Ikari Amethyst Just Survive Somehow

[AmethystWallflower]

ooc; @Ikari Yoooo :] Thank you for doing another zombie rp with me <3

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."

 

[Dekonic]

He had been alone. Not in the sense of being lonely, but alone in a world of shambling, hollow forms. The only company coming in the form of wind whistling an eerie tune throughout deadened streets, caressing an occlusion that sent the man into a momentary daze. A silent yawn brushing against the palm of his scabbed hand, eyes staring straight ahead at the pack of undead that stood lifelessly against the howling wind. Seconds drug into minutes, which drug into an hour of motionless patience, slithering every few moments across the pavement. He had been set on the town in the distance, life's necessities running dangerously low. His stomach constantly reminding him that life hadn't been as glamorous as it had been in the distant past. Though, a man of his capabilities could deal with the nagging sensation of malnutrition, military blood streaming through his veins with confidence bolstering his weary bones. Most would say twenty-five had been their prime years, the human form developing perfectly before climbing across the mountaintop and descending the hill that had been aging.

Thoughts pushed away at the sound of a distant, human scream. The man's ears perked and twitched snapping his head in the direction of the noise, judging the distance to which it had been coming from. A second scream sent the man into a craze, the hordes surrounding him coming to life at the sound of fresh food bellowing in the distance. "Fuck." His words came as he rolled from his prone position and quickly bolted towards the sound. A final scream claimed clashed against the hallowed wind, perhaps a block away from where Miles had resided. Shambling forms drug on behind him, moaning with clear intent on devouring the meaty man until nothing had been left of him. His eyes trained across the field, analyzing paths and numbers as he had down in the previous world. A colt pistol rested comfortably at his side, a sharpened knife sheathed across his tailbone and a recurve bow strung over his shoulders. He listened intently, drowsing out the ambient sounds of danger surrounding him, shambling closer and closer until finally the nearby plea for assistance drove his instincts forward.

Pushing past a pack of shamble until the of frazzled redhead claimed his vision, coloring across paling skin defining features of another being who had been differing from the undead. He wasted no more than a moment's time drawing the pistol and putting a bullet in the back of the walker's skull. "Can you walk." His head snapped backwards, looking towards the horde that gathered following the gunshot, turning back towards the redhead with a glare coming about his eyes. "Jesus lady, here." Miles scooped the shell-shocked frame into his arms, tossing her unpleasantly over his shoulder as he barreled through the streets. "Sorry…" her voice barely a squeak as, by some God-given miracle they escaped the horde and hid in a nearby clothing store. Miles practically tossed her to her feet, her ankle giving away as she tumbled back into the wall. Fear grew in her eyes, gazing upon the larger man who stood over her with gloomy ridden orbs staring through her form. "Are you going to kill me…" The comment drew a stern laugh from Miles who knelt down and inspected the bruising around her ankle.

"No." She eyed him curiously, color crossing her cheeks as the pads of his calloused fingers grazed across the marred flesh. "Cassidy." She said simply, Miles turning his head slightly. "Pretty name." He paused, backing away from the redhead and sitting a distance away from her shivering form. "Miles." He hadn't even been a man of words, though conversation in this hell-ridden world had been an oddity to come by. "Thank you." The squeak fell upon deaf ears as Miles turned towards the entrance and listened to the song of wind, orchestrating ambient sounds of angry dead shuffling in the distance. That was six months ago, Miles and Cassidy had continued surviving, moving from town to town searching for the right place to settle down and rebuild. If there had even been such a place. Cassidy had learned what she could from Miles, in-between surviving and slaying whatever had come their way be it alive or dead.

"How close are we." Miles turned, his index finger held firmly against pressed lips, lowering his frame into the tall grass in the surrounding forest looking onwards towards the distant town. "Sorry." She muttered, lowering herself alongside Miles, trying to decipher what it had been he had seen. She never had the keen eyes he did, her senses had been far too untrained compared to him. It had been as if he heard everything, saw everything. She couldn't even begin counting the number of times she had stumbled into something or thrown them into dire straits with her clumsiness. She'd wonder from time-to-time just why Miles had kept her around. They had never slept together, nor did he ever look at her lusting more than just company. He never spoke much, never had a sense of humor. Though in these trying times, humor was a thing of the past. "Move." She complied, slithering along the ground making sure to keep her frame pressed tightly against the ground.

