petty officer.

Gabriel Stephens Thirty Patrol “We survived. You and I. And those who survive have a duty. Our duty is to do our best to keep on living.”

[gabrielstephens-blog]

bandit-forsyth:

In all honesty, it took a lot to catch Bandit off guard. It had before the Outbreak, and it definitely did afterwards. He had seen a lot of shit, they all had, but what he hadn’t been expecting to see were a group of zombies dressed like he imagined pilgrims would have, wandering towards them with scraggly beards and rotting skin. He even saw a scythe embedded in the ribcage of one of them. Before he could help himself, words of disbelief were falling from his lips. “Amish zombies. Really? Really?” They were basically in Miami for fuck’s sake.

Gabe’s laugh had Bandit glancing over at him, smiling a bit himself as the other man laughed. “Yeah, do me a solid and keep the similarities there, man.” The former Major General requested before sighing softly to himself and readjusting his grip on the tactical axe in his hands. “There’s only six, no need to call for backup. Take the left, shout if you need help, understood?” He directed before starting to move forward without hesitation, obviously expecting his orders to be followed.

It wasn’t the time to be laughing, making jokes, but somehow this helped Gabe transform into battle mode. Now he was ready for war against the zombies. It was odd, he thought, to watch what used to be humans coming for them, ready to kill no matter who or what they came across. Gabe may have seen a lot in his time at the Navy, but nothing had prepared him for this. Nothing could prepare anyone for the apocalypse.  “Aye, aye, Sir.” Gabe mumbled under his breath, steeling himself one last time before the onslaught.

It was with those words that he rushed forward, swinging his pickax at the first zombie before him. Everyone knew a head shot was the only way to kill a zombie, but that didn’t mean they could always strike where needed. Sometimes it was best to incapacitate then worry about the head shots. What was the point in plunging your weapon through the zombie’s brains in they were able to scratch you in return? With one of the walkers on the floor before him, Gabe plunged his pickax through it’s forehead before risking a quick look over to Bandit. “On your nine, Boss!” With that, Gabriel focused on the other two zombies heading to him. 

[gabrielstephens-blog]

evelynxhayes:

Evelyn knew she wasn’t supposed to leave without someone with her, but lately she felt that she worked better on her own. If anyone was with her, she felt as if they were dragging her down. Evelyn wanted things done right then. She didn’t have time to wait around for someone to come along, and she planned on staying close by. There was still a chance she would get stopped trying to slip out. 

Before she could even get close to the exit, she heard a familiar voice calling out her name. Evelyn kept walking, but she heard his footsteps behind her. There was no way he was letting her out alone. It wasn’t the first time she’d been caught by Gabe in this situation. “Where does it look like I’m going?” she responded, turning around to face him. “I was really hoping you weren’t going to be on patrol tonight. I promise I won’t be gone long. An hour at the most,” she said as an attempt to reassure him. She would be fine on her own. She spent months traveling by herself.

It didn’t take long for Gabe’s long legs and quick steps to catch up with Evelyn. It was at times like this he was grateful for his lanky physique. He knew why she didn’t turn around or acknowledge him. It didn’t take a genius to figure out. She had been caught breaking the rules and like anyone who had, was trying to get out of explaining herself. Gabe, however, wasn’t lenient enough to allow that. He had her best interest of heart, but he knew not many people saw it that way. Just like Gabe didn’t see himself as overbearing in the ways he tried to protect people.

Standing by Evelyn’s side, Gabe put his hands on his hips in his best position of authority stance. He wasn’t kidding anyone with the stance, other than himself. “You know you shouldn’t be leaving without someone with you, Evelyn. It’s not safe out there.”He warned for what felt like the thousand time since the outbreak. Gabe knew he sounded like a broken record, but that wouldn’t stop him. Not if it saved one of his friends lives from the fate destined for them all. “Not this late into the evening. Maybe try again tomorrow.”

[gabrielstephens-blog]

burnt umber / peacock blue

peacock blue: is your muse honest? what sorts of lies do they tell, if not?

