Morning Coffee And Sweet Surprises (Closed to Poprockz)

[Drobabes]

Her brain wanted to flood her with every single memory of the past three days all at once, and once she has her shirt on, she has to grab her dresser and hang onto it for a moment as she tries to think of something, anything else, than what she had seen. Shaking her head a little, as if it would help, she finally lets go and leaves the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

She made her way down stairs, being careful to step lightly. When she reached the kitchen, she flipped on the lights, as well as the lights in the living room. The sun had just barely come up, and it was still a little dark.

Looking over, she noticed her snake was awake. Sometimes he was awake when she came down for a midnight snack, and sometimes he wasn't. It made her smile as an idea came to her mind.

After she drank a glass of water, she went over to the backpack and pillowcase she had left sitting by the door. She grabs the items and deposits them on the kitchen counter, then she pulls her phone out of the backpack. It still had a little charge.

Scrolling through the songs she has saved on it as she adjusts the thermostat to seventy two, she picks out Take Me Home by Eddie Money and grabs a pair of headphones sitting by the tv. Before she plugs them into her phone, though, she goes over to the kitchen and grabs the broom and her shoes. The glass from the tv wasn't a whole lot, but she still didn't feel like stepping on it and risking cutting her feet. When she was done sweeping it up, then she finally plugs her headphones in and makes her way over to her snake.

She open his enclosure and then stands near the palm with a hand extended to him. The snake, already knowing this routine, moves its muscled body out to her until it is climbing up onto her arm with some assistance.

"Ooh Bowie Bowee" she coos.

"Hi hansem boy."

She lifts his whole body from the palm tree and brings him out into the living room, her headphones playing the rhythm over her ears. She lifts his head up close to her own and coos softly at him a few more times, the snake being extremely placid with her handling, and then she extends his long body over her shoulders and lets its head rest on her arm and hand.

"You ready Bowie Bowie?"

Holding the snake out like she is pointing off into the far distance, she begins to dance around her living room with him while singing softly to it. Usually her brother was the one to play with him like this, but, doing this herself was almost cathartic in a way.

"Take me home tonight..."

Her voice was soft and somewhat quiet, still thinking that Damien is asleep. Her back is turned to the hallway as she softly sways with the animal.

"Be my little baby..."

 

[Poprockz]

Damien had been tempted to jerk off, but he heard her stop and had to peek at her. He saw her leaning against the dresser for support and felt a bit of sympathy. She had been through a lot this last week, maybe it wasn't a good idea to leave her alone. He waited until she left the room, slowly turning over and sitting at the edge of the bed. Rubbing his temples, he sighed as he thought about what a shit-show it was like outside. It was difficult to accept that something so surreal was happening in their lifetime.

Getting up, he went and quietly used the restroom, washing his hands and finding a new toothbrush to use before he simply stared into the mirror for a minute. Was this a dream come true or a nightmare to find her here? Would she simply end up in a far worse fate by staying here with him? He would kill to keep her safe without question, but there were some things outside of his control.

Finally, he moved out of the bathroom and flicked the light off, slowly traveling down the stairs to find her swaying there while softly singing. The long, albino snake was draped along her shoulders, and she was obviously listening to something on her headphones. Damien froze, simply standing in the hallway, entranced by her movements. His eyes were wide, it being one of the most erotic sights in memory. He didn't think he had ever seen something so sexy in person as a woman dancing with a snake, but he thanked his stars that he was being given that privilege now.

His steely eyes watched her hungrily, his cock straining against his pants as the snake's muscled body wrapped and slid along her skin. He didn't want to ruin the moment, and he prayed that she wouldn't notice him in the hallway. Her voice was so soft and beautiful, it made him want to hold her and dance with her as well. Although, cutting in on a dance with a snake was not something he found himself comfortable with at that time.

However, he couldn't help but imagine her naked, the snake slithering over her nude body, across her chest and down to her hips, slithering around her; It's smooth scales contrasting with her own soft skin.

 

[Drobabes]

The song was about halfway through when she slowly swayed around in a circle and saw Damien in the hall, staring at her. Any other time she might have become a little embarrassed about being caught in such a silly act, but dancing had never embarrassed her, and after yesterday, her snake gave her an immense amount of comfort and left her feeling not too embarrassed about it either. Instead of stopping, she simply closes her eyes and finishes her slow circle, opening them once she was facing the other wall again.

