A New Nation

[k-michelle412]

Nala crept through the back alley adjacent to the house she was currently squatting in. Her phosphorescent green eyes peered out from a corner, checking for suspicious activity. Her tanned skin was smeared with dirt, clothes tattered, and chocolate waist-length hair tied into a sloppy bun atop her head. Declaring the area safe, Nala slunk out from the shadows, hurrying towards the corner store. She had to be extremely careful now. Food stores were the most dangerous place for anyone to be. The scarcity of food led to factions fighting for control of food supply, using it as leverage to gain followers and keep loyalty.
Nala cringed as a tiny bell attached to the door rang loudly through the night. Her eyes flashed around, but there was no movement. She slipped inside quietly, yanking the bell from its rope, keeping it quiet. "Alright....water," Nala whispered to herself, hoisting the backpack higher on her shoulders. Nala spotted the refrigerators in the back and hurried over. She emptied the biggest bottles into her bag first before grabbing some bread, chips, and a few bags of candy. Satisfied, Nala crept towards the front. She opened the cash register and pulled out all of the bills. Money wasn't worth much by way of getting things, but it burned pretty well for a fire if you asked Nala.
Stuffing the loose bills into her pockets, Nala spotted movement outside. Her heart skipped a beat as she ducked behind the counter until she was sure if the movement was friend or foe.

 

[Soul]

Jack had been walking around in the darkness for hours, searching for a place he could gather supplies. A knife was gripped tightly in his left hand, and a small handgun in his right. He jerked his shoulders upwards quickly, in an attempt to make the bag on his back a little more comfortable. It didn't work. He let out an exasperated sigh, close to giving up, when he heard something not far off. A tingling of sorts. Now, where did he know, that he was searching for, that might have a bell? Yup, that's right, a shop!


He sped up the pace, jumping over broken items and trash that was strewn across the ground. He was careful not to make too much noise though. You always had to be careful out here, there was always the chance you would get shot...


He slowed down as his turquoise blue eyes picked out the shop, just ahead of him. He had to be really careful now, even more-so than before. Judging by the ringing he'd heard just now, there had to be someone in there. Because, well, there wasn't exactly much wind so to speak of, so what else could it be? He just hoped whatever it was, it was friendly. If he was lucky, it might just be some stray dog that had wondered in in search of food.


He held his gun up, pushing the door open slowly, staying outside. He peered in through the window, moving the gun round in a small arc as he scanned the room. He couldn't see anythin- wait. Was that movement? He squinted, looking harder to where he just thought he'd seen a hint of movement, it could've just been his eyes playing tricks on him, but.. No, here it was again! "You friend or foe!?" He whispered, loud enough to be heard, quiet enough so as not to alert anyone else to his presence. Well, if whatever this was wasn't friendly, he'd soon find out. No doubt they'd have some sort of weapon on them, and it would be trained on him.


He was starting to doubt that it was some sort of animal by now, because an animal would surely be moving alot more, and he'd be able to hear it. So, that was it. His mind was det set on the fact that this thing, was a human. Now, all that was left, was to hope hey were friendly. Otherwise... Well. One of them wouldn't be seeing the sun ever again. Or, well... Much of anything ever again, really.

 

[k-michelle412]

Nala bit her lip, hearing the footsteps of someone entering the store. There was the spine-chilling click of a gun before a voice called out. Nala looked up to the ceiling and prayed for this stranger to be friendly. Nala's hand snaked down to her ankle, quietly unlatching the strap holding her gun there. "Put down the gun and I'll tell you." Her voice called out as her hand grasped the .38 in her hand. Her heart was hammering as she cocked it. Nala crouched, moving towards the end of the counter to get a better look at who had come in. Whoever it was seemed nervous, probably just as nervous as she was now, but there was one thing Nala was sure of. He wasn't any part of a faction. Those men...they were nasty. They shot first, asked questions later. It was common knowledge of who was aligned with who, any outsiders were to be hunted down and conversed on to their side. If that didn't work they were killed. These men, fighting for control, would rather lose followers by death than risk them switching sides. It was a dangerous time now.
"Alright, I'm going to stand up. Don't shoot." Nala said. She inhaled, gun gripped and both hands before standing up quickly. Her gun was aimed at the boy's forehead, directly between his eyes. "Move and I'll kill you. Who are you?" Nala asked as all of the shyness that may have been evident before had vanished. She needed his guard down so she didn't die when she revealed herself, but now, she was taking the upper hand. If anyone was leaving alive, it would be her, Nala would make sure of that.

