Ren
Survivor
Posts: 67
|
Post by Ren on May 18, 2009 15:24:50 GMT -5
(Taking place a few days after the planetarium is secure)
Conyer held his shovel close to his chest as he found his way slowly down the small semi-residential street he'd found. The street was almost entirely empty aside from the abandoned cars, houses, and an occasional trash can thrown into the street by obvious past chaos. He was glad to be away from the larger buildings and into what seemed to be a suburb, even though the menacing towers still hovered above the houses around him, reminding him that he was still swallowed by the dangers of the city. He'd never really been to a city before, at least not alone, and the tall buildings still terrified him, especially with the events he knew were happening there.
But the silence of the street around him was what worried him more than the buildings. He heard nothing but his own foot steps, not even a breeze rippled the dying trees around him.
Carefully, he found his way into a lit house, hoping that no one was home and that the light was coming from light bulbs, not fires or some other primitive light source. After walking through the bottom floor and ensuring that the house was empty, though every door was open wide, a problem he dared not fix in case one door squeaked and attracted attention, he found a wall outlet in the kitchen. Plugging his dead computer into the outlet, he then headed to the refrigerator, pulling the door open only to throw it back closed just as quickly from the putrid smell arising from the rotting foods. His stomach growled in protest and he frowned, beginning to open cabinets, hoping to find something of the canned variety that he could warm up.
|
|
|
Post by Skynet on May 20, 2009 0:03:32 GMT -5
Along the entire street, there was only one house that was lit. Milena jogged toward it, keeping a little bit of spring in her toes, poised for potential attacks. She leapt a mailbox, then dashed across the street. The adrenaline was singing in her blood. She was ready for anything.
When Milena reached the correct house, she crouched low in the surrounding shrubbery, scoping the place out. There was no motion at the windows, at least that she could see, so she crept stealthily around to the side. Hoisting herself effortlessly up by her fingertips, she slung herself over the windowsill. The young gymnast landed in a graceful crouch on the adobe tile.
Just then Milena heard a slight noise behind her. She snapped her head around to see a boy about her own age. “Hey,” she said softly. “You been here long?”
|
|
Ren
Survivor
Posts: 67
|
Post by Ren on May 20, 2009 5:32:46 GMT -5
Conyer had been searching through a cabinet, finally having found the canned foods. He already had a fairly high stack on the counter and was pulling another can out when he heard the voice from behind him. He jumped, whirling around to face her, his hand holding the can up high, ready to throw it at her if he needed to.
"Who are you...? What are you doing here...?" He lowered the can slightly as he recognized the traits of a normal human in her, still on his guard, but less so than before. His eyes slowly scanned the room and windows, making sure that the girl's presence hadn't attracted any unwanted visitors. He couldn't help but tremble slightly at the thought of any infected coming through one of the still open doors or windows. He was almost positive that there was at least one upstairs, but he hadn't dared to explore, just in case.
|
|
|
Post by Skynet on May 20, 2009 11:29:25 GMT -5
Milena made a face at the sour smell that wafted out of the refrigerator. “Ew,” she announced. “I hope that wasn't you.” Then, when it appeared the boy didn't recognize her, she held out her hand for him to shake. “I'm Milena Baronova.”
Again, she saw no flicker of recognition. “Milena...Baronova...gymnastics?” she said, not arrogantly, but with a trace of perplexity in her voice. After having been thrust into the limelight, it was disconcerting to be somewhere where nobody knew or even cared who she was.
“Never mind,” said the girl. “Have you checked out the rest of the house?”
|
|
Ren
Survivor
Posts: 67
|
Post by Ren on May 20, 2009 13:19:51 GMT -5
He shook his head at the mention of her name, not recognising it. He didn't really pay attention to sports of any type, he was too busy with his nose shoved in some sort of wiring. He was confused about her age as well, not really understanding why a girl the same age as himself was in sports, and supposedly so well known.
"I checked the bottom floor, but not upstairs." He looked at the ceiling slightly, before turning back to his cabinet, pulling out a few more cans of food that seemed alright to eat. He then went through the bottom cabinets under the sink, looking for any kind of trash bags to put the cans in.
|
|
|
Post by Skynet on May 20, 2009 16:29:22 GMT -5
Milena held out her duffle bag with the familiar red, white and blue insignia to the boy. “Put some in here, we can save them for later,” she said calmly. She then joined the boy in picking through the cabinets. “Oooh,” the girl whispered excitedly, and held up her prize, “Look!” It was a knife block with a set of steak knives. She put that in her bag as well, tucking one into her sock for good measure.
Crossing her fingers, Milena prayed that the boy liked her. It was really good to not be alone. “Hey boy,” she whispered again. “We really should check upstairs. I bet they have meds and guns.” On the word “guns”, she felt her face break into a toothy grin. The more weapons they had, the better.
|
|
Ren
Survivor
Posts: 67
|
Post by Ren on May 20, 2009 21:08:00 GMT -5
Slowly, he handed Milena some of the cans of food, mostly comprised of vegetables and condensed soups. He watched as she also took the knife set. Personally, he was happy with his shovel, but he wasn't going to argue with her.
"My name's Conyer, by the way." He nodded as she suggested the upstairs rooms. He tried to avoid confrontation as much as he could, but this girl gave him a little more confidance. He still wouldn't be of much help in a fight, but at least there was someone else there so he wouldn't just run. "Med kits would be good. And possibly some supplies to make a radio or something..." His mind wandered slightly, wondering what types of wonderful mechanics he could find in those upstairs rooms.
|
|
|
Post by Skynet on May 20, 2009 21:24:22 GMT -5
Milena giggled softly. “So you're smarter than I am. How do you go about making a radio? Why can't we just use their radio if they have one?” She was so elated at having found a companion that she couldn't help teasing him a bit. Before Conyer could respond, she darted toward the stairs, tucking a few stray wisps back into her bun at she did so.
