|
|
Post by Victoria on Oct 19, 2014 21:34:55 GMT
Victoria leaned forward in her precarious perch in a tree, the branch she was standing on creaking softly under her weight. It would hold, at least long enough for her to get a better reading of the apartment complex. It seemed devoid of activity, which was a good sign. If she kept quiet she might be able to get in and even check out a few of the apartments without causing much trouble.
She scurried down from the tree and made her way towards the complex. She had her usual supplies for a run; her gun, spare ammo, some MREs, and her o-wakizashi. She did not know how many dead were milling about, but she was ready to deal with what could happen. If she got overran, she already knew every possible way out of the complex. The dead never tired, but they were not as fast or as witty as she was.
'So far so good,' She thought as she pressed her back against the prick, peering around the corner to check to see if there was anyone, living or dead, in the courtyard. Hopefully she would be able to get in, find some useful stuff, and get out without too much trouble. The Brothers were getting restless and a place like this could do well to restock their supplies along with give them some more purpose. That and if she could make the first run, prove it was possible, that would prove her worth even more to the harsh gang.
|
|
|
|
Post by TRAVIS CHURCH on Oct 19, 2014 23:10:52 GMT
Clap until your hands hurt...
Travis had been sent out by the Alpha's to try and find some more blankets. It was starting to get cold outside and a couple of the group members were coming down with a fever. It's always been said that you sweat out a fever. He had his old wooden bat on him and his large hiking backpack that could hold just a few blankets if they were tightly packed. Off the top of his head, he thought of the old empty apartment complex that he had passed before he met the Alphas. It was a good trek on foot, so they loaned him one of their cars that they had put together and sent him on his way.
He drove into the apartment complex slowly, looking for signs of walkers, or other people that may need help. 'You gotta remember that not all of these folks have the same hospitality that the Alpha's have, Travis.' He nodded thoughtfully to himself and drove to the top of the hill. He got out of the car, bat in hand and approached one of the numbered doors. "Hope 412 is my lucky number." He giggled the door handle and frowned.
The apartment he had selected was on the ground, so he could easily jump onto the porch and enter through the sliding glass door if it wasn't locked. He stepped away from the black door that lead into the apartment and around to the porch railing. Travis could see from where he was that the break-in bar was not in place and it gave him hope. He noted that the blinds were drawn as he hopped onto the porch and withdrew his bat for safety.
Taking one large hand and sliding the mesh screen door out of the way, he cringed at the sound it made. 'Well if there are any walkers in there, they'll be hitting the window any second now...' Sure enough, as soon as he stopped pushing the screen, a decaying hand appeared on the window. It was small, possibly once a woman. The ugly creatures head appeared and it made his stomach turn. Half of her face looked as if it had been shot with a shot gun, and the bottom half of her face was still attached. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening the door and letting it out.
He stepped to the side as she stumbled out on to the porch. She was rail thin, possibly died from starvation before she turned into what she is now. He swung the bat at the side of her head without even thinking. He physically gagged as he watched all of the contents of her head splatter onto the porch. She stopped moving and making those awful guttural zombie noises. Promptly afterward, Travis threw up everywhere. "I'll never get used to the smell." He held his breath and entered the apartment, and promptly shut the door and brought the break in bar down. You can never be to safe in this day and age.
Never means forever...
|
|
|
|
Post by Victoria on Oct 20, 2014 0:16:57 GMT
Keeping close to the walls and staying light on her feet, Victoria made her way around towards the back of the apartments. The courtyard seemed quiet enough, but was too closed in for her tastes. The backs of the
apartments gave her more room to run if needed.
It was because of this caution that she heard the sound of a zombie. Not too far from where she was at 406 but close enough for her to hear the thunk of dead meat splattering and the quiet splatter of someone losing their breakfast. Someone was was obviously not cut out for dealing with the undead and the stench of them.
She edged closer to the apartment the noise had come from, knowing she had the right one when he saw the mess. A glance at the sliding door told her that it was locked. Breaking in would hardly do her any good and she had no idea if the stranger inside was dangerous towards her or not.
So she snuck to the neighboring apartment and tapped on the glass, listening carefully for any sound within. When she heard nothing and no dead came scratching, she pulled off her backpack, wrapping it around her fist before breaking the glass near the lock to undo the break-in bar. Once it was undone she returned her backpack to her back and gripped her o-wakizashi before entering the darkened apartment.
