ZRP-2 Chapter 7: Mutation

--Louisville, Kentucky--

The trio of survivors ran through the streets, evading the walkers as they made for the river and their boat. The fastest among them, a young woman with brown hair tied into a ponytail, traversed over obstacles with ease, relying on her parkour skills to not just outrun but outmaneuver the looming dead. Shit, this is bad, she thought to herself. It wasn't just the lumbering walkers she and her friends had to worry about; there was something new hunting them. And it was keeping pace.

It had just been a simple scouting run, that was all it was supposed to be. Get in, grab supplies, and get out. Then they encountered these new....things, and all hell broke loose. She chanced a look behind her, and sure enough the new dangers were there, sprinting behind her and her compatriots. Runners! They can fucking run now? Even as she thought these words, she and her friends turned the next corner and sure enough saw the boat and the river, tied up and waiting. "Keep running, get to the boat now!" she screamed, and the two others, one a girl younger than her and a guy around the same age, both wheezing for breath, ran even faster. The lead girl stopped, spun while withdrawing her pistol, and popped three shots off at the new runners. She got one in the legs, sending it into a tumble, another in the chest slowing it down for a beat, and then the next was in the head. It was enough that her friends managed to reach the boat, the boy getting aboard to start the engine while the girl worked on the rope.

The gunner resumed running, heading for the pier they were tied at as even more runners emerged and gave chase. The boat was pulling away, both her friends aboard and her not. As she reached the edge, she jumped, landing hard on the boat while the runners splashed into the water, flailing around and screaming. "Jesus Christ Ella, what the hell was that?" the younger girl said. The person she asked, Ella, took a moment to breathe before brushing her hair back behind her head, taking deep breaths and checking how much ammo she had. "Something new," was all she said before she slumped down into a seat in the small speedboat. That seemed to be all she would say, and the younger girl slumped into her own seat while the boy, either too focused or afraid to care, continued to drive. In her silence, Ella thought to herself, thinking on an old friend. Dammit James.....please still be alive.

--Two Days Later--

James, the focus of Ella's silent thoughts, was among a small group of people in Owensboro Kentucky, working to clear out another section of the still dead city. A small piece was clear, where he and the others lived. But they needed to check for supplies in the town, or clear out areas and lay claim. And none of them were aware. Aware of the mutation.

Flicker slipped quietly through the streets of the dead city, she moved via the back alleyways and through narrow corridors, before finally climbing up via a rusting pipe onto a diner roof top. She had heard the survivors moving about... She did not know of the new mutation in the undead, but for now the topic was the same as always. Survive. Unheard and unseen, kill zombies. Simple really.
The diner offered a decent enough view, she always stayed in the suburbs never venturing into the city. Flicker had not survived so long alone by taking risks, she lived pretty much hand to mouth, often in the verge of starvation. She was used to going hungry, or being hungry.
Today was different, Flicker was attempting to find a new resource... Scavenge from survivors. Of course that meant finding their camp, base, fort... Whatever there name was for it. Since she had first found them, she had avoided all contact with them. Deliberately finding other places to go to, so that she would not run into other humans.
Flicker heard something and immediately pressed herself to the diner roof, she was more like a wild animal, every sound always set her off. She could not afford to risk anything.
Her dark green eyes scanned for the noise while she crawled slowly on the roof top. Her heart pounded in her chest fearfully, like the desperate struggles of a trapped bird trying to escape a hungry cat. Hunger gnawed at her, exhaustion from two nearly sleepless nights sapped her strength. She needed to find these survivors and take some of their food for her own. It was survival of the fittest and Flicker was not about to let others prevent her from surviving. If only she could located where they lurked.

From where James was crouched, hidden behind a car along with Marcus and one other member of their caravan whose name escaped him, he sighed. While he knew how important these kinds of jobs were, he hated them. Or at least, he was hating how he was getting used to them. Sneaking around in the streets, carrying weapons with intent to kill. This was hardly the life he imagined for himself two years ago. But it was what it was, no changing that. He looked across the street to their target, a supermarket, with a pharmacy sign attached. "And they never bothered to check the place out?" he asked Marcus. The older man shrugged, though there was an obvious frown on his face. "They meant to, but when the looked through the window they saw there were way too many walkers in there."