 

[Soul]

The male lowered his gun somewhat, putting it in his pocket, along with his knife. "Okay... It's down.." He said quietly, watching as the shadow of the figure moved along the counter. "Oh crap.." He muttered under his breath, mentally facepalming as the figure stood up, pointing he gun right between his eyes. If they shot, he was dead.


"My name's Jack. I'm not in a faction... I'm just here to grab some supplies." He said, holding his hands up above his head. He hadn't survived this long just to be shot down at some corner store... "If you could just put the gun down, and stop pointing it at my head..?" He offered up a small smile, even though he knew she probably couldn't even see it in the lack of light in this place.

 

[k-michelle412]

Nala eyed the figure before her suspiciously. She relaxed a bit when she heard the ruffle of cloth that signified him putting away his gun. Nala walked slowly from behind the counter, gun still aimed expertly. "I'll put my gun down whenever the hell I feel like it," Nala said indignantly. She glanced out the window, making sure there would be no other surprises before her attention was back on the boy in front of her. "Toss your weapons and I'll lower my gun," Nala offered as an ultimatum. She wasn't taking any chances here.

 

[Soul]

He thought it over for a few sexonds, chewing on his bottom lip, before reaching down and drawing his weapons out from his pocket. "Fine." He muttered, dropping them on the floor just in front of him, and kicking them off to the side, just out of reach. "There. Done. Can you put the gun down now?" He asked, almost pleaded. He shoved his hands in his pockets. E wanted to look out the window to check behind him, make sure there was no one out there... But he dare not turn his back on this female.

 

[k-michelle412]

Nala huffed but relented. "Fine." She mumbled. "...So, where are you from?" Nala asked, stuffing her gun back into her holster. She shifted, now full, backpack into a more comfortable position. She shifted her weight from foot to foot. It had been a very long time since Nala had had any human contact and now that she was engaged in conversation with an actual person, it left her uneasy. Her eyes kept shifting towards the door, checking for any unwanted visitors, as well as finding her quickest escape route. You could never be too careful out here.

 

[Katrina Iceheart]

Sol stood on the slightly unstable roof of the store, looking through a gaping hole at the two other human beings in the building. He had his rifle pointed off to the side and after a while, Sat criss-cross like a kid staring at a rain puddle.
Things like this interested him. He somehow avoided attention, watching the people and presenting them to himself as movie characters. He would root for some and make some good and bad. Because that's how most people perceived it, and how he wanted it to be. But he knew that nothing was really black or white, just varying types of gray. He had thought about creating a faction who hated both sides, but that wouldn't turn out well. And he wouldn't force anyone into his faction.
But this was a fantasy for him. He knew it couldn't happen. So he travelled and watched others, and now he ended up here. He actually thought about at one point afterward approaching the two, but avoided that. So Sol sat staring at the unfolding scene through the hole in the roof.

 

[k-michelle412]

Nala sensed something, eyes. All too quickly her gun was back in her hands, eyes searching for the source of her feelings. She looked at this Jack person, holding a single finger to her lips, signaling a 'shhh.' Nala walked soundlessly towards the front of the store, peering out from the nearest shelf. Her eyes swept the street, but nothing was there. She looked back at Jack confused, Nala knew something was out there, watching, and then it struck her. The roof. Nala pointed upwards towards the roof. There had to be someone up there, that would explain this feeling she had. Nala inspected the ceiling, walking slowly up and down the isles looking for anything or anyone. Her steps were slow and deliberate as she searched. Nala didn't much enjoy being watched, stalked, followed, or any combination of the three.