Gabe is quite honest. He’s happy to share his views on things without worrying too much about what others will think or how they will take it. There are certain times where he knows to keep his mouth shut, but he often considers these to be little, white lies just to keep things calm.

burnt umber: how stable is your muse, mentally and/or emotionally?

Gabriel is stable in the sense of if he said he would be there, he always is, no matter what. He’s dependable and always ready to be a shoulder to lean on or to lend an ear if any one is in need. Most of the time his emotions are pretty level, his highs and lows nothing he can’t handle. There are times where he gets too drained and has to take a day or two getting his head back into the game. This is because he tends to box up his emotions to deal with later, and when that later comes it takes him a handful of days to get back to the normal strict but loving Gabe.

[gabrielstephens-blog]

alexa-dawson:

Alex could feel her heart slowing back to it’s normal rate as she realized she was in no danger and the man was just doing his job. When he asked if she minded she shook her head softly and moved over in case he wanted to sit. “Thank you.” She told him softly. “For keeping us safe…” 

Sending what he hoped to be a comforting smile her way, Gabe moved to sit besides the young woman. He sighed as soon as his weight was taken off his feet. He wasn’t sure just how long he had been on his feet, but he felt more relaxed now than he had in the past twenty-four hours. “You’re welcome, but there’s really no need to thank me. We all have our part to play. You help with the running of this place, right? Without your help we’d all be fighting for scraps.”

[gabrielstephens-blog]

judascott:

“I swear to God I saw a chicken out here.” Juda hoisted his dirty and torn backpack higher onto his shoulder, one hand firm on the strap and the other gesturing to an overgrown field with a pocket knife. “I mean, something moved out there and I’m pretty sure I heard clucking. Or grunting. It could have been a large, obese, grunting chicken.”

“... a chicken?” Gabe asked in a voice of disbelief, a hint of worry lacing his voice. It wasn’t that he didn’t think there were lone chickens wandering the deserted world. Hell, if a bunch of humans could survive, why couldn’t the poultry? He simply had doubts that it wasn’t some walker on its way to camp. “Y’sure it was a chicken? I don’t want to be that person, but if you didn’t get a good look, who’s to say it’s not something else?”

[gabrielstephens-blog]

frost blue & coral

frost blue: does your muse enjoy the snow and cold? or are they the type to enjoy summer more?

Gabe prefers the heat over cooler temperatures. Having grown up in DC, he had been immune to the cold when he was younger as it was never out of the ordinary. Since being stationed in Florida, Gabriel had grown to loathe the cold whenever he visited home. He’d rather be covered in his own sweat than shivering to keep warm.

coral: what is your muse’s romantic and sexual orientations?

Gabriel is biromantic & bisexual.

[gabrielstephens-blog]

BENDING THE RULES | EVELYN & GABRIEL  — @evelynxhayes

Gabe felt like he had been walking around the camp for hours in the blistering heat. The sun shone down on him and sweat beaded on his forehead, yet he continued walking, he continued looking for anything out of the ordinary. There had been a few issues here and there over the last few days, but they were far enough away from the camp that Gabriel didn’t worry too much about being swarmed by zombies. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t be prepared if they happened to come though. He’d still patrol the outskirts like he did everyday, playing his part in the group of survivors. It suited him well. There was no way he was interested in searching for supplies in the unknown. He was more than happy to stick to what he knew, and that was the layout of the camp.

As a figure moved from the corner of his eye, Gabe started, his heart jumping to the back of his throat. It was only when he focused in on the figure did he notice the sway of her hair, the very human way she moved. “Evelyn!” He called, breaking into a jog to try catch up with her. She shouldn’t be leaving camp without another runner with her. He was certain they had rotors so no one would be left to fend for themselves. “Hey, wait up! Where you heading?”

[gabrielstephens-blog]

evelynxhayes:

“Are you just saying that because you want me to share?” Evelyn thought about keeping the bottle all to herself. She was never much of a drinker before the turn, though. Evelyn had a glass of wine every now and then to wind down from a long day, but nights like that were long gone. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she gently pushed the bottle towards Gabriel. “I’m not gonna drink it all anyways. I’m more excited about the raincoat. It’s not something you use once and then throw it away.”

