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Post by Eris Kale on Jul 19, 2013 2:40:12 GMT
Summer had only recently begun. A new season with fresh faces, fresh food and a whole new level of boredom. Little had changed around Tommy's Dam except for the new additions being added as well as the marauding bandit attacks that kept the community on its toes. The bastards were getting smart. Just before the outsiders arrived, the bandits had taken it upon themselves to make a calculative attack. The power plant was extremely valuable, especially when it could support a whole community with electricity as well as supply water to crops. They had brought whatever explosives they could find and made a mixture strong enough to penetrate the concrete walls. Until one night, their plan was carried out. They had managed to punch a hole big enough into the side of the dam to make room for several people to rush inside and grab what they could. They had made off with a valuable set of toolboxes, a few crates of ammo and even some intelligence such as maps and plans for the dam repairs.
It had damaged the survivor's morale heavily and the hole left over was big enough to cause future problems. So they piled sheet after sheet of metal and bolted them in place and prayed that it would buy them enough time to get some real repairs. And so the people of Tommy's Dam made their plans. They would construct a very small party to go out and scavenge the countryside for anything useful under the cover of darkness. They would also be on the lookout for any bandit activity. Of course, if they would find such then it was to be reported immediately. Thankfully they still had their walkie talkies to communicate with main base back at the dam.
So the party was organised. Ten people, all of different skills were pulled together to form the search party. One of which was one of the outsiders. They questioned her position in such a delicate operation but they were told that the girl was skilled and very useful in such stealth and recovery missions by none other than Maria herself. She had made sure they kept her out of cuffs for the mission and given back some of her confiscated weapons. The woman agreed that any false moves would end in her immediate demise, all having been told to keep an eye and a barrel on her at all times.
Of course, the news of the exciting mission couldn't be left in the shadows. Having heard of the plan to spot goods and bandits alike, Ellie jumped at the chance to do something fun and possibly daring. Of course, Joel wouldn't have any of it and had made his protests firmly known. However, Joel had been whisked away to go spend some brotherly bonding time with his sibling Tommy, apparently doing their own thing for the next few weeks somewhere out in the wilderness.
This time away would have given Ellie the opportunity to sneak out with the group, against their wishes or not. After all, if she could get past quarantine guards, checkpoints and a mall of infected then what was stopping her sneaking out of a dam with so many holes punched in the walls that it looked like swiss cheese?
Wind, hot and punishing during the day was a cold cut by night. The group of ten had separated once they reached the outer rim of the dam. They had both taken counter measures should something go wrong but many were well beyond repaired. Armed to the teeth with guns, molotovs, silenced pistols and home-made batons, the survivors were adamant they would not lose another member of their community on such a mission. With each group set up with a walkie-talkie that was linked both to the other parties and the dam, each went off on their way to hunt down whatever was hiding out there in the forest of Jackson County.
Eris had been sorted into the main group, a small band of four members. Her being had felt reassured and elevated that they had trusted her enough for just once to take her advice. She had dared not speak of her role as an assassinator. Such words would have surely got her dispelled or even worse; killed. No one would trust such a person freely walking about their dam of course, even if they were in cuffs. However, she told Maria of her work in tactics and stealth and showed her examples of strategies. Thankfully, it was enough to get her a position in the search group, even if it meant having a gun pointed at your back the entire journey.
The mysterious woman had felt a presence in the forest lurking behind them as they traveled through the undergrowth, careful to avoid small branches that could give away their position. They traveled without torches, matches or flashlights, the light of the moon their only light source. The presence had been following them for some time and she had a good idea who it was. That young girl back at the dam had the knack for being in places she shouldn't have. While their small party ventured forth, she gave a side-ward glance back toward the figure following them through the woods, unsure of why the girl would want to come in the first place.
