The Walking Dead IC

[Ldy_Sea]

Nikki walked around the barn and saw that it even had a decent size coral by one door. She thought this would be perfect for Clip Clop leavign shadow out here to gaurd him. As she circled the perimeter, she found a knot hole in a piece of wood, looking in she saw nothing but darkness.

Taking out her Kbar she used the hilt to strike the wall hard and listened for any sounds inside.

 

[anonymity90]

Fleur - walking back from the church with Mathilda, Jack and Rachel

Fleur had been extremely quiet. Only answering when spoken to with nods. She was absorbing the atmosphere and trying to assess where people were at. Sometimes it's best to sit back and observe. She carried out her duties of helping Mathilda by holding her bags open and following her around.

By the time they finished, Fleur decided to check the water butts. Noting the water was stagnant. It only needs some aerating and filtering, she thought, whilst wondering if there were any containers or transport to carry the water back to the motel. A question she'll pose later.

She observed with interest as Rachel got nervous near the church. It was boarded up from the inside, meaning whoever was inside wanted to keep the outside out. She knew that there'd be dead people inside. It's always the case these days, either dead people or walkers.

Allowing Mathilda and Jack to take charge, Fleur scuffed her shoes and walked around the perimeter. Listening to their conversation, horrified at the thought of drugging children with sleeping tablets. She shook her head to end the mental image. There's been so much suffering already. Catching Rachel's eye, she smiled and tried to tell her "we'll be okay" with her eyes.

She felt safe, despite the worried Rachel holding a gun, she felt safe. Letting out a huge sigh, she smiled as the two came out and walked with them. She was happy to be in company and reveling in their presence. Her silence was out of contentment. She just hoped the others were the same: easy, interesting, trustworthy.

"So, is there anything Rachel and I should know about the others before we get back?"

 

[Ldy_Sea]

Nikki at the Barn

Not hearing anyh moans or soundds of movement, she walked around the barn to the door. Seeing it was unlocked, she opened the door and jumped back.

The sunlight lit the central area leaving the sides and back in shadow. Nikki swallowed and stepped inside...

 

[JadeKnight]

Jack looked back for a moment as he heard Fleur ask about the group. He gave a little shrug for a moment as part of his answer.

"I'm not really certain what to tell you. We pretty much just met yesterday, so we've not gotten a chance to talk and get to know each other much. So far, everyone is pretty nice and easy to get along with. Other than that, I can't say much."

He looked back at Mathilda as she stopped and mentioned his shirt. He gave a little smile.

"No problem. I have plenty of other shirts to wear once you get done with this one."

When she stopped again, he followed her gaze to see a second truck in their new area. He looked at the others and smiled.

"Wait here and I'll see what's going on."

He moved past Mathilda, looking around carefully. He noticed Aaron and Jessa up on the hotel roof, and he figured they would have tried to raise some sort of alarm if something was wrong. He heard the whinnying of a horse, noticing Clip Clop running around outside the hotel.

Walking around the truck and trailer for a moment, he chuckled softly. The only reason they needed a horse trailer was for Clip Clop and he figured Nikki foundt it. Satisfied, he made his way back to the three girls.

"No need to worry, everything looks fine. Nikki probably brought the truck from someplace."

 

[feistyphoenix]

Rachel

When they got back Rachel fought the urge to keep her distance, it was a small urge but still there. She couldn't help it with all she'd been through. She thought back over the last year and winced. She hated remembering, it always brought on the panic attacks.

She caught sight of the horse grazing, it had been such a long time since she'd been around one. She grew up riding but gave it up a few years ago when she got busy with other things. She felt drawn to the animal just like she always did when she was around one. Memories of her first pony played back over her mind's eye like a movie. Afternoons spent in the fields riding Sunshine bareback; weekends on the road at horse shows in Ohio, Georgia, Kentucky, and North Carolina. She felt the pain she'd felt as a girl when her father missed every single blue ribbon, even the Maclay finals in New York City, it was such a different life then. She wished she could rewind and do it all over again. She just watched the big horse graze quietly while Jack went to go check on things. Rachel would never be so rude as to approach an animal she didn't know without asking, horse people were funny like that. Maybe later she could get closer to him.

