Camping's less fun when everyone wants you dead.

[hopeburnsbright]

"Boy the book of revelations got it wrong." Jake mused to himself as he made his way through a forest. His boots kept slipping in the mud, he was cold and miserable. And he had no idea where he was going as he tried to make his way up the mountain, the idea being that there was less likely to be infected around. "I mean we have no Anti-Christ ruling the world. Humanity is unlikely to last seven weeks let alone.... I think it was seven years. And worst of all War is skiving off work while the other three Horsemen are pulling double time."
Jake paused to duck under a low hanging branch and span around when he heard what sounded like footsteps. "Huh? Who’s there? I can hear you Mr or Miss Stalker." he paused and waited a good few minutes and heard nothing else. "Must have imagined it. Now what was I talking about? Oh year! You could say that this was a living vs. dead war. But seeing as I have no evidence that there is anyone else still alive, let alone anyone fighting back in any kind of organised way. Its war in the same way deer are at war with dumb ass rednecks in pickup trucks." Jake thought about it and started laughing. "heh. The deer won because every human is dead." he grinned before the smile vanished as that sunk in. "There may be something wrong with me. Like my nabour, that old woman who always said i looked paranoid. And yet here i am with everyone out to kill me. i bet she wouldn't call me paranoid if she was still alive!"
Jake continued to walk aimlessly. he had no real plan or destination and enough supplies for a few days at most. But he was relaxed, there hadn't been a sight of infected for nearly twenty four hours now and it was making him relax. Maybe things were finally looking up?
As soon as he thought that, Jake took a turn that landed him staring at an infected woman, her back turned to him as she crouched over the body of a man and tore strips of flesh away to shove into her mouth.
Jake froze in terror. Trying his hardest to stop himself running and causing loads of noise, or at the very least to raise his bat, all he could think was: boy. Optimists are morons.

[Abby Kramer]

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[hopeburnsbright]

Jake's expression became a perfect picture of 'oh crap' when he saw a young woman on the other side of the clearing. She was A) actually alive! and B) directly where the infected would be looking as soon as it finished it's meal.
Which meant that he no longer had any say in what he was going to do. He was a wimp and generally useless. But damn it he was not going to leg it and shout "good luck with the mutant cannibal freak!" over his shoulder at her. No matter how much it would make sense to look out for himself.
Because he wanted to count as a decent person even if there was no one left to tell him he should. Like in the movies where the world ended, and some people became roaming bandits that raped and pillaged and some made sure to remain civilized humans. Yeah Jake wanted to be one of the good men left.
So then. he was going to kill this infected with his bat. and then he'd look up at her and smile, saying something cool like: 'eating people. it's just not cricket is it?'
and then she would find out he was a moron. he'd stick to hi. plus there was the fact that he was getting ahead of himself seeing as he may well be about to die.
Man the more often he realized he might be about to die, the less he cared. that was a bad sign right?
Carefully, Jake took a step forwards. nothing happened. He took another step. the infected paused to pull the bodies ribs further apart and reach towards the guts. Jake raised his bat over his head and risked two steps forward.
He was close enough that if it turned around it could just lean forwards and bight into his knee. so he swung down with as much strength as he could at the back of it's head. The thing spasmed at the blow, not dead but damaged enough that it couldn't do anything other then flail as it's motor functions left it.
Jake felt sick looking at it any longer. "Sorry. I'm sorry this happened to you." He managed weakly and brought the bat down again. The thing was finally kind enough to die.
Jake took a step forwards and slammed the bat into the skull of her lunch and didn't stop until it's head caved in. It wasn't getting up again either.
Bile raised itself to his throat and Jake turned, walking to the closest tree he pressed his forehead against the cool bark and waited to calm down, pointedly denying to himself that it was sweat not tears that were making his eyes sting.

[Abby Kramer]

[/color] she whispered looking back to down to the corpse, as if this was a Halloween thriller that would pop back up like, oh hey. Not dead! She sighed when this didn't prove to be the case. Keeping distant from the man who very possibly might have just saved her life, "I'm Abby," she spoke a little louder, relaxing in this scene, where was the caution tape? "I haven't seen another living person in a week!" She exclaimed, she was still testing the waters, but he seemed alright, he after all had just proven he could take care of a problem. Which Abby could not, she had yet to kill an infected, and all she'd been able to do was run.


