Apocalypse RP discussion

Starrrrt it UP

I wake up in an alley. "The fu-..." I start as a pain begins to shoot through my head. I put a hand on my forehead and immediately bring it back to see blood. I stand up shakily, holding the end of my tie to my forehead to stop the bleeding. I turn around and see someone sitting against a wall with their head down. He doesn't appear to be moving, and even more grisly, he seems to have thrown up extreme amounts of blood. I cover my mouth and stifle a gag at the sight. Beside him sits a baseball bat, stained on the end with a single spot of blood. He must've been the one that knocked me out. I laze toward him cautiously and squat down in front of him. I put two fingers to his neck, being sure not to touch the river of blood that had poured down it. He has no pulse, and he doesn't seem to be breathing. I look over at the bat, eyeing it for a moment before slowly reaching for it. I bring it back and grasp it in my hands. The man's eyes open wide with a jolt. I stumble backwards into a crabwalk and scoot away from him as fast as I can. He slowly raises his head to stare straight at me.
"O-okay, okay! Oh, god! Okay, y-you can have your bat back! I'm sorry!" I blurt out in a panic, holding the bat out toward him. He began crawling toward me, grasping at me until he catches my foot and starts gnawing on the tough leather of my shoe.
"Get off of me!" I yell, delivering a kick that catches his nose and tilts his had back as I retrieve my other foot. I watch for a moment as he continues to snap in the air. I quickly retract my foot and gather myself on my feet.
"I'm s-so sorry!" I stutter. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to kick you! Oh god, I'm sorry!"
I slowly back away as he continues to crawl toward me. In a panic, I resolve to turn heel and cheese it down the alley until I reach the street choked burning cars and people covered in blood just as the last one was. I look to my right and see a fire escape ladder. I jump up and just barely miss the bottom rung. Some have begun shambling toward me. I jump again and grab the rung, pulling it down. I hurry up the ladder and to the roof of the building. I collapse onto my hands and knees and heave out yesterday's lunch. I crawl away from the mess and roll onto my back. I stare up at the white clouds mixing with bellows of smoke.

Marci woke slowly and looked at the flickering long light bulb that buzzed annoyingly above her. With a sigh she looked at her worn wrist watch and was surprised to find that she slept five hours. It felt more like 45 solid minutes. She groaned and threw the thin blanket off of herself- Rising cautiously from the cold hard floor. Her back ached and her knee throbbed in a regular rhythm. She gave the bandage on her forearm a once over then decided it could go another day. Suddenly a thought hit her and she looked around the deserted department store franticly. “Leo?” She called softly.
Leo bounded around the corner in a hurry and hobbled to a stop right in front his master. Marci smiled and relaxed, but quickly tensed once she saw Leo’s distressed state. “What is it?” she asked as he whimpered gently.
Her question was answered when she looked up and saw an old woman hurriedly throwing silverware, jewelry and eyewear onto the floor, her back turned to Marci. Obviously looking for something- no food- within the thrift shop merchandise. Marci didn’t dare give away her presence. Instead she calmly bent and patted around for her messenger bag, keeping her eyes on the grunting, grey, sickly-looking figure. The woman was dressed innocently enough. Her was hair even neat and posh. But the smell. Oh god, the smell of her rotting flesh gave her away.
Yes, this was another zombie, Marci confirmed.Newly turned. She was sure now. And she had to make a run for it. Because the only fresh meat was her, her and Leo...

It's getting dark now, though the sun hasn't quite set yet. Usually this'd be about rush hour, but the streets are pretty empty to be honest. Not that I'm complaining really - makes the job a whole lot easier. And more enjoyable now you don't really need to worry about traffic wardens and lights so much.
Only the desperate and the suicidal go out after sunset. I'm not sure which category I fall in to. Probably both. Probably neither. Maybe I'm just weird.

I pull up at the bottom of the estate block and kill the motorbike engine, glancing up at the apartment I'm delivering too. 14th floor. Zombie attack shouldn't've killed the lifts right? I shrug, get the pizza out of the back, grab the baseball bat, and head towards the lift. Seriously, how many zombies actually think to use the lift. The empty lift answers for me with a cheerful little 'ding'.

It's quiet in the lift and it gives me some time to think. I really hope this guy's alright - the one I'm delivering to; he's one of the regulars - mid forties, got a girlfriend and a grown up kid about my age. Nice family. Pretty decent. But I dunno, they were having a party I think - it'd been pretty noisy in the background, maybe they'd been having guests over...
There's a horrible squelching feeling in my stomach, and I have a feeling I already know what I'm gonna see when I open the door.

The music's a lot clearer up here, there's a banner saying 'HAPPY 21st' in big friendly letters over the doorway. I ring the bell and wait for an answer. It's a long time before it opens. The stench hits me first. Aww...damn. I feel bad this time. Really, genuinely bad. I'd really liked this guy. Not that it looked much like him now. His skin was a nauseating grey colour, his features sunken, like wet paint. I can't even muster the energy to make a joke about it.

