OutBreak (for CleverFox)

[Lorie]

The big box store was eerily quiet as a young man dressed in layers navigated the overturned shelves and debris littering the floor. Pushing rotted fruit out of his way with the tip of his rifle the, boy really, surviver thought on the fate of this place in these dark days. Panic shoppers stripped it and many like it of former necessities when what had happened was thought to be medical and the now dead leaders of the world advised families to stay in their homes. Then it was looted of the useless items; big screen tvs, high tech computers, thing that couldn’t even be used only three months later. Krist was hoping the looters had left ammo in their selfish short sightedness. The world had changed so drastically in just six months. The rules had all changed for how to live. How to stay alive.

Just being in the large store, alone, Krist knew he was breaking their rules. Never go anywhere without permission being the top that worried the fifteen year old. But when the one making and enforcing the rules wouldn’t listen the former bookworm felt it might be worth it to bend one or two. Camp wasn’t that far away. They had hunkered down in an abandoned house until ‘it’s time to go.’ which could mean in five minutes or eight days. Finding the sports section of the dead and ravaged store, Walmart, Krist allowed himself to feel the triumph in that the ammunition for both the guns they kept was still in the case. The locked case. Casting keen cloudy blue eyes around the teenager weighted his options settling on quickly breaking the case with the butt of his rifle. Yes, it would be loud and echo like a bastard threw the mostly cement building but if there were creepers he surely would have seen one by now.

Forcing himself to ignore the simple truths that creepers are attracted by noise and they come in hordes the pale brunette smashed the case. A quick nimble hand snatched what was needed thrusting the boxes of bullets into the bag strapped to his back as the lanky young man vaulted over the counter top. Combat boots were not the best for running but Krist didn’t have much choice now. Already hearing the dragging limb and hissing of air escaping lungs that must have been filled with blood the teenaged surviver had to out run it...them. Darting away from a deceptively strong claw of flesh and bone that reached to dismember him Krist altered course heading deeper into the store. By sound and quick glances he figured there were maybe five, definitely less then ten, but firing on the chasers would only grab more of the dead’s attention. His best bet, or the best plan he came to, was to get out by the docking bay.

Krist had always been slender but athletic, well if tennis and fencing count, so sliding under or wiggling into small spaces was a sort of specialty. When he reached the large metal doors to find them securely closed the ‘smart kid’ switched to a hastily formed plan G, at this point. Running down an aisle of merchandise, stopping only long enough to push heavy boxes off said shelves, the lanky teen found a step ladder and ascended. Pushing more merchandise off the shelves to slow the creeper’s path. Perching on the highest shelf he could Krist located his walkie with a shaky hand. Keying the communication devise the slight brunette let go a shaking breath before calling, “Dad! Dad it’s Krist. I messed up royally.”

[CleverFox]

Keeping things organized in the camp, making sure that no one managed to breech their perimeter and making sure that there was always someone on guard, those were just some of the things that forty one year old Connor had to deal with. Not to mention the endless task of trying to round up provisions so that they could keep themselves going and fight against the ever present threat. All in all it was a rather arduous thing to tackle but there was not getting out of it, it was either suck it up and deal or else lay down and die which was something that the man had no intention of doing. Dressed in clothes that had quite obviously seen much better days, a hood pulled up over his unruly dark brown hair, the man strode across the makeshift camp, his piercing eyes surveying everything as he made a mental note of things that they absolutely needed to find and things that could wait. You had to pick your battles wisely and Connor had learned that little life lesson fast.

And as though things weren't hard enough just trying to survive he had to make sure that his headstrong son survived as well which was proving to be a daunting task. Currently he was wondering where the kid had wandered off and growling to himself about there being hell to pay if he had dared to break their one cardinal rule and left camp alone. "I swear I'm gonna beat that boy black and blue," Connor grumbled as he shifted, holding his gun at the ready he made his way to the front door of the house that was currently ground zero for them. Gazing out he tried to make sure that there was nothing approaching, having heard a noise that would have been innocuous enough before all of this started but that set him on edge now.