James grunted. "We can get the stuff inside. Just need to draw out the walkers is all...." Marcus turned to look at him. "Hey you want to be the rabbit be my guest. But they said there's maybe forty or fifty of them in there." The younger man blinked. "Damn," was all he said.

Hibiki was doing something normal.
The woman was scrubbing clothes, using ancient techniques to clean them. Eve was asleep like always, probably snuggled into Sam. Hibiki had to contend with hearing her ecstatic cries as she orgasmed three times, a far less number then the poor girl had probably heard from her and James.
She grimaced. Eve's favorite shirt was not cooperating. Not cooperating at all.

"So what do we do?" the third person hiding with Marcus and James asked? Dark of skin and with hair shaved short, his name was Don. "Hmmm....." James started. "We need to make noise away from this area. Maybe a car alarm or a bunch of firecrackers. Get the door to the supermarket open first, without being seen....then trigger the distraction." Marcus gave it some thought, then nodded. "Alright, that'll have to work. Don, you've got the firecrackers. Head down the street, far from us, and either set them to pop or find a car that's still got some juice. When you get the signal, light or trip either one." Don nodded, and started moving down the street. "Just to be clear," James asked when Don was out of ear shot. "What is the signal?" Marcus grinned, removing a flare gun. "This."

Sam was back in town, not by choice though. If she had it her way she'd have been with James or one of the other teams getting supplies. But Eve, her girlfriend, was somewhat demanding when it came to sex, though Sam was more than happy to give it to her. However, after two days of being stuck doing that and nothing else....she was stir crazy. She needed to get out.

Eve was curled up into Sam, her face...well...smushed into Sam's chest. She was officially off her sex high, she so claimed. Four times had her limp and tired and happy.
She nuzzled Sam's chest. "You know how to give a girl a really good time..." she said again, her usual after-sex line. "So...I think...mommy wanted help washing clothes when we are done..."

Finally, something to do! Sam thought to herself. "Okay," she said. the feeling of Eve's face crushed against her chest was soothing in a way, a kind of reassuring warmth. Though the minute she stepped back out into that world....she'd have her little reprieve ended.

"Marcus, let's get that door open now. Sooner we do this the better," James said, and both he and Marcus, without rising, moved across the street and to the door. When they tried to open the double doors though, they were surprised to find it locked. "Huh, so that's what it was. People maybe locked themselves in or something.....and were still infected." Marcus grunted, looking for something heavy. Failing that....he brought out his gun, a suppressor mounted on it. "Stand back," he said, to which James immediately moved back to hide behind a car. Marcus also moved, taking careful aim before squeezing off a few rounds and shattering the glass of the doors, breaking them wide open. There was a wide hole then, making a door. Even from where they stood, they could hear the sounds of the dead, snarling and growling at the noise, moving to investigate. Marcus then brought out his flare gun, aimed to the sky....and fired. There was a hissing sound, a a trail of smoke, and then there was a ball of bright red fire in the air, hovering over the ground and high above them both.

Eve reluctantly pulled away, sitting up. She crossed her arms over her chest, blushing. "So...um...did you see where my underwear went Sam?" Her bandaged shoulder wasn't showing any red, so it probably was safe to remove the bandages soon. She adjusted her hair, it so far having grown even longer. It almost reached her chest now. Maybe even to her breasts, given time.
"Sam? Should I let my hair grow out a lot more, or start trimming it?"

"Hmm.....I don't mind letting your hair grow out a bit more Eve," Sam said, though she soon got up close to Eve's ear and whispered to her. "Though I can think of one place on you that needs trimming."

James and Marcus hid behind the car, while further down the street.....they heard car alarms blaring. Well, looked like Don got the job done, and that became all the more apparent as the dead began marching out the front doors of the supermarket. They were all rotting, stinking, and clearly hungry. Flesh clung to their emaciated forms, or hung from them in torn pieces, like curtains from a rack. Old and young, big and small, they marched out those doors, a parade of the dead, as they wandered towards the noise, free from the darkness after two years. And James and Marcus could only hide, and pray to whatever god was still watching that they weren't seen.

