Her first encounter

Yuri hadn't slept much since the outbreak and her having to shoot her grandmother. Her mind wandered too much. She laid in her bed stoking the cool handle of the black Glock. These were her best friends now. Tears welled up in her eyes and she cried for several minutes. Finally she wiped the tears away and sat up in her bed. Her mind still didn't seem to accept the fact that this was happening. "What the fuck did we do to deserve this? Please answer me!" She looked up to the sky and tears streamed down her face. Not out of sadness but out of anger and horror.

Yuri walked over to the window and looked out. Tears still rolling down her face. She caught a glimpse of a man running into the tower with some Zeds right on his tail. She pulled her pistol up and aimed it at the creature. "Just think, a week ago you were just like me. Could have been in my class or a client." She holstered the gun once again and walked back to the bed. "Maybe I'll watch some tv. Clear my damn mind." She flipped on the tv and nothing happened. She tried a few times with still no avail. She punched the screen and cried out in pain. "Shit!! Why did I do that? Gah!!" She fell backwards on to the bed. That's when she heard it.

The sound made her shoot striat up and look toward the door. "Gun fire? Here? Thought we were safe inside?" She stood up and walked slowly to door and placed her hand on the knob. Her other hand went to the grip of the pistol. Slow she opened the door a crack and peeked out. She opened it just a bit more and stuck her head out. Flipping on the flashlight on the barrel she shone it down the hall. Looking all around Yuri slipped out of the door closing it behind her. She walked around the hall peeking around corners down other hall ways. A sound from behind her made her jump. She turned quickly to see one of the creatures bounding at her. She screamed and let loose three rounds, just like her dad taught her. Two to the chest one to the head. All three hit there marks and the creature fell a few feet in front of her. She continued to scream and ran down the hall toward the stairs.

As Riley made his way up the staircase, a silent sigh escaped his lips. Once they cleared out the place, what the hell could they do now? He was thankful for the lighting the place provided. Glancing up at the ceiling, he saw that the emergency lighting had kicked on overhead. As Riley began to ponder the ideas in his mind, Johnny piped in with raspy breaths. "I hear there is a some kind of main generator down below. Right now the lights are on emergency power for the most part, but eventually those will run out." Taking a cough, he spat to the side. "Once we take care of clearing out this place, we will have the safety of figuring out if the rich bastard who owns this place is as paranoid as he acts." Shaking his head, Riley asked. "But wouldn't it be to our advantage if we-" Cutting himself off, he could see the fire in Johnny's middle age eyes. Falling silent, they continued up the staircases in silence.

Finally after a moment, a gruff Johnny voice answered the silence. "Those bastards took my wife, my kids, and my older brother. I was surprised to find you still alive, a boy at your age..." Turning to see Riley with a rough annoyed expression on his face, Johnny let out a roar of laughter. "HAHAHA... I guess you hate being called a squirt. Well I guess I can't call you a squirt, seeing how you are still alive and kicking." Johnny's gaze wavered for a moment, admiring the boy. "You remind me of my son, you know that?" Riley only responded with a smirk, thanking the man inwardly for the complement. "Thank you, sir." As they rushed up another flight of stairs, the two finally called it quits off to the side.

A light huffing came from Riley, shaking his head with grief. "Damn... those stairs are killer. I hope we get the electricity back on, so we can use those damn elevators." The husky man was breathing deeply, gaping breaths filled the silence of the stairwell. "You are telling me. I rather fight those bastards than run..." As they both turned to meet each other's gazes, they shared a quick laugh. Just as they were about caught up on their breaths, the immediately heard 3 gun shots echo in the place. Turning his head, Riley pointed towards the door. "That way." Taking his handgun, he walked over to the side and fell into a crouching position. The husky man ran to the side of the door and waited for the door to open.

The husky man nods to Riley as Riley nods in return. Immediately, Johnny opens the door with his left hand, kicking it wide as it slams against the wall. Riley keeps his weapon aimed and primed, switching the safety off as he sees the girl running towards him. Her head was bent low... her eyes hidden by her hair. Taking careful aim, he waited for the girl to target the girl. Waiting cautiously. Then he sees it, a stream of tears. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Johnny notices it first. "Wait Riley, shes alive!" Immediately Riley drops his guard and opens his arms, trying to catch the crazed woman.

Yuri ran as hard as she could down the hall way and rushed through the door to the stair well. She didn't notice the two men pointing guns at her until they spoke. She looked up and screamed halting quickly. Her hand went to the other pistol and she had both pointed at the men. Her eyes were still wet and her mind race. "Who the fuck are you?!?" She screamed. Her fingers slipping into the trigger guards and she then realized that they were alive still. She bust into tears and dropped onto the floor. She pulled her knees up to her chest and crossed her arms over them. Laying her head in them she sobbed deeply.

A few seconds went by and she looked up. Her eyes still wet with tears. She spoke softly "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to aim guns at you. I'm just under alot of stress." She muttered something in Japanese and stood. Holstering on of her guns. "One of those....those things attacked me. I was super scared. But my daddy was military so I know how to shoot. It's body is back there. But can I stay with you guys. I feel a little safer right now?" She tried to smile warmly. She straitened her clothes out and tried to smooth the wrinkles. Her face was still wet from the tears and she wiped them away trying to act tough. "Oh and what is going on here? I thought this place was supposed to be safe. That they couldn't get in."