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[hopeburnsbright]

"Don't. Don't do that." Jake said, turning to look at the woman with his expression of grief still clear on his face. "Please don't thank me Abby alright? Those things are alive, breathing people that just happen to be really badly ill. If you start thanking me i might start feeling like I'm glad i did it." he said quietly. Stooping, Jake started to wipe his bat on the grass, maybe that way it'd be a little less stressful to carry.
"i don't ever want to kill someone and feel nothing." Jake muttered before realizing that he was staring at the bodies again.
Visually shaking himself, Jake focused on Abby and tried his hardest to make his smile seem not forced. "Sorry. i get..... jumbled. Angsty after dealing with those things." He said, really hopping he hadn't freaked her out. he swung the small backpack from his shoulders and opened it, pulling out the last candy bar he had. Jake had been saving it, but this was the kind of thing worth eating the last candy bar for. There were other humans alive and what not. it had melted. Of cause it had, he had been carrying it in his bad up a mountain for three days. But he pulled half of it out of it's wrapper and ate it. and suddenly it being melted didn't matter and Jake felt himself relax. Because chocolate was normal, eating it was something he did when the world was normal. So it was a distraction that worked well and made him feel better.
"Want some?" He asked, offering the rest of it to Abby. Partly because it would be rude not too and partly as an apology for freaking out over the infected. It was what he used to make his ex stop being angry with him so the theory was sound.
"It's nice to meet you Abby. I was starting to worry i wouldn't run into anyone else. I'm Jake." he grinned, actually meaning it that time.

[Abby Kramer]

[/i] to be. Or the way it just was So far she seemed to be the only person who still stopped and thought, "how messed up it this??" She crossed the small space between them stepping lightly around the corpses, prepared to jump and scream if they were to grab her leg, but they didn't she was then near this man.

"I know what you mean," she said assuring him she was on his side about those things, "I haven't killed one yet," she admitted in almost a whisper. Was it wise to mention such a thing within minutes of meeting another human who had just dominated another infected, she knew she didn't appear a threat, but why take away the element of surprise in case this man did not mean what he was saying. "It's not that I haven't had to... it's just that I don't think I can," another admittance, that triggered the painful memory of those cold hands on her bare arms.

The sharp pull that nearly dislocated her shoulder when she ripped her arm from the young girl's unnaturally strong grip. She got a chill as the memory faded away. The man pulled out some chocolate and offered her some, she had to laugh, she had a good feeling about this man, she nodded, "I'll take some," even though she had very little appetite, it might as well get her a little sugar that her body was sure to be drained of. She took the rest of the melted chocolate from him and forced herself to consume it- when going so long with so little it was hard to force your body to eat with out getting nauseous. She nibbled it, getting the warm liquefied sugar onto her fingers, she licked them despite the amount of grime she had accumulated.

"Nice to meet you Jake," she said as she cleaned up her fingers, "I haven't met many people who still have their humanity," a short recall to the rest stop, where that crazy man in the SWAT car had nearly shot her- twice!


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[hopeburnsbright]

Jake stared at Abby when she said she was yet to kill any of them. it was so bewildering a statement that he felt nearly in shock at it. "You might just be the luckiest person still capable of thinking then." Jake smiled at her, and there was him assuming there was no longer any room for innocence in the world.
He knew he was pretty much the same age as her, but Jake felt a rush of protectiveness over Abby. Like the fact she wasn't like every other survivor and started killing every groaner that got in her way, made her one of the only special things left. Which was kind of true. Art and music didn't really matter anymore and there would be no more books or films. She might actually be the last thing in the world worth a damn other then food or water.
Jake briefly tried to decide if he was creepy/insane/stalkerish from these thoughts. But he didn't think so, Jake didn't even feel attracted to her other then the brief thought of 'oh. she's pretty' when he first saw her, which was shoved aside to make room for thoughts that actually mattered. And it wasn't insanity, all he wanted to do was stop her from having to kill anyone if possible. he wasn't thinking 'lets go take photos of her' like in every TV show with a stalker in it ever.
Damn he missed TV.
"those that die be the lucky ones. and there be plenty luck going around today." Jake muttered to himself under his breath. He didn't mean much by it, a line from a youtube video vaguely remembered as a good way to sum up the entire of Earth.
"There's not going to be a cure in time." Jake pointed out, depression in his voice, "even if there's a lab some place working night and day. By the time every infected is injected, almost all of them will have starved when they run out of us to murder for meat. I know all that. In my head but not anywhere with emotion, my hearts screaming insults at me and calling me a killer none-stop." Jake glanced at Abby and sighed again. "and I'm terrified that my conscience will stop and I'll kill enough that i won't care anymore. That no one on earth will care about killing anymore."
Jake choked out a bitter laugh and slumped against a tree, sliding to the ground he stared at the grass still stained with blood. "Humanity. like coke in little green bottles. They don't make it anymore." He said, again quoting a story he loved and was never going to get to read again in all likely hood.

[Abby Kramer]

[/i] she had thought quietly. This world was becoming an 'if' world, every single thing depended on what came right before it. Aside from the fact that night followed day. Just about everything was unsure.

