Morning Coffee And Sweet Surprises (Closed to Poprockz)

[Poprockz]

"Oh, Artemis is this hot red-headed zombie guy who was vacationing here when shit went down. Apparently he went to the same school Angelique went to, but like, a couple grades down." Lisa answered excitedly, always happy to gush about him, it seemed.

One of the other women piped up in response to the questions about bearing eggs. "Hell yeah, we get benefits! We can basically eat whatever we want, and the egg-heat is something else! Like... I know it's kind of like, weird to say, but like, there's nothing quite like it. It feels super good."

The others nodded, some more shyly than others. Sayori blushed and avoided Cora's gaze. She too knew what they meant by that- it had been like the most exquisite fire burning her up inside with lust. And when that lust was satisfied... It had been so very satisfying, as though her very soul was being fulfilled. She assumed that was what everyone felt like during that birth period.

"We don't get to go to the club or anything though..." Martsia grumbled.

"The club?" Sayori asked, lifting her head with interest.

Martsia nodded. "Yeah... They've got a bona-fide club here with music and stuff, but you have to be invited."

"Why can't you guys go?" The smaller woman tilted her head curiously.

The women traded looks and the older one shrugged and said, "well, Angelique doesn't want us in that space because she doesn't want anything happening with us or the eggs or anything. Some people like taking party drugs, and she doesn't want to take that chance."

 

[Drobabes]

Sayori avoiding her gaze made her blush slightly out of embarrassment for what had happened between them-Sayori and her brother. She had no ill feelings towards Sayori and deeply felt it in her gut that this was a good women. Had they both been in their right minds, they never would have done something like that without first having a conversation. But it was clear that the two of them would be feeling the effects for a long time to come, so Cora would simply begin to make it a habit to act as if she didn't even notice anything was wrong.

So, a redheaded half zombie with a unique name? Shouldn't be too hard to spot him in a crowd. And if he went to the same school as Angelique then he was definitely someone who Cora wanted to avoid. The information about the club was certainly interesting but not what she was looking for. She couldn't focus on anything other than getting out of there, and therefore the club was not something she imagined would be in their future. But in the interest of keeping the girls talking, she went ahead and played along, hoping she could steer the conversation a bit later.

"Well that's understandable. People can be unpredictable sometimes, unfortunately... Ahem, anyway. It doesn't sound like to bad of a gig. Being pampered with a side of pleasure?" she laughed, looking around to get a read of the room.

"Where do you sign up?" she said, laughing again and leaving it a bit open ended as to whether or not she was joking.

"Although I guess I should probably read the fine print. Like, is this a Beauty and the Beast situation? Are you girls not allowed in the west wing?"

 

[Poprockz]

The girls looked happy to have someone to talk to, appreciating her interest and lack of condemnation for what they were doing. It only made them more willing to chat with them.

"I mean, just the club for the most part," Martsia mused.

"Actually," the older woman interjected, "we're not allowed to go up to the top floor either, but that's because of Sophia." The women traded uncomfortable and pitying looks.

"Who's that?" Sayori reached for some chips and took a bite of one.

There was a bit of quietness for a moment before Lisa spoke up, "She's... well, she's Angelique's fiancé. I think Angelique is poly, but she's nuts about Sophia."

"We don't really see her much though..." one of them said, looking down at the snacks. "She's immunocompromised and struggles with mental health issues, so Angelique keeps her away from the rest of us. Apparently they're high-school sweethearts."

 

[Drobabes]

Why was she getting a pit in the bottom of her stomach? Something about what they were describing just felt...wrong. She didn't believe Sophia was just an innocent partner of Angeliques, at least not in the way it was being betrayed. What was it about what they had said, was bothering her so much? It felt...familiar. Well, it didn't matter a whole lot at the moment. But it was a check mark on a small list of information that she could share with Quinton later.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I hope she is able to get some help. I won't sit here and pretend to know what I'm talking about, but from my own personal experience with mental health struggles, it can really take a toll on you to be isolated. For her sake I hope she can get to a point where she can come and gossip with you lovely ladies."