Maybe, just maybe, she could find something serviceable while she figured out what to do about whoever was in the apartment just on the otherside of the wall.
|
|
|
|
Post by TRAVIS CHURCH on Oct 20, 2014 0:59:50 GMT
Clap until your hands hurt...
Travis had no sooner walked into the single bedroom of the one bedroom apartment before he heard the crash of glass. All of his hairs stood on end when he realized it was close. It brought him comfort to know that it wasn't the apartment he was in. "Sounds like someone had the same idea I did." He sighed and took his hiking backpack off of his back and put it on the floor. The covers on the bed were rumpled, but they looked clean enough for him to feel comfortable taking back. I yanked all of the covers off of the bed and folded them as compactly as he could and placed them in his bag. Upon searching the closet he found a few more sheets, but nothing terribly warm.
He took what he found and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His face was dirty and his hair was far too shaggy. But he still looked as good as he remembered. Travis, in all his conceit, grabbed an old towel that the previous occupant had and rubbed his face clean. It was better than before but nothing would quite the same as a good shower. He knew, without a doubt, that the showers weren't running. There was no running water in any pipes anymore, but the idea of such was so tempting.
Shaking his head, he went into the kitchen. The apartment was small, probably about under five hundred square feet and had the stale air of death. But surely, it had something useful. Food was unlikely given the look of the now dead zombie outside, but he still checked the pantry. Sure enough, it was barren minus some tea bags. He grabbed those, surely someone could appreciate it. Otherwise, the kitchen held nothing other than a few utensils that they could cook with. He grabbed those as well. There were tons of apartments here to raid, but he knew he would only hit two or three before his bag was full.
As he walked out of the kitchen, he noticed a dog crate sitting in the corner and it made him sad. He didn't see a dog anywhere, so maybe he got out and was out of here before his owner turned. He sighed again, and put his backpack back on his back. He remembered that there was someone waiting out there. Walker or human, he didn't know. But he had his bat at the ready as he unlocked the deadbolt on the front door. He stepped out into the quite air and looked around the corner. He didn't see anyone immediately, but he waited to see if a walker came around the corner.
Never means forever...
|
|
|
|
Post by Victoria on Oct 20, 2014 1:28:01 GMT
The kitchen was mostly a bust. Only two cans of vienna sausage, disgusting but nothing to pass up on. It went into her backpack along with the few remaining piece of silverware and a small first-aid kit that had been left to gather dust underneath the sink. She lingered in the living room longer than necessary, finding herself distracted by a family photo on television stand. A family of four. Mother, father, and two kids that appeared close in age. For a moment a strong ache of longing ripped through her, but she swallowed it as she turned the photo over. Family was a thing of the past.
The bedroom was useless. Devoid of anything she could take with her except a coat. It was probably the mother's since it was a big too big on her, but she slipped it on and decided to keep it. Winter would arrive sooner than she would expect and she heard it got colder here than it did down in Texas. Another walk through of the apartment yielded a carton of cigarettes under a bed with one remaining pack along with a half-used box of matches. Both went into her backpack.
She could have left out the back, but if any dead were wandering around, they were sure to be drawn there. So she slipped out the front, quickly carving an X into the door with quick glances around. She did not see anyone, dead or alive, and had to wonder where the person in the next apartment went.
So she took a risk. Cautiously and quietly, she stepped a few paces away from the doorframe and into the open, where anyone could see her. She glanced around, trying to spot anyone, before moving on to the next apartment over, away from the person who she had heard before. If they were still around and keeping an eye out, they might think they had the drop on her. If not, well, at least she might avoid a confrontation.
|
|
|
|
Post by TRAVIS CHURCH on Oct 21, 2014 0:56:59 GMT
Clap until your hands hurt...
Travis caught site of a woman with a sword coming out of the apartment next to him. All at once he felt relieved and a bit anxious. People were so crazy these days. He was grateful he ran into the Alphas when he did. But, at least it wasn't a walker. Right? Right. Before he could question himself further and before he startled the woman half to death, who was now walking away from him, he came a little further out away from the door. "Excuse me," he said with his thick northern accent "Do you need any help?" It was an innocent enough question. She could take it or leave it. But, he wasn't the type to let anyone go without any help. And, on top of that, he never minded the extra help either.
