|
|
Post by Eden L. Moreau on Dec 9, 2014 6:41:44 GMT
I've wasted time, I've wasted breath Eden adjusted the bag on her back, making sure that the straps were tight across her chest. She had learned that lesson the hard way. If your pack wasn’t properly strapped on and you had to sprint, you were going to have a hell of a lot of bruises the next day. And none of those bruises were in good spots. This way there was also less chaffing, something else that she had learned the hard way in the past year. It wasn’t the best life but it was the only one that she had now, so she was going to keep living it. Eden lifted her hand to the strap that kept her bokken in place, making sure that she could easily get to it. There weren’t many of the grey people on this path, but she didn’t want to take her chances. For the past couple days, her group had been scavenging the area for anything that might be useful. They had stumbled across a few bottles of pills, things that they didn’t need, so the idea had been to find a way station. When they ran into other people, before their large group had fallen apart, they had often traded routes with each other. That was how the four of them knew where this way station was out here in the wilderness. It was the closest they were going to get to trading without having to speak to another group, something that Eden enjoyed avoiding at all costs. She didn’t trust people and rightfully so. But the monks, they weren’t so bad. They always had food and a nice place to sleep, which was great for her current trek which had taken most of the sunlit hours. Eden wouldn’t be making that trek back in the dark, so the way station was going to be her place of sleep for the night.
The way station loomed in her vision and she slowed. Something about actual buildings these days set her on edge. She supposed that it was because she had been forcefully pulled from hers after months of hiding, but none of them settled well with her now. Eden preferred being out in the open and in the wilderness. Sure, she had slept in her fair share of ranger towers when she came across one, but she preferred not to do that even. Nature was more comforting than four walls boxing her in. Eden shuddered at the thought, knowing that was what she was about to subject herself too. If it had been warmer outside, she would have been sleeping on the roof of the building. But as it was, December was unforgiving in the mountains. You slept with shelter or you froze to death. She’d take the living over her distaste for walls any day. Eden had to suppress another shudder as she made it to the door of the station. She lifted her hand and knocked, only loudly enough to alert whoever was inside. Hopefully not loud enough to bring on the walkers. Still, Eden positioned herself at an angle, lifting her hand back to the hilt of her bokken. She waited a few moments before knocking again. Nothing. A scowl settled on her features as she pushed the door open with her foot, stepping into the building slowly. Her eyes scanned quickly, looking for the slightest trace of movement. And then she saw the note. Out checking traps. A sigh of relief slipped from her as she stepped into the building, closing the door behind her. At least they hadn’t been eaten. Eden scoffed at the idea and unbuckled her pack, setting it on top of the table. She quickly dug through the outer pockets and set three pill bottles on the table before shouldering the pack once more. It had only taking her a couple minutes, but already there was a sound outside. She couldn’t place it quite yet. It was quiet, meaning that it could possibly be another human. Or it could be a zom who hadn’t been ripped to shreds and could still move around pretty quietly. Eden’s lip pulled back in a sneer at the thought as her hand snaked up to her bokken once more, unsheathing her precious training sword.
Notes: gah, a lot longer than i intended. oops. template by Sammy @ Adox 2.0 |
|
|
▲
|
|
|
|
Bounty Hunter
|
|
|
Bowie Knife
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post by Charlotte R. Wilder on Dec 10, 2014 23:59:40 GMT
This place is so unforgiving And somehow it’s another winter eden word count: 762 outfit notes: No worries. Small steps, one sluggish foot in front of the other, while Charlie focused on the steady sound of her heart beating in her ears like the marching drums of the Old 1812 Quickstep. Charlie could calculate the time she'd been walking that day from the position of the sun in the sky, inching from east to west as the minutes ticked by. It had been two days since she had left Gameland, commissioned to find new recruits for the various positions that needed filled. Pretty young girls to fill men's beds, strapping lads who could do heavy lifting, and of course it never mattered what condition an individual was in to be thrown into the pit.
Some who traveled through were appalled by such things but all throughout history human beings had proven to be primal at their cores. From the Gladiators in the Colosseum to more recently with dog fights around America, violence was a sport that remained encoded in their DNA. For every MMA fight that was watched to the flashing visions withheld in your own minds when someone you despised walked into a room-everyone had a dose of that particular poison in their hearts. In the world they lived, Gameland had just capitalized on all the worst of mankind's vices and slapped a price on it. This was still America and consumerism ruled.
