Xanadu Clarke

Clarke. 19. “But you can't start. Only a baby can start. You and me - why, we're all that's been. The anger of a moment, the thousand pictures, that's us. We can't start again.”

[catalina-napier-deactivated2014]

Stuck in a hard place || Open Para (to everybody)

[xanadu-clarke]

"To be honest, yes he was. He’s fucking amazing at sex. The best I ever had was with him." She laughed thinking about the found memories she had spent with Oliver. "And it’s not just that the sex was good, we connected. It wasn’t just casual sex, we actually put feelings into it and it was passionate, you know? It meant something." Now the girl was just rambling on and on about her very personal life to the practical stranger.

"Now enough about me, and more about you." Stacey turned her direction towards Clarke. "Tell me a little bit, or everything about yourself. Anything you’d like, just like I did with you. I promise, nothing leaves this car." Stacey smirked at her. "And don’t worry, I don’t judge either. If you have a shady or bad past, I understand, I think we all do. Everybody has made mistakes and done things they are not proud off." She admitted in all honesty. 

---

Clarke shook her head. "I've never had it so..." She shrugged. "But I'll take your word for it." It didn't bother her, being a virgin. She had bigger concerns now. But God, it used to. A small smile crept over her face, but it evaporated fast. The past had no place here. No distractions; they'd only get her killed. Business. Survival. That was all she could focus on.

"What's there to say?" She asked, looking straight ahead. "I don't have like, a big story or anything." Clarke sighed, rolling her eyes. Perhaps she'd been cold, or something. "Sorry. I just... I was an only child, my parents were teachers. I made a few mistakes and... That's it. Nothing special, you know?" She forced a smile, stopping the car at a red stop sign. She hadn't lied; not exactly. She'd simply... Grazed the truth; left out the parts about Chase, the drugs, jail. Clarke looked up, bringing her palm to her face. "Sorry. Sometimes I forget." She shook her head, continuing on. It was kind of funny, how she'd stopped, but she didn't laugh. She didn't laugh much, nowadays.

[gregoryleaderofbiters-blog]

House of Cards ll Gregory&Xanadu

[gregoryleaderofbiters-blog]

There was obviously tension between them, but that would be stupid. Stupid got you killed. Gregory didn’t plan on dying today, and knew whatever unease he and Clarke had together would have to be pushed aside. He was about to make some sort of snarky remark towards her boasting when she said biters. He thought that he was the only person who called them that. He and other Woodburians, that was.

"Y’say biters, too," he noted with an obvious smile. "Might not wanna use that term around the others, though. I did to Daryl once, and it didn’t exactly gauge a smile from him. My old camp used to be this fortified town. We called the dead biters, but ya see, a lot of people in our group were indifferent towards Woodbury. And I’ll catch ya up on the history of it all at a different date.”

He was rambling now, and didn’t want Clarke to think he was some wishy-washy man stuck in the past. Instead, Gregory cleared his throat and added, “And together. Never loot alone. If a biter gets close to ya, I ain’t no use in helpn’ if I’m in another house. I’ve got your back, and I’m hopen’ ya got mine.”

Without waiting for her response, Gregory got out of the truck and began to stare at the large mansion they were about to tackle.

[xanadu-clarke]

"Ains-" Clarke started, stopping herself. The less he knew, the better. "Yeah, I use it." Her mouth curved into a thin line, slightly raised at the right corner. To those she didn't know, it was a smirk. To those she did, it was a mask. Three weeks. Ainsley had died three weeks ago. Clarke hadn't cried, she couldn't. But Ains… She was the only friend Clarke had ever had. Hell, maybe she'd liked her as more than that; maybe she'd felt the same way. Now, Clarke would never know. Gregory's mouth moved, but she couldn't make out his words. "Alright," she replied, after he'd finished. She made sure to follow his next words, nodding along with him. She would have preferred to go alone.

Her feet hit the ground with a dull thud, landing softly on the concrete. She wielded her axe, taking a few swings before closing the door. She'd been practicing, and hopefully it'd pay off. The redhead clenched her jaw, eyes narrowing slightly. "Let's get this over with."

