[IC] The Walking Dead: Chicago (Dark, post-apocalyptic zombie RP - Always open!)

[wolverbells]

#2

While the two in front of them talked about what Samantha had said, Scarlett pulled her sister over and gave her a questioning look. "Can we travel with you? Really? We don't know these people, Sam. They could've killed us when they walked in.."

"But they didn't!" Samantha chimed in.

"I can see that..... I don't know how to feel about this." Scarlett shot a glance at the couple across the room from them and back to Samantha.

"Pretty sure you're the one that's always talking to strangers, Scar. Plus... I'd feel safer with a couple more people." Samantha shrugged, knowing she took her sister by surprise. She wasn't usually one to speak freely to people.

Scarlett sighed and looked at her sister, smiling after a minute. "Alright. I trust your judgement."

Each of the girls shook Levi's hand as he accepted the offer. "Great..... I'm Scarlett. The midget is Samantha." Scarlett grinned as she shrugged her backpack on. "We'll follow wherever you go. We promise not to be a burden."

[wolverbells]

-deleted-

[wolverbells]

-deleted-

[threedawg]

-deleted, RPG is glitching the hell out and posting the same post multiple times-

[threedawg]

#2

"Promise her," he advised, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder and in Evelyn's direction. "She's the one you want to-"

"Quiet, there's something out there!" said Evelyn, a hint of panic in her voice cracking her usual equanimity.

The entire group fell completely silent. Levi and Evelyn hardly dared to breathe, and the only sound in their ears was that of their respective heartbeats. Evelyn leaned against the window and peered out into the verdant and dense forestry, trying to catch any shapes moving in the distance. Nothing.

"Are you sure?" asked Levi, feeling increasingly on edge. "Evelyn!"

She did not respond. The shadow of fear on her face said more than a thousand words could and she immediately ducked down, signalling for everyone else to hide. Levi swiftly locked the door and pressed his back against it, looking down at his crouching companion with complete bemusement and concern. He had no idea what she had seen but he had almost always trusted her judgement. Slowly but surely, he begin to hear the same sounds that she had warned them of. The faintest echoes of moaning and groaning were carried to his ears; it was the signature death knell of the walkers. The sounds began to get louder with each passing second and, soon enough, it had drowned out the euphony of the birds in the tree tops.

"Where are they?" he whispered to Evelyn.

"They're far away but I can still see them, they're heading right he-"

"In here!" came a desperate voice directly outside the cabin.

Levi felt a powerful slam on the door behind him and could not stop himself from doubling over from the door's impact against the back of his head. He whipped around and pressed his shoulder hard against it as Evelyn slid to the floor and pressed herself against the wall so that no one could see her if they were to look in through the window.

"I can't open it!" shrieked the voice.

"Keep pushing it, I know you can do it!" said another voice, more high-pitched than the first one.

"I can't, it's locked! There's-someone-inside!" said the older girl, each word interspersed with a slam against the door.

"Please, just leave, don't make me do this..." thought Levi, his heart still pounding madly against his chest.

The sounds of the walker herd were becoming deafening. He could hear every little detail; the scraping of their feet against the detritus strewn across the forest floor, the vicious gnashing of their teeth and that horrible snarling sound they made when closing in on a victim.

For some reason, he knew that the two survivors would not or could not attempt to escape. The fear in their voices had been accompanied by utter exhaustion and it seemed that they could no longer run. Even now, he could hear both of them panting, suggesting that the herd of walkers had chased them for miles. A hunt with such alarming dedication and bloodthirst suggested that the herd itself must be comprised of at least a hundred walkers... and those hundred ravenous walkers were now converging on the fragile log house that they were now trapped in.

Considering the dire circumstances, Levi was unable to rack his brains enough to see beyond a binary choice. The first option was to let the stragglers in, try to hold off the walker herd and find a way out together. The second option, ostensibly more sinister, was to allow the undead to feast on the girls outside and use the distraction to escape through a back window.

His mind was not equipped to deal with such a great burden, especially not such a sudden one. What was truly more evil? He felt that the clear 'moral' choice was to allow the girls inside and attempt to protect them, but what if that led to the death of the rest of them? Wouldn't it be more evil to let them in and endanger the lives of the rest of the group? He had to decide whether or not the risk was worth it and was completely sundered in half by the choices presented to him. This entire situation was too much for him.

