Rage, Rage Against the Dying of the Light (Private)

[Kyle Crane]

Crane sat up and sighed, running a hand down his face as he tried to wake up. It'd been a long night the night before - he'd had to bolt like hell to avoid those fucking volatiles. He wished he could say it'd been worth it - but the GRE's orders to burn the supplies had set them back a lot. He'd followed orders, but the guilt was already starting to eat away at him.

 

It was far too late to do anything about it now though - aside from trying to get more, which he wasn't entirely sure on - all things considered. When he stepped out of his room he could hear raised voices from clear down the way and immediately headed toward them. The guilt started to eat at him even more, as he knew what they were likely arguing about.

 

And sure enough the 'debate', if one could call it that, was about going to Rais to purchase Antizin. Before he could really think about it he found himself volunteering to go talk to Rais. Great. What'd I just get myself into? Well. Guess I'd better get to it - I need to confirm this asshole is who we think he is. With that, he headed back down, intending to head straight over to Rais' tower.

 

---

 

Crane growled as he hurtled over a few zombies, slashing at one in the process, beheading it as he continued on. The plan had been to head straight to Rais, but the many undead between him and that place, and the survivors who'd been stupid fucks and had gotten in over their heads had required a number of detours. Even now, a good six hours later, he found himself busting his ass hauling fuckheads out of the jaws of death - quite literally.

 

A piercing scream caught his attention - that of a survivor, not one of the virals, though they answered in kind shortly after. You'd think they'd know better than to make that much noise by now... He took a moment to orient himself on top of one of the higher roofs, trying to pinpoint where the screams had come from.

 

He wasn't the only one who'd answer that sound of distress and he hoped it was another from the Tower or somebody who survived elsewhere out in the city, rather than one of Rais' men - he wouldn't hesitate to kill them if they did show up, but it'd make things a bit awkward to turn around and head to Rais' headquarters right after.

[Chibi]

Not paying attention would get her killed, but Lil (at least that's what everyone at the Tower called her since she couldn't remember her own name) needed to move fast, and now. It was like her mind zeroed in on that desperate scream like it was the only thing that mattered. Which... it was. She vaulted and scrambled across the rooftops and ramshackle buildings, adrenaline slamming her heart against her ribcage.

 

The redhead was vaguely aware of another form racing toward her destination as well and her hand went to the old, rusting pipe at her belt as she sprinted. The woman stopped at the top of one of the taller buildings, her head snapping this way and that, looking for any danger (and maybe try and pinpoint where the scream had come from). A female viral screamed at her from the next building over, and before Lil could react, the zombie had jumped the gap and rushed at her. The survivor pulled her pipe out and managed to bring it up in time to deflect the swipe of claws before the viral could take her pound of flesh. The redhead shoved back with all her force before she bolted again.

 

Below her, she could hear more virals catching sight of her - their screams and roars were hard to miss when they got their eyes on fresh prey. She leapt a large distance, barely catching herself on the edge of the building before hauling her dense weight over the ledge with a pained grunt. That was going to smart later. Still, she didn't have time to think about it - she had to run and hope that figure she'd vaguely been aware of wasn't going to be a problem either. Instead, she dropped to the ground on the other side, tucking her shoulder and rolling as Rahim had taught her to prevent unneeded shock from spreading through her. Lil then dove around a corner - and ran smack into a biter. She didn't stop, didn't think - she just grabbed it and spun it around, and only for a second enjoyed it stumbling into the virals hot on her tail.

 

Her legs burned as she scaled the stairs she found herself at the bottom of, and once at the top, extended a hand and grabbed at the building's corner, using it as a pivot point to spin herself around the corner without slowing down. Instead of continuing to run that way, she slipped into the open shop to her right and ducked behind the counter. Tiny hands clamped over her mouth to stifle her panting, her heart beating even faster (if that was even possible) as she heard the horde of virals run by in search of her.