She trudged into the house, making her way up the stairs. Gregory'd left a little earlier; probably taking the first floor. She wasn't exactly defying him; they were in the same house just not together. She looked around, pretty sure it was empty; all the rooms were, at least. So she turned, heading towards the attic. "Fuck," she exclaimed. Three walkers were there, but luckily, they were average sized. Clarke rolled up her sleeves, ready to do some business. She lunged towards the first one, smashing its skull in one clean hit. The second one approached, and she spun, hitting it square in the chest. Rotting flesh flew into the air, landing inside of Clarke's shirt. She grimaced, ducking to avoid the walker's reach. The third one advanced, and found herself cornered. "Fuck." Clarke looked around, trying to concoct a plan. She swung, hoping to take them both out. Her axe struck the first one, the second, not so much, and when she tried to swing again, her axe was stuck. Or the walker's re-dead corpse was stuck to it.

Clarke spotted a coatrack, making a mad dash towards it. The walker was right on her tail, but she whirled around, smashing metal into its face. Then she hit it again, and again, and again. The redhead took a deep breath, looking down at the pulp she'd created. "Three down, none to go." Now came the fun part.

[uriahrising-deactivated20140429]

Clawing Wreckage: Uriah & Clarke

[uriahrising-deactivated20140429]

Uriah scowled as the walker continued to reach greedily for his flesh, and stretched his head as far away as he could to avoid getting bitten.  "Kill it!" He repeated, feeling the strength from his arms dangerously dwindling. "I can’t keep it away for much longer—" And right on cue, Clarke successfully planted the knife into the walker’s decomposed skull, causing it to drop its full weight onto Uriah’s torso.  He groaned, and pushed it away in disgust.  "I’m okay, I think," He said, rubbing at his arms.  No bites, no scratches.  He had survived yet another attack, thanks to the help of the Mansion’s newcomer. As the adrenaline drew out of his system, Uriah staggered upwards and brushed off the dirt from his jeans. “We should head back,” He said wearily. “we can burn the bodies after breakfast, all right?” 

[xanadu-clarke]

Clarke sighed, inhaling deeply. It'd been a close call, too close, almost. "Yeah, that's... That's fine. We'll do that all later." The redhead shrugged her shoulders, trudging back towards her axe. "3...2...1..." She murmured, pulling it out of the ground. With a a soft grunt, she swung it over her shoulder, making her way inside.

"So," she began, scuffing her shoes on the inside rug. "Who taught you how to fight?" She took off her sweatshirt, wiping the blood from her axe. The redhead grabbed a bowl, pouring some cereal into it. "Want any?"

She took a seat, kicking her shoes off in one fluid motion. "Where do you come from, anyway?"

[catalina-napier-deactivated2014]

Stuck in a hard place || Open Para (to everybody)

[xanadu-clarke]

staceygillenkerk:

"Yeah, yeah I have actually. But I can’t say it’s been easy." She replied all honesty as she looked over at the girl driving and began to slowly chew on her lip, wondering what she was going to say next. She decided to just go the easy way out and just tell Clarke a little bit about her homelife and what happened to her before coming to their group they were in now. She honestly didn’t think she was all that interesting of a person. "Well, I’ll just take the easy way out and tell you about my personal life and all of that jazz." She laughed a bit.

"I grew up in a small town in Georgia with my dad and little sister. I never knew my mom. Dad was always a heavy drinker and would always beat me. I didn’t have much of a  childhood because I had to care for my little sister. After all of this shit happened, I fled my town with my then boyfriend and Stella. My boyfriend was my bestfriend ever since I was little, I fucked him and we didn’t use protection so now I’m pregnant with his kid. The end, have any questions?" She asked her.

-

"If you did, I wouldn't believe you." Clarke laughed, shaking her head. Easy,that was a good one. No one got off easy. But easy wasn't always good. Jail had been easy. So, in a sense, the end had been a new beginning. "Well, I'll just take the easy way out..." Clarke blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. "Sure, yeah, alright."

She listened to Stacey, nodding as she did so. She was very... Open, about her life. It was kind of weird, actually. Most people didn't spill it that easy, not like that. Perhaps there was more to be heard. "Yeah," she replied. "Was he any good?" The redhead raised an eyebrow, smirking lightly. "That was a joke, by the way."

