Floyd /Abram - Gift Shop - Samantha, Enrique, and Matt
The second her lips retreated from touching his, Floyd's eyes squinted as he took a step back. Shocked by Samantha's sudden actions, he felt some of his limbs lose their motor skills. The man stood there motionless and quiet. He stared into her bright eyes in attempt to understand what she was feeling. Floyd could only conclude that the girl was not really thinking and just acted upon her fright. They didn't know each other, nor did they have anything in common. They were complete strangers so her actions could be deemed inappropriate.
Though that would be the generalized view of the situation. Nowadays, it seemed more appropriate to come in union with the survivors by ones side. For Floyd, Jess had become someone he'd become close to. Even till this day, he wants to make sure her safety is priority. She is needed to ensure Benjamin's survival, and Floyd feels like it is his burden to keep the two alive. He'd give his life for the pair, he'd give his life for Hank too. He'd give his life for Abram, for Imogen. He would've given himself up to save Seth, or Aaliyah. Now as he stared into Sam's eyes, he felt that same connection. He felt as though her life mattered more than his. Like she would do more good in the future than he could ever imagine.
Before, when it all started, Floyd didn't think this way. He was selfish and merely a survivor. He hunted and fought to ensure himself another day on this blood soaked planet. It was what it was. After realizing good people existed, he started to change and become one of them. He fed on their emotions, on their successes, their failures. It was thanks to Jess and Abram, Hank and DeShean, that Floyd was able to see himself for his strengths. He was powerful beyond measure, and it was thanks to his new family that his eyes opened to this light.
So as he continued to stare at Samantha, he could see how pure she was. He wasn't angry about the kiss, he accepted it for what it was. A simple act of kindness expressed in a different way. Just as he was about to speak, gunshots rang from across the street. Floyd quickly turned around towards the front.
"Stay here," he told Samantha as he rushed towards Abram and Matt who defended the front door. Realizing they weren't the ones who opened fire, he joined Abram who was staring through the cracks of the window. The men could see another survivor on the roof of the store on the other side of the road. The entire place was surrounded by walkers, both inside the store and outside. The idiot fired his weapon in the night, which caused echoes. Eventually, more walkers would approach his general location, which mean the gift shop would most likely be compromised as well.
"We'll have to evacuate soon," Abram stated. Floyd nodded in agreement as he backed away from the window. He started looting the place for anything that they would need later on.
"What do we do about him?" Floyd asked as he dug through cabinets for supplies. Abram looked at the man in similar question. He didn't have an answer. There wasn't many options present for them. There were too many walkers for a rescue mission and they'd all die if they attempted. They could possibly draw the walkers away, but the outcome would most likely be the same.
"We can't just leave em," Floyd commented.
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Claiborne Bonder - Morgantown - Nathan,John, and Others
"You'll be informed," Claiborne answered John as he himself closed the gym doors in the man's face. He signaled the armed guards to lock the entrance with chain as he supervised they were doing a perfect job. Claiborne wanted everything to go smoothly, and the arrival of this soldier was going against his wishes. This definitely made Claiborne uneasy, but it seemed to be impacting Nathan a lot more - visually at least.
Turning to the taller man, Claiborne quickly stepped forward to stand under his chin. His deranged-like eyes stared deeply into the man's chest, as though he could see his beating heart. Slowly he moved his gazed upward to meet Nathan's face.
"Here it is. As long as you are my comrade, you will not let this happen again do you understand?" he questioned Nathan in regards to his aggressive actions towards John. He could immediately see the man's sudden change in approach - from how he initially treated Tyler's group to how he was treating the foreign soldier. It was obvious to everyone something was bothering Nathan.
Anyhow, before the man could give his own insight, Clay answered the question for him.
"I don't think you do. You alright? It is not the violence that got us to where we are, don't let that become you. I'm not sure what you've got goin' through that intellectual head of yours, but you must control it Nathan. We're all worked up, every single one of us. They need a leader, not another roughhouse. We're here to uphold peace, to ensure the safety of our people," Claiborne started. He took a step back and gave Nathan some space. Whatever the man had going on, Claiborne didn't want to see it. If they made enemies out of these 'guests', then they would be putting the entire community in danger. Claiborne also acted on his emotions which caused some drama, but he was as composed as always. The man held himself with class, despite the lack of a grade A attire.
"Walk with me," he told his fellow comrade as he started down the hall. The two men walked next to one another in union.
"I know you've never done nuthin' like this before. I've never seen you this hotheaded , but what I have seen is people like you lose it within seconds of their first encounter with rage. DO NOT let that be you. I get enough from Mel. I get enough from Rob. We have to be smarter than these people. They fear what they cannot understand and it is our job to be a step ahead of all of them. We show signs of weakness or breakage, then we are both done. I'm not going to ask you what sprouted these emotions, but I need you to control them. If not, I will take matters into my own hands and deal with the these thangs as I see fit," he started to conclude.
By this time, they stood before Claiborne's office and dormitory. He started digging in his coat pocket for his cigars, only having a single one left.
"When the sun rises, we will deal with the soldier first. Then we attempt to contact Mel and find out her location, see if Riley is with her. Afterwards, we take care of this large group - start setting rules and regulations. Those are our tasks. We do what we have to do, and everythang else will fall into play. Now go rest and cool down. Goodnight."
