[IC] Infected [Reboot]

[teapotshark]

Christina crouched against the whitewashed wall of an office building. Through the thin material of her shirt, the sun-heated wall warmed the skin of her back. Bracing herself on one hand -- the other gripping her rifle -- she peered around the corner.

The city appeared frozen in the state it must have been in when the outbreak hit. They hadn't made it far enough to see the real damage yet, only half a mile or so into the bulk of the city, but the street ahead gave them a pretty good idea. A few odd cars parked in the middle of the road, abandoned for all Chris could tell; she spied a shoe here or a baseball cap there, a gas can lay just ten feet away.

No sign of the undead.

She kept looking, under cars and dumps, for the slightest movement, until Tony stood up beside her. She was always aware of his presence beside or behind her. "Stay on the sidewalk," she told him.

"Don't go anywhere you don't go," he replied. She glanced over her shoulder at him. The corners of his mouth twitched up just slightly; the best smile he could manage. "I know."

With a nod, Chris all but marched around the corner. She followed her own instructions, keeping herself close to the wall of an office building, and checking every alley for the undead. Her grip on the rifle tightened.

At the end of the road, on the right hand side so she could only see so much of it, stood the arched entrance to a shopping mall. Their best chance at restocking supplies and the worst. She couldn't tell how big, or if the place was infested, from where she stood. Putting out a hand to the others, she stopped and surveyed the street again, then jogged across the road.

The sunlit marble foyer opened out into the mall's vast first floor, where rows of plants intersected with food and sales stalls. Chris could just make out the bottom of an escalator to one side. The whole place might have been pretty, if not for the overturned, bloodied tables and the shattered kiosks. She saw no bodies, not even roaming walkers. She jogged back to Tony.

"They're in there. Just hiding."

[Silver Fox]

It had been a little bit since they've been into a actual city, and it wasn't quite as welcoming for Dog. Still, they had little choice. They needed supplies, especially after being run out of the Farm House. Cat and Dog were both pretty good at scavenging for edible plants, but having some solid food would be quite thankful. Dog moved behind Cat, the tall figure moving quietly and skillfully, blue eyes making sure to keep watch over everything. The two followed after Chris and Tony. Though Cat was moving much quieter compared to Dog. One could hardly tell he was there, which was surprising since he was so big.

At Chris's motioned hand and as she jogged off to scout the shopping mall, Cat simply watched her before deciding to move closer, coming up right behind Tony. The tall black haired man looked at the back of the tiny male before moving his right hand, gingerly drawing his index finger up along the spine. He didn't really have a good reason for it other than mild interest of a reaction. Dog rolled 'his' eye before lightly prodding 'his' brother's hand away. When Chris came back and explained the situation, Dog tilted 'his' head and glanced to Cat who simply narrowed his eyes.

He looked it over and around him. Cat didn't like this. It was too quiet in this city, too lifeless. Even devoid of the sight of the undead. It was unnatural. Dog on the other hand sighed a little and rubbed the back of 'his' head. "Mhmm what should we do then? There might be useful supplies in there." 'he' asked curiously, lightly touching 'his' bandaged eye.

[Apokalipse]

The mall was quiet, deathly quiet. Ellie-May clutched her gun to her chest, her finger hovering over the trigger. She silently stepped out from the store and glanced around; there was nothing. Sighing through her nose, she stepped backwards, back into the store, facing adamantly towards the entrance until she was far enough to not be easily seen. Pivoting around, her shoes squeaking on the linoleum floor, Ellie-May walked quickly to her mother’s side.

Stephanie stuffed the large black bag with clothes, throwing cargo pants and tank-tops as well as sweaters, and every time she shoved something new in there, the cans of food clanked. When she heard her young daughter approach, she raised her eyes, a guarded look in her eye.

“Anythin’, Baby Cheeks?” She asked, her voice but a whisper yet it sounded as if she yelled it in the encompassing silence.

“Nothin’ yet. How much longer? This place gives me the creeps.” Ellie-May muttered, kneeling to help her mother. Ellie-May glanced at Stephanie’s belly nervously, it was swollen like a moon; she only had five months more before a baby popped out of her.

“Just a little bit more darlin’.” Stephanie struggled onto her feet, moving towards the back for underwear.

A sound, not loud, but certainly not coming from them hit their ears. It was close by; swallowing, Ellie-May drew up her gun and edged towards the entrance of the store only to see the back of someone – no, just a body, they aren't people, she reminded herself – shuffling out the entrance of the mall.

“Oswald.” Ellie-May whistled as quietly as she could and the Pointer dog bounded from around the corner of the store. He approached her side, his ears perked. “Do you smell somethin’? Huh, boy? Do you smell prey?”

The dog licked his lips and he trodded towards the entrance, right before the arch, sniffing the ground. His nostrils flared as he took in the scents before he stood up and returned to Ellie-May’s side. However, he didn’t acknowledge the presence of an undead. Stephanie cautiously approached her side, and laid a hand on her shoulder.

“Was it one of the infected?”

“Oswald don’t think so. He ain’t pointin’ at shit.” The two retreated back into the store, silently agreeing to go to the back in case there was an undead lurking about. Oswald obediently came to their sides, his ears perked and his nose sniffing occasionally.

[MistressCyanide]

Kaylah managed to stay with some of the group, Cat, Dog, Chris and Tony were in her sights at the time. She stood several meters away from Cat who by this point seemed to have closed the gap with Tony, she watched him as Cat was now directly behind Tony. Her eyes soon gazed elsewhere, for a moment at Dog and then at Tony before finally looking at her faithful friend Bruiser. Her best friend and guard dog stood right next to her, the dogs leather dog collar had a metal tag on it with her name on it. It made slight noises as it moved side to side and back to fourth like a pendulum. The woman in blue gazed at her dogs filthy coat and long nails, the last event had made her lovely dog dirty though it did not bother her to much though a clean would be ideal at the moment. The mess reminded her of one of her deceased dogs, a energetic and hyper jack-Russel. Karma was his name and he was a blend of brown with elements of white and black, his short far coat and his lovely wet nose. Karma would roll in poo to hide its scent, something Kaylah could not stop completely but could easily sort out.

