Being Stantionary Promises Death (MisterJ)

[AmethystWallflower]

ooc; This is for @MisterJ Let me know if I need to make any tweaks or additions; this is a pre-written intro I have for these two.

They entered a small town that was all but abandoned, keeping to the edges of the trees just out of sight in the growing shadows. It was just the two of them left, not that they were necessarily part of a group before. They were all they had in what was left of this decaying world and he needed to take care of her. Liam' eyes scanned the streets, analyzing as if it were a potential battlefield. He began forming a path that was safe enough for the two of them to take without being seen by dead eyes. The timing needed to be exactly right if he was going to get them through the open and into a safe place and without being noticed. Ryan's stomach complained from its hiding place behind Liam. He ignored the noise as he continued to survey the area. The dead meandered around aimlessly, forever searching for the next meal. He noticed a few shamble past a small 'ma and pa' store front. It was the closest thing to them and it seemed to be somewhat secure from what Liam could gather lurking out in the shadows. They badly needed supplies and food. It had been almost a week since they had eaten anything more than small animals and a few berries, and that was only due to Liam. He took care of the both of them ever since he found her huddled in the bathroom of a home he was searching through.

Ryan reminded him of his younger sister, Andrea. He wouldn't dare call her weak, but she was timid and shy. She kept to herself most days and only had a select group of friends. Andrea didn't make it when the flu broke out, she was only twelve. She didn't need or even want the vaccine; she hated needles and shots. She was perfectly healthy but he made her go, promising he would go with her and get one, too. He thought he was preventing her from getting sick, keeping her healthy. It took her less than a week to contract what was killing everyone and once she finally passed it took less than ninety seconds for her to come back. But it wasn't Andrea anymore. She growled and made noises he had never heard anyone make. Blackened blood, thick and sticky, oozed out of her nose and mouth and the corner of her eyes. Those big green eyes were still glazed from death and when she lunged on him her skin was still cold, was still a deathly pale with bruise like blotches all over. Still dead. That was Liam' first brush with the end. He had managed to escape the city with a pack of supplies quickly thrown together with a few of his collected knives from home.

When the path was clear he turned to Ryan, putting his hands gently on her shoulders. "We have to get to that store." He looked in her eyes and could see the fear that was bubbling up to the surface. "You know what we need, but I'll just be a few steps away once we get inside." He reached to her hip and pulled the knife from the hilt and placed it in her hands. She nodded, showing him that she understood. He gave her one last reassuring look before he turned and began to quietly move over the dead leaves and branches, careful not to step on anything that might make any noise.

The trip to the store was slow but that's how it needed to be. They hid behind every car to make sure the next few feet were clear and out of eyesight. Ryan's breath was beginning to quicken the closer to the store they got. She personally hated the world they lived in now; not implying anyone left was in love with it. She never knew if she was going to die just beyond the next doorway she passed through, or if she would be left alone again. Ryan had gotten lucky when Liam found her, extremely lucky. Even though he was alive, he could have left her there, cowering in a bathroom locked away from the dead downstairs that wondered in search of her. She had been there for days before he found her. He convinced her to leave the small cell, persuaded her he would take care of her and teach her the things she needed to know to survive. When she finally agreed to go with him she remembered the faintest of smiles as he handed her a knife he pulled from his pack. "We need each other," she had remembered him saying.

It had been several months since Liam found her, and now she was on the constant move. To stay stationary would promise death. Zombies never stopped moving, so neither should the living. That's what Liam always told her when she didn't want to travel anymore, but he was right. He always was.

Now they were upon the store front and she turned her back to him as he opened the door to take a look inside. The first thing Liam had taught her was that when one's back was turned, the other had to stand watch, and that's exactly what she did. She never knew if she would be useful or not, but she did as she was told anyway. Ryan thought of herself as weak, more of a dependent than anyone that could be useful. Self-confidence was never her highest quality before everything. So why should it be any different now? She thought to herself.

Before passing through the glass front door of the store Liam took one quick look over his shoulder to see Ryan now standing with her back to him and her knife up in a defensive stance. He couldn't help but be a little proud of the girl. She had only been with him three months but she learned quickly, even if she didn't think so herself. He had soaked up the opportunities when it was clear and they were momentarily safe for him to teach her to fight and defend herself. Not only from the dead, but anyone that thought they needed something form her she could do without; in life or death.

Placing a hand on the glass, he pushed it open and stepped carefully inside. With a butterfly knife expertly held in his right hand he took notice of the lack of walking dead on the inside. He didn't say a word, barely dared to move but he had to get Ryan. With one swift movement he exited the store, place a hand on Ryan's shoulder and put a finger to his lips, telling her to come inside but to stay quiet and keep her weapon out and ready. When both were safely inside he tapped his blade on the counter, calling the attention of anything that may be lingering inside. When nothing showed itself to them Liam motioned for Ryan to stay put while he went and searched the smaller back room and secure any doors.

The process only took him minutes before he returned to Ryan with a grin on his face. "It seems like we are all clear for the night."

 

[Galaxi]

The sound of an engine filled the air along the main road as a dirty dark grey SUV pulled up to the outskirts of a small town. It parked off road, next to a couple of trashed cars. When the engine was turned off it plunged the area back into unsettling silence. The door on the left side opened and out got a girl, her ginger, quite short, hair it looked like it had been attacked with scissors by a child and her fringe fell over her right eye. Her slim figure was dressed in rather plain dirty looking clothing, the leather jacket she wore definitely made her look too warm for this weather. Round her waist was a leather belt with a holstered gun on one hip and a concealed knife on her back.

