The Walking Dead: False Paradise / Episode 5 [IC - OPEN]

[Tiltjuice]

False Paradise
Survivor Stories Episode Five

The world has fallen, and the living have become prey for the dead. All across America, we have seen the disintegration and downfall of human dominance and society: social order crumbling, infrastructure failing, and the human psyche reverting to its natural state of survival. But is all hope lost? Some say that safety lies in the rural Midwest. Some, in North Africa. Others say that there is no hope, and that there never will be, that all is gone, and they are the only left. Many "opted-out" in the first few weeks of the apocalypse, most succumbed to the hordes of infected, but a small few were able to survive. Now, they must weather this onslaught of the undead the best they can. People will die along the way, friendships and trusts will be broken, but in the end... will it be for the greater good?

---

The aftermath of EPISODE FOUR saw the survivors successfully make their way to the 'Compound' headed by Captain Matthew Shelton. A brief interlude of celebration occurs with the marriage of Scott Sheridan and Gabrielle Leighton; yet forces without and undercurrents within continue to churn. Will the group see a second Schism? Will they survive against threats and disruption alike from the new world taking shape outside?

Will they want to?

Time will tell.

---

It had been about a month since the two men had joined the camp. A lone figure checked her surroundings by instinct. Despite the stay at Shelton's Compound, she still wasn't ready to let herself trust in its safety. Was that caution, she wondered, or paranoia born of surviving this world? Or just the continued desire to exist that most people had, yet never thought about?

Shaking off that train of thought, Gabrielle Leighton-Sheridan continued until she found a tree tall enough to get a good view of the area. There didn't seem to be any activity occurring for now, but she'd keep watch, and hopefully find a few decent animals to bring back for the place's food supply. That is, if they hadn't been driven away by Walkers.

While waiting, she shifted her hand slightly and glanced down by reflex as it touched the winter-chilled metal of the trigger guard. Now there was another thing she wasn't quite used to, but in a good way, she thought. The gold band topped with a sapphire. That had been something worth celebrating, and she supposed it had taught her something about herself. A bit more traditional than she first realized, or possibly just a desire to find someone to hold onto. Either way, it was worth it, at least for now, though she knew anything could happen. To her, to Scott, or to the Compound.

With that sobering thought, she settled down to wait, her back against the tree trunk, legs hanging down on either side of a branch halfway up, and her Marlin rifle at the ready. Winter had come, and it was time to do some hunting.

[Shark isle]

Jason looked around as he walked through the wilderness of Tennesee he had just escaped from a horde of walkers and hoped they do find him. As he walked he looked around in case he gets ambushed by bandits or walkers.

[Tiltjuice]

Jason lookedaround as he walked through the wilderness of Tennesee he had just escaped from a horde of walkers and hoped they do find him. As he walked he looked around in case he gets ambushed by bandits or walkers.

A flash of movement drew Gabrielle's attention, but it was at enough of a distance that at first she thought she was mistaken. It didn't help, either, that the partial overcast made everything gray, and whatever was out there was a blob of white with a long streak of dark. She kept watching, however, and eventually it resolved into a long-haired human figure in a baseball player's uniform. When he was about 50 feet away from the tree, she could see he didn't seem to have a weapon other than a baseball bat. It looked safe enough.

"Hey, you! Stop right there!" she called, mindful that he might be another Watcher agent, or a raider scout, or one of Stryker's people.

[Torrocca]

James looked around his small room, observing what little he had. "A bed, a blanket, a pillow... whole lot'a crap, mostly," he muttered to himself, kicking at one of the walls in the room. "This is so damn unsatisfying," he went on, "went from survivor to... well, I dunno. Life sure is fun..." Slowly, he stopped hitting the wall, thinking it'd fall apart any minute, and, after mumbling a bit more about his situation, began to silently sing an old folk song of sorts, pretty much ignoring anyone's presence at that moment. Once he stopped, he went back to his talking, "heh, 'least I don't gotta worry about some freak trying to take a bite outta me... Outdoors sure were better, though. Nicer than these military jerks."

Moments later, he got up, opened the door and stepped outside, looking around the compound once more. "It still feels weird being here," he went on, walking around aimlessly, looking for something to do, but finding no one to talk with. Yawning, he went and leaned up against a wall, scanning the area and waiting to see if someone showed up.

