[IC] The Walking Dead - Among the Ruined - Season 3

[Horonir]

Henry "Hank" Gunderson - Baton Rouge

The sounds of gunshots rang through the street in Baton Rouge where Hank was scrambling up a fire escape, firing rounds from his 9mm pistol into the horde of undead. He felt a rough hand grab onto his left foot, and immediately kicked whatever it was in what felt like its face. Hank fired one more round into the horde, and an eater fell to the ground. After doing so, he quickly got up out of reach.

Hank stopped for a minute to regain his breath and stamina, leaning against the brickwall of the apartment building. "Jesus Christ.." he muttered. Observing the horde of eaters, Hank estimated that there were about 30 of them, all desperate to tear into his skin. He stood up, stuck his handgun in his belt, and pulled his aluminum baseball bat out of the makeshift sheath he had made from cloth.

Wiping the sweat off of his forehead, Hank crawled through the window into the second floor apartment. It was very dark, and a rotting corpse lay on the floor, with a handgun next to it. The guy must have blown his brains out. After examining the pistol that was on the floor, Hank found that it used the same ammunition as his own. "It's not like the guy needs it anymore.." Hank said to himself as he unloaded the seven rounds in the clip, and put the gun in his messenger bag. If he encountered any other survivors, Hank might be able to trade the gun for other supplies.

After searching the apartment for other useful items, Hank left through the door and cautiously checked to see if other rooms were unlocked. None were. He figured he would try and break in tomorrow, and found a safe spot to rest.

[SheriffLlama]

Abram - Baton Rouge House - Samantha/Leah/Turisa

"Sam's right, we need to leave - we'll try to track Jess from there." He said, shouldering his rifle. He turned to Turisa as she spoke, his breathing becoming heavy. When she explained what had happened, his blood boiled with anger. He didn't mean to, but his thumb twitched, and he pulled back the hammer on his pistol. If he were honest with himself - he wanted to raise the gun and put a bullet in the woman. No - he wanted to wrap his hands around her neck and squeeze until she couldn't breath.

Abram guessed his anger translated to his body - his fists balled to the point that his knuckles whitened, his brow furrowed hard, and he breathed heavily through his nose. A while back, Abram had problems with his anger, but he'd learned to control it. He repeated the ritual to himself. My name is Abram Howard Chamberlin, Master Sergeant in the US Military. He slowly realeased his fist, uncurling his fingers. He forced himself to slow his inhales and exhales - regulate the breathing... Focus, Abram. He said. He opened his eyes and Leah staring at him, a look of concern on her face.

"Turisa-" He said, almost spilling all the violent things he wanted to scream at her. "It's alright.

[Zaxter996]

Dylan Mayworthy - Baton Rouge

As the sounds of gunshots rang through the streets of Baton Rouge, so did the sounds of skate board wheels rolling across the roads quite quickly. The young man on the skateboard whistled, pivoting and turning the board towards the sound of the shots. He skidded to a stop when he saw the horde of undead clawing up at a fire escape. He quickly turned around and rode his board back the other away, pushing with his back leg repeatedly, gaining momentum as he continued downhill. He looked around as he skated, looking for somewhere to rest for the night, and making sure to keep away from any of the walkers that shambled through the streets.

[wolverbells]

Samantha - Baton Rouge House - Abram/Turisa/Leah

Samantha had stood quietly as she listened intently to Abram speak, turning her attention to Turisa only when she began.

Sam's eyes widened as she heard the woman's story of how Jess hadn't just up and left. She had been taken. Samantha gaped at Turisa as she kept going, apologizing after every other sentence. Samantha was more in shock than angry or upset. Quite frankly, Sam wasn't really phased by the news which was odd because she usually took a turn for the worst and would snap right about now.

In the back of her mind she knew it was probably because Samantha wasn't the biggest threat in the house at the moment. Not the police officer nor Abram really knew what Samantha could be capable of, but Samantha did have a fairly good idea of what Abram was capable of and her eyes shot up to him as she gauged him, assessing his reaction. She could practically feel the anger roll off of him in waves, standing right next to him. "Abram.." Samantha spoke quietly, biting her lip as a nervous reaction. Her eyes glanced downward to his weapon and it felt as if the blood from Samantha's face drained.

Luckily, Abram seemed to have controlled himself but not without much restraint. Sam ignored the bit he spoke to Turisa and very gently placed a hand on his arm, "Abe.... We need to go. We have to find Jess and I don't want to be here if those men did decide to follow us... Please?" She looked at him nervously and spoke in a small voice, not wanting him to snap. "I've already got most of the stuff on the couch."

[Myst]

Jessalyn - Bookstore - Tremblay

Jess studied the man as he spoke. She was getting so many different readings from him it was hard to know just what kind of a person she was talking to. But at least he was honest enough to tell her that he wouldn't hurt them as long as there wasn't any point to it. Honesty was something she could work with.

Shifting Ben a little, she asked the next thing that was upmost in her mind. "What do you plan to do with us? I am no use to you right now. I can't work, not with Ben. And according to most of the men I have come across my only value is for sex," Jess flinced and her voice shook a bit as the words left her, showing how much that opinion hurt her. "Are you really going to house and feed us without getting anything in return?"