I hold out the pizza a little in hope, but it's all for nought - the man lunges forward, not interested in the pizza at all - and I quickly dart aside, dropping the pizza and bringing the baseball around in a wide arc, colliding with the side of his face. I can feel his cheekbones and jaw cave and my stomach churns as I get blood splattered on my face. He falls to the ground, but I keep hitting, knowing I'll stop, find an excuse if I hesitate. He stops moving, a pool of dark metallic goo spreading towards me and I step around it to see his friends appear in the doorway - even...even the guy's kid, the 21 year old most likely...his name had been Stefan - he'd offered me the spare ticket to a concert he'd been planning to go to next weekend with a few mates...

It's not fair.
I take a step back and move into position as they step on the dead man in front of them, over the pizza box to get to me.

It doesn't take as long this time, maybe it seems short because I'm getting more and more numb to it. Maybe I'm getting better. Better at killing people. That's...that's what this is, isn't it. I realise how disgusted Grace would be if she could see me now and I run a hand over my face. They wouldn't've wanted to live like this, I tell myself, stepping over the bodies and entering the apartment. The man's wallet was waiting on the kitchen counter. I pick up the pizza - put it down on the counter and take out the cost - £8.70. Not a penny more or less.

"Enjoy your pizza, sir." I hear myself say quietly to an empty room - 'By the Way' by the Red Hot Chili Peppers playing on the stereo.
I walk over and switch it off, switching off the light too (no use wasting electricity too) before leaving the flat, picking up the bloodied baseball bat on my way out.

Leo decided it was time to make Marci move a little faster and gave her a warning bark. “Jesus Christ, Leo!” she exclaimed, knowing what kind of mess she was in now. Leo just gave away their location and basically put Marci out on a silver platter for the dead specimen, only 2 yards away.

On cue the dead old lady stretch her neck unnaturally and gazed at Marci. A almost peaceful/relieved look came over her decomposed features and strangely caused Marci’s hear to jump franticly- Not in fear but sympathy.

Instead of thoughts like: I going to die, I’m wonder if my Dad will be happy to see me in heaven, and I need a weapon. She experienced a yearning to help the granny. Or at least end her life gently. But suddenly Leo growled at her. As if he was... mad? Or frustrated with Marci for hesitating so long.

“Shut up” She blurted, taking her eyes away from the woman, “I’m thinki- mrphf ughh” Marci let out a whoosh of air as her back hit the floor and her bag slipped from her fingers, sliding across the tile floor and under a book case. There goes her knife...
Adrenaline rushed through her while the zombie gnawed at air, leaning towards her face. Marci screamed unconsciously and stupidly closed her eyes. She felt as if she was a child again in that moment. As if her dad was about the swat the woman away like she was a mere pesky mosquito. Annyyyy moment now, she was sure. But all she heard was his voice reverberating through her mind.
Snap out of it!
Her eyes flashed open and caught sight of Leo? Yup, her Leo with his teeth locked on the zombie’s red hair, his hold firm. Maybe she was crazy but that scene filled her with amusement and strengthened her.

As soon as Leo forced the Zombie’s head back far enough, so that her neck was bent to the point of decapitation Marci kneed it’s torso, working space between them both so she could slide from under her.
As soon as she was free she kicked the granny (she had so much sympathy minutes before) in the face and sent her reeling backward and into the wall behind her. Marci groaned out in pain, having just used her injured leg. But she slowly came to her feet anyway and smirked at Leo tenderly.

Leo had his eyes trained on the Zombie though, watching. “Oh, you’re right” Marci said and jogged to the book shelf where her bag had slid under moments before. She drop to her knee’s and stretched her arm under the shelf, reaching and reaching.. “Got it” she said as the same time a moan resounded through the store.

She stood and spun to see the redhead crawling towards her dog. Marci teeth clicked together and she tensed, becoming pissed for the first time during the encounter. “Hey! My dog!” she growled between her teeth before drawing her knife out quickly and moving over to the crawling creature.

She kicked her in the ribs, stopping the women’s pursuit and laying her on her side. Then, oddly with the hilt of the knife still resting in her left hand Marci continued to kick the zombie with full force over and over. Leo tilted his head and watched curiously as his master communicated with the creature. “You...Stink....SOOO... Bad” Marci said as she beat her to death.

It was kinda cold by the time I got back to ground level. I'd wiped my hands off on my trousers, but they were still a little sticky, still smelt of blood.

I went back to my bike, well, my work bike at least, and opened up the back, getting out some paper towels to clean the blood of the baseball bat, dropping the towels on the floor.
Seriously, with all the flesh-eating zombies, I doubted anyone was gonna shit on me for littering.