[Verkaria]

Stryker

Watch a single HUMVEE speeding down an empty highway, crashing and slamming, seemingly on purpose, into the walking corpses that were scattered along its path. Flash into the passenger seat, turn to the left, and see an exceptionally large man with green eyes and hair so darkly brown that it was almost black. Notice his carefree and happy aura, notice that the man is humming, and notice another walking corpse zooming toward our vehicle at an incredible speed.

"BOOM!" the large man exclaimed the moment that the cadaver crashed into the hood. "Five more points!" he yelled as the body flew over the truck.

Listen to the man go back to his humming, listen to what song it is. Know the song? Good. Now, listen to his version.

"I'll be smashin' up them deadheads when they come!
Oh, I'll be smashin' up them deadheads when they come!
Oh, I'll be laughin' while I'm slashin' and-uh bashin' and-uh gnashin'
And-uh smashin' up them deadheads when they come!"

Now, know that this man's name is Stryker.

================================================================================================================================

Stryker pulled up to the large metal gate of the Church. He was quite proud of the fact that the Church had a large metal gate. It wasn't too long ago that the Church was completely defenseless. Over the past month, the Church, that is what people have taken to calling the group, worked very hard at building up defenses and fortifications.

The group had gone down to the truck depot off the side of Roberts Mathews Highway and taken the trucks and large metal trailers. The task took a lot of effort and was very tedious, but the group managed to set the trailers up around the church building and surrounding area as a tight-knit, makeshift wall. The gate was simply another trailer set up on some wheels that the group would move forward and backward when vehicles and people went in and out.

It might have looked thrown together but it was all the Church had and it actually worked quite well in repelling the deadheads. Plus, the group had no delusions that they would be staying in this area permanently. The building that they were in was already having problems containing as many people that it did. Over the past month the group had picked up five or six new people, so altogether there were around eighteen members of the Church. Yes, the group realized that they would not be staying here for more than another month or two.

The people manning the walls opened the gateway and allowed their leader passage into the Church. Stryker pulled into the parking lot behind the building and stepped out of the bloodied HUMVEE.

Some of the group members began crowding around Stryker and asking questions. He ignored them and reached into the back of the vehicle. He turned around with bags of stuff in each hand and proudly proclaimed, "My people! I bring you food!.. And water!.. And ammo... And guns..." On the last two items he spoke of, he spoke of them in a slightly depressed and exhausted tone and his arms lowered with each word.

He quickly snapped out the trance and exclaimed, "Food and water!" Stryker began handing out some immediate things to the group members, but called a couple of his men over to handle the rest and ration it.

Stryker sat down on the door frame of the front seat of the HUMVEE and began thinking about things. Things that need to be done and things that have been done, those were the things that came into Stryker's mind.

His train of thought was interrupted when Jess walked up to him. He looked up at her, something about her being near him made him feel... ecstatic, but so did many other things.

"So..." she said. "Where did you get all of this stuff?"

"Aheh," Stryker tiredly laughed. "Well, there were these two guys. Scavengers, maybe scouts. They had on military uniforms..."

[Ziogen]

Alex Roy, Stryker Church
Wandering, wandering. Always wandering. He's met a few groups here and there, this Alex Roy. But none seemed pleasant to him. By the time he met up with them, all the girls were already taken. Balls. He tried his hand at saving a single girl once, but it turns out she was crazy. He nearly lost his life that day. Why is it so hard to get a lay? It was a world crisis thanks to these damn vampires! {The women should be throwing themselves at me and my awesome genes!} He often thought about stuff like that. Alex wanted to be carefree, even if the world around him was a mess. That too was another reason why he often left groups. Gather enough depressed people together, and their feelings synchronized. Depressing lots.

But he really wanted a good group. Luck had played as much of a factor for his survival as skill had. Both bad and good. It was undeniably safer in a group. More entertaining too. "Ah man, really, what am I gonna do... ?" His prayers were answered. Shouldering the duffle-bag that held all of his travelling belongings, he followed the sound of a running car. "Stupid vamps can't drive cars... Thank god for that at least. Just gotta hope they don't shoot me or something. ... Shit to luck, why's it so important?" Sighing, Alex Roy trotted off to follow the sound of the car, shortly arriving in front of a gated church. "Well then..." Running a hand through his messy black hair, (Not like he had the time or materials to dye it green anymore,) he decided to just shout. "SUP GUYS?" There seemed to be some sort of commotion after all.

[The Red Belt]

Kevin

A boy stumbled into a rundown convenience store, his face smeared with dirt and his clothes covered in blood. He hobbled behind one of the empty racks, throwing off his backpack in a rush. Nervous hands rummaged around the backpack, throwing out dirtied clothes and reaching for one of the few bottles of water stashed underneath. He twisted off the cap and almost spilled most of the drink on himself as he chugged the down half the bottle. His body was twitching erratically, desperately trying to shake off the memory of that last encounter.

