Samindi

Samindi has been alone for several weeks now, living off of her kills. She's eaten her fish and game raw, hoping to avoid the attention that a fire would bring, but it seems as though this decision is catching up with her. She can feel an unpleasant, growing sensation in her guts, like a gnarled hand grasping a handful of her intestines and twisting, and she detects the strange sensation of a fever that seems to slowly intensify by the hour. So far, these symptoms are not enough to debilitate her, but somehow she knows that they are only the beginning. She is sick, and she's about to get much sicker; for how long, she can't say, but for however long it takes, she won't be able to fend or hunt for herself - and without anyone else to help her, her odds don't look good.

A road cuts through the forest in which Samindi is currently located. For the past few days, a herd of walkers - perhaps two dozen - have been slowly migrating along the road. They have no obvious objective and don't appear to be hunting anything in particular, but for some reason they drifted down along the roadway, propelled by some mysterious inertia. There was no reason to engage with them, so it was easy for Samindi to give them a wide berth until now. Today, however, she notices the groaning of the herd before she even sees them. Once she gets close enough to see - whether by investigating the sound, or just because her day-to-day activities happened to bring her there - she realizes that the herd is crowded around a mobile home on the road. It hadn't been there before and must have arrived today. A corpse appears to be jammed in one of the front wheels, preventing the mobile home from driving, while walkers beat their fists on the side of the vehicle and groan loudly. Samindi can see figures moving in the mobile home's windows, but can't make out much detail from here.

Samindi leaned against a tree as her stomach heaved for the second time today. She had felt this coming for days yet the fear of discovery, by the walkers or even other people, had forced her to continue to eat without a fire. She had tried to be careful; her father had taught her the basics of hunting game; how to dismember, what parts to eat, take care where you cut. But she had not the experience to properly prepare game and her father would never have suggested to eat raw meat. She never thought it would get this bad, she thought she was careful and knowledgeable, that she could manage. Clearly, she could not. Anything she ate today she vomited back up and she was constantly having to squat behind a tree. She was starving, sick, covered in filth and convinced she was quite possibly dying.

She watched the walkers beat on the mobile home. She would have walked straight past any other time, people inside or not, she didn't make a habit of getting involved in other people’s problems. Especially if those problems contained walkers. It pained her to admit it, but she needed help. She had stubbornly refused it in the past, convinced in her abilities to survive in the wild. She did well enough for a time, perhaps this would pass and be just a valuable lesson learned.

She sat behind a tree and assessed the situation in front of her. Some real food would be good, cooked or packaged, and it was likely whoever was in the RV had something. Whether they would be willing to share was another issue entirely. She had a few ideas, none of which were very good, especially in her current condition. But if they had food or, she dared to hope, medicine, she might just be able to shake this sickness before she got worse. Sami crept closer, as close to the road as she could while staying within the tree line. She peered through the windows and waited, hoping to get an idea of how many people were inside.

Samindi

Before the world ended, the road was probably considered a scenic route. The tree line starts immediately at the edge of the road's shoulder - if anything, in spots it has encroached far enough onto the shoulder that most vehicles could not safely pull over. Samindi can get quite close to the vehicle without leaving the trees, though of course she must hang back somewhat to avoid being detected by the walkers.

The people inside have pulled blinds over every window they can, but they either won't or can't stop themselves from peeking around the edges. After a bit of observation, Samindi determines there are most likely three people within the vehicle, though she can't make out any details.

Samindi sat amongst the trees, three people. She dropped back about 60 feet from the vehicle and surrounding walkers. She took another inventory of her arrows, though she already knew how many she had. 18. Not enough. She might be able to take down a few, and from the looks of the mangled corpse under the wheels of the vehicle they were not likely going anywhere. Hopefully they would help if she caused a distraction.

She hoped she had the energy to avoid them if the small horde turned on her. She hoped the people in the mobile home would help if she could thin out the group or distract most of them. She hoped for alot, but she was certain she could run if it got too bad. She would lose a few arrows in the fight but for the chance at some help it was a small price to pay.

Okay. She thought, Let's go.

Trying to stay silent, stay hidden, Samindi drew an arrow to her bow and fired at the closest walker.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:22, Tue 30 Mar 2021.

Samindi

Samindi lets an arrow fly and hits the closest walker in the head, killing it. Her bow itself is all but silent, but the walker's corpse slumps against the side of the RV with a bang before falling backward onto the road.

The other walkers continue to bang on the sides of the mobile home. None of them seem to notice or care about the death of one of their number. If Samindi hopes to distract them, she will probably need to make more noise.

Because of Samindi's limited visibility into the mobile home, it's unclear if the people inside noticed her kill. Samindi does notice, however, a shotgun lying on the ground near the RV's door, close to the corpse stuck under the front wheel. None of the walkers seem to have dropped it.

Sami pursed her lips in irritation as her shot landed true but the walkers continued to ignore her. She was going to be playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse if she drew too much attention. She couldn't think of a way to balance it out, unsure if she could split the group at all she crouched behind a stump and looked around.

She noticed the shotgun lying by the door of the vehicle but was hesitant to consider that an option. She had never handled a gun, she assumed it was just point and shoot but they required ammunition and she had no idea if making for the gun would help. It was dangerously close to the walkers too.

So, unable to think of a better option, she tried something else. Taking a deep breath she screamed, a fearful, pained yell followed by the shout, "HELP ME!"

Either the walkers or the occupants in the vehicle had to react to that...

Samindi

At Samindi's scream, the visible walkers turn their heads to look at her. A couple, unable to spot Samindi behind the stump, apparently decide that one hidden meal is as good as another and turn their attention back to the mobile home, hammering on the sides. Most, however, turn away from the vehicle towards the source of the scream, shambling across the road towards the trees. Though Samindi can't be sure if they've seen her yet, they will undoubtedly find her hiding space if she stays where she is.

Samindi still can't see much detail inside the RV, but she detects enough movement in the cracks of the windows to know its occupants definitely heard her, and are probably looking in her direction.

Samindi grinned, but her eyes widened soon after. That was probably too many, but if it encouraged the people in the vehicle to get out and fight then it would be worth it. She kept low and retreated back into the forest before taking another breath. "HELP ME! PLEASE!" she yelled once more, this time from further into the forest.

She tried to keep the mobile home in her view between the trees but her priority was keeping hidden from the walkers. Her stomach writhed with the effort she was putting into screaming, she did not feel good at all. Pushing down her illness she attempted to drag the walkers deeper into the trees before circling around back to the vehicle.

Samindi

At Samindi's second scream, the walkers remaining at the RV turn their heads again to track the sound. This time, the walkers already on the move seem to convince them, and most again break off to wander into the trees. She now sees only one still hammering on the side, though there may be more walkers on the other side of the RV where she cannot see.

Keeping low and hiding behind trees and other plants, Samindi avoids being spotted for now. However, the walkers are still looking around, trying to find their elusive meal. She is also getting further from the RV, and while the walkers lack the intelligence or teamwork to do so deliberately, the obstacles of the forest naturally lead them to spread out, blocking her off from it.

As Samindi continues to fall back, she sees the driver's side door to the RV slam open. With quick, frantic movements, a man reaches down and grabs the shotgun lying by the door.

Her plan was working for now, but the wall of undead blocking her off from the RV concerned her. She was pleased to note the occupants of the mobile home had used her distraction. She silently hoped that whoever it was wouldn't start blasting the undead, that could cause her problems if she was trying to creep back and a firefight rang out.

She wanted to loop back around so staying hidden between the trees and foilage Sami looked over the line of undead, looking for any gaps she could squeeze through. She nocked another arrow to her bow, she was willing to try and take a few down if it meant getting through easier, but her main priority was remaining hidden at getting back to the RV.

Samindi

The man looks out towards the Samindi, though she can't be sure whether he's trying to spot the person who was screaming or is just checking how far the walkers have moved. Instead of shooting, he grabs at the corpse jammed in the RV's wheelwell and tries to pull it out.

The walkers are spread out enough that she could try to move through them, but it would be a dangerous proposition. The fastest way would be to force her way through a gap, but she risks being grabbed along the way. She sees one or two walkers slightly more separated than the others; if she kills that individual one with an arrow, she can probably move through the gap they'd leave before they could close in and grab her, but if she misses, she's likely to be spotted. She could also try to sneak through using the underbrush as cover, but if she's detected, she may be surrounded. Finally, she could run a large detour around the group; this would be safest in the short term, but would take her the longest amount of time to get to the RV.

Trusting her instincts and not wanting to alert the walkers of her return to the vehicle Sami looks for the best path through the underbrush. It was a risk, but she did not want to have the RV take off again without her. From the looks of the actions of the man he had no immediate intentions past freeing the vehicle from the corpse. She was worried that if she took the long way then they would leave without her.

Keeping an arrow nocked she crouched low and slowly crept back through the line of walkers, keeping low between the trees and hidden amongst the bushes.

Samindi

Slipping through the line of walkers is a hair-raising experience. At one point, the nearest walker stops and turns its head with a snarl, seeming to detect Samindi despite her being sure it cannot see her and confident it hadn't heard her. Nonetheless, though it steps off its previous path, it can't seem to confirm her location, and she's able to slip away towards the RV.

The man is still trying to pull the corpse free. Bracing a foot against the side of the RV, he grabs an arm and yanks with all his might. With a cringe-inducing sound, it pops free of the shoulder joint and he falls to the ground on his back. He swears as a walker comes around the side of the RV from the opposite side, shambling towards him, and raises the shotgun to fire.

Sami let out a deep breath as she exited the treeline, she didn't know how long she had held her breath for while sneaking through the group. While the walkers terrified her she had always been careful when creeping past them. She had no idea what she would do if they every caught her. She held her stomach as it rumbled in irritation. As she appeared at the side of the road she frowned as she considered the man, for all the screaming she did it didn't look like he was trying to help her at all.

She grimaced and looked away as the arm came loose from the crushed walker but she almost laughed. Serves him right. Although her moment of brevity was replaced by panic as the man fumbled for the shotgun to attack the walker as it appeared around the corner of the RV.

Raising the bow and drawing the arrow to her cheek she loosed an arrow at the walker. The last thing she needed was this fool bringing the walkers back down on top of them after all the work she did getting rid of them.

Samindi

The man's head snaps towards the treeline, following the path of the arrow. One eyebrow climbs up his forehead when he spots her, his eye scanning up and down her fifty-eight inches in surprise.

"How many a'you are there?" he asks, turning back towards the wheelwell. He tries to work the butt of the shotgun between the tire and the chassis in an attempt to dig the corpse loose.

"If I can just get this body out, we'll be out of here. Grab a leg or something while I push!"

Sami walked over to the man, picking the arrows out of both walkers she had previously shot. "Just me. Don't worry about the screaming, I'm OK." Her stomach heaved again, "Just hungry and sick."

She dropped the arrows into her quiver as she approached the walker stuck in the wheel and crouched down beside it. The stench hit her harder than it would normally due to her already tender stomach. She turned her head away from the man and vomited. "Can't someone inside do this? I don't know how much help I'll be." She reached around the opposite end the man held and tried to give it a push.

If hauling a corpse meant she got a ride out her here and some help then it was a small price to pay. She wasn't happy about it but she was in no position to complain.

Samindi

"I figured," the man says simply. It sounds like he's being brief for the sake of saving time rather than deliberate curtness.

"Too dangerous," he says when Samindi mentions the people inside. Between the two of them, they're able to pry what remains of the body out of the wheelwell without trouble. At about the same time, however, another walker stumbles around from the other side of the RV. The man hesitates for a moment, looking like he's about to level the shotgun again, but moves for the RV's door instead.

"Thanks for the help," he says, opening the door. "We'll be outta your hair now. See ya."

Samindi frowned and darts after the man to the door, trying to step into the doorway to block it closing. "What the hell dude? I just saved your ass from 20 odd walkers and you're gonna bail on me?" She tries to get a look inside at who else was there. "If you're not gonna offer a ride out of here at least throw me some food and be on your way."

Sami couldn't believe it, she was getting angry and it was starting to show.

Samindi

"Oh, yeah?" asks the man, sounding genuinely surprised by Samindi's demand. "You want to come with?"

He stops, halfway in and out of the RV, and his eyes scan over Samindi again. The walker starts to moan as the man appears to run some quick mental calculations.

"Fine then. Get in." He bounds up the steps into the RV, leaving the door open for Samindi to enter after him.

Sami takes one step in after the man but pauses for a second on the first step. She may be sick but she's not stupid. She checks who else is inside before deciding whether to enter the RV or flee back into the trees.

Samindi

"What the hell?" demands a woman's voice from within the RV. "Who is this?"

Peeking towards the back of the RV, Samindi sees a middle-aged woman, who shoots her an angry look as soon as Samindi makes eye contact. Tucked into a seat, but peeking out the edge of a window, is a girl of Samindi's age or slightly older. She glances at Samindi, studying what little is visible from her position on the first step, before looking back out the window.

"You, get out!" the woman demands, then turns her attention to the man. "Answer me, Leonard! Who the hell is this?!"

"She's coming with us," Leonard says, settling into the driver's seat. He waves a dismissive hand over his shoulder without looking back. "Don't act like you weren't watching. She might've saved your life."

"How dare - what kind of man are you?!" the woman shouts. "You need a girl to protect you? You're supposed to be protecting us! We don't know her! What if she takes something? What if she - "

The woman cuts herself off, fuming, when it's clear Leonard is ignoring her. Outside, the walker moans loudly, while the woman fixes furious eyes on Samindi again.

Samindi grins briefly before trying to keep her face serious and steps inside, closing the door and locking the walker out. She was not expecting this. Between the man's haste at leaving her and the shotgun she thought this had the possibility to end up bad. A nagging woman she could handle. She would be on her best behaviour. She peeked back at the girl who was with the woman and gave a deliberately shy smile.

Stepping up into the cabin proper Sami looked to the woman, "Sorry ma'am, I haven't been well and needed some help. I won't be any trouble I swear!"

The meek girl standing before the woman was a polar opposite from the one spitting fire at the man outside. It looked like the woman called the shots, if Samindi had any chance of getting help it would be getting on her good side.

She dropped her eyes to the ground and hugged her bow close to her.

Samindi

The woman rolls her eyes, crosses her arms, and scoffs under her breath. Whether this indicates she buys Samindi's performance or not is unclear. Nonetheless, she doesn't look ready to physically force Samindi out herself, and with Leonard unwilling to help, she can only steady herself against a countertop as the RV lurches forward.

A few moments after the RV starts moving, the girl leans back from the window and looks at Samindi again. Unlike the woman, she's not hostile, but curious.

It was good enough. She wasn't getting thrown out so as long as she was here perhaps some respite would help her. She didn't know, or care, where they were going. It was the direction she was travelling before she met them so it would be good enough.

She looked around for a place to sit that wasn't likely to upset the woman, failing that she would just sit on the floor. Putting her bow down next to her she looked up at the other girl and gave her a small wave. She didn't really want to get to know these people, she wasn't likely to be staying wth them long. So she sat silently and thought about the easiest way to get help; food or medicine, from them.

Samindi

Now that the adrenaline is wearing off, Samindi can feel the effects of her food poisoning resurfacing. The debilitating sensation in her guts grows, fatigue rapidly spreads through her body, and she feels simultaneously overheated and chilly at the same time. Her body is desperate to lie down and let this pass, if only that were possible.

The RV's quarters are cramped enough that sitting on the floor would block the aisle and probably upset the woman more. The most convenient and appropriate place for Samindi to sit is in the seat across the table from the teenager. The teenager watches as the older woman passes by, walking to the front of the RV to scold Leonard further. Once the woman is closer to Leonard than to Samindi, the teenager leans forward.

"Hola," she says quietly, almost a whisper. "Uh...hablas inglés?"

Samindi waits for the woman to leave and sits down at the dinette lounge across from the other girl. She sighed as she sat and crouched forward, trying to stifle the pain in her stomach. She collapses her head onto her arms, resting them on the table. A moment later, however, the other girl speaks.

Samindi rolls her head to the side so she can see the other girl. "What? No. I speak English." she whispers, just as quiet as the girl.

She rolled her head back towards the table, covering her eyes with her arms she let out a soft groan. "I feel sick..." she mumbled, considering a run to the toilet.

Samindi

"Because of the biters?" the teenager asks. After a moment, Samindi feels a hand grasp one of her own.

"It's okay," the teenager whispers. "A couple of them almost got us when we were still in the city. One of them even grabbed me, and I barely got away. I felt sick, too. I couldn't stop shaking or crying all day."

The teenager squeezes Samindi's hand firmly for a moment before she continues. "Don't worry about my mom. I saw you outside. I'll tell her what you did. You can stay with us."

"Huh?" Samindi raises her head as the other girl takes her hand.

She shakes her head weakly, "No. Bad food I think, I haven't eaten well."

Shaking and crying because she got close to a walker. The girl had probably barely been out of this van. Samindi couldn't help but smile, the girl likely had no idea how bad it was out there. Still she tried to make the smile as friendly as possible. If she was going to get help from anyone in this vehicle it would be this girl.

She squeezed the girls hand back, "I just need to rest, have some food." She fought back another surge of her stomach. "I would like to stay."

She dropped her head back into her arms.

Samindi

Something burbles in Samindi's guts. A chill runs through her body and pinpricks of sweat break out across her skin. Her body is weak and tired; it wants to lie down, or failing that, keep her head in her arms forever. Her brain knows it needs food to regain her energy, but her stomach won't even consider the prospect.

"We're going to my grandmother's house," the girl says softly. "It won't be too much longer now. I'm sure you can stay with us at least until then."

After a moment, she asked, "What's your name? I'm Callie."

Samindi didn't dare move from the seat. Sure she wanted to lie down but with the space in the RV there wasn't much room for selection. She was not going to ask to lie on the bed, last thing she felt like right now was that woman yelling at her some more. So she resigned herself that this was as comfortable as she was likely to get a kept her head in her hands, doubled over trying to supress the pain in her stomach.

She nodded in her arms as the other girl kept talking. When she asked for her name Samindi looked up again, "Sami."

She followed it up with a soft groan and dropped her head back into her arms, "Uuuurgh. I might just sleep for a bit."

Samindi

"Uh..." Callie says awkwardly. "Okay then. We'll talk later, after - "

"Oh, my god," the woman's voice booms suddenly. At some point, she must have finished her conversation with Leonard, because she sounds close. "She's bit!"

"For crying out loud," Leonard grumbles from the driver's seat.

"Don't you 'crying out loud' me!" the woman snaps. "Look at her! She's been bit! It's already affecting her. I was right! You brought a bit girl into this RV!"

"She just had some bad food - " Callie starts, but the woman interrupts her.

"Of course she'll say that! She's bit somewhere under her clothes. She's going to attack us! Leonard, you stop this RV right now and kick her off!"

Sami was just about dozing off with a "Mhmm." in reply to Callie as the woman started screaming again.

Sami raised her head from her arms but the motion of the vehicle, the screaming and lack of rest caught up with her and she leaned forward and vomited on the floor. She had long since emptied her stomach of anything solid so it was only bile and saliva that splashed across the floor.

"I'm not bit." She struggled between coughing and retching, "I ate something bad."

She leaned out of the dinette and rested her elbows on her knees, head in her hands. "My stomach hurts."

Samindi

"Ew!" Callie exclaims as the vomit splashes across the floor. At that moment the vehicle turns, causing the pool to spread, and Callie pulls her feet up onto her seat to avoid it.

"Oh my god!" the woman repeats, eyes bugging out at the vomit. "She threw up. She threw up right in front of me!"

"In the RV?" Leonard shouts back from the driver's seat. "You better not have! We'll never get the smell out!"

He sniffs the air, then sighs. "You did."

"That's not important now!" the woman shouts. "It proves she's bit! She's sick! She's going to turn!"

"You don't throw up when you're bit," Leonard says patiently. "You know this. You've seen what happens."

"I don't know anything and neither do you!" the woman snaps. "What are you, a doctor? Since when?!"

"Mom, please," Callie begs. "Stop."

"Callie - !" The woman starts to raise her voice, then catches herself. She takes a deep breath before speaking again. "Callie, we can't keep her here. It's not safe."

"What if she's not bitten?" Callie asks, almost desperately. "What if she just ate something bad? Like she said she did."

"It's not just if she's bitten or not, Callie. We don't know her. We can't trust her. What if she hurts us?"

"What if she protects us? We were stuck, remember? And then she helped us. She can keep helping us!"

"We don't need some girl to protect us. Isn't that right, Leonard? Do you need a little girl to help you?"