Riley waited as time slowed down, upon catching a glimpse of the crying woman. He immediately was stunned by her fragile demeanor. How the hell did she survive by running around everywhere? Then a Glock was shoved into his face. "Shit-!" Riley had no time to react as he saw those fingers slip into the trigger guard. A Glocks only safety is built into the trigger, a perfect mass production weapon. He only winced his teeth as he saw the safety trigger pulled... Johnny on the other hand already had his weapon trained on the girl. Johnny prayed the girl had no lost it, as a 7.62 X 39 would ruin any one's parade. Riley contemplated quickly on his next move, hopelessly waiting for the trigger to be pulled. He winced, waiting for the blow. As he gritted his teeth, blinking as he waited for the inevitable outcome. Pausing for a moment, he opened his eyes to see...she was on the ground crying, sobbing into her knees. As the sobs continued to flow, Riley nodded to Johnny. "Alright Johnny, go check up on that body." With a quick, but hesitant, nod, Johnny disappeared out the door from wince she came.

Letting a heavy sigh escape his lips, he holstered his CZ75. He would not admit it, but his gun slinging arm was trembling lightly from the shock. He had forgotten how crazy people are when the situation was turned up. When law and order are gone, he should remember that every survivor is not only interested in the well being of others. He could not blame them, they are just trying to survive in a place... "There is no such thing as safe dear." A hand reached down to attempt to pat her on the back. "Only safer." A bright smile spread across his lips, showing he was one of the few that retained his sanity through the aftermath. After she went through her life story in a matter of seconds, he could only shake his head in disbelief. "H-hey... relax. I know you are scared."

Although she looked like she could handle herself, he could not help but feel a sense of dignity and compassion for the woman. She was terrified, like a small girl losing her mother in a grocery store. Of course, he kept those notions to himself as she stood up. Watching her recover within a moments notice, a light sigh escaped his lips. So much for little girl, he had to admit his eye wandered across her figure as he talked to her sweetly. "Well as you can tell, one of those fuckers got in through the back door. They took out two of my friends in the process..." Turning his head away only for a moment, he shook off the feeling for remorse. Right now was not the best time to worry about such things. "Anyhow, right now we are hunting... and from the looks of it, you might have killed one of the bastards that got in."

As Riley's radio squawked, he immediately picked it up and hit the send button. "What do you got Johnny?" A raspy voice came out of the other end. "I got a body... it was Bret. God rest his soul." Riley let another sigh escape his lips. He was tired of all the death around here." So what do we do now, Johnny." Clicking the send off, he waited patiently for the man to respond. In the meantime, he gandered over the female with a slight smile. "How much ammo do you have left for those forties?" As that bright smile continued to shine, he kept his eyes wandering. Best not to let your guard down in a place like this.

Yuri looked at the man in front of her with bright blue eyes. The tears had left little streaks of mascara around her eyes. It had her look kind of like a raccoon. She forced a small smile when his hand touched her. She hadn't seen very many living people left around and it was nice to know that there was a few left around. Just that fact in itself gave her a faint sense of hope. She leaned against the wall with her left shoulder pressing against the cool painted concrete. She leaned the side of her head against the wall as well. Her dark grey hair fell around her face and gave her one of those mysterious looks. A slight grin crossed her lips.

She listened to his words about how it was just safer then out there. The small grin faded. "Y..you mean that those damn things can still get in? So why did the military tell all of us to get to the towers? They said we would be safe here. They said the creatures couldn't get in here. Fucking military!" Her voice showed a bit a frustration. "Always telling us what to do but can't fucking protect us when we really need them." She looked to him with a weird expression of questioning on her face. "You're not military are you?"

"Well I'm sorry for the loss of your friends. I actually had to kill my own grandmother when this first started. She was infected but hadn't turned fully yet." Tears filled her eyes again as she spoke of the incident. "I think I killed him. My dad always taught me two shots into the chest and one to the head. I don't know how well they hit but a fourty cal does some damage so I think it's dead. Well deader then it was." She smiled a bit and caught his wandering eye. Her smile faded and she huffed. "Umm excuse me but my face is up here." She gave him a warning glance before turning crossing her arms over her breasts.

The radio made a noise and Yuri jumped a bit. She listened intently to the words coming over it. "Bret? So it had a name. Was that one of your friends? I'm sorry for killing him but he tried to kill me. And I'll be damned. If it's me or you it'll be you before me. And that goes for you too mister. Don't think I won't hesitate." She patted the small Glock under her arm. "Should be nine shells in this one and six in this one. I have to mags on me. Also in my room I have two boxes of fifty and one with....." Yuri did the calculations in her head. "Twenty-two in another." She turned and walked into the hallway again from the stairwell. "I'm going to lay down. I need some rest. I'm in room 110 if you need me." She smiled a little. "Don't be a stranger. I could use some company sometimes. This is a crazy situation and we all need someone." With that she turned and walked down the hall toward her room.

As his eyes shifted to gaze across her own, he could not help but smirk as he witnessed those gentle raccoon eyes made by her eye liner. He had to stifle a chuckle that was trying to escape his lips, wanting to at least seem somewhat serious about the situation at hand. Nevertheless, he could not help it as that playful smirk continued to rest upon his lips. Slowly reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a clean white handkerchief that he showed very cautiously to the possibly curious girl. He did not want to frighten her with both of those weapons still on her person. In times like these, it was best to take things as simple as possible. With a gradual motion, he leaned his hand forward and tries to dab the tears off of her cheek. She was such an innocent girl, he could not help but feel a pang of sympathy for her. Giving her a playful grin, he continued to dab at her cheeks if she allowed him.