Eve went scarlet.
"M-M-Maybe D-Daddy can find a razor..." the poor girl stammered.

Sam chuckled, lightly kissing the girl's ear. "That is of course whether or not he's looking for a razor right now."

They waited behind the car for maybe five or so minutes, James and Marcus. They could hear the moans as the dead shuffled about towards the wailing noise of the alarms. Peeking below, to see the other side, James could tell that either all of them or the bulk was gone, and he signaled Marcus to move. Carefully, they moved around the car and to the door, though they held their breath as their boots crunched over the broken glass.

Giggling lightly, Eve nuzzled Sam's chest again. "Yeah...he probably isn't..." She stretched a bit, letting modesty go for a minute. "Uh...I'll get cleaned up." She blushed lightly and started to slide off the bed.

"Gotcha," Sam said as she remained on the bed.

Thankfully, the sound of crunching glass went unnoticed, the dead too concerned with the car alarm. James wondered where Don was, only to hear light panting behind him followed by more crunching glass. "Don," he whispered. "Is that you?" His fears were put to rest when he heard Don's voice. "Yeah, still here. Had to run around the block and avoid some walkers, but I'm good." Reassured, the trio now reunited entered the store. It was dark inside despite the daylight outside, and there was the smell of rotting flesh and fruit within. They clung together, though Don walked away for a brief moment to grab a shopping cart. Then they went to work gathering whatever was still good.

Eve gathered some towels and wiped herself down after wetting them with water, then slipped her panties on. She blushed, sliding on behind Sam after putting her shirt on. "I won't ask for more for a few days...I got my fill." She smiled. "So...don't worry I guess? I'm winging it right now..."

At that, Sam smiled and let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank god for that. Because I was starting to get stir crazy."

The first place the three of them hit, was the pharmacy. The gate for the window was open, so they managed to hop over and check for what may have been inside. They found a treasure trove of medication, all of which they happily tossed into the cart. "Don," James said. "Find another cart, and start grabbing any food. Look for canned or dried goods, stuff that hasn't expired yet." Don nodded, and quickly went to look for the cart and goods. "You should go with him," Marcus said. "I can take care of things from here." James didn't want to, but Marcus had a point. This was Don's first time being out in the field and he didn't want to risk him getting bitten.

Eve smiled and kissed Sam's cheek. "Doesn't get you out of hand-holding, hugging, cuddling, or kissing. But at least you can mostly keep your clothes on." She teased. "Now, uh...where did you throw my jeans? I mean, I'm ok walking around giving you a show...but mommy and daddy might not like me leaving the basement...underdressed."

"I didn't throw them Eve, they're down at the foot of the bed where they fell."

Leaving Marcus to the medication, James went off after Don. He found him a few aisles away, already guiding a cart and shoveling in cans of food. Even a few plastic wrapped boxes of.... "Pasta?" James asked. Don didn't even turn, as he kept putting things away into the cart. "Yeah, the stuff is dried up, and it's got an amazing shelf life when it's not opened. Now if only we had some meat sauce......or cheese to sprinkle on it."

Eve blushed. "Right..." She quickly retrieved them, pulling them on. "Uh...I'll...let you get dressed." Eve started for the door.

"Wait, you cook?" James was a little surprised. Don just kept grabbing food. "Yeah, a little. Used to cook for me and my sister before.....anyway, pasta was easy for me." He was done putting food away, and turned to look at James. "That's all of it. Let's meet up with Marcus."

"Thanks Eve." When she left, Sam started to get dressed.

Slipping out, Eve jogged upstairs.
"Hi mommy." She said, sitting down by her. Eve then pitched in, helping to scrub the clothing clean.

The pair of them headed back through the aisles to the pharmacy. As they moved though, a figure lurched out from around a corner in front of them: a zombie. "Jesus!" James shouted, before reaching for his knife and bringing it to bear. The walker lunged at him, arms outstretched and jaws open in a snarl, teeth bared. He thrust the knife forward, and it struck home into the eye of the dead human, killing it for a second time. "Damn, that was close," Don said, hands still on the cart. All James could do was nod, and they kept going towards the pharmacy.