They had been close. Too close to forget.

Kevin coughed violently, forgetting to drink like a normal and sane individual. He placed his water to the side and felt at the rip in his jacket. It was above his right shoulder, where one of the undead had tried to take a bite into him. He still could not stop shivering.

He stammered out a swear as he began stuffing his tossed belongings back into the backpack. In his shocked state of mind, he grabbed the open water and almost threw it in with the rest. He shook his head at his stupidity and decided to just down the rest of it. The water soothed his throat and managed to calm his nerves a little. God knew his nerves had been shot for days now. It was looking doubtful Kevin could handle being alone much longer. He missed his old group dearly and his recent brush with the undead reminded of times when he had people watching his back.

The screeching of tires brought Kevin's attention to outside. Without much thought, he threw his backpack over his shoulder and stumbled over one of the store's racks on his way out the door. The screeching had stopped by the time he made it on to the street, but Kevin could still hear a vehicle from not too terribly far off. A moving vehicle meant someone living. Someone not goddamn dead. There was no hesitation as Kevin started to run.

There was no need to track the sounds very far. The vehicle's destination had been rather close to where Kevin was. So close, he might have stumbled upon it on his own if he had been lucky enough.

He crouched behind cover, trying to decide if the gated church looked impressive or ramshackle. He debated walking right up to the gate, unsure how the people behind it would feel. Considering how he looked when he last saw himself in a mirror, Kevin figured they might think he was a walking corpse on sight.

His breath hitched in his throat when he saw another person walking up to the gate. Another person drawn by the sounds, or one of the group? Kevin moved out of his hiding place to talk to the stranger, but jumped when the stranger suddenly yelled. "What-" Kevin stopped himself and approached the man. "Do you know these people?" he said, keeping his voice low.

[Nexeria]

Kenny/Zoe
The Compound

In the month that had past, Kenny's wounds had healed quite remarkably. Of course, that did not mean the burn marks, which ran across the right side of his face down to his arm, went away. As a matter of fact, Kenny could actually withstand more pain on that side of his body due to the loss of nerves. Kenny had come to embrace the scars, because, for him, they tell a story. A story of what it means to be a man. What it means to survive.

Zoe's wound had also healed completely, although there were no benefits to be garnered from it. The 11-year-old girl had lost her left hand due to an emergency amputation conducted by Kenny. The event left Kenny in state of regret, but he later came to realize that it had to be done, for it was the only thing he could do. She has quickly been adapting to her handicap thanks to the help of the group.

Because of Kenny's promise to protect the girl, people began calling Kenny her father. A title he hated for three reasons: One: He is not her father. Two: He is old enough to be her older brother. Three: He does not believe he could live up to the title.

At this current moment, Kenny and Zoe strolled around The Compound from their cabin to the square.

"So, Zoe, how are you likely this place?" Kenny asked knowing that her review would be positive.

"I really love it here... but it's really cold." Zoe replied as her body shivered.

"Yeah, it is. Here, kiddo, take this coat. I'm wearing two anyways. Gotta dress in layers."

"Thanks. So, where are we going?" Zoe asked wrapping the over-sized coat around her body.

"I think Scott is suppose to be teaching some of the militia how to shoot."

"So, why am I coming with you?"

"I'm going to see if Scott will help me teach you."

"What?! But, how am I suppose to shoot a gun?"

"Don't worry, you can still do it with one hand and the prosthetic. It is just gonna take some getting used to. You're a smart girl, Zoe. You'll figure it out."

Zoe let out a groan before saying, "I just don't get why I have to? We're safe inside The Compound, Kenny."

"No... we're not. No matter how safe you think we are, no matter how stable things appear, there always exist a chance that things can turn really bad. It only takes one slip up and the dead are inside these walls. You can't depend on other people to take care of you for the rest of your life because one day they could all be gone. Then it's just you. Alone. So, that's why you need to be prepared."

"Okay..." Zoe felt that Kenny's response was a bit dramatic, but she understood what he was getting at.

"Why do you think I've been exercising so much for the past month?"

"I thought it was just because you love to overwork yourself."

"Hehe... yeah..." Kenny replied as a grin appeared on his face. "C'mon, let's go find Scott."

Kenny and Zoe carried on toward marksmanship training.

