ZRP-2: Chapter 4, Backtracking

"Or tie an alarm clock to the lead zombie and point them at the river." Eve said.

(Sam)
"Wouldn't they keep following us though?"

(James)
"That and I don't think we have N alarm clock on us right now."

"Then tie Sam to one." Eve said somewhat harshly.
Ever since the attack, Eve was on edge. She coulsnt explain it and couldn't stop it.
It scared her...and what she just said...
Fuck.
Fuckfuckfuck.
Fuck

(Sam)
"Whoa, hey that's harsh Eve. I don't remember suggesting you to be bait."
=I guess it was normal for her to be hostile towards me at the moment, but still=

Eve didn't respond verbally...instead, she hung her head shamefully, and then nearly tripped on something.
Andrew's arrows hung heavy.
So did the arrow Sam handed her.

(Sam)
=Despite the hostile nature she had towards me, I still turned around when I heard her stumble=
"Eve, you okay?"

(James)
"Quiet."

Eve tuthfully shook her head at SM's quesrion, but remained quiet as Hibiki put a hand on her sword.

(James)
=I waited a moment, scanning the area with my bow. No walkers yet, but I cold have sworn I heard low moans from behind the buildings, suggesting there was a high number=
"Okay, we need to pick up the pace."

Eve straggled back towards the rear of the group.
She disnt want to face the music.

(Sam)
"Got it."
=We broke into a jog, moving down the street at a faster pace=

"Gotta say, bit of a shame. All these nice stores....."

(James)
=I would have turned back to look at her, had I not been so focused on what was in front of me=
"Really Sam? Now you want to go shopping? Maybe when we're done you and Eve can go look for some new clothes."

"Thanks."

Was all I said as I went inside and took my coat off. Which was most of the weight I was carrying, considering most of weaponry was in there.
Probably should've dropped them off at my... place... That's kind of weird. Saying my place, anyway.

"How've you been?"

Eve felt bad now.
But now...she was too scared to apologize.
Too scared to do anything but watch the rear.

(Sam)
"Heh, not sure how good an idea that would be James. Not if all these walkers are out here."
=As if on cue, another walkers rounded the corner. Acting solely on reflex, I jabbed forward with the knife, hitting the corpse right between the eyes=

(James)
=I had missed the walker, a stupid mistake that was fixed by the quick actions of Sam. But there was another walker coming, and she was too busy getting the knife out. I aimed the bow, and fired an arrow into its eye=

Eve looked up.
They had it.
But she still...she...
Eve just sighed with sadness and frustration as Hibiki drew her sword.

(James)
=Before I knelt down for the arrow, I looked back at Eve. She looked troubled yes, but worst of all: distracted=
"Eve, honey. I know that the past few days have been stressful for you, and I'm willing to give you as much time as you need. But right now, get your fucking head in the game."

Eve looked up.
Right now...she just wanted to curl up in bed and cry.
But she tightened her grip and nodded.

(James)
=I saw the nod, and grinned a little=
"Good girl. Just keep it together, okay?"

=Then I turned around, and started jogging again. We needed to reach the warehouse district asap, and I could already see the one of the buildings signifying we were getting closer=

(Sam)
=Despite the fact that I knew what probably had her troubled, I hung back to jog alongside Eve=
"Eve....I know this isn't the time, but can we talk later?"

Eve looked up and nodded.
"And...I'm sorry. That was wrong of me to say."

(Sam)
"No....you were justified in saying it Eve. But like James said, now isn't the time. You don't have to like me, but at least work with me."

(James)
=Finally (finally!) we got to the warehouse district. Dozens of large buildings, all of them warehouses with varying labels and posters on the side, stood silent, vacant. God knows what was in them, and maybe some of them were still filled with valuables. But for now, we needed to find a truck, and a big one at that=

Eve reached out to touch Sam's shoulder. "It takes a minute ro like, a month to form a crush, months to love...but a lifetime to forget."
As they entered, Eve raised her bow.

(Sam)
=I decided to drop the conversation there, and silently pondered what she said. The warehouse, in the meantime, towered over us. They always seemed bigger on the inside than out, and this was no different. However, it was a bit spacious, with only several clusters of crates or metal cargo containers lining the walls. So far, no truck=
"Let's check the other warehouse. Two groups, two people for each group?"

