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#Post#: 51--------------------------------------------------
Grace & Enzo & Elijah (4)
By: winterssmary Date: December 16, 2018, 7:48 pm
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After walking through the woods for about ten minutes, Eli
managed to lead the group back to the hunting cabin. Of course,
the trip was not without Eli's occasional trips and stumbles,
but they managed to make it back unscathed. The cabin was
nestled among thick evergreen trees, just behind a large fire
pit. If you listened closely, you could hear the low humming of
the water pump that Eli had repaired a few weeks beforehand. The
area was a mess at the time, since his friends had left in quite
a hurry and left much of their stuff scattered. They managed to
take all of their weapons though. Aside from the woodcutter's
axe, of course. "So, this is the place. I'm sorry that it's not
much," he said, guiding them past the wood chopping block and to
the door.
"If you're going to be sticking around for a bit, you're going
to need to help out," he said, gesturing toward the wood pile.
"I'm not much with an axe, so it would be excellent if someone
would be willing to chop wood for the fire later," he said. He
then turned on his heel and opened the door to the cabin,
exposing a one-room space with a full size bed, kitchenette, and
bathroom. There were unlit candles on all the counters,
windowsills, and the breakfast table. "We don't have any
electricity, so I light candles when it gets dark out," he
stated plainly. He gestured to his left. "This is the kitchen.
The microwave and refrigerator don't work, but it's a gas stove,
so we can still cook inside," he said. He gestured to the main
open area of the cabin. "This is where you guys will be
sleeping. The bed fit two, so it's up to you guys to decide who
is there and who is on the ground," he explained. Then his eyes
lit up. "Oh, but the floor is not uncomfortable. We have plenty
of extra sleeping bags and blankets and stuff."
He walked a few feet further and opened up the small bathroom.
It didn't have a tub, which would have been more convenient, but
a standing shower, sink, and toilet. "This is the bathroom," he
said, as if it weren't already obvious. "We don't have
electricity, but we do still have running water. So, you can
flush the toilet, brush your teeth, and take a cold shower if
you want," he said. He turned back to the face the group. "And
that's pretty much it. You know, aside from the obvious chore
list," but he trailed off, as it seemed like the group had a lot
to take in a needed a moment before he brought out the
whiteboard.[/center]
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Enzo walked as close to Blake as he could without making it more
uncomfortable than it already was. He didn't distrust the
others, but he didn't exactly feel comfortable enough to walk
next to the guy with the gun or the girl with the knife or the
kid with the goofy grin. Besides, he hadn't gotten the chance to
discuss it yet, but he was ninety-nine percent sure that he and
Blake were going to rob the place come nighttime and he wasn't
about to get attached to this group before stealing all of their
stuff. Or most of it, anyway. He wasn't completely heartless.
Eventually, Eli lead them all to the cabin. He was right. It
wasn't much. But it was something. Also, he had a group of
friends who left a bunch of their stuff. Enzo could tell. Many
of their items -- though mostly just blankets and garbage --
were scattered around the fire pit, as if they'd spent many
nights there trying to keep warm. He said something about
chopping wood. "Well, I'm already dressed like a lumberjack, so
it sounds like a job for me," he said with a shrug. He glanced
around for anything else he could take that he might need. The
axe would be useful, he supposed. But Eli needed that. But Enzo
wasn't sure if he cared. This was getting complicated.
They entered the cabin, a small, open space with a bed, kitchen
area, and bathroom. It was nice to see. Sure, it was much
smaller than where he and Blake had just come from, but it would
be nice to sleep in not the mud. That was when Eli mentioned a
lack of electricity. Weird. Enzo could have sworn he heard
humming, like that of a generator or something. But he guessed
he was wrong. Then Eli said that they had running water and it
all made sense. "Thank you," he said to Eli. "This will do just
fine."[/center]
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Eli, the man with the glasses, seemed like he didn't get out
very often. He struggled to make it through the forest terrain
before they made it back to his hunting cabin. It was fine
though. Grace didn't mind that the man stumbled and tripped and
nearly fell on his face several times. He was giving them a
roof. And somewhere to sleep. And a nice fire so she could stay
warm. He also saved Sam earlier and she'd be grateful for that
for a while. Sam was doing fine, but Grace watched him carefully
as they wondered through the woods. She was afraid that he'd
pass out or that his ankle would give out or something. She
knew, logically, that he was fine and that he wouldn't struggle
much after regaining his footing -- which he already had done --
but she couldn't help worrying.
He introduced the group to his home before giving a brief house
tour. Grace saw the fire pit, which was bigger than she
imagined. She also saw the garbage and supplies thrown around
the area and it occurred to her that Eli's old friends really
just left him in the middle of nowhere. This man obviously
wasn't capable of making it on his own. Most people weren't. She
felt anger for anyone who could be so cruel. Grace knew what it
was like to have people give up on you and she didn't want that
for anyone else, especially someone who showed as much kindness
to them as Eli.
The inside of the cabin was pleasant. They had running water,
which thrilled Grace. She had a weird compulsion for being as
clean as possible. She needed to brush her teeth and wash her
hair and get all the dirt out from under her fingernails. There
was a working gas stove and candles all over the place. What was
more was that all the extra blankets and sleeping bags would
mean that the floor would be comfortable. Grace knew that, since
she was the smallest, she'd probably be on the floor. At least
this way it wouldn't be that bad. "Thank you Eli," she said with
a smile. "I'll do my best to help out in any way I can," she
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#Post#: 52--------------------------------------------------
Blake│Christian│Samuel
By: Zellaphone Date: December 16, 2018, 9:08 pm
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Blake had noticed early on that Enzo was purposefully sticking
close to her, but she found that she didn't really mind. It was
better him then literally anyone else around her. Besides, he
was good back up, so having him close was better strategy-wise
in case they were ambushed. God, she just hoped this Eli guy
wasn't lying to him. She really didn't want to have to get
anymore blood on her hands. Killing an infected was one thing,
but killing a guy that looked like an innocent string bean and
seemed incapable of keeping balance was another. She didn't know
if she could truly stomach it, but she'd try if he was lying.
It didn't take long for them to reach the cabin, Blake's eyes
immediately going towards the trash scattered around the fire
pit, her nose crinkling in distaste. Jeez, his 'friends'
couldn't have even picked up after themselves before leaving
this guy to die? Now that was cold. She felt another unwanted
pang of sympathy towards the man. Maybe she'd pick up the trash
and tidy things up a bit herse-
No, no, what was she thinking? They weren't here to be nice and
make friends, they were here to rob them. At least, that's what
she still planned on doing. Knowing Enzo, he was more than
likely thinking the same thing. Then again, he was also a bit
nicer than her, so who knew. She'd have to discuss it with him
soon.
They then passed a chopping block, an axe protruding from the
top. She tried not to stare at it too long, putting it on the
list of things she would more than likely steal. Then again,
that axe was probably all Eli had to chop wood with. Even though
it was spring, she knew how cold the nights could get and-
No! There she went again! She didn't have time to feel bad for
this guy. All his people left him to die, and Blake figured that
the family they were with currently would probably leave as
well, meaning he was a goner no matter what. Besides, even if
that family did stay with him, it looked like he had hardly any
survival skills at all. He didn't need the axe. It wouldn't do
him well for very long.
Enzo offered to chop wood, and Blake quickly glanced at him,
wondering if he was offering so he could take the axe, offering
because he meant it and was planning on staying longer, or
offering just to play nice. Well, whatever his case was, she
figured they might as well play the role of 'new roommates'
until nighttime.
They entered the cabin, and Blake's first thought was that it
was about the size of her apartment. She could literally see
just about everything from the doorway, and wondered how these
people actually planned on staying together and how Eli's
previous companions had lived here. There was no way they could
stay here through the winter, if they even made it that long. At
least they wouldn't be sticking around for long, hopefully.
Eli gave them a tour, pointing out everything in the cabin,
which wasn't much, but at least he had running water and a
stove. He mentioned two people fitting in the bed and she
managed not to snort, thinking about how she'd really rather not
have to share a bed with the walking pencil. She also couldn't
help but think about how there was hardly anything to take. They
could use the axe and blankets, but other than that, there was
really only Chris's gun, which she refused to take seeing as how
he had kids. Sure, they probably wouldn't last either, but they
were kids. She wasn't taking their knife either. Well, if
anything, they could snag a few candles and some of the food
that was left behind.
The thing that broke Blake out of her thoughts was Eli
mentioning a chore list. "You're kidding, right?" she blurted
out, immediately regretting doing so. "I mean," she took a deep
breath, trying her best to smile, "thank you, Eli." Damn her and
her temper. She hadn't meant to be rude to the guy that just
offered them shelter (even if she was going to rob him), but a
chore list? The guy was... unlike anyone she had ever met.