She changes her singing to a soft humming as she looks over her shoulder at Damien and gives him a little smile, then continues to play with Bowie. The look in his eyes wasn't lost on her, and if she didn't want so badly to be comforted by something deeply familiar and cathartic, she might have gone to join him and kissed him soft and slow. While most of the clothes he wore were admittedly very nice and accentuated his body, the suit put him in a whole new league, accenting his liquid steel gaze and making him look even more like a model on the cover of a magazine. Right now was just not the time, though.

She finished the song and brought her arm down, letting Bowie rest around her waist and shoulders as she pushed her headphones down. Despite it only being about three minutes, he was a big snake-a little over eight feet, and he was heavy. It was difficult to hold him up for long.

"You want to hold him?"

She turned around, that soft smile still on her lips.

"He's a good boy."

 

[Poprockz]

They made eye contact, he knew she knew that he was there watching, and yet she seemed unbothered by his gaze. Damien relaxed, leaning sideways against the wall with his arms crossed as he enjoyed her dance. He was grateful that he hadn't interrupted her, and wished he could just watch her like this forever. Her little gaze over her shoulder made him swallow hard, his stance shifting for a moment to make him a bit more comfortable.

As she finished up, his eyes went to the snake. It was difficult to tell whether the snake really felt things like people or even dogs did, but on the whole it seemed happy from the attention. He could definitely understand how it felt; he would be happy to be wrapped around her any day as well.

However, when she asked him if he wanted to take the snake, he hesitated. He had never held a snake before, much less a big one that was basically made of muscle. She said he was a good boy, but would the snake be okay with him? He fought with the suggestion in his head for a while before walking forward slowly.

"I uh... well, sure. As long as you don't let him squeeze the life out of me, that'd be fine. I don't know much about snakes, though." Damien looked a bit uncertain, his eyes appraising the snake as though he was worried both that it would hurt him, and that he might hurt it by dropping it or something. "Is his name Bowie?"

 

[Drobabes]

She couldn't help but giggle a little at him.

"He really can't hurt you. He's a big boy, but he's no boa constricter. It might get a little uncomfortable if he gets around your neck, but even a little kid is strong enough to pull him off."

She takes his hand and guides it up to the snakes middle first, letting him feel the smooth scales.

"If you want, you can just wrap him around your waist and he'll basically treat your body like a tree. And don't worry about dropping him, he can handle it."

She held the snakes head towards herself as she guided it's tail and body onto Damien's waist. It constricts him enough to hold on, and while he would definitely be able to feel the power in its muscles, the snake wasn't really squeezing. Using the same motion she had to guide his hand, she takes it once more and props the snakes head into his palm.

"You can grab him if you need to, but try to just push him away if he makes you uncomfortable. And yes, his name is David Bowie."

While the snake does try to move around a bit, it moves slowly and mostly just flicks it's tongue, tasting the new smells.

 

[Poprockz]

As Damien's hand is placed on the snake, he tenses for a moment before relaxing again. It was actually quite a pleasant feeling, the soft scales against his skin. The snake was almost lukewarm, and it almost felt like he was made out of rubber or plastic or some such material.

He simply nods as she suggested wrapping the snake around him, bracing himself for how it might feel to have the snake holding onto his body for support. It was surprising how the snake seemed to be gently holding on, not squeezing him any more than it had to to hold onto his well-muscled torso. The tip of the snake's tail was caressing his butt a little, which was a bit unnerving, but he chose to ignore it. It seemed like a similar situation to like when a dog sniffs someone's crotch- completely innocent.

Damien felt a little weird standing there with a snake wrapped around him, its head now in his hand (temporarily), but he kind of liked the feeling after a moment or two. There was something oddly comforting about the weight of the animal, and the way it simply looked at him curiously, flicking that little tongue. Bowie had seen him jack off into her underwear, so he already felt like they were at least acquaintances, but now it almost seemed like they could be friends.

His eyebrow raised as she said his full name. He let out a little chuckle, and said in his best David Bowie in the Labyrinth impression, "Sarah, go back to your room. Play with your toys and your costumes. Forget about the baby." Damien grinned at her and then looked back at Bowie, feeling him slowly curling around his chest. He had to restrain himself from squirming when the snake started to pop its head into one of the gaps in the buttons of his shirt.