He gazed down at Evelyn and felt his heart sink to see that she seemed to be as troubled as he was, indecision etched into her face. Finding no recourse in her, his frantic eyes swivelled towards Scarlet and Samantha, silently begging them to help him.

[threedawg]

"Promise her," he advised, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder and in Evelyn's direction. "She's the one you want to-"

"Quiet, there's something out there!" said Evelyn, a hint of panic in her voice cracking her usual equanimity.

The entire group fell completely silent. Levi and Evelyn hardly dared to breathe, and the only sound in their ears was that of their respective heartbeats. Evelyn leaned against the window and peered out into the verdant and dense forestry, trying to catch any shapes moving in the distance. Nothing.

"Are you sure?" asked Levi, feeling increasingly on edge. "Evelyn!"

She did not respond. The shadow of fear on her face said more than a thousand words could and she immediately ducked down, signalling for everyone else to hide. Levi swiftly locked the door and pressed his back against it, looking down at his crouching companion with complete bemusement and concern. He had no idea what she had seen but he had almost always trusted her judgement. Slowly but surely, he begin to hear the same sounds that she had warned them of. The faintest echoes of moaning and groaning were carried to his ears; it was the signature death knell of the walkers. The sounds began to get louder with each passing second and, soon enough, it had drowned out the euphony of the birds in the tree tops.

"Where are they?" he whispered to Evelyn.

"They're far away but I can still see them, they're heading right he-"

"In here!" came a desperate voice directly outside the cabin.

Levi felt a powerful slam on the door behind him and could not stop himself from doubling over from the door's impact against the back of his head. He whipped around and pressed his shoulder hard against it as Evelyn slid to the floor and pressed herself against the wall so that no one could see her if they were to look in through the window.

"I can't open it!" shrieked the voice.

"Keep trying, I know you can do it!" said another voice, more high-pitched than the first one.

"I can't, it's locked! There's-someone-inside!" said the older girl, each word interspersed with a slam against the door.

"Please, just leave, don't make me do this..." thought Levi, his heart still pounding madly against his chest.

The sounds of the walker herd were becoming deafening. He could hear every little detail; the scraping of their feet against the detritus strewn across the forest floor, the vicious gnashing of their teeth and that horrible snarling sound they made when closing in on a victim.

For some reason, he knew that the two survivors would not or could not attempt to escape. The fear in their voices had been accompanied by utter exhaustion and it seemed that they could no longer run. Even now, he could hear both of them panting, suggesting that the herd of walkers had chased them for miles. A hunt with such alarming dedication and blood-thirst suggested that the herd itself must be comprised of at least a hundred walkers... and those hundred, ravenous walkers were now converging on the fragile log house that had become their prison.

Considering the dire circumstances, Levi was unable to rack his brains enough to see beyond a binary choice. The first option was to let the stragglers in, try to hold off the walker herd and find a way out together. The second option, ostensibly more sinister, was to allow the undead to feast on the girls outside and use the distraction to escape through a back window.

His mind was not equipped to deal with such a great burden, especially not such a sudden one. What was truly more evil? He felt that the clear 'moral' choice was to allow the girls inside and attempt to protect them, but what if that led to the death of the rest of them? Wouldn't it be more evil to let them in and endanger the lives of the rest of the group? He had to decide whether or not the risk was worth it and was completely sundered in half by the choices presented to him. This entire situation was too much for him.

He gazed down at Evelyn and felt his heart sink to see that she seemed to be as troubled as he was, indecision etched into her face. Finding no recourse in her, his frantic eyes swiveled towards Scarlet and Samantha, silently begging them to help him.

[threedawg]

"Promise her," he advised, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder and in Evelyn's direction. "She's the one you want to-"

"Quiet, there's something out there!" said Evelyn, a hint of panic in her voice cracking her usual equanimity.

The entire group fell completely silent. Levi and Evelyn hardly dared to breathe, and the only sound in their ears was that of their respective heartbeats. Evelyn leaned against the window and peered out into the verdant and dense forestry, trying to catch any shapes moving in the distance. Nothing.

"Are you sure?" asked Levi, feeling increasingly on edge. "Evelyn!"