“I won’t lie to you, that thought did cross my mind, but I won’t beg. I wasn’t the one spending all morning risking my life for it.” With a simple shrug of his shoulders, Gabe left it at that so Evelyn could make up her mind. He certainly wasn’t disappointed when she did. Happily taking the bottle from her, he returned her smile with one of his own. “In that case, I vote a drink to celebrate your new found ability to go out in the rain without getting wet. What a time to be alive.”

[gabrielstephens-blog]

arguedrose:

        the girl giggled at his response. “ fortunately the apocalypse hasn’t been bad to me yet. ” rpse ran her fingers gently on the  strings of her guitar. “ did you use to play any instruments, gabe? ”

"You sure? ‘Cause I think I can see some grey in your hair.” A smile lined his lips as he looked at the young girl. He had to smile to stop himself thinking what a pity it was being so young and having the apocalypse as your future. “The piano, for about a month. My mom soon realised what a waste of time that was. No talent, you see.”

[gabrielstephens-blog]

just-call-me-aj:

One of the many things AJ missed from her hometown was how easy it was too see the stars. When she moved to Miami, the harsh city lights drowned them out until they were only tiny specs of light you’d have to squint at to notice. She’d almost forgotten they existed until she stared up at them now. She was comforted by his offer to listen, but from her silence it wouldn’t seem like it. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk - she did, or at least she thought she did. AJ wasn’t sure where to begin. What to say. Part of her feared that once she opened up and started talking, she’d never stop. Besides, her and Gabriel had never been all that close. Up until now, their relationship had existed solely of him telling her what to do, or what not to do most of the time, and her stubborn refusal to listen. Maybe it was the fact that it was just the two of them sitting here, or the fact that for once he wasn’t bossing her around, but something in the air made her want to take him up on his offer.

“  — Alright,” she began abruptly, breaking the silence as she turned to face him. Her wide green eyes suddenly radiated trust as she spoke, though there was a hesitance behind them. Deep down she knew his intentions were good, that he was someone who could be trusted, yet she still paused before telling him everything. “If I wanted to talk, it wouldn’t change anything. You’ll keep on telling me what to do, and I’ll keep on ignoring it, the way we’ve always done. I don’t need your pity. You gotta promise me you won’t change.” 

Gabe didn’t feel uncomfortable by the silence that transcended between them. Yes their past conversations had ended with them butting heads, but Gabe didn’t hold any grudges. He wasn’t too set in his ways to not appreciate that people had different opinions, even if he still believed his way of handling the apocalypse was the best way. But that was neither here nor there that evening. For once he realised there was more to life and death than merely surviving. So instead of being Patrol Gabe that evening, he settled for plain old civilian Gabe who used to track the constellations when he was younger. There was no need to say anything more to AJ, he knew she would open up to him if she wanted. He wouldn’t push her. It wasn’t his place. 

When AJ did speak, all that changed was that Gabe’s eyes finally rested on her face verses the night sky. There was no pity in his eyes, perhaps a bit of concern but that much was to be expected. After all, he would have only kept on at AJ until she made her way back to camp if he wasn’t wondering what was going through her mind. “Don’t worry, I’ll still be throwing your ass over my shoulder and back to camp later.” He said with a slight smile, hoping it would gain her trust that bit more. It didn’t really bother Gabriel that she didn’t trust him to open up, but he wanted her to be able to release the tension in her shoulders somehow. Whether by telling him whatever she needed, or someone else. “You have my word.”

[gabrielstephens-blog]

AMISH ZOMBIES | BANDIT & GABRIEL  — @bandit-forsyth

❝ Amish zombies. Really? Really?! ❞

Gabriel had his pickaxe gripped tightly in both his hands. As soon as he had heard the familiar noise that could only be attributed to the zombies, his heartbeat had been drumming in his ears. No matter how many times he faced them, no matter how many fights he won, Gabriel doubted he would get over his fear of the walking dead. They were unpredictable, they were senseless, and quite frankly they were quiet creepy to look at. But Gabriel would never shy away from the creatures, not whilst his and his camp mates’ lives depended on it.