"She did more out there than you did," Leonard grumbles, but then falls sullenly silent. The woman watches him expectantly for a moment, but he doesn't continue. Finally, she sighs and turns back to the table, her gaze passing from Samindi to Callie and back.

"We check her for bites," she says simply. "If we find anything, she's out the door. Otherwise...we'll see."

"Sorry." Samindi looked up to the woman with dizzy eyes, "I'll clean it. Promise."

She would have laughed at this situation any other time. But she really thought she was about to get thrown out onto the road. The conversation did not seem to be going her way at all but thankfully Callie had her back. She almost felt guilty about throwing up on their floor but it probably wouldn't have happened if the woman would stop yelling for five minutes and let her get some rest.

"I can help." She said weakly, "When I'm better I can help." She caught on to what Callie was trying to do and raised her head to give her a small smile in thanks.

Earlier she figured the woman would want to check her, especially when she said she thought she was bit under her clothes. So she wasn't totally taken back by the suggestion and as long as it was just Callie then Sami could accept the humilation.

"Callie can check me. I'm not bit." She repeated. "I need to use the bathroom anyway. She can check me then."

Samindi

"What?" Callie asks, surprised. "I mean - yes! I'll do it. I'll check her."

"No you won't," the woman intones gravely. "How do I know you'll actually check her? Or even if you do, and you find something, how do I know you'll actually tell me?"

"No!" protests Callie as the RV slows to a stop. "I'll tell you the truth!"

Leonard turns off the engine and exits the driver's seat, stepping into the conversation. The woman shoots him an accusatory look. "What are you doing?"

"There's another road block. I'll have to clear it before we can keep going. While we're here, we can clean up this...mess. Ugh. What are you all shouting about now?"

"She's bit - "

"She's not bit!"

" - and you see? Callie wants to 'check' her for bites, but she's already decided it can't be true. You know we can't trust her. I'll check her."

"How can we trust you?" Callie retorts. "This isn't even about bites. You just don't want her here! You'll say she has bites even if she doesn't!"

Leonard regards the two for a moment. "Why don't I check her? I want her to stay, but you know I won't let her if she's bitten."

Callie goes silent, shrinking back just an inch and curling her lip slightly in distaste. The woman's expression goes stony and foreboding. Slowly, she puts her hands on her hips, then says one word to her. "You?"

Leonard avoids looking at Samindi or Callie. "That's not...it's a matter of life and death. That's what's important right now."

This was getting worse. Samindi was not going to have a man check her. She was embarrassed enough around her own father, she wasn't going to strip down in front of a man.

"Wait!" She pleaded with Leonard, "Let them check me while you go look at the roadblock."

She looked desperately between Callie and her mother before continuing to Leonard, "By the time you're back it'll be done, no more yelling."

She wasn't happy about it but if Callie and her mom had to be the ones to check her then she wouldn't argue about it. It wasn't what she wanted, preferring to trust Callie, but it also wasn't nearly as bad as it could be. She didn't know if she would leave if Leonard insisted on checking her, hopefully it wouldn't come to that. For now it seemed both the other women were as surprised and disgusted as Samindi was so hopefully that option was already off the table.

Samindi

"Yes, that's right," the woman says, glancing back at Samindi for a moment before looking at Leonard. "Go. Do something useful."

Leonard shrugs before turning and exiting the RV. Callie releases a relieved sigh while the woman looks down at the vomit on the floor with a sneer of disgust.

"Look at this mess," she mutters, then locks eyes with Samindi. She holds it for a long moment, thinking, before sighing. "Not even five minutes in here before you do this. Go to the bathroom and get yourself straightened out. Callie, help me clean this up."

"Shouldn't we...check her for bites before he comes back?" Callie asks.

"Don't worry about that. Get some paper towels. And you...keep out of the way."

"What do you mean, don't worry about that? What about all that stuff you said about her being bit?"

"I mean, do what I say. Now." The woman crosses her arms with a huff. Callie frowns in indignant frustration, but she wordlessly begins looking around for paper towels.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:52, Sun 25 Apr 2021.

Samindi's eyes fell to the floor, embarassed as the woman pointed out the vomit. "Sorry." she repeated.

She gave the woman a confused look as she said not to worry about checking her, she was so determined before Leonard left the vehicle. She looked to Callie but did go the the bathroom as the woman ordered, it was long overdue and hopefully it would help her stomach pains.

Closing the door behind her she dropped her shorts and sat on the toilet. Her embarassment was heightened as she did her business while the other two women were so close, not to mention they were cleaning up the mess she made. She groaned again as her stomach rumbled and realised that with the troubles in her gut she hadn't considered how long it had been since she had a drink. She would have to ask for some water when she was done.

Her thoughts wandered and it would have been only a couple of minutes she was on the toilet but having the time to herself, comfortable and with no yelling, her exhaustion finally took her. She slumped forward, dozing off, hoping to catch some rest before the woman started up again.

Samindi

Thankfully, the bathroom seems at least slightly soundproofed, possibly because the cramped quarters of the RV demands it. Samindi can hear Callie and the older woman moving around on the other side of the door, but the sounds are muffled. That said, she is also distracted by the sounds of her own digestive tract now that she finally has enough time to relieve herself.

Even after dozing off, she enters something more akin to a semiconscious torpor than a true sleep. When she awakes, she is aware that some time as passed, but isn't sure how much. There is no grogginess, however, and she finds herself somewhat energized by the catnap; however, that energy may also step from the adrenaline of sudden, sharp knocks on the door.

"Are you ever coming out?" the woman snaps from the other side of the door. "What are you doing in there?"

Samindi immediately spoke upon waking, "I'm coming."

The rest had helped but she guessed it couldn't have been more than ten minutes. She stood and dressed and after flushing the toilet and washing her hands she gulped down a few handfuls of water, not wanting to bother the woman with a request for water and possibly set her off yelling again.

She opened the door, "Sorry, I fell asleep." She seemed to be apologising for everything she was doing since entering the RV. If it kept the woman happy then she would keep doing it, Samindi still wasn't totally sure she wouldn't be thrown out.

She felt better, but still bad. Standing in the doorway of the bathroom she asked, "Uhh, did you still want to check for bites?"

Samindi

The water tastes funny in Samindi's mouth, but she can't be sure whether she can trust her own senses in that case. There may indeed be something strange about the water, but it could just as easily be residual vomit in her mouth or a side effect of her food poisoning.


The woman's eyes flit away for a moment, looking simultaneously exasperated and embarrassed by the question. "No," she says. "If you were hiding bites, you wouldn't let me check you, so...don't bother.

"Sit down." She gestures towards the same table Samindi had sat in with Callie before. "Who are you? What were you doing in the forest?"

Sami was confused but relieved when the woman stated that she wouldn't be required to strip down. For all the arguments earlier she seemed to let it go pretty easily. Perhaps she just liked arguing, it certainly seemed that way.

She nodded and obediently sat down again. She thought for a moment, there wasn't really any reason not to tell the truth and it might even illicit some sympathy from the woman.

She sighed and started, "Umm, I'm Sami. My parents, ah... they..." Tears began to well in her eyes. Legitimate tears. As strong as she'd like to think herself it was only the daily terror and constant threat to her life that kept her mind off of the death of her parents. "Sorry." Again she was apologising. "Can I have a glass of water?" She hoped the strange taste of the bathroom water was just her, she didn't want to think of the other explanations.

Regardless of her request she wiped away the tears before they fell. Sami decided to only tell the two women the basics, she didn't trust them and wasn't planning on staying with them past getting well enough to continue on her own. "They died in a car crash. Uh. I don't know how long ago, maybe two months? I got away." She shrugged, "I just kept moving, hiding, looking for food. Running away from those things." She didn't feel the need to tell them where she was going. It still sounded crazy to her, what were her chances of reaching Colorado. What were the chances her cousins and their family were still alive?

Looking back up to the woman she raised a corner of her mouth, "So, yeah." She tried to give her most innocent eyes, "I wouldn't have bothered you but I'm really sick, I ate something bad and haven't eaten for days. I was scared."

Samindi

Other than Samindi, the woman is the only visible person in the RV. The vehicle is not moving, so it's likely Callie is outside with Leonard. This conversation is one-on-one.

The corners of the woman's mouth twerk downward for a moment as tears appear in Samindi's eyes, revealing sympathetic sadness before she disguises it by taking a deep breath and looking away. "Fine, if you have to. I think there's glasses in the cabinet above the sink."

She waits until Samindi is pouring herself some water before she speaks. "That still doesn't explain why you were in the woods. Don't you have a home you can live in?"

She seems to realize something, and her eyes narrow quizzically as she studies Samindi's face. "Wait - are you Indian? That's why you can use the bow and arrow, isn't it? Is that why you're in the woods, because you're more connected with nature?"

She catches herself. "Sorry - not Indian. Native. Excuse me."

Samindi pours a glass of water and returns to her seat. She sips at it slowly, wondering at the taste. She didn't know about RV's and the water from the bathroom had her worried she had drunk some recycled or used water. She shuddered.

She was about to open her mouth to explain but when the woman continued, making her presumptuous commentary on her heritage, Samindi decided that was as good a reason as any to explain what she was doing. Even though it really was just as simple as what she said previously. Running and hiding. It certainly wasn't the first time she had been thought of as Native American, it seemed to be the first thing most Americans thought of when she said she was Indian. At least in this situation she could use the ignorance to an advantage.

So she decided a half truth would confirm the womans assumption and provide her an escape from greater details. "You're right Ma'am." She nodded, "I am, that's why I have the bow. I have spent alot of time in the forest, it is easy for me to hide there."

She finished the glass of water and thought to hazard a question of her own, "Do you have any food? I'm really hungry."

Samindi

The water from the kitchenette tap tastes the same as the water from the bathroom sink. This does seem to be what the others are using as their drinking water, but there's no reason to believe their choice of water sources is any cleaner than Samindi's choice of food.

"You need food, too?" the woman asks. Her voice has an offended edge to it, but beneath that, it sounds resigned. "What if you just throw it up again?"

Her lips press together for a moment, and she leans forward. "If you can hide in the forest, why did you come with us? Why did..."

She pauses for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "Why did my husband help you?"

Samindi couldn't answer the question about the food, it was entirely possible she would just throw it up. She shrugged slightly, "Uh. I'll try not to? But I'd really like some please."

She felt as if she was going around in circles with this woman, or at least she was looking for a reason to throw Samindi out of the vehicle. She looked anxiously towards the door, hoping that Callie would return soon. She was getting fairly uncomfortable with all the questions. Something, anything, to take the womans focus off of her would be great.

"I came because I am sick." She tried to remain calm but there was a hint of frustration in her voice. "I could've died out there!"

Then she looked at the woman in confusion as to the question about her husband, "Um. I don't know. I helped with the walkers then I asked for help? He didn't offer or anything, almost left me there."

Samindi

"He did, did he?" the woman asks, sounding slightly surprised. She is silent for a moment, then repeats, "So, you helped him with the...the walkers."

She looks at Samindi for a long moment. By this point, the paranoia and hostility that was previously in her eyes is gone; instead, she studies Samindi appraisingly, like a teamster trying to decide if they want a horse or not. After a long moment, she turns away, opening a cupboard in the kitchenette.

"We're traveling to my mother's home," she says, not making eye contact with Samindi. "She's retired now, but she used to be a nurse. She's always kept extra medical supplies in the house. I don't know what the treatment is for food poisoning, but I'm she can help you - as long as you help us, of course."

She leans on the kitchenette counter, looking back at Samindi over her shoulder. "Now, what kind of food do you think you can keep down?"

Samindi frowned upon the woman turning her back after studying her so closely. She didn't really know what to make of it, maybe the woman was unbelieving of her ability or maybe she was considering Samindi's ability to help. Regardless of the reason Samindi was slightly uncomfortable at being appraised in such a way.

As the woman spoke of traveling to her mother's home, confirming what Callie had mentioned earlier, Samindi allowed her hopes to rise. It was the first time the woman had spoken with her on a subject that was not about her. Samindi's hopes soared when the woman mentioned her mothers previous occupation and that she would be able to help with her sickness.

"Of course. I can help!" She said eagerly, "Whatever I can do."

Samindi beamed back at the woman, only slightly exaggerated, as she turned to look towards her and ask about food. "Uh. Not meat. Anything packaged or... fresh?" She knew it was unlikely fresh food was kept by the family but thought it couldn't hurt to ask.

Samindi

The woman tries to return Samindi's beaming expression, but can only manage a small, troubled smile, and even that looks forced. She turns back to the cupboard, examining its contents. Samindi cannot see what is inside.

"We don't have anything fresh," she says, apologetically. "We do have packaged food! Barely. How about, ah..."

She pulls a box of crackers out of the cupboard and places it on the table. Inside, Samindi can see it has already been mostly empty, but there is one row of crackers still sealed in plastic packaging. It's not much of a meal.

"Crackers are good for an upset stomach," the woman says, smiling. "They're easier to...keep down."

Her eyes stray to the floor. Samindi can see it was wiped down while she was in the bathroom, but there is still a subtle residue of her vomit.

Samindi stretched her neck trying to see what was inside the cupboards, disappointed she could not see inside she wait for the woman to find something to eat.

As she revealed the box of crackers Sami was happy enough for the selection, even more so when she realised that one sleeve of them was unopened. It wasn't fancy but with her stomach as it was it would be a more than suitable meal.

"Thank you!" Samindi exclaimed as she opened the packet and took the crackers out, three at a time, and began eating. She nodded as the woman spoke of how they were a very suitable meal in her condition.

With food in hand Samindi was no so worried about the stain on the floor. She tried to pace herself but her hunger won and she shoved the first few handfuls in her mouth before she slowed down.

Samindi

The woman silently watches Samindi eat for several seconds.

"You can have the rest of the box," she says, finally. "You need to keep up your strength. Especially a girl your age..."

She trails off at that. Something in her voice sounds mournful, or perhaps regretful, but she doesn't explain further. Instead, she folds her arms and looks towards the front of the RV.

"Leonard will probably be done soon. Then we'll keep going."

Samindi nodded in thanks to the woman and gave her an odd, inquisitive look as she munched down on the last of the crackers. She poured the remaining food out of the box and finished it all. It wasn't exactly tasty fare but compared to the last few days it was amazing, and even better if she could keep it down.

She yawned and stretched her arms, nodding again when the woman said they would be moving on soon, "OK."

As the two waited for Leonard and Callie to be done Sami began to again get drowsy. The comfort of the RV and now with a satisfied full stomach she was definitely ready for a rest. She crossed her arms on the table in front of her and once again laid her head down.

Samindi

Callie and Leonard re-enter the RV a minute or two later, and the latter starts driving the RV again. This time, Samindi is able to rest for longer. She's not allowed to sleep in one of the RV's beds, supposedly for fear she'd vomit in it, but even sleeping with her head on the table is welcome in her state, the gentle movements of the RV lulling her to sleep. Again, when she awakes its not clear exactly how long she'd been out, but she doesn't have time to check before she has to rush to the washroom.

Inside, Samindi becomes aware that the truck has stopped moving. When she exits, Leonard is waiting patiently nearby, leaning against the counter of the kitchenette. "Hey," he says, looking over at her.

The rest and bathroom break have revitalized Samindi somewhat. Her food poisoning is far from over, but she has the energy for at least some brief activity.

Once again voiding herself of her sickness Samindi moaned as she stood from going to the toilet. She rinsed out her mouth and spent some time leaning against the vanity. The sleep helped, the bed would have been better but she could understand the concern which is why she didn't ask. Now that she was around other people again she also realised just how dirty she was. Keeping clean seemed a luxury since she was on her own, just another of many things she had to forgo to survive and stay safe.

She noticed the  drone of the RV had ceased and it seemed the vehicle had stopped. She splashed her face with some water and picked a few more sticks from her hair before stepping out of the bathroom. She was surprised to see Leonard waiting for her. "Uh. Hey." She looked towards the door then back to Leonard, "Where is everyone? We arrived?"

Samindi

"No, not yet," Leonard says. "I guess Callie or Mattie told you we're close, right? I don't call anything close nowadays - not when I'm driving this thing. It handles like a shopping cart and it can't go off-road, so any time the roads are blocked you either have to find a way around or spend hours pushing cars out of the way. I don't know how long it's going to take to get there, but they don't want to..."

Leonard sounds like he's going to go off on a griping rant, but catches himself. He spends a moment thinking before he speaks again, this time clearly choosing his words carefully. "It's difficult for them. You know it's Mattie's mother, we're going to, right? None of us actually know if she's...you know."

He pauses, then steps closer to Samindi, his voice going quiet. "Look...Mattie told me you lost your parents. I'm sorry. That shouldn't happen to anyone so young. You shouldn't have to be...alone."

Samindi stood by the toilet door as Leonard spoke. She was unsure why he was telling her about the RV, it's not like she knew anything about cars or understood the intricacies of travelling by road. All she knew what what she had encountered since being with the family. Walkers were on the roads sometimes, there seemed to be lots of dead cars blocking the way and it took ages to get anywhere. She frowned briefly in thought as to where Leonard was going with this. His family didn't help earlier when she had arrived and pulled the corpse out of the wheel. Urgh! Maybe they were too scared but whatever the reason Leonard didn't seem happy about it.

When he said they didn't know if Mattie's, So that was the womans name. mother was alive she just let out a soft, "Oh." Perhaps she had been too hopeful that help would be so easy to find. But when the conversation turned to her family and how she was alone she just looked to the floor and shrugged, "Yeah, uh, just me." Before looking back up to Leonard. "Alone's not so bad. Kinda boring, but safe. Hard to get food sometimes though."

She looked again to the door, "Hey, uh, I need some air. The others outside?"

Samindi

Leonard glances at the door, looking slightly annoyed. "Yeah, they're out there. Getting some air, like you said. You said another thing, though, too - about being hard to find food. I want to find supplies before the light's gone, and it'll help a lot if the two of us could go together."

He waves his hand dismissively. "That's the short version. You can go talk to the girls now."

Samindi nodded, "Yeah sure, I'll come. I said I'd help and I feel a bit better."

She picked up her bow and made sure she had all of her belongings, "I'll go see Callie, let me know when you want to go."

With that she stepped outside. She didn't know exactly what Leonard meant by supplies so she had a look around to see where they were at. Maybe he meant hunting or maybe scavenging. She hoped it was the latter, she didn't even want to think about eating more meat right now. Plus, Samindi was pretty sure that if they came back with something then the woman would get off of her back. She was starting to come around but she had also been very insistent on her helping out when she could.

Samindi shook her legs out and stretched her arms above her head. She had a look around for Callie to go talk to her.

Samindi

Leonard looks slightly relieved by Samindi's response, but still bothered by something. "Good," he says, shooting her a quick grin from the corner of his mouth as she leaves.

As Samindi nears the door, she hears raised voices from outside, but the voices are too muffled to make out any sounds before she opens the door. As soon as she does, she sees Callie striding past in a huff.

"Whatever!" Callie proclaims over her shoulder, looking back towards the older woman.

"Don't you walk away from me, we're not - " the woman starts angrily, but cuts herself off when she sees Samindi.

"Don't yell at me! Those things'll hear you!" Callie retorts, then notices Samindi. Without asking, she steps over and puts a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, let's get out of here. We'll...talk, I don't know. Just come with me."

Samindi was surprised by the argument going on outside, she frowned and looked towards the shouting. She barely had a chance to stretch and take a breath before seeing Callie come storming off from the side, walking away from the older woman. Whatever was going on seemed a private affair; at least the woman thought so. For the first time Samindi had a sinking feeling in her stomach that was not sickness related. She didn't think she was going to make it to grandma's house, if grandma was even still alive.

She let Callie take her by the shoulder and followed the girl away from Mattie. Samindi had ignored the small oddities since arriving, too intent on getting better and finding a place to stay safe while she rested. But when was was alone with Callie her curiosity piqued, she asked, "What's goin' on?"

Samindi

"Oh, no big deal," Callie says bitterly. "My mom's just trying to control me and everything else around her. Again. The usual."

She looks back over her shoulder. Behind Samindi and Callie, the older woman is still watching them, frowning dramatically with her hands on her hips. Callie gives a disgusted sigh. "The whole world has ended and she still thinks she can treat me like I'm five. Like everything starts and stops whenever she wants!"

She glowers a moment, then shoots Samindi a grin. "She even talks to Leonard like he has to do whatever she says. You saw that, right? What if he actually left? She'd be dead in a day! She can't do anything on her own!"

