Louis Lee Jackson | Male | Gay | Observer | M: Eden, Grayson, Zephyr, + Hope (Dir)

There is someone behind me.

Louis’s heart beat about a million times a minute as he stopped breathing, his grip tightened on his bat and dog tags. There is one thing you need to know about Louis: never walk behind him. Especially when he has a weapon in hand. Louis was a dangerous person in general, but if you try to take him by surprise he acts like a wild beast, clawing scratching, biting his opponent. Being as paranoid as he was, his first instinct was to turn around and hit the person over the face with his bat, but he restrained himself for once in his life at least. His fingers tapped nervously against his wooden bat as he reassured himself that everything was fine.

They haven’t found you. They aren’t here to kill you just yet. You’re fine. Everything’s okay. Just some random person behind you dragging their weapon on the floor like something out of the Shining. Great. Just great.

Tucking his dog tags into his shirt, Louis turned his head over his shoulder as he glared at the taller figure. Looking through his crazy and sporadic hair, he caught glimpses of a man who was far more muscular than Louis and carrying an axe of all things. Isn’t that just lovely? Random stranger behind him with a weapon. He looked overly calm about the whole situation and for some reason that was starting to piss Louis off. Louis dropped his bag and his grip tightened on his bat. Through the cracked glass of a previous window in the room, the wind blew through Louis’s hair as he glared daggers at the man.

In an instant, Louis whipped around with a crack of thunder and elbowed the guy in the gut before taking the opportunity to shove the man down with a jab to the chest using the handle of Louis’s bat onto his butt. Before the man had the opportunity to get up, Louis placed a foot on his stomach and shoved him deeper into the floor. With a few perfectly timed blows, Louis was able to knock this total beefcake of a man who was probably another fifty pounds of pure muscle heavier than Louis to the ground. That was totally bad ass. Although he’d never say it out loud, Louis was secretly proud of himself for not fucking that up. This made Louis’s lips curl in a wicked smirk as he swiftly directed his spiked bat under the man’s chin.

“You’ve sure as hell got some balls for thinkin’ you could just sneak up behind me like that,” Louis said almost playfully before his smirk dropped and he looked like a man who would kill without a single hesitation as he looked down at the man with his wild, honey-colored eyes. “Now listen up and let me make something clear as fuck to you and your shady ass motherfucking cock-sucking face: don’t you ever come near me again if you want to live to see your weird ass turtle neck ever again. Honest, who the fuck wears a turtle neck? What are you? A librarian?” Louis scoffed softly as he glared at the man beneath him, more offended my his fashion choice now that Louis got a better look at him. “I could kill you right now for your sick fashion sense alone. What kind of a man- No, what kind of a human being would even consider this clothing? You know what? Fuck you and your creepy ass for scaring me and fuck your brain for being shitty enough to think what your wearing is practical or fashionable. More importantly, you should go fuck yourself for the first thing I just mentioned, you gross mole man, but the second thing is still important!” Louis continued to glare at him as he pulled his bat away, slinging in over his shoulder, and took his foot off him after a moment. “I am in a good mood today so you and your pale ass can live. Count yourself lucky. Now go crawl back to whatever hole you climbed out of you sorry piece of shit.” After taking out a bit of his anger from the long week and from being startled half-to-death, Louis felt a bit better. Picking up his duffle bag, Louis stepped over the strange man as he left the room to search for more supplies in one of the other two rooms. Was what Louis did a bit over the top and overly dramatic? Yes, it was. Did he get nothing out of it which therefore made it a waste of time and good insults? Yep, he did. Was it worth it to get back at the person who gave him a momentary panic attack? Yes, yes, it absolutely fucking was and it made him feel damn good too.

The room he entered was dull and desaturated compared to the of the previous room he had been in. The wallpaper peeled off the wall as the master bed sat in the center of the room with a rotten and crumbling corpse, it’s flesh torn to shreds from animals who must have gotten it, which rested with a gun in its hands. Louis swallowed down any emotions he might have felt for the dead person who was no longer recognizable as his fists shook. Searching the dresser beside the bed, Louis got lucky and found two bottled waters and some jewelry. That was good considering the fact that he had to deal with the semi-traumatic corpse that gave off a fowl stench of the dead. Pocketing the items quickly, Louis gave the room one quick look over before glancing back to the person in the bed.

There is ammo in that gun, there has to be.

Despite his numerous encounters with sinners, dealing with more human corpses was more troublesome and more damaging to Louis. All the sinners, as Louis could not help but picture it, were inherently bad people. They did bad things and that was their punishment: to be a walking corpse. He was taught that everyone who was a sinner had, obviously, sinned, hence why they turned into the undead and roamed the Earth to hunt for those who were not pure as well. That was what made killing them so much easier for Louis. Although, all of the corpses that weren’t zombified horrors, Louis couldn’t so easily dismiss them as horrible people. They often offed themselves before they turned into crawlers or died of an infection or starvation. There wasn’t anything Louis could point to that could reassure him that messing with those corpses was justifiable.

