Trust (Ellie, Eris, Kaylee)

[Eris Kale]

Mid-morning with a slight chilly wind. Summer had been kind to them so far as it had awoken recently, leaving enough time for the crop rotation. Two guards sat perched on the watchtower of the dam as a flock of finches flew overhead, rattling the branches with their incessant chirping. One of the men, a burly male in his late 30's and the other, a skinny, slightly malnourished man in his late teens. The larger man squinted into the distance, his vision slightly obscured as sunlight drained from cloud cover, making things seem hazed and discoloured. He raised a pair of binoculars and squinted again through their lens. His jaw lightly dropped, teeth chattering as if he struggled for words as what he suspected came to full realisation. Without a second warning he jabbed the second man next of him with his elbow, causing the other to stir violently awake from his slumber. "You seein' this shit, Cullen?" The burly guard spoke gruffly as the second fumbled with the binoculars before staring through them. "Holy shit..." Was all that Cullen said as a horrifying cry came from the woods. A woman, no doubt, running from a horde of infected. It was the largest horde they'd seen in months. At least thirty were on the female's heels as she trudged up the embankment of the river, the waves doing nothing to stop the horde's speed. She let out a shriek, forcing the burly guard to pick up his sniper rifle and aim her down his scope.

"What are you doing!? We can't just shoot her!" Cullen protested as he lowered the binoculars and tried to pry the barrel of the rifle away with his hands. He wasn't successful as the other simply shoved him off. "Shut up, I'm not gonna shoot her. That'll just draw the horde toward us and you know sure as hell this place can't take another beating." And he was correct. After all the recent bandit attacks, the dam was in a sorry state. The concrete fortifications had come under a barrage of home-made explosives, causing large cracks to appear in the perimeter. The holes created were big enough to become a major problem and with the risk of having their precious electric power taken away, the people of Tommy's Dam had become highly guarded. Most were run down after spending too many hours on night watch. Others were called in to go out and scavenge for materials that could have been used to seal the walls. All they had at the moment to stop anyone from coming in and out was the large electric gate and the mass sheets of metal piled up as a makeshift fence.

"Psh..." All of the commotion occurring in the guardstower could be heard by almost anyone standing within earshot, including the woman who stood nearby under the wall in handcuffs. She and a few others had come to the dam in search of refuge. Trekking on the road had been dangerous and so finding shelter was a rare blessing. However they were extremely distrustful of strangers so Eris had agreed to lay down her arms and be forced into cuffs during most of her stay until her loyalty had been gained, and for good reason. They knew she was dangerous. However, she found the last two weeks in handcuffs to be rightfully annoying. The bandit attacks and meandering hordes of infected were duties she felt she could handle, however despite her protests they kept her locked down and only uncuffed her during emergencies or when she needed to do her chores. Piling cow shit was the majority of her work alongside carrying out rubbish and cleaning the messhall. All in all she felt belittled and unable to prove her worth. However Maria was hard to argue against and putting up a fight when trying to gain someone's trust wouldn't be acceptable, especially when you were unarmed.

But until that time came, Eris could only sit back and watch the days go past making idle conversation when she could. Her other comrades had been off in the camp doing their duties probably in cuffs as well. She had to admit, the whole place was quite orderly and well maintained and the view offered was spectacular, especially during sunsets. But for just once she'd wish she could do something productive instead of being treated worse than most of the children. The hooded woman leaned her back into the wall and gazed toward the clouds while letting out a silent sigh, hoping and praying that someone or something out there would give her a chance to do a rewarding task.

[Kaylee Price]

"Price!"

Kaylee turned from where she was removing the saddle from her gelding, seeing the familiar figure trot toward her. "Hello, Jim! How are the kids doing?" While it took quite some time for her to get comfortable with any two legged creature, Kaylee had known Jim Trist and his family for the better part of ten years, so to say she was comfortable with him was an understatement. He'd helped with a few things on the ranch, and she had helped with things on the dam. If she had to be by a group of people, she was happy it was this one - where everyone knew the other and were helpful. "Eh, can't complain. They're alive and doing well." "And Reilly?" "She's due any day now! Hopin' it goes well." "Me too.", she replied, before uncinching the saddle the rest of the way and removing it from Maverick's back. Going the few feet to swing it up on the available pipe that she normally doubled as a saddle rack, Kaylee glanced back at the mature - but still young she supposed - man that was still hoovering around. "What can I do for you?"