As he watched her smile fade, he could tell she was miscommunicated with the current events of the day. "You do know the last military personnel I saw that was on active duty was about 3 days ago at the roadblocks. They had high tailed it out of there... and let me tell you, the remaining ones weren't alive." As the gradual silence continued to fill the room, he listened to her hootings and hollarings. She was not the brightest crayon in the box; warped that the big brother would take care of things. "The military can barely hold their own, we are in a city... cities fall faster to disease. Have you ever heard about the flu epidemics of about 50-75 years ago? Entire cities were affected because of the poor ventilation. Of course we are lucky... the damn thing isn't airborne..." Feeling that he said a bit too much, he could only chuckle in disbelief. "Why the hell that matters, I have no idea."

As she talked about her grandmother, he was rather shocked to hear her talk about a million personal things when they first met each other. They had all gone through a lot of hells to get this far. Even over the past two weeks, Riley had seen his fair share of bloodshed. Human against monster... and human against human. He only faded out just for a second to hear the rest of her story. Watching her cover her breasts, a loud burst of a chuckle escaped his lips. "Oh dear, you think I was staring at just those dear?" A playful smirk pranced across his lips. "I wasn't undressing you darlin'. Besides, I don't have a favorite part on a woman. I like the whole deal or nothing at all." A wink was all that he gave her as he turned to give her a moment to recover.

Hearing about Bret only made him shake his head in disbelief. "He was one of them, so do not worry about it. We have all seen our fair share of cleaning up after our friends." His eyes went hazy once again, as if he was remembering a vital moment. Shaking his mind to clear his thoughts, he noticed she was running a bit low on ammunition. "You only carry 2 extra magazines in this day and age?" A gaping stare of disbelief shone across his facial features. Immediately, he stood up to his full height to show off the rest of his gear. Utilizing the methods of webbing, he was able to outfit himself with all the equipment he would need without feeling weighed down with all his gear. With a modified Shoulder holster, he ran straps around the front of his shirt to secure the shoulder holster magazine holders to his chest. On each side held 2 magazines of 9mm CZ75. Around his waist was something different. On both sides of his waist, he carried two parallel magazine holders. Each magazine holder held two side pockets. Within each side pocket held two 15 rounder 22LR magazines. All in all, he could easily carry 8 Magazines of 22LR and 4 extra magazines of his CZ75.

On his leg was a holster, used to carrying his side arm. Draped across his chest was a lightly stained strap... crossed diagonally to hold his 22LR securely in place. All in all, he only felt the weight of the rather heavy 22LR. If he was carrying it in his hands, he felt light as a feather. Pointing to the small satchel that draped behind his back, he pulled out a small flashlight from his mess kit and shone it down the rather dark hallway. The emergency lights were still on, but he was happy to say he could see fairly well without the flashlight for the most part. Tapping the trusty metal of his Kershaw knife along his upper shoulder, he let a sigh of relief escape his lips. Turning to the walkie, he heard a buzz come alive once more. "This is Johnny... I am going to do some explorin' on my own kid. Take care of the girl, you hear? I will message you in 30. Maintain radio silence, over and out!" And with a squalk, Riley was unable to respond.

"Shit you old man!" Gruffing, he decided against calling the man back. He knew he was not going to be able to call him back, as it was obvious that Johnny turned off his walkie. He was a hunter, and Riley knew that he would only slow him down. The man worked alone... and it was Riley's duty to let him be. Turning to see the girl walking off down into the darkness, he called out to her. "Hey, could you hold up?" The girl was an airhead if she thought she could just walk away from him. "Its too dangerous to go down there alone, this place is not secure." He was being honest. He did not know the count for the possible infected that crawled in here to die later on in a broom closet somewhere. Listening and waiting to burst out to claim a new victim. Trying to catch up with her, he tries to grab her by the wrist to stop her. "Listen to me... this place is dangerous to go off on your own..." There was a hint of a demand in his voice, but he suppressed it with a casual sigh. "Do you want to live out the night or not?" Leaning back he crossed his arms, waiting for her reply.

Yuri smiled as she saw him pull out the handkerchief. The first few dabs she allowed with a smile. "Why thank you. Quite the gentlemen you are I see." She spoke with a little disbelief in her voice. "There is so few left in the world." Her voice showed that her mode was getting a little better. As he tried to wipe away her tears again she lifted her hand and caught his wrist. Taking the handkerchief from him she spoke warmly. "I can do it myself but thank you." She smiled and wiped her face and eyes. Looking down at the white cloth that was now stained with some black from her mascara. She grinned and handed it back to him. "Sorry bout the makeup on it. I hope your girlfriend doesn't get mad." She spoke with a slight sarcasm trying to bring her mode back up.