Samindi thought it strange. Last year she would have sounded exactly like Callie. Not listening to her mom, deliberately going against what her parents wanted for her, wanting more freedom. But now, listening to Callie, she sounded kind of ungrateful and Samindi felt she could understand where her mom was coming from. Where both moms were coming from. It wasn't easy being on your own.

"My parents died a few months ago. Uh, a car crash." She looked to Callie, "I sometimes still wish my mom was here to argue with me, tell me what to do." She dropped her eyes and kicked at the ground, "Being alone's not really that great. I'm scared all the time, always hungry and anyone I meet wants to take the things I have or do things to me I don't want."

She looked back up to Callie, "Just sayin'. You and your mom and... well, you are the only nice people I've met." She picked up that Callie didn't call Leonard Dad. It made Samindi rethink a lot of small things that he had said and done. "Uh. Leonard's not your Dad?"

Samindi

"...oh." Callie looks away from Samindi guiltily. "Um...I'm sorry about...you know. Your parents and stuff. I'm not saying I want her to die or anything. If she did, I...I don't know what I'd..."

She trails off into silence for a moment before starting again. "I'm not even saying I want to be alone. I just wish she would trust me more - or even just accept that not everything in the whole world goes the way she wants. She thinks she can make things go her way if she demands it hard enough. The world doesn't work like that anymore! I feel like someday she's going to try and take control of a situation that she can't, and get herself killed for it. Or me."

She scowls bitterly for a moment before giving a brief scoff, making eye contact with Samindi. "No, my parents got divorced years ago. Leonard's just a guy my mom used to date. They even broke up before all this happened, but now he's the only guy she knows that's still alive and willing to put up with her bullshit."

Samindi immediately felt bad, "Sorry. Didn't mean anything by it. Just..." She wasn't good at this. Making friends, making people feel better. "I'm sure your moms just protecting you."

She had an idea, something that could allay her concerns and perhaps help the others, "Hey, Leonard asked me to help find some food before we moved on. You wanna come? I could show you some things? Maybe if your mom sees you can help she'll trust you more?" She smiled, trying to make it reassuring, "We'll both go ask your mom if you want." She frowned briefly, "Uh, what's your last name?"

It couldn't hurt to be polite.

Samindi

"Yeah, she thinks she can protect me," Callie mutters. "But the world is different now. She just...doesn't understand."

She looks up when Samindi offers to let her come along on the food run. "That's just it! That's the kind of thing I'm talking about. She doesn't want me to help get food or even start learning how to do things like that. She wants me to sit in one place and wait for a man to do that kind of thing for me. Or...you, I guess.

"You know, that's another thing! I didn't think she'd actually believe you could help us. Even though we've seen other women doing that kind of stuff, it's like she doesn't think it's actually possible - or at least she pretends she doesn't whenever she's talking to me."

She sighs heavily, then stares resentfully into the distance for a moment before looking back at Samindi. "Oh, right. Thompson. Caroline Thompson. Uh, and Matilda Thompson, and Leonard Ferris. How about you?"

She wasn't really expecting to be asked the same question back, "Oh, uh. Samindi Ward. My dad was American." She didn't know why she added that clarifier at the end. Maybe she didn't want Callie mistaking her for Native American as well, or perhaps it was explaining her Indian looks with her American name, she had needed to do that before. Not that it really mattered, not anymore.

Samindi frowned, if her parents were anything like Callie's mom, Mrs. Thompson, then she would have starved or been forced to join up with bad people a long time ago. The woman didn't look the type to be able to protect anyone from anything, Callie was probably right about that. Callie was also right that if something happened to Leonard, or he left them, then the two of them would be pretty scewed.

She grabbed Callie's hand, "I have an idea." She dragged the taller girl back to her mom. "Come with me!"

"Mrs. Thompson!" Samindi called out as they approached, "Mrs. Thompson. Leonard asked me to go with him to find some food. I think Callie should come."

Samindi

"Uh, I don't think she's gonna - " Callie tries to interject quietly, but Maddie quickly drowned her out.

"Absolutely not!" the woman announces, looking at Samindi with a dismayed expression. "That's too dangerous! Those things are out there! And not just them, but rapists and murderers and - and gangbangers! That's no place for a girl!"

She catches herself, looking at Samindi, and tries to calm herself. "I mean...she's not like you. She have skills that she doesn't. You have a...a connection with this land. You're closer to the earth! You know how to survive better than my daughter does."

Callie gives Samindi a quizzical look, but her eyes lock back on Mattie when she speaks next. "And you, Caroline - you should know better. I know how much you love to disobey me, but now, when you screw up, I can't fix it for you anymore, do you understand? It won't be a fine or bail money that I have to pay. It'll be your life!"

Callie's eyes widen, then snap to Samindi for a moment before just as quickly moving away, resolutely avoiding contact. Sheepishly and guiltily, she fidgets for a moment before giving her mother a hapless shrug.

Samindi was not going to be put down by the womans stubborn words.

"I've escaped murderers and rapists, I survived." She waved a hand to what surrounded them. "It's not easy but I run, hide and learn what to look for. It's never really too dangerous and those walkers out there are stupid. I just tricked twenty of them to get your RV unstuck."

She waved Callie over, the girl needed more confidence, "Callie should at least learn to find food. There are safe places to find stuff. Girls can be quiet, patient and hide. If we are found we are quick, if we know what to look out for. I've never been caught by someone."

She wasn't going to stop, "My dad taught me to hunt. Taught me to use a bow. I knew a little bit so that when they were gone I could survive." She looked to Callie then back to Mrs. Thompson, "What is Callie going to do when you're gone? When you can't fix things? She needs to learn now while you're here and can help her."

Samindi

"I. Said. No." The woman's voice goes hard, her eyes boring into Samindi's. "There's not going to be a time when I'm gone because I'm not going to let her out of my sight, do you understand? Nobody is going to take her away from me, not you or anyone else! If you don't like that, you can leave, because I have fought and beaten much scarier people than you!"

"Mom, she's not trying to - " Callie starts.

"Shut up, Callie!" her mother snaps, and Callie does. After holding her eyes on Callie for a second longer, Mattie crosses her arms and glares defiantly at Samindi, daring her to speak.

"Sami, there you are," comes Leonard's voice. The man swiftly approaches and enters the conversation, glancing momentarily at Mattie in the way someone keeps an eye on a strange and territorial-looking dog. "We don't have long before we start losing daylight. We should get going now, alright?"

Samindi sighed and looked to Callie, she gave the other girl a shrug. Dealing with people was never easy, especially for her. She didn't know what the womans problem was, or why she would even mention fighting and beating scary people. Eventually with the tirade ending Samindi just rolled her eyes and started to walk away from both Callie and her mom.

Thankfully any further ranting was put on hold as Leonard appeared. It wasn't that Samindi really wanted to help but she was still sick and still needed help herself. She'd much rather rest in her condition, especially as it seemed Callie and her mother were next to useless. She  understood Leonard's frustrations now and wondered exactly why he was putting up with them.

She nodded to Leonard, "Yeah, sure. Let's go."

Samindi

Leonard leads Samindi away from Callie and her mother. Once they're a safe distance, he gives one more glance back before speaking.

"Sorry about interrupting," he says. "If you mind, that is. I get the feeling you needed the out. Mattie will go for the throat if she's angry enough."

He transfers his shotgun, which he had been carrying in one hand, to a low-carry position, with the butt pressed against his shoulder. "I meant what I said, though. We ought to start looking for supplies before we run out of daylight. You ever gone urban scavenging before, or is it all hunting and that?"

Samindi followed Leonard away from Mattie and Callie, she also looked back before she spoke. "Ugh, glad I left. If I stayed longer I might have said something and been kicked out of the RV." She frowned and looked to the ground, continuing softer, "I'll just shutup from now on then..."

She slung her bow off of her shoulder and nocked an arrow as Leonard prepared himself with the shotgun. Samindi's attitude quickly changed once Leonard mentioned 'urban scavenging' and she dared hope she might learn something. She brushed off the earlier disagreement with Mattie and watched and listened to Leonard.

She shook her head at the question, "Some gas stations. Uh, some houses. Not much though. Yeah, I mostly stayed away, hunting and stuff. Was safer."

Samindi

"Yeah, you're probably right," Leonard says. "I never like searching buildings. You never know if something's gonna come around a corner right in your face. I haven't had a choice, though - I don't know anything about hunting or foraging or any of that stuff."

He pauses, looking at Samindi. "Hey, come to think of it - maybe that's a good idea. I stopped the RV just outside of a little town, and I was gonna search some houses for food, water, gas - all of that good stuff. I figured it would be safer if the two of us did it, but do you think we'd be better off hunting, instead? Not for gas, obviously, but that's easier to get if we don't need to worry about food and water. You think you'd know how to find enough for four people before the sun goes down?"

Samindi thought on it, she was a bit disapponted that she would probably be the one teaching and not learning on this trip. She looked from Leonard to the surrounding woods. "Uh, sure. I mean, I don't eat well. Crow, opossum, whatever's around really. Think they'll be happy with that?"

"Have you been out hunting much?" She had her concerns about Leonard being able to stay quiet and hidden, "I mean it's all about being quiet, hiding and stuff. I might do better on my own if you want to check the buildings?"

She continued quickly, "Up to you though. Uh, just an idea."

Samindi

"Well, how quickly can you do it?" Leonard asks. "The sun'll be setting soon. We've got maybe an hour of light good enough to search the buildings left. Maybe you can push that a bit further if you're hunting, I don't know. The good thing about searching buildings is that if you pick them right, you can haul a lot of good supplies real quick. I can't imagine that's true for hunting."

He hesitates before speaking again. "Also - I'd really like some backup when searching those buildings, if I can get it. The biggest danger is all the angles and blind spots - a second pair of eyes would be, well, safer."

Sami scrunched up her nose, why was the decision up to her. She supposed she should be grateful, while she was confident enough that she could hunt enough for one meal for four people she didn't really feel like eating any more meat. Perhaps something could be gained from scrounging through the buildings, although getting up close to walker was not exactly something she was comfortable with. She knew what she was good at and trying to stab a walker to death was not one of them.

As much as she wanted to scrounge through buildings and maybe learn a thing or two she decided to be cautious. "Yeah, uh, OK. Maybe a quick look through the buildings first then. If it sucks then we can try hunting. I can probably get something if I have to, even if it's getting dark."

Samindi

"Good! Good." Leonard plays it cool, but can't quite hide the extent of the relief in his voice. "We stopped the RV outside a little town. Just follow me."

Leonard changes the pair's direction, leading Samindi to some buildings. From what she can see, calling the area they stopped at a "town" maybe generous, but there are residential houses. Leonard pauses, looking them over, before leading Samindi to one. He clearly chose this one in particular, but it's not immediately obvious why, nor does he volunteer the reason.

Motioning for Samindi to wait, Leonard steps up to the front door and tries the knob. The door is locked, so Leonard takes up position, then delivers a series of hard kicks to the door under the knob. On the fourth kick, the door crashes open; outside, the sound is not particularly loud, but Samindi can tell that everything within the house must have heard it.

Leonard waits at the door for a minute, occasionally thumping a fist on the doorframe, but nothing comes. Finally, he looks at Samindi. "Nothing yet. That's a good sign. I'll go first, you follow. Is that okay with you?"

When Leonard said the outskirts of a town she kind of expected there to be more. Still, a few remote houses shouldn't be much trouble to look through. She thought it would be safer than a town anyway.

Samindi waited, alternating between watching Leonard and peering into the house. She was always much more careful, quiet, when she risked looking into a building. Rare as it was she did it. But she could understand what Leonard was doing. Make some noise, bring them out to you. Fight them on your terms.

She nods as Leonard starts to mpve in, "OK, right behind you." She slings her bow over a shoulder and draws her knife. It was a crappy little kitchen knife but it was all she had, she didn't even know if it would kill a walker.

Samindi

The houses do appear to be part of a larger settlement, but it's hard to tell how large the settlement is: whether it's one of a hundred people, a thousand people, or ten thousand people is not immediately visible from here, but something about her surroundings still tells Samindi it's unlikely to be the latter. She was not looking outside of the window when the RV drove her, however, so she has little knowledge of her surroundings beyond what she can see now.

Samindi follows Leonard into the house. He is quiet and careful, and as a result, somewhat slow. In the first house, this does not pay off. Despite its locked door, someone must have accessed it before them, as it turns out to be empty of food, water, and other valuable supplies, despite the house's other contents being untouched. In the living room is a large, flatscreen TV. It was obviously quite expensive. Not a single fingerprint marks its coating of dust.

Leonard skips any houses whose front doors are not locked (or closed, for that matter, as some hang open). The next one they search contains walkers, and Leonard's technique for drawing them out proves so effective that the pair can eliminate them without facing any real danger. Leonard seems emboldened by the presence of walkers, in fact, but is disappointed to find that the second house has no food or water either. He makes a couple half-hearted macabre jokes as to what happened, but Samindi can see his mounting frustration.

The next house, Leonard says before they start, will probably be the last one, as the sun is close enough to the horizon that visibility inside will start to become dangerously poor. Once again, Leonard kicks down a locked door and awaits a response, of which there is none. They investigate inside, and this time it is obvious it was inhabited after the dead rose, with now-useless electronics moved into the corner of rooms to make room for more practical equipment. In the kitchen, Leonard is delighted to find a motley collection of preserved foods and even bottles of water.

"Fuck yes!" Leonard announces as he opens the kitchen cupboards, his voice rising to unexpected volume. "Now we know who was hitting all those other houses before us. This should keep us go--"

He's turning to Samindi as he speaks, a grin on his voice, but is cut off by the sound of a creaking floorboard from above.

Samindi followed Leonard from house to house, watching him carefully. Remembering how he checked over things, how he made sure there were no walkers inside, what he looked over and what he ignored. It was a larning experience for her to watch someone else and as they went through the homes Samindi felt she was getting the hang of what he was seeking. She thought it good they had not ran into any problems and between the two of them were able to easily dispatch a few of the dead, it gave her confidence also about how they would go.

Still, as Leonards frustrations grew she was also disappointed that they had not found anything and by the time they hit their last house she was almost going to suggest changing to hunting. When Leonard opened up the ktichen cupboard Saminidi was as excited as he was, the day had dragged on and with nothing to show for it until now. Bottled water was a great find and she was definitely looking forward to drinking something that was not that odd tasting water from the RV. Packaged and preserved foods she also appreciated, eating like this she should get better much faster. There may not even be any need for her to rely on meeting Callie's grandmother.

As she heard the noise she slung her bow off her back and nocked an arrow. Finding whaver cover she could in the kitchen she looked to Leonard and then watched the entrance warily.

Samindi

Leonard watches the ceiling for a long moment, completely still. For several seconds, there is no more sound from above. Finally, Samindi hears it again - a creaking floorboard, and that's all. It's difficult to even tell the weight of whatever is making the noise.

Leonard makes eye contact with Samindi and puts a finger to his lips, then readies his shotgun. He creeps across the kitchen and steps out into the living room, heading towards the stairs on the far side of the house. With the stock of his shotgun pressed firmly to his shoulder, he slowly ascends the stairs, the barrel of his weapon pointed ahead of him.

Samindi had considered running straight out the front door. She was not worried what Leonard would think of her but did hesitate as she still needed that ride and still held on hope that Callie's grandmother was still around to help her. She felt better, but was still pretty far from feeling good. She glanced towards the front door and back to Leonard as he slowly crept around to the stairs.

Deciding to instead support Leonard Samindi readies her bow and quietly follows a few feel behind him. She was worried about that shotgun he was holding, that was a lot of noise and while they hadn't seen many walkers she knew that would be a sure way to anger whatever else was around. Not to mention any other people, which had her just as worried if not more  so.

Samindi

Leonard takes the stairs slowly, careful not to make noise. Samindi, smaller and lighter, moves more quickly while still remaining silent, making it mildly frustrating to follow Leonard's slow-motion movements.

Eventually, the two reach the second floor. There are multiple doors, but only one is likely to lead to a room directly above the kitchen where they heard the creaking floorboard. With the same slow movements, Leonard crosses the hallway to the door and takes one hand off his shotgun to rest it on the knob. He carefully tests it, then gives Samindi a nod. After giving her a moment to move behind him, he slowly turns the knob, then slams the door with his shoulder.

The door pops open, its movement jerky and unnatural, as Leonard returns his hand to his shotgun and steps into the room. His shotgun sweeps left and right over the far corners of what appears to be a bedroom: bed, dresser, computer desk, discarded clothes - but no human figures.

Leonard holds the position for a moment, leaning slightly to view around furniture, but sees nothing. Samindi sees his stance begin to relax just as two arms shoot out from behind the door, grab him around the neck and by the hair, and pull him backwards out of sight.

Samindi was just thinking that she should have gone first, or even alone. Leonard knew how to search houses but he didn't know how to be quiet and quick, perhaps it was for the best they did not go hunting. She didn't know what to expect as she climbed the stairs behind him, maybe just another walker. But then who had collected all the stuff in the kitchen? Worry rose in her as Leonard reached the top of the stairs.

Things still seemed quiet, maybe it was just an animal. As Leonard pushed into the room above the kitchen and relaxed Samindi also lowered her bow.

When he was grabbed Sami stood in shocked silence for a moment as he was pulled into the room. That wasn't a walker or an animal. That was a person! Her heart raced and she strongly considered just running; she didn't know these people, she didn't know Leonard. Grab the food downstairs and run back into the forest. Forget it all. Forget them all.

Her bow being next to useless in such confined space she didn't worry about raising it and took a few steps into the room, heart pounding. She made sure to step away from the door and whoever was behind it. Once in the room she looked towards Leonard and whoever had grabbed him.

Samindi

Stepping into the room gives Samindi the angle she needs to see that Leonard was grabbed by a walker after all. Someone had apparently twisted a towel or something into a makeshift noose and attached it to a coat hook on the back of the door, then strangled themselves with it. The walker's face is an ugly purple, even by walker standards, and its crushed larynx prevents it from producing the normal walker moan, despite being quite active.

Grabbed from behind, Leonard is unable to bring his shotgun to bear, or fight effectively at all. All he can do is awkwardly try to keep the walker from biting into him by trying to hold its head at bay with his hands. It is an awkward position in which the walker threatens to bite his hands almost as easily as his neck, and his position is faltering as Samindi watches.

Samindi was surprised at there actually being a walker in the room. She struggled to make sense of the situation but as Leonard writhed in the creatures arms she recovered from her shock and drew her knife. This was not the best position for her to be in, she couldn't shoot her bow while in the room and evenn if she could draw it Leonard was moving too much. It was going to have to be the knife.

She stepped forward with her knife in hand, "Try hold it still." she asked Leonard. She looked up to the walker and grimaced at its purple face and bulging eyes, the target of her attack. When the opportunity arose she tried to stab the walker in an eye.

Samindi

"I'm trying not to die!" Leonard shouts, struggling to keep the walker's teeth away from his skin. After a couple of seconds, Samindi sees an opportunity and strikes, driving her knife into the walker's head. It goes limp, the only sound being that of its body bumping against the door.

Leonard pulls away from the corpse and falls to his knees, panting. He looks at his hands, then gropes at the back of his head and neck before checking them again. With a sigh of relief, he wipes his forehead on his sleeve and stands up.

"You saved me," he says, looking at Samindi. For a moment, he seems to struggle for words. "You, uh...thank you."

Stepping forward, he wraps his arms around Samindi's shoulders and gives her a tight hug.

Samindi was surprised it worked, she had never needed to fight a walker up close before. Sure the thing was all tied up and was attacking someone else but it seemed much easier than she had expected. She let out a sigh of relief as the body went limp and Leonard fell to the floor.

She also struggled for words as Leonard thanked her for saving him, "Uh. It was.. um..."

Then he grabbed her. She almost, instinctively, put the knife into him as well but realised that he was rather emotional and extremely thankful to her for saving him. It was OK, it was just a hug. Still, she was stiff as a board the entire time, uncomfortable with the close contact. "Hey. Uh. No problem." She slipped out of the hug as politely as she could. "You woulda done the same I'm sure."

She looked towards the door then back to him, "No more exploring yeah? Uh, we can just take the food and go back now?"

Samindi

Leonard steps back, looking slightly disappointed at her reaction to his hug. He glances at the body, still hanging from its makeshift noose behind the door. "Yeah, let's go. I guess we didn't even need to come up here at all."

The two descend the stairs and return to the kitchen, packing up the supplies. There is too much for the two of them together to carry in one trip, so Leonard prioritizes the water. Whoever gathered these supplies knew what they were doing; all of the supplies are preservable and rich in either calories or essential nutrients, so there is no wrong choice on what to bring.