She smiled a sly smile thinking she wouldn't mind getting closer to Jack either, and then quickly brushing away the thought. He was nearly a stranger, and yet it occurred to her that he'd saved her life without even hesitating. Her Southern manners forgotten, she hadn't even thanked him. The light blush of embarrassment at her carelessness touched her cheeks. She would remedy the situation as soon as she could.

 

[dutchrain]

Mathilda
At the motel

"No need to worry, everything looks fine. Nikki probably brought the truck from someplace." Mathilda sighed relieved. She smiled at Jack.

"I am too tense. Sorry. I should have noticed Aaron and Jessa on the roof. By the way: when I am done with your shirt, it'll be like new."

She looked around. From the gas station to the motel. Aaron and Jessa were on the roof of the motel. They had a good view on all sites of the motel, but only a partially view of the gas station: the front, and part of the sides. Mathilda preferred to be in a guarded place. Which would be the motel.

"I think I'll get Momma and the kittens and get myself a motel room. Maybe there is a kitchen, if they served some kind of food. We could eat in the main area. I could cook there as well. No need for a kitchen, a few paper baskets would do. I'll get the one I used this morning. After that, I'll clean myself and change in my last fresh clothes before I start to cook."

She put her bags on the stairs and went to the gas station. Her eyes opened wide when she saw a box standing beside her improvised stove. Someone had brought supplies! Grateful she looked into the box. Some cans of vegetables, a lot of the granola bars, and quite some pet food. On the counter lay some of the supplies left over from the morning, and some beef jerky. Mathilda put it all in the box, and put Momma's carton on top. She slung her sleeping roll over her shoulder and lifted the boxes.

"You don't move," she told Momma sternly, "otherwise I might drop you!" Toting the two boxes out was impossible. Jack had parked the truck too close to the door. Mathilda smiled. She put the boxes down and lifted the cat's box up high above her her head. Thus she maneuvered them past the truck. Momma seemed to like the fresh air. Mathilda was pleased to see people standing at the ready to help her.

"Just the metal paper basket, and the box with food. And the pots and pans of course!" She smiled.

 

[JadeKnight]

"Well, when you go to the hotel, you ladies might want to pick out a room on the second floor. It'll be a little safer once we are able to secure and barricade the stairwells. I'll move the truck once you are done here."

Jack gave a smile to the ladies before he climbed up onto the truck. Dropping his rifle down carefully, he climbed down into the driver's seat. It took a few minutes for the truck to warm up, so he watched the three women gather up the things before moving out the the hotel. Once it looked like everything was out of the gas station, he waited for the others to get up to the hotel.

He guided the truck across the road and through the parking lot. He guided the large truck towards the stairwell closet to the street, parking as close as possible to the staircase. Satisfied, he turned the engine off and climbed out of the truck. Using a pair of locks, he locked the driver's door and tc's door before climbing up the stairs to the second floor. Setting his rifle down, he pulled off his shirt as well before spending a few moments stretching.

"The start of a new adventure."

 

[SimplyJessi]

Jessa - Hotel Roof

"Stability would be nice," Jessa said. She always hated not knowing what was going to happen next, in fact, it caused a lot of stress but she tried to hide it.. it has been better lately. It's amazing what a person can adapt to when they have no choice.

She stood up and looked around. This is when she spotted four people coming into the hotel parking lot. She looked through the binoculars and realized that she she recognized two of the people. The other two women were new.

"Well, it looks like our little group grew two more." She said, trying to get a read on the other two women from so far away.

 

[WebbedHawk]

Aaron - Hotel Roof

Standing alongside Jessa, shading his eyes, Aaron could see the forms of four figures approaching.