 

[Soul]

Jack nodded his head, tilting his head upwards. His eyes scanning the ceiling quickly. He was good as spotting things. Almost too good. A small smile spread across his lips as he spotted what he was looking for. A hole. He peered upwards through it, eyes fixing on the male he could see looking down through it, watching them. Listening. He did a quick little finger wave, before quickly looking away again, focusing his attention on the female again. He didn't say anything about the male on the roof. If he was going to shoot them, he was sure he probably would've done it by now. He walked forewards and picked his weapons up off the floor, putting them in his pockets, while grabbing a stale pack of biscuits off the ground, from under a small pile of rubble. He opened it, shoving one in his mouth. He grimaced. It tasted vile, but he was going to eat them anyway because he was hungry. Very hungry. "Found what you're looking for yet"

 

[Katrina Iceheart]

Sol waved back to the kid on the other side of the hole, then moved from his spot. He decided to maneuver around so the girl wouldn't find him easily. He threw the strap on his gun over his shoulder and walked the opposite way of the sound of her footsteps. He kept his hands in his pockets and walked carefully. Sadly for him, he stepped on a broken bottle, causing a loud crunch sound to bounce through the aisles. He sighed, putting his hands up in surrender before she got there. But a smile overtook his face. He thought about the possibility of friends, and a group. He decided to let the girl catch him.

 

[k-michelle412]

Nala didn't miss how Jack had peered up at something in the ceiling and failed to report it. She eyed him before nodding, straightening up. Any trust she had in this stranger, no matter how minimal it was, was eradicated now. Nala inched towards the door, she had everything she needed, there was no need to stay longer than she already had. The sound of a cracking bottle had Nala frozen in place, eyes on Jack. Her gaze turned from blank to icy cold as his lie became apparent. There was a gallon of gasoline by the door, a lighter in Nala's pocket. She grabbed the plastic bottle, emptying it on the ground. "Yeah, not really sorry but you lied and I can't trust you," Nala explained as she lit the lighter and tossed it on the gas covered floor. The whole store went up in a blaze as Nala escaped out the door. From her place in the street, Nala saw the figure on the roof, it wasn't moving, Nala assumed to not be found. She thought about going up and finding out who was watching her, but this store was becoming a beacon to anyone and she had to leave.
Nala fled through the dark alley's she was so accustomed to. She lived about a mile and a half from the corner store in an old abandoned loft. The windows were blacked out with paint, and she only had the bare necessities. She had rigged the water system to work again, as well as electricity, however, Nala preferred candles to avoid detection.

 

[Soul]

"Oh crap, crap!" He yelped as the store burst into flames before him, he scrambled to the back, looking about for an exit. He spied one of the holed in the roof where he'd spotted the male and went towards it. He didn't have long. The fire was spreading at a rapid rate. He climbed onto one of the shelves, and fell back down, hitting his head on the ground. "Shit..." He mumbled, touching his head. He felt something warm and sticky. Blood. That wasn't good... He climbed up onto the shelf again and reached for the hole. He hoped the roof would take his weight... He jumped up, gripping the edge, and kicked his legs in the air as the shelf collapsed below him, catching fire. The flames were now licking at he bottom of his trousers. It was hot, too hot. He was starting to sweat, his hands were starting to get wet, slippery, he was going to let go...

 

[Katrina Iceheart]

"Gah!" Sol gasped as he saw the flames rising. He started to run to the next roof then remembered that the other kid was still in the building. He ran back to the hole, and saw the kid's fingers gripping to the edge, slowly turning white. "Hey! Hold on!" He yelled urgently. He practically dived for the kid's hand. He grasped his hand and grabbed his wrist with his other hand. The weight pulled him down somewhat and his shoulder jarred into the hole, causing the broken prices of roof to pierce his skin. He grunted and pulled himself up, then the kid. He did a quick check on his shoulder, which he had seen worse, and then made sure that the kid was okay. He was bleeding pretty bad.
Sol sighed and carefully placed the kid on his shoulder. He jumped to the next rooftop before the next building crumbled and he scaled a ladder down to the alley below. Without a word to the kid, mainly to avoid noise all together so no attention was brought to him, he ran to the nearest safe-looking building, away from where the girl ran. He entered the building and shut the door behind him before anything else could happen. Then he sat the kid on a stair nearby and slumped against the door, sighing.

 

[k-michelle412]

Maxine stood across the street from the burning building. His eyes were slitted and angry, exuding violence. He had seen the boy, the one he had been hunting. The rat watched everything, including his group. Maxine had been after the boy since he first caught him spying, however, was never able to truly capture him. His fists balled up, shaking, at his sides. Now the one food supply for six miles was gone, burnt to the ground because of that boy and the girl. The girl with the brown hair and green eyes. She was one of the anti-factionists, sabotaging their rallies and speeches. Maxine hated her almost as much as he hated the boy, and soon, he would kill them both. Then nothing would be in his way.

