"I hear your voice guiding me like a bright light through the ebony silence of death."
As the heat and the smell of the dead coursed through the humid air, Xavier practiced his English in his head to keep himself company but stayed alert as he watched and waited from the cover of the home he took shelter in the previous evening. His blue eyes spotted a few of the monsters ahead then something he had not expected appeared off in the distance. It looked like a giant wall or a large building he didn't know which but it was a focal point of interest and he needed something to focus on. Nervously he checked around him then looked again to make sure he had seen it correctly and yes, it was still there. Wet gurgled sounds grew louder as Xavier quietly rushed forward gripping tight to the small ax in his hand and then just as the creature turned at the smell of food it was out of its misery with a thump and crack to its skull. The other took notice straight away and rushed the Frenchman with a hunger Xavier was sure he had felt earlier in the morning.
It is a long established fact that if you dangle raw meat in front of a starving animal it will do whatever it takes to get what it wants and this decayed creature didn't disappoint. Snapping teeth gnashed at the empty air while clear vacant eyes locked onto the tired face of a man with a mission. The smell of the thing burned his nose when he closed the gap between them so he held his breath until the blade of the ax sunk into the forehead of its second victim. It fell forward onto Xavier and frantically he he pushed it off pulling his ax back and to hit at it again but it was motionless. The pounding of his heart pushed energy to his feet making him ready for more but there would be no more. The pause with his hands to his knees while he caught his breath was brief but needed before he continued to this next destination. Xavier grabbed his back securing it onto his shoulder then set his watch timing himself as to how long it would take to reach the formation off in the distance.
Circling birds above helped him stay out of certain areas and three hours of walking he could see that it was indeed a giant wall. The idea of survivors excited him and suddenly his steps were a little quicker. How long had it been since he had seen a living person? He kept telling himself that he had to be cautious. Four hours total he found himself at a clearing of tall grasses.
"I carry with me the light of your words into safety."
Post by Magella Jones on Feb 21, 2015 11:38:34 GMT 10
It is easier to know where you are going... ...When you know where you have been
Magella had decided that she was going to get rid of zombies, bodies and other unsightly things from the front of the wall. To have them lying around didn't exactly create a welcoming feel about Sanctuary. She'd suited up in her boots, slightly ripped denim jeans, gardening gloves and a long-sleeved shirt. Most of the creepers had been taken out already, but she didn't want to risk being surprised by a lazy one on the ground. Her leather jacket was pulled on as well, despite the heat. Around her waist sat her tradie belt, her usual weapons sitting in their places, easy for her to retrieve if she needed them.
Her crowbar was looped into her belt as she left through the door, waiting until it had been re-locked inside. She glanced around, wondering where to start on the field. Deciding any direction was as good as another, she started directly in front of the entrance. Her crowbar bumped comfortingly against her leg as she walked, crickets chirping as she scared them ahead of her.
She found a body lying in the grass, its flesh mostly rotted from its bones. The smell rose up to meet her and she waved her hand. Taking another step forward, intending to grab limb and pull, she disturbed a cloud of flies and they rose, buzzing about her head. Magella made a mental note to bring out a bandanna next time she had to come out for clearing, the smell was disgusting and she was scared of getting one of those flies in her mouth and swallowing it.
With her mouth firmly shut she grabbed the closest limb, a leg, and started to drag the body towards the edge of the field. She was going to take them away and burn them somewhere else. Though it was rotted, the body was still a pain to drag across the grass. It kept getting caught on grass tufts and rocks hidden by the long grass. She was glad for her gloves, because the flesh under her fingers was soft and she could still feel the dampness from rotting flesh through the material.
Dropping the body, she stepped back, judging the body close enough to the edge of the treeline that she could leave it there. She didn't want to go through the trees alone, who knew what might be waiting for her in the dim light. On her way to the edge, she'd noted two more bodies and strode through the grass, watching the crickets jump before her. Reaching the body, she gave it a firm kick, making sure it wasn't playing dead. She leaned down to get it when it's hand moved.
Caught by surprise, Magella stumbled back, her boot catching on a grass tuft and spilling her onto the ground. The walking corpse reached out for her and she kicked it firmly with her free leg, driving it off her for a moment as she got back to her feet. Plucking her crowbar from her belt, she stood firmly on its hands, keeping it from scratching her. With a flex of her arms, she lifted the crowbar and brought it down with a sickening crack as the zombie's head collapsed under the metal.