"Stability is a wonderful thing when its available. Adding new pieces to the group puzzle could get us there or throw things into chaos." He stated matter-of-factly. Twelve people now. Depending on ego's and temperament this could go either way, but the logistics of a group that large being able to maintain, protect and sustain itself would depend on a few factors which couldn't be analyzed within the first few days. Right now all he could do is cross his fingers and 'make peace with his dear and fluffy lord' as a movie once said.

"Shiny, just shiny." Aaron muttered softly before reaching for his soda, taking another sip before noticing it was close to empty and finishing it off.

"Maybe we can get a reprieve from up here and go looking for that generator."

 

[feistyphoenix]

Rachel wasn't too sure about going off alone to find a room, she'd wait until a group of them went upstairs and go with someone else. She just meandered around under the stairwell in the shade and watched the horse and the dog some more.

She wondered about the house, it had only been unattended for a few days, given it's location she doubted anyone had found it and burglarized it or taken up residence. Her stash of supplies in the attic would be untouched. Her bed...oh man...she missed her bed. Rachel had rigged up a pulley to get the mattress into the attic so she could sleep somewhere more secure but she longed to sleep in her own room again. It was just too damn lonely. Maybe they...the group...if they were appropriate companions that is, maybe they'd go back to the house with her and stay there awhile. It would be more secluded than here in the middle of town, they'd likely be safer from any dangerous sorts of people and big groups of walkers. Her garden was covered with an array of disguised tarps, it was almost a makeshift greenhouse. They would have more food than they had here.

But could she trust them? She tried once, to trust someone. A woman named Josie came by not too long after the whole calamity started, they'd become friends and Rachel let her stay for a few weeks. Then she woke up one night and Josie had a knife pressed to her throat while her boyfriend lashed Rachel's wrists to the bedpost. Josie left to go empty out the pantry and dig around the garage for more supplies. A few other people were with her, Rachel could hear their footfalls in the hallway. The boyfriend was a disgusting creature, Rachel refused to think of him as a man. He did things while Josie was gone, said what his girl didn't know wouldn't hurt her, but he hurt Rachel.

Rachel ripped herself out of the daydream about the past. It was months ago but it still made her heart pound and her skin crawl to think of it. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She turned around and watched Jack move the truck, he stood out of her view but she knew he was alone, she should go thank him for what he did for her earlier. It wouldn't be right if she didn't, it would be unseemly. True to her Southern roots and her blunt honest nature she started in that direction with intention. It wasn't until she rounded the back of the trailer that she realized he was partially disrobed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't um realize...never mind..." her voice trailed off and she started to turn away.

 

[JadeKnight]

Jack was caught off guard for a moment when he heard Rachel's voice behind him, but he recovered quickly. He didn't pull his shirt back on, but smiled for a moment.

"It's ok. I was just taking off the cut shirt for the moment. Besides, it's been awhile since I got a bit of sun."

It was shown that he worked out, well-toned, but he was a little pale from the winter months. He laid the shirt over the railing, along with the strip he had cut off to use as a bandana.

"I was about to go up and see how things were going on the roof. If you don't mind, maybe you could take that to Mathilda. I might be up on the roof awhile, but feel free to come up there."

He smiled and gave a playful wink to her for a moment before he reslung the rifle on his back. He thought he caught a bit of a blush on her cheeks, but he didn't say anything about it. Giving her one last smile, he made his way along to the roof access, checking out the view as he went along the walkway. Climbing up the ladder, he smiled seeing Aaron and Jessa.

"Hey guys, I thought I would come and see how things are going. If you two want to take a break, go ahead. I managed to block off one of the stairwells with the MRAP, but the other two will need to be block in someway to keep the zombies out. You guys see anything worthy to report?"

 

[dutchrain]

Mathilda
At the motel

"Well, when you go to the hotel, you ladies might want to pick out a room on the second floor. It'll be a little safer once we are able to secure and barricade the stairwells. I'll move the truck once you are done here."

Mathilda smiled at Jack.

"Thank you, I will," she smiled. And she sighed. "A little safer," Jack had said, and Mathilda understood very well.