Something startled Cassidy, the sensation of fingers circling her ankles as the sudden feeling of fear gripped her heart. "Lookie at what we have here boys!" Miles immediately shot up, drawing his pistol and aiming it at the source. "Easy fella." The man who had gripped Cassidy was ragged, bearded and from the hilled portions of the south. His grin exposed missing teeth, yellow and stained from years of abuse. "Wouldn't want anything to happen to yer friend here." Miles slid the safety off, his hand steady as a rock with amber eyes gazing dead in the blue eyes of Cassidy. "You've got exactly ten seconds to get your hands off of her before I put a bullet in your eye." His tone was cold, laced with intimidation. Four more pairs of eyes joined in, all men of ragged nature and equally lusted eyes. Cassidy shivered against the sensation of lips digging into her neck, her skin crawling. "Do you like them odds, boy? Five against one?" Miles didn't even wince, even as a circle closed around him. He had six bullets left in the magazine, one more clip in his pocket and everything necessary to guide him in the scenario. "Time's up."

In the flash of an eye, Miles swung his pistol pulling the trigger four times, four bodies quickly falling to the floor entirely lifeless. Cassidy flinched, regained her composure and quickly bit down upon the man's hand. Warmth caressed her neck as a blade quickly slashed across the nape as another sound cracked across the air. Miles holstered the weapon, diving for Cassidy as she yelped in pain. The wound hadn't been deep, but the pain had been enough to send Cassidy into a frenzied panic. "Relax." Miles tried to calm the redhead, his hands coming to the nape of her neck with a stern pressure. "We need to keep moving. She simply nodded, tears welling in her eyes as Miles guided her to her feet. "I'm sorry…" The man simply shook his head, protesting words caught at the tip of his tongue as they maneuvered through the forest against the impending shambling horde. Cassidy had always been amazed at how Miles navigated through the dead, somehow avoiding the masses. Even with the disastrous slip up they had found themselves out of immediate danger. For the time being. Once they had been out of sight, Miles tended to the wound, using what little medical supplies had remained in his satchel to try and clean the cut. She winced at the pain, blushing through strands of red hair as his rough hands gingerly gauzed the nape of her neck. Silence. Nothing more and nothing less.

They had soon found themselves in the center of the town, a local store catching Miles' eyes. "Take this, and head for that store." Miles reloaded the colt pistol, handing it over to Cassidy who complied without question and slowly crept forward behind cars. Cassidy looked backed at Miles every few steps just to ensure he had been following. Miles took point once they had been in front of the store, approaching and testing the door not knowing anyone had been within the confines of the walls before him.

 

[AmethystWallflower]

The spot the two had picked out was near the back of the store; away from view but able to see both the front entrance and the door that led to the store room. Their old blankets spread out beneath them, but hidden behind the counter where the shop keeper used to spend endless days watching the stream of strangers come and go. Ryan could almost feel the footprints sunken into the ground for years of standing in the same position. She did her best to ignore the ghost of the old man she imagined must have worked here. Leaning against the outer frame that created the small cube-like storage spaces underneath the counter, her eyes became unfocused as she stared at the imaginary ghost; he was about her grandfather's age, seventy-five, with a round belly and an almost Santa Claus like grin on his face. Ryan could almost reach out and touch the opaque image that had formed in her head; instead she closed her eyes away from it and let it dissipate. She missed her grandparents so much she was starting to imagine them. 'I'm not crazy yet,' the young girl thought to herself.