Once he answered she asked about where they would stay. "Will we be safe? From the other... people here?" she paused briefly but was sure he knew what she meant to ask : would she have to fear the men here?
If he was as smart as he seemed she knew that these questions would reveal just what kind of life she'd had up until now. Except for her time with Floyd and Abram Jessalyn had lived in fear of falling into the hands of those who would hurt her for their own pleasure. She had read once that some animals would take a female and kill her offspring in order to force her to mate...

She felt her stomach growl. Being a portable milk machine meant you needed to eat regularly. If she didn't eat, Ben didn't eat. But she didn't even begin to know how to ask him for food. She actually felt... shy...
God how long had it been since she'd felt shy? With Floyd... that was the last time...

Jess also knew she needed to gather herself some of the baby supplies he had claimed to have. If he wasn't going to let them go, she needed to find out where they were going to be kept so she could start making it comfortable for her son. It crossed her mind that she was wanting to nest, like a bird.

[Atomyk]

Jon - The Trade - Richard's Men

He stepped out of the truck, the two men accompanying him giving him a reproachful look as they moved to follow him. In the few minutes it took them to drive on over to the agreed upon receiving area, they'd gone over the standard-- they had to leave their sympathies behind. The three left behind would have to be the ones who appeared to be least suitable for the community. Tremblay had made the mistake of choosing the battered captives over the more healthy ones before and paid for it. It was simply not viable for them.

With that in mind, Jon's eyes locked on the line up of chained captives Treis' men had brought out before them. They were in another parking lot, this one largely secluded behind a trio of office buildings. While it was unlikely anyone not affiliated with either group would be in this area, it was best to have these trades done away from potential prying eyes. He stepped up to the group, his eyes rolling over the captives before speaking up. "There's an issue with the trade. We can't spare the supplies for all of them." Looking toward Treis' men, Jon tried to make this sound as dry as possible. Procedure as usual, and all that. "We'll be taking the two you left behind for double, but we'll have to leave three of these with you. Tremblay's tasked us with choosing which three we'll leave behind."

Jon moved to examine the blindfolded men and women while his two companions worked on transporting the supplies to Treis' men. The captives had noticeably been through the ringer, and Jon couldn't help but stare a while longer at the blonde woman barely keeping it together. One that stood out to him was a pretty brunette woman who seemed to barely move at all. Jon thought she wasn't breathing at first, before noticing only the smallest indication of life. If he'd removed the blindfold, he was sure he'd see the blank eyes of a woman too far gone. Jon knew she'd have to be one of thew few left behind.

He moved down the row, pointing to the ones he wanted. He spoke briefly with his companions before making the final decision. The brunette would be left behind, as was the blonde woman who tried desperately to stifle her tears. Of the men, they decided to leave the hurt one who'd likely been the most rebellious of the group. Jon figured that he'd be able to bounce back eventually by the look of him, but Tremblay didn't have time for rehabilitation. After the three in question were detached from the others, Jon began ushering them into the truck bed, their hands still bound behind their backs.

"Tremblay would like you to bring the other two here tomorrow," Jon said. "Same time. I'm sure you'll be happy to have them off his hands."

---

Tremblay - Plaza - Jessalyn

He smiled at Jess. "Ah, you caught me. You're essentially worthless as you are, especially if you have to take care of your little one, but that doesn't mean I can't find you a place here. Don't worry about the sex drive of my men-- I assure you that no one will touch you in such a manner." He stood up now, moving closer to Jess. He kept his distance, but he found his height and smile was particularly disarming to others the closer he got to them. "We have other children here. None as small as Ben, but children nonetheless. They serve their own purpose, in a way. People find children calming. It presents an atmosphere of community. Most of them don't have parents, and few of my men and women have time to take care of them..."

A slight tilt of his head and a casual lean against the bookcase. "You'll fit in with the other caretakers, I believe. It won't be permanent-- just until I can figure out away to let you leave in a safe manner. Maybe a group will come around and take you under their wing." He moved, placing a hand on Jess' shoulder to lead her out of the book store. "But for now, I can tell that you're hungry." Once they were back outside under the gloomy sun, Tremblay pointed to one of the tents set up in the plaza parking lot. "First aid station. We have a proper medical facility across the plaza, but I prefer Becca's company over Magnus'." He then pointed to a small building that could have been a restaurant at some point. Any signs on it had been stripped away. "And step in there with Ben. It's sort of like our community center. The other caretakers will meet you there."

He stepped away from her, but turned back and smiled. "Tell KK I sent you. A big woman, and harsh. I have a matter to attend to for a moment, but I'll be around soon to have you properly settled. Just relax while you're here."

[Myst]

Katie - Hotel - Tyler, Liam

Whatever was going on... she didn't like it.
Her daddy had her getting up and washing in a 'something-is-going-to-happen-today' way that had her frowning suspiciously. Cuddling her kitten, Katie did as she was told and peeked out the door to see her daddy at Scarlett's door. What she heard confused her more.
He wanted Scarlett to stay out of it, whatever 'it' was? Why? Was it something that Katie had done? Was it because of what she had asked yesterday?

She moved away from the door when he came back, staring at her feet.
What was she supposed to do?
Biting her lip, she decided she needed to let her daddy know how she felt. Right now.

"I want Scarlett here too," she said, her little seven year old voice firm and had the edge of a potential tantrum in it. "She's my friend."