However, her curiosity was interrupted as the flickering of lights came into view. Small burning pockets in the distance were a distinct sign of camp fires and the smell of cooked meat quickly joined. Eris stopped in her tracks and hovered behind a fallen tree, the other members of the party darting down to assimilate the situation. No figures could be seen through the dense branches but you could guess from the sound and the smell that there were a few active persons.
Eris could only see so far with the aid of the moon and made a motion with her fingers to press forward. "Keep your head low, your movements slow and don't.touch.anything. No bushes, no branches, no trees. There could be traps." She whispered harshly to the other members, her eyes falling to the ground to emphasis the point. Any sound from anywhere could trigger something so they could have to be careful to not trip on anything on the way there.
But would the girl following them think to do the same?
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Ellie
Canon
Somber Joker
Could you shed all the ethics of your past?
Posts: 16
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Post by Ellie on Jul 21, 2013 0:21:09 GMT
Branches crackling underfoot like a badger lumbering across broken plates, the girl clutched her battered jacket for dear life as the cold breeze rushed her face. The forest loomed overhead, with the squeaks and chirps of the surrounding animals acting as faceless judgers of her now awry plan. And awry her strategy had certainly gone. Back at the dam, not much had crossed her mind except the tantalizing opportunity to creep away from the high-alert populace of Jackson. The recent raids had gotten everyone’s tights in a twist, and to say the current atmosphere was ‘suffocating’ was putting it mildly. Joel gone and the lookout party formed, there was little stopping Ellie from sneaking through the newly carved crater defacing the wall.
Needless to say, karma was biting her in the ass.
The scouting party had long since lost her in the undergrowth, and with twigs and thorns snagging in her hair and clothes, she was regretting her decision with mighty vengeance. Maybe Joel was right about ‘playing it safe’, Ellie thought irritably, pushing away yet another entangling bush. Trucking through the muck had lost its appeal fast. Real fast. And how the hell had the group gotten so far ahead without her notice? Well… it might’ve been the time where her attention split to watch a fox streak through the shadows, shrew entrapped in its powerful jaws as blood dribbled down its chest. Or maybe when that deer leaped over a startled vole snug in its hole… or the mouse skirting through the grass by the stream…
OK, so she got distracted a lot. Fuck her.
Regardless, Ellie was lost as all hell, and wherever the group had gone, they’d gone fast. She heaved a sigh, and after scrambling over a fallen tree trunk, sank to the dirt and knocked her head against the wood. “Ow,” she mumbled, too tired to really give a crap about the now aching pain surging through her noggin. “Let’s see… it was either ‘get your ass lost in a forest chasing after a bunch of hoopla’ or ‘watch that shitty show with the talking backpack and monkey with the little kids again’. Well Ellie, even if you’re catching frostbite in the middle of nowhere, anything’s gotta be better than that.” She’d never understand how that thing was popular back in Joel’s days—while the moving pictures had captured her attention at first (the dam’s electricity provided ample use of TV which for so long had been just a stationary blank box to ogle at), it was hard to stomach that kind of cutesy bullshit for too long. Man, he sure lived in a strange time. Trucks that gave out ice cream, people starving themselves ‘for looks’, monkeys in boots—the shenanigans were flat out alien.
Ellie likely would’ve continued to wonder how any of that could be considered normal, but the snapping of a branch drew her out of the thoughts immediately. Hair standing on end, she carefully stood up, using the trunk as leverage as she eyed the perimeter. The inky dark glared back at her, allowing no more than a few feet to penetrate the blackness. Swallowing the nerves gathering in her throat, Ellie pulled her bow from its sling over her back. She pulled an arrow from the clasp of her bag, pinching its tail as she nocked it, then pulled. It had taken some time to adjust to the tiring wear accompanied with drawing the bow, but the harsh winter after Joel’s incident had required a picking up of slack. The familiarity was comforting as Ellie surveyed her surroundings further, looking for any glimpse of what might have caused the sound. All was quiet now, but as she squinted into the dark, she thought she made out the glint of two piercing eyes staring right back at her.