[Kyle Crane]

Not far ahead of him, and to the side, he spotted a survivor - a redheaded woman he'd seen around the tower but hadn't really had much chance to get to know had caught the attention of all the virals. She wasn't the one who'd screamed - he was sure she was also en route to answer that cry for help - but... well, it looked like she was going to have trouble now too.

 

So... detour it was.

 

Crane changed directions soon as he'd finished vaulting over a fence, drawing a different weapon than he'd had out before. He'd need something a bit heavier hitting if he had to take on more than a viral or two at once. And by the look of things? That was a lot more than two racing around the area.

 

"Hey!"

 

That'd get their attention. He drew his bow and picked off the first two as they roared and raced toward him, then kicked the third as it tried to pull itself up on the ledge he'd perched himself on.

 

Hopping to the pavement, he swung hard and fast, slicing through another two. The other three - goddamn, that was a lot of virals - turned to howl and scream at him as he backed into where he'd seen the woman duck.

 

"Three of 'em left - if you wanna help."

Edited January 3 by Tired Old Soldiers

[Chibi]

That voice. How did she know that voice? Her brain scrambled for the information, but all that came back were the words 'safe' and 'ally'. She could run with that. She had no other choice. The noises were much less and she took a deep, steadying breath as one, two, three bodies hit the ground, and then she only heard three more distinct voices. Breathe in. Breathe out. Grip shifted on the rusted weapon she had available and she could think clearly again. Wasn't so bad. Nope.

 

Granted, Lil was downright terrified, and would probably need new pants when she got back to the Tower (she could already hear Brecken and Ayo yelling at her to leave it alone and get back over the radio but she was a little distracted, thank you), but she couldn't let her new 'ally' go about this by himself. She swallowed her fear, shoved it to the back of her head and shoved herself to her feet in the same instance. And then she saw who had come to her rescue and she swallowed again to get her brain to restart. He was not what she was expecting, but motion drew her back to the present.

 

She vaulted over the counter, using her momentum to slam her feet into the incoming viral that tried to run at her rescuer. It went flying and gravity grabbed at her as well. The redhead fumbled to her feet almost as soon as she hit the ground, trying to keep track of all three virals and also what 'safe' was up to. Name. Name. What was his name? 31. Wasn't a name, but it was what he'd been designated at least.

 

"Can't let you get all the glory, huh?" She quipped.

[Kyle Crane]

Crane narrowed his eyes at her and sighed as she quipped at him. This isn't about that but whatever... He didn't have long to focus on her as the virals came about for another charge. Readying his weapon was easy, as was taking the top half of one's head clean off.

It probably shoulda bugged him some, what he was doing to these people - but you really couldn't call them that anymore, could you? Best to not dwell. God, he had a headache from all this today.

 

"Glory is only nice if you're alive to enjoy it."

 

He was short of breath and his temper was flaring a bit now that he could clearly see who it was. She was fairly new too, if he remembered right. Lil was her name, he thought. Not really a good time to try and figure that out though.

 

As they continued to hold the remaining two at bay - both of the virals screaming in impotent rage at them - he spoke to the redhead, keeping his voice pitched to where she could hear but he wasn't likely to draw any more unwanted attention.

"I'd suggest we get this sorted, see who was screaming, and let them know you're okay over the radio. 

 

One of these times they're going to tie you up and not let you out of the tower."

[Chibi]

OK, first off, she didn't like the scowl he'd shot her way. It made something deep down curl up and edge away, but now wasn't the time for that. Her smirk died down regardless of her efforts and she focused on the two that remained (that'd been a nice hit, but now wasn't the time). Second, he seemed exhausted and just fed up with everything, so that further shut down her desire to banter. "Sorry."

 

She stomped her foot toward one of the virals, trying to entice it to run at her - and it worked. As Lil pulled her foot back to stabilize her stance, the one closest to her lunged. She shifted her grip quickly and swung. One thwack, two quick thwacks in a row, and the viral staggered. Before it could recover, she went back to a bat holding grip and swung with all her might (she was still amazed at how much that was given her tiny frame) and she barely noted the huge dent in its skill before it collapsed like a dropped bag of potatoes to the concrete.

