[IC] The Dead and the Dying

[moonfaerie]

“We've all lost our families,” Elizabeth commented quietly to Ethan; he wasn't the only one to have lost someone close to them. Her jaw clinched at the thought, but she refused to let anymore emotion show on her face knowing that once that dam burst, she wouldn't be able to hold it back anymore and she would be useless. Arching a brow at his confession that he thought she'd kill him, if anything she took it as a compliment. Though Elizabeth could kill whatever those things were out there, she hadn't ever killed an actual person—she hadn't needed to. And she hoped to hell things would stay that way.

Hearing a whistle coming from behind Ethan, the woman craned her neck to look behind them. The color drained from her face when she realized that they'd been had and, no matter what they had wanted to do, they were going to be taken to the farmhouse regardless. Eyes narrowing at the men in the bushes, she remained as still and quiet as she could possibly be until someone sprung from behind. Everything going dark around her, she squirmed and fought against her captor. Easily overpowering her with their strength, they loaded them in the back of their convoy.

Even though they both had bags over their heads, Ethan still found it in him to complain about their situation—and it even sounded like he was blaming her for it. Kicking her foot towards the sound, she unfortunately she only hit air rather than her intended target of Ethan's leg. “You shouldn't have dragged us towards them in the first place!” They'd probably heard him rustling through the brush when he was trying to listen in on their conversation.

Feeling the rough terrain as they were taken to the farmhouse, Elizabeth wasn't thrilled to be there—hostage or not. Forced out of the vehicle, she could feel the barrel of a gun pressed against her back to keep her in line. Pushing her forward, she took a couple of blind steps before being pushed again. Her wrists were starting to feel raw as she'd been working at her bindings in an attempt to loosen them.

Hearing him call to the others who were supposedly in the cabin, the woman muttered mostly to herself, “Ain't my people.” She didn't know them and if the others were anything like Ethan then they were probably more of a liability than anything else. Though her means of surviving wasn't perfect, it had worked fine these past couple of days and hopefully over time she'd enhance what little she actually knew so things would get easier.

If these people didn't kill her first.

Elizabeth didn't know what was happening out there, but he could hear the sound of gunfire. Heart pounding rapidly in her chest, she was terrified that a stray bullet would hit her so she didn't dare move and simply hoped one of them wasn't being aimed in her direction. Feeling her captor grab her hair, she let out a cry of pain as her head jerked back. Feeling the gun move from her back, it wasn't soon after that his hold on her relaxed completely and she was able to pull away. Quickly she reached up to pull the bag from her head. Taking seconds for her eyes to adjust to the sudden light, she took in her new surroundings while her brain tried to catch up with what was going on.

The only one she recognized was Ethan, still masked and running to the porch. Despite her reservations about the man, being the only familiar thing she knew she made her way towards him though she stopped herself short and stared at him completely bewildered as not only did he trip, but he somehow managed to know himself out like some kind of cartoon she would catch her daughter watching. The only thing she could do was stand beside the man and stare down at him; she even lightly kicked the bottom of his shoe to see if he was really out.

A new face arrived and knelt at Ethan's side. Not really expecting much, figuring he'd be too busy tending to the unconscious name, she arched a brow when he asked who she was. “I could ask you the same,” she replied. Though it wasn't the man himself that answered; she figured out his name was Johnny as a whole mass of people arrived and one of them addressed him. When a boy reached Ethan, she couldn't help but notice the look he'd given her. “What?” she demanded. If the kid had something to say to her then he could say it.

There were way too many people around for her liking and she continued trying to escape her bindings so she could leave; none of these people were offering to help her out any.

She didn't know what the deal with the woman was, but when she spoke with an authoritative air in her tone, Elizabeth simply scoffed. “Honey, those people already knew about your farm. They didn't need us to lead them anywhere.” It had been the opposite. Which just brought up the question how many other people knew this farm existed and thought it would be a safe place to hole up. Staying there, at least in her opinion, wasn't safe and she was more than happy to leave seeing as she never wanted to be there in the first place.

Her attention turning back to Johnny, Elizabeth stated, “I say you take these off and I take that offer on getting the hell out of here.” Motioning to Ethan's unconscious body with her bound hands, she added, “You can keep that.”

Whether or not it was because they doubted she could be trusted, they were just assholes, or a little of both, Elizabeth still felt like a captive as she was forced to stay until Ethan woke. With an agitated sigh of discontent, she muttered, “Fucking hell.” Hands still bound, her harsh stare bore holes into each of them as she was led inside. Even though she technically had a roof over her head she didn't feel any better as she had on her own in the middle of the woods. At least then she'd had some form of control.