Chris: "They're in there. Just hiding."

Her mind soon broke that thought as she soon heard Chris speak up, she soon heard Dog speak up as well. What should they do? The question was how long would they survive without going into the mall. The stripper herself needed to sharpen her weapons blade or at least replace it with a new one. She needed more food for the dog, she only managed to grab two tins from the last place they stayed at. she herself needed more food, the group needed more food and supplies to survive. Hopefully the mall was not ravaged though the only way to find out was to go to the mall itself and so Kaylah soon spoke up about what they should do.

Kaylah: "I think we should go, I mean it is not like we have enough to survive the week, month or knows how long until we reach another building with supplies in. I am sure there might be a crazy person in there though, there is always one, probably at the gun shop, supermarket, DIY store or something like that. If we take it slow we should be safe, maybe we should be in a team of two to three for better survival odds. Also we need a safe place for the night, I think we could hold a store for our own for the night and gather supplies at the same time."

Her two cents were thrown in and she could not be wrong, supplies must of been low. They could only carry so much and it was not like they had a car or something to carry and cover more ground with. Also it probably did not help her play Dead-Rising before the world went to shit, where psycho's were holed up in as she said a gun shop, supermarket, food court, DIY store, hell even the courtyard. She missed video games, she missed stripping and most of all missed her family and dogs she used to have. Kaylah's breathing was light as she kept thinking about the possible supplies they could get though of course the group needed to everyone else to go along with it. Her dog could easily spot the undead due to the smell they gave off, they were of course beginning to decay if not decayed already to some degree. Bruiser was trained to watch, defend and attack if needed be though the last option was off the table or Bruiser could turn. Her dog soon sat down for a moment and looked up at her owner before finally moving around the group.

Bruiser stopped next to Dog first and just sat there for a moment as she looked up at Dog. Eventually she moved next to Cat where she watched him for a moment before finally sitting close to Tony and Chris. In a way it was as if Bruiser was watching out for them the only way a dog could as her noise sniffed for anything off. Kaylah's eyes wondered once more though her eyes watched out for anything that moved or made a sound, the infected good easily sneak up on them, even more so that there were several types of infected out there, who knew what other types existed out there. If the gun store was not under a psycho's ownership she would see if any bullets were laying about for her weapon, though she did not use it often due to how it would draw more infected in the area if they heard it go off. Now she just had to see what the others would say.

[FaithsRose]

Mercy was trailing behind the other five survivors, watching Chris vigilantly check every nook and cranny they passed. She had slid an arrow into her bow though held it down and only half drawn so as not to strain herself or the weapon. The horror of Ash's death hadn't left her yet, she was almost convinced it wasn't going to. Loss was something she was all too familiar with, losing Serena at the beginning had threatened to open her scars but Ash had managed to keep her together. Now that she was gone, Mercy felt like she had no-one left...

As if on cue the large piebald horse butted his nose against her arm, causing her inhale sharply and trip over her own feet. She turned to glance at him noting how his ears constantly flickered in different directions as he listened out for anything suspicious and that his nostrils were slightly flared. In truth he hated being at the back like this, almost as much as he hated Cat walking behind him, it made him nervous. "Easy, we're okay" She murmured in a soothing tone, watching the gelding chomp at the bit in his mouth, she'd tied his reigns so they sat halfway up his neck less dangerous if he put his head down to chomp at the small clumps of grass that had sprung up like weeds in some places.

Bandit seemed satisfied with her reassurance and continued to lightly thud behind her, clearly uncomfortable with the concrete beneath his bare feet. Mercy cast her eyes back to the groups in front of them, they were spread about the side-walk though Chris wasn't with them anymore. The blonde frowned before stepping out between two of the cars and edging into the road to scan the street across from them, Bandit remained on the side-walk one ear focused on her though he had found a small clump of grass to nibble on behind Kaylah.

They hadn't encountered anything since they'd stepped into this city, watching Chris move over to inspect the front of the mall the blonde felt a sense of unease settle within her. She wasn't even sure what she was doing here...it would have made more sense for her and Bandit to stay in the countryside in some ways, not so much in others. As Chris re-joined the group, Mercy hesitantly moved back towards the group, to stand just to the edge of the side walk the others occupied so she could listen in on their conversation notably keeping as much distance between herself and Cat as possible.

"We can't afford not to go in there...whether there's a crazy person or not" She piped up adding in her opinion. "This place is so empty there may even be more survivors holed up around here, keeping an eye out for any might be a plan" She mused lifting her shoulders in a shrugging motion before murmuring "Splitting up would speed things up but we'd still be vulnerable, if we were to split up we'd do better to decide a rendezvous point and a time estimation" her eyes flicked up to the sky above them, trying to judge by the suns position what sort of time it was now.

[teapotshark]

Watching his best friend jog into the street, Tony squeezed the crowbar in his hands until his forearms shook. So focused on Christina, he didn't feel the man behind him growing closer until they were all but pressed together. He might have shivered, if he wasn't so concerned for his safety. At the touch of Cat's finger, Tony seized up. The shaking stopped, but his grip on the crowbar remained tight. He said nothing, holding his breath until Christina came back to them.

Chris split her attention between the archway entrance to the shopping mall and the group converging behind her. In the back of her mind, she noticed the distance Mercy kept from the rest of them. She itched to tell her not to stray far, but she knew why Mercy couldn't stay close by, and kept her mouth shut.

She heard only the key words of each of their comments, enough to make a close enough guess at what they were saying. Supplies, the night, splitting up, rendezvous. Chris rubbed her face with her free hand, smudging her jawline with a dirty thumb.

"Tony, you and Mercy," she said, gesturing to both of them in turn. She spoke softly, yet clear enough for them all to hear the reluctance in her voice. As she gave instructions, she again felt the phantom weight of her old uniform. "You, Dog, go with Mortal Kombat over there. I'll go with you," she nodded to Cat. She wasn't about to let anyone else alone with the psycho. "Don't go far, look for stuff we can use and carry. Rendezvous in the foyer in ten." Chris gave them all a once-over, then straightened and, throwing her rifle on her shoulder, marched into the mall.