"I'm glad I can rely on you," Leonard says as they work. "So many people, even the ones still alive now, just don't know how to do this. But you're different. How old are you?"

Samindi stuffed her backpack full with whatever she could take and opened a bottle of water to drink. The bottled water might just be the best thing about this cache as she didn't trust the water from the RV, especially as she was still not feeling the best. She took a few bottles of water and filled the rest of her pack with the lighter foodstuffs. As she gathered as much as she could and there was still more left behind she was about to comment to Leonard about returning but someone had gathered all this stuff and they would probably be pretty mad about it being gone.

She just nodded along as Leonard spoke but when he asked her age she looked at him, "I'm sixteen." She thought about offering more but he didn't ask so she didn't say anything further, instead just filling her pack and waiting for Leonard to be done.

Samindi

"Really?" Leonard looks over she answers, then places a hand on her shoulder. "I'm surprised. You're very mature for your age. Heck, you're a lot more grown up than a lot of adults I know."

Samindi starts to feel her food poisoning catch up with her as she's gathering up the food. Her rest in the RV had given her enough energy for a brief outing, but in searching multiple houses she may have overexerted herself. Looking at the food, her fatigued body craves the energy it will give her but also lacks any sort of appetite. It's unlikely anyone will be mad about it being gone, however; now that she touches it with her bare skin, Samindi can feel an almost invisible layer of dust on the cans and packages. They've been here for a while.

When Samindi and Leonard return to the RV, she sees Mattie sitting outside, looking bored and impatient. Callie is not visible. Mattie looks up as the two approach; Leonard to does not shout to her, but hefts his bag of supplies in a way that makes it obvious something is inside.

Samindi looked to Leonard silently and eventually she just nodded. She didn't know if she was mature, she supposed she was. She was definitely more mature than she was six months ago, it was a rough few months since her parents died and she had to learn quick to survive. She guessed anyone who was not mature would not have been able to live like she had, she thought she had done OK. Which was about the time her stomach grumbled, reminding her that perhaps she had not done as well as she thought.

As she noticed the dust gathered on the food Samindi felt a bit better about taking it, she wouldn't have left it anyway but at least nobody could call her a thief when she took it. She opened up any food which would be nourishing and started eating while filling her pack. As little as she wanted to eat she wasn't going to take the chance on a missed meal. Realising she was lacking in utensils she had a quick look through the drawers for a set of cutlery and a durable cup and bowl.

Backpack full and drinking another bottle of water Samindi followed Leonard back to the RV. She gave a grimace when she saw Mattie but stayed beside and slightly behind Leonard as the pair approached.

Samindi

Leonard looks like he's going to say something when Samindi starts eating the food right then and there, but while he gets as far as opening his mouth, he closes it again after a couple of seconds. While there's a wide selection of food types available, the only foods she can easily open and eat at that moment are packaged snacks. Fortunately, they provide the quick energy she needs while being mild enough for her stomach not to protest too much, but she knows she can't live solely on them for long.

Leonard does speak up when she looks for cutlery and a cup and bowl. "You know we've got dishes on the RV, right?" he asks. "Not sure if you can spare the weight for that."

Samindi didn't stop eating even as Leonard looked at her. There was enough food for one person for a long time, but split between the four of them she wasn't sure how long it would last. Anyway, if they were going to have to leave some behind then why not eat it. Even if it was just a packaged snack it would do for what she needed, besides anything else could be taken back to the RV and stored for later.

As Leonard criticised her for picking up the cutlery, cup and bowl she looked between the items in her hands. She didn't have anything and whatever was in the RV was no good for her, she had only been with them a day and wasn't sure how long that would last with Mattie. Samindi sighed and nodded, placing the bowl and cup on the kitchen bench. She stuck the cutlery in her pocket, a spoon, knife and fork and while she was in the kitchen replaced the larger items with a can opener if she could find one.

Her hunting had not gone well recently and if she was going to be scrounging for food through homes and buildings then she had better start getting prepared.

Samindi

Leonard nods when Samindi puts the bowl and cup back, giving an encouraging smile. It takes a minute to find the can opener, but Leonard seems not to give it a second thought when Samindi takes it.

When the two approach the RV and Leonard hefts the bag of supplies, Mattie stands, her eyes focused on Leonard. Once they're close enough, she says, "You were gone a long while."

"We were finding food," Leonard says, hefting the bag again. Mattie glances at it, and in the split second she looks at it, Samindi can see her analyzing its size and weight to the utmost detail.

"Why'd it take so long? What else were you doing?"

"The first houses didn't have any food in them. We think the guy in the last house was hoarding everything from the neighbourhood. Where's Callie?"

"Is that what we think?" Mattie's eyes move to Samindi for the first time. Again, her eyes are probing, but they don't seem accusatory - at least, not at Samindi - despite the tone of her voice definitely being so. She looks back at Leonard. "I thought you didn't even search houses this late."

"For god's sake. It was the last house we were going to check. The only reason I pushed it was because I had someone helping me, for once. Where's Callie?"

Mattie crosses her arms, looking at Leonard, until Leonard sighs and hefts the bag one more time. He leans his head to the side and gives her an exasperated look as he speaks. "We. Got. Food. You can go hungry if you don't like it. You and Callie."

Mattie frowns for a second before motioning with her head towards the RV.

"Thank you," Leonard says exaggeratedly before looking at Samindi. "Why don't you go get Callie while we get everything set up to eat out here?"

Samindi frowned, she had no idea what Mattie's problem was with Leonard. She actually thought they did pretty good, there were two full bags of food and water with them and the woman was still going to complain about how long it took and what they were doing. She nodded in agreement as Leonard mentioned the one house hoarding all the foor but when Mattie looked at her she stopped and attempted to keep a calm face as the woman studied her.

She looked around for Callie as Leonard mentioned her and back to Mattie as she clearly ignored the question. When Leonard pushed the point home and asked again and Mattie indicated towards the RV Samindi looked to back to Leonard. "Sure, I'll go get her."

Backpack still over her shoulder she jogged across to the RV and knocked on the door, "Hey Callie? We got heaps of food!" She opened the door, stuck her head in and looked around. "Callie?"
This message was last edited by the player at 05:49, Fri 25 June 2021.

Samindi

"Sami?" There's little in the RV that's not visible from the entrance, and Samindi sees Callie immediately. She's lying on a compact bed, a book in her hand, but she's already tucking it into a backpack as soon as Samindi enters.

"Thank god, I'm starving," Callie says, getting off the bed. She steps over to the kitchenette and opens a cupboard, revealing a small collection of dishes and utensils. "I hope we have enough stuff here for four people. We've got to pick up more dishes."

She looks over her shoulder at Samindi. "How'd it go? What's it like going hunting with Leonard?"

"Hey." Samindi looked to Callie as she got ready.

When she mentioned they needed more dishes her shoulders slumped and she sighed. She had to be joking, all Samindi wanted was her own bowl and cup. Still she smiled politely and didn't let the fact that she left those exact items behind worry her.

At the question about Leonard she shrugged, "I dunno. We just scavanged through houses and found a heap of stuff. We had to leave some behind." She gave a small smirk, "Really could have used an extra set of hands."

She quickly continued, it wasn't Callie's fault she didn't come. "Leonard's cool. He knows what he's doing, showed me some things." She thought it best to leave out the part where he almost died and she had to stick her knife into a walker... a hanger.

Samindi


"Argghh!" Callie growls in frustration. "Don't remind me! I was so mad at her when you left! And she was mad at me, too! You know, she kept on going after you were gone, telling me I don't understand consequences or whatever. God, I hate her so much sometimes!"

She blasts air out her nostrils, grip tightening on the dishes and utensils in her hands, before her eyes move to Samindi. Over the course of a few seconds, the anger bleeds out of her, replaced with a guilty look.

"Sorry, I shouldn't say that when your parents are, uh, you know...dead. I know I'm lucky to have her. I just wish she wasn't so...so much. That's why I'm in here. It's the only place I can go to get away from her for a little while."

She's silent for a moment, then gives Samindi a look that is strangely shy, like she's about to say something clandestine. She goes on to ask, "So...what things did Leonard show you?"

Samindi shrugs and gives a sympathetic smile, "It's OK. I know what you mean." She grins, "You know, you should just come next time. What's your mom gonna do anyway? " She wasn't exactly trying to incite a rebellion but honestly felt Callie should know something about how to survive in the outside world, Mattie too if she was being honest. She knew they weren't going to listen to a kid they had known for all of half a day, that much was clear by her arguement with Mattie earlier. She shrugged again, "Maybe not. Forget I said anything."

She smiled, if she couldn't show Callie then maybe she could just explain to her what they did. "OK. Uh. I think he's looked through houses a lot. Knock on the door as you enter, see if any of the walkers come out. Better than finding them inside and being surprised I guess. Uh, focus on houses that are closed up." She pursed her lips in thought, "Hmm, get what you want and get out. Don't go exploring too much and be careful of closed doors."

There wasn't too much else to it, "Uh. That's about it."

"Yeah, maybe I should," Samindi grumbles, but she sounds uncertain even as she says it. "I mean, she can't stop me, anyway, right? And I should know this stuff! I can't just count on a big, strong man to do everything for me. You're proof of that!"

She goes quiet for a long moment, looking away from Samindi and crossing her arms uncomfortably. "I...I dunno. It's not like...I mean, she's always been there for me, no matter what I did, and I get that, but I just wish she'd...I dunno."

Callie looks uncomfortable and desperate to change the topic. She gives Samindi another furtive, clandestine look before abruptly asking, "Sami, what do you think of Leonard?"

Samindi shrugged, "Yeah I wouldn't leave my mom either. I don't know how she would have handled all this but I know dad woulda kept us safe." She was a bit concerned she had put the fire in Callie so thought to temper it a bit, "I did this stuff before all this happened. Uh, hunting, archery, that sorta stuff. But I'm really careful, that's why I'm sick now. I don't go into towns, I run away from people. I stay safe."

Samindi frowned at Callie's insistance about what she thought of Leonard. "Uh. Like I said, he's cool. Knows some stuff. He's OK I guess." She gave a small grin, "Why? What do you think about him? You think about him a lot?" She was about to burst out laughing but managed to keep a straight face.

Samindi

"Ugh, gross, no!" Callie says, curling her upper lip at Samindi. "I don't mean it like that! He's, like, forty!"

Her crossed arms tense and she looks away from Samindi, frowning. "I mean...don't you think he's kind of weird? Like, the way he looks at you? Or the things he says to you? I don't mean you, but...me, too. And you. I dunno, it's not like he ever did anything, but he's just, sometimes, just..."

She goes quiet, frowning. "Just weird."

She uncrosses her arms and grabs the dishes again. "Whatever. Forget it. Let's just eat."

Samindi laughed at Callie's reaction, it was likely the first genuine laugh she had in a long time. Not even since the accident or the walkers, way back to when she went to school before she changed to correspondance to focus on archery. How old was she then? 13? It was good to be around someone her own age again, another girl who didn't care about competitions or training. She hadn't had a real friend for a long time...

She stopped laughing and pushed away those thoughts, this was not a world for friends. She had only just met Callie and wasn't planning on staying. She had to look after herself.

Samindi looked to Callie seriously, "Like when he wanted to check me for bites? Or cornered me alone when I got out of the bathroom saying it was hard to be alone?" She nodded, "Uh, yeah, I noticed. Thought he was just being friendly and stuff, was a bit awkward. But now you mention it, uh, yeah, he's a bit weird."

She did continue in Leonard's defense though, "He was OK out there y'know. Like all business." She decided she could at least tell Callie about the hanger, "I saved him out there. We checked a room and he got grabbed, uh, by one of those things. Had him stuck and he couldn't get to it so I stabbed it in the face..." She wrinkled her nose at the memory, "Now that was gross."

Samindi

Callie's head snaps to look at Samindi, an alarmed expression on her face. "So what, he would have died if you weren't there? Just like that?"

Callie is quiet for a moment, thinking, her expression becoming steadily more horrified. "Oh my god. He goes into buildings for food and stuff all the time! And he could have died just like that! And we wouldn't even know what happened, he'd just not come back! And then we'd have starved, or gone looking for food ourselves, but we don't know how to do that so we'd die even easier!"

She shakes her head, leaning against the kitchenette's counter. "Oh my god. What the fuck! That's crazy!"

Samindi shrugs, "Yeah that's what I was trying to tell your mom before she went off at me. You guys are pretty screwed without Leonard, you need to learn to look after yourself."

"He might be weird but he's keeping you both alive." She sighed, "He's right that having two is much better than one. I've been hiding in the forests for months, if I had someone I could trust I coulda searched homes. Probably wouldn't'a gotten sick."

She picked up some of the dishes, "Uh, sure you're mom will come around eventually." She stepped towards the door and not so subtley continued, "Anyway I'm starving. We got heaps of food so I'm sure there's something good there."

Samindi

"Yeah..." Callie says weakly, clearly still disturbed. "Yeah, I guess."

It's not clear what Callie guessing about, but whatever it is, she does not sound sure about it. Nonetheless, she gathers up the remaining dishes and carries them outside with Samindi.

When they get outside, it's immediately obvious where Leonard and Mattie are. They're sitting on opposite sides of a campfire, with Leonard sorting through his and Samindi's spoils. Both seem to be in better spirits than when Samindi last saw them; Mattie even grants her a smile as she and Callie approach.

Samindi walked back out with Callie and put some of the dishes near the campfire. With the smile from Mattie she chanced talking to her again. With a smile of her own she asked, "Uh, so how'd we do?" She was proud of her effort and happy to have come back with something.

She sat down between the pair, leaving space for Callie to sit either beside her or opposite and looked over what they had decided to start cooking. She wasn't too fussy and even though she had snacked while back in the house her stomach rumbled as food was prepared. She picked up a bottle of water and took a drink as she looked at all the food. "How long you reckon it will last?"

Samindi

"Yeah, how'd we do?" echoes Leonard, giving her an expectant look.

Mattie shoots Leonard a warning glance, but it only lasts a split second. She glances back at Samindi and Callie quickly and gives a polite smile so incongruent her earlier expression that it's likely she thinks, or hopes, that they didn't notice the look she gave Leonard.

"You did very well, Sami, thank you," she says. The bag of food is lying on the ground, and she leans forward to open it up further and poke through the contents. "There's a lot here. We decided we're going to have a nice, big meal, since we've been going hungry for so long. How about that, Callie?"

"You mean, we can eat as much - " Callie starts excitedly, her eyes widening. Samindi can all but see her mouth watering. She cuts herself off, however, and glances at Samindi. "Wait, uh - are you still sick? Can you eat?"

"Well, if she's not hungry, that's fine," Mattie says, averting her eyes. "If sure she doesn't want to make herself sicker."

Samindi smiled, whatever she thought of Mattie it did feel good to have the approval and gratitude of an adult. She looked to the ground, suddenly a bit self conscious at receiving the praise.

She laughed, "What? No. I'm eating!" She shrugged, "I already feel better than I did this morning. Just needed a rest and some water." She finished the bottle of water as if the emphasise her point. There was no way she was missing out on a single meal that she fought for. She stabbed a walker in the eye! Ew. Yeah, she deserved every bite of this food.

"So, uh, how far are we from your Grandma's house?" As good as real food and water was she did want to rest in a bed, and having someone that knew how to help her get better and who might have medicine was even better.

Samindi

"We're very close!" "It's hard to say."

Mattie is the one to say they're very close, seemingly brightening as she says it. Simultaneously, Leonard answers that it's hard to say. Just hearing that is enough to dampen Mattie's enthusiasm, and they both hesitate, not wanting to step on the other's words. Leonard is the first one to break the awkward pause.

"The RV can't go off-road and it's hard to maneuver around roadblocks," he says. "That means we're at the mercy of the roads. If there's abandoned cars or something els blocking the road, we have to either push them out of the way or go around. We're only here because we had to take a detour, actually. That makes it hard to know how long it'll take to get there."

"It is close, though," Callie adds. "I mean, as in distance. She lives in a little town called Unity. Unity, Oklahoma."

"Close enough that the food you found will get us there," Mattie says, brightening again. "That means we can go faster."

"Sure, if you think we can just stop eating once we get there," Leonard says. "We should still scavenge on the way."

"She'll have food for us."

"Enough for the rest of our lives? We can't leave anything behind!"

"And we can't keep delaying forever!" Mattie snaps back.

Samindi just ignored the adults, she didn't want to get involved in whatever problems the two of them had. So she waited for the food and spoke with Callie, "Unity huh? I've never been there."

She hadn't ever been this far west, although with no real goal for her travels she could have ended up anywhere. Perhaps it was knowing she had some family on the west coast, even though they rarely met and she could barely remember their faces it was at least something. She didn't believe she could travel so far, not with things as they were. Surviving was most important, just finding food and water for one more day. Safety as she had apparently found now was a luxury, but appreciated.

Samindi

Samindi is able to block out Leonard and Mattie's quibbling, but she can tell Callie is concerned by their argument anyway. When Samindi looks over, she can tell Callie is listening intently to them, but she looks grateful for the distraction when Samindi speaks.

"No, you wouldn't have been there," Callie says. "It's just some little town, like a few thousand people. Or, uh, it was a few thousand people before, now it's probably..."

She trails off, looking suddenly deeply uncomfortable. For a few seconds, she looks torn, like there's something she simultaneously desperately wants to and wants not to say.

"...a-anyway, it's not like nothing was there. My mom went to school there, and my grandma worked at the clinic and everything, but it's not like they get tourists or anything. Not like any tourists ever come around here anyway."

Samindi nodded, there wasn't much more to add. She understood Callie's hesitancy and from what Leonard mentioned earlier it wasn't even a guarentee that her grandmother was alive. Samindi of course hoped she was, and not only for the selfish reason of getting medication and treatment so she could get better quicker. She had barely been with the family a day but she was already comfortable, even Mattie had come around and was being pleasant now. She definitely was not making plans to stay with them but she was learning new things and was safe for now so she had no immediate desire to depart their company.

"Mhmm." Samindi mumbled, "Sounds like where I grew up."

She looked towards the food, he stomach grumbling as if just realising how long it had been since she had a hot meal.

Samindi

Whoever had collected the food had the wisdom or good fortune to get a wide variety of foodstuffs, and this meal looks to take advantage of that. Ready to be opened and cooked, Samindi can see canned beans, peas and carrots, Vienna sausages, SPAM, and what appears to be cheese powder. While this would an eccentric combination at best before the dead rose - not to mention fatty and salty - after several weeks of the apocalypse, just seeing the ingredients elicits almost overpowering hunger in Samindi despite her still looming indigestion.

"Yeah?" Callie asks curiously, leaning in towards Samindi. "Where'd you grow up?"

Samindi's mouth was watering at the smell of the food; hot, cooked food. She never thought she would be in a postion to look over the strange mix of food which such joy, apart from the vegetables there was nothing that she would have even considered eating when she was living with family. She smiled ruefully, whatever she thought of the meal it was likely to be a long time before something similar would be served again. Perhaps if they kept scavenging and got lucky it would be fine, though that brought another thought to her. They couldn't stay in one place too long, food would run out and they would have to leave... so what was everyone expecting at Callie's grandmother's house?

Callie's reply  snapped her out of her daydreaming, she hadn't really been expecting to be asked. She didn't think it really mattered but she supposed she did leave the question open to be asked. "Georgia." She said simply, "Couple hours out of Atlanta."

"Greensboro. Small town, few thousand. Boring. Not much to do apart from hunting and going to church." She looked between the food and Callie, "So how long you been travelling for?"

Samindi

"Yeah, I know what that feels like," Callie says. "It sucks. All you've got is your friends and...and whatever you've got."

Callie's voice starts out passionate, as if Samindi had landed on something important to her, but then falters near the end. At the same time, Samindi notices Mattie's eyes focusing on Callie in a warning manner.

"Paying off now, though, isn't it?" Leonard asks, grinning. "If you did as much church as you did hunting, maybe you'll save our souls, too. Assuming this all ain't God punishing us, anyway - I've heard people say that more than once."

"Like, going to my grandma's house?" Callie asks Samindi. "I guess a couple of weeks. It feels like more, though! We left my house just a few days after everything went bad! We stayed in the city, but we kept sleeping in different beds, so it feels like we've been traveling this whole time."

Callie leans in close, dropping her voice, though Mattie and Leonard are so close that it would be impossible to hide what she's saying from them. "They still haven't told me why they did that. The house was fine! It's like they thought they could keep ahead of the dead like that. I told them it didn't make any sense, but they didn't listen to me."