 

Lil glanced at the man next to her. She could agree with the first part, but she highly doubted there was enough rope to keep her tied down in the Tower, let alone in Harran. The smirk made itself known for a brief second before she put her eyes back to the remaining viral. There was a sadness to her voice as she commented, "There's not enough runners left to keep me tied up. Besides, not sure Brecken and Lena are into that."

 

Why did she say that? Why? Her cheeks went red at the idea, but she certainly hoped it looked more from exertion then embarrassment. She cleared her throat. "But yeah, will contact them once we rescue whoever that was that screamed."

[Kyle Crane]

Crane had been about to respond to her initial comment when she'd continued. As annoyed and tired as he was with everything, the quip about those two not being into that sort of thing was enough to crack him up and he wasn't able to stifle the snort-laugh that slipped past his guard. He shook his head, eyes going back to the remaining viral. They'd managed to thin the horde out some, but he knew that it wouldn't take much to draw more virals in, or something worse.

 

"You never know. Anyway, I think I needed that chuckle, so thanks."

 

The viral seemed to think that their talking meant they were distracted and retained enough brainpower to try and use it to her advantage. It didn't work. Kyle'd picked up on her as she'd backed up and gone silent, the thrashing movements making her easy to track despite her attempt to circle and come at them from a new angle. Hefting the makeshift blade he'd cobbled together, he considered his options before outright hurling the thing at the viral's head, where it lodged and caused the zombie to stumble though it didn't fall.

 

It was nearly through anyway, and if he lost it he had two more sheathed and within easy reach to finish things. A loud yell in the distance told him that there was potentially a larger zombie heading their way. Great. That sounds like one of the ones that likes to haul large chunks of rebar around. Hell no to that.

 

"Sounds like somebody - well, something has heard us. Let's finish this and find whoever was screaming before our new 'friend' finds us. Or them."

[Chibi]

OK, that snort-laugh was adorable, and so was that slight smile that accompanied it. Now wasn't the time - they still had a viral left to go. She flashed a quick smile herself, but something else had her attention. The moment their opponent quieted down, her mind had latched on to something being amiss, and she watched the viral from her periphery as she tried to circle around to find a better angle to attack. The man next to her had caught it too, though, and he made the first move. A quick movement, and his makeshift weapon was then lodged in the thing's head. It staggered back, but remained standing, and Lil grinned at the nice shot. It was almost down.

 

Before she could pull her own throwing weapons out, however, an animalistic roar - much different then a viral's - echoed down the corridor toward them. It was still a distance off, but she could faintly, ever so faintly hear something scraping against the concrete. Her head shot in that direction, like a deer's head snapping to the sound of a cracking branch, and a chill ran down her spine. She needed up. Up, up, up. Now. Absently, she nodded at 31's comment, before she turned back and threw one of her simple throwing knives (just as cobbled together as Safe's) at the remaining viral. It finally fell and once sure, she yanked her blade out from its face - she was amazed she'd even hit her mark - and sheathed it. Fear clear in her eyes, she turned her head to him. 

 

"Which way?"

 

Lil didn't want to be on the ground anymore. Not one bit. Her eyes tore from his face (why did the term 'Muppet' come to mind and not his actual name?) as she looked for the quickest way up off the street. She'd seen the damage the big guys could do and she wanted no part of being in melee range of the thing. There, an awning. She forced her feet to move and clambered up on a crate, then jumped for the awning, pulling herself up. They had to find whoever had screamed, and fast, before that thing found them instead of them.        

[Kyle Crane]

He couldn't really blame her for wanting up off the ground. He was feeling pretty nervous about being down and exposed with one of those big fuckers coming toward them. This would need to be handled carefully. He wasn't sure on what her skill level was for fighting or parkour, but he didn't want to overestimate her abilities. He'd done that once before, with another new arrival and the kid had nearly had their head taken off. Luckily he'd been able to reverse back to where the kid had gotten cornered, so no harm no foul. But it wasn't something he wanted to risk again.