For his part, Tony gave Mercedes his half-hearted smile and inched away from Cat before following Christina through the arch. He waited there for the bowman to move ahead, mimicking Christina's form.

The moment her boots touched the marble floor, she began to step as lightly as her bum knee would allow. Her right foot dragged just so, creating the slightest of sounds. Batton drawn, she motioned for everyone to fan out, then moved to the right side of the foyer. She passed a broken eyeglasses kiosk and carefully avoided the shattered glass spread across the floor. A string of small stores lined the side of the foyer, some windows smashed; video games stores, perfumes, all useless to them. Still, she approached. In the very least, she could clear them of the undead.

[Silver Fox]

Cat watched the much smaller male of the group react, terror radiating off of him but managing not to make a sound or faint. Quite good, the animalistic named man could find that was at least a alright response. If he had made noise, Cat probably would of covered his mouth and gripped his neck to shut him up. Seems he at least had some control over fear at least. Turning his cold blue eyes to glance toward the blonde bowwoman who kept a distance from the group, especially Cat. Since the little incident with Ash, mostly everyone kept their distance from him. If they bothered to get enough courage to watch the execution, it wouldn't be a pretty sight to them he was sure. Still, they should be grateful. He made her death quicker then he would have liked and dealt with the bashing her skull in.

Mercy was being illogical and unable to face reality that her companion was doomed to turn into a undead and die. Trying to spew utter nonsense of what they could to save her, yet it was impossible. Cat told her straight, saying that at this point the only way Mercy could have her companion, was if she kept her undead friend on leash and kept a zombie pet. She thought it was a horrifying idea. So in the head, he had to finish the job since no one else had the stomach to kill their companion before turning. So he snapped her neck with a quick move of her hands, ending her life and smashed her skull against sharp rocks. Blood, skull, and brain was all that was left when he was done. Of course, the sight didn't bother him, but the others not so much.

Glancing his blue gaze to the horse that was with Mercy. He didn't thinking bringing such a obvious target was such a good idea but then again, the creature could easily distract several undead if trouble reared its ugly head. Course, the horse was also nervous around him, probably sensing the predatory aura. If dull human senses could tell, of course a horse could. Though the strippers canine seemed to come over to him briefly and check on him as well as the others. Most likely having some pack instinct and making sure its back was fine. Cat didn't particularly care, it wasn't aggressive so he wasn't. There was little point in killing it since everything was infected already, eating meat of current kills would just probably get him infected.

Dog listened curiously, smiling a little at Bruiser as she came closer and Dog couldn't help but gently pet the top of her head. As 'he' listened to everyone pipe up their opinion and Chris giving out the teams, Dog frowned a little and glanced toward Cat a little. It was a little surprising that Chris chose to separate the twins yet Dog wasn't quite as confident that 'he' was as safe as before. Cat didn't say anything and simply help treat Dog's injured eye, but Dog was worried that 'his' elder brother now didn't hold the same attachment as before. Dog had a severe injury, lost of half 'his' sight and it was large and could easily get infected.

It made Dog nervous and tried to look for signs that Cat might turn and execute 'him' as well but Cat remained the same as always. Calm and cold. Even Dog had a hard time deciphering what Cat was exactly thinking. Still, he worried a little for Chris as well since she had a shotty knee. But the dirty blonde nodded a little but slightly blinked curiously at the word 'Mortal Combat' seeming not to understand, in which 'he' turned his one reddish brown eye to Cat with wide curiousity.

Cat briefly glanced toward Dog before looking to the mall again. "Video Game." His voice was soft, yet clear, barely a whisper but in the silence it was like a cold dagger dragging on stone while nonchalantly pointing a finger toward Kaylah. In which Dog made a O shape with 'his' mouth and smiled as cheerfully as always. Despite what Dog went through, 'he' still always managed to show such cheerfulness.

As Chris moved, so did Cat, following close behind and his footsteps just as quiet as he touched marble. Blue eyes scanning the area, though briefly looked to Chris as she made the ever so slightly sound thanks to her injury. As they passed the perfume, his eyes narrowed as leftover stink seemed to still be there. Annoying, it clouded his sense of smell and he didn't like it. He could of swore, he could smell a dog in here and his eyes narrowed, his fingers clenching but said nothing as he followed Chris. It was too quiet, and if he had fur he'd probably bristle. Something was up. He wasn't quite sure yet, but his gut said something was hanging around. Be it alive or dead.

Dog on the other hand, smiled to Kaylah before taking lead and carefully sneaking into the mall. Taking the left sigh and passing a few clothing stores, Dog did 'his' best to avoid the broken glass that rested against the marble ground. Cautiously looking around the best of 'his' capabilities, Dog couldn't help but pause as he passed by what looked like a comic shop. His one eye wide with curiosity, and obviously wanted to go inside and check it out but simply pouted as 'he' had to refrain in order to check the area.

[MistressCyanide]

Chris: "You, Dog, go with Mortal Kombat over there."

It seemed Kaylah was going to be paired with Dog again, she was not complaining as Dog was rather nice unlike her twin or as she referred to herself as him. She would go with it because it was who they wanted to be and who could take that away. She did time to time have thoughts about talking to Cat though who knew if he would brush her off. She would give it a try when she could, she travelled with the guy and the others so talking with them and building some relationships was important. Blue soon looked over to her partner who seemed to have taken the lead at this time. She saw a smile and she would have given one back if she could see, it made one anyway though Dog would not be able to see it.

The two were going to take the left side of the mall, Bruiser walked next to Dog as she took lead. Her nose sniffing the area for trouble, a detector which would help people survive better. The marble floor was nice and the broken glass did not change that as she passed it, making sure not to step on it. They passed a few clothe shops though Kaylah could see several other stores from where she was at this point. She could see a sports store called Everlast Sports, a cake shop on the opposite side of the sports store called Frosty Cakes and it seemed Dog had found a comic store. Her eyes checked out the other stores she could see though at the moment all she could see were the colours the store signs had and somewhat some of the logos that went with those colours, many unclear as the mall stretched a long way from where they were.

