[IC] The Walking Dead : Among the Ruined - Season 2

[QT]

Hank - Medic Tent - Heather

The man huffed as Heather refused to tie the survivor's feet together. He let the zip tie fall of his hand and on the ground as he stared at her with a glazed-over look. Hank looked completely annoyed by her actions. He was trying to be rational with her again, but she just wouldn't budge. Hank didn't understand why she was always like this. Yes, they had broken up and it was complicated, but that didn't mean he deserved this treatment. He was tired to her living in the past, not trying to make things better - not even a little bit. She was a helpless case, one that couldn't be read. Hank tried everything back then and was trying again after the world ended and nothing. Either she didn't want things to get better between them, or she never cared to begin with.

Having her finish, Hank exhaled loudly in frustration - in addition to his annoyance. Despite them having a single - unconscious - audience member, Hank proceeded by expressing himself. "Why do you always do this?!" he started, slamming his fist on the side of a metal bin. His heavy whisper had a southern tone to it, not a deep one though. "I'm trying Heather, I'm trying!" he continued, this time with his hands balled into fists. He didn't want things to be this way between them, but she seemed to like it this way. She didn't seem to want to fix anything. "You think I want it to be this way? You think I want to argue wi-" he paused as a second member joined the audience.

He quickly loosened his fist and scratched the back of his head as he turned towards the newcomer with a smile. But as quickly as Aaliyah had entered, she once again left the tent. Hank forced himself to leave without saying anything else. Everyday he lost a little more hope that they would ever make up for what happened back then. He couldn't help but blame himself at times, but it wasn't right for her to put all the blame on him. She acted as though she had nothing to do with their departure, but she did.

Anyhow, as Hank exited the tent, he turned towards Aaliyah and spoke. "Please make sure she gets that" he said with a smile, talking about the plate of food Aaliyah held. He cared for every single member of the group, and regardless their relationship, Heather was one of them.

---

Seth - Campfire - Others

Seth shrugged at DeSean's response to his sudden dialogue. It was true, the little Asian man was always make things a little awkward. According to Hank and DeSean, he was always a little weird. The thing is, it was true. Seth was never known to be the popular kid during high school nor college. He had a girlfriend once and was with her for about a week before being dumped. He wasn't one who opened up to everyone except close friends.

Fortunately for him, the people in the group had become his only friends now - or so he thought. He was always checking the girls out, even Jennifer - his friends own wife. Though nobody ever caught him because he was very sneaky with it. Only person he actually talked to about girls was Hank, seeing the man as an older brother figure. Though he knew Hank as much as DeSean, DeSean wasn't as nice. DeSean always picked on him for his minimal accent and child appearance. He got the nickname Baby Seth from DeSean. Thankfully not everyone in the group called him that, it would most likely push him to his limits.

But as both Aiden and Imogen spoke of his poor timing, the kid didn't truly care. Instead, he payed for attention to Aaliyah's brief chuckle. Since he was so naive, he believed that her chuckle was her way of flirting with him. It's funny because during most summers, Seth would travel to California until the end of that vacation. When he returned, he would always have a variety of stories about all the girls that he got. His stories would go somewhat like this:

"Dude, guess what? I met my cousin friends at a party and they all wanted the D. I got one girl number. They were all over me dude, wanna hang out later?"
(Not grammatically incorrect in Seth's perspective)

Anyhow, enough of the past. Once Aiden came out with that dumb ball of his, Seth smirked. But right before he was about to make a comment, Hank returned to the campfire. "Alright guys, y'all know the drill. It is..........." he paused to look at his watch then continued. "....Six-thirty, so let's get everything cleaned up. Lights out in an hour. Imogen, you've got first shift until ten. You'll rotate with DeSean, he'll rotate with me at two, then you're up again. I'm goin' to bed early tonight, so goodnight everybody. Don't forget to put out the fire" he finalized, walking towards his personal tent.

Not everyone had the luxury of sleeping in a single tent. There was one tent that could host four people. The girls took the luxury of that one, Imogen, Aaliyah, and Heather. DeSean and Jennifer had their own. Seth's tent was united with Aiden's, but fortunately it was separated by a fabric. The two-roomed tent had been taken from an Academy store closer to town. The next day their entire system would start once again.

[Roran Hawkins]

Alex Clark - The Outpost - Nelson

Still caught in a downward spiral od depressing thoughts a sudden agressive "Where the fuck am I?" ripped him into reality. He shook upright, nearly throwing the chair against the wall, and turned towards the now awake man. The guy seemed to be less amused and gave him an angry glance as he inspected his surroundings. Answering the man in his undisputable British accent he explained how he got here. "You're in the Outpost mate. A society of survivors. We found you in a crashed car, swarmed with crawlers. It's a miracle you survived the crash, and that's also the only reason that the small herd of crawlers couldn't get to you. We had to tear you out of there. Is your nose allright?" Alex replied on a soothing tone, showing his empty hands as he came a little closer. Isaac had set the bone straight with some thightly strapped bandage, and had said it was allright, but the man's shirt was soaked with his own blood. Looking at his own, he was still splattered with crawler guts aswell.

"We've patched you up a bit and brought you here to recover. There's some stuff going on outside, but I'd rather have you wait here untill Isaac or Reggie returns." Alex continued, trying to keep the man occupied with a lot of information, trying to be open as to not alarm him. Stepping forwards even more he offered the other man a hand. "Oh, by the way, the name's Alex. Alex Clark." He introduced himself. The other man would probably have noticed already that he was British, but that aside he seemed to be of about the same age as Alex was.

[Atomyk]

Bex - Outpost - Matt

Bex had been a part of the crowd during the meeting. He had accepted what was happening and felt shame over his inaction. It wasn't right-- He knew that. This was all just ruthless... the work of desperate power hungry men. Neither Bex nor Tyler could really be sure that Katie would be at Haywood. It may have been the best lead, but one that could ultimately go nowhere. To kill an innocent person was wrong anyway, but to do it over a gamble? Something about that felt weird and monstrous. Clear proof that Thomas was little more than an illusion.

But Bex wasn't sure why he was going a long with it. Perhaps he was too tired to care at this point. This world was a lonely place now and Bex had no one but Tyler. Beckett had once had a wife and a pretty baby girl, but Bex had no one but a madman. It almost felt like there was nothing good to find any longer, neither within himself or in the people around him. If ruthless men were the only ones left, then perhaps Bex could be forgiven for following one. It was a slightly comforting idea, even if only a naive excuse.

***

He had found himself wandering after the crowd dispersed, his mind adrift. His thoughts wavered between his past life and his new life. He didn't like thinking much about the life of Beckett and his wife, Terra, but Bex sometimes couldn't help himself. She would probably think him disgusting nowadays.

Bex stepped into the classroom to find what he believed to be the entire group of sign language students sitting about the room nervously. Rudy was in the middle of a heated conversation with Tyler, apparently. "Thomas, this is just fucked up! How are any of us supposed to feel safe around here now? Samantha didn't deserve-"

Bex approached the pair and Rudy suddenly cut himself off. "And now he's here, again," Rudy said. "Do you think he's targeted as well? He's your fucking friend so maybe you'll give a shit about him!"

