ZRP-2 Chapter 6: Scattered

*Marcus*
"Heh, I'll be sure to send them to the 'special hell."

(James)
"Huh, quite a list there. You work in a fast food restaurant before swat?"
=Granted, the thought of her in a fast food uniform was.....weird=

"My mom taught me to cook to avoid such food." Hibiki stated. "But I did serve a small stint at McDonalds. Hated the place."

Eve sighed. "Not all of them deserve a special hell, in the end..."

*Marcus*
"Eve....with the exclusion of you, nearly all of them deserve to go to hell."

(James)
"You worked in a McDonald's? Seriously?"

"No...there are other children like me. Brainwashed and tortured into being...this. Sleepers. Traveling with people, ruining livfe after life. Killing whoever gets in their way. Not everyone like me will meet a mother, and someone who they can open their heart up and give themselves up to. No, Marcus. Not me. Not just me."

Eve looked up at him. "Every single one of them deserves to have a life like me."

Hibiki chuckled. "Had to get pay my way through college somehow."

*Marcus*
"If you want to take responsibility for them, be my guest. But if any of them come after me, or my people.....I'll choose us over them."

(James)
"Yeah, I guess."
=My stomach grumbled at the smell of the fish cooking, eager for lunch=

"I know." Eve said quietly. "Which is why I was fine with you locking me up...I...didn't...didn't think James would..."
Eve sniffed, tears forming. "I didn't think he'd want to ever see me again."

Hibiki groaned. "That smells so good..."

Abel didn't like this, moving in a large group that is, he'd never traveled like it before.  The farthest he went with a group this size was from the LDT to St. Louis, and that trip was in vehicles, now they were moving along the countryside in huge numbers.

Abel held his stockless twelve-gauge in his hands as he walked with the group.  They all stopped once a town was seen, then started up again.  Abel moved over to Cooper, a man that he had yet to actually have any sort of conversation, but seemed to be the appointed leader of this group.

"Are you sure taking shelter in a town is a good idea?  I mean, I did all the time when I traveled alone, but with all these people? one small noise and we could have a horde of those things on us."

*Marcus*
=He sighed, unsure of what to do. He had an idea of what to say=
"Well, you can rest assured that wherever he is, he wants to be with you."

(Sam)
=The view from the top of the building wasnt great, but decent. There were a lot of walkers in town, but from the looks of things not enough to be a real danger anymore, at least in their numbers=

(James)
"Yes it does. We sold get the plates out now. Trevor, get Mark down here for some grub."
=He nodded, and left Hibiki and I alone=

"Still wish I had a kiss the cook apron...."

*Cooper*
"We don't have much choice. Either we sleep with a roof over our heads, or we sleep out in the open. I don't know about you, but I'd rather sleep somewhere with walls and a roof."

(Andrew)

=I sighed. Everyone was tired, sore, rough looking, and jumpy. I wasn't the exception. The possibility of walkers made me feel a bit nervous=

Boy to we all, Cooper...

=I kept walking, covering my mouth to stifle a yawn=

Abel eyed Cooper with a glare.

"Walls and a roof are a good way to get trapped.  I don't know if you know this, but a regular house isn't as secure as your fortress back in Saint Louis, and if I recall, even that was overrun."

Those past three weeks in a train got Abel a little more on edge than he normally was and it showed from his attitude.

Mira patted Jen's shoulder then jogged up to get to Andrew and Sarah.

Eve smiled. "Yeah..."

Hibiki headed over and rummaged around. "We have plates?"

*Cooper*
=He didn't get angry, though his voice did take a certain edge=
"You don't like it, feel free to leave. Last time I checked, no one is making you stay here."

(James)
"I'd imagine so. If not....we have nothing but our hands to hold searing fish."

*Marcus*
"So my advice, focus on your own life, and the people in it. Let everyone else take care of themselves."

Hibiki produced a few plates. "Here."

Eve nodded. "Ok."

Abel glared for a second more.  He was half tempted to take off right then, but the truth was that he had nowhere else to go.

"Someone has to stick around to say 'Told ya so' when you screw up."

Abel rested his shotgun on his shoulder as he walked toward the back of the group.

*Cooper*
=All he could do was sigh, and keep n walking=

(James)
"Great, bring them here."
=I already had one.....steak, lifted up with the spatula=

*Marcus*
=Nothing else to say, he left the table. But before he walked out the door, he made sure to leave the card on the table=

Hibiki brought them over.

Eve took the card and slipped it into her breast pocket.

(Andrew)

=I looked at the two and a look of concern appeared on my face=

It's just a matter of time...but someone's going to snap...

=I kept walking, hoping that there weren't any walkers to notice that argument=

(James)
=Placing each fillet on a plate, I turned off the grill and put the tool in the sink. Trevor and Mark entered soon after, and they each grabbed one of the plates. However....neither of them were really talkers, and they left for their own private area. Mark went back to the bridge, Trevor went out onto the deck, and Hibiki and I just sat on the couch=

When Hibiki had sat down, she dug in quickly, wolfing down every bite she had on the plate in half the time James was going to take. She didn't talk, she honestly just ate.
it was obvious she was ravenous.

(James)
=I blinked at the way she ate with abandon=
"Uh, you going to check for bones at all?"

