&.

╳ ∘ ◣ who's ready to play? are we the hunters or are we the prey? there's no surrender and there's no escape. are we the hunters or are we the prey? this is a wild game of survival.

[httpkota]

ryderhbu:

         at first, ryder had some weird of outer body experience type of feeling was he really there? what had just happened? that couldn’t be dakota no way in hell…there was blood everywhere almost like he had stepped into a stephen king novel and now he was part of it. his mouth was still wide open and his nose scrunched in disgust at the smell of rust and metal in the room—it was just the blood that will stain the floor. chestnut hues scanning for any sign that this was probably a figment of his imagination but there was no fucking way he could ever make this shit up. “dude…” was the only word that came out of his mouth, oh how american. that was all he could muster up in this situation the babyfaced male was now covered with all these players blood and if he was honest it was kind of cool but the feeling of being disturbed easily replaced whatever felt cool at the moment. ryder walked into the room stepping over each of the bodies cautiously worried that one could still be kicking but no…all their throats had been slit which sent a cold chill down his spine. sure, ryder couldn’t even think about judging or say shit about this because maybe they ambushed him? he wasn’t here he couldn’t really tell what went down but from the undisturbed surroundings seems the other’s didn’t put much of a fight…well, it didn’t look like a fight went down at all. anything for survival. he understood that all too damn well. and then ryder heard it— they had leveled up the much annoying chimed that notified whenever someone in a group leveled up with was ringing in his ears but it wasn’t the noise that shocked him; no it was what he saw right in front of him. dakota’s sanity meter had finally been revealed to him and now everything around him started to make more sense. his meter was just as dark as his; maybe even a shade darker after this event. how the hell did he never notice? maybe that’s why zelda was always protecting him? could she see it? no. she would have said something….or maybe not. she had favorites and he knew damn well he and axel weren’t even close to being a favorite. you know how they say never judge a book by it’s cover? usually mentioned when you see a kind unattractive person or even someone beyond attractive and you just assume how they are? this was kind of like that. ryder would have never guessed his partner’s sanity meter could even be that dark; he didn’t seem like the type to have it that dark. maybe it was his instincts but he couldn’t quiet move? he wasn’t scared of the other— no that wasn’t it. he guessed the shock and excitement of the day has finally set in and now he couldn’t even move a muscle. upon hearing the clank of the knife hit the floor, his hues landed on dakota really taking in his feature’s this time; his hands were covered in blood, so was his face from the blood splatter that stained his clothing. even his hair had a few drops that were noticeable from where he stood. holy shit. dakota really did this. it had finally set in his mind that the male in front of him was just as dangerous as himself. that was both alarming and interesting. ryder finally set his gun down, having no reason to have it out any longer. “uh…here,” he finally spoke inching towards the other handing him a small towel he always carried around for these exact times. just mostly for himself not for others. “you…you okay? did they hurt you or anything?” he asked curiously as he gestured towards the corpse around them.

           dakota squeezed his eyes shut, waiting to hear ryder’s gun fire and for everything to go black. either the boy was pausing for dramatic effect or hadn’t planned to do that at all. but he couldn’t understand why. surely ryder could tell that he was dangerous and that he’d been deceiving them for quite some time. maybe he would just kick him out of the group instead. though honestly, dakota thinks he’d rather be dead. he’d grown pretty attached to everyone in the group and he couldn’t imagine the game would be bearable without them. maybe the whole thing could be avoided if he told ryder that they threatened him or the group or something. no. no, he’d lied enough. ryder deserved the truth. dakota hesitantly lifted his head when he heard ryder speak, his hands still shaking as he took the towel from the older boy. his gaze lingered on him for a few moments before looking away again in shame and wiping the blood from his face as well as his hands. he paused when he was questioned, then shook his head. “i -- no. they didn’t even try. they were unarmed. and....and they listened to every instruction i gave ‘em. he--” dakota pointed to jaxon’s body, “--was the leader of their group. i know --- knew him.” the brunette was getting a bit choked up now, leaning against the table behind him. it was mostly to  keep himself from completely collapsing. “he told me that layla would hate me. that i’m a monster and i -- i lost it. i -- i think he’s right, you know? i think i am a monster. and she would. she would hate me so much,” dakota said, voice barely a whisper as he looked up at ryder again with tear-filled eyes.  

[httpkota]

i have this horrible fear tha t nobody is going to want to plot with dakota after the chaos happening w him & ryder right now hahah but i’m still severely lacking plots for him & axel so if we haven’t plotted please like this or message me and lets get some stuff goin !! 

