Two Friends (With Icystorm)

[fieldbox=Bailey Fallen, #e0ffff, solid]
Bailey could see that Seth was uncomfortable out of the corner of his eye, but did nothing about it. Why was it his responsibility? Sure he had shot him, but in Bailey's mind he still deserved it. However he did feel a shred of pity for him. Gunshot wounds hurt, though Seth was an idiot to leave without it healing first. That's what desperation did to people.

Glancing behind him, he frowned slightly at seeing the other male. He would've offered to take the backpack but... It was quite obvious. Seth wouldn't let him touch it until they were at his destination. With a sigh, Bailey turned back around and kept walking. He could deal with the pain for now.

When words broke the silence in the air, the scarred male stopped. He glanced up to the sky, squinting slightly against the dying light. "There should be plenty of abandoned buildings around. The ones without dead bodies are the ones we need, as zombs are unlikely to be around. We can make do though. However sleeping arrangements..." He gave the other a look.
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Hearing the last sentence and the way it was left unfinished caused Seth to give a small tilt of his head, and he could not help the way his lips turned up slightly in a smile. The look Bailey gave him only caused the smile to grow a bit more. Seth had to admit to himself, he found it amusing how the other guy was worried about sleeping arrangements, when he himself had little to no worries about that.

"I don't know about you, but thanks to living on the streets before this whole zombie apocalypse, I learned to wake up and be ready at even the slightest hint of footsteps. I'm not worried about zombies sneaking up on me..or you sneaking up on me either for that matter." That was really what this was all about. The two of them. A handful of sarcastic comments came to mind, but he managed not to speak any of them.

Smile vanishing, Seth grew more serious, knowing it was best to figure this all out before it got too dark. Taking a deep breath through his nose, he let it out before speaking. "What do you suggest we do about sleeping arrangements?" His eyes scanned the area around them, taking in the state of the closest buildings. He hoped that Bailey had an idea, because thinking was not his strong suit.
 
[fieldbox=Bailey Fallen, #e0ffff, solid]
Bailey was slightly irritated at the other's attitude. It wasn't the zombs he was worried about anyway, not even himself. He had thought the other would've been a little more worried, as how could he trust that Bailey wouldn't just take his bag during the night and bolt? Apparently the other had no such concerns. Bailey could even call it over confidence, the way he was acting. Shaking his head, Bailey kept walking for a bit before replying.

"Seeing as you apparently trust me enough to not take back my shit, sleeping arrangements shouldn't matter then. Depends on how much sleep you want a night." Bailey himself didn't usually have more than six hours, however prince of the fucking castle here might sleep more. Especially since he trusted all of the people in the area apparently. Except for that one guy.

Bailey figured that after he got his answer, they wouldn't talk much and settled in for what seemed to be a long journey to who knows where. Despite how irritating Seth was, the scarred male knew they had to get along or many things would happen that would probably lead to the death of either one or the both of them and he was damn sure it wasn't going to be him. It was best to minimise the chances anyway. Who knows, they could even end up as friends. Though Bailey was pretty damn sure that wasn't going to happen.
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Seth ignored the way Bailey shook his head and waited for a reply, which he was starting to think he was not going to get when the other guy finally spoke. He had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from letting out a loud huff of laughter. His unbothered attitude about sleeping arrangements had nothing to do about trust. There was only one way Bailey would get his bag back during the night, and from what he had seen, he didn't think the other guy had the balls to take his bag back.

"Unless you decide to pull out one of your guns while I am asleep and put a bullet through my head or heart, you won't be taking your bag back." Seth was not worried about being shot in his sleep. If Bailey decided this whole trip was not worth it and decided to shoot him, then it wouldn't matter if he was asleep or awake. The only difference was being asleep would make for a clean shot and quick death. It would be over before a worry or regret could float through his mind.

"As for how much sleep, I will get up when you do." He loved to sleep, but he would deal with less hours than he was used to, which was a given since he tended to nap during most days. If he started to get too sleep deprived, then he would say something. Being tired would only make him a liability if it came to a fight, and that would only put both of their lives in danger. But that was assuming Bailey would try to help him if things were looking bad.
 
