4 Months Ago.. {Tony + Cira}

[Anthony Hansford]

1:02am
Abandoned House

Anthony had spent nearly 3 days walking and running across LA, trying to get out of the now infested city. Outside of the barricaded house he found were the sounds of shuffling, moaning, growling, it was nearly driving him insane. He covered his head with his pillow, the sleeping bag he had was just keeping him warm enough, while a M1911 sat at his side, basically sleeping with one eye closed and one eye open.

7:12am
Abandoned House

Tony had sat on the couch he just dusted down, eating a can of what he believed were beans of some sort. He slowly and silently cocked his pistol just to be ready. After he had finished whatever it was he had eaten he decided to raid the kitchen of anything that could be used as a weapon, knives were something he quite enjoyed seeing.

He pulled three wooden slats that was holding the door in place and peeped through the small crack he made opening the door, it was clear for the moment. He picks up his backpack and places a knife in its holder around his thigh, and begins quietly walking outside. The sun had just gone above the horizon and it dawned on him that he was pretty much screwed.

2:42pm
City Streets

Anthony was wearing out, it was a warm day and his skin felt like it was going to peel off. He looks back every few seconds to make sure nothing was following. "Seems like a quiet day", he whispers to himself as he continues walking and taking a small sip from one of the water bottles he had found in a store just a few minutes ago. Ahead he see's what he had dreaded all day, a walker, and it was heading towards him.

Tony pulls his M1911 from its holster and aims down its sights, Idiot Tony, don't shoot you'll have half of LA coming down on your ass, he thinks as he re-holsters the pistol and instead pulls his knife from its sheath and holds it by its tip. He focuses on the walkers head and throws the knife town towards it as he runs towards the walker with an axe in hand. He steps on the walkers torso and rips the knife from its neck, Aim a little higher next time, he thinks as he thrusts the axe through its head, the brain or what was left of it dripping out of the axe-formed crack.

7:02pm
City Streets

Tony had only a few minutes before half of undead LA was up and running around, he had to make it back to the house he had been holding up in. He took a couple of silent steps past an alleyway and looks down, "Shit", he says as he see's 10 walkers heading straight towards him. The noise they made attracted more walkers towards him and he was forced to use his secret weapon, a grenade.

He pulled the pin and held down on it tight as he continued to run towards the house, Three.. two.. one.. he thinks as he throws the grenade behind himself. He glances back quickly to see one of the walkers picking up the grenade and turning his head to the side as if he was confused. What he saw next was more or less.. raining dead.

[Cira "Tex" Knight]

7:10pm
LA city streets

Some few minutes later as Tony would be walking along beyond the rain of undead zombies he'd created, the flicker of headlights off the taller city buildings near some of the larger hotels could be seen. Simultaneously, the sound of a V6 engine could be heard. It came from a truck of some sort, but what type could not yet be determined until it went speeding around a corner, knocking a walker-zombie with its lava painted back-end in the process. The truck, as it sped closer and closer, headlights shining more directly towards Tony, was a slightly worn down custom-painted double cab Toyota Tacoma.

Usually there would be music blaring, but Cira had no music to listen to, much to her disappointment. Her radio had recently broke and now she was without music, which was one more thing to make her mood drop. Squinting as she saw Tony up ahead, her initial reaction was to 'RUN 'IM OVER!!' but when she saw a significant amount of 'liveliness' about him compared to what she USUALLY saw these days, she decided against that.

"Woops!" It being dark and hard to see features, Cira unfortunately decided a little TOO late, and was forced to slam on the brakes. If Anthony didn't move quick, Cira would stop just a foot or so away from him.

((Cira's truck: i4.photobucket.com/albums/y144/blackcountach101/New%20Art/CirasRide-Photomanip.png))

[Anthony Hansford]

7:10pm
City Streets

The blood and what was left of the walkers began raining down, and when it cleared he saw a truck headed towards him at quite a speed. He decides that jumping either side would get his legs cut off so he opted for his specialty during situations like this, run and jump.