[httpkota]

ryderhbu:

      ryder watched the lifeless corpse fall down from the table hitting the floor with a rather soft thud. guess the other players weren’t expecting to have company let one someone who was willing to kill them just for trying to shoot his dog. the difference between the players and ryder was astonishing on one side of the room all you could feel was terror, anger, even sadness due to a fallen comrade but then on ryder’s side everything was almost at zen. with two clicks of his tongue he commanded mutt to come back to his side and just like that the german shepherd was sitting right by his feet. ryder’s chestnut hues narrowed in their direction his vision becoming foggy and his senses were fading he knew what this meant all too well—he was blacking out. there was no other way around it he knew he couldn’t avoid it any longer and he already gave up on fighting it. all he could see was darkness and he was gone. though that was all in his mind as his actual body stood there very much alive a little too much alive as ryder rolled his head in a circle both eyes shut as he exhaled rather loudly, “now we’re talking,” he spoke to himself his body language was completely different now and the other’s had noticed as they watched terrified of what was happening with the male. “holy shit man, that’s the fucking dude everyone talks about,” one of the players slapped the closest guy next to him’s arm. ryder glanced over at the one talking as he pointed his pistol straight to his head and pulled the trigger. thud. another lifeless body laying on the floor. “simon didn’t say speak, did he?” ryder asked cockily tilting his head to the side as he took a step further into the room kicking the door shut with his foot. “yeah that has to be him…” one of the four remaining players spoke. ryder’s eyes landed on him instantly as he heard the other speak, an exasperated sigh leaving his parted lips rubbing his temples with his free hand. “you see, what i don’t understand is…if we’re playing a game you should follow the rules right? but you aren’t and that really hurts my feelings….you know?” a pout forming on his bottom lip as he once again aimed his pistol at the one who spoke and it was almost repetitive. a loud thunder from the gun. a thud from the body. and it was over just like that. “let’s spice things up a bit, yeah?” he quirked both brows up at the remaining players that were visibly shaking on the table, “what team do you guys belong to?” he asked trying to get information from them. “we’re here a part of jaxon’s group…we do what we can to survive,” one of them answered, “no one ever chooses the right wing so this is where—where we wait be-before they give us the signal that the person in the left wing is dead so we can loot them…” one spoke, their voice shaking in fear as ryder studied their tear stained face. the left wing. fuck. that’s where dakota was—dakota. 

ryder had to go find him but he had some faith that the scrawny guy could defend himself until he got there. “well, i have someone in that wing so let’s get to the fun part before i leave alright?” and with that, he took his pistol and checked his ammunition his eyes lighten up with excitment as he noticed he had more than enough to go around. “well,” he began to speak as he placed his gun in front of him once more, “simon says…run!” a saddistic smile now promintate on his features. the other players looked at ryder eyes widen in terror they didn’t want to die, but then again no one ever wants to die? the older male clicked his tongue as he shook his head noticing the others weren’t even moving a muscle their body frozen from the fear. “well, simon did say run,” he gave a final warning before aiming his gun directly at the heads one at a time. bang. bang. bang. and three thuds collapsing on the once clean marble hospital floor. “i’ll come back for your guys’ things later, so don’t move a muscle!” a laugh that could only be described as something you’d expect the mad hatter to make. and with that ryder was off, coming back to his senses after making it halfway down the hallway with mutt running beside him as he looked down at the dog, “i know, i don’t want to talk about it…okay?” he spoke in between breaths as he picked up his speed in trying to get to dakota. it was a trap all along no wonder no one ever fucking made it out of this place and he sent dakota down there by himself? fuck if something happened to him he couldn’t come home—zelda would have killed. oh my god zelda was going to kill him if the other had even a tiny scratch on him. another reason to pick up his pace, his legs feeling tired but he couldn’t stop running now as he walked past the front entrance where he had last seen the other male. ‘come on kid, don’t be dead…’ he thought to himself as he reached the left wing. ryder began running into each room moving things around trying to find the younger male. “koda?!” he shouted into the empty rooms as he looked over at the german shepherd, “mutt try to smell out dakota, okay? bark twice,” holding up two fingers towards the dog, “if you find him, okay?” he instructed and with that, the dog was off his groomed tail wagging from side to side as he made his way down the hallway. ryder’s attention was focused on scavenging every room he had access to, just down the hall he heard mutt’s two barks which meant he had found dakota a wave of relief washed over him but that didn’t mean they were in the clear just yet. the dark haired male grabbed his pistol index finger already on the trigger as he walked towards the pharmaceuticals. “mutt?…koda?” he whispered cautiously his chestnut hues landing bloody pawprints that lead out of the room as he turned to his side to spot mutt sitting by the door with his tongue hanging from his side. that was strange. “koda?” he whispered as he pivoted into the room gun going in first. his chestnut hues widen in shock at the scene before him but he couldn’t let that bother him as his eyes raked the place looking for his partner. and that’s where he saw him, his jaw slightly dropping in confusion. 