It seemed that he was always on edge, always anticipating the worst, and as luck would have it he had good reason for those rather grim thoughts as he heard the crackling over the little two way radio that he was carrying and then his son's voice. Telling him that he had messed up royally, which was of course not something that Connor wanted to hear. His heart immediately leapt into his throat as he grabbed the radio and said, "Krist! What the fuck?! Where are you even at? I've told you a million and one times you do not leave alone!" He was shouting but he couldn't help it, he knew that there had to be something pretty serious going on if his son was calling him and basically tattling on himself for leaving. Another fact that just served to put the man on edge, Connor making his way to the door and just waiting for a location for his son so that he could go and see what he could do to fix this situation before it turned disastrous...or fatal seeing as it was already disastrous as far as he was concerned.

[Lorie]

Hooking the walkie back onto his belt Krist aimed at the closest creeper picking it off with a shot to the head as he groaned at his dad lecturing him even from a distance. Shooting another two creepers the fifteen year old grabbed the walkie again once his dad was done answering with a great amount of dread. “I’m in the loading dock at Walmart.” he told adding as he blew the heads off of another handful of creepers, ‘exactly where you told me not to go.’ but ‘failed’ to hold down the button so dad wasn’t party to the teenager’s addition. Deciding it was worth telling Krist keyed the walkie once more informing his father that, “I’m up on a shelf, safe, but there are about a dozen creepers gathered behind my barricade so be careful.” not that Krist had any authority to tell his dad to be careful. He did still worry though. Conner was the only family he had left, even if he was frustratingly controlling, losing him would be devastating.

As he reloaded the rifle that he might have confiscated after this fiasco Krist allowed himself to think. He couldn’t remember if he’d ever heard his dad swear before the outbreak. Crisis was weird in how quickly it changes a person. Before a few months ago Krist had never held a gun, now he was shooting like he’d been born with one in his hand. Speaking of... fully loaded the teenager picked off a dozen more dead as he waited for some sign from his dad.

[CleverFox]

It was really a good thing that the transmission was not complete but as it was Connor was really not happy when his kid told him where he was and what was going on, the man relieved to hear that the teen was safe but that could be and most likely was going to be a temporary thing. A fact that made time something that was not on his side, the man grabbing his rifle and the spare ammo that he could round up in a short span of time and then leaving the makeshift shelter. Connor was breaking his own rule and going it alone but it wasn't as though that was something that could be helped right now. Growling low in his throat he picked up the radio again and said, "I hope you know that after I save your ass I'm gonna thrash it." His voice was a low growl but even amongst the anger there was still that note of concern. Krist was the most important person in his life and the only one that kept him going in this world gone to hell.

So the thought of losing him was just more than Connor could bear.

Because of that he strode toward the abandoned and long forsaken store, cocking his gun and blasting a few of the creepers that he saw. He wasn't worried about attracting more since he knew that was inevitable at this point so it was more or less bust in, get his kid out, and then haul balls to somewhere else. It wasn't the greatest plan of action in the world but at the same time Connor felt that it was the only option that was left to him. Holding the gun and feeling a bit safer since he had two side arms, hanging under each arm from a holster that he wore under the coat that he was wearing unbuttoned, Connor made his way inside the store, blasting a few more of the dead and looking around.

"Krist!" he called out, once again breaking the rule about silence being golden and life saving but he needed to know where his kid was because they needed to get the hell out of Dodge, about ten minutes ago by the looks of things.

He really was making plans to kill his kid, figuratively and not literally of course, but first Connor had to get him out of this mess that he had gotten himself into. Growling low in his throat Connor blasted a few more, kicking the pieces out of the way as he made his way farther into the store, his eyes darting around and adjusting to the dim light since there was of course no electricity in the place so he had to more or less rely on his other senses as he navigated, that and the faint light that was streaming in from outside.

[Lorie]

Rolling his eyes for the benefit of noone at his dad’s growling threat Krist focused on lowering the amount of living dead piled behind the barricade of merchandise. Since the new wave of creeps couldn’t seem to navigate over the dispatched ones Krist took a moment to switch weapons. The less noise made the better. And bullets were like gold, so valuable and not readily available. Digging the altered crowbar from the bag strapped to his back the slender teenager slid off his perch back onto the ladder.