Tyler only stared, his face conveying utter calm. "It was only a warning, I believe. I doubt there will be a second attack, but even then..." Tyler left them to approach Matt's desk. The journal they had read this morning was laying out open. "But we know who did this. We know who killed Samantha." Tyler took the book and flipped to one of the pages to read from it. "It's done. Myriah is safe, but at a great loss. My part in these events weigh heavily on me, but they can not be undone now. My only choice moving forward is to acknowledge how far down I'm willing to drag myself and to aspire to protect this community in the face of what has happened. It is with deep regret that I say goodbye to you, Jonah. I'm sorry."

Tyler then put the book down and looked around the room. "Reggie did this. He was a part of the mutiny and he's done this as a warning to us. Samantha was caught sneaking around the night Reggie's journal goes missing. Reggie knew what she was doing killed her for it."

Rudy let out a deep breath. "Okay, fine. But Reggie was out on a mission this morning. How'd he kill Sam then?"

"It only takes a second to make a rash decision," Tyler said. "Once he found the journal missing, all it would have taken was an order. Then while Reggie was gone, well..."

Bex was unsure if Tyler realized that the free scouts would have been a bit too hungover to murder someone. Rudy didn't seem to realize this either. "Then, maybe Phon... Or Simon. Or... Fuck! Fuck all of this." Rudy swore loudly and left the room, leaving everyone in nervous silence.

[Myst]

Heather - Camp - Hank

Heather flinched at the sound of Hank's fist colliding with the bin. She closed her eyes and turned her head away at his angry questions. "Do what?" she asked, "Express my opinions? If I roll over and agree with everything you say will you like me again? Well I'm so sorry I can't be a parrot with boobs."

Aaliyah's appearance kept things from escalting beyond that. Heather sighed deeply. She regretted how harsh she was sometimes, but just like Hank her pride wouldn't let her be the first to apologize.
He left without another word and she felt like punching something herself. Instead she rubbed her face and looked heavenward before looking back at the unconcious man before her. "Why must you men be so difficult?" she asked him.
Since he had no answer for her she started putting things away.

He was trying? He was trying? That was a laugh. Of course she wasn't really trying either, but at least she didn't claim otherwise. She had given up on trying when he had decided he didn't love her anymore. Her feelings had taken longer to wither and die, but now they were just like his : gone.

At least that was what she told herself to keep from cracking. He was just fine with the way things were so she would be too. She wasn't going to suffer if he wasn't God damn it.

She could hear him talking to Aaliyah outside and her irritation flared once again. Flirting with the young girl? How typical. She was far too young for him, but maybe that was how he liked it. Maybe that was why he'd stopped loving her. Maybe she had gotten too old for him. She knew some men liked their females young but she hadn't thought Hank was one of them.

"Damn it," she muttered, crushing some bandages in her hand before shoving them roughly into a box. They couldn't keep on like this. One of them was going to explode one of these days.
Something had to give and soon...

[OutlawedPanda]

Emma - Haywood

Emma, Abram and Rob had searched all over for Katie, however Daniel had stayed behind because he'd apparently wanted to talk to Lauren. She's been worried when she'd left, because Daniel looked furious, even though no one had done anything to him.
Emma came upon the last room she hadn't searched: the laundry room. She reached for the knob, but found it was locked. She knocked lightly and called softly. "Katie?" When no answer came, she repeated it again. The girl pressed her ear to the door, listening carefully. She heard the slightest of shuffling in the room, and confirmed that Katie was indeed in there.

Emma lowered herself to the wall beside the door, trying to speak loud enough so that Katie could hear. "Katie? Can you listen to me while I tell a story?" She asked. Even still, the little girl didn't respond. "I know how you're feeling, Katie... I know you miss your daddy too." She waited a beat and then continued. "I know how that feels. I miss my daddy too; every day. When the monsters came, I was really, really scared, but my daddy was there and her kept me safe, so I wasn't afraid anymore."

"We were doing really good, and we were safe in a house... I loved him and he loved me more than I knew. Until one day, the monsters tricked us and my daddy got sick, too..." Emma felt a small, fugitive tear slide down her cheek as she recounted the story. "When he got sick, I was on my own, I felt scared, I felt trapped... I had to run everyday and sometimes I felt like I didn't want to run anymore. Then I met a bunch of men... they took me to a place where the monsters couldn't get in... but I was still scared... And one of the men; he was mean, and did some very mean things to me and made me feel even more scared. Your daddy was there too. He was mad at that man, and he said that that man would be in big trouble for being mean to me."

"One day... the monsters got in and a lot more people got sick, Katie... I didn't know where your daddy went, but Daniel found me and I was so happy again. I thought he was dead, but he was still alive, and he was big and strong so he kept me safe from the monsters..." Emma said. "Katie, we want to keep you safe too- and Lauren. If- When we find your daddy, we can keep him safe and he can help keep you safe, too..."

"So... Katie, please come out and let us keep you safe." She felt her voice crack as more tears slid down her face. "Please come out, baby."

Daniel - Haywood

Daniel sat on the couch across from Lauren, his legs crossed and an angered look in his eyes. He stared at the woman, examining her facial expressions. He couldn't figure her out; her face was a mixture of emotions. Grief... Defiance... Dogedness... she wasn't like any other civilian woman that Daniel had ever met. "I don't understand. You were brought here within an inch of your life; Doctor Riley used precious medical supplies and medicines to keep you alive. We fed you and Katie, and I tried my best to help Bull out. He was good man, it was easy to say. When I learned of Robert Dalton's plan to kill him, I did my best to save him, but it simply wasn't possible. Instead, I resorted to protecting you and Katie. My men died today, protecting the people of Haywood, which now includes you and Katie." He adjusted his arms, crossing them over his chest. "And- And what I don't understand is... we did all this, and you pay us back with spite, by trying turn Katie against us, by trying to ditch us, and by attacking Shannon. Why?

He focused his eyes on hers. "That comes too close to putting my family in danger. You do that, and we've got a serious problem. Heck, one of my dearest friends died for you, and you repay us like this; I think we already have a problem."

"But I think all problems are solvable. And I'd like to solve that little conundrum that we've got here. Help us by letting us help you. Give us a chance. You might've spent time with the raiders and you might see the worst in people, but these people are good people." The man shifted in his seat. "I killed men before all this started and the number probably doubled when it did. I might not be a good man or a good person... but these people are good people. The people that died today - the people that burned today..." He leaned forward, almost shouting his next words. "THEY were good people!"

"Give us a chance, Lauren."

[Antagonist]

Nelson - The Outpost - Alex

"You're in the Outpost mate. A society of survivors. We found you in a crashed car, swarmed with crawlers. It's a miracle you survived the crash, and that's also the only reason that the small herd of crawlers couldn't get to you. We had to tear you out of there. Is your nose alright?" The man in the corner answered. He spoke with a noticeable British accent that sort of put Nelson at ease.

