#hod starter

[kasiaxnilova]

She was cautious, her eyes scanning the horizon from the perch atop the roof of her car. Her presence was hidden by the dried foliage, but she still had a vantage point, and at some angles, her mess of black hair could be seen among the dying fauna. The dried blood clinging to the material of her jacket caught her attention, and her hands immediately began to pick. Call it superficial, but she still hated the constant grime that clung to her skin and the blood that would never wash out. She frowned at the sight, but drew her attention away from the tarnished fabric.

It was a moment too late. She had already been discovered, and she wasn't prepared in the slightest. The girl had been too trivial, and allowed herself to become distracted by a speckle of blood. Her face went rigid, it had been so long since she had the pleasure of talking to someone that was alive. It was an anomaly. But, she still knew what was necessary. She needed others to survive, so she had to be nice. Easy enough. Her hands released the grip she had upon her bow, and the false reassurance of a smile graced her lips.

          "Am I trespassing?" She paused, bringing her eyes to the stranger. There was a trace of dry humor in her tone, and she knows that it never ends well nowadays. So she returns to her original demeanor, if it goes South, she could probably jump in her car fast enough to make an escape... or at least try and crush the stranger.   An apologetic tone bleeds through her raspy voice, her eyes still on the survivor.

"I'm totally trespassing. Sorry. I'll uh-- I should leave."

[harmony-or-melody]

Never Never Land || Melody & Open

It’s just a mall. Just a plain old, normal mall. It’s a shame it hasn’t been kept up better, but Melody supposes they can’t all be as nice as the ones she’s used to. She’s just in a bad part of town, is all, and it’s for that precise reason that she darts into the first store she comes across in the hopes of avoiding any people who may be wandering around. They probably aren’t the sort she wants to be associating with, which is why she’d waited for those walking around in circles to pass by the entrance before she made her way in. Somewhere in the back of her head she knows that finding people is the precise reason Harmony has led them here, but the spirit has grown quiet since Melody got here and that sets her on edge. She doesn’t like being left in control anymore, doesn’t trust herself to navigate the world since everything changed over a year ago. And when she does have to be in charge, it’s easier to pretend everything is normal. Maybe if she pretends long enough, they actually will be.

Regardless, she trusts that Harmony will take over should danger appear again, and it’s with that in mind that she starts to make her way through the store she’s in. Shoe Department, it’s conveniently named, but as she works her way through a few knocked down shelves she begins to think she isn’t going to find the kind she’s looking for. Everything is displaced, boxes strewn all over the place, and as she crouches down to examine one she only finds a single red high heel. That’s not practical for walking or her upcoming beach trip, so she tosses the box aside and moves farther back in the store, searching both the ground and the shelves.

It’s only after several minutes of searching that she finds a nice pair of flip-flops. Not practical for all the walking she’s been doing lately, but that’s only temporary. Her car will be back from the shop in no time and then footwear won’t matter. Besides, they’ll be perfect for the beach, and they’ll match her favorite sundress. Smiling to herself, she pulls off a sneaker and slides one of the shoes onto her feet, but she frowns slightly upon realizing it’s much too big. The boxes are far too disorganized for her to be able to find another one, and at this point she’s too far lost in her own head to remember her original fear of the people here. “Excuse me?” She calls out into the store, searching for any sign of a worker. Surely there must be one around here somewhere. “Do you have these in a smaller size?”

[michaelalbinus-blog]

Misery Business || Michael & Hope

The corner of Michael's mouth was scarred with a cut that ran down his face, giving off the impression that he was half-frowning. The fog was insatiable, no matter where he went, it seemed to follow. In one hand he held a large blade, in the other hand he held a half-broken bag, one he wanted so desperately to carry on his back, but he knew it'd be too painful. He'd narrowly escaped an attack a few hours ago, but his only means of escape had sacrificed his temporary-well being; he'd landed somewhere not made for people to stand, as a result his back and face were all cut up. 

The first thing that came out of the fog was a gas station. Almost excitedly, he made his way inside, but to his dismay, it had clearly already been raided. There was nothing here for him to take, not even water - and that, he was running low on. The monsters came to his eyes next, and he sucked in a breath at the sight of them. This clearly wasn't the work of another monster, it was the work of other people. Michael couldn't tell at first sight if the monsters had been killed a while ago or if they were killed recently, but it was enough to spark the tiniest bit of hope within him. He had no interest in being around anyone but himself, but where there were people, there were supplies. Perhaps they were better at navigating through the fog, as well. Finding the people was a no-brainer for his survival.