 

"Luckily, away from the asshole coming toward us."

 

Kyle gestured down the way he'd heard the scream come from. It was maybe a street over, where he'd heard the scream come from, if he had his bearings right. Either way, they needed to move from where they were currently. They'd drawn way too much attention to themselves. He wrenched the blade free of the viral's skull, and grimaced at it. Just as he'd thought - it was scrap, at most.

 

Not waiting around any longer than that, he took a running leap at the grating on the window across from them and began to haul himself up, trusting that she'd follow him using whatever path suited her best. They could talk on their way to the person in need.

[Chibi]

As she scrambled up to the flat rooftop of the building she'd climbed up onto, she caught sight of some of the more decrepit zombies that stumbled the streets. Yeah, they'd gotten too much attention on them, but they couldn't stop. Crane's gesture didn't go unnoticed, but she didn't bother responding, too focused on plotting her initial course to where they needed to go. The lack of noise worried her, pushed her on. She leapt the gap between buildings and kept going. Lil only hoped that the big guy didn't continue their way and that they'd lose him.

 

Red-brown eyes glanced around, and as her eyes swept over the Tower, something clicked in her mind. Crane! That was his name! Kyle Crane! Right, she'd promised to check in after they dealt with the virals. She paused long enough to hit the buttons on her radio. "Lil here. I'm fine and with 31. I'm in good hands."

 

Ayo let out some creative curses in a language she didn't know - probably Arabic - before he sighed. "We'd all be better off if you came back to the Tower. Will pass along you're with Crane."

 

She listened to Brecken once again try to order her to come home, and she shook her head, starting to run again, bouncing off one wall and clinging to the opposite. "No can do, Brecken. We're checking something out. Heard a scream."

 

"Crane, can you tell them I'm fine with you?" She called out to the other runner who was a bit ahead of her and a house over. The next jump was a bit rougher, and she grunted as the shock rocked up her legs. That was going to smart later. Even if she couldn't remember who she was, they didn't need to treat her like she was invalid. She had to earn her keep after all.

[Kyle Crane]

Kyle wanted to drag a hand down his face in frustration, but he couldn't risk taking his attention off of what he was doing for even a second. Distracted parkour ended in injury or death. And he couldn't afford to get hurt or worse when he owed it to everyone to do better. They'd lost a good man because of him, and his orders from the GRE to destroy that entire drop of antizin still haunted him.

 

He should have told them to go to hell. Now he had to answer for Brecken's injury and the man's desperation for more of the medicine. The attack the man had suffered wasn't anything Kyle could have stopped, but there was still a lot of guilt over things he could have changed and didn't. Cursing under his breath as he came back to the present - just in time to almost miss a jump entirely - he grimaced and hissed in pain.

 

Pulling himself up roughly, he shot a look to Lil. "I'll try to have your back, but I'm having some issues myself, if it wasn't apparent." That'd come across far gruffer than he'd intended, and he gave her an apologetic look before taking a flying leap to a lower rooftop. There! He'd finally caught sight of the survivor, but she was in a dire situation, cornered in a half-crumbled building, with only a small, rickety door between her and at least 5 biters and two virals.

 

"We gotta get those fucks away from her. I'll get their attention. You get her back to the tower!" His voice was firm, no-nonsense, and he didn't wait for a response before he started banging on the metal roof he was on, shouting at the zombies.

 

A firecracker bundle was lit and thrown down toward the other end of the street - the same way he was now headed.

[Chibi]

Crane was running on empty, and his head wasn’t entirely in the game. She could tell by how he narrowly missed a jump, and then his gruff attitude he shot back at her. Right. No talking, no sassing. He was no-nonsense and didn’t need her to distract him. Why did that hurt so much to consider? Something to think about later.