 

[Drobabes]

Cora watched him with amusement. Most people were pretty nervous when they first got to hold a snake, and Damien was no different, except maybe a little cuter. She kind of enjoyed the way his face changed a multitude of times as he got used to the feeling of the strange animal.

"Forget about the baby."

She couldn't help but laugh at his impression. It wasn't exactly a goblin king outfit, but he did do a pretty good impression; maybe even good enough to be an extra.

"Oh goblin king, don't turn my snake into a crystal ball."

She reaches for Bowie and gently pulls his head away from Damien's sleeve, noticing how nervous he got when the snake tried to climb up his arm. Maybe he could do that another time, once he had gotten more used to him. Right now though, she just redirects him to Damien's shoulder.

She watches for another few seconds and then looks out the window, seeing the sun slowly illuminating everything. The weight of reality was starting to set in again, and she wondered, not for the first time, just how bad everything really was out there. So many people she had seen, lifeless and wandering. It made her head hurt to think how quickly it had all happened and why it wasn't stopped. She had watched shows on YouTube, about the emergency plans put into place for a so called 'zombie apocalypse scenario'. The last resort had been not only quarantine, but all out nuclear bombs if the contagion spread. So if that hadn't happened...how fast had it spread? Was the whole world gone?

A cold sense of dread wormed it's way up through her as she tried to peel her eyes away from the window, barely managing to do so. She looks back to Damien, not realizing she had zoned out, and gives him a little smile.

"You can put him back in his cage whenever you want, I think I'm going to go take a proper shower and take my meds."

She gave Bowie a little boop on his nose, and then started for the stairs.

 

[Poprockz]

“It’s too late, I’m this close to juggling!” He replied with a laugh. He watched as she gently guided Bowie back to a place Damien was more comfortable with, the snake not seeming bothered by having his efforts to enter Damien’s shirt hindered. The snake was... actually really cute now that he was really looking at him.

He opened his mouth to say something, but saw that she was now looking out the window, deep in thought. Her mind was probably just shifting through the surreal situation they were now in what with family being lost, society collapsing, and the future itself being murky. He could certainly understand the look of worry on her face as she stared into space.

Damien himself wondered if the world had gotten better or worse for himself. Sure, it would be more uncomfortable and they would be in some perilous situations, but he hardly thought that life had been worth much before now. Though things were going to shit, they had improved for him in that he had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make her his own.

When she spoke, he nodded, smiling wide as she booped the snoot. He watched her go up the stairs, thinking to himself how alluring her movements were.

Left alone (relatively), he sat down on the couch’s edge, letting Bowie simply hang out on his body for a while. Looking down, he noticed the semen-soaked panties on the floor and quickly grabbed them, looking around for something to do with them. He decided to hide them behind a shelf, looking at Bowie seriously for a moment afterwards.

“Not a word to her, you understand?” Damien unwrapped the snake from his body and carefully put him back in the enclosure.

 

[Drobabes]

When she got upstairs she did a little tidying up first, shaking her head with a small amused smile at her poor abused underwear. She wasn't mad at him for using them like that-honestly, if she was a guy and thought it was the end of the world, she probably would have done the same thing. No, it was more just the combination of everything that had happened and having come home to have not only her life violated, but her home as well. The home is where you were supposed to feel safe, and it had taken her many years to regain that secure feeling.

She paused briefly as she was gathering more dirty laundry into her hamper. Was that one of the reasons she had never had a boyfriend for very long? Even the kindest and most understanding of them had never quite been comfortable in her apartment, and maybe that was her own fault. Maybe she had been unintentionally putting off a vibe of, 'this is mine, I don't want you invading it'.

Damien was different though. He had purposefully invaded past her walls, but then instead of breaking her like she had feared, he caressed her. He held her up and would never let her fall.

A few drops of salty tears hit her bruised hand, and for the first time that morning, she notices it. He was alive, and despite her fear of being owned, of being held captive and someone being possessive over her, she was so immeasurably happy and relieved that he hadn't gotten sick or killed. In that moment, standing there next to her bed with a perverted act in one hand and a black and blue bruise in the other, she realized that she loved him, and that she had never loved any one before him. Not like this.