Taking a deep breath, Louis pulled his mask up and goggles down as his hand slowly reached for the gun. At every little hum of the house, little whistle of the wind, and the clinking of the chime churning below, Louis froze. And then his hand would continue. As soon as he grasped the gun with shaking and bruised hands, Louis instantly retracted, backing all the way up to the wall before unloading all the ammo into his hand as he struggled to focus on breathing. Six bullets. Nothing great, but nothing terrible. Six was better than nothing. He knew at least one or two of the members used the same types of bullets as that gun, so Louis felt a bit reassured with his efforts as his whole body quivered with anxiety. He didn’t have the energy to search another room so what do you think Louis did? Open the nearest window, climb out said window, and slowly climb down the gutter pipe, that nearly unhinged and got himself killed, to the ground. Yeah, Louis wasn’t in the mood to fiddledick around.

“‘Ey Grayson! I got the goods!” Louis called out after pulling his mask down as he looked around the street for his boss or fellow group members. “Get yer ass over here, bud! I can’t do all the heavy liftin’ and carryin’ of shit myself!” Man, where was Grayson and the others? Pulling his goggles up, he looked around the barren neighborhood for them. Were they all still searching their houses? What a bunch of damn slowpokes… Louis could see Rowan and one of the newbies, Calvin, picking on some little guy and Kolos, another newcomer that he had met earlier, and Valentina were chatting it up. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see someone else. Specifically two other people.

They were off in the near distance, not far enough that Louis couldn’t shoot them if need be. He scowled at the strange people and studied them for a moment. The male was trying to yank the girl away from coming closer to Louis and the rest of the group and Louis knew that whatever they were up to wasn’t good. The man had the eyes of a serpent, cold, calculative, and deadly. Just one look from the man that seemed to be stalking his group gave Louis all that he needed to know about this man. He pointed two fingers at his eyes before darting those fingers towards the two before mouthing ‘I am watching you fuckers.’

After that good little introduction to two more new people who were suspicious at this town as well, Louis was starting to get unnerved. What if the food was poisoned and all of the people here were waiting for the group to die before taking their stuff? What if the water from this town is drugged and the people were waiting to drag his group into a secret fighting ring where people bet on who will survive the longest? What if- Nope. No more bad thoughts. Louis walked grumpily over to Valentina and Kolos, not wanting to deal with more new people. Louis just sat down like a grumpy child as he waited for his partner or boss to appear.

Kolos ‘Kol’ Seare | M | Bi | Newcomer | 24 | Mentions; Valentina, Louis.

“You're luckier than me. I haven't found much. Actually nothing at all. I assume the houses I checked were already swept. I'm glad you were able to find some useful supplies though. I plan on maybe going farther down the street.”

--

Now, Kol didn’t want to assume. That's rude and all, but… “Did you make sure to check under all of the sinks, all of the medicine cabinets, the broom closet if the house had one, and the pantry? That’s where most of the stuff usually is.”

--

Or at the very least, that’s where the most important things usually were. After all, who kept a medkit in their room? That would just be an inconvenience for everyone in the house. He could only hope that most people knew basic safety tips like keeping the medkit in the kitchen and/or bathroom. Those places had sinks accessible immediately, which were usually needed for the water so whatever wound they were dealing with could be cleaned correctly. Rinse with water to get the big things, then clean more thoroughly and slowly with a cotton ball and alcohol. Or a damp rag and alcohol mixed with water if the patient were a child or someone with a lower pain tolerance. Since the alcohol did sting.

--

Kol looked up at Louis as he heard footsteps approaching. He’d actually met this member of the group, he was one of the observers. That’s how he knew those were a thing. He noted that Louis seemed upset as the higher rank sat down next to them.

--

“Oh, Louis- I was actually hoping to see an observer. I found some pill bottles in the house I searched, I’m not too sure what they’re used for though. Do you want to see them?” Kol knew there wasn’t a code system where he had to say a rank before or after a name here, which while new, it was a perk.

--

Kol would be honest. He might have a slightly higher view of Louis than he did of most of the other people here. And it might have something to do with the dog tags he saw when they first met, but who was going to tell? It’s not like he ever tried to show his own off, he’d rather keep them a secret if he were being completely honest.

Atlas Pan Booker | Male | Hunter | Heterosexual | M: Rowan Caddel

When the second giant began to speak, Atlas knew that he had been caught. He should’ve given him his middle name, not so much of a lie, right? He wasn’t surprised that his flattery hadn’t swayed him any. It had been worth a shot, however. When he began to circle him, he couldn’t help but mentally roll his eyes. What a dramatic thing to do. Yes, I’m Mister Scary Ogre and I’m going to circle you with my big bad wolf. He thought this last part in a mocking voice of a big oaf. This man’s cackle reminded him of the witch from The Wizard of Oz. It had been forever since he had seen that film but he could recall that laugh because it made him think of Grandma’s. Grandma made really good cookies, he then skipped off of this rabbit trail and back to his life-and-death-present-moment.

