Cara nodded, “I didn’t think about that. I hope you’re wrong. I’m sure if he’s alive he’s barricaded in his basement or something. Probably crazed by now. It’s going to be a real chore getting him back here.” She considered how easy it would be to get his work back if he was dead, but shrugged it off. They needed this guy alive, “Rest while I’m gone. I expect you to be better. If you’re not careful the entire city will be following your orders. I had to come see you before I left.” She gave Sky a quick hug, “See ya, Kid.” She turned, glanced once over her shoulder at the door, then slowly made her way out of the city. She pressed the button of her walkie, “Hey, Nathan. Sawyer and I are out of the city. You’re command central. Help the guards keep the place safe in our place. Thanks for all the work you did.”

Nicola raised her eyebrows, “Why are you planning on shooting me for stitching you up? Or maybe for not turning you in?” She honestly didn’t get what the deal was with these people; maybe Sawyer was attracted to weirdos, and they were part of his circus of traveling crazy. Not like it really mattered, but these two were being awfully short with her despite her not doing anything remotely hurtful towards either of them.

“To answer your question, yes I have a gun. It’s holstered, and the safety’s on.”

“And to people who’re kind to you, you should act like this… Fine, I’m leaving. Stay here however long you want to. You’re the strangers you know.” Nicola said as she went out the door. Why was she helping them anyway? Just because she didn’t owe Sawyer anything? Laughable at best. It was better not to be around these people… It’s not like they were friends. People are always a disappointment. The only person to rely on is you. Exactly like Dad taught me. Let the people work with you, but don’t trust em. They’ll always stab you in the back.

Cara grinned, already there was static coming through the speaker, making Nathan’s words fuzzy. She stopped walking for a moment, “They should be making their rounds among the guards on duty, and changing with every shift. Keep working with everything, and uh, keep an eye out for the others. I’m going out of range, so thanks again.” She considered leaving the walkie somewhere so they could retrieve it, but decided against it. Maybe one day she’d be using it to tell them she was back. It was a small possibility. She looked around her, and let the feeling of being completely alone settle in, “What was I thinking?” She muttered half-heartedly to herself as she set off. She was briefly tempted to turn North, to follow behind him even if it meant he would be angry with her, but her feet turned South, and she followed. Harris, cure, home. She could manage. A snap of twigs to her right caught her attention. In a swivel of movement that wasted no energy she spun, nocked an arrow and had it aimed at the spot in mere seconds. She waited patiently for the next sound.

((I was gonna wait on Glade, but I’ll go ahead with it XD))
Nicola had left in a rush; she’d left behind all her first aid supplies, and she only just realized it after arriving at the hotel’s base. Blast it! I can’t go back, that’ll just make me look stupid… I’ll have to- She only now noticed the lights flicker a small amount. What’s drawing that much power? It couldn’t be that tower, could it?

She headed up the stairs, and sure enough she arrived on the rooftop to see the tower blinking and a boy standing at it’s base, fiddling around with a few things. “Why does no one tell me these things…?” She muttered, approaching the boy. “Hey! When did they get the tower on?”

Nicola looked flabbergasted. “So… This tower really works, right? We can contact people nearby?” Her mind went wild with the possibilities; she could find… Suddenly she grimaced, then remembered the boy was still there. “Sorry about that. I’m Nicola, and you are?”

((I feel so… scarce. xD I’ll edit my post tomorrow so that Ana can be going off for a bit and possibly… do things that are interesting. Sorry, it’s late and I’m typing oddly.))

“You’re wasting your time- odds are they’ll never be back y’know? Is there any internal communication set up in here though?” Nicola spouted off. Without either of those two here, it’s the perfect time to change the regime here. The only other guy in the way is that Grainger… but he shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Nicola began to bat her eyes at Nathan, trying, as she usually did, to get him to listen to her easier.
It’s better for everyone that way.

Sawyer high-tailed it, but he still hadn’t made it to the farm yet. As he ran, he wondered about Cara, hoping she was safe. He continued to think about her, and that lead to thinking about Sky, and that lead to Ana, and that lead further to Glade even. Everyone better be alright… It couldn’t be much longer… and then it would be over, and the rest of them could move on with their lives.

And of course they just forgot about Nicola! “Those rats…” She muttered under her breath, “Yeah, I’m sure everyone makes it out of Hell once, then adventures back in to just walk back out. Look I swear the Sawyer guy’s at the end of his rope: there’s no way he’s coming back.” Nicola shot him a smile before heading back to the door, “And it’s not grim- I’m a realist.”

((Feel free. I just did mine so that I could have more freedom with Sawyer. Has anyone seen @Asad in awhile?))