This would only be one floor of four or more. Her feet made slight patting sounds as she moved; her feet were a little sore due to her shoes not really being proper shoes. They were a cosplay item which was not supposed to be used as everyday shoes promoting Blue to get some trainers or something. Hopefully they could check it out later if things were clear, maybe block off some areas so keep a certain area safe for longer. The place was partly littered though probably from before the outbreak happened or so she thought. The indoor interior seemed like most malls as it had sits, bins, stalls, escalators, elevators and the other things one would see at the mall. The air conditioning was still working but for how long? Kaylah watched when Dog saw the comic book stop, she herself wanted to go look as well but she had a job to do first.

Kaylah: “So you like comics Dog? I love comics too; I had a collection back when the world was right.”

Just because they were checking things out did not mean she could not strike up a conversation even if they had to whisper, she spoke at a low level which one would consider too loud to be whispering. Her voice echoed a little due to the reverb of the large open planned room. Her voice crackling a little, something that did not happen often, in fact was rare to happen. Her vial did not muffle her voice in anyway, a piece of cloth that thin wouldn’t. Bruiser soon began to weave in-between things as she searched the place out the way she could though returned to Dog every so often as she was lead at this point. Bruiser felt a kind soul within Dog and so would spend time with her when the chance arose, even if Cat was less kind or just unkind Bruiser did not fear him. Her paws made tiny patting sounds as Bruiser walked across the marble flooring; her nails caused the sounds to be heard as well as her dog tag that swayed upon movement.

Kaylah kept her eyes open for a pet store and a food store as well, the more food stores the more supplies they could get, the pet store was for a more personal reason. She would return to the sports shop later as well, her weapon was rather worn out now. she did however have her hockey stick with a razor blade on the end of it out just in case. She had good range but it took a bit more work to use it, the hockey stick looked like it was going to break any day now. The stick was chipping, cracking and splitting, the paint was peeling and the dried on blood would come off time to time.

[teapotshark]

With Mercy taking the lead and the horse waiting outside, Tony stalked into the foyer. He watched the others split up and part ways, spreading out across the mall. One hand hovering over the revolver on his belt, seeking the comfort of its ability to remind him he could defend himself, he crept along behind Mercy through the foyer and into the atrium of the first floor.

Tables packed the open area, once neatly arranged according to the patterned floor tiles beneath them, now broken and cast about the room in disarray. Glass lined the floor here, as well. Tony stepped gingerly around and over it where he could, the tiniest of shards embedding themselves in his sneakers. He and Mercy stopped, stood between two pairs of frozen escalators, to look around.

He turned in a slow circle, doing his best to keep their backs facing one another the same way Christina always did with him. The cluttered state of the atrium, the marble columns, the elevators, plants and walls, all provided hiding places for the smartest of the undead.

Tony swore he saw movement behind the farthest escalator, but a second look turned up nothing. Mercy brushed his arm and he shivered. "Nothing," he whispered over his shoulder to her. They moved forward again, towards the food court.

To the right of the atrium, Chris reached the all-glass store front of the video game outlet. Unsurprisingly, the windows managed to remain untouched; nobody looted video games when they were fighting for their lives. She stepped inside, scowling over the five foot tall shelves, and made her way through the first aisle.

The odd game case or cardboard box obstructed her path, but the store seemed almost as it had been prior to the outbreak. Except the smell. She couldn't place it, exactly. She raised the baton every time she turned into a new aisle, and cleared them in minutes. The rooms in the back remained, as much as she wished they didn't. Glancing at her temporary partner, Chris gestured to the registers and the open door behind them. She didn't trust Cat not to murder her the second he got the chance. "You first."

[Silver Fox]

Cat silently followed, eyes continuing to scan around him. It was almost odd now seeing a store almost being untouched but it was to be expected. Video games were more or less useless when survival came down to it. As the woman known as Chris instructed him to go first, the cold eyes looked at her before simply moving ahead and paused at the door. Leaning foreword carefully to examine the doorway for any traps before going inside. He saw a bunch of boxes, most likely used for storage area. Looking around, he walked further before coming up with a smaller box, and he opened it. Blinking slowly as it revealed what looked like to be a bunch of junk food. Potato chips, nutribars, and the like. Most likely snacks for the employee's during breaks. Guess everyone just thought it was another box filled with useless video games.

There was also a basic first aid kid resting on a shelf. Reaching and grabbing it, he examined it. It had some bandages and alcohol, should be somewhat useful in treating injury at least.

Dog continued walking along though did turn 'his' head a little as Kaylah spoke up. Cat would of scolded Dog in starting conversation in the middle of scouting the place, saying it wasn't the time for useless chatter, but Dog couldn't help but respond with a smile. "Mhmm yeah. They were fun to look at because they had such pretty pictures and usually somewhat easy to read. I used to make Cat try and voice act with me when we read them or make him play Hero." 'he' whispered in turn before pausing in front of a clothing store. Sniffing a little, 'his' rusty colored eyes narrowed a little questionly before placing a index finger against 'his' own lips. Indicating to be quiet before drawing 'his' pistols from 'his' hips and slowly entered the clothing store.

The dirty blonde didn't really know what was up, but something felt off. That gut feeling CatDog got when they felt something up. Wasn't always right, but they didn't ignore it either. Slowly and quietly, Dog made sure to stay in cover, crouching behind some podium stands for mannequins and dressers that were used to have clothes on them.

[Apokalipse]

Ellie-May was just beginning to relax when Oswald perked up, baring his teeth, but not making a sound. She pressed her mother behind her and Stephanie reached into her bag, pulling out a food can just so she had something to fight with. Ellie-May lifted up her gun, her finger resting easily on the trigger. Pressing a finger to her lips, Oswald remained quiet, and Ellie-May gestured for him to stay with her palm. Oswald sat down, as if to assure her he would listen, and the brunette took a silent breath. Then, she swung around the corner, aiming her gun at the first shape she saw.