------------

Jessalyn - Plaza - Tremblay / Caretakers / KK

Jess had no choice but to accept what he said, that both she and Ben would be safe here.
His next words made her head snap up in surprise.
Leave safely...? Did that mean...? Did he really intend to let them go eventually?

His hand on her shoulder caused her to jump a little, her nerves making her shake a bit under his touch. She followed him out of the bookstore, listening carefully as he explained where everything was. When he mentioned Magnus she couldn't help but agree. Even though she hadn't met the man the impression she had gotten so far was that he was not a nice person.

Her next surprise came when he seemed to be allowing her to walk around freely. Evidently he wasn't concerned that she would try to escape. Of course, where would she go? She didn't know the way back to the house where Abram and the others were and the only other person she would try to find was...

Floyd...

Sighing, she went towards the center and stepped inside, holding Ben close and looking around like a doe watching for danger.

[Atomyk]

Tyler - The Motel - Liam/Katie

The man looked unconcerned with what his daughter wanted. "She'll be back later," he said, watching as George stepped out after Liam. "We're going to be doing a bit of training, okay? You have to do this, Katie." He looked to Liam and nodded. "Liam is ready, and so are you."

He handed a silenced pistol to George before leading the group to the ground floor. Tyler gave the pool at the center of the motel's grounds a disgusted look before gesturing to the ramshackle targets he'd set up in front of it. Made out of brooms, rags, and a bucket or two, Tyler had clearly made them out of whatever he could find around the motel. "I've already taught you both how to safely carry a small gun, but we've yet to shoot anything. You guys will have a harder time with the silencers, but we don't want to be attracting anything here."

George stepped behind Liam, handing him the gun. "Remember," he said, grabbing at Liam's arms to adjust his stance. "You shoot for the head."

"Unless it's impossible, you never do otherwise," Tyler added. "Only then should you aim for a walker's legs. Never the body. Never." He knelt down next to Katie and whispered into her ear, "Even if it's someone living." He placed a gentle hand on her arm and held out a gun in the other, waiting for Katie to take it. "You have to do this, honey."

---

James - The School - Rob/Danny

In the doorway, James cradled the knife, not really listening to Rob at first. He found that Rob liked to ramble, and James sometimes didn't listen to everything he said... He did that to Shannon too, sometimes. Still, James eventually looked at Rob and registered what he was saying, though he only gave the older man a blank stare at the Pokémon reference. "I'm fine," James responded, moving to stand by one of the desks. "But I don't know about everyone else. I'm probably cursed." Looking to the side, the boy shrugged. "Maybe that's why all those people at Haywood died. Because of me."

Danny then stepped into the doorway, giving the pair an annoyed look. "Time's up," he said. "We're done with this shit place. Hopefully the other group had better luck." With that, he promptly left.

James gave Rob a small frown before following Danny out of the room.

---

Jamie - Baton Rouge - Enrique/Magnus/Kerry/The Pack

This was probably how this was always supposed to go, Jamie figured. Having always felt out of place his whole life, how appropriate that he'd be taken in by the nomads of this world. Even better, he got to work on finding a cure. Magnus had big ideas, and he had told Jamie of them at length. He'd seen potential in Jamie, which the boy liked very much. It wasn't like Reggie or the scouts had ever seen much in him.

Especially Enrique, and now Jamie would be integral to the capture of that very man. With him and the pack, a new step in the development of a cure would be underway, and soon Jamie would be known as someone in this world. All it would take is a few simple steps-- a plan that Magnus had laid out carefully. In addition to being a doctor, Magnus possessed advanced knowledge of homemade pyrotechnics. Jamie didn't bother to judge that the man had a strange hobby, he just appreciated Magnus' sheer knowledge.

After the bombs went off, the building would catch on fire, ushering the men out into the waiting arms of Magnus' loyal men. Tremblay didn't even know-- the man didn't appreciate Magnus' ideas like he should. He'd be on his knees thanking them soon enough when the cure was a reality.

Smiling, a rifle tucked next to him, Jamie looked down at the building from across the street. Kerry pressed the button to set off the explosion, and the dawn of a new era was underway.

---

Becca - The Plaza - Jessalyn

Stepping out from the first aid shelter, Becca sighed as she wrapped her arms around herself. It was just as cold out here as it was in the shelter, and it was putting the brunette into a foul mood. It was an irregularly cold day, something that Becca found a little foreboding. She wasn't the most superstitious, but after the world flipped over on itself, Becca found herself believing a bit more in the crazier things in life.

She spotted a woman walking cautiously toward the tent, baby in hand. Becca was mildly confused at the sight of her, but her interest was immediately piqued. It helped that the woman was easy on the eyes. "You look lost," Becca said, stepping up to her. Her eyes briefly looked behind the woman, toward Jackson lurking not far off. Becca imagined that Tremblay had the man watching her. She tried to pretend she hadn't seen anything irregular, and smiled at the baby. "But if you have a baby, I imagine Tremblay wants you introduced to KK. Am I right?"

But before the woman could answer, Becca gestured toward the first aid tent. "One second, let's get under a roof. Not much warmer, but... I'm Becca, by the way."

Becca

[QT]

The Trade

"LET ME GO! NO! HANK! HANK!" Floyd yelled from the top of his lungs. His throat opened more than ever before, allowing his rant to grow louder and full of volume.