This time when Cora smiled, there was some genuine warmth behind it. Whoever these girls were, she doubted they truly understood the implications of who it was they were working with. So many innocent people so often played unwilling roles in a cruel world, and she had no doubt that these women only wanted the best for Angelique and this Sophia woman.

She was quiet for a moment, letting the conversation settle and allowing the girls to pick up the reigns. Cora feared that if she kept prodding, it might began to feel unnatural, and therefore apparent just what it was she was doing here.

 

[Poprockz]

She received warm smiles back, and the older woman simply sighed before saying, "well, at least she gets to come to shows and such. Angelique always has her watching from the VIP balcony, and she's always with one of the zombies. I think it's because they can't get sick anymore or something."

There was more idle chatter here and there before one of the girls leaned forward curiously with her head resting on her hands and her hands resting on her knees. "So... tell us about the outside a bit. Like... Is society nonexistent at this point?"

The other women looked a little bit nervous at the question, as though they hoped that it wasn't true. To know that there was little left of the former world they knew was a nail in the coffin for their modern way of living.

 

[Drobabes]

Her face fell slightly. She didn't want to lie to the ladies, because the sad truth was that except for a few strongholds here and there, it was basically a wasteland out there. She looked down at Sayori for a moment before trying to decide how to answer, knowing the other women unfortunately didn't know a whole lot either.

"Well..." she started, trying to find the right words before eventually sighing and giving them all a guilty look.

"I don't want to lie to you. It's not pretty. There's...not much left, as far as society..."

She cleared her throat a bit, finding it difficult to swallow. She hadn't been much of a socializer in life but she had still had some friends, as few and far between as they were. People at work counted as friends, right? Even if Cora herself always shot down their invitations to come out for a night on the town. Looking back now, she felt a certain kind of way about never having the opportunity to take them up on that offer, ever again.

"But it's not hopeless," she found herself continuing. She didn't know where the words were coming from, or the strength to say them, but Cora suddenly found herself passionately launching into detail about the military outposts and the scale of citizens they contained, and coming across groups of survivors during their journey here. She spared the ladies the more gruesome details of their personal journey but made it clear there were still people out there, surviving.

"Maybe I'm a bit foolish, but I think once this all blows over, humanity can rebuild. It won't ever be the same but we'll get through it."

 

[Poprockz]

The look Sayori had given her was of a similar inner conflict. She too didn't want to delude them into thinking that things were anywhere near right as rain out there. Frankly speaking, they were all very lucky to be living under the resort's protection. Without it... they would be at the mercy of the zombies or worse... people like Kuznet who now had more power than ever and a sick desire to fulfill. Who was to say though, that once the eggs hatched that Angelique wouldn't simply feed everyone in the resort to newborns.

While Cora described the outside, Sayori also listened with interest. They hadn't gotten as much of a chance to talk about the outside colonies with her having been locked in a madman's basement and all, so she was curious about what information she had. She knew Cora might be softening some of it, but there were still nuggets of truth, she assumed.

She also had added her own two cents, saying, "as long as we have the knowledge of how things used to be, and people who are willing to learn, I think we can definitely rebuild society. There won't be a housing crisis anymore too."

The women had chuckled at that a little. While some of what Cora said gave them worried looks, they seemed more comfortable the more she spoke. Her hopeful outlook was comforting despite the circumstances.

There was a general quietness afterwards, each of them deep in thought before one of them cocked her head to the side and asked, "it's a bit disheartening to hear that the resort is probably the only place to find a hubby now- no more dating apps or anything... Are you guys attached to someone in your group, or do you want us to introduce you to someone at the resort. We know all about the eligible guys here, so we could point you in the direction of the good ones."

 

[Drobabes]

Cora sat back a bit as the mood settled, adjusting her shirt against her back and finding herself very thankful that it would be dry by the time they got back to the room. She heard the distinct rustle of a bag near her side, and when she looked down realized Bowie had extended his long neck and was trying to escape from her lap and into the dark space provided by the carrying tool.

"I, um" she had started to answer, before leaning over and attempting to scoop her pet back up. The last thing she wanted was to have to spend time looking for Bowie when they had enough information and needed to get back.