“Who’s there?” She snarled, hoping she sounded fiercer than the congregating sweat beads on her neck would suggest. “Show yourself!” Silence. The eyes blinked—once, twice—then slowly faded into the shadows. The teen stared hard at the darkness, wondering if a hunter’s trap would spring or if she was getting worked up over no more than an animal fucking around. Minutes ticked by before Ellie would loosen her grip on the string, and by that point, her tense muscles longed for release. Her nerves were as alert as ever though as she quietly withdrew from the area, hands still gripping the slender curve of the bow. Well that was fucking creepy.
In a heartbeat, her light frustration with the situation had hardened into anxiety-ridden aggravation. Had the sun been out, Ellie’s budding alarm would have likely been kept to a minimum. But in the darkness, with nothing except squeaks and squawks to keep her company, the surrounding loneliness was more apparent than ever. So when she could—finally—make out fiery beacons in the distance, longing for the group she’d trailed after surged throughout her being. That better be them, or I’m going to fucking lose it. They could be hunters, or some other variety of foe, too. Ellie grit her teeth and decided she’d have to risk it. If it became evident that their nature was antagonistic, she’d turn on her heels and get her way out of there. But on the off chance they weren’t egotistical pricks high off their own bullshit… Her stomach grumbled in protest as whiffs of cooked meat lay thick in the air. Licking the drool spooling over her lips, Ellie made the split decision that she’d at least check out the area. Couldn’t hurt, right?
Of course it could.
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Post by Eris Kale on Jul 21, 2013 4:28:07 GMT
One, two...three...Eris was nudged forward with the barrel of a rifle punching her spine. Three times it had happened now and it did nothing to sway her mood. But on the lighter side, they had listened to her. So far they had no incidents except for Billy who got snared on a thorn bush. Not to mention, avoiding poisonous ivy at night was a challenge in itself.
The crackle of thunder boomed overheard suddenly, causing those in the salvage group to jump. A storm was coming, and by the sounds of it, it was going to be a whopper. Trees overhead began to dance, their heads swaying as the chilling breeze advanced, growing into the force that would sweep the oncoming storm in their direction. Whatever it was they planned to do was now in question. Did they truly want to risk getting sick just for bandit and resource spotting?
"Alright. We need to head back to the dam. There's no point staying out here with this front comin' on," Kat muttered to the small band of survivors, a hand hugging the walkie-talkie to her chest. " We've got what we wanted. We found one of their camps. Now we move because if we stand out in the rain it's gonna ruin the electronics." She commanded as she pulled out the antennae, a small screech filling the air. Thankfully the cover of wind would have nullified any sound that could have been produced. "Alpha group coming to base, over." Silence. Time went by slowly as the group huddled around to wait for confirmation. Eris deliberately kept out of it, preferring to stay on watch against the fallen tree.
More silence...
"We hear you and are confirmed. What's your status out there, Alpha lead?" A sigh of relief washed over the group, albeit silently. The web of tension had been strong ever since they left base that the electronics would actually work. In the case of something bad happening, at least they'd give warning so they could get reinforcements. " We're looking at an enemy camp here. About two to three campfires. No sight on any hostiles though."
Eris glanced off behind the group, her eyes narrowing at the figure approaching them. Her suspicions came to light as a small girl emerged, several twigs caught in her hair. The sight made the woman quirk an awkward smile...the girl reminded her much of herself when she was younger. "You know your old man is going to kill us, right?" Eris remarked as Ellie came closer, causing the others whose attention had been focused on the transmitter to quickly glance up and almost jump a second time. Kat, a woman with wild chaotic red hair and a slightly pudgy build spun around to face the intruder. She was an older woman, probably in her late 40's. Mostly in charge of taking care of the children around Tommy's Dam, Kat was often regarded as a surrogate mother. She also happened to be good in keeping everyone in line, her red hair reflecting the temper that stirred within.