      dakota hummed thoughtfully, pointing his knife at each individual player with the exception of jaxon. he would be last. they all sobbed and shook like a punch of frightened animals. funny -- he wondered if they felt any guilt of their own when the innocent players they preyed on did the same thing. or perhaps they didn’t give them any time to even think, just killed them. they seemed cowardly like that. “eenie meenie miney mo...” the brunette sang teasingly before letting his knife stop on his next victim. he quickly grabbed the boy and repeated his actions from the first time, eyes focused completely on jaxon’s face. he wanted him to know exactly what was coming.  honestly, the scene looked like something completely out of a horror film. there was a wild expression on his face as blood dripped from his hands and pooled around him on the floor. deep down, dakota was terrified of himself. the pure dakota that was buried beneath the surface. the one that was sitting aimlessly locked into a headset in the real world. but he couldn’t think about that now. couldn’t show that kind of weakness. he purposely drew out the killing of the remaining two players, that chaotic part of him feeding off of their terror and the anticipation of it all. it was cruel. he loved it. he could practically feel his sanity meter growing darker and darker but he didn’t mind it much. it was bound to happen eventually, wasn’t it? finally there were four bodies on the ground in front of dakota, leaving one absolutely horrified jaxon. clearly he’d underestimated the brunette. but didn’t he know that if dakota could do something so terrible to somebody he knew and was almost fond of like trace, he could do worse to strangers that had no real impact on himself? the redheaded male had dropped to his knees in weakness, lip quivering as he sobbed. it was an awful fucking sound. dakota sighed and stepped over the corpses, crouching down in front of his former teammate, clicking his tongue. “you know, jaxon, i’d love to know how dark your sanity meter is. at least as dark as mine is, huh? of course you can’t see it, but i’m sure you can imagine. you are the leader of this whole group, aren’t you?” the boy nodded and dakota chuckled before continuing. “of course you are. so, what, you just lure players in here and kill them? people who are just looking for essentials to survive? that’s why nobody makes it out of here, isn’t it? see, maybe i am a monster. maybe you’re right about that. but so are you. you’re just as fucked as i am, sweetheart.” jaxon’s face twisted as that as he sobbed harder and dakota shushed him as if he were comforting a child, his knife grazing the boy’s cheek. “oh, don’t cry, jaxon. it’s okay. i’m not sure i understand, though. see, all this--” he gestured to the mess around them, “is to ensure my survival. because i’ve got my baby waiting out there for me. but you -- what’s yours? trace told me your tragic little backstory. how your family abandoned you and that he was the only one still there for you. and, well, we both know what’s happened to him now. so there’s nothing left for you out there. i don’t know why you’d even want to hold on. nobody is going to care if you were one of the thousands of casualties this game caused or not. you know that, right? it’s okay, though. you don’t have to suffer anymore. not for long, i promise. just look at me. LOOK AT ME! that’s it, good boy. now....” he paused, hearing a familiar voice calling out his name. ryder.  “aw, pity, looks like our time is cut short. goodbye, jaxon,” he smiled before slashing the boy’s throat, watching the life slip from his eyes.

just as the jaxon’s body made contact with the ground, he could hear mutt barking behind him. shit. shit, shit, shit. he was fucked. he was absolutely fucked. the boy slowly pushed himself up to his feet, hands trembling as he came down from the rush the chaos before him had provided. he didn’t even realize that he was crying himself, now, until he was instinctively brushing it away, smearing the splattered blood on his face and even adding some to the mix due to his hands being covered in it. he looked like a nightmare. and now that he was more of himself, he almost felt ashamed. there wasn’t time to wallow in his self pity, though. because ryder was right behind him. he could feel those eyes staring into him. slowly he turned around, forcing himself to make eye contact with his friend. what would ryder think of him now? seeing him covered in blood, knowing exactly what he had done and been capable of? at least he couldn’t see his --- fuck. how could he have been so stupid? why hadn’t he noticed how much he and ryder had leveled up? as if on a cue, he saw a notification appear alerting him that they had reached a new level in their alliance that unlocked being able to see each-others sanity meters. dakota dropped his knife in defeat, breaking eye contact with ryder to stare down at the blood and bodies pooled around his feet instead, not saying a word. part of him was bracing for a bullet through his skull. 

