Risking A Cure (Cain and {{Zombie_Addict}})

The sun came up slowly, though it was hard to tell where sometimes. Woodbury, a small town in northeast Georgia was surrounded by trees. When the outbreak occurred the neighbors of Woodbury gathered together and began to fortify the town, lining a small four block area of the suburbs with cars and other large machines. This kept the zombies out, but it also kept them in. As time went on, they would send out scavengers to bring back food but over time they came back with less and less food...or didn't come back at all.

Cain Fisher was one of those scavengers, and as he sat by the fire, tying his shoes, he can't help but remember the events leading up to this moment when he was to leave the city he called home for what could very well be a wild goose chase. Three days ago, a man calling himself Phillip stumbled into the town, seeking shelter. He collapsed immediately and the people carried him into one of the houses and let him rest. When he came to, he spoke of knowing of a cure for the infestation. However he needed medical supplies to build the cure, supplies from the city. Someone would need to get them...

The town's leader looked to Cain for this quest. At first, he refused. "We don't know this guy! Who knows if he's telling the truth! And furthermore, everyone knows the city is the last place you should be heading to!" he agued.

"True. But we are running out of options!" Wilson retorted, shaking his head as his eyes went to the floor. "We choice do we have? The Henderson's already lost their youngest and their father. We are going to decay here."

Despite his feelings, Cain agreed. They weren't living here...hell, they weren't even surviving. They were wasting away in this cage made up of broken down machines. Wilson told him to get ready and that he was leaving first thing in the morning. He would appoint another to go with him, who would meet him at the central fire in the middle of Woodbury for their journey.

And it was at that fire that Cain found himself, checking over the last of his gear, waiting for the person who would accompany him on what surly would be a suicide mission to the city.

"Baby your not going!" Karen, Ari's mother followed her back and forth as Ari packed a backpack full of the things she needed. "Wilson asked me to go, Momma, I'm going. End of story." She grabs a pair of green shorts and slides them on over her long tan legs. She pulls a black t shirt on and shoves her feet into her old worn hiking boots. She laces them up and check to make sure she had everything she needed. Grabbing a bottle of water she kisses her moms cheek. "Bye momma I love you." She says softly and walks out of the door.

Walking up to a man by the central fire she stops. "Are you Cain?" She asks lifting the pack higher on her back.

He stood up, adjusting his fingerless gloves before running his hand through his short auburn hair. "That would be me," he said as he slung the backpack around his form, the pack resting on his back as he secured it to his chest and hips. "And you must be Ari, correct? Well, Ari, shall we?" extending an arm outward as he smiled. The two of them were about to embark on a journey of momentous scale, and it was not certain that they would make it back to see any of this loved ones. Not that that concerned Cain. His entire family had been scattered amongst the US and when the outbreak began, communication was one of the first facets of society to crumble. He tired to keep his mind off it, but surly he knew that some of his family didn't make it...

The two made their way out of Woodbury, heading into he deep woods with the sun at their backs. "So tell me a little about yourself, Ari. What did you do...you know, before the outbreak?" he said, looking at her. She was definitely attractive and when he first laid eyes on her, Cain thanked the stars that he would spend the journey with someone who looked decent. Let's just say that the zombies were less judgmental of their means based on attractiveness and the people who were left were usually toughened by their experiences and lived on practicality, not superficial wants such as cosmetics.

The forest was thick, tall Green Ash trees making travel somewhat difficult and navigation a must. Every few moments, Cain would look at the small compass attached to the strap of his backpack and make sure they were still heading northeast. He didn't expect to encounter many zombies in such a desolate area, but the thought still concerned him. Once they got to the highway though...things would be more dire. There they'd have to watch out for not only the undead, but the living as well. Desperate times such as this called for desperate measures and those with the will to survive often trumped those who wished to remain human, in terms of decency. On highways, they'd have to worry about raiders who would take all your belongings and leave you for dead...or worse.

Ari treks beside him her long strides keeping up with his. She smiles at him thanking her lucky stars that Wilson picked this man. He looked like he could handle himself and wouldn't cause her to worry when they got out there. "Well My mother is Agoraphobic, so I had my own sewing buisness out of the house. Thats how we manged to escape the outbreak." She says softly tucking a long dark brown strand of hair behind her ear drawing attention to the intense Ice blue of her eyes.

"what about you Cain? What did you do be for the mass production of zombieness?" She asks slightly teasingly. Her eyes never leaving her surroundings. She ducks a branch and picks up a fallen stick just perfect for a weapon and a walking stick. She breathes in deep and smiles. Despite their circumstances the woods were beautiful.