"Just what do you think you're doing out here!?" She whispered to Ellie harshly, wandering over to the girl to grab her by the wrist and pull her into the security of the group. "Ellie, Joel is going to have a mighty fine word with you when we get back. We can't afford to have you out on delicate missions like t-," Kat was interrupted by the fuzz on the radio, signalling the call had been disrupted. "Fuck it. Must be that storm front comin' along." Throwing the transmitter back into her backpack, Kat spun back around to address the group.
"We're going back. Lost contact with the dam so get your arses in gear and let's move. Paul, did you mark this place on your map?" Paul, a very small, very petite man who somehow despite his size could match Tommy in arm wrestles quickly nodded in affirmation, producing the map with a freshly marked 'X'. " Uh huh." " Good." Kat spun around and whispered something in Ellie's ear, probably scorning her. Her overly protective mother attitude was both a gift and a curse.
Eris simply shook her head with a glint in her eye, moving forward voluntarily to give Ellie a very discreet thumbs up. However, something caught her attention. Someone once told her that if you looked long enough into the abyss that it would, one day, look back at you. And right now, she swore the darkness of the woods was doing exactly that. She squinted through the undergrowth, looking for any unfamiliar silhouettes, waiting for any distinct noises...but the only thing that met her was silence. Unease and dread began to wash over her as the woman quickly placed her hand at her hip, holding onto the handle of what seemed to be a very long knife.
Whatever was out there was watching them...and it sure as hell wasn't an infected.
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Ellie
Canon
Somber Joker
Could you shed all the ethics of your past?
Posts: 16
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Post by Ellie on Jul 22, 2013 20:38:46 GMT
Well, she’d wanted to find the scouting party. By the looks of it, she’d gotten her wish—along with a hefty lecture dogging her every footstep.
Stumbling out of the bush, Ellie had expected the group to be based by the fire, taking a breather for the night. Or alternatively, somewhere scattered across the forest in their search for hunters. What she had not expected was to tumble right into their company, and a grouchy company they did indeed make. After their expressions changed from that of scared rabbits to majorly-pissed-off coyotes, she managed an awkward grin as if to make up—needless to say, it didn’t work. “Er… hi, guys. Nice night out for a stroll.” Unamused glares stared daggers back at her. Gulp.
The only one who seemed even remotely glad to see her was Eris—the newcomer who’d proven her worth and had been granted permission to join the mission. Although Ellie felt a pang of jealousy that someone who’d barely been in Jackson got to leave on some exciting venture instead of her, it was hard not to be interested in the mysterious woman. “What Joel doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” she said, shaking entangled burrs from her jacket. “’Sides, I couldn’t let you guys have all the fun. I—”
Before her wit could be put to better use, the overtly maternal Kat grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward, eliciting a small yelp of surprise from the victim. “Just what do you think you’re doing out here?!” Oh god, here it comes. While the woman had never been on her bad side, par say, Ellie had a hard time stomaching the lectures that droned out her mouth. Blah blah, something about Joel ‘having a word’ with her, blah blah. That in particular sparked a note of resentment in the teen’s mind. If Joel would ever get his stupid ass home, she thought bitterly. At this point, she’d welcome the old man’s rebuke. Although she’d never admit it, deep down Ellie missed her friend dearly. He’d said he’d be gone for a week or two gathering supplies and crap with Tommy, but as the days ticked off and there was still no sign of the bastard… She frowned, rubbing her wrist.
“OW! Hey, watch it!” Ellie squeaked as Kat yanked her ear. “Ellie, are you listening to me?” The woman hissed. “We’ve got to get going—and you bet your ass you’re going to be in for a world of trouble after we get back to the dam.” The girl’s only response was a muffled grunt, clamping a hand on her now throbbing ear as they started down the path. Well, she’d certainly screwed herself over. No food, no adventure. Only a huffy caretaker’s aggravation. However, Ellie couldn’t help but smile when she caught Eris’s small thumbs’ up. At least someone didn’t have a stick stuck up their rear.