She did not respond. The shadow of fear on her face said more than a thousand words could and she immediately ducked down, signalling for everyone else to hide. Levi swiftly locked the door and pressed his back against it, looking down at his crouching companion with complete bemusement and concern. He had no idea what she had seen but he had almost always trusted her judgement. Slowly but surely, he begin to hear the same sounds that she had warned them of. The faintest echoes of moaning and groaning were carried to his ears; it was the signature death knell of the walkers. The sounds began to get louder with each passing second and, soon enough, it had drowned out the euphony of the birds in the tree tops.

"Where are they?" he whispered to Evelyn.

"They're far away but I can still see them, they're heading right he-"

"In here!" came a desperate voice directly outside the cabin.

Levi felt a powerful slam on the door behind him and could not stop himself from doubling over from the door's impact against the back of his head. He whipped around and pressed his shoulder hard against it as Evelyn slid to the floor and pressed herself against the wall so that no one could see her if they were to look in through the window.

"I can't open it!" shrieked the voice.

"Keep trying, I know you can do it!" said another voice, more high-pitched than the first one.

"I can't, it's locked! There's-someone-inside!" said the older girl, each word interspersed with a slam against the door.

"Please, just leave, don't make me do this..." thought Levi, his heart still pounding madly against his chest.

The sounds of the walker herd were becoming deafening. He could hear every little detail; the scraping of their feet against the detritus strewn across the forest floor, the vicious gnashing of their teeth and that horrible snarling sound they made when closing in on a victim.

For some reason, he knew that the two survivors would not or could not attempt to escape. The fear in their voices had been accompanied by utter exhaustion and it seemed that they could no longer run. Even now, he could hear both of them panting, suggesting that the herd of walkers had chased them for miles. A hunt with such alarming dedication and blood-thirst suggested that the herd itself must be comprised of at least a hundred walkers... and those hundred, ravenous walkers were now converging on the fragile log house that had become their prison.

Considering the dire circumstances, Levi was unable to rack his brains enough to see beyond a binary choice. The first option was to let the stragglers in, try to hold off the walker herd and find a way out together. The second option, ostensibly more sinister, was to allow the undead to feast on the girls outside and use the distraction to escape through a back window.

His mind was not equipped to deal with such a great burden, especially not such a sudden one. What was truly more evil? He felt that the clear 'moral' choice was to allow the girls inside and attempt to protect them, but what if that led to the death of the rest of them? Wouldn't it be more evil to let them in and endanger the lives of the rest of the group? He had to decide whether or not the risk was worth it and was completely sundered in half by the choices presented to him. This entire situation was too much for him.

He gazed down at Evelyn and felt his heart sink to see that she seemed to be as troubled as he was, indecision etched into her face. Finding no recourse in her, his frantic eyes swiveled towards Scarlet and Samantha, silently begging them to help him.

[threedawg]

-deleted, RPG is glitching the hell out and posting the same post multiple times-

[threedawg]

#2

"Promise her," he advised, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder and in Evelyn's direction. "She's the one you want to-"

"Quiet!" snapped Evelyn suddenly, the hint of panic in her voice breaking her usual equanimity. "There's something out there!"

The entire group fell completely silent. Levi and Evelyn hardly dared to breathe, and the only sound in their ears was that of their respective heartbeats. Evelyn leaned against the window and peered out into the verdant and dense forestry, trying to catch any shapes moving in the distance. Nothing.

"Are you sure?" asked Levi, feeling increasingly on edge. "Evelyn!"

She did not respond. The shadow of fear on her face said more than a thousand words could and she immediately ducked down, signalling for everyone else to hide. Levi swiftly locked the door and pressed his back against it, looking down at his crouching companion with complete bemusement and concern. He had no idea what she had seen but he had almost always trusted her judgement. Slowly but surely, he begin to hear the same sounds that she had warned them of. The faintest echoes of moaning and groaning were carried to his ears; it was the signature death knell of the walkers. The sounds began to get louder with each passing second and, soon enough, it had drowned out the euphony of the birds in the tree tops.

"Where are they?" he whispered to Evelyn.

"They're far away but I can still see them, they're heading right to-"

"In here!" came a desperate voice directly outside the house.