 

[Soul]

Jack closed his eyes somewhat as he was carried away from the burning building. He was safe now, or so he thought. The ride was bumpy and as the adtenaline slowly faded from his blood stream, he felt the pain in his head get worse and worse.


As they finally reached the safer building, and he was set down on the step, he leaned backwards, holding his head. His legs hurt a little bit from burns, and his arms had a few minor cuts and bruises, but he didn't care about them. All he could think about was his head. The way everything suddenly seemed to be much louder, the way every noise caused daggers of pain to embed themselves in his skull. His body shuddered ad he flicked his eyes over towards the male. He guessed he was probably older then him. Almost definately. He opened his mouth to utter a "thanks..." Then fell silent again. It hurt to talk. It hurt to do anything... He hoped the other male was okay though. He'd spotted blood on his shoulder. Whether that was from him, or he'd hurt himself pulling Jack up, he didn't know.

 

[Katrina Iceheart]

"No problem." Sol replied. He massaged his shoulder gently, but stopped when the kid looked at him. He stood up. "I'm going to find some medical supplies. You don't look so good." He noticed that there were scorch marks that stretched across his calves. He cringed at the damage that could have caused to his skin. He couldn't imagine the pain he must be going through. Or maybe he didn't feel it, with some sort of luck and blessing. He rubbed his shoulder once more and walked up the stairs. He went one level up and found that there was a tiny shop there. It was filled with useless knick-nacks and junk. Some items were shrouded in dust and others were smashed beyond recognition. Not what he was looking for. He jumped over the register counter and scavenged under it. Luckily, there was a tiny first aid kit. It contained wound cleaning items and one large band-aid. He sighed in relief. Things like this were sparse, and he would be able to fix the kid. He would be fine was his thought. He walked back down the stairs with the kit.
"Can you tilt your head forward?" He asked him. He should stop the immediate bleeding first.

 

[Soul]

He watched him go silently, remaining still on the step. He tilted his body sidewards somewhat to lean against the wall, closing his eyes. If it weren't for the searing agony coursing through his veins, he probably would've fallen asleep.


His eyes immediately snapped open as he heard the older males voice. He looked towards him, taking notice of the fist aid kit. "Can you tilt your head foreward?" He didn't want to. He cast his eyes upwards to look at Sol, a small whimper escaping his lips. A few seconds later, he finally tilted his head forewards, just the tiniest bit, as he'd been asked. He knew if the bleeding wasn't stopped, then it would get worse. He didn't want it to get worse. It was bad enough as it was.

 

[Katrina Iceheart]

Sol was grateful for even the slightest cooperation. Most people would throw a fit if they had to do anything. He inspected the back of the kid's head. It was a little hard, because he had to move hair here and there to find the wound. Eventually he found it. He managed to find a pair of scissors in the kit, and cut back some of his hair so he could see the injury. Luckily it didn't make the kid look weird.
The gash was pretty bad. It was deep, but contained somewhat. Sol would he able to cover it and temporarily stop the blood, but later he would have to get someone with a steadier hand to heal it correctly. He wasn't fond of medical things, but could do the basics. He cleaned the wound, then applied a small bit of gauze to it. He wrapped t so it would stay in place. He took his jacket off and placed it on the stair where the kid's head could gently rest.
"You can lean back again. I'm going to check your feet now. Please tell me if you are in pain." Sol said to the kid. His voice was steady. It sounded like he knew all of he was doing, which he mostly did. He told the kid this because he felt communication was key between an injured person and the person fixing them. So every one knew what they were doing.

 

[Soul]

Jack sat patiently as he allowed the other male to tend to his head wound, the only sounds he was making being a small hiss or grunt now and then. He let out a small sigh as he was told he could lean back again. The younger male did so, resting his head lightly on the jacket that had been put on the step for him. He closed his eyes. He could feel the bandage round his head, it was sort of annoying... But he was sure he'd get used to it eventually.


"Okay.." He rasped. It still hurt to speak, a bandage wouldn't change that, but the pain wasn't as bad. One of his eyes opened and he looked down at Sol, watching closely. A few moments later his eyes were closed again. He found that if he stayed quiet, and didn't move, keeping his mind clear of thoughts, the pain dulled somewhat. Minutes later, a small snore slipped from his lips, signalling that he had either passed out or fallen asleep. Either way, he was no longer conscious, and thus could no longer feel the pain, for the time being.