"When ever will we be safe again?" she mumbled as she climbed the stairs with only the box with Momma and the kittens in her hands, and her sleeping bag over her shoulders. "I haven't been safe, and haven't felt safe since this all started."

On the second floor she halted. The first room? Maybe it would be better to leave that one free for guards on duty? And the other ones closest to a stair. Mathilda walked to the third room. She grinned when the door didn't bulge as she turned the handle.

She put the box down, and turned. Looking out over the street, she saw Jack moving the truck.

"Don't move," she scolded the cats. "I'll be back in a moment."

Mathilda allowed herself another moment to take in the sight. The street looked so tranquil. The field with Clip Clop on it too. Just like things used to be. Then her eyes were drawn to Jack. She softly bit her lower lip as he took his shirt off, and stretched.

Mathilda mirrored his moves. She raised her arms, bend her body to the left and the right, and backwards while turning her palms upwards.

Her eyes didn't leave him. Only when Rachel entered her view, she closed her eyes a moment, glanced back at the door behind her and then she walked down again.

"Reception", she mumbled, "there the keys will be."

On her way down, she heard Rachel and Jack talking.

The reception looked shabby, the door was open, the lock broken. Weather and wind had had free access to the room, at least for while. Mathilda walked behind the counter and picked B 3 from the rack. Looking around, she noted a breakfast bar in the next room, separated from the reception with only an open doorway.

She stepped through. It looked nice enough, and in the twilight in the room she noted an open kitchen.

"No cooking in my room!" she called out. "And no laundry either! We'll eat here. If one or two clean it up a bit, we'll be cozy enough."

Pots and pans enough, she noted when she ventured into the kitchen. A stove, a grill. Easy enough to build a fire under the grill. Much easier than cooking over a paper basket. Mathilda nodded content. A sieve hung on a rack, ladles beside it, and there were even knives in a drawer. And cutlery in an other drawer, and plates, cups and bowls on shelves. There were even napkins in a stander. And pepper and salt in cartons in an other drawer. And sugar! The smell in the room was awful though. Mathilda quickly opened the fridge and stumbled back.

It had been full of fresh products. A long time ago. Now it was all rotten down to an indistinct blackness. Mathilda pulled her bandana over her mouth and nose, and with a ladle she shoved it all in a dustbin. She would clean it later. The smell would linger for a while anyway. She pulled out the shelves and carried them outside, carefully. She didn't want to much of the mold in the air in the room. The bin followed swift, and looked into the room with a big smile on her face. A few candles would be nice, but it was light enough to see what she would be doing for lunch.

The faucets seemed to call her. Not expecting much, she turned one open. It only hissed. She shrugged her shoulders. Then she opened the other one. It hissed too, but only a second, then water splattered out, and soon clear water flowed out in a steady stream.

Mathilda looked at it in awe.

"We have water in the kitchen!" she yelled. "Real water!" Quickly she filled a pan and turned the water off. If it was only a tank, she didn't want to empty it, but this pan full, she would carry up to her room, to wash herself.

Humming "We Are the Champions" she almost danced up the stairs.

She put the pan down at the second floor, and continued up to the roof.

"I am in room B3," she told Aaron, Jessi and Jack, who were softly talking. She told them of the water in the kitchen, and that there would be food in two hours.

"A bit late for lunch," she apologized, "but that gives us enough time to round everyone up, and I really want to clean myself, that fridge was full of yucky stuff. I'll get some of the car-trees, the kitchen smells awful. Jack, I need my backpack, it is in your truck. If it is locked, would you please open it for me?"

 

[WebbedHawk]

Aaron looked up at Jack as he came up on the roof.

"Not much going on except for Nikki bringing that truck over, maybe she can block another stairwell. Well that and you bringing a couple more survivors here. We've got quite the growing group here."

Just then Mathilda came up onto the roof, talking about lunch and asking Jack for some help.

"Hey, after lunch is ready if either of you want to give us a breather up here Jessa and I were going to go see if we might be able to get the generator going. I didn't get a chance to go looking for one before it got too cold. If it gets us some hot water it would make cleaning up much better, and a little electricity could make the cooking easier too."