My hands were still shaking a little and I frowned, fumbling with the cigarette packet as I got it out, suddenly craving a cigarette. I held it between my lips, lit the end and took a deep, kinda unsteady breath in.
"For shit's sake..." I mutter to myself.
Maybe I'll wait a bit before heading back to the shop to drop the bike off. The smoke calms me down a bit, but I can still feel a headache brewing and it pisses me off a little. Guess it proves I'm still human.

It's only when I'm stood there leaning against the bike that I notice something lying a few steps away, just in the shadow of the estate dustbins. Something that kinda looks like one of those massive 1990s-style brick phones you could launch a nuke at the damn thing'd still be alive.
Not like the modern fangled stuff nowadays that broke if you so much as looked at it the wrong way...

I walked over to it, giving it an experimental kick, before picking it up. It was...a walkie-talkie? Huh. Random.
I shook it, expecting to here things jangle brokenly in the back somewhere, turning it around in my hands - wondering if it was still alive or not.
Only one way to find out I guess.
I pressed down a button on the side and spoke into it, feeling like a bit of twat, but hey - it wasn't like anyone was around to see it, and I doubted the zombies would really give a fuck if it looked like I was talking to myself.

"...hello?"

Thomas woke up to a darkening sky, having passed out a few hours earlier. He stood up, his head still feeling woozy. Looked across the rooftop, taking in his surroundings. The floor consisted of a layer of white pebbles that gleamed in the half-light. There wasn't much aside from some pipes and vents, a door leading to the stairwell, and... - what was this? - a small wooden shack covered with a blue sheet waving in the wind? He slowly walks forward across the white pebbles that shone violet in the twilight. Pulling back the sheet, he found only an office chair, a table, and some radio equipment plugged into an electrical strip that extended out of a small hole in the back wall. Slowly, he made his way to the computer chair, sitting down and getting comfortably acquainted with the cushions. He decided to put on the radio's headphones and immediately found the low hum of slight static that indicated what its switch did as well; the radio had been left on. Suddenly, it came through;
"...Hello?" the radio called out. His eyes widened, unsure of what to do. He didn't know whose equipment this was or who he might be responding to.
Hesitantly, he leaned into the microphone stand and replied, "He-... um... Hello?"

I feel myself start a bit in surprise. Fuck, I didn't think would actually answer...
I didn't even know whose equipment this was. Had the person on the other side been waiting for a reply from...whoever this thing belonged to?

It was a man that replied - the voice was deep enough that it wasn't a kid, but it didn't sound that old either. American accent, not from an area I recognised straight off.
He sounded nervous. That made me grin for some reason.

"Yo." I said back, sounding pretty nonchalant. I looked around, figuring I'd stick around for a bit to see how this played out. "Y'alright?" I said after a couple of moments, taking another drag of my cigarette and heading back to the motorbike.

Thomas felt his breathing grow heavier. Who was this and what had he gotten himself into? He certainly couldn't just leave now. He decided that the only thing left to do was to stick it out and hope this would turn out well.
"Um... ye-... I guess...," he stuttered," I don't know what's going on in your neck of the woods, but things are getting pretty fucked up over here. A-anyway... can I ask who this is?"

I frowned a bit as the guy kept stumbling over his words. Was he scared or just really cold? Coulda been either to be honest. Probably the first one though, if he was around here in the general area...ish...

I leant back against the motorbike.
"Eh. Things seem pretty quiet around here...for now. Depends where 'your neck of the woods' is though." I glanced back up at the flat I'd just left and frowned a little more. ...Was everyone in this building affected? There was the sound of an explosion somewhere quite a bit further down the road, car alarms going off. Ah shit.

He asked who I was and I paused for a long moment, not sure what to say. "...Raphael. Yourself?"

"I, um... I'm Thomas, and I'm in Chicago, Illinois. Whu-.. W-What do you mean by 'quiet'?," he asked, a spark of hope coming to him. "Is this only in the city that this is happening? Some guy just tried to eat my foot, and I may be paranoid, but I could've sworn a few other people wanted to as well."
His voice had become frantic in during his speech. He gripped his head, stopping for a moment to catch his breath.
"Look, if it's safe over there... I don't... I don't care how far it is... as long as it's not... not like this."
A lump began forming in his throat as the realization of reality dawned upon him. He put his face flat on the desk.
"I just want to get out of here..," he mumbled pathetically, though it was stifled by his face being pressed against the desk.

...Ah. 'General area' as in radius of 5000 miles...

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "No...not paranoid- look...have you got any kind of weapon, something you can use to fight them off? If not, I'd advise arming yourself, because if they bite you - you become one of them."

I could hear Thomas was still hyperventilating, and I felt a wave of sympathy for him.
"Look-" I heard my voice get a little softer. "Just...get something to defend yourself with and get as far away from them as you can. Run, steal a vehicle if you have to, don't use public transport." I hesitated.
"...If...I don't think trying to get here is a good idea-"
There was the sound of a window smashing down the road, closer than before. Time to go.