“Sooo… Eris, isn’t it?” She asked as she fell behind to match the woman’s pace. Kat shot her a look, almost daring her to try and sneak away again. Ellie resisted the urge to blow a raspberry. “How’s life at the dam been treating you? Sorry about the whole, uh, cuff thing.” Sure, it hadn’t been her decision, but hey, it’s a bit awkward talking to someone who had technically been imprisoned for simply breathing the same air as they did. Not the best way to make first impressions.
The small talk seemed wasted on Eris however, and Ellie noticed the woman’s expression tense as she peered into the woods. “Huh? You see something?” Her own eyes focused on the forest, but whatever prowled around out there was playing one helluva game of hide and seek. “Hunters?” Infected didn’t sneak, and they were near enough the bandits for the scenario to make sense. But a chill ran down her spine regardless—something didn’t feel right, and suddenly she wished the group would walk faster. “I thought I saw something before,” she said quietly, looking over to Eris. “Y’know, back when I was tracking you guys.” Becoming antsier by the minute, Ellie pulled her jacket tighter.
A piercing scream ahead of the pair jerked her from the ensnaring nerves. “The fuck was that?!” Feeling as if a rock had dropped to the pit of her stomach, Ellie bolted to where the shout—Kat’s shout—had sounded through the forest. What she arrived to had that rock swell to a boulder. A massive figure had slipped from the shadows and taken the two adults by surprise. The result lay barren for all to see: Kat’s neck bore a gaping hole, her red lifeline running freely into the grass. Paul was some way’s off—he didn’t seem badly hurt, just stunned from a small graze. But Kat… “Oh my god,” Ellie breathed, her stomach churning with furious intensity. She couldn’t help it; she retched, effectively losing any appetite left in her as the half-digested food piled to the ground. The attacker, still with jaw fastened tight around the throat, was a grizzled mountain lion, and it vacantly eyed its new appetizers. Spasms struck through its muscles at random, giving the feline a disturbed, erratic appearance.
Blood dripped from the beast’s maw as it pulled from Kat’s throat, sinking down the hairs of its coat as each drop fell. Matted and ugly, the pelt looked like it hadn’t been washed for days—that the animal had stopped caring for itself in its venture for survival. Cold fear drenched Ellie, turning what should have been a heated moment to one of chilling terror. The creature’s face was blank, with nothing behind its vacant expression except the empty space of its head. No intelligence whatsoever—as if the brain had been replaced with a smothering smoke, stirring its instincts with shaky fervor. I have to move. Why won’t my feet move? I can’t just stand here! But logic wasn’t on her mind’s agenda, and her movements to push back were stricken with a certain paralysis. She’d fought infected, hunters—you name it. But with Kat’s blood staining its chest, and fatty tissue clinging to its lips, the breath drew from her lungs in ardent force. Something was wrong about this thing.
But what the fuck was that something?
[if you didn't want me to take over Kat briefly, sorry! I can go back n' change if you prefer :3]
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Post by Eris Kale on Jul 23, 2013 11:41:58 GMT
( No, you did really well! I don't mind one bit! Feel free to take anyone else who is in the party.)
The creatures eyes rolled around in its head as it set one paw in front of the other, the muscles on its legs and back twitching sporadically. It was like the bloody thing was blind...but the glowing irises caught by the moon whirling within its skull gave the impression of a demon. A shadow of the night with malignant intent. Kat's last breathes rattled her rib-cage, causing a sickening drum beat to fill the air as her vision hazed over and turning her fingernails and lips a deathly blue.
Paul shakily held onto the gash on his arm, the wound open and raw; no doubt caused by the beast's claws. The smell of his blood attracted the attention of the possessed predator, its irises clipping back and around its own head to try and focus on the downed man. The thing suddenly whirled around, the muscles beneath the shaggy pelt rippling; showcasing the beasts phenomenal strength and power. Paul had only a moment, a fleeting second of life to let out a scream of terror before the thing was at his neck. Fangs pierced his skin with a sickening pop, fresh crimson splattering up the creature's maw and spraying the shadowed veil of grass. Then the thing shook its mighty neck, the gurgling cries of Paul being thrown out from his open windpipe until he too, was silenced.