[fieldbox=Bailey Fallen, #e0ffff, solid]
Bailey gritted his teeth at the other's attitude. It was really starting to piss him off, the whole 'I'm better than everything' kind of attitude. He was seriously debating whether or not to actually shoot him in the head while he was asleep. He was seriously doubting that they would ever get along with each other, which would obviously be very bad as they would spend a lot of time with each other. Unless of course, one of them happened to die along the way.

Instead of saying something though, he only nodded. No point in provoking anything further, and they weren't the type to do small talk. Plus, Bailey wasn't interested in any of the other's history and he sure as hell hoped Seth wouldn't be interested in his. Not like he'd share though, his history was very private and he hated reliving it.

They were soon heading out into unfamiliar territory, places where either of them hadn't been before. Bailey was pretty comfortable with this though, as he usually went to places he had never been. However he wasn't too sure about Seth. Was it his first time going out? He seemed pretty comfortable at home, but the scarred male wondered if his attitude would change once they were far away from home. He sure hoped so.
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The farther they walked, the more uncomfortable he became at being in strange territory. He had been in this area before, but that was before everything fell apart, so now nothing was recognizable. For most of his life he had lived in that one area, feeling the most safe in the area around his house. He couldn't believe what staying in one area had done to him, caused him to not like leaving the comforts of home. Not to mention he missed the house already, and the journey had only just begun.

Shifting the bag back onto both shoulders was the biggest thing that gave his nerves away. He wanted to be ready in case something happened now. Other than that and the way his eyes darted around and studied any dark corner, he gave nothing away. His muscles were a bit more tense, but he still walked in the same relaxed way as before.

After another minute of walking, Seth stopped and looked at a building. There was no dead bodies, at least on the outside, but he did not speak until he finished studying the other building in the area. All was clear from the outside, and he didn't smell the scent of a rotting corpse. "What about that one." He pointed to the building he had first looked at. It wasn't something he would let Bailey know, but the pain in his shoulder had wore him out.
 
[fieldbox=Bailey Fallen, #e0ffff, solid]
Despite keeping a calm demeanor, Bailey was also on edge. If he wasn't, it was easy for zombs to take him by surprise. He never travelled when tired specifically because of that. Even the slightest rustle of leaves made him nervous, but he had since learned to stop showing it. Glancing over at Seth, however, showed that the other hadn't quite mastered it. He was good yes, but Bailey knew that his shoulder was sore after the shot. He still smirked at that. Served the other right.

When they stopped, he turned and surveyed the building. It seemed safe, but Bailey didn't like the vibe he got from it. And he had long since doubted his gut feeling. "It doesn't feel right. I don't think we should sleep there tonight." If Seth were to push it, they would have a fight on their hands. He continued walking, wondering if he would follow or not.

He was fine with walking further. Although the light was lessening, it wasn't dark enough yet for zombs to come. He was certain that they would find a different place before it got dark. Bailey hadn't realised that the other may have been tired. Then again, he didn't really care either. "You coming or not?"
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Seth stared at the building for a few seconds, seeing nothing wrong with it, but kept his mouth shut instead of complaining. He had never been away from his home, so if Bailey felt something was wrong about the place then so be it. As much as he hated to admit it, he had to trust the other guy. That didn't mean he had to be happy about the decision, though. He hurt, and the longer he had to deal with the rubbing then the lower his mood was going to go.

"Yeah, I'm coming." He managed to keep the growl out of his voice, but it was still evident that he was not happy about not getting to stop. Glancing up at the sky, he was at least relieved it would be dark soon so then they would have to stop. All he had to do was make it until then, and that he knew he would be able to do.

He continued to follow Bailey, and even thought his eyes were still scanning the area, he was not paying as close of attention to what building might be safe to sleep in. Might as well leave that job to Bailey since the other man seemed to have something in his head telling him safe or not safe. Sighing quietly, he glanced up at the sky every once in awhile, wishing for it to get dark, or at least for them to find a safe place to sleep.
 