(James)
"Sounds good. Let's split. Hibiki, you and Sam check the first two to the left, Eve and I will check the first two on the right."
=I didn't want to split from Hibiki, but I had a feeling Eve would concentrate better if Sam wasn't close by=

Hibiki nodded, moving near Sam.

Eve walked over to James.

(James)
=I held back a sigh of relief, thankful that they accepted the grouping. We left the warehouse, and split, Eve and I going right while Sam and Hibiki went left. Once we were far enough, and I was sure there were no walkers around, I struck up a conversation with my daughter=
"So Eve....you okay?"

(Sam)
=I wondered, if talking with Hibiki would be a good idea or not. I mean, I did dump her daughter=

Eve shook her head. "Takes a minute to like, an hour to form a crush, and an hour to love...but a lifetime to forget."

Hibiki went first

(James)
=I grunted=
"Hit you that hard huh? Well....not much I can say Eve. I mean, I've been there, in a way. But never anything like this."

(Sam)
=The silence was starting to kill me=
"Hibiki....are we still, you know, talking?"

Eve kept alert.
"My heart was ripped to pieces." Was all she said.

Hibiki sighed. "I don't know Sam. I could strangle you right now."

(Sam)
"I think Eve would be upset though, that you beat her to the punch.":
=I sighed, kinda upset that I was cracking jokes=

"Eve and I are going to talk about this, later. And for the most part, we've been doing our best to stay friends. And maybe that was how we should have been, at first anyway."

(James)
"And I've had to watch my daughter endure that pain Eve. You're not the only one hurting."
=That may have been insensitive, to her pain and I felt the need to apologize=

Hibiki nodded. "She loves you. A true, pure love...maybe you should have started as friends..." she sighed. "What ever you do, don't taint that purity."

Eve sighed. "You have the one you love. All I have is an unfufilled heart."

(James)
=I stopped in my tracks, eyes closed. I wasn't upset, but the conversation of love dredged up some old memories=
"Eve, there was a small reason I never got with Sam, when she and I met. Before the outbreak, I had a life. And there was someone else I loved, long before your mom. But she died, got eaten. And that left a hole in my heart, one that had only just healed by the time I met Hibiki....my point is that it's empty now, but eventually it will get better. And I know Sam better than you; I see how she looks at you, and despite everything she still loves you."

(Sam)
"I'm not going to."

"She doesn't love me the same." Eve said sasly.

Hibiki put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Just follow your heart, and keep hers clean."

(James)
"Giver time Eve."
=I knelt down, looking her squarely in the eyes=

"Love....is something that can't be rushed, or forced. It has to be something both people feel, truly. But most of all, it has to be something they find, not given."

(Sam)
=I gave a snort of derision=
"Hibiki, there is no chance of me corrupting Eve. None at all."

"You haven't spent two years with her." Hibiki said.

Eve nodded. "Ok."

(Sam)
=Something cracked inside me. Nothing that made me cry, or snarl in anger. Just....cracked=
"And I want to spend many more years with her Hibiki. But I just don't know if it will be as her lover, or her friend."

(James)
"Good. Now what do you say we keep moving, and find that truck?"
=I said the last bit with a pat on her shoulder=

Hibiki risked it and gebtly hugged Sam.
"She doesn't want a lover. She wants a girlfriend. To her, a lover is mostly for sex. She wants a true relationship." Hibiki pulled back. "She knows what she wants. Now you need to figure out what you want."

Eve smiled slightly. "Lets."

(Sam)
"Bit of a battle between what I want....and what I need."
=With that said, we kept walking. I doubted we'd find what we needed inside a warehouse, so I checked the spaces between. Nada=

(James)
=Standing back up, I entered the next warehouse=
"Good girl."

"What do you need?" Hibiki asked.

Eve followed James obediently.

(Sam)
"I don't know, to be honest. At first what I needed was a friend, someone to help me through the loss of my home. I had James for a bit, before he was comforted by you."
=That last bit came out more accusatory than I meant, and I shot her an apologetic look=

(James)
"Dammit, still nothing. Okay, next warehouse, then we regroup."

"Then you had Eve..." hibiki sighed. "Sam. What you need is someone. Now, what do you want from that relationship?"

Eve nodded.

