The Plague

[blackoutEquinox]

It had been five days since Oak Ridge had burned to the ground. Izekiel had spent the night in a tree on hilltop, giving him a commanding view of the area around the hill. He couldn't see any Eaters around him, but there was a highway about 10 miles away, a ribbon of asphalt on the horizon. A lot of people died on the highways so staying away from them is a good idea to survive. With the area clear, Izekiel dropped his bag to the ground and followed it soon after. He rose up to his full 5'8" height and dusted off his dirt stained white shirt. This whole disaster had slimmed him down quite fast and the rumbling of his stomach only made him feel emptier. The last of his beef jerky called his name and soon all that was left of food in the pack was a zip-loc bag of flour and half a canteen of water. "Shit, I need more food."

Izekiel shouldered his pack and started walking again, checking on his seven remaining arrows and gripping his bow tighter. This was all he had to defend himself with now, and it wasn't a walk in the park to hit a running Eater in the head. The sun baked the land and heat shimmers rose from the ground, almost hiding a fairly clean looking home in the distance. It looked like a farm house so Izekiel pulled his cap a bit lower and started walking towards it.

[Shadoe Mayari]

It had been almost three days since Flax locked herself up in that room. She reeked of hay and manure, her scent mixing in with the stench of the barn attic. Her dull blue eyes stared longingly out the window, although she kept her head down so nothing could see her. She wanted to leave this shit hole so badly, but where would she go? And how would she get there without the Eaters attacking her? She had no weapons and she wasn’t the best runner.

Flax brought her face to her knees and used her hands to cover the back of her neck. She was too used to having her blonde hair covering her like a scarf, but now her neck was exposed to the warm, moist air. It was a strange sensation that she didn’t really like, like someone was breathing down her neck. She hummed quietly to herself to rid of the eerie silence.

[CodastertheDisaster]

Whistling followed the sound off growling, grunting, and the thunk of steel biting into flesh. Another head hit the ground, followed by a body. A young man walked casually down the street, a shotgun with a shortened barrel slung across his back, and the sheath of a katana hanging at his waist. He was aware of how highly stereotypical it seemed, taking a katana to battle during the zombie apocalypse, but he was fine with it. The katana was his lightest sword, and while it was a little more difficult to maintain, it was also one of the easiest to decapitate with.

Before everything went to hell, the man had been a sword enthusiast, and while he'd been somewhat poor, he'd saved up enough for several replicas and a couple of functional swords. He'd been lucky in that aspect. With that being said, he almost didn't make it past the first week, for he was not in very good shape. As time went on, so did he become stronger and faster, and his stamina increased. His body had been previously pale and thin, with very little muscle tone. Now, he was tanned and lithe, built like a leopard.

He continued down the road, his boots emitting a muted tap as he walked. His dress was rather casual for the apocalypse, jeans, a green long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a large grey scarf wound about his face, covering his mouth. His eyes were a light brown, his hair black and wavy, flowing past his shoulders. His features were unremarkable, giving most people the feeling they'd seen him somewhere before, though that was generally not the case. He adjusted his shotgun and the large messenger bag, wiping the blood on his sword off on his jeans and sheathing the blade.

He spotted a farmhouse off in the distance, and decided to head there and search for food. His stash as of now consisted of a bottle of soda (he wished it were water, but one can't afford to be picky) two empty bottles of water, and a half-eaten sleeve of crackers. His stomach growled, so he reached in his bag, shoving a few crackers in his mouth, chasing it with his pop. He sighed, wishing the farmhouse was closer. His legs were getting tired. "C'mon Isaac. Just a little longer," he said to himself.

[blackoutEquinox]

The heat shimmers had made the house appear closer than what it actually was so it had taken Izekiel about an hour to walk there, and he was parched beyond belief. Now that he was closer he could see that the house was white with a brown door and shutters, like he imagined the house from Zork to be. The door looked sturdy enough to take several kicks, so Izekiel decided against that; besides, there might be living people inside. Or eaters. The bow in his hands was gripped tighter, his sweat being soaking into the grip, preventing it from slipping as he strung an arrow. He took a few steps back and yelled as loud as he could, "If anyone is inside, open up!" His voice cracked a little at the end, which was a bit embarrassing for someone his age. Twenty-two and still using a voice that cracks every so often. He didn't hate it, but it did annoy him when he talked to ladies. He waited for anything that might expose an eater or a survivor.