The girl gave off a sigh as pulled out an assault rifle from the back seat, swinging it over her shoulder and taking a good look around. "Leo, hurry up already.. I want this over with sooner rather than later" she said with a rather irritated tone of voice before shutting the door and walking around their parked area, just to ensure no surprises were waiting for them when they got back. From the other side of the car a tall man got out, closing the door behind himself and locking the car. His hair was black and messy, his clothing not in any better shape than the female's.

When she heard the quiet beep the car made as it was locked, Harley couldn't help but scoff. "Right, gotta be careful in case the dead ones learned how to jump start cars..." she snickered, turning her head to look at her partner. He grimaced to this, his hand rummaging through his bag. Once he found what he was looking for he zipped it and swung it over his shoulder. Leo walked over to Harley and handed her the bottle of water to which she shrugged. "I'm good for now, you drink it." she responded and walked on ahead of him, in general she seemed very relaxed. Scavenging for supplies had become the norm for her and she had pretty much become used to the things now. Leo on the other hand seemed much more skittish. He wasn't scared, he always told Harley, just careful.

-----

The two of them make their way through the town, keeping to the empty alley ways and going house to house. They found a can or two of food in the many houses they visited however it was mostly all raided a long time ago. Harley was getting frustrated, Leo was getting worried. It would definitely take it's toll on the group if they came back empty handed after wasting so much fuel. Their hopes laid in the centre of town. There was meant to be a couple of retail stores there, the convenience store was the one they were most interested in though it was also likely that would have been taken apart long ago. The two discussed their plan and any back ups in case things went wrong, well Leo did all the talking really, Harley just nodded in agreement. That's how it mostly worked with the two of them, Leo was the brains and Harley was the brawn of the pair.

The two stood hidden behind an abandoned car, planning out their route since the main road was filled with walkers. Leo pointed to the retail store with a sign saying "Ma and Pa" at the front. "We can go round the building, use the back door. There's too many out front here." he suggested, it seemed the way to the store was the most empty, so Harley nodded in agreement. She had her hunting knife out and ready though she hoped she would not need it, the most annoying thing is getting blood all over yourself when there's a long drive back.

Harley leaned down, walking over to the small alley way that went behind the convenience store. Once she made it past unnoticed she crouched by the corner, watching Leo's back as he made his way over. The pair of them went round the building, once they turned the corner they saw two walkers stumbling about aimlessly. Harley, her knife at the ready, snuck up behind one of them, stabbing it right through the head in one quick motion. The other mutilated corpse then turned towards her disturbed by the sound and enticed by the smell of human flesh. The girl wasted no time in walking towards it, evading the slow decaying walker easily and stomping her foot into the back of its knee causing it to fall to the ground with an empty thud. She finished it off quickly and looked up at Leo with a smirk. "Gonna be sick again big guy?" she asked teasingly. Leo gritted his teeth and walked over to the back door with no response.

The bearded man tried opening the door, no luck. He knelt down by the door, pulling out a little leather pouch from his bag. He always had his pick locking kit on hand, unlike Harley he was prepared for more than just killing. Harley stood there, watching out for any more trouble that could come their way.

(Hope this is okay, if you want me to change anything let me know^^)

 

[AmethystWallflower]

The pair had meandered to the center of the store, both looking over the mostly empty shelves. All that seemed to be left were the things that no one ever wanted, even after the ending of the world had crawled through the front doors with snarls and tearing fingers. Ryan reached out to graze the cover a magazine that had collected enough dust for her finger's to pick up a decent layer that she rubbed off on the front of her jeans. The celebrity on the cover was all teeth and rosey cheeks. Ryan wondered where the woman on the cover was now, if she was alive somewhere or if she had gone down with the rest of the world, as she turned away to stare at Liam's heels. Even under nearly a year of dust, memories were always still thick in the air wherever they went.

Liam on the other hand was cataloging the items that were missing. Water, all the perishables that hadn't rotted yet, even the damned candy was gone. He moved slowly, ensuring that they couldn't be snuck up on by the dead. Satisfied this place had been picked clean Liam turned to face Ryan. "I think we struck out –" He was cut short at the sound of a handle jiggling behind them, like someone was trying to get inside. Zombies hadn't really figured out how to work out door handles so he highly doubted that was the case here. Optioned began forming in his head. Run? Hide? Try to play nice or confront whoever was out there trying to get in with butterfly knives and threats. Concern laced Liam's brows together as he sorted through it all and stared at Ryan intently. Their last encounter with a living person ended up pretty badly and the memory was still pretty fresh in both their minds.

Liam steeled his decision, placed a finger to his lips and raised the knife up to his chest. Knowing what that meant Ryan scooped up both their packs and dashed to the shadows in the corner of the store. She may have been learning, but Ryan was definitely not ready to actual one on one combat. As it was it took great concentration to remember how to lash out with her blade properly first try, and the proper grip didn't always come first attempt, either.

Her heart was pounding in her chest and ears so loud Ryan was sure whoever was outside trying to get in could surely hear it too. She began to practice her calming techniques; breathe in through the nose, out through the mouth. Repeat. She watched as Liam towards the back door, both hands in front of his face to protect his head and chin. The butterfly knife in his right with the blade pointed out and resting against his wrist ready to cut open an artery with just a flick of his wrist, his left clenched so tightly his knuckled burned white. Mentally he cursed himself for losing his gun in the last encounter and made a strong mental note to make getting another a priority. For all he knew a shotgun was on the otherside of the door.