 

Instead, the woman focused on tucking and rolling as she made her own landing two houses over, on the opposite side of the crumbling building. So focused on landing properly, she missed the apologetic look he’d shot her way, her mind elsewhere. The scream of virals told her where they were, but before she could do anything else but push herself to her feet, Crane barked orders at her, leaving no room for negotiation. Instinctively, she withdrew mentally, putting on a determined mask to hide her vulnerability. Lil nodded firmly to show she understood, before crouching down on the awning attached to the building she stood on, before pushing off to land on the cracked concrete below. 31’s weapon rang out as it bounced off the metal roof, sending fear pulsing through her spine with each strike. Fireworks cracked and sparked, and she waited a couple seconds before peeking around the corner of the building. Most of the zombies were gone, though one seemed slow on the uptake.

 

She hoisted her pipe off her belt and quickly, she ran up to the biter and swung. Its head cracked from the impact, and the sound its head made when it bounced off the wall was so satisfying. It collapsed to the ground, but for good measure, Lil lifted the pipe over her head and slammed it down into the zombie’s head. It splattered across the concrete, and with only a brief glance around, she opened the door, gesturing for the woman to hurry over. “Come on. This way!”

 

The woman hurried toward her, and she took her hand, tapping her radio’s call button. “Survivor incoming. Bringing her in. Crane, don’t get yourself killed.”

 

Gone was the liveliness she’d shown to Crane earlier - instead, she was all business as she led the survivor back toward the Tower. If he didn’t want to deal with her, she wasn’t going to force him. It was going to take a minute to get to safety though, as the woman didn’t know free running like Crane and Lil did. Hopefully he’d deal with the small horde soon - she didn’t think she’d have enough in her to protect the woman and fight off too many biters. Still, she didn’t reach out to ask for his help, not wanting to distract him.

[Kyle Crane]

Crane spared a glance here and there to make sure she was all right. God, he was running on fumes. He stumbled once, and a viral was right on him. He cursed and spun around, swinging his weapon with a wild flail. It worked though, catching the one that was trying to tackle and bite him in the jaw and sending him tumbling two stories down. The rest of them scrambled around and over the one he'd hit, though it didn't slow them down the way he'd hoped.

 

His eyes ached, and it was all he could do to not close them and keep them closed. Shaking himself, he forced himself to keep moving, swapping out the weapon in his hand for the one slung across his back: a massive sledgehammer that had a jury-rigged electric current running through it. Only the boots and gloves he wore kept him safe. This would make things a bit more even.

 

"Hey fuckers! Keep following me assholes..." He vaulted atop a nearby building that was just a bit taller than the one he was leading the virals along the rooftops of, while the biters stumbled and shambled their way after as best they could. Once there, he planted his feet in a wide stance and swung the hammer as hard as he could, letting it arc through the air in a halfmoon, crushing bone and organs alike as it hit. And then the sizzle of fried zombie could be heard alongside the virals angry shrieks and screams as he sent them flying.

 

The noises drew even more of them in, which wasn't ideal but he was feeling fairly confident all the same. Another glance toward Lil and the woman they'd set out to save told him that she needed a bit of help and he shifted to grab more firecrackers after taking a swing at the virals getting a bit too close, tossing them at the base of the building he was now on top of, knowing it'd grab the shamblers' attention long enough for the two women to slip away.

 

"When you've got a moment, come back to help please." That was aimed at Lil, as he'd gotten a bit more attention than he really felt confident handling it alone. He could, if he had to but backup was always welcome.

[Chibi]

They were almost there. Almost there. A set of stairs and a mad sprint to the tower. It looked clear down at the bottom of the steps - the Tower guards usually kept the plaza clear. She heard a viral scream behind her, and with a push, she shoved the woman up the stairs. "Go!"