[Shadoe Mayari]

Flax flinched before scrambling to grab a weapon, which happened to be a golf club. She peeked through the window, letting her eyes adjust to the sunlight. She saw the young man and quickly ducked her head back down so he wouldn't see her. "W-who are you?" Flax tried to yell back, but her voice was hoarse and weak. She coughed, cleared her throat, and yelled back again.

She spat and wiped the head of the golf club with her sleeve, using the reflection to get a good look of the man. It was distorted and a bit blurry, but it was good enough. She couldn't say anything about his size or his looks, but he looked healthy and unscathed. It was very unlikely that he was going to turn into one of those Eaters, but you could never be too careful.

[blackoutEquinox]

Izekiel drew his bow to its fullest and aimed at the window when the person inside yelled. The voice sounded feminine, and young, so he quickly released the tension on his bow. How had this girl gotten stuck out here? "My name is Izekiel. I am an uninfected survivor. I need some supplies, and I can trade for them." Is she alone? he thought to himself. Just to survive this long would mean she is tougher than she looked, and he wasn't the guy to take advantage of people during a situation like this. If humanity were to survive, people would have to work together. He stared at the window with his arrow still strung, waiting to see what would happen next.

[Shadoe Mayari]

"...Take what you need," Flax said, peeking her head out the window. "I can't actually get down without jumping from here, so you'll have to find a way in. I think one of the windows around the back should be unlocked." She took a good look at the man. He didn't really look that much taller or older than her. He was definitely more fit than her, but that's probably because she spent all this time hiding in the attic. She was about to warn him not to open the trapdoor to the attic, but then he'll probably won't be able to find it, anyway.

[blackoutEquinox]

"Thanks," Izekiel said to the girl as he started looking for the window she had told him about. The second window he tried was the magic window and he crawled in. The window was a kitchen window, which saved some time looking for the golden room of the house. He walked to the fridge and opened it, finding exactly what he expected to find, rotten and moldy food. The smell was horrible so the door to the fridge was quickly shut. The pantry was the next to be raided and netted some better rations. "Jackpot," he whispered to himself as he pulled out peach preserves, peanut butter, crackers, and dried fruits.

The food was stuffed in his bags and Izekiel grabbed a meat cleaver from one of the kitchen drawers. It wasn't a fire axe but it was still better than a bow in close quarters. The two of his one quart canteens were refilled before he climbed out of the window and back in front of the window the girl had been in earlier. "You need to come down from there," he shouted to the girl. "The next person to come along might not be as nice to you as I was. How can I help you down?"

[Shadoe Mayari]

"You don't," Flax said. "I'll leave when I want to." Well, so much for telling the truth. She was just afraid of leaving. Even if the conditions were horrible, this place was safe. The only way those Eaters could get to her was to climb to that window. But it was also the only way out. And once she leaves, it'll be difficult to get back up.

She needed to leave soon, anyway. Not because she was running out of food, but staying in that dark, quiet room wasn't exactly good for Flax's mental health. She looked out the window, down towards the ground, trying to see how high up she was. She was rather high up, but she'd be fine if she hung from the windowsill and just dropped down.

[blackoutEquinox]

"All right then," Izekiel called back to the girl. "Good luck surviving in that attic for the rest of your days." It came off as a little bit meaner than what he intended but he didn't really care. He had seen this earlier, when Oak Ridge burnt to the ground. A man was in his home and had refused to leave even with the fire already licking the back yard fence. He probably died in that house, hopefully he killed a few passing eaters too. Izekiel turned to leave and waved with his free hand, his other hand gripping the longbow. The cleaver also made a noticeable difference on the weight of his hips. It was a reassuring weight and he was glad to have it. Still not as intimidating as the fire axe.

[Shadoe Mayari]

Flax clicked her tongue. "What an ass," she muttered, but she watched him as he walked off. She looked down at the ground again, then back at the boy. Maybe it was time for her to get out of here.

She had kept a bag prepared in case she needed to leave in a hurry, but she wasn't really in any rush now. She watched as the boy disappeared from view and grabbed the bag and her two weapons, a baseball bat and a golf driver. Two very blunt but damaging weapons, since she wasn't a fan of sharp objects. She packed what she could into the remaining space in the bag and checked to make sure it wasn't too heavy for her.

She'll let the heat of noon pass and leave later on in the afternoon.

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