"They kill mindlessly," she commented tossing a glance down at the woman who was on top of her meal that had probably also her kill, they didn't seem to touch anything that had been sitting too long, "At least you know what you're doing, you acknowledge it-" she sighed and looked back to Jake, "There are many survivors that think it's fun. They're doing it for sport....not even remembering that these were people" she tried to conclude what she was trying to say without ranting too much, "I think if you were going to lose your mind, it would have happened by now," she said with an attempt at a reassuring shrug.

She imagined men and women in an underground lab working on a cure, testing infected, administrating whatever caused this into helpless people. "Do you think there was a vaccine? That people of higher power could take... maybe even a new established community of those immune?" it was a conspiracy theory- yes, but it had been bugging her, not a single bit of communication, or any rise of government, waving people over. It either meant a- they were left for dead. or b- there was nothing, and no one to do the directing.

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[hopeburnsbright]

"heh. i like that, "i would have lost it by now" makes sense." Jake said amused, "You know Abby? i only just noticed this, but you're quite the positive thinker." He complimented, actually feeling better. He wasn't feeling happy, he never did any more, but better. There was nothing he could do. If he hadn't killed the infected then he would be dead four times over, because there had been at least four points he had been stuck with nowhere to run. And if he hadn't been around here, who knew what would have happened to Abby? It was by no stretch anything but horrible. But to selfdestruct over the thoughts was pointless.
"Thanks, i kinda needed someone to snap me out of it." Jake said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he realised he had been wallowing in self pitty.
Jake smiled at Abby's suggestion and nodded as he stood up. "I'm positive it's happening as we speak." He agreed, having also thought about it. "I mean, all those bunkers built to protect the officials from cold war nukes must be full of something right? there MUST have been some organised group that made it to one. the odds are in our favour here." Jake said confidently, thinking it was like Fallout, after the end the people in vaults were the one's to survive.
"Somewhere President what's his face is cowering under the White House or something with his family, the cabinet, a bunch of the army and stuff and they're all yelling at each other about what to do." Jake grinned, being british he didn't give a single damn about who was running this place at any one time. except Lincon, Jake liked that guy's jib.
Cracking his shoulders, Jake took a few steps forwards and stopped, looking around. "Ah hell. i am so frigging lost!" he groaned, realising he had lost track of where he had come from and where he was going. "This place is too similar! i can't see the forest for the darn trees! Right. screw it. obvious solution. Abby where are you planning on going?"

[Abby Kramer]

[/color] she suggested with a small shrug, she was never a very confident girl, ideas from her were always easily shot down. She placed her hands on the straps of her back pack once again, wondering where they had been this whole time.

The sweet taste of chocolate was becoming sour in her mouth, and she slipped an arm behind her to remove the nearly empty water bottle from its net, She uncapped it and took a swish, "Would you like some," she offered extending the bottle to Jake. She didn't know what kind of supplies he had one him, but she figured if they were to travel with one another, keeping one another alive was in their best interest, and he had already pulled his weight, she would do what she could.


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[hopeburnsbright]

Jake shook his head at Abby, "Thanks but no. I just had some ten minutes ago. Better to save stuff that important right?" He said, well it was more like an hour ago, but the point stood. using important supplies up for no reason wasn't a good plan.
but speaking of good plans, Abby had a pretty good game strategy. Jake thought it over and nodded. "That's pretty good thinking there Abby. supplies and less infected in one area. The perfect combination!" He grinned, how come he had been thinking that the best plan was avoiding all buildings like the plague (the black death not the zombie plague. but that too he supposed) again? oh that's right, he was terrified of the infected. but if he stayed up mountains forever he would starve to death
and the infected were up here too........
"Awesome. Abby you're a genius. It's way better then my plan." Jake paused for effect. "I didn't have one." Chuckling slightly at his own joke, Jake scratched his chin. hrrm, he needed a shave, unless a beard suited the times better?
He was getting off track again.
"Okay then, so do you know this area? because I'm a foreigner and don't know this place for crap. Even pointing in the general direction of a small town would help?" he asked hopefully.
part of Jake wanted to go to Washington, but then he thought that in the back of his mind that he was too scared to go all that way and find out that he was wrong and everyone was dead. Jake wouldn't be able to deal with the disappointment. This way he could live in the false hope that an army was just over the horizon to come save them. Because things had been working out for him like that so well up until now so that was obviously what was going to happen next. yeah freaking right.
damn when did he lose his sunny disposition? hahaha.