[gregoryleaderofbiters-blog]

House of Cards ll Gregory&Xanadu

[gregoryleaderofbiters-blog]

Obviously Gregory had struck a nerve with the woman, and knew it sent a precedent for the rest of the afternoon. She would think he was being forward, he would perceive her as being a pain in the ass, and they’d end up not being able to tolerate each other. Instead of brooding over it, he just smiled all the more and nodded. “Yeah, we’re takn’ this truck here.”

Patting the passenger door for Clarke to get in, he walked around to the driver’s side. After starting the car, Gregory turned to the redhead and tried to figure out what she was thinking. Did she hate herself for getting in to a car with a strange man, or was she just happy to be talking to someone civilized?

"We’ll park the truck somewhere at the end of one of the streets," he explained, pulling out of the Kenilsworth Mansion and on to one of the roads in the neighborhood. "Then we’ll start loading stuff from the houses in to it. Take it one house at a time. Clear all the rooms before you start grabbn’ shit. I think we got most of the biters off the streets weeks ago, but not all the houses have been cleared of ‘em. We don’t need any of us gettn’ our lives risked for some baby food and napkins."

He chose to go down a street he didn’t think the camp had scoped out yet. That meant there were most likely biters in the houses. In the still apocalyptic way that most abandoned suburban areas seemed, Gregory parked the car in front of one of the lavish houses and looked out his window to see if he’d attracted any biters. He hadn’t, so he turned to Clarke as he shut off the engine.

"What’s your experience with looting?" he asked sternly. He didn’t want her to start something her ass couldn’t finish.

[xanadu-clarke]

Clarke nodded, following him towards the truck. She hadn't meant to be rude; she was simply a girl of few words. Perhaps she'd been too curt with him. Clarke sighed, sliding into the passenger's seat. The door closed with a quiet click, and the redhead slipped her seatbelt on. She preferred driving; it made feel safer, but but she wasn't in charge here. So, she'd suck it up and do whatever she had to do.

"Yessir," she replied, looking up at him. He probably thought she was incompetent; most people did. It wasn't unusual, this underestimation. She was young, with a slim build and a youthful face. A child. No kid should know what she had to. Clarke held her tongue, resisting an urge to snap at Gregory. His air of condescension put her on edge, reminded her of her past. Men were pigs, but cops... Cops were the worse. They were the only thing she didn't miss.

The truck rolled onto an empty street, one she hadn't seen before. It was nice, with big, family-sized homes and pleasant driveways. Maybe someday they'd be full again, with kids and parents. Happy, complete, whole.

"My old group used to loot," she replied. "Houses, cars... We took whatever we could, whatever others left behind. Killed a lot of biters. So... I guess you could say I've had my fair share." Clarke raised an eyebrow, hoping that would suffice. Her old group, well... They weren't very moral. They were thieves, stealing from people too. He didn't have to know that.

"So," she began, adjusting her backpack. "Are we looting together or alone?"

[uriahrising-deactivated20140429]

Clawing Wreckage: Uriah & Clarke

[uriahrising-deactivated20140429]

"I'm fine," Uriah replied, circling his sore shoulders. It was not the right morning for him to get exercise, but who was he to complain? As long as he survived this clean up without losing a limb (or his new companion), he was content. He grabbed onto his knife again, and nodded to himself before approaching the two remaining walkers. Although most of his former shy personality was still kept intact, there was something else now brewing beneath his steely gaze.

Anger? Determination? He believed it was his freshly found will to survive, and albeit the fact that he hated getting his hands dirty with infected blood, he no longer feared discarding any of his undead foes. Uriah grabbed one of the walkers by the neck, forcefully pushing it to the wall with a grunt. As its back slammed into the flat surface, he swiftly pushed his blade from underneath its jaw to the top of its head.

He swiveled around as Clarke called for his name, and seeing the danger she was clearly in, charged at the enemy without a second thought. Dropping his knife from the impact, he tugged the aggravated walker with him to the ground. It gnashed its blackened teeth at his throat as he kept it at bay, making him call out in a strangled voice, "Kill it!!!"