Looking up at the roof, she took a shaky breath and then finished her morning routine. Brushing her teeth, taking her meds, getting a proper shower and then a pair of skinny jeans and a nice white tank top on. When she left her room and came down stairs, she was carrying two notebooks for writing and two pencils.

"Damien,"

She wasn't sure where he was, maybe in her kitchen?

"I think we need some kind of plan. If the everything is as shit as it seems, we need to take some safety steps. I don't know how long power is going to stay on, or internet, but we should use those resources while we have them."

 

[Poprockz]

Damien had indeed been in the kitchen cooking breakfast with some eggs and potatoes. He had scrambled the eggs and fried the potatoes, some sliced oranges on the side. He looked over his shoulder as he heard his game being called and finished plating everything for them before bringing the food to her table.

“Hm... you have a point there. I have a safe house out in the country, but it’ll be difficult to get there, and I don’t have a map to it with me. If we could print out a map, or maybe draw one while we still have internet, I would suggest we do that first.” He returned to the kitchen and grabbed some silverware before sitting down and gesturing to her own plate,

Her change in clothes made him wonder if he should somehow try to acquire some of his own clothes too. A suit wasn’t exactly ideal attire for travel.

 

[Drobabes]

The sight of the food made her stomach growl audibly. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she ate, and as she thought about it, she realized she had only had a single granola bar after leaving his cabin. That had still been well over twenty four hours ago, though.

She sat the notepads and pencils down near her seat and immediately started to eat, having consumed about half her plate by the time he came back in. Her eyes met his and she stopped chewing just long enough to give him a sheepish smile.

"Sorry" she said. She probably should have waited for him to join her at the table.

She cleared her throat and pulled a notebook to her, opening the first page and making a bullet point with the pencil.

"Right, so, besides the obvious food, shelter, water, and finding other people, I think health should be on the top of the list. There is an insane amount of things that can kill a man, and now that we don't have a healthcare system or any doctors available, we're basically back in the stone age. We need to be really careful about taking care of ourselves."

She took another bite of her food, chewing for a moment while she thought about the research she had been doing.

"There's also some other things we should avoid. We need to figure out which towns have or had research labs in them. I know we wiped out smallpox a long time ago, but there's a few research labs that held onto live samples. If anyone was stupid enough to break into one of those places, that shit will spread like a wildfire."

God his cooking was excellent. Maybe she should ask him for some lessons in the near future.

 

[Poprockz]

The man was surprised to see her practically inhaling the food, but he was exceedingly pleased by it. He gave her a smug smile, the fact that she was so eager for his food tickling his sense of pride. "No need to apologize, I'm glad you like it."

Taking a bite of potato, he absorbed her comments, considering the idea that health should be top of the list, and the information about the disease samples. "There are only three cities with those kinds of samples within a 50 mile radius of here, I believe, but one of them is fairly close." He noticed her looking at him for further information and he added, "the company I run- well, ran manufactured and sold sterile medical and research equipment. There's always a market for that kind of thing, so it was a profitable company." He speared a piece of egg and chewed.

He paused for a moment and looked like he was trying to find the right words for something. Eventually, he met her gaze and swallowed, "hey, Cora. This might be a little personal, but are you... on the pill? Do you have any condoms? I don't want to assume that we're going to have sex again, but I'd be lying if I said that I didn't want to. But... If you were to get pregnant during all of this, it would eventually be more difficult to protect you, and it could be dangerous for you if there are any complications."

Damien shifted in his seat. "And that's why, I think we shouldn't be... intimate like that until we have a reliable method of contraception." His eyes were intense with conviction as he looked at her. He broke his gaze and took a bite of eggs, chewing thoughtfully. When all was said and done, he could always eat her out if she was feeling horny, or jerk off himself (even if it wasn't into her sexy underwear).

 

[Drobabes]

She listened to him, and at the mention of what type of company he was running, she got a bit excited. That would be a great asset to have if they could get access to some good medical supplies. She opened her mouth to ask him a question, but when his gaze turned serious she stopped.

She listened to his question, and his suggestion, and when he was done, she just shrugged.

"Don't worry about that, I can't have kids."