The upstairs was dark. Milena paused on the top stair, listening for any signs of life, but she found only silence. Still, she didn't want to call out to Conyer just in case someone else might be listening. She snapped her fingers loudly because she couldn't think of another signal, guiltily hoping he didn't think she was calling him like a dog. Because he wasn't a dog at all, he was actually kind of attractive in a geeky way.
Just then, the snaps were met with an answering creak. Petrified, Milena pressed herself against the wall, wishing her companion would get there just a little bit faster so he could tell her what to do.
|
|
Ren
Survivor
Posts: 67
|
Post by Ren on May 20, 2009 21:50:34 GMT -5
He shrugged at the question. "Give me some time and I'll figure something out. I'm good with electronics..." Slowly, he followed behind her toward the stairs, grabbing his shovel as a precaution.
Conyer watched the girl accend the stairs, following a few steps behind her. His attention perked as he heard her snaps, jumping slightly as he then heard the creak from down the hallway. His breath quickened and he held the shovel tighter, his knuckles already turning white from his tight grip. He quickly followed her up the stairs, moving against the wall with her.
"Got any weapons other than the knives? You might need something bigger..." His voice came out as a shaky whisper, watching down the hall instead of making eye contact with her.
|
|
|
Post by Skynet on May 20, 2009 23:47:46 GMT -5
“I have a handgun,” answered Milena quietly, “but I only have a couple bullets. I guess... you go first and I'll cover you? I think a shovel would be better for close up anyway.” She was trembling inside, but she reached for Conyer's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
Then she thought better of it. She didn't want to seem like a coward in front of Conyer, and he seemed even more frightened than she was. “Or...” she said, “You can give me the shovel and I'll go first. I'm pretty good at dodging.”
|
|
Ren
Survivor
Posts: 67
|
Post by Ren on May 21, 2009 0:04:45 GMT -5
"It's alright, I can go first...this shovel's kinda...special to me." He shrugged slightly, not liking his choice of words, he thought it made him sound like some sort of freak that was in love with the shovel. He slowly moved away from the wall, leading the way slowly down the hallway, ready to strike at any moment.
His gaze skipped back and forth from the floor to the hallway, trying to recognize any creaky boards on the wooden floor while attempting to walk without hitting any door frames. He was nervous, this was his first chance ever to look at all manly in front of a girl and he didn't want to blow it by screaming or running away.
Conyer's foot steps echoed slightly down the hallway as he stepped up to the first doorway, pressing himself against the doorway and peering in. After making sure it was not only clear, but void of any useful items, he moved on to the second with the same result.
|
|
|
Post by Skynet on May 21, 2009 13:41:00 GMT -5
Milena huddled close to Conyer, keeping the pistol aimed just above his shoulder in case anything should spring out at them. The bedrooms were all empty so far. Soon they were at the end of the hall.
The door to the master bedroom loomed above them in the darkness. Milena tried to speak, but her throat had closed of its own accord. She held up a finger so that he could see. One...two...three!
|
|
Ren
Survivor
Posts: 67
|
Post by Ren on May 21, 2009 14:44:32 GMT -5
He nodded at her as she counted down, his hand on the doorknob, his other hand holding the shovel tightly. When her third finger went up, he quickly pushed the door open, turning into the room to face anything that was waiting in there.
It was hard to see in the dark room, but Conyer could definitely see the outline of two standing figures and possibly a third sitting. It also looked as if none of the three had seen them yet. He jogged into the room, taking out the closest one with a fast swing of his shovel, trying to ignore the sickening metallic sound of the flat shovel head hitting bone. After making sure the first was down with a second downward hit to the zombie's skull, he turned to the other two, shaking and not wanting to have to face the others.
|
|
|
Post by Skynet on May 21, 2009 20:38:16 GMT -5
Milena fired off two shots rapidly. The first ricocheted wildly into the vanity mirror, spraying shards of glass everywhere. The second embedded itself in the wall above the bed.
So Milena went to Plan B, which involved her whipping the steak knife out of her shoe and stabbing deep into the zombie's neck. With a forceful twist, she wrenched it sideways, spraying blood and tissue across her face. Milena gagged and kicked the body away from her as hard as she could.
“That wasn't so hard,” she said shakily, wiping her face on her dark blue sleeve. “Now what?”
Unfortunately, she did not see the last zombie, the one who was seated when they entered the room.
|
|
Ren
Survivor
Posts: 67
|
Post by Ren on May 21, 2009 23:14:35 GMT -5
Conyer smiled at Milena slightly, not able to look at her for too long with the blood across her face. He looked down at the floor slightly for a moment before a slight movement caught his eye. His mind registered it as being Milena moving, but it seemed too far to the right to be her. He looked up at her again, noticing the figure behind her, pushing his glasses up to make sure he was seeing it correctly. His eyes widened as the figure stumbled towards them.
He took in a breath quickly, his left hand going to Milena's right shoulder and pushing her to the side hard, his right hand bringing his shovel up to strike the other zombie. The world seemed to go in slow motion as he brought the shovel up, grabbing it with his already raised left hand and delivering a hard hit with the blunt edge of the tool to the creature's temple. The hit knocked the zombie over and he moved over it, turning the shovel to give him a few good hits with the flattened side.
|
|