"I am taken, actually, but that's very sweet of you to offer."

Bowie had tried to slither forward before being caught but was unable to out-maneuver Cora's experience of his body language, and soon enough her hand under hand technique quickly had him yoinked back onto her lap as her long fingers wrapped him into a tight ball and held him still until he stopped his squirming. A few tail rattles were given before the snake finally let out a loud sigh and settled, tucking his angry shaped little face into the tall women's side and seemingly falling asleep.

 

[Poprockz]

The women eyed Bowie, some with wariness, some with curiosity, and some with expressions that could only mean that they thought he was an adorable noodle.

Sayori had looked a bit embarrassed at the question but shook her head, “no, I’m not with anyone, but I’m fine as well.”

“Why not? Did you have a bad break-up or something?” Sasha asked curiously, keeping her voice soft in case her assumption was right.

“Well, no. But-“ Sayori struggled for the words, glancing at Cora before looking at Bowie. Of course when the question had been asked, Quint had been the first thing to pop into her mind, but it wasn’t as thought there was anything there. “You could say that I’ve always had really bad luck with men, so I’m trying to go solo for a bit before I get back in.”

They nodded understandingly, one of them sighing, “anyway... What do you guys think of the horde passing by? Kinda scary, isn't it?"

The others looked unsettled, nervously glancing at each other.

"Of course we're going to be safe inside, but it's going to be spooky, for sure, like a thunderstorm, you know?" Martsia verbalized as though she was trying to confirm it to herself.

"I heard no one is going to be able to go outside after tomorrow for like... I don't know, like three days. Maybe even four if the horde is really big," Lisa mentioned with a disappointed look. "It's going to suck being cooped up."

 

[Drobabes]

She thought it was a bit rude to ask Sayori why she didn't have anyone. Or perhaps not necessarily rude, but definitely a bit inappropriate. Given the circumstances they were currently in, who was to say that Sayori hadn't lost her loved one to a zombie bite, or some other disaster? She kept quiet though, seeing as no one was pushing the subject. Though it did leave her wondering a bit curiously who, if anyone else besides her family, Sayori might be missing... It was certainly not the time or place, and likely might never be, but Cora found herself wanting to strike up conversation with their new companion. Quint knew who she had in her life before this happened, of course, but Sayori was a fellow women who might understand a bit better and be better able to empathize with some life experiences. Like, for example, make-up. She didn't wear it often, but she still had fond memories of Sarah dolling her up for events, and on rare occasions sharing a cup of wine with the girls whom Sarah approved of to join them on an occasional evening out.

Did Sayori ever have girls day with her friends? What about her sister? It was too soon to touch that sore wound, as was her own wound with Sarah, but she wanted to nonetheless. Sarah hadn't been her flesh and blood family, but she was family; and Cora missed her as much as she imagined anyone could miss a lost sister.

"Wait, a horde?"

Her brain had wondered again. Following a little trail of breadcrumbs to other thoughts and memories. What had yanked it back was the mention of not being able to leave the resort for possibly a series of days.

She felt her heart pick up pace, and yet at the same time, a strange sensation of overwhelming stillness take over her body. If they became trapped here, really, physically, trapped here, then they might be screwed. However...would that mean too that it might buy them some additional time? Kuznet might have been a force of nature in her mind, but she couldn't forget how quickly the infection had spread throughout the base when just a single zombie had bitten a pedestrian. Even with all their training and weapons of war, it had been chaos...they had barely stood a chance, and even still now, Cora did not know the full details of how exactly Vin had gotten out unscathed.

 

[Poprockz]

"Yeah," Martsia replied, taking a bite of chocolate before sighing, "they say it's going in the direction of the nearby base where we were supposed to get supplies. I'm not sure how that's going to happen now. I doubt they'd waste gas and stuff on helicoptering everything over to us, so they're probably just going to wait it out or something."

"They can't just 'wait it out,'" Lisa pointed out. "That's like a base-full of people, you know. If the zombies get a sniff of them, the horde is just going to linger until they either get starved out or eaten. It's not like they have any half-zombies to divert them or anything."