Sitting off in a corner by herself, Elizabeth continued to work at her bindings until her wrists were too sore to keep at it and she finally gave up. Leaning her head against the wall she closed her eyes. Hearing the offer of a bath which sounded like a luxury at this point considering she'd gone three days without one and was covered in a foul combination of dirt, grime, and gore. Opening one of her eyes she asked, “Does that invitation extend to me, too?” doubting that it did since she was still a prisoner to these people.

Rather than the woman addressing her of her questions about who she was, she seemed to talk to Ethan—as if he really knew anything about her. Rolling her eyes, she turned her head away from the ground and went back to being silent. If these people weren't going to try then she saw no reason why she had to.

[Sol Grim]

"I went back to bury my wife," Ethan said to the group. He was sitting on the couch and rubbing his head, still feeling woozy from the hit he took. "I got attacked by one of those walkers and she saved my life. Then those guys found us. She's okay in my book, a little outspoken, but okay. I say feed her and then let her go if that's what she really wants."

Johnny cut off her binds next, while Raven went off with James to burn the bodies. "Sorry lady," he said. "Can't be to careful."

"I can take you to the next town tomorrow morning," Dallen told the new girl. "Give you a few supplies, send you on your way. You'll have to be blindfolded again, though. Until then, rest."

"We got a few glocks, a desert eagle, some grenades," Johnny started, placing the weapons on the table. "Some kind of hunting rifle..."

"A Marlin 1894 CB," Dallen said, walking up next to him. ".44 magnum, .45 colt, .357 magnum..."

"That ones mine," Johnny blurted out.

"Browning auto, mossberg 500," Dallen continued. "Remington 870, I'll take this one when I'm not carrying the AR-15 or the 30 ot 6, packs a big kick. Some beretta's, I recommend these for you starters. And um, no one touch the grenades..."

He gave Johnny a look, in which he just shrugged. "What, I killed all of them at once," he said, starting to get defensive.

"How does that make you feel?" Ethan asked.

Johnny shrugged.

"We have enough," Dallen said of the weapons, going back to the topic. "If there's more of them we'll be ready."

"There's not," Ethan said. "The walkers have taken all the southern lands. If anyones still surviving out there it won't be long...Liz is lucky we found each other when we did. Just a matter of time before they start heading this way."

"They already are," Johnny said. "On our way back we saw some stuck in the mud at the base of the hill. After that explosion, there might be more coming. I think we need to build a fence. Oh and dibs on that shower, Reena."

Raven was outside with james, she nodded her head in agreement with him. She was glad they were dead and not her, but at the same time she couldn't help but think that these people were just normal people a week ago. Hell, four days ago! It's a scary thing what having to survive can do to a person. When James lit them on fire, she stood back and watched. Her mind racing in a million different directions. What if they weren't prepared? What about next time?

"We have to learn how to shoot," She eventually said. "Fend for ourselves. I think we got lucky this time..."

The others kept an eye on Elizabeth, but other than that she was free to move about so long as she stayed in everyone's sight and didn't get close to the weapons, of which were packed back up and taken to another room. Ethan went to go lie down upstairs, while Johnny watched the new girl while also sharpening a machete.

"Liz? Was it," johnny asked. "I'm Johnny. I hope you like grits, cause that's our menu tonight."

[CloseEnough]

"Yeah, your right. I never really shot a gun until a few days ago, Reena only let me use a cross bow." Raven was right, they were lucky. "Dallen, Johnny and Reena, those guys know how to survive. If it was just them than it would be simple to survive. I don't know about you but right now I'm just dragging them down a bit....."

He ran a hand through his hair, pulling at the end before kicking dirt over the flames. Extinguishing the charred remains that began to crumble in the pit. He needed to learn how to defend himself better. He could still feel the barrel of the gun on his back, the fear that sank through every crevice of his body, that he actually had tears in his eyes and whimper for his mother.
This isn’t a world where you can be a child...

Walking back to the farm, and putting vader in the pasture. James entered the house to see the new girl walking around freely. Was that okay? He could only shrug his shoulders, they had a better opinion on people than he did. "Bodies are cleaned up, burned them so they shouldn't be attracting anything."

The smell of food in the air, he sat down, only to realize that Ethan was gone again. A sigh escaping his lips he got a serving of Grits before walking up stars. "If he doesn’t want to eat, you shouldn't make him James...."
"But I don't, we just can't have someone in the group starve though."