[xanadu-clarke]

Clarke was starting to freak out. Sweat poured out of her skin; each breath becoming more frantic. "Urgh!" She rolled to the side, avoiding the walker's incisors. Its breath was rancid and foul; literally corpse's breath. Weaponless and on the ground, her chances weren't so hot. 

"Uriah!" She screamed again, desperately in need. The biter leered over her, ready to strike when suddenly... Woosh! It was felled by an unknown force. Clarke stood, seeing Uriah ahead. "Hold on!" She grabbed the fallen knife, plunging it into the walker's skull. There was a sickening squelch, then all was still. Clarke sat down, panting heavily. 

"You alright?" She asked, when she finally caught her breath. It'd been a close call; that was for sure. But they were safe now, and that's all that mattered. "Thanks for the rescue," she said, nodding towards him. The boy had guts; that, she could admit.

[uriahrising-deactivated20140429]

Clawing Wreckage: Uriah & Clarke

[uriahrising-deactivated20140429]

"Oh, Clarke—"  Uriah trailed off awkwardly as she dashed past him. “It’s nice…to meet you…”  He shook his head, and followed her shortly after.  Feeling the strength now working its way through his good arm, he ran towards the walkers and slammed the sharp end of his knife through one of their eye sockets.  Nice and clean.  The other one, however, had caught him by surprise. It lunged its teeth hungrily at his leg, making him abruptly snap it back.  "Whoa," He muttered, hissing through his teeth. "that’s cheating." Now swinging the blade out of the corpse he had previously attacked, Uriah used the momentum to stick it into the remaining target.  The edge planted into the biter’s shoulder, making it fall back with a choked gargle.  With a grimace, Uriah pulled the knife out only to plunge it in again, and again, and again… After making sure the body was no longer animated, he swiveled around to meet Clarke at their designated point. She too seemed to be unscathed, though she was momentarily unarmed from her own close encounter. “You all right?” He shouted.

[xanadu-clarke]

Clarke watched Uriah, hoping the boy was alright. He was quick and ruthless, which was strange, juxtaposed to his quiet demeanor. Momentum. He had used it too, like Daryl the other day. And God, he made it look so fucking easy. She wondered how he did it. Clarke spun her axe, making her way towards the boy.

"Yeah," she replied. "You too?" The redhead gulped, quickly wiping her brow. She needed to catch her breath, but there was simply no time. Three down, two to go. "Let's take 'em out for the count." Clarke winked, charging forward. Every kill was a learning experience, a chance to improve. Maybe she'd use momentum this time.

The redhead swung her axe, releasing a small battle cry. The walker's arm fell clean off, squirting blood all over her shirt. It stumbled, but quickly regained its balance. "You lucky bastard." The redhead glared, whipping herself around again. Momentum. This was it. She spun, slamming her axe into its flesh. Or what she thought would be it's flesh. Her axe plunged into the ground, missing the walker by a hair's end. It had moved at the last second; surprising the girl. "Crap." Her axe was stuck; well and truly stuck. The walker loomed over her, snapping like a rabid dog. "Uriah!" 

[uriahrising-deactivated20140429]

Clawing Wreckage: Uriah & Clarke

[uriahrising-deactivated20140429]

Uriah jumped as the girl — someone who he hadn’t seen before — readied the rifle in her firm grasp. "I’m sorry?" He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "I…you’re the newcomer."  Fidgeting the weapon in his hands, Uriah turned his attention back to the biters that were starting to draw nearer towards the door. “There’s five of them, but I don’t know if using the rifle is our best bet. The sound of the firing will distract more of the flesh eaters.”  He gnawed on his bottom lip as he calculated which of the undead would be easiest to take down first. There were two females, two males, and one child (who’s gender could not be properly identified).  The males were of larger stature, therefore teamwork would have to be enforced in order to take them out.  But the child and the two women walkers were thinner in frame, and Uriah was confident that they could be eliminated without much struggle.  "Take down the closest ones first, yeah?" He asked, waiting for the girl’s approval. "And I know this is a bad time, but I didn’t get your name.."