Charlie relished the warmth of the sun against her cheeks as she trekked along an unmarked path yet to find hind or hair of any form of life, living or undead, along the way. The footprints along the well had been long since swept away by wind save for a few here and there seeming to lead in no distinct direction, several different sets from several different groups. But, Charlotte knew where she was going though- the monk's Way Station hoping to find what she was looking for.
More often than not all it took was the prospect of a Safe Haven to lure her victim's in. The web woven filled with promises that would soon sour into lies, and she the lovely spider to spin it. Her words could spindle as delicately as silk, wrapping around her prey before they realized it was far too late to struggle free. It wasn't fulfilling in the least but Charlie understood her role in this makeshift society that had been encouraged by human error and creature by nature to correct it.
Charlie could see the decrepit building in the distance, her mouth filled with the dryness of cotton knowing that it was always best to save her rations. A long shadow stalked behind her and in front, lay the blackened silhouette of her destination, i's peak reaching out to touch her and pull her in. Just a little bit further. The mantra repeated inside her mind egging Charlotte on those final few steps.
Her eyes narrowed in determination, she let out a slow breath and coiled her fingers around the shoulder straps of her knapsack finding the conviction needed to make it those few extra steps on lithe toes, swift and silent. The poise and grace from years in her youth dancing had given Charlie a leg up in matters of stealth. There was the faintest sound of a click, the button of her sheath popping and a hand wrapping around the handle of her bowie knife ready for anything but casual enough not to be viewed as threatening.
Pushing her way through the door with a light nudge of her shoulder, Charlie's eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim lighting of the way station though could see the figure, as of yet indistinguishable, already waiting within. It was only a moment in time and once Charlotte was passed it, found herself looking at a pretty brunette. The men in Gameland would have loved to get their grubby paw on her. A quick sweep of the place suggested they were alone.
Charlie smiled and brought both hands up in friendly surrender. "I come in peace." She promised, lying, but convincingly so with an even and easy tone. Charlotte made no sudden movements and had little notion of descending any ill will on the woman just yet, maybe not even at all depending on the situation that she faced. If she was from a larger group and the others were laying in wait somewhere, it wasn't a battle that Charlie thought necessary to fight, understanding that it would be a losing one. Her gaze caught the note reading over it with mild interest, from afar. "How long have you been waiting?" |
|
|
|
|
Post by Eden L. Moreau on Dec 12, 2014 2:37:38 GMT
I've wasted time, I've wasted breath Eden moved her sword slowly, in case it was a zom. Any movements that could create sound would draw it closer. And lord knew she had already made more than enough sound as it was. She had been shoveling through her bag like her life had depended on it. She tensed as she brought her sword around to the front of her body, wrapping both hands around it in the way she had been taught. If you didn’t use both hands, chances where you would lose one or your life in this world. And those weren’t chances that she could afford to take anymore. It wasn’t a chance that anyone could take in this world. And then the door was nudged open. Her eyes landed on the source of the moving door and widened a bit in surprise. The girl was beautiful and her hair. Eden instantly wanted to reach forward and touch her gorgeous red hair. She hadn’t seen hair like that since before First Night. But she tightened her hands on her bokken instead, preparing herself for the worst. Just because it was a way station and it was meant to be neutral ground didn’t mean a thing. Especially when the Monk wasn’t inside the building. But as the other female said she came in peace, Eden’s grip loosened on her sword. She tipped her head toward the note that had been left on the table, sure that the other woman had already seen it by this point. “Haven’t been here for more than ten minutes. Ranging more like five at this point though.” Eden kept her sword between them for a moment longer before letting her muscles relax entirely. She moved quickly then, sheathing her bokken in one fluid moment. “Enough time to take my pack off and dig through to grab the pills I had planned on trading.” Eden nodded her head toward the little table with the note once more, though this time in indication of the pills that were setting next to her pack.
Eden let her eyes roam over the other female for a moment before she turned back to her pack, flipping the open flaps closed once more and tightening them. Even though she didn’t feel like the woman was an immediate threat, there was no point in showing her everything she had in her pack either. This world wasn’t a game of trusting those you didn’t know any longer. It was about approaching everyone cautiously and even then, doubting everything about them once you got to know them. Eden moved her eyes back to the other woman once her back was shut tightly, offering out her hand in a slow movement so as not to startle her. They were on neutral ground. Eden was allowed to show a little bit of decency. “I’m Eden. Sorry about the….” She lifted her hand to motion to the sword that was now sheathed. She knew that it didn’t look like much of a weapon, but it was effective in this world. And that was all that mattered honestly. She could survive by wielding it and that was enough. Plus she was horribly attached to the wooden blade. A blade that she hopped to switch out for a katana if she ever managed to run across one in this screwed up world. “Can’t be too careful. Even in a way station. I’ve heard a few tales of people getting taken down by zoms at places like this.” They were few, but horror stories were a part of everyday life in this world, so it was incredibly likely that the stories were true.