Glade kept quiet as Nicola stormed out. Why should he care if he hurt her? Three of these people had tried to kill him in the past twenty-four hours. He’s not going to let anyone get to close, safe for Ana. Even then, Glade didn’t trust her completely. The way she had killed that man in the alley, showing no remorse. Just acting on instinct, like breathing or sleeping.
“Ana.” Glade called out for her, not minding whether she was within earshot or not. “Pack a bag. We’re leaving.”

((@Asad was somewhere between bad and okay for the past few weeks. He’s back to fantastic though, so let’s get started…. again. Warning; short posts in my future. Beware.))

Nicola searched her way through the hotel for guards with walkies, but came up empty handed. Those idiots really don’t know how to get anything together, do they? Might as well give up… my shift starts in ten minutes. She made her way to the gate, where she would be watching for the next several hours. Her stomach growled loudly. I should’ve eaten instead of helping that ungrateful jerk Glade. You know what, maybe it’s better this way. I might never have to deal with him again.
She let her thoughts go to Ana for a moment- she wasn’t that bad, but she seemed to have some strange attachment to the ass in the bed. Now Nicola thought back, remembering she’d thought Glade had a gun, and has seemingly threatened her with it. Have I done the right thing helping that guy? He seemed ready to shove a bullet in my head at a seconds notice.

She’d made her way up the wall, and was now watching as the sun set in the distance. “You spend way too much time thinking, you know that Nicola?” The voice was familiar to Nicola. Male, screechy, and a little annoying. There could only be one, and he’d once been an enforcer for her father before joining the military.

“Thought you skipped town?” She smirked, not moving her gaze from the sunset. He wouldn’t hurt her, not unless he had to.

“No. Had to make them think I did so they’d split. Sawyer knows I’m a threat, and I wouldn’t write out that Fletcher chick either.”

“What is it that you want then Flynn?” Now she couldn’t afford to be stupid; better to err on the side of caution. The crazed wiry looking man approached her rather slowly.

“I’m here for Glade.”

“You,” Ana said, pointing at him, his tired expression confirming her answer. She rummaged through the tote, pulled out a granola bar, and rested it on the bedside table. Leaning back up, she frowned. Sawyer and Cara wouldn’t have split up unless Sawyer really believed he had to go it alone. The thought almost frightened her. It would be a little easier to stomach if it were someone other than Cara. But it wasn’t. If they went after Sawyer and managed to catch up to him… the meet-up most likely wouldn’t be a friendly one.
Backing up, she glanced behind her, searching for a Z that wasn’t there. “I’ll check the hotel first; it’s closest,” she said, turning back to him. “If I’m not there when you leave, check the… actually, I’ll probably still be there.” She nodded and turned, leaving the room.
Once she was out of the house, she headed for the hotel, clutching the tote slightly tighter. The sun was in her line of sight, which made staring up at the looming building quite difficult. She kept walking, pausing every now and then to catch her irregular breath.

((Gonna split my posts.
Are the guard barracks near the gate or in the hotel? The geography of the city always escapes my head. xD))

((So, I’m just going to plop a new character in, because I feel like just posting about Cara would be boring. So.))

Name: Milo Grimm
Sex: Male
Age: 25
Specialty: Guns, the one thing he had been around his entire life, lately he’s been lugging around a crossbow, since ammo for guns is running low.
Description/Bio: He stopped going by Tom a long time ago, Thomas even longer than that. After the bombs, Thomas Gibson became Milo Grimm. Left alone in the family home in the woods, Milo had enough food to keep him alive for a very long time, and enough ammo to keep himself safe. His father had been the hunter, and had taught all of his children how to hunt, even Milo’s sisters had learned. His father wanted his children to have a way of providing for themselves in case anything happened to their parents, or if zombies came. A common dinnertime discussion was of different tactics to use in order to get away from zombies. His mother had been the book lover, the reason the gun racks were flanked by bookshelves, the reason Milo chose Grimm as his new last name, the reason so much food had been stockpiled. Two zombie enthusiasts that believed whole-heartedly that zombies would attack, Milo was incredibly lucky.
Though he was able to protect himself and keep himself alive, the isolation was what drove him to move towards the city. Growing up in a large family, he wasn’t used to being alone, and the silence ringing in his ears nearly drove him crazy. He packed as much as he could carry, most of it food and ammo, the only clothes he brought were the ones he was wearing, an old pair of light blue jeans, a grey t-shirt, and a black hoodie with the logo of the gun shop he frequented with his dad, and of course a pair of boots. The only thing he took that he didn’t need was a small book that fit in his palm, a small selection of Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
Milo arrived in the city soon after Flynn had made his control evident, and managed to stay in his good graces, his skill as a decent marksman, and appearance of brawn and no brains was enough to secure his place in the guard. He thanked his stars that he was able to act the part of a moron. Even after Sawyer and Cara took over, Milo remained on the guard, a place he knew what to do.