Mattie and Leonard exchange glances. Something about the exchange looks significant, as if there's more to it than just noting Callie's conspiratorial behaviour. Callie doesn't seem to notice.

Samindi looked to Leonard and almost rolled her eyes, "I dunno about that. I, uh, never really paid attention in church." She wasn't saving anyone's soul, she was sure of that.

She shrugged to Callie, she didn't really have much to offer in answer to her concern. "I dunno, I've always kept moving. Seemed safer." The looks between the two adults were not lost on Samindi but she couldn't think of any reason for it. Something might be going on with Callie but it didn't seem like it was important or would bother her.

Moving between places didn't seem that unusual to her although she could definitely think about how nice it would be to find a safe place to settle down and not be scared. She just nodded as Callie spoke about reaching her grandmothers house, she wasn't getting her hopes up but having somewhere would be nice. As long as it would last.

Samindi

"Sure, if you're hunting or...gathering," Callie says. "You have to keep moving to find food, right? But we'd go out and, like...we'd just sleep in another house every day, even though it's not the places Leonard got good from."

"It wasn't every day," Mattie says, inspecting something on her shoe.

"It took so much time whenever we did it until you found the RV," Callie says. "You've still never told me why - "

"Ohh-kay," Leonard says, leaning over the campfire with a grunt. "It looks like we're just about ready here. Get your dishes ready..."

The plates, bowls, cups, and utensils owned by the group were obviously pulled from multiple different sources. Samindi notices that they're all on the smaller size, but Leonard puts on a show of giving "heaping portions" to each person. Now properly prepared, the scent of actual cooked food - as opposed to raw game - is all but overpowering.

"Here you go," Leonard says, handing Samindi her meal. "If you've got the appetite, anyway, but I really recommend you eat it. Gotta keep your strength up."

Samindi didn't consider that she only lived that was recently because she was able, and that not everyone had the ability to hunt for food. Just as she was averse to going though buildings and seeking preserved food others might not be willing or able to hunt out in the woods. Callie's comment gave her some perspective, even though it was almost missed in the dispute between the girl and her mother about having to constantly be on the move.

She didn't comment, instead keeping her eyes on the food and as Leonard announced it was done Sami happily took her serving of sausage, SPAM and vegetables. She didn't feel like risking keeping her meal down by adding the cheese powder or other condiments. It took all of her willpower not to wolf down the meal and instead she paced herself, which certainly didn't mean she didn't eat her fari share. Samindi even went so far as going back for another plate of vegetables, not realising just how much she had missed them during her recent time alone.

Making sure to wash it down with plently of the bottled water Samindi sat contentedly on the ground, legs crossed before her and looked around the small group. "Best meal I had in... uh, well... since all this started."

Samindi

It's a delicate affair to balance Samindi's hunger against the precarious state of her stomach, and she can't be sure she got it right; despite her caution, she can feel something foreboding in her guts, as if it's deciding whether or not to revolt. The others clearly don't suffer from that, wolfing down their food with relentless efficiency. Objectively, even this meal probably isn't huge by pre-apocalyptic standards - it wouldn't compare to a Thanksgiving feast or a trip to a buffet - but it's clearly the largest meal any of them have had in a long time. Even Samindi is satisfied despite her smaller portion and digestive difficulties, and the others more so.

"Mmm," Leonard sighs contentedly, leaning back in his seat. "So, what did we all think?"

"That was great!" Callie exclaims. She looks invigorated by the meal, almost giddy. "I've never had SPAM before. I always heard it was bad, but - I liked it!"

"I don't think any of us have had a meal like that before," Mattie says dryly.

"Yeah, a bit of a dog's breakfast, but what can you say?" Leonard asks, before holding up his dirty bowl and one of the empty cans of beans. "We've been reduced to can-an'-bowl-ism."

"Actually, we have had some crazy meals before," Mattie says, ignoring Leonard, as she looks over at Callie. "Back when I was pregnant with you, Callie - "

"Oh, god."

" - I remember getting cravings for chocolate-chip pancakes in the middle of the night. Pancakes and tomato juice. I know that must have been you, because when you were young - "

"Oh, Mom, don't tell this story!"

" - you'd want peanut butter and banana sandwiches every day. And the first time I let you make your own, I left the kitchen for a minute and came back to see you putting your cereal in the sandwich!"

"Yeah, I know, and then I spilled it and..."

"You tried to pour it onto the sandwich like into a bowl, and then you dropped the box and spilled it all over the floor!" Mattie finishes with a laugh.

Callie looks embarrassed, glancing self-consciously at Samindi before looking back at her mother. "What did Dad do?"

Mattie's laughter dies away quickly. She looks pensively into the fire for moment before responding. "He wasn't home. I cleaned it up before he got back."

Something in her tone suggests it wouldn't be wise to ask for more. A silence falls on the group for a few seconds before Leonard stands and stretches with a grunt.

"It's gotten pretty dark," he says, and it has. By now, night has truly fallen, and everything beyond the reach of the campfire is black unknown. "Just to be safe, we better get back to the RV. Sami, why don't you bring Callie back while her mother and I clean up here?"

Samindi smiled and agreed with Callie, "Best meal I've had since... well, uh, since this all started." She didn't think she needed to clarify exactly what 'this' was. The meal was a strange mix and most of the foods completely foreign to her but they seemed to settle well enough in her stomach and not accoutning for a small bit of discomfort Samindi felt she had done fine and that the meal would definitely help more than hurt her.

She listened to the banter between the family with a smirk, somewhat missing her own parents at the way Leonard and Mattie teased and argued. When it was Callie's turn for the teasing Samindi just gave her a small shrug, trying not to make the situation more embarrassing for the girl.

As Leonard put an evd to the evening Samindi stood and gathered her things, "Sure."

She waited to Callie and headed back to the RV, "First night I've slept undercover in a while. You've been lucky."

Samindi

Even as she smiles at Callie, Samindi can feel the meal burbling in her guts, feeling strangely like it's exerting pressure through her digestive system. On a physical level, her body anticipates the opportunity to lie down with relief, but on a more intellectual level she knows that even if she does, she may have to get back up soon. Her body is frustratingly noncommittal on what it's going to do.

"I guess," Callie grumbles, not noticing Samindi's digestive distress. "Sometimes I wish we could just sleep in sleeping bags outside. All the beds are really...small..."

She trails off, her eyes scanning up and down Samindi's four feet and ten inches of height. "Well, anyway," she continues, leading Samindi to a back room. Tucked into the rear corner of the RV is a small room with a tiny mattress. "This is the biggest one. Leonard sleeps here."

She then points out a pair of bunk beds in the other rear corner. They look sized for a large child or small adult. "My mom and I sleep in those, because that's fun, having my mom right there. That's all we've needed until now, but I think we have one..."

Moving to a small couch, Callie pushes and pulls ineffectually on it for a moment before she manages to flip it downward, revealing a fold-out bed. It looks even smaller than the bunk beds, enough that Samindi isn't sure if even she can sleep on it comfortably. The mattress looks thin and there are no sheets. Callie looks down at it with an air of disappointment, then embarrassment as she looks up at Samindi.

"How have you been sleeping until now?" she asks, as if trying to change the subject.

Samindi just nodded as Callie spoke, her mind more focused on her possible need to use the toilet. As appreciative as she was for a good meal, cooked and with vegetables, she had a feeling her stomach was not going to be cooperative. She figured it had been an exhausting day, even if she had managed to steal away small opportunities to sleep, she had been more active than usual which couldn't have been good for her sickness. She guessed she should be thankful she didn't feel worse, and hopefully after a good nights sleep she could rise in the morning and eat wihout the discomfort.

She snapped out of her thoughts as Callie pulled a bed from the couch as it flipped out. Samindi kept a smile on her face, it wasn't that she was disappointed she just didn't want Callie to feel bad. "Heh, It's better than where I have been sleeping mostly."

She continued at Callie's question, "Uh, Sometimes I stopped by the edges of towns, or stayed in a barn for a night. I kept moving though.  Most of the time I was in the woods, stayed close to towns unless I hunted for food." She gave a small smile and shrugged, "Didn't go close to towns 'cos of the people, didn't go deep into the woods 'cos of the animals."

She looked to the fold out bed, "So, uh, yeah. This'll be the best sleep I've had in a long time." Her stomach burbled again, and she decided to take the break in conversation to rush to the toilet. "One sec."

Samindi

"But don't you even have a sleeping bag or - oh, uh, okay..." Callie starts before Samindi has to make a break for the toilet.

Just seconds ago, Samindi's digestive system had given almost no indication what it would be doing. Now, it's leaping into action with such commitment that Samindi has mere seconds to spare. Fortunately, her stomach itself is not the culprit, and she doesn't throw up any of the valuable food she'd just eaten. Unfortunately, it feels like her body is determined to evacuate everything else, up to and including her organs.

It's several very uncomfortable minutes before the process is complete. Samindi feels worn out, clammy with sweat, and several pounds lighter. When she emerges from the bathroom, she sees an embarrassed-looking Callie sitting on the lower bunk bed, pretending to be so deeply engrossed in a book that she is not aware of Samindi's presence.

While it's better outside of the bathroom, the RV's air still feels stifling and the walls claustrophobic. Samindi feels desperate to breathe and feel the cool night air.

For as uncomfortable as Callie looked Samindi was sure she looked more embarassed. She had never considered it before but living in an RV didn't give much opportunity for privacy. She wasn't comfortable about close contact with others at the best of times, living with three people she barely knew in a vehicle the size of her old bedroom was not going to be a pleasant experieince. She hoped they were truely not far from Callie's grandmother's house, sick as she was she didn't need everyone knowing the in's and out's of her bodily functions and discomfort.

"Heh. Uh, so how about we get some air." Sami scratched the back of her head, forgoing an apology as she felt it would just make the current situation entirely more uncomfortable for both of them. "Just feeling a bit cramped in here. Don't know how you've done it for so long."

She waited for Callie and stepped outside.

Samindi

"Uh, you go ahead," says Callie, not making eye contact. "I'll catch up."

She stays seated on the bed while Samindi steps outside. Immediately after exiting the RV, the night is almost pitch black, with Samindi only able to distinguish the sky from the silhouette of the horizon. Slowly, her eyes start adjusting to the light, but the night is still all but impenetrable after about ten feet. After living without electric light for a couple of months, the sudden transition from light to dark and her subsequent lack of night vision elicits an unpleasant vulnerable feeling.

With her eyes disabled, Samindi's hearing seems heightened. For a distance away and on the other side of the RV, she can hear Leonard and Mattie's voices, in quiet but intense conversation.

"What if he's already there waiting for us when we arrive?" Mattie's voice is low and grim.

"I'll scout it out with the girl. We can come up with an excuse for Callie. Or we can just tell her we don't know if your mom's alive or not. She can handle that."

Mattie sighs. "You really need a teenage girl covering your back?"

"Yeah, I heard you the first time. I'll tell you what, when you go out with a gun and do actually something useful, then you can judge me."

"Are you going to keep her once we get there? What if my mother's alive? Five people in that RV? We can't afford the space or the food."

"We can't afford to lose her, especially if your mom's alive. I can't support all of you by myself. Anyway, do we have to live in the RV? It's been, what, eight weeks? What if he's dead by now? You want to spend the rest of your life running?"

"No. If we survived, he definitely could. You don't know how driven he is. I won't believe he's dead unless we shoot him in the head ourselves."

Samindi was surprised to find Leonard and Mattie away from the fire but as she picked up their voices from behind the RV and realised what they were saying was secretive she knew why leonard asked the two girls to go inside. She closed the door quietly and stood on the steps of the RV while she listened to the conversation.

It started off boring enough and Samindi struggled to work out exactly who this 'he' was. That they were running from someone was a concern, even moreso that they were worried about what would happen if 'he' caught up to them. Samindi frowned as she came up in the conversation and her already disturbed stomach sunk further as Mattie asked Leonard if he would 'keep her'. It was clear the woman didn't think much of her, but the words she used made Samindi shiver. At least it sounded like Leonard appreciated her help.

It was enough to confirm her thoughts that she wouldn't stay with them long. Enough to get better, maybe pick up some medicine from Callie's grandmothers house and then leave. But for now she needed their help as it seemed they needed hers. Samindi opened the door and quietly slipped back into the RV.

She sat in one of the booth seats and looked to Callie, "So if Leonard's not your dad, do you know if your real dad's, uh, alive? I lived with both my parents all my life, up until the accident."

Samindi

By the time Samindi re-enters the RV, Callie looks less embarrassed. She's still reading her book, but she lowers it when Callie enters and smiles.

"My dad?" Callie's smile is replaced by a brief look of confusion. "Uh, I don't know. I didn't live with him. My parents divorced years ago and my mom took us to a different town. I only saw my dad once every couple of weeks."

She pauses, considering her words, but it looks like she's having as much trouble deciding exactly what her thoughts are as she is putting them into words. "I mean, I love my dad, and I know he loved me, but he was just...it was always kind of...he was just kind of intense, you know? He would..."

Callie trails off, looking simultaneously desperate and reluctant to continue. Finally, she looks away from Callie. "No, you didn't ask about my family drama bullshit. Sorry. No, I don't know if my dad is alive. I mean, I know he owned a gun, so he could be, but I haven't seen him."

Sami listened and just nodded. Callie was right about her not wanting to hear about the drama, and her question had just been meant to guage if her dad was going to find them and if he was dangerous. Sami never liked guns, so that was already a danger as far as she was concerned and with what Leonard and Mattie were talking about outside. Well, Sami had increasing doubts about staying with them past getting better. She definitely didn't want to be caught up in a situation where guns were drawn and she was stuck in the middle of some sort of wester shootout. Nope, no way she would stay waiting for that to happne.

She shrugged, "It's OK. I was just, uh, wondering."

She felt it best to change the topic, not only before Leonard and Mattie return but to save Callie further discomfort. "You know when we get to your grandma's house I can show you how to shoot a bow. Mmm... can even show you how to make one probably." She smiled to Callie, "It won't be like mine but it will be good enough for rabbits and stuff. You won't probably even need to go far from your grandma's house so your mom won't worry."

Samindi

"Really?" Callie looks back at Samindi, her earlier discomfort forgotten, her eyes now alight with excitement. "You'd do that? You can teach me that? That'd be great!"

She sets her book aside, but doesn't stop looking at Samindi. As she talks, she punctuates her words with hand movements. "I just want to be able to protect myself, you know? And I could get my own food! I wouldn't have to just rely on Leonard anymore. I wish I could learn, but my mom just - "

Callie immediately clams up as the RV's door opens. Mattie enters first, followed by Leonard. Both are wearing smiles that match their expressions when Samindi had last seen them after the meal, but seem incongruous with their tones of voice when she had been eavesdropping on them.

"Well!" Mattie says. "Are we all ready for bed? Sami, we have a - oh, you found it." Mattie looks down at the tiny fold-out bed that Callie had shown Samindi earlier.

"Yeah. Anyone can shoot a bow." She listened to Callie's keen interest wth a smile, the girls enthusiasm even causing her to get a little excited to start teaching.

She was about to reply when Mattie and Leonard returned, "Yeah, uh, Callie showed me." She looked to the small fold out, "It's great. Better than the ground anyway, and I'm inside."

She didn't want to make too much of a big deal about it, it was a generous offer and regardless of how small the bed was she was pretty small herself.

"I could definitely use a sleep. Still not feeling the best, but I'm much better. Dinner was great."

She moved her backpack, quiver and bow to beside the bed and sat down. Without a change of clothes she guessed she would just lie down. It may be a little cramped but at least it woudl be comfortable.

Samindi

Samindi is not the only one that could use a sleep. Though none of them are as physically fatigued as Samindi, all are ready to hit their beds. Thankfully, Samindi finds that her bed is just large enough for her to sleep comfortably. Once the lights go out, she can hear Mattie and Callie shifting and turning over in their beds, but only for a couple of minutes before sleep takes her.

Despite the spartan conditions, the RV is more comfortable and secure than Samindi's previous sleeping conditions outside. Her sleep is deep and undisturbed, and when she awakes, she can see morning light peeking in through the windows. She feels refreshed, her stomach troubles diminished almost to nothing.

The RV is silent except for the sounds of soft snoring from Mattie and Callie nearby. Both are still asleep. The door to Leonard's room is closed, and though muffled, she can hear louder snoring on the other side. Whatever she chooses to do now, she can do without witnesses, so long as she avoids waking the others.

Waking to the morning light, as had been habit over the previous months, Samindi was only momentarily confused before once again lying back in the bed. She was relieved she did not feel the writhing in her gut as she did the day before and it seemed that both the best meal and best sleep she had gotten in a long time went a long way towards making her feel better. She was still dirty and smelly but that was not likely to change any time soon, it was not something she had worried about previously and she was not about to start now. Although if she did end up scavenging through houses again she made a mental note to pick up a change of clothes.

She lay in the bed listening and after being certain that both Callie and Mattie were asleep, and Leonard still closed away in his room, sat up on the edge of the fold out bed.  First she checked her bow, counted the arrows in her quiver and then opened her backpack to make sure her meagre belongings were all accounted for. She didn't know what the day would bring but knew she wanted to be prepared in case she had to leave in a hurry and that meant stocking up on some of the door and water she found yesterday. It wasn't like she was stealing it, after all she had found it and carried it back here and then shared it yesterday with everyone.

While not deliberately being secretive Samindi did quietly rise from the bed and fill her backpack with a selection of food from yesterday, specifically choosing items that she herself had brought back. A six pack of water and a selection of canned and packaged food which would last her about a week. She tossed her backpack beside the bed, somewhere out of the way which hopefulyl wouldn't need to be moved or draw much attention, and lied back down. Best to take the chance to rest when she could. Not likely she would have much peace once Mattie woke up or Callie started asking questions again.

Samindi

Samindi feels well rested enough that she doesn't fall back asleep, but even lying awake is not unpleasant. The RV is more secure than most of her sleeping conditions of the past several weeks, and the ability to simply lie and do nothing is almost alien. Despite the cramped surroundings, limited bed space, and close proximity of multiple people who are essentially strangers, Samindi's conditions are more comfortable than she's had in a long time.

She hears Leonard stirring first. He's clearly trying to be quiet, but she hears him moving about in his room, then emerging from the door. Unless Samindi does something to alert him, he does not seem to notice she's awake, and enters to the bathroom for a couple of minutes before returning to the bedroom, shutting the door softly behind him. Mattie wakes next, but unlike Leonard, notices that Samindi is awake unless she make an concerted effort to hide the fact. Whether she notices or not, however, she is as devoted to being quiet as Leonard, and uses the bathroom as well.

By the time Mattie emerges from the bathroom, Leonard steps out of the bedroom, having changed his clothes. He and Mattie greet each other with silent gestures as Mattie steps into the bedroom and closes the door. She emerges a couple of minutes later, having also changed, all while Callie still lies asleep and snoring softly.

Samindi lay quietly as the two got ready and it wasn't until Mattie and Leonard both disappeared into the bedroom that she got up to use the bathroom. Just as she appreciated the bed last night it was good to finally stop having to relieve herself in bushes. Not that she considered using it but she did give a longing look towards the shower, the times she had found to bathe recently had been few and far between. Maybe if she ever got some privacy, or did end up at Callie's grandmothers house, she could indulge in a shower.

Samindi was out by the time Mattie returned from the bedroom and she sat on the edge of the fold out bed and busied herself by cleaning her bow and waxing the string. It was more just something to keep her occupied and hopefully away from any questions or conversation than performed out of any real necessity.

She did look up and give Mattie a smile in greeting as she came out of the bedroom but quickly turned her attentions back to her bow. She was really just waiting for Callie to wake up, she wasn't really comfortable with either of the adults yet and the thought of being stuck alone with either, or both, of them made her quite anxious.

Samindi

Samindi is out of luck. Callie continues to sleep blissfully away while Leonard and Mattie talk quietly to each other at the front of the RV. Their voices are hushed enough to avoid waking Callie, but if they think they are too quiet for Samindi to hear, they are mistaken.

"Let's get moving early. I want to get to her house today."

"There's no guarantee that'll happen."

"We are right there! We will, I know it."

Leonard sighs and looks towards the ceiling, but looks resigned. "Okay. Find some kind of breakfast in the food we brought back to wake me up and we'll go." He looks over at Samindi. "Give me a couple of minutes."

Both adults walk towards the rear of the RV, but Mattie stops to dig through the food that Samindi and Leonard recovered yesterday. Leonard continues until he's next to Samindi, then leans against the wall to bring his head close to hers.

"Can I talk to you outside?" he asks quietly.