Her finger was just about to pull the trigger when she realized the two weren’t the undead. Instead, it was a feminine guy and some girl whose clothing didn’t seem to be the smartest choice. They seemed to be older than her and looked as if they’ve seen more action than she and her mother have. Either way, Ellie-May couldn’t take the risk that they might be bitten. She has to know first.

“Don’t move! You move, I shoot.” Ellie-May yelled, shifting slightly. She could only home that her mom stayed hidden, considering she didn’t have anything to protect herself with. “Have you been bitten?”

[MistressCyanide]

The woman in blue listened as Dog began to talk, learning one or two things about the twins. Kaylah tried to imagine the two voice acting to a comic and it was kind of making her want to chuckle. Of course she held it back and soon imagined the pair doing some roles based on various comics. Her brain had cooked all that up within a short time though her brain turned back to reality when her partner paused in front of the clothing store. Did Dog hear something she did not, Kaylah’s question would remain unanswered as Dog gave her a quiet action. When the pistol was drawn Kaylah quickly checked the four corners of the area the two stood to see if she could see anything. Soon Dog entered the store and the stripper followed as back up though she was wielding a hockey stick, it was like bringing a knife to a gun fight, and hopefully no fight would happen.

Fighting meant getting violent and getting violent meant someone would get hurt or worse she could get hurt. Getting hurt was her number two fear, her first fear being alone for more than 20 minutes. KK had her hands tight on her weapon though became a little looser as she thought about the possibility of getting hurt. When Dog did her thing one thing after another happened and Kaylah found herself with a gun pointing in her direction, since KK was next to Dog he had a gun pointed at him as well. All Kaylah could think is shit over and over in her head, maybe she should have said nothing until after they checked the area out. Kaylah’s eyes crept from Dog to the woman with the gun in her hands. The strippers eyes soon caught on to some of the for sale signs dotted around the shop, 10%, 15% and 25% off signs could be seen within the store.

Bruiser remained outside of the store scouting the other places that Dog and Kaylah had yet to look over. The clothes here were not really of her taste but that did not matter as the woman soon spoke up.

Unknown Woman: “Don’t move! You move, I shoot.”

Unknown Woman: “Have you been bitten?”

Kaylah pondered the question for a moment; she did not plan on moving though if one of the two were going to it would most likely be Dog then Kaylah herself. KK soon rubbed her neck for a second before looking up at the ceiling of the store seeing the lights and generic ceiling panel’s stores had in malls and shops. Blue had yet to answer the question, she was glad the store had no power or she would have to hear the same 12 songs that most stores played all year. Kaylah’s skin soon began to crawl over the thought of being bitten, her body twitched a little. Eventually she stopped stalling and finally spoke up.

Kaylah: “No we have not been bitten; chances are you would know off the bat in some form if we were. I guess the question now is have you been bitten? I think it is fair to ask and would you kindly….. Lower your gun, a hockey stick can’t out speed a gun.”

[FaithsRose]

Having taken the lead once more and moving towards the food court hoping Tony would stay close behind her. She wasn't entirely sure where her courage had come from as she carefully skirted around the larger chunks of glass on the floor, her eyes flicking across the area in front of them eyeing any suspicious hiding place. The only thing keeping her completely focused right now was the invisible responsibility of having Tony with her, it wasn't like Christina to allow him out of her sight and Mercy was determined to make sure nothing would happen to him whilst he was with her. The food court had been trashed just like the rest of the mall, some of the seating areas had been penned off by waist high decorative wooden fencing that in the past had glass panels mounted on top of them. Now the glass was splayed across the tiled floor shimmering in the afternoon light that filtered in through the roof above them. Mercy noted that splodges of blood and large splinters of wood were haphazardly strewn across the floor as well.

She inched across the glass sweeping her eyes across the disorganised chaos within the food court, upturned tables and tangled chairs, all of which could be a potential hiding place for the undead. Some of the tables had been secured to the floor stopping them from being tossed around in the chaos, though they held the worse stains some even looked like they had corroded. Lining each of the walls was some form of food restaurant each of which could have been hiding zombies behind their broken counters. Her eyes were focused on another pair of escalators at the far end of the food court, wondering whether the foliage around its base was hiding anything unpleasant as well. Mercy held her bow in her right hand and gripped one of her arrows tightly in her left, it would take her a little longer to shoot an arrow like this but at least she had something to defend herself with in confined areas.

Before going any deeper into the food court she turned to glance at Tony over her shoulder, she felt uncomfortable with continuing forward when the others seemed to have stopped. Continuing forward would put them a disadvantage if something wandered out of one of the food stores it would split them off from the others. The logical thing to do would be to either pick a side to go along or wait for the others to catch up. The blonde lifted her eyes to glance up at the second floor, she'd been in malls before though it was a shame it didn't fill her with the same joy as it used to, instead it filled her with an alarming amount of dread...there were so many places for the zombies to hide in here. Pushing the thought aside she refocused on the task at hand.

"Should we wait?" She mouthed to Tony, glancing at him over her shoulder so as not to turn her back on the room in front of them. As she waited for him to answer a rather threatening yell split the silence, causing her to inhale sharply as she jolted to face the direction it had come. Despite her initial shock she recovered fairly quickly, turning towards Tony she made to grab for him -careful not to catch him with her arrow as she did- in an attempt to tug him along with her as she dove for the nearest cover she could find. "Over here quick" She murmured careful to keep her voice down as she slunk down behind one of the tables that had been turned on its side, it didn't shelter them from the left side of the mall but it did from the right. Providing Tony had followed her she whispered "Stay down..." whilst quickly arming her bow with the arrow in her hand. If Tony didn't follow her, she reluctantly left her cover to follow him instead, hastily sliding her arrow into her bow as she moved trying to make out what the now muffled voices were saying.