[fieldbox=Bailey Fallen, #e0ffff, solid]
Bailey pretended not to hear the bite behind his words as they walked. What use was it to argue anyway? He bit his tongue, preventing himself from saying something along the lines of, "go sleep there if you like then," and just kept quiet. His eyes were still searching the area, and he was on high alert. Even the smallest of sounds would have him looking, even if it were just the wind. There was no such thing as too careful in his books.

Finally they came across a similar building. No rotting corpses, nestled amongst other, larger buildings. Bailey stopped in front of it, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the exterior of the building. To him, it seemed okay. He was happy to spend the night here, is what he meant. Not necessarily happy per se, but it would do. "This one."

Glancing back at Seth, a small frown crossed his mouth as he saw the bag. The straps are probably rubbing against the bullet wound, he thought, a bit annoyed he had his bag. He was still angry about the whole blackmailing thing, but there wasn't much he could do about it now. "I'm guessing it hurts." Painkillers would do the trick, and maybe some antibiotics. Once they were inside, he could probably help ease the pain a little. Of course, not that he wanted to.
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Seth looked at the building Bailey had chosen, noticing nothing different about this one and the one he had found. No corpses, no smell, nothing to show that there was any danger inside or in the surrounding building. Like he told himself earlier, it was no use saying anything so he just nodded, happy enough to be able to sit down in the next couple of minutes, or so he hoped.

Blue eyes wandered over to Bailey when the other guy spoke again. He quickly looked at his shoulder and then back towards his 'companion', his eyes narrowed. Denial and sarcastic comments passed through his mind, but after a moment he sighed and lost any hostility the comment created in him. "Yeah. Can't say it feels the greatest right now." It could be worse, but it could also be a hell of a lot better. At least in a couple of days he probably wouldn't even notice it.

Looking back at the building, he frowned at the run down appearance. He doubted there was a building anywhere that looked good, and to think he used to live in one of the only shitty houses, now everyone looked like hell. "Are we going to go in? We should probably get what rest we can." Or in other words, "I'm tired and want to sit down".
 
[fieldbox=Bailey Fallen, #e0ffff, solid]
There was definitely going to be lasting resentment between the two of them. Though Bailey knew he was being petty, he felt as if the other deserved it. If it hadn't been for him, he wouldn't be stuck in this miserable situation. And the other wouldn't have had a bloody bullet hole through his shoulder. Win win, right? Apparently that didn't matter to the other. This person better be damn important if Bailey was gonna risk his life finding him.

"Let's go inside." Without waiting, Bailey opened the door to the building which was surprisingly unlocked before heading inside. "Second floor is safest. Low enough to jump from, high enough to hear anyone coming up the steps." At least, that's how it always worked out for him. The emergency staircase echoed a lot and lifts weren't working nowadays. Besides there tended to be bins and such under windows that could always cushion his landing, though he rarely had to jump in recent months.

When they reached the second floor, Bailey chose a room near the staircase. Most of them looked the same, as this seemed to be an old apartment block. The people who used to live here seemed to have left in a hurry, but there was still a bed. Not wanting to fight over it, he simply gestured to it. "You take it tonight." After all, the other was in a worse off position than he was. "Sit down. I'll look at the wound."
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Seth kept his ears open, focusing most of his attention behind them as he followed Bailey into the building. He was happy with any floor, but the other guy did have a point that the second floor would be best, so he took the stairs as silently as he could, which unfortunately was not as quiet as he would have liked. If anything or anyone did end up being in the building, his and Bailey's presence would now be known. He just hoped the other guy was right on his judgement of this place.

Entering the chosen room, his eyes wandered around, taking everything in, and he found himself missing his home. Not even a day had passed and he already wanted to be back. Pathetic. Although thinking about it, he was probably one of the only people left in the world that still had his home exactly how he remembered it. Not much for him had changed in the last couple of years, the main thing being that he now allowed others into the house.

Sitting on the bed, he removed the backpack and set the bag on the ground, sticking one of his legs through the straps. With a glance at Bailey, he pulled the shirt over his head and set it on the bed next to him so the other guy could look over the wound, questioning why the other guy was even bothering. "I'm not used to sleeping on beds. Haven't slept on one for at least ten years. You can have it since I would much rather sleep on the floor." A couch would have been more ideal, but that would have been too much to hope for.
 