His gruff voice escalated as he tried to fight off his new captors. "Let me go" he would add occasionally, only to be met with physical restraint. He shook left and right, but could not manage to become unattached from his locks. Floyd didn't need his vision to know what was going on, his earshot was phenomenal. He could hear Hank's voice become more distant as he was pushed atop another truck. His sandpaper like skin could feel the difference in the surface of the vehicle's bed, clearing up that this was not the truck they were initially placed into. In addition, he heard everything this newcomer had said about leaving behind three of the captives, so was given in detail what would occur.

Floyd's screams finally concluded when he was struck down by a near jaw-breaking hook. Imogen's familiar voice called out to make sure he was alright, not stopping until he answered her with a nod.

"You tell Tremblay that this is not how we negotiate, but we'll see to this........unfortunate trade the way he wants. Tomorrow we shall bring the Asian one and the Negro. We'll take these back, but expect a little heads up next time alright? We don't like wasting our time having to chain these people up, it's rather difficult. But we'll see you here tomorrow. Guys, load up!" Treis called out to his men, having them retrieve the unwanted prisoners and load them up. Hank fought against the moving hands that took hold of his arms. He swiftly moved his shoulders quickly in attempt to hit them, but couldn't manage to get anyone. "NO! NOO!" he started to yet, not wanting to be separated from his group - his family.

"Please don't do this" he started to beg, dropping to his knees and looking in every direction, his eyes still covered by the blindfold. "Take us with you, tell Tremblay we can be an asset, please!" Hank called out again, trying to convince the other captor to change his mind. The situation overall was contradictory. Trying to escape one captor to only land in the hands of another didn't seem all that smart, but there wasn't any other option. The option was to either pick a captor who beats you and kills those you love, or try another captor in attempt to survive. They didn't know what this other guy could do, but they sure as hell knew they couldn't remain with Treis.

"Shut up!" Treis said in a rush, kicking Hank in the face with his gravel filled boot. Hank fell on the concrete face first, blood squirming from the side of his mouth. Jennifer had already been forced onto the truck, her tears had completely stained the blindfold. It had turned from red to burgundy. It was all moving in slow motion for Hank as he lay there, head spinning as his restrained body remain motionless. The supremacist picked him off the ground and tossed him into the truck bed. He hit the back of his elbow on his way in, causing his inside to tingle uncomfortably. It was as though small ticks chewed on his bones, eating away all of his marrow. He then felt the engine of the truck roar and begin to rumble under the hood - the whole truck shivered in place. Then a sharp whistle came out of nowhere, the obvious signal it was time to take off. "Were going to die" Jennifer sobbed, her assumptions unanswered due to Hank's uncertainty. The leader had no idea what would happen next. These people were unpredictable and dangerous, they could do anything they wanted to them. Hank prayed to God, the one single God he believed for his friends. He even said he'd sacrifice himself for he to save them. And then, there was silence.

[SheriffLlama]

Emma - Convenience Store - The Pack/Magnus and Co.

BOOM!

The explosion rocked the building with a heavy rumble. Emma was thrown back with incredible force. A horrible, sharp pain rocked her temple as she hit her head on the floor with a hard thud! A ringing assaulted her ears, and her eyes danced with black spots as she tried regain her breath and surroundings. She felt a sharp pain in her side and looked down to see that there was a sizable gash that had torn through her jacket, flannel, and undershirt. She found herself in the corner of the store, surrounded by flames.

She tried to inhale, but she was granted a large puff of smoke into her lungs. She doubled over onto her knees, coughing harshly. Suddenly felt arms wrap around her stomach and pull her to her feet, and she registered Trey’s voice yelling for her to snap out of her trance. She continued to cough, unable to regain herself, before feeling Trey lift her from the ground and burst out of a back door. She breathed in sweet, heavenly oxygen, and her coughing slowly began to subside as Trey set her on the ground.

“Trey?” She asked, weakly.

“I’m here, calm down.” He commanded. “Stay here, I’m gonna help the others!” He rushed back into the door as Emma stumbled to her feet, heading towards the front of the store. Almost immediately as she rounded the corner, a body slammed into her, and she hit the floor.

A voice yelled towards her and the man who collided with her, “Grab her, Reese!” Emma scrambled back, but the guy grabb her by the shoulder, pushing her to the ground. He pulled a pair of metal handcuffs from his belt and slapped one around her right wrist. Before he could continue with the second, Emma jerk her head backwards, nailing him in the chin. He stumbled back, allowing her to jump to her feet. he made another dash for her, but he dodged him, sending him into the wall. Just as she turned, she shoved him with both hands and delivered a strong kick to the groin.

The man wasn’t as dazed as Emma would’ve liked. He recovered, and made another lung for her - but this time, a loud shot sounded and a bullet sent the man to the ground. Emma looked to see Burkley stand by the door. “Thanks.” She said.

“Yeah, don’t mention it.” He muttered, walking to the dead body. He picked up the guy’s pistol - a small revolver - and handed it to her. “There’s a ton of those guys in the front! Run towards the woods and don’t stop!” He barked.

“I’m not leaving you guys!”