Entering the back room where the door to the outside was, Liam cast a quick glance behind him to make sure Ryan was hidden. When he was satisfied the newcomers wouldn't be able to see her at first glance he fully entered the room and drifted to the far side, placing himself in the shadows as well. He couldn't stop them from coming in, he just didn't have the means, but he sure as hell wasn't leaving this place tonight without a fight.

Ryan sucked in a breath at the sound of pounding on the front window of the store. A walker had managed to separate itself from the collective wondering group and end up facing inside the store. It must have seen them enter from across the parking lot and heard them rummaging around inside, because it was gently slapping at the window. With the sudden silence and disappearance of the pair from view, the walker gave up the effort and bounced itself off the window to rejoin to moving mass of infected.

 

[Galaxi]

Leo seemed to be having a little difficulty with the lock to which Harley didn't miss a beat of course. She leaned over him breathing down his neck "Tick..tock.." she whispered in his ear. Leo quietly cursed under his breath dropping one of the tools. He never worked well under pressure and Harley knew exactly how to make him panic more.

"Can you turn around and actually do your job before you get bit on the ass by a stray walker?" He hissed at her. Harley pouted in a very sarcastic way looking like a kicked dog. "Mr no fun." She huffed as she turned around to keep an eye out for any danger. In this world there was not much entertainment left so Harley very much relied on tormenting people as her number one source of fun.

Finally Leo heard the click of the lock on the door and with a smile put his belongings back into his bag before getting Harley's attention. He put his hand on the handle and looked to her. The girl held up her hunting knife along with a torch and nodded, ready to go in. The pair of them had this part all worked out, they had done it so much after all. Leo would open the doors and Harley would take care of what was on then other side.

The door of the store was pulled open, thankfully there was no walkers waiting to spill out like there is sometimes. That's never fun. Harley walked in making sure to keep her back to the wall as she flashed the light around the room. The bright light quickly found a figure in the corner though not one Harley was expecting. She grimaced looking at what was a human, not a zombie. She definately preffered finding the latter.

"You're not a dead one...." she muttered, lowering her torch but not the knife. Leo was stood in the door way, he gave a bit of an awkward wave towards the person. "Uhm...hi." He said, his voice uncertain. The pair exchanged quick glances before looking towards the guy.

 

[AmethystWallflower]

There were two, wonderful. Liam stayed silent when the door flew open and the red-head entered the room with a practiced casualty that didn't go unnoticed. They didn't blast the door open, or bust it up at all for that matter, which made a small red flag pop up in his mind. The red-head had a torch in one hand and a blade in the other, causing Liam to make a mental note to either ask where she got the thing or if things turned sour to just take it from her. It didn't take long before her beam of light found him in the shadows and took away his element of surprise. He hadn't expected these people to have a flash-light, it was another rare commodity these days. Another mental note made.

The red-head's partner gave an awkward wave after exchanging looks with her that Liam didn't automatically return. He narrowed his eyes on the pair and shifted his weight to better take them on if they decided to suddenly tackle him to the ground. He was sure he would be able to at least defend himself long enough for Ryan to run if she had to. Winning and walking away might be a bit different here, however, as these pair not only seemed cleaner than he was but they seemed overall more prepared to be out here in the wastelands of the world.

So badly he wanted to glance over his shoulder to reassure himself Ryan was staying put, but he resisted in fear of giving her presence away. As it was they were clearly shocked to see him here, they didn't need to know any more than that until he decided so. His mind from the old days began to work it's gears again and his jiu-jitsu training started to formulate the different scenarios that might play out and how he was going to need to possibly defend himself. Mentally he cursed at the man's size, easily a weight class above him, and if the guy knew how to fight Liam was for sure going to be taking a few damaging hits. "I am very much alive." Short and sweet.

Ryan watched from her hiding place in deathly quiet. Her eyes wide as the two entered the back room and stood engulfing Liam in yellow light. If it were possible, her heart began to race faster and she squeezed the packs tighter against her chest. Please be friendly. Please be friendly. She found herself repeating to herself in her head. Again she heard slaps at the window. Her head spun around to look over her shoulder and she nearly let out a small scream. As if they as taken their cue from the first zombie that peered through the glass and walked away, more had come to take a look just to move on and drift into the parking lot. It didn't look like they were aware of what was happening inside, but with the amount collecting out front, they were going to notice soon. They didn't have much time here anymore if they were going to continue like this.

Ryan squeezed her eyes shut for a moment of intense thought. When she reopened them again she found herself to be standing and moving swiftly to where Liam stood bathed in light. Coming up behind him, packs still clutched to her chest, eyes wide with fear of the outside and in, she spoke from over his shoulder. "They are gathering in the parking lot..." Her voice was barely above a whisper as she half hid behind him and eyed the pair holding the beam. Reaching out with a small hand, she gripped the back of his shirt and pressed herself against his back for protection. The anxiety and stress of the situation was quickly escalating for the poor teenager.

 

[Galaxi]

The red haired woman scanned over the guy in the corner. He didn't seem to have a gun on him but she wasn't one to let down her guard. She quickly gestured for Leo to come in and close the door, herself not moving from her spot. It was never safe around people, now even less so. Harley preferred just dealing with the undead, dealing with people was much more complicated. At least the walkers only had one goal in mind, to eat you. People were hard to read, you never knew if they were really safe of it they'd try to back stab you as soon as you turn your attention to something else.