"I was a ranger at a national park, Death Valley," he said as he once again checked his compass. "I was part of a search and rescue team and we constantly had to keep an eye out for visitors who took unpaved roads since their GPS devices told them to go down them," he chuckled, "GPS devices....I wonder what those satellites are doing now...the very few batteries we all have left are better used for something else. Seems the older methods are still the best ones, right?" he smiled as her as he tapped his compass on his chest.

His smile soon faded as he turned and saw something in the distance. "Three o'clock, Ari," he said, nodding to a shadowy figure in the distance. "Looks like a walker, shall you take it down or I?" he smirked. One walker was no problem, it's when they amassed did things go south fast. Walkers weren't the big problem here. You could see, hear, and sometimes smell them a mile away. But the decayers, the zombies that were lying in the ground, covered in leaves, holding on to their last bit of life hoping for one more meal, were the biggest concern. You'd have to watch where you stepped and looked for shuffling in the leaves constantly, lest you get taken out by a decayer. What a way to go...

Cain reached behind him and pulled out a worn machete and tapped it against a tree and smiled to Ari. "Alright there, beautiful...show me what you got. Impress me," he smirked at her as he tossed the machete to her, the metal landing near her feat, clanking on a rock. "Let's see what a seamstress can do."

Grinning she scoops up the machete and fingers the blade. "Nice." SHe hefts her pack up high on her back and Stalks toward the zombie. In three quick movements she runs up and slices the zombies head half off. His blood splattering her. Covering her face, and white t-shirt. When the corpse hits the ground she swings down. The zombies head comes flying clean and rolls towards Cain. She turns around and walks back to his side. "So ranger. Did I Impress or was it to mellow for you?" She grins the zombies blood covering her face. She offers him the handle of the machete.

An eyebrow lifts as he smirks and laughs softly, taking the blade in his hand as he looks at the steel covered in a dark red cruor. Giving the blade a quick whip he picked up a handful of leaves and wiped the remaining blood off the the tool and sheathed it. "They teach you that after they teach you how to sew?" he smirked as he crossed his arms. "You don't wanna get too much of that stuff on you," he said as he reached into his pocket, finding a handkerchief and tossing it to her. "You look like you just got a zombie facial," he said, teasing her.

She was good alright, a great asset in the field, but a little too flashy for his taste. Cain was always a practical person, not one to really show too much emotion, which made him seem distant at time. Truth was, he was always on guard, always ready. "Let's keep moving," he said as he walked past her, heading northeast. Soon the terrain began to get more rocky as the forest began rising in elevation. The smooth, flat land gave way to larger black boulder and the two of them would have to work together to help each other up at times.

"So where did you learn to kill like that?" he said as he lifted her up a boulder before climbing up himself. "Not every day a woman like yourself is seen with such a bloodlust. You got some issues I should be aware of there, Ari?" He checked his compass again as he began to notice the sun setting. "We might want to find shelter soon..."

She wipes the blood off her face and laughs softly. "When the outbreak started I decided I would do what ever I could to keep my family safe." She makes her way up the boulder. "I was just teasing you with that move. I want to survive to get back to my mother. Wilson is looking after her but hes busy so he cant always be there." She reaches up and catches a hand hold and pulls herself up smoothly over a ledge, and turns to wait for him. "There is some sort of cave up here. I don't hear movement or smell anything."

She walks toward the fallen boalders what formed the cave it was shallow and dirty but it would cover them. There was a pile of old burnt logs laying at the mouth of it. She squats down and feels the fire pit. It was cold. "No ones been here in a while.

Cain nodded at her as she touched the pit and turned to look at the path behind them. This was a good place to retire for the night, as the walkers don't exactly climb and there were far too few of them to really pile up. The only threat of a night attack would come from above, but it was far more likely for a walker to stumble and fall down the boulders than to navigate the rocks cleanly. As he walked into the cave, he looked for any signs of a previous owner. But he found no bear remains, nor fur, nor bones. Whatever may have called this place home abandoned it a long time ago.

He set his backpack down and pulled out the tent, unstuffing it and laying it out. Dispite the shelter, the tent would provide them with a last second warning of the dead, as well as help keep them warm at night. "So tell me this then, ever have to kill anyone you knew didn't deserve to die because you knew it was safer for your family?" he said as he began assembling the poles to the tent, lying them out after completing each one. "I haven't seen my family since the outbreak....but I have no qualms with killing anyone to protect those I care about," he said bluntly as he stuck one of the poles in the metal eyelets of the tent, erecting the structure.