"Throw down your hair and I shall send someone up so they can open the door for me."
The tall grass stood at attention like soldiers guarding a well protected secret. Crickets greeted the Frenchman with their songs just as the light breeze brushed over the gentle sway of spears forcing them to dance and bend to its will. Xavier shield his eyes from the heated sun with a strong hand scanning the area in his uncertainty. Things seemed at peace here and for Xavier that meant it had to be a warning sign of some kind. It was a long impressive wall that had a nice height to it which Xavier instantly wasn't in a hurry to see the view from. Staying out of the tall grass along it’s edge, his feet took him to the right hoping to find an entrance. Movement ahead stopped him in his tracks by a tree with his hand gripping tight to the small ax at his side. The sound of a door opening and then a living person emerged. A man or a woman, he didn't know and he didn't care all that mattered was there was another living breathing human being. He watched the figure for a moment as he silently moved in closer and then the person fell to the ground with a familiar dead hand reaching out to grab onto her. Xavier impulsively reacted forgetting his own safety to help he ran to the person’s aid. Before he got to her, she had already taken care of the threat. Xavier held up his hands with his ax in his right hand out of breath, tired and filthy. “Bonjour...allo, I...was going to help.” He lowered his hands onto his knees to catch his breath. "I thought, I see this person and now that thing is going to eat her. A very short greeting for both of us." He stood up and shifted the pack on his shoulder then tucked his ax in through his belt resting along side his hip. "I am Xavier, what is your name? Do you speak English? Parlez-vous français?" So many questions ran through his head. He hoped she was as excited as he was to see another person.
Post by Magella Jones on Feb 22, 2015 15:51:48 GMT 10
It is easier to know where you are going... ...When you know where you have been
Magella dropped her crowbar after dispatching the zombies, her hands falling to her knees. She'd been so close to losing her life to a stupid mistake. How well that would have gone over for Sanctuary, to have their leader decimated by a zombie at their very door. She doubted the survivors would have remained together for a day after her body was found.
But that wasn't going to happen. Magella wiped her brow with the back of her gardening glove, catching a movement out of the corner of her eye. She spun quickly, dropping into a quick crouch to retrieve her crowbar and straightening again. A man stood before her, his hands dropping to his knees like she had been just moments before. His accent threw her off for a moment, so many people from different countries, where were her Australian survivors that she had expected to find?
He was dirty, as she knew she must be as well, but he seemed to be unharmed. No ripped clothing or bleeding wounds from what she could see. He was wearing jeans, like herself, and his white t-shirt had definitely seen better days. Her eyes alighted on his axe, and followed it until it was tucked into his belt.
With a shake of her head, she cleared her thoughts, crowbar falling back to her side. "Yes, yes, I speak English. I'm Gels. It's nice to meet you Xavier. Forgive me for my rudeness, I wasn't expecting someone to pop up out of the grass to help me. Thank you for attempting to come to my rescue, it would not have been a good thing had I been bitten though."
Her lips curved in a rueful smile. "I'm glad to meet another survivor. We've had a sudden influx of people during the last week. It's lovely that there are still more people alive." She gestured behind her at the wall. "We call this place Sanctuary."
A heavy weight lifted off his shoulders and the dead world around him came to life when her voice filled the empty space between them forcing him to look away from her with tearful eyes. He wiped away a joyful tear with the back of his hand and dropped his bag by his feet.
“Thank you. I was not sure you were real and maybe I still am not. I have been surviving so long with no other I don’t know how long and now you say there are others and this is a safe place…” His hands on his hips he shook his head and looked up at her with tearful blue eyes and a smile. There was a long moment of silence as he looked up into the sky hoping to collected his own thoughts. Glancing down at the dead thing that had grabbed her, he shook his head changing the subject to rid himself of tears.
“Is dangerous out here, I can help you with what it was you are doing as long as I can.” Being that he was exhausted, hungry, thirsty and confused with emotions he meant to help her until he couldn't stand any longer. With a push of his boot to the decayed hand at his feet he took in a deep breath not caring about the smell because he was sure he smelled just as bad.