As soon as the small group of zombies stepped foot into the clearing, Gabriel’s heart jumped into the back of his throat. He had never been more relieved that Bandit was by his side than he was in that current moment in time. Gabe knew Bandit had his back no matter what, just like he had his in return. But honestly, what Gabriel was really grateful in that moment in time, were Bandit’s words. He probably shouldn’t have smiled at them, but still, they brought a small chuckle to his lips. “Well now I really have seen everything.” Gabe mumbled, if not more to himself than anything. For some reason speaking without putting much thought into his words eased his nerves of the situation. “If you think about it, we’re just like them now… and by that I mean the lack of TV, not the rotting flesh. And I plan to keep the similarities at that too.”

[gabrielstephens-blog]

evelynxhayes:

Evelyn wiped the sweat beading up on her forehead. She stared down at her contents she had gathered for the day. It wasn’t much, but she wanted to bring in all of the supplies she could. She was still getting the hang of gathering supplies for a group. She had only traveled with one other person, and he was long gone now. There were a few cans of food, a rain coat, a pair of socks, and two bottles of alcohol. She picked up a bottle of half empty tequila, and couldn’t help but laugh. “This is pretty pitiful, isn’t it?”

Gabe had been on the outskirts of camp when he saw the two runners come back from their trip. He’d been quick to welcome them, eager to see what had been brought back this time. “If you ask me, this is the most successful run I’ve seen come back this week. Though that might be because the others don’t usually parade around the alcohol they find unless they’re willing to share.” He mentioned, raising his eyebrow at Evelyn. His expression was asking the question his mouth wouldn’t. Gabe hadn’t risked his life for it, after all. He would hardly blame her for keeping the tequila to herself. 

[gabrielstephens-blog]

kaidenchoi:

“SO THEN I said, ‘Listen, you can try to take my weapons if you want, but you should know that even if you do get them, I smeared my shit all over them,’” Kaiden reminisced, laughing at the foolishness of the entire story, “I swear to God I did — to both,” he quickly added, chuckling. “Oh, no, not this one. The guys here gave me this puppy. I’m just saying… if we ever need to protect our weapons. Poop.”

Gabriel’s eyebrows shot to his hairline at the big reveal, and the man couldn’t help but chuckle along with Kaiden. He had seen and done plenty of dumb shit whilst with his crew in the Navy, but things had never got that out of hand. “Okay, okay, you win. I have nothing that tops that. If anything my stories seem duller — and a little cleaner — in comparison.” It was with a shake of his head that he leaned back into his chair. “Just remind me never to borrow your weapons in future. That ain’t sanitary, man.”

[gabrielstephens-blog]

yngcst:

           the night sky made it hard to see much of anything. brooke had manged to wander a little farther from the group than she had anticipated. the creative person trapped inside her wanted to go on an adventure and miami was so beautiful in the daylight.

there were grunts of the undead coming from behind her. they had been trailing behind the girl for quite some time. an almost instant sharp pain grew in her chest. she slid out the beretta m1934 she had put in her pocket prior to her little walk. brooke stopped, aiming the gun. BANG !! .. BANG !! the zombie fell to the ground with a wet thud. 

brooke rushed to an alleyway, leaning against the wall. she slid down, now sitting on the ground. her breathing got significantly heavier and tears welled in her eyes. “ god damn it. ”

Gabriel hadn’t been on patrol when he heard the gunshots, but that didn’t stop him from springing into action as the sound echoed around. He grabbed his pickaxe and ran to where he thought the sound had came from. He wasn’t sure what he was running into, but it was his place to protect. It was his place to serve. 

When he arrived at what he assumed to be the scene, he saw the dead walker laid out on the floor, a bullet straight between its eyes. Gabriel doubted he had that good a shot back when he was at target practice. But soon enough he focused his attention on the girl who must have been the culprit behind the zombie’s death. He was impressed, but now was not the time to mention it.

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay.” He whispered, moving over to Brooke and crouching down in front of her. Gabe hadn’t had much experience with teens before the apocalypse, but he figured he couldn‘t be the worst at trying to comfort her. He was better than the zombie, after all. “Are you okay? Did it get you?”