"Aww, well Maria told me to snag you if you came into town. See, we caught a girl snooping around and she's in cuffs right now. Maria don't trust her one bit, you know, but it'd be nice to get her doing something productive instead of just eating rations, so she asked me to see if you'd be willing to take her out of the dam, maybe put her to work up at your ranch for a few days. Figured you could handle that, and there's always plenty of work around your place." Patting Maverick in thought, Kaylee gave him a deciding slap on his hindquarters and then dusted off her hands by brushing them against her jeans. "She dangerous?" "Eh, we can't be taking chances. Heard the Fireflies were regrouping, and the hunters have been pushing at us bad lately.""Well...why don't you take me to her? I'll see what I can do.""Hey, thanks, Price!" Nodding to show she acknowledged his words, Kaylee spoke a command to her gelding and followed the eager stride of the man as he walked through the dam.

As soon as they were nearly to the woman she assumed was the one, screeches were heard. "Shit.", she muttered, glancing over her shoulder. Infected. "Shit, Price. Let-""Give me the handcuff keys, then you go help. I'll be up in a minute." When they were tossed at her, Kaylee cradled her rifle under her arm and jogged toward the woman that was looking quite restless in her handcuffs. Hell of a place to be when the infected attacked - handcuffed. "Hey, you know how to use a rifle?", Kaylee asked while she fitted the key in the keyhole and turned to unlock them. "Follow me, we've got work to do." The look Kaylee sent her didn't leave room for argument. "Don't know you from Adam, but you run off or try to shoot us in the back, and I'll deal with you the same as I deal with infected." With that she hefted her rifle in her arms and took off in a jog once more toward the side the commotion was coming from. Hell of a day to come into the dam for supplies.

[Eris Kale]

And as if divine forces actually worked or existed, Eris caught sight of her prayers being answered. A woman, sturdy and tanned came rushing toward her with keys in hand. Eris gathered that she must had been one of the farmers by the looks of her, possibly one of the ranchers. Without question she threw out her cuffed wrists, the mechanism being released and falling to the ground in a small clatter. A sounding wail resonated once within the dam, alerting all available personnel to arm themselves and take position.

The mass horde outside in the wilderness had got their bounty. Whoever that woman was was now bait for the infected and many could guess there wouldn't be much of her left over to become one of them. However the commotion and movement on the walls of Tommy's Dam had drawn their attention and now the thirty to forty infected stampeded with a fresh thirst for blood. Most of the horde seemed to consist of adult men wearing the typical gear bandits were known for; rugged vests, jeans and that telltale bandana. Whatever they were it seemed that they all came from the same area.

" Now you can shoot! " Cullen commanded on the bridge as the gruff man opened fire with his sniper, a loud distinct bang echoing throughout the forest. One of the runners fell, his skull blown clean off and leaving bony shrapnel to pierce those running behind him. Explosive rounds sure were handy in clustered groups of hostiles. More men scampered up the watch tower, rifles and crossbows in hand. Soon one shot turned to many as the infected fell and flailed as they were pierced with both arrow and bullet alike.

Eris followed the woman as she ran, her agility making her run slightly ahead though she dare not sprint further. " I do but I'm not very good at it. Butter fingers." She wriggled her fingers as a means of evidence as a loud bang suddenly sprung up behind them. Shrieks and howls could be heard as the infected pounded at the gate, causing the metal to creak and groan in protest. Shit, the shooters couldn't get them all before they reached the base.

