Elodie had been cooped up in her apartment for about a week. Well it wasn't exactly hers, just a top floor apartment she had lived by previously, that she had found to be empty and deserted, and also full of supplies. Medicines food, stuff she needed to survive.
She knew she'd have to slow down on her food intake, or she would end up having to leave her apartment; which she most definitely did not want to do, Elodie had gone on to make this apartment she had found a little while ago, to feel like home, the sun was setting and she had all the lights off, not by choice of course, but because they simply didn't work.
She had taken multiple strands of fairy lights she had hung in her old bedroom, and hung them all over the apartment, as a dim light source when she needed some, she looked up now, flipping the switch to turn them on.
Thank god they only take batteries she thought to herself as she looked out the window in the living room, down below the parking low was empty, except for deserted unusable cars, she gave a sigh, and shut herself in her 'bedroom' a room in the back of the apartment, near the bathroom in which a bare mattress lay on the floor, with fairy lights strung in this room too. She sat on the bed, and pulled open her backpack, which had a folder, she pulled a picture of clementine and herself out, taken just before the outbreak.
Jezariah stares for a moment "uh" he shakes his head "Jezariah. Just-uh…call me Jez" he waves it aside with his hand, stepping around the corpse and up the stairs, though pausing and turning around "How are you so calm about this? Especially with finding someone else? Hell, I haven't found someone ever since this whole thing started. The last human being I saw was dead" he explains, his brows furrowed.
-
Jesse makes her way towards the back, prying open the bent door frame of the bud light and Corona beers.
"Come on. I gotta find a Walmart or somethin around. Maybe a liquor store" she says to herself, stuffing a few in another duffle bag of hers, having gone out on a run to get supplies for her camp. Though her camp only consisted of her and a wild bird in a tattoo parlor shop in the small town a a bit up from Coffeyville.
Her mind wandered to her girlfriend, her chest tensing up and her thoughts flooding her mind with the worst.
Darius was walking around the town (?) aimlessly, he was looking around for..something…something. He pulled a little notebook out of his pocket and flipped through it to find the last page he wrote in, look for people it said simply. He nodded putting it back into his pocket, having short term memory loss was quite annoying for him. He walked through a parking lot to an apartment building and looked up at the windows. He kept walking, "I am looking for people" He said to himself. He had heard a loud blast a bit before, but had no idea what it was, or if it was dangerous.
Darius saw a convenience store and decided he could go for some food, he quietly walked through the broken door and scanned the isles for food, he saw a girl with a duffle bag and stood there silently not wanting to scare her. He stood there for a moment, before taking a step forward and ended up stepping on an open bag of chips with a loud crunch.
Jesse had popped open one of the cans, biting near the bottom to puncture it and one shotting the whole can before setting to it the side with a small gasp of air, wiping her mouth.
The loud crunch made her whip around, standing up and pulling out her gun, aiming it right at the kids head, glaring at him, her whole body tense.
"Name" she says cautiously, stepping away from the bag and torwards him but at an angle.
She's had people backstab her too many times during this mess.
Darius froze and tilted his head to the side silent for a moment, "my name?" He asked pulling out his little notebook to the first page, Darius Newman "Uh Darius, what is yours?" He asked, not fazed by the gun pointed at his head. Darius had no weapon on him, and was curious as to why she had a gun. "Why do you have a gun pointed at me?" He asked, putting the notebook back into his pocket. He had left his 'camp' a few days ago, and forgot where it was, so he just wandered around.
Elodie had decided she shall not go through this again, where she looked at a picture of Clementine and her aunt, Sophia; and brokedown. Not again, she had already gone through this almost every week, she would start the week with a depressive episode, something she had suffered through even before the outbreak.
She shoved the baby blue and pastel yellow comforter off herself, he clothes slightly new, since the person who stayed in this apartment, had worn about the same size as her, or roughly a size or two bigger.
So she had thrown a fresh pair of jeans earlier, slightly longer than her fitted ones, so she cuffed them, and a oversized tee, containing a vicious smile across her breasts.
She grabbed her backpack, and held her metal baseball bat, as she climbed down the stairwell of the apartment building, she was in the fresh air and inhaled. She smiled as she saw a brightly lit convenient straight across the street, snacks she thought to herself, her smile widened, and she made her way to it, when inside she stopped.
She hadn't noticed until it was to late, the girl with the gun, and the guy who was on the other end looking terrified, she hoped they hadn't noticed her, but she was right in front of them, which was bad news.
She knew she was busted.
Jesse scoffs, looking the boy up and down.
he's got to look at a notebook to know his name? What's with this kid?