“I’m so sorry, but I do have to agree that you are not a gentleman.” Atlas nodded his head at the giant’s words. “No gentleman would wear fingerless gloves when they pull a recurve.” He then showed off his own leather-gloved left hand with a wave. “My fingers don’t die when I pull this thing.”

He didn’t demonstrated this action despite the feeling of uncertainty. Easy there, Atlas, be still. Muscle memory will kick in if needed. You’ve practiced. Be still. The man stopped his pacing around him and told him to be careful about his tongue. This told Atlas that his fellow group member couldn’t take a joke. That was rather unfortunate. Then the damn coyote let loose a horrible sound and nipped him. He felt pain, but it wasn’t a horrible flood that you would receive from stubbing your toe. It was more of numbness and then little wave of it here or there like a gentle lake’s lapping on the shore. It wasn’t deep enough to draw blood but enough to peel some skin away.

Atlas stared at the creature. It was ugly with its matted fur and little beady eyes that all coyotes shared. He hated their barks that sounded like screaming babies mixed with a hyena’s maniacal laughter. However, it seemed well trained because it obeyed its rather interesting master who hopefully was only showing a realistically done amount of bravado. Maybe this guy’s an actor and can make himself seem impressive. He looked back up to giant and any hope of that was stripped away. No, this guy was the real deal. He thought with a sinking heart.

Atlas began to weigh his options. He could tell him that he was apart of the group and take the chance that the other man wasn’t…. Wait, that’s not a bad idea. After all, I’m still in a predicament of being threatened and possibly killed today. My good friend here is a puzzle and he’ll probably kill me either way. After all, I do have a sack of goods at my feet. Atlas reasoned and he decided that his reasoning was reasonable enough.

“My good sir,” he complimented once more—despite the fact that this man wasn’t taken to flattery, but he didn’t forget it. “Pardon, I forgot that you aren’t fond of compliments.” He smirked a little bit. “Anyway, I feel rather most under the dire circumstances that I must inform you that I am, indeed, apart of the group.” With that he pulled back his bow to full draw and redirected it towards the other man. The first giant was no longer a priority as the second giant showed more of a threat. “I will shoot this if you try to kill me.” That was what his voice said; his eyes said that he didn’t want to, but he would. Kindness and compassion, after all, only goes so far over self preservation.

Agris Bairugih | M | Gay | Loner | 21 | Mentions; Open.

The air had been surprisingly cool for June, at least in the morning. Though now as it was reaching later times, and the sun was beating down on him? Blair found it much worse. It definitely wasn’t the worst, since that’s always been 10 AM to noon, when the sun is directly above and deciding to be a nuisance.

--

Or maybe it was just bad for him due to all of the weight he was carrying in his nondominant right hand. His Yari, of course. He hadn’t found a strap for it yet, every single group that had one? He’d had to use it in his plans of escape. So he was stuck carrying it around in his hands for now, which wasn’t as bad as it could be. After all, at least he didn’t have to go through the trouble of grabbing it if he were attacked by the trainwrecks, trademarked no one else got to call them that. That name was his, his oh so perfect name for the creatures of the pandemic.

--

Honestly, the trainwrecks just needed to get their lives together. Tch tch tch. He grinned to himself and pushed through the heat. At least he was staying in mostly shade, so it wasn’t too bad yet. He still had enough water bottles left in the pockets of his coat and enough canned food left in his cargo pants that he’d survive without running into a group for at least a few days. More if he rationed everything right.

--

Regardless, Blair stopped to take a break at a tree. He’d reached a stretch in his journey that seemed completely empty of the trainwrecks, which was nice. Only that meant he was now probably the biggest trainwreck around. For miles. Hopefully for miles. He slid down the tree putting his CJ Yari down in his lap, deciding a rest wouldn’t hurt. There was a village close by that he could sweep after a short rest and-

--

Wait. A village? He sat up and looked behind the tree he was sitting against, and low and behold. There was a village. He blinked a few times to make sure he wasn’t going crazy but it stayed. Luckily, he was on the outskirts of the town if there were another group already there. Simple, unless if there seemed to be more trainwrecks appearing then he’d camp out at the tree and wait for the group to leave. Then, whatever they left behind due to not having enough room or not thinking it was important- He’d take. A simple, low risk plan. Perfect. Especially while he didn’t know how many people were in the group.

--

So, with that decided, he got up and made his ascension up the tree to the branch that was most hidden while still supporting his weight. He placed his CJ Yari on some of the higher up branches, since it was lighter, and then leaned back in the tree.

--

Man, he was like that one girl from a book Ryan told him about. What was it? Hunger Games? What was her name again? Katalyn? Katelyn? Kat? It started with a K, he knew that much. He’d always been more comparable to Haymitch according to Ryan. And maybe if they knew how Haymitch had been able to win his year then that would be true. But since they didn’t? He was going to be fucking Kat whatever-the-fuck-her-name-is right now.