Levi felt a powerful slam on the door behind him and could not stop himself from doubling over from the door's impact against the back of his head. He whipped around and pressed his shoulder hard against it as Evelyn slid to the floor and pressed herself against the wall so that no one could see her if they were to look in through the window.

"I can't open it!" shrieked the voice.

"Keep going, I know you can do it!" said another voice, more high-pitched than the first one.

"I can't, it's locked! There's-someone-inside!" said the older girl, each word interspersed with a slam against the door.

"Please, just leave, don't make me do this..." thought Levi, his heart still pounding madly against his chest.

The sounds of the walker herd were becoming deafening. He could hear every little detail; the scraping of their feet against the detritus strewn across the forest floor, the vicious gnashing of their teeth and that horrible snarling sound they made when closing in on a victim.

For some reason, he knew that the two survivors would not or could not attempt to escape. The fear in their voices had been accompanied by utter exhaustion and it seemed that they could no longer run. Even now, he could hear both of them panting, suggesting that the herd of walkers had chased them for miles. A hunt with such alarming dedication and blood thirst suggested that the herd itself must be comprised of at least a hundred walkers... and those hundred ravenous walkers were now converging on the fragile log house that had become their prison.

Considering the dire circumstances, Levi was unable to rack his brains enough to see beyond a binary choice. The first option was to let the stragglers in, try to hold off the walker herd and find a way out together. The second option, ostensibly more sinister, was to allow the undead to feast on the girls outside and use the distraction to escape through a back window.

His mind was not equipped to deal with such a great burden, especially not such a sudden one. What was truly more evil? He felt that the clear 'moral' choice was to allow the girls inside and attempt to protect them, but what if that led to the death of the rest of them? Wouldn't it be more evil to let them in and endanger the lives of the rest of the group? He had to decide whether or not the risk was worth it and was completely sundered in half by the choices presented to him. This entire situation was too much for him.

He gazed down at Evelyn and felt his heart sink to see that she seemed to be as troubled as he was, indecision etched into her face. Finding no recourse in her, his frantic eyes swiveled towards Scarlet and Samantha, silently begging them to help him.

[threedawg]

#2

"Promise her," he advised, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder and in Evelyn's direction. "She's the one you want to-"

"Quiet!" snapped Evelyn suddenly, the hint of panic in her voice breaking her usual equanimity. "There's something out there!"

The entire group fell completely silent. Levi and Evelyn hardly dared to breathe, and the only sound in their ears was that of their respective heartbeats. Evelyn leaned against the window and peered out into the verdant and dense forestry, trying to catch any shapes moving in the distance. Nothing.

"Are you sure?" asked Levi, feeling increasingly on edge. "Evelyn!"

She did not respond. The shadow of fear on her face said more than a thousand words could and she immediately ducked down, signalling for everyone else to hide. Levi swiftly locked the door and pressed his back against it, looking down at his crouching companion with complete bemusement and concern. He had no idea what she had seen but he had almost always trusted her judgement. Slowly but surely, he begin to hear the same sounds that she had warned them of. The faintest echoes of moaning and groaning were carried to his ears; it was the signature death knell of the walkers. The sounds began to get louder with each passing second and, soon enough, it had drowned out the euphony of the birds in the tree tops.

"Where are they?" he whispered to Evelyn.

"They're far away but I can still see them, they're heading right to-"

"In here!" came a desperate voice directly outside the house.

Levi felt a powerful slam on the door behind him and could not stop himself from doubling over from the door's impact against the back of his head. He whipped around and pressed his shoulder hard against it as Evelyn slid to the floor and pressed herself against the wall so that no one could see her if they were to look in through the window.

"I can't open it!" shrieked the voice.

"Keep going, I know you can do it!" said another voice, more high-pitched than the first one.

"I can't, it's locked! There's-someone-inside!" said the older girl, each word interspersed with a slam against the door.

"Please, just leave, don't make me do this..." thought Levi, his heart still pounding madly against his chest.

The sounds of the walker herd were becoming deafening. He could hear every little detail; the scraping of their feet against the detritus strewn across the forest floor, the vicious gnashing of their teeth and that horrible snarling sound they made when closing in on a victim.