Taking a deep breath he knocked on the door, listening for a response only to open the door anyway and set the bowl down on the table by the door. It was quiet, not a word spoken for a while, what could he say? The guy lost his family, but something was weighing heavily on his mind.
"You know, if you told me I would have came with you." His hands clenched he found his gaze glued to the floor. "I wouldn't have been around for when you buried her but....but you should have at least had someone to keep watch. If that girl wasn't there what would have happened?"

-----

A whistle escaping her, Reena looked over the loot. "Way better than I thought, and Dallen is right, forest is too dense to use these, too loud, and I'm pretty sure Dallen is the only one here that was trained to use them..." Offering the bottle to the guys she sat on the couch. A sigh escaping her as she watched James head upstairs, once again trying to take care of Ethan.

He's too soft right now and it worried her. James was a good kid, but he was too good. Soon he's going to be put in a terrible situation and he would have to get himself thicker skin to survive.
The red head couldn't help but keep Liz in the corner of her eye at all times. A golden gaze watching her every move. "So Liz was it? Reena. You have a plan on surviving out there?"

She was trying to figure out their next move for themselves. "Place is fenced in, just not as strong as I would like. I'll see what we can do about that. Also, I'm thinking about hunting tomorrow, there's still game here and honestly venison is the best, won't be a lot left after a few months. So if anyone wants to learn than get up early tomorrow."

Later that night she boiled another pot of water, getting the bathroom set up for the others. "Liz, or Johnny, you guys pick who goes first." She already empted out the room for anything that could be used as a weapon, couldn't hurt to let the girl take a bath. "Well, since the power is still running, I'm playing some games. Only a matter of time before the electricity is no longer pumping and we'd have to moderate it with the generator."

Turning on her PS4 she sat down in her game chair. Turning on game after game, destiny, borderlands, fallout, witcher, she was a skilled player, one that was engrossed in the games that she switched around through. After all, this could be the last time she could actually enjoy something as common as a video game.

[moonfaerie]

Finally freed from her binds after Ethan's vouch, Elizabeth ran her hands over the raw skin with a slight wince. It would heal up soon enough. “Asshole,” she muttered beneath her breath, refusing his apology. If anything, she had been the one who needed to be careful about them. Especially seeing the amount of armory they were hauling around.

As the older man of the group addressed her, it was probably the first time any one of these people had said something that she actually liked. While doubt was still evident on her face, Elizabeth gave a nod of agreement. Whatever got her away from here and these people. “Sounds good. Thanks.”

Listening to the exchange between the men, the woman arched a brow as the last word she would use to describe her run in with Ethan was 'lucky'. It might have been lucky for him considering she'd saved his life, but since then all he had managed to do was drag her to be caught by some criminals and then held prisoner by his own people. While they talked about those things, Elizabeth thought back to her time in the city and the chaos. There were so many of those things. A vacant stare at an empty space in the middle of the floor, all she could think about was how that walker—as Ethan called it—had melted her fiance's face off. Face contorting as she thought about the way he'd pulled the skin away, hands covered in blood, to reveal the muscle underneath, she was pulled out of her disturbing thoughts when someone addressed her.

Blinking back to the present as she turned towards the person speaking, it was Johnny. “Grits are fine,” she said. They were a southern staple and something she'd grown up eating often. Even if it was something she hated, Elizabeth had been eating worms, grasshoppers, and other insects she'd been digging up in the dirt. At the moment, she wasn't picky. Grits sounded like a breakfast fit for a king.

More than happy with what was for dinner, Elizabeth got herself a bowl and returned to her spot since that was where she felt the most comfortable. Eating slowly to savor the taste, the first bite was almost too hot as she had to let it linger in her mouth with it open for a minute before she finally swallowed. The others she softly blew to cool while it was still on the spoon.

Preparing to take another bite of her meal, she glanced at the woman out of the corner of her eyes when she asked her plan to survive. There wasn't really a plan, but she hadn't had any issues with what she'd been doing before except when it came to food. A shrug of her shoulder she responded, “Avoid people that will tie me up.” It might not have been much of a strategy, but it was the best thing she had at the moment and right now the only thing that found to be a real issue. Hell, even the bugs she could handle.

Finding it odd to hear that at a time like this she was going to play games, Elizabeth ignored it as her gaze moved to Johnny—the person she would be going against for her bath. Though her food was only half eaten, she sat the bowl in the floor. “We could go at the same time,” Elizabeth suggested to him, flashing Johnny an impish grin as she stood and went over to him. She didn't actually mean it; she was just trying to distract him and catch him off guard so she had a slight advantage. In her previous line of work, a smile and flattery went a long way to getting what she wanted. Back then it had been more money; right now it was simply a bath. “But you, Johnny. I get the feeling you're a gentleman. So ladies first, yes?”