"How're you talking to me? Do you reckon you can take it with you?" I crushed the cigarette beneath my shoe and went to get on the bike.

"Woah, woah, woah, hold on one second," he said, "What are you suggesting, that this is some sort of zombie shit? Look, this is serious, I can't go around, bashing in random people's heads with a baseball bat and stealing cars, alright?"
Thomas gripped his hair, trying to breathe deeply.
"Please, just don't humour me, and tell me I'm crazy or stupid or something like that, because really... that would be the most preferable thing after what I saw."

"Is 'foot-eating' a normal pasttime of people in Illnois?" I said dryly.
"I'm well aware this isn't a pratical joke, I almost got eaten myself a couple of minutes ago - but if you don't stop them; either you're gonna die, or that one zombie you're running from is going to become fifty in the next few hours - and fifty hungry zombies can get through a lot of people."

"I'll call you crazy and stupid if it'll make you feel better, but humour like that tends to lose its edge somewhat when you're not around long enough to enjoy it. Get moving."
I was just about to get on the bike when a group of zombies rounded the corner of the estate, cutting off my way out.
I felt something cold slide down my spine.

"...if I'm still alive in a couple of minutes, I'll get back to you." I told him quietly.
I put the walkie-talkie down on the ground and kicked it away from me.

"Wait, what? What do you mean? Hello? Are you there?" he waited for a moment - no response. What was that? Get moving? Thomas felt perfectly safe on his rooftop, albeit a bit cold, seeing as the small wooden shack was not insulated. He'd be damned if he were to move now, though, he did feel an aching urge to peek over the sides of the building. Afraid of what he would see, though, he decided to slump down under the table and and lay on the pebble floor to contemplate, or perhaps to mentally prepare himself for what might be just beyond these walls.

Judging by the clock on the wall, it must've taken me a good hour or so before I got back to my apartment, but it felt like forever...
The zombies had taken a lot longer than expected to go down, I hadn't had the advantage of having them come at me in ones or twos like back at the...Stefan and his dad's place - they'd all moved in at once. And one of the little fucking bastards had had a broken bottle with them.

"Shit..." I held my right side tightly as I got in through the front door and closed it, triple locking it. I paused, sinking to the floor and allowing myself a few moments to breath. I couldn't see how bad my wound was with the lights off, so I went into the bathroom and switched the light on, easily moving around all the random crap lying around on the floor like some kind of home-made obstacle course.
My clothes felt disgusting and I reeked of stale blood.

I stripped, clothes falling to the floor as I looked in the bathroom mirror and bared my teeth a little. There were four scrapes in total, but the top and the bottom one were just scrapes, the other two looked a bit deeper...one of them might need stitches. "Fuck..."
I took a shower, wanting all this dried blood off me, and yes, fuck my wound hurt like someone was tearing it further open with their fingers and rubbing salt into it, but I almost welcomed the pain. It was totally worth it.
When I got out, I dumped disinfectant on it, almost biting through my lip when I did so, and washed a needle and some thread in hot soapy water before getting to work. I swear, my pain threshold had shot through the roof over the last couple of weeks.

Confident I wouldn't fall apart, I threw the bloody clothes in the bin (I probably could've just washed them, but I could probably just go get some the next time I went out) and went back to the front room, carefully sitting down on the sofa so I wouldn't burst the stitches.

It was then I remembered the walkie-talkie, and that guy - Thomas. Where was that walkie-talkie anyway? All the way over there by the door. Urgh...so far...
"Can't be fucked..." I'd told him I'd get back to him though, right?
Didn't say when though. I could always sleep now and try and find him later.

If he had any sense of self-preservation, he'd look after himself. Assuming he was still alive.
I paused for a long moment.
Awwww, but what good would trying to talk to him do if he was running away from 'foot-eaters-
"Urrrrrrrrgh..." I managed to peel myself off the sofa, digging the TV remote out the back before going over to look for the damn walkie-talkie, bringing it with me into my bedroom and putting it on the bedside table so I wouldn't have to bother with that trek all over again.
I sat down on my bed with a sigh, closing my eyes in the dark and pressed the side button of the walkie-talkie.
"Oy." I said tiredly.

Thomas had been sleeping soundly beneath the table when Raphael called through the radio, despite the fact that his bed was one of hard bits of rocks. He was probably dreaming about something weird like ham or banana whales or chest penguins... or a biscuit... with a top hat... and an English accent. It was definitely, totally the biscuit, but anyway, Thomas didn't hear it coming through.