She stabbed a piece of potato and chewed on it as she wrote something down in her notebook. Her answer was short and sweet, and carried hardly any emotion with it. It was a fact of life that she had gotten used to a long time ago. She got questioned about it somewhat often, so she had learned to put up a mask and hide herself behind it. It wasn't hard, most people didn't want to dig into someone's business like that, and she had gotten comfortable with the conversation being dropped rather quickly. Perhaps, a little too comfortable.

 

[Poprockz]

He was about to take another bite when she replied with such a short answer. The fork was set down completely and he fixed her with his steely gaze, wondering how best to press the issue. Was she barren due to a medical procedure, or did she simply have her tubes tied? Maybe she just meant that she had one of those arm implants or something. She was quite young to have reproductive issues, but it concerned him that it might indicate health issues in general for her later on.

Having a child was something he had never considered, nor was it ever something he had wanted before. As far as he was concerned, he would be a shitty single parent, and he hadn't ever considered the possibility of actually being married or even coupled with another person. For those reasons, it wasn't disappointing to him that she was unable to do so in the future. In fact, in some ways, he liked the idea of it just being the two of them.

"What do you mean? I don't mean to pry, but I would feel more comfortable if I knew the details." He said hesitantly. Damien didn't want to upset her, but he needed to know if he was going to put her at risk now or in the future if he ravished her once more.

 

[Drobabes]

Her eyes travelled up from the notebook, the fork halfway to her mouth. She sighed a little and put the fork down. She was very quiet for a minute as she thought about something. She didn't like lieing, and while she could just give him the half truth, she wondered if it wouldn't just make it harder later down the road. If she continued to have those nightmares, which she didn't doubt she would, other problems might come up later that would put not just herself, but him in danger as well.

"Ok. Look, I'm going to tell you the truth, and I'm only telling you the truth because if I don't, it might put you in a dangerous spot later."

She sits back in her chair and crosses her arms, looking down at the table.

"I was forcefully given a hysterectomy when I was fourteen. I was taken down to Mexico, and the doctor who did it payed a pretty penny so he could turn it into a profit on the black market. The person who did it was mine and Quints legal guardian. He did a lot of other stuff, and I have a lot of PTSD that comes up in weird ways sometimes. I've...worked on it, but it still comes up sometimes and...well, I'm sure you've seen videos or heard how PTSD affects soldiers. I'm not always...there. Here. I still don't really understand it."

Suddenly she stood and grabbed her plate, heading for the kitchen to put it in the sink. It was the first time in some number of years that she had spoken about it outside of the therapists office, and it was making her hands a little shaky.

 

[Poprockz]

He sat there quietly, his face unreadable as she went through her story. Though he wasn't showing it, her explanation made him sick. What kind of man forced his teenage daughter to have a hysterectomy? The only explanation he could think of was a father who either desperately needed the money, or one who didn't want any evidence of his sexual abuse, wanting to be able to take advantage of her without worrying about the consequences. Under the table, his fists clenched and he wished to god that he could find the man, make him suffer.

Damien himself had experienced different abuses around that age, but he couldn't claim that he had ever had something so utterly bone-chilling as an organ being stolen from him. After all, his mom always said that the number one rule was that there would be no scars on his body.

He silently got up and followed her to the kitchen, moving up against her back and putting his arms around her snugly. She was trembling, and he could feel that even though she had distanced herself from the memories in her mind, they craved attention, even if they had to physically affect her to show her that they were still there lying in wait.

"Thank you for telling me, Cora." That was all he said softly into her ear before resting his chin on her shoulder. He wasn't going to tell her examples of his own traumas, nor did he want her to feel like he pitied her. He was simply grateful that she told him the truth and that she was now away from that bastard.

 

[Drobabes]

She really hadn't realized just how worked up she was getting until his chest was against her back; a solid wall of warmth that made it easier to breathe. Her eyes close and her hand holds his arm for a minute until she stops shaking. Finally she lets out a breathe and pats his arm.

"It happened a long time ago."

She turned around then, and laid a hand on his chest while she looked into his eyes.

"Are you ok? I'm not the only one being affected by all this."

He hadn't said anything to her, and although he seemed ok on the surface, she knew guys sometimes had a harder time showing it when things were really bothering them. She didn't want to ask him outright if he had lost anyone important, but unless he had absolutely no family or friends, she didn't know how he couldn't have.