That had been a lie. Already Elizabeth had assumed he was a jerk, but that might have just been her being sour over his suggestion to keep her tied up in the first place. Still, she took off at a fast sprint towards the bathroom. Sliding into the room she shut the door quickly behind her and made sure to lock it. Johnny would just have to wait. And he would just have to wait for a long time.

[Sol Grim]

After a long bit of silence, Ethan finally thanked the kid. "You're right James," he told him. "Starting tomorrow, I become a team player. I promise. Thanks for the food."

"Gentleman, ha, you're hilarious," Johnny said. The woman bolted off anyway and shut the door behind her. It was okay to him, he would just have to wait a bit longer to get the blood out of his hair.

"I'll take up watch in the barn again," Dallen said. "Make sure Ethan and Liz don't try escaping from that side of the house."

"I'll keep you company for awhile?" Raven asked.

"Sure."

The two went back out for the night, while Johnny loaded his .357 and sat with Reena, watching her play video games all night. "I see where you got the name Roach," he said, thinking of one of her horses. "Ooh, kill him! Use that flame spell again! Awww!!"

The rest of the night deemed to be pretty normal, given the circumstances. Once Liz was finally done with her shower, Johnny took his rather cold one. Ethan rested while Dallen and Raven talked all night about the little things, until rest overcame everyone.

DAY 5

[Sol Grim]

Johnny was up before anyone. For some reason alcohol took the opposite effect on him, causing him to be wide and ready early on. He went alone to the base of the hill, using his machete to kill off all the walkers that were stuck in the mud.

Dallen prepared the jeep with a few supplies for Liz, while Ethan came out and greeted him.

"There were some CB radios at the fire station," Ethan told him. "It's on the way, I thought maybe you could pick one up? Would be nice to know if anyone's on there. I'd do it myself, but...we all know how that turned out last time. Besides, I want to help Reena hunt. Raven does to, we all need to start helping out."

"I'll see what I can do," Dallen told him. When he finished loading the jeep, he went over to the couch where Liz was sleeping and shook her. "Wake up! Almost time to go."

By the time the sun rose in the east, johnny had returned and mostly everyone was either awake or waking up.

"The walkers are cleared out," Johnny said.

"I'd like to go hunting with you guys if I can," Ethan told him. "Help out a bit."

"Some of us are going hunting, but we also need to check out that quarry," Johnny said. "There were a few nurses in the pit, I'm guessing that's where they came from. Sooner or later we're gonna need medical supplies. I say sooner."

"Take Raven or Ethan," Dallen said. "Reena can take the other. I'll take Liz out, we should all be back by mid day. Liz? You ready?"

[CloseEnough]

Reena was already up,cleaning her tools and making sure everything was in order. "Idion, hunting knife, urine...lets see here.." She carried light, aside from a 170 pound draw compound bow. The thing was a monster and even she had trouble pulling it back sometimes. But one shot was all that was ever needed from the thing. Still no one could catch the red head without the crossbow slung over her back, it seemed like it was just another limb now.

Studying the group Reena looked at James, "I'll stay here, I saw you managed to get a signal flare from your last run. Something shows up, I'll send one off, hopefully I won't have to use it though." In turn she gave a smile, ruffling the kids now beach blond hair that was freed from grime. "Right, you be careful now, ya hear?"

"Ethan, your with me."
James was not surprised in the least that Reena chose Ethan to come with her. She'd rather be in range if something went wrong and she did not trust him a bit. Keep your friends close and enimes closer. He was tempted to tell the guy, but the egarness to help was a great change and he didn't want to ruin it.

"Not taking the horses today, cause too much noise and they need some rest. Come on, stick close and only do what I do." With that she handed him a knife, and only a knife for protection. "You guys watch yourselves out there, everyone would be wanting supplies now."
And with that, she was gone, patting Johnny on the arm as she and Ethan left to the wilderness.

----
It was quiet most of the hike. Reena aiming up hill, always trying to stay down wind. Her steps were light, hardly disturbing the world around her. They were far away from the gun shots and flames by the time she decided to speak again. "You ever been hunting before?"
She was getting near game turf. Stopping for a moment near a boulder she looked around, golden eyes surveying everything before finally sitting down, opening a vile of yellow liquid and dabbing it on her clothes. "I know, its gross, but gives you a better chance at not scaring something away. Tip though, never pick a deer in heat, that will get you killed."