She listened to his story of the military and frowned. "Well if they know so much and have such power as they claim then why can't we stop something like this. I mean evacuate the survivors and nuke the whole fucking place. Thats what we should do. If you find any humans who are still alive that show signs of infection then quarantine them. If they show signs of turning kill 'em. Plain and fucking simple." Her eyes showed she was serious. Her face still looked young and innocent but there seemed to be more to her then meets the eye. Kinda like Transformers. "Yeah I read about the epidemic. But that was however many years ago. We are more informed and educated on diseases and viral disease now. We should be able to work up a cure. And the fact it's not airborne means it's better for us. I mean think about the ebola virus and how dangerous it was. The fucking thing was airborne or blood borne. People were dropping like flies in Africa. Now if something like that happened here not even you and me would be here. Even rabies. I work for a veternarian so I have seen many cases of rabies over the years. The damn virus is deadly to pretty much all animals who contract it. But there is a human cure. Shit I had to get the vaccine for it. I got bit by a dog who was infected. The needle is like eight inches long. A series of seven shots all directly in the stomach." She lifted her shirt a little to reveal a pink lace bra. She lifted the bra at the bottom and showed a wound of two puncture hole in the bottom of her right breast. "That's where the dog got me. We thought he was under but I guess the ketamine wore off faster then we hoped." She dropped the bra and shirt.

Yuri ignored the comment about him not looking at her breasts and jumped strait to the question about her ammo. "Well I only had those on me. I have more in my room. And I only have four mags. Can't very well load mags I don't have. She watched him show off his own loads and equipment. She smiled and said playfully. "Nice ass." She laughed a bit and thought to herself. Leave it to me to think about guys in a time like this. Pushing the thought of his ass out of her mind she listened to the words over the walkie. "Your friend sure is brave to go off by himself. Shouldn't you help him?" She started to walk off and he grabbed her wrist. "Let go of me! I'm not going no where but five door down on the right. If you're so damn worried then fucking walk me there. But don't you ever fucking grab me again. This is your only warning. Next time the fourty is your warning. Got it buddy?" Her voice was firm and demanding. Not the same as it was just thirty seconds before. The point should have gotten through to even the thickest skulled person. He didn't know her but if he knew anything about guns then he should know that a fourty cal means business. Ecspecially when you're looking down the business end of it.

As he shook his head about the girlfriend part, he took the handkerchief from her hand with a bright smile. "I will be happy to let you know I am happily single." With a bright smile, he folded the garment and placed it into his pocket. Listening to her explain her understanding of the situation, he could only shake his head and sigh. "I could argue with you over other possibilities all day. But this city had at least several hundred thousand strong. There was no way to move out all the people in time. There was not enough areas to quarantine. And they did not get a full handle on the situation until it was too late. Time and manpower, the military was a little too weak and too late by the time they issued their commands." He was surprised that she knew about the Ebola strands around the world. It did show that she was somewhat intelligent of the situation, even if in his opinion she was being arrogant about it. Nevertheless, he could see that charm inside that shows she was the type to survive. Determination to surpass all, that is exactly what is needed in this new rising world.

As she mentioned something about rabies, he had to nod in approval. "Well rabies is basically what we have right in front of us... cept they added acid to most of these fuckers plus a heavy dose of PCP so these... things can't feel a damn thing." As he continued to chatter, he saw her lift her shirt up to reveal something rather satisfying to see. "H-hey, don't do that here!" As he saw the mark under her right breast, he slowly understood. "Oh... okay..." So she was a bit comfortable with exposing her body, alright. That was fair game for him. Trying to recover from his slight shock he added "yeah, I kinda want to avoid a needle that long into my stomach. I rather be put under like that rabid dog than to deal with that kind of drug." A bright smile formed across his lips as he listened to her about her ammo. At least she had a few spares, he kept a few in his fanny for magazine malfunctions. It was hard to keep up weapon maintenance in this day and age.

Hearing about his ass, he could only chuckle and shake his head. Watching her prance off, he had to open his mouth. "I was about to say the same thing..." He said it quietly to himself, but if she was listening hard enough she could hear it. Nevertheless, he watched that butt bounce until he realized that he had to chase her down and grabs a hold of her hand. Just then she snapped like an angry cute bear who just been given a light prod in the side. Instead of freaking out and backlashing her with more verbal insults, a sarcastic grin formed over his lips. "Good, but next time shove that glock in my direction. Makes it show you are more than just a girl with some pepper." Releasing his grip, he walked ahead of her. Keeping his weapon primed, both hands went to holding his handgun. Slowly walking up the hall, he kept his eyes on the corners. "You should know, I am one of the only kind person you are going to meet. Next time, you might consider pulling the trigger." It was a healthy warning as he continued to walk up to her room, following her exact instructions.

"Ahh here it is..." seeing the door opened, he turned to the right to catch a glimpse of the corpse. It was Bret alright, and a bead right in the man's forehead. So much for living the high life. He had to admit, even if she was scared she put one right between the eyes. Some relfexes. "My friend is just fine for what he needs to do. He is a natural loner, Ex marines... wait, I am sorry. He is a marine." A bright smile spread across his lips as he stepped inside the room, checking the corners quickly. "I hope you don't mind me clearing your room first..." He kept his eyes on the road, making sure to check behind the door quickly before advancing into the room.

She looked at him as he entered his room. "Hey you're supposed to knock before entering a girls room." she joked. Pulling one of her Glocks she flipped on the flashlight and laser pointer attached to it, shining it around the room. The little red dot on the wall swept right and left. She walked to the bed and knelt down. Shining the light under the bed she leaned her head down a few feet away so if anything was there she would have a chance to pull the trigger. "You know we never really introduced ourselves." She looked up and down under the bed. "It's clear here. My name's Yuriana Hata. But my friends call me Yuri. And you would be?"