Noticing Ryan's mental check-out, Liam nudged her thigh with his foot. "Hey kiddo, you alright?" He waited a moment before reaching in his bag, pulled out a partially filled bottle of water and rolled it over to her. When it bumped against the hand she had flat against the ground, she opened her eyes and looked down at it. She lifted it to her lips and rolled it back. "Yeah," she paused a moment and wiggled her butt around in the blanket, making a face causing her nose to wrinkle, "I think I'm sitting in footprints." The comment nearly made him laugh. Footprints? She made it sound like she had sat in mud. Finally, after a few more butt wiggles, the eleven year old moved completely a few inches to the right, closer to Liam where he sat with his back against the wall. He watched her with a look that told her he was close to teasing her, "Better?" Ryan grinned to herself, her butt felt no traces of the old ghost and it allowed her imagination to relax, "Much."

He chuckled under his breath and gently shook his head; the child definitely had her odd little quirks. Liam closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall for a momentary visual release. He couldn't go to sleep yet, no matter how much it pulled at his eyelids, begging them to stay shut. He always waited until well after Ryan had fallen to her dreams before ever allowing himself to drift off to his own nightmares. He was thankful that she had grown to the unspoken routine these last four months and every night wasted no time in settling herself down and doing her best to sleep. It always took him a varied amount of time after her breathing became heavy with sleep for him to tear his eyes away from either her soft and dirty face or the surrounding area. Some nights when he felt they were too exposed he didn't sleep at all; too fearful of some danger either sneaking or shambling up on them while they both slept.

It didn't take long before soft snores drifted from the child. Liam reached passed her and folded the unused blankets over her tiny form, smiling when she reflexively reached up and pulled the blanket up to her chin. Liam cringed to himself when his stomach made a loud, audible gurgling noise, demanding the meal he wasn't going to be getting. He swore it would have woken the girl had she not already been used to her own stomach making the same noises, and as if communicating, her stomach returned his gurgle with a tiny, bubbling churn of its own. He sighed to himself and rose to his feet silently. There had to be something in this place they could eat. With one last look at Ryan, he stepped over her and back out into the small store.

The shelves on every isle were nearly empty but for a few items here and there. Most of them not worth the second glance due to the overwhelming amount of mold that coated the surface or for the mere reason he wouldn't have a use for it. As he passed a small stack of personal shopping baskets, he scooped on up by its handles with his right hand. Liam doubted he would be putting anything inside of it, but it felt like a nostalgic thing to do at the time and proceeded to feel like a dumbass as we walked. The fingers of his left hand itched to grasp the butterfly knife he had stowed away, but he denied them their need to hold the weapon. Rounding the corner of an isle to enter into another, he stopped when his eyes scanned over a pair of cans that had been tipped over and rolled to the back of the shelf. A grin spread over his lips, cheeks lifting to create dirty creases on his face; he damn near ran to them.

When the cans were tossed in the small hand-basket a noise simultaneously echoed, but not from the spaghetti-o's hitting the old plastic. Liam's head snapped forward and he immediately began retracing his steps to where the sleeping child lay. Ditching the useless basket quietly on the ground, he reached for the blade, his fingers nearly sighing at the touch of the cold. "Ryan," he tossed the cans on top of his bag and gently shook the girl awake. He didn't want to startle her, but he was positive that was the door handle, and walkers didn't try to open doors, they just attempted to barrel right through them. Rubbing the few minutes of sleep from her eyes, Ryan propped herself up on one elbow, "Be alert. We might have company." She jumped to action and while still crouching behind the safety of the counter she quickly began to fold the old blankets up and stash them away in her old pink school backpack.

 

[Dekonic]

The door had been sealed, rudimentarily barring unwanted guests shambling forward without basic concept of thought. "Here." Cassidy slipped between his arms, sliding her petite frame between the opened crack before loosening the coiled material binding the door from being entirely opened. Once both of them had been within the store, Miles closed the entrance, not barricading it quite yet, on the off chance of a hasty escape being necessary. Cassidy turned towards Miles, handing him the pistol and quickly slinking behind his muscular frame. A sharp sound pierced the air, Miles whistling against the deadened noise to draw out any unintelligent creatures from the corners of the room. His shoulders released their tension after a long moment of silence, holstering the pistol and tying a length of rope across the door to ensure nobody else would be joining them. "Take this, check the counters, let's try not to stay here too long." Cassidy accepted the blade, long and black with serrated edges near the hilt. It had been a military grade blade once upon a time, now it's primary use was to dispatch of the dead silently.