[httpkota]

it was a well-known fact that ryder was careless, he was beyond careless actually to the point you could have looked up the word in the dictionary and you’d most likely find a selfie of him with a peace sign and a giant toothy grin plastered on his face. he would never admit to that though, in his mind, he was the worlds most careful person to ever exist; he always covered up his tracks and never made unnecessary noise…which conveyed to a major problem—every noise that came out of his mouth seems necessary and hiding his tracks with a dusty old mop was definitely his downfall when it came to being sneaky. “do you think we’ll find any food? i’m starving,” he complained towards the dog next to him that clearly had more than enough of ryder for the day ( safe to say if mutt was a person he would have told ryder to shut the hell up so many times it could replace how many atoms there were. ) “come on out zombies, i know you want some of this fresh all american walking deli!” he taunted trying to grab anythings attentions that could be in the right wing but everything was quiet—you know for a place that was rumoured overrun and filled to the top with the undead it was pretty much…well dead. the raven locked male didn’t pick up on it though as he kicked down door by door making his way down the hallway it was too clean….where was the blood? the gore? the zombies? he felt as if he walked into the emergency room at three in the morning. ryder came to a complete halt in the middle of the empty hallway a huff of air left his parted lips as he scratched the side of his neck in confusion on what the hell was going on in this place. “do you smell anything boy?” his tone holding a hint of worry and annoyance as the dog looked up at him with a cocked head. that meant no. “what the hell is going on in this place?” he mumbled to himself his chestnut-colored hues scanning the location before guardedly entering the room closest to him. again. everything was stack and arranged as if someone had taken their time to keep this place looking neat and well— organized. ryder quirked a brow up in confusion but that didn’t stop him from packing whatever he found, he’ll question that shit later. “this place gives me the chills, doesn’t it? i rather be faced with a hundred zombies right now than this dead silence,” he complained yet again to mutt but oh? where did the damn dog go? with furrowed brows, the male raked the room and no sign of the german shepherd. now ryder was feeling anxious. “mutt? hey? where did you go? come on it’s not funny you know this isn’t a good time to play hide and se—” his sentence was cut short as he heard the very distinctive bark of his companion dropping his bag to the stained marbled floor and advanced towards where the bark had come from. “mutt?!” he shouted louder this time looking around like a mother who had lost her child at the supermarket. “hey get that damn thing away from me!” was the next thing he heard just down the hallway the only door he didn’t kick open, how ironic. that was all he needed to hear as he bolted down to the room and practically threw himself against the door using his body to open it because— hey it looked cool in movies. his pistol was in hand right in front of his face his finger just itching to pull the trigger as his eyes landed on a couple of players standing on a table with mutt circling them, sharp teeth exposed and a low growl erupting from the dog’s chest. “we’ve talked about this haven’t we? you are supposed to tell me when you find players.” he scolded the dog forgetting the fact that there were threats just a few feet away from him. “shoot the damn dog so we can get this shit over with!” ryder heard one of the players say, probably the leader of that little group, ryder’s eyes widen as he saw one of them point the gun at mutt and with that ryder felt zero hesitation and he pulled the trigger landing a bullet right through the gamers head who was going to hurt his dog. “so, who’s next?” his voice was lower and almost unrecognizable at this moment as he glared at the other players.

