cassie hummed for a moment, considering
the question again. ‘ yeaah.. ‘ she shrugged,
half her mouth turning upward in some sad
attempt as a smile. ‘ as okay as a’can be..
I ate, not bleedin’.. ‘ another shrug.
‘ what boutcha? when didja eat last? ‘
thankfully, hattie felt the exact same way. she had eaten recently ( three days before--as recent as one could get these days ) and she wasn’t BLEEDING. that was really all you could hope. a slightly full stomach and no death. “ that’s GOOD. ” she just needed a damn nap, really. but she knew MOST people did as of late. “ i ate . . . a few days ago. and i’m not bleeding either so . . . that’s a WIN, i’d say. ”
IT’S NOT JUST THE VOICE, its everything about the other : from the outline of her silhouette to her footsteps and the overall energy she felt. it was HOME, a distant memory of makeovers, dresses, high heels, and seemingly endless nights spent talking to each other about just about everything. it was all a piece of delaney that was so imbedded in her soul that she could never forget them, not even if she tried. yet as familiarity seemed to strike and reality came reigning down to snap her out of her trance, the young blonde found herself STILL trying to PUSH away the thoughts and memories as far as she could. she suppressed them, holding them back with her finger on the trigger, ready to SHOOT.
& the more she stood there and the more the person’s image became as clear as day, delaney felt something strange happen. slowly, he hands began to tremble, body stiff and unmoving, and voice unable to say a single word. whatever semblance of innocence she was holding onto was gone the moment she held the gun up to her cousin and came mere seconds away from shooting her own cousin.
there’s a crack in her voice as she tries to say SOMETHING, anything really to prove to hattie that this is really her, this is delaney. her hand slowly drops to her side, gun lowering ever so cautiously and finger no longer hovering over the trigger like her life depended on it. instead, there’s a certain softness about her aura that hasn’t been there since the day the apocalypse started. it hasn’t been there since the day she was FORCED to kill her own brothers off one by one. ❝HATTIE, ❞ delaney managed to push out of her lungs, the words were no more than a breathless whisper. her head tilted to the side, eyes shutting tightly for just a moment before opening again. ❝ you better be real. ❞
she stepped forward and hesitantly reached out towards the girl. was this real ?? god, she couldn’t TELL. her dreams had become so vivid over the last few weeks that she often woke up in tears. with a deep longing to be back within the world her mind had dreamt up. something so safe. so comforting. it felt like THIS. which terrified hattie more than anything. she didn’t want to wake up. not now. please let me have a few more minutes with her. PLEASE.
as she forced her way through the shock of the situation, hattie stepped forward again. doing her best to close the space between them. she wanted to gather her up in a hug and grip her close and keep her safe. because whatever had happened to her . . . whatever had happened to hattie . . . they could work through it together. they were, in a sense, HOME. even if any physical trace of that was gone. chin trembles as hattie closes more of the seemingly vast space between them. so much of her, for so long, had been CONVINCED that her entire family was gone. everyone who had raised her. everyone who had loved her. everyone she had helped look after. she was SURE they were gone. and yet . . .
❝ i’m real. ❞ to prove it to the younger girl, hattie reached out with one hand to gently curl her fingers around her free hand the moment she was close enough to be able to do so. it was a simple touch. a quick squeeze that resonated with them both. but she didn’t want to overwhelm her. not when they had just FOUND each other again. ❝ see ? ❞ she attempts a small smile too but it doesn’t reach her eyes. not many DO these days. ❝ you’re here. HERE of all fucking places. ❞ it had to mean SOMETHING. ❝ are you okay ?? god, del, i . . . i didn’t think i’d see you a-again. ❞
Hattie was a capable young woman and Nia knew that, but in her haste to make sure they could withstand this chaos, she was being short and concise ( and very, very careful ) with everyone. This talk of leaving made her jaw tight with concern. “We need you here, Hattie,” she said warily. She was considering it, though. “And you may not even have two hours. I don’t want to lose anyone before the fucking biters even reach us.”
she knew the horde was closing in. with each passing second, they were getting closer and closer. but hattie had to do SOMETHING. she couldn’t just sit by and watch as their medical supplies dwindled. soon, they’d have NOTHING left. she had stocked up so well before more people had begun showing up. “ fine, what about an HOUR ?? i’ll be as quick as i can be. i just need . . . we’re running out of even the most basic supplies, nia. ”
Never let it be said that Antonia Campana couldn’t plan for a crisis. The Left Hand Brewery was teeming with busy people, busy raiders and busy rogues seeking shelter from the coming storm. La tormenta perfecta. Nia had given everyone a job, whether they wanted one or not; she’d tripled the number of watchers at their perimeter, whether they were sentinels or not; and she’d made sure she wasn’t idle either so that no one could say she wasn’t worth her shit.