A society of survivors... Well, it could be worse. He could be in one of the walker's stomachs if they hadn't of saved him. Nelson cracked a smile at his near-death experience. It wasn't the first time he'd cheated death. At age ten, he fell through a greenhouse roof from his garage and broke three of his limbs and had a major concussion for about four weeks. Somebody upstairs was smiling down on Nelson, it was almost like they had a plan for him and didn't want him to die just yet. Nelson started daydreaming until the British man spoke again, which brought him back into reality.

"Oh, by the way, the name's Alex. Alex Clark." He said.

Nelson squinted before extending his right hand to Alex. "Nelson Jenkins."

[Myst]

Katie - Inpenetrable refuge (aka the Laundry room) - Emma

When Emma appeared at the door Katie refused to open it. Emma wasn't her friend anymore. Lauren had said 'they killed Bull' meaning everyone in Haywood. Everyone was against her daddy, so everyone was against her. They had killed Bull for no reason, other then he was friends with her daddy.
Would they kill Lauren next? Then Katie?

The little girl was determined not to listen to Emma's story. It was just lies to try and get Katie to open the door. She wouldn't listen. She wouldn't.
She did really well until Emma mentioned Tyler. She was the first person to actually say something good about Katie's daddy. She said that he was mad at the men who had been mean to Emma, that he was going to punish the man for being mean. It was just like he did with Katie. When one of his men was mean to Katie her daddy got mad and punished them.

She was also the first person to talk about Tyler joining them, about them keeping both Tyler and Katie safe.
Was she lying? Was she just trying to pretend to be nice to get Katie to open the door?

Katie came out from under the blankets and walked to the door. Reaching up, she slowly unlocked and opened it just a crack, enough for Emma to see her eye peeking out.
"... Did you know Bull is dead?" she asked. She had to know if Emma knew about it. "Did you... did you know they were going to kill him? Did you know?" she demanded, tears in her eyes. "Why did they kill him? He didn't do anything wrong," she continued, crying in earnest now. "Rob said that Bull was bad. That my daddy is bad. He's happy Bull is dead."

Katie stomped her foot angrily. "I want Bull back and I want Daddy back! Why did they take Bull away! It's not fair!"
In the process of the fit Katie had completely opened the door and threw her arms around Emma, crying. "It's not fair! He didn't do anything! He did what they wanted! He let them lock him up and they killed him! Why?!"

[TheDoctor]

Noah and Anthony - Near Haywood

Noah Kendrick opened up the final room on the second floor of the house. Inside was a simple bedroom that was surprisingly clean except for the thick layer of dust. Noah grunted and began his search, checking underneath the bed for any possible food and then the closet. Both yielded nothing, as did the dresser. Noah sighed, still nothing that was useful to them.

Noah descended downstairs, and looked up to where he expected his son to be, but for some reason wasn't. Where was Anthony? He should've still been searching around the bottom floor. Noah quickly looked inside all of the rooms but still didn't find him. Worriedly, he shouted, "Anthony?" Nothing. Noah ran outside but still had no sight of him. "Anthony?!"

His son popped out of one of the buildings nearby, pulling his backpack back onto his shoulder. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you dad," he said apologetically. "I finished searching early and to move on, but I still got nothing. Entire place has been picked clean."

Noah sighed in relief, wiping his brow and looking around the empty streets before he looked back at his son. "You're alright, but you know how much I'm concerned about you splitting off alone. Walkers can come from anywhere, that's how we lost everyone else." Anthony gave a sad nod, remembering that terrible night.

Several months ago the two of them had been in a small group that was made up of good and honest people. They hardly had any losses and were surprisingly doing well, but their luck turned for the worse when they settled inside an apartment building inside of Lafayette. They were perfectly set up and everyone split up the rooms with Noah and Anthony staying in the same one. Just as everyone was falling asleep one of the men opened up a wardrobe to find a kid walker right inside. The man had no chance as the small walker bit into his skin, but matters turned for the worse as the man shot the kid then himself. Walkers from nearby heard the shot and invaded the apartment building. Everyone's rooms were invaded except for Noah and Anthony's who had just enough time to barricade the door and make a hasty escape using the window and the bed sheets. There was no way to save the others and the two were once again alone. Anthony still had nightmares about the event.

Noah gave a sad smile, noticing his son's discomfort. "Sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. Come on, maybe we'll get lucky in these next few homes." Their food was getting low ever since they came into New Orleans but so far they found little. He was greatly regretting his decision, maybe they should've gone north instead.

After several hours of searching with only the results of molded bread and spoiled milk, the two were near the end of the street and considered their options, and ended up moving deeper into the city figuring early looters wouldn't go near the inside. "Alright, let's be quick and quiet."

The buildings had the same primary results as the previous houses: nothing. Noah stepped down the stairs degenerated from the futile search. As . "Nothing yet, but haven't finished searching. One last room," Anthony said as he opened the door and peered in. "It's just a small office room, should I check it anyway?" Anthony turned away from the door and looked at his father

As Noah was about to respond with a necessary yes, he looked to see a walker come out from behind Anthony dangerously close. Noah didn't have time to shout a warning or to get closer. Noah pulled out his revolver and aimed past Anthony at the walker.

BANG

The shot rang out and the walker fell to the ground. Anthony looked stunned, and turned to see the dead walker. Noah pulled Anthony away and ran out of the building, his eyes avid for any walkers who could've awoken to the noise. Sure enough, the two began to see several walkers emerge from other streets and inside buildings. With this close within the city, running for it and staying on the streets were suicide. Getting inside a building could work, but then they'd be trapped. Noah looked out towards the makeshift wall that was still a few blocks away. That was their one shot.

"Make for that wall and find some kind of opening. If we're lucky, there's people inside willing to help. Go!" Noah shouted to his son. The two took off running towards the wall, not slowing as more walkers began to come out of their stasis and go towards the noise. Anthony stumbled but Noah helped him recover as they continued sprinting down the street. A walker came in the front of them, blocking their path. There was no time to waste going around and getting to close to the alleys. Noah fixed the issue by pulling out his crowbar and slamming it into the walker's head. "Keep going!" Noah shouted at Anthony as he made a finishing blow. Anthony didn't even slow as he continued running. Noah gave a moment to breath and continued running, keeping his crowbar out.

They were only a block away by now, but to Noah it felt like miles. He already began worrying as he considered his problems. They were running straight for a wall that was unclimbable and no entrance in sight. They could be running right to the perfect place to get surrounded! But there was no other plan for them, they could only hope there would be someone or some kind of entrance.

The two reached the wall with a good distance away from the attracted walkers, but the gap was closing quickly. "Hello?!" Noah shouted, not seeing any entrance in their vicinity. "Anyone?! Please help! Please!" The walkers were coming closer, and Noah feared this might be the end for them. "Help! Please! Anyone!" Anthony began trying to climb the wall but to no success. They were surrounded by now, with the large majority coming from the middle.

Anthony pulled out his hunting knife, fear in his eyes. Noah had no peaceful words for him, there were simply none to give. "The right, we break through to the right and keep going around the wall. We need to find an entrance." Anthony nodded and the two charged their way to the right, cutting and dodging through the walkers. Whenever he had a chance Noah would shout at the walls, hoping that maybe someone would respond to their pleas. The chances of getting past this group seemed bleak, and even worse that the majority of the walkers was nearing them.

