forget superstition;

Noah Griffith, 26-years-old, The young and impossibly intelligent council member. I've been in a daze. It seems like days that I've been waiting for this dream to pass…

[criminalmindsgraphics]

[noah--griffith-blog]

What-- Oh...

[henmorrison-blog]

We still have some smooth sailing, no need to worry just yet.

[noah--griffith-blog]

Just yet…

Is there a lingering feeling of impending doom, or is that just me? It just feels as though we could be more prepared -- We should be more prepared.

[noah--griffith-blog]

What-- Oh...

[brookefullerton]

"Don’t worry, everyone’s a bit jumpy right now"

[noah--griffith-blog]

I'm just… paranoid.

Haven't slept much, and-- well, as you said, I'm sure everyone's the same way. I just can't stop worrying about miscalculation… We've been keeping a good track on the herd, but there's always that possibility we get caught off guard. Sorry-- I'm rambling, aren't I?

[noah--griffith-blog]

What-- Oh...

Right. Definitely hearing things… Just hearing things.

[ssadrblake-deactivated20150114]

[chrrycola]

That doesn’t make any sense. You can’t catch a falling star. It would burn up in the atmosphere.

[supernatasha]

[toyboxboy]

[oldmanschwartz-deactivated20140]

Reiner arched an eyebrow and Noah’s flinch, making note of it. The boy was skittish. He reminded the soldier of a high strung rabbit that knew the fox was near, but he couldn’t tell where it was. 

"Because you were the first I saw." Reiner replied, his tone light and almost playful as they walked through the woods towards the farm Reiner had passed on his way to the sanctuary. The soldier glanced at Noah out of the corner of his eye. "Besides, I just need someone to help me butcher the meat and carry it back."

[noah--griffith-blog]

Noah had kept both his head and gaze down, shrinking in on himself as though it would keep him protected from anything they might encounter. Offering the slightest of nods without glancing up as Reiner answered his question truthfully, it wasn't until he felt the man's eyes briefly on him that Noah looked up. The woods and trees around him were unrecognizable after all this time… Even if he'd surely be able to find his way back to the outpost from any direction, the feeling of being lost rose Noah's heart rate.

"You should have said so in the first place," He began, his tone not particularly unfriendly or bitter, "Then I could have at least had a chance to say no and offer you someone more… capable". At the sound of a faint rustling (an animal, he quickly deduced shortly after), Noah tensed and unthinkingly stumbled closer to Reiner for protection. This was going to be the night Noah died -- He was sure of it.

[oldmanschwartz-deactivated20140]

Reiner chuckled, patting the man on the shoulder as the gate shut behind them. “Don’t tell me you are scared of the dark!” Reiner teased, unhooking a knife and a pistol from his belt for Noah when he saw the man had no weapons. “Only shoot if you need to.” Reiner stated seriously before heading head first into the woods without a care in the world or any sort of worry making his step falter. 

The outside world was Reiner’s kingdom. He knew how to mold it, tame it, and dominate it. The fear of being left outside the gates was not enough to deter Reiner from wandering. Reiner knew what needed to be done and he was going to do it no matter the equals. 

[noah--griffith-blog]

Even such a simple, albeit unexpected, gesture as the man patting his shoulder had Noah noticeably flinching. The safe sanctuary of the outpost had been torn away, now leaving him to face the danger of the world that he often elected to ignore. He had been hesitant to accept the offered weapons, though did so anyway. They sat awkwardly in his hands, as though he were unsure what to do with a knife let alone a pistol. A sarcastic and bitter scoff left Noah before he could repress it -- Only shoot if he needed to? Did the man think him as an idiot?

"Fear of the dark is irrational," He quietly spoke up, picking up on Reiner's earlier comment a bit late, "It's the fear of what's in the dark that can be justified". His attentions turning to the man who he was sure kept close to him, Noah quirked a brow. "You could have taken any hunter with you to help, or even someone who actually knows how to shoot… Why me?"

[oldmanschwartz-deactivated20140]

Reiner didn’t slow down his gate as he strode to the gates of the outpost, nodding to the guards. Already he had made acquaintance with some of them and was already building his influence despite having yet to become one of the guard. “We are going cow hunting!” Reiner crowed, flashing Noah a large, exuberant smile. “Come, now! We can get there and back before it gets dark, my boy!”