(Sam)
"Hibiki, at that time I needed someone from the camp, my own age. James had you, Andrew had Mira. And as much as I care for her...all I had was Eve, crying in my room telling me how sorry she was, that she was sorry her father did this. As for what I want....I just want someone who loves me because they really love me, not because they feel an obligation to comfort me because their relative burnt my home to the ground."

(James)
=Finally, we hit paydirt: a large truck, one of the U-Haul trucks, and a big one at that. It looked worn, but intact=

Hibiki turned cold.
"Are you deaf? Idiotic? Have you not heard a word I said? She loves you. Loves. You. Not pities you because her father burned your home to the ground. Not all relationships are perfect, but Eve does the best she can. She got better with you. Because she finally had someone."

Hibiki headed for the exit. "She really loves you. Maybe you should have not done the very thing you left her for."

Eve checked the back door and prepared to open it.

(Sam)
=Well, not really much I could say to that. I was just so confused by everything going on, that it felt more like I was fighting against getting into a relationship with Eve. It was odd though; did I really hate this whole thing that much, that I was going to spout whatever bullshit I possibly could to make sure it never happened? Goddamn it all.....all I wanted was an easy solution, but sadly...there were none. All I could do was follow Hibiki in sullen silence=

(James)
"Wait, Eve be careful, we're not sure what's i--"
=She opened it before I finished=

The only thing needed was the heavenly music.
There.
Right there.
Candy.
MOUNTAINS OF CANDY.
CandY!
Eve imbed in and threw herself upon her prize. "DIBS!"

Hibiki sighed to herself. She hoped Eve was having a better time.

(James)
=I practically ran to the end of the truck, and saw Eve more or less dive into a pile of candy. God I hoped it was till good=
"Uh, Eve? Take it easy there. Lack of dentist means lack of tooth care, and you really don't want your teeth to rot."

(Sam)
=I decided to radio James. Or Eve. Maybe Eve. So cranking the walkie, I pressed the button=
"Hey, you guys still there? Find anything?"

(James)
=I heard Sam's voice over the walkie. I immediately grabbed it, and thumbed the button allowing me to speak=
"A truck, big one. And enough candy to give my daughter one helluva toothache....or tummy ache."

Eve cranked her walkie.
"Lifesaver gummies. I'm in heaven."

Hibiki started giggling uncontrollably. "She would find the candy."

(James)
"Eve, now is hardly the time to indul.....is that a Tootsie Pop? A brow, Tootsie Pop?"
=I suddenly eyed a lollipop on top of the pile, brown wrapping paper around the head. I picked it up and found to my delight that, indeed it was, a Tootsie Pop=

(Sam)
"Really? We're in an area with walkers and maybe raiders, and we stop for candy?"
=I silently milled over that idea though=

"Save me a strawberry Jolly Rancher."

Eve was a kid in a candy shop as she devoured some lifesaver gummies.
She was pretty much happy for the moment.

Hibiki sighed. "Lets go."

(James)
=Unwrapping the tiny lollipop, I stuck it in my mouth. Oh god, it had been way too long since I had tasted anything like this, and as Eve went nuts, I stood watch, bow out and the stick sticking out, almost like a cigarette=

(Sam)
=Not willing to risk Eve eating what I was after, I broke into a jog=
"Race ya there."

(Andrew)

=I go out a little past the warehouse district, not much more than a quarter of a mile. and used my rifle's scope to take a peek at anything that was coming=

Well...let's see what we've got here again...

=I then see what I had confirmed on my earlier venture outside: walkers, and they now numbered several dozen. I felt a trickle of fear run up my spine, but quickly clamped down on it. I then take out the walkie that I was provided and get on the horn with James=

Hey man, I don't mean to bother you, but it looks like we got a whole mess of walkers coming our way. So please tell me you found that truck.

=I look once again=

Cause we're gonna need it, and fast.

Hibiki ran, beating Sam there.
"Hey."

As Sam arrived, Eve climbed down from the truck, and held out a handful of Strawberry Jolly Ranchers. "I'm sorry for the touble I have been causing you." She said, holding out the peace offering.

(Sam)
=Somewhat shocked at her sudden peace offering, I happily took the small candies, and decided I may as well surprise her in return. Kneeling down, I hugged her=
"Apology accepted. Will you accept mine for the trouble I caused you?"

(James)
=I got distracted by the scene, when I heard Andrew's voice=
"How far out are they? Because I've got nothing here."