Lifelessly heaped in the jaws of the lion, Paul's corpse swayed with no more but a twitch. With a thundering growl that vibrated against the shaking leaves and branches of the trees, the creature took off with Paul in mouth. His corpse dragged across the ground, over fallen branches and through foliage as the lion heaved its trophy off into the shadows, disappearing as quickly as it had arrived.
Eris could only look down at the carnage, her whole being tense and trembling from the sight. Just what the fuck was that thing? It kind of looked like one of those giant cats her mother had shown her in books when she was little. Sure, she had encountered wolves...but that thing was fucking HUGE!
She had made sure she had kept Ellie behind her, probably subconsciously. Her selfless behavior and acts that came of it were usually second nature. She took a few moments to recover, not realizing she had drawn her weapon, the sword's blade dancing under the light of the moon. She quickly snapped out of whatever shock she was in and glanced around fast, twisting her blade around and under to sheath it in its holster with a dull thump. Whatever that thing was, she was certain it would return. "Are you okay?" She asked toward Ellie as the hooded woman quietly darted forward toward Kat's corpse, still making sure that the concerned girl was stable enough to communicate. Her hands fumbled with the woman's jacket, opening the zipper to search through her pockets. A hard plastic surface met her fingers as she pulled out the radio. Success. She also found a pistol in the woman's jacket and retrieved that as well, placing it her own. Where the fuck was the rest of Alpha Squad?
"Ellie," Eris called out in a low and gentle tone. "Search the ground quickly. Paul had a map. Without it, this mission and their deaths would be for nothing. Stay quiet, make no sudden moves...and keep your weapon out." She had to keep searching Kat and it would be a lot easier if two of them got the goods instead of one. One could not explain the amount of sweat pooling down her forehead, it literally felt like a waterfall. Her jacket felt muggy against her skin, her body trembling and shaking, as if attempting to ward off the overwhelming dread. Adrenaline had a sure fine way of making her prepare by sending her body into overdrive. The rest of their group had literally disappeared, fading from reality. It was like that had been transported into another dimension. Just where the fuck did they go? Eris had fear strike her a second time, suddenly realizing that Kat's scream would attract the bandits.
No time to waste.
Pulling out a few clips of ammo and taking Kat's wedding ring from off her finger, Eris quickly and silently wandered over to Ellie, keeping her body low to the ground and her footsteps silent. " The bandits will be here any minute. We need to find the others and to get back to the dam." She gave Ellie half the clips of pistol ammo, thrusting them into the girl's hands without hesitation.
"Keep on my heels and be very, very quiet. You got me? We're alone now so you're gonna have to trust me, okay?" Eris looked into Ellie's eyes, green blue orbs gazing at her with reassurance, pleading her. She knew she wasn't exactly liked or trusted, but she wanted to make sure the girl could put enough faith in her to survive at least another ten minutes. They had to get out of this forest. They just had to. There was no way she was gonna die out here, or worse, let the bandits capture them.
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Ellie
Canon
Somber Joker
Could you shed all the ethics of your past?
Posts: 16
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Post by Ellie on Jul 26, 2013 2:57:19 GMT
”Are you okay?”
Okay? Define ‘okay’. She was still breathing panicked pants, sweat cascading down her cheeks in flurried haste, and the heart pounding against her chest at least reminded her body that “hey, idiot, you’re not dead yet.” If that qualified as ‘okay’, she was golden. But Ellie’s state of mind—now that was on a whole other level of fucked. Kat had been ripped to mincemeat and Paul… Paul had been dragged off to god know’s where. The remnants of his trachea littered the forest floor, bloody and misshapen from the beast’s crushing bite, and the flap of skin attached had already turned a purple blue hue. Nausea bubbled in her own throat, and she swallowed hard to prevent another puke fest.