[OutlawedPanda]

Emma - Haywood - Katie

Relief flooded Emma as Katie jumped into her arms, and she returned the gesture, drying the tears from her cheeks. "No- no, baby, I had no idea and neither did Daniel. By the time we found out, it was too late to help him..." She muttered. "D-daniel didn't kill Bull, Daniel is a good man; maybe the best I know. Do you remember that mean man from your first night? He was bad, and he is the reason why a lot of people died tonight." Emma pulled back and rested her hands on the little girl's shoulders.

"I know- I know its not fair... A lot of things aren't fair, Katie. Bull didn't deserve to die, my daddy didn't deserve to die... its never fair... but its life, and we have to do what we can to live with it.

Daniel - Haywood - Abram, O'Connor, Rob, Anthony and Noah

Daniel jumped from his seat on the couch in alarm as Abram raced in with Rob and O'Connor at his side. "C'mon, kid, we got a herd outside, someone's shouting for help!" The younger soldier nodded to his senior officer and took off, leaving Lauren in her seat. The doctor instructed Rob to stay, as his wound was going to reopen if he moved anymore, and then joined the men. The three of them dashed towards the gates, and forced the left side open. He could see a man and a young boy running towards them, behind them- behind them came a herd of over a dozen walkers.

Daniel Crowe swore aloud, producing his axe from his belt. Instantly, Abram unshouldered his rifle, dropped to one knee, and aimed down the scope. A walker was only a few feet behind the little boy, Abram lined up the shot. Despite a frightened look on the newcomer's face, Abram fired a round directly past the boy's head and into the rotting skull of the biter behind him. For an ameteur marksman, that would have been a stupid shot, probably ending up with the death of the boy. However, Abram was nothing close to an ameteur. To him, the motions of the shot were second nature.

Daniel's first swing came down right as the man and the boy reached them, and he brought his axe heavily down on the walker's skull. The five hurried to the gates, Abram and Daniel forcing the left door shut, and latching it in place, just in time to stop the herd from getting in. Abram turned to Daniel, to whom he threw the sniper rifle. Daniel turned it and chambered a round with the bolt. "Put your weapons down, sir!" He commanded. The man was obviously a father, so Daniel hoped it would mean he had good intentions, but he couldn't make that assumption so fast.

[Damo021]

Turisa - New Orleans - Abandoned Building - Emily

The girl instinctively grabbed hand hand holding the inhaler, That was a good sign indeed as this young girl took several deep breaths to regain herself and soon enough she was able to regain her breathing. Turisa felt sorry for the young girl to, having to put up with this in a world like this but one thing it proved was she was a survivor and a good one at that. She called out for her dad and it made Turisa think about her own family and it hurt her inside not that she was openly show it to a stranger.

My thoughts were brought back to this girl however when she became quite Panicked and with good reason, She no doubt was hoping for her father but instead got a unknown female police officer. She began trying to move to soon on her own in an attempt to pull away from the Latin woman and so Turisa decided to move away a bit to hopefully calm the girl but close enough should she need help again, Eventually the young woman spoke asking her two important and valid questions although she was rether quiet about it which was understandable.

The first was who was I and the second was where was her father, The officer assumed that the man that ran of in the other direction distracting the walkers away from her was her father, A brave man that did a self sacrificing act to give his daughter a chance. Turisa never saw him get caught when he left the field of view in fact she had no idea where he went. but she put on a assuring smile. " Take it easy I wont hurt you okay. My name is Turisa, I am... Was a police officer transferred from Chicago, Don't know if that counts for anything these days" She replied making sure she is not to loud. " l assume your father was the man that went the other way? Sadly I lost sight of him before I arrived in here and saw you. What is your name and are you feeling better?" Referring to her asthma.

Aaliyah - Medical Tent - Hank/Heather.

Speaking of timing that sucks Aaliyah's probably just topped that list for the night, She was mentally kicked herself in the head as once again since being with the group the young woman interrupts Hank and Heather during one of their moments, fortunately this only happened once or twice so it was no like a habit but she should of heard the fist hitting something but the blindly walked in and as quick B-Lined for the exit and waited outside. "Such an idiot" She thought to herself. A few moments later Hank came out the tent and inside Aaliyah was worried what he was going to say but simply told her to make sure Heather got her food to which Aaliyah nodded returning the smile. She wanted to apologize but for that moment couldn't say anything, she already assumed he did something to that stranger and then interrupted him and Heather later on the same night which made her feel bad considering how close everyone was in her eyes but she let him go and walked into the medical tent.

Aaliyah had then walked into the medical tent with some food in hand, She only meant good to Heather for bringing it in although now wondering if it was good idea as no doubt Hank had just pissed her of to no end, something Aaliyah kept out of but was there should either of them need to unload. She could see that Heather was very irritated with the way she was crushing bandages and shoving them in the box. Aaliyah slowed her approach to the woman. "Hey" She quietly spoke. She placed the plate down on the side. "I got you some food just in case you wanted some, You know keep your strength up and so on" The teen was trying to lighten the mood a little bit. She watched the woman for a moment seeing she was still clearing up, Not saying a word she to started to help clear up and put supplies away leaving the plate where it was, She would never force her close friend to do anything she didn't but stopped what she was doing. "Look Heather, I'm sorry I came in like I did, I didn't know you and..." She sighed for a moment thinking best to just be quiet and avoid annoying Heather some more, She never knew what was going inside the woman's head especially after a tiff with Hank.

Aaliyah then continued what she was doing she felt a little stupid and probably made an even more awkward situation, She simply didn't know but Aaliyah was one of those in the group that always had time for the others and was always there for them or at least tried. eventually she had to ask one very important question about the stranger. "How did you want to go about keeping an eye on this one" She pointed at Hank.

Imogen - Camp fire - Others.

Imogen was still hanging around with Seth and Aiden of whom the later was still playing with his ball, maybe it was a good stress relief? She had never asked while Seth looked like he was in a world of his own before hank had made his way over to them and spoke to the group and it was pretty much about the norm, Patrol rotations, lights out at around seven thirty and making sure the camp fire is put out. Imogen nodded to Hank."Goodnight" Picking up her Crossbow the blonde woman went about checking it to make sure everything was good in case she ever had to use it tonight, She had trained herself to use such things like a trooper and often it was either DeSean or Hank that offered a helping hand.

Once everything was checked over she stood up ready to do her patrolling for the first half of the evening. It meant that tonight she would have to go to DeSean's and Jennifer's tent without waking one up and not giving the other a heart attack by making them jump and then getting some sleep herself without waking up Heather or Aaliyah. At least she'll get to enjoy the breeze for a while tonight. "Alright boys, See you in the morning and like Hank said don't forget to to put the fire out before you go" She smiled as she left to go of and patrol the camp.

[Roran Hawkins]

Alex Clark - The Outpost - Nelson

"Nelson Jenkins." The man said, and gave Alex a firm handshake.