The mall came into sight after some jogging. There were people outside, seeming to be keeping watch, and he hesitated before approaching the establishment. There was a sense of relief at the sight of people, but there was hesitance that came along with it; he hadn't ran into anyone who had cared about anything other than their own survival. He recalled this one woman who's nearly killed them then stolen his stuff, her eyes glowing bluer than the marks on her arms..

Intimidated by the front entrance, he wanted to keep his weapon at high at all times, but he didn't want to seem a threat. He tucked his blade away, making sure it was accessible just in case. Glancing around, he looked along the wall for another entrance, but it didn't take long for the people who were watching to begin walking around enough for him to be able to slip inside unnoticed.. Once he was inside of the mall, he looked around, thankful it wasn't too dark in here. The man wanted to make his way immediately to the supplies, but he knew better. Instead he looked around for someone he could talk to, perhaps not realizing that slipping through their security wasn't a great idea.

[hayley--parker]

Do You Have a Heart? || Hayley & Caden

Clothes, blankets, and medicine. Those were the three things Hayley and Caden who specifically told to collect, but they could pick up anything they felt was necessary to take. She didn't feel that this run was something she'd like to do, but she was also feeling like she had to give back to the group. Her powers grant her the ability to grow food, but she doesn't have any seeds to grow food with, so she's not doing much of anything. She does her patrols and kills a few walkers here and there, but that's the extend of her help. This run will at least make her feel a little more useful.

Standing in the doorway of the house she's supposed to clean out with Caden is much different than thinking about the run. She can hear sounds but assumes the source to be Rory and Thomas moving around the first floor, so she and Caden should be moving up to the second floor. "Do you want to lead?" she asks her partner. She'll lead if he wants her to, but she's seen him around the group before, anxious to help out. She figures this is more important to him than it is to her.

[andrew-quinn]

"Gunn"ing for a Hot Shower

Andy kept walking through the mist. He strode openly in the middle of the road, but his eyes darted back and forth and his ears twiched in constant alert. There was a small hatchet in his right hand that he seemed to keep a loose grip on but would randomly grasp tightly, as though making sure it was still there. His feet began to drag and his shoulders sagged as he hiked up the steep slope of the mountain road that he could barely see through the thick, almost supernatural, mist that engulfed him. Andy allowed himself a moment of distraction as he recalled the disappointing events that had lead to his long and tiring trek up this mountain.  When he had reached the high school that he'd been planning to hole up in, West Alb-something, it had been a mess. Upon inspecting the campus, it had looked like another group had been squatting there, but then had left in a hurry. It was the "in a hurry" part that had worried Andy. He'd headed back to a nearby book store and found a book with maps and information on local getaways and locales. He'd settled on "The Inn at Afton" which looked like a good place to hideout, given that it was at the top of a local mountain. It might even still have working amenities which is what got Andy very excited about the idea.

The prospect of a hot shower and a, hopefully, stable roof over his head kept his feet moving one after the other, despite the fact that he was worn out and irritable from lack of rest over the past two days. He began to stumble slightly less and he could feel his pace quicken as the slope lessened and he knew he was almost at his destination. [Almost there] he thinks, as he crests the mountain. As Andy approaches, a large, building shaped, silhouette appears in the fog. He couldn't see the sign in the fog, but he knew that he had arrived. Relief sweeps through him and without even thinking he runs straight into the lobby and collapses in front of the front desk, just happy to finally have a chance to sit down and relax with a roof over his head. "Made it another day" he mutters to himself as he sits back and rests for the first time in a couple days.

[holly--hill]

Far From Home || Holly & Benjamin

Holly's stomach had been about ready to burst with excitement when she had heard the rumble of several engines rush past her. She had run out of the supermarket she was staying at, eager to get a glimpse of the people she was supposed to meet. Her brother had told her where she was supposed to stay and when the convoy was going to drive past her location on her way to the high school. He had not, however, told her about that blanket-like fog that was covering the ground as far as she could see. Which in any case, wasn't much. The dense white mass surrounded her from every direction, preventing her from seeing much more than a few feet in front of her at any time. 

It had been three or four days since she had heard the first car speed past her on their way to the high school. She was taking her sweet time getting everything ready. The small garden she had grown out back had been cut down and flattened just in case. She had a small bag of green beans, a couple of beets, more carrots than she could count, one cucumber she was saving for its seeds, a few heads of lettuce and some radishes. All in all, a decent amount of food for only having stayed a couple of weeks in fairly dangerous territory.