 

[Poprockz]

When she turned around, he only allowed for that movement and nothing more, moving back to his position of having his body pressed up against her. He gave her a soft smile and kissed her cheek for a moment before drawing back.

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's completely fine with me Cora, I promise. I mean, what he did to you was unforgivable... but I don't care if it's just you and I from here on out. I don't think I would make much of a father, anyway." He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear.

Damien had completely misinterpreted what she meant, as it didn't even occur to him that she might be referring to how he was holding up in light of the apocalypse. He thought by "all this" she had meant the news that she had been abused as a child, and that they would never have a child together. He wanted to reassure her that he was completely willing to accept a life with only her, hating the idea of her somehow feeling guilty that she might never bear his child.

 

[Drobabes]

"Damien."

She paused, a funny look in her eyes.

"I was asking if you were okay, dork. You know, with the whole world ending business."

She didn't realize she was smiling. Though she wouldn't say it out loud, his words and their implications made her extremely happy. It was the first time in her life that someone had even implied that they wanted to stay with her. The few boyfriend's that she had never tried to make it an official thing, it always just ended being either her, or them, wanting to hang out on a regular basis until, well. Until something or other made them drift apart.

It should have bothered her that he was already making such bold proclamations, and she did recognize that it probably wasn't good for a healthy relationship, but, who was she trying to kidd? She was anything but healthy.

Her hands travel from his chest and rest on his hips as she looks into his eyes. Damnit if she didn't want to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him until she forgot where she was.

Time, though. Time was their enemy right now, so instead she held herself back from that particular action.

 

[Poprockz]

"What? Oh! Oh, sorry." He chuckled for a moment, a bit embarrassed that he hadn't gotten her meaning the first time. Damien shrugged, "I'm fine. Honestly, I don't really have any family alive anymore, and I don't really have friends. I have the staff at my home, I guess, but I was never really close to them. They're probably managing fine, though. We had a large supply of food."

Her hands traveling down to his hips reminded him of the snake in his own pants, having not taken care of it earlier. He pulled away a bit so there was no chance of him pressing it against her. Damien didn't mind teasing her with his cock, or rubbing it against her when he thought she wasn't too fragile or tired, but he didn't want her to think that all this talk was arousing him.

He hated to admit it, but the apocalypse was possibly the best thing that could have happened for him right now. Damien hadn't planned on living out the week anyway, so the fact that he was alive and with her was as though God himself had turned his eye on him. Not that he believed in God, but he at least thought that he had received an intense stroke of luck. It wasn't wasted on him that Cora had lost her brother at the expense of this though, which made him feel guilty for being happy about the situation.

Damien started to pull away nonchalantly, intending to go and finish the rest of his breakfast now that she was more steady on her feet.

 

[Drobabes]

She tried to search his face as he spoke, but he really didn't give any hints that it was bothering him. It made her a little sad, he truly had no one in his life that he cared about, or that cared about him? What kind of life had that been?

As he pulled away, she let him, following him out to the kitchen and sitting back down at her notepad. She pulled her phone out of her pants pocket and started scrolling through some websites. Many of them were down, but YouTube still seemed to be up, funny enough, so she started looking up videos.

"Oh my gosh" she said with amusement.

"The Infographics show did like...a whole list of zombie apocalypse scenarios. Well that's going to come in handy."

She picked one video out to start, titled Survive the Zombie Apocalypse, and sat her phone down on the table.

https://youtu.be/bpSeijzXuC0

As it played out, she started taking notes, wondering if there was a way to directly download the video, or at least the audio.

 

[Poprockz]

He simply sat there watching the video, eating the rest of his breakfast as he did so. As far as he was concerned, a lot of it was common sense, and he liked how easy the information was to digest. The bit about going north intrigued him though, and he thought to himself for a moment before looking at Cora excitedly.

"I have a cabin in Canada with a stocked basement. It's secure enough that looters wouldn't be able to break in, and we could survive in there for months, if not a year." The excitement faded and he looked a bit disappointed, "it's very far though, and I always fly there. The only other place we could go to is my safe-house about 70 miles from here. It's still far, but more manageable." Damien took his own phone out and started downloading maps onto it, flicking on the Bluetooth and looking around.