Yuri stood up and looked over to him. Her own eyes looked over his body as he looked in the closet and moved around different areas of the room. His cute ass was where most of her attention was spent, but she would look away to the desk as he turned to face her. She didn't want him to catch her staring at him. There was a picture on the desk of her parents. She walked over and picked it up. Looking at it for a second she placed it back on the desk. It was just a picture of her dad in his Air Force uniform and her mom in a blue kimono with white Sakura blossoms printed on it.

She plopped down on the bed and smiled. "So what did you do before all this shit happened? I mean you aren't military so what were you?" She laid her head on the pillow and yawned. Looking up at the celing she sighed a bit. Sitting up she scooted back against the headboard and patted the bed for him to sit. "No need in standing. You were told to watch me while your friend did his thing." She pulled her knees up to her chest again and crossed her arms over it. Yuri rested her chin on her arms and looked at him, trying to think of something to talk about. She hadn't really spoke much to anyone other then her grandmother since her parents accident. But in times such as these people seem to open up to people who are in the same situation as them.

A noise outside the door startled her and quickly she drew one of the pistols and aimed it toward the door. "You hear that?" She jumped up before he could even answer and rushed to the door. Using the same tactic as before she cracked the door open just a bit. She peeked out as best she could but saw nothing. "Maybe it's just my mind playing tricks on me." She walked back over and made it about half way to the bed before the sound came again. Only this time it was closer and louder. She turned quickly and backed up. The red dot hit the door as her pistol was trained on it directly. "I don't know if I wanna know what that was. I don't like this. I'm scared." She looked at him with a complete look of horror on her face. She continued to back up till her back was pressed against his chest. Her eyes still focused on the door. "Shit! I didn't lock it back. I'm not going over there." She reached back with her left hand and gripped the side of his pants like a child holding onto her daddy's leg.

Chuckling lightly, he pulled his pocket flashlight from his satchel once more and began to scoot it around the room. "Sorry about that, but normally I would of asked politely." A light smirk played across his lips as he checked in various parts of the small apartment, making sure to scan every single area of the room. Turning to hear her name, he only shook his head. "Alright Yuri, how about you just call my Riley." There was no need for last names in his mind, hell he did not want her to be formal with him. "Alright then Yuri, I guess that means your room feels like it is clean and safe as can be..." Brighting giving her a light grin, he watched her plop down onto the bed. A light sigh escaped his lips as he considered her offer. "So you are offering a complete stranger who looks and smells like complete ass to sit on your nice and comfortable bed?" He hated to admit it, but hes gone two days without showering and it felt like he was icky all over.

That was the one thing he did not stand about the survivalist training his father put him through when he was younger. How could a person go a full month without showering off once? Hearing her ask that question of what he was doing. "Well to be honest, I was a student in college like yourself Yuri. I was trying to become a computer programmer..." Letting her digest that choice of a degree, he made his way around the bed as he attempted to find the bathroom. Planning on washing up. "I hope you don't mind if I take a quick shower." With a bright smile, he holstered his weapon as he began to unbuckle a few of his toys. Carefully slipping off the strap to his rifle, he placed it neatly against the wall.

As he heard the second gunshot, he responded almost immediately. As he yelled stupid stupid stupid in his mind, he was already across the room near the door. As he approached the door, he reached down to realize his handgun was not there. "What the..." finding his toys on the other side of the room... he quickly rushed towards the door to try to close it. Just as he was about to turn the lock on the door...

BOOM!!!

Riley was sent sprawling back as one of the sprinters broke through the door. Tackling him to the ground, Riley was forced to putting two hands around that sickening bloody neck. "GET OFF OF ME!!!" He screamed as he smelled the sickening breath of the creature. Its odor washing over his form as he glanced at the mutilated body. It was a woman, he could tell from her fingertips wrapped around his neck. The woman screeched and lurched, and he knew what was coming next. Instinctively, he moved his head back just out of the range of the woman and closed his eyes and mouth. The woman... barfed infectious fluids of blood and guts out of her stomach. Trying to spread her disease by letting the fluids slip into some kind of opening in Riley's body.

Nevertheless, Riley was prepared for that. As soon as the woman finished barfing, Riley reached for his shoulder to find the long kershaw knife. Without any hesitation, he stuck the knife inside of the creature's head with a death defining roar. "NOW YOU DIE!!!" As soon as the knife went into the creature's head... the woman fell limp, rolling to the side as soon as Riley shoved her off of him. Immediately getting to his feet, Riley grabbed the woman by her legs and dragged her feet and practically flung her ass out the door. Breathing deeply through his mouth, he was noticed none of the blood got onto his lips. Good... thats good. As soon as the door shut, he locked it with a brisk movement of his hand.

Stripping off his shirt, he casually walked into the bathroom and tossed his knife into the sink. He doubted the disease got into his system, as he breathed heavily through his nose, but he might as well clean up before the woman would freak out. Tossing the shirt to the side, he looked at his body, caked with disgusting blood, only to sigh deeply. He really liked that other shirt. "Could you hand me a towel I can use to wipe the blood off of me." He was planning on taking a nice hot shower afterward, but he wanted to get the blood off before he got into the shower. He did not want to dirty up her shower with caked blood. "And some rubbing alcohol if you would. Its for my knife." Have to clean it.