 

Quickly pulling her pipe from her side, she whipped around, barely managing to get it up in time to deflect the blow that had been meant for her back. No! She couldn't fail the survivor, nor Crane. She shoved back, glad for the distraction the firecrackers provided. It meant she just had to deal with the viral that wanted her as a snack. Given how much force went into the shove, she wasn't surprised that the viral fell on its back. Working quickly, she slammed the rusted pipe into the virals head, taking some sick pleasure in the splatter of blood across the ground before she looked back to check on the survivor. The woman made it up the steps. Good. Crane's words echoed over the radio in her ear and she nodded absently, though belatedly she realized he couldn't see the gesture over the radio. "Right! Almost there. Hold on, Crane!"

 

Lil turned and sprinted up the steps, pointing to where they needed to go. Sneakers almost slipped on the linoleum flooring of the Tower's lobby, and she barely managed to catch herself as she turned the corner with far more speed then she'd expected. Once at the ledge, she hooked her fingers together and hoisted the woman up to safety. The whole time, the woman thanked her, but she didn't say anything in return. Her thoughts were on Crane and backing him up. "On my way!"

 

Her chest ached from exertion, and the woman did all she could to pace her breathing, even while she ran. Maybe ached wasn't the right word - more like hurt. No time to think about that, though. When she got closer - after far longer then she'd wanted to take - she finally came across where Crane had gotten to. She scrambled up the closest building, though her stamina was nearing its limits. She panted, her chest heaving. Once up top, she threw her own firecracker away from them to try and lure the shamblers away. No sooner it was tossed though, she bent over double, panting hard. Breathe, dammit! Breathe!

[Kyle Crane]

He noted the arrival of Lil again, grateful for the backup, but that gratitude soon turned to concern as she doubled over and struggled to breathe. That behavior reminded him that she had asthma or something like that, if he recalled what Lena had told him after he'd helped Lil the first time. At least the firecrackers she had thrown had most things focused on that.

 

One viral had really focused in on her though, and he reached to his belt to unhook a throwing knife, flipping it to hold correctly, and hurled it into the viral's throat. It wasn't a full on headshot but it did what he wanted and drew that one's attention to him. It attempted to yell at him, but only strangled noises came from it now. Well, at least it wouldn't bring anything else down on their heads.

 

"Well, come on then." Taunting the thing probably wasn't the best idea, but if he could down it, that was one less they had to deal with. But then the scrape of concrete against the street and the strange groaning noise alerted him that they'd drawn in something a bit more dangerous. They definitely needed to stay up on the rooftops now.

 

Ducking and weaving between the swipes from the virals on the roof, he aimed a few well-placed kicks, panting with exertion as he did. Finally, he was down to one in front of him, the two he'd kicked down had pissed the Goon off as one had landed on him and he'd gone about swinging at them, distracting them from the 'tasty' snacks up on the rooftops.

[Chibi]

Lil forced her breathing to slow as her heart slammed against the back of her rib cage. Finally, she could breathe enough in time to see the throwing knife hit the viral and it going after Crane in return for the attack. She pulled her pipe from her belt again and jumped from the roof to an awning, and barely avoiding a swing from the Goon, she jumped to an awning across the alley, then scrambled up the side of the building Crane was perched on. He was down to one viral, and guilt gripped her for not being more useful.

 

She pushed those feelings down, and shifted her grip on her pipe. Now wasn't the time. She swung at the viral, who snarled at her when she missed. Dammit. She snarled back, her chest still hurting, but she didn't back down. "You seemed to have this handled, Crane!"

 

The woman tried to sound chipper, breathless from exertion and the pain in her chest from her asthma. Lena was going to be pissed when she got back to the Tower. If she made it back alive, at least. Her eyes narrowed in challenge at the Viral and she, without thinking, charged it, slamming into it none too gracefully and sending it flying off the roof. A moment to breathe and she clambered upright again, looking down at the mess on the street below. Her chest heaved, but she took slow, deliberate breaths to try and get it under control. Her heart beat painfully, but she tried not to show it. "We uh... should get going... before they get their heads... out of their asses."