[Verkaria]

Stryker/Jess
The Church

"Jesus, Stryker. What did you do?" Jess asked pointedly.

"Me? I didn't do anything..." Stryker looked down. "I didn't do a single thing."

Stryker quickly looked back up again, the scar that was once his eyebrow contorted along with the rest of his face into a wild expression of glee.

"You should have seen it, Jess!" Stryker exclaimed excitedly and stood up. He made wild gestures and flourishes that synced up with specific words perfectly.

"There I was. Minding my own business- I mean digging into someone else's business. Well, at the time I thought their business was concluded. A car, a military looking vehicle. Parked on the side of the road outside of the city. Empty, deserted. The hood was open. I thought that the people who owned it were long gone, so I went up to the vehicle and dug inside."

"And what did you find?" Jess asked.

"All of that!" Stryker replied and pointed at the supplies that the group was going through. "It was really quite miraculous. Looking back on the scene I know that it belonged to those men."

"The uniforms?" Jess asked, that was her term for anyone that looked like military personnel.

"Yeah, them. So, there I was digging through their stuff. Stuffing it into my stuff. So much stuff. Look at all that stuff!" Stryker pointed again at the food and water that his people were enjoying.

"Stryker, get to the story," Jess said, getting agitated.

"Right, right. So, I was digging through the stuff and I heard a rustling sound behind me. Instinctively, I turned around and had my gun already pointed at them. They raised their guns at me. It was beautiful, Jess. I really wish you could've seen it. A real Mexican standoff!"

"Stryker."

"Right, right. Sorry. But you really should've seen it! Me, pointing my gun at them! Them, pointing their guns at me!" Stryker stopped for a second.

"Stryker?" Jess asked, confused as to why he stopped.

"And the deadheads... inching towards them out from the shadows. Not making a sound. It was really quite remarkable. They didn't make a sound. There was no moaning... none."

"Then what?"

"Like I said, I didn't do anything. I watched as the deadheads snuck up on them. I shot them before they could experience much pain, but I didn't attack them. I didn't do anything. I killed the rest of the deadheads, got the stuff, and got out of there. And now... and now I'm here." Stryker looked back at Jess and smiled. He walked back over to the HUMVEE and sat on the door frame again.

"So that was it?" Jess asked.

"Uhuh," Stryker said looking down. "Well, one of them did say one thing."

"What was it?"

"Compound," Stryker said. "The younger one said, 'We've got to get back to the Compound.'"

"Hm..." Jess replied. "Well, glad you're back."

[Shark isle]

Jason lookedaround as he walked through the wilderness of Tennesee he had just escaped from a horde of walkers and hoped they do find him. As he walked he looked around in case he gets ambushed by bandits or walkers.

A flash of movement drew Gabrielle's attention, but it was at enough of a distance that at first she thought she was mistaken. It didn't help, either, that the partial overcast made everything gray, and whatever was out there was a blob of white with a long streak of dark. She kept watching, however, and eventually it resolved into a long-haired human figure in a baseball player's uniform. When he was about 50 feet away from the tree, she could see he didn't seem to have a weapon other than a baseball bat. It looked safe enough.

"Hey, you! Stop right there!" she called, mindful that he might be another Watcher agent, or a raider scout, or one of Stryker's people.

Jason put his hands up and said" Don't shoot". He was hoping whoever said that would not kill or try to hurt him.

[Monfrox]

A familiar redhead walked out in front of Kenny. "Oh, Ken. Hey there." Ashley said. "You haven't seen Allison lately, have you? I'm getting kind of worried. She's been gone for a good couple hours on that solo run and it's starting to worry me a little bit. I hope she's okay, you know?" Meanwhile, off in the surrounding wooded area of the Compound, Allison trudged through the brush. "Fuckin' branches....leaves....can't make a single step without making some fuckin' noise." She murmured to herself. She was dressed in her CAP uniform and had some of her weapons on her as she walked on, hoping to come across that house she saw a couple days ago.

[Torrocca]

A familiar redhead walked out in front of Kenny. "Oh, Ken. Hey there." Ashley said. "You haven't seen Allison lately, have you? I'm getting kind of worried. She's been gone for a good couple hours on that solo run and it's starting to worry me a little bit. I hope she's okay, you know?" Meanwhile, off in the surrounding wooded area of the Compound, Allison trudged through the brush. "Fuckin' branches....leaves....can't make a single step without making some fuckin' noise." She murmured to herself. She was dressed in her CAP uniform and had some of her weapons on her as she walked on, hoping to come across that house she saw a couple days ago.