Anna woke to the screech of a wild animal outside, she sat up slowly and drudgingly, her neck stiff and eyes refusing to open fully. She looked around the dusty room filled with broken desks and ripped classroom projects, the abandoned classroom she had took refuge in so she could take a nap. Her hand absently went to her pocket and she checked it, cursing under her breath when discovering it was dead. Grudgingly she got to her feet, the muscles in her legs stiff and sore, and moved to the window to look outside at the world around her. It was still like a new world every time she looked, she watched the sun as it disappeared, darkness surrounding her, her least favorite part of it all. Anna heard a noise behind her, and quickly turned around to discover she was not alone, grabbing her blade she took a dangerous dive for the door, running as fast as she could, out of the classroom - down the hall - to the emergency exit - and into the dark world around her. She didn't stop running even after making it outside of the school grounds, just kept running farther and farther - faster and faster. She only dared stop when seeing a light up ahead, thinking over and over again light is good, light is safe. She booked it again, heading toward the light, upon closer examination she saw that it was a department store, her stomach growled as she shoved way into the store, hardly glancing around before collapsing to the floor in a heaving mess. Her fists clenched and she beat the floor repeatedly.

Marci shrugged on an open, button down plaid shirt and glanced in the floor length mirror that was tagged with a price of ’23.89’. She had kept on her denim shorts that allowed her to run easily at a moments notice, and had a fresh white tank top on underneath the red and blue plaid shirt. “What do you think Leo?” she inquired from her pet. “A little big but warm” She added. She nodded in satisfaction, looking around the store for more things she might need. Items that were necessary but not too heavy.
About thirty minutes ago she had drug a stinking zombie corpse out to the dumpster and slowly collected herself before going into the employee lounge and ravaging the fridge (with the help of a hungry dog). Now she finally about to get a move on, knowing she could not reside in one place to long.
After stuffing her messenger bag full and donning it once again. She pleasantly knelt down and began to pet Leo with affection. At least for a little bit before a female came crashing through the door and began banging dramatically on the floor. Obviously no zombie could maintain her grudged, but healthy complexion.
Marci arched her eyebrows at the girl’s actions and examined her briefly. She looked like she just went on a jog in Afghanistan. He attire appeared army like and her hair was pulled back as if she was ready for war. She carried a knife, Marci noticed.
“Hey” Marci said, in a steely tone. “What the hell is wrong with you?” she asked. She had glanced out the window and didn’t see a mass of the dead coming down the road so she was very confused at the thrashing being before her.

((I just can't write in first person! I tried, I honestly did! But giving up!))

Anna froze when hearing a voice, her hand quickly went to tighten around the knife, and she jumped to her feet, heaving, ready to lunge. She stopped though when seeing this girl - relief swept over her, almost sending tears to her eyes, she lowered the blade back to her side, but didn't put it up - she has learned that not all humans will be nice to those who travel alone.
She shut the door with her foot, taking a cautious step towards this stranger, glancing at the dog by her side, making sure he wasn't about to lunge at her or anything. Anna's eyes met with Marci's, she stared at her for a very long few seconds, taking in every feature, every blood stain and even the overpowering rot of stench she had on her.
"You... you're not one of them?" Anna asked dumbly, unsure what else to say, her mouth dry, slightly disoriented from her lack of food. "You're... you're not one of them!" Her grin spread quickly, completely forgetting about the fear she had for this girl just moments before.
Anna put her blade away, but still in easy access, and she glanced around the department store, it looked ramsacked of all weapons already - she wondered if there was any food left behind though. Her stomach growled as the thought crossed her mind, and she hit it again, a square punch in the center usually shuts it up.

Marci frowned deeply. What the hell? She thought as the girl thumped herself in the stomach. If she wasn't a zombie, surely she was crazy. "If by one of them, you mean the walking dead on the street... Then no, I am not" she said, with a slow shake of her head. Her and Leo exchanged a look and then looked at the stranger in unison.
"I take it you haven't met a living human in sometime, then?" she question, still keeping a cold tone with her. She wasn't always so detached with people and normally would be experessing the same sort of emotions as the stranger across from her- She would be relieved that she found someone in the same situation who could understand what she had been through.

But that, that sounded like the old Marci. That Marci didn't have to kill her own father, quit college and murder somebody's grandma. Marci sighed and wiped her forehead with the back of her wrist in fustration. "And..You're hungry," she concluded.

Anna nodded sheepishly, continueing to look around the store, "Yeah... I am..." Her hand went to her pocket again, and touched her phone, unsure how she'd charge it since she left her charger back at her old house - in her old life. "Very hungry." She admited, looking at the girl with just as much relief as she did with contentment to be socializing again. As much as she hated everything that was going on, she learned a while ago to enjoy the little stuff or everything would suck.
She worried about her brother though, even though chances were slim she hoped that he would be out there, worrying for her just as much. And that one day they'll meet each other again, hopefully both still alive.

Marci nodded firmly and adjusted her messenger bag strap accordingly. She seemed pretty attatched to the item. She realized if she where to ever lose it she'd would be deprived of another thing that gave stability to her life- Hence the importance of her and Leo traveling together. No one else...
"Well you're in luck because I hate soup and didn't touch the three cans in the back lounge," Marci explained.
She looked around again, as if she was giving the place a once over for anything she missed. Anyone could tell from her 'welp...see you later' tone that she was about to head out to zombie hell on the streets.
She was hoping to try to make it to the small, local airport. Where she might be able to contact air support via radio. Which she had nooo idea how to do or even if that could be done. But it was worth a try.