=Which was something I did, breaking m fish apart so I could check for bones=

(Andrew)

=I look at Cooper and Abel and shake my head, looking to an incoming Mira and I let her catch up=

I swear, those two are going to be like an old married couple.

=I then amended=

That didn't come out the way I intended.

Giving James a pointed look, she pointed to a pile of bones on her plate.
"I know."

(James)
"Oh. Okay."
=With that, I went back to eating. I leaned against her a little, glad she was here=

Leaning back, Hibiki quietly put her plate to the side and pressed against James, eyes closed.

(James)
=I was still slowly eating, savoring the fish=
"That was fast. In a hurry are we?"

"I was starving." Hibiki said.

(James)
=Chuckling, I pressed against her myself=
"Still, thought you'd want to savor it."

=My hand trailed down to her own, resting on top. Just like the food....I savored the sensation of her skin on mine=

(Sam)
=Once we had all gone silent, the walkers, at least those farther away, calmed down and went back to roaming the town. Those still closer to us though had to be dealt with=

"Tell that to our kid." Hibiki said somewhat sourly.

(James)
"Heh, cravings?"

I put my arm around her shoulders and walk with her.
"I know I haven't been really... talkative lately. It's just... I don't know. I expected the Elites to be more then what they are.
And losing the Compound... completely threw me off. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you."

"I crave the souls of children." Hibiki said deadpan.

(James)
=I chuckled, setting the plate down on the floor=
"Don't let Eve hear you say that, she might believe you."

*Cooper*
=As they got closer, a sudden sound made them all freeze. It was the unmistakeable crack, of a gunshot=
"Get down, down!"

=He and several other crouched low, doing their best to hide. The grass, not not tall, was dotted with shrubbery for them to hide behind=

(Andrew)

=I froze for a brief second, then Sarah, Mira and I dropped to the grass=

Who the hell was that?

=I aimed my rifle towards the gunshot=

*Dex*
=Peering through his scope, he found there was no one with a rifle, at least aimed at them. But there was further gunfire, and he saw more walkers moving for the center=
"Sounds like survivors are holed up somewhere. Walkers probably swarming them."

*Cooper*
"Dammit.....alright, we move for the furthest building, and take it. Nice and quiet, lets not draw attention to ourselves."

(Andrew)

=I nod mutely and get up slowly, Sarah and Mira following my lead=

Right...but the sooner we get shelter, the better.

=I move forward slowly=

Jenn stuck with Tyler as Mira nodded, keeping up with Andrew.

Hibiki cracked up. "True...she might..."

When gunfire was heard, Abel dropped prone and listened to what was happening. Once he heard Cooper say they were gonna move to a building, he stood up. Abel's shotgun wasn't pumped, but it would make too much noise at the moment, so he would have wait for trouble to happen to rack it. He waited for one of the Elites to start moving first.

(James)
"Then again, I'm sure she'd know you would never eat her soul."

*Cooper*
=He and two others moved first, edging towards the closest building, though they had no idea what it really was since they were coming a it from the rear. He looked over his shoulder, made a gesture to a group of people, and pointed for the other building next to the first=

"You still got that gun-"

I mentally facepalm myself. I could see her gun, she still had it.

"Nevermind. Just be ready to defend yourself."

I spoke in a whisper. I wasn't sure how she felt about fighting again. I hope we don't have to fight any humans. Even though it's bound to happen.

Then I got up and followed the Elite man, Cooper I think it was. My pistol already out and safety off.

Abel held his shotgun and moved with the group, farther in the back, behind Andrew.

Mira follwed Andy.

Hibiki nodded. "She would."

(James)
=I wasn't sure what else to do or say, so I just sat there, pressed agains her. Maybe that was enough=

*Cooper*
=His men moved into their own building, finding themselves in a back room filled with cardboard boxes. They moved to another door, and found they were in a hardware store=

(Andrew)

=Mira, Sarah and I moved into a building across from what looked like a hardware store=

What the heck is this place...?

=I then have a just awful smell hit me in the nose and I curse=

What the hell...? Where are we?

"Hardware store silly." Mira quipped quietly.

(James)
=Eventually I got tired of just sitting there in silence=
"So.....what now? Just sit here and wait for the next town?"

*Cooper*
=He moved to the front of the store, keeping low and behind the glass=
"Okay, there's a shit load out there. Lets try and....I don't know, cover the windows with something, try and stay hidden."

=With what though, he had no idea=

"Pretty much James...it's all we can do."

Mira looked around. "hardware store...we can use benches and those shelves."

*Cooper*
"Then do it. But quietly."

(James)
"Could always take a nap. Or play cards...."
=Suddenly I longed for a book=

(Andrew)

=I nodded and looked to Sarah and Mira=

C'mon...let's find one and get to it.

=I find a loose shelf and motion for them to give me a hand=

Mira nodded, and started directing people.

Hibiki sighed. "Poker?"

(James)
"Sure. Anything to break the boredom. But uh.....what are we go g to play for?"

*Cooper*
=Outside, he could see down the street that nearly all the walkers were gathering outside what looked like a bookstore, the windows shattered but blocked by bookcases. In the meantime, his people began piling shelves, bags, whatever they could to actually block line of sight. Some even splattered paint on the glass=