[teapotshark]

Chris lifted the rifle over her shoulders and loosened the strap some, enough to yank it back into her hands as soon as possible, but not enough to create too much noise when she walked, so long as she was careful. She waited a moment for Cat to inspect the doorway and enter the store room, then followed. She kept an arm's reach of distance between herself and Cat, but peered over his shoulder at the contents of the box he opened.

Confident they hadn't roused anything reanimated, Chris skirted around him and walked deeper into the store room. Metal shelves twice as tall as she stood in rows near the back, packed with cardboard boxes. She cleared the aisles the same way she'd done in the front of the store and, finding no other exit, returned to Cat.

She crouched by the box, grunting quite unwillingly when a slight jolt of pain ran through her leg, and shrugged off her rifle and backpack. She kept the rifle between her legs as she piled chips, nutrition bars and cookies into the bag. When finished, Chris extended a hand to Cat and gestured to the first aid kit. Perhaps Mercy would find some relief in extra medical supplies.

At the distant sound of a raised voice, Chris jumped up. "You hear that?" she asked. No walker made a sound like that, like words, as far as she knew. But those bastards had a way of learning new skills. She snatched the backpack and rifle up and jogged out of the room, slinging them over her shoulders as she went. The ache in her knee grew stronger the farther she jogged.

Tony felt Mercy begin to slow and did the same, unwilling to walk more than three feet away from her. The muscles in his back twitched with the knowledge of her proximity, reminding him when he went too far or got too close. He opened his mouth to respond to her, but felt her fingers wrap around his upper arm and pull him aside.

He recovered quickly, his reflexes improving significantly since the attack on the farm, and ducked behind a fallen table. His mind replayed the shout over and over until he was convinced it was human. He reluctantly acknowledged it did not mean they were safe, yet. Shifting his weight on the tiles, Tony turned the crowbar around in his calloused palm. "Can you make out what they're saying?" he asked in a choked whisper.

[Silver Fox]

Cat silently handed the first aid kit to Chris at the gesture, before snapping his cold blue gaze back to the door at the sound of a yell. His hearing was quite good and he was instinctevly ready for a fight. Not like he ever wasn't, but now it seemed he had a reasonable excuse. He couldn't quite hear what was said, but any sort of yelling indicated danger one way or another. The tall man didn't believe any of the group was stupid enough to yell in a unchecked area unless they were in danger. Not stopping to answer Chris, his figure instantly moved out of the room. He was moving quickly, but his steps were still quiet, using his legs to carry him faster. Leaving the store, he listened to muffled voices and followed them. Carefully coming up to a clothing store, he glanced toward Bruiser who seemed to be wandering. Listening closely now, he could pick up the skimpy clothes girl's voice. Which mean Dog was there, and someone else was in there. Cold blue eyes narrowing dangerously, he crouched and quietly moved peeked in but couldn't quite see thanks to a bunch racks. The sounds were definetly coming near the center, toward the left. Moving inside, he moved ride, making sure to stay out of sight and be on the look out. Sniffing the air and scanning the area. It was dark, so that helped.

That stench of canine was stronger here, and it wasn't quite Bruiser who seemed to stay outside. At Kaylah compared to hockey stick to a gun, he concluded someone had pulled a gun on them. That was a threat, so to him, he had very reason to break someone's neck. Deciding to see if he could come up behind whoever it was, guessing since Dog and Kaylah just came in, the opponent was on the further side.

Moving around to the back of the center console that held cash register, he peeked around a corner and Cat's blue eyes narrowed. A woman rested there, with a dog. The woman seemed to have a can for some sort of defense, but was otherwise vulnerable especially with being a far along pregnant woman. The dog would be more of a issue, but Cat was doing with dogs. After all, he's been in dog fights and their moves were predictable. Grab the jaws and snap them apart and it was over. These two were probably with the opponent, most likely trying to protect them. Sure the person would be quite devasted if something happened to either one. But the promise he made to his twin still applied to these two. For now, they haven't done anything to give him a valid reason to slaughter them. But they were still a weakness, and would most likely distract the attacker.

So, he came around the corner, blue eyes cold as he glared to the two lifeforms, body calm yet ready as he watched their movements. The dog would either growl, bark, and may try to strike. At that, he would be ready to confront it. The woman may try to strike him with her can weapon, but would most likely try and call for help. Either way, the opponent would be surrounded, a gun despite it's usefulness, was still risky. It wasn't able to do either side at the same time. Unless they had dual wield like Dog, but it takes skill to effectively aim two different directions. Most people he's encounter this far doesn't have that sort of experience.

Still, Dog most likely will be upset if he didn't give fair warning. So he supposed he had to. "Call off your comrade." his voice was cold, calm and to the point. He didn't say it, but it would probably be obvious by the cold tone that it said 'or die.'

Dog on the hand tensed up as a woman appeared, pointing a gun at them, in which case the dirty blonde stood, pointing both guns at the stranger. Rusty cored eye blinking slowly as the woman demanded to not move and threatened to shoot them. But Dog moved a little stand 'his' tall figure in front of Kaylah to protect her from a possible shot. At the question of the bite and Kaylah answering, Dog blinked a little. Wondering if this girl knew that someone can get infected by other means other than a bite. After all, Dog would be the one to get the most suspicion over it.

"Nope, no bite here. Thankfully, those things look like it be quite painful. Ya know, with the rotted teeth, they seem quite jagged after some decay ya know. If only they had a zomzom dentist eh?" Dog joked with a friendly grin, despite the situation before slowly lowering 'his' guns and holstering them at his sides.

"Promise, we don't mean any harm... So no need to yell and such." 'he' said though silent thought 'most of us' as he thought of Cat.

That yell would attract his attention and Dog feared he would instantly react aggressively. A gun point meant a threat, and to him a threat meant a excuse to kill. So the dirty blonde was mildly afraid this girl's neck would suddenly be snapped. Still, maybe he won't since she hadn't shot yet. Cat was unpredictable.