"You're... not leaving.. are you?"
Anna frowned as she realized she may be left all alone in the scary world of the living dead again, it hurt her heart to just imagine it and she thought there had to be a part of Marci that didn't want to be alone either.
"Because... well sticking together.. might be better.." Her words were spaced, hoping to try and think of a way to convince Marci to let her tag along with them. "More eyes to watch out for... the zombies and wild animals and such..." She looked up at her, "What do you think?"

Marci pressed her lips together to keep from blurting out a harsh ramble. How is that everyone her age seemed less mature then her? The stranger did look about her age. She supposed it depended on what a person experienced in life and whether they had faced the truth that life fucked everyone over and no one could save them but themselves or not.
And that was exactly why Marci was completely convinced that looking out for herself was the best option in the horrific time. "I believe..." she started and swallowed as she peered into the girls eyes. She huffed in annoyance (getting fustrated with herself) and looked up at the cracking ceiling.
"I believe that having to look out for another person would slow me down and also run a risk of getting me or my dog killed" she finished and nooded, satisfied with her response. She slowly looked away from the flickering lights and peeling paint to once again meet her eyes.

Anna kept silent, unable to believe that someone would turn down companionship, her eyes avoided Marci's as she thought about what to say. She sighed, eyes staying downward, her lips smacked as she thought, "Well... okay, but sooner or later you'll need - and want - some companionship.. we don't know how long this is going to last..." She sighed, "Well you might want to try and find a way to communicate with the rest of the world, and get an idea just how many there are left... though I don't know this area too well, and not sure where exactly that would be..." Anna looked back at her, sighing, grabbing her knife again and looking around to go hunt out the soup she mentioned. "I guess good luck out there..." There was obvious disappointment in Anna's voice, she didn't even try to hide it.

"But- Um wait!"
Marci got so pissed with herself at that moment. She couldn't even believe she was thinking of taking the girl with her. She groaned lowly and forced out more words. "I guess you can...travel with me to the airport. There-" She paused, took a good long breath and crossed her arms over her modest chest. "There are more people there, I'm sure. So you wouldn't be alone"

Marci looked at Leo who barked out in a friendly manner as he stared at Anne. He seemed confused at why she had not petted him yet. He was such a beautiful German Sheppard even with just a weekly brush to keep his short hair smooth. So he was fimilar with lots of affection from Marci, her Dad (when he was alive) and many stranger.

Marci gave him a narrowed eye'd look and raised her eyebrow. Leo tilted his head then laid on the floor in surrender, accepting the fact that he wasn't going to be rubbed.

A grin spread across Anna's face, similar to the one when she first discovered Marci was normal. She resisted the urge to hug this girl, and instead put away her knife, nodding her head, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." Anna repeated, watching Marci's dog now, she shifted, glancing up at the flickering light; "Shall we leave now, or wait until it's light again?" Anna asked, hoping they wouldn't be moving until it got lighter again, but ready to leave if needed.

A sound came from overhead, one of those 'blum-bloooom' sounds from one of those electronic door bells that tells when someone enters or exists the store. Kynan's head shot up to look at the white box just above the top of the door.
"Yikes, that can be dangerous," he said as he drew his longsword from its sheath on his left leg and used it to pry the box open. He then lit a small amount of fuel on the device on his left hand, before aiming it toward the tangle of wires within the box and pulling back his fingers, unleashing a blast of fire that melted the insulation. He proceeded to dig his sword under the wires and use it to pry them out.
"That should take care of that," he stated, satisfied with his job.

Simone leaned against the post, taking in her last - long - drag before dropping the cigarette onto the ground and crushing it with the sole of her shoe. She watched the night sky, a little in hope she'd see some sign of hope in the huge space above them - but knew that nothing'd fly. Ever since the invasion nothing had been flying in the sky, no planes, no helicopters, and even rarely were birds flying. Must be zombie apocalypse for the feathered friends as well. Simone sighed and pulled a fresh cigarette, already waiting for her, from behind her ear, flicking the lighter.
Something rummaged behind her as she did, causing her to pause, and listen, but silence answered her. So she continued to lit it up and take a drag, the rustling sound returning. Quickly she turned on her heel to come face to face with a creature of the undead. Her eyes continued to stare with that blank stare of boredom, and she took a step backwards, towards her Citroen, hand reaching in the window of the passanger side. The former human, with cold dead eyes staring at her - well, more like past her - took a lunge at her. Simone yanked the machette from the car and slung it at the man. It made contact with his head, making a stomach churning wet sound as it lodged into his skull. Simone pulled it out and hit again, and again, until the undead was dead once more, head sunken in and her side of the car covered in fresh blood. Simone sighed, taking the cigarette out of her mouth, wiping the blood off the blade. "Shit, that was close." She threw the blade back in her car, and moved to the drivers' seat, getting in and fishing her keys from her pocket. She glanced up once again at the place she called home, the former house of her best friend's parents - being eaten alive she was sure they wouldn't mind her finding refuge there while she came up with a plan of action. But for now, she needed more food or she'd surely starve to death. Her stomach annoyingly growled as she turned on the radio to check stations, hoping still that refuge would be coming soon - or they found a cure - or... or something would be different, there would be some hope in this mad house world of theirs.