She kept watching his eyes, his expression in them. Something had to have been off if he decided to put the team in danger. She couldn't blame him, the man lost his family. But she could not vary well just turn her back on him now that she knew he was willing to go for his own agenda at the drop of a hat.
Opening her bag she produced a small baggie of squirrel jerky. Biting off pieces and chewing it thoroughly, her head always up, always looking around. It took her a second to offer him some, her mind clicking that he probably forgot to pack some food for himself.

"You know, you gave James quit the scare." They were alone, no one could step in as she spoke her mind. The red head finally put her goods away, looking at the sky before finally locking her gaze to his. "That kid clung to you like you were a celebrity or something. He almost got himself killed and you leave him?"
Cracking her neck she took a deep breath, resting her elbows on her knees. "Listen, everyone deserves a second chance. You lost parts of your life that no one should have ever had to loose, I'm not going to lie and say I get that cause I don't yet. But if you ever betray my trust in you again, than I'll have to break James's heart and let you go. Cause there are a lot of things I'll do to keep that kid safe and putting him under the watch of people who leave without saying a thing is not one of them"

It was a while till she stood, offering a hand even that held no malice. It was like working with a friend that happened to be your boss, a fine line, a very fine line.

[moonfaerie]

Ever since she'd left the city, sleep had been difficult. Elizabeth often murmured in her sleep, thrashing around as images of what she'd seen haunted her. While it had been an uncomfortable sleep, Dallen's rough awakening didn't do well to lift her spirits any and instead started her day on a negative note. Glaring at him as he left, Elizabeth stayed in her spot on the couch for a good five minutes doing nothing more than staring at the ceiling.

Figuring she better get up and get the hell on out of there, the woman finally stood and stretched. The old man had already packed some stuff for her in the jeep and since she didn't have any belongings of her own, she was more or less ready to go.

The sun was blinding when she walked outside and she shielded her eyes until they finally adjusted to the light. Hearing her name, she caught only what was addressed to her. “Yep. I'm ready,” she replied. Not knowing what the others were up to and, admittedly, not really caring, she didn't ask what she'd missed.

Not knowing these people and not having the best first impression of them, Elizabeth couldn't say she was sad to go. “Well, it's been...something...” she said, that being the only word she could think of to accurately describe her experience with the group. It certainly hadn't been fun. They were a mess and she had a feeling that the longer things went, the worse it would become. The only one she'd felt any connection to was Ethan and even then she felt he was incompetent.

Climbing into the passenger side of the jeep, Elizabeth shut the door without so much as a goodbye to the others. Locking the door and buckling her seat belt, she slumped down in the seat resting her feet on the dash. Waiting for Dallen, she didn't say anything or look at him until they were already out on the road.

“Remind me where we're going again,” she said, having already forgotten. So much had happened within the last few days it was hard to keep anything straight. She'd almost called him Johnny before she remembered that was the name of the other one.

[Sol Grim]

"You don't need to know," Dallen said, then used his free hand to put the mask back over the woman's head. "Blindfolded, that was the deal."

He revved the engine and sped off down the nearest highway. The plan was to take her 18 miles out, then dump her wherever the hell that was. He was thinking about not even letting her have the supplies he promised her. Who would know? She wouldn't know how to get back. Right? Though the humanity was still in him, and he turned away from it all.

"It's not tight enough," Dallen reached over and pulled the bag tighter to make sure she couldn't see, yeah that was it. "Spread your legs. Easy honey, it's not like that." Dallen reached over and put his arm between her legs, and under the seat. He pulled out a machete and then switched it to his left hand. He braced a shoulder against the side of the jeep and held out the machete as they came upon a lone walker in the road. He drove just to the side of the walker as the machete perfectly sliced through its head. "Oh!! You should've seen that one."

He looked over and sighed, then took off her mask.

"You're harmless anyway," he said.

Suddenly a flare flew into the sky. Dallen instantly knew it was one of there own, as he had picked up the flare guns from the helicopter. There was a chance it could be someone else, but he knew it wasn't likely. Dallen turned onto one of the many trails and began toward it.

"Strap in," he said.

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

Ethan listened to everything Reena had to say with an open mind. She was right and he knew it. James was actually becoming a friend as well, at least in his eyes. He knew he had to step up, which was why he was here in the first place.

"Thank you," Ethan said. "And I'm sorry. I'm going to help out."

He took her hand, and went off to the dark of the forest. The sunlight shone through in various places, but the trees and their leaves overcame the sky. Moments later, he spotted a jack rabbit just a few feet away.

"I got it," Ethan said, rushing forward.

The rabbit ran off and he followed. Through the brushes and shrubs, the vines and branches. The animal was always just out of reach, everytime he paused to aim, it moved on. And he followed, ignoring anything Reena would say if he could hear her anyway. He was focused.