Samindi was deliberately focused on maintaining her bow as Leonard approached. Her ears were pricked up from the quiet conversation betweeen the two adults and it just made her think more on the previous evenings covert conversation between the pair. She didn't want to get caught up in any trouble but perhaps she could ride this out for as long as the food would last. That and the hope of medicine at Callie's grandmother's house kept her keen to remain with the family. She was starting to take a liking to Callie too, Samindi didn't like the fact the girl was in thrall to her mother but it was good to talk to someone her own age.

She looked up to Leonard as he asked her to step outside and while the request was a surprise she nodded, gave her bow one final wipe down and slung it over her shoulder. "Sure." She replied, keeping her own voice quiet as well. It seemed whatever Leonard wanted to tell her he didn't want Callie waking.

Samindi

Leonard nods, then motions with his head towards the door. He leads her outside, taking care to close the door quietly behind them.

"Let's stretch our legs," he says, and starts walking. He glances back over his shoulder every couple of seconds until he's confident they've moved far enough from the RV to ensure privacy.

"We're pretty close to Unity, now," he finally says. He looks down at Samindi, but doesn't break his leisurely stride. "No promises, because there's always something, but we'll probably reach it within the day. I want to discuss some things ahead of time. Even if you don't make a decision now, you should start thinking about it, if you haven't already.

"So, first of all, none of us have any reason to think Callie's grandmother is still alive. Personally, I think Mattie's going for closure more than anything else. I'm not saying she's dead, but we don't know what we're going to find when we get there. Whatever we do find...we're gonna have to go on with our lives afterwards. And that brings me to my question.

"What do you plan on doing after we get there and you get cured of whatever's ailing you? You've been on your own a long time. Would you be interested in staying with us? We'd be happy to have you. God, I know Callie would love it if you stayed."

Samindi nodded as Leonard led her away from the RC. She tried to keep her suspicions in check, she half expected Leonard to make a dash back to the door of the RV and ditch her, but she followed the man further from the vehicle as he guided her out of earshot. Which was a relief to her when it was clear that was what he was doing.

She continued walking beside him as he spoke, she nodded as he spoke of getting close to Callie's grandmother's home. She was glad it wasn't much further, the inside of the RV was becoming claustrophobic eve though it has only been one night. Strangely, without her sickness to keep her mind occupied she was more aware of the confines of the vehicle. She also wasn't looking forward to being on the road for days with Mattie, Samindi was sure the woman didn't like her.

Which is why it came as a genuine surprise she couldn't hide when Leonard asked if she would like to stay with them. "Uh.. Wow... OK..." She scratched the back of her head and looked to the ground, "Wasn't really expecting that."

She looked up to Leonard, "I'm really grateful but I didn't really think much past getting better." She was about to decline the offer past finding the house but thought of the neighbourhood they explored together and the house they found all the supplies in. That wasn't something she would have tried herself and Samindi felt she learned a lot from just that one afternoon.

"Sure. Sounds good." She nodded, there was food and water here and possibly more she could learn. It was also better than saying no and getting left on the side of the road.

Samindi

"Oh yeah?" Leonard's face lights up with a combination of appreciation and relief. "Man, am I glad to hear that! I, uh - I wasn't sure you were going to say yes."

He reaches out and pats Samindi on the shoulder, squeezing it momentarily as he shoots her a smile. "Okay, so you probably noticed Mattie and Callie don't have a hell of a lot of survival skills. That means you and I are going to have to shoulder a fair bit of that weight, until they learn, anyway. Still better than doing it all alone, though, especially if we're smart about how we divide up the work.

"That brings me to my next question. Is there anything you need from us to make this work? Any sort of accommodations? Changes we can make to help this go easier, that kind of thing?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 06:33, Mon 17 Jan 2022.

"Yeah. Uh. Better than doing it alone." Samindi had struggled enough in the recent months that even though she didn't trust them not to bail on her if things got tough she would take what help she could get. As long as she was still feeling the effects from her sickness then she didn't really have a choice, it wasn't like heading off alone was a sensible option.

She tried to hide her suspicions about the offer. She didn't feel it likely that Mattie had come around easily, or at all, after just a single night but maybe she was wrong. Leonard and herself had just set the four of them up for the next week or so with food so perhaps the woman could see the value of Samindi hanging around to help. Still, she didn't trust Mattie not to give her some grief if she stayed, it just seemed to be the womans nature. That was one thing she would have to ask Leonard about. Being alone had its advantages but she understood when she needed help and right now it seemed everyone could help each other.

Her second concern she voiced as well. "Nah, everything's OK." She looked up to Leonard, "Well. If Mattie could chill out a bit it would be better." She shrugged, "But as long as we're outta the RV soon it's fine."

Samindi

Leonard frowns, then sighs, letting his hand drop away from Samindi's shoulder. "Look, I'm sorry about Mattie. She's just afraid. She's trying to look out for herself and her daughter, but neither of them know how to survive out here. That makes her feel helpless and...I guess she's acting out."

He hesitates before he continues speaking, and when he does, he's clearly choosing his words carefully. "She's done a lot to look out for Callie, too, you know, and she had to be pretty harsh to do that. But that was before all this - things are different now."

He shakes off the hesitation and grins. "Anyway, we can turn that into an advantage! I'm trying to make it clear to her that you can really help her and Callie. That she needs you. She doesn't trust easily, but once she comes around to believing that, she'll stick with you."

He shrugs. "That's all. You want to head back? Or is there anything you want to discuss, privately?

Samindi noded along as Leonard explained, it wasn't really anything about Mattie she hadn't seen already but she had her doubts that Mattie would ever believe that she needed her. So far, even with the food returned and being with them such a short time she still felt like Mattie thought her presence a huge inconvenience.

She forced a smile as Leonard finished, "Uh, sure. We'll see I guess."

She gave a brief thought to mentioning the conversation she heard last night but it seemed a private matter and one which she probably wouldn't get caught up in so Samindi pushed back her curiosity. "Nope. Nothin' really."

She turned to head back to the RV.

Samindi

"Alright," Leonard says with a shrug.

As Samindi turns, she notices they've picked up a walker following behind them, but in the open space it's easy to avoid or dispatch it on the way back to the RV. Stepping inside, Samindi smells something sweet in the air. In the back of the RV, she sees Callie and Mattie eating out of bowls. On a table, Samindi sees a couple boxes of oatmeal packets: one maple and brown sugar flavour, the other apples and cinnamon.

"Sami!" Callie calls out with a smile. "We got breakfast! Come eat something!"

Callie lifts her bowl for emphasis, while Mattie turns and gives her a small, tight smile.

Samindi was silent on the walk back, her mind on a number of things. The three seemed nice enough; even Mattie too, she guessed, and the offer from Leonard was a generous surprise. She wasn't quite fully on board quite yet, but shelter, food and a few people she trusted to watch her back was much more than she had before.

Stepping into the RV Samindi gave a slight smile seeing Callie awake and she even managed to give a polite nod to Mattie. Breakfast certainly smelled good and she said as much as she slid into the booth beside Callie. "Smells good." She picked up each box in turn and settled on the apple and cinnamon, pouring some into a bowl to prepare her own breakfast.

"It'll be good to stop somewhere for a while." Samindi spoke around a mouthful of breakfast. "I've always been moving. Dunno. Have to I guess."

Maybe she could hope for the best, maybe things were starting to turn around.

Samindi

"I know, right?" Callie answers, grinning at Samindi. "We've spent so long just eating crap, that this is just - "

She fumbles for words, then picks up her bowl and holds it directly under her face before closing her eyes and taking a long, deep sniff of the sweet oatmeal. Lowering the bowl, she leans her head back and smiles sighs contentedly.

She opens her eyes and looks at Samindi again. "We've been moving, too. I am so ready to get out of this RV."

She leans in conspiratorially, but there's no hope of having a private conversation with her mother so close. Nonetheless, she asks quietly, "How'd you like your bed last night? The size of a welcome mat and almost as comfortable, right?"

Samindi smiled as Callie chatted over breakfast. It was kind of nice having someone she could talk to, not that the pair had engaged in any extended conversation though that was hardly Callie's fault. It was almost a reminder of what she had lost and her own time with her family but she wasn't about to let those thoughts ruin her breakfast.

"Yeah. It's safe but... uh... a little cramped." She replied to Callie, trying to put it as delicately as she could.

She lowered her voice in turn as she continued. "Oh, the bed was fine. Small, sure but better than the ground." Samindi took a spoonful of oatmeal. "Stopping somewhere to stay a while, maybe a real bed... yeah..."

Samindi

Mattie finishes her bowl, setting it in the sink and using a small amount of water to rinse out the traces of oatmeal. Looking up at Leonard, she says, "You have some breakfast. I'll drive."

"Okay, just be careful," Leonard says. As he speaks, Mattie sidles past him towards the driver's seat. "Don't get careless."

"I know."

"It's a big vehicle, and we can't exactly call a tow if we - "

"I know."

Callie watches the two of them for a moment. As they start to bicker, she leans in closer to Samindi, her voice dropping to a whisper, too quiet for Leonard or Mattie to overhear.

"Remember yesterday when you said you could teach me?" she whispers. "Do you think you could do that without my mom knowing?"

As the two adults moved to the cabin and continued their bickering Samindi almost sighed in relief; they were moving again. She always felt uncomfortable staying in one spot too long, always felt like they were going to catch her. She knew it was irrational, one place was just as bad as another, but there was some hope in the back of her mind that if she kept moving she might just find somewhere... safe.

Samindi couldn't help but raise her brow at the whispered request from Callie, "Uh. Sure." She lowered her voice to a whisper as well and frowned in thought, "I guess we can start with the bow. Might be hard to find you one but at least you'll know how to use it. I don't think your mom would mind if we were just shooting at trees while the RV is stopped."

She cast an eye to the cabin, making sure Mattie was well distracted. "Ah, the other stuff. Running, hiding and finding food and stuff. We can do that later, but we'd have to hide that from your mom."

Samindi slid her bow off her shoulder, it was awkward in such a confined space but she didn't want to let it go. She lay it on the table between Callie and herself. "OK, well. Let's start with the bow." She reached under the table to her backpack and drew an arrow from her quiver as well as the archery multitool, spare strings and wax. It wasn't much but looking over it Samindi realised this was about half of all of her belongings, she would have to make a point of collecting more things.

As the RV was prepared to move Samindi started explaining things to Callie, "OK, so..."

Samindi

There is only so much Samindi can teach about archery over a cramped table, but Callie pays close attention. After each explanation, she repeats what Samindi says back to her in summary, confirming that she understands what she was told. On the occasion she doesn't, she listens patiently to Samindi's corrections, then summarizes her corrected knowledge.

Callie occasionally looks over her shoulder to check her mother has not discovered her lesson. She is not a skilled sneak and Samindi gets the impression Mattie could figure out Callie is up to something clandestine pretty easily. Thankfully, Mattie has her eyes on the road. Occasionally, the RV has to stop for Leonard to push abandoned cars off the road, but Samindi accompanies him outside for protection, so there are no lessons to discover in the brief periods when Mattie is not driving.

It's a bit after noon when Mattie suddenly exclaims "That's it!" from the driver's seat. Her voice, usually carefully controlled, is more elated than Samindi has heard before. Callie looks up, then glances out the window in time to see a sign pass:

Samindi was happy that Callie was interested and surprised that she was taking it so seriously. Even though she would have been happy talking to anyone about her bow or archery it was good to have someone interested to talk to. Her bow was possibly the only thing from before that was still the same. She had lost so much but at least she still had her bow, the last gift she received from her family.

She gladly helped Leonard move the cars, whether it be just watching the surroundings or what small help she could provide physically Samindi has happy for the fresh air and chance to stretch her legs. While the thought to ask Cllie to come too crossed her mind she felt it best just to let things lie where they were. Mattie wasn't giving anyone grief and she didn't want to do anything which could possibly rise her ire.

As the sign flew by and the others grew excited Samindi looked to Callie, "Huh. This is it? Where your grandmother lives?"

Samindi

"Yes!" Callie says excitedly. Her eyes are glued out the window, waiting for Unity's sights to come into view. "I mean, here, or a little outside of it, maybe! I've only been here a few times and I don't remember exactly where she lives, but - we're here!"

She bites her lower lip, leaning forward slightly. Something creeps into her smile - a sort of indistinct anxiety. "I didn't know if we'd ever actually make it."

If Samindi chooses to continue the lesson, Callie turns her attention back to the bow, but now she is clearly distracted. Her initial elation, however, is gradually replaced by the indistinct anxiety that Samindi saw before. She frequently glances out the window, brimming with nervous energy. Her anticipation is palpable, and it's not clear whether the anticipation is positive or negative.

She finally gives a small gasp as the RV turns off of a major street onto a dirt road. She clearly recognizes the surroundings outside the window. The lesson, if it has continued to this point, is clearly over now. The RV trundles down the dirt road for several hundred feet, then turns onto a driveway. It rolls for another several feet before finally coming to a stop. From her current angle, Samindi cannot see the house itself out the side window, but she is clearly looking at a rural front lawn.

At the front of the RV, Mattie clicks the engine off, but does not rise from her seat. For a long moment, nobody speaks and nobody moves. Finally, Callie's eyes move to make contact with Samindi's.

"We're here," she says softly. Her mouth smiles, but the trepidation in her voice reduces it to nearly a whisper.

The lesson did cease as the RV rolled into Unity; Samindi's own curiosity matching Callie's, though lacking the excitement shown by the other girl. She watched the abandoned homes pass by and wondered at the stillness and silence of everything, she guessed that was a good sign as from her experience silent usually meant safe from other people. Not so much from the walkers though. She gave an involuntary shudder at remembering her most recent encounter which was entirely too close for comfort.

Having lived in a rural area of Georgia since her family arrived in America the dirt roads and remote location just outside of the town proper was not too surprising for Samindi. It could have been just another road in Greensboro and if it weren't for the present circumstances she wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

Samindi gave a small smile as Callie announced their arrival. After what she overheard from Leonard and Mattie she wasn't so optimistic about how things would turn out. But her grandmother was a nurse, surely she would have medicine in the house? While she was feeling better she would definitely prefer to have some asprin or antiseptic cream in her bags.

She waited until the RV stopped and slinged the bow over her shoulder again. Eager as she was to get out of the vehicle she waited on the others.

Samindi

Leonard is the first one off the RV. He has his shotgun ready as he exits, and walks around the circumference of the vehicle before stopping in front of the windshield and giving Mattie a thumbs-up through the glass.

"Come on, Callie," Mattie says brusquely as she steps off the vehicle. Callie is still apprehensive, but rises and follows her mother.

However long Samindi takes the exit the RV, she finds the others still standing near the vehicle, not having entered the home of Callie's grandmother. It's an ordinary-looking house. It's perhaps a little larger than average, though it only stands one storey. The walls are red brick, and there is an attached garage, though a white car sits on the driveway outside of the garage's closed door. A satellite dish rises from the roof, and everything looks modern, though the grass and garden are both overgrown.

Callie stands closest to the RV, arms crossed anxiously, listening to Leonard and Mattie without trying to make it obvious. The two are speaking to each other in hushed tones, but have not accounted for the silence surrounding the property, making it easy to hear their private conversation.

"I should go in," Mattie says forcefully. "It's my mother."

"That's not. A good. Idea." Leonard sounds like he's trying to convince Mattie of something she has steadfastly refused to learn.

"Don't talk down to me. What the hell do you know anyway? You're not some expert. You got shown up by a little girl!"

Samindi watched the others as they prepared and left the RV. She got herself ready as well, buckling her belt quiver around her waist and pulling her backpack over her shoulders. Now that she had food and water packed in her bag she wasn't about to leave it behind in the RV. She hoped they wouldn't need to return and that everything was well at grandma's house but she didn't allow herself to get too excited.

She stepped out of the RV and nocked an arrow, she was used to the quiet but not so much with the anticipation. She cast her eyes over the house ahead of them. Just another house. She thought, though she didn't really know what she was expecting.

Deciding it wasn't really her position to determine if they should be moving she waited besides Callie. Looking to the other girl Samindi shrugged and looked around as Mattie and Leonard whisper-argued between themselves. Her eyes went back to the house, trying to see if she could determine any movement inside.

Samindi

Samindi sees no movement inside, but it's dark in the house. This is normal in a world that no longer has electricity, but it does make it difficult to see if anything is moving around inside without putting her face right up to the window. At the very least, she can tell that no one has walked right up to the window to investigate the RV's arrival.

"She..." Callie starts, then trails off. She shoots a nervous glance at Mattie and Leonard before side-stepping closer to Samindi, leaning in to speak quietly and privately. "My grandma's probably dead, you know? But I don't think my mom knows that. She came all this way, and..."

Callie's crossed arms tighten across her body, and her eyes are wide with anxiety. "I don't know what she's going to do when she finds out. I don't think she can handle it!"

Samindi frowned as she struggled to make out anything inside the house. She wasn't too surprised but had a small expectation that Callie's grandmother might be there to greet them. As much as she tried to keep her expectations low, talking with Callie's family of the past few days had given her some hope that things were about to get better.

As Callie spoke Samindi nodded, that was also pretty much what Leonard had told her the day before. She was surprised Callie seemed so calm about it, although she guessed the girl had a long enough time to sort out her feelings on the drive over here. Her comment about Mattie did worry Samindi slightly, she didn't exactly want to be around if her mother was going to be acting more crazy.

She smiled sadly, "I dunno." She didn't really know what to say but she hoped that if grandma wasn't alive then at least her body wasn't in the house. "Maybe she's like you. Maybe she already understands. Leonard does."

Samindi

"I..." Callie glances towards Mattie and Leonard, biting her lower lip. "No, I don't think so. You don't know her like I do. She wants everything to be her way. She thinks she can control everything just by wanting it enough and demanding until things go the way she wants. If she can't do that..."

She looks at Samindi and shrugs helplessly.

At that moment, Leonard speaks up. "Sami? Can you come over here, please?"

He beckons Samindi with a wave of his hand, while Mattie looks at the two girls and waits impatiently.

Samindi looked to Mattie as Callie spoke, she had not known anyone so stubborn; the end of the world was right here glaring in her face and she was trying to stare it down. She sighed and nodded as Callie finished, "You know her I guess."

She paused briefly, considering whether she should say something that was on her mind. As much a Samindi had tried to not get too close she found herself actually liking Callie. She knew it was probably a bad idea but it was nice to be around someone her own age. She sighed again, "Just... don't let her get you ki.. uh.. get you in trouble."

Fortunately Leonard chose that moment to call her over, so rather than having to explain herself any further to Callie Samindi nodded and with a shrug to Callie walked over to where Leonard and Mattie were standing, "Yeah?"

Samindi

"I wasn't planning on it," Callie says with a very small, mirthless chuckle. After a moment, she looks away and mutters, "Even if I've gotten her in trouble a lot."

As Samindi walks over, Leonard begins to speak. "Hey Sa-"

"If my mother's inside, she's dead," Mattie interrupts. Her voice is quiet, but all business. "There's no way she wouldn't hear us drive up, and if she looked out and saw us, she'd come outside. I don't want Callie to know. We're going to go in, and if she's in there, we'll get rid of her without Callie seeing."

Leonard looks annoyed but waits for Mattie to finish, waiting an extra couple seconds afterward to be sure. "Mattie wants to come in with us - "

"She's my mother."

" - even though it's dangerous - "

"I know that house! I've been in it, unlike either of you two. How is that not dangerous?"

Leonard sighs and gives Samindi a resigned shrug. "Well, you heard her."

Samindi frowned slightly as Mattie spoke, it was almost as if nobody in this family talked to one another. She looked back to Callie before turning back to Mattie and Leonard, "Yeah, Callie just said the same thing. She thinks her grandma is, uh, dead too."

She didn't really have a problem with going into the house, if Leonard and Mattie were going in as well that was. Maybe it was remembering how she saved Leonards life from the walker the day before or perhaps just the adrenelin of the fight but Samindi thought she might have actually insisted on going in. Still, she noted that Leonard just assumed she would be going in with him. There was no point in being upset about it, after all it was what she would have wanted, but it was curious how quickly he had come to rely on her. Although given Mattie and Callie were not exactly contributing much she could kind of understand why he was.

She ignored the bickering and instead checked herself once again to ensure she had everything. Once they had stopped arguing she looked up to Leonard, "Okay sure. Ready when you are."

Samindi

"She...does?" Mattie looks taken aback, then turns her attention past Samindi to look at Callie. She doesn't even notice Leonard shooting her a clear I told you so look.

"Well...I still don't want her to see it," Mattie says, looking back at Samindi.