[Abby Kramer]

[/color] she responded to his question about knowing the area, "but then I got a little... lost, and I don't really know where I am.... are we in Oregon still?" she asked fearing the answer to the question. Oh Lord, what if she had wondered out of state? Well... so what then? There was nothing in Portland but death! There couldn't be much of a different story any where else, could there? The only thing worth while she had found was Jake, and that was from being lost in this forest!

"I was in Portland, and then headed out of the city, I'm not sure if I have been following the Coast line, I spend most of this time in the forest, and then poke out to find some road to tell me where I am, but I haven't found a way to a road for a while now..." How long had it been? She honestly couldn't remember.

"Where were you when this happened?" she could tell from his accent that he was not from here, the question came out of her own mouth seeming a bit off but it may give her a good idea of their position if they calculated both of their travel times, and where they met up.


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[hopeburnsbright]

Jake smiled when he heard Abby laugh. It was nice to hear from another human, and even more so when considered that he had been the one to cause it. He hadn't even heard another person in so long that someone making a purely positive noise was kind of a relief.
Plus he couldn't help notting that the way her eyes reacted to her laughing was really cute. Jake shook himself slightly. Focus on the problem now, stop zoning out about random stuff like the new persons level of atractiveness. Even if 99% of teenage boys would dissagree, there were more important things in life then pretty females. like staying alive. And not being lost in a freaking forest range!
Jake gave Abby a long blank look when she asked where they were. "Oregon.....what?" He asked slowly, hardly able to believe that she had said it. "I don't know where we are, but it ain't Oregon. The Rockies aren't in that state Love, so Wow you're more lost then i am!" He declared with a small grin, because lets face it, this was kinda funny. and there weren't that many funny things left.
"I was in LA. I'm English and was living there when the shit rocketed fanwords, spent a while there and just started traveling in the first dirextion not blocked by cars." Yes Jake could have figured out which direction he was going by looking at the sun. but that hadn't occured to him and hand't seemed important. "L.A, it's. it's pretty bad by the way. Going to any major cities means the infected wouldn't be murdering us and would just be assisting our suicide." He joked, yes it was as black as humour could get but Jake honestly thought it was funny.
"portland huh? Went there once, it was a nice place." Jake mused suddenly, thinking back to a year ago when he had visited it.

[Abby Kramer]

[/color] she commented, she felt foolish shortly after, how dare her even feel bad for herself unable to cross this content to get home, Jake here would have to cross an entire content and ocean to get back home. "I'm sorry," she mumbled as the thought fully formed in her head and the understanding set in. She knew he may think she was crazy for not letting him in on the mindset, but it came out before she fully thought that one too."It was nice," she agreed quickly, eager to skip over her unexplained apologies, "I came here for school," she referred to the entire region, but that wasn't the real reason. She cast her eyes down to the forest floor, "Now I just wish I hadn't." She wondered what she would be doing right now if she hadn't ever come to this place. Would she be dead in her house, would she have moved somewhere else eventually. That was uncertain, but what was certain was that she was sure she would never find her way back.


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[hopeburnsbright]

Jake shook his head slightly, "tale isn't as interesting as you'd think. you'd be amazed what rampant cowardice does for life expectancy, there's one or two days that will make great horror stories if i ever go camping again but the main way i survived was just plain running away." Jake was still grinning, even as he thought about when he had been trapped in a city of zombies. it may have been a weird thought, but at this point anything that he could make himself cheerful about was worth doing so, despair found itself far to easily into his head. so even if he was just thinking about something funny, that helped him not want to give up.
Jake hummed a few bars from 'giggle at the ghosties' and lamented one more thing that was over. "you're what?" Jake asked, giving Abby a confused look, what the hell was she talking about? she hadn't done anything even slightly wrong and- "Oh. Sorry Abb's" Jake said quietly, using the nickname without really thinking about it, he gave Abby a sad look he let the topic drop. Jake had come to the wrong conclusion almost immediately. the way his own mind worked, his off topic thoughts often ended up dwelling on someone he lost or knew he was dead. and to apologize like that, Jake thought Abby had been going through something similar. which was only encouraged when she frantically changed the subject like that.
he didn't think her crazy, just realistic for what was now the world.
"School huh?" Jake asked, seeing the way her expression had changed, Jake walked a bit closer and awkwardly patted her on the shoulder. he didn't really know how to comfort people, nor was he sure Abby would be okay with him touching her like that, and he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. the last thing she said was so obviously her starting to go down a road that wasn't healthy that Jake felt compelled to try and stop her. "everyone wishes they had been somewhere different when things started Abb's. but trust me, you don't want to go there, just think about the good times. you'll be surprised how much better it makes you feel."
Jake rolled his shoulders and shoved his hands in his pockets. "So can i ask a favor? can we start walking? those two dead bodies are really starting to smell." Jake said awkwardly, not sure if it was okay to say something like that or not.