Leo didn't seem all that bothered, he entered the room and closed the door behind him as quietly as he could. He turned to the boy then and smiled a little. "Hope we're not intruding...sorry, we didn't realise there were people in this town." he spoke, his voice soft and friendly. He stood beside Harley, placing his hand on her shoulder and giving it a small squeeze. The girl took a deep breath before lowering her knife and slipping it behind her into it's cover, letting her leather jacket fall over it. Her hand now rested on the pistol on her hip as she stared at the stranger with cold eyes. She saw something else moving near by, her attention splitting between the two as she held up the torch once more and pointed it at another smaller figure. "Ah.. a little mouse comes out to play.." she muttered to herself upon seeing the younger girl.

The man nudged her a little causing Harley to huff slightly. He knew she had trouble around people but he always tried to keep her calm. He took a step towards them, holding his hand out to instigate a handshake. "Don't mind Harley, she's a bit uptight. Is it just the two of you here?" he asked. He noticed the girl opening her mouth as if to speak but he did not hear anything so he decided to ignore it. His gaze mostly focused on the boy, he seemed to be the older of the two.

 

[AmethystWallflower]

The pair continued to create notches that Liam hadn't yet decided were in or against their favor. They had a gun that the little red-head wasn't afraid to flash even when her partner didn't seem it to be necessary. Already she was proving to be a spit-fire, but she seemed to ease a bit at the touch of the man behind her. He, on the other hand, seemed to be more friendly and open to conversation rather than fighting and snippy quips. Liam was slightly taken back by the offered handshake and wasn't entirely sure what to make of such a formal introduction. When was the last time he actually shook a man's hand? Six months now? A year? He glanced between the hand and the smile it was attached to. Who were these people?

At Ryan's whisper Liam's muscles tensed, his eyes glanced back at her and he ignored the man's outstretched hand. Their plan at keeping her hidden and safe was starting to fall to pieces. Not only due to her rushing at him from behind, but what her soft words brought with her. The air he had been holding in his lungs rushed out of him as if she had run up and punched him swiftly in the gut. All the formalities that would have occurred in the natural setting quickly dissipated. With a steeled look on his features he looked back up to the strangers and lifted a finger to his lips before gesturing outside towards the front of the store with the same hand. If these people were as smart as their first impression led him to believe, then they would be on the same page that a situation between the four of them was nothing compared to what would shatter the glass with enough pressure. Whatever squabbles over space they could potentially have would not only cause their deaths, but it just wasn't worth it.

Taking a half-step back into Ryan then skirting around her, Liam moved to shut the door, closing them in what looked to be the storage room. The beam of light immediately semi-filled the room and Liam could better take in the objects in the room. One by one he was building a tiny catalog of items he could use as a weapon against the walkers in his head. Broom; I could get through a few older dead before the stick would fail me.. Metal dust pan; angled correctly and I could use it once or twice to impale the skull.. Plastic mop; utterly useless.. Next he quickly realized the strangers were now blocking the only other way out of the store completely. A groan escaped his throat. This just kept getting better.

When Liam finally spoke to the older man it was barely above a whisper. "We were until you showed up. Now we have a collecting audience." It was hard to keep the acid from his tone. Liam felt this might have been caused by them. An image of a vehicle, loud with gasoline fueled life, leading the group of dead here, unintentionally of course, but here they were nonetheless. "The walkers have seen us." He added with a glare but lowered his knife for the time being. He wasn't going to put it away now, but he was willing to show a bit of good faith considering they were now locked in the room until a better plan had formulated.

 

[Galaxi]

The man lowered his hand awkwardly when he did not receive the intended action from the boy in front of him. He watched the two with curiosity, his left eyebrow raised. He did not want to interrupt the two but he also had things that needed to be done today and he needed to make sure they were not a threat to him and Harley. Before he managed to gather his thoughts to speak though the stranger put his finger up to his lips and gestured to the shop floor. Leo managed to get a quick glance towards the front of the store before the door was closed. Without any hesitation he turned his back towards the two and walked up to Harley ignoring his comment. First of all he had to ensure Harley's safety. He leaned into the woman, whispering something into her ear.

Harley continued to glare at the two of them, the light from her torch aimed at the floor. When Leo made her aware of the situation she cursed under her breath and grabbed Leo by the arm to keep him there. "We have to leave now...but we won't be able to go back the same way. They've most likely took everything from here so we're wasting time now." she whispered to him, her gaze never leaving the pair of strangers. Leo's head moved very softly in a subtle nod, he looked her in the eyes and smiled briefly as his hand came up to brush a stray strand of hair out of her eye. This caused Harley's lip to twist a little into a half smile but only for a brief moment.

Leo glanced over his shoulder at the two before looking back to his red headed partner. "What about them? I mean... we shouldn't just leave them after causing that." he whispered in her ear, gesturing to the closed door that lead to the shop floor. Harley rolled her eyes at this, walking to the back door and grabbing the handle. "Come on.." she said to Leo quietly, taking out her knife.

Since she seemed intent on just leaving Leo knew he couldn't stop her, the most he could do is offer for the other two to follow them out till they got to a quieter space. He gestured towards the door that Harley was in the process of opening slowly. "You can come along if you want..." he said, quietly and unsure. Harley had to bite down on her tongue to stop herself from reacting to this, trying to just focus on checking out the back to make sure it was safe.