This seemed to really disquiet the rest of the women, causing Sasha to scowl at her. "Hey, don't just assume the base is going to sit there and take it. I'm sure they know it's coming- Angelique would have sent a message to them, and I'm sure they're making preparations and stuff. Maybe they'll set dynamite to the pass so they can't get through. It'll be a shame that the shipment won't get here as quickly after that, but it's worth it if they get out of that situation."

Sayori listened intently. There was good and bad with the situation. On one hand, their own group would likely be stuck at the resort for a week-ish. However, Kuznet would likely have his hands full with the upcoming horde, so it would at least occupy him a bit or put a buffer between them. He might still send a single agent, but it seemed as though he may not be able to spare too many people until the danger passed.

Another woman shivered, "I just hope they stay safe. We'e already lost too many."

 

[Drobabes]

Cora was idly petting Bowie as she listened, her eyes simply shifting between the women as they expressed their opinions, and when she felt it appropriate to do so, she chimed in with her own.

"I think you're right. If Angelique is in contact with them, then I see no reason why she wouldn't let them know a horde is coming their way. And on top of the bases being pretty secure themselves, they would send out some soldiers to try and deal with as many of the horde as possible. You have to remember that even though they are fast, they are still just corpses on regular legs, where as the army has trucks and ammunition. I'm sure they'll be able to hold their own."

Her hands came up to rest over Bowie's coiled body and she held him almost like one might place their hands on their purse. She paused and looked around the room for a moment before smiling.

"I have an idea. I know a movie was suggested, but how about we get a bit of a walk in before that? Get our blood flowing and our hearts and minds off all this heaviness before settling down. What do you girls say? Are any of you up for a little stroll around the block? Maybe show us some of your favorite places?"

 

[Poprockz]

Several of them perked up at the suggestion, and Lisa piped up by saying, "we should try to get as many wiggles out as we can before we have to stay inside!"

Sasha shook her head and shrugged, "I'll hold down the fort then. I'd like to rest my feet for a bit."

Another one of the women elected to stay with Sasha, so ultimately four of the women got up to go on their little tour/walk with Cora and Sayori. The group was relatively slow but cheerful, the women waddling with their large bellies and swaying hips like a gaggle of geese. When they started out in the hall, the conversation was mostly about the food here, which wasn't as extravagant as it had been when the world wasn't belly-up. However, the general consensus was that this was to be expected, and that the food was still great.

Their first stop was a gym, unexpectedly. It had been Lisa's suggestion, as apparently Artemis was a frequent regular in that place, "more often than not, you can see him bicycling in there," she said excitedly. The group peeked into the doorway, and sure enough, there were several people using the gym including Artemis himself. He was indeed using a bicycle that was hooked up to some nearby wires, as were the rest of the five bikes in the corner. The half-zombie had a somewhat annoyed look on his face, but it didn't look like he had seen them yet.

The gym itself was what one would expect of a snazzy resort- a plethora of different machines to be found.

 

[Drobabes]

Cora made it a point to hang back behind the girls as she peeked inside, her eyes surveying all over the scene before she was finally able to see who exactly it was the other girl called Artemis. Once she saw him, she took a good and hard long look, trying to soak up every detail that she could since he was one of Angeliques muscle. He certainly looked the part too, the muscle on his arms making him look as if he would have no problem getting any gig he wanted as a bouncer before he ever became a half zombie. And luckily for her as well, the red hair would be an easy extinguishing feature in a crowd. Depending on the circumstance that would play out, she might need to either hide from him, or distract him. Although she wondered...how did he act around other people?

"Why don't you go say hello to him, Lisa?" she said, faking a little giggle.

"It's not too hard to concentrate while biking, and I bet a pretty face would cheer his day up."

 

[Poprockz]

"You think I should?" she asked, blushing slightly and looking hesitantly at the other women.

Two of them gave her excited little smiles and nods while Martsia shrugged, "I mean, he's gay, but shoot your shot."

Lisa gave her a bit of a dirty look before reverting back to her shy excitement. "Okay... but um. I need an excuse. It'd be weird if I just approached out of nowhere."