Seriously, who kept a chore list anymore besides mothers trying
to keep their four-year-olds in check?[/center]
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Chris made sure the kids kept close as they made their way to
the cabin, keeping them both behind him as he walked, glancing
back at them every now and again. Thankfully, Sam seemed alright
by now, regaining his footing very quickly. He was a tough kid,
he had to admit, but he still wasn't good enough for Grace, in
his opinion. He noticed the way Sam would stare at her when he
thought no one else was looking. He had stared at a girl like
that a time or two himself, but it had never worked out. Of
course, those girls hadn't had a protective benefactor to keep
him in check.
Eli began his tour once they reached the cabin, Chris glancing
at the trash and other items scattered around the fire pit. He
noticed Blake scrunch her nose out of the corner of his eye.
There was no doubt that everyone felt at least a little bad for
Eli. The way these people seemed so capable of just up and
leaving him only made his view of humanity darken. There truly
were some awful people in the world, and Chris had certainly
seen his fair share of them. He just hoped the strangers around
him didn't turn out to be any more. He also hoped that Eli
already knew of his old companion's true intentions and that he
wouldn't have to be told. His friends would not be coming back,
and they left knowing that was going to be the case.
When they passed the cutting block, Eli explained that they were
going to have to help pull some of the weight. "I can help cut
wood as well," he offered after Enzo, giving both him and Eli a
brief smile before they continued into the cabin. Eli continued
to explain that there was no electricity, but candles, as well
as running water, a stove, a bed big enough for two, and
sleeping bags and blankets. Well, it was certainly better than
nothing, and it had actually ended up being better than Chris
had thought at the first mention of a hunting cabin. Really, the
only downfalls were the size and lack of electricity. But, then
again, there was always ways of fixing the electricity issue if
the went back into the city and stocked up on some things, which
they'd have to do regardless at some point. Chris needed more
ammo, and everyone needed to be armed, but he figured he'd
suggest a journey later.
"Yes, thank you Eli. We're truly grateful that you're willing to
share this with us," said Chris after Enzo and Blake (with fake
enthusiasm) thanked him. "Believe me when I say we're also more
than willing to pull our own weight," he added, knowing that the
kids would do their best to help. It didn't seem like there
would really be a whole lot to take care of. It was the 'end of
the world' anyway.[/center]
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Sam was grateful that it only took him a few steps before he was
walking normal again, unlike Eli who seemed to be having a hard
time walking on the uneven ground. The guy seemed to have a hard
time doing a lot of basic things, like talking, but Sam didn't
really mind. He found it a bit endearing, in a way. Really, he
was just thankful that the guy had cut him loose from that snare
instead of leaving him to die or cutting him open and eating his
innards. Silver linings, he supposed.
He stayed close to Grace, his hand accidentally brushing her arm
on occasion, but she didn't seem to really notice. Mr. Smith,
however, kept glancing back at them, making him feel a bit
self-contentious. He knew he was just doing it to be nice and
check on him, but he found the guys eyes on him a lot,
especially when he was close to Grace. He knew that Mr. Smith
knew about his crush, and man was it scary. College had been the
perfect place to pursue her because there had been no parents
around to third-wheel or make him feel awkward, but now he was
kind of stuck with Mr. Smith, and while that was a good thing
when it came to surviving, it was a bad thing when it came to
him flirting with his surrogate daughter.
It didn't take them long to get to the cabin, passing garbage
that Eli's friends and thrown down without a care, and passing a
chopping block, Enzo and Mr. Smith offering to help Eli in the
task of cutting wood. Sam wanted to offer as well, but they were
already moving on with the tour, Eli pointing out this and that
in the small space. Well, at least they had a roof and a bed,
although Sam doubted he'd be able to sleep on it anytime soon.
He was young, and so was Grace, so they were definitely sleeping
on the ground tonight, even if he was sore all over.
Once the tour was over, everyone thanked Eli, so Sam felt like
he should too. "Yeah, thanks," he said with a genuine smile,
thinking about how nice and cool it was of Eli to offer up his
house to them. God, he was so tired of walking and sleeping in
grass and mus and dirt, having to smack mosquitos off of himself
all night. He was ready to sleep more comfortably under a
freaking roof. "So what are these chores we gotta do and who's
getting the bed?" he asked, hoping by some miracle that someone
would offer the bed to him or Grace.[/center]
#Post#: 54--------------------------------------------------
Grace & Enzo & Elijah (5)
By: winterssmary Date: December 16, 2018, 10:31 pm
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Eli wasn't good with people, but he was no idiot. It seemed
like, just because he was a little clumsy and awkward, everyone
thought he couldn't see the sneers at his home or sense the
sarcasm and insincerity in people's voices. He could tell that
he wasn't exactly impressing people, especially the lumberjack
and the girl with the big pretty eyes. Blake was kind of mean.
Eli understood why she would be mean in this world. People were
so unkind and she'd likely seen her fair share of cruelty. But
did that excuse her comment about the chore list? He didn't
know. He forgave it. She'd probably be much nicer once she had
food in her belly and a good nap. That tends to cheer most
people up, right? It certainly always made Eli feel better.
"For your information, Miss Blake, the chore list, while
seemingly juvenile, is sometimes the only way to make sure that
everyone pulls their weight and nothing gets forgotten," he
said, pulling his magnetic whiteboard off of the refrigerator
and erasing all of his old friends' names: Eddie, Jack, Ronnie,
and Keith. "We need some kind of order in all this chaos," he
whispered, taking his mutli-colored, dry-erase markers from the
counter. There were six of them and, luckily, he had six colors.
"So, I would appreciate it if you at least respected the chore
chart, Miss Blake," he added. "Because past experience has lead
me to believe that it is the only way to make sure that this
already shabby home doesn't go to complete and utter shit."
He sighed, immediately shifting gears and putting on a smile
after his rant. "Now, it's already been established that Chris
and Enzo are willing to chop wood; thank you for volunteering,"
he said, writing their names down -- Enzo in yellow and Chris in
green -- underneath the wood section. "And, since I'm the only
one who knows where all of the traps are, I will be checking
them, but I'd rather not do it alone," he said, writing his own
name -- in blue -- underneath that section. He quickly did a
silent eeny-meeny-miney-moe and pointed at Sam. "You, Sam, since
you already have more experience with these traps than anyone
else, you will be helping me, if you're okay with that," he
said, writing Sam's name -- in orange -- next to his. "We need
someone to do dishes and help keep our clothes clean," he said,
scanning the crowd. All six of them. He pointed to Grace.
"That's a very clean sweatshirt," he observed. "I'm gonna need
you to do that for everyone else," he said. Grace nodded. He
wrote her name -- in purple -- on the board. "Next, we need a
hunting party. Or, at least, a gathering party. Seeing as I
don't have a weapon -- well, aside from this-," he began,
pulling his homemade taser out of the waistband of his jeans and
setting it on the counter. "I can't do it. But you three have
guns. But, if Enzo chops wood first, then Chris and Miss Blake
can go," he said, writing their names -- Blake's in red -- on
the board. "And, well, we usually take turns cooking. But I've
already got some brunswick stew in the kettle and I don't see
much a point in tasking someone else with it tonight."
He turned to Sam, ready to finally get to answering his question
about the bed. "Ronnie was using the bed and I felt bad about
just taking it in case he comes back, so I haven't used it yet,"
he said absentmindedly. "And I'm still feeling a little betrayed
after having guns pointed at me earlier," he said, adding a
little pout. "We can take turns but, for tonight, I'd like it.
And maybe Chris will join me since he was the first one to
introduce himself after we put the guns down. Besides, you kids
are young. You'll be fine. We're old and need it," he said,
somewhat teasing. He didn't mean to sound like an old fart, but
he did. He was really, really bad at this.
He took a deep breath, smiling at his work and putting the chore
list back on the refrigerator. "All that being said and done, I
think it's best that you all take some time to settle in and
unpack your things before we get to work for the day," he said.
"You guys seem tired and I was almost shot today, so we all
deserve a little break, don't we? Feel free to wash up or
explore around the cabin if you like," he said, turning toward
the door. Suddenly, he stopped and spun on his heel, facing them
all again. "Oh, and one last thing, I don't have much in the way
of rules but please, please no one break my ukulele," he begged
before spinning around and walking out the door toward the fire.
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Grace listened to Eli's rant and him basically assigning
everyone chores and nodded. It wasn't her place to fight him.
Besides, her sweatshirt was awfully clean. And cleaning things
up, while a little sexist, wasn't a job that bothered her all
that much. She wasn't about to fight the guy after he treated
them with such hospitality and kindness. "Thank you again," she
said quietly, turning around when he dismissed them and walking
over to the area with the bed, where she had just learned she
wouldn't be sleeping. Of course, she suspected that she and Sam
didn't stand a chance, since old people were constantly
insisting that young people somehow didn't need comfort in order
to thrive like they did. It was still a little disappointing.