Yuri screamed when the door burst open. Seeing the speeder rush in and tackle Riley she froze. Her mind raced and she didn't know what to do at that second. Her pistol was still in her hand but her body would not move. She couldn't force herself to turn to aim it at the creature. Something in her mind shoved the brick of fear back into her. All she could do was mutter. "It even got in here." Her body began to back up with out her thinking about it. But every step seemed in slow motion.

She watched in amazement as Riley fought off the creature. He was really handling his own against the woman attacking him. Her mind finally caught up with her about the time the creature spewed it nasty gunk onto him. The pistol aimed at the creature but she hesitated to fire for fear of hitting him. She watched intently as he drove the knife into her. A feint smile crossed her lips as she watched him shove her off of him and get up. "You ok?" She asked softly. Her mind had thoughts of sadness for the girl and for him. She would be really upset if someone she had met became one of them.

She smiled as he stripped off his shirt. Her eyes wandering over his body. "Well even with all that shit on you, you still look nice." She grinned a bit. Looking over to all the blood and goo on the floor she frowned. What to do with it. How do you clean up all that mess with out getting infected or all nasty. "No sir." She joked. "Get your ass in that shower before you get one of my towels. I'd rather have the tub messy then one of my towels. The tub is easier to clean." She thought for a second. "If I have any alcohol then it's under the sink in the bathroom. Now go get cleaned up while I figure what to do with her." She walked over smiling and shoved him into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

As he was shoved into the bathroom, he merely grunted as the door shut behind him. Feeling those angelic fingers laced across his backside even for a moment made him quiver lightly. Damn, that woman took a knife kill rather well. He would of been shitting himself at the sight of a man stabbing a woman no doubt into the head. Stuff always got to people back then... maybe things were just different. As he turned to face the mirror, he brought his hands up to the light. He could tell they still had that light tingle, the hesitation that nearly made him buy it. She would have not noticed it, but in his mind he was almost willing to accept the fate of his neck being gnawed out. Shaking such suicidal thoughts away, he resisted the urge to slap his face. It was time to get cleaned up. First working on his hands, he decided to wash off the blood before touching any of her stuff. Rinsing his hands off completely, he grabbed the soap and lathered it up. Working from there, he at least had clean hands to touch all the instruments in the bathroom.

As he grabbed the bottle of alcohol and poured it all over his chest, he let the thoughts dribble in his mind. What would of happened if he were bitten or scratched. What would it feel like to become one of the crazy rushers that sprinted across the night to catch their prey. As the alcohol poured across his body, he noted that he felt no stinging sensations. Always a good sign, he noted to himself. If he had to be a zed, it would have to be the crawlers. Slow to think, living the high life of retardation. He could tell the zeds held no sense of morality of their formal selves on the inside... but the crawlers on the other hand. Since they are so slow, could they have realized their fates? Or was it the decay that had gotten to them?

Shaking the thoughts away, he dropped his pants, socks and boxers and carried himself over to the tub. Letting the alcohol pour from his body, he made sure to double check for any other cuts on his legs. He didn't want a stupid thing like that to get to him when he was draining. Letting a sigh escape his lips, he finally kicked on the shower and began to wash the rest of his body. The remaining caked blood washing away down the drain like the rest of his sorrows. He was so tired of all the running. Even though he knew he could survive, he had been through so much of a hell over the past several days. It has been an eternity since he has actually laid down on a nice bed. Maybe, just maybe, they will clear this place out and call it a home. A safe home where he could sleep in just as much as he loved to do before SHTF (shit hit the fan).

Slowly reaching up for the soap, he forgot the fact he had locked the door. Shrugging it off, it was not as if she would come in to see. The shower curtain was pulled all the way, she would have to jump in behind him to see even a part of his shiny white ass. As he finished up rinsing his body, he went to work by sudding up the soap, planning on taking a quick shower to save the rest of the already wasted water. "Got any shirts I can wear? I can wear a mans Medium or small." He was up to date on the tight shirt fashion... gah, why men wore tight shirts. He would never know.

Yuri frowned slightly turning from the closed door. Her eyes lay upon the goo and blood on the floor. She stepped around it and walked to the desk. She picked up the picture of her parents. Looking at the picture she walked back to her bed and sat down. She smiled at the picture. "How happy we were back then. I'd give anything to be happy like that again." She laid back and scooted up the bed and lay her head on the pillow.

Looking up toward the sky she thought of times past. Her mind was broken from it's thoughts remembering the door was unlocked. Sliding off the bed she walked over and locked the deadbolt. "I don't know if that will help but it makes me feel better." She sulked back to the bed and laid back down. Her mind raced. There was all kinds of things running through it. The boy Riley, the tragedies of what had happened, her parents, all was running their own path through her subconscious. Her mind began to slow as she gripped the picture of her parents. Sweet beautiful sleep fell over her. Yuri's mind released all of her thoughts as rest finally took hold of her. It was the first sleep she had in days. Maybe this would help her relax and get some of her strength back.

As the drops of the shower continued to grace himself along his back, he sighed deeply. Maybe she just did not hear him. Killing the shower, the beads of water dripped off of his wet body. Well, why the hell did she not hear him? A long sigh escaped his lips as he gave up calling Yuri's name out, reaching forward he grabbed the towel and threw it across his body. Drying fairly quickly, he looked down to his mattered clothes with a long sigh. Well, he sure as hell was not going to be wearing that shirt again at least. Grabbing a nearby plastic bag, he took a clean end and tossed it into the bag. Examining the floor, he made sure to take a few drops of the alcohol and place it along the ground. Whatever disease was there, it would be dead soon enough. Walking towards the sink, his wet footsteps padded the bright white floors. He noticed all the stains on the ground and was glad to note that all of it was just mud from his boots.