Travis was the type that could easily take out a walker. He was strong and fast, but he was a little weaker stomached than most. He was okay with that. He OWNED it. But, if he threw up too much he knew that he would be a little worse for wear. "I won't help you if you don't need it, sweetheart. But if you do..." He let his offer linger and waited for her answer, hoping that he hadn't made the wrong choice. She was small in stature, he could probably overpower her if he needed to. But that sword looked sharp as hell.
The last time he had offered to help a stranger, it had turned out bad. The man tried to rob him, and almost killed him. But, with all of the shouting, they attracted walkers... Travis had truly wanted to help the man, but there were so many. 'It was either you or him, Trav. You know that. Stop beating yourself up.' The vivid memory haunted him and made him break out into a cold sweat. Good guys don't last long anymore. He knew that. But with a large group of good guys, maybe he would last longer? Who knew.
Never means forever...
|
|
|
|
Post by Victoria on Oct 21, 2014 16:37:58 GMT
Victoria stopped, her fingers flexing on her blade and her grip adjusting slightly. The man sounded nice enough but she also knew playing the good Samaritan was a trick that less than friendly people deployed to their favour. She had used it herself from time to time. Slipping a mental mask on, she turned around with wide eyes, playing the surprised little innocent. If he was dangerous, he may think his ruse was working and she could possibly catch him off guard. If he was innocent, well, she could still possibly catch him off guard.
She would never admit out loud that she was surprised to see that he appeared close to her age and was actually rather handsome in a bit of a scruffy way. Back in Texas, before everything had gone to hell, he would have been her type.
"U-um... Ah'm just scavengin' for supplies." She answered him quietly, letting lose her thick southern accent. There was power in playing the sweet lil' ol' southern belle. Victoria shifted slightly, shuffling her feet as if nervous. Meanwhile she tried to ignore that he had nice eyes and a fit body so she could size him up to measure how much of a threat he would be in battle. Hand-to-hand, it was safe for her to assume that she would be at the disadvantage because of strength and general size difference. "Ah wouldn't mind some help, if it's not any trouble... ya aint gonna hurt me, right?"
|
|
|
|
Post by TRAVIS CHURCH on Oct 21, 2014 17:50:24 GMT
Clap until your hands hurt...
The woman turned around, sword in hand, with a look of surprise on her face. Though her face said surprise, her body language spoke of caution. She cleared her throat at his question and said she was scavenging for supplies. "Well you're in luck, miss," he said with a lopsided smile "I just so happen to be out scavenging as well." Her thick southern drawl made me want to chuckle. He had been in Nashville for a long time, but he still wouldn't get used to the southern drawls that happened around here. She may have not been from here, he certainly wasn't.
She agreed for some help and asked if he was going to hurt her. Instead of answering with his initial answer which was "Of course not." Travis said "I won't hurt you if you won't hurt me. Put the sword away and I'll put the bat away. Nice and easy and then we can carry on raiding these apartments." He gave her another smile and offered his name. "My name is Travis." He didn't ask for her name. He knew that in this world, sometimes people's names were all they had left. If she wanted him to know, she would tell him.
He reached behind him and tucked his bat between his backpack and his back, where it acted as a holder for him. "See, nice and easy." His voice was soft and gentle, but he still watched this woman's every move until she put her weapon away.
Never means forever...
|
|
|
|
Post by Victoria on Oct 21, 2014 19:31:07 GMT
Victoria offered him a smile in return, one that was carefully crafted to appear nervous to play along with the frail southern belle thing. She could not place his accent, but she definitely pinpointed it as up north. So he was a yankee. That explained the weak stomach.
"Oh, that's good... Ah wouldn't dream of hurtin' anyone..." A lie but one easily covered by a frightened look and more wide, doe-like eyes. The hesitation in her movements was not false at all. She did not being disarmed, but she carefully slid her blade into the hook at her hip. At least it could be pulled fairly easy from the hand-made hook so she could use it if needed. "But, what about the walkers? There might be more."