At the first chance she had to escape to the bathroom, she did.
She brushed her teeth, savoring the feeling of teeth without
buildup making them cakey and weird. She took off her
sweatshirt, noticing how emaciated her arms and shoulders made
her look underneath this tank top. It hadn't been long since all
hell broke loose and she already felt like a corpse due to
malnutrition. She quickly took a wet washcloth and dabbed sweat
from her forehead, armpits, and neck. She'd do a more thorough
job later, but she had other things to worry about. She exited
the bathroom, dropped her backpack and hoodie on the floor, and
sat down, beckoning for Sam to come over to her. "Sammy, can you
sit down for a second, please?" she asked, crossing her legs.
"Can I see your ankle?" she asked. "I know you said you were
okay and you seemed to be walking fine and stuff, but it'd just
make me feel a whole lot better if I could make sure, ya know?"
he asked, trying not to make too much eye contact. She didn't
want to seem like she cared too much. That'd be weird, right?
She was already making things weird, wasn't he? She hated that
she was starting to have feelings for this guy. She had other
things to worry about. Who cares if his eyes are like literal
honey and his curly hair was cute as hell? The world is ending.
"Is your head hurting at all?" she asked, trying to focus on the
medical portion of the whole thing.[/center]
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Enzo listened to -- oh my God how pathetic was it that Eli was
making a bunch of adult -- and two half-adults -- listen to his
fucking chore list thing? He tried. He really did. Enzo wanted
to pay attention. He wanted to be a good guest. But this was
just to damn hard. This guy was an innocent man, a good man,
probably, but this was absolutely sad. And annoying. In that
moment, Enzo didn't feel the least bit remorseful about his
plans to ransack the house and take all his stuff. He probably
wasn't going to survive if he kept acting like an overgrown
toddler anyway. He wouldn't need that woodcutter ax when he's
dead. He tried to play it off like she wasn't planning a
robbery, so he nodded politely whilst ignoring everything that
Eli was saying.
He did laugh, however, when he heard how Eli kept calling her
'Miss Blake' instead of just Blake. He wasn't sure if the woman
would care all that much, but he referred to literally everyone
else by just their first name. It made Enzo think that maybe he
was doing it to try and annoy her after she insulted his
kindergarten-approved chore list.
In the end, Eli basically sent everyone off to do their own
thing. Good. Now Enzo needed to make sure he and Blake were on
the same page. He came up to her and whispered. "I saw mostly
blankets and that ax, but you wanna go halfsies?"[/center]
#Post#: 55--------------------------------------------------
Blake│Samuel│Christian
By: Zellaphone Date: December 17, 2018, 12:04 am
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Blake knew it had been a mistake to make such a snappy comment
about Eli's chore list, but she certainly didn't except his
reaction. Suddenly, she found herself only being referred to as
'Miss Blake,' Eli explaining why they needed a chore chart in a
fairly logical way, erasing the names of his past companions
away without a thought, even going so far as to curse. She
really hadn't been expecting that, for some reason. Maybe
because the way the man stuttered and stumbled she had forgotten
that he was, in fact, a grown man.
After he was finished addressing her at the moment, turning his
attention to the others, Blake released a breath she had been
unaware of even holding. For once, she found herself with
nothing to say, not even able to think of anything to say. Eli
went about dividing rolls and she just stood there, silent and
waiting for her role. Yes, the chore chart still made her want
to scream, but she'd let Eli have this. It obviously meant a lot
to him, and, well, she supposed it did make things easier, even
if she wasn't planning on sticking around.
Blake zoned out for awhile until Eli pulled something out of his
pants, placing it on the table. Holy shit, was that a taser? Her
eyes grew wide, looking at the taser and then Eli. The man had
been armed the whole time... and with what appeared to be a
homemade taser. If she had been speechless before, she was
definitely speechless now. Maybe she had really underestimated
this guy. It was obvious now that he hadn't been lying to them
or putting up any fronts, but he certainly wasn't incapable. It
seemed like he knew how things needed to go to work, and he had
been able to manage on his own for however long his friends had
been gone, plus he had a fucking homemade taser. She couldn't
stress that enough. She found herself slightly impressed.
Slightly.
Eli finally gave her her task, saying that she should go hunting
with Chris. On cue, Blake met Chris's eyes, seeing that he
looked just as equally un-thrilled to have to work with her.
Dammit, why couldn't he chop wood and Enzo go with her? She
really had to go hunting with the guy she almost shot and he
almost shot her in return?
Then the topic of who slept in the bed was up for discussion.
Except it wasn't really a discussion, Eli nominating himself and
Chris for the bed, saying that he had yet to utilize it and
Chris since he was the first one to have introduced himself.
Blake couldn't help but roll her eyes. This was all ridiculous.
Then, as if that wasn't enough, on the way out, Eli mention that
his one rule was that no one broke his ukulele. That's right, a
ukulele. The man had a homemade taser and a ukulele. She had
been impressed (and still kind of was) but now she was just
annoyed again. The man kept throwing curve balls at her and she
couldn't pin him down. What was with that guy?
Thankfully, she didn't have to stick around to find out because
right after Eli left, Enzo was whispering to her, making plans
on what to steal. "Hell yes," she breathed out in relief, glad
that Enzo had been in silent agreement about robbing the place.
"If I have to hear Gumby call me 'Miss Blake' one more time, I'm
going to loose my mind," she added quietly. "We're also taking
as much food as we can. After I go hunting with Dad over there,
we should have some more pickings."[/center]
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Sam listened in amazement as Eli went on about his chore chart,
delivering some sick burns to Blake as he did so. However, he
couldn't help but feel some tension between those two. Negative
tension, yeah, but some other kind of tension as well. Well,
whatever it was, he wasn't going to dwell on it. Really, he just
hoped he got a useful task. He didn't really know what could be
done around a tiny cabin in the woods during an apocalypse, but
he'd taken whatever he could get.
And what he got was checking snares. He was disappointed, but,
not super disappointed. At least this way he could hang out with
Eli who he had decided was officially the coolest person he had
ever met. The guy came off all awkward and stuff, but dude, he
was obvious smart and going places. Plus, he was good looking.
Sam was certain he probably knew a thing or two about women, and
that was something Sam really needed help with. Oh, and, the guy
had a freaking taser and a ukulele. He didn't know what kind of
life Eli was living, but Sam really wanted to live it too.
Once Eli had left, Grace went somewhere to probably freshen up,
knowing her, so Sam took this time to set his stuff down on what
he declared was now 'his spot' on the floor, unzipping his
backpack and pulling out his journal and pen that contained
mostly poetry. Their current situation was definitely giving him
some inspiration.
Mysterious Man,
Tall, dark, handsome and grand,
Extremely difficult to understand,
The Mysterious Man.
Sam smiled down at his new poem. Although it was rough and kind
of silly, it was a poem, nonetheless, inspired by Eli himself.
He'd have to write one about Blake and Enzo later. Blake's would
totally have to include something about fire and ice. She was as
fierce as a flame, but as cold as ice. He could think of
something.
As soon as he put his journal away, Grace came back up to him,
sitting down and asking him to join her. He looked around, only
to see that Mr. Smith wasn't in sight, and obeyed, sitting back
down on the floor. Grace then asked if she could see his ankle,
revealing her intentions, saying that it would make her feel
better if she could know for sure if he was alright. Well, he
couldn't really be mad about that. Grace cared about him, and
letting her check up on him would make her happy, so of course
he was happy to comply, rolling up Mr. Smith's jeans even more
so she could see the red, raw mark that wrapped around his right
ankle. Hey, at least it wasn't bleeding.
"Uh, no, my head's fine," he insisted, trying to not get so
nervous and sweaty from Grace being so close to him, looking at
his body. Man, he totally felt self-conscious now. He needed to
change the subject. "So, uh, how are you feeling about all these
people? I, for one, think Eli is amazing. The way he referred to
that scary lady, Blake, as 'Miss Blake'? Savage," he grinned,
able to look at Grace again now that he didn't feel so
awkward.[/center]
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Chris kept quiet as Eli discussed with himself the chore list,
giving everyone an assigned task. Chris got chopping wood and
hunting, which, unfortunately, had to be with the woman that had
seemed quite keen on shooting someone when they had first met.
If there was anyone he was truly cautious about, it was her.
Well, her and Eli, but for different reasons. However, he
wouldn't put up a fight or argue with Eli's logic as to who did
what. He also managed to end up getting the bed for the first
night, which was surprising, but he guessed Eli's logic behind
that made sense as well, at least to Eli.
