Last of Us(Equinoxsol)

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The Great Me!

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Gutteral howls echoed down the decrepit halls of a building long ago missing the glass from it's windows and claimed by thick patches of moss and creeping vines. Obstructed sunlight moddled the floor through the windows that was littered in sun and rain ruined parchment, filthy cloth, and torn, molded furnishings.

Breathing hard, a shorter figure ran down the long corridor with a second behind them, connected only by a joined hand. Eyes darted searchingly, horrid screeches and chattering echoing behind them by their hunters. A split decision had them veer off to the side into one of the rooms.

A foul curse was uttered under the breath of the first figure as they found themselves backed into the dead end of a crumbling bathroom, water long ago vacated from a yellowing toilet, cracked tiles and fragments of mirror scattered about the floor.

The only thing that could drown any of the horrid noises of their pursuers was the panicked sound of blood pounding in his ears, his mind working quickly to try and think of a way to safety.

The open space of a dingy washer and dryer, a pair of shuttered doors sitting open, seemed their best bet at this point. With a quick, whispered command the other figure, slightly taller, clammered up onto it as quietly as possibly, the first joining them. It took a moment of struggle but he got the shutter doors to slide shut, plunging the black-hoodied figures into partial darkness.

Both took a few audible, hard breaths before falling silent, barely even daring to breathe.

Only seconds afterwards, a grotesque human figure burst into the room, snarling and grunting as bloodshot eyes darted about hungrily, moving with a jolting tick as it searched for it's prey. A single blue eye peaked through the wood slots of the door apprehensively, catching a partial view of the inhuman thing that was intent on finding them.

It was followed closely by a more hunched, slower human figure, but with a face that mushroomed out in angry red, pusstulous layers that overtook most of it's head, letting out a crackling clicking noise that was far from human.

After what seemed several minutes, the creatures departed to search elsewhere. Even so, neither dared move, listening carefully until they couldn't hear even the faintest traces of the infected. Once they were certain to be alone, both let out a slow sigh and manuevered the doors open, slipping out quietly.

"That was way too fucking close," the first figure muttered, a young male voice.

"Yeah," the second, female, agreed.

"Let's get the Hell out of here, before those things come back," he announced, grasping a hold of her hand again and taking the lead. "And be careful not to make too much noise. We don't know how close those things still are."

She simply nodded her head and followed along, the pair creeping out cautiously and keeping their sense alert, first taking down the stairs and halting just before each corner or space they couldn't see to listen for signs of any more infected.

Or, likewise, any other people that might have been about. If there were, more than likely they'd be hostile.
 
'Don't look back, Mari, don't look back,' the girl told herself, breathing heavily as she sprinted, just out of reach of a couple of the fasters ones. 'God, it's a good thing I'm in shape...' Rounding a corner, she added an extra jolt of speed, wanting to get far enough away that she could hide.

Finding a small house with its front window broken, she jumped in, rolling on glass that cracked beneath her small body. Grunting, she stopped herself from moving anymore as she listened, straining her ears for sounds of life--or lack thereof. When all she heard was the sound of her own breathing, she rolled over to get to her feet, careful not to cut herself on the glass.

Once she was on her feet, she straightened her clothes before taking out the knife she had used to protect herself. Moving through the moldy, wilting furniture, she searched the front room for any sign of movement.

In one of the back rooms, she thought she heard something, but was still too wired to do anything. Taking a deep breath, she steadied her nerves, not wanting to start being jumpy and hurt herself accidentally.
 
Holding his breath, the shorter male poked his head around the corner of the building, scanning it carefully and listening, but there was nothing. Not knowing where else the infected might've been, and not wanting to find out, he led the way from the larger building and through the back streets, keeping low and alert. A lot of the places were boarded up completely, impassable without spending a lot of time ripping out boards and making a lot of noise.

He stopped abruptly as he heard further howls and running, more of the infected. Whether they were still running about searching for the pair or had found another victim to chase down, he wasn't about to wait to find out, running forward and looking about for a good place to hide.

The cracked doorway of a sliding glass door beckoned and he veered off towards it, sliding it open enough for them to slip inside before shutting it and locking it. If any infected saw them inside it wouldn't hold them out but it would slow them down from that side, at least. He could still hear the howls but they were muffled and dying away with distance.

The pair paused a moment to breath and relax a little, but it was a short-lived relaxation as he heard a shifting of sharp glass shards, motioning to duck behind something and hide. The other figure nodded silently and ducked behind a kitchen island while he moved to the doorway, only just barely looking around it so he could see the human figure.