He stated running towards the car and then took a giant leap, rolling over the hood and ending up facing the driver, "Cira? Am I dreaming right now or what!", he yells as a smile suddenly lights up his unshaven face. He rolled off the truck's hood and towards the drivers door, hoping that she wouldn't jump out and put a round through his head for jumping on her truck.

[Cira "Tex" Knight]

7:11pm

She had almost not recognized him at first. She hadn't seen Tony in a long while due to their difference in profession. "TONY!" she pressed the left window's down arrow and the window rolled down, though it squeaked a bit from it definitely not having a nice cleaning job in a while. "What th' slag're you doin' in LA these days? I get back from bein' over seas and I see all THIS!" Cira exclaimed, gesturing out around her at the disaster. She wasn't all that surprised he'd jumped up instead of avoiding the vehicle, it made sense after all, it was just as efficient as rolling away, if not more so.

Both of them being USMC, it was sure nice to have the realization dawn on her that she was looking at a familiar face. "I'm glad I didn't conclude ya were another zombie waitin' ta be road kill. Hop in dude, tis safer in here," she added, unlocking the passenger door.

Cira glanced at her gas tank gauge and mentally face palmed. Barely more than a third a tank of gas left, she needed to get to the nearest gas station soon. She was disoriented after having been running around like mad acquiring survival items in her truck, trying to avoid getting it damaged, but some people who didn't know how to drive kept that from happening, and she just hoped she could last long enough to keep her truck in good shape so she could at least transition across the states a little easier, and not wear herself out as much. At least she knew Parkour so getting around wouldn't be a problem, but the lighter she traveled, the better, and that was kind of hard to get used to when you had a truck for starters. She was still thinking through Plans B and C should the time come to leave her truck, and she was determined to prevent that day from happening as long as possible!

[Anthony Hansford]

7:12pm

Tony was surprised to finally find someone he knew, which in this new world was pretty much the most unlikely thing ever. If you need a place to crash I've barricaded a house not far from here, has a garage to park your truck and keep it clean, plus theres some old bucket of crap truck there too with some gas if you need it, the engines blown otherwise I wouldn't be walking around", he says as he places his knife back in his sheath on his thigh.

He jumped up into the passengers seat of the car and put his window down so he could shoot if he had too. "Make a turn just up here", he says as he jumps out of the still moving truck to open the garage door, he lifts it up and then gestures his hand in the 'come in' motion. "Hopefully you've got something to siphon the fuel out of this bucket", he says tapping the busted truck beside him. "Want something to eat? I've got beans?", he says with a smile on his face.

[Cira "Tex" Knight]

7:14pm

"Heh I'll eat anything as long as it's fresh, so sure, plus beans have a bit 'o protein in em. Thanks for the fuel, get a bit turned around every now 'n then running/driving so much. An' yea I got a fuel drainer, I keep some containers too, just in case I have to suck the gas out of random cars. I made the mistake of trying to get gas that way out of a parkin' garage once. Baaaad choice that one. Luckily once I got in my truck, it was easy but daaamn, they don't give up!" Cira rambled as they got to Tony's 'current homestead' and put the truck in Park carefully.

First making sure the garage was firmly shut, Cira opened the rear cap on the truck and got the fuel containers. As she drained the fuel and transfered, Cira commented: "I see ya have the similar idea as me, though I've been relying more on my car, I don't like leaving it alone so if I do find a place to stay I hafta make sure I can be as close ta it as possible, if someone jacked this ride, they'd better hope I don' hear 'em leave." she patted the now-closed plastic cap of the truck bed once she was done 'feeding' it the fuel. She felt rather satisfied when the absence of an echo resounded in the gas tank, a good sign it was basically full.