“These are fully grown men with guns, you don’t stand a chance!” He said, his words slightly stinging. “ Run towards the interstate and find a safe place to hide! We’ll meet you! Now go before I shoot you myself!”

On the verge of tears, Emma turned and ran from the flaming building, away from the shouts and gunfire. She looked back and could hear shouts behind her. She heard Burkley screaming profanity at the attackers, and she felt a pang of guilt for leaving. He’d been right, though. She wouldn’t have stood a chance against those guys and Burkley had probably just saved her life.

As the sounds in the distance began to die, she felt the adrenaline in her begin to slow, and she suddenly became aware of the several pains in her body. Her side burned and throbbed like crazy, her temples pounded, and her back ached with soreness. She slowed down and found herself in a small clearing and suddenly became aware of the sounds of the night - or lack thereof. She braced her hands on her knees, the handcuffs rattling on her right wrist, and began to slow her breathing.

Emma let herself fall backwards, and sat on the cold dirt. As soon as she did, her side roared with pain, and she swore loudly in response. She set the pistol on the ground and looked at her side, feeling a bit of sickness rise from her stomach. She was bleeding pretty badly, and the wound was deep. She reached down and put her hand to the wound, shouting again as the pain intensified. “Okay… Okay, Emma, you’ll be fine…” She coaxed herself aloud.

Somewhere in the darkness, she heard the snarl of a walker, and she picked up the revolver. Her breathing intensified, visible in the cold night air. She forced herself to stand with another groan of pain and continued to the interstate.

[Atomyk]

Jon - Baton Rouge - Floyd/Aiden/Imogen

Jon punched the side of the truck to get the captive's attention. "All of you shut the hell up!" he cried, his voice snarling. "Anyone who tries to jump and make a break for it will be shot." He climbed into the driver's seat, glaring at the road ahead. Treis hadn't been too happy with the negotiation, and it had felt like an absolute mess of a deal. Who knows what would happen to those they left behind, but Jon had to put those three out of his mind. His two companions piled into the truck once everyone was secure, waiting for Jon to get moving. He couldn't wait to get out of there.

***

Tremblay was waiting for them at the receiving area, a pleasant smile on his face despite the proceedings. He was flanked by armed men and women, as usual. Jon shot him a dour look as he parked the truck and stepped out. He and the other two men got the captives off the truck bed and moved them to stand before Tremblay. One by one, their blindfolds were removed.

They were standing before what appeared to be a warehouse at first glance, but in actually was the receiving area for what had once been a large thrift store. Large cages and heavy machinery stood just inside the industrial garage door. Tremblay's smile was gone now as he looked upon the captives. "You're here for two reasons," Tremblay began, suppressing his French accent somewhat. "First is that my community needs people for manual labor. Not enough men and women to spare, so that's where you all come in. Second, and what I hope is obvious, I've taken you away from Richard. I stay out of his business for the most part, but you'll find that I'm a lot more pleasant than he is."

Jon shuffled a little on his feet where he was standing. Tremblay had always been a good public speaker, but Jon felt that these proceedings were a little condescending toward the captives. Tremblay waved at him and two other men to start removing the bindings, and Jon jumped to attention. "I'll assign you work," Tremblay continued. "And you're expected to do what I assign you. I'll have to waste men on watching you all heavily at first, for I know tensions are high so soon after leaving Richard's loving embrace." Slowly, the bindings were removed, though Jon always felt tense in these moments. Though they had the weapons, he always expected someone to flip around and sock him in the face.

"You'll be able to leave eventually," Tremblay said, nodding. "Keep your head down, work hard, and soon you'll be far away from Baton Rouge. This is a fair compromise, as I had to pay supplies for each of you to be here."

---

Tina - Baton Rouge Streets - Abram/Turisa/Sam

"Don't move any closer," Tina said, sounding more annoyed than anything. She had her gun trained on a group of people, though she was aiming in particular at the tall black man who seemed to be leading them. Tina guessed everyone seemed tall compared to herself. Jace and Caleb stood beside her, their own guns on the group.

"A kid," Caleb said, though more to himself than anyone. Indeed, they had a child with them, and that made Tina's mood even worse.

She stuck out her tongue unconsciously, her mind reeling. She didn't think she'd seen these people around before, so she imagined they must be new to the area. "You all should leave Baton Rouge," she said. "It's not a kind place to newcomers."

---

??? - Baton Rouge Streets - Emma

Not just a walker was lurking amidst the darkness. From somewhere out in the cold night air came a feminine voice. "Emma," it called out, barely above a whisper. A walker growl interrupted whatever she was about to say next, and a scuffle was heard momentarily. After a soft thud was heard, a woman stepped out of the darkness, her hands in the air, a gun in one hand and a knife in the other. She could only hope that knowing the young girl's name would dissuade her from shooting on sight.

The mysterious woman hardly looked imposing-- dirt and grime stained clothing fit loosely on her relatively small frame. She was middle aged, with brown hair and a pair of round rimmed eyeglasses. The right lens had cracked at some point. "I'm just here to talk," the woman said, offering Emma a small smile.