 

[AmethystWallflower]

The danger level spiked from 'Stanger Danger' to 'Get the fuck out' real quick. Liam could feel Ryan shaking behind him just slightly and knew that going with the pair was currently their only shot at survival. It was obviously not a shared by the way the man asked and his partner reacted, but what other choice did they have? Staying in this supply room until the walkers vacated the store? Fuck no. That could take days, if not weeks. Now that they saw something inside to draw them in it was going to take another distraction to get them to leave and once the glass broke and they got in, it was going to be even harder getting them out without getting yourself killed in the process. Waiting them out was not an option either; it wasn't like they could just open the front door and walk out or stumble out the way they came in. Liam returned Leo's unsure stare but nodded to accept the offer.

Taking one of the packs from Ryan's clutches, Liam slipped it over his shoulders and faced the girl. "We are going to go with them." He smoothed a bit of hair down on the top of her head when her eyes widened in fear. The poor girl had been through enough the last couple of weeks that the idea of travelling with people other than Liam terrified the young teen to her core. "It's alright. We'll be okay," Liam stressed. Kissing the top of her head, slipping her pack over her shoulders, and taking her right hand in his, he whispered for her to take out her knife and hold it the way he had taught her before turning back to the strangers his own knife expertly gripped.

Liam was putting more faith in the pair than he was comfortable with but the dangers outside had grown so quickly that he was forced to overlook it. That's just how things went these days. You could go from calm and docile to immense panic in three seconds flat without the opportunity to really assess the situation at hand. This was a perfect scenario for such a statement. Things were fine, just the two of them getting ready to settle for the night to 'stranger danger' to the walkers pawing at the glass to get in, all under ten minutes. It was a miracle Ryan hadn't died of fear alone. He moved forward with Ryan in toe and made for the open door.

 

[Galaxi]

Harley was already outside taking care of a few stragglers that made it behind the building. She was quiet and efficient as always, a quick stabbing to the head and gently lowering their body down to the ground so it didn't make too much noise. Once at the corner of the back of the building she glanced over her shoulder to make sure Leo wasn't gonna fall behind. She knew he had the tendency to put others before his own safety, even strangers and even more so youngsters like these. The woman couldn't help but glare at the two before moving on silently, her knife at the ready.

Leo left the room last, walking close behind the younger girl, keeping his eye out for any danger that might be following them. Usually Harley took care of all the walkers but now that their group has temporarily increased she might not make it to him in time. He knew this but still, he took out a screw driver from his bag and held it uneasily. Leo hated having to kill anything, even if they were dead things wanting to consume his flesh, he still felt very uncomfortable killing them. However if there was anything to fear more than these undead creatures it was Harley anger if she saw him not taking every precaution she taught him.

Again, once at the corner of the building Harley first made sure Leo was close by before making her next move. She peeking round, there were more than enough walkers gathered in the parking lot, many of the pawing at the glass, others bumping into each other aimlessly. If they made any noise they would all head to them, they would get over run very quickly. They had to get over to the other side of the street as quickly as possible, Harley knew she cleared all the houses they checked on the way here so they should be safe to hide inside in case they find any other larger groups of the walkers wondering the streets. She grabbed a rock that was laying near by and threw it at one of the cars across the parking lot. The force behind it was just enough to smash through the already cracked front window. The noise of the shattered glass got the attention of some of them, they stumbled towards the car, attempting to reach at anything that could be inside. It didn't have enough of an effect though nor for long enough. Harley bit down on her lip, she then turned to the other three. She spoke to them in barely a whisper. "Wait here, do not make a sound." And gestured towards a little home across the street, the door to it had been broken down already so it had a clear way in, they would have to go out the back to avoid being spotted.

Harley looked to Leo briefly before taking in a deep breath. She crouched down and began very slowly walking towards their destination. She made sure to take full advantage of every bit of cover she could, a broken fence, a bin, even a tree was good as long as it kept most of her out of sight. Once she was half way across she glanced towards the group of walkers at the front of the store. Many of them were still pressing onto the glass which definitely looked strained now, though it wouldn't be so bad if it were to break now, it would create a good distraction to let them get away.

Once across Harley took no time in entering the small house and checking it over for any stray undead before taking a position in one of the broken windows. She brought out her pistol along with a silencer. This was the only silencer the whole group managed to find and damn was it a good find. She gestured for the next person to make their way over, keeping an eye on the walkers in case one decided to stray. Using the gun would be a last resort, even with the protection of the silencer the sound of the gun wasn't fully suppressed, and from such a short distance it could still draw their attention more.

 

[AmethystWallflower]

It was the definition of Murphy's Law; if you didn't have time for it, or it was inconvenient at that particular time, then it was bound to happen. Right now was no different. The trip from where they stood in the alley needed to be as swift as physically possible, yet it seemed to take hours. It was agonizing, actually, watching Harley drift from cover to cover, inching towards their next hopeful safety point. Liam and Ryan didn't exactly have a set direction of travel or a refugee camp they were hoping to find, so they just followed Harley and Leo away from the danger behind them. He thought about detaching Ryan and himself from the strangers, but given the fact that they offered to help them find concealment made Liam want to at least follow them that far.


When Harley launched the rock into the air, crouched and made her way to the closest building and finally made it upstairs to poke her head out the window, Ryan's ears twitched slightly at the sound of glass shattering behind them. The horde had broken the barrier concealing the staleness of the store to be met with empty shelves and no people. Ryan swore she could tell the difference between a normal grunt a zombie made and one if made of anger and frustration whether or not there actually was; now she thought she was hearing frustration at the horde finding an empty storefront. Not only did Ryan look over her shoulder to the small store they had fled from, but Liam mentally made another tally; a silencer. Where did these people come from? He found himself wondering again as he narrowed his eyes on the obviously nervous Leo.


