Dia De Los Muertos ( For Wizard9876)

[crazyxanime]

This was not how things were supposed to happen. The detrimental fall of humanity, only to be risen up once more. Not human. The dead began to walk amongst the living, crawling out of whatever crevice they were placed into. Or simply, reanimating the moment their life ended. A blow to the brain would end their existence. At least that appeared to be a reliable way to end the horror surrounding them. Big cities seemed to be hit worse than others, the dead infecting others without much fight. It was easier with more people, more chaos. And eventually, every city fell prey to their control. The dead wandered, searching for the living to satisfy whatever hunger happened to pull them. Disgusting creatures. In due time they would be exterminated – at least, the woman hoped.

Family was gone. The virus, or whatever the hell this was, taking over her family. With one exception: her sister. For a week they remained home, staying behind closed doors with the chaos raging outside. Then, it seemed to come to a stop. It was a perfect time to leave, to go search for more supplies. Of course, a bite to the arm didn’t seem too serious; the grandmother appeared to be fine. A fever later, and the death came for her. Daniella knew. She knew her grandmother would be back, in a much less pleasant state. The grandmother would not turn to those hideous creatures. She would not attempt to attack her grandchildren. She would remain in that room, the place where she once cared for her family. With her sister in the other room – she took care of it. Ending her life.

That was the moment. The final sign. They needed to leave. They would not stay trapped inside. The dead would come for them. Backpacks were filled with only necessities, mainly food – important to survive. A stuffed animal was kept in her bag, in case her little sister needed something to hold on to once in a while. It was a reminder of the past, but just enough to keep them moving forward. For months they stayed together. Fought together. Ran together. The siblings would do everything possible to keep each other safe. That is – until tragedy struck and suddenly… Daniella was alone.

The transition was tough. Admittedly, the militant woman found sorrow, the will to continue pulling her down a dark rabbit hole. Fighting the dead had become more of a game, something to pass the time; something that could potentially get her killed, which she would have welcomed. Weeks felt like centuries, but she eventually won the mental battle. A reminder that her sister wouldn’t want her to give in so easily. No. She would fight to stay alive. Even if she was alone – frankly, by choice. Traveling with a group had never been a good idea (or so she’d convinced herself).

A sanctuary. The random signs and radio communications alerted her. That’s where she’s heading now. Walking through a wooded area, remaining near a creek. Always stay near water. Army brain certainly helped her. Basic survival skills ingrained through years of training. Senses heightened. Daniella remained constantly aware of everything. Maybe that’s how she heard the rustling behind her; movement catching her attention, though she made sure not to be overly obvious about it. Not a biter. Sounds too smooth of shifting. People. Sometimes those were worse.

The approach was when she finally turned, hand reaching for her gun while the other went for the stranger’s throat. Presence is barely processed in brain, a need to eliminate prey toying at the forefront of her mind. Movement is fluid, and in a moment, she has the other against a tree, gun pressed to her stomach. A young girl. Hues widen at the sight, hand quickly pulling away from the stranger’s throat (though the gun remained in place). She needs answers.

“Why are you following me?”

[Wizard9876]

It had come as a shock when the world had suddenly been taken over by zombies. Charlotte had seen plenty of American movies about zombies due to her friends showing her, but she had never thought it would become a reality. It was just too bizarre of a thing to be real but it was. It had happened when she was at school so naturally she didn’t believe it immediately until she had looked outside and saw people running and screaming. When she had gotten to her host family she found they had already turned and had admittedly felt somewhat relieved that she’d never have to see them again, though she did feel bad for the boy they had with them, he had been kinda cute.

The girl had taken to surviving on her own after figuring out that no one close to her was still alive, not her friends, not her host family, and not anyone she knew. She had heard France hadn’t been hit as hard as America but also heard that they wouldn’t be able to last very long and just prayed her family had gotten away. Afterwards she had packed a few things, these included a few pairs of clothes, some extra food, and a metal baseball bat she had brought with her from France when she had been trying to get into baseball. She’d been kicked off the team since her grades were low, but she had learned a few things and could swing a bat so well it would be classified as a deadly weapon in her hands. It had helped her last as long as she had and now she was on the move again.

