for who knows how long. Jess continued by telling Floyd of Eli's death, the man who kidnapped her in the first place. She added that he attempted to help her, stating him to be a good man. "There aren't good men out there girl, get that through ya head" Floyd told her in response to that. He said it calmly in order not to strike her as aggressive. He just didn't understand her way of thinking, it was strange and different in his eyes.

Suddenly, after her story telling came to a halt, Jess started to move towards Floyd. The redneck felt uneasy at her sudden approach, feeling nervous and hot. Every little lunge made his eyes widen little by little. He felt himself shake as she started to lay down, he could see everything in slow motion. Her hair fell down to the ground as her head slowly lowered onto his leg. Without any further ado, her head now lay next to his leg, if not on it. His leg felt hot, her tender swaying hair blowing slightly through the wind. He stared at the back of her head, the slowly stared her down completely. "Don't leave me" the girl said. That little comment made Floyd feel uneasy. He wished he could answer her, telling her he'd never leave, that they'd never get separated, that he'd always find her, but that wasn't the case. Floyd started to reach out to place his hand on her head, he desired the contact as well, the warmth. But as he became a finger away from her, he pulled away, not saying a word. He didn't tell her he wouldn't leave, he didn't tell her everything would be alright, he couldn't.

---

Robert - Outside the Catacombs

The firing had halted, everything seemed to have ended as the catacombs resumed their crumbling. Not a single Haywood casualty outside of the catacomb entrance, Robert made sure of that. He had played every piece correctly on his end, he just hadn't heard from Daniel's group yet. Raiders covered the entire field, blood swamps forming form the excess amount of gore. It was a gruesome view for those with weak stomachs, but Robert had seen worse than this. The men he was commanding started to shoot a bullet into the heads of every corpse. "BANG! BANG!" This made sure that the dead wouldn't come back to life. It was determined that everyone was infected, whomever died, bitten or not, would come back as one of those mindless walkers. Therefore, to prevent such a horror, they'd have to puncture the brain, which prevented them from returning. But as the soldiers made their rounds, they witnessed one of the raiders remained alive. He had been shot in the thigh, making him incapable of retreating. "Robert! There's one still breathing" one of the Haywood men called out.

Robert started down towards the man. He walked over the bodies, making sure he didn't step on them. Though they were the enemy, they had been soldiers. Soldiers were to be respected regardless whose side they were one. The muscular man looked terrifying, his shoulders were wide and his traps completely built. The raider's eyes widened as Robert blocked the sun from his flesh. He was like living eclipse, born to eradicate the light and bring nothing but darkness to the wrong. "You try to flee as your brothers die?" Robert started, the other Haywood soldier backing off. Robert picked up the living raider just to throw him down again. The Haywood men stood and watched as their commanding officer toyed with the pirate. "You raiders are weak, fighting for your personal goals rather than the groups. At Haywood we are family. We are brothers, tied together by fate. Here you lay in the sacred ground watered with the tears of blood. Blood gushed from your own brothers yet you attempt to flee as though they mean nothing to you. Have you now shame?" Robert asked, once again picking the man up from the ground. This time, he held him up with one arm. "You think yourself above them? These men sacrifice their lives for your leader, yet here you stand as though you are an exclusion. Do you feel as though you are better? Do you feel superior?"

"......I-I don-don't know. I just-just wanna live.....Please! I beg you! Don't ki-"

"Bang!"

The shot rang aloud, echoing not only through the surface, but also into the pits of the underground prison. The raider fell with a thump, his body clashing hard against the sands. "Today we've proven ourselves at the top of the food chain. We are no longer prisoners to our desires, we are no longer slaves nor gladiators. We are no longer tied to the chains of aspiration. Today we are free men. From this day we will continue being free, no one will stand in our way. For Haywood!" Robert yelled, holding his hand high in the sky as his men followed by example.

"For Haywood! For Haywood!" they chanted.

Suddenly, everything was interrupted by the sound of a talkie. The buzz stopped everyone from chanting the name of their city. It seemed that Daniel had saved his sister from the cells, freeing her from her capture. But that was all that was transmitted. Quickly, Robert unstrapped his walkie-talkie from his belt and pressed the button to transmit. "Repeat" he growled. And O'Conner repeated the information. This made Robert go into a state of rage, angered by the outcome of Daniel's attack. "The purpose of their infiltration was to kill Tyler, did they succeed?" he asked O'Conner via talkie. Before they even got to the catacombs he had told Daniel that his men came first, that their mission was to take down the man who had created an empire in this world. They were suppose to target a mass murderer, a slave holder, a monster. Instead, Daniel, a high ranked military man decided to implement his own plan. He used the Haywood men to save one rather than possibly hundreds. "How many casualties O'Conner? Repeat: How many casualties?" Robert asked. His concern was his men, not the girl. He could care less for the life of one, when the life of ten lay on the line. This was unacceptable from Daniel's part and he would be dealt with accordingly. "Everyone, return to Haywood" he commanded, giving his last word before parting out. The war had ended, it was time for a new beginning, but first there were things to be fixed.

[OutlawedPanda]

Daniel - The Catacombs

As Daniel led his squad through the winding path of the catacombs, his mind repeatedly panged with one thought; Tyler was no where to be found. It bothered him more than slightly. Besides that, he worried about James and Emma. Had they got out of the catacombs in time and in safetey? "Daniel, I think we should pull out." Henry's voice came quietly.

"Give it some more time; I promised Robert that I'd do my best to put an end to Tyler." He said, enforcingly. The continued walking for what seemed like an hour. Daniel looked down to his wristwatch. It had been hours since they'd come in and all they'd run across were hordes of raiders and hordes of walkers. No Tyler, though. Daniel slowly came to a halt; he'd seen this hallway before; the red markings on one of the doors. That meant that they'd searched the whole of the compound.... Daniel sighed before turning in the direction of the exit. "Let's go..." It took only about ten minutes to backtrack to the exit. Before Daniel climbed up, he saw a body in the hallway. He took a closer look, but couldn't make out the face. Daniel Crowe climbed up the ladder; the raid was over.

Riley O'Connor - New Orleans - Robert

The first thing O'Connor noticed(and feared) was that Robert sounded angry. He held the walkie to his face and relayed in. "Robert, that's the problem. I was guarding the entrance and I found her alone in the halls, she was running from a horde. I don't know how, but she took a rifle round to the back. Now I've fixed her up; but Daniel is no where to be found. Nor are Henry, James, Audrey or any of our guys." Riley waited a moment. "Robert, that was almost three hours ago. Daniel is still in the catacombs, looking for Tyler. He's not abandoned us just yet, it seems."