Milo pushed himself off of the wall of the electronics shop that he had spent the entire evening guarding, spinning Cara’s arrow in his opened palm. The kid had given it to him earlier before he had hauled an entire cart filled with electronics out of the building. The walkie that had been given to him in the course of the night was proof the kid knew what he was doing. He had listened in to the few conversations that had crackled through the speaker, enough to get an idea of what the others were doing. A quick nap in the barracks was interrupted by Nicola’s message. With a groan, Milo rolled out of bed, grabbed the crossbow and sidearm he always carried, and headed outside. A little extra security wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Ana kept walking, shifting the tote from one shoulder to the other occasionally. Feeling slightly dizzy, she stopped walking and looked up, seeing the hotel but also seeing the distance between her and it. She plopped herself down on the curb and coughed. Drops of blood sprayed from her mouth onto the ground. She could almost laugh – it was as if she was marking her territory. Standing up once more, her legs began carrying her down the road. She vaguely thought of how foolish she was for not asking Nicola for help with her wounds. Being intimidated by the guard seemed so silly when she thought about it.
Finally, she reached the entrance of the hotel. Two guards gave her a funny look when she approached–almost as though they recognized her. She wasn’t about to ask if she could come in or not, so she let their eyes trail her as she stepped inside.

((I may not use this character for very long, but I’d like to make a new one anyway. ))
Name: Noelle Mynes
Sex: Female
Age: 27
Specialty: Knives. Plentiful and easy to hide.
Description/Bio: Noelle used to only know the life of an actress and anything relating to it. She lived, breathed, and needed the stage. She moved numerous times in an attempt to pursue her career, but never succeeded. All that was left of her after the bombs was a frustrated personality and quite a selfish one at that. She was fed up… but was obsessed with the idea of ‘playing her part’ in the world. Because her attitude was in major need of an adjustment, she wasn’t able to prove to anyone that she, “can help with the zombie thing, really!” In truth, she lacked the basic skills needed for such a job. The only things she knew how to do were act and throw knives (something a fellow actor taught her while at camp in her earlier years).
Noelle was one of the many who fled to the city in hopes of living a safe life. Once she got there, she wasn’t able to stop herself from begging the officials to let her help them. Of course, they rejected each of her offers. After the city had become overrun by zombies, she took that as her calling. She gathered with several others who each wanted to find the culprit for the mess, and convinced them to try out her idea of impersonating doctors. She had heard that the main fighters in the invasion were cooped up in the hospital, so their plan was effective immediately.

Noelle cursed under her breath as she left the bloodied hospital room. Two of her group, gone already. She couldn’t help but not feel much remorse for their mangled figures. They had been the only ones not keen on her idea of taking on the role of a doctor. And because of that, they lived to their own fate. She paced the halls, keeping her expression dignified. But in truth, she was nothing of the sort. Another one of her team hadn’t returned. His task was simple: follow the two leaving the hospital and apprehend the male of the two. The one following him like a puppy, she would have to die. But the other, no. He was to be brought back to her, drugged and unconscious. They’d take him to the highest of officials (not the two or three who tried to assume power… they weren’t much to her). And then, she’d finally be recognized.
But of course, how would any of this happen if the one carrying out the task wasn’t returning? It had been almost a full day. She understood if the man put up a fight and ran, but really, a day? It wasn’t right. She turned and walked out of the hospital, going for the alleyway, following the path her team member had taken.

Nathan had started dozing in his chair when Nicola’s message crackled through his walkie talkie. He sat up at the noise, and cursed at himself for falling asleep when he was supposed to be working, even though it had only been a few minutes. As he recalibrated the transceiver to connect to a new satellite signal, he wondered idly who this Flynn guy was. Whoever he was, it sounded like he was probably dangerous, but Nathan figured he’d be fine up on the roof. However, he did need to get some rest soon. He didn’t know how long Sawyer or Cara would be gone. It could be days, or it could be weeks. He couldn’t stay up here by himself for that long.
“Just a couple more hours,” Nathan said to himself, “and then I can get some guard up here to watch this equipment and I can get some rest.” Then he groaned at the thought of having to teach some dimwitted guard how to operate the complex electronics arranged around him.

((sorry I haven’t been on. Deca is a thing that has been happening.))

Milo watched, rather annoyed with his fellow guards. All of them he recognized. They were close to the center of the old regime, or they wanted to be at least. As the girl turned to leave, Milo stepped up beside her, “I heard you’re looking for Nicola. I have a way of reaching her.” He held up the walkie talkie, “Though we probably shouldn’t stand around near the hotel.” He turned them towards the barracks, moving slower than normal to allow her to keep up, “Can I carry your bag for now? You’re barely staying on your feet as it is.” He glanced at her, “I’m Milo by the way.”