[MistressCyanide]

Kaylah stood where she was remembering they were infected even without being bitten, it was like watching that zombie TV show which also had the you are infected even if you are not bitten thing going on. The strippers eyes darted once more as she saw Cat make contact, clearly this would most likely get messy. Kaylah did not personally enjoy watching one kill another but Cat made it an art. The fact she thought the word art made her question if she was even sane anymore, no sane person would say that. Though a gun was pointed in her direction she began to scratch her elbow questioning herself though she figured she just got used to it since the last few times she saw such brutal kills. Kaylah's eyes zoned in on Cat, she was waiting for him to make the first move or at least the first to do a brutal and lethal action of some kind. If and when Cat attacked Kaylah would hide behind the counter that was in the center of the room. Her gun was in her bag, it made to much noise to be useful in clear areas. Maybe a new addition was in order even if she had to pray it from someones cold, stiff fingers.

'Maybe I should ask Cat some tips on how to survive better, being dead is not something I want right now. Maybe I will start with Dog then maybe Chris. She seems to be very well equipped or at least close enough. Then I will bite the bullet and ask Cat.' Kaylah thought to herself.

Kaylah was distracting herself, something she did often but she could not really do anything with a melee weapon when someone had a ranged weapon. Bruiser soon found herself walking into the store, the rottweiler on guard as she picked up three new scents, one being a different dog and two new humans. Her physical physic made her look bigger then normal as she was on guard, spotting someone with a gun pointing at Kaylah and Dog set her off. She did not bark, Kaylah had to train her not to when it was clear unless it was really needed. A low growling noise was made, one that not even the dead could here unless they were in or outside the shop itself. A little bit of saliva began to run down Bruisers face as she bared her teeth, Bruiser was a guard dog and so she could disarm the target yet a chance of being shot was present if she did. If she had the element of surprise she would of been able to do it. Kaylah watched Bruiser though knew Cat would strike first or so she assumed based on the time she had been with the group.

[FaithsRose]

Mercy glanced at Tony with a measure of concern in her eyes as he seemed to choke on his whisper, she briefly closed eyes and focused on the muffled voices. "Not quite...though I'm pretty sure I heard Kaylah's voice, I couldn't make out exactly what she was saying...something about a bite" She finally answered in a low murmur, flicking her eyes open she sheepishly peeked over the table catching a flicker of movement she inhaled sharply before she realised it was Chris and the other shadow must have been Cat. Despite her animosity towards him she couldn't help but be marginally impressed by his smooth and almost graceful movements as he slunk down and into the store Dog and Kaylah had disappeared into. "They're in the store" Hesitantly the blonde stood up, scanning the store fronts that she could see before checking out the upper levels, she licked at her lower lip nervously consciously trying to keep her heartbeat as slow and even as possible. Whoever had shouted could have unwittingly notified every zombie within their vicinity of where they were, she chewed her lip indecisively for a moment before she crouched back down next to Tony. "If we hug the wall and stay low, we should be okay to move in for a closer look...I saw Christina and Cat heading over there" She murmured, glancing around them before steadily getting back to her feet.

As she did she caught movement out of the corner of her eye, pain slithered through her chest as she felt her pulse quicken. She turned to inspect the shops around them as she waited for Tony to get to his feet as well, feeling her grip tighten on her bow as she did. She was unsure whether her mind was playing tricks on her or not but she could have sworn she had seen something move past the doorway of the Subway across the way from them. "...I've got a bad feeling about this" Mercy murmured, edging around the table, making sure Tony was following close behind before she crossed the food court, heading towards the store where the others were. She couldn't stop herself from glancing over her shoulder a few times as she moved, sometimes to see whether Tony was with her but mostly to inspect the Subway counter whilst it was still within her sight.

Providing Tony had stuck with her she was outside the store within a matter of minutes, just in time in fact to catch the tail end of Dog's speech. The blonde couldn't help but agree as she thought of Cat, an unwelcome image of Ash's demise sprung to her mind causing grief and rage to seer her insides. Though they couldn't reach the entrance without crawling under the display window, Mercy came to a stand still next to the window glancing back at Tony before carefully peeking around the corner and in the window. She could see the young girl with her gun raised, she could only assume the girl was pointing it at Dog and Kaylah, though the clothes rails were blocking anyone else from view. "I can only see one, young girl, she's got a rifle" Mercy murmured to Tony, leaning back against the wall in case he wanted to see for himself, meanwhile her eyes scanned the foyer in search of Christina.

"See anyone else in there? I didn't-" Mercy spoke again, leaning out to peer through the window though she was cut off as a gun went off and the glass window in front of them shattered into a thousand pieces. Mercy spun away from the glass trying to shield Tony at the same time, the sound of the gunshot split the peaceful silence within the mall and seemed to echo around them almost drowning out the jingle of the glass shards as they bounced across the floor. "Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap" Mercy gasped under her breath, feeling her ribcage constrict around her racing heart as she willed herself to get up out of the sea of glimmering shards now occupying the stained marble floor. She couldn't quite bring herself to, as her breathing became ragged, tearing free of her throat in painful gasps, the world around her became uneven, swaying back and forth as if she were sprawled across the deck of a ship. She was so panicked she hadn't even registered the warm sticky substance trailing down the right side of her neck or what had happened inside the store after the shot or whether it had finally drawn anything out over in the food court. All she could focus on was the glittering floor beneath her hands which were still tightly secured around her bow and an arrow.

[teapotshark]

With her free hand, Chris propelled herself forward on the marble pillars as she ran past them. Her limp became all the more evident by the time she reached the source of the shouting. Already she felt the skin on her back crawling with the idea of undead in their vicinity. Cat sped well ahead of her on longer, more powerful legs and slithered into the store. She stopped in the doorway and opened the police baton at her side.

She couldn't see Cat any more, but she knew his behaviour well enough to know he'd be hiding, prepared to pounce at the first chance. Chris pressed her back against the open door and crouched as low as she could, listening to Cat's twin make nice with whoever lurked beyond the aisles. Just ahead of her, Chris could make out the bright blue PVC of Kaylah's ridiculous costume.

The stripper's dog brushed past Chris on her way through the door, sniffing. Despite the low rumble of a growl the dog gave off, Chris kept wishing everyone would just shut up. She crept inside, the baton hugging her thigh, and all but crawled around a stack of shelves, where she balanced unsteadily on her good leg and found Dog and a girl with a rifle in the same line of sight.