”you know this guy?” one of the players asked, looking towards the redheaded male at the end of the lineup. his name was jaxon. a member of dakota’s original group in the game. he was nobody that dakota knew personally, but he was a friend of trace (who had introduced dakota to the game in the first place). jaxon died a week into the hacking. or, at least they thought he did. jaxon simply nodded, a glare fixed on dakota. “you’re a real piece of shit, you know that? you walk around like you’re some kind of saint but no, no, i see straight through your bullshit. i know what you’ve done,” the male spat. dakota quirked a brow and feigned innocence, shrugging. “i have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” he replied simply. the tension in the air was thick and nobody dared to move or interfere with whatever interaction was occurring. honestly? if looks could kill, dakota would be six feet under and burning in hell right now. though, luckily looks couldn’t kill and an unarmed nineteen year old was no threat to him. “trace. that’s what i’m talking about. you killed him! for absolutely no reason but your own selfish survival! you’re sick. there’s something fucked in your head, man. i saw you. i saw what you did. led him right into a zombie death trap, let several of them bite him before shooting them down and shooting him. couldn’t have just killed him, could you? no, had to make it look like you had no choice when you did. you always have a fucking choice. and you chose that getting yourself out was more important than an innocent life,” jaxon spat. and really, his words stung. dakota knew that what he did was brutal and unnecessary. but trace was holding him back. there was no way he would survive with trace at his side, and trace was going to be infected eventually anyway. somehow it seemed easier to deal with if he forced it to happen in front of himself and put him out of his misery right then and there. the act darkened his sanity meter significantly, though, and it was a downward spiral after that. he wasn’t a murderous beast, but he wasn’t exactly one to spare a life often, either. he tried to keep his kills justified, targeting any players who had been committing evil acts. sometimes he snapped, though, and before he could stop himself there was more blood on his hands. “trace was going to die anyway. i did him a favor. he didn’t suffer. and sometimes sacrifices have to be made. he understood that. it’s why we never came looking for you. we thought you were dead and sure, he mourned, but he knew it was probably for the best. this is a game of survival. it’s not my fault that you can’t understand that,” dakota shrugged, attempting to play it off. his words sat heavy in the air for a few moments before jaxon was spewing more insults. they were bearable and dakota was unphased. that was until he brought layla into the mix. “she’d be so disappointed in you! she’d be terrified! hell, she’d fucking hate you! you’re a monster!” the boy cried out. that......that was his mistake. maybe, maybe he could’ve walked free after this little encounter if he hadn’t brought up dakota’s daughter. that was a red fucking line. and it’s what caused the brunette to snap. he shoved his gun back into its holster and pulled out a knife instead. jaxon wanted a monster? then dakota would show him a god damn monster. tears were streaming down jaxon’s cheeks, that same hateful glare on his face, though now there was a hint of fear. “do you even regret it? feel any remorse for what you did to trace?” he asked quietly. someone really should’ve taught this boy when to stop crying. dakota pondered the question for a brief moment before getting right in the boys face and nodding. “every single day,” he replied before standing and dragging the male next to jaxon out of the lineup, positioning him so that the males back was pressed to his chest. dakota was peeking over his shoulder with a dark gaze, knife pressing into his throat. everyone visibly tensed. “i can assure you i won’t feel any remorse killing all your friends and then you, though,” he smiled wickedly before slashing the random players throat, forcing everyone to watch the life fade from his eyes before throwing the body to the ground. they all cried out in response. dakota laughed, twirling the knife in his hand. “who’s next?”

[httpkota]

ryder and mutt both looked up at dakota, heads cocked to the side at the same time it was almost…eerie on how in sync the two were. upon hearing the others words it almost made him want to be more careful; truly warmed whatever he had left of a heart. “hey, you too…well don’t die because if i come home without you i know zee will already have a bullet thru my head before i even step near the rv,” a faint genuine smile was now curving on his lips. he wasn’t much of the sentimental type but this moment really had him feeling some type of way. and with that ryder and mutt both headed down towards the right wing of the location, the dark haired male clicked his tongue twice signaling the dog to scout ahead as he kicked down the doors around him, his gun in front of him and finger on the trigger waiting to shoot anything that came his way.  in one of the rooms, ryder had stumbled upon some unused first aid kits and that meant this place had to have other useful things just laying around and he wasn’t goint to waste any time; he was going to find them. a low whistle leaving his lips calling mutt to return to him as he packed up all the supplies he could.

dakota couldn’t help but smile the whole way to his side of the building. it was comforting knowing that, maybe, ryder cared about him as a friend and not just an asset to the team that was helping ensure his survival. or at least that’s how he interpreted it. when he reached the left wing he immediately opened his bag and began scanning the shelves for anything that could potentially be of value either to them or for trade with other players. he started stuffing things into the bag before stopping. for some place that had supposedly been overrun and had been attempted to be raided several times, it was in great condition. almost too great. no, definitely too great. that’s when he began to notice a bit of the smaller details that most inexperienced (or simply rushed and oblivious) players wouldn’t notice. some of the shelves had scratches and faded blood spots, most likely left after a failed cleaning attempt. he pulled out his flashlight and shone the beam down to the floor, eyes narrowing at what could only be streaks of blood that had also been poorly cleaned. there were also some fairly recent muddy footprints. either someone else had been here scavenging within the last few hours, or this place was home to someone. and with how well stocked the shelves were? he was willing to bet that it was the second. the boy pulled one of the pill bottles from his bag and unscrewed the lid, swearing under his breath when he realized it was empty. he quickly checked all the others and, yep, same deal. this was a trap. someone was purposely luring players here with the false story of how it was overrun and — what then? killing them? dakota drew his gun and advanced further down the aisles, following the footprints on the ground. it wasn’t long till he reached where normally a pharmacist would be. obviously this was the apocalypse, though, so there was no pharmacist. the boy didn’t hesitate to climb over the counter and kept his senses on high alert, searching for any signs of life. voices. he heard voices. multiple people. when he rounded the corner, there they were in plain sight. they were clearly unaware of his presence, all huddled around a table with a map laid out and discussing some sort of plan. there were roughly five men. none of them appeared armed, probably because they weren’t expecting visitors. stupid mistake. “turn around and put your hands where i can see ‘em and maybe i’ll spare your lives. i want any weapons you possibly have tossed on the ground in front of you,” dakota instructed in a steady, emotionless voice. he wasn’t afraid. he knew if any of them acted out of line, he could handle them. the group turned around simultaneously, hands immediately going to the air. no weapons were dropped. so either they were actually unarmed as he expected, or they were just plain stupid. he was about to speak again when one of them called out his name, tone full of a mixture of anger and disbelief. immediately his gaze snapped towards the player, eyes widening. fuck..