"Do you have a pistol?" The young woman asked as she glanced around them quickly to make sure none of the infected had a means to get in. The damaged section of the wall came into view. She knew that it wouldn't hold. "We need to cover this or they'll get inside." The woman clenched her fists as she spun around to face her savior from boredom and potential death, open for whatever weapon the other decided to drop into her hands.

Things around here just got frantic.

[Ellie]

"Horde of Infected on the outskirts! Haul some fucking ass, we've gotta move it!"

Rewind to lil over ten minutes ago. Jackson, bustling as always with the commotion of day-to-day life, was fairly peaceful. A few arguments here and there, maybe a tad too many shrieks from crying toddlers, but all in all, nothing too out of the ordinary was of worthy mention. Just an average morning on an average day in an average fucking doodle dandy month. And that was exactly the problem.

Ellie had never seen herself as one to complain (too) much about a lack of excitement—truth be told, the fact that it was even possible after so long of trying not to get your face ripped off every other hour was mindboggling. But this was just so fucking boring, good god. Puffing her cheeks, the young woman leaned back on the wooden railings and tried to find a bright side. For one, she wasn’t dead. Always a plus. Two, she hadn’t suffered bodily injury in some time. And.. yup, that was all there was to it. Damn, when the hell did I get so adventure-frustrated? While most teens suffered pangs in their loins after going too long without some variant of ‘excitement’, Ellie’s problem lay with the ball of lead growing in her head. Matters weren’t helped when Joel was off doing his own thing, leaving her to meander mindlessly as she tried to put herself to use. There were always chores to be done, but doing the same action over and over got old real fast. Re-fortifying the wall wouldn’t be too bad if anyone actually let her fucking help with the defenses. But everyone knew Ellie was Joel’s “baby girl”, and if anything ever happened to her… Well, no one wanted to find out. Sometimes it sucked being so close to a guy that looked like his glare could snap spines.

Sighing, she pushed herself up and grabbed the shovel from its perch. Yet again. “Gotta stop being a fucking whiner,” Ellie grumbled as she struck the earth, digging beneath the soil and overturning it. “Joel’ll be back in a few days so better make do with what you have.” And remember to stop talking to yourself. Gah, she was getting as bad as Bill. Wonder where that asshole ever got to?

Her musings were cut short however when a loud bang echoed off the walls, resulting in everyone and their mother to come to a dead halt. Brows furrowed in confusion, Ellie turned north towards the gate entrance. She didn’t have long to wonder what the hell was going on—hunters, infected, or something in-between, men and women rushed past her regardless, weapons in hand and expressions darkened. A brief moment passed before Ellie rushed after them, grabbing her pack as the shovel felt to the ground with a clang. Joel wasn’t around to tell her no, and the situation’s urgency meant it was a total tossup. Well, what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, right? Or anyone around him for that matter.

Running up the stairs, Ellie got more or less a bird’s eye view of the affair. “Holy shit,” she breathed, taking in the sight. An angry crowd of Infected raged just outside the area, chasing after what appeared to be some poor schmuck caught in the midst of things. And pissed the Infected were. How that lady hadn’t already been turned into clicker chow was by all means a curiosity, but there were better things to do than to gape at the unfurling chaos. Shooters had taken position, and all their limited bullets would barely put a dent in the runners pounding frantically at the gate. Ellie winced at its creaks, squeaks and groans. Damn thing couldn’t hold out for too long, and it looked like even more of the fuckers were stumbling out of the woods.

“Screw it,” she muttered and quickly shrugged the raggedy backpack from her shoulders. With enough crap lying around, she’d managed to collect enough materials for one present the Infected downstairs wouldn’t soon forget. Nicking alcohol from Tommy’s storage hadn’t been too difficult, and for once she imagined he’d be grateful for her grabby hands. Fumbling together what at least looked like a Molotov, Ellie hoped that the stupid thing worked just as well too. She didn’t have all the shit Joel regularly did for these shenanigans, nor did she have all the know-how, but this had to be better than nothing.