Whatever the fuck that thing was, it was bad news. The children back at the dam had loved Kat, regardless of her often pissy mood and hardened discipline. Cliché as the sentiment was, Ellie found herself regretting the bratty aggravation she’d thrust on the old woman. They’d never been too fond of each other, no, but to have that act as your final moments before the cold terror of a predator ripping its fangs into your neck… The teen shuddered. She and Paul hadn’t deserved it. Not at all. Two more dead to add to your list.
“Been better,” Ellie rasped finally. “Oh, man.” Eris running forward to loot—no, search, the girl told her anxiety ridden brain—Kat’s body did little to ease the adrenaline coursing through her small frame. She knew next to nothing about this woman, but if they wanted to survive, they’d have to trust each other. It was either that or wait for the hunters to skewer them up as goodie bags. Or worse, let the creature mozy on back for its next buffet. Trust it was. “Map—got it,” she mumbled, peeling her eyes away from the corpse and back to the earth beneath her. Trembling, she crouched and began pawing for the flimsy sheet hidden between the bloodied stalks of grass. She hoped he hadn’t marked the ‘X’ with red ink, or they’d have one helluva time trying to decipher the pen’s mark from the drying blood.
After a minute or two of rummaging in the dark, Ellie’s fingers made contact with the crumpled paper by a nearby pine. She closed her fist, map clutched firmly in her grasp, and rose. She tried to ignore the gore clinging to her jeans. “Alright, found it,” she said, turning to face Eris. The woman had snuck back over, ammo and walkie-talkie in hand, and thrust the bullets into Ellie’s own palms. The girl nodded and shrugged the backpack from her shoulders, careful to handle the bow still attached. She took the pistol hidden within, replaced it with the scrap of a map, and loaded the bullets into its chamber as she zipped back the bag’s contents.
“The assholes’ll be on us soon, yeah. We’d better get hiking—and stay clear of that... thing. Whatever it was. Lead the way.” The forest loomed ominously overhead as the two fled the area, silence being their main source of entertainment as it (presumably) meant nothing was trying to kill them. Yet. She had no idea if they were going the right way, but as long as the hunters or cougar weren’t on their backs, that had to mean something good. Still, the quiet became unnerving as the minutes ticked by, and her pride be damned, all Ellie wanted to do was sit with the little kids back at the dam and watch that stupid ass show.
And, of course, as she fantasized over being well-fed and dry, her foot made contact with something… squishy. And Ellie fell flat on her face in the grass as a result. What a wonderful day this was turning out to be. “Shit,” she spat, wiping the dirt from her face. “The hell was… that…” The teen gulped hard as she realized she’d tripped over a torn limb, soaked with blood and claw marks. The fabric attached looked familiar… eerily familiar. What had Paul been wearing that day? Blue flannel—and beneath the gushing red, she thought she could make out the faded blue the man had so loved. Fucking christ.
“Eris, I think we better get out of here,” Ellie warned as she picked herself up. “That thing’s gotta be—BEHIND YOU!” In the inky black, she could make out the glint of a rifle’s barrel—and pointed straight at them. Unless the cat had learned to use firearms, the girl doubted they had to worry about it this time.
Looks like they’d found the hunters—or the hunters had found them. Shit.
[Gonna be gone for the week in NYC, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to respond quickly if at all. Sorry! I'll try my best to keep updated so you won't have to wait long]
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Post by Eris Kale on Jul 28, 2013 1:11:16 GMT
Once the cartilages of ammo were given to Ellie, Eris wasted no time arming herself. She filled her pistol with a fresh chamber and turned the safety switch off. She then stuffed the remaining ammo behind her belt for easy access and prayed that her pistol won't lock up again. They were gonna need a lot more than prayers.