Looking over, Sayori noticed that he had a phone he seemed to be listening to music from, judging from the earbud in his ear. Though it seemed as though he was only listening with one earbud to keep an ear out for passersby, presumably. "Why don't you offer to plug in his phone? It might be losing charge depending on how long he's been biking," she suggested.

The woman's eyes lit up and she nodded, taking a deep breath before waddling into the gym and toward Artemis. He noticed her long before she approached, his eyes having flicked up and then back down before as though he was content to ignore her if she passed him by.

"Hey Artemis," she started shyly.

"Hey," he replied, lifting his head and looking at her straight-on. He didn't have a friendly look on his face, but he wasn't openly hostile either. "Do you need something?"

"Um, no. Not really... but I noticed your phone wasn't plugged in, so I wanted to see if you wanted me to hook it up to a charger so that it doesn't lose battery." She reached for his phone as though she was going to pick it up, but he quickly and protectively scooped it up and frowned slightly.

"Sure. Grab me the charger and I'll plug it in." It was obvious that he was not going to let her even touch his phone.

"O-oh. okay..." There was an air of awkwardness now as she went and grabbed the cord to the charger, offering the end of it to him.

The zombie plugged in his phone and nodded at her. "Thanks Lindsey." He then continued pedaling, giving off the air that the conversation was over.

Lisa scurried back over to the group after giving him a brief, "welcome!" When she got back, she looked very excited. "He remembered that my name starts with an L! Last time he called me Marline!"

Oh this poor, sweet girl. Sayori wished she knew the right words to say to let her know that this dude was obviously not into her, not in the slightest. His protectiveness regarding his phone did make her wonder though... Why did he guard it so jealously?

 

[Drobabes]

Okay, so he wasn't super hostile of a person. Or at least, not openly an asshole to women if a bit of an airhead. But that was fine. What was more interesting to her was the protectiveness of his phone...that was definitely something Cora wanted to explore later.

When Lisa got back, she gave her a playful grin and a thumbs up. No need to crush the little women's dreams when it was clear it likely would never go anywhere serious.

"Good job. So what's our next stop?" she asked excitedly, playing it up in the hopes she could keep the women in a fun and, perhaps a bit mischievous, mood.

 

[Poprockz]

"Um. Does anyone else need the restroom first though?" Martsia asked. The rest of the women sheepishly admitted that they too needed to pee, the group of them excusing themselves to the gym bathroom real quick.

While they were gone, Cora and Sayori were left in the entryway of the gym. It wasn't long before someone quickly walked past them and made a bee-line for Artemis. It was none other than the mousy-haired right-hand woman of the place: Prochette. There weren't a lot of people in the gym, and most of them were wearing earplugs, so while they spoke quietly, it wasn't too quiet that they couldn't overhear.

"I've been trying to get ahold of you." Prochette started, looking timidly sour about it.

"I don't answer to you, and if you want to talk to me, just do it. I'm not into that creepy mind-shit," he replied, glancing up at her with annoyance.

"You know I'm just trying to coordinate things so that everything runs smoothly, and everything I'm doing is at Angelique's request, so I would really appreciate if you would try to work with me a little more." While Prochette seemed conflict-averse, she still had an exasperated edge to her voice.

Though the next moment, she stopped and sniffed with a concerned look on her face. "Wait, why do I smell some of the ladies? They're not doing anything strenuous, are they?" Prochette looked around to see if she could spot them.

"No, Lisa and the rest of them were just passing by to use the bathroom from what I saw," he replied. "Anyway, I'm busy right now, so I don't have time to babysit anybody."

"But the rest of them are doing important things and I need to be getting things ready for-"

"Nope." The redhead popped his other earbud into his ear and proceeded to ignore her.

Prochette stared at him for a few moments in shock and frustration before scrunching up her face in a wholly dissatisfied way and single-mindedly walking out of the gym via a different entrance.

 

[Drobabes]

"Hm..." she mused, before looking back over her shoulder and around to make sure no one was around. She started to open her mouth to talk, then paused and briefly looked up at the roof above them. Truffle may have been around, after all, or the other raven that Nathanial had warned them about. Once it seemed as if the coast was clear, she looked down at Sayori.

