— “ are you FOLLOWING me?” mason’s voice is light as he turns to see the very girl he expected to see: nora lopez. he doesn’t really believe she has really been following him, but his cockiness and surety is positive to get a reaction from her. he quirks up an eyebrow at her, smirk on his face as he leans back against the outside fencing of ailton, arms crossed over his chest. a picture of p u r e relaxed. “ … because, hey, i’m FLATTERED. who doesn’t want a pretty girl as a stalker?”
“Who could blame me for following the handsomest guy around?” Nora said dryly. It was obviously a JOKE, but knowing how cocky Mason was, he would take it seriously. Whatever, Nora rarely got to have any fun these days, and flirting was fun. It was light, pointless, freeing -- kind of like how she felt around Mason most of the time. “I’m probably like your dream stalker, huh?” She said lightly. “If we weren’t on the brink of death all the time, you’d be writing my name in notebooks with hearts all around it.”
“ One thing I do know, don’t you get bit. “ // pandora
With an overnight pack slung over her shoulders, containing water, one can of food and a few extra layers, it was obvious that Nora was going on a hunting trip that would take a few days. If the roles were reversed, she would be worried about Panda, too, but Nora preferred to play it cool. With a smile, she joked, “How could I get bit with someone like you around?” It didn’t feel like enough so after a brief pause, Nora added, “You don’t get bit either, okay? Or I’ll come kick your butt.”
❛ it’s fucking gorgeous . ❜ all with a smile , palms waved mid drift . the scenery was the last thing she concerned herself with anymore . it all looked the same now , with nature reclaiming what was hers ; with human involvement all but dead , who would fight her claim ? ❛ thought you might like some company here i was , worried you’d get lonely without me & this is how i’m thanked . i’m hurt , truly . ❜ teased , mocked , all in good fun as one hand came to rest on her chest while the other pointed at the arrow tip aimed in her direction .
Some people in the world you bonded with immediately, and for Nora, Panda was one of them. Her attitude and bravado was infectious and complimented Nora’s tenacity and fight. Really, her desire for the world to be better, both pre and post apocalypse came from a fire that burned inside her. The world could be better because it had to be otherwise they would all perish — really, it was that simple. What drove Panda Nora wasn’t exactly sure, besides her daughter, but she came to came about her friend deeply nonetheless. It had only been a month, they had years to get acquainted (hopefully). “Just like you,” she chirped. “I was so lonely without you that I contemplated finding a walker,” she said, though the joke was arguably in poor taste. The apocalypse had jaded her. Nora dropped the bow and wrapped an arm around Panda’s shoulders. “How much did it hurt you when I was gone? You’re like a puppy following me, but obviously better.”
The cabin that she and Gabriela had found was seriously amazing. Surprisingly undamaged, too, Nora noted as she looked around. There were a few cans of beans, one bottle of vodka and numerous ramen packages. “Do you think these things really expire?” Nora asked curiously as she broke into the bag of noodles. They smelled fine, and honestly, after four years without anything decent, Nora wasn’t picky these days. “I’m going for it,” she announced and plopped a huge mouthful of the noodles into her mouth. She moaned dramatically and exclaimed, “They’re sooooo good!” Yeah, obviously, Nora wasn’t too bothered by the fact that she and Gabriela had had to hunker down for the night to avoid a) walkers and b) the huge rain storm. “You know what I miss?” She asked before hopping onto the wooden countertop. “Just driving for hours without a destination. You think we could steal a car and gas?” It was a pipe dream, but sometimes, those were necessary.
profanities fly out of minnie’s mouth a mile a minute . she’s not lost anything , nor has she been raided in the night , but the nastiest cut on the side of her leg’s opened up AGAIN and while she has water , it’s not the kind she wants to use on a wound ( it’s been filtered , which is specifically reserved for eating and drinking ) . aware of a river nearby , she’s been stumbling clumsily through the woods toward the sound of running water . she’s been lucky enough to not run into anyone ( or , anything ) , at least , until she sees a hunter from a nearby settlement. she straightens up immediately , leaning against a nearby tree and lifting up her right leg . ‘ no , i’m fucking bleeding , ’ she replies sharply , craning to look at her cloth covered wound . ‘ you wanna get me some river water , or are you a fend for yourself sort of person ? ’ she asks , handing the woman a flask hanging off her backpack .