She held the blade ahead of her slender frame, shaking, visibly, with anticipation as she sheepishly approached the counter. Miles had disappeared into the darkness, her gaze constantly averting over her shoulders as paranoia settled in against the deafening sound of static. As blue orbs gazed over the counter she screamed at the sight of bodies, stumbling backwards until her rear collided with the cold floor. Miles quickly reappeared from the ends of the store, eyes meeting another male who shielded a much younger female. He could see the strife in the man's eyes, they shared similar experiences. That had been the only reason Miles didn't put a bullet clean between his eyes. That, and the tiny girl cowering to his side. Cassidy quickly erected herself, approaching them with caution, reaching into her pocket and tossing a granola bar towards the other girl. "We don't mean any harm. Take it. Please." Her tone was sweet, lull, pleasing to listen to against the howling wind. Miles holstered his pistol, trust Cassidy's judgement on the situation and backed away just a bit, nodding towards the other male.

"It's so good to see other living, breathing people. I'm Cassidy." She smiled, unintentionally warming herself up to the opposing pair hiding behind the counter. Blue eyes glanced over towards amber orbs, a shrug coming from Miles as she spoke again. "That's Miles. Not much of a talker, but he really does know his survival stuff." She hadn't known just why her conversation came so easy, Miles had always told her to trust nothing and trust nobody. Not even him. She backed away feeling the burning eyes in the back of her head as Miles simply kept quiet. He sized the other male up, confident if he had made any sort of move he'd kill the both of them. "Let's go." Cassidy turned towards Miles with an inquisitive look, quickly quipping words of her own. "Why?" The comment drew a smile from Miles, the backbone developing in the redhead finally began to rear itself. "You trust them?" Cassidy quickly shrugged. "It's a little girl Miles, what trouble can they cause?" His brow raised slightly, casting a glance towards the little girl. "Anyone can plunge a knife into your neck while you sleep."

Cassidy quickly slapped his arm, grimacing at the comment. "Jesus always so grim with you." The man simply shrugged, retorting his factual opinion. "Grim is what keeps me alive. If I ran around trust every mouth breather left in the world I would've ended up a mindless shambling dead months ago." Cassidy sneered with a sound of angst, turning herself to the other pair, shrugging her shoulders and ignoring the grim man to her right. "Ignore Mr. Reaper, he really isn't too bad when you get to know him." Miles shrugged against the silence, his arms folded tightly across his chest. Cassidy broke the awkward claims of silence again, turning towards the other humans with a warm smile painted across her lips once more. "How long have you two been together?"

 

[AmethystWallflower]

Liam was just about to usher the girl out through the back door leading to the storage room just behind them when a whistle cut through the dust in the air. Together, the pair froze and looked at each other, fear catching in their throats. It had taken just seconds too long to pack away their things and now the strangers were inside. His eyes kept darting from the darkened doorway to the space above the counter, expecting to see a face at any moment. It didn't take long before that exact thing happened, accompanied by a high pitched scream that could have contended with Ryan's. The eruption of face and sound made Liam crouch over Ryan like an injured animal protecting their young, his butterfly knife held expertly in one hand. He could feel Ryan shrink behind him, trying to make herself as close to invisible as she possibly could, when the man presented himself next to the red-head. Liam met his cold gaze with a steely look of his own, but said nothing.

He hated this bullshit of first impressions. It was agonizing trying to decipher who was truly there to help and who was there to take in the seconds life gave you. Obviously, some encounters were easier to sort through than others, but the first initial reaction every time was to look as fierce as possible; especially when you were the one caught on the ground behind a cash register counter. You might as well be caught with your pants down and your dick in your hand.

Ryan couldn't help but relax at the woman's singsong voice. If the granola bar had even looked like someone attempted to open it, Liam wouldn't have let the child take it; but it looked harmless enough, even if the logo was a bit worn, so he reached out, snatched it from the ground and handed it to the girl, nodding his silent thanks. He wanted so badly to stand up and just hug the woman, even the intimidating brute she was with, but ignored the urge and nearly sighed in relief when the man pressed departure. Instead, all the urgency earned him was a small argument from his travelling partner and even more building tension. He apparently agreed with her internally somewhere because he holstered his weapon and folded his arms.