Once everyone's tasks had been given out and Eli had warned them
about his ukulele, Eli left towards the fire pit, leaving Chris
to believe that now was a good a time as ever to get ready to go
hunting. However, when he turned back to Blake, he saw her
having a quiet conversation with Enzo, making him both
suspicious and hesitant. He didn't want to interrupt her. At
least, not yet. He'd let her have her talk with her companion.
In the meantime, he could just wait outside for her and possibly
talk to Eli. The kids seemed a bit eager to relax for awhile,
which was fair. Chris hadn't sat down in hours, but he could
still go a little longer.
Chris took out his gun, checking his magazine to make sure he
had enough bullets for hunting before heading outside towards
Eli. "Thank you again for letting us stay here," he began,
tucking his gun back into it's holster. "We'd been traveling for
awhile, and I know the kids were getting tired of sleeping on
the dirt," he further explained. "I also feel like I should
apologize for holing a gun to you earlier. You just can't be too
sure of people these days, especially when traveling with kids.
I'm glad to know that I was wrong to assume that you'd do
something, well, dishonorable." Chris offered Eli a genuine
smile, glad to be having a conversation with someone his age
again.[/center]
#Post#: 56--------------------------------------------------
Grace & Enzo & Elijah (6)
By: winterssmary Date: December 17, 2018, 5:08 am
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Eli was certainly a confusing individual. Or so he seemed. Maybe
Enzo would have understood him better if he would have been
paying attention even a little bit. Which he wasn't. In fact, he
didn't even notice the taser until after the weird man had left
the cabin, leaving everyone to their own devices before starting
their 'chores' or whatever. He was being sympathetic, which was
pleasant, but it was a stupid idea. They were wasting precious
daylight. But Enzo supposed it didn't really matter. They were
just going to eat his stew and take all of his shit anyway. He
should have felt worse about leaving the two kids with so little
to work with, but he couldn't be bothered. Based on how Sam
handled himself, that trio wasn't going to make it much longer
anyway.
No, Enzo, you have to stop thinking like that. You are not a
cruel man. You never have been. You're just doing what you have
to in order to stay alive. It's survival of the fittest, right?
Resources should be allocated toward the people who stand the
best chance of making it. He and Blake were such people. But
fucking hell, this was gonna suck. In fact, the more Enzo had to
think about what they were planning, the clearer it was that
this little mishap was going to keep him awake at night until
the day he died. Or maybe just until he forgot their names and
faces. But still. Lame.
"Well you seem eager," Enzo commented lowly. "The human
toothpick is annoying but I wasn't going to enjoy this," he
added, sincere, but not hostile. He didn't want to attack Blake
for being angry. That'd just make her more angry. But he didn't
exactly want to condone her sudden desire to leave these people
for dead. He nearly choked when Blake referred to Eli as
'Gumby'. "I'm sorry, Gumby?" he asked with a laugh. I think it
was cute. The pretty man giving you an affectionate nickname.
Did you not like that, Miss Blake?" he teased. then he decided
he was never going to do that again. But he had to get in a shot
once, right? If she let the pretty man get away with it, why not
Enzo? Unless she already liked Gumby more than her road
companion. Which was fair, he supposed. Enzo liked Gumby better
than Enzo too.
"Anyway, any idea when the two of you are going hunting yet? And
should you even be hunting with a handgun?" he asked, tilting
his head as Chris, the man Blake just referred to as 'Dad'
exited the cabin after Eli. "Maybe we shouldn't keep whispering
to each other," he thought aloud. "Those kids don't seem too
stupid. People are figure out something's up."[/center]
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Grace watched as Sam put his notebook back in his bag. She kept
forgetting that he wrote poetry. Of course, she'd never read any
of it before. Part of her wondered what his poetry was about.
What could be going on in Sam's head that warranted poetic
language? Did he write poems about college parties? Changing his
major so often? Batman. Part of her even wondered if she'd ever
inspired anything he wrote, but she quickly -- and I mean
quickly -- cast this thought from her head. That was out of the
question. And stupid. He was probably writing about Batman and
tap dancing. Or his home and family. Not everything that matters
to him is shallow and trivial.
He also looked around before he came over to her. Grace knew
almost immediately that he was looking out for Chris. For some
reason, Sam was intimidated by Chris. It didn't make any sense
to Grace. Chris had always been nice to her. Sweet, even. He was
kind of a pushover if you played your cards right, not that
Grace ever tried to manipulate him or anything. He looked scary
with his gun and police badge, but he was about the least
intimidating thing in the world to Grace. He was closest thing
she had ever had to a father, since her real father doesn't know
she exists and her foster father didn't pay much attention to
her.
He finally sat by her, not arguing when she asked to see his
ankle. That was good. It wasn't bleeding, but it was raw and red
and looked like it was going to be sore for a little bit. She
frowned and grabbed her bag. "I have something for that," she
said, shoving her entire face in her bag. It was unnecessary,
since she could see the antibiotic ointment as soon as she
opened it. But pretending to rummage through it gave her time to
regain her composure and focus on the task at hand. Not how
nervous she was. Was it still normal to be nervous around the
person who's basically your best friend? When you have a crush
on them, maybe, but this still seemed excessive. Finally, she
grabbed for the ointment and came back up to the surface. "It's
not bleeding, but it can still get infected if you aren't
careful," she said, finally looking him in the eye. "Do you mind
if I -," she began, gesturing toward the antibiotics.
She nodded when he said his head didn't hurt. "So, no dizziness
or nausea? Your vision is fine?" she asked, just to clarify.
Then she shook her head quickly and laughed. "Sorry I'm so
overbearing. I know it gets annoying," she said. Sam changed the
subject quickly, which didn't bother her all that much. At least
he was looking at her again. He talked about how Eli was
basically his role model now and she giggled. "Yeah, I like him.
He seems sweet. And really smart. Like, he could probably take
over the world if he wanted to. He's kinda cute too," she said
with a shrug. "The other two kinda scare me though," she added
quickly. "Especially the girl. She seems like one of those girls
from middle school who, like, stalked serial killers online and
ended up in juvie," she said. Which was an actual thing that
happened when she was in middle school. It was actually one of
the girls from Grace's foster home. "What do you think of this
place? We have running water again," she said excitedly.
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Eli could see everyone's faces when he spoke about his ukulele.
Blake seemed awfully annoyed. He wished he could change that.
He'd only just met the woman, but it would be nice if he could
see her smile, just once. Everyone else has been friendly and
seemed grateful. She just seemed unhappy and angry about
everything. She almost made him feel like his chore list was a
failure. Almost. Chris didn't even seem that fazed. Grace seemed
amused. Sam seemed in awe. He barely knew this kid, but Eli
could already tell that this was the beginning of a beautiful
friendship. He was glad that he tasked the kid with helping him
with the traps. They could probably learn things from one
another. He could teach Sam all about the traps and how he made
his taser and Sam could teach him how to walk and talk like a
normal person.
He sat down in one of the chairs at the fire pit, grabbing for
the toolbox that he'd left out there and tinkering with an old
cell phone, just trying to see if he could get his miniature
solar panels to do anything. It was a complete waste of time.
Truth is, they only looked like solar panels. He needed to seem
like he was doing something more useful in order to convince his
last group of people to let him stay with them. Now, he just
poked at things with a screwdriver as a habit. And a bit of a
pass time. He wanted to give all his new friends some space
before he lit the fire for the night.
Soon, he was joined by Chris, who seemed a genuinely kind man.
"Of course," he said with a grin. "I know what it's like to be
on your own, tired and looking for shelter," he said. "Please,
grab a chair. Get off your feet," he said, gesturing toward one
of the empty folding chairs that Eddie had left behind. He
nodded when Chris apologized for almost killing him. "I'd be
lying if I said you didn't scare me," he admitted. "But I
understand your paranoia," he added. "People are doing some
very, very unkind things now that the world is in a mass panic."
He paused a moment. "Thank you for apologizing. All is forgiven.
I'm honestly just happy to have the company again," he said,
smiling at the man. "So, how long have you been picking up
stray kids?" he asked referring to Sam and Grace. He was trying
to make conversation, but he wasn't sure if what he said came
off as creepy. He had the tendency to do that. "I'm not implying
that you pick up children. In fact, I'm not even sure if they
are children. They look like children," he rambled, furrowing
his brow in thought. "Though, I suppose, they could just have
some of those faces that make them look significantly younger.
How old are they?" He paused again, eyes going wide. "Unless I'm
prying or something. We just met. God, sometimes I'm just a
complete buffoon when it comes to basic human communication," he
spat, chastising himself. "Dad was right about me, I suppose,"
he added with a chuckle. [/center]
#Post#: 57--------------------------------------------------
Blake│Samuel│Christian
By: Zellaphone Date: December 17, 2018, 3:29 pm
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Blake knew she wasn’t that nicest person around. She really,
really did. And she knew that, most of the time, there wasn’t
really a good excuse for her bitterness. She just didn’t much
care for people, and preferred being alone and un-bothered.