James, in his own little corner of the world, silently watched and listened as the trio conversed, considering going over and talking to them. He never really got to know much about anyone at the compound, despite being there for a whole month and having been free from his prison for most of said month. "Huh... someone's missing, eh?" he thought to himself, shaking his head slightly as he thought. "Someone should go looking for her..." "Hey! You there!" he removed himself from the wall, going over to the trio, "is someone missing, you say?"

[Shark isle]

A flash of movement drew Gabrielle's attention, but it was at enough of a distance that at first she thought she was mistaken. It didn't help, either, that the partial overcast made everything gray, and whatever was out there was a blob of white with a long streak of dark. She kept watching, however, and eventually it resolved into a long-haired human figure in a baseball player's uniform. When he was about 50 feet away from the tree, she could see he didn't seem to have a weapon other than a baseball bat. It looked safe enough.

"Hey, you! Stop right there!" she called, mindful that he might be another Watcher agent, or a raider scout, or one of Stryker's people.

Jason put his hands up and said" Don't shoot". He was hoping whoever said that would not kill or try to hurt him.

[Nexeria]

A familiar redhead walked out in front of Kenny. "Oh, Ken. Hey there." Ashley said. "You haven't seen Allison lately, have you? I'm getting kind of worried. She's been gone for a good couple hours on that solo run and it's starting to worry me a little bit. I hope she's okay, you know?" Meanwhile, off in the surrounding wooded area of the Compound, Allison trudged through the brush. "Fuckin' branches....leaves....can't make a single step without making some fuckin' noise." She murmured to herself. She was dressed in her CAP uniform and had some of her weapons on her as she walked on, hoping to come across that house she saw a couple days ago.

Kenny/Zoe
The Compound

"Sorry, Ashley, I can't say I've seen her. I've told her before not to go on those solo runs. There's no telling what could happen out there, but, I know your sister, she's a tough girl. I'm sure she'll be back within the hour." Kenny replied. He met Allison during the early days of infection. They did not get off on good terms at first, but after months of being stuck with each other, they developed a respecting friendship. "Maybe she..."

Before Kenny could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by an unfamiliar face.

"Hey! You there!" the man removed himself from the wall, going over to the trio, "is someone missing, you say?"

"Uh... yeah, her sister, Allison. She went on a run earlier. She's got pink hair. Kind of hard to miss. You seen her, man?"

[Torrocca]

A familiar redhead walked out in front of Kenny. "Oh, Ken. Hey there." Ashley said. "You haven't seen Allison lately, have you? I'm getting kind of worried. She's been gone for a good couple hours on that solo run and it's starting to worry me a little bit. I hope she's okay, you know?" Meanwhile, off in the surrounding wooded area of the Compound, Allison trudged through the brush. "Fuckin' branches....leaves....can't make a single step without making some fuckin' noise." She murmured to herself. She was dressed in her CAP uniform and had some of her weapons on her as she walked on, hoping to come across that house she saw a couple days ago.

Kenny/Zoe
The Compound

"Sorry, Ashley, I can't say I've seen her. I've told her before not to go on those solo runs. There's no telling what could happen out there, but, I know your sister, she's a tough girl. I'm sure she'll be back within the hour." Kenny replied. He met Allison during the early days of infection. They did not get off on good terms at first, but after months of being stuck with each other, they developed a respecting friendship. "Maybe she..."

Before Kenny could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by an unfamiliar face.

"Hey! You there!" the man removed himself from the wall, going over to the trio, "is someone missing, you say?"

"Uh... yeah, her sister, Allison. She went on a run earlier. She's got pink hair. Kind of hard to miss. You seen her, man?"

"Uh, no," James replied, staring at Kenny's face for just a second, wondering how he'd gotten those burns. Whatever it was, he wanted to know, but, at the same time, he didn't. "But, I was thinking that we could go looking," he went on, "find out where she's gone off to. I could pick up something's trail pretty easily, but I'd rather not go looking alone." He didn't seem to notice the other girl's missing hand, nor did he seem much disturbed by Ken's wounds.

[Cylarn]

In the wee hours of the morning, it was the job of Scott Sheridan to drill the militia of the Compound, due to his extensive military background. Decked out in his Woodland MARPAT uniform, his Woodland MARPAT cover, and his Woodland MARPAT field jacket, he stood in front of a small formation of militiamen, who were clad in all sorts of garb and armed with an assortment of firearms. Behind Scott was a small, bricked-up building that would be the "kill house". For about a week, Scott had been training these men and women in urban warfare tactics, starting just after his "honeymoon" with his new wife Gabrielle. The two had been at each other's sides since Michigan, and shortly after their arrival to the Compound, Scott proposed to her. The two were married shortly after, and now are leading a rather "normal" life together on the Compound.