Finally it stopped, just atop a leaf covered hill. He aimed and fired, hitting it directly.

"Yes!"

A few dark birds flew off from the sound, though all else remained quiet and still, a soft breeze filling the air. Ethan rushed forward to the spot and climbed the hill. He pushed the brushes away and spotted Reena catching up to him from a distance.

"Reena, look!" Ethan said looking her dead in the eye. "I got it! First try!"

It was then that Ethan looked down the hill. There he saw them, covered and devouring flesh and guts in a pit where the hill led to. Ethan's eyes widened in pure horror at the sight. The dead rabbit rolled down the hill to the pit, where three angry fiends were. They were as wide as a gorilla, and as long as a tiger. The three infected fiends immediately noticed Ethan.

"RUN!!!" Ethan screamed to Reena. He quickly pulled out a flare gun from his belt holster and fired it into the air. "RUUN!!! RUN!"

Ethan charged head on into the already moving creatures. He raised his gun and fired useless shots at one, but they all three overwhelmed him almost immediately.

"RUUUUNNN!!!" Ethan pleaded.

The fiends ripped into him, tearing off his arms and legs as they tore out his chest. They sunk their mouths into him and feasted.

[CloseEnough]

"Well then, thats good to hear. Who knows, I might just have to owe you one day." Smile on her face, Reena began to get back to work, the sun was still high and yet she had not found a single track. Something was up, her stride slowing while she looked up, the familiar calls of birdsong absent in the still mountain air that threatened the suffocate.

Without words spoken, she took off her bow. It was a good weight in her hands, the soft texture of treated wood under her finger tips brought a small comfort. Her breathing stilling she began to slow, only for a hare to jump from the bushes. She did not move, still as any creature, her eyes keen even her breath began to silence.

The calm foreshadowing was broken like a shattered cradle. Ethan screeching like a banshee, tearing after the creature and off into the woods like a rampaging bull in a city's streets. "Fuck..." Annoyance overcoming her at the scene she took off after him. Cutting through his path with a line of thoughts of just how hard the red head was going to smack him, he was a teacher was he not? How could you be so foolish!?

With every step she took she wanted to turn back. The soil beneath her boots sinking ever so slightly, her breath coming in gasps, sides heaving from the force, Ethan always just out of sight as he turned this way and that. Her blood running cold when a gun shot rang through the mountain side, echoing painfully in the once calm scene. "Oh no..."

When she finally reached him, she was met with a smiling face. One that would belong to a child who just went to the bathroom on his own. The expression alone made her angry, how proud of himself he was, only for the color to drain from her features when she looked at what she thought world be a obliterated rabbit.
Giant nightmarish creatures were feasting. The crunching bones and tearing muscle was far too clear to her senses. Nose ransacked with the scant of rotting flesh, so much so that she wanted to gag. Her body was shaking, never had she seen such predators, and once again, before she could even help Ethan, they were on him. Tearing him as though he were made of parchment, curious children dissecting a toy.

She couldn't move, taking a step back, sweat running down her face she was met with the void eyes of Ethan. His last breath trying to find a way to be useful...
She had to get out of here, they had not noticed her yet. But the moment, the vary moment she makes a sound, she would be just another body under their claws.

As if a cruel joke, Reena stood motionless. The huntress frozen only for her gaze to rest on a doe that ran past them in fear. She couldn't even think, only react as a arrow fell in place on her finger, all 170 pounds of force being drawn back till every muscle in her arms screamed in protest. Allowing the creation to fly, embedding in the lush golden fur, the sounds of agony escaping the poor creature that she purposely kept alive just enough that it could draw their attention...

She could see their backs, heads down in tearing flesh, shaking from side to side as they ripped the poor thing apart. The doe could have lasted them for a while, yet now all it could do was buy her time, just enough to slowly back up the way she came. Her head low, breath did not even pass her lips, her heart beating painfully against her chest.

Every time she head them stop eating, she froze, ducking low and pleading that they would go back to feasting. The game of red light green light so straining, that she was already fighting off sleep as she walked past the stone that Ethan promised to help the team at. How she said that one day she might owe him....

She couldn't stay there, already she took off running. She could no longer hear them, could no longer see them. The urine on her clothes hopefully were enough to keep her trail off, yet even then she was not satisfied, passing by a mound of clay she dug her hands in it, smearing it on her clothes, on her face and hands before standing again.
She didn't even take a breath when she ran again.