[Anthony Hansford]

7:15pm

Tony listened to Cira's story about the parking garage and it made him chuckle a bit. He passed her a tin of beans and invited her through into the lounge room to the couch he had cleaned earlier. "You can pick a room if you want or sleep down here it doesn't really matter, wherever you feel safer", he said as he took a spoon full of beans and put it in his mouth. Finally someone I can talk to and not feel like I'm doing insane.., he thinks to himself as he continues to eat his beans from their tin.

[Cira "Tex" Knight]

7:18

Once they got into the living room, Cira began to munch on the beans, and she eyed the dim kitchen, wondering what else could be in there. She had plenty of preserved snacks in her truck. Only once she had locked her truck did she realize it was nice to share food, there was no need to be greedy. "Hey you know, I got some food in my truck as well. Ramen, Beef Jerky, energy bars, bottled water, all that good stuff. Had to make a lotta grab 'n runs to collect it all, but, since the first and second day, been doin' good so far with keepin the supplies up." she said, balancing on one end of the couch for a moment with her knees tucked up instead of sitting normally. "Oh and does this place have running water? I'm bettin' that it doesn't."

[Anthony Hansford]

7:19

Tony gave Cira a glare, "I fixed the water yesterday, I only shower in the morning otherwise it attracts walkers to my front door, but feel free to have one, its warmish enough", he says as he smirks and continues to eat from his bean tin. He sits and for a moment there is just complete silence.

A few seconds later he hears moaning and groaning, he rolls his eyes. "Least I have someone to keep me company tonight, those bastards don't shut up..", he says as he sits back on the couch and stares at the roof for a bit, "Doesn't this just feel like one of those awkward moments..", he says looking back at Cira halfway putting beans into her mouth.

[Cira "Tex" Knight]

7:20pm

"Haha, got some roommates then eh?" Cira joked before adding: "Well shit, I'll wait till the morning." Cira hoped the walkers wouldn't try to break in. She knew Tony rather well, and while she only considered him a good ally for now, she had to admit that he looked pretty darned nice after a decent shave. "Ya got this place sealed off pretty well right? she added to avoid awkward silences, hoping the zombies wouldn't try to break in. She was looking forward to a good night's rest.

[Anthony Hansford]

7:21pm

"Roomates? When have you ever known me to have more than me in one place?", he says with a smirk. Just look away.. look away for a second and catch a breath Casanova, he thought to himself trying not to look at her for a second. "This place is as sealed as they come, no light comes in, no light goes out, we could have a Christmas tree in here and they wouldn't know, every window has 1mm thick black plastic sheeting, some insulation and then plywood over the top, I do go shopping everyday, first night in here was pretty darn creepy I'll tell you that, had to sleep in the bathtub..", he says as he walks into the kitchen and to the fridge that surprisingly was still running.

"I've been lucky the fridge still works", he says as he opens the fridge and grabs two beers out, both cold for once. He walks back into the lounge and throws her a can as he sits down beside her, not taking his eyes off her for a second. Wish I'd made my move years ago.., he thinks to himself as he turns back to face the smashed up LCD TV infront of them.

[Cira "Tex" Knight]

7:23pm

Catching the bottle, Cira smiled an amused smile. "Bathtub huh? Gah, I'd be waking up every few minutes I swear. I'd sleep better in my truck, which I have. Thing's pretty comfy, and don't need to worry about zombies breaking in if you've got a decent house or shed to hide in fer the night."

Jumping to the other side, Cira sat down on the couch properly, a bit less than a foot or so away from Tony's side. It was a fairly comfortable seating distance for her, she never liked talking right in peoples faces to where you could smell their breath, it just never felt very professional, not to mention seeming rather annoying depending on the person and their mannerisms. Regardless, she was happy to have company.