[xanadu-clarke]

"Yep," she replied, blinking. She'd introduce herself later; now wasn't the time for small talk. There was an invasion outside, after all. "There’s five of them." The redhead nodded. Five wasn't bad; she'd handled worse. Clarke set down the rifle, acknowledging Uriah's point. "Axe it is," she stated, grabbing one from the shelf.

"It's Clarke," she said, heading out the door. "I'll take the one on the right, you take the two other small ones. Meet me back in the middle, alright?" She darted off, not waiting for his reply. The one she'd targeted was alone; and she grinned, raising her axe. It was a fairly easy target, and pretty slow as well.

The redhead spun, slamming her axe into its neck. It didn't go through. "Fuck!" The walker reached towards her, nails at the ready. It almost nicked her, but she whipped around, kicking it in the chest. The axe sailed into the air, landing a few meters away. She stepped on its face, snapping it's neck in two. Close call. There was no time to think, though. She dashed towards her axe, hoping to meet Uriah in the middle.

[xanadu-clarke]

In Search of Supplies || Clarke & Daryl

[crossbowbadass-deactivated20140]

Daryl spun around as the girl shrieked at him to watch out.  Just as he pulled the crossbow from his back, the walker grabbed onto his leg, pulling him down.  The weapon went flying across the room, falling to the floor beside Clarke’s feet.  The man growled in agervasion as he held the dead man back and away from his exposed skin.

The undead man’s mouth snapped at him, sending blood spraying across Daryl as his teeth bit down onto the air.  With a rush of adrenaline, the hunter gave the walker one last shove before plunging his knife deep into it’s skull.  A sickening squelch told the man he had hit his target and the walker fell limp atop him.

Rising to his feet, he turned to Clarke.  “You ok?” he asked her, eyes worried.  The man ran his eyes over his body, checking for scratches or bites, before doing the same to the girl before him.  As soon as he finished, giving the all clear, he turned his attention to the bag beside her.  “You leaving or somethin’?” he raised an eyebrow before fetching his crossbow from beside her.

[xanadu-clarke]

Clarke watched as Daryl fought the dead thing; worried and enthralled at the same time. He fought well; far better than she did. She watched him use momentum; making a mental note to do that as well. It propelled the man, made him faster. It also, from her limited observations, appeared to help him jab the knife in. She clapped as he stood; impressed by his performance.

"Bravo. Where'd you learn how to fight?" She cocked her head to the side, curious. Maybe he'd teach her, if she played her cards right. She laughed as he came over, shaking her head. "I was out of range the whole time, so there's nothing to worry about. You on the other hand..." She looked him over, making sure he was fine. "You're good too." Two near death experiences in less that ten minutes; that had to be a record.

"Yeah, might as well head back to the mansion. That shot'll bring hoards of biters." She sighed, adjusting her backpack. One thing was for sure; she wouldn't go looting alone next time. It was way, way too dangerous. The redhead started out the door, holding it open for Daryl. "So, what brought you to the mansion?"

[uriahrising-deactivated20140429]

Clawing Wreckage: Uriah & Clarke

Uriah was slowly growing comfortable with finally having a place within the Mansion; something was different with this one.  There was a subtle feel of security (something he had never experienced before), maybe even a glimmer of hope. He felt more at home, and it wasn’t necessarily because he knew AshRose from his past.  The other people, albeit a bit unstable at times, were kindhearted and hardworking.  They helped each other up when support was needed, and although nobody said it publicly, Uriah knew they’d give up their lives for one another.  Because of this growing attachment, Uriah felt that it was necessary to keep his new home as safe as possible.  He was now more defiant towards the walkers that dared to cross into the Mansion lawn, sometimes running outside to take them out on his own.  He wasn’t fond of it, because truth be told, who liked to be covered in old blood and decomposed guts? But it was something that he felt had to be done, and he was able to look past the odor whenever he sunk his long knife through their skulls.  —- While getting a fresh drink of water in the morning, he groggily glazed his blue eyes over to the backyard. Five of the biters had somehow crossed over the fence, and sensing human warmth, they started to crawl slowly towards the door.  "Is anybody awake?" Uriah asked, grabbing onto one of the hung weapons. "We have perimeter invasion…"

[xanadu-clarke]

Clarke was up again. Sleep was a foreign concept; an old friend she hadn't seen in years. It evaded her, eluded her desperate cries and sunken eyes. She used to take pills, little white disks that lured the sandman. He hadn't come in ages, though. She'd be surprised if he ever would.