He could tell right away that it wasn't one of the infected, but that didn't mean that they would be any less dangerous. Quietly he grasped the end of what appeared to be a black cane tied to his side, drawing out the guardless short-sword from it's sheath, waiting and listening for the person to come through the doorway.

If they simply left the house and went on their way without even noticing it's other occupants, that would be the ideal, but he wasn't going to wait until they had the jump on him to find out. Better safe than sorry.
 
After making sure the front room was safe, Mari, again hearing shuffling in one of the back rooms, took out her knife, deciding that whatever it was was going to get steel in its mouth if it decided to try and jump her.

Brushing back her hair, she slowly began moving towards a hallway, hoping to find food or something in the building. Most houses had been looted already, but Mari knew that occasionally it was worth checking out houses, given by the sixty-four ounce can of peaches she once found. It had been a pain lugging it around, but by God she had been eating well for at least a week.

Thinking that she saw movement, she immediately moved to that doorway, not wanting to be caught unaware by something m, alive or dead. "If you're living, you better come out right now," she said, keeping her voice low so that it didn't carry.
 
Faulklin listened carefully, imagining the pacing and placement of whoever else had taken refuge in the house based upon the few sounds he could pick up. When it came to moving silently and detecting his surroundings, he was pretty much a pro. His entire survival since his first memories, be it because of infected or other people, had been ridiing on it his whole life. His partner wasn't quite so adept at any of it, at least not yet.

He listened to the voice that spoke out, having heard or seen him from some position in the house. Someone relatively young...either teenager or young adult, and female. Only one, not a group. He was pretty sure he could handle that.

Of course gender didn't have much bearing these days on a person's capabilities or how dangerous they could be, at least not those that actually survived. Anyone who managed to get by, especially moreso outside of the Quarantine Zones, had to have some merit.

He debated for a moment what to do, flexing his hands over the handle of his blade and exchanging a glance with his hiding partner, but it went without saying that it was wisest to avoid conflict and bloodshed whenever possible. Even if he managed to come out victorious, he couldn't afford to become wounded with how scarce supplies were, and especially medical supplies.

"Funny," he tossed back in a sarcastic quip, not moving from where he was positioned, ready to attack if they came through the door after him. "I could say the same. Who gave you the authority to dictate to others what to do?"
 
"I'm not the one hiding," she stated, keeping her voice low enough so nothing infected could hear her, but loud enough that he could probably tell where she was in the room: right in the middle. From his voice, he could have been anything, anyone, but she decided that she could take him, whoever he was. At least she knew there was someone alive here, and not more infected liked she had been afraid of.

Tugging at the sleeve of her shirt absent-mindedly, she frowned before saying, "If I say 'please' would that help? Look, I'm just avoiding a fight. I don't need to get more banged up than I already am." Sighing, she faced the doorway, wishing she could detect where his position was without getting any closer. Who knew if he was crazy, violent, or both? No way was she taking a step closer unless she had to!
 
"Served me well up to this point," Faulklin retorted when she felt the need to point out that he was the one hiding, rolling his single good eye even though she couldn't see it from where she was positioned.

Still, whoever she was, he could have done worse. It was certainly a lot better than the trigger-happy band of rogues they'd damn near fell victim to in the last town, nevermind the dwindling number of infected that had been in the area.

Taking a preparatory breath, he poked his head slightly around the corner, trying to get an idea of the person, and more importantly, what sort of weapons she had. It looked like the only thing she was toting was a knife, no firearms. At least none that were already in-hand and visible. Guns presented the greatest danger for the most part, since they could kill from a distance.

Disappearing back around the side, he briefly motioned for his partner to stay hidden for now before he stepped out cautiously, eyeing the stranger carefully from beneath his black hood, the long scar over his left eye glaringly visible against pale skin even in the dim lighting. He was short in stature, especially for a male, shifty and suspicious, and even the baggy sweater he wore couldn't quite hide his small, skinny frame, probably in his mid-teens. In his hand still gleamed the unsheathed short-sword, ready to use if she tried anything.

He was more than experienced in handling his own when it came to a fight and violence, but his companion wasn't, not having been outside the Quarantine Zones more than twice at most. Best to take precautions and make it seem he was alone, at least until he could assess the danger level, so he didn't put her in harms way if it could be at all avoided.

Deciding to just skip straight to business, he tossed out the obvious question, which would probably have an obvious answer but he asked it anyway, just to get the ball rolling.