She pulls back the hammer on her pistol, stepping forward "a dead man doesn't need to know my name" she growls, keeping her distance.
Her caramel eyes flick over towards the girl them back to Darius "she with you?" She asks, motioning towards her with the gun. Her stance strong and steady and her voice rough.
"I do not know her, you should not shoot me, it would be uh..murder?" Darius said confused. "why am I here?" He asked himself and pulled his notebook back out and flipped through it, "Ooh I am looking for people..why?" He looked back at the girls, "I found people…" he shook his head, "I'm sorry, what was your name?" he asked the girl holding the gun. "why do you have a gun?" He asked having forgotten what had just happened, and that he already asked that.
Jesse let out a small laugh, lowering the gun "ah sorry. It is murder" she states, obviously very amused by the fact that he just told her that.
She clears his throat, walking towards him and putting a hand on his shoulder "im the chick that's going to snap your neck because you came into the place im looting." She says
(I'm sorry she's so mean rn ;-;)
"oh…but that is not a name..why would you hurt me, I just want some food…I think…that must be what I am doing here" He said his stomach growling. He sighed, and pulled out his notebook and a pencil, writing something down. crazy chick from store wants to snap my neck, be careful He put the pencil back into his pocket.
Gus followed Jez up the stairs. "Aw, well dang. Y'ain't seen nobody since the start? No wonder you're surprised then. I guess I musta come from somewhere a little safer. As fer these critters, sure they're uglier 'n Granny's cats, but nothin' to be scared of 'long as you don't let 'em sneak up on you. And 'long as you carry a peashooter, like mine." He tapped his hunting rifle. "You got any weapons? I ain't lendin' out my jackknife unless you really need it."
(I love Gus XD)
Jezariah blinks "right…." He says with a nod, making his way up the stairs "i-uhm..I've got my own things. Though the smaller ones are easier to kill-i-" he pauses, thinking about the five story tall screamer he spotted about a month ago. Sending a shiver up his spine.
"Anyway. Where'd you come? Do you have a camp? Or know where one is?" He asks, turning around to look at him every few seconds as he kept up the stairs.
-
Jesse rolls her eyes "go hunting then. This is my s**t" she says stepping away from him and grabbing her duffle bags, swinging them over her shoulders.
She looks over to the girl "who are you?" She asks, looking her up and down.
Elodie stopped, her hands gripping the handle of the baseball bat so hard they turned a ghastly white.
"Im Elodie, I live in an apartment across the way" she pointed out the giant window.
Her hands trembled and her voice shook as she spoke.
Not seeing anyone around her as much of a threat, she relaxes a little.
She steps towards Elodie
that's a pretty name she thought, stopping in front of her, taking out a machete by the blade and handing it to her "thisll work a lot better than a bat" she says. Her face relaxed, but that also meant she looked like she was pissed at whoever she looked at. Though her voice was scratchy and low, it was softer than before. She always took to women a lot better than men, only seeing them as a threat.
Elodie gave a face of startlement and surprise, she took the handle of the machete, and held it, sliding her bat back into the easily accessible outside pocket of her backpack.
"Um thanks?" she said her voice full of confusion as to why this stranger was being so nice to her.
She backed up and swiped the machete through the air, liking how it felt in her hands, she gave the other girl a smile.
It's not that Jesse was being nice to her by her own understanding. It was more like she looked like she was going to die the second she tried to hit a screamer with a bat.
She sighs, slipping off the case from her belt and handing it to her "so you don't die" she says, stepping back to look at both of them, crossing her arms "either of you know where a camp is?" She asks, purposely not giving her name just yet.
(I'm glad Gus is loveable >w< Also sorry I'm late lol)
"A camp? Naw," Gus replied, shooting Jez a grin whenever he caught him glancing back. "I mean, I hunkered down in some trees at the edge of town last night, but it weren't comfy. And I ain't seen any signs of life 'round here until now." He paused, thinking. "Well, actually, I've seen a few things, but nuthin' I could track. Dead monsters that were purty fresh, with boot tracks around 'em, fer example. And trees in some park with branches cut, for firewood I bet. No actual human folks though, 'cept for you."
(Oh that's fine hun!^^)
Jez stopped "wait so there's others?" He asks a bit excited, opening the door to the top stairwell
"Where was this?" He asks, peeking into the hallway of the building, blood splattered on the walls and floors. He closes it and looks.back to Gus for.an answer
(Sorry mines a Lil short)
(no worries xD)
Gus stuck his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Well, I saw most of th' stuff like that earlier today, in the neighborhood between here 'n the edge of town. Now, I ain't promisin' it means anything. Could be those people are gone now, if they're even still kickin'. But it sounds like you want to try yer luck and go sniff around there, yeah? I don' mind showin' you the place. Honestly, I'm in no big rush to get somewhere else."