The budding pyro glanced over the railings to see if anyone was below, in the off chance something went horribly wrong and she got broiled alive. Didn’t want to take anyone with her, anyways. Two women were by the gate, arming themselves in prep for what looked like the fight of their lives—and a little too close to the Infected for Ellie’s liking. Cursing, she nabbed a brick and flung it at the ground, shattering and—hopefully—getting their full attention.

“HEY, watch yourselves!” She howled, thrusting the ticking time bomb of a bottle in the air. “Keep your asses outta harm’s way!” With that in mind, Ellie lit the cloth and leaned back, aiming for a spot that was a decent ways away from the two survivors below but still close enough to deal damage. Huffing, the girl let the Molotov fly from her hand and sink into a side of the crowd. “FIRE IN THE HOLE!” Red and yellow flames sprang immediately, swallowing two runners screaming in a fiery dance and burning their oily flesh to a darkened ash. But there was no time to pat herself on the back—just as those two went down, more took their place in the squirmy mass. Better than nothing, at least. Well, that was one supply extinguished. She hoped her own gun still had enough bullets to fight these fuckers, since the dam would need every bit of defense offered to her. The two on the ground certainly couldn’t manage it alone.

[sorry for the rather abrupt bit, have to go to bed before I die at work tomorrow hah]

[Kaylee Price]

While Kaylee realized they needed to get the situation under control as quickly as possible, the chaos was one that it would do better to hold back and not sprint onto the front lines - exactly why she had a hunting rifle instead of a shotgun. And so for that reason, while the woman nearly sprinted ahead of her, Kaylee kept her pace at a fast jog. Her blue eyes cut over toward the woman in mild frustration when she mentioned that she had 'butter fingers.' Well hell, that wouldn't help when the infected swarmed the place. Wouldn't help at all. If this woman wanted to survive, she was going to have to get good with a rifle. But that was neither here nor there.

While Kaylee usually used her rifle and only used her pistol in close call situations and the like, she wasn't so keen on giving a woman - especially one she'd just released from handcuffs - her handgun. Still, she had to admit that even if she was against the people of Jackson County, it was in her interest to help at least until the infected were dealt with. If she couldn't use a rifle, she could use a pistol. Hopefully she had some use when it came to short range, because they could use all the help they could get.

And so, hoping she wasn't making a mistake, Kaylee made the snap decision to give her the weapon, sliding it out of her holster and tossing it over to the woman. "Safety's on.", she mentioned before they stopped finally. Nodding to show she understood and agreed with her assessment, Kaylee glanced at the woman - hoping that she would be able to handle herself with her pistol, a good little weapon for what it was worth. "Cover that section, don't let 'em through. I'll go up-", she started, gesturing toward a ladder a few feet to the left. "-and keep them off you." That being said, Kaylee had slung her rifle over her shoulder using her strap and grabbing the metal ladder, started ascending toward the top.

Hell of a day to visit the dam.

Reaching the top, Kaylee swung her rifle back to cradle in her hands and peered down. She had just lifted her rifle to her shoulder when she heard a familiar voice shouting. Cutting her eyes to the side, she noticed the girl named Ellie throwing a Molotov. Despite the situation, a slight smile made its way to her lips. That girl...took after that grizzled old man she hung around, that was for sure. Hell of a girl, that one. It was hard not to know of Joel and Ellie, especially in the small community they were in. Something special about that one. Kaylee returned to watching and picked her rifle up to sight easily down the barrel. And so the infected turned the corner and ran toward the position she and the woman were in. "Things are about to get hot!", she snapped, before sighting for a moment and squeezing off a shot. With the feel of the buck against her shoulder and hands, Kaylee held loosely and took in a whiff of gunsmoke. This was an all too familiar feeling, with the screech of the infected she had shot as it fell to the ground and died in a swirling mass of limbs, cracks of gunfire, shouts, and the crackle of fire from the flaming mass Ellie had thrown filling the air. Snapping the bolt back, she reloaded and straightened her back while she once more sighted down the barrel at a sprinting infected.