Instead of going one after the other, Liam gave Ryan a slight shove when the path was clear, indicating he would go after her. Before taking off at a run, she looked both ways like she would have done to cross the street and took Liam by the hand. "Together," She said to him softly. All he could do was nod, tighten the straps to his backpack and look straight ahead. "Together then," He responded and with that Ryan took the lead and ran for the home as fast as she could. Liam had no trouble keeping up, making sure he slowed his pace enough to match hers to ensure they arrived at the safe-place at the same time. While they ran the short distance from Leo to Harley, it seemed that the shattering of the store front glass lured the majority of the walkers from whatever direction they were headed to that store. It was a small saving grace from a potentially really fucked up situation.


Once inside it didn't take long for them to find Harley upstairs waiting for them. They had a small hitch in their breath, but they otherwise made it totally unnoticed. When Leo made his way to rejoin them, Ryan stuck close to Liam, but she seemed to be more alert than afraid now and he spoke to the pair with a jerk of his head to some of their gear. "Where did you come from? You seem prepared to return back somewhere."

 

[Galaxi]

Harley watched them all cross over while the walkers where drawn in by the sound of the shattered glass. This surely made things easier. Once all three of them joined her upstairs she walked over to Leo while putting away her gun. Instead she now took out her hunting knife and sat on the old dusty bed, taking a quick breather. Leo put his hand on her head, running his fingers through her hair. "It's fine..." he whispered to her, giving her that look that she absolutely hated, Harley contemplated for a second her gaze moving from Leo to the boy before she finally sighed and put her weapon away. "Fine... but..." she began, looking at the pair of them with cold eyes. "One suspicious move and I'll happily beat your face in with my bare hands." Harley hissed, clearly not happy with the situation.

Leo chuckled at her remark and walked towards the two of them. "Don't mind her... she has trouble with new people." He said, his tone still calm and warm. "South from here there is sizeable town, the school is just outside of the city. Along with some others we managed to secure it a couple of months ago." he explained. Walking up to the window he peered out, watching the walkers swarming in the shop. "What about the two of you?" Leo asked, flashing them a smile. Harley just sat there, watching them carefully with a pout.

 

[AmethystWallflower]

Liam shifted his feet at Harley's comment but remained silent. He could tell her who he was before the world died, tell her of his skills and give her a reason to want to beat his face in, but he held his tongue instead of challenging her. Instead he matched her cold stare with one of his own. He truly did understand her need for such threats, but at the same time he didn't feel it really necessary; Ryan was near harmless and he himself hadn't done anything just yet to provoke her. This told Liam to watch the red-head closely; she seemed to be quite the spit-fire and constantly on edge. Again, not that he could blame her. The hard look dropped from his face when Leo picked up the conversation.


Despite their past experiences, even their most recent, both of their eyes widened with involuntary hope. Ryan nearly dropped her blade on the ground but recovered quickly. This was different than before. Still, the information made Liam stiffen. This time there was a large group of people that were stationary and apparently they felt safe enough to send out regular scouts for supplies. It was south from what Leo had said and that meant it was in the opposite direction of the evil they had run from weeks prior. The news made Ryan's heart flutter and she couldn't stop the hope that this would be different than before from bubbling in her chest.


Liam took the information about the camp as another sign of good will on their part and allowed himself to relax, while Ryan took the opportunity to finally speak. "I'm from a few cities over," she pointed to the west, "Liam said he's from Montana." She looked up at him with big, round eyes before continuing and making Liam cringe. "Do you think we can go back with you? The other people out here…" She let her sentence trail off and looked down at the floor.


"The other people out here, the roaming groups or survivors, aren't the best type of people. We ran into a group just a few weeks ago and we barely made it out of there with our packs and lives." Liam finished for her, putting away his blade and sliding down to the ground with the wall against his back. "There was about six of them. They took everything we had, and that wasn't much at all." He ran a tired hand through his greasy hair. "They tried to kill us for a can of spaghetti-o's, a bag of stale Cheetos, half a gallon of water and the blankets we had managed to find."

 

[Galaxi]

Leo couldn't help but smile at the girl as she made that cute face. He looked back to Harley to see if she would say anything but she simply huffed, she was not one to fall for anyone's charm, not even a kid's. He listened to the other guy talk, nodding with understanding. "I have been in a situation like that before." The redhead seemed to stiffen when Liam mentioned the group, her piercing gaze aimed at the floor. "You're lucky killing was all they wanted to do...." she muttered, her fingertips moving to her side, tracing the scar hidden under her shirt. Leo quickly tried to change the subject, it seemed to be touchy for both parties involved.

"You can come back with us if you want. We have a car just outside the town." he said, turning to Harley and offering her his hand to help her up. "We should keep moving though, we can chat more on the way back." he continued as the woman took his hand, getting up to her feet and immediately heading downstairs. Leo began to follow but stopped at the doorway briefly, glancing back at the two. "Oh I'm Leo by the way, she's Harley." he added before heading down.

Harley waited till Leo came down before dragging him out the back door by his arm. She leaned into him so no one and nothing else near by could hear them. "What the fuck are you thinking? Two more mouths to feed? We're meant to come back with supplies, not more people." she hissed at him. The man sighed a little, waiting till she finished her rant and calmed down. It was always like this with her, Harley had the shortest temper and unmatched stamina. This meant she could excel in combat and endure a lot more than he could, but she was absolutely terrible when it came to communicating. He thankfully already knew how to deal with her, he just hoped she wouldn't scare the two too much.