Nicola made her way through the streets, mostly empty now, and for the most part cleaned of the ash from the Zs they’d burned a few days before. There weren’t any people along her way, which was strange. Maybe tipping the guards off wasn’t the best idea… They might have told others, and those others might now be afraid of the past.
Nicola remembered stories of Flynn’s regime- terrible, suffocating, and military in nature. You get bit? Here’s a bullet to your skull. Saves the trouble later, when it was more dangerous. She’d seen things like that before, with her Dad, but nothing of this magnitude. Her father had been very very specific about violence towards others:It was only necessary in extreme circumstances. Killing someone usually mean that you’d end up losing something that person could provide for you.
Dad really knew his stuff… I miss you ya old coot. Nicola could see the houses a few hundred feet before her, and she could only hope that Glade and Ana hadn’t yet left.

((My last post would be the last Sawyer post I can put up for the foreseeable future. Just FYI))

Glade sat on the edge of the bed, staring off into space, thinking about his next move. Stand up. Pack a bag. Walk through the front door. Meet up with Ana. That’s as far his mind would let him get. He couldn’t imagine what Sawyer or Cara would say to him. Would they be happy, or angry? Relieved, or stressed? It doesn’t matter! It doesn’t matter, Glade kept telling himself.

It seemed like an eternity before he finally stood up and limped towards the bathroom, nearly losing his balance with every other step. His face was a mess, lined with dirt and sweat. To his surprise, the water was still running in the bathroom, but it was cold. Glade didn’t mind. It gave him a boost of energy as he splashed his face, rubbing the dirt away. He could feel the cuts on his face, and was sure to focus on those parts more. Glade cupped his hands, filling as much water as he could before he dumped it on his head, running his fingers through his hair to his neck. A hushed shiver escaped him as he repeated this process. When he was done, Glade felt alive, more than he’s ever felt since he woke up in the hospital.

He dried himself with a towel he found in the linen closet before grabbing a baseball cap and sunglasses. No doubt a lot of people were looking for him, and Glade needed to look as inconspicuous as possible. He grabbed the granola bar from the side table Ana had left and grabbed at his gun. He had everything he needed. A bag would only slow him down, plus he assumed Ana had packed for him.

The sun hit him right in the face as he left the house. Thankful for the sunglasses, Glade walked down the street in a slow pace, minding his footing. He made his way towards the tallest building he could see.

((Apologies for the rather long and drawn out post.))

Glade froze for a moment. He heard his name, but didn’t recognize the voice.
“Who said that?” Glade snapped, looking side to side not knowing who he was searching for. He began walking forward like a bumbling fool, his heart racing, until he saw a figure far in front of him. The face was as foreign to Glade as the voice. He didn’t pay much attention to Nicola, whom Glade thought was a Z that was not disposed of after the battle.
“Who are you?”

“Oh, now you’ve gone and hurt my feelings. You don’t remember me buddy?” Flynn put on a masquerade mask of being hurt. “We’re pals you and I, and you just went and abandoned me. Come on over here.” What has he gone mental or something?

“I’m here to take you home Glade.” Flynn smiled, his yellow teeth a great contrast against his tanned skin.

Nicola began to stir, but Flynn doubted if she’d be getting up anytime soon.
“I’m Flynn. I’m not here with security, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m here to take you somewhere safe… where these people won’t hurt you.” Lying was second nature, but to be honest it was really only a half-truth. He kept the smile upon his face, and kept his hands glued to his side. Underestimating mutants in the past had proven to be very stupid.

Flynn saw the quick shift in Glade’s stride. He must have noticed Nicola on the ground.
“She was with them Glade. These people will kill you if I don’t get you out of here. I’ll be taking you to my superior, and he hasn’t told me where I’m going yet. When I know, you’ll know.” Now Flynn had ceased with the lies- he knew that given time these people would kill Glade. As one of Nathaniel’s pet projects, as a counter to the Sawyer project, Glade was valuable to them, and for once, Flynn was top-decking. He had no real clue where he was going.

“His name is Nathaniel.”No point in holding it back. Even if Glade started something, his condition wasn’t good enough to beat Flynn. Or at least that’s how Flynn saw the situation.
“Fuck with you…?” Flynn’s eyes seemed to become even more crazed, “If I’d wanted to do that Glade, I wouldn’t have walked up to you yelling your name. You’d never have seen me coming.” Maybe this situation will be better than I’d thought… I might still get to have some fun.

The blow landed smoothly on Flynn’s chin. He hadn’t expected it, and the distance between them wasn’t enough for him to make it any less powerful of a hit. Flynn worked his way up easily, moving his jaw to see if it was alright.
“Tsk, tsk. Now I can’t be nice anymore.” Flynn threw a kick straight into Glade’s side, and followed it up with a punch to Glade’s face. The man on the ground was reeling in pain. “Now… How’re you getting yourself out of this one?” He grinned, pulling out some zip ties.