Across the atrium, Tony shuffled just a fraction closer to Mercy and flexed his fingers around the crowbar. He clenched his fist harder when she stood up and turned around, trembling in anxiety that barely seized with her return. He leaned closer to hear her whisper, but as soon as he heard Christina had followed the noise, he stood quickly.

He stepped where Mercy stepped, mimicked every motion so that they moved as fluidly as possible. He picked up the pace crossing the food court, only managing to avoid the scattered glass by an inch or two. They reached the store, and he waited for Mercy to peer inside before he did the same. He couldn't see Christina. He turned to Mercy and as he uttered the first syllable of his question, a piercing gunshot rang through the atrium and glass sprayed out in front of them. Tony felt someone hit his side before rolling off, and he followed suit in a tumble, but daren't open his eyes as the glass rained over him.

Chris leapt across the aisle as soon as the gun went off. She saw an unfamiliar dog launch itself from behind the counter and ducked, before tacklng the gunwoman. She dropped the baton in the struggle and reached for the rifle instead. Her palm brushed red hot metal and beneath her the girl thrashed. The gun went off again.

Chris' world went silent but for a high pitched, endless ringing. She felt the vibrations of her own pained outcry. She wrenched the rifle from the girl and stood up, but the room spun around her and a second woman came hurtling out from behind the counter and dragged the first up from the floor. Chris braced herself on the nearest wall and tried to turn, but found herself tripping over her own feet.

[Silver Fox]

Dog watched the woman carefully, tensing as the gun went off and hit the window and Chris come barreling in and tackling the guns an while avoiding a dog. Another shot went off, making Chris cry out and wrench the rifle away from the gun woman before holding her head. Dog quickly went over to 'his' ally and gently tried helping her up.

Cat on the other hand, snapped his cold blue eyes around the corner before watching the dog turn and go after those right around it. Quickly, he ignored the pregnant woman and started toward the owner of the rifle. But the dog turned and lunged at him, the tall man having to stop and confront the animal. Snapping his hands on the canine's open and outstretched jaws, he forcefully snapped them apart causing a soft yelp and whimper before the tall man quickly snapped the head almost do a 180, snapping the neck. The black haired man didn't pause in his assault and soon took out his knife and stabbed the dog in the skull repeatedly, making sure it wouldn't come back a second time.

Before the gunwoman could even scream out, now having the pregnant woman beside her, Cat turned toward her and grabbed her by the head and snapped her neck as well. Stabbing her in the skull, the eyes, the mouth repeatedly before throwing the limp body against the counter. The pregnant woman stared in utter horror, going over to the fallen woman and effectively holding and crying over the dead body.

Simply staring blankly at the scene, he walked passed the others and went toward the door. He could hear them. The groans of the undead. It was time to go.

As he passed Dog, he glanced at at the brown haired individual.

"Let's move." He said, voice cold and monotones like normal.

Dog could only stare at the scene, frowning deeply. Cat had already snuck in apparently, like a Panther... Crouching in the darkness ready to strike before effectively slaughtering its prey. Stiffening as 'his' brother walked calmly passed, some splatters of blood on his hands, Dog looked toward the crying woman.

"What about her?" Dog whispered, looking around at the sound of sudden banging from undead, searching for the way in.

"Distraction." Cat simply replied before continuing on, looking to see undead already in front of the malls entrance, banging against the doors.

[MistressCyanide]

Things were certainly going to shit quickly, first a shot was fired then Chris came barrelling through while Cat was ready to kill. Upon hearing the second shot Kaylah wondered how it came to this in such short time, though it was strange that Blue and Dog did not get a response when asked if they were bitten. Kaylah watched as Dog went to aid Chris before turning to see Cat kill the person’s dog like he did back at the farm. In her mind she wanted the dog to run away but dogs were generally loyal to those who looked after them and treated them well. The dog of course made a whimper before it died though seeing Cat just stab the dog repeatedly after tugged on Kaylah’s heart strings even if it was necessary. That could easily be her dog one day making her turn to see how Dog was doing, Blue found herself doing nothing at this point.

By the time the stripper turned round once more Cat was killing the one wielding the gun and without a thought killed her where she stood. The sound of something breaking could be heard, from the way Cat killed them it was coming from the neck. The stab followed soon after though as cat did Kaylah looked over to the pregnant woman who looked terrified. Such an ordeal could force a premature birth that was something she would hate to see as the child would not survive without the right care. Kaylah was going to go to the woman’s aid but she rushed off to her deceased woman on the floor. The world was messed up and she was not sure how much more she could take as she watched the woman lose all control over the corpse Cat made.

She must have been someone important though when Cat moved away and mentioned they should move Kaylah knew trouble was coming. The infected always turned up at the worse times, Kaylah felt sad for the pregnant woman but she could not wait around for her or force her to leave so she did not. When she heard Dog ask about the surviving woman she was shocked by Cat’s response. Maybe this was how he survived; maybe this was the only way to survive. Did loves ones hold one back, she began to doubt herself a little though only Bruiser was the thing she loved at this point, everyone else she cared for were dead or holed up somewhere else…… maybe. Kaylah grabbed her weapon tightly once more hoping the infected could be killed so they had enough time to gather supplies, she needed them and her group needed them to survive the coming days, weeks.

Bruiser made her way closer to Kaylah and gave Kaylah a quick lick before roaming off closer to Dog once more. The infected were coming and quickly making her pounce from where she was, Bruiser could smell them. Some were starting to decay others were mildly decayed and a few looked like they were going to turn into human soup real soon. Kaylah soon popped her head out to see the infected at the entrance of the mall. Mercy and Tony were here as well which was good as they would survive better together then apart. Maybe Cat could last a while before going down if he was going solo. The human body could only go for so long. Kaylah could feel her heart racing faster than before; the events at the store did not help though.

Kaylah: “Are we going to take them on or find a place to lock down so we have more time to figure something out?”