Aaron also knew, but didn't say, that any small victory in comfort right now would help make the group more calm as they got to know each other. If they could find and get the generator running than it would create a better possibility of this group getting along and working together. Any small thing that might improve those odds was worth it.

 

[JadeKnight]

"If you don't mind Aaron, I can go ahead and give you a break from the roof for a bit. I think the sooner we get that generator running, the better. The roof isn't going anywhere."

He gave a nod for a moment before walking over to the edge, looking down for a moment. He turned his attention back to Mathilda for a moment.

"The doors are locked, but the hatch should still be open. If you don't mind, can you grab another shirt for me, as it would be bad to get a sunburn on my first day in the sun."

He chuckled for a moment, spotting Rachel further down the hotel walkway. He gave a wave to her for a moment before turning back around towards the others.

"There's also some boxes of 9mm ammo in one of the ammo crates, so just grab one. You ladies need some ammo for the guns anyways. I can give you more lessons later."

 

[dutchrain]

Mathilda

On the motel roof

Mathilda's gaze stayed on Jack's back as he walked to the edge.

"The doors are locked, but the hatch should still be open. If you don't mind, can you grab another shirt for me, as it would be bad to get a sunburn on my first day in the sun."

She blushed deeply.

"Of course," she said while walking away to hide her blush.

A bit awkwardly she climbed on the armored truck and opened the hatch. Climbing down was even more awkward, since she for some reason she tried to do it elegantly.

First she threw her backpack out on the truck, then she searched a new shirt for Jack, and the ammunition. She also picked up his dirty, torn shirt.

Lugging it up, leaving her backpack at the landing to the second floor, she brought Jack the clean shirt.

"Here you are," she said. "I'll be in my room for a little while now, the third one."

She almost ran down, unlocked her door, and before she looked around she put the cats in, went back for her backpack and the pan with water.

Inside the room it was musty. She left the door wide open, checked the bathroom. Seeing the shower she sighed. It would be really nice to shower. To shower with warm water would be divine. She opened the little window in the bathroom and looked around for the first time. A typical motel room.

She tore the blankets and sheets from the bed and hung them over the railing to air them thoroughly. Every surface in the room was covered with dust. She would deal with that after lunch, she decided. With a sigh she put her backpack on the bed and unpacked. The laundry she put on a pile beside the door. The seeds she left in the backpack, but her dried supplies she put beside the door too.

Then she closed the door until it stood a little bit ajar. She simply needed the fresh air.
In the bathroom she had seen neatly folded towels over a rack. The biggest one she put on the floor, beside the shelf opposite the bed. With the smaller one she would dust later. She feared it would never get white again though.

It was almost dark, since the curtain before the big window beside the door was drawn. She undressed in the hazy light. She shivered, goosebumps formed on skin which had been covered for many days.

She wet a washing cloth in the water, and rubbed it over her face. A drop ran down her chin, over her throat and between her breasts. It felt so good she nearly moaned. Running the cloth over her breasts, she bit her lip.

Quickly she rubbed a luxurious amount of soap on the washcloth and washed her left arm, her throat and her neck. Changing it to her other hand, she washed her right arm. More goosebumps formed.

Mathilda chuckled. She wet a second cloth, a dark one, and removed most of the soap from her arms. Then she lifted her feet one after the other and washed them. The cloth she threw on the laundry pile.

With the first cloth she now washed her breasts, weighing them in her hand, stroking her nipples very carefully. She wasn't playing, she told herself, just enjoying getting clean. A bit reluctantly though, she moved the washcloth away from her breasts, over her stomach. Deliberately she washed as much of her back as she could before she dipped her hand in the pan with water and wet the washcloth again. Mathilda knew very well that holding a dripping hand above her breast and catching the droplets running down over her hard nipple with the washcloth wasn't the most effective way to wet the cloth again, but it certainly was a very pleasurable way.