The sun peeped over the skyline; a halo in the summer air. It slowly ascended, waving its rays at the waking world. Clarke sighed, rising from her bed. What day was it? She'd lost track ages ago, but someone here might know. A cry broke her train of thought, and she hurried down the stairs.

We have perimeter invasion…"

Clarke grabbed a rifle, making sure it was cocked and loaded. "How many are there?" She asked, looking over at the boy. Uriah. That was his name. She'd met him once, but fairly briefly. Hopefully he could shoot.

[catalina-napier-deactivated2014]

Stuck in a hard place || Open Para (to everybody)

[catalina-napier-deactivated2014]

"I can defiantly tell, you obviously have better surivier skills then me." She shrugged her shoulders as she looked down and began to observe her wound in a more up close way; it still looked rather bad but the bleeding was slowly starting to go down, but her injury probably needed stitches and she would be limping around for awhile, but that’s what she gets for being careless and not watching her back with things.

She quickly snapped back into reality when Clarke began to ask her some rather personal questions. “Define “story”, because I can either give you a short story or complete novel.” She smirked up at her. 

[xanadu-clarke]

Clarke shook her head. "It's not a competition. You've made it this far, haven't you?" She took a left turn, eyes focused on the road ahead. It wasn't long now; twenty minutes at the most. She glanced towards Stacey, wondering how she was holding up. So far, so good. The bleeding had almost stopped, though the gash still needed stitches. Hopefully, a medic would be present. If not, she ran the risk of infection.

The redhead shrugged her shoulders. She didn't really care, to be honest, as length was not an issue. She had, quite literally, all the time in the world. "Surprise me," she said, turning her head towards the girl. "No words'll leave this truck, okay?"

[xanadu-clarke]

In Search of Supplies || Clarke & Daryl

[crossbowbadass-deactivated20140]

As the girl spoke, Daryl’s eyes widened as he recognized her voice.  Stepping into full view of the girl, he lowered his crossbow.  Just as he suspected, the familiar girl stood before him, her eyes wild with fear but her stance stern and courageous.

The hunter slung his crossbow back over his shoulder by the worn strap and ran a calloused hand through his greasy, shaggy hair.  ”Clarke?” he asked, his voice hoarse from not speaking much over the course of the day.  He cleared his throat and ran his wet tongue over his chapped lips.  Biting his thumb nail, he raised an eyebrow at the young girl, raising an eyebrow.   

[xanadu-clarke]

A dark figure emerged, startling Clarke. Once he stepped into the light, however, she recognized his face. A gentle sigh slithered out of her chest, becoming one with the air around her. Relief. It coursed through her veins, relaxing every nerve. She'd sidestepped death... Again.

"Daryl," she replied, nodding at him. They'd met, fairly briefly but that was enough. A flurry of movement caught her eye, and she raised her gun. "Don't move." The redhead squinted, firing fast. Her shot hit the walker, but not in the head. It collapsed, beginning to crawl towards Daryl. "Behind you!" She called, sprinting towards the man. It was up to him now; she couldn't get there in time. 

[gregoryleaderofbiters-blog]

House of Cards ll Gregory&Xanadu

The newest member of his group was a fair skinned redhead whose beauty could be spotted a mile away. She had the gentle features of Ash, the build of Kara and the likeness of Jezebel. But of course Gregory refused to think about Jezebel anymore. Memories of Atlanta had become numb some days like ice held on to flesh for too long, and other days the nightmares blinded him with blunt force in the middle of the night. He realized that he was living purely for his son and sister. Without Dante and Bovary, Gregory would have drank himself to death long ago.

Bovary had pointed out that the group was running low on supplies, but he knew Morgantown was swarming with biters in the hot weather. Without any snow to slow them down, they seemed to be multiplying by the dozens.

The only other solution Gregory could think of was to raid the other mansions of Shearington. He figured that they would be stocked to the brim, and realized his group had never finished raiding all of them. Another positive aspect of going on the mini-supply run was to get to know the new woman better. He needed to know if she could be trusted.