Jezariah leans his back up against the door, crossing his arms and thinking hard about it
should I risk it?
He purses his lips "you don't have to come but there's strength in numbers. Especially when the world is basically damned" he explains "I feel like it might be worth it" he shrugs
plus it'd higher my chances of getting to DC
Elodie shook her head, her fingers clamping the handle of the weapon tightly.
"I haven't seen any camps, unless you count my apartment, but I live alone so it doesn't really count." She said, her eyes casted downwards towards the ground.
Gus nodded. "I like havin' a travel buddy better 'n I don't. Besides, seemed like there were less of these devil-bears still alive back in that part of town. So yep, I'll come with you. Y'need anything from this house 'fore we go?"
(Hey, I'll post my first response later today. I've been really busy. Classes just started, new job, my dad visited, etc)
(nice to hear from you again Bec~!)
(That's alright! Take your time!♡)
Jesse sighs, her supplies were already running short from the last camp she stole from. The only thing she had abundance of now was her cigarettes and cheap beer.
"Alright" she looks at Darius "im guessing you don't either huh?" She grumbles, walking passed them and stepping through the broken glass door and into the street. "Come'on" she waves.
-
Jezariah pushes himself off of the door and shrugs "yeah I haven't found anything good in the higher floors so I'd say let's go" he says with a heavy breath, stepping down a few stairs.
"I found the food pantry down on the first floor. It looks like everyone in this town left before packing up everything. Which is what half the people back at my place did to"
Elodie looks over at the boy startled her look saying can you believe this shit? her eyebrows raised slightly.
She shook her head as if losing all sense of her former self, who she had been before she stepped into this store.
A independent woman, who needed no one. And someone who most definitely did not do whatever some random stranger told her to. Someone who she didn't even know, Elodie never trusted strangers.
But now all this ability to resist, all the hate for people and independence Elodie had developed over the past few months, was gone.
And she realised she was lonely, desperate and obviously insane she thought to herself.
So she followed, her boots crunching as she stepped on the broken glass and climbed through the door the same way the stranger had, and stopped directly in front of her. Her hands clenching the straps of her backpack.
"Guess that makes sense." Gus side-stepped to make room for Jez, then walked with him down the stairs. "I reckon most people were too spooked to think straight at the start." He eyed Jez in amusement. "By the way….'the world is basically damned'? Y'sound like my Aunt Ruth who done ran the church back where I was born. I dunno if I think we're that far down the ditch, not yet anyhow. But my pa always called me a fool optimist, so maybe I'm wrong."
As Jesse walked down the cracked black-top road, she turned around, now walking backwards as to face her.
"Jesse" she states, stopping and holding out her hand, feeling it wouldn't hurt to give out a name. Though she still didn't prefer it.
She too had realized a while ago that she was alone in this. And it was actually her fault. She was a jerk and any camp she went into, she would steal and leave, not wanting to be a part of their community. Shes always had the mind set of "I can patch myself up" all her life.
Why would she stop now?
Well because the world's ending and she knew she could patch herself up and carry herself perfectly fine.
But she needed people. A group. Numbers.
Why not start with these two?
-
Jez let out a lighthearted scoff "I agree with him" he says, turning the corner of the stairwell to head down the third floor.
"Think about it man. The.last news channel I saw the reporter got her head torn off by one of those things. We don't have a surefire way to.kill every single one of them even with the books" he says, letting the last part slip.
Though he continues, not realizing what he had just said "the world is dammed. There's only so much us humans can do" he shrugs
Elodie shook her hand quickly, then dropped her hand to rest beside her.
"Consider this a 'yay people' gift." Elodie said, shrugging off her backpack and unzipping it, she pulled out a small silver cross necklace and placed it in Jesse's palm, then zipped her bag, and put it back on her shoulders.
Jesse looks down at the cross necklace, blinking.
what?
She debates whether or not to make it seem like.the cross burned her hand just for kicks but instead she slips it over her head so it rested around her neck.
"I look.hot don't i?" She says.
She wasn't actually used to wearing necklaces, always seeing it as something someone could use against her and strangle her with.
But she ignored that for now. Confident in her own abilities to pound someone's face in if they so much as touch her.
.jpeg)
.png)
%20pngg.png)
.jpg)