The wounded were always something that Nora was wary of. Most of the time, she was attracted to rogues, curious about how they survived without help — in someways, it was an attractive lifestyle — but rogues were also unpredictable. Since the injury was on the woman’s leg, Nora figured her odds of getting the upper hand were excellent and her compassion won out the second she handed Nora the flask. “I got you,” she replied, moving towards the river and filling the flask with water. “What happened? You need me to bandage it?” Nora asked as she handed the woman the water.
he’d spent most of the day on the other side of the river ; washing clothes , cleaning , trying to make sense of himself despite the dirt . it was often he found himself coming back , as long as the river was still running . but it had to be quick , he wasn’t the only one that had used the running water for himself . traps had been laid along the shoreline , tucked under leaves and pebbles . he’s halfway putting his shirt back on , after sitting out and letting them dry . a ruffling through the bush , and another person startled him . he’s quick to lean on the gun tucked between his trousers . chest rise and falls with surprise , and his gaze narrowed on nothing but habit . “not exactly -” it’s a little colder than he meant ; but the realization soon hit him . brown eyes touched the back of a memory he was sure had been long forgotten . there’s a furrow in his brows and immediately —- shoulders relax . “nora ?” it couldn’t be , she wasn’t even on this continent ; let alone somewhere lost in the woods on the outskirts of texas . it was an illusion , his mind playing tricks on him . maybe an apparition from not eating as frequently as he should . either way , she wasn’t real . she couldn’t be .
The apocalypse had made everyone paranoid and Nora expected the man to reach for his gun. Humans weren’t trustworthy anymore, and even when you weren’t faced with a zombie, it was probable that you would be confronted by someone starved and deranged. Thankfully, however, this person didn’t want a fight. It took Nora a moment to recognize Josiah, someone she met a lifetime ago, and spent a few weeks with between jobs. Their fling had been short, but Nora was relieved to see Josiah alive nonetheless, although she had believed he was dead a long time ago. Army men were difficult to contact, as it turned out. “Hey,” she said softly. “You’ve lost weight — let me check my traps,” she said, moving towards the different traps she laid and checking for animals. “I can share some food. Um, how’d you get here?” So much for a warm welcome. Reunions these days always made Nora nervous. As happy as you were to see someone you cared about alive, death hounded them all. “I’m happy you’re here,” she added after a pause.
when amelia received the radio message that her daughter left camp , she immediately checked on the citizens of the saints , then off to the woods she went . knowing her daughter like the back of her hand , amelia let her instincts lead her through the forest . maybe she was being a helicopter mom or over-protective , but nothing important needed her back home , and she hadn’t visited her daughter in a bit . half an hour later , she could hear the rushing water , and feet led her right to the target . “ oh , definitely . such a breathtaking world we live in . “ a soft chuckle left her lips , stepping closer to her daughter .
It was no surprise to Nora that her mom ended up being the sound she heard in the bushes. Immediately, as she lowered the bow, a smile crossed her face. The grief had been real and raw over losing her brother and her father, but without her mom, Nora wasn’t sure she could have survived the apocalypse without losing herself entirely. Everyone needed a beacon of light in their life. “I can’t imagine anything more beautiful than the world we live in right now,” she said wryly, stepping forward to hug her mother. “How have you been? How’re the Saints?” Of course there were moments that Nora wanted to leave Camp Serotonin to join her mothers’ camp, but ultimately, their strategy was more effective to create a cure if their message spread farther.
It wasn’t often that Jesse got out beyond the borders of camp, but from time to time he escaped the pressures of leadership for a little change of pace; even if that meant helping out with dam maintenance or working with the hunters. It was what brought him outside the familiarity of Serotonin and into the fresh air - or, ideally fresh air, anyway. With the spreading disease, who knew what they could stumble upon.
As he approached the rivers edge, he hadn’t expected to stumble upon Nora, but he wasn’t disappointed with the company. “Naturally,” he agreed to her words, arms folding across his chest and casting her a smile. “This what you do on your ‘hunts’, enjoy the scene?”
Of all the people Nora could run into at the riverside, she was pleased to see that it was Jesse. Immediately, she returned his smile and placed the bow over her shoulder. “Yeah, I look for the prettiest area and hope I can find some meat there,” Nora joked. Normally, her hunts lead her to the city, raiding stores and cabins and warehouses, which was always bleak. Jesse knew that. “Is this what you do on your time off? Come to bug your favourite hunter for some company?” She teased, a fond note in her tone.
Water was crucial for every living creature, although the camps largely had that problem looked after. (Was it pragmatic that Nora always took stock of where moving water was located? The dams seemed effective, but Nora always wanted a backup plan.) But animals needed water to survive, too, and that’s what lead her to a river a few miles away from camp. Nora had set traps all along the riverside and was currently leaned against a tree, awaiting one of the traps to go off and dinner to be discovered. When she heard a rustle in the bushes, Nora immediately readied her bow and turned towards the noise. Snorting when she saw a person and not a zombie (thankfully) or an animal, she said, “Afternoon. Are you taking a break from the apocalypse to admire the scenery, too?” Obviously, that wasn’t actually what Nora was doing, but the river was awfully beautiful.