So far, it seemed as though the militiamen had conducted the room-clearing rather satisfactory, as they proceeded slowly and carefully, checking for traps, hidden Walkers, and crucial supplies, such as ammunition and medicine. Scott gave a grin, and watched as the militiamen continued to clear out the house.

[Nexeria]

Kenny/Zoe
The Compound

"Well, I was going to take the girl to marksmanship training, but If you need the help, I'll come with you. We will need to make sure that Shelton knows we're leaving. We could just tell the guards at the gate. 'The Captain' probably won't fuss too much over it." Kenny replied saying 'The Captain' in slightly sarcastic tone. The title was bestowed upon Shelton by the townspeople for his rank in the military, but it just more like an ego thing to Kenny. Something about Shelton just did not sit right with Kenny. He seemed impulsive and a little blinded by his faith at times. Maybe, Kenny just had this underlying problem with Shelton beliefs, since Kenny himself did not believe in higher power. He did not see how anybody could considering the way the world is now, but, on the bright side, he wasn't going around stepping on everyone's beliefs.

Zoe was slightly annoyed that Kenny was abandoning her once again, but she wasn't going to object. At least, he was leaving for good reason this time. "So... what about me?"

"Well... you can go back to the cabin. Johnny did light the fireplace earlier, so it should be pretty warm in there. I stocked the top drawer next to your bed with some books, so you can go ahead dig through those. I won't be gone long, I promise."

"Fine..." Zoe replied with a sigh. She trudged back up the hill toward cabin.

"Dammit..." Kenny cursed under his breath before turning back to the man. "Name's Kenny. The redhead here is Ashley. So who are you?"

[Torrocca]

Kenny/Zoe
The Compound

"Well, I was going to take the girl to marksmanship training, but If you need the help, I'll come with you. We will need to make sure that Shelton knows we're leaving. We could just tell the guards at the gate. 'The Captain' probably won't fuss too much over it." Kenny replied saying 'The Captain' in slightly sarcastic tone. The title was bestowed upon Shelton by the townspeople for his rank in the military, but it just more like an ego thing to Kenny. Something about Shelton just did not sit right with Kenny. He seemed impulsive and a little blinded by his faith at times. Maybe, Kenny just had this underlying problem with Shelton beliefs, since Kenny himself did not believe in higher power. He did not see how anybody could considering the way the world is now, but, on the bright side, he wasn't going around stepping on everyone's beliefs.

Zoe was slightly annoyed that Kenny was abandoning her once again, but she wasn't going to object. At least, he was leaving for good reason this time. "So... what about me?"

"Well... you can go back to the cabin. Johnny did light the fireplace earlier, so it should be pretty warm in there. I stocked the top drawer next to your bed with some books, so you can go ahead dig through those. I won't be gone long, I promise."

"Fine..." Zoe replied with a sigh. She trudged back up the hill toward cabin.

"Dammit..." Kenny cursed under his breath before turning back to the man. "Name's Kenny. The redhead here is Ashley. So who are you?"

James just watched as the girl left them, heading up the hill solemnly. He felt a bit sorry he'd caused that, but turned to Kenny, who'd introduced himself to him. "I'm James," he replied, "James Winters. Nice to meet you both." Yawning, he went on to ask, "captain? That guy's a captain? Well, I'll just go grab my stuff; suppose you can tell the guards we're leaving, then." James simply turned away from Kenny, and went back to his own little area of the compound, giving the door a bit of a tug to pull it open. There, he retrieved his belongings: a hammer, rusty and old, a mosin, about 13 rounds for it, and his backpack, which they'd probably need if they found any more supplies along the way.

As he went back to the door, he stopped and paused, looking at a picture laying on the unkempt bed. It was a photo of his family, which he picked up and looked at. "Wherever you are, sis," he murmured to himself, unsure if anyone would hear, "I'll find you, alright?" With that, he folded the picture and put it into his back pocket, before exiting the building once more.