[httpkota]

         “oh boo…” a pout now present on her bottom lip, “you just want me for my brains? i’m not going to lie…i’m hurt…and here i thought we had some kind of undeniable chemistry going on between us,” she teased the younger male, the pout being instantly replaced by a prominent smirk. the last words that left his lips caused her to fix her posture inhaling a quiet shaking breath; funny how he could say that but it was because of her that nicholas was dead. it was all her fault and she had to live with that guilt. they weren’t lucky to have found her— it was the exact opposite. zelda shook the thought out of her head as a weak chuckle left her lips, “nothing in this game is going to kill you, let alone a tornado because i’m sure you’ll be smart enough to actually find shelter unlike those others idiots.” maybe her words were slightly harsh and her tone was slightly more serious than she wanted it to be but she couldn’t even bare to imagine losing dakota someone she had sadly gotten used to being around. the brunette exhaled as she cocked her head to the side, light brown hues looking at the buck as she slung her rifle back over her shoulder, “well, it must be your lucky day bambi for you get to live another day..or hour, who knows,” she scoffed softly before turning on her heels and continued leading the way, “i hope we don’t have to fight any z or human for a spot to just camp out the rain if not i’m going to seriously pissed off.”

”no, i don’t want you for your brains. you’re far more than your brains. they’re just a major bonus,” dakota replied seriously, hoping she knew just how much he valued her as a member of their group and a friend. he seriously couldn’t imagine where he would be without her. the others, too, but zelda was the one he was around most often. “i appreciate your faith in my ability to survive. seriously, it means a lot to me. i think the others kind of underestimate me. like, i know they find me useful because i wouldn’t be around if i wasn’t, right? but i don’t think they know what i’m fully capable of.” then again, nobody knew what he was fully capable of. and it was probably best to keep it that way. the boy chuckled slightly as zelda spoke to the deer. it was weird, but he felt guilty every time he shot one. he knew it was necessary for survival but it made him think of layla and how excited she would get at night in the car when she’d spot one on the side of the road. he knew she’d be disappointed in him if she found out. “if people are seriously willing to fight us over shelter for the rain, they’re probably selfish assholes that are better off dead. and while the zombies aren’t selfish, i suppose, they’re also better off dead,” dakota shrugged as he followed along beside zelda.

[oscar-piastri]

[httpkota]

and just like that, they were off. for ryder this was new for he never really went on missions like this with dakota not that he was bias or anything but he knew how axel worked and still didn’t know much about the man in front of him which he didn’t really care but he just wanted to see some type of skill that would wow him…okay, so maybe he was a little bias but he wouldn’t be dragging dakota around if he didn’t see somethign in him. the dark haired male looked at dakota offended by the fact he was told to keep quiet; how could he do that? he loved causing a scene that was his thing. explosions, gun shots, more explosions that was basically euphoria for him but no…today he had to keep it down. with a roll of his eyes and two clicks of his tongue him and mutt were off towards the direction of the zombie as the dog clamped on the undead’s leg the male wasn’t hesitant when he pulled out a hunting knife and stabbed the zombie right smack center of the head pulling the knife out with ease. motioning the dog to follow him as he placed the knife back in his bag, making his way back towards dakota. the place seemed to be pretty empty which took him by surprise since everyone had talked about how dangerous this place was but he had been here for a good couple of minutes and nothing too extreme just yet. “psst, koda,” a failed attempt on whispering on his part, “you take the left wing and i’ll check the right one?” he asked waiting for a confirmation on his plan.

dakota watched with raised brows as ryder and mutt went to kill the zombie, huffing out a sigh. the kill wasn’t technically necessary. then again, he supposed that the other male probably didn’t care much about that. he rolled his eyes at the boys failed attempt at whispering before nodding. this place didn’t seem as overrun as they apparently thought, so splitting up probably wouldn’t be life threatenig. even if it was, he knew that the both of them could save themselves. or at least he was pretty sure of it. “yeah, alright,” he replied and began walking into the building before stopping completely. he turned around to face ryder and mutt with his lips pursed together, genuine concern in his eyes. “be careful, okay? i know you’re a tough guy and all of that bull but you never know what can happen. so just.....don’t die. i’d be pretty fucked off.” his lips turned up in a soft smile as he said the last two words, hinting at their earlier conversation. dakota lingered for a few more moments before heading into the building and going for the left wing.