"He seems really lazy. That might be good for us."

Her eyes then wandered over towards where Prochette had exited from.

"What do you think they were talking about?..."

 

[Poprockz]

Sayori thought about it for a moment before replying. "Hm, well it seems to me as though he doesn't particularly like being told what to do. He's also an asshole. Did you pick up how he name-dropped Lisa? He's known her name this whole time and gets her name wrong on purpose to be a jerk."

 

[Drobabes]

She blinked before glancing down to Sayori, then back up.

"You're right. I thought he was honestly just an airhead, but that's a bit more unnerving...Damn. Well, he's still got a good attitude to mess with and tick off."

Her hand came up to swing Bowie's head back over her shoulder and then she rested it lightly over her mouth as she half thought out loud.

"I bet if I needed to, I could poke some buttons to distract him. If he's anything like Quint, that irritating sisterly nagging and poking his pride would get his feathers ruffled...hm, hopefully we don't have to though."

 

[Poprockz]

"I bet you're right," Sayori agreed, crossing her arms. "He seems like the type to be easily annoyed, though I'm not sure whether it would be safe to try to annoy him or not." She spotted the girls starting to come out of the bathroom, so she nudged Cora with her elbow and gestured at them with her chin to let her know that they were approaching.

Once they were back, the girls whisked them away down the long, seemingly endless halls, complaining about how one of the hard parts of being pregnant was the walking and the constant bladder pressure. It was Martsia's turn to take them somewhere, so they toddled on until they ended up outside. It was a beautiful day, and the women relished the sunshine. Honestly, it brought a comforting bit of normalcy to her.

It reminded her of going out on the town with her friends, drinking, laughing, and having a good time. She missed that care-free type of adventure where one didn't expect to have to worry about being murdered. Or eaten, for that matter. Ever since she had gotten out, she had felt exceedingly out of place. While she was friendly with Sabastian and Cora, she barely knew Vin and she loathed Damien. Quint was the only one she would consider herself best friends with, but that had been complicated into something that was heavier, no longer something she could simply treat with the same sense of casual ease she had previously.

They started walking around the main building, past some of the main rooms.

 

[Drobabes]

Cora nodded and added a little 'mm' in agreeance before the elbow nudge. She straightened herself up and was led along, trying to keep her eyes open for landmarks. Perhaps it was just her, but it surely felt as if the hall could become awfully confusing and easy to get lost down. Once they were outside, she couldn't help herself in taking in a long and slow breath. It was indeed a beautiful day and the sun felt absolutely divine on her skin, and the fresh smell after it had rained left her mouth almost watering. There was a sweet tea smell in the air, and it lingered on the back of her palette like a lovely memory.
As they walked, Cora kept looking around at all the sights, trying her best to spot anything that might help them, though she didn't yet know what that was. At one point, she had almost paused next to Sayori, but had quickly continued on, perhaps maybe having just stumbled over a small rock beneath her fatigued feet
_________________

Quint had caught his sisters gaze for that brief moment where she had paused, and shook his head to let her know not to draw attention to him. He had gone to the balcony for some air and to clear his restless and never ending worry, but when he had sense Bowie nearby, had started looking around for them. When he at last spotted the group, his shoulders were finally able to relax.
For a moment he just stared at the gaggle of girls, watching as they all chattered. He kept trying to focus in to perhaps see if he could overhear what they were saying but his mind, and eyes, kept wondering to Sayori. She looked...relaxed. Peaceful, even smiling a bit as they chatted. There was a small pinch in his chest as he leaned onto the balconies edge, taking in every detail of her being. The way she moved her hands, the way the sun was softly illuminating her newly dyed hair, and the way her chest shook when she laughed. And her smile. It was the most beautiful detail of all, more poetic than anything artificially planted in that garden. This, in this moment, was what he wanted for her. To be happy. Free.

Perhaps not here, but once they were out of here, Quint was going to make some arrangements. She wouldn't be happy about it, he knew it, but eventually she would see that she was better off in a community. A base where it was safe, and around other people where she could make friends. Start a new life. Work, play...find a lover, maybe...