[Phonencia]

Watching the goings-on of The Compound through his cabin's window, The Captain sipped at a cup of steaming tea and smiled. Things had gone well the last few weeks, the scavenging teams hadn't run into any trouble and the Ann Arbor group had settled in well. As he finished his tea, he plucked a loose thread from his Multicam ACU and shrugged into his field jacket, tugging on his Multicam patrol cap as he stepped out the door and began walking leisurely down the square. His first few days back he'd been hesitant to take off his body armor or leave the house without his rifle, but he'd settled back into the familiar, secure surroundings of The Compound fairly easily and now rarely wore anything more than his Glock.
As he walked, he noticed Kenny, Ashley, Zoe and one of the other citizens of The Compound walking towards the gate with a purpose. He fell in alongside the group, intercepting them.
"Where are ya'll headed?"
he asked in a neutral, curious tone.

[Nexeria]

Watching the goings-on of The Compound through his cabin's window, The Captain sipped at a cup of steaming tea and smiled. Things had gone well the last few weeks, the scavenging teams hadn't run into any trouble and the Ann Arbor group had settled in well. As he finished his tea, he plucked a loose thread from his Multicam ACU and shrugged into his field jacket, tugging on his Multicam patrol cap as he stepped out the door and began walking leisurely down the square. His first few days back he'd been hesitant to take off his body armor or leave the house without his rifle, but he'd settled back into the familiar, secure surroundings of The Compound fairly easily and now rarely wore anything more than his Glock.
As he walked, he noticed Kenny, Ashley, Zoe and one of the other citizens of The Compound walking towards the gate with a purpose. He fell in alongside the group, intercepting them.
"Where are ya'll headed?"
he asked in a neutral, curious tone.

Kenny
The Compound

"Shelton." Kenny gave the captain nod, more as a greeting then a friendly gesture. "Allison hasn't come back from her supply run. Ashley was getting worried, so James and I were going to go looking for her. Your welcome to come if you like, but we'll need a map of her route."

Just before Shelton could reply Kenny remembered something else. "Hey, didn't you send two scouts out earlier. I don't think they've come back either. They took one of the HUMVEES. I think it was Clyde... and Greg. Pretty sure. We should check the scavenger roster."

[Torrocca]

Watching the goings-on of The Compound through his cabin's window, The Captain sipped at a cup of steaming tea and smiled. Things had gone well the last few weeks, the scavenging teams hadn't run into any trouble and the Ann Arbor group had settled in well. As he finished his tea, he plucked a loose thread from his Multicam ACU and shrugged into his field jacket, tugging on his Multicam patrol cap as he stepped out the door and began walking leisurely down the square. His first few days back he'd been hesitant to take off his body armor or leave the house without his rifle, but he'd settled back into the familiar, secure surroundings of The Compound fairly easily and now rarely wore anything more than his Glock.
As he walked, he noticed Kenny, Ashley, Zoe and one of the other citizens of The Compound walking towards the gate with a purpose. He fell in alongside the group, intercepting them.
"Where are ya'll headed?"
he asked in a neutral, curious tone.

Kenny
The Compound

"Shelton." Kenny gave the captain nod, more as a greeting then a friendly gesture. "Allison hasn't come back from her supply run. Ashley was getting worried, so James and I were going to go looking for her. Your welcome to come if you like, but we'll need a map of her route."

Just before Shelton could reply Kenny remembered something else. "Hey, didn't you send two scouts out earlier. I don't think they've come back either. They took one of the HUMVEES. I think it was Clyde... and Greg. Pretty sure. We should check the scavenger roster."

Showing up behind the group, his hammer in hand, James simply listened to the conversation, taking note that another pair of people were missing. "We should hurry," he began to speak up, "if she's in some kind of danger, the more time we spend screwing around here, to more danger she'll be in."

[Virenna]

Nick O'Draighnain

Nick's face was rigid with concentration as he evaluated the Compound's stock of supplies, a notepad and pen in hand. Food and water were plentiful, but mechanical tools as well as ammunition seemed to be dipping, not surprisingly; while training the militia was an important need for the Compound to be able to defend itself, it certainly blew through a lot of ammo. Nick was hoping Allison would return with some on her scavenging run, but she had been gone for hours now. Nick wasn't worried though. Allison could handle herself well, and usually brought more needed supplies than whole other teams did- she probably was just having a hard time lugging it all back.

Nonetheless, there was another missing group Nick was worried about. With Shelton's (not "the Captain", a nickname Nick found awkward considering he always knew Shelton as Shelton, and so refused to use) permission, he had sent two of the more experienced militiamen on a scavenging run to stockpile more food. Although the Compound was well-stocked, Nick's paranoia about the dreaded winter had made him encourage the Council to gather even more rations, just in case.