Marci tensed, rotating so she faced the entrance of the store, where a new person was standing! “Oh shit,” she said under her breath. Instinctively she latched onto the strap of her bag, since it held everything she might need to protect herself and was now basically a part of her. She calmed a little, observing that he was not at all livid or ashen. She took a deep breath- which she was doing a lot today- and studied him more.
Marci gave his gadget a quick glance then took a moment to react to his presence, considering whether she wanted to steal the device or not. It was pretty cool... No. I just want to get a move on!She promptly reminded herself. She huffed and stared at the newest entry to the store.
“Pleasssse don’t tell me you plan to stay here,” she said, shifting uncomfortably. Marci grip on her bag’s strap tightened as the urge to scream built. She was sure she would have to stay in the store ‘til daytime came now, but to have to be accompanied by two strangers was not an option. For some reason the thought of socializing brought on bad vibes and unwanted memories. She closed her eyes and mumbled something inaudible. Leo barked once in a friendly manner at her side, lifting his bottom off the floor. Marci could tell he was becoming excited. Leo, unlike Marci felt happy about more people. They didn’t at all feel, or smell bad to him and he wanted to be petted.

Anna's head snapped when hearing the annoying sound of the door being opened, instinctively grabbing for her knife, and gripping the handle tightly. Her nerves didn't exactly calm when she saw the newcomer, especially when seeing the - rather impressive - device on his wrist. She lowered the blade though, wondering if he'd be friend or foe, staring at him in an otherwise anti-sociable way. The hair on the back of her neck had been on edge since she woke up that evening and it sure wasn't going to calm now. Anna's thoughts weren't calming ones, she considered how easily he could kill a flesh eating zombie with that device - or if he chose to - how easy he could burn the flesh off of them. Her vivid green eyes darted back and fort between Marci and the newcomer, and she took a half step back, being closer to the door - and this strange man.

Kynan jumped at Leo's bark, and he turned to him and the girl in the plaid shirt. Slowly, he sheathed his longsword in its metal sheath, retracted the loop connected to the fuel, and let the flame die out before taking his finger out of the loop.
"Hello there..." he said a he inched forward, "Are, um... are you alright... there?"
He watched the dog cautiously, though it seemed friendly enough.
"If you need any help at all, um..." he cut himself off mid-sentence to await a response.

Veronica awoke to the sound of a dog barking and felt herself go very still, dread coiling in her stomach. She took one earphone out. A wild dog?
If the glass in the entrance was broken then yeah, she supposed it could've gotten in...

Oh Fuck Off... she projected at the noise tiredly, pissed off.
Goddamn it, this is the last thing I need. Zombies weren't too bad - they were slow, they couldn't climb stairs - which was why she'd set up in the air vents above the shop on the second floor of the mall. Zombies didn't really have an appetite either - so the food she'd gathered would be safe.

Dogs, animals, were different. They'd eat just about anything, and they were fast, faster than her, and travelled in packs.
That and she'd never liked dogs. She'd prefered cats if anything; people had compared her to one in times past. Somehow hearing this dog had still survived when so many humans had died made her...oddly resentful. If it was wild and an active threat, she wasn't sure she'd lose too much sleep over 'dealing' with it.

She opened the hatch and jumped down onto the metal shelves, reaching back up to get the MP7.
Can't be too careful. She pulled away the crumpled corrugated iron she'd used to bar the entrance and the windows, leaving the shop. There were voices, and she stopped. Maybe the dog was someone's pet then...? Zombies didn't talk...so...

She held the weapon in one hand, moving steadily towards the voices - multiple voices by the sound of it, coming from a floor further down. Veronica walked down the escalator and saw a shop off to the side, with three people standing outside; and the dog.
She frowned a little, tightening her grip on the gun currently hanging by her side. It just looked like they were...talking.

Verronica narrowed her eyes slightly. She could probably ignore them and go back. They might be remnants of a gang (albeit a misfit gang)...
This really was none of her business. But...
Something inside her wavered, a deep bone-ache tiredness washing over her. She hated having to live like this.
Would you prefer not to live at all?
...fair enough.

'If it's not broken, don't fix it', the saying went - and she was doing fine by herself.
She shoved the ache to the back of her mind and locked it away, turning around and leaving.