As Hibiki and Eve continued to clean clothes, Mira stirred, finding herself pressed into a familiar pair of breasts.
"nnn..." She said, snuggling back in. "So soft..."

She promptly fell asleep. Again.

Meeting back up with Marcus, the three of them looked over what they had, and figured it was good enough for now. "Alright," Marcus said. "Let's take what we've got and get out of here. Mark the place on the map if we have to, but those walkers won't stay outside forever." Nodding, the three of them began moving, shoving the carts out and making a dash for the wall.

Two days. Two lousy, freaking days on the river. In the cold. With no gas in the tank. If Ella and her friends weren't up shit creek without a paddle before, they certainly were now. Thankfully, they were nearing another city, if the buildings were any indicator. The signs said "Owensboro." They might as well ditch the boat here and see if they could grab a vehicle. And with luck, there weren't any runners here.

After Sam finished getting dressed, she went up the stairs and out of the basement, finding Eve and Hibiki busy washing....stuff. "Hey. I'm going to check on Nomad, see how he's doing."

Flicker remained where she was as she watched the horde of undead wander past. One thing was certain the safest place was where they had just come from. After waiting for several tense minutes she climbed down from the diner and made her way from where the walkers had come from. Flicker darted from cover to cover, appearing briefly before disappearing again.
Eventually she came close enough to see a supermarket and she felt herself draw her slingshot, the comfortable arm brace sliding gracefully over her left arm, with her right she drew a heavy steel ball bearing and loaded it. Drawing the string back she moved onwards, watching the entrance to the store with caution. She could almost smell the food within, but the danger was obvious.
Other survivors could already be within there, did she want to risk it?
Flicker entered the store, moving silently, crouched down so that she was harder to see. There had to be people in here, there was no way that many walkers could have come from nowhere. It meant that someone must have let them out, but who? Or why? They would have to be pretty desperately hungry or sick to do something foolish like that. Not that she cared really, the survivors did as they liked and she did as she liked. Flicker made her way over to the canned soup isle and pocketing her slingshot eager grabbed a tin and drank the contents cold. Placing the empty can aside, she placed three in her backpack and turned to leave, a walker blocking her escape. It lunged for her, Flicker rolled and evaded swiftly swinging her backpack up onto her shoulders. However the walker stumbled over her empty can and crashed into the tins noisily spilling them from their shelves. The loud sound sent her bolting for the exit, the sound of her boots pounding the floor obvious.

When they heard the sound of cans flying and boots running over the floor, all three of them reached for their weapons. "Don Marcus, stay with the carts and get out! I'll check and see what it was!" And without giving them a moment to argue about it, James went to investigate. All he found though, at the source of the noise, was a bunch of fallen cans , and a flailing walker. With a look of disdain on his face, he walked over to the fallen creature and stomped down on its head, crushing the skull and causing it to cease moving. Before he left though......he grabbed some more cans and left.

The boat unfortunately, was not able to move. Without gas, Ella and her friends couldn't steer the ship over to the town, so they ended up doing something rather stupid: they jumped ship and swam. The current wasn't that bad, especially where they were, so close to the town, and they managed to make the swim, their stuff tucked away in backpacks that clung to them. Emerging from the water, soaked and water logged, they all looked around to check for walkers....or worse, runners. There were a few lumbering walkers, but none of the dangerous runners from before. Taking advantage of the fact, they made short work of the nearest walkers before moving further into town.

Flicker slid round a corner and nearly skidded into a shelf. She had avoided going directly back to the entrance surely expecting to find more walkers there. That was too close. She needed to get up off of the ground, so she clambered up onto of the shelves. At least now she could see the entire supermarket from here.
She scanned the area cautiously, crouching down low against the shelf so she would be harder to spot from afar. She had heard human voices during her moment of flight, that meant survivors... If she could find them and follow them back to their camp. Well there would be infinite resources available to her. But that of course meant following them unseen and undetected. They had to no she was here now... Or that someone was here with them, someone human.