Notes: thanks again for snagging this  template by Sammy @ Adox 2.0 |
|
|
▲
|
|
|
|
Bounty Hunter
|
|
|
Bowie Knife
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post by Charlotte R. Wilder on Dec 12, 2014 5:55:15 GMT
This place is so unforgiving And somehow it’s another winter eden word count: 618 outfit notes: My pleasure Maybe a wooden stick wasn't the most immediately threatening of weapons but Charlie could see the advantage in it. A blade had a the menace that her wood lacked but not the reach. There was a twenty-one feet rule that she had read about in her warfare familiarity but that applied to guns versus knives, this would be different if it came to that. With the reach of this woman's stick, the advantage to subdue before Charlie could get close enough to strike was in her favor, but if she could get close enough, it was Charlie who would most likely come out victorious.
There was a reason why she didn't go in with proverbial guns blazing when it came to dealing with the living. Other options could present themselves, she needed time to pick the proper opportunity to strike, if at all. Charlie liked to see whether people would prove useful in other ways than what they had with them right at the moment that she came across them and yes, in a lot of cases, she was bringing people back to Gameland under false impressions that they had found a safe haven when instead they would be trapped inside of those walls to face their fate either in the pits or some other form of entertainment. She couldn't tell whether that was where Eden would end up yet but those pills did have a certain appeal to them.
She didn't let her interest show too much. Medical supplies were always a hot ticket item but in a place where sin was the capital, drugs fetched you a nice price too. She couldn't see what was in those bottles. Even if Charlie had been close enough to read the labels that didn't mean what was said to be in it truly was. She licked her dry, cracked lips craving the simple luxury of lip chap for this unforgiving climate, but alas, those were just as elusive as everything else these days. The fat of meat helped but that too was scarce.
"It's fine. I would do the same thing." And in a way, Charlie had. The button of her sheath was still undone for easy access right there at her hip but her hands were no longer near it ready to snatch it out of its casing and put it to good use. "Anyway, I'm Charlie. Delighted to meet your acquaintance." She bowed her head slightly showing off her Southern Courtesy. With a glance toward the wall seeing blood dried on it she smiled a bit sadly. "I'd say that the writing was on the wall towards truth in those tales."
She was just glad that she hadn't been there for it. With that in mind she threw a thumb behind here. "And if you don't mind, I'm going to shut the door, muffle any noise, out of sight out of mind, that sort of thing." Charlie didn't wait for a reply though before gently shutting the door as she'd warned she would be doing. There was no sense in being indoors and still making yourself unnecessarily vulnerable.
Charlie didn't relish in the notion of being in the monks' space. Their ideology was...unfortunate and if not for a degree of force, Charlotte probably wouldn't have had anything to do with them. As it stood this was the best place to get some rest for a while before moving on again. At least their pacifist ways did fortune some benefit. "What were you looking to trade those pills for?" Charlie couldn't say that she had what Eden was looking for but depending on what she had there, she might be able to get it, provided the pot was sweet enough.
|
|
|
|
|
Post by Eden L. Moreau on Dec 17, 2014 1:01:47 GMT
I've wasted time, I've wasted breath Eden nodded her head as the other female would have done the same. She assumed that most of them in this world would these days. You could only chance things so often these days and Eden had never been much of a gambler. It was why her first reaction these days was to fight. That had started with her mother and it hadn’t stopped since then. It was what she credited with her survival. But she needed a break. She needed rest. And she wanted about a month of thinking of anything else but how to survive out in the wilderness with zombies waiting at every turn to rip her flesh off. It was why she was searching for a haven. She wanted some place to rest her head without having to sleep in shifts. She wanted a place to call home in a world where there was no longer such a thing. It was a large order, but she felt like plenty of people were still grasping for the same straws that she was at this point. “Charlie. Nice to meet you as well.” She let her eyes follow the same path that Charlie’s had, taking in the walls. This place had definitely seen better days. That was for sure. And it was one of those moments that she was insanely glad that walls didn’t talk. The pain that they had to hold, well, she wanted no part of it. Eden dipped her head in another nod as Charlie said that she was going to close the door. She liked this woman already. Smart and it was obvious that she could think on her toes. It was the kind of thing that Eden looked for when she was considering new people for her group, which wasn’t something that she let herself dream of often.