Holly packed it all into the bed of her truck before covering it with a tarp along with her sleeping bag and the small backpack filled with clothes she had hauling along since she had left home. She was set. Her head turned in the direction of the highway. She had looked at the map so may times she knew exactly where she needed to turn, and how the road leading up to the school twisted and turned. There was nothing keeping her here anymore. It was now or never. The fireworks she had seen gone off the night before were sure to attract the dead. The group had to be moving soon if they were smart.

She climbed into her rust old family truck, petting the dashboard affectionately, praying that it would at least roar to life this one last time. The 1974 Ford F-100 sputtered on, groaning for a few moments before settling into a bumpy but constant grumble. Holly had eliminated her habit of looking into the rear view mirror since she had left home, so as soon as the red-brown truck was alive, she stepped on the accelerator and pulled onto the turnpike. 

Holly was completely numb as she drove down the road, humming a familiar tune as she tried to keep her mind off of what was next. She was excited to be reunited with humanity, sure, but on the other hand, she knew next to nothing about these people. With their numbers, they could kill her before she could even say 'Hello'. Nevertheless, she had made it this far. She couldn't go home. She would go crazy if she continued on her own. Before she knew it, she was slowing down to a park. The load rumble of her truck's old engine must have alerted the people inside to her presence, so she steps out of the rusty vehicle and waits, occasionally eying the hunting rifle in the passenger seat in case something went wrong.

[caden-roush]

Unplanned Reunion || Open & Caden

The last month or so of Caden’s life has really put him through the ringer, testing him almost like it wanted to see if he were still capable of living in this world. Waking up for the second time, the little fragments of memories he had a hard time placing, the many face, the many names; they all came crashing back, filling in the blank spaces of his mind. Remembering was bittersweet. On one side it was good to remember more thing about his family, but on the other it left him feeling uncertain about himself after surviving a year in this hell. He’d been called lazy, selfish, ungrateful; things, traits that one person should not have if they want to make it out alive. It’s true that he would of rather sat back, took nap instead of aiding a hand where help needed it must.

Staying back in D.C with some of the others from the group, Caden knew that he needed to change his ways, change his attitude towards and how he felt about certain thing, and that was the driving force, what it took to push him in the direction of becoming someone better, more suitable for this world. Some of the others showed him a few things from fire making to taking apart and reassembly is gun, reloading it and eventually how to shoot properly…and not with his eyes shut. Sometime after the second blackout Caden started to become overwhelmed with the whole group scene, and one night he packed his things, informed the leader he’d be leaving and if he wanted to try and stop him, he could.

There wasn’t any sign, nothing to tell him that they group would be looking for him. The trek into Virginia proved to be much, much more difficult than he originally thought, with having to avoid hordes of the undead, group after groups of marauders who raided anything and everything. But he did it, he made it to Orange, Virginia, taking the time to rest at a train station that he, a seventeen year old boy, managed to clear out all on his own to. Okay, five to six zombies isn’t much, but he still managed it on his own and he wanted to at least spare himself of the fog that he had entered a few weeks back. As it turned out, Caden wasn’t the only one to stop at the train station, there had been others there before him. A conflict came about, he saved them, and got wind that a group, his group, was set up about a half an hour down the road. Caden trusted them because how could he not? After all, he has spoken to them many times before, and now, here he was weaving through the fog around familiar and unfamiliar cars, gun in hand as he slowly made his way toward the winery.

[lilith-strauss]

Found || Lillith &

It's been a long old day and Lily is starting to feel it. She'd pushed herself too hard, tried to take on too much and cover more ground than she was capable of covering in one day, and now she can barely lift her feet off of the ground. It had been going well until she'd gotten herself into trouble, she'd used too much of her power to get out of the stickiest of situations and if she doesn't find shelter soon she's certain that  she'll probably be dead by morning.

She stumbles towards the fog hidden building, just barely able to make it out in the distance. She's not sure what it is but she's beyond caring, she just wants to get there. She's done this before, she'll barricade herself inside, stick it out for a few days and everything will be fine. She just has to get there. She just has to keep on moving.

Her feet scrape against the ground and she looks almost childlike in her movements.The building gets clearer the closer she gets to it but it feels like it's getting further away, harder to reach. She's nearly reached her limit, she nearly falls to her knees and gives up, but then a shape in the fog, a distinctly human shape, keeps her on her feet. She lets out a pained sound, a moan of despair, because of course she's run into one of them. It's just her luck. She pulls at her hair for a moment before taking a deep breath and thinking it through logically. She doesn't really have the energy to run from it, not at a great speed anyway, so fighting it is her only option. She'd run out of bullets a week or so ago so she pulls out the crowbar from her bag, lifting it lazily and waiting for the creature, whatever it may be, to come to her.