For some reason, he knew that the two survivors would not or could not attempt to escape. The fear in their voices had been accompanied by utter exhaustion and it seemed that they could no longer run. Even now, he could hear both of them panting, suggesting that the herd of walkers had chased them for miles. A hunt with such alarming dedication and blood thirst suggested that the herd itself must be comprised of at least a hundred walkers... and those hundred ravenous walkers were now converging on the fragile log house that had become their prison.

Considering the dire circumstances, Levi was unable to rack his brains enough to see beyond a binary choice. The first option was to let the stragglers in, try to hold off the walker herd and find a way out together. The second option, ostensibly more sinister, was to allow the undead to feast on the girls outside and use the distraction to escape through a back window.

His mind was not equipped to deal with such a great burden, especially not such a sudden one. What was truly more evil? He felt that the clear 'moral' choice was to allow the girls inside and attempt to protect them, but what if that led to the death of the rest of them? Wouldn't it be more evil to let them in and endanger the lives of the rest of the group? He had to decide whether or not the risk was worth it and was completely sundered in half by the choices presented to him. This entire situation was too much for him.

He gazed down at Evelyn and felt his heart sink to see that she seemed to be as troubled as he was, indecision etched into her face. Finding no recourse in her, his frantic eyes swiveled towards Scarlet and Samantha, silently begging them to help him.

[threedawg]

#2

"Promise her," he advised, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder and in Evelyn's direction. "She's the one you want to-"

"Quiet!" snapped Evelyn suddenly, the hint of panic in her voice breaking her usual equanimity. "There's something out there!"

The entire group fell completely silent. Levi and Evelyn hardly dared to breathe, and the only sound in their ears was that of their respective heartbeats. Evelyn leaned against the window and peered out into the verdant and dense forestry, trying to catch any shapes moving in the distance. Nothing.

"Are you sure?" asked Levi, feeling increasingly on edge. "Evelyn!"

She did not respond. The shadow of fear on her face said more than a thousand words could and she immediately ducked down, signalling for everyone else to hide. Levi swiftly locked the door and pressed his back against it, looking down at his crouching companion with complete bemusement and concern. He had no idea what she had seen but he had almost always trusted her judgement. Slowly but surely, he begin to hear the same sounds that she had warned them of. The faintest echoes of moaning and groaning were carried to his ears; it was the signature death knell of the walkers. The sounds began to get louder with each passing second and, soon enough, it had drowned out the euphony of the birds in the tree tops.

"Where are they?" he whispered to Evelyn.

"They're far away but I can still see them, they're heading right to-"

"In here!" came a desperate voice directly outside the house.

Levi felt a powerful slam on the door behind him and could not stop himself from doubling over from the door's impact against the back of his head. He whipped around and pressed his shoulder hard against it as Evelyn slid to the floor and pressed herself against the wall so that no one could see her if they were to look in through the window.

"I can't open it!" shrieked the voice.

"Keep going, I know you can do it!" said another voice, more high-pitched than the first one.

"I can't, it's locked! There's-someone-inside!" said the older girl, each word interspersed with a slam against the door.

"Please, just leave, don't make me do this..." thought Levi, his heart still pounding madly against his chest.

The sounds of the walker herd were becoming deafening. He could hear every little detail; the scraping of their feet against the detritus strewn across the forest floor, the vicious gnashing of their teeth and that horrible snarling sound they made when closing in on a victim.

For some reason, he knew that the two survivors would not or could not attempt to escape. The fear in their voices had been accompanied by utter exhaustion and it seemed that they could no longer run. Even now, he could hear both of them panting, suggesting that the herd of walkers had chased them for miles. A hunt with such alarming dedication and blood thirst suggested that the herd itself must be comprised of at least a hundred walkers... and those hundred ravenous walkers were now converging on the fragile log house that had become their prison.

Considering the dire circumstances, Levi was unable to rack his brains enough to see beyond a binary choice. The first option was to let the stragglers in, try to hold off the walker herd and find a way out together. The second option, ostensibly more sinister, was to allow the undead to feast on the girls outside and use the distraction to escape through a back window.

His mind was not equipped to deal with such a great burden, especially not such a sudden one. What was truly more evil? He felt that the clear 'moral' choice was to allow the girls inside and attempt to protect them, but what if that led to the death of the rest of them? Wouldn't it be more evil to let them in and endanger the lives of the rest of the group? He had to decide whether or not the risk was worth it and was completely sundered in half by the choices presented to him. This entire situation was too much for him.