Nodding now they knew eachother's names, he gave Nelson an inspecting look. He seemed totally fine ecept for the broken nose and a few bruises and scratches, which he could've gotten from being dragged here in a hurry aswell. "So, ... Nelson... How do you feel? You okay in there?" He asked somewhat hesitantly. He could go on explaining how the Outpost worked, but knew from experience that that sorted itself out pretty nicely. Isaac had already determined that the man was allright, physically at least, but that still didn't make Alex feel as if he was okay. How had he made it this far on his own? He definately must've been with some sort of group before, right? He would've been dead himself a long time ago if it wasn't for the group of tourists he'd been travelling with initially. Amongst them had been an old Indian man who turned out to be a retired Gurkha, and he could take on crawlers with a blindfold and one arm tied behind his back. He shook his head to get rid of the memories and listened to Nelson instead.

[Rithas]

Rob-Haywood-Everyone, Cause Rob moves around

Rob closed his eyes tightly as Katie ran. "Shit" Rob didn't regret what he said, Katie needed to know. But, She was more...Clingy then expected to the idea that she held in her head. But, she was a kid. Rob didn't know what to say. But he did know to look, And looked he did. Along with others. They've looked everywhere, but...Rob had a feeling that Emma knew where she would head. So when, they heard cries for help. From outside Haywood. They left Emma, to do what she must do. But, Rob was wounded. And he was left, since he probably wouldn't be much help.

Though Rob was left alone with Lauren. "So...." Rob walked closer to Lauren. "Still going through that thing where your blaming us for Bull, when in reality it was really Robert, who in fact killed many of our people. And also dead now. So, too continue to do that...if you are, is rather stupid. And in my opinion, rather Annoying...really annoying."

Matt-Outpost-People!

Matt was in the background of the class. Carefully peering as Rudy and Thomas talked. He watched Bex as he came in. Guilt was on his face, certainly he was a follower of Thomas. But, maybe he was having doubts. The classroom was tense, people were nervous. Perhaps even scared. Samantha being murdered certainly injected something in them.

And it was sad that Samantha had to be murdered, but...Well Matt wasn't going to make excuses, it had to be someone. Evil, probably. Smart, Maybe. For no cause? Probably not. What happened had already happened. There was no way he could change it. After Rudy ran out, while cursing rather loudly. Matt watched Thomas to see what he would do next. If he was needed, Matt would do something. But Matt wanted to see How...well how Thomas was. Certainly he pretended to be friendly, but he had a dark side. And it seemed that the dark side was him. All of him.

[Myst]

Katie - Haywood - Emma

Katie sniffled, her anger melting away and leaving only the sadness of a child being made to grow up too fast.
"Bull was good," she told Emma, wanting her to know him at least a little. "He was gruff and silly sometimes, and sometimes he got annoyed with me because I was slow and cried a lot. But he was good. He loved Lauren very much and Lauren loved him very much. He played with me, in the underground I mean. He was the best at playing. Lauren isn't that good at it," she whispered, like she was afraid Lauren would hear her.
Then she sighed. "BUll was like... it was like having my big brother again. I had a big brother and a mommy, but they both got sick and went away. Now I don't have anybody."

Heather - Camp - Aaliyah

Heather sighed when Aaliyah entered. She was a sweet girl and didn't deserve the brunt of Heather's annoyance.
"It's okay sweetie. Don't worry about it," she said to reassure her before picking up the food. "Hank wanted us to tie him up. Can you believe that? The poor man is injured and he wants to tie him up."
She shook her head. "I just don't understand him anymore. Maybe I never did. He certainly doesn't understand me."

She suddenly seemed to remember that Aaliyah was still there. "Sorry hun, ignore me. It's not important anymore. What's important is that we watch over this guy until he wakes up."
Heather picked up the food Aaliyah had brought and started eating. "Thanks. I appreciate the food."
As she ate she looked at the woman before her. "So, technically you are my superior here, being a doctor in training. What do you think should be done about him? His wounds I mean. See here," she pointed out the man's side. "It looks like someone burned a deep wound closed. A stab wound perhaps? Maybe a bullet wound? Either way it's looking like it might get infected so I think we should concentrate our efforts on that. What do you think?"

[TheDoctor]

Noah - Haywood - Anthony, Abram, and Daniel

Help. Help had come at last. The two people who helped them seemed experienced and Noah didn't hesitate to follow them in away from the walkers. Both Anthony and Noah heaved as they ran in, but that wasn't the end of it.

"Put your weapons down, sir!" One of them yelled, aiming the rifle at them.

Anthony froze up but kept his knife in his hand, giving his dad a questioning look. Noah grimaced and glanced down at the crowbar in his hand. Judging by their marksmanship there would be no way they could face these two, let alone whoever else was in this place. Noah looked over at his son and gave a nod, dropping his crowbar to the ground then gently pulling out his pistol and carefully setting it down. Anthony followed suit, staring at Noah for guidance. Noah backed a single step away from his weapons, facing their two saviors and possibly potential killers. "We don't have anything of high value," Noah explained. "We only came inside the city to try and scavenge anything we could find. If you let us go we'll leave and never come back, no more trouble from us."

While he hadn't dealt with a particular situation like this before, he had been in a similar situation. Bandits had once pinned up their group and Noah had to carefully calm them down in order for them to not fire. If even these guys had just saved them Noah had no idea what they wanted, especially now that they were pointing their weapons at them. It could possibly be just a safety precaution for them, but Noah didn't want to take chances that that was the case.

[OutlawedPanda]

Daniel - Haywood - Noah & Anthony

Daniel held the rifle towards the man, but he made a point not to take aim at the boy. He'd knew from personal experience that if you threatened a father, he'd do anything to keep his family safe... but if you threatened the man's loved ones- that was a dangerous position to be in. "Don't worry, we don't want to hurt you, we're just weary survivors is all." He lowered the rifle when he saw that they weren't an immediate threat.

"Welcome to Haywood. You're safe from the walkers for now, but I'm afraid that we're not exactly stocked with supplies." He explained. "We just go through an attack... we lost a lot of people." He handed the rifle off to Abram, and picked up the man's crowbar, hand extending the handle to him. "I'm Master Sergeant Daniel Crowe, this is my First Sergeant Abram Chamberlin"

He observed the older man quickly, giving him the once over with. He had that fierce look in his eyes, one that seemed to say, "Touch my son and I'll kill you." Daniel thanked God that this man didn't become the sixth man he'd shot down today.

Hector "Hex" Bradshaw

Hector Bradshaw was slightly messed up, and that was in his own eyes. In the eyes of others... he was a pretty much a lunatic. The man had Murdered, Stolen, Lied, Cheated... raped... It was all fun and games though! Most of the time that is- Seem the murders, they'd made him mad! He'd only stolen because he needed it. The lying... everyone lies, right?

He'd cheated people out of their lives. And he'd raped- That one though was the one he couldn't shake. It- It was all fun and games, right? Yeah, yeah... all fun and games... he'd raped that girl because he was lonely is all... and its not like she didn't enjoy it too!

Hex was pulled from his thoughts as he looked up from the ground he'd been staring at for almost twenty minutes as a gun cocked loudly. He looked forward to see a tall woman standing beside an even taller man. They both stood in front of a large wooden gate and fence- Where the frick did that gate come from?! Whoever put that gate there was gonna get an earful, because Hex was just tryin' to walk.... and then these people pointing their fricking guns at him! That- That wasn't very polite, no not all.... It was actually quite rude. "Drop your weapon!" The woman shouted, poking her assault rifle at him.