The girl had been moving ever since the event had started and had managed to escape death several times. Killing the biters was easy given they moved slow and were weak to every material that was man made, a shot to the head finished the job nicely. The troubles with them came when someone encountered more than at least three of them. That was when you were in danger and needed to run or you’d be killed by them. Charlotte had honestly been following some tracks she found through the woods as she assumed whoever left them was probably dead and had left behind loot. She figured she could kill their zombified form and take whatever they had on them. That completely backfired the moment she heard noise and she was ready to destroy the biter until she found a person approaching her. She had hesitated in grabbing her bat as she wasn’t ready to kill an actual person, and ended up getting trapped and pressed against a tree. She couldn’t breathe as her throat was taken and was thankful when she was put down, wary of the gun the older female held.

The short teen coughed a few times to regain her lost breath before her crystal blue eyes glared up at the lady. “I’m not following you dumb ass, I’m following whatever left these tracks,” she shot back. Her hand was still on her bat, one swing and the stranger would be knocked out. But she couldn’t risk doing that with a gun to her chest, she needed to get her to remove it first. “Désolé, I was looking for something to eat.”

She tried to look as innocent and as cute as possible, despite hating to appear as both, trying to get the lady to let her go so she could make a run for it.

[crazyxanime]

Sharp eyebrow ascends at the language on the young girl, curiosity coloring the woman’s features. A harsh tongue. Honestly, the young one reminded Daniella of her sister. Perhaps a little less hostility, but definitely an attitude to boot. Granted her sister had been disciplined a multitude of times for the language and the moody defiance. But this girl is… She’s not her sister. She’s a stranger upon the path to the sanctuary. This random girl looks like she can take care of herself, like she has been living amongst the dead for far too long. Something that no child should go through alone. Maybe she’d left her group, or her parents were searching for her. Should she leave her alone?

“I have food.” The tanned woman starts, carefully putting her hand down – along with the gun. The weapon is tucked away in her waistband. It’s not her primary weapon. Especially with the dead. However, it comes in handy when dealing with humans. The militant has met a multitude. Some she could trust, while others… Well, they were far more dangerous than she would have liked. People that think the purge is a movie to follow, a documentary compared to a work of fiction.

The look on the younger’s face is deceptive. Something that the woman is good at discerning. Time in the army allowed her a multitude of skills – being able to analyze whether someone is lying being amongst the many. Despite the lack of weaponry in her hand, and a heightened caution, the bag is taken from the woman’s back. Hazel orbs remain on the young teenager, hands working quickly to open the container. Her last stop had been a grocery store. So, she held a variety of canned goods. Open bag held out to the girl.

Note is taken of the weapon the girl’s hand sits upon. A bat. At least it’s silent. Perhaps the pair can navigate together for a short time. So that the woman can keep an eye on her. The last thing she needs is for someone to die because she couldn’t protect them. If she was a religious woman – which the cross sitting beneath her clothing would indicate – she might think that her sister brought them together. “Take one, and don’t try anything. You’ll regret it.” She indicates, talking about the bat. If she attacks, the Spaniard will have no choice but to defend herself. And maybe teach the other a lesson.

[Wizard9876]

The girl let out a sigh as she was released and was about to leave before the strange woman revealed that she had food. Well there goes her plan to run away. She couldn’t very well do that when someone was offering food to her, so she decided to accept the offer and might’ve offered a smile if it didn’t hurt her face.

Charlotte watched as the lady took off her bag and made sure to keep an eye out for anything that moved. The infected were mostly gone in that particular area on account to a few idiots dropping bombs on them a few weeks ago, having perished themselves after the sound had alerted other zombies in the area, but one couldn’t be too careful.

The moment the food was placed in front of her she went reaching for all of it, but the warning she was given made her pause, roll her eyes, and take two just to spite the woman. “What’s the matter madame salope? Afraid of a stick?” she asked her while placing the food in her pockets. She wished she carried a bag herself, but she couldn’t find any before the zombies started coming after everyone so she simply carried what she could in her pockets. “Thank you for the food, goodbye now.”