Woman

[SheriffLlama]

Emma - Streets

Emma was glad when she broke through the woods. She could see the sign that marked the on ramp for the interstate - maybe 150 yards away. She could hear the walker from the woods behind her, but she didn't turn to kill it. She was dizzy and week from blood loss, so she doubted she could aim well enough and she didn't have a knife. She checked behind her, down the street. Nothing in sight. She didn't see anything in front of her, so she start to walk forward. An overpass connected to the other side at the end of a bridge, and Emma could make out some houses. She decided that she could find something to bandage herself with and maybe disinfect the wound.

She heard another snarl from the walker, and then a loud thud from the woods. She turned as a leaves rustled, pointing the revolver at the emerging figure. She would have fired for fear of it being a walker except, the woman said her name.

”I’m just here to talk.” Somehow, Emma had a suspicion that this woman didn’t just want to talk. People just didn’t do that now days.

“H-how do you know my name?” She stammered.

Abram - Baton Rouge - Tina and Co

Abram didn't want to talk to another human being besides the girls. But as his normal luck would have it, he found himself staring at woman and her group. One of them noted Leah, and Abram tensed, drawing his gun. "You all should leave Baton Rouge," she said. "It's not a kind place to newcomers."

He regarded the young woman - she was pretty and obviously very confident. He nodded. "Thanks for the tip." He said. "I'll make sure I shoot on sight next time." He looked at her, feeling Leah scoot close to him.

"You're right, boy." He said to the guy. "We do have a kid. And for her sake I'd like to avoid any conflict. You seem like reasonable folks if I'm correct." He eyed the woman with unwavering stillness. He then met eyes with the young man, daring him to move for his weapon. Abram almost wanted it to happen. He wanted to show that he could protect his friends. He felt so powerless, and he wanted to regain that power. His height and size only did so much. He waited for their response.

[Myst]

Katie - Motel - Liam / Tyler / George

Katie folded her arms and frowned, pouting. He was ignoring her. She actually looked very cute with her lip pushed out slightly in a pout. She picked up her kitten before following them outside but at a slow pace and dragging her feet with every step.

He was talking about shooting people. Not just the monsters, but alive people too. Like Lauren...
"I don't want to," she said, her voice small but defiant. She hugged her kitten tighter, staring at the gun like it was something evil. "Monsters are bad. I want to hurt them. But people... real live people... I don't want to."

Katie stuck her chin out stubbornly, a show of stubborness she had gotten from her mother. "Her face exploded," she said, her voice getting a little louder. "Her. Face. Exploded. I don't want to ever see that ever again. Never never never."
She shook her head with each word.
"Why do you want me to hurt people?" she asked, her lip quivering now. "You're good. You're my daddy. Hurting people is bad... but you like hurting people," she suddenly stammered, backing away a few steps. "You like shooting people and hurting them. You wanted Lauren to die. You wanted to hurt Scarlett's feelings..."

Her kitten scrambled out of her arms but she didn't bother trying to stop it. "Why did you hurt Scarlett's feelings? She's nice and she's helped us. Scarlett is my friend and I like her. And she likes you too. You should say you're sorry for hurting her feelings."

-----------

Jessalyn / Ben - The Plaza - Becca / KK

Jess jumped when the young woman spoke to her. She seemed normal as well, even smiling at Ben who stared back trying to process who this new person was.
"I.. um... yes," she answered, following the woman inside the first aid tent. "I am supposed to meet someone named KK. I was... taken from my group, and brought here."

"This is my son," she said, shifting him a little. "His name is Benjamin Daniel. Ben. I had him two months ago."

She looked around the tent, marveling a little at how clean and organized everything was. Very different from other places she had seen. She looked back at Becca hopefully. "The man, Tremblay, he said there were baby supplies here. I should change him and give him something to cuddle with, to distract him. It's been a very... upsetting day so far."

Jess also wanted to know what kind of supplies they had for when she could start setting up a place for her and Ben to stay. Se started a mental list in her head.
Diapers... baby wipes... powder... pacifiers... a cradle or crib... clothes... soft toys... blankets... lots of blankets...
As she thought of that she shivered and cuddled Ben closer to her. They were not dressed for the sudden chill. She needed a blanket for him right now. If he got sick... she didn't even want to think about it.

[Atomyk]

??? - Streets - Emma

"Because I'm a friend," the woman said. She realized it wasn't enough, so she softly added, "A friend of a friend. Ru... Danny knows me." Stepping forward, the woman tucked the knife into a strap at her side. She removed the pack from over her shoulder and set it down next to Emma. "You can search my things if you'd like, so you can see I'm not hiding anything from you. I'm... Monica, by the way."

Moving to the side, the woman named Monica leaned against a car, idly touching at her side. She gritted her teeth, lifting the grey sweater to touch at bruised skin. "I came to help, but you didn't need it at all. Funny, huh?" Her voice lacked any real amusement. The woman just sounded tired. With a sad expression, she looked to Emma. "What do you plan to do now?"

---

Tina - Baton Rouge Streets - Abram/Turisa/Sam

She didn't move, even as she felt someone was going to pull a trigger sooner or later. This man looked ready to go down fighting, no matter the circumstances. "It doesn't sound like you plan to leave," she noted, a lump growing in ehr throat. "Why is that?"

To the side, Jace began to lower his weapon. "Tina, come on. There's no need to be on edge like this." Caleb agreed, lowering his weapon as well. Tina didn't directly look at them, choosing to just glare at the group ahead of her.

"Have you run into Tremblay's patrols?" she asked. "If you have, you're lucky to be here."