[Eris Kale]

Eris could feel the woman's eyes burning on the back of her skull, or rather hood but chose to ignore it. Whether the butter fingers statement was truth or not, it was an impediment that could do her dishonor. Regardless, she always felt rather clumsy with long-range firearms. It was equipment she would prefer someone else handle. Eris was cut out of her thoughts as the pistol was thrown in her direction, landing into her gloved hands without apprehension. She caught it and switched the safety off, giving the rancher a small smile of gratitude. At least now she had something to fight with instead of using her fists.

She gave a nod of affirmation as the other began to scale the tower, her eyes switching between the gate and the sheets of metal used as a make-shift fortification. It had been built in a rush, one could tell, and now it threatened to become undone as infected began to paw at its exterior. She took aim between the metal bars and aimed carefully, shadowed bodies darting in an out from behind the fortification. Shooting clawing hands would only postpone the inevitable so instead she waited until they peeked inside before opening fire. Keeping her elbows loose and dipped, the pistol fired round after careful round, making sure to make each shot count. Each shot caused a shriek of protest to resonate from behind the metal as a shout from behind joined in the symphony of chaos. Eris had no time to respond until an explosion of flames burst into view, causing the infected to burn into an earthly crisp, their skin naught but ash.

She shielded her eyes to quickly glance over her shoulder at the late teen who had hurled the molotov before turning her attention back to the faltering repair wall that was about to tumble. That one was quite well known within the community here. She had never really spoken face to face with the girl but many had mentioned of her fondly. Whatever it was, she was definitely important. Eris made a mental note before continuing to open fire during precise moments of vulnerability. A shriek echoed out from between the bars as the metal began to cave in. Eris, being as close to the fortification as possible moved back and quickly shoved the pistol into her jeans, rushing over to a large metal bar that laid upon the ground. "Keep them distracted while I move this!" She shouted with a grunt, heaving the metal bar from off the ground and pulling it over to the crumbling wall. Keeping her back straight and muscles tense, the young woman heaved the heavy bar and locked it in place so that it could at least buy them a few more moments of precious time. Eris then took a few paces back, shooting whatever heads popped into view through the gradually collapsing metal. The gate continued to groan and shake as the infected pounded against it, the distinct cry of a clicker vibrating the air as it hauled itself at the breaking metal.

She could only hope that everything would hold in place until they had all been quelled.

[Ellie]

Things were not going well. And that was in line for understatement of the fucking millennium.

The infected seemed more enraged than ever as they pounded their gnarled fists against the dam’s walls, screeching bloody murder and frothing about like turkeys on a drunk high. Bloody and misshapen, they collided with one another in a scrambling heap as they tried to breach the gate. If they weren’t trying to gnaw out her jugular, Ellie supposed she might have some inkling of sympathy for the poor bastards trapped beneath the fungal hide. Some. But again, they were trying to tear out her jugular, and the girl rather liked having it in her neck as opposed to being chewed up like raw liver.

The ladder to her right squeaked in protest as another figure clambered up to the platform, toting a rifle in hand and resolute eyes in... well, face. Ellie whistled appreciatively as the newcomer—Kaylee Price if she remembered correctly (which she often didn’t)—bucked the firearm and left a runner with a rotten, bleeding crater for a face. “Shit man! You fucking nailed him,” she called, giving a thumb’s up and wide grin to the rancher. The older woman didn’t live ‘round the dam like the rest of Jackson’s civilians, preferring to tough it out on her farm outside the area, but it was hard to deny the benefits of her handiwork—particularly when it involved keeping back a crazed mob with the swift might of a rifle’s bullet. Good times, good times. “Helluva day to trade, huh? Can’t say I’m not glad to see you, but that hot pun was awful. Hah, I fucking love it.” Of course, it likely wasn’t the time to commend bad jokes, but when was it ever? “Cover us while I give Hoodie down there a hand; my gun doesn't have the range to do shit from up here.”