She absolutely was. Their preparations were going to pay off and she knew it. They had guns and ammo, they had gasoline, they had plenty of eyes on the city stretching out past their territory, and plenty of ears on the radio to keep updates coming to the camp as soon as they were broadcast. But in a crisis, there was always more to do. “What is it? Spit it out,” she demanded. “We have only so much time.”
the brewery, as she knew it would, was starting to fill up. people left and right were appearing seeking out shelter and help and food and goddamn band aids. but hattie was growing ever more anxious as more fresh faces appeared. she was terrified she wouldn’t have ENOUGH medical supplies to tide them over through this mess of the dead. when the radio had crackled to life, she KNEW things would be bad. but she hadn’t expected them to be this crazy in such a short amount of time.
“ i . . . i think i should go out for a bit. find more supplies. with all the people, nia, i . . . i can’t keep up. we’ll have nothing LEFT by the time this is over. and . . . we need to be prepared for anything. i can . . . i can run out and be back in two hours. at the most. whether or not i find what we need. ”
she kept to herself . didn’t go out of her way . and the black haired stranger should’ve been no exception . except her voice had the walker that had been somewhat passive turn her way , just as she was about to leave the pharmacy . F A N T A S T I C . ❝ hey genius ? that’s a biter you just called over . ❞
ah, great. hattie had simply been trying to CHECK on the stranger. and what she had gotten in return was one of the dead wandering their way and some sass from the young girl. she missed the quietness of the day she had been enjoying just a few minutes before. moving closer, hattie tugged her knife free and held out her free hand before her; stopping the dead in its tracks a second later. the knife found its brain and twisted slightly for good measure. ❝ easy peasy. you’re WELCOME. ❞ she let it drop to their feet before glancing between the girl and the pharmacy. ❝ hey, was there anything in there ?? anything useful ?? ❞
FREEDOM IS ESSENTIAL, even in the midst of an outbreak. that was the primary reason for why she chose to be a gatherer — it gave delaney the chance to venture out on her own, be a part of a camp, and force any and all social interactions upon herself. it was a way to push her boundaries while still maintaining some sense of safety and home, and most of all, she was just lucky that joe gave her the freedom to be out as much as she was.
that’s how and why she found herself out now, traveling the roads alone, searching buildings for any survivors that she deemed USEFUL. it was an easy way to distract and keep her idle mind busy so that she wouldn’t have to focus on what she’d already lost and what could still be.
yet as she wandered down the alleyway, feet lazily dragging on the ground, delaney couldn’t help but find herself getting lost in daydreams & fairytales — a familiar voice pulling her further and further away from reality. it’s false hope tied together with a string on top. IT’S NOT REAL. still, she finds herself walking toward the voice, knife in hand and prepared to defend herself should she need to. ❝ you’ve got about five seconds to come out with your hands up in the air before i get real sick & tired of this hide and seek bullshit, ❞ delaney warned, eyes squinting with immense concentration.
hattie didn’t want any issues. all she had wanted to do was gather supplies and go back to the brewery and SLEEP for awhile. because sleep was easy and she could shut her mind down for awhile and not think about all she had lost over the last ten months. but of course . . . her days could never go quite as she planned. not anymore. not with the dead wandering the streets and the LIVING just as dangerous if not worse.
a sigh passed her lips as she moved to hold her hands up; both entirely empty. there was something about the voice of the person around the corner that felt like HOME. but . . . it couldn’t be. because home was GONE and every little bit of comfort with it. she would never see her family again. no matter how much she HOPED she would.