A few droplets ran down between her breasts and ended on her mound. Mathilda shivered again, but now absolutely not for cold. She looked down. The light was too dim to see clearly which path the droplets had token, so she followed it with a fingertip.

Biting her lip wasn't enough to stifle her moan when her fingertip disappeared between the lush curls on her mound and found her clit.

 

[feistyphoenix]

Rachrl was half stunned for some reason, her mind just wouldn't focus on any one thing. Her gaze settled on some distant point and she retreated into her mind. A sudden movement out of the corner of her eye yanked her back to reality, Jack waving at her. The corner of her mouth turned upward, a sweet smirk she used to wear more often. This place wasn't too bad, she thought as she turned away and decided she should probably find a room.

 

[WebbedHawk]

Aaron looked over to Jessa. "If you need anything before we go down for the generator go ahead and get it, I'll meet you in the parking lot and we'll head down."

Watching her climb down from the roof Aaron turned and looked at Jack.

"Thanks for the break man, hopefully we can find the generator and get it running."

With that he headed down from the roof as well. Making his way to the stairwell he thought he heard a stifled cry, possibly for help. He turned to see what it was but as he did so the dim light of a slightly open doorway revealed to him the sight of Mathilda washing up. When he saw her hand between her legs he blushed, and turned away, hoping he didn't wind up disturbing or interrupting her.

It only took a few minutes for Jessa to get ready. As they headed to the office area of the motel Aaron led her to the basement entrance. Turning on some flashlights they made their way downstairs quietly, checking corners as they passed. After a moment they found the generator. Jessa messed with it, checking to make sure it was in fine repair before cranking it up. It took a few pulls, but then the generator came alive. The lights began to turn on in the basement, causing Jessa and Aaron to cheer in excitement.

That was when it went bad. They were both so elated, with the generator running beside them, that they didn't see the walker coming at them. Aarons face turned pale white as the walker bit into Jessa's neck.

"FUCK!" Aaron yelled, pulling his gun and shooting the walker three times in the head. He was about to kneel down, but seeing Jessa's face... he could tell she was gone. Aaron closed his eyes, putting his fingers to them to try to stop himself from breaking down. He had barely known her, but he had liked the time he had gotten to spend with her. He shook his head and kneeled down beside her.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry." Aaron whispered, closing her eyelids with his fingers. He slid a knife from his belt, pushing it into her temple while biting his lip. "I'm so sorry Jessa."

Before he could try to pick her up and get her outside for a proper burial however a few more walkers began to move towards him, backing up to the stairwell he got off a few more shots. Turning he ran up the stairs, slamming the door shut and leaning against it while trying to find something to place up against the door.

 

[JadeKnight]

Jack watched Aaron retreat down the ladder before turning his attention to the rest of their little world. He whistled softly a little tune as he used his binos to scan out the area. The hotel was quite close to the off ramp of the highway, and it looked like a small herd was coming down the highway. He counted about thirty walkers near the top of the off ramp, walking past slowly. A few cars scattered along the wall made their path even worse.

Half of the herd had passed the ramp when Jack heard the second set of Aaron's shots ring up from the basement. It definately got the attention of the walkers, several heading their way. It wouldn't take the herd long to reach them and they didn't have the motel setup defensively except for the one blocked off staircase.

"Damnit."

He turned and ran over to the roof of first set of rooms, not knowing if any one took up residence there. He used one hand to brace himself as he knelt down to yell below.

"Walkers income! Get some place to hold them off, or come up to the roof to help!"

He didn't stay there to see who heard him, but turned and went to another part of the roof, laying down. The herd, twenty-five by his count, had made their way to the bottom of the ramp and would be on them very quickly. His shots were close, taking down seven before they got close to the hotel.

 

[dutchrain]

Mathilda
In her room

Lost to the world as her arousal peeked Mathilda didn't hear anything. For a moment the light streaming into her room dimmed, but she didn't turn her head. Still in two minds if she should give in to her arousal and yearnings or if she should get on with washing herself and getting lunch on the table, she slowly caressed her clit. Her fingertip drew circles over and around it, caressing the most sensitive part with quick, butterfly light strokes once in a while.