Wiping the stinging sweat from her eyes, Ellie shuffled over to Kaylee’s ladder and dropped down. Stupidity aside, there was little joy in waiting to get killed. The teen winced as her feet made contact with the cracked pavement, and scrambled to stand upright as the newcomer shoved the thick metal against the fortification. “Good thinking,” she breathed, drawing her pistol from its holster and rushing to one of the unprotected patches. A runner forced its oily torso through, clawing at the concrete until--bang. Ellie pulled her finger on the trigger and the bullet smashed through its maw. Totally smoked that one, she smirked. She didn’t have long to congratulate herself though—just as the body fell, another fist crashed through. And this time, the fucker had better aim. Its fingers snagged into the hem of her right sleeve and pulled, tearing the cloth to shreds and leaving a decent score across her arm.

“Goddamn motherfucker,” she snarled, thrusting the pistol’s barrel against it and letting the shell soar freely. Ellie pulled back with the gun’s kick, nearly tripping over her own feet in her haste. She dared a glance at the fresh scrape as she reached Jackson’s newest stranger (well, newest unless infected hunters counted, but details). Blood dribbled along the scratch lines, but otherwise there no real worry. Injury wise, anyways. She grimaced at the now exposed, albeit faded, ugly scab disfiguring the side of her arm. Her mind drifted back to Joel’s order over five years ago now: “Keep your ‘condition’ to yourself—they’ll think you’re crazy and try to kill you.” Words to live by. Annnd of course, something to die from if anyone got too trigger happy. Although Tommy and Maria were aware of the immunity alive within her, she and Joel had made sure to keep it a secret from the rest of Jackson. The teen trusted a good deal of the community, but when it came to infection, people shot first and asked questions later. Matters weren’t helped with the close proximity between her and Hoodie. Hope she’s trustworthy—otherwise things are going to get messy around here real quick. Where was Joel when you needed him?

“Piece of chickenshit,” Ellie growled, pointedly covering the wound with an outstretched palm. The metal bar creaked and groaned as the infected still pounded against the wall, and she began to wonder which squeak would be its last before it fell apart. How many of these fuckers are there? “Hey Hoodie,” she rasped, chancing a glance to her left. “You wouldn’t by any chance have another of those fancy metal bars lying around, would you? Cause I think we’re about to see some serious—SHIT.” A chunk of the wall cracked apart, showering the ground with mismatched splinters, and the barricade looked as if it had had its last stand.

Motherfucker.

[Kaylee Price]

Once on top of the structure she'd climbed the ladder for, Kaylee at once wished she'd picked any other day to come for supplies and to talk to Maria about beef and the amount the folks at the dam would be needing to eat. Leave it to her to pick a day when a mass hoard of infected were swarming the place. Leave it to her... She felt bad thinking that, though, because she realized they could use every extra hand at dealing with this mess. Which was exactly why she'd given her handgun to the woman who had been handcuffed only a moment ago. If there was some able bodied person around, Kaylee wanted them to be useful in eliminating this problem. Hell, at least they would have more of a chance with an extra person manning a weapon. Her eyes were drawn momentarily toward the red haired figure to her right, and Kaylee actually smiled in response to her comment about nailing him. "Right between the whatever the hell they have.", she agreed. They didn't have eyes, so what. Giant, fungal ears?

While not exactly...having hung out with this Ellie, she shook her head at her stopping them right there to talk in slight amusement. "Right, hell of a day.", she said in response, before shifting the rifle to her shoulder and nodding. "I'll cover your asses if you get that taken care of.", she assured. Not watching them, Kaylee kept her eyes trained on the infected and sidestepped to give herself a better view of the immediate so that she could do just that. Cover their asses. Quickly taking a sight, she squeezed off another shot. Once more the familiar buck against her shoulder was followed by the sharp crack of her fired shot. One more gone - screeching while it lay dying, Kaylee noticed a few gathering around clicking desperately while a few more swarmed ahead. Wished she had a molotov right about now like Ellie had just launched minutes before.