 

[AmethystWallflower]

In just the short amount of time they were in presence of these strangers Ryan could already see a bit of Liam in this older man. It caused her to take his words of a town as genuine and she crouched down to where he sat; her brown, almost deer-like eyes silently pleaded with him to allow them to go with the pair further. She didn't know if it was his constant want to help them out, disregarding what his friend thought, or if it was how he seemed obviously off-put by killing anything by the way he held the screwdriver in his hand before; it could have been the fact that at any point in the last hour that they had been with the pair, Liam and herself could have been left behind if they really had a vehicle waiting for them not far. She couldn't argue with herself that after months of constant foot travel the idea of riding in a vehicle and staying in a town, even for a short time, seemed like an actual oasis.

When Leo and Harley were out of the room and downstairs the young girl whispered close, "I think we should go. They helped us already, why would they hurt us now?" She gazed at Liam with one hand on his shoulder and the other taking his hand. He groaned and gripped her hand gently, "Are you sure?" He cast a quick glance at the empty doorway that led downstairs, when he looked back to her he couldn't mistake the look of conviction on her face. "Are you sure you're eleven and not inching closer to twenty?" He joked lightly before pushing himself up off the ground and uselessly dusting himself off.

Liam took out his butterfly knife again, never a moment's rest, and took the young girl's hand. Silently they walked down the steps together, stopping just in front of the doorway, Liam behind the girl with his free hand on her shoulder and the blade down at his side. The look of softness he reserved for only Ryan these days had disappeared on the trip down the stairs and he looked at the older pair with a hard but ready stare. When he spoke it was more to Harley than to Leo, "She's young but I can do enough for the both of us." He fully understood that you had to pull your own weight when introduced to civilized groups; hell even fucked up post-apocalyptic gangs required you to pull your own to be allowed to stay. "She's learning," he added and as if to prove his point she held up the twin butterfly knife Liam had given her the day he found her in that bathroom, displaying she was holding it properly.

 

[Galaxi]

Harley looked over to them when she heard the footsteps approaching. She was still grabbing onto Leo's arm but when he saw the two he shrugged her off and began to look into the back yard of the next house over to ensure it was safe for them to cross. Harley spun her knife around a few times before looking at the girl, her eyebrow raising. Sure, she was holding it correctly, her stance was off though, anything could knock her over with a light shove, however this was non of her concern so she just shrugged to this, walking up to the wooden fence that Leo was looking over.

"She better learn fast because there won't always be someone there to say her ass." she said, looking at Leo. Once he gave her the nod and held out his hands allowing her to put her foot on his palms, he raised her up and within seconds she shifted her body over the wooden fence, landing in a crouch on the other side. Leo looked over at the two of them and gestured them over. "We should get going, there's still a long drive back. And I'm not a fan of driving in the dark." he offered to help Ryan over the fence, figuring Liam would be fine to get over it himself, he was taller than the two girls after all.

Harley was already making her way into the next garden, taking care of a weak looking walker there. After that their way to the car went rather uneventful since Harley was just retracting their steps to be safe. Once at the car Harley looked back to Leo and the two strangers. "If you're coming back with us... it's not all gonna be easy flowing. You're gonna have to work for your place." she said, waiting for Leo to open the locks so she could get inside. Leo rolled his eyes a little and walked to the drivers seat. "She makes it sound worse than it is... Everyone puts in a little something, it works because we make it work, you know?" he smiled at the two of them, waving his hand towards the back of the car. "There should be some water and left over food in the back, feel free to help yourself to it."

 

[AmethystWallflower]

ooc; I noticed people are putting their verbiage in colored quotes. You know that's what I'm going to be doing from now on! lmao I'm going to try my best to keep Liam one color and Ryan another :] But Liam's will more than likely always be a darker color compared to Ryan's.


Ryan answered Harley's comment about learning fast with a determined nod, while Liam just grunted. They met the two at the fence with the agreed sense of urgency. If Leo didn't want to drive in the dark then they had better get moving a bit faster than they were. As it so happened, they had entered the small convenience store for shelter of the coming night; the horde seemed to put a damper of both Liam's plans for shelter and Harley's plans for supplies. Both seemed more than a little agitated by how the last hour had played out. "If you don't want to drive in the dark I say we have about," Liam cast a look at the coming sunset with a hand shielding his vision of the assaulting rays, "three to four hours."

Ryan scampered the few steps between her and Leo, placed her foot in his palm and had her breath taken away as she was tossed over the fence. She landed less than gracefully on the dead grass on the other side and let out an audible grunt upon impact. She knew Leo had to of been a strong man, Liam as well, but the effortlessness as to which she was tossed over caused her to finger the rib bones that were starting to protrude beneath her skin while waiting for the men to launch themselves over. Once safely over, they all moved as a single unit and ate up the distance from that backyard to the vehicle they had waiting rather quickly. They had either gotten lucky during this last stretch or it had already been cleared out. Liam was somehow sure it was the latter.