---

Becca - The Plaza - Jessalyn

Becca led her into the tent, giving a small wave to the men inside. One was nursing a hurt leg while the other touched at it. "KK will hook you up," Becca said, turning back to Jessalyn. "That woman is amazing once you get to know her. She takes no one's shit." She leaned in and quietly added, "Not even Tremblay's."

She turned away to grab a pair of keys from the desk. She mentioned to the man on duty that she'd be out for a few minutes before leading Jessalyn back outside and toward the Community Center. "I'm sorry to hear that," she said, before stopping and adding, "About your group, I mean. Usually we don't bring in strays, but I heard Kerry went against orders. Nothing unusual there." She wanted to ask a bit more, maybe inquire about the potential father, but Becca didn't want to seem nosy. Jackson was still tailing them, and Becca felt like that was enough of an invasion on the woman's privacy. She reached the building in question and held the door open for Jessalyn to enter. "Your group-- who was in it? Some of them might have been by here, for all you know."

---

Tyler - The Motel - Katie

He stared at her, gun in hand, for a long moment. George gave him a sidelong glance, but Tyler paid him no attention. His voice low so that George and Liam wouldn't hear, Tyler said, "No, honey, I don't like hurting people." It would have been easy for him to get made at her-- yell, scream, do any number of wild and irrational things. If anger management classes were a thing any longer, Tyler figured he would have needed them. Still, despite his many outbursts of the past, Tyler managed to keep his cool here. The last time he'd screamed at Katie, he'd lost her, and he never wanted that to happen ever again.

"What I did to Lauren was wrong. I wish it had never happened, but I-- she was keeping you from me, Katie. I need you, and you need me. Lauren would have died before I had you back, and so I had her die. I liked it, Katie, but only because it was necessary. You--" He paused now, feeling his pulse quickening. He was making excuses again, he knew. "Okay. I hurt a lot of people, but I didn't want any of it to go the way it did. I wasn't happy that Lynn died, or Bex, or Brad, or... I'm not asking you to enjoy hurting people, Katie. I'm not asking you to hurt anyone for no reason. But if a man or woman wants to hurt you like Berk, then you have to fight back. You have to."

"As for Scarlett, well..." Tyler watched Katie's kitten as it began to move cautiously around the pool. Damn thing was going to fall in at its age. "We just had a disagreement. We're still friends." He moved to grab the cat, keeping a strong hold on it as he moved back beside Katie. "Now, are you going to work with me here, or not?" In one hand he still held the gun, while the other held the kitten. Tyler was not offering a choice between the two, but to Katie, it might as well have been. All Tyler wanted was for her to at least try.

[wolverbells]

Scarlett - Baton Rouge/Motel - Tyler/Katie/Liam/George

Scarlett dug through the small duffle bag that she had managed to find behind a counter at the barber shop that she had searched. She was fairly proud of herself for coming up more than successful on her little adventure, even though it did help that the Tremblay people kept the area rather free of walkers. After making sure she had everything she needed, Scarlett shrugged on her backpack, grabbed her machete pro from the table and threw the duffle bag over her shoulder. She wasn't far from the motel but she still didn't want to be caught in the streets. Not with all this movement going on. The sound of a vehicle or vehicles moving to and fro echoed through the city. It made Scarlett jumpy and full of anxiety. Quietly, the young woman left the building through the back door and out into the alley way, making sure there were no walkers or humans before she began to jog back to the others.

It was around mid afternoon when Scarlett finally reached the motel. Her feet were beginning to bother her from the walking, and her legs aching from the running. She sighed with relief as she entered the door, feeling the comfort of being somewhere she knew was safe. She didn't hear the sound of gun shots, which was what she was expecting, seeing as how Tyler wanted to train the kids. 'Maybe they're done', Scarlett thought as she turned and made her way upstairs.

With her mind busy going over the argument that she had had with Tyler the night before and the way he decided to be distant in the morning, she hadn't noticed the sound of footsteps in the hallway as she turned the corner, nearly running into Tyler. "Shit.." Luckily, she had sheathed her blade by now or else the encounter would have been bloody. "I'm sorry... I should have been paying attention." The woman offered Tyler an apologetic smile, her eyes glancing quickly at his overgrown beard. "So you guys are done?" She felt the color come to her cheeks before she could feel the embarrassment of the question that she was about to blurt out. "Can I shave your beard?" Scarlett smiled sheepishly at the man and held up the small duffle bag in the small space between them. "I have a straight razor and some stuff in here... That's if you don't mind, of course."

[Atomyk]

Tyler - Motel - Scarlett

Tyler was feeling better, to say the least. Katie had finally given in and allowed herself to practice with the gun, if only for a little while. They still had a lot of work to do, but Tyler was happy knowing his little girl had taken the first step toward properly protecting herself. He left her in the care of George of Liam while he stalked the upstairs balcony, occasionally looking over the fence at the darkened city beyond. It was during this time last night that he'd had the argument with Scarlett, and he was worried now that he'd been too harsh with her. Despite only being a child, Katie probably had a point about needing to apologize.