Instead she did what she could from her current position, snapping the bolt back to reload a bullet and aiming for one of the clickers that was currently making all sorts of noises over the dying infected she had just felled with her previous bullet. Deep breath in, pause, slow release while she gently fingered the trigger. Another one down. Hell, how many of these fucking things were there? Her attention was taken off the clickers at a distance and drawn to those that had gotten past her long ranged rifle to beat down at the gate. "Shit." She had to help Ellie and that new woman. The ones off in a distance could wait, but the immediate problem couldn't. So, leaning over the side that led away from dam, Kaylee wrapped her leg around to steady herself until she could see some of the infected that were currently beating down the door. There was a few of them alright. She could pick a few off from here for them anyway. Doing just that, she steadied herself against the wall and fired off another round so that one fell in the mass of bodies.

While she quickly reloaded, Kaylee was happy to notice it had given them a few extra seconds with the clickers now distracted by the screams of the one that was dying. Unfortunately, though, someone had gotten the idea to throw a grenade - where the hell had they gotten one of those? With the platform shaking, she was thrown to the side (thankfully back toward the interior of the dam) and off her little ledge. While she caught herself on the ladder, she whipped around until her back slammed into the structure behind her - leaving her to groan and drop the last few feet to the ground. "Oh shit.", she groaned, her rifle falling onto her body moments later. Shifting, Kaylee propped herself dizzily up on one elbow and blinked rapidly to get her vision to clear.

[Eris Kale]

Everything was just going from bad to worse. A grenade. An earth-shattering cry. Spores flying in every direction.

The metal peeling holding the last line of defense between the damn survivors and the rampaging infected suddenly collapsed, causing a cloud of mud, dust and debris to bellow in its wake. A lumbering figure charged through the remains of the repair wall - a bloater and no doubt, angry too. With the grenade being thrown, most of the infected clustered in that region had been blown to shreds, body parts and internal organs splattering the grass and dank reeds. With only ten or so infected remaining, it seemed the commotion had only stirred them further.

" What the fuck..." Was all Eris could mutter as she spotted the uncovered wound on Ellie's wrist, her attention quickly being drawn away to the large creature standing in the entrance of the dismantled wall. With her heart beating against her ear drums and a disarray of emotions rushing throughout her body, she punched a few rounds of Kaylee's pistol at the monstrosity until all that was left was an empty 'click!'.

"Shit." The hooded woman spat, spotting Kaylee on the ground and in no doubt being the target of the now rampaging bloater. Shit, shit, shit. Everything was in chaos. The people on the watchtowers scrambled to get back on their feet, profanity and yells filling the air as they took aim and shot down into the bloater's shoulders and neck. Others fell back, choosing to run along the outer wall of the dam to re-take position. Without hesitation Eris groaned and quickly ran forward, the bloater barely only a few meters away.

"Come on!" She shouted as she quickly bent down and looped and arm under Kaylee, lifting her off the ground with a surprising amount of strength. However, as soon as she thought Kaylee had some ground she dragged the woman back, the dirt scuffing underneath their feet. A howl pierced the air, quickly followed by a cloud of spores suddenly hitting against the ladder of the watchtower where the two women previously were. With no ammo left in her pistol and with Kaylee's rifle left behind, Eris could only gather they needed to fall back within the inner sanctum of the dam for safety. "Keep punching holes in that thing!" She yelled to Ellie who also happened to join the fray a little too close for comfort.

Eris sought for the closest door as the bloater let out another battlecry, the remaining runners and other infected rushing in behind the lumbering giant as they chased down the trio of women. Eris took a momentary glance behind at the oncoming horde, her arm releasing Kaylee to whirl around and slam the butt of the pistol against the skull of the runner who had closed in on their heels. The creature was flung to the side slightly with the impact enough to give her an opening. She pushed forward, twisting her body to the side and down to deliver an upper cut with the pistol once more, causing the pommel to break the creatures nose and push the bone through its brain.

They needed a way inside, and fast.

[Ellie]

OK, who the fuck thought it was a good idea to chuck a live grenade?