She was so lost to the world already, at the first banging sound she thought a car was misfiring. The second gunshot however had her back in the here and now immediately. Without toweling off, she stepped in her jeans, and threw her parka over her wet upper body. In the left pocket she felt the reassuring heaviness of the now loaded pistol, but nevertheless she grabbed her spear from beside the door as she slowly opened it wider.

Nothing was on the balcony. Crouching she crossed it, and peered over the railings. From this angle she couldn't see much. Mostly sky. She was reluctant to lift her head higher over the railing to look down.

"Walkers income! Get some place to hold them off, or come up to the roof to help!" Jack yelled.

It must be bad, if Jack was yelling, Mathilda thought. She risked a longer glance, lifted her head. She couldn't see any walkers. "Still, she thought, you can't see them still. Jack is on the roof." Which made it easy for her: ducked she ran along the balcony, passed two closed doors and up the stairs.

Running up the stairs she realized she hadn't put her shoes on. Only half a second she thought about turning back to get her shoes, but shook her head while her foot landed on the next step.

"How many," she whispered, crouching over to the corner where Jack lay down and shot into a herd of walkers. Mathilda wondered if they were close enough she could use the pistol. Anything beside a headshot was just a waste of bullets, she knew perfectly well. She also knew the shots would attract walkers which now where still miles away. It might very well be this herd had been alerted by last night's gunshots and this morning's car driving. Without the shots which had interrupted Mathilda's pleasure they might have passed them. They should deal with this herd, be absolute silent for the next 24 hours, or get their stuff, climb in the cars and get to a safer place as soon as this herd was down. With a grim face Mathilda lay down beside Jack and aimed her pistol.

"Shall I concentrate on those that get closer?"

 

[WebbedHawk]

Seeing some nearby furniture Aaron grabbed what he could and piled it against the door to keep it closed.

"Walkers income! Get some place to hold them off, or come up to the roof to help!"

'Fuck' Aaron grumbled to himself, wiping his eyes. Running to the doorway he looked out, seeing that the walkers had yet to get close. Running to the stairwell he passed a girl he had yet to formally introduce himself to.

"Best get up the stairwell, we should have at least a little protection there."

Running up the stairwell Aaron ducked into his room, grabbing a rifle and a shotgun. He didn't have much ammo but he wasn't about to get in close quarters with a mob of the dead. Leaving the door cracked open behind him he raised his rifle. Jack was picking them off quite well from the front, so Aaron started taking shots at the ones just behind the front, trying to thin the herd and make them easier to control.

"Jack, if things get hairy I have a back exit to my room, we can duck out in a hurry and grab whatever supplies we can carry." Aaron yelled up to the roof.

 

[feistyphoenix]

Rachel had wandered down the walkway and walked past Mathilda's room to check out some of the others. There were a couple that had obviously had their doors kicked in and some of them were locked, she frowned. She was on her way to the other side of the motel to check some of the other rooms out when she heard the popping sounds, guns? She strained to hear a little better.

The sudden movements startled her. Mathilda running upstairs, Jack yelling at her to either get up there or find a defensive position, a stranger rushing past her on his way somewhere else...She didn't even know what to do or where to go. She hadn't eaten yet today, she felt stressed suddenly, and weak like she might faint. But she did exactly what she had done for the last year, she put one foot in front of the other and tried to make the best decision she could. She pulled her pack tightly to her body and headed up to the roof.

"What's the plan?" she asked. She jerked nervously every time Jack fired a shot and after a moment she took a knee on the other side of Mathilda.

In her head she was running scenarios. Staying here was just too exposed, but where would they go, the woods? That wasn't very secure. She had a thought but it was interrupted by the man she hadn't met yet joining them on the roof. He didn't seem to notice her, but started taking shots with Jack.

"I have an idea," she blurted out, waiting for them to listen to her. She blushed, usually she wasn't so forceful when she spoke to other people.