The gunfire echoing off the cement walls should have sent up alarms for the youth but Krist was so sure it was his dad that he felt nothing but relief. Well.. and a little dread but that was besides the point. Batting at the heads of the collected creepers with the melee weapon he’d fashioned from a crowbar, padded handle of duct tape, Krist put his former tennis skills to use clearing a path of escape for himself. With the blood and brain matter splattering on him, covering his smell with that of the dead, many of the creepers had started to lose interest and were instead heading to the gunfire further out.

His name called out in that achingly familiar voice Krist fought with himself over whether to respond or not. Giving in the youth called, “Dad.” back just breaking free of the few lingering creepers. In a dead run the teenager caught up with his father only taking enough time to whack at any dead that got to within arms reach. Latching onto the man that had come to rescue him Krist spared the briefest moment for a tight hug around his dad’s waist, one armed since he was carrying the crowbar. Looking around at where they were and what level of danger they were in the fifteen year old glanced at his father’s face, “what’s the plan?” he asked a little out of breath.

[CleverFox]

After the seemingly countless lectures that he had given the kid over keeping himself safe and not going anywhere alone Connor just couldn't believe that Krist had pulled a boneheaded stunt like this and he was planning just what he was going to do once he got his hands on the brat even as he was blasting the creepers that seemed to be in endless supply. Okay so that was an exaggeration but when you had limited resources with which to work one tended to make a mountain out of a mole hill. And the numbers of dead that were currently inhabiting the area wasn't really akin to a molehill in the first place.

Breaking his own rules but not feeling as though he had any other choice in the matter Connor called out to his kid and when he heard the answering call he immediately started walking in that direction. Taking the butt of the gun he smashed a few of them in the head, ignoring the crunching sounds that ensued since that was unfortunately something that he was accustomed to hearing. Making his way along carefully Connor heaved a breath of relief when he caught sight of his kid, wrapping an arm around him and giving the boy an almost bone crushing hug when Krist reached him. However that was sort of countered by the stern and extremely disappointed look that he had on his face.

"The plan is getting the hell out of Dodge," he all but growled, pulling out one of his pistols but he had been hoping that he didn't have to use them. Thinking for a moment he decided on another course of action, looking at his son even as he pulled out a makeshift grenade from his pocket. That was another thing that he tried to reserve and not use but for the moment, with the group of creepers that were coming toward him drawn by the sound of the gunfire, he didn't think there was a better alternative. "I'm going to throw this and we're going to run like hell," he told the boy, giving him a hard look. "And I swear when we're no longer in immediate danger you and I are going to have a serious talk about breaking the rules," he added, wanting the kid to know just how much trouble he was in right now.

[Lorie]

Krist didn’t need to be told he was in trouble. One look at his dad and he knew, hell he knew the second he walked into that large creepy building what his night was going to entail. The sternly set face didn’t deter the fifteen year old from feeling instantly relieved by his dad’s presence. Or bashing in the affection of the crushing hug he received. Nodding at the plan Krist figured there was nothing left that was useful in this place anyway so turning it into a smoking crater wouldn’t be a bad thing. It would not only handle the creepers within the building but attract a shit load more to a place they were vacating. Then his dad started in on the repercussions of his foolish mistake and much as Krist wanted to prove to the man that he was adult enough to be trusted he couldn’t stop the eye roll and muttered, “fucking broken record.”