[fieldbox=Bailey Fallen, #e0ffff, solid]
Bailey scowled slightly as he began examining the wound. "Sleeping on the bed will help with the wound. You're better off sleeping on that then on the floor." He was surprised however. Seth had been in one place all his life and yet never gotten a bed for himself? It was either stupid or oblivious. Hell, if Bailey could settle down in a place with no fear of zombies he'd grab a bed for himself too. Alas, that wasn't the case.

While they talked, the scarred male pulled out a small bottle of some kind of disinfectant spray. "It's gonna sting a little," he warned, before spraying the wound and then re bandaging it. "This'll do. You'll survive." With that, he put the medicine back in the bag and flung it towards a chair where it landed with a thump. A cloud of dust floated up from where it landed.

The blonde headed over to the window, his eyes narrowed in thought. If he remembered correctly, they would have to head to a certain town if they were going to get any information at all. Finding people in this world was hard, and they wouldn't be able to rely on just him. People move all the time, and it was sometimes difficult to keep track. Plus there were always more zombies around, and until a cure was found then they would continue to kill. "It's getting late. We should sleep."
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Seth held his tongue, not liking the thought of sleeping on the bed, but it was not worth arguing over. Bailey probably did have a point that it would be better for the wound, and even though that had never mattered for past injuries he had gotten, it was oddly nice of the other guy to be this kind, especially since there was no reason for him to. For all he had done, the guy could have let him suffer and be uncomfortable, and he would not have blamed Bailey one bit, but he hadn't. As annoyed as he wanted to be, he could not help but instead feel slightly warmed inside.

The spray did sting a bit, but it was a lot more bearable than the rubbing had been. Once his companion was done fixing him up, he put his shirt back on, unwrapped the bag from around his leg, and set it on the bed. Guilt swept through him as he watched Bailey, and it was hard to ignore the horrible feeling that came with knowing he was wrong to be making the other guy do this. His options were limited, though, and this might be his only chance to find his friend.

Running his hand through his hair, Seth let out a small sigh, his eyes softening as they continued to watch the guy. "Thank you." He wasn't sure what he was specifically saying thank you for, but after this journey was over he could only guess that there would be too much he would owe Bailey for. Turning his gaze away, he lay down on his back on the bed, one arm resting on his chest and the other bent above his head. The one that was over his head was wrapped around the backpack. Closing his eyes, he prayed for sleep to come.
 
[fieldbox=Bailey Fallen, #e0ffff, solid]
"Tch," Bailey muttered. "Don't thank me. I'm just following the base line of... What's it called. Morality?" He shrugged, glancing over. "Either way, I'm not doing it for you." Bailey stopped talking once he saw that Seth was trying to sleep, instead sighing to himself and looking back out of the window. He kept watch for a bit, before noticing that there were no zombies. He supposed there might've been prey elsewhere that distracted them. It was better he slept a bit more. He was an extremely light sleeper, so he would wake at the slightest sound.

Turning around, he grimaced a little at seeing the bag. He really wanted to take it then and there, but he had a promise to uphold. He wouldn't ever break a promise. So with a sigh, he lay down near the entrance and closed his eyes. He normally took the photo out and looked at it before he went to sleep, but it seemed that it wasn't possible today. Or for a few days. He would probably bargain for it a few days in if he could.

That was for another day however. These few days were going to have to be focused on trying to get to the town and not die before that. Seemed simple enough. Bailey soon fell into the arms of sleep.
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Seth turned his head away, smiling at Bailey's words. Morality, yeah, it was a surprise to see people even had any morals anymore. The world had become survival of the fittest, or the luckiest. It was do what you need to survive, yet what he was doing right now was not survival. It was dragging some guy with him on what could be a journey of suicide. Well, he never was one to conform to what other people chose to do, so why should now be any different? Taking a deep breath, sleep took him a few seconds later.

He wasn't sure what time it was when his eyes slid open, but Seth looked around, noticing that light was barely starting to shine through the window. It was not normal for him to wake up this early, and he did not sleep as well as he normally did, which probably had to do with sleeping in a strange building.