[crazyxanime]

Cue the roll of hazel hues in reciprocation to the teenager’s own. Words are enough to annoy her, but the thought that their paths will end soon crawls to her mind. Scanning her up and down, the woman takes in a few notes. The girl seems hungry, as she’d taken two of the canned goods. Likelihood is that she simply hasn’t eaten in a few days – or she’s stingy. Survival would be difficult without enough food, but not impossible. The weapon shows her that she’s been at this for a while, and her clothing does the same.

“Wait.” A step is taken, though she doesn’t reach out to her. Instead, she fixes the bag back on her body. “Where’re your parents?” Maybe she’d lost them when the undead rose from their graves. “Or, friends? Are you traveling with anyone?” The thought does conjure a pro and con list to her brain, debating whether she should offer traveling together. Does she really want the responsibility of taking care of a child? A glance around the area tells her that there’s no one near, and the biters are far enough away to not bother them. “Where are you heading?”

[Wizard9876]

She headed in the direction from where she came but paused when the woman called out to her. The short teen turned back to the lady with a raised eyebrow. When she was asked a few questions those same eyebrows lowered into a narrowed position and she immediately glared up at her. “Why do you want to know? And why should I tell you anyway?”

[crazyxanime]

This girl certainly had a chip on her shoulder. Then again, what does the woman know about this stranger? Nothing. Nonetheless, it wouldn’t hurt to offer the other company, especially if there was the chance that they were going the same direction. From the looks of it, the young girl was heading the opposing way. Plus, something tells the woman that she has a little more experience that her younger counterpart. Perhaps the militant has a nasty habit of pushing herself into other people’s lives. Something family life had taught her. “I just wanted to make sure you had someone looking out for you. But I suppose it’s none of my business. Good luck.”

[Wizard9876]

“I’m not a kid you know, I don’t need anyone looking out for me,” the French girl responded while picking up her bat. Just as the girl was about to leave she heard a twig snap and instantly swiveled her head around to go see what had stumbled upon them. The moment she saw the disgusting zombie she lunged at the creature, not thinking of whether there were others around it or if there were any traps around that hadn’t been set yet, she was simply focusing on killing the thing.

[crazyxanime]

How incredibly – foolish. Perhaps it was the difference in age. Despite not knowing how old the girl was, the young woman could have an estimated guess. Surely younger, by the response she’d given. So bratty. And yet, who was she to try to help the girl? Daniella had her own problems. Adding a child to the mix would only worsen those. Or rather, that’s the excuse she gave herself mentally. The other would do well on her own – as it seemed that she was traveling alone, by the vague answers she’d given.

The sounds of gurgled moans and dragging leaves cause the Hispanic woman to pause, hand instinctively going to the knife sitting on her waist. A turn on her heels and it was like watching a horribly directed horror movie. The young woman going for the creature in such a disorganized and unplanned way. Even the dead could be dangerous without much skill. Yet, the danger didn’t end there. A trap had been set – a net laid neatly below leaves to catch the walking dead, keeping others safe.

“Stop!” It was too late, by the time the woman was able to speak, it was set off, both the being and her stuck within the trap. It takes but a moment for her to step in, the trap keeping them risen, but not far enough where Daniella couldn’t reach. Hand reaches in, pulling on the shirt of the biter; the other hand leads the knife into its head, ending the small quarrel between it and the young girl.

Annoyance colors the woman’s features. Perhaps their paths were destined to intertwine. Knife is settled back into her sheath, arms crossing over her chest. She wasn’t going to let her out quite yet. “That was incredibly dangerous, you could’ve gotten yourself killed!” An idea – “I can let you down, but you’re coming with me to the Sanctuary.” It’s not a request. And there is no other option. She’s not leaving a defenseless child behind.

[Wizard9876]

The moment the girl had felt the trap go off she was shocked. As she was now suspended in the air by the net she used her bat and placed it in the monster’s mouth to keep it from biting her, one skill she had learned was quite effective with just one of the things present. She was about to try and kick its head off but it fell limp before she could try to. She looked through the holes in the net to see the strange woman had been the one that had helped her.

“Why do you care if I would’ve died or not?” Charlotte questioned while squirming in the trap. Great she was stuck. She’d probably get out eventually but that’d take days, and a few other of the creatures might come there and wait for her. “I don’t have to go with you anywhere, now let me out!” she demanded with a growl. She wasn’t sure who the lady thought she was but she wasn’t about to take orders from someone she just met.