[httpkota]

—

[httpkota]

[ronanlysnch]

[httpkota]

ryderhbu:

           “hey when you hear a good pun or joke in times like these you have to spread it,” he shrugged lazily, which was true. in times of human eating zombies and life or death situations, there wasn’t a lot of humor in this world so it was refreshing that dakota still had his sense of humor. ryder tried to hold back his laughter but it was almost impossible as it escaped from his lips, shaking his head at the younger male and softly punching him in the arm. reckless and crazy were the first traits that popped into his mind whenever he thought of himself but this was a video game after all, aren’t they supposed to be reckless and crazy? he pitied those who didn’t know how good they have it in this world. ryder rolled his eyes at dakota’s words, “we aren’t going to die and if we do die we can just…i don’t know i’ll see you in hell or something?” he wasn’t exactly the best when it came to a before the battle speech type of thing, to say the least but he did always try. “let’s get fucking crazy,” and with hat he clicked his tongue twice sending the dog to scout the area in front of them hearing nothing after a few seconds he knew the coast was clear at least for now as he motioned dakota to go in first. 

             dakota glanced at ryder before looking towards his own sanity meter, pursing his lips together. he quickly snapped back to the current situation though and nodded in response. “see you in hell,” he whispered to himself. this time he did wait for ryder’s cue before making his next move. he followed in mutt’s path, keeping an eye out for any undead just in case mutt hadn’t sensed one. not that he doubted mutt’s ability, but you could never be too safe. he kept his gun held up in front of his face, finger on the trigger to pull it at any given moment. there was one zombie off in the distance but he knew that shooting it would only attract more because of the noise, so he simply pointed it out to ryder then gestured for him to keep the noise to a minimum. 

[httpkota]

ardenism:

arden appreciated how calm the male was with her. most people she encountered weren’t so nice. she understood why everyone was like that, the situation they were in called for it, but it was frustrating being on edge all the time. “no, no, i’m not bitten.” she quickly assured him, in fear that she’d scare him off or he’d kill her if he thought otherwise. “i’m just bored out of my mind. literally…so bored that my mind left my body for a second.” it was a joke, but she realized she was just embarrassing herself at this point. “my name’s arden. you didn’t ask but…figured i’d put it out there. not a zombie, just a girl.” 

dakota felt more at ease learning that the girl wasn’t infected. he really didn’t feel like putting anyone out of their misery today. “nice to meet you, arden. i’m dakota though lots of people call me kota. not a zombie either, just a boy,” he smiled softly before making sure his gun was secured in its holster so she knew he wasn’t a threat to her. “guess i can’t really relate to being bored, though. my friends are all fairly wild. are you by yourself?”

[httpkota]

ryderhbu:

          “oh man, next time i see someone or a zombie…doesn’t really matter, i’m going to tell them about that pun that was amazing.” it wasn’t every day that ryder heard something that just really stuck with him to the point he wanted to share it with whoever he ran into first, whether it was the dead or the living. ryder rolled his eyes a sarcastic laugh leaving his lips, “hardy-har-har i’m more careful than you think, how do you think i’ve made it this far? not by being reckless or anything crazy of the sorts,” he joked. honestly, he was the least careful person in the group, damn probably in the whole game. being careful wasn’t even in his top ten priorities. “this is a video game, i’m sure if we try hard enough we can manage to digest a couple of bullets here and there,” his laugh was cut short watching dakota flip his gun around like some old western movie which caused him to roll his eyes but he wasn’t going to deny that it was pretty cool. “hey, come on i’m the team leader here you can’t just go,” he whispered walking behind dakota whistling so mutt could follow them. “so the plan here is…there is no plan, we go in we take what we can carry and we get the hell out, got it?”

          “wow, you liked it so much that you wanna share it? i’m seriously flattered,” dakota smiled, ducking his head to try and hide it. he felt kind of stupid to be so proud of something this simple but ryder wasn’t an easy person to please. he lifted his head as ryder began to speak again, instantly bursting out into laughter. reckless and crazy were practically his name. quickly he collected himself, though, nodding. “right, yeah, you. not reckless and crazy at all. pardon me for ever thinking such a thing. have no idea where i got it from. must’ve been an illusion.” he glanced back at ryder once but continued walking until he realized that he actually needed ryder’s direction. he was the leader, after all. “bloody hell, ryder. you’re a damn mess. if you die, it’s on you. and if i die that’s on you too. just saying,” the boy warned him before sighing. “alright, lets do this.”