She’d thought she was overwhelmed by just the horde. But as flurries of spores flew through the spiraling smoke, the teen would give anything to go back to the frantic minutes before the explosion. With the bomb and earth’s collision, a massive clang screeched through the air, flinging bloody pieces of infected every which way as the bomb fragmented apart. Dropping the pistol in shock, Ellie forced scraped palms over her now ringing ears. The ground swam before her, blurring in and out of focus, and her cheek became uncomfortably acquainted with a liquid she could only guess as blood. That or her brains were literally leaking out her ears—both weren’t terribly appealing prospects. Dammit, dammit, dammit! For all she knew, she could have been mouthing that along with the rapid thoughts hurling through her mind—the deafening sound had all but shattered her eardrums.

Vision clouded and hearing deadened, Ellie barely registered the struggling Eris and Kaylee. But it’d be hard as hell to miss the staggering oaf of a bloater hot on their heels. Cursing, she willed the disorientation away and fumbled with the pistol’s handle. The brute stumbled after the two, releasing a roar Ellie couldn’t hear but could sure see as its mouth drew open wide. In any other situation, the agape beat’s silent flailing could have been seen as comical. But when their lives were quite literally on the line, there wasn’t much to laugh over as it hurled yet another burst of spores.

Eris looked at her, mouthing some mute command, but Ellie didn’t need to read lips to understand code for “keep-this-fucker-off-our-backs”. “Watch out!” She cried, disorientation choking her voice. The girl pulled the trigger on the bloater, shooting bullet after bullet into the infected thicket. One pierced the creature’s fungal armor; another zeroed in on a runner who got too close to Eris and Kaylee. But while the horde had greatly fallen in number, those left were hungrier for human cuisine than ever.

Especially that big fucker of a bloater.

Another Molotov would be really fucking nice right about now, Ellie thought, nailing another runner in the chest. Unfortunately, she had no more alcohol on her, and the handgun eventually broke into submission as the last round fired into the bloater’s near impervious armor. “Screw it,” Ellie growled and flung the now useless weapon into an infected’s face. “Come on dammit, haul some ass!” At least, she hoped that’s what her mouth conveyed. The disconnect between her ears and vocal cords was really beginning to take its toll. She bolted for the two and pulled some of Kaylee’s weight off of Eris, shouldering half of the older woman and grunting with effort. “This way—follow me!”

The trio hurried from the infected pack, doing their best to avoid the plumes of spores and outrun the starved creatures. Huffing, the teenager steered them to the broken window on the establishment’s side; from time to time, she used the opening as both a means of admittance and escape. If dragged into factory duty, and her boredom became too unbearable, she’d use it to venture out into the horse stables adjacent to the wall. She always managed to slip back through before anyone noticed, despite the numerous ‘almosts’ that dogged her plans. Now, with infected biting at their heels, Ellie had never been gladder to see the stupid gap. Up and over now. She shoved the injured Kaylee over the edge, avoiding the sharp glass as carefully as one could with the fear of having their livers ripped out hanging over their heads. When the woman’s legs were over, the teen nodded to Eris and heaved herself into the dank room, the smell of chemicals and iron thick in the air. As Eris climbed over the window’s edge, Ellie pushed a weakened locker from its bearings, covering the gap just as a runner forced its hand through. Squealing as the locker’s pressure hit the appendage, the creature pulled back—effectively tearing the fingers and upper palm from its body. It fell to the floor in a bloody heap. Man, that’ll never not be gross.

Ellie had long since forgotten to cover the old bite wound marring her arm—at the moment, she reckoned the pair beside her wouldn’t be interested in killing a potential ally. At least, she hoped. But, for now, they were safe. For now. If the sharpshooters atop the platforms could put down the infected, the three women still might be able to keep their hides. The buzzing in her ears had yet to die though, and the sticky red trailing down her cheek did little to quell the nausea boiling in her stomach. Bah, this better heal itself soon. I’m not going to learn fucking sign language just because some jackass threw a grenade. If she ever got her mitts on the bastard… Groaning, she turned to her forced-by-circumstance allies.

So, what next?

[god I hate this post lol--sorry for taking so long, my muse seems to have run off to join the circus]