❝ i don’t have a weapon in my hands . . . ❞ she moved to turn the corner; wiggling her fingers so the other person could see that they were ENTIRELY empty. though the second she raised her eyes to seek out the girl, she FROZE. no. it couldn’t be her. her mind was playing TRICKS on her again. she was seeing what she wanted to see. hattie had been so desperate for the comforts of home lately, that everything before her was her broken mind attempting to give that to her. RIGHT ?? she could hardly breathe. for what felt like years, hattie simply stared. blinking. lips parted. hands still raised. finally, she managed to find her VOICE. though it was WEAK. ❝ d-delaney ? ❞
but she wasn’t going to admit it. not to the woman
who called to her. not to anyone else. not even to
herself.
her long, thin fingers curled into a fist as she steadied
her heartbeat. zombies didn’t speak normal english
like cassie did. like cassie and this brunette walking
toward her.
‘ define okay. ‘
her mouth hung slightly open as she waited for an
answer. her fingers vibrated slightly as she had the
urge to cross her arms, but she fought the urge.
hard to reach a weapon in a pinch with arms crossed.
define okay? hattie struggled for a moment; mind racing to try and find a proper answer for the other woman. what did okay mean these days? she supposed it meant something similar to . . . being fed and well rested and . . . alive. all things that seemed so difficult to find these days. “ uh . . . are you hurt? have you . . . eaten lately? ” the woman seemed so on edge that she wasn’t sure she HAD. she was ready to reach into her pack and offer her food but she didn’t want to move too suddenly. incase the other decided a WEAPON was better than words.
the pharmacy has proven to be a J A C K P O T; quite a stash of medications whose names olivia can’t even pronounce, medications whose functions she does not know. she takes what she needs. she’s a lot of things but a hoarder isn’t one of them, and the extra weight on her pack will only slow her down if trouble arises and she ends up running for her life. the locks and chains on the pharmacy’s door are a NO BRAINER – she’s a fence-jumping, window-breaking rebel since childhood and though the splintered glass could have very easily cut her flesh, olivia’s no stranger to BREAKING AND ENTERING like this.
she’s intent on making the whole ordeal QUICK; olivia’s pack carries a few antibiotics she DOES recognize, aspiring, rubbing alcohol and all those necessary gadgets for healing minor wounds. the rest could be handy, sure, but if she needed to use them SOMEDAY she wouldn’t even know how and she doubts she’ll be studying medicine anytime soon. once she’s satisfied with her take, she climbs back out the window, into the alley.
it’s as she adjusts herself to the landing, to the concrete, that the voice reaches her. stupid olivia – she should’ve checked BEFORE jumping down. these are the rash decisions that get her sorry ass into trouble in the first place. the brunette’s lips tug into a tight grin; grateful but also one characteristic to her face – it’s the I DIDN’T DO IT expression, as if the look alone would tell the stranger that she had nothing to offer and that she could be left alone. ❝ yeah, yeah, peachy keen, jelly bean. ❞
A WINDOW. the sight of the broken hole in the wall brightens her features in seconds. that’s much easier to slip through compared to the chained front door. maybe she could head back with an actual STASH for once. it was often difficult to find much these days. her backpack always felt achingly empty when she dragged herself back to the brewery. but maybe the stranger had left a few good things behind. at least SOMETHING to help keep their medical stash stocked. she was often anxious whenever she saw what they had. sure, the brewery was relatively empty right now. but she was SURE others would appear soon and she needed to make sure they were well equipped to handle them.
❝ hey, is there still supplies in there? ❞ she felt half RUDE. not even introducing herself to the stranger. but . . . did anyone really introduce themselves anymore? there was no point these days. she had always hoped there was but . . . things had CHANGED. ❝ the front door was all locked up and . . . well, it’d be NICE to actually bring something back with me. ❞
most people, she knew, were probably more worried about FOOD. but that wasn’t her job. if she found it when she was looking, she grabbed it. of course. but anything medical was what her focus was kept on each and every day.
with no real purpose to the days that bled by, a change of scenery as martine wove her way through the back roads of the county was a habit she’d found herself settle into nicely. strangely enough, she’d awoken a need to explore – find a new place, a secret spot, a hidden treasure of an outlook or landmark to lay claim to.
the smaller towns were her favourite. most had long emptied out in the hope that boulder might’ve had something to offer in the early days. it left in its wake an exposed warren of supermarkets, general stores and fashion places or two for her to peer in from its front grimy window. she hadn’t bothered to check the gaudy welcome sign of this place. her steps through the nameless town were slower today, a strange and arguably rare feeling of calm that let her shoulders drop beneath the worn canvas straps of her rucksack.