The three ascend the steps up onto the house's front landing. The house is still and quiet. Around her, Samindi hears the sound of wind blowing through trees and a single bird, but nothing else. Mattie gives one more glance back at Callie, then knocks on the door.

"I thought you said she'd - " Leonard starts, but Mattie shushes him. After several seconds with no response, she kneels down and reaches into the underside of a chair on the front porch, retrieving a key. She slides the key into the door lock, only to find it is already unlocked. She pushes the door open, revealing the front hall of a dark house.

"Mom?" Mattie calls into the house. "It's Matilda."

Only silence answers. Mattie waits for a few minutes, then takes a deep breath and releases it slowly. She steps into the house, stopping to remove her shoes just inside the door with movement so quick and easy that she doesn't even look down at them until she is finished, her expression slightly confused as if she doesn't know why she did it.

Shaking her head, she steps deeper into the house, moving without the caution that Samindi and Leonard employ.

Samindi didn't reply to Mattie, there wasn't really much more to say. She was sure she wouldn't want to see any person she knew as a walker, let alone a family member now dead. She did hold back a smile as Mattie showed her surprise, she thought Callie much more capable than what Mattie believed and maybe, hopefully, this went a small way towards changing her opinion of her daughter. Samindi looked back to Callie and gave a small thumbs up as the three walked towards the house.

The key was a surprise to Samindi, and she almost breathed a sigh of relief that she woudln't be asked to climb through windows or have Leonard smash down another door. Samindi frowned as Mattie called into the house and opened her mouth to warn the woman but at the last minute decided against saying anything. She wasn't unaware of how delicate the situation was, Mattie was about to find her own mother zombiefied.

Instead she waited patiently for Mattie to remove her shoes and then stepped into the hall behind her. Once inside she immediately felt the confines of the house restrict her and Samindi gave an inward sigh as she put her arrow away, slung her bow over her shoulder and once again pulled the makeshift knife from her belt.

Unless told otherwise she would remain between Mattie and Leonard. Knife in hand she listened for any response from the house after Mattie had made her noise entering.

Samindi

Callie catches Samindi's thumbs-up, and she returns it with one of her own as Samindi disappears into the house.

Inside the front door is a living room, decorated with two chairs, two footrests, a couch, and a coffee table, along with floor lamps for each. It looks undisturbed, like a time capsule from before the dead rose. One one side table is a hardcover book, a laminated bookmark sticking out from between the pages, but otherwise the room is utterly neat and clean.

"Mom?" asks Mattie again, and steps through a doorway into a kitchen full of equipment that appears to date from the 70s or 80s. Another doorway leads to a dining room that loops back to the living room, equipped with a table with four chairs. Both the kitchen and the dining room are as clean and neat as the living room.

Leonard begins opening cupboards, revealing cereal boxes and canned food. Mattie immediately turns and gives him a look that could lesser men. "What the hell are you doing?" she whispers furiously. "You can't wait to start taking my mother's food?"

"I thought maybe we can tell if she's alive," he answers, also in a whisper. "If there's perishables, it means she hasn't eaten them yet, and that means - "

"I know what that means," Mattie whispers back. "I'm not stupid. That's really your first priority right now? Check my mother's food for evidence when we're already looking through the house for her?"

Samindi hears a soft thump from upstairs. The other two adults, consumed by their conversation, don't seem to have heard it, nor are they paying much attention to her.

Stepping into the house Samindi looked around as the other two bickered in the kitchen. She didn't touch anything, she didn't even consider it given the state of the house. It was strange to her, not just the age of the furniture, the type of which she had never seen before; but also the house had not been looted. It wasn't exactly in the town so she guessed it could have just been forgotten and left alone.

It was during this musing that she heard the noise upstairs, she gave a small frown as she looked to the kitchen. It didn't appear as though Mattie or Leonard heard it, they appeared to be absorbed in the dispute about cereal or something.

"Hey..." She looked towards the kitchen after a few moments of no reply. "HEY!" After making sure she had their attention. "Uh, someone is upstairs. Heard something moving."

She made no move towards the stairs and waited instead for one of the others to move in that direction.

Samindi

Leonard and Mattie immediately go silent. Leonard's eyes scan the ceiling, but Mattie's gaze immediately focuses on one particular portion of it. Without saying anything, she steps past Samindi and returns to the living room, heading towards the stairs.

The stairs lead to a short hallway on the second floor with four doors. Mattie moves to one in particular, neither the leftmost nor the rightmost, with a certainty that implies she knows where to go. "Mom?" she asks again, knocking on the door, then grabs the knob and opens it.

For a moment, Samindi sees nothing but cream-coloured wallpaper and the edge of a closet. Before the door is even fully open, Mattie peeks her head inside, then screams as a hand reaches out and grabs her back the hair. She screams and tries to pull back, but the hand's grip is too strong. She loses her footing in the tug-of-war and falls to the ground, knocking the door open enough to reveal a walker. It looks like a portly elderly woman, clumsily trying to push past the semi-ajar door to bring its jaws to bear on Mattie's head.

Samindi did start to say something as Mattie strode past her. "Wai.." but it was lost as the woman headed up the stairs. Looking to Leonard with a shrug Samindi followed Mattie up the stairs and waited on the landing as the woman knocked on the door. It was clearly her mother’s bedroom, and Samindi knew without opening the door what awaited Mattie inside. She considered speaking again as Mattie opened the door but decided against it. She could kind of understand; if there was a possibility of her parents being alive in that room she would have rushed forward as determined as Mattie.

But as much as she thought she knew what to expect Samindi still gave a small jump back in surprise as Mattie screamed and the hand reached out from behind the door to grab at her hair. Samindi's knuckles turned white as she tightened her grip on her makeshift knife. She should help, she knew that, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to attack the walker. This wasn't some random corpse that was in her way, and even if she never knew the woman it was still Callie's grandmother. Mattie's mom.

She was torn with indecision and in the brief moments that passed a single thought stood out among the many flooding her mind. If she killed the walker, even if she saved Mattie, Mattie would probably still blame her for killing her mom. Then Callie would know, and the only possible friendship she had in months would be ruined. It was selfish, she knew; but she stood and looked to Leonard, hoping he was willing to take the responsibility in the moment.

Samindi

Leonard does not seem to share Samindi's calculated restraint. He shoulders past Samindi, levels the shotgun at the walker, and fires. The sound is even more powerful within the confines of the hallway.

Some of the buckshot tears into the doorjamb and is wasted. Wood splinters and flies through the air as the rest of the buckshot hits the walker in the head, but misses the brain. Most of its jaw and one cheek explode out in a gruesome confetti of dark blood, teeth, and scraps of leathery flesh.

Mattie screams, but the walker itself is unperturbed. Its grip on Mattie's hair remains as strong as ever as it lowers its injured head down towards her. Before it reaches her, however, Leonard steps closer to the door, almost putting the end of the barrel up to the walker's forehead. When he fires this time, its skull is obliterated, and the corpse falls backward into the room.

Leonard kicks the door open, pointing his shotgun down at the body before looking down at Mattie. "Are you okay?" he asks, but she only sobs, drawing herself up into a sitting position.

Samindi quite readily stood aside as Leonard took charge of the situation. She didn't exactly know what to expect, she knew he had the shotgun; but after killing walkers so carefully and quietly for so long she didn't really expect the sound or the mess that followed.

She flinched back as the noise of the blast rang out and as she looked back at the damaged door frame and shattered head of what was once Mattie's mother she blanched. She thought she had grown used to the gore and voilence of this new world, but being a few feet away from a shotgun blasted head was almost too much for her. The second blast did cause her to turn away, averting her eyes from the scene lest she lose her stomach.

As Leonard spoke and Mattie sobbed, Samindi turned back to the two, shuffling along the landing to try and avoid having to see the most gruesome of the remains of the old woman. Breathing heavily, she looked between the two others as she waited for her nerves to settle. Any courage or adrenelin she had was lost to her through the two blasts of the shotgun.

Samindi

Leonard looks helplessly back and forth between Mattie at has feet and Samindi making her best effort not to see him in return. Clearly not sure what to do, he loiters around, pretending to be on guard until Mattie recovers.

"C-Callie," she finally says, voice cracked, looking up at Leonard and Samindi. "Callie must have heard those shots. We have to get...get the body out. God...what a mess."

She stands up, looks down at the corpse, then up at them both. "Help me."

Samindi looked at Leonard in disbelief, she was not going to be hauling a body out of the house or to wherever they wanted to put it. She didn't know how much help she would be anyway, but better let Leonard handle it; Mattie too, it was her own mother after all. Mouth agape she looked from Leonard to Mattie and took the opportunity to remove herself from the situation and any possible clean up.

"Uh, Callie. Yeah." She turned and darted down the stairs. Without looking she called back, "I'll check she's OK, we'll stay outside." She was definitely not getting caught up in corpse disposal.

As Samindi reached the front door she gave one look back towards the stairs before settling her nerves as she opened the door.

Samindi

Leonard looks from the body to Samindi, looking almost as reticent to move it as her, but doesn't stop her from leaving. Mattie does not seem to notice her exit at all. Neither try to stop her from leaving; as Samindi descends the stairs, he hears a resigned sigh from Leonard, but no words.

When she opens the door, she sees Callie sitting in a hanging bench next to the garden. She looks over her shoulder at Samindi, looking pale and regretful. She looks desperate to speak, but takes a moment to do so.

"I heard shooting," she finally says. "Was that her?"

Samindi was relieved that nobody tried to stop her as she darted downstairs and opened the front door. That was not a situation she really wanted to get involved in.

She walked over to where Callie was seated and sat down beside her on the bench. Samindi gave her sad smile and nodded her head. "Yeah." She waited a few moments and continued, "Leonard and your mom are okay, it was too late for your grandma."

Samindi didn't know what more she could say though she did keep a subtle eye on Callie after she broke the news. She didn't know if this was Callie's first time losing someone; it was hard. After she lost her own parents she just wanted to crawl into a ball and die and perhaps she would have if hunger had not roused her to move. She reached over and put a comforting hand on Callie's thigh, she may not have had anyone when things went bad for her but maybe she could be there for Callie. She really pitied the girl and her mothers sheltering, it couldn't last forever, you can't hide from this world.

Samindi

Callie's face twists in pain. She covers her eyes with her hands, then - without asking - reaches out, wraps her arms around Samindi's shoulders, and begins to sob quietly.

"I haven't seen her in years," she whispers, her fingers clutching desperately at Samindi like claws. "We had a fight...she told me never to come back...I wanted to show her I'm better now, but..."

She buries her face in Samindi's shoulder, squeezing her harder.

Samindi's eyes widened in surprise as Callie grabbed her. As with Leonard, Samindi was initially stiff as a board and her arms didn't leave her sides. Callie had seemed so calm and accepting of it all, but it was very different when reality slapped you across the face.

She did wonder what Callie could have done to cause her own Grandmother to effectively disown her. She had appeared such a placid and obedient girl, Samindi couldn't help but wonder if perhaps it was not the zombie apocalypse that caused Mattie to be so protective of her daughter but perhaps something about the girls past.

Slowly, as she thought on the curiosity, Samindi found her own arms wrapping around Callie's waist. She didn't go so far as to offer comforting words, not knowing exactly what to say, but perhaps there was comfort in the closeness. Samindi could admit herself that it was a nice change to the previous few months and found her mind fighting with itself about staying with the family, with Callie, or leaving as soon as she was well as she had planned.

After a minute Samindi spoke, "I'm sure she knew." She didn't know how her grandmother would have known, but it seemed the most comforting thing to say.

Samindi

"No..." Callie sniffs. "I don't think so."

She withdraws from the hug, slumping against the back of the bench. She looks smaller, folded into herself, eyes facing down in her lap. "In my first year of high school, I...I got addicted to meth. So fucking stupid. I got into it so I could be friends with some older kids and I didn't even like them very much.

"Of course, I didn't have any money because I have fucking fourteen, so I had to steal things and sell things and...it got so fucked up so fast. I'm so lucky my mom didn't give up on me. She should have. I would have. I couldn't even keep clean, I kept relapsing and..."

She draws her legs up to her chest and wraps her arms around them, staring out over her knees across the grass. "I was 'clean' the last time I came here. I told them that...I even believed that. But then my grandma caught me trying to steal things so I could sell them for more fucking crystal. She told me never to come back."

She buried her face in her knees. "She said I was dead to her."

"Oh."

There wasn't much more to say about the shocking revelations. Callie was, is? a drug addict. She didn't really admit to being clean but Samindi figured it was forced on her; after all is wasn't likely drug dealers were still working during the apocolypse... were they? Samindi had no experience is drugs, or any sort of illicit activities really. Strict parents and a safe upbringing kept her away from such things. Besides it wasn't like she was ever the most sociable girl, the last party she attended was serving fairy bread and orange juice.

After offering the comforting embrace Samindi kept her eyes to the ground. She didn't really know what to say so remained quiet. But it was only a few moments before a thought came to her.

"So, uh, you know how to get into houses? Know what to look for? Where things are?"

Samindi

Callie's face rises from her knees, giving Samindi a look like she's not sure whether to be offended or not.

"I didn't say I was good at it," she finally says. "If I was, I probably wouldn't have kept getting caught."

She's silently sullen for a few seconds before making eye contact with Samindi again, now from the corner of her eyes. The slightest hint of a pained smile appears at the corner of her mouth. "But I learned a few things, yeah."

Samindi raised her hands towards Callie, placating her. "No, no! I dind't mean it like that!" She sighed, she wasn't making a good beginning of this friends things. "Uh. All I'm saying is that's what Leonard does whenever he goes to look for supplies. Only much louder." She frowned at remembering the previous day.

Perhaps Samindi had forgotten about Callie's grandmother already or perhaps she was making a real attempt to distract Callie from her own thoughts. "I never knew anything like that, I still don't! Leonard had to show me stuff when we went out together." She shrugged, "All I'm saying is they're kinda handy skills to have right now... with all... this."

She grew silent and looked towards the house, trying to think about anything but what Leonard and Mattie were doing right now.

Samindi

"I know what you meant," Callie says, that tiny, pained smile growing slightly less tiny. "And I'm saying I wasn't any kind of great thief or anything. I got arrested for it, and nowadays I'd just get killed for it."

She sighs, looking away from Samindi, eyes focused on nothing at all as she slumps in the hanging bench. "But maybe I know something that can help you and Leonard if I come along."

Something occurs to her, and she glances at Samindi, alerted. "I really don't think that's how we should sell it to my mom, though."

Samindi shook her head, "Wasn't planning on it.""

She sat a moment and continued, "I mean, you don't have to come out straight away. But, uh, when you do. At least you'll know something." She gave a side-eye to Callie with a small smile, "Maybe you can show me a thing or two."

Samindi stood up and stretched. It probably wasn't a good idea to enter the house until leonard and Mattie had finished with their clean up. She didn't even want to see that, let alone get Callie to. Instead she looked around the grounds of the house before turning back to Callie. "Want to go for a walk?" She asked, "Not far, just around the yard a bit. I don't know how you've stayed in that RV for so long."

Assuming Callie agrees Samindi begins a slow walk around the yard, keeping an eye out for any walkers or other people.

Samindi

Callie is quiet for a moment, then nods. "Yeah - yeah, that's a good idea. Let's do that."

She stands up, and while she doesn't stretch like Samindi did, she looks anxious to get moving. Initially, Callie walks faster than Samindi, and has to force herself to match her slower pace. She rubs her arms despite the heat, and her eyes linger on the horizon rather than anywhere closer.

"Can I ask you something?" she asks after a couple minutes, looking at Samindi. Her eyes look sad and lost. "Your, uh...your parents. How do you deal with it?"

Samindi slows her walk, she figured she should have expected the question but it came as a surprise. "Oh. Uh... I was a mess for days. Still think about them every day. It's a bit sad but sometimes it's good. Like I know they would want me to go on, not give up. So that's why I do, I guess that's how I deal with it."

She stopped walking. "Uh, but I guess I don't really know they're dead for sure."

It probably required some explanation. She smiled sadly, "Well. It was a car crash, like I said. They hit something on the road and the car ended up in a ditch. It was dark; Dad was buckled into his seat but Mom fell out of the car. She was lying on the road with those... things... standing over her. Mom screamed. I got scared and I ran." Her eyes dropped and she winced slightly, remembering the shame of leaving her family.

"I came back in the morning and everyone was gone. Dad was gone, Mom gone. The only thing I found was Mom's pendant on the road." She was sad in recounting it but she felt it strange tears didn't come to her eyes. "I sat there for days, waiting, and when they didn't come back I moved on. They might not be dead but I know for sure they are gone."

Samindi

"Oh my god," Callie says quietly, almost a whisper. "I'm so sorry."

She looks like she wants to say more, but she can't seem to think of anything. After several seconds, she says hopefully, "Maybe they're still alive, though? And if so, maybe there's a chance you'll still meet them? There's not many people left now - if you go somewhere with a lot of people, maybe..."

She trails off. By the time she does, it's clear not even she believes what she's saying. She looks pressured, trying to think of something to say, before she changes the subject.

"I know I'm lucky I still have my parents," she says. "Or my mom, anyway. I don't know if my dad is still alive."

Her mouth quirks quizzically. "I wonder what would happen if we ran into him."

"Maybe." Samindi replied to Callie. She had given up hope of finding her parents, if they were even alive, and had focused on her own survival. Besides, it was much more likely her father would find her than she would find him. Maybe, as Callie said, she could try areas with more people; something she had been avoiding.

As Callie mentioned her father Samindi was reminded of the overheard conversation between Leonard and Mattie and their concerns about him.

"Oh? She decided against mentioning anything just yet. "You knew him?"

She frowned slightly, "Why? What do you think would happen if he found you?"

Samindi

"Yeah, I knew him," Callie says, as if it's obvious. "He's my dad! My mom got custody, but he got a weekend a month with me for a while, and he'd show up for my birthdays and holidays, um...trials, and stuff. A few years ago my mom moved away and I didn't see him as much anymore. I know there was some kind of...tension there between them, but she didn't tell me anything about it."

She pauses, thinking. "You think she'd tell me now?" After a moment, she sighs. "No, she wouldn't.

"I don't know what would happen if he found me. I mean, I know he'd take care of me, but I don't think he could get along with my mom. He said some really bad stuff about her when I was visiting him. She didn't say as much about him, but I know she doesn't like him. She didn't even like it when I visited him. You could feel it whenever they were in the same room, even during Christmas and stuff."

She is uncomfortably silent for a moment, before saying, unprompted, "He's just kind of intense."

Samindi thought on what Callie said, she guessed it kind of matched up with what she overheard between Mattie and Leonard. Although she felt the two seemed almost scared of Callie's dad, Callie certainly didn't seem that way though.

She turned to Callie as she stopped on the word 'intense'. Samindi found it interesting, "Seems like he loves you. Sounds like he would take good care of you."

She didn't want to cause trouble, but there was a thought in the back of her head. Also, if she was going to be joining the three others for a while she wanted to know more. Definitely more than Mattie would tell her, but perhaps Leonard would tell her the truth if she asked.

She nodded her head back in the direction of the RV. "So, uh, the RV? Any plans? You going some place or, uh, running from something."

Samindi

"I know he loves me," Callie says almost reflexively. "I guess I don't know if he'd take good care of me. I mean, I know he'd try. But even back before all this, he didn't know me as well as my mom and he didn't really know as much about taking care of me. Like I said, he still tried, but..."

She sighs. "I don't know. I guess he didn't get as much of a chance. Maybe I wouldn't have fucked up so much if he was taking care of me."

After a moment, she gives a very soft, very brief chuckle. "I know there wouldn't be Leonard here if my dad was."

Callie glances at the RV when Samindi mentions it. "I don't know. It wasn't my plan to take the RV anyway, you know? I don't know if we're going to keep using it. I know it's hard to get gas, Leonard complains about that almost as much as food. I kind of thought we'd be staying here once we got here, but with my grandmother...you know..."

She looks at Samindi. "What do you mean, running from something?"

Samindi listened along as Callie explained how her father was. It seemed so strange to her, so different from her own family and her own father. She did raise an eyebrow about the Leonard comment about him not being there if her father was. That would probably be a bad thing, Leonard seemed to know what he was doing and had done a good job so far.

She was surprised when Callie focused on the running part and questioned her.

"Uh. Nothing really." She shrugged, "Just you said you were always moving, always traveling and you didn't know why you couldn't settle down."

"No reason not to stop is all, especially if you don't know where you're going. " She wasn't really keen on explaining what she overheard. "Maybe your mom and Leonard have a plan, you know? They seem pretty protective of you. That's good I guess..."