“Hopefully it will rain soon so I don’t smell so bad.” A light chuckle escaped him as he scratched his eyebrow. To stand next to such a rancid creature and to complain about the smell just seemed funny to him. The scar on his left cheek dimpled his smile making him look childish though the stain of dirt and grime the world had slapped him with. The white smile of Frenchman was the only thing he managed to keep clean. Seeing that she was healthy was a good sign that this indeed was a safe place. He would help her if she wanted it and then hope he would be welcome to stay even if it was just for a night. .
Post by Magella Jones on Feb 24, 2015 18:37:49 GMT 10
It is easier to know where you are going... ...When you know where you have been
Magella was surprised by the tears that she saw spring into the man's eyes, the emotion showing on her face for just a moment until it turned into a gentle smile, the woman stepping forward to rest her hands on the man's shoulders and squeeze them gently to reassure him that she was real.
"Help me? No, no, I couldn't ask you to do that. It's hard and dirty work and you look exhausted. There are plenty of others to help with the work if I asked them, but I can't ask someone to do this." She glanced over at the rancid bodies at her feet, her nose wrinkling a little at the smell that wafted up from them. It was a foul smell that almost burned the inside of her nose and she wondered why they were still standing there.
"Come on. I'll take you to the gate. That way you won't get shot at or have bats swung at your head." She grinned brightly, her face lighting up as she dipped, grabbing the man's bag with one hand and taking his hand with the other, leading him over the grassy field towards the entrance to Sanctuary.
"I hope to have some way of cutting the grass out here so no one can sneak up uninvited. The creepers aren't so much of a problem but every now and then, one falls over in the grass and gets overlooked. We haven't had much luck finding anything in the area. I feel like we're missing something. Anyway, we'll get there eventually." They reached the door and knocked upon the metal.
The door swung open on her command and she turned to face Xavier. "Welcome to Sanctuary!" she beamed.
Just as her hand touched his shoulder his own hand reached up to hold hers there for a moment. With a deep inhaled breath he let go of her hand thankful he was not crazy. The Frenchman wasn’t in any shape to refuse the kind woman standing before him and when she flashed a smile at him he followed close behind letting her but made quick work to take his bag from her. It was all he possessed in this broken world and it was his responsibility to watch over it regardless if she might think it rude. Perhaps in different circumstances he would have trusted her completely but things were different. Listening to her speak he wasn’t completely sure of everything she was saying and he thought that with some sleep he would be able to concentrate on making sense of her English.
“Welcome to Sanctuary.” And there was that lovely smile again. No blank stare or rotting teeth snapping their way for a snack, this was an angel saving him from hell. It took him a moment to move a foot forward when the metal gate behind him closed. He had dreamt of a moment like this for so long it was hard to not see everything as if it were just a photograph in his memory except all these moments were new.
“I do not know what to say. Maybe if it is okay I can wash up and sleep a bit? How many persons are here?” He hoped there would be someone to tell him the world had been cured and that the ships were going to be coming in to carry them off to wherever they desired.
“How long have you been here? How long can I stay?” He rattled off questions as he followed behind her hoping his English made sense.
Post by Magella Jones on Mar 11, 2015 10:56:12 GMT 10
It is easier to know where you are going... ...When you know where you have been
Her fingers loosened on his bag as the man took it back from her. In some ways she understood the distrust he still harboured, but if he couldn't put it aside, if none of them could put it aside, Sanctuary wouldn't thrive. They had to be able to trust each other fully with their lives and more. But for now she was happy enough that the man was joining them.
Magella wasn't sure, but she had the feeling he wasn't taking in much of what she was saying. If he wasn't a native English speaker and he was dead tired, she supposed it made sense. The poor man was probably dead on his feet. And yet he had still offered to help her move the re-deceased zombie moving. A sweet man, she had no doubt.
He asked after showers and rest and she gave him a small grimace. "I can only offer you a bed for now. We haven't been able to get running water. We're working on it, but for now, we all smell." She rubbed the back of her head, feeling her short hair brush over her fingers. "There's about ten of us here at the moment. A few of them are off doing runs, out there."
She gestured for him to follow, leading the way to the barracks. "I've been here about a month now. I've been slowly gathering people here. People are more distrustful than they were before the world blew up. But, if you wish to stay forever, you can. I wouldn't throw out anyone who will do their fair share of work to keep Sanctuary going. This is home now."