"Do you have a printer, maybe?" His eyes met with Bowie's and he thought to himself that the snake would have to be left behind or set free. There was no way they could take him with them, and he had a feeling that Cora would not want to kill him and pack up his meat for their journey.

 

[Drobabes]

"Mm... We don't know if the cold is going to effect these people."

Despite the way they were acting, Cora still couldn't bring herself to actually call them zombies. They had been people at one point, and could still possibly be.

"We don't actually know what's going on with their bodies, so we probably shouldn't assume it's just dead tissue. For all we know, their hearts could still be beating..."

That thought was a little scary. What if they were in some state of paralysis? She had read about doctors putting patients on anesthetics, only the patient doesn't go all the way under, and they can feel everything that's happening to them while in surgery.

What if Sarah was aware of what she was doing?

The thought makes her shiver.

"Do you have a printer, maybe?"

"No, unfortunately. We could try to draw it out, or we could risk trying to break into somewhere. I did manage to grab my brothers shotgun while I was...there. But I didn't have time to look for bullets."

She turned her head to see what he was looking at, and noticing the snake, she realized she had to think of what to do with him as well. She had a plastic traveling tote that was for emergencies, and a bulk supply of antiparasitic medicine. The tote wasn't ideal, but it would fit into her camping backpack. Considering the way that snake had lived before she adopted him, and how old he was, she knew it wouldn't hurt him to be in the tote so long as she let him out to exercise often enough.

Turning back to Damien, she said,

"I think medical supplies are probably going to be a priority. Do you have to take any medications? I have an estrogen replacement, and I can stimulate it with herbs if I have to, but that's going to be difficult. I would have to find a library with a good book collection on peer reviewed material, and then learn how to prep it correctly. It's not going to kill me if I don't take it everyday, but it will cause problems eventually."

 

[Poprockz]

Damien seemed to have the same thought, his body tensing as he imagined being trapped in his own body, watching through his eyes as he ate someone. He was no stranger to murder, or things similar to that, but he had never experienced something so disturbing as to be helpless while your body was controlled by something else. Part of him almost wondered if it would be a mercy to kill these people, releasing them of their torment if they were still alive in there. He really didn't want to think about it at all, though, his face cringing as he tried to put it out of his mind.

He looked back at her and shook his head, "no, I don't take any medications. Growing up in a wealthy household contributed to being in pretty good health overall, and I wasn't born with any preexisting conditions."

Damien sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Prepping for an apocalypse scenario seemed complicated and any missteps could result in a very permanent consequence. They had to draw out the maps themselves, or break into somewhere, then they had to get her some estrogen, and some pier-reviewed research. Actually, the printer situation could be resolved easily enough. Someone in the building was bound to have one, and Damien was a lock-picking pro.

"I think it would be best to print out the maps. My drawing skills are lacking, and it would be time-consuming as a whole even if you yourself are a good artist. Someone here has to have one. I could break into apartments and look for one. I have my silenced pistol with me, so it shouldn't be an issue." He looked at her with a serious expression, hoping she wouldn't ask to come along when the time came.

 

[Drobabes]

She bit her lip while she listened. No, it definitely wasn't going to be easy, and they hadn't even gone over how the hell they were going to get out of town. The streets had been empty enough, but if they had to pass through any crowded areas, they could get blocked and then be screwed. They needed a better vehicle, something that could go off-road.

Her eyes looked up to the ceiling as she tried to remember the small amount of info she had unintentionally gathered on her neighbors over the past three years. The old lady above her probably didn't have any good tech, but maybe Jamie in the apartment next to her might. Cora couldn't be a hundred percent sure, but she thought she remembered her talking about photography a lot-maybe she printed out her own pictures.

Bringing her eyes back down, she looked around her apartment. The video had mentioned things like bats and kitchen knives, and while a silenced pistol was a great asset to have, she wasn't sure how accurate you needed to be to hit a spine. Probably better to aim for the knees.

"Ok" she finally said.

"If you can, you probably want to save your bullets. I have that metal bat upstairs, it's way better than a wooden bat, it won't break. Maybe it might bend, but even then, that would be hard. I also have two good sets of walkie talkies that are good up to two miles apart, some rechargable batteries, and a solar battery that has slots for a phone cord."

She smiled, suddenly quite proud of herself for having something useful.

"Perks of going hiking a lot."