Miles reminded Ryan of a Corporal from one of the army movies her grandfather used to watch, all he was missing was the burning cigar sticking out of the side of his mouth; an old cartoon character came to mind for Cassidy to match the musical tone she spoke in when addressing the crouched pair. When Miles spoke Liam couldn't help but feel a twinge of agreeance. He was right, you needed to be grim and untrusting in this world, and there had been more than enough instances where that had been proven to be true. Liam relaxed his posture over Ryan, allowing her to peak her head out from behind his shoulder while she chewed on the stale granola, and lowered his blade. The woman was really trying to convince her friend that they were harmless, going as far as jumping right into conversation about them.

The tiny voice made Liam flinch slightly when she spoke around bits of granola, obviously feeling they were in a better position than Liam did, "Four months." Her response was short, but it was enough to show her innocence. Her big, deer-like brown eyes went from Cassidy to Miles, lingering on the warrior of a man before returning to the woman. "Is it just you two?" Liam took control over the conversation and stared at the woman. He wasn't about to take any chances on anyone else deciding to poke their heads out and stood to his full height, Ryan mimicking his action, both slipping the straps of their backpacks over their shoulders. He couldn't stop himself from scanning the empty store behind Miles, taking notice that they had secured the doors behind themselves like he should have done. Liam cursed himself for forgetting something like that. If this went sour their only options were to tuck tail, run and hope there was an exit through the storage room behind them, or fight their way through the Viking that had planted himself between the pair and the door. If it turned out to be the latter, Liam was sure Miles would either overpower him or shoot him dead before he could do much of anything. Despite his skill in jiu-jitsu, he doubted he would be faster than a pistol when wielding by a man looking the way Miles did.

 

[Dekonic]

"Six months." Miles had been the one to answer, easing the tension in his shoulders and trusting the nagging gut feeling that told him to trust the people before his eyes. "Yeah, just us. I try to limit the people I travel with. Makes the losing them part a bit easier." He had a gruff tone, a hint of Italian lacing certain syllables. Cassidy turned towards Miles to give him an approving smile. "We were attacked by a group earlier though, just outside the city about a mile away." Cassidy shivered in her skin, writhing as the sudden sensation of fear gripped her heart. Miles stepped forward placing his hand on her shoulder. There had been a sinking sensation of dread that overcame even Miles' stalwart figure, his lips coursing downwards into a tight frown. He'd grown to care for Cassidy over their half-year together. Not in a romantic sense, but he looked to her as a younger sibling. Cassidy certainly reciprocated those feelings, looking to Miles for support whenever she could.

Amber eyes scanned once more over the duo, falling to Liam first. The man reminded him of a younger version of himself, still clinging to a certain innocence. And yet, the wild glimmer that differs a man from a boy shimmered brightly in his eyes. Miles respected Liam, nodding in his direction as approval. Being able to live in this world, and protect such a youngling was certainly worth being respected for. Cassidy broke the silence, turning to Miles with a frown, as if to assume his answer before even speaking. "I know you don't like groups but we should at least stay in the safety of other people. What's the worst that could happen." Cassidy regretted that statement the instant it left her cracked lips. Miles opened his mouth to speak, catching the doe-like eyes of Ryan. "You can't assume they want to be in our company either, you know."

Cassidy shrugged, turning towards Liam with a cheeky grin. There had been something about his stature and appearance that caused her instincts to flare. Attraction at an animalistic level. She trusted him so unconditionally, it frightened Miles. He could see the shimmer in her eyes as she took Liam in as he was. Cassidy sighed, batting the thoughts the grew between her thighs and paced away from the group. The sound of distant alloy clanking against solid concrete sent Miles into a defensive mode, his pistol drawn in a split second as his heels burned into a quick semi-circle whirl that positioned him in the direction of the sound. With a crouched posture the man moved forward, pistol veering straight ahead as he cruised through the aisles listening for anything that might give away the sound of lifeless dead. Miles holstered his pistol at the sight of a mouse skittering across the shelves, muttering a curse to himself before turning back towards the front of the store.