Eve looked up. "Ok. I'll follow after I finish washing this shirt." She starts scrubbing one of Sam's shirts carefully, avoiding damage but cleaning it...somewhat.

Rejoining his friends outside, they began to make their way back to the wall, to the safety of their neighborhood. James kept them covered, gun raised and suppressor firmly attached, ready to take out any of the dead that came after them. Then....then something new occurred. He heard a scream, a shriek or something from behind, and he turned on pure reflex. There was a walker, another of the dead, and it was screaming, jaws wide open as it wailed in a bloodcurdling scream. Then to his surprise.....it broke into a sprint. Towards the three of them. "HOLY SHIT!!!" was all he could say, raising his gun to squeeze a round off at the running zombie. Years of practice allowed him to nail the zombie, a woman by the looks of it, right in the head. But the scream had the effect of drawing out more walkers. And more runners, who also began running after the new found prey. "Son of a bitch, move move move!" James shouted, panic in his voice. Marcus and Don never looked back, shoving at the carts and moving as fast as they could. James also ran, though he hung back to take shots now and then at the runners.

They heard the scream, Ella and her friends. They knew all too well what it meant. Before they could run in terror though, they heard the gunshots. A survivor. Or more. They couldn't pass up the opportunity; either they could help and get some kind of reward in exchange, or failing to help them they could scavenge anything they had from the remains. Either way worked, and they ran towards the noise.

"Sure thing Eve." Sam then left to the backyard, checking on the horse. Nomad, no longer tied up out front, was enjoying the backyard available to him, trotting along back and forth. It was clear he was happy.

Flicker who had been shadowing the group, heard the scream and then saw the running zombies. She looked surprised for a fraction of a second before darting up a nearby pipe and onto the roof top of a house. She was however... Not about to open fire and bring down the zombies. Such things might draw attention to herself and she had no desire to be a hero.
She followed from above, leaping from roof top to roof top with a practised ease. It enabled her to avoid zombies but the main flaw was that it possessed new dangers and risks of it's own. These running, screaming zombies brought out more zombies, both the standard walkers and the new sprinters. Flicker realised that should it come to a fight, these where the zombies to put down first.
She wondered if there could be other more dangerous variants of the standard walker, other than just the running type.
It was not something she really wanted to find out, however staying one step ahead of the enemy meant was crucial in survival. These zombies where also costing her, if the survivors got eaten then she would not find out where their camp was, if they escaped and she lost sight of them then she would not find out where their camp was. She had to speed up in order to keep pace and that meant taking more risks than she would have liked to.

(Sarah)

=I giggled slightly, feeling Mira in between my breasts once again=

Yeah...continue enjoying those for awhile...

=I sighed, my sleep accompanied by pleasant dreams=

Well...it seems Andrew may have finally banished him from my nightmares...

=However, none of them knew of the looming nightmare that was developing out there by beyond the walls of the town=

(Andrew)

=Andrew, however...was witness to the nightmare firsthand, along with James, Marcus, and the rest of the scouting party. His team was hitting the local hardware store for any valuable tools or any useful building materials, when they spotted the runners. He and his team fired on the runners, his eyes wide, and his face paled=

Holy fuck...I think...they've evolved...

=I voiced my thoughts along with the others=

Uhh...anyone seeing what I think I'm seeing?

=I felt like literally shitting myself=

I ran through the door of the house, slamming it behind me, and ran straight up the stairs, not bothering to check the house like I usually would.

"Oh shit, Oh shit, Oh shit, Oh shit...!" I sobbed as I heard something hit the door behind me. I ran into the bedroom, opposite the stairs, and slammed that door as well.

Thankfully, the room was empty, which wasn't going to make much difference right now. I managed to get the heavy wooden bed in front of the door, barricading it. With a heavy crash, something impacted the door, making it shake, followed by a screech.

"Oh my God," I sobbed, "I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die...!" I grabbed my head in despair as I stared at the door, which was hit again. I ran to the window, opened it, and looked down.
The fall's too much, I'd break my legs.

I looked around the streets, they were pretty much empty nearby, probably because whatever walkers had come into the house by now.