Hector Bradshaw cocked an eyebrow. What weapon- Oh. His right hand gripped around a long Bowie knife; it was actually his favorite knife. It was pretty, with some really sweet designs... It was the Kim Kardashian of knives. Hex laughed; the Kim Kardashian of knives... that was a good one... that was funny...

"Hey! You deaf or something?" The large man shouted. Deaf? What was he- Oh the weapon. Hex tossed Kim Kardashian to the pavement and put his hands in the air. The girl lowered her weapon and briskly walked to him. She took both hands and began to pat him down. Hex grinned, she was pretty... "You can frisk me any time you like darling..." He said.

She said nothing, only gave him a hateful look, raising her weapon again. "Welcome to Outpost. Normally we'd have a better welcome wagon, but we're... in special circumstances." The man called over the gates and the big doors were heaved inward, revealing a large encampment. Hex let out a whistle. This place was better than Tyler's catacombs... Hector followed the big man and the pretty woman inside, the other guards on the walls giving him suspicious glances.

It was then that Hector saw a man... he looked familiar... where had he seen this guy? OH! Becky- no. Burt- no, dang it. Bernard, Bertha, BEX! That was it, his name was Bex! He was in the catacombs with Tyler too... "Bex! Buddy!" He exclaimed, giving the man a stupid grin. His grin faded when he connected the pieces... the little girl in the catacombs... Hex had ticked Bex off... "Ah crap..." He murmured.

[SheriffLlama]

Sylar - Outpost

All was going as planned: Sylar had his new squad of scouts, and they were currently gearing up to make the trip to the Pub. He'd accumulated some of Reggie's best scouts, by order of the man himself. Sylar had personally selected them however. There was Lucas, who Sylar held a good bit of respect for, because of his level-headedness. Phon was their medical man, but only to the level of first aid. If he could have, he would've wanted Isaac to come, but they needed the good doctor for the larger community. Jerry was the tank of the group, and Sylar hoped that his size would help intimidate people. Simon was their final member, and he was quite a good shot with a rifle.

Sylar looked at the trunk of the Suburban, examining the contents of the bag of weapons. He'd pulled a few extra weapons from the armory, seeing as the only weapons Hazel and Meghan had were their pistols and Hazel's bow. The bag contained a Remington 700, an AR-15, 2 Glock 19's, and an military issue M4. Sylar zipped the bag, and took off his cross bow, laying it beside the bag of weapons. He unclipped the quiver of arrow from his belt and lay it by his weapon. He closed the trunk, and nodded to Phon. The man returned a nod, and went to the passenger's seat. Sylar rounded the vehicle and climbed in, turning the ignition and switching to drive. He pulled up to the gates, and waited for Adam to open them.

"See ya, Mr. Sylar!" The kid waved. Sylar gave him a mock salute and drove out of the gates, headed with his four scouts towards the Pub.

[Atomyk]

Outpost - Bex - Hex

He wasn't entirely sure what he was seeing. Had he officially gone insane? Had he been drinking? Maybe he had been, if Hex of all people was calling him "buddy". Bex stood stiffly, unsure how to respond to this man. With everything that was going on, the last thing they needed was a complication. Especially a complication as gross as Hex.

"What are doing here?" Bex asked, still in a state of shock. "You're-- Alive?" Bex shook his head. "I'm not your buddy, Hex. I never have been." He stepped forward menacingly in an attempt to make Hex uncomfortable. "I don't know how the hell you ended up here, but there are a few things you need to know before you even think about staying. Tyler is here, but you do not call him Tyler. His name is Thomas now. No, actually, he is Thomas now. Tyler no longer exists." If only that were true, Bex lamented.

"Don't mess with these people and don't mess with us, Hex. Tyler was ready to kill you back in the catacombs, so be happy Thomas is a bit kinder. I don't know how kind he'll be if you fuck us over." Bex was unbelievably angry, but he had no time to deal with this man. There would be a council meeting soon and Bex figured he had to be there. He turned around and left before Hex could respond.

---

Outpost - Reggie - Alex/Nelson

Entering the nurse's station now was Reggie, who looked about as sour as he could be. He gave Alex a long heavy look before speaking. "There's been an incident." Reggie crossed the room and stood before the two men. "You'll know soon enough what's happened, but I should tell you now. One of our own, Samantha, has been killed." Reggie stared at Alex while he gave the news. When he was satisfied, his gaze turned toward the guy with the broken nose. "Unfortunately for you, no one is to leave Outpost until the killer is caught, although I doubt you could anyway with the state we found you in. Your car was beyond repair and you were alone. I'm sorry if you had anyone with you at the time."

Fortunately for Nelson, he was just about the only one Reggie knew couldn't have committed the murder. He could not say the same for Alex, however. The exact details of Samantha's murder was a mystery. If this was another mutiny attempt, surely it was a group of people. It could even be his own scouts, Reggie realised.

"Alex, report back to your cabin immediately. I have something to discuss with the scouts. Do not talk to anyone along the way or do anything but this, for I will treat that as suspicious." With that, Reggie was gone, leaving the two men alone. He would be a very busy man soon enough.

---

Outpost

Outpost was a difficult place to live for the for the next few days. Both Nelson and Hex were forced to live within Outpost's walls whether they wanted to or not. Their probation was put on hold for when the murderer was caught, whenever that may be. Reggie was out for blood, angered not only by the depravity of the murder but by the council meddling into his affairs. If he did not find the murderer soon, it could mean the worst for Outpost. He became an irritable person, lashing out at not only his own scouts but at the the people of Outpost. He pulled random individuals into his cabin for questioning, often berating them mentally. He screamed and yelled, demanding they reveal themselves as the murderer. No one ever did.

The week continued without a murderer being found. Reggie only grew angrier and the people were becoming wary him. Rumors were started by Matt's group that Reggie was the murderer and the gossip spread like wildfire. Normally Reggie was a man who was respected, but lately he had become a man feared and reviled. He not only had to deal with finding the murderer, but had to deal with the larger community suspecting him. Though his scouts were still willing to follow him, Reggie found that the newer ones were looking antsy and ready to defect. He had taken on a few more, including the man named Hex, during the week, but Reggie knew he couldn't hold them together much longer.

It was for this reason that Reggie had to abandon Outpost. He was running himself up against a wall trying to find the murderer when the real danger still lurked outside their walls. With a little brute force, Reggie managed to escape with the majority of his scouts, setting them off toward The Pub. He left Alex behind, just as he said he would, though it was with reservation that Reggie decided to bring Aoife and Amanda. Rudy, Thomas, Bex, and Enrique followed the man, but discussed watching the man in case he did anything strange. They couldn't let him get away with murder, after all.

With Reggie gone, Outpost turned chaotic. Elliot and George came forward with the journal they found, stating that it was proof that Reggie killed Samantha. As Reggie and his scouts fled for reasons unknown to most, it was believed that was further proof of the man's guilt. Before long, almost all of Outpost believed that Reggie was a murderer. However, as no one knew if the scouts would return, the council were forced to temporarily draft a new scouting team for the time being. Though they believed the murderer was gone, Outpost was still in a state of unfortunate upheaval.