People did nothing but disappoint her, and she had had enough
disappointment in her life. Really, she just wanted things to go
back to the way they were, which weren’t great, but certainly
better. She wanted to be back in her shitty one-bedroom
apartment with her job at the bar back and Enzo being nothing
more than just a co-worker. She knew she could never get things
to go back to the way they were, but she still wished she could.
She knew she wasn’t the nicest person, but she hadn’t realized
how eager she had sounded to wrong these people until Enzo
pointed it out, causing her to frown. “Okay, I’m not thrilled
about this or anything, I just want to get out of here. We could
definitely do better than a tiny hunting cabin shared with
String Bean, two kids and the Father of the Year,” she
explained. Yeah, she wanted to rob these people, but she wasn’t
excited about it or anything. She was just ready to get a move
on. There was no way she could keep her sanity around these
people.
Then Enzo questioned her previous nickname for Eli, laughing
before teasing her, making it sound like she should enjoy being
called things like ‘Miss Blake’ just because Eli happened to be
attractive and nice. “I will steal that girl’s knife and stab
you,” she half-joked, motioning to Grace. No, she didn’t like
being called that, no matter how pretty Eli happened to be.
Enzo then asked about Blake’s upcoming hunting trip with Chris,
questioning her weapon like she had much of a choice. “A handgun
is really all I’ve got right now. It will waste a good amount of
ammo though, I’m sure. I’m just going to limit my game to
rabbits. If I manage to find and snag one, then I’ll call it a
done deal. Whatever that Chris guy does is his business,” she
replied, no longer talking in a whisper after Enzo had mentioned
it looking suspicious. She figured they were done conspiring
anyway. “Guess I should go meet up with him and get this over
with before it gets too dark,” she decided, pulling out her gun,
checking it’s ammo. Shit, after their last place getting
infested, she didn’t have much left. They’d have to go back into
the city, probably, which was going to be a challenge with just
the two of them. She tried to hide her look of concern as she
slid her magazine back in. Maybe Enzo was better off on ammo
than she was. Either way, she was sure they could make it work,
especially if they took that ax.
When she went outside, she spotted Chris sitting with Eli at the
fire pit on some fold out chairs, Eli fidgeting with what
appeared to be a cellphone. “Hey…” she said a bit awkwardly, not
wanting to interrupt them but also not wanting to wait. “You
ready to go?” she asked Chris, glancing briefly at Eli. He
seemed rather happy. How did someone look so… good during an
apocalypse? It was baffling, really, and so was everything else
about the man. He was just an enigma. [/center]
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Sam eyed Grace as she dug through her backpack, thinking that it
was adorable how she practically shoved her whole face in her
bag. When she pulled a bottle out though, he eyed it
suspiciously. It looked like an antibiotic, which he knew could
sting really bad sometimes. Maybe it wouldn't since he wasn't
bleeding, but you never know. All he did know was that he wasn't
a fan of pain, and didn't have a very high pain tolerance. He
could deal with being sore, but something actually hurting? Eh,
not so much, usually. He held his rolled-up pant leg in a silent
response to her question of it being alright to apply the
ointment.
He shook his head when it came to the questions about being
dizzy or nauseous, but he had changed the subject before he
could go into anymore detail or insist that Grace's questions
didn't bother him at all. Grace giggled about his comment on
Eli, and he swelled with pride knowing that he was the one that
made such a sweet sound come from her throat. He nodded in
agreement about the comment of Eli being cute. He may be
straight, but he couldn't deny when someone was attractive. He
was straight, but not stupid. Sam also laughed at Grace's remark
on Blake, finding her description of her to be pretty accurate.
Honestly, he was kind of scared of her too, but the guy, Enzo,
seemed nice enough. At least he could smile.
"Ugh, I am so glad that we have running water," Sam agreed,
leaning his head back against the bed. "Though it would be nice
if it was warm, but hey, beggars can't be choosers, and all
that. I thought I might have had more of a chance at snagging
the second bed spot, though. Oh well," he sighed. "Other than
that, I guess I can't complain too much. I've always wondered
what it would be like to live in the woods. You guys have a lot
of freaking trees." He knew he was babbling now, but he knew
Grace most likely didn't mind.[/center]
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Chris took a seat when offered without hesitation, glad to have
a chance to rest himself for having to get back at it all again.
He had to admit, he was surprised at how much Eli had already
changed. In less than an hour, he already seemed more
comfortable - talking without stuttering, moving with ease,
carrying on an intelligent conversation. Maybe the man wasn't
that much of a mystery after all. Maybe he was just
misunderstood. Chris felt bad for just writing him off as
someone to pity at first. It was obvious that Eli could handle
himself quite well, and appeared to be good at tinkering with
things. He wondered what the man's profession had been before
the breakout. He decided to ask him out it later.
He listened to Eli speak, nodding at his description of people
in panic, smiling at him when he forgave him for the earlier
misunderstanding, and finally, laughing when he brought up the
kids. He figured it was only a matter of time until someone
asked him what his relation was to them. He was much too young
to have kids already in their twenties. But then, Eli seemed to
doubt himself again, mentioning his father once more. "Eli,"
Chris began, placing a hand on the other man's shoulder and
offering him a gentle smile. "You're completely fine. You can
ask me anything you'd like," he insisted. He didn't have
anything to hide, and Eli seemed like a genuinely nice guy, so
what was the harm in getting to know one another?
"The kids are both in their early twenties," Chris began to
answer Eli's question, setting his hand back onto his lap. "I
found Grace in the foster system when she was sixteen. She had
had a rough life, and I couldn't bear to see her living that
kind of life anymore, so I took her in. I was only twenty-four
at the time, but I felt a connection there. It took some getting
used to, but next thing I knew, we were family," he briefly
explained with a shrug. He knew it sounded weird to people when
he explained too much about his relationship with Grace. Many
people had thought it strange that a man so young would be so
willing to take in a sixteen-year-old. He'd been called things
such as 'pervert' and 'pedophile,' but that hadn't been the case
at all. He was someone in need, so he reached out to them and
they became his family. Simple as that. "I had been on my own
for a long time by then, so it was nice to have someone else
around. It made work a lot easier too, knowing I had someone to
come home to. She's like a daughter to me, really. As for Sam,
well, I have only recently met him, to be honest," he said,
rubbing his hands together slowly without realizing. "He was a
classmate of Grace's from out of state, so when the outbreak
occurred, he didn't really have anyone else to turn to. Grace
took him home and I've been letting him accompany us. He makes
Grace happy, so it's really the least I can do." He left out the
part where he also knew for certain that Sam had feelings for
Grace, feeling it unnecessary to mention to Eli.
"So, Eli, what about you? What did you used to do for a living?"
he asked, eager to hear his reply. However, before Eli could
answer, he heard someone approaching from behind, turning to see
that it was Blake, standing a bit awkwardly before addressing
them. Or, well, addressing him - merely looking at Eli.
"Uh, yes, I'm ready to go," he responded, getting to his feet
and offering the woman a hesitant smile. He really wasn't
looking forward to this trip. He knew it was going to be tense
and awkward. "Please excuse me, Eli," he added, nodding to the
sitting man.[/center]
#Post#: 58--------------------------------------------------
Grace & Enzo & Elijah (7)
By: winterssmary Date: December 17, 2018, 7:51 pm
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Eli's conversation with Chris had been cut short by Blake, who
wanted to go ahead and hunt for the day. It was a good idea,
since the sun was still out and they couldn't hunt in the dark.
Besides, Eli had satisfied his odd curiosity. He learned about
his relationship with Grace, which was strange, but not too odd,
really. He had met much, much weirder people, people who would
have sinister intentions. Chris, however, seemed like a genuine,
concerned father-figure. He also mentioned Sam, and how he was
new to their group and friend of Grace's. Eli saw nothing weird
about that, but he could tell that something about Sam made
Chris feel odd. But he didn't suspect anything of the boy. He
seemed sweet. Lastly, Eli decided that Chris was wonderful
because of the way he touched his shoulder and said that he had
done nothing wrong. He thought of his own father in that moment,
who only ever made him feel like a mistake.
He'd left before Eli could explain what he did before the
outbreak, which was fine since he was about the explain that
briefly at the campfire. He didn't necessarily call a family
meeting, but he highly encouraged all of his new friends to join
him around the fire, some in chairs, some on blankets. He sat
between Sam and a reluctant Blake. Everyone was sipping on their
brunswick stew and Eli was just proud that he could feed and
house all of these people. But it was quiet. And he wasn't about
to have that. "Is it interesting that we all know each others
names, but we don't know anything about one another?" he asked.