Eden pushed her hand back through her hair before pulling it up into a messy bun, her favorite band still holding out through the apocalypse. It was a small victory, but a victory in her eyes nonetheless. She opened the side pocket on her bag and pulled out her canteen. It was something she had lifted out of a store once she had started traveling with her original group. She had been assured that it would filter her water so she could fill it from anywhere. She had gotten sick the first few times anyway, but now it was a godsend. She knew she wouldn’t survive without the water it provided her. Eden took a long drink of the contents before she looked at the pills again. She lowered her canteen slowly, weighing whether or not she should be honest about what she was here to trade for. But she decided that there would be no harm in letting Charlie in. Her group wasn’t here so it would do them no damage for this woman to find out what they were after. “We were hoping for a few fishing hooks or a net. It’s a bit cold for it now, but once it warms back up we’re going to need those things. Especially if we don’t make it to a place that’s safe enough for us to stay and put our roots down.” She shook her head at the thought. She didn’t want to still be searching for a place to call home in the spring. But she knew that it was a possibility. Her hope only got away for her for so long before the realism settled firmly back in. “That and some wraps…uh bandages. We lost ours and every place we’ve looted has been out of the damn things. It’s nothing much, the wrappings, but we’re trying to ensure that no one else dies.” Eden lifted her shoulders in a small movement that could be classified as a shrug before she slipped her canteen back into her bag. She was sure that Charlie knew the kinds of things that could steal a person away in this world. And infection was one of them. Common place things that could have been easily treated just a year ago. “What about you? What are you doing at a way station? Just traveling?” Eden lifted one brow at her, sure that curiosity was burning on her features.
Notes: nada. dead on notes. template by Sammy @ Adox 2.0 |
|
|
▲
|
|
|
|
Bounty Hunter
|
|
|
Bowie Knife
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Post by Charlotte R. Wilder on Dec 18, 2014 5:39:14 GMT
This place is so unforgiving And somehow it’s another winter eden word count: 612 outfit notes: My pleasure
Charlie didn't believe that it was truly nice to meet anyone anymore. It was all about what someone could do for you now. Even in an apocalypse she still found herself measuring people for what benefits they could provide. That sort of thinking was more important than it ever had been, but maybe more sinister as well. You didn't want to hook up with anyone who would slow you down or screw you over, but in weighing the pros and cons of being in a group versus being alone- for the longer term it was always better to have companions. These trips out of Gameland that Charlie took solo were proof enough of that. Deep down she didn't want to be alone either.
It was more than that though. Having other people meant different innovations, skills, survival methods and if push came to shove, there was always the slowest runner to leave behind to give yourself more time to get away. Cardio was an important thing of the age they lived in now. Charlie made sure to keep in shape under those pretenses, never wanting to be that person lacking speed or endurance. Eden seemed smart enough to understand the purpose behind her gestures so far. Some were so paranoid to the point that you couldn't blink without it being seen as an act of aggression. That was another pro towards groups, it forced you to trust to some degree. though anyone with a lick of sense knew not to let their guard down completely.
Both fishing hooks and nets could be made with the proper materials. Those could be as scarce as anything else though. There was a Blacksmith in Gameland that made things like that, a handed skill but unlikely anything that Charlie would be able to do. It took a degree of upper body strength that she was lacking in. Maybe making a hook wouldn't be overly difficult as long as you could find scrap metal and heat a fire hot enough, and had something to shape it with- gloves would be a must too. Everything seemed to be such a large process that so many had forgotten all about because you could just go to a store and buy whatever it was that you needed. The age of technology had crippled so many of them in being resourceful. If the virus had spread to other places, jumped oceans, all those third worlds that Americans had looked down on were probably having themselves a good laugh because they knew how to survive and do without.
It didn't escape Charlie's notice that Eden had said we. That indicated that she wasn't alone and as such took away any notion of screwing Eden over right away. That would just mean that Charlie would possibly have people after her and that wasn't generally how she got people to follow her back to Gameland. She did get the impression that Eden was looking for some place to settle but it was never a good idea to lead with your Trump Card.
"Bandages like sterile gauze?" Charlie checked. She had a few, not many though because taking supplies out of Gameland was very limited."I was traveling." That much she could confirm but of course it couldn't be revealed as to what she was traveling for. "I thought I'd settle here for the night. I assume that your group will be joining you at some point." Charlie had to take into consideration that Eden wasn't to be trusted and once the rest of her party came along, it might be Charlie who was in danger. "What pills are they? I might have something that you want."
|
|
|