He gazed down at Evelyn and felt his heart sink to see that she seemed to be as troubled as he was, indecision etched into her face. Finding no recourse in her, his frantic eyes swiveled towards Scarlet and Samantha, silently begging them to help him.

[threedawg]

#2

"Promise her," he advised, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder and in Evelyn's direction. "She's the one you want to-"

"Quiet!" snapped Evelyn suddenly, the hint of panic in her voice breaking her usual equanimity. "There's something out there!"

The entire group fell completely silent. Levi and Evelyn hardly dared to breathe, and the only sound in their ears was that of their respective heartbeats. Evelyn leaned against the window and peered out into the verdant and dense forestry, trying to catch any shapes moving in the distance. Nothing.

"Are you sure?" asked Levi, feeling increasingly on edge. "Evelyn!"

She did not respond. The shadow of fear on her face said more than a thousand words could and she immediately ducked down, signalling for everyone else to hide. Levi swiftly locked the door and pressed his back against it, looking down at his crouching companion with complete bemusement and concern. He had no idea what she had seen but he had almost always trusted her judgement. Slowly but surely, he begin to hear the same sounds that she had warned them of. The faintest echoes of moaning and groaning were carried to his ears; it was the signature death knell of the walkers. The sounds began to get louder with each passing second and, soon enough, it had drowned out the euphony of the birds in the tree tops.

"Where are they?" he whispered to Evelyn.

"They're far away but I can still see them, they're heading right to-"

"In here!" came a desperate voice directly outside the house.

Levi felt a powerful slam on the door behind him and could not stop himself from doubling over from the door's impact against the back of his head. He whipped around and pressed his shoulder hard against it as Evelyn slid to the floor and pressed herself against the wall so that no one could see her if they were to look in through the window.

"I can't open it!" shrieked the voice.

"Keep going, I know you can do it!" said another voice, more high-pitched than the first one.

"I can't, it's locked! There's-someone-inside!" said the older girl, each word interspersed with a slam against the door.

"Please, just leave, don't make me do this..." thought Levi, his heart still pounding madly against his chest.

The sounds of the walker herd were becoming deafening. He could hear every little detail; the scraping of their feet against the detritus strewn across the forest floor, the vicious gnashing of their teeth and that horrible snarling sound they made when closing in on a victim.

For some reason, he knew that the two survivors would not or could not attempt to escape. The fear in their voices had been accompanied by utter exhaustion and it seemed that they could no longer run. Even now, he could hear both of them panting, suggesting that the herd of walkers had chased them for miles. A hunt with such alarming dedication and blood thirst suggested that the herd itself must be comprised of at least a hundred walkers... and those hundred ravenous walkers were now converging on the fragile log house that had become their prison.

Considering the dire circumstances, Levi was unable to rack his brains enough to see beyond a binary choice. The first option was to let the stragglers in, try to hold off the walker herd and find a way out together. The second option, ostensibly more sinister, was to allow the undead to feast on the girls outside and use the distraction to escape through a back window.

His mind was not equipped to deal with such a great burden, especially not such a sudden one. What was truly more evil? He felt that the clear 'moral' choice was to allow the girls inside and attempt to protect them, but what if that led to the death of the rest of them? Wouldn't it be more evil to let them in and endanger the lives of the rest of the group? He had to decide whether or not the risk was worth it and was completely sundered in half by the choices presented to him. This entire situation was too much for him.

He gazed down at Evelyn and felt his heart sink to see that she seemed to be as troubled as he was, indecision etched into her face. Finding no recourse in her, his frantic eyes swiveled towards Scarlet and Samantha, silently begging them to help him.

[threedawg]

#2

"Promise her," he advised, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder and in Evelyn's direction. "She's the one you want to-"

"Quiet!" snapped Evelyn suddenly, the hint of panic in her voice breaking her usual equanimity. "There's something out there!"

The entire group fell completely silent. Levi and Evelyn hardly dared to breathe, and the only sound in their ears was that of their respective heartbeats. Evelyn leaned against the window and peered out into the verdant and dense forestry, trying to catch any shapes moving in the distance. Nothing.

"Are you sure?" asked Levi, feeling increasingly on edge. "Evelyn!"