Marci patted the top of Leo’s head as she observed the looks everyone was giving him. She partially understood being wary of a dog that was not familiar to them but if Leo had wanted to attack he would have injured them already. “He’s very friendly and well trained” she assured them anyway.
She crossed her arms over her chest and bit her lip as she pondered the situation. She was not tired at all and wouldn’t be able to sleep for at least a few more hours. So that gave her time to deal with the boy and girl that were invading her space. They did not look like the type to cause any harm but she still did not know them. She was not the type to easily trust anyone then get her neck sliced in her sleep.
What if they decided they want everything in my possession. What if they feed me to the zombies, just because...? She grimly began to pace back and forth, their presence temporally forgotten. Paranoid thoughts floated left and right throughout her mind while she began twisting the rings on her fingers back and forth. Had her Dad been alive he would pointed out Marci's telltale habit of fidgeting with the jewelry she wore and asked her what’s wrong.
Leo’s eyes followed her as he laid down and rested his head on his front paws. He could tell she was worried and that made him a bit uneasy.

((O_O How did it not tell me there were 3 new responses?? -gets down to hands and knees, forehead pressed against floor- I give my apology.))

Anna turned to look at Marci, not fully turning from Kynan though, "I can see you're not exactly comfortable with all of us.. but sticking together is what's our best option here.. we are all here with the same purpose - to get out of trouble - so why not stick together to achieve that?" Anna frowned slightly, she didn't care too much for any situation they were in - so it was only logical pick the one best for their survival.

((And sorry for short post... migraine))

Kynan turns an acknowledging nod toward Anna, "Yes, I agree entirely. The more the merrier, eh?" He looked around the store and then outside. "How long are you planning on staying here? It doesn't look like it'd suit anyone for long."

"Anything's better then the hell outside though..." She muttered, glancing outside as well, her hands went to the bottom of her shirt and she began to play with the hem, getting nervous again as reality was sinking in how close they were to death.

Marci paused, becoming aware of them both as Anna said her last words. She ran all ten fingers through her hair then stopped pacing and faced them completely. "Honestly, your presence makes me anxiety" she blurted in a rush. "But that's no reason not to stick together" she continued. "Because if it really came down to it, I'm pretty sure I could take both of you and would be just fine" Her words were blunt and odd but in saying them she reassured herself. Slowly she focused and zoned into reality fully. She bent and petted Leo. "Oh and, yes. I think staying here would be best...unless you have another option?" she inquired from Kynan.

"Right, it's nearing darkest, so that means now's the best time to move; cover of darkness and whatnot," he stated quickly, not taking many breaths in between. "Personally, I think we should find a place that's better fortified or easily defensible. I think we should shoot for tall structures and high-up floors. What do you two think?" He stopped to continue breathing again and await a response.

I wake up in an ally. As soon as my head clears I'm met with overwhelming pain in my leg. I examine it. Thank god, It's not broken but there is a 3 inch gash running down my shin. I look up and remember. I was running. Tried to jump that building. Before I can clear my head I hear a feral growl. I turn and see a man, maybe in his late 20s. He's growling and slowly limping my way. I clutch one of the throwing knives on my belt. I can't run, Not with the cut on my leg. He's coming closer, gaining speed. Without thinking I throw the knife. I close my eyes as the knife punctures the soft skull of the zombie. He fall's. I slowly make my way toward the High school, thinking that I will find someone alive there.

Marci pondered their new entry and concluded that he seemed to have a pretty level head. She hesitated in answering while she crossed her arms. "Well, higher grounds sounds smart." She spoke in a clipped tone. She cleared her throat after sparing a brief glance at Anna, who seemed nervous. Maybe that was her normal state. Marci didn't like it. Only one of them could afford to freak out. And it should be me...
"Where should we go?"

Kynan opens his mouth to speak but hesitates for a moment. "I have no clue." donning his 'thinking face' he looks out the glass door at the scenery outside. He then looks around the room at the nothing left behind and the people seeking refuge within. He looks back up to the girl with the dog. "Where are we now...?"

Thomas wakes up with a start and immediately smashes his head into the table's underside. His head falls back down onto the hard bed of rocks, and he presses his hands to his face.
"Son of a whore!" he exclaims, delivering a kick to the table in retribution.
He rolls out from his cover and suddenly finds himself missing the previous nightmare in favour over the one he's now in. He takes his seat in the office chair and places the headset over his ears. He sees a coffee mug on the table side that previously went without notice. With a bit of hope for a small reprieve, he tips the mug to peer into it, only to find dried, black stains. He leans into the microphone and offers an empty "Hello?" to who- or whatever might be on the other side.

((I'm so rusty at this rp and have no idea how to answer Kynan's answer correctly (I've forgotten to little details). But this still seems interesting and I want to continue it. So where exactly are they??))

((asdfghjkl HELP))

((Ive forgotten the details of the whole rp and I'm not sure if the others are still around...))