She moved closer to him, cautious but making herself relax with every step. She wanted him to think she felt safe around him, safe with company. To add to that she tilted her head up and gave him her most winsome smile. "Victoria. Good t' meet ya, Travis. Ah can't remember th' last time ah saw a friendly face."
|
|
|
|
Post by TRAVIS CHURCH on Oct 21, 2014 20:06:01 GMT
Clap until your hands hurt...
The woman shared her name with him, not necessarily surprising, but pleasing none the less. Travis was always pleasantly surprised when he got the names of other strangers. "Victoria. That's a lovely name." He had a bad habit of being overly friendly and sometimes it came across as flirty in the world that once was but in this new world it was often seen as strange. But what wasn't strange in this new world that was once considered normal? He mused for a moment and then came back to the issue at hand.
His smile fell slightly as she made her way toward him after putting away her sword. She seemed so innocent. Even as a someone who wouldn't kill another living person, he knew his guard should always be up. But the closer she got and the more he listened to her tone of voice, the more his smile fell as he was trying to process what was going on. He was known for cracking sexist jokes left and right, but with a stranger, he probably wouldn't. Not yet anyway. As he was thinking, something dawned on him.
'Is she...flirting with me...?' When the realization hit him, his smile practically doubled in size. 'Everyone is dead and you still got it, ole man.' He was quite pleased with himself, but proceeded to calm his smile down as to not frighten her or make her think he was nuts. Her slow movements and her drawling voice made him think that she was indeed flirting with him. That or just very, very friendly. "Well, I'm happy I could be a friendly face." He replied with a gentile smile.
Never means forever...
|
|
|
|
Post by Victoria on Oct 21, 2014 21:23:01 GMT
Oh, she noticed that sudden growth in his smile. He was quick to tone it down, but it was there and it assured her that she was successful. He believed he was sincerely flirting with him and that gave her power. The faint flush of colour in her cheeks had nothing to do with his momentarily sunny smile of pleasure or at least that is what she told herself.
"Ah'm happy too. It's... difficult in this world." She shuddered as if imagining the horrors of the world - a small motion that had some honestly to it. She may be a monster, but there was still some line that she refused to cross.
Brushing her hair off of her face, she moved a bit closer to him as she smiled up at him. To sweeten the pot she reached out and touched his sleeve, her fingers barely making contact. It was a move she used before the world went to hell in a handbasket and never failed to let or make a guy believe she was interested in him. "Can we go inside? Bein' out in th' open like this is awfully frightenin'... An' ah' don't think ah wanna be here when it gets dark, ya know, an ah've got a ways t' go before ah' get back to camp."
|
|
|
|
Post by TRAVIS CHURCH on Oct 21, 2014 22:04:16 GMT
Clap until your hands hurt...
Travis was stunned when she reached out and touched him so casually. Instinctively, he shrugged away. Being as attractive as he was, he often got hit on by women when he went out to bars and such, but being in a long term relationship, he had to deflect the advances of many drunk women. He could practically hear his little shoulder devil whisper 'But she's not drunk, and you know that if you haven't found her by now, she's dead.' He frowned and ignored the little voice, instead focusing his gaze on Victoria. She asked if they could go inside. "Sure, let's just head over to the next one. These ground floor apartments are pretty easy to break into. It's the ones up above us that are gonna get tricky after a bit."
Although he was positive that Victoria could hold her own, he walked ahead of her in an act of chivalry to tap on the glass of the next sliding door. After a moment of standing in silence, when no dead came about, Travis first tried to pull on the door, to no avail. So, he pulled out his metal bat and gave it a good hard swing, cracking the glass enough to be able to punch it and unlock the door. "Six months ago, if you told me I would make a habit of breaking into apartments, I would have told you that you were a lunatic." He looked over his shoulder at Victoria as he held the door open for her to enter.
When his eyes briefly touched her's, he was reminded all over again that she was flirting with him before. 'Flirting is harmless...' He told himself. She was exactly his type too with short stature, slim figure, and long dark hair. He wasn't necessarily interested in her, but he didn't see the harm in flexing his flirting muscles like he used to. He debated internally for awhile, waiting on Victoria to jump the railing of the porch.