So, when Scarlett ran into him, he was quick to shake his head at her apologies. "It's fine," he said, crossing his arms. "I shouldn't have been so... angry. My point still stands, but..." He sighed, stepping closer to her. "I get too angry sometimes. I think I was always like this... Never was one to properly handle stress. We still need to work together, Scarlett, so--"

"Can I shave your beard?" Scarlett blurt out, causing Tyler to pause. He guessed they were all cool again, or something.

"I could probably do that myself," he said, giving her a curious look. He wasn't sure he'd ever let anyone shave his beard before, and he wasn't sure why anyone would even want to. "... I mean, I guess you could. If you really want to."

[wolverbells]

Scarlett - Motel - Tyler

Scarlett hadn't realized that she had been biting her lip in anticipation, until Tyler accepted and she released it to smile at him. "Come... I have some water in the bathroom down the hall." She grabbed him by the forearm and turned him around, letting him go so that he could follow her on his own accord.

Once in the bathroom, Scarlett placed the small duffle bag on the empty sink and shrugged off her backpack, glancing over to Tyler then back at the bag. "I understand your anger now. Well, somewhat." She tried to explain to him as she took out the stuff she would need, "It was a lot to take in, I suppose. I should have approached the situation better.... but I understand."

Scarlett turned around and gestured for Tyler to come over. Once he was close enough, she sprayed shaving cream onto her hands and reached up slowly, standing on her tiptoes, not wanting to frighten him. "I promise I won't hurt you. I've done this before." She gave him a small smile before touching his face and spreading the foam. The beard felt funny under her hands and she bit her lip to keep her from either laughing or saying something stupid. Maybe it was to stop her from wanting to cry. This was something she used to do with her fiancé. It had been a long time since she last did this but it still hurt a bit. "There." Her voice was a quiet whisper as she let her hands down and stood on her feet rather than her tiptoes.

[Atomyk]

Tyler - Motel - Scarlett

Tyler stood stiffly, feeling more than a little awkward in this situation. He shivered when Scarlett came at him with the shaving cream. "What, were you a barber or something?" Tyler asked, a little unsure if Scarlett was being sincere. She seemed to know what she was doing, so he guessed he wouldn't say anything on the matter, not unless she happened to cut his throat in two.

Silence stretched between them, only the sounds of water and blade upon stubbly skin breaking up the monotony. At the look on Scarlett's face, Tyler's brow furrowed. He couldn't tell if she was sad or just being focused. "... You know, Katie really likes you. And I see why. I've traveled with other women before, who got along with Katie... but she never took a liking to them as she has with you." A smiled briefly before resuming a straight face. "She was pretty adamant about having me apologize to you."

[wolverbells]

Scarlett - Motel - Tyler

"My dad said a good woman should always be good at three things. Cooking, shooting a gun, and using a straight razor. Strange words." Scarlett strained to keep her focus on the razor and as Tyler spoke. She would pause and then continue every time he'd stop talking, then stop again when he'd begin. Finally, she just stopped all together until he finished telling her about Katie.

Scarlett smiled at the thought of Katie standing up to her dad and made a mental note to give the girl kudos on what she, herself, could not do. This man both terrified and awed her. It was strange. "I like Katie too." She simply said as she took her eyes off of Tyler to wash the blade and get more shaving cream. When she turned, she saw the smile that dawned Tyler's face and she giggle a bit, reaching up and putting the shaving cream on him. "You look kind of weird smiling with shaving cream on." Scarlett laughed again, a bit more carefree and shook her head, trying to regain her composure.

"Okay. Okay I think I'm done. Sorry. Come down to my height for a minute." She waited until Tyler lowered himself and his face was in front of hers. She studied his face for a bit, secretly appreciating every bit of it, as she tried to figure out if she should go in for a full on clean shave or leave a bit.

[SheriffLlama]

Emma - The Streets

Emma looked at the woman, sizing her up. She honestly didn't look threatening at all. She slightly reminded her of her mom, which slightly upset her. "Well... I guess if Rudy trusts you, you can't be that bad..." She muttered, lowering her gun. It took her a minute, but when her heart rate settled, she recieved an unpleasant reminded that she was bleeding pretty badly. Her left hand crossed her abdomen and applied pressure to the gash, but she could see some blood seeping through her fingers.

Emma swallowed, feeling heavily dizzy. "I- uh... wouldn't say I don't need help..." She removed her hand and saw her blood seeping down her jacket and then to the ground. I little pool had started to form by her ankle. "I'm not in great position to do any serious travelling..." She said, letting her arm fall to her side, the handcuffs rattling as they dangle from her wrist. She looked to the woman with a pleading expression, the increasing pain causing tears to well in her eyes. "I'm in bad shape..."

Abram - Baton Rouge - Tina and others

He slightly tensed, his eyes locked with the woman's. "No, I don't plan to leave." He said, plainly. His eyes temporarily glanced to the young guy who spoke up, calling the woman "Tina".

Abram sighed lightly. "I'm not sure who this Tremblay is you speak of, but I'm a bit tougher than I look." He mentioned. "We ran into a couple of thugs in the mall area, if that's who you mean."

"I killed people before they starting coming back from the dead, so I'm right at home. Don't think a couple of punks who think they can shoot an assault rifle and call themselves soldiers are gonna scare me off." He shook his head. "No, sorry, but I'll be here 'till I find the people I'm looking for. I'll apologize beforehand if we have to rub shoulders for me to accomplish that."