[Atomyk]

The New Orleans Museum of Art - Aoife/Cody/Sylar/Hex

The New Orleans Museum of Art had been made into a stronghold that valued luxury over security. The gang living within its walls were a disciplined sort, participating in drills and exercises at seemingly all hours of the day. It was a regiment that put Reggie's own to shame, though it was one made for turning the gang into an elite attack force rather than for their own personal safety. With the catacombs gang out of commission, it seemed that the art museum group had believed they were safe from attack.

With a week of seeking out Samantha's killer and dodging constant suspicion behind him, Reggie was out for blood. The men behind Ben's death would pay for their lives, no matter their strength or number. With the addition of the newer scouts and Sylar's group, Reggie's force was looking capable enough to take down just about anyone.

That's what Reggie wanted to believe, at least.

The museum was not lacking in entrances, but Reggie believed an assault on the enemy's front door would be ultimately advantageous for the scouts. With Sylar's info, they knew when the gang would be sending out their own scouting force, leaving the museum ripe for an attack. Their initial assault would be akin to punching a hole right through the gang and would establish a foothold on the inside for the scouts. With a pair of small groups sent to secure the other entrances, the assault would be complete.

With Sylar's words a week ago echoing in his head, Reggie chose to keep Thomas close to his side, in case the man decided to do something strange. It was decided then that his friends would be put into the smaller groups. Accompanying Reggie as well would be his most loyal members, Simon and Phon. As Sylar had been in charge of watching the museum for a week, he was also to join Reggie in the frontal assault, though he would lead the sharpshooter group that was to cover their assault from a distance until the fighting moved inside. Many of the newer members were put into this group, including both Cody and Hex. The rest were stuck with Reggie.

Sent out first were Rudy and Jerry's teams, who would lie in wait until Reggie started the attack. The initial fighting would allow them to infiltrate the other entrances without much resistance. Perfect for the female scouts, so Reggie believed. Aoife was sent with Rudy while Amanda was sent with Jerry.

There was little to discuss before the plan went underway. The newer scouts had been initially excited for the operation, but fear had settled into them and they could think of little more to do than hang off of Reggie's every word and command. They followed obediently, letting Reggie lead them unwaveringly in the battle ahead. Although some of them worried about the home they had left behind, they were all ready to lay down their lives for Outpost.

***

Marcus Booker was eating in one of the exhibition halls when he heard the gunshots. He began choking on his bread, coughing and sputtering as shouting erupted from somewhere within the museum. A pair of boys rushed into the room, but Marcus raised his hand in the air to stop them. He pointed outside, silently ordering them to assist in whatever was happening. They turned around and left, leaving Marcus to finish swallowing down his food.

"Barker!" he yelled, pushing himself out of his seat. "The hell is happening?! Barker?!"

The man named Barker entered from the next room, already armed and ready to go. He was a tall lanky man with a pointed beard that made him look older than he actually was. Despite being quite younger than Marcus, Barker was the one in charge around the museum. He gave Marcus a pointed look and nodded toward the hallway.

"We'll deal with it," was all he said before leaving. Marcus shook his head followed after him.

***

As expected, the gang hadn't been expecting them, although that did little to help the gunfire flying over Reggie's head. The men guarding the entrance had been killed before they even knew what was happening. The gunfire brought some of the gang outside, but the scouts had been more than ready for them. It would be a stand-off for a precious few minutes, but Reggie knew that the sheer force of his scouts would overwhelm the enemy eventually.

Reggie screamed in order to be heard. "Phon! Watch the entrance! Take them out if they appear!"

There were members of the gang outside already firing off shots behind the cover the stairwell to the entrance provided. The gang had set up vehicles and sandbags further from the entrance for their own defences, but the scouts were able to make use of the cover instead. It was up to the sharp shooters now to assist them in getting inside the building. "Fucking hell!" someone yelled, probably Simon. Shots were flying constantly and it was hard to get a read on the situation. When Reggie began to fear for his plan, the sharpshooters managed to come through and take out a couple of men at the entrance. Reggie's group roared with confidence as they proceeded to roll through the remaining men.

All that was left was to rush inside.

---

Lauren - Haywood - Rob

She was too upset to listen. Too angry to even give Daniel's words a chance. She had stayed silent while Daniel spoke with her, telling her all kinds of what she thought of as bullshit. He assured her that he was one of the good guys and that he had her best interest at heart. How could any of that be true when they had locked up Bull? His death was on their hands, no matter who did the slaying. Haywood hadn't been content with just slaying the kidnapped women, they had to slay her man as well. Not only that, but also slay themselves in the process. Any group that could gouge themselves so thoroughly was surely no good place for Katie or herself to be.

But Lauren was spared having to listen to more of the man's drivel when he left suddenly, leaving her alone with Rob. Lauren would have rather gone out to look for Katie, but it wasn't possible in her condition. She was forced to listen as Rob continued where Daniel left off. When she couldn't stand it any longer, she finally spoke up. "You all blame that man, but where did that man come from? There must be something in the water, because I see nothing good coming out of Haywood. Your previous leader was selling off your women. When you came to save them, all you did was end up slaughtering them!"

She'd said more than she wanted to. She wouldn't be surprised if she ended up dead before the night was over and she would never get Katie to safety then. She needed to control her anger and stop being so foolish. "... But I'm alive thanks to all of you. There's that, at least. Please, just give me some time."

[Atomyk]

Reggie - The New Orleans Museum of Art

The scouts had managed to secure the entrances, trapping the art museum gang inside their own home. The surprise attack had forced the gang to come out in haphazard waves, ultimately mitigating their possible strength. Though some of Reggie's men had suffered wounds, they were all at least alive so far. The wounded were left behind with the newer members to watch the front entrance while Reggie moved deeper into the museum with the sharpshooters. Eventually, the core of the fighting settled in one of the exhibition halls, gunshot fire zipping by discarded art exhibits.

Reggie spotted a tall man issuing orders from across the hall and nudged Simon at his side. "That man has to be taken out!" Reggie said over the gunfire. "Ben's death is on his head!" Simon nodded in affirmation and moved to duck behind a dividing wall. Though the man had only recently recovered from his wounds, Simon was one of Reggie's biggest supporters. This attack had been eagerly anticipated by Simon. Reggie might have been scared of the man's grin if he wasn't on their side.

That grin was plastered on Simon's face while he awaited a chance to get into position. Yelling, Reggie rose along with Phon and fired on a lone statue to the right, sending a group of gang members scrambling to find new cover. This gave Simon a chance to move forward and get into a position where he could take out the leader. "For Ben!" Reggie could hear the man yell as he fired on the unsuspecting leader. Most of the shots went wide, but a bullet managed to clip the man in the head and sent him dropping to the ground. There was a raucous cheer from the scouts as the gang scrambled in the face of their fading confidence.

But then someone screamed. Reggie saw the grenade before Simon did. He tried to yell out, but the blast forced him to duck down and lose sight of Simon. A slight ringing in his ears kept him pinned. Blood pumped heavily in his veins and his ears thumped loudly. Reggie didn't rise until someone uttered the words, "He's dead! Simon's dead!"