It was a rhetorical question. Of course it was interesting. "We
should all introduce ourselves."
He paused for a second, clapping his hands and awaiting a
response. Then, almost instantly, he decided that giving them a
choice would mean that everything stayed quiet, so he took
matters into his own hands once more. "Okay, I'll go first," he
said. "I'm Eli. I'm from Raleigh. I have an older brother named
Jordan who was in software design," he began. He thought for a
moment about what else to add. Chris had asked about his
profession. "I, myself, am a travelling musician. I found that I
was miserable and bored in my old life and I needed something
that I was passionate about, so I left my career and never
looked back," he added.
He looked around the fire for a moment, not sure what else to
say. He couldn't just give out his life story, could he? "My
parents and I always had a rocky relationship. I have no doubt
that they loved me and did the best they could, but my brother
was always the favorite. Probably because I'm so odd and
clammy," he said with a chuckle and a shrug. "And I guess I can
understand that. Jordan was always good with people. He's
married and has a kid on the way. Meanwhile, all my friends left
me alone in the middle of the woods during an apocalyptic viral
outbreak," he joked. Well, he tried to make it out like a joke.
But it wasn't untrue. Oops.
"Anyway, that's it for me, unless someone has any questions or
something," he said, making a mental note of how much he sounded
like an obnoxious college professor. "But, uh... aside from
that... uh... we should- we should probably just go around
the... uh... circle," he said, making a little circle with his
finger a he spoke, suddenly nervous again. So... uh... it's your
turn, Miss Blake," he said, giving the pretty lady a nice smile.
"Just tell us a little bit about yourself. You know, that way we
get a better feel for who we're sleeping with." His eyes went
wide. "I didn't mean sleeping with. Uh.. I meant... we're all
going to be sleeping in the same building and stuff..." he
chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. [/center]
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Enzo sat down between Blake and Chris, who had only gotten back
from their hunting trip a little while before. It was nighttime
and the fire was a welcome change from the cold darkness he had
been dealing with since he and Blake were removed from their
last shelter. He sipping on the stew that Eli had made for
everyone, which was bland, but it was food in his belly, so he
didn't care. He wolfed it down as best as he could without
drawing too much attention to himself. After a few moments of
silence, pleasant moments, if you asked Enzo, Eli broke it and
made the whole thing awkward again. He decided that they were
all going to, basically, say their name, career, and a few
interesting facts about themselves. He wanted to die.
Eli grew up with an older brother who overshadowed him in
everything. That made sense. Eli kept making comments about his
father never taking him seriously and stuff throughout the day.
But he was particularly caught off guard when Eli said that he
was a travelling musician. He knew the man had a ukulele, but he
wasn't expecting him to have a career of it. Maybe he really was
an idiot. The way he stumbled about things didn't exactly scream
stage presence though. How was such a lanky man so complicated
and hard to read? Eli then asked for Blake to say something,
causing Enzo to laugh when he called her Miss Blake again.
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Grace had been living on only chips for the past three days, so
Eli's brunswick stew was a nice change. She sat at the fire,
between Sam and Chris, sipping at her stew and looking around at
this group of people she'd found herself with. She was also glad
that Chris was back. Grace didn't realize how scary it was going
to be when he went off hunting and left her behind. Of course,
she had Sam, but it made her feel slightly more vulnerable to
only have half of her support team with her. She leaned her head
on Chris's shoulder as everyone ate in silence, finally giving
into her exhausting for a moment. For the first time in three
days, she was comfortable.
And then Eli started talking again.
She listened to his story, already dreading her turn. She pitied
the man, truly. She knew what it was like to have neglectful
parents, both biological and foster parents. She knew what it
was like to have a father who didn't care. She knew what it was
like to have siblings -- foster siblings -- who everyone liked
better. It sucked to feel invisible in your own household. But
Eli seemed to be doing better. He was a professional musician,
which she didn't see coming. Then he turned to Blake, calling
her Miss Blake again. [/center]
#Post#: 59--------------------------------------------------
Blake│Christian│Samuel
By: Zellaphone Date: December 17, 2018, 9:34 pm
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Blake was exhausted after her hunting trip with Chris, one fresh
rabbit lying outside the door now to be skinned and gutted. She
was disappointed that that's all that they had managed to find
on their trip that seemed to have lasted an eternity. She was
also disappointed that Chris had been the one to finally shoot
it. After wasting two shots, he got it in one. The guy was crazy
good with a gun. He kind of reminded her of a cop she slept with
once. It would make sense if he was a cop. He seemed to be the
'Mr. Do-Good' type.
Despite her disappointment, she was glad to finally be sitting
down and putting food in her belly, feeling mostly warm all
over. It was the best she felt ever since her and Enzo had lost
their old place. It was even better that no one was talking,
making her feel a bit at peace, closing her eyes as she sipped
her stew. It wasn't the best thing she had ever eaten, but it
certainly wasn't the worst, and Blake would have eaten nearly
anything at this point. At least Eli seemed to be good for some
things and wasn't just a constant annoyance.
Apparently, she was wrong, because right after she thought that,
Eli's voice pierced through her quiet thoughts like a bullet.
She held back a groan, sinking further into her pullout chair
and setting her stew in her lap, eyes blow wide at the sky like
she was begging for help from the gods. Of course it had been
Eli to break such a nice silence. She doubted that he much cared
for peace and quiet.
Blake listened as Eli suggested that they all introduced
themselves, stating that it was interesting that they all knew
each others names, but didn't know anything about one another,
which it most certainly wasn't. She didn't come here to sit
around a fire and sing Kumbaya and make friends - she came here
to keep her distance and rob the place. It sounded like that
wasn't happening though, and Blake wanted to die. What was she
supposed to say to these people? She sure as hell wasn't letting
them into her personal life, so good luck with that.
Eli started to talk about himself, explaining that he had a
brother that always seemed to be better than him at everything,
a father and mother that sounded pretty absent in his life, and
a career in music. Blake rolled her eyes at his career reveal,
thankful that no one was watching her. Of course that was what
he had done for a living. No wonder even his own parents seemed
to think he was a loser. It sounded like he had done almost
nothing with his life, not that she could talk. She hadn't done
much herself, not that she had really had much of a choice. She
had spent most of her life with little to no money at all to be
able to do much else than beg for scraps and take whatever job
she could. Hell, she had almost taken up prostitution at one
point. At least it payed well and people could still treat her
like a fucking floor mat like everyone else did.
Maybe she could relate more to Eli than she had thought.
However, she wasn't interested in relating with him. She was
interested in getting as far away from these people as fast as
she could.
Blake grit her teeth when Eli called her 'Miss Blake' again,
telling her it was her turn. Then, out of nowhere, he insinuated
that they'd be sleeping together, and though it was obviously
accidental, Blake still choked on the stew she had just
swallowed, her cheeks turning red from the thought. Good god,
could this man not get his shit together for five minutes?
"First of all," she began once she could breathe properly again.
"My name is Blake," she told Eli, shooting daggers at Enzo who
had laughed when Eli had called her otherwise. "There is no miss
in front of it. Second of all," he continued, leaning back into
her chair now that her coughing fit was over. "I'll pass on the
whole 'sob story thing,' but thanks," she said a bit bitterly,
glaring down at her mostly-eaten stew. She didn't care if people
thought she was a 'spoil-sport' or a 'stick in the mud' - her
life was her business, and she didn't feel like having people
feel sorry for her. She was fine. Mostly.[/center]
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Chris felt comfortable in the silence he found sweeping around
him by the fire after his hunting trip. Naturally, Blake had
hardly spoken to him the whole time, and seemed rather bitter
that they had only managed to turn up with one rabbit as it
started to get dark. He was a bit upset himself, to be honest,
but he wasn't in control of what animals decided to linger about
nearby or what time the sun went down. He supposed, at the end
of it all, something was better than nothing, even though that
rabbit would hardly fill half of them. They have to go hunting
again soon, or go back to the city like he had been thinking
about mentioning.
He quietly ate the stew Eli had prepared for them, thankful that
there had been enough for everyone, and smiled to himself when
he felt Grace's head upon his shoulder. It was apparent that
they were all pretty tired, and Chris hoped that the kids could
especially sleep well tonight. He knew it had been more than
difficult to be on this journey, but at least now they had a
roof over their heads and comfortable surfaces to sleep on.
The silence only lasted to long, however, before Eli spoke up,
deciding that everyone should say a few things about themselves.
Chris continued to sip his stew, content with that idea. He
supposed it was necessary to get to know the people he planned
on staying around, so he wasn't going to argue or put up a
fight. He was happy to join in, especially for Eli's sake. He
knew it would mean a lot to the other man. Not everyone looked
as agreeable though, Blake looking like she was about to scream
and Enzo looking like he'd rather just disappear. Chris guessed
he could understand their reluctance to some degree.