[CleverFox]

Connor had actually been much more easy going before all hell had broken loose quite literally but in this dangerous world that they now found themselves in the man felt that he had to be strict in order to protect the one person on earth that he still gave a damn about. That was of course his son and whether Krist liked it or not he was going to make sure that the kid survived this, one way or another. And if that meant that he had to take him to task for every little thing then that was what he was going to do and he would just have to deal with the kid's bits of anger in regards to that. So he outlined the plan and then went on to remind his son that he was in trouble, the man hearing the muttering from the boy and that was enough to get him to shift his gun so that he could reach over and land a hard swat to the kid's clothed butt. "Watch it," he said in warning as he readied his little homemade incendiary device. "Trust me, you do not want to make your situation worse." After saying that he once again shifted his gun and then decided that it was now or never since the creepers were of course steadily making their way toward the two live ones, once again drawn by the noise but in this case Connor thought that was a good thing since the more of them that were taken out by his makeshift grenade the better. With that thought in mind he waited until the opportune moment before he primed the thing and then tossed it, grabbing Krist by the wrist immediately as he said, "Let's go!" Without waiting for any acknowledgment on the part of his kid Connor started running, pulling the teen along if he had to.

[Lorie]

It wasn’t that Krist was actively trying to be a grade A brat he was just very independent before the world went to shit. Having that independence ripped from him was becoming a little hard to deal with on top of being fifteen in general. The slight brunette often started out the, sometimes endless, day vowing to himself that he was just going to keep his mouth shut and obey his father. Then half way to dusk he’d find himself trapped up on a shelf in a place he’d been expressly forbidding to go to surrounded by creepers. Now that he was going Krist just couldn’t seem to stop himself or his, often seemingly, forever running mouth.

When that hard swat landed on his backside the teenager spared a moment from batting at grotesque hand reaching to tear to give his dad a now practiced look of indignation. “Or what?” Krist challenged when told to ‘watch it’. That having been a phrase he’d gotten quite used to hearing in the past six months. “You’ll wash my mouth out with soap?” he scoffed adding, “good luck finding some in this wasteland.” sarcastically. Keeping an eye on his dad in short glances Krist worked on keeping a perimeter of safety until he was unexpectedly grabbed. Thankfully the young man identified the hand on his wrist belonging not only to a living person but to his dad so he didn’t crack the man in the head with his melee weapon. Talking that as the signal to start running Krist hooked the modified crowbar onto his belt along side the walkie and matched his dad’s speed.

Following the man that had saved, and beaten, his butt so many times since the outbreak became this Krist wiggled his wrist free of his dad’s grasp lacing his fingers between the rough digits belonging to his father. At least then he didn’t feel so much like the doomed child, that he happened to be, being dragged off to be ‘dealt with’ by an irate parent. No matter how true that was. Without the adrenaline of fighting for his life keeping him going Krist felt his situation more acutely and knowing what was coming made the slender youth sick to his stomach.

[CleverFox]

Connor knew in the back of his mind somewhere that his son wasn't intentionally trying to push his buttons but even so the teenager was definitely getting uncannily good at doing just that. Especially when he disobeyed express orders and decided that it was a good idea to go out alone without even bothering to tell his dad where he was going, not that Connor would have let him go had he tried that route but at least then they would have been spared this little argument not to mention the ensuing battle for their lives. As sad as it was that was pretty much an everyday occurrence so his survival instincts were fairly honed right now, Connor narrowing his eyes when the kid asked his 'or what' question when he told the boy to watch it. "No I won't wash out your mouth but I will whip your ass," he told the kid, his tone terse since he didn't appreciate that from the boy right now and wanted him to know it. Of course they had worse things to worry about right now so he decided to forgo the fight for the moment, Connor using his makeshift grenade and then hauling ass with his son in tow.

Connor trusted the kid to realize that he wasn't being grabbed by an animated corpse when he took the kid by the wrist or he never would have risked that, not wanting a head injury of course. Since that wasn't an issue he just ran alongside his son, the two of them making their way back to their makeshift camp but of course it was going to be necessary to relocate once again after this. Not that this was uncommon either since staying in one place for any length of time was beyond dangerous.

When he thought that they were safe and they were once again secluded in the abandoned house Connor turned to look at his kid and there was a definite look of disappointment in his eyes. "Okay what the hell were you thinking Krist? You could have just gotten your fool self killed!" he snapped, losing his temper a bit but at the same time he once again pulled his son into a hug since he had been scared to death the moment that he heard the kid's voice over the radio that he was going to lose his son and that was something that he just didn't even want to think about. Having lost practically everything aside from the kid that was just one blow that he would not have been able to handle.