 

[JadeKnight]

Keeping an eye on the herd as it approached, he saw Matilda drop down beside him from the corner of his eye. Taking a mental count of how many were at the hotel, she was number two. He was about to answer her when he heard Aaron yell up from below them on the walkway, making their group up to three. He gave a nod finally for a moment.

"I counted twenty-five coming down from the highway, and I took down nine of them so far. Yes,hit them when they get close."

He fired off a couple more shots before Rachel's voice was a little louder than his shots. That made their group four out of the ten they had only a short while ago. He stopped firing for a moment before lifting up into a crouching position, his right foot behind his ass and his left knee up, placing his left elbow on his knee for support. He grinned for a moment as he looked over at Rachel.

"Let's hear this idea."

He turned his attention back to the horde, half of which had gathered around the MRAP. A large cluster had gotten contained in the crook of the stairwell and vehicle, unable to climb into the stairs. The rest had veered away, to move further along the back of the hotel.

Jack frowned seeing a small cluster of ten coming from beneath the highway overpass. A quick scan told him no other zombies were currently coming.

 

[feistyphoenix]

"Why don't we just get out of here," she tried to keep her voice from shaking, "I know somewhere we can go, it's not too far and it's a lot more defensible than this."

She knew she could get to the pickup truck without a problem and everything she had was in the bag slung over her shoulder. Rachel had no reason to help them, she could leave without them if she had thought about it but she hadn't. Jack had saved her life and that was enough of a reason for her. It would require risk, one of them would have to cover her but it was workable.

"Can you get into that military vehicle from the top, is there a hatch or something?" She asked him.

 

[JadeKnight]

He was quiet for a moment at her suggestion of just running away. It was a feasible option, but not the best one. Wherever Rachel had in mind, the herd was probably just going to follow the sound of the truck. He killed two with head shots before yelling down to Aaron.

"Some of them are heading towards the middle staircase, so get ready!"

He stood up carefully and moved around to kneel by Rachel, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder. He gave a smile for a moment.

"I'm not sure where you have in mind for us to run to, but we're safe up here. I've yet to see a walker even be able to climb a ladder like the one to this roof."

He pulled his hand from her shoulder to point to the MRAP for a moment.

"The hatch is closed, but unlocked. They aren't able to climb up the sides, and the doors are padlocked. If you want to hide in there, go ahead. I can help you down on the landing so you can climb in from the stairs, if you would like to stay there till this is over."

 

[dutchrain]

Mathilda

She knelt down beside Jack, and aimed her pistol.

25! Jack had put down quite a few, but some were closing in on the stairway already. Carefully she took aim, and put two down with her first two shots. She sighed relieved, and promptly missed the next two. Well, she didn't miss them, but she didn't put them down. She cursed softly, and aimed again. The bodies now blocked the small space between the truck and the stairs.

Rachel came up to the roof. Mathilda threw her a quick, reassuring smile. The girl was trembling.

With half an ear Mathilda listened to Jack and Rachel. How much she herself wanted to get out off here, with a herd on their heels it wasn't an option to run. Mathilda had noted a few walkers moving away from the herd and a moment she didn't know what to do. Then she aimed at them. Because, what if they were following one or more of the other people? She shot one in the head, and one she slowed considerably by breaking/shooting off his leg at the knee. The other three she didn't mind anymore since Jack shouted out to Aaron the walkers were closing in on the unprotected middle stairway.

Mathilda moved from her position, leaned over the small wall surrounding the roof to get a better view. Her upper body on the wall, she shot at the walkers. Too bad she didn't know which ones Aaron was shooting at, a few times she was sure she hit one he had hit already, or vice versa.

The herd had dwindled down to five or six, except the ones which had moved behind the gas station. Mathilda looked around.

"Darn! Another herd is coming through the woods! About ten, fifteen maybe! She shot at them, realized her pistol was empty and grabbed in her pocket for more ammunition. She ran over the roof to the side of the building to get a better aim.