as sudden as it had come, the ease disappeared. strange noises echoed from a building not far off. the sign that must have been displayed proudly atop the entrance had fallen, hastily propped up by a far fence. in weather-worn red block letters it read PHARMACY. but that wasn’t of any interest. no, it was the insistent rattle of a chain.
nothing dead could do that. she picked her way through the alley, head peering around the corner warily. she jumped at the voice. who’d say hey in a time like this? though too gloomy to show a face, the voice was more than familiar. a grin split the thin press of her lips. ‘ hattie? oh, i’m fine. you lock yourself out? ’
the familiar voice calmed her in seconds and tugged free a soft laugh. a sound that was so foreign to her these days she nearly forgot what it SOUNDED like. what it felt like to allow some sort of joy into her life. even if it was fleeting. it made her feel lighter for a few minutes. though even that was quick to vanish. like most feelings these days.
FOCUS. hattie shook her head a bit and glanced between the other girl and the building in question. she was eager to get inside. without causing too much of a commotion. she had already half done so by rattling the chains in annoyance. her eyes found martine again as a sigh escaped her lips.
‘ well, not exactly. ’ another laugh; a soft SMILE pulling at the corner of her lips. ‘ i found it all padlocked and . . . i’m sure there’s so many things in there we could use, martine. gauze, antibiotics, aspirin, god knows what else. i want to find a way IN. ’ the brewery only had a few people within it’s walls but she wanted to make sure they always had SUPPLIES. that they were always ready incase more people showed up. or . . . incase something HAPPENED. ‘ think you could HELP me? ’
Nia sat in what had seemed a safe corner to catch her breath, mull over her brush with death. This was why she needed a guardian. Just to have someone to watch her back. She was thoroughly considering reinstating the buddy system at the brewery. Maybe they’d lose fewer people that way. Then again, the people she was drawn to didn’t often like teamwork.
She started at a voice from down the alley and her hand immediately went to her gun, though she realized she’d left herself completely vulnerable. Thankfully, it was Hattie, who Nia could trust not to shoot her at the very least. “Sí, chica.” She stood up quickly, straightening herself out and dusting off her clothes. “Are you?”
she’s quick to nod and offer the other a quick smile; straightening her backpack. she’s thankful it isn’t a stranger. conversing with ANYONE was difficult for her most days. she preferred to keep quiet. but conversing with people she knew was slightly less exhausting. a nap would still be in order later. as long as no one needed anything from her. hattie was always eager to help over anything else. even if she was DYING for a chance to be alone for awhile. to rest her tired bones.
“ yeah! i’m fine. i was just . . . trying to find a way into this pharmacy. the front is padlocked which . . . i mean it might be stocked full of supplies in there. ” she was itching to find out. she wouldn’t take ALL of it, of course. she would leave stuff for others. but she was eager to gather what they could. to keep their own stock healthy. “ can you help me find the backdoor? and maybe help me break in. ” she wasn’t overly good at breaking into anything. but she did her BEST.
the alleyway is the last place that rory would want to find herself in, but these are dire times — no, these are desperate times that are calling for desperate measures. the problem came in the fact that there had not been enough time for her to inspect their surroundings, prompting her to leave earlier and be chased around by a walker … or walkers, if she so wanted to be generous to giving them the credit of outrunning her and cornering her like a wounded animal. rory grits her teeth at the thought : SHE IS NOT A WOUNDED ANIMAL, and she will never be one, not in this goddamn lifetime.
she walks over the corpses of said walkers, gunshot wounds on skulls that only seemed to have hardened through their body’s loss to the infection, patting the dirt off of her clothes but again, the sneakers are caked in blood and grime — and she refuses to walk out with dirty shoes. as she’s bending over to wipe it all off, rory’s ears recognize the voice of hattie. she glances at the other, “me? yeah, fucking great —” she huffs, “i got some zombie guts on my shoes that’s got me pressed. what’re you doing here? are we done with the search?”
a familiar face. a familiar VOICE. hattie relaxes automatically and moves a bit closer; studying the girl to make sure she’s entirely okay. it was something she did without even thinking. eyes always tracing over everyone to check for blood that may have been THEIRS. she was always so ready to help them; hand consistently resting on the pocket of her backpack that held gauze. more times than not, they were entirely okay. but she had to make SURE.
thankfully, the blood wasn’t rory’s. her hand dropped away from the pocket and she straightened up slightly; entire body relaxing for a moment. it never lasted long though because there was always some sort of danger around every corner. for now though, in this tiny little alleyway, they were SAFE.