Never means forever...
|
|
|
|
Post by Victoria on Oct 21, 2014 22:19:30 GMT
The way he shrugged away her touch fascinated her. For a guy who seemed open to her flirting with him, there was a fairly concrete line between words and touch. Making a mental note of it, she offered him an false apologetic smile. He could not be a germaphobic, otherwise he would have already gone insane in the grime of the apocalypse. It was possible that he was still wary of her, but she doubted that was it. He would have flinched if he was not at least somewhat at ease. Maybe he had someone waiting for him at his camp? Oh, now that would be a better weakness to use against him than his attraction to her.
"Ah'm not worried about th' second floor..." She followed behind him quietly, keeping her footsteps light. "We can see if th' slidin' door is locked from th' ground. If it isn't, ya could give me a lift and Ah could just swing myself over an' let you in. All Ah need is to be able to get a grip an' Ah can get over th' railin'." A bonus from years of muscle control with ballet.
A small smile turned the corner of her lips up. Despite herself, she was amused by that and could not hide that from her expression. Like any sign of humanity within her, she attempted to mentally deny that amusement as she gracefully hopped over the railing of the porch. "So you weren't a delinquent. Good t' know, handsome. Ah kinda wish ah was sometimes, t'be honest. Lockpickin' would make this so much easier."
|
|
|
|
Post by TRAVIS CHURCH on Oct 21, 2014 22:52:32 GMT
Clap until your hands hurt...
Travis listened to her idea. He mused and walked into the apartment, looking around for what he came for. Immediately, he saw the throw on the couch and grabbed it, stuffing it in his bag. "I think I could manage, you're figure certainly constitutes easy lifting." His reply came with a wink. 'Oh my god. I really do need to flex my flirting muscles. That was about as lame as it gets.' He turned away from her and rolled his eyes at himself, looking around some more. This was a slightly larger apartment than the one he had just been in. Still only one bedroom but it was a larger space. The living room was sparsely decorated and held only a flat screen tv, an entertainment center, and a couch. Defiantly a man's apartment. It was similar to what his had looked like.
He skipped the kitchen for the moment and focused on the task at hand. There were other members of the Alphas scrounging for food right now, so he knew he wouldn't have to hunt for that too hard. There were no sheets on the bed and one pillow. He found a fleece blanket on the floor beside the bed. "Yep. This was defiantly a single man's apartment." He called quietly to Victoria from the bedroom, folding the blanket and putting it in his backpack. 'Damn, this is already getting full. I should probably go drop some of these off in the car in a minute...' His mind wandered a bit. Victoria seemed innocent enough, but cars were hard to come by these days. There's no telling what people might do.
He opened the closet door and almost instantly closed it, stomach churning. He knew that suicide had been rampant when shit hit the fan. He knew he would find dead bodies. But who the hell killed themselves in their CLOSET? He leaned his head on the door frame and shuddered. He had put a bullet in his head. Simple enough. But the body was so decayed... Travis straightened up and pushed his hair out of his face, a deep frown settled there now.
Never means forever...
|
|
|
|
Post by Victoria on Oct 22, 2014 0:13:10 GMT
"Used to be a ballerina," She allowed that small bit of truth about her past slip through. It was one he did not always advertise, since some of her skills as a dancer came in handy when she was in a bind. Catching people off guard with even the smallest skill was sometimes vital to gaining the upper hand in a fight. That and it did come in handy when needing to get into tight spaces or having to navigate difficult areas. "Ah was a tiny little thing even before th' whole dead walkin' an' rare food thing."
Victoria turned away from him, chuckling in amusement as his awkward flirting. Just like last time, she raided the kitchen for supplies. Since it was clearly a bachelors place, there was not much by way of canned vegetables or canned fruit, but there was three cans of soup and a couple of packets of jerky. Whoever lied there seemed to go for disposable dishes and utensils too.
"You're telling me. Even his kitchen screams bachelor." She gave up on the stinky, not entirely neat kitchen to check the bedroom and kitchen for something. "That means free porn."
She was distracted by the way Travis stood near the closet. Gone was the smile that he wore before and the old stink in the room gave her an idea of what happened to his smile. Weakness. The man died because of weakness and Travis' reaction was weakness as well. Just in time, she thought, because she was actually starting to enjoy his company.
"Come on... We have a job to do." Victoria tried to soften her voice. She crossed over the room and tugged lightly on his sleeve. "Just... try not to think about it."
|
|