As he finished assembling the shelter, he made his way over to her and handed her a small pouch. "This should have some food in it. Something dehydrated. Feel like eating a hot meal tonight? We'll eventually need to stick with cold meals to keep our fires down...but I thought today we could celebrate," he said with a smile as he held up another item: A small flask of whiskey. When the grid failed, all perishable items became scarce. Things like alcohol, instant noodles, and canned vegetables became the new currency and many lost their lives for becoming too 'rich.' But Cain always made sure to keep some alcohol handy. It was a tool, of course...as well as a luxury. A much needed luxury. Because when your day involved seeing the things he's seen, trying to forget them is the best way to spend your nights.

Ari tilts her head down for a sec then looks off into the night. "I have no problem killing. I have not gotten to that point yet but I know I will have no issues doing what needs done." She says softly. She watches him set up the tent.

She takes the pouch and starts munching on some dried jerky. "What are we celebrating?" She asks. She takes off her pack and unlaces her boots and slides them off, sighing at the pleasure of being barefoot. She didnt wear socks but her feet were tough and calloused. She knew she could walk around 24/7 bare foot and just be damn fine. She sits down leaning against the rocks. She perks up when she see the wiskey. "Oh yum." She grins at him. "I havent had a drink in forever." She laughs softly as the wind picks up and she shivers a little.

"Personally, I'm celebrating having something nice to look at," he winked as he took a sip, screwing the top back on and then tossed her the flask in a nice high arc. As he sat next to the fire, he organized some of the burnt logs and hoped there would be enough for them to cook a nice warm soup. Pulling a heavily used magnesium strip and knife from his boot, he knelt before the fire and began shaving off the magnesium into a small pile of leaves. "I hope you are celebrating the same," he teased her as he began to strike the flint side of the magnesium strip with the backend of his knife.

The fire came alive and that brought a smile to Cain. Reaching into the pouch, he pulled out a small pot that was riddled with dents and even what looked to be a bullet hole near the top and set it upon the fire. Sprinkling in a pouch of seasonings he had collected during his scavenging runs, he poured in the rest of his water and waited. "We'll need to pump more water in the morning," he began as he turned to her, noticing her feet for the first time.

"Girl's got cred," he thought. She must be a tough one, her feet showed her ability to work. He caught himself gazing at her and quickly turned his attention back to the pot, which was close to boiling. Tossing in some dried macaroni, he smiled again...hot food....such a novelty, especially in his line of work. As the soup began to boil, he made his way over to Ari and sat down next to her, pulling out a small, worn roadmap that was torn in many places from constant folding and unfolding.

"We are around here," he began, pointing to a topographic high in the forest with his knife, "and we need to get..." his knife trailed northeast until it hit a larger font, "here. This is where Phillip said the supplies would be." And soon he drew quiet as he looked over the route. "The highway is our fastest way, but we can't stay too long on it. There are still roamers there and raiders are an even bigger threat. We can cut across the suburbs en route to the big city though...which bypasses most of the highway, but it's longer. We might find food in some of the houses though. What do you think we should do, Ari?" he said as he set the knife and the map down and stood up, stretching and looking at the soup. "Dinner's ready."

Catching the flask smoothly she laughs and nods at him. "The veiw is just as good from my end." She takes a swig of wiskey and smiles. "Ahh that is so much better."

She watches him start the fire and begin cooking noticing she was day dreaming. She snaps herself out of it and looks at the map. "Well I know that the city mall its over this way. Its a 3 story building and might have supplies we could use. Its on a back road so if we can mange to make it there then there will be a lot of cover to get there. And its about three blocks from where Phillip said to go." She says tracing the rout with her finger.

"I think it might be the best way."

He brought the pot over to where they were sitting and handed her a spoon from his pocket. Stirring the pot, he set it down next to her and took a seat next to her as he pondered her suggestion, tapping his own spoon against his chin. "Hmmm....malls are generally a hotspot for zombies," he said as he spooned up some of the soup and slid it into his mouth. His solo travels usually required him to remain hidden at all costs and making a fire was a rarity for him. As Cain enjoyed the warm meal, he thought of the last time he had such a treat. Must have been when he was looking for clothing and he had to spend the night in a janitor's closet. He risked having a hot meal then, for if the zombies came after him, he could easily escape into the air ducts above. It was a dumb move, but what's the point in living if you don't enjoy it once in awhile?