Chris listened politely as Eli talked about himself, explaining
some things about his past and upbringing that helped Chris
understand him a bit more. He had figured that his self-doubt
had been mainly linked to a parent, but it was nice to have
conformation. Chris would have to make sure to give Eli thanks
and praise when the moments seemed fit. He had seen first-hand
what could happen to a person that felt like they were less than
anyone else. It wasn't pretty, and Chris didn't wish that fate
on Eli, or anyone else, really. Everyone deserved to feel loved.
He couldn't help but grin when Eli referred to Blake as 'Miss
Blake' again, the woman obviously infuriated by it. It seemed
like Eli just genuinely didn't know how to behave around people
- especially people like Blake. The poor woman choked when Eli
had accidentally used poor choice in wording, Chris having to
stifle a laugh. When she recovered however, she was quick to
snap at Eli, telling him to only refer to her as 'Blake,' and
saying that she would pass her turn. Chris wanted to make a
comment, but kept himself from doing so, not wanting to start
anything. If Blake didn't want to talk about herself, then he
guessed that was her choice.[/center]
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Sam had, admittedly, almost dozed off a few times as they sat
around the fire, nothing put the sound of crickets and crackling
flames as they all ate their stew in silence. Normally, he'd
probably go nuts in such silence, but in a situation like this
where he found himself almost completely drained, he was cool
with it. Still, it wouldn't hurt for someone to say something.
He didn't dare break the silence himself, though. The only
questions he had to start a conversation were stupid ones.
Sam glanced over at Grace, seeing that she also looked pretty
comfortable, her head sitting on Chris's shoulder in a way that
suggested that that was a normal thing for them. Watching them
made him miss his own family, his heart feeling like it had just
been briefly squeezed. He didn't need to think about his own
family right now. He'd see them soon enough once things became
safe again. Right now, at least he had Grace and Chris and this
group of misfits they had stumbled across. As fine as he was on
his own, he had never been through an apocalypse before, so he
was grateful to have some people around.
Eli spoke up, breaking the silence and breaking Sam out of his
thoughts of home. He suggested they all go around and introduce
themselves, kinda like how people made you do in college and
such. Sam smiled tiredly, thinking that Eli's idea was a pretty
good one. It would be nice to know more about the people he'd
have to be staying with. Maybe it would put his mind at ease
about some of them. He also just really liked to hear people
talk about themselves - it was always interesting, and most
people seemed to enjoy doing so.
What Sam hadn't expected, however, was for Eli's story about his
past and such to not really be a happy one. He had almost
forgotten that a lot of people had some crummy stuff happen to
them, leading to a not-so-cool life. Grace was a good example of
that, he knew. It was kinda cool to hear that Eli has a musician
though, the ukulele in the cabin making more sense. Hey! That
met that his and Eli's passions were kinda similar - Eli liked
music while Sam liked dancing. Well, and poetry, but poetry
could be turned into songs. He had written lyrics and songs
before. Maybe he could show Eli sometime.
Sam covered his lips to stop himself from laughing when Eli
addressed Blake, calling her 'Miss Blake' yet again. Dude, Eli
was totally going to get killed if he kept that up, but Sam
figured Blake would more than likely let him no that before she
just got up and shot the guy. He couldn't help but laugh though
when Eli had accidentally made it sound like he was totally
going to have sex with her, Blake's reaction making it more
hilarious. Man, it had only been a few hours, but already he was
loving Eli. Blake obviously didn't share his sentiment, getting
all snappy and heated again and even skipping her turn. Dude,
unfair.[/center]
#Post#: 60--------------------------------------------------
Grace & Enzo & Elijah (8)
By: winterssmary Date: December 17, 2018, 11:42 pm
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Maybe Eli was an idiot, but he wasn't expecting his idea to get
this sort of negative response. Chris and Grace didn't seem to
react. Sam seemed to perk up. But both Enzo and Blake had
not-so-fun reactions. Enzo just looked annoyed, but Blake looked
straight up angry. He was beginning to think that might have
been her default expression or something. But he wasn't going to
continue letting people stay in his cabin if they weren't
willing to act like people. Civilization had all but collapsed.
Eli felt that, somehow, he could be a part of the solution by
reminding people that relationships are what make us human. So,
even if Blake and Enzo hated him for the time being, they'd
thank him for this eventually. Hopefully.
No one made any comments or asked any questions regarding his
story, which was nice. He would have gladly answered anything,
since he's not exactly secretive about who he is or what he
does. But he already knew all the stuff he needed to know about
himself. His goal was to get to know his new friends. Or
companions. Since a few them of them -- mostly Blake -- seemed
hell bent on not being friends with him ever. He wasn't sure
what he did to deserve all this hostility, but he was sure he
deserved it. It was a single common thread in his life: people
never treated him well or wanted to be his friend. So, he was
sure it was something he'd done. He just hoped that, eventually,
he could change Blake's negative perception of him and be her
friend.
He wasn't expecting her to snap at him like she did. Or choke
when he misspoke about sleeping with her. "Sorry." He cringed at
how harsh her voice was. He hadn't even realized that he was
calling her 'Miss Blake'. It was just a thing he did. She always
looked like she was planning his murder and he guessed he just
got nervous. "I didn't mean any disrespect, Miss Bl-," but he
stopped himself. He wasn't going to do that again. At least, he
was going to try. He panicked when people were mean to him. "I
mean Blake. I didn't mean any disrespect, Blake," he said. "I'm
sorry that I offended you." He looked down at his hands, as he
was suddenly fidgeting so much that he spilled a bit of his stew
on his lap. "I'm... I'm just.... I-I.... sorry."
He sighed when Blake said she'd pass on this whole thing. He had
really hoped that this would be a good way for everyone to bond.
She didn't have to speak up if she didn't want to, but it stung.
The whole thing kind of stung. No one else seemed to thrilled
about it either. He supposed that some people weren't as open
about their lives as he was. It was understandable, but there
was no harm in it. What would any of these people do to hurt
her? I mean, unless she came clean about being a serial killer
or something. That would be rough.
"Well that doesn't seem fair," Grace said, raising her head from
Chris's shoulder.
Eli just gestured for her to stop talking. "No, it was never my
intention to force anyone into an uncomfortable situation," he
said, letting out another sigh. "Maybe this was a waste of
time."[/center]
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Enzo snickered, even when Blake glared at him the way she did.
He couldn't help it. The weird little man was funny and anyone
who annoyed Blake was pretty hilarious. She wasn't actually
going to hurt anyone here, no matter how mad she got. No one
posed a threat and Blake was kind of a bitch, but she wasn't a
psychopath. Enzo let out a quiet -- very, very quiet -- groan
when Blake refused to say anything. He shot her a look that said
You are really bad at faking it. No one was looking to get
attached. Well, not Blake and Enzo anyway. She didn't need to
share her life story. But if she felt so uncomfortable doing so,
she could always lie. It's not like they'd ever find out either
way. She needed to pretend to be a team player. But she was
pretty bad at that, apparently. It's probably why she never kept
a job for a long time.
Enzo, on the other hand, was never above lying. He was never
above strategically faking his way through things. He learned
from a young age how to play the game and how to make people
trust you, even when your intentions were wicked. Apparently,
Blake missed out on that life lesson. Shame. She was also being
very, very hostile. Toward a man who probably couldn't harm them
if he wanted to. He was a musician. Who played the ukulele. That
was about as far from manly as you could get. Honestly, Enzo was
more afraid of what Grace, the little girl in the pink sweater,
was capable of than Elijah Kramer.
When Eli suggested that his idea was stupid, Enzo knew this
couldn't stand. He didn't want to share intimate details of his
life, but he could give a very, very brief overview. As long as
it made him look like a team player. These people had to be
suspicious of Blake by now. "Don't be ridiculous. My friend may
be a party pooper, but I'm not so boring," he said with a smirk.
Of course, he was playing it up. He had to. You have to put on a
show before you rob people. Otherwise, they'll sleep with their
most important possessions under their pillow. Good luck getting
that girl's knife with that attitude, Blake. He also didn't feel
a need to come up with an elaborate lie about his life. The
truth was so insignificant as is.
"I'm from the area," he said, gesturing to everything around
them, since he grew up just a few miles from this very location.
"My life was nothing special. I graduated high school, decided
college wasn't for me, and became a bartender," he said. "My
hobbies include long walks on the beach, leaving negative
reviews for Adam Sandler movies on Rotten Tomatoes, and turning
the lights on at raves," he said, his voice laced with sarcasm.
"No, but, in all seriousness, my life is pretty boring. I mix
drinks for men who like to pretend they didn't peak at seventeen
for a few hours," he added with a shrug.