She did not respond. The shadow of fear on her face said more than a thousand words could and she immediately ducked down, signalling for everyone else to hide. Levi swiftly locked the door and pressed his back against it, looking down at his crouching companion with complete bemusement and concern. He had no idea what she had seen but he had almost always trusted her judgement. Slowly but surely, he begin to hear the same sounds that she had warned them of. The faintest echoes of moaning and groaning were carried to his ears; it was the signature death knell of the walkers. The sounds began to get louder with each passing second and, soon enough, it had drowned out the euphony of the birds in the tree tops.

"Where are they?" he whispered to Evelyn.

"They're far away but I can still see them, they're heading right to-"

"In here!" came a desperate voice directly outside the house.

Levi felt a powerful slam on the door behind him and could not stop himself from doubling over from the door's impact against the back of his head. He whipped around and pressed his shoulder hard against it as Evelyn slid to the floor and pressed herself against the wall so that no one could see her if they were to look in through the window.

"I can't open it!" shrieked the voice.

"Keep going, I know you can do it!" said another voice, more high-pitched than the first one.

"I can't, it's locked! There's-someone-inside!" said the older girl, each word interspersed with a slam against the door.

"Please, just leave, don't make me do this..." thought Levi, his heart still pounding madly against his chest.

The sounds of the walker herd were becoming deafening. He could hear every little detail; the scraping of their feet against the detritus strewn across the forest floor, the vicious gnashing of their teeth and that horrible snarling sound they made when closing in on a victim.

For some reason, he knew that the two survivors would not or could not attempt to escape. The fear in their voices had been accompanied by utter exhaustion and it seemed that they could no longer run. Even now, he could hear both of them panting, suggesting that the herd of walkers had chased them for miles. A hunt with such alarming dedication and blood thirst suggested that the herd itself must be comprised of at least a hundred walkers... and those hundred ravenous walkers were now converging on the fragile log house that had become their prison.

Considering the dire circumstances, Levi was unable to rack his brains enough to see beyond a binary choice. The first option was to let the stragglers in, try to hold off the walker herd and find a way out together. The second option, ostensibly more sinister, was to allow the undead to feast on the girls outside and use the distraction to escape through a back window.

His mind was not equipped to deal with such a great burden, especially not such a sudden one. What was truly more evil? He felt that the clear 'moral' choice was to allow the girls inside and attempt to protect them, but what if that led to the death of the rest of them? Wouldn't it be more evil to let them in and endanger the lives of the rest of the group? He had to decide whether or not the risk was worth it and was completely sundered in half by the choices presented to him. This entire situation was too much for him.

He gazed down at Evelyn and felt his heart sink to see that she seemed to be as troubled as he was, indecision etched into her face. Finding no recourse in her, his frantic eyes swiveled towards Scarlet and Samantha, silently begging them to help him.

[wolverbells]

#2

The words coming out of Evelyn's mouth made Samantha's heart drop. They had been doing so well for the past week only to get trapped in a house that looked like it would fall over with a gust of wind. She immediately dropped to all fours, grabbing her crossbow and sliding under the center table.

Scarlett wasn't far behind, diving towards a corner of the house hidden from the few windows.

As they hid, Samantha tried to control her breathing, her eyes locked with her sister's.

They kept their calm fairly well up until they heard the voice of two females. Scarlett gasped and mouthed the words "no" not wanting to leave them outside. Samantha on the other hand hissed the words "No", not wanting the door to be opened. "Open it!" Scarlett whispered to Levi, "please!"

Samantha shook her head, at the verge of crying. "Scarlett, no!"

Scarlett ignored her sister and continued pleading, "If it were you two out there, I would've opened the door for you."

[wolverbells]

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[wolverbells]

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[wolverbells]

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[threedawg]

#2

Although they were identical twins, their manners of thinking could not be more different. Since they were evenly split on the issue, it had been no use consulting them for a decision. This was something he would have to decide; after all, he was the most culpable, since he was the one blocking their entry into the log house.

"You're killing us!" she wailed. "YOU'RE KILLING US!"

Levi stared at the lock, feeling his hand inexorably reaching for it. Before he could turn it and let the two of them in, however, he felt ice goosebumps erupt across his spine as a fist thudded hard against the window and created a crack.