 

Each pause was a breath, in then out, in then out. Her pipe went back to her belt and hazel eyes met his brown ones. This was going to leave her wiped for the rest of the day, but that's what she got for racing headlong back like she had. If it made sure Crane made it back home safely, then it was worth it. 

[Kyle Crane]

The way she spoke told him how badly out of breath she was, though he didn't push her to relax. Wasn't much point. It was as effective on her as it was on him. That is to say, not at all. Both of the virals he'd knocked down were still focused on the Goon, and one of them definitely had a crushed leg. He was fairly certain that they'd remain focused on the goon, letting them slip away without fear of detection.

 

Shifting again, he looked downstairs, brown eyes flicking up to her hazel ones, and back down again. "Let's get the rest of 'em while they're down and out. Can't be bad form if they're mindless monsters after all." How true that actually was remained to be seen. Some of them showed far too much intelligence. The children especially. Children, innocent of what'd happened - and yet turned to homicidal maniacs.

 

"C'mon. Lets get this sorted now, so we get back before they start to worry too much, yeah?"

[Chibi]

The woman watched as the Goon scattered the Virals and shamblers with a swing, his roar of frustration matching her own feelings. The pain started to dissipate, but it still felt like her chest was bound too tightly with rope. The gears turned in her head regardless, though, and she nodded at his suggestion. Something deep down, hidden in that caged off part of her that was her memories, told her he was right. An intrinsic truth of the situation that she couldn't quite pin point the origin of. His brown eyes meeting hers reassured her and gave her a bit more courage to boot. She squared her shoulders and pulled one of her less battered weapons from her belt: a carpenter's hammer that she twirled idly over her fingers.

 

"You get the left, I get the right? And do we wanna get that thing too?" Lil gestured to the Goon in question, trying to ignore the chill running along her spine at the screams from the Virals below them. They were angry, and it concerned her. A well placed, though clumsy swing from the Goon crushed one of the more active undead under its concrete and rebar weapon with a disturbingly satisfying noise she couldn't quite describe.

 

He was on his last legs, and instinctively, she tried to hide her own exhaustion, though she was actually able to talk with minimal interrupting breaths now. He had enough to worry about without her adding to his problems. At least the survivor was safe - that's all that mattered. Well, that and her backpack full of medical supplies. That was why she was out in the first place. She'd slipped out of the Tower when she'd heard Lena speak with Aman about something they were running low on, and she'd luckily found some of the medicine behind a cabinet where they'd fallen. Now she just had to get it back to her. Unconsciously, she hefted her bag higher on her shoulders, adjusting the weight so it settled on her form differently, shifting the hammer in her hand as she waited for his response to her suggested plan.

[Kyle Crane]

He nodded in agreement. Her plan was a good one, though the goon gave him pause. He'd run into one of those his first day out in the streets and he hated the fuckers a lot. Big and dumb and slow, but strong. Particularly if they were former construction workers or firemen. Whatever the virus had found in them that was different, it'd taken it and run, twisting and building muscles up until you ended up with weird Frankenstein's monster like assholes like that one.

 

"Got an idea for that one too, actually. But we gotta get down, kill the two virals and any biters that bother us, and get back up here. Unless..." He pulled out the bottle of alcohol and the fuses he'd made to go with. "We could make 'em dance for us a bit? Don't think they could get away. And we're outta the way up here." Plus he had daggers he could throw. Enough he could loan her some too, if she didn't have any. So now? They had two potential plans.

[Chibi]

She could only imagine how unsettling the smile that spread over her face was when she saw the makeshift molotov he pulled out from his bag. "Should weaken the goon at the very least."

 

Lil tucked her weapon back into her belt, her hand drifting to the homemade knives she had stashed in a belt pouch. With reflexes she'd come to expect, but still was somewhat unsettled by, she quickly withdrew one and chucked it at the viral that was attempting to scale the wall to get to them. It squawked in protest, the knife's unusual shape veering it off course and driving into the creature's neck instead of its head. It still did the trick and the viral fell from the side of the building and hit the ground with an all too satisfying noise. She smirked. "I think some dance lessons are in order, though, don't you?"