a laugh escapes her ilps before she can stop it; features brightening for the first time in AGES. “ we can wash those when we get back, hmm? we’ll soak them. they’ll be good as NEW. ” she HOPED. without proper washing machines and hot water . . . it wasn’t guaranteed. as much as she wanted it to be for the girl. “ i was trying to find the way IN. to this pharmacy. the front door is all padlocked and i don’t want to make too much noise. didn’t realize you were still back here. ”
out of everything, medical supplies still seemed to be plentiful. if you knew where to LOOK. every time she ventured out to ensure that their tiny infirmary remained well stocked, she always went back with at least half a bag full. she had never tried the pharmacy though because she often KNEW that would have been the first place people went if they needed anything. but her usual places were pretty picked through now and though there weren’t many survivors at the brewery, hattie preferred having a surplus incase they gained MORE.
so the pharmacy was her next best bet. but getting into the pharmacy was proving DIFFICULT. the door was chained shut. there had to be a SIDE door. or a back one. something she could break into somewhat easier. if it was locked down so well . . . maybe that meant there was MORE in there than she had ever imagined.
she was focused on finding the back door when she spotted someone at the end of the alleyway. they looked alive. but it was always so hard to TELL. ‘ h-hey . . . ’ it was stupid to call out. but what if they needed HELP? ‘ are you okay? ’ her gun was easily accessible if this ended up being the worst idea she’d ever had.
have you heard of HATTIE ADLER? she is a TWENTY-FOUR year old survivor in boulder county, who looks like MAGGIE GRACE. she is COMPASSIONATE, which helps her as a CAREGIVER at LEFT HAND BREWERY. however, she can also be WITHDRAWN, so i’d watch out for them. they are known as the LOST SOUL.
hey there demons it’s ya girl chy again !!
though technically having been born HARRIET ADLER, she grew up being called HATTIE and has always preferred it.
grew up in a rather big family(including extended family). she has four siblings altogether. three sisters and one brother. three older and one younger. her brother joined the army when he was 18 following in the footsteps of their older sister. they were deployed at the time of the downfall. he was freshly deployed and their sister was on her way home. the timing was terrible seeing as how the infection began spreading around the time of his travel. she doesn’t know if she ever made it home alive. she assumes her brother is gone but doesn’t know how far spread the infection is. she also has (or had) many cousins. one of which was delaney adler. she’s always keeping her eye out for any and all family members.
for awhile after high school, she floated around. her parents did rather decent for themselves and she always came from a bit of money. so travelling was something she was able to experience and she took that chance to do so. partying with her friends overseas, exploring the world, etc. it was always a good time.
her father was diagnosed with brain cancer when she was 21. she managed to make it home right before he died but he was barely conscious and never spoke to her. she feels an immense guilt that still follows her around because she didn’t spend enough time with him before he passed.
for awhile, she spiralled in her grief. she went out more with her friends. drank a bit too much. but finally decided it wasn’t helping at all and started seeking out therapy.
with the help of her therapist, she was able to become a bit more human again and even ended up going to university. she was in her first year of nursing when the infection began to spread. she found, during that year, that she loved helping people. loved caring for others. something she hadn’t really explored much despite growing up in a loving, caring home.
when the end came, she was living on her own in colorado and attending school. she has no idea if most of her family is gone or alive. she tried so hard to contact them but nothing ever went through. she wants to head home eventually but hasn’t had a chance to. especially because she feels like she has a duty to the people who took her in when she was starving and on the verge of death. she is now their caregiver within the brewery.
she’s always been really girly. long, blonde hair. dresses, skirts, heels, make-up, etc. she often shared a lot of that knowledge(that she gained from her older sisters) with her younger cousin delaney. but the end has changed her quite a bit. where blonde hair had once cascaded down her shoulders, dark, short hair sits in it’s place now. more practical clothing adorns her body too. jackets, long pants, t-shirts, tank-tops. layering to the max.
she carries two knives with her and a small handgun when she goes out to gather fresh medical supplies.
she’s quiet and reserved. often appears withdrawn and out of it. she just gets easily lost in her own thoughts. she’s kind, compassionate, eager to care for the people around her. whether it’s physically or emotionally. she’s always listening.
probably isn’t made for this world(she’s 100% lost. trying to find herself but it’s hard). she just does her best.