"What are you doing here?"
 
"The same could be asked about you," she responded, before adding, "I'm just trying to survive, same as anyone else in this godforsaken land." Eying the kid up an down, she determined that he must be near her age, though he was easily a couple inches shorter than she was. Deciding that she could probably take him in a fight, she took a less guarded position, thinking that if she gained his trust she could get out without needing to fight.

Brushing her tongue over her lower lip, she said, "I didn't come here to kill nobody. Was just avoiding a bunch of infected, you know?" She tilted her head, he dark hair falling in her eyes.
 
"Same, just surviving." He replied curtly, watching her carefully with a sharp eye. He could tell with relative ease that she was sizing him up, and didn't think much of him. Something that usually turned out to be a mistake on other people's parts but he never felt the need to point out that he was more formidable than his size implied.

It would be to his disadvantage to give away his skillset to a total stranger, possibly a hostile one, instead of just let people have their assumptions and lower their guard, and words didn't mean much when it came to actual fighting or defending anyway. What mattered when it came down to it was the real abilities, not what was said about them, and letting others get a taste of his skills for themselves.

He opened his mouth to speak for a moment, almost slipping up to say 'we' but caught himself just in time with little pause.

"I was just here looking for supplies, when I ran into a bunch of infected too." He said, not relaxing his own guard despite that she had, and eyeing her with obvious distrust. He was far from good at actual interaction but that didn't mean he couldn't read people incredibly well, and his suspicious nature only made him more attuned to picking out deciet.

If anything he'd probably be a lot more hard pressed to pick out sincerity before ever falling victim to any sort of lies or cons, though with the state of the world and the people who lived in it, it wasn't as though that sort of thinking wasn't justifiable.

"I lost them a short while back and heard more not far off and ducked in here. I take it that it was you they were chasing."
 
"Guess so," she answered simply, before glancing down to check on her shoes. Before she had needed to run, they had been falling apart, the seams coming undone from years of use. Now, the seams were completely broken, the sole coming out of one and the back end falling off of the other, so it would slap the ground wherever she walked.

"I don't suppose you would have any running shoes I could trade a day's worth of water for? These are kind of coming apart..." She gestured towards her own shoes, frowning at how frayed and worn they looked. Seeing the distrust in his eyes, she said, "Look, I just wanted in from outside. I didn't even know you'd be in here, and as soon as I think it's safe again, I'll leave, okay? Do I honestly look like a perv or a murderer?"
 
The teen only shook his head when she asked about shoes, motioning with his blade to the stairs. "I haven't searched the place yet, might be some still in here somewhere," he said, reluctant to even be speaking to anyone but putting up with it for now. It definately beat dodging under bullets and maltov cocktail bombs, though not by much, in his opinion.

When she went on to try and defend herself against his distrust, he only narrowed his single eye, not the least bit placated.

"Doesn't matter what you look like, whether you're a cold killer or just a bumbling moron drawing infected like a flame to moths doesn't make you any less of a threat," he spat, not really caring if his words offended or not. "And if you think I'm going to warm up to you because you can babble out a few words about your competency or innocence, you're sooner going to suffocate holding your breath on it."
 
Mari had to roll her eyes at that. "I just want you to get the fucking sword away from me. I don't care you don't want to be 'friends' or trust.me in the slightest. I came in here so I wouldn't be killed, same as you. I was only trying to be kind because that's what 'polite' means. So, up yours," she said, giving him the bird.

Turning from him, she sighed softly, not sure she trusted him not to run her through the moment she turned from him. Running a hand through her raggedly-cut hair, she glanced out the front windows, wishing she was at a different angle so she could see if any infected were down the road. If there were, she might end up spending a lot of time with this jackass.
 
The teen growled slightly in his throat, the corner of his good eye twitching in irritation. His tolerance fuse was a little on the short side.

"Tch. Yeah, fuck you too, princess," he sneered, having half a mind to just lop her head off, though he knew his companion would be more than a little disapproving of that, which was the only reason he could find not to actually do it. "But if you're expecting a bow or a curtsy, sorry to tell you, you've come to the wrong kingdom. You just keep to your little...space bubble, and I'll keep to mine, and maybe no one's going to get gutted today, got it?"

Not even waiting for a reply and leaving the threat hanging in the air, he whirled around back through the doorway of the kitchen, going to lean his back against the island counter in the center next to where his companion was crouched, his voice lowered from when he had been confronting Mari but not so hushed it couldn't be heard at all.