He frowned and looked away. What was that bitter feeling bubbling up? There was no reason for that reaction to that thought.

"Get your shit together, Quint" he mumbled to himself before looking back and raising his cup up to take a sip.

Just before the warm liquid reached his lips, though, he involuntarily gagged. A small gust had brushed past his sensitive nose and brought with it a familiar smell, something he had smelled...

Down in the room with Damien. What the fuck?

He looked around, and, reluctantly sniffed the air-trying to track it down. After a few more attempts, he was able to pinpoint where it was coming from...

"Oh no..." he whispered, anger and fear flooding through him in equal amounts as he stared down at Sayori with wide eyes. Then, he back up a few steps and sat down.

Angelique was going to pay for what she had done...

[SPOILER]https://c.tenor.com/wKDtRzMAayYAAAAd/tenor.gif
[/SPOILER]

 

[Poprockz]

She had jerked slightly when Cora seemed to lag, but when it seemed as though Cora wasn't having any sort of trouble, she put it out of her mind and continued on. The woman was none the wiser that someone had been watching them, smelling them, even.

--------------

It was at that moment that a swell of inhuman rage surged through the resort, hitting every zombie within it. It only lasted for a moment or two, but it was obvious that someone was pissed. That someone was Angelique. It was a similar feeling to when they had all felt the insane, possessed zombie at the mall, but this feeling was more pointed. The rage wasn't devoid of humanity, but perhaps it lacked sanity in its brief time. The surge had been so intense that it could be assumed that the two mind-zombies in the hotel had likely doubled-over in pain.

At the same time, from the top of the resort, there was the sound of a window slamming open before a small box when whizzing through the air at speeds that would allow it to continue on its journey no matter how many birds got in the way. It ended up falling into the nearby forest on the outskirts of the resort.

A window slam didn't garner too much attention from the group, safe as they felt there. A couple of the women glanced around to see what it might be, but they missed the tossing of the box as it happened so quickly.

 

[Drobabes]

Cora was listening to the women talking when suddenly Bowie let out a loud hiss while simultaneously tightening the coils around her shoulders with so much strength that both of her joints popped, and she let out an involuntary startled yelp, her hands flying up to practically rip the reptile off from around her. Her eyes had gone wide in her panic, and while she didn't necessarily through the snake, she did very quickly put him down on the ground beside her, almost dropping him. Once he was on the ground, she reached up to rub her sore shoulders, where fresh patches of red were now forming into lines of where the snake had squeezed her.

In such a state of shock, and now pain, she was completely oblivious to the box being thrown.
_______________________

Quint for his part had immediately dropped his tea into his lap, his hands flying down to grip the armrests of his chair as he fought with himself not to stand up and throw the whole piece of furniture over the balcony. He gritted his teeth and involuntarily looked around, his eyes wide with rage as he looked for a perceived target, and upon realizing there was none, grunting in frustration.

Just as quickly as it came, it passed, and he was left sitting and shaking. Perhaps it was trauma from the first time it had happened, or fear of losing his mental faculties, but he felt sick in his stomach and heart. He tried to gather himself as he picked up the paper cup and halfheartedly brushed the excess liquid from his lap. The feeling that had overwhelmed his mind had not been his own, of that he knew, and he wondered if Sabastian had felt it too.

 

[Poprockz]

Sayori had jumped and zeroed in on the window sound just in time to see the box. It was weird, but she didn't have time to react to it when Bowie started acting out of character. The rest of the group was just as shocked by it, one of them letting out a little squeal as the snake hissed and looked around menacingly. Once he was on the ground, the women protectively ushered Cora away from him.

"It's gone mental!" One of the women who had now been identified as Bridget practically shrieked. "We have to go before it eats someone!"

The rest of them seemed in agreement, but Sayori was just disoriented and confused. Why did Bowie do that? This wasn't like him, so something had to be wrong. Maybe there was danger or something. Her head whipped around, trying to see if there was anything approaching but there was nothing, just the beauty and peace of the grassy field they were in.

"Are you okay?" she asked Cora with concern, looking at her red shoulders.