[Kyle Crane]

The smile she gave in response to his proposed idea with the molotov was a tad bit unnerving, but also amusing. Clearly she was more than game for his second idea. Once she'd knocked the viral trying to get up to them down, he set about prepping the alcohol with one of the cloth fuses, then lit it, giving a smile of his own in answer to her words. Shifting to give himself a better angle to hit the goon with the improvised weapon, he launched the now burning bottle right at its head.

 

The roar of pain and rage, the crash of shattering glass, and the whoosh of sudden flames overtaking everything the alcohol itself covered all overlapped, a cacophony of sound in his ears. He didn't have time to really adjust to it though, as they needed to make short work of everything. Chucking throwing knives and one of the small hatchets that he'd found and repaired, Crane worked to weed out the smaller and faster of their targets, so that by the time the flames died down only the goon would be left.

 

Truth be told, he was rather hoping that the flames would be enough to deal with it, but wasn't holding his breath.

[Chibi]

OK, she really liked it when he smiled. It was much different than the scowl he'd had on the whole time they'd been together so far. Made him seem younger and not as angry at the world, which warmed her heart. It was an amused smile more than anything, but it still was something! Still, her gaze was drawn to his hands and what he was doing, watching the Molotov arch through the air before crashing into the beast's head. It screamed, the virals screamed, it was a good time. She grinned again, suppressing the urge to cackle at the sight streetside.

 

"Nice shot!" Lil looked back to Kyle for a moment before she pulled another knife from the pouch at her hip and threw it at one of the biters that had managed to stay just outside the ring of fire. Shame, that. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, watching the infected carefully. The Goon screamed and roared with pain, and she swept her hazel gaze around to see how many others were needed. She tossed another throwing knife at the same zombie as before.

[Kyle Crane]

Her grin earned one in return from him, and he chuckled. "Thanks. Now to get them all sorted so we don't linger here too long." There were a number of others that Kyle could spot, though the numbers were dropping quickly as the fire did its work. It was an extremely effective weapon against the biters, but did the job well enough on the virals and goons. If he ever had the chance, might be good to see what the other types did when exposed to flames.

 

Flipping one of the throwing hatchets up into his hand, he took careful aim and threw it at the goon's head. It thunked into place, sticking out of the skull, though it wasn't enough to kill the damn thing. Hmm. Best to cripple it then, while working on thinning the ranks of the others.

[Chibi]

She giggled as one of the biters dramatically fell to the ground, dead before she reassessed how many were left. She'd pitched in a molotov as well, and made a note to check with the sellers to see if they had more supplies she could use to make more out of. The goon, which soon had a hatchet sticking out of its head like some macabre horn thanks to Kyle, and those two stupid virals. The small woman crinkled her nose at that before glancing at Kyle when he addressed her.

 

"Well enough." She definitely was feeling better. Her breathing was still heavier then normal, but she wasn't stumbling over her words, wheezing, or anything like that now. She chucked another makeshift knife, and she cursed colorfully under her breath when she missed. "Sit still and let me hit you!"

 

The viral screamed back a response and she chucked another at it for its trouble. This one actually hit its mark and the viral dropped like a sack of potatoes to the ground. That left the goon and one more viral to go.

[Kyle Crane]

God, that giggle. She was way too cute when she relaxed and started to have a good time - even if that good time was harassing and dealing with the living dead. The first knife had missed the viral she was going for, though her second hit its mark. He couldn't help but chuckle as it dropped. "Guess it didn't like your demand to hold still. Good shot."

 

Brown eyes shifted to squint at the goon, then glanced to the viral. Hmm. "You want to deal with the fast bastard while I take the goon out?"

 

Probably not the best plan out there, but it'd pair them up with one that their personal fighting style faced best. And it'd get them back home to the tower sooner rather than later. While he'd been out there for other things, he needed a quick moment to relax and recuperate in the tower, plus he had a few things to drop off supply wise.