"It's safe enough, no one I can't handle." he muttered, the unspoken question in the girl's dark eyes. "Just stick by me."

She nodded her head slightly, standing up fully. "Alright."

Since they had holed up in the kitchen area, the other girl more towards the front and living room, she went about looking through some of the drawers and cabinets for any stray supplies they could use first, Faulklin still leaned against the counter top and eyeing the doorway, keeping watch more than anything.
 
Having more than a few choice words.to say to the kid, not caring about politeness anymore, Mari moved.to the bottom steps of the staircase, taking out her knife again and messing around with it, to keep her from fiddling with the sleeve of her light jacket.

Hearing him talk to someone in a low voice a second later, she thought, 'Christ, he's insane!' until she heard an.even softer, "Alright." Deciding that it was normal to want to hide someone else, she shrugged, before rolling her eyes, occasionally flicking her golden-brown gaze.out the windows.
 
A brief search of the kitchen turned up a few dwindling supplies but nothing in the way of food, just an old pair of scissors and some old cloth. It was still useable though, something they could find use for at some point.

After they had searched the room the younger male led them to the front room, pointedly tossing a distrusting, cold glare towards Mari and keeping himself positioned between her and his own curious-eyed companion. They were both dressed similarly in black, close to the same height but she was actually a few inches taller than him. Slightly tanned skin, black hair, dark but naive, innocent eyes, obviously of Asian descent.

Personality-wise a seemingly polar opposite to the scar-faced boy, not at all looking at all suspicious or cold, and not nearly as unapproachable if first appearances were any indication.
 
Giving the kid the same finger gesture she had before as he emerged from the kitchen, Mari faced the girl and said, "If you're leaving, there's.some infected down the block...they're sorta just milling about thereabouts, so avoiding them would help." Tugging softly at her own shabby green long sleeved shirt, she stifled back a yawn, her blue eyes closing. If the pair were leaving in a few minutes, she might as well stay a bit longer, though she was still deciding on her course of action, definitely not wanting to see either if them again.
 
" 'could figure that out for ourselves," Faulklin muttered, returning the gesture with a scowl while the girl with him looked around a little bit, not finding much else of use. The young male stepped over to the open window for a moment to listen, poking his head out to look. He didn't immediately see anything and fished a pair of bonoculars from his messenger bag, scanning the horizon and streets as far as he could see.

"See anything?" the girl asked, coming up alongside him to look.

"A few Clickers, I think, maybe a Stalker or two." he said, lowering and returning to bonoculars to his bag. "It shouldn't be hard to sneak around them. Worst case scenario, we quietly take them out, hope there's no more nearby." He shrugged. "They still look riled up though, should probably wait until they lose their alertness, otherwise they'll be quicker to spot us."

The girl only hummed in response, stepping back and idly looking about the room until her gaze came to rest on Mari, fidgeting slightly with the bottom hem of her sweater in awkward silence before she actually decided to speak.

"So...how long have you been here? This town, I mean." She ventured, the frown that crosse the accompanying male's face making it obvious he didn't approve of the interaction, but didn't say anything about it yet.
 
"A couple years, but on the other side. I only came here because most of the buildings over there didn't have anything left in them and there were getting to be too many infected." Mari immediately decided that she liked this girl more than her partner. At least SHE didn't immediately threaten her.

"What about you?" she asked the girl, giving a brief smile. "You been in the city long? I spent a while in the train depot, you ever been there?" Mari adjusted her fingerless gloves, flexing her fingers as she rolled her shoulders, standing up to get the blood moving in her legs again.
 
"Oh, no I haven't. I haven't been on the outside very long, actually. I've lived in one of the Quarantine Zones most of my life," she replied, offering up a polite smile. "A few years is a long time to stay in one place. I hope I'm not intruding on anything personal...but were there others you were with?" It seemed logical that she would have been, with how dangerous it could get on one's own with all the infected about, especially a young girl.
 
"Yeah. A group of about ten. Till a few months ago someone hid the fact that he'd gotten infected and ended up killing mostly everyone. Those that were left--me, a couple others--went our separate ways. With everyone else dead, we thought it wasn't wise to stay together like that. I've been on my own since then." Mari shrugged, glad to have someone to talk to after months of solitude.

Adjusting her jacket, she stifled back a yawn. Since her last base had been compromised three days ago, she hadn't gotten any sleep, and her body was feeling it now.
 
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