Deciding to give up on any more sleep, he pushed himself into a sitting position and swung his legs over the bed. After putting the backpack over his good shoulder, he got off the bed and walked over to the window, leaning against the wall to he watched the sun rise as he waited for Bailey to wake up, if the guy had not already woken up to his moving around.
 
[fieldbox=Bailey Fallen, #e0ffff, solid]
The sun fell and rose, and with the sound of the other getting up and moving around, Bailey woke. At first he just opened his eyes, glancing around to make sure of no immediate danger, he then sat up. It had been the first time in a long time he had woken with someone else in the room, which was why his senses were on high alert. However once he recognised the situation, he relaxed and looked towards Seth.

"Have a good night?" He asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer. His shoulder would've been hurting probably, and sleeping away from home for the first time in a while plus on a bed wouldn't have done much to comfort him. However it was polite to ask, and seeing as they were better off on friendly terms than enemies he might as well be polite.

Standing up, he stretched his arms above his head before rolling them down. Light was scarce at the moment, however soon the whole room would be filled with warmth. At that point they would be long gone. "Breakfast will probably just be crackers," he said to Seth, before grabbing the other backpack.
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It had been a long time since Seth had watched the sun rise, for once in his life taking in the beauty that the world had to offer. The oranges and yellows were a nice sight, but the red glow that was given off reminded him of less pleasant things, the worst of life that the world had to offer, which was something he felt he could safely think. Certainly becoming a zombie was a worse punishment than death.

He tore his eyes away from the window when Bailey spoke, turning his attention to the other male. "Not really, but that was to be expected." The tug to go home was continuous, something he had to constantly push back and ignore. It only grew worse the more time passed, but hopefully it would start to get better as he got used to being away from the house.

"Crackers are fine." In fact, if they were saltine, then those were his favorite food as it was something that had always been easy to get his hands on. Leaving his place by the window, he moved back over to the bed and sat down. "How do you do it? Wandering around I mean, with no one place to call home."
 
[fieldbox=Bailey Fallen, #e0ffff, solid]
Seeing him stand next to the window, the male headed over next to him. Even though getting up at this time was regular for him, he rarely gave any thought to the sunrise that he often saw. It certainly was beautiful, unlike many of the things Bailey had in his life. The colours spread across the sky, giving hope to some people somewhere across the world probably. Not that he really cared. The only person he cared about was himself, as selfish as he sounded. But that was the only reason he survived for so long.

Ahh. Bailey hadn't felt that tug for a very long time, though he could understand the other's homesickness to a degree. But even though he understood, it didn't mean he would be more gentle on him. If anything, he'd be a hell of a lot more harsh. Seth would have to get used to it if he wanted to find his friend. And Bailey still didn't like him.

At least he wouldn't argue breakfast. Bailey had half expected him to expect a plate of toast with bacon. Luckily that wasn't the case. Just about to set down his bag and pull out crackers, the next question caught him off guard. Straightening up, he thought for a moment. "You just... Get used to it I guess. No place to call home, no need to feel bad about it. Dunno what you want me to say." He just shrugged, pretending not to care, but he really did think about it. Maybe one day he would come up with a better answer than the one he told himself.
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Watching Bailey closely, Seth was genuinely curious about how the guy might answer his question. No doubt much of the living population had become wanderers, but each had their own story, and each had a home once upon a time. After this little journey, he realized he might end up just like Bailey. There might not be a home for him to go back to, or something might happen to make it impossible to return home. It wasn't a nice thought, but it was the truth and it was best to prepare for that, no matter how hard it might be.

All but the last statement was a satisfactory answer. He had not expected some great response that would give him all the answers he was seeking, and even if it had not been a great answer, it was exactly what he was looking for in a response. That was life. You just got used to whatever was thrown at you. It would take time to get used to any of this, being with Bailey especially, but he would be able to handle whatever was thrown at him. The guy didn't have to be a dick, though.

Closing his eyes, Seth held back a sound of annoyance. When he opened his eyes he didn't feel any less annoyed as he lightly chewed on the inside of his lip while watching the other male. "Dunno why you thought I would want some other answer. The one you gave was fine. You don't seem to be satisfied by it, though." He was unable to keep the irritation out of his voice.
 
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