He looked over his cover to find the dividing worn from the explosion. Red splatter could be seen on the wall and ground. Their first casualty, and their last. Reggie hopped over the low wall and rushed to the left dividing wall. His men pushed forward with him, sending the art museum gang scrambling to maintain distance. Their numbers had dwindled to pitiful amounts and Reggie could see some of them fleeing in fear. It was like a chain reaction in motion as the remaining gang members ran fleeing one after another. Reggie called out for his scouts to pursue them. "Thomas!" he yelled. "You're with me!" The man nodded and followed Reggie into the hallway.

---

Marcus - The New Orleans Museum of Art

He was on the move now, trying to think of some way to fix all of this. He had always needed to move to live, it seemed. A life of vagrancy had suited him well in the apocalypse, but it had been a lonely way to live. No attachments meant no heartbreak, but Marcus had done a whole lot of that when the world was still functioning. Eventually he decided that he wanted a change in the new world. That's why he finally stopped moving and fell in with Barker and his gang. Most of them were far younger than him, but he had pulled his weight. Perhaps Barker saw wisdom in Marcus' years and made him second-in-command for that reason. Perhaps Marcus was just lucky.

Actually, no, that wasn't true. If Marcus was lucky, he wouldn't have been in this position. With Barker dead, it meant Marcus was in command, but there was very little left to command. He had been forced to leave the fighting with only Clark and Berg by his side. Winning was not possible at this point; All Marcus could hope for was to get himself and his two companions to safety.

Shouting from further down the hall stopped Marcus and his followers in their tracks. He hesitated, unsure how to proceed. They were likely surrounded from every direction. If only they had been more diligent in their security, then perhaps--

"We'll split up!" Berg said, suddenly rushing down the right hallway. "Meet at the emergency exit!"

Marcus looked at Clark and the man sighed. They both ducked into the left hallway, hoping for salvation. They ran as fast as their legs could carry them, which was surprisingly fast for Marcus at his age. He knew he was running mostly on adrenaline and that he probably would be feeling like shit later if he managed to survive this. "Damn it! Marcus--" A shot fired, making Marcus duck. He looked up to find two men standing before him in the hallway, one with a goatee and pointing a gun to Marcus' right. A slight gurgling noise made Marcus look in that direction, and he found Clark on the ground, blood leaking from his neck. It was a harsh sight, but Marcus only looked back toward the two men and shook his head.

"Who are you people?" Marcus asked, his voice sounding rather even.

The man turned his gun on Marcus and paused. "You killed one of our own," he said. "You were a threat to our way of life."

Ah, so that's how it was. "I'm sorry to hear that, but--" Marcus would die here, he knew. It had been a long enough life, if not a terribly happy one. "That's the way of things now. If it was not us who killed your friend, it would have been something else eventually."

The man stared at Marcus with a blank expression. He then nodded. "This is the way of things now." The gun in his hand fired. All Marcus could see was red.

[Roran Hawkins]

Alex Clark - The Outpost - Nelson/Reggie

When Reggie came what resembled mst charging through the door he sent both of the men a ferocious glare. Then he started talking. There had been an incident, a murder. Samantha had been murdered by someone within the Outpost. Woah. He needed a moment to let that sink in, but Reggie didn't allow him to.

"Alex, report back to your cabin immediately. I have something to discuss with the scouts. Do not talk to anyone along the way or do anything but this, for I will treat that as suspicious."

He looked at his feet and nodded, muttering an inconsistent reply. On top of having to stay home, he was now forced into a real house arrest, unable to leave the Outpost for whatever reason possible. He already felt his heart sink into his shoes as he thought about the prospective. It only hurt more that Reggie explicitly had to state that he had to discuss something with the scouts, of which he clearly was not a part anymore. Even worse, he had already earned Reggie's suspicion for murdering Samantha. He almost left Nelson standing there, all alone, but then decided that the man needed to sleep somewhere, and with th entire situation, noone was going to help him with that. "Hey, uh, Nelson. I'll show you the way to the newcomer's cabin. Follow me."

---

Alex Clark - The Outpost - Nelson

Once outside he saw the entire Outpost in a strange silence, with muffled voices coming out of all cabins. It was fairly intimidating, but he had little eye for it. Showing Nelson to the cabin he waved him goodbye. "Don't do anything stupid with Reggie in this mood. And don't worry, usually this place is pretty safe."

---

Alex Clark - The Outpost

From that point on a horrible few weeks arrived for Alex. Forced into doing nothing almost all day long, he spent hours and hours of desperately keeping himself busy with as many tasks and burdens as possible, to escape the horrible moments of terror and guilt when he thought about the people he had gotten killed. He could see their ghosts walk slowly towards him in frequent day-dreams, haunting him, calling him out for getting him killed. Sometimes they were human, sometimes they were crawler. They always were about to kill him, making him shake into reality with cold sweat running down his back. He slept less and less, only adding to his desperate nervosity, and he tried to run from the visions by working even more than before. The fear of the attacks became almost as worse as the attacks themselves, and after a few weeks he was in a state of insomnia and fear that he tried to hide behind a masterfully crafted facade, that most people could see through if they tried.

The situation in the Outpost itself didn't help either. Everyone was stressed by the murder, and Reggie's unusual behaviour only made things worse. Quickly insults, threats and accusations were thrown around, everyone being seen as a potential murderer, Reggie being the most irrational. He quickly saw the unofficial leader of the Outpost reduced into a state of permanent paranoid accusations, and even he had become the victim of a wild outrage of suspicion. Despite how he respected the man, it hd dawned on him that he wasn't fit to be a leader anymore. Not for the entire Outpost at least. Being paranoid was a good characterstic out there, but inside this community they needed mutual trust, a thing that was sorely lacking, and kept fading away as he continued on his irrational behaviour. Soon however he was blamed for the murder himself, and the situation deteriorated even further. He did not believe the rumour going around like a fire that Reggie had killed Samantha, having withnessed how protective he was of human life on scouting missions, but his voice was lost in the weathering storm.

One day, Reggie, together with most of the experienced scouts, suddenly left. He absentmindedly noted that Reggie hadn't taken him with him, as an ex-scout, but he understood the man's decision, however much it jarred him. He was unreliable out there, not good enough. he would be more of a risk than an asset. But perhaps Reggie just did not trust him anymore, and suspected him from murdering Samantha for real.

After Reggie was gone, the chaos that had been barreled up inside his rigid discplinary house arrest all exploded. A new wave of accusations were voiced, primarily against Reggie, and already proof was being thrown around by Elliot and George, all to eager to show it the moment Reggie left. Why hadn't they showed the proof earlier? How had they even gotten that proof, Reggie's personal journal? Being a history student at heart, he decided to apply source critism, and therefore became a bit wary around both Elliot and George. That feeling quickly faded as everyone started to accept that, and they didn't seem to act like plotting murderers to him at all. Time to take off the tinfoil hat and be useful, he had thought on the morning that the council decided to draft a new scouting team. His chance to prove his worth again, and escape the Outposts' borders and his agnozing visions.