"Open the goddamn door before I make sure all of you sick fucks die with us!" screamed the girl, pounding against the glass repeatedly but unable to break it. With each blow, more blood spattered against the window and the cracks became larger and larger.

"Lily, please don't!" pleaded the second voice.

Levi unlocked the door swiftly and flung the door open with rage, grabbing Lily by the scruff of her collar. He threw her down to the floor and stood over her, snarling, the tip of his civil-war era replica sword at her throat.

"You fucking selfish piece of shit!" inveighed Levi. "You'd endanger us all to save your own skin?"

"I'd do anything for my sister!" shot back Lily, scowling up at Levi defiantly.

The sound of the door shutting and locking behind him brought Levi back to his senses. Before he could fully turn around, he saw something to his side that made his jaw drop. It was...

"A kid..." he whispered, staring down at the little girl who was undoubtedly the little sister Lily had just mentioned. It had been an eternity since he had seen a child, since he had laid his eyes on the innocence and purity that came with someone so young of age. It was terrible to see a child in this cold and cruel world, tears streaming down her frightened, blue eyes...

It was a long time before he realised, to his horror, that this innocent child was pointing a gun directly at his chest.

"Leave her a-alone or I'll-... I'll shoot you!" she stammered, tears streaming down her eyes as the gun trembled in her hands.

"Callie, no!" begged Lily, eyes wide in terror, watching her little sister defend her when it should have been the other way around.

Levi dropped the sword to the floor, watching it fall to the floor with a loud clatter. He put his hands up, his breathing ragged. Callie wasn't prepared for this world. She was just a frightened child, and frightened children couldn't be held to think rationally. He was going to die here. And worse, his death was going to turn a lost little girl into a killer.

Evelyn stared at the scene, wracked with uncertainty. Judging by Callie's twitchiness, any sudden movement would mean Levi's death. She had been surprised at the ferocity of his actions against Lily but had shared his anger until she saw why she did what she did. If Evelyn had been in the same position, the arduous position of taking care of a young girl in this world, she would have done the same and perhaps even worse.

"Please don't kill me." whispered Levi, looking straight into Callie's eyes. He took special care to emphasize the word 'kill', hoping to relay to her the gravitas of pulling that trigger.

[wolverbells]

#2

Samantha gasped as the glass broke, hiding her face in her hands. Scarlett on the other hand kept pleading for them to be let in.

Once Levi let the girls in, Scarlett's jaw dropped, and she knew her sister had the same look of shock on her face. There in front of them was a child.

Grief suddenly hit Samantha like a brick wall as she looked at the child, her thoughts going back to her own younger siblings. "Shhh." She wanted to quiet them down but that was all she could manage to say.

"Please don't shoot. They'll hear us. Hide. We need to hide until they leave." Scarlett motioned for the young girl to go to the corner where she sat, her worried eyes darting to Evelyn and then to the windows. The terrifying sound of the walkers sent chills down her spine, soon she found herself too scared to speak to the child and the others. Even a whisper wouldn't come out. All she could do now was mouth a prayer and hope that the strangers in front of them came to their senses and stayed quiet for the time being.

[threedawg]

#2

"Callie, sweetie, look at me." said Lily tenderly, very slowly getting back up to her feet until she was standing in front of Levi.

He felt a wave of guilt crash over him as he saw Lily create a human shield out of herself. The bond between the two must have been very strong as Callie almost immediately put the gun down. Lily stepped forward and snatched it out of her hands, unable to decide whether she should be mollified at her sister's valiant defense of her or be furious at the fact that Callie had hidden a gun from her.

"Where did you find this? I can't believe you kept it from me!" she scolded.

"We have more pressing matters to deal with!" yelled Evelyn before Callie could reply.

The herd of zombies were converging around the frail log house, filling the air with the familiar, pungent scent of their rotting flesh. They seemed to groan in unison, clammy and pale hands scrabbling against the log walls and windows.

It was a swarm of biblical proportion. There were definitely more than a hundred walkers, judging by the way in which they had completely obfuscated the view of the forest through the window. All that could be seen were dozens of moaning heads in various states of decay, their white, pupil-less eyes transfixed on the humans inside as they beat their limbs against the prison.

"We need to leave!" shouted Lily desperately as a sobbing Callie hugged her tightly and pressed her face into her shirt, unable to look at the terror outside.