Unlike Tony, Cira had yet to find shelter that she found reasonably safe to fix up and stay in. She was happy moving around in her truck, stocking up on food where she could, and other survival equipment. She had a pair of goggles around her neck that she always wore, particularly if excursions took her into the night where she'd deal with zombies more frequently. "Oh you know, I still have music! Got two CD books in my car full of stuff, so after I couldn't use my iPod anymore, i switched ta cd's." of course, she was still irritated she had to say good bye to her iPod, she kept it for when she could find power to charge it. It still had some power for now, and wasn't worth destroying...yet. "Gonna try to keep my truck running as long as possible, I loose that after bein' unable to use my Mazda, I might just loose it." her eyes were furrowed in irritation at the idea as she stared at the beer bottle for a moment, twisting it open with a growl before taking a swig. She couldn't help it if that truck represented the last bit of structure in her life which was quickly going to hell, after all she had no idea how long she'd make it out here in this industrial jungle. Cira couldn't help but glance back at Tony then, realizing that at least, if anything, she had a comrade with her, to help keep her sane.

[Anthony Hansford]

7:24pm

Tony listened to Cira, and his eyes lit up a bit when she said she had music. He also noted her need of a charge for her iPod and that made him remember something. "You said your iPod was nearly out of power?", he remarked.

Flashback

2 Days earlier

Tony had just run into a hardware store, he was being chased by walkers down the street. He jams a metal bar across the door as he hurries for supplies, there was a van parked just outside the door that he could put things into to take back to the house.

He runs up and down the isles looking for parts to make a flamethrower, it would work to keep them at bay for a little while. He found a weed sprayer, then attached a blowtorch to the end and finally filled the spray unit with methylated spirits, giving it a few pumps to make it begin flowing he kicks the door out into the street pushing the walkers back. He pulls the trigger and flames come from the tip of the nozzle, setting the walkers alight.

He runs back inside, creating a ring of fire with what he had left in the unit, hoping to keep them at bay while he ran inside to grab things. He grabs everything he needed to soundproof the house and then spied a generator, and some fuel still in cans out the back, he picked it all up and put it in the van.

He jumps in the drivers seat and turns the key, "Comon, Comon", he yells as the van starts up as if by pure luck. He puts his foot to the floor and speeds off down the road back towards the house. He avoids any trouble and arrives at the house backing into the garage.

End flashback

"You know I have a generator I haven't used yet sitting next door if you need to have any power I can rig it to power this house for a bit or something, won't cause us trouble because the sound is next door", he says as he reclines a bit in the chair and smiles at Cira.

[Cira "Tex" Knight]

7:25pm

Taking another swig of the beer, Cira pondered over the risk of using it. For the first time in her life, she had to worry about charging something as simple as an iPod. ~"This world really HAS gone ta hell..."~ she thought, mentally shaking her head. "Well as long as the generator doesn't need maintenance, it'd be appreciated. I have an adapter in my truck so at least it's good for that still, but, whichever is quieter really. I know some generators can be pretty damn noisy." she replied with a shrug and a brief smile.

"That reminds me, I'm cleaning my truck, like now." she added, getting up and walking towards the garage again with the beer in her right hand. "May as well forget using a vacuum eh? Least for now." Cira didn't expect there would be one available anyway. Most importantly, she wanted to get out a new air freshener and clean off all the windows, head lights, and dashboard. Her recurring thoughts heavily disliked the idea of abandoning her ever so loyal and hardy truck, but if she had to in order to live someday, she already accepted that she would with out question. Besides, it was just a truck, a lava-painted one at that.

[Anthony Hansford]

7:26pm

Tony listened as Cira said she'd sleep in her truck after cleaning it. "There's a vacuum here but we'd have to wait until its morning when we're safe from those bastards outside", he said as he leaned forward on the couch and motioned to get off. "I'm going to get as much shuteye as possible for tomorrow, I've got some stuff to do".

He got off the couch and moved towards the stairs and started walking up, "I'll catcha in the morning", he says as he walks to the top of the stairs and jumps into his sleeping bag.