( lindsey morgan. 25. she/her. ) we spotted NORA LOPEZ-CHEN around toledo today, just another gear in the machine of the apocalypse. i heard she is a HUNTER for CAMP SEROTONIN. i guess it fits, seeing as she’s known to be + tenacious & + protective, as well as - impulsive & - emotional. they often have go by the chemical brothers stuck in their head while they work. i wonder if they’re prepared for what’s coming ?
So Nora here was adopted and originally grew up in Dallas, Texas. She was raised in a pretty strict household, but loves her whole family dearly.
All that said, Nora was always extremely independent, and she had a lot of trouble being confined in Dallas despite it being a big city. Her dreams were always to travel and roam and experience whatever life could possibly give her.
Throughout high school, Nora was naturally gifted, but it didn’t captivate her in any specific way. She was still dreaming of renting an RV and just going, to be free. By the time she landed a job at 16, she was already saving money to leave America.
By graduation, Nora booked her first flight to New Zealand with no return date. She rented a van there and just explored the country, meeting people as she went. She didn’t speak to anyone she grew up with in Dallas besides her mother, but Nora didn’t miss them either. She was wild, and really, that’s all Nora wanted.
Eventually, as she was on the road, Nora started writing blog posts about it and vlogging her daily adventures for her family to see originally. While it was never intended to be a business, somehow, Nora ended up blowing up. She didn’t feel passionately about it — really, she wanted to travel without influence — but it paid her bills.
After New Zealand, Nora visited Costa Rica, and it was there that she began learning the basics of outdoor survival. She learned how to effectively shoot a bow and shockingly, Nora was great at it. Next, she learned how to purify water, and on and on it went, staying in a small village away from civilization.
As Nora explored, by twenty-two, she began growing more passionately about ending poverty across the world. After experiencing it firsthand in Africa, she created a small charitable organization where all the profits went to creating housing and reusable resources.
Naturally, as a foundling organization, it wasn’t the most successful, but Nora was dedicated to the cause wholeheartedly. She used her vlogs and platform to encourage people to help and as she did so, Nora continued learning more about basic survival without the luxuries of her upbringing. It was inspiring, especially the communities, and Nora genuinely loved learning.
For years, Nora lived that way, aiding communities however she could, and simply existing beside them. (Thankfully for the apocalypse, her archery and survival skills improved, too.) On some projects, Nora also worked directly for the charities — always ones she vetted.
All the while, Nora stayed in close contact with her family whenever possible and visited regularly.
On the verge on a burnout, Nora worked hard okay!, her parents and brother persuaded her to come back to the States and relax for a moment. Nora agreed, knowing they were probably right, and bam, the outbreak occurred during a layover in California.
Nora’s only real saving grace was traveling to the forest and knowing how to survive there based on her travels alone. She stole what she needed, including a bow, warm clothes, and other necessities and Nora continued traveling light and quietly. Of course, wherever she could, Nora joined forces with people — one of whom she became close with.
Eventually, Nora found her mother and the two traveled alone for a while. This lead Nora to Camp Serotonin where joined forces with them as a hunter. She will do anything to protect her camp and she cares deeply about them.
Meanwhile, her mom created the Saints. Nora visits them often!
On occasion, Nora teaches people things she learned on her travels, both through stories and practical skills.
Currently, she’s still searching for any of her friends because Nora NEVER gives up okay. Ever.
Also, being an idealist, Nora is determined to help find a cure.
PLOTS:
Life Preserver: The person Nora traveled from California to Toledo with. I imagine these two are close and remained that way, but whether they stayed with Camp Serotonin or not is up to you!
A Hunting Buddy: Nora goes hunting alone quite often, but this person is her go to whenever she’s worried that the risk is higher than normal. I also imagine this person is one of her closest friends around camp.
Blast from the Past: Nora obviously traveled around a lot and it’s realistic that someone she met along the way is here now. This person could have been someone she cared deeply about or couldn’t stand. The point is, she just knows about them, and is most likely invested in their well being because it reminds her of pre-apocalypse.
Escape: Nora is someone that would want to escape from what’s going on every now and again. I imagine this is a little more physical than it is emotional so basically just a hookup.
Best Friend: Someone that Nora has bonded with and trusts implicitly. They can be from any camp!
The Medic: Doing what Nora does, she gets wrecked a lot, and this person is her go to fix it station. She probably brings them little souvenirs as thank you’s that the camp doesn’t need.
These are just ideas! I’m really down for anything. Anyway, like to plot!