The inside of the car was the most comfortable thing she had been in since before Liam found her. Ryan slid all the way to one end, buckled her seatbelt out of muscle memory, then felt somewhat stupid at the action when Liam slid into the seat next to her but didn't buckle himself in. Was a car accident really more likely given the world's situation? She wanted to unclip the belt that she strapped against herself, but stopped at the fear of looking even more ridiculous. Instead, she relaxed in the cracked leather seat and let her eyes drift to look out the window. If it weren't for Leo mentioning the food and water in the back, Ryan's eyes would have drifted closed in moments; but hunger took precedence over sleep at the moment and she undid the seatbelt and launched herself to the back of the vehicle. Within moments the crunching sounds of wrappers could be heard as she tore into the packaging and a partially filled bottle of water was tossed into Liam's lap. Unscrewing the cap to the bottle of water, Liam lifted it to his lips, took a long desired drink and tossed it back to Ryan. "Thank you," he paused to look each Leo and Harley in the eyes through the rear-view mirror before continuing, "for everything." Finally, with the sound of the engine running and Ryan eating old candy bars behind him, Liam was able to relax.

 

[Galaxi]

Harley didn't pay attention to the two of them, she put her feet up on the dashboard and ran her hand through her red locks of hair. Her hair was always messy and tangled, it definitely needed a cut again though she was putting that off as much as she could. She pulled her leather jacket off and stuck her hand down the front of her top, sliding it into her bra. She pulled out an ammunition clip from between her cleavage and shoved it into the bag that Leo threw into her lap when he got into the car. The man watched her and chuckled a little, his head shaking, before turning the engine on. It spluttered to life reluctantly and Leo wasted no time in pulling out onto the road and driving in the direction they originally came from.

He glanced over his shoulder at the two and smiled. "Just doing the right thing.. too many things out here already doing the opposite." he said, taking a turn on the road. Out of habit he had turned the blinker on and even looked both ways before turning. Some things were just more difficult to unlearn he figured. There was nothing wrong with being cautious of course. "Have you two been travelling together for long?" he asked, trying to make conversation since he knew Harley wouldn't say a word the whole trip unless it was to pester someone.


(ooc - I shall do so as well :P makes it easier to read)

 

[AmethystWallflower]

Ooc; I feel like this is crazy short, I'm sorry D: I mulled over this post for like an hour. We should maybe hit the town soon? lol

Ryan's head popped up from the rear of the vehicle at the opportunity to talk about how Liam had come to her rescue. She wiped the chocolate grin from her face with the back of her hand and rolled over the back of the seat to rejoin her recently adopted older brother, earning a sideways glance from him as she landed with a plop and a bounce. "I think it's been four months, but I lost count on how long exactly." She looked down at her hands as if attempting to count the time on her fingers but quickly gave up. Her tiny voice picked up in pitch, "I was stuck in my upstairs bathroom for days! Then Liam came and saved me and gave me a weapon." The small child beamed with pride and gently smacked her fingers against the blade hidden at her waist, but her expression grew suddenly grim. To get to her, Liam had to clear out the home she was hiding in; a home that had been filled with Ryan's true family. He never asked her how she had managed to survive a house filled with walkers that must have turned all around her and it was a wonder she slept at night at all.

Sensing the depression washing over the girl like a dirty bath, Liam took over the conversation hoping to pick up her sprits again, "What about you two?" He jerked his chin towards the back of Harley's fiery head, "I'm sure she didn't just skip into your life like an elated pixie, so you must have been together quite some time." He gently poked at her hard exterior personality.

 

[Galaxi]

ooc - the text colour of your post is set to black so I was very confused there for a second :'D and no worries, I don't mind shorter posts during character interaction. Only so much you can do when answering questions xD


[BCOLOR=#000000]Harley scoffed a little. "Who you calling a pixie twerp?" the girl hissed, looking at him through the reflection in the rear view mirror. Leo laughed at their exchange a bit before answering. "Well, we were actually together before everything...went to shit. Long story short, I was trying to prank my younger sister, also Harley's friend, she thought I was some creep and beat the shit out of me." he explained, taking a turn off the main road. Their journey went rather uneventful. Harley ended up dozing off and Leo just focused on getting them there safe and sound. Finally up ahead a large building came into view, lit up by the warm orange light of the sunset.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=#000000]"Now, just a little warning. Some of these guys can be a bit forward, we've not had any new faces around here for a while so don't hold it against them." he said, nudging Harley awake as he drove up to the school gates. There was a makeshift watch tower by the gates, a silhouette of a human appeared to be in it, it waved towards them before disappearing quite quickly. Within seconds of that the gate began to open and Leo drove in, rolling down the window of the car and sticking his head out. "Alright Sarah? Anything happen while we were away?" he asked the woman who was walking up to the car, her hips swinging nearly as much as her long blonde hair. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=#000000]She smiled at Leo, leaning down and placing a kiss on his cheek. "Everything has been quiet, we were getting worried though, you guys took longer than usual." she said, the smile from her face disappearing as she saw two new faces in the back of the car. "Well that sure is unexpected. I won't keep ya." she said with a soft smile, walking back up to the little wooden tower by the gate. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=#000000]Leo smiled and drove up towards the school building. "We've managed to secure all the grounds, it's pretty good. There's a garden and everything." he continued as he pulled up next to a couple of other cars, turning off the engine. Harley was still half asleep in the car, rubbing her eyes as she came to. She was the first to get out the car and move round to the boot, gathering all the resourced they managed to find during their week away. The red head grabbed one of the heavier bags, filled with cans and little bits of ammunition. She waved to Leo and headed inside. "I'm gonna go look for Josh." she said before leaving. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=#000000]The man got out the car and encouraged the two to join him. He looked at the building and managed to stop a few familiar faced in the windows of the second floor, after giving a little wave he turned to the two of them. "Right, grab what you can and help me bring it to the cafeteria. That's where we store all the goods." Leo explained, grabbing the rifle gun Harley had along with his backpack.[/BCOLOR]