She looked to the ground and kicked at the overgrown grass as she walked. It wasn't really her place to get involved, she knew as much as she needed to for her own sake and safety. If Callie's father found them then it was probably in her best interest to get as far away as possible and try not to get involved.

Samindi

"I..." Callie trails off. She puts a hand to her chin, and Samindi gets the impression she is examining her memories with a new perspective.

"I guess, when you say that..." she finally says slowly, "I mean, I know we wanted to get my grandma, so that makes sense, but what about all that time before we got the RV? We kept sleeping in different houses! I thought my mom was trying to stay ahead of the biters, but that doesn't make any sense!"

She crosses her arms, looking troubled. "What if she wants to keep running? Where are we going to go? And Leonard's always talking about how much gas the RV needs - I kinda thought it only had to get us this far, but what she wants to keep driving it?"

Over Callie's shoulder, Samindi sees Leonard and Mattie emerge from the house's front door. Mattie could not possibly look more grim, but there is a bit more energy in Leonard's body language. Seeing Samindi and Cassie, Leonard raises his hand and waves, then motions for them to come closer.

Callie does not seem to notice Mattie and Leonard. "Where can we even run?" she continues. "There's nowhere safe left in the world."

Samindi shrugged, ”I kinda always kept moving too y’know. Places didn’t have food, or ran out and I had to move.” She grimaced, ”And sometimes the people I met were, uh, creeps I guess; and the walkers too…”

She trailed off as Callie spoke, ”I dunno if it’s a bad thing to always keep moving, but I would like to find somewhere safe.” She looked at Callie and shared her concern, ”If anywhere is safe anymore.”

She noticed Mattie and Leonard leaving the house and was somewhat relieved when Leonard waved them over. She was feeling a little guilty at how she left them with the mess but it really wasn’t something she wanted to get involved in and even seeing what she did was knowing too much. She didn’t expect Leonard to give her a hard time, and perhaps Mattie wouldn’t say anything either, Samindi felt the woman had bigger issues right now.

Pointing over to the pair of adults she said to Callie, ”Looks like they’re done. Wanna head back?” She followed Callie back when she was ready to walk to the house.

Samindi

"What do you mean by 'creeps'?" Callie asks, then almost immediately corrects herself. "Actually, never mind, I think I can guess. Mom and Leonard tried to stay away from people."

She sighs and pauses for a moment, thinking, before she speaks again. "I don't think anywhere's safe anymore. Anywhere people were living before is just full of walkers now, right? Anywhere that doesn't have walkers is because no one was living there, so how are we going to? And if there is anywhere people can live that's safe, other people are just going to come and take it from us, right?"

She looks over at Leonard and Mattie. "Yeah, okay. Let's go back."

Samindi and Callie return to the house. Mattie speaks first. "Callie, we have to talk. It's - "

"I know," Callie interrupts her. "Grandma's dead."

Mattie looks slightly taken aback, then gives Leonard a look. Leonard steps forward and puts a hand on Samindi's shoulder. "Can we walk and talk, kiddo?"

As Leonard spoke Samindi looked from him to Mattie and scowled briefly. Her initial sympathies for Callie's mother passed quickly as it seemed that in the woman's eyes she had yet again done something wrong. She wasn't going to apologise for not helping them clean up a body, whatever they wanted, and she certainly wasn't going to let anyone tell her what to do. As far as she could tell they weren't in any better situation that she was, well... not now, yesterday may have been different.

She gave a small smile to Callie, " See ya." As she followed Leonard away from the pair.

When they had walked far enough to be out of earshot she started first, trying to pre-explain things. "She already knew."

Samindi

"Yeeeaahhh..." Leonard says, mixing the word with a very long, very heavy sigh. "You mentioned she guessed that before we even got into the house. I figured there wasn't any doubt once she'd heard the shotgun."

He gives a quick glance over his shoulder, but they've made significant distance from the house, and neither Mattie nor Callie are anywhere to be seen.

"Mattie already knew about her mother. I mean, you know she knew, but she didn't know that Callie knew. Or didn't want to know - I tried telling her, but, well, you know how stubborn she can be."

He shoots Samindi a sympathetic look. Though he's always treated her with respect, this is more familiar than their previous conversations: he talks to her like a peer, despite their difference in age.

While Samindi appreciated Leonards candour she still couldn't help but feel like something was wrong. Something that likely had to do with Mattie. Maybe it was just the look he gave her something was different since the two adults left the house. She didn't comment on Leonard's opinions on Mattie, even though she had only been with them a couple of days she knew very well how Mattie was and how protective she was of Callie.

"So what now?" She asked.

Samindi

"That's what we've got to figure out, isn't it?" Leonard says. "We came all this way for Mattie's mother. Without her, this place is just a house. It's got food and medicine, but that'll only last so long. Even if she were still alive, we'd probably move on soon enough. Mattie needs a goal in front of her - she's been thinking in the short term all this time. Now she - we - got nothing to do but just...live."

He brings up a hand and rubs Samindi's back. "That means they're going to have to rely on us. Mattie and Callie don't know how to survive like you and me. I know that's going to be a lot of pressure, but I trust you. You're young, but you're mature. Maybe no one else sees it, but as far as I'm concerned, you're an adult. You can make adult decisions."

His hand moves to her shoulder and gives it a squeeze. "Whatever those decisions are, I'll have your back. I'm here with you. You can trust me."

Samindi nodded, while she respected Leonard for being the one to keep Mattie and Callie alive she didn't yet know if she trusted him, or Mattie, or maybe Callie even. With the look that passed between the two earlier she was almost positive that Mattie had asked Leonard to tell her to leave. Maybe she had, but at least it seemed that Leonard and Callie wanted her to stay. She still did not like all his touching, but that was likely more her than Leonard. Some people were just like that she guessed, a bit too touchy, her grandfather was the same. She just wasn't like that, didn't really like anyone touching her. She managed not to pull away from him this time and continued nodding as he called her an adult.  Well, if she was going to remain wih the three of them, for now, and was making 'adult decisons' then there was no harm in asking something, telling Leonard what she wanted.

"Thanks." She forced a smile, "Well, uh, I guess if I'm hanging around then I still need that medicine, something for my stomach, and an aspirin too."

"I get moving on, but at least a few days in a real bed would be good." She looked up to Leonard with a bit more confidence, "I could hunt, we could go into the town and scavenge. We could stay here a while, maybe."

"And, uh, just so you know." She scrunched up her nose and grimaced a bit, "I'm not trying to upset Mattie and I can try and stay away from her but I'm not Callie, I don't have to listen to her."

Samindi

Leonard nods. "That's right - Mattie's mother was a nurse or something. She ought to have plenty of medicine around. Gonna be a lot of easier to rest now, too, that we don't have to all squeeze into that RV."

His hand slips down Samindi's side and pulls her closer to him. The hand stays there, just above her hip, fingers splayed like a tarantula clutching her. "Of course, we still have the RV. Could be useful if anyone wants to get away, have some privacy.

"And you're right, you don't have to listen to Mattie." Leonard's voice is low and oddly quiet, conspiratorial. "She needs us. That's what I've been trying to say. If there's anything you want to do - ever wanted to do - you don't have to worry about her."

Samindi was nodding as Leonard started to speak but was surprised as he grabbed her to him. She looked down to the hand grasping at her side and just froze. She had felt he was being weird around her but wasn't 100% sure if it was him or her just misinterpreting things. This was more than enough confirmation that he was not just being 'nice' but she was in a difficult position. She didn't want to offend him, he had medicine and guns and Callie was with him but she didn't like him touching her.

She gave an uneasy smile, "I, uh, won't worry about Mattie then." She felt like she was going to be sick. She was stuck with him for now, she had better just try and hand around Callie. Or even Mattie, she was better than this.

Samindi slipped out of his hands, "Still don't feel great. Might go find an aspririn or something."

She started to walk back to Callie.

Samindi

"Uh - " Leonard's face falls as Samindi slips out of his grip. He stays in place as she takes the first few steps back towards Callie, but then reacts.

"Hey, wait," he says, following after Samindi. His tone of voice is that of a command, not a plea. "Hold on! Let's talk about this!"

He's about to say something else when Samindi hear a zip, like a bee moving past at incredibly high speed. Leonard suddenly jerks and stumbles, his hand coming up to his shoulder.

A moment later, Samindi hears the crack of a gunshot. Leonard pulls the hand away from his shoulder and stares at his palm, slick and bright with crimson, in amazement.

Whatever he said Samindi was not returning to the man and she would make sure she was not alone with Leonard again. She sighed as she turned to Callie, things had been looking pretty good for the past couple of days. Leonard knew how to scavenge, she was getting along with Callie and even Mattie had generally left her alone even if she didn't like her. Samindi was so disappointed. She knew she shouldn't get her hopes up, she could only rely on herself.

The buzz caused her to turn back to Leonard and she watched only a moment, confused as to what the man was doing. When she heard the gunshot and the blood flow from Leonards shoulder Samindi just ran. Callie, Mattie and them all were forgotten as she ran to the house, the safest place she could work out in the rising panic of the situation.

Samindi

Samindi breaks into a run. A moment later, she hears another gunshot. Now that she expects it, she can tell it's a significant distance away, well far from the house. Behind her, she hears Leonard grunt, and then a sound like a man hitting dirt.

She does not see Callie or Mattie; both are probably inside the house as she nears the door, she hears more gunshots, but these are from inside the house. She also hears screaming.

Samindi was about to enter the house when she heard the further gunshots and screams. She paused for barely a moment, changing her mind to run around the back of the house. Frantically looking for somewhere safet to hide.

She had no idea what was going on or why they were being attacked. Her only thought was to find cover and somewhere she could wait until whatever was going on was over.

Samindi

As Samindi pauses, she hears the screeching of tires from the driveway. Skidding to a stop is a hefty flatbed truck, so overladen with supplies that some tumble out of the bed to land in the ground from the sudden stop. As she moves to the back of the house, one door opens and a man with a rifle jumps out of the truck, followed by a woman.

There's plenty of places to hide behind the house, but Samindi has little time to choose a good one. She continues to hear screaming from within the house, but it's a struggle to make out any words.

Samindi

With her outdoorsman skills, Samindi picks out what she believes to best the best location to hide behind the house. Decorative flower bushes disguise a shallow but steep dip in the earth that, if she crouched, would provide both visual and solid cover relative to the house. It's probably her best alternative to simply sprinting away, which would get her away from whatever was happening in the house but make her vulnerable to the shooter that shot Leonard.

Inside the house, she can hear Mattie, Callie, and an unfamiliar male voice. She can't make out the words of Mattie or the male, but she hears Callie's panicked scream: "No, daddy, no, no, please!"

Between the car, the gunshots and the screaming Samindi was relieved to find a place that was relatively safe from all the chaos. The dip in the round was perfect for her to hide away in and Samindi wasted no time in jumping down and hiding. She tried to keep an eye on things from her covered position but generally kept her head low, heart pounding as her mind went over her options for getting out of this. For now she waited, until things had settled down there was not need to rush and do something stupid.

Samindi wasn't a hero and if Mattie and Leonard were scared of Callie's father then there was absolutely nothing she was going to do to help. It wasn't like he would kill Callie... surely.

Samindi

Samindi can see little from her position. She thinks she sees motion in one upper-floor window, but it is bright outside and dark in the house, so the sun's glare and reflected sky make it impossible to see any details.

As she watches, she hears an explosive gunshot from inside the house, followed by the sound of Callie screaming. She sounds terrified and hysterical.

Well, that was likely Mattie dead. Samindi looked around in panic, her heart pumping in her chest, she didn't have any great options. Just lay low while this all blows over and hope that nobody found her.

She remained where she was, staying low and hiding in the garden.

Samindi

Samindi hears more gunfire from within the house. As she watches, the window where she saw movement explodes outward, raining glass shards into the garden below. Through the now open window, she sees the back of a red-haired man. Shattering the window also allows her to hear Callie's panicked screaming much more clearly.

As Samindi watches, the man reaches out with one hand and grab something Samindi cannot see. At the same time, Samindi hears Callie shout, "No, no, no! Let me go!"

Samindi didn't want to move. She was scared. As the gunshots continued she remained hidden, barely risking a peek towards the house and the motion behind the glass window. She didn't like guns at all, and seeing Leonard shot right in front of her terrified her. She was only now starting to catch her breath and begin to think things through.

Who else was there? There were more gunshots after she guessed Mattie was shot, were they fighting amongst themselves? She guess that was Callie's father who grabbed the girl as she screamed 'No!'. That meant that she was still alive at least, perhaps if Samindi approached the house and announced herself she wouldn't be shot. He wouldn't shoot a girl surely? He had a daughter. She bit her lower lip as she considered the situation. If they just moved on and left her there it would be best, but if they decided to stay...

She could just take off now, she had all of her stuff with her, meager as it was, and could probably loot the RV for some more supplies. Callie would be fine, sure her dad appeared to be a murderer but he would keep her safe... wouldn't he?

Samindi remained where she was, keeping an eye on her surroundings and risking the occasional look towards the house.

Samindi

The man's back moves closer to the window.

"No, daddy, no, please!" Callie's voice screams desperately from within the room.

"It's the only way, Callie!" shouts a man's voice. "You've seen what it's like out there! That man your mother gave you to! What did he do to you?"

"Nothing! Let me go, please!"

"Don't lie to me! I saw the way he looked at you. And who is this?"

"I don't know! I don't know!"

"These are everyone that's left! Just more thieves, more murderers, more parasites! These are everyone left in the world! They're worse than the dead! There's else nothing else left, Callie! This is the way to keep you safe, Callie. The only way to keep you pure...my little girl."

"No, no! Please, daddy, don't do it, no!"

"Be brave, Callie. I'm here. I won't leave you."

Samindi hears more screaming as the man forces something downward, then points a handgun in its direction.

The gunshots quietened down but the screaming continued, it didn't sound like it was over yet.

Samindi frowned, was Callie's dad... oh. Maybe her dad was not going to be keeping her safe. From her position Samindi couldn't see much, but between her peek through the window and what she could hear the context of the situation was fairly clear to her.

She didn't want to remain any longer, whatever was happening inside the house would likely spill out eventually and she didn't want to be caught up in that. Samindi frowned, she should collect the food before she left but that meant getting to the RV but she also didn't want to get shot by whoever killed Leonard. Maybe if she moved carefully, kept behind things, she could make it to the RV and then get away from the house.

Samindi began to move, trying to keep behind cover as much as possible as she moved back towards the RV.

Samindi

Samindi hears a different man's voice through the broken window. "No! DOn't! Stop!"

The man doesn't stop. Samindi hears a gunshot - so loud it echoes - and Callie's screaming stops. This is immediately followed by several more gunshots in quick succession as the man turns to fire at something inside the house. The staccato ends after a couple of seconds as the man falls out of view.

Samindi moves towards the RV. As she does, she sees two things: a pickup truck, its bed loaded with supplies, much further up the driveway; an unarmed man kneeling next to the RV with his hands on his head; and a teenaged girl standing next to him, holding a knife in one hand and a rifle in the other, looking nervously at the house.

From the window, now out of view, she hears a woman's voice: [i]"Sid! Get in here, now!" The teenager seems to recognize it.

Samindi wasn't sure what to make of it all; her instincts said to keep moving, to just run and keep going until this was all behind her. Yet there was a woman inside, this girl out here who looked about the same age as her and the men that were fighting earlier. She could make a guess at what had happened, Callie's dad came with others and killed Leonard when she ran off. These others must have heard the gunshots maybe? Strange to be running into trouble, but from the looks of the truck they were pretty well equipped. Maybe they were a local group? A family? She did hear another man inside before the gunshots went off.

It was with some hesitation that Samindi continued on to the girl by the RV, she wasn't going to be able to get into the van without the girl seeing her. She didn't really have much choice, she wanted the food and still needed the medicine. She didn't like the girl had a gun so Samindi kept an arrow nocked but stepped out into the open as she made herself known to the girl. She wouldn't get shot, surely. She would rather run than fight but hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

Slowly walking towards her Samindi stopped a couple dozen feet away, "Uh... Hey." She was wide eyed, tense, like a rabbit ready to run if the girl turned the gun on her.

Samindi

As Samindi approaches, the girl gestures towards the man with her knife, then at the house. "Get - " Her voice comes out as a squeak, but she clears her throat. "Get in there," she orders.

It's only because of the time the man takes to get off his knees that Samindi is able to catch the girl before she disappears into the house. They are just setting off when the girl notices Samindi. She jumps back, then moves to position the man between Samindi and herself. For an unknown reason, the girl holds the knife out aggressively, but only holds the rifle in her off hand.

"D-don't," the girl says anxiously.

Okay, well at least the girl was a nervous as Samindi felt. Was that a good thing? What Samindi knew was a good thing was the rifle wasn't being pointed at her. She relaxed the bowstring and withdrew the arrow. "Don't what?" Samindi frowned, "Uh. Want me to follow you? I know some of the people in the house." She gave a wobbly smile she hoped appeared more confident than she felt. "I can help."

Not something she would have offered five minutes ago, but there were at least two women here including the girl and the gunfire had stopped. It did appear things had finally settled down. She didn't hear Mattie, but she already expected the woman was dead. She also didn't hear Callie or who Samindi assumed was the girl's father. Maybe there were more in this girl's group and they had everyone restrained?

Samindi

"We don't even know who the people in the house are!" the girl says defensively. She continues to watch Samindi suspiciously. "Why should we trust you?"

The man between the two girls glances between them, but his eyes settle on Samindi. He's between twenty-five and thirty, with stubble on his chin and his head. He has his hands up and doesn't look like he trusts Samindi or the other girl.

From the house comes another shout from the same woman. "Sid!"

The girl winces, then turns somewhat towards the house while keeping her eye on Samindi. "I'll be right there!"

She starts moving towards the house, watching Samindi warily. "Okay, come with us. Just don't try anything, alright? We're not stupid."

"Uh. The people in the house? It's their house." So technically that wasn't exactly true but it wa close enough, and Samindi wasn't going to worry about it with all the fighting that had been going on. "I don't know what's going on but you're not shooting at me so you're better than the others."

Samindi looked up to the house as the same woman shouted out. "Okay. Uh. Sid? I'm not gonna do anything." She made a very slow movement to lower her bow and put the arrow back in her quiver. "Nothing. Just want to see if they're alright."

Assuming things were calmed down and Sid let her Samindi would follow the girl to the others.

Samindi

"Okay, that's great. How about him?" Sid gestures towards the man. "Do you know him?"

The man looks fairly ordinary. He's probably somewhere in his thirties and wearing jeans, a pocket vest, and a ball cap. He glances between the two girls, looking wary but not hostile.

"Make sure he gets in the house and doesn't run off or anything, okay?" Sid says. "Or if you're gonna run off, don't screw with us. We'll screw back."

Sid backs up into the house, taking the rifle and knife with her. The man looks at Samindi expectantly.

Samindi shook her head ss Sid asked if she knew the guy. When she asked Samindi to get the guy inside and left herself Samindi protested, "Hey. Wait..."

She sighed as Sid walked inside and looked to the man, "Uh. Inside I guess." She motioned to the door and waited to see if he would move.

Samindi

"Aright," the man says. He turns slowly towards the house and starts walking, clearly making no sudden moves.

Partway to the house, he looks back over his shoulder at Samindi. "I don't know what he told you, but I did you a favour. Maybe you don't see that now, but you will, I hope."

Samindi frowned as they stepped inside, "Leonard? You shot him?"

Sure Leonard had turned out to be a supercreep but she didn't know if that meant he needed to die. She could have handled herself, she was she thought. She looked at the man, a bit more unsettled by him if he was the one who killed Leonard.

Samindi

"Was that his name?" the man asks. He watches Samindi's face with a grim frown.

"Yeah, that was me. I don't know what promises he told you, but they were lies, alright? Whatever he said to you, it was bullshit. I guarantee he told the exact same thing to everyone else."

He grits his teeth, then sighs, the tension leaving his body. "Whatever you gotta do to me, do it. Just remember what I said...and that none of it was your fault."

Samindi shook her head, "Wait. You shot someone you didn't know? Why? What do you mean 'wasn't my fault'?" He kept saying that...

She frowned, not exactly understanding what the man was referring to. "I dont think anyone's gonna do anything to you. I'm not. But..."

It finally dawned on her. The gunshots in the house, the screams. Samindi looked towards the stairs where Sid left. "Oh..." She looked back to the guy, "Wait here... please."

Samindi raced upstairs to see what had happened.