"HELP!" I screamed, praying to whatever God was there someone would hear me, "HELP! PLEASE!" I screamed again, feeling tears run down my face, "HELP!" I screamed again, my voice trailing off into sobs as the door was hit again.

Flicker skidded to a halt on the roof, her attention taken by the cry for help. Swift green eyes darted, scanning for the source before resting on someone shouting from a window. Someone in danger... Walkers and runners alike focusing on them and not her. It was not in her nature to help people, allies just slowed her down. She survived solo, like a predator.
There was something about the raw desperation in voice, that made Flicker think twice about abandonment. She wondered what it was, hoping that she was not losing her edge. Flicker had watched people die before, die so she could live, die so others could live. Why risk her skin to save someone else's.
She remained hesitant on the roof top of a nearby house, observing as her mind battled with the choices. Risk it or move on and shadow the other group. Flicker stayed where she was, for now as her mind battled and debated the choices. She was not well known for saving others.

I turned away from the window towards the door, panicking at the signs of breaking it was showing. It clearly wasn't going to hold much longer, and the bed wouldn't stop them too well. I spun back to the window, the windowsill was narrow, but if I left the window open, I could reach outside.

I looked up, the roof didn't look too far away, maybe I could reach it, and if I fell, the fall might kill me. I climbed up onto the sill, and reached out of the window for the roof.

My fingers couldn't reach the roof, brushing a few centimetres below it. So I jumped, barely managing to get my hands on the roof. I kicked against the window and the wall, trying to scramble up as I heard another crashing sound in the bedroom.

Upon that noise, my attempts to get up onto the roof became more frantic. I imagined the runners scrambling over the bed and running to the window... grabbing my ankle... dragging me down.

While they retreated, James tripped over a piece of garbage on the ground. It was a stupid mistake, but it happened and cost was him falling on his back. Oh fuck, not good, he thought to himself as the runners came at him. He raised his gun towards them, intent on taking them out. There were three of them left, but he had no idea if there were more on the way or not as he squeezed off more shots. He lamed one of them in the leg, reducing it to crawling on the ground, got another in the head.....and then the third he hit only in the chest, and it descended on him. Its jaws snapped wildly, seeking purchase on his flesh as he held up his hands, pushing back against its torso and keeping it off him, but its weight combined with its movements brought it ever closer. I'm going to die, aren't I? he thought to himself. Here on this street, at the hands of a fucking corpse. And I didn't get to see Hibiki one last time. At least, that's what was on his mind before a foot clad in a runners shoe came out of nowhere and impacted square in the side of the dead runner's head, sending it flying off him. Panting in both fear and relief, he looked up to see who his savior was, expecting Marcus or Don....or even Hibiki by some miracle. Instead, he got the biggest surprise of his life. "Ella?

Ella had arrived in time to see one of the living being attacked by the dead, the living corpse attempting to bite down on the flesh of their prey. Not wanting to see someone die today, she ran forward and kicked the zombie off the survivor, only to be stunned when she saw who was on the ground. "Ella?" James sputtered as he looked up at her. His face was in need of a shave and it looked like he had lost some weight, but it was him. She saw it in his eyes, heard it in his voice. It was definitely James Martin alright. "Jesus Christ, James? What the he-" She was cut off by her friend, the young girl yelling. "Dammit Ella, less talking more running!" the dark haired girl yelled as she raised a tiny revolver and shot down at the crawling zombie. Nodding, Ella got James to his feet. "Talk later," was all she said before shoving him forward, and they ran together, away from the nightmares behind them.

There was a crash below me as the door shattered.

The noise kicked my entire body into overdrive; pushing and pulling and scrambling on the wall, trying to get away from the window.
No, No, No, No, No, No, No! I thought desperately, still struggling on the wall of the house.

There was a screech inside the room.
Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit! I screamed mentally, kicking at the wall in a frenzy.

Until my foot found purchase on the wall.

Seizing my chance, I pushed as hard as I could and pulled with all my strength until I dragged myself over the top.

I laughed out loud, I was alive.

"Holy shit, I- I made it!" I panted, the adrenaline leaving my body as I lay on the roof. I would've cheered if I had the energy, but making it out of that building alive had exhausted me.