Finding the readhead out by the cars after he figured Milton had asked her to go out there on his behalf, Gregory mustered up a polite smile and walked a bit too fast over to her. He half-waved as he finally made it up to the new survivor.

"I’m probably going to get this wrong," he chuckled, "but is it Xani-oh or…?” Gregory watched her face obviously disagree with his pronunciation of her name. “Xanadana… Xadano… Xaldadoo…” Obviously none of his guesses were correct. He sighed in defeat and nodded in acceptance that she’d have to repeat her name. “Nonetheless, I’m Gregory. Are you the person headn’ out with me on the run?”

[xanadu-clarke]

A gentle breeze blew through the air, bringing hope to the blistering heat. It rustled the trees, gracing their leaves with its presence. The wind seemed to mock them; touching them tenderly, tantalizingly, before retreating. "Ha ha," it seemed to say. "You'll never catch me!" Then it was gone, whispering through the endless, summer sky. 

Clarke sighed, wiping the sweat from her brow. A faint breeze blew through her hair, whipping her tangled tresses. She swatted it at, annoyed. Clarke preferred work to stagnation; it kept her focused on the present. She'd worked on cars today; ensuring that everything ran smoothly. Sure, there were a few kinks, but they were in surprisingly good shape.

It had been a decent morning; warm, productive, etcetera etcetera. The day, however, was still young. Clarke smiled, closing the lid of a white car. She'd checked it twice, and everything seemed to be running fine. She turned, hearing footsteps coming towards her. Gregory. She nodded, acknowledging the man.

Clarke had agreed to a supply run; knowing it would do her good. Knowing her surroundings would help in the short term, and the long term as well. Besides, she could get to know Gregory better, see what his group was all about.

"Clarke," she replied, correcting the man. "I don't go by my first name." She hadn't heard it in a while; so long, in fact, the name seemed almost foreign to her. She had, however, shown him her drivers license upon meeting him, drawing him to that conclusion. Or so she assumed. "I'm Gregory." The redhead nodded, well aware of that fact. "Yeah," she said, pulling her hands out of her pockets. "Lets get to it, shall we?"

[catalina-napier-deactivated2014]

Stuck in a hard place || Open Para (to everybody)

[catalina-napier-deactivated2014]

"Okay." Stacey simply nodded her head as she watched Clarke run off towards the road in search of a decent car to successful jump start and use to drive her to camp. She was honestly amazed at how much skilled the other young girl seemed to have; she could use multiple weapons to her full advantage, hunt down and kill animals with no trouble,  tend to bad wounds, and even knew how to jump start a car? The girl seemed to be an A+ survivor and honestly, Stacey was kind of jealous of all of her knowledge when it came to things. She was both street and book smart, and Stacey wanted to know how the girl was so great with it came to these things.

As the other girl drove up to her and Stacey slowly made her way into the passenger seat and closed the door behind her, she looked over at Clarke. “Damn, you make everything you do look so easy..” She admitted in all honesty to her.

[xanadu-clarke]

"I learned from the best," Clarke replied. She stuck her pedal to the metal, screeching the car forward. In all honestly, she wasn't great at anything. Sure, she held a basic knowledge of most skills; but that was about it. Her greatest asset, in all honesty, was her steady mind. Without it, she'd be dead by now; another walking carcass. Even with it, her chances were slim. While she was adequate with tools, her social skills weren't great. She wasn't particularly strong, or fast either. Without resources, she'd be doomed.

"So, what's your story?" She asked, attempting to make conversation. They'd been driving for a bit, and the silence unnerved her. It was a standard question; one most people asked upon meeting each other. It also led to discussion opportunities; though she probably wouldn't take them. She looked over at Stacey, moving the turkey to the floor. She was surprised the other girl had just sat there.

[xanadu-clarke]

In Search of Supplies || Clarke & Daryl

[crossbowbadass-deactivated20140]

Daryl had been slowly developing cabin fever after being stuck in the mansion for God knows how long.  It seemed like he was always needed for something and was unable to escape the old walls.  Today, he vowed, would be different.  He woke up just before dawn and left the house to embark on one of his famous hunting trips.  He hoped to track down a couple bucks that he had seen tracks from.