[httpkota]

ardenism:

you could hear every step arden made, she was quick on her feet but definitely not silent. as if she cared, she planted the idea in her brain that she could out run any sticky situation she might get herself into, which wasn’t entirely false but wasn’t the truth either. she was way too confident for her own good. she strolled down the empty pathway, heavy footed and not really paying attention to her surroundings. which is why she jumped, almost lifted off the ground when she saw the figure of what seemed to be a person step in front of her. she tried to react as quickly as possible, before taking a second glance. “shit, fuck, don’t tell me i’m dead.” she mumbled in panic before realizing that the figure in front of her was a person. she grabbed her chest to make sure her heart was still beating before continuing, “you can’t sneak up on people like that!” she snapped, “i saw my life flash before my eyes…and there was a lot of glitter involved. am i really gonna see my fifth grade dance recital before i die? that’s so sad.” 

dakota was on his usual hunt when he noticed a girl who......wasn’t exactly zoned out, but wasn’t exactly paying attention, either. being in a group with two survivalists and an assassin, he knew that they would advise him to just stay away because she wasn’t his problem, but there was always that urge to protect and fight for others tugging at his heart. most of the times it made him regret having the guardian skill. or at least it did since the hacker took over. “sorry, sorry, i hadn’t meant to spook you, honest. you just --- i don’t know, i suppose i was concerned. you didn’t seem......all there. you’re not bitten, are you?” he asked with a small frown, eyes instantly scanning over the girl.

[httpkota]

zeldasrsly:

              “i wouldn’t say it’s manageable, half the players have died because of this weird ass weather which is why i don’t want to get a drop of rain on me god knows what the hell is in it,” shaking her head just at the thought of the rain catching up to them. “you heard that right,” she nodded her head in agreement, “a tornado in the middle of morte but it was one of the spots that most of all the survivalist tend to just camp out to, you know, wait for this whole situation to be over and done with but just out of nowhere this tornado hit and it killed over a hundred players.” the only reason she even knew all these rumors was because well, people talk and she normally was always hiding just to get a shoot at whoever she was paid to take out. “it’s weird ain’t it? just imagine minding your damn business and suddenly out of nowhere a fuc—” she cut herself off as she picked up on a stick breaking behind them, turning around with her rifle in hand and her index finger already pushing against the trigger without missing a beat. rolling her eyes as she spotted a buck minding its own business as she placed her rifle down. “to shoot or not to shoot bambi….” she sighed looking over at dakota in case he needed any deer meat or skin that he could trade off or whatever.

            “oh, fuck. see, i didn’t even know that. that’s why it’s good having you around. you’re a hell of a lot smarter than the rest of us. who knows? i might even be dead if it weren’t for you,” dakota admitted, laughing at his own stupidity. he was seriously thankful that they had zelda in their group. he listened as she spoke more about the tornado and huffed out a sigh. at this point he was convinced that whoever had hacked the game was purposely killing them off and even getting some kind of pleasure out of it. “that’s seriously messed up. man, if out of all the shit in this game, a tornado is what kills me, i’m gonna find the hacker and haunt their ass.” the boy turned at the same time as zelda, smiling softly at the deer. then he was shaking his head. “nah, if the weather is as serious as you’re saying then we don’t need a deer to be slowing us down. our best bet is to just keep going.” 

[httpkota]

ryderhbu:

          ryder looked over at the male with a serious expression trying his best not to laugh, “did you just…did you just make a pun? because you know…zombies are dead they can’t keep anything alive not even themselves if we’re trying to get technical,” he laughed softly, it had been quite a long time since he last laughed in any given way. it felt nice. like, a reminder that he was still alive. “alright, i guess you’re right about that but you can never be too careful, you know?” he shrugged softly before humming in response. “we are going to raid this place. it got overrun by a bunch of zombies because of some idiot and everyone stopped trying to get shit from here and there’s a bunch of medicine and a bunch of other medical type of shit that we can use or trade off for weapons.” he let dakota in on what he knew about the place as he took his pistol back out again, he was never one to check if he had enough ammo if all things failed he could simply blow up the place or something.

          “i did make a pun, thank you for noticing,” dakota smiled, a warm and comforting feeling washing over him at the sight of ryder genuinely laughing. it was a rare occurrence and he couldn’t help but be proud of the fact that he’d been behind it. he almost feels like if the only thing he accomplished in this damn game was bringing some light into the groups lives, it will have been worth it. “careful, huh? didn’t even know that was in your vocabulary,” the boy teased before looking at the building, instantly taking note of potential exits and what was surrounding them. “hm, alright. though, y’know, we can’t eat bullets so we should probably trade some of it for food, too,” dakota shrugged. he did a flip of his gun (that was 100% for the purpose of feeling and looking cool) before beginning to approach the building, not even waiting for ryder’s signal.