"Good. Then let's go." The woman raised a gloved finger to her lips to signal silence before the two turned and made their quiet yet hasty endeavor back through the forest. Flickering specs of the moon littered the forest floor as they darted in and out of bushes, careful to not get snagged and cost valuable time. Eris had pulled out her sword and hacked away any opposing branches that stood between them and the exit. The exit being anywhere but here. The blade made short work of any undergrowth, leaves and bark splintering as they were cut in two.
They had the map, which was what they were out here for in the first place. The bandit's camp was now revealed and she would be damned if they didn't escape out of this hellhole and let them all die for god damn nothing. The woman flicked a glance over her shoulder every now and then between rounds of scouting, making sure the teen was exactly where she should be. Every so often they would pause and listen, but of course, only silence and the occasional yell greeted their ears. Seemed like the bandits had finally started making their rounds, the smell of blood and fresh carnage a dead give away of their previous position. The fact that Ellie was covered in goop didn't help either. The blood would mark a trail but it was too late and too tedious to try order the girl to get rid of her clothes. She needed all the protection she could get.
Splat. Just as they had come to an open clearing with low grass, Ellie found herself with her face planted in the dirt, the ground slightly wet as a thin drizzle of rain began to shower over the area. Eris shuddered as the water dropped down onto her exposed forearms. The damned rain was as cold and heavy as ice. She swiftly turned around, seeing if she could help the girl back onto her feet. She wasn't making it easy with constantly brushing against things and tripping over like this. " Come on-" She whispered a little more harshly than she should, the steady rain soon becoming much more impervious and depressing.
However, at Ellie's remark, the girl quickly glanced over her shoulder, the gleaming barrel of a gun poking out of a nearby bush and right at their person. Jesus Christ.
Eris aimed her blade toward the earth and stood still for only just a moment. "Get away!" She commanded to Ellie, her hand having been on the girl's shoulder now pushing the teen back forcefully, hopefully with enough momentum so that she would roll away and get back up on her feet, if not to lay low enough in the grass. Eris used the leverage on Ellie to tumble away as well, her body rolling through the grass as she quickly darted into another set of bushes. She passed behind the thicket, the barrel of the gun suddenly swiveling around in a panicked movement in order to find the targets that just rearranged themselves. With the movement caught in her peripheral, the hooded woman swooped around, using as much speed as she could muster. The rain, giving them cover as well as masking her footsteps gave her the advantage to quickly flank the gunsman.
She could only spot two individuals but it was small enough of a number to take them out. She couldn't hold back and plan an attack with Ellie out there in the open. With her sword brandished, the woman came down upon the pair in a blur. Thrusting the blade out, a sickening slicing sound and a cry filled the cold thick stormy air. Thunder and lighting cracked overhead, illuminating the gunsman and his accomplice for just a second. That was all the time she needed to realize what she had just done. Eris's eyes widened as she dug her heels and boots into the ground, slowing the plunge of the weapon but all too late.
Two members of the alpha squad gazed back at her, one with the sword clearly penetrated through his upper chest, the other barely getting grasp of their pistol, fumbling with the weapon hopelessly as the rain made the handle slippery. Their panic stalled Eris's reaction and realization of what she had done. The man gasped as his blood flew down his chest in heavy squirts, no doubt from a torn artery. He only had a few seconds to live. The other, however, was regaining their composure and quickly, causing Eris to become frozen as guilt and shock overwhelmed her.
"You killed him,...." The accomplice whispered disbelievingly, his eyebrows shaking as they slowly became sharper. " You killed him! " The man thundered loudly, the rain barely masking over his scream. With his last breathes, the impaled man slumped to the ground, his artery spilling the last bit of his lifeforce with the sword still impaled. Eris could only stand there as the man pulled up his pistol, aiming for the woman albeit shakily, obviously overcome with anger, confusion, fear and sense of betrayal.
"YOU KILLED HIM!"
(( Just when you think things couldn't get worse.))
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