The hunter moved swiftly through the house that he was searching, his crossbow rested heavily against his shoulder, ready to fire.  After clearing the back rooms, he stepped into the living room at the front of the house.  

"Who goes there?" a female voice demanded just as he rounded the corner.  The hunter stopped abruptly, his weapon never wavering.  With a chuckle, he smirked.

"Really?  Who goes there?  You gunna ask me if I’m a friend or foe next?"

[xanadu-clarke]

Clarke sighed. Bad move. She'd broken the fourth rule of survival; never announce yourself. Now she was known; she couldn't hide in the shadows or ambush the man. She'd have to face him head on, if that was even an option. "Think, think, think," she thought, formulating a plan. He hadn't been fierce, or overly threatening. Reason might be her strongest weapon.

"Sorry," she said. "I'm a little tense. If you don't shoot, I won't either." Clarke hoped the man would listen; less blood would be spilled that way. She didn't like killing; not if she didn't have to. 

The man was out of her sight range; and her of his, hopefully. Maybe she could run for it. Not yet, though. She had to see how he'd respond first.

[xanadu-clarke]

In Search of Supplies || Clarke & Daryl

There was no need for a supply run, Clarke knew that. The mansion was well equipped, and it probably would be for a while. For some reason, however, she couldn't shake her suspicions about its inhabitants. Things were too perfect, and it unnerved her to know this. She wasn't going to leave, however, not yet. She didn't have a definitive plan, or any supplies of her own. So Clarke had taken a trek, hoping to find some. Hopefully, no one would notice she had gone.

Clarke stopped in front of a mansion; her third one that day. She'd managed to find a lot of food; tools, not so much. She entered through the front door, quickly picking the lock. The smell of rotting flesh hit her nose, but she shrugged it off, accustomed to the scent. It wasn't uncommon, anymore. She sighed, adjusting the straps of her worn backpack. The sound of footsteps reached her ears, and she froze, quickly grabbing her gun. "Who goes there?"

[catalina-napier-deactivated2014]

Stuck in a hard place || Open Para (to everybody)

[catalina-napier-deactivated2014]

"A week ago? Seriously? I am really sorry we haven’t met till now. I’m Stacey." The young girl flashed a smile at Clarke as they continued to walk towards the road. As they were walking, the other girl quickly shot down and killed a turkey with a single bullet, making it look like a piece of cake. "Damn.." Stacey muttered out as she watched Clarke grab her prize and throwing it over her shoulder, carrying it like it was feather.

"Uh, anyways," The girl breathed out as she stopped walking and put her hands on her hips. "I, I’m extremely tired and have almost no energy it seems. I’m loosing blood and the wound is getting worse, so it’s making it hard to walk.." She explained to her.

[xanadu-clarke]

"It's all good," she replied. It hadn't been Stacey's fault; in fact, it was quite the opposite. "Clarke," she stated, nodding over at the girl. She adjusted her turkey; eyes set straight ahead. The sky was still bright; but at this pace, they wouldn't make it 'til sundown.  Walkers mulled about at all times of the day; people, however, were different. They tended to hunt at sundown. In Clarke's opinion, they were the real threat. "Stay here," she whispered, venturing onto the road.

It was empty, for the most part, but one could never be too sure. Clarke rested her hand was on her gun; finger on the trigger. Anything that moved became a target. She strode down the concrete, noticing a battered car on the left side. Great. She kneeled down, working her way through the lock. Click. "Bingo." Ainsley's teachings had done it again. She opened the door, settling herself inside. She picked her turkey off the pavement, dropping it onto the passenger's seat. "Screwdriver," she mused, pulling one out of her backpack. She took off the cover of the steering column, fixing her eyes on the mess of wires. There were three distinct bundles; and she grabbed the first one. "Ignition and starter." She worked her way through those, stripping the tops off. She twisted a variety of combinations, trying to find the right one. It took a while, but once she managed to rev the engine, she knew she'd done a decent job. Clarke smiled, pumping her first. She began to drive forward, making her way towards where she'd left Stacey.