Just as Miles reached the front, glass shattered, the sound of living dead crashing through the picture windows near the back of the store. Miles reacted immediately, pushing Cassidy behind him and barking orders. "Cassidy, go with them, find a way out of here." Miles snatched the knife from Cassidy and immediately jumped into the fray. Cold steel plunged deep into the first walker, retracing the blade and giving the lifeless body a strong heel-kick. His movements were graceful, nearly effortless as he twisted the knife deep into the second opponent. In just a few seconds four walkers had fallen, or been kicked to the side. The horde shambled forward, however, as if to be a hydra. Kill one, and two more appear. Miles muttered to himself as he retreated from the scene, making way for the back of the store where hopefully there had been some sort of an exit.

 

[AmethystWallflower]

Liam watched the silent communication that travelled back and forth between the two. They took strength from each other, not too unlike Ryan and himself. Although for now, the scales were tipped slightly in favor of Ryan, due to her age and size it allowed for Liam to do most of the heavy lifting. It created a type of working routine for the young pair. He tended to kill what he could and she stayed close behind, out of the way of danger, to scavenge through the pockets of the fallen walkers. More than once the dance with the dead scored the pair a working vehicle, even if it only lasted a few days or weeks with the limited amount of fuel that it harbored, or a weapon. Four months together in a wasteland like this could build a bond stronger than steel nowadays, even if all it took was a tiny mistake to lose one or the other; six months was close to a lifetime.

The offer to join forces cemented the Blossom Powerpuff girl image Ryan had painted over Cassidy; wanting to help and save. In a silent pass, she slipped the remainder of the granola bar into Liam's pocket where she knew he would find it and thank her later. Miles voiced the concerns she was sure Liam was having himself; what IF Liam thought they were better off on their own? They hadn't exactly had the best luck out there recently, so the chances of parting from Blossom and the Coronel were pretty great. Before he was even able to respond to the offer and rebuttal, Blossom spun on her heels and strode away. 'Was she blushing?' Ryan's head cocked to the side a fraction as she watched the woman retreat.

It didn't take long for the decision to be made for him. Glass spilled onto the floor under the feet of the dead like a sparkling waterfall. The beauty of the falling glass was masked by the horrid sounds of grunting, teeth snapping at nothing and bodies pushing and pulling against each other to get to the living they had caught whiff of. Liam's eyes scanned the growing danger, watched as Miles launched himself into the wave of rotted flesh, then quickly deducted this was not worth fighting. He back stepped a foot or so, his empty hand reaching out for the already waiting tiny palm of Ryan's, and then together they took off for the exit he had hoped was back there. "Through here! If anything it will buy us a few minutes!" His head jerked in the direction of the wooden door that had been open, granting them entrance to the store room like it was an illusion to an oasis. He pushed Ryan through first, then Cassidy and waited just inside the door for Miles to bulldoze through before slamming the door shut. "Thank Christ..." He muttered to himself; sweat quickly beading on his forehead as he jammed the padlock together. They were lucky the door was still functional, even luckier it still had its padlock.

Spinning around and pressing his back to the door Liam's eyes searched the darkened storeroom. "We have maybe two minutes before this door gives and we're trapped. Regardless, it looks like we are together now." He did his best to hide the fear and panic from his voice; four months of practice made it fairly easy to convince the child of the false sense of bravery he felt. As if she could read his thoughts, Ryan began going to the walls and searching for a door amongst the piles and stacks of junk. In moments she let out a glee-filled shriek and dim light flooded the doorway. Kicking off the door, a huge grin on his face, Liam ran to the open door that led outside, signaling to Cassidy and Miles as he did so. "Come on! It's now or never!" He cast a look over his shoulder at the growing number of hands that had begun pounding and clawing at the door. Ryan bounced on her feet in visible adrenaline filled anxiety as she waited in the moonlight for the others to join her outside, wide, fearful eyes continuously snacking the empty parking lot for any signs of movement they would be able to detect.