The Council. Nick smiled; the Council, with all its bickering, arguing, and stressful debating, gave Nick a real purpose. He loved representing the Ann Arbor group, particularly against the naive natives of the compound. For once, he admired Shelton's pragmatism; at least it let him get things done. It seemed as if the original compound groups were so afraid of risk, so afraid of even trying to grow. They had rejected his proposal to build an outpost numerous times, claiming it was too dangerous, that it would waste too many supplies.

Although Nick tried to be empathetic, his business sense prevented him from ever agreeing with their decision. The point of any endeavor, just like a business (as his father had taught him), was to grow and expand until their was no competition. The Compound needed outposts to spot walker herds or even human threats, but with the way the Council had been acting, they would all be screaming "Hannibal at the gates" soon enough. Especially with Stryker's group lurking around.

It wasn't only external threats. With the Council so unconcerned with confronting with outside dangers, it wouldn't be long until one arrived and the Council, cowering, would hand all of their power to Shelton. Nick would subtly try to avoid that if he could.

Nonetheless, Nick still respected their decision. Perhaps after the harsh winter the Council would be more willing for a fresh review with the arrival of spring. For now, Nick would bury himself with logistics, easing the burden on Shelton. Nick noticed that when he wasn't stressed, Shelton was much more reasonable. Then again, there hadn't been any real problems that could potential cause Shelton to explode. Nick wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not; it felt like there was a storm brewing. Maybe it was just another causeless hunch that Nick tended to get- though they were often right.

Another half hour later, and Nick wanted to look for the two men who had gone; he was sure Shelton wouldn't bar him from leaving. As he walked to find "the Captain", he smiled to the people along the way, huddled in winter jackets and squatting around fire pits. Many of the people of the compound called him Nicky, due to their being two other Nicks amongst the large community, but Nick didn't mind the childish connotations of the nickname. It made him feel endearing toward them.

Nick, although still a smoker, had lost weight, though not purposefully. The many duties of the Compound often left him skipping meals and running around the place, checking with Shelton, Scott and the militia, and the old Ann Arbor group who he was supposed to represent. He had scavengers pick him up some new clothes, and laughed when they returned with what he called "Tennessee styled" outfits. He now made his way to Shelton in a leather sheepskin jacket, paint stained jeans, and rough hiking boots. He had come a long way from fitted suits and starched white button downs.

Nick finally caught up with Shelton, seeing him talk with Kenny, Ashley, and James, another Compound citizen who he did not know well. He tried not to be rude as he addressed them while they were mid-conversation. "Hey guys, sorry to bother you, but I just have to ask Shelton something," He looked to the captain, "Those two men I asked for earlier? They still haven't returned. I want to go looking for them, you mind if I take a car?" Nick couldn't help but show the worry on his face. He had realized that the supplies he had asked for would definitely not take this long to get- something must have went wrong.

[Monfrox]

"Well, she's been gone for a couple hours, but you know how she is. I'm not worried, I'm just wondering if she was back yet." Ashley corrected them. "If she isn't back in a few more hours or so, that's when I'll start worrying." She said, trying to reassure everyone. She was sure Allison could handle herself if she got in trouble, and didn't want to make a big deal about her being gone and pull other capable members away.

[Torrocca]

"Well, she's been gone for a couple hours, but you know how she is. I'm not worried, I'm just wondering if she was back yet." Ashley corrected them. "If she isn't back in a few more hours or so, that's when I'll start worrying." She said, trying to reassure everyone. She was sure Allison could handle herself if she got in trouble, and didn't want to make a big deal about her being gone and pull other capable members away.

"Still, we might as well go looking," James replied, not knowing how Allison operated out there, "anything could happen to anyone out there, especially when they're alone. Besides, it'd be best if we make sure everyone's okay out there, considering there's three out there, who's whereabouts we don't know of."

[Nexeria]

"Well, she's been gone for a couple hours, but you know how she is. I'm not worried, I'm just wondering if she was back yet." Ashley corrected them. "If she isn't back in a few more hours or so, that's when I'll start worrying." She said, trying to reassure everyone. She was sure Allison could handle herself if she got in trouble, and didn't want to make a big deal about her being gone and pull other capable members away.

Kenny

Kenny sighed before suggesting, "Okay, how about this? You take a radio and me, Nick, James, and Shelton, if he wants to come along, go looking for the missing scouts. It should take an hour or a half to get to where they last were. If Allison doesn't show up while we're on our way back you can let us know."

Kenny shrugged, "Okay, how does that sound to everybody?"