Eli smiled at him, obviously happy that it was just Blake who
was being so obstinate. Enzo gestured to Chris. "I believe it is
your turn, good sir," he said with a smirk. [/center]
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Grace didn't mean for the comment to slip out, but she was so
tired that it just sorta happened. He was glad that Eli jumped
in and stopped her from saying anything insulting. She wanted to
call Blake a coward, but something told her that it wouldn't go
over to well with the dark-haired girl. Blake was just very,
very determined not to be part of the group. Something about
that didn't sit well with Grace. She's definitely up to
something, she thought. Maybe she was planning something bad.
Maybe she was planning on running away as soon as everyone
turned around. Maybe she was just a bad person. Or, maybe she
was just bad with people. Whatever the case, Grace didn't trust
Blake.
But she did decide that Enzo was okay. He made a few jokes when
talking about his life and obviously wasn't afraid to call Blake
out. Mildly. Everyone was being too nice to her for Grace's
taste. In her foster home, the girls would have come to her bed
when she was asleep and beaten her with socks for refusing to be
compliant. Of course, she didn't condone that either. She just
hoped that someone would have said something about how obvious
it was that she hurt poor Eli's feelings. Logically, she
understood why everyone kept quiet. They didn't want to stir the
pot. She just wished people weren't so mean. [/center]
#Post#: 61--------------------------------------------------
Blake│Christian│Samuel
By: Zellaphone Date: December 18, 2018, 1:20 am
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Blake, once again, found herself feeling bad for how she was
treating Eli. She couldn't help it - she never felt bad at
first, but then he'd start stumbling over his words and
apologizing and shrinking away. It made her feel like shit.
Probably because she was being shit. God, she always managed to
somehow get this way around people, and she wasn't very good at
stopping it. Life had just twisted her into this person she
didn't even recognize anymore and couldn't stop. She didn't want
everyone to hate her, and she didn't want to be so mean, but she
also didn't want people to come into her life and mess
everything up, nor did she want to invite those people in. She
had made so many mistakes in the past with being nice and
trusting, so she just gave up without really realizing it, and
now felt like it was too late to try and revert, if she even did
truly want to revert. People were garbage, but man did this Eli
guy make her want to believe that that wasn't necessarily true.
I mean, even Enzo, the only person she was content on traveling
with was a liar and a cheat.
Blake tried to push away her feelings of remorse, trying to
convince herself that they were useless anyways because she
shouldn't have to care about these peoples feelings. They
weren't sticking around anyway, so what was the point? She knew
she could lie and try to better pretend that she was more
welcoming to all of this, but she hated lying and wasn't always
very good at acting. Enzo, on the other hand, excelled at those
things, putting on a little show as he teased her and pretended
to be enthusiastic about all of this as he talked, very briefly,
about his life. She would be lying if she said she wasn't
impressed, but she also found it kind of sickening how easily he
could just play people. Again, she knew it was all for their
benefit, but even that thought was starting to sound unappealing
as well.
She sighed, glancing at Eli out of the corner of her eye. It was
obvious no one trusted her. Even that little girl had made a
comment at her which Blake had simply brushed off, not bothered
that anyone else thought she was being 'unfair.' She did seem to
care about how Eli felt about it, though. He looked a little
better now that Enzo had played along, but she knew he had been
genuinely hurt by her words and attitude, and after explaining
how his parents had treated him...
God, she really was being a bitch, wasn't she? Eli was doing his
best to try and help them and bring them all together, but all
she could do was complain and yell. She was such a lost cause,
huh? Maybe she should try and be a little nice. At least to Eli.
Even if he did annoy her from time to time. She'd try. Hopefully
it would work out, but trying to be nicer hadn't always done so
well for her in the past - but for now, she'd just sit back and
listen to everyone else's stories.[/center]
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Chris knew that Blake was being a bit over dramatic, always in
some sort of fowl mood, but he couldn't see why she couldn't
realize the effect her behavior had on others. Or maybe she did,
and just didn't care. Either way, the way Eli reacted to Blake's
harshness made Chris frown, his body tensing slightly. He wanted
to say something, but felt like maybe now was not the time. Eli
was trying to keep the peace and bring everyone together right
now. Maybe Chris would say something to her later. He knew she
would never actually try and hurt him. At least, he hoped he
knew that.
Grace, on the other hand, did not hold back, snapping back at
Blake herself. Chris quickly put a hand on her shoulder, trying
both to calm her and to silently tell her to stop and wait. Eli
held up a hand though, stopping Grace himself, sighing and
stating that his idea had been a mistake. Chris noticed that
even Blake appeared a bit guilty at that, staring down at the
ground with her brows knit together. She either looked angry or
conflicted, or maybe even both. It was even possible that she
might be about to be sick.
Enzo spoke up then, playing along with Eli's idea. Chris relaxed
at that, glad to see that he didn't seem to share Blake's
apparent hatred of most things. However, the man still made him
feel a bit cautious. It could just be because he was still a
stranger and Chris hadn't talked to him much, but he wasn't
sure. Maybe he was just being paranoid, but he knew that, deep
down, feelings of paranoia, especially when it came to people,
shouldn't always just be pushed away.
He listened to Enzo talk about his 'boring' life, basically just
saying that he was a college dropout bartender from the city.
Still, it was better than saying nothing, he supposed. He
himself didn't even really know what to say. He doubted he would
go into as much detail as Eli had. The group didn't need to know
everything about him on their first night of being together.
When Enzo gave him the floor, Chris smiled, removing his hand
from Grace's shoulder and leaning forward a bit. "Well, like
Enzo, I'm also from the area," he began, looking at everyone. "I
graduated college with a degree in criminal justice and, like my
late father, I became a cop. I've been on the force for about
nine years now, but, uh, I guess my profession doesn't really
matter when there's no law," he said, realizing immediately that
for the first time since the outbreak, he had just admitted to
being irrelevant. Well, at least, his job was irrelevant. There
was no law anymore with the world falling apart. He and his
brothers had gone separate ways when things started to get
rough, going to tend to their families and themselves, leaving
an abandoned precinct and a city that no longer seemed to have
hope. He had know for awhile that it was all over, but saying it
aloud was a different story. "And, uh," Chris continued, trying
to regain himself, placing a hand on Grace's back. "Shortly
after joining the force, I took Grace in," he finished, deciding
that that was as far as he felt like going when it came to
explaining his life right now.
He put on another smile, ignoring his feeling of dread as he
looked to Grace. "Looks like it's your go now."[/center]
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Sam, admittedly, wasn't really as coherent as he usually was,
due to his exhaustion. He wanted to have bigger reactions to
people's stories and Blake's attitude, but he was just so tired.
He knew he'd probably perk up again pretty soon since he was
known for having weird bursts of energy, but for now, he just
wanted to slouch in his chair and just listen to people talk.
Grace tried to defend Eli at one point, or maybe she just didn't
like Blake, telling the scary women that she wasn't being fair.
Sam agreed, but Blake didn't even seem to have a reaction to
Grace's words, probably already knowing that they were true and
just not caring. Man, who could be so mean to someone like Eli?
The guy was as harmless as a butterfly, but Blake seemed
determined to crush his wings, for some reason. Sam wanted to
figure out what he deal was, but she wasn't willing to talk, and
he wasn't willing to ask, so he figured that, at least for now,
that was that.
He did think it was super cool of Grace to stand up to her,
though. He'd have to try to do more things like that when he was
more awake.
Enzo explained a bit of his life, Sam finding that it made sense
that the guy was a bartender. That was probably why he seemed so
good with people. Even Blake seemed somewhat charmed by his
charisma, noticing that she never lashed out at him when he
teased her, but would lash out at Eli if the man did nothing to
deserve it.
Then, it was Mr. Smith's turn to talk, and Sam still listened
even though he already knew everything the man had said. It did
catch him a bit off-guard when he mentioned his job was
practicality pointless now, however. He guessed Mr. Smith was
technically right, but Sam didn't really believe that it was
fully true. Yeah, there wasn't really any law left now, but Mr.
Smith still took the law seriously, and he knew that that was a
good attribute to have in a time like this. It meant that Mr.
Smith was always going to try to do what was right in the end
and protect the innocent, like himself and Grace. It also just
helped that Mr. Smith was just genuinely a good person as well.
Mr. Smith then turned it over to Grace, Sam not failing to
notice the encouraging smile he gave her or the way he rubbed
her back shortly before dropping his hand. Yeah, Mr. Smith was a
cool guy, and he figured he knew why he was being so supportive
right now. Grace didn't really have a happy or sugar-coated
past. Her past stunk, and Sam wasn't sure whether she was going
to be honest or sort of just... skim over things. Either way,
just like Mr. Smith, he was here for her if she needed
him.[/center]
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