Run, run, run. Thats all she could bring herself to do. Run till she could no longer breath, run so the cross bow thumbing on her back caused violet to stain her skin, run till her legs gave out and she rolled down the hill hitting the smallest of things only to feel like bullets on the way down, only to stand up and run again.

She thought that the sound of a vehicle was in her head. The same as how she kept hearing lions, and bears ring in her ears. The snapping of bones still perfectly orchestrated in her ear drum as if she was the one being eaten. Still, even in her frantic state she ran, almost slipping on the pavement she caught herself with her hands, her compound bow long gone, hands wounded and gasping greedily for breath as though the goddess of wind herself could not satisfy her thirst.

[moonfaerie]

Even though it was part of the deal, Elizabeth didn't actually expect for him to follow through on it. Fuming in the seat beside him and scowling at his comments, she didn't want to do anything that might cause her to stay there any longer than she had to. The man did well enough to entertain himself as she just sat there with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

“Ah!” she cried out when he took off her mask, some of her hair getting caught between his fingers and pulling. Eyes narrowed while she glared, Elizabeth elbowed him forcefully in the side. “Stop,” she said which was short hand for stop being such an asshole.

Leaning back in her seat and resting her foot up on the dash, Elizabeth was glad that now at least she had something to look at and she could breath better with that suffocating bad off of her head. All she had to do was endure him for a little while longer and then she'd be home free.

At least that was what she thought. Off in the distance she noticed the flare and mostly just felt sorry for whoever had fired it. There was nothing in her mind that considered going towards it, this experience teaching her that maybe she needed to think twice before jumping in to help someone. In the end, she would just get the brunt of the abuse.

But the man was deviating from the path. Sitting straight up she glanced over at him. When he gave his warning she shook her head. “Oh, no. Hell no.” Motioning in the direction of the flare where it'd gone off, she exclaimed, “Whoever fired that is probably already dead!” The only thing he was doing at that moment was putting them in danger. These people were going to get her killed.

Reaching over, Elizabeth grabbed the wheel with a jerk trying to turn it back around or at least make it go anywhere else. She was half-successful as the vehicle crashed into a tree.

[Sol Grim]

It was mid-day when Johnny reached the quarry. He got his motorcycle back and thought it would be a good idea to siphon some gas as well as pick up a few medical supplies, assuming the camp still had them. He stood atop the tallest hill and looked down below at what appeared to be a massacre. There were many empty vehicles about the dust and sand, as well as broken down campsites. Few of the undead remained, far enough away for Johnny to sneak in to the medical area. Many of the still somewhat fresh dead bodies lie in pieces spread all around, in nearly every corner. They hadn't turned, so Johnny thought, which must of meant they were torn apart by something large.

Johnny slid down the mound and quickly made his way to where he saw all of the signs with crosses on them. His eyes led to a turned to its side cooler, a dead body laying just next to it. He stabbed the dead guy in the head just in case, then tossed the body aside, then opened up the cooler and started stashing them in his pack. It was filled with meds, most of which he knew nothing about, but he took everything anyway. When he finished, he set back out, ready to head home.

"..h-hhelp!"

Johnny immediately equipped his revolver, dropping to the ground because that's where he deemed the sound came from. He saw a mound of dead corpses next to him, all bits and pieces of what were human beings once. Johnny stayed motionless, until he heard the cry again. Then he saw him. Under the mound was a man, bloodied all over and looking directly at him. "Helllp, I can't get out!!" Raising an eyebrow, Johnny crawled closer to the man.

"Are you..." Johnny started, not sure exactly what he should do.

"I'm not bit, nor scratched, nor poked, or anything of the sort," the man said, using his one arm that was forced next to his face to wipe some blood away. "I'm just...here. Stuck, can you help me, mate?"

"Umm.." Johnny rubbed his eyes, a headache starting to form in his head. "What happened?"

"I assure you I will fill you in on all the details," the man spoke, reaching out his hand so that Johnny may pull him out. "Can you, help me first? It's not safe here, they could come back."

"Who?"

"The ferals, the dead," he replied. "This place, the quarry, it was part of our base. They attacked us and I hid under some body parts. They killed everyone. Almost, almost as if instructed to."

"What do you mean?"

"Can you please get me-"

"No. Answer my questions truthfully, then I will get you out," Johnny said.

"Are you mad? The ferals are out there! A pack of them! 5 by my count!!"

"Yeah, well I killed one," Johnny took out a smoke and lit it up, as if he were staying awhile. "So that makes four. What's so special about them? I have grenades."

"They're not what you think. They stayed here awhile, I've watched them."

"Let me guess, they eat a lot?" Johnny said, laughing at his own joke.