Flicker cursed her foul luck, she had been concerned by the antics of the single trapped survivor and now the group she had been tracking had escaped her sight. She sighed and took a deep breath, scanning the area around her from the safety of her own roof top. She needed a new plan, a good one and fast.
She needed to find the group and avoid being eaten. Any day she made it all the way to the end alive was a good day. It was time to pick up the trail and see if she could track them, after all what kind of predator could not track their prey?

Done with washing, Eve went outside. Rolling her hurt shoulder carefully, Eve began to run around the place, moreso just seein where she would end up.

Where she ended up was the infirmary. She stopped, then approached the guard.
"May I see Avery?" She asked innocently.

The guard shrugged, though nodded, stepping aside to let the girl pass.

James was beyond shocked to see his old friend, alive and well. The last time he had seen her, she was trapped in a van that went over a bridge back home and into a river. He thought she was dead. Was, clearly being the proper word now. But it didn't matter, now that they had to run from the dead. Not looking back, they ran until the wall came within sight, and James waved towards them. "Open the gates! Open them now!" Even as he yelled, he could hear more screaming behind him, very much like the first runner. It had to be more of them. The gates began to pull open, even as guards above fired their weapons at unseen targets behind the fleeing group. And then they were through, and safely behind the gates, already closing behind them. Marcus and Don, heaving for air as they clung to the shopping carts, barely looked at anything besides the ground. Even though the gates were closed....there was the sound of pounding and banging against them, much louder and more violent than normal walkers. More gunshots rang out from the guards, and it stopped.

Ella and her companions took a moment to breathe, before she straightened herself and came face to face with James, who was still staring at her with utter shock on his face. "What the hell Ella? You're supposed to be dead! I saw your damn van go over the bridge!" She sighed, feeling that now was as good a time as any to explain. Though she was still trying to get over the shock that he was alive after all this time. "Yeah, the van went over.....but when it landed in the water, I managed to get out and swim to shore. Met up with some other survivors and didn't have time to look for you. Been running around since then." He was silent for a moment. Then he calmly walked over to her, and pulled her into a hug. "Jesus it's good to see you again Ella. Goddamn....I've missed you so much." The moment was ruined though, when Marcus, Don, and the guards drew their weapons on Ella and her friends.

(Andrew)

=My team was fleeing right behind James' team, firing sporadic gunshots back into the runners. I felt like I wanted to shit myself. My team and I were also dodging gunshots from the wall guards. We did manage to make it through the wall with James' group, my face still pale with fear=

Good god...As if we've got enough to worry about already...

=I faintly hear guns being drawn, and then look to the guards=

Here's a piece of advice...look where you're aiming...

=I place my hands on my knees, barely suppressing the urge to gag=

The guards didn't bother responding to Andrew, seeing as they had more important things to attend to. Like the three outsiders who just ran into the compound, one of whom was currently being talked to by James. Their guns raised and aimed at the three new people. James quickly noticed, and let go of Ella, though he kept his arms outstretched in an effort to put himself between her and the guns. "Hey drop the weapons, she's cool. She's a friend of mine." Marcus wasn't convinced. "Yeah? You just said you thought she died. That the last time you saw her was two years ago James. Are you sure she's still your friend?" To be fair, it was a good question. Even if she stopped to save his life. "Look.....I know it's been a long time, but I trust her. She saved my life when she didn't even know who I was." James was surprised when he felt Ella's hand come to rest on his shoulder. It was a feeling he had not felt in a long time.

"It's okay James. Their house, their rules." She stepped out from behind him, hands raised in surrender. "Look, just treat us fair and I promise we won't be a hassle. But we just swam across a river after spending two days adrift on a boat with no gas, after running for our lives from running zombies. So do you think you can spare a granola bar for me and my friends?" The guards, Marcus, and even Don blinked in surprise.

Eve smiled and walked past the man, slipping through people until she finally reached Avery. The brunette had a few bruises and scars, but she smiled at the young girl.
"Hey. Thanks for coming."
Eve walked over and climbed into the bed after removing her shoes. The covers over their legs, Eve threw her leg over Avery's and went shoulder to shoulder.