As he walked towards the mirror, he slowly examined himself in his reflection. Placing a few fingers along his cheek, he could tell that he had changed. Maybe not physically, as he glanced around those dark patches under his eyes. Those sandbags from the lack of sleep. He could tell he was running on a few hours of sleep each night, he just could not sleep like he used to. Sleep like a baby. Glancing downward, he still noticed the knife that was in the sink. He had rinsed it off and poured some alcohol on it, so he took one of his socks to clean the rest of the blade. A trusty old friend that has saved his life once again. Flinging the water off by slashing the air with the blade, he did a few mindless twirls to ease his tension. He missed sitting on a rock and sharpening the blade during the the spring time. It was always so relaxing to hear that rock slide against the stainless steel or that carbon edge.

Sighing deeply, he only shook the water from his hair. His body had air dried enough and he felt revived once more. Full of energy. Showering always helped to ease the mind. Nodding in agreement, he threw on his old boxers and jeans. Walking out shirtless, he slowly peered down to see the blood stains on the carpet. There was a long lasting reminder for letting his guard down, might as well do some searching. Looking around the room, he turned to see the sleeping beauty on the bed. Sprawled out with a rather deranged but cute look on her face. Well, let her sleep. She probably has been up a helluvah lot longer than him. Walking across the carpet, he kept his creep low. He was naturally trained to keep silent, since his old house always had those aches and groans that shook the house with each step. Finally reaching her drawers, he started to slowly pull them out to try to find a shirt. Searching through the second drawer, he finally found a T shirt that could fit him. A dark green T shirt with the words "Spring time fun" was written on it, but hell he didn't care. Slipping it over his chest, he noticed how tight it was. Well hell, she had the bod. He could not complain.

Finally sighing with a clean shirt on, he made his way back to his gear and slowly slipped them on. Trying not to wake her. This place was still dangerous, and she was safer where she sat. As long as she was safe, he was not breaking any orders from Johhny...

She slept for a while. Her mind painting vivid pictures of death and destruction. In her dream she was being chased and chased by one of the Zeds. That boy Riley came from no where and stabbed the zed killing it. But not before it managed to sink it's teeth into his shoulder. She watched in horror as Riley fell to his knees. Face looking toward the ground she could not see his face. She walked over and knelt down to check on him. She reached down and placed a hand under his chin lifting his face to hers. She saw the red eyes and the sweat dripping down the sides of his face. She muttered to herself "No Riley. Please no." She began to sob when he suddenly lept to her pinning her to the ground. She struggled but to no avail. As his teeth closed down on her neck she screamed.

The scream was not only in her dream but in the real world as well. She sat up quickly still screaming. Looking over she saw Riley and jumped toward him. Her arms wrapping around him she sobbed into his chest. "I...I thought you was one of them. In.....my dream you were bitten and then you bit me." Her tears made the front of the shirt wet and he could feel the wetness. Her body shook out of the fear. She began to relax a bit feeling the warmth of his body pressed against hers. After a few minutes of crying she released him and sat down on the bed.

"I can't take this shit no more. I need to go for a walk." Yuri remembered something and she spoke franticly once again. "Have you heard back from your friend? I hope he's ok." Her voice was shaky and she clutched a pillow tightly. Her eyes found the spot where the battle in her room had been and she gripped the pillow tighter. "It could have been true." She spoke really softly almost in a whisper. "Can I pull the trigger if it does happen. Can I kill someone again? Some one I know at that." She laid down and curled up into a little ball clutching the pillow and the picture of her parents.

"Ghak... damn straps." Fiddling with the last strap around his leg, he continued to pull and tug on the remaining armaments on his gear. He had a chance or two while Yuri slept to actually work on his handgun. It was in need of a deep clean, so he sat down on a nearby chair and began to do some minor activities in the cleaning. Applying a tad bit of oil to the slide, dusting off the barrel, and giving it that oil smell shine that always set his mind at ease to a tense situation. Nevertheless, he kept his rifle loaded, pointing at the door for any other strangers. He did not have a way to get the blood out of the carpet in her room, so he decided to poor plenty of alcohol onto the blood stained floor. It bleached and smelled pretty horridly, but he decided it was for a best. Having found a rug in a dusty closet, he pulled the man trick by placing the rug over the blood. Problem solved!

He had just holstered his handgun when she screamed out in her sleep. Managing to dust off his hands from the oiling of his weapons, she had practically jumped into his chest and buried her head there with complete and utter abandon. Riley froze up temporarily, unable to comprehend the situation. Alas, a long sigh escaped his lips as he allowed to let her rest there. Attempting to brush a few fingers through her soft hair. Only her sobs and hiccups filled the room as he continued to soothe her. Trying to brush a few strands from her eyes, he waited quietly for her to calm down. An occasional "shh..." would slip itself between her cries of shock and suspense. He listened to her dream, as only a sigh escaped his lips. "Everything is going to be alright...." Once more, he saw her as that little girl from before. Getting lost in the grocery store. She has been through so much hell, he did not want to push her any longer than he needed. Nevertheless, could he leave her alone?