"Did we need to stop there? What did you want to get?" he asked as he set his spoon aisde, his stomach already full from the meal. He licked his lips and reached down to begin untying his boots, pulling them off his feet, along with his socks, he set them by the fire, using them to stir the coals to quicky extinguish the flames. It was getting dark and he didn't want anything, or anyone, to see a small light in the middle of the boulders. Taking the flask, he took another sip of the sweet libation and set it down. "I really don't trust that guy...Phillip I mean. But...." he began, his voice hinting at a submissiveness in his position, "...it's not like we have a choice. We are dying inside that prison, the dead are our jailers." He drank again.

He pulled his jacket off and tossed it in the tent. Sinching his backpack closed he stretched, arcing his back and raising his arms before looking to her, "Almost time for bed, Ari."

"There is no particular need to go to the mall. I figured if we made that our direction we wouldn't be to far from our destination. Also if we are in need of supplies I'm sure that the mall would have everything we need." She watches him stretch and ends up yawning. "It is getting a bit late if we want to be up and ready early." She reaches up and pulls the band holding her long hair up, out letting it fall down past her shoulders. Sighing she closes her eyes.

"I don't know if I will be able to sleep though. I'm a bit of an Insomniac" She rubs her tired eyes gently. She looks out into the dark of the night. It was slightly peaceful being out here with him. Despite the severity of their situation she relaxes for the first time in a long time.

"You should try," he began as he secured the rest of his gear, tightening the straps on his backpack and double checking that all his belongings were ready to go at a moments notice...just in case. "I don't want you falling asleep on me tomorrow, might need those deadly moves of yours," he said, a warm smile across his lips. It was true, they would need to rely on each other and if one fell, the other one would be at great risk. It was suicide to travel long distances alone now. One wrong more, a bite from a roamer, a shot from a raider, or even something as innocent as a bad fall could close the book on your existence.

"As for the mall," he said as he unzipped the opening of the tent, looking inside at his sleeping bag, a nice down bag meant for winter hikers, "If we do stop, I want a new blade. Mine's starting to show it's history. Wouldn't mind some new clothes too. Considered stripping a dead of it's clothes once...but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Silly, but once you kill em, they are as dead as any other person...and the old rules of respect seem to kick in within me. That and they smell like vomit and ass." He took another sip of the flask and tosses it in the sleeping bag before turning to her and grinning, "Last call, love. You coming? Or do you want to keep watch all night?"

"Im coming." She sighs smiling slightly and yawning once again. She checks her things making sure that everything was in place. "I could use a blade myself. I brought a 9mm Glock, but bullets are precious so I don't want to use it unless I absolutely have to." She stands up and stretches.

"To sleep it is. Cain. I might be able to sleep after all." She laughs, yawning yet once again walking towards the tent.

Some things never chance. Cain opened his eyes to the sound of bird's chirping. The sun had not yet risen but it let its presence known by the light in the sky. Despite the situation, Cain often found it easy to sleep. It was a trait of a good scavenger: Be confident in your surroundings to allow yourself to sleep well. That's what set Cain apart from most scavengers, despite the severity of the situation, he seemed to find himself relaxed while staying safe. It's then he noticed one more thing: he was holding something. No, not something...someone. Both he and Ari had retired to separate sleeping bags but as the night went on, he must have slipped his arm around her and pulled her to him. Maybe this was the reason he slept wall tonight, the warmth of a good woman would put any man into a peaceful slumber while the world decays around him.

"Good morning," he said softly, not sure if she were even awake as he softly moved his arm from her and sat up in his bag. Rubbing his face, his eyes began adjusting to the light as he pondered the start of the day. Sitting up, he unzipped the entrance to the tent and stood there in his boxer briefs and shirt. The cool, morning air felt crisp and energizing on his skin and he decided against putting on clothes so quickly. He opened a side pouch on his backpack and pulled out an energy bar and after unwrapping it, began eating his breakfast.

He would pull his bag from the tent and began stuffing it in its sack before cramming it back into his backpack. They would have to leave soon and he wanted to make sure they could get to the suburbs before nightfall. They were in for a hard, upwards hike today and if they took their time, they risk being on the highway at night, which was certainly the worst case scenario. "Ari, get your ass up," he said jokingly as he knelt, looking into the tent. "You awake?"

Ari comes awake swinging. "DIE ZOMBIE SCUM." Her words drift off as she blinks her sleepy blue eyes looking up at his grinning face. "whoa bad dream." She laughs embarrassed. She wore her favorite t-shirt which had been stretched out so one of the shoulders slipped to the side baring her shoulder.

She crawls out of her sleeping bag and squeezes past him. She stands up clad only in her t-shirt and short shorts.The crisp morning air making her shiver. She wraps her arms around her self and looks around. "Well we survived the night."