Eve had started to do this when, during a mental breakdown, Avery spilled her heart out. One of the things that came out was regarding her and her best friend Mick, who had been killed by Shepherds years ago. They did that and watched the stars at night.

"Feeling better? Think you can get out soon?" Eve asked.
"Maybe...docs want me still. Said the amount of abuse on all of us was atrocious..." She looked at her lap. "I'm still trying to cope with the fact a kid saved my ass. One what, five years my junior?"
"About that." She replied. Avery laughed. "Thank for stopping by...but I think you have someone, right?"
"Yeah. But she's taking care of the horse. I thought you might like some company."
Avery ruffled Eve's hair. "You're a good kid...Go to your girl, alright? I regret a lot. So don't waste time."
"Time with friends is time well spent." Eve replied.

Avery teared up. "God why do you make me wanna go lesbian?"

It was a few minutes later, that Ella and her friends were sent to lock up. Lock up was in reality being locked in a cell in the sheriff's office, one of the few empty ones they had. The rest were filled with the captured Shepherds. Ella and her friends didn't have much to do, aside from sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, or just standing around. They weren't alone long though, when James came in to speak with them. Well, Ella anyway. "Hey Ella," he said, walking in from the other room and grabbing one of the bars. She smiled and walked over, her own hand coming to rest on his. "Hey. So, any idea how long they plan on keeping us in here?"

He frowned. "Well they have me to vouch for you Ella, so you might get out sooner than your friends." He looked beyond her to them, raising a brow. "Who's name's I still don't know." She blushed at that. "Sorry, I forgot. This is Aiden, Mr. Tall dark and brooding." She ponted out the slightly tanned individual leaning against the wall, arms crossed and a frown on his face. "The girl's name is Estel." The girl sitting on the floor, who looked up and smiled.

After their chat, Eve left Avery to rest, and headed out...when she spotted the people that got back.
Catching one of the guys from Andrew's team, she found out he last saw James going to the Sheriff's Office.

Hurrying off, Eve slipped inside and spotted James. She ran up ad hugged him.
"Daddy! You're back!"

Everyone blinked. James because he was caught off guard by the hug Eve gave him, along with the fact that she showed up out of nowhere. Ella because she never ever expected James to be called daddy, least of all by a girl nearly half his age. It was her turn to arch a brow at him, and he tried to smile, but what came out was more of a grimace. "Ella....this is Eve. My daughter." And then he showed Ella Eve."

Eve's smile faltered a bit. "Hi..." She waved. "I'm Eve..."
The girl snuggled into James' side. "Daddy? Why is...Ella...in jail?" She asked softly, looking at the three locked up.

He sighed, feeling an explanation coming. "It's a long story. Short version, they're new arrivals and until we can prove they mean no harm they stay here. I'm vouching for her, but as for Aiden," he gestured to the man, "and Estel," the girl, "they may be in here for a little longer until we can sort this out." He rubbed Eve's shoulder. "Ella's an old friend of mine." She chuckled at that. "Don't be so modest James." She bent down to look at Eve. "I....used to be your father's girlfriend when we were in high school."

Eve blinked. "Oh. Uh. Well. Daddy, you should tell her now." She then pulled away and knelt by the door, looking at Estel. "Hi. I'm Eve."

James simply rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah....well Ella, thing is I got married almost a month ago." At that, Ella grinned and through the bars thumped James' shoulder. "Good for you. You deserve it." As for Estel, she simply sat there and scowled at Eve. "Hi, I'm none of your business."

Eve seemed taken back. She blinked, then frowned. "Fine. Sorry for trying to be nice." Eve stood and turned around, and started to walk out, obviously offended.

Estel didn't care if she offended Eve. Honestly she wasn't in the habit of making friends with a girl she just met, as opposed to the girl she was in lock up with. To her, Eve hadn't earned the chance. James sighed again as Eve left, though he didn't say anything. Ella however.... "Dammit Estel, would it kill you to be nice for a change?" Estel actually thought about it. "Maybe," was all she said.