"They're predators, hunters," he started. "That's obvious, but they're smart. They hunt us, and they can control the dead somehow, like a herd of sheep, the ferals brought them here. As if they were commanding them to attack. They flanked us on all sides. Before then, we noticed them watching us. They followed some of the runners back to us from the city, and they planned out the attack. We to thought they were just mindless creeps looking for flesh, and when they didn't attack through the night we figured they went on. We didn't know that the ferals were scouting the area for weakness, watching us. They moved in three nights later and took everyone down. Then they chased us, the survivors, to here. An ambush waited. They are very smart."

"What will you do, if I help you out?" Johnny asked.

"I will run," he replied. "I will run, and run some more. Until they catch me. There is no escape from them, I see that now. You have a group? They will come for you, to. Run, just keep running."

There was a moment of silence as the flare flew across the sky. He reached to the man's hand and carefully pulled him out, trying his best not to touch any more of him then he had to. The man wiped loads of the blood off of him and then gave Johnny a smile.

"You see, others need help as well," he told him. "We are not alone yet. I suggest we run in the opposite direction, as that army of undead was bound to have seen that."

"You do your runnin'" Johnny said, walking back to his bike. "Someone I know needs my help."

"If you head that way, you will die."

"We all gotta die sometime," Johnny replied, starting up his engine and giving the man a nod. "Goodluck."

The stranger waved, then headed back up the hill. "By the way, cover yourself in guts like me," the man said as he continued walking away. "They think you're one of them! You blend in." The man reached down and picked up a pistol that was on the ground, one of the many that came from his fellow community members. "What's your name? I'm Jack!"

"Johnny!" he yelled. They were walking further apart, yet still communicating. They knew that the walkers nearby were no threat to them, as they are only trouble in large groups.

"Johnny, well I lied to you," Jack yelled, stopping and turning to him once he reached the top of the hill. Johnny was moving slow on his bike at first, then stopped himself. "I'm not going to run, though I do recommend you do, highly. There's just...no point. Goodbye Johnny."

Jack put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. Before Johnny could even react, he saw the man's brains shoot out from the side. Jack's body just slumped to the floor. Maybe he was right, there was no point. Johnny put his foot to the pedal and went forward anyway.

[Sol Grim]

Dallen didn't pass out from smashing his face against the steering wheel, he just felt a lot of pain and anger. Blood came from his head, but he regained his senses rather quickly. He gave Elizabeth a death glare, fighting every urge to punch her in her face. Yet still, he was able to calm himself down within the moment.

He tried to start the jeep again, but it stalled. After a few more quick tries he saw Reena coming up on them, running and looking exhausted. As the man went to get out to help her, he saw the trees from above and behind her, starting to sway as if something was coming.

"Reena, get in!" he yelled, trying again to start the engine. As she did so, there was no time to talk, as view of one of the ferals came. It climbed the trees like a gorilla, then fell to the ground and began charging toward them. Dallen smacked a fist against the dashboard and then tried again, this time it worked. The engine roared on and he quickly backed up, then drove off. He handed firearms over to Elizabeth and Reena. "Shoot it!"

The feral was fast. It reached them and smashed its side into the driver side of the jeep. Then continued after them, trying to pull them out. Dallen wrapped his ar-15 around and fired when it neared. It was being riddled with bullets so much that it slowed its pace, and the jeep took off.

Appearing as if they had lost the creature, Dallen found the trail that led home and headed down it. He didn't ask of where Ethan was, as it deemed pretty obvious to him what happened. He just rode in silence, letting them speak if they needed to, until they reached the farm again. Johnny came nearly at the same time, just from the opposite side of the area. They saw his motorcycle riding in and kicking up dirt as the two parties met in the center, atop the hill at the farm.

"Who shot the flare?" Johnny asked as he approached.

Dallen also wanted to know what happened, giving the floor for Reena to tell them. Raven and the others joined them as well, though Raven was focused in on something else. As the group spoke, she spotted a feral out by the treeline watching them. She pointed it out, and everyone saw it. Far off at the border to the trees it stood, then it howled a horrific scream into the air. Another shriek came from the western most side of the farm land, and there was another feral there. Twice more two ferals yelled their cries across the wind, all four on opposite sides of one another. All surrounding the farm. Then, they stopped back to silence, and left back into the darkness of the trees.

"We have a problem," Johnny said. "Those things are intelligent. They ambushed the group at the quarry, I found a survivor who told me everything. He...killed himself afterward. He said the ferals stalk their prey until nightfall. They can control the dead to their will. When they see a weakness, they will come. And they're bringing the dead with them."