She grabs her back pack and roots around for her jeans. She slips her shorts off and wiggles her way into her jeans Shoving her feet into her boots. "I'm ready." She smiles still sleepy. "Just gotta pack up the tent.

"Sounds like some dream," he said as he watched her get dressed. She was rather brass to change just in front of him. But who was he to judge, he still didn't have his pants on. Reaching into his pack he pulled out his pants and slid them one, one leg at a time before clasping the button on the front closed and tightening the built in belt. He slipped his socks and boots on and stood before her. After breaking down the tent, he stuffed it inside his pack and smiled to her. "Let's go. We'll try to make it to the suburbs today. I have a contact there that can give us a house to stay in." He slipped on his backpack and began the march.

The climb was rough, boulder after boulder they climbed, helping each other along the way. "So tell me, Ari," he said as he reached a hand down to help her up a particularly large boulder, "When was the last time you were laid?" He knew the subject might shock her but he was tired of safe subjects to talk about. "A woman like you shouldn't be having such horrible night terrors."

She makes it up the boulder before she starts laughing. "Trust me its been a long time." She walks on climbing her way over smaller boulders. "How about you? When was your last good lovin' ?" She jokes smiling at him.

"I hope everyone back home is ok." She adds as an afterthought as a disturbed group of bird fly out of a tree way off in the distance.

(sorry for the small post)

"Good lovin'?" a slight chuckle slips past his lips as he scrambled up more of the cliffside before finally realizing they were leveling off. "I know a few other scavengers...whenever our paths cross we like to hook up. Kind of exciting, it's unpredictable, yet familiar. We all have our stomping grounds, where we like to scavenge, so we'll occasionally run into one another and since scavenging usually entails two days, one going to the city and one coming back...we get one night to spend together. We try to make it as carnal as we can...given the noise parameters, of course."

He stood up where the skree began to level off and helped her up, holding her arms in his hands as she did the same with his. "Me too," he began. He didn't like the look of this stranger. More the point, he didn't like how quickly people took to his story...or his charisma. "Wilson's a smart guy, but even smart men will grasp at false hope in a time like this." He saw the birds fly off and then in the corner of his eye, he spotted the highway. "Ahh, look over there!" he said, a bright smile on his face as he pointed to the concrete. It was a few hundred yards away, maybe five football fields. And between the highway and themselves was about a hundred or so walkers, each beginning to notice them and slowly shambling closer to them. Yes, as they got closer to man made objects, the denser the population of the undead became.

"Well...well...well..." he said as he turned to her. "I know you can handle yourself, so let's say we have ourselves a little race to the highway. It's raised, so we'll be traveling below to avoid any bandits and the like. So I'll meet you under the highway, darlin'. Oh, and try not to use any guns here, we got to keep our presence unknown to the bandits from now on."

And with that, he began his dash towards the highway, kicking up a small bit of dust as he sprinted towards the horde. A gleam of light hit his worn blade as he slipped the machete from his back and held it down as he came up to the first one. With one quick movement, he clipped the undead's calf, the body responding in kind by falling to the ground. As Cain made his way closer and closer, he continued this pattern. He cared not if they were dead or not afterwards, he just wanted them out of his way. Sometimes it was harder to cut through their spine, but slicing their muscle was easy. The decayed, rotting, bands of muscle cut so easily, and once they were cut, the undead were very easy to deal with. Cain liked this, it was a simple logic, a crisp, clean battleplan for quick combat when you had to get to another point. You don't need to dismember them, you just needed to neutralize the threat.

As Cain drew closer to the highway, he wondered how Ari was doing. Girl could handle her own affairs, but he hoped she wouldn't be drenched in the undead vitriol again. The smell was near impossible to wash out and he'd rather not feel like he was sleeping next to a corpse when they shared a tent next. Furthermore, he hoped nothing went wrong on her side. He trusted her to match him physically, but accidents could happen. He glanced back a moment to catch a glimpse at her, giving one undead enough time to latch onto his arm. Teeth clenching in fright, he pushed the ghoul aside and raised the blade, hacking the arm clean off and then lifting his own foot to push the body off of him. He continued running, feeling the undead hand continue to tighten its grip on his forearm.

She pulls a short machette out of her bag and tears off after him. Hacking away at the walkers as they got close to her. Like him she didnt care if they were dead just as long as they were out of her way. She ducks the reach of a male zombie and gets caught by a female. "Shit" she screams and hacking backwards managing to get her off of her. She swings her machete making an opening for her straight to the highway. She catches up to him and grins calling towards him.

"Can't beat me that quick!"