[gabrielstephens-blog]

alexa-dawson:

Alex was staring at the sky when the man came up next to her and when he spoke to her she jumped slightly. “Sorry..” She whispered as she was embarrassed that she was startled. “Yeah..” She told him. “Pretty much since the start.” Alex told about sleeping. “Why are you awake?” 

“It’s me who should be apologising, Ma’am.” A shy smile settled over his features as he looked at her. He hadn’t meant to destroy her peace, but he didn’t think she should be alone either. Not when she looked so sad. “I think everyone here can appreciate that. Except the guy snoring up a storm a few vans down.” He mentioned with a more confident smile, hoping the humour would brighten her day if only a little. “Rounds, mainly. Just checking for a few of our unwanted friends. We’re all clear so far though so I thought I’d take a load off. You don’t mind, do you?”

[gabrielstephens-blog]

sylviasroman:

This man was a stranger to Sylvia, even if she did know his face. He was familiar in this way, and not by any other. His name remained unknown to her, and would continue to remain unknown. Sylvia would only know him as Officer Killjoy, the only one who ever cared to stop her from doing what she did. No one else knew of this, and she didn’t care if they did. What mattered to her was that they didn’t bother her. What mattered to her was that they let her be: dead or alive or in the process of dying.

As she climbed down the campsite side of the wall, she noticed his figure there waiting again. With both his hands on his hips and a frustrated furrow of his eyebrows, it looked to Sylvia like he thought he had power over her. She met his stance with a furrow of her eyebrows. When she reached the ground, she stood not even to his shoulders, but with a stance so huge that she might as well be. Sylvia raised an eyebrow at him. Silence lasted only for a beat.

What he said caused a loud snort to escape Sylvia.

“No one’s going to come with me,” she said at once. “No one’s going to volunteer, and I’m not taking any. If there are any.” Sylvia thought to dare him to. She thought to ask him to offer himself, if he cared so much. But, in the end, she opted not to be so forward. Instead, she said, “If I push my luck, then I push my luck. It shouldn’t be on you.”

Countless times the two of them had had face offs like this. They stood before each other, both wanting different things and staring at one another until the other blinked. Gabriel would always try to talk sense into the blonde, try to get her to see that he was right in what he said. It never worked. Gabriel always lost the battle. That much was obvious when a few days later he’d catch her climbing back into the compound. He wasn’t sure why she did it, not really. There wasn’t anything to see out there when the scouts and runners weren’t doing their thing. All there was was a wasteland filled with the walking dead. Hardly something worth seeing in his eyes. 

“Y’know there’s safety in numbers. Why wouldn’t you want someone to be there with you, just in case?” His question was to the point, but really he had a few more floating around his head. Why would she want to be alone? All of their days were numbered, and if they were destined to die alone, why would one choose to live the same way? It didn’t make sense to him, but then again things weren’t always as black and white as Gabe tried to view things. “Why not find someone to join in with your little missions?”

Letting out a sigh he hadn’t been aware was building, Gabriel’s shoulders deflated, ruining his perfect posture. There wasn’t much he could do to help her, if she didn’t want to help herself. But it irked him, all the same. There was so much he wanted to say to her, to argue his point, to tear down hers, but in the end, he simply shrugged at her.

“I don’t think I’d be doing my job right if I let you run out of luck, Ma'am.”

[gabrielstephens-blog]

arguedrose:

    rosemary had been so in tune with the song, she didn’t notice the man who sat beside her. her eyes shot open for his voice had startled her. “ oh – gabe, thank you. ” a smile grew to the young girls lips. “ it’s called through the valley by shawn james. ” explained rose. “ it’s a song i learned when i was young – probably 9 or 10. ” from what she recalled, it was probably the first proper song she learned.

Gabriel nodded his head at Rosemary’s answer, though the music was still as unfamiliar with him as it was before he knew the name. It didn’t stop him appreciating it though. The music was welcomed over the crickets that constantly chirped at night. “Wow, so you’ve been playing for a while, huh? Or has the apocalypse simply aged you terribly?” A smile finally found its way onto his face with his words. At least he hadn’t lost his sense of humour at the end of the world.