Listening to her last remarks, he remembered about the radio. "Shit Johnny..." Grabbing the radio, he looked to see the last transmissions. He sighed lightly, his radio was still offline. He was probably still on the hunt, but the LCD panel was rather tricky and he was not used to it yet. "If you didn't hear anything when I was in the shower, then I guess he has not called back yet..." Turning his head, he saw her eying the rug where he had tried to hide the blood. Scars always remain after a fall. Understanding her dilemma, he merely attempted to rest a hand on top of her head once more. His gazing lowering to meet hers, trying to gaze with his soft oceanic hues. "Don't worry about me. If I get bit, I take care of myself..." And with a slight smile, his necklace popped out of his shirt to reveal a small 9mm round hanging on a small silver chain.

He only smiled, tucking it back into the shirt he borrowed. A long and heavy sigh escaped his lips. Planting himself next to the troubled girl, he slowly reached forward to place a hand on her neck, trying to run a few fingers down the top of her spine. She needed to calm down, before he went out to hunt for Johnny.

She looked at him with a slight grin. "Well at least the spot is gone." she managed to get out between hiccups. She looked at him and watched as he fumbled with the radio. "I never heard nothing. Maybe you should go look for him. I think I am going out to the stores down below. I really need something to eat and drink. I know it's probably not the best of ideas but I can handle myself if needed." Her confidence had come back as the shock of the dream wore off.

Watching him produce the bullet from around his neck made her wonder if she should do something like that too. She would much rather take her own life then become one of the things. She stood up and quickly walked to the dresser. She lifted her shirt and pulled it off not worrying about him. The pink bra strap showed and she grabbed a new shirt from in the dresser. It was just a plain white teeshirt. Pulling it over her head she grabbed a hair tie and pulled her hair up. The single ponytail in the back made her look older and more sophisticated.

She turned to him. "I am going weather or not you agree. I have to. To prove to myself that I can make it alone. Unfortunately you may not always be there to protect me. Please don't try and stop me. I have to do this." She grabbed a small bag and dropped a box of ammo into it. Slinging it around her shoulder and arm she looked over to him. Her fear and sadness had turned to a look of determination. She felt herself changing. For what she did not know. It could be a good thing or it could be a bad thing. But she had to show what she was made of. She was tired of this weak little girl she was becoming in all of this mess. Walking to him she looked him in the eyes. "Thank you for being here when I needed you. If I see you again then great. If not it was good getting to know you." Wrapping her arms around his neck she pressed her lips against his firmly. Her kiss was passionate. Letting her lips linger for just a second she released him. "One hour and I'll be back here." She grabbed her watch and smiled. "That will be 12:45 am. See you then I hope." With that she opened the door and walked out. Leaving him behind to find his friend or do whatever.

Nodding to her decision on the radio, he decided it would probably be best to go search for the old honky on his own. That damn marine always had a thing with working alone and out of radio contact, he could of sworn that has gotten that old fart into trouble on more than one occasion. "Going out...?" He could see the visions play in his mind like an old recording. He saw that little girl rushing off to the grocery store by herself, maybe as old as 13 now. Shaking the visions that swam violently in his mind, he could not exactly accept her going out all by herself. "I hate to sound cliche, but its terribly dangerous outside. You should at least let me come with you." Before he could finish with the reasons why, he was caught off guard by the fire in her eyes. From that moment on, he realized a very important factor. There was nothing really he could do to stop her.

An audiable sigh escaped his lips as he turned to the radio. He just did not have the time to babysit either. Although Johnny made it perfectly clear for him to stick with her, there were somethings she had to learn on her own. She may seem to be the emotional sensitive type, but maybe she had the guts to stick it out. He will never know. Nevertheless, the gut inside told him otherwise. Stick to her, before she rushes out and gets herself killed. "But-" The kiss was pressed firmly to his lips, cutting off any audiable or understanding notions from his muttering lips. "Gha... wha...?" It was not his first kiss, he was willing to contest to that. But he was just caught completely off guard to even prepare for it. Blushing lightly, his eyes only followed her out the door. Watching her rush out into the world unknown.

As the door slammed behind her, he was shocked back to his senses. "What the fuck?..." Shaking his face to pull himself back into reality, he could only accept the current circumstances for now. She had to prove herself, as they all would, in this new coming world. Many horrible things are bound to happen, but there might be hope for the few who persevere. Checking the slide on his weapon, his necklace popped out of his shirt once more. Glancing down at it, he picked it up in his spare hand. His only crutch in the world, was the 9mm he placed upon his neck. If he didn't have it, if he didn't have his ultimate exit pass, he would not be able to function in this new world. Always be sharp, keep an open mind, and always have an exit. Even if it means ending your own life.

Clutching the pendant in his hand, he placed it under his shirt once more. There was no time to lose, he had work to do. Placing the satchel on his back, he got a buzz on the walkie talkie. "This is johnny. Riley are you there?" Immediately Riley answered, clutching the receiver once more. "Yes this is Riley. Where the hell are you ya old bastard!" Johnny would only chuckle on the other end, giving Riley a sense of relief. The old bastard was alright. "I don't have time to explain Riley, but you need to come to the basement levels of the building. I think I found something." Riley only nodded in reply. "Yes sir. 10-4." Feeling a bit awkward with the military walkie jargon, he placed it around his belt and primed his 22. Time to get back to business.

Checking the place one last time, he decided to write a note on a scrap piece of paper. "Be back later.-Riley." With a slight nod, he checked his corners when he rushed out the door. Time to get to work.

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