[noah--griffith-blog]

"C-cow hunting?" Noah repeated, the hesitation blatantly obvious in his tone of voice and unintentional stutter. With a final, unsure glance towards his familiar surroundings, he reluctantly followed after the man. Why exactly, was beyond Noah… There were pros and cons to the scenario, he reasoned. Pro: Seeing that a source of food was hunted for, as well as making sure Reiner stayed alive and returned before dusk -- Though the latter seemed the least of Noah's concerns. Con: Just about everything else.

"We have about two hours at most before it becomes too dark," He thought aloud, gazing briefly at the sky after having joined Reiner's side. Even if he were stating the obvious, he continued on. "No one is allowed inside the gates after dark, though I'm assuming you already knew that…" The majority of his words were quietly mumbled to himself, his eyes worriedly scanning around them just as they exited the safety of the walls. Noah sucked in an uneasy breath of air at the realization… He was unarmed and unprepared with a stranger who could tear him in two, outside the walls that he hadn't left in well over half a year.

[oldmanschwartz-deactivated20140]

Reiner nodded. “I was actually…in fact I was about to try to seek out a helping hand.” Reiner’s eyes flicked up and down Noah’s lanky form, ending with an approving smile. “And you will do just fine!” Reiner chirped, motioning of the boy to follow him as he moved towards the gates.

[noah--griffith-blog]

"And what are--" Noah began but quickly silenced himself just as soon as he had unsurely spoke up, the man's additional thought interrupting. Even as Reiner made the motion to leave, Noah remained still, attempting to make sense of what had just happened. Gradually, his steps began to follow Reiner on their own volition -- He couldn't let the man leave on his own. No one left the outpost alone. But Noah, he simply never left the sanctuary of the walls. "Wait," He huffed, catching up to stop Reiner just before the gates, "You shouldn't-- I mean, um… You should at least tell me what it is you need help with first".

[its-alex-thompson]

Didn’t want chicken nuggets. Wanted a Big Mac.

[noah--griffith-blog]

I was going to spare you the details. Most fast food burgers were made from meat scraps and treated with ammonium hydroxide. They even referred to the beef as "Pink Slime".

[toyboxboy]

[oldmanschwartz-deactivated20140]

Reiner tensed when someone ran into him, his aged, grizzled face snapping towards the stranger. He was thin and lanky, a smart hold about his face but little definition of a fighter. Reiner smiled to the stranger, his laugh lines deepening. "Nice to meet you, Noah!" Reiner chirped, extending a hand. "Reiner Schwartz."

[noah--griffith-blog]

Noah had been taken aback by the other male's display of friendliness, not quite anticipating such a thing out of the stranger. For several beats of silence, he stared at the extended hand before offering a brief, meek smile and accepting the gesture. "Reiner Schwartz," he repeated, saving the name to memory, "I won't forget it". Finally, Noah took note of the supplies that the man carried in addition to his clothing, and the damage done to his eye. "Are you heading somewhere? I just-- Sorry, again, for running into you. I don't mean to keep you from, um… whatever it is".

[oldmanschwartz-deactivated20140]

Reiner stepped out of his hotel room, dressed in his usual garb of thick military pants, heavy boots, faded thick green jacket, and hunting rifle slung over his shoulder. The only thing different was he swapped out his scarf for a large, empty hiking backpack that had a few supplies in it. Reiner walked down the steps and started his way to the gates, whistling a cheery old tune to himself as he seemed to walk with a spring in his step with his hands tucked into his pant’s pockets.

[noah--griffith-blog]

With the recent influx of new residents in the outpost, Noah had been finding countless ways to keep himself occupied. Assuring that all survivors had plenty of space to reside in as well as enough food to keep from starving were at the top of his priorities, leaving him little opportunity to become familiar with any of the newcomers. Currently, Noah was lost in his head, mind whirring through his carefully organized mental notes with his head kept down as though he were avoiding anyone who might come his way. Otherwise distracted, he hadn't even recognized a stranger approaching from the motel until Noah was bumping off of the man's shoulder. Something of a rather embarrassing squeak of surprise came from somewhere in his throat as he immediately stepped back from the unfamiliar man. "Sorry-- I'm Sorry. I didn't see you…" He was quick to mutter an apology, his gaze evading the other male's aside from scanning over his face. "You must be new here… I mean, I just don't recall meeting you. I'm um, I'm Noah".

[its-alex-thompson]

A burger. From McDonald’s. I know the world has ended, but it wasn’t that long ago.

[noah--griffith-blog]

Oh. So I see… I've never had McDonald's. Not before the outbreak and, well, especially not now… Do you know how horrible their chicken nuggets were? They actually included the entire chicken carcass - skin and all - and were put through the grinder and tossed in batter until they appeared somewhat edible.