Pilot fixed the straps on Mallory’s backpack, preventing it from bouncing off his own as he moved. The feeling of being watched didn’t fade, only growing stronger as more time passed, and the pyrokinetic was becoming more and more unnerved.
Small wheezes slipped past his lips and he cursed his body for the sudden coughing fit that followed, forcing him to slow his pace while he recovered. The blood was relatively new, the first small splatters appearing after a fit a few days ago and marking his transition into stage two. Mally fretted over him for over an hour despite her similar state, and their resolve to find the cure only strengthened because of it.
Face wrinkled in disgust, he wiped his palm on his shorts and straightened, oblivious, for the most part, to the two presences creeping closer.
-
Mallory winced at the sharp fear scent, her ears flicking at the question. If a wolf could sigh, she definitely did upon seeing the twiggy teen at the back of the room.
Reluctantly, she relinquished her beast form to reply, suppressing another wince as the motion jostled her arm. In human form it was a lot more apparent how much blood she’d lost, the red liquid steadily dripping onto the floor beneath her. “Relax kid, I just need a place to lie low for a bit. You infected?” she rasped, keeping her distance on the off chance he wasn’t. She might be cold, but she wasn’t heartless.
Abelin practically raced ahead of Hana, who for the time being, was confident in her ability to catch up to her sibling. He’d switched from running on his legs to just all fours, as that was what was easier for him.
And he would have continued as normal, if it weren’t for the sudden new scent of blood. Skidding to a halt, Abelin crouched and took a moment to sniff around, to ensure he was still heading the right direction. This blood scent was different. Not only was it from a different person - it was closer. Perhaps it was from the person they’d been tracking.
Abe continued on. The person was just ahead of him now - it wouldn’t be much to use his speed to chase after them, and it seemed he had the advantage in stealth. Unbeknownst to himself, his mind grew cloudy.
Aykhana caught up to Abelin soon after, since the younger Supernatural had slowed down. She looked up, seeing what - who, she corrected - caused him to stop. This seemed to be the person they had both been tracking. In silence, Hana looked back down to Abe, checking if he was good to approach. Talking at this distance wasn’t advisable - normally, Abe would have returned the look with a nod. But a nod never came.
Hana froze as she realized that Abelin was essentially prepared to dart forwards. Without a singular word said, without a conversation of some sorts. She knew the Ghoul needed food within the next few days, but she didn’t think that he’d react like this. Perhaps, she thought, the sickness was throwing him off. Off balance.
So when Abe attempted to charge forwards, like - no, exactly like a predator chasing prey, Hana was close and quick enough to take Abelin down within a few seconds after, keeping a tight hold on him in order to ensure he wouldn’t scramble away.
“Break out of it,” Hana whisper-yelled, “Clear your mind!”
Abelin stopped struggling a moment later, his mind defogging. Although he remained silent, his eyes still on the person, Hana let him go and stood up. If the person wasn’t aware before, they probably would be now, at this distance. Abelin raised himself back onto his feet and briefly glanced at Hana, then to the person - then, of course, back at Hana.
“What do we do?”
Hana pursed her lips. “We don’t have the element of surprise no more, if that’s what you’re wondering.” She returned to Abe, still keeping her voice down.
Finn eyed the wolf distrustfully, taking a step back when it transformed into a woman. He didn't appear injured, but he was a bit pale and shaky. His ginger hair and his clothes were very disheveled, and his heart was racing. At the question, he nodded a bit, hesitantly lowering his hands. "Y-Yeah… Stage one or something…" He ran his fingers through his hair and closed his eyes for a moment.
Honestly, he'd been feeling feverish for a while, especially as of late, which he figured probably wasn't helping with his energy problem. Neither was not being able to eat nearly as much as a growing teenage boy should be eating.
Once he was fairly sure that this woman wasn't going to attack him, he sat back down on the floor, slouching to get a bit more comfortable. He was still panting lightly, and didn't seem to be in much of a shape for a fight despite his previous confidence.
The mutant was preparing to set off again when the sound of a quiet struggle caught his attention. Cautiously, he eased a few steps in the direction he’d heard the noise, raising his voice as he called out, “Mallory? Is that you?”
He knew even as he asked that it wasn’t. Mallory was the type to announce her presence the moment she arrived, and she would’ve approached him as soon as she caught his scent. Especially knowing she was late.
“…Whoever it is, you can show yourself. I don’t want to fight,” he offered, completely sincere in what he was saying.
-
“Well that makes two of us,” Mallory grunted, plopping down on the opposite side of the room unceremoniously. She hissed a little as she examined her arm, inwardly cursing her overconfidence earlier. She should’ve known she couldn’t take a stage three on her own, but no, she just had to go after the vamp anyways. And now she’d have to put up with Pilot scolding her later…
“Shit,” she groaned, knocking her head into the wall with a frown. We were traveling today, weren’t we? He’s gonna be pissed.
Apparently remembering she wasn’t alone, she eyed the other shifter warily. “Do you have any bandages or anything?" she asked begrudgingly.
“You’re good now, right?” Hana checked in on her sibling, who had recrossed his arms. He didn’t mean to- to do whatever that just was. Abe had a feeling it was a sign that he was beginning to move onto Stage Two of the infection. He had been suffering from Stage One for some time, after all - he couldn’t be stuck on the first stage forever.
“Abe?” She questioned again, when Abelin didn’t respond.
“Yeah,” he finally said. “I’m good.”
Hana moved to speak again when the two heard the voice, presumably from the person they had been tracking - the person Abe had nearly chased after. Hana did have a first order of action all this time to approach peacefully, when they got the chance to do so. But Abe sped things up a little. She didn’t blame him, of course, nor was she upset about it. The most she was feeling was anxious, her mouth dry - or maybe that was just the infection.
“Stay close to me, and let me do the talking, okay?” She couldn’t help but wonder if she was being overprotective, but Abe never said anything about it. But she also couldn’t read Abe’s thoughts, either. Still, in her opinion, it was better to be safe than sorry. Abe nodded, and Hana led the two onwards.
When the two walked out into the sight of the person, Hana put one of her hands up, almost like a wave.
“We mean no harm, nor do we want to fight, either. Apologies if we startled you.” Her voice was calm, and she even added a friendly smile to it. She lowered her scarf - although Abelin kept his bandana up.
Finn ran the back of one hand over his forehead, exhaling shakily at the heat he felt. He looked up when he was addressed again and considered for a few seconds. Should I help her? I mean, it couldn't exactly hurt me to do so. And it doesn't matter anyway if I don't have any. "I'll check." He replied. Searching through his backpack, he found a roll of bandages and tossed them over to Mallory.
During his independent travels, he had found that it was wise to pick up just about anything he could find that could be potentially useful, assuming that it would fit in his backpack. Miscellaneous medical supplies were priorities. Some of the things he carried with him included proper bandages, bandaids, various creams he didn't know the use of, and a needle with a roll of stitching that he really hoped he wouldn't ever need. He didn't like the idea of forcing the dull needle through his skin to stitch together a wound, especially without any expertise or antibiotics.
Pilot breathed a sigh of relief at the two newcomers, glad to confirm the noises weren’t the product of a stage three, after all.
He returned Hana’s smile with one of his own, although his hands stayed protectively over the straps of the packs he was carrying. “No worries!” he responded clearly. “Say, you haven’t seen a girl around here, about yay tall–” he raised a hand to emphasize a height a bit taller than his own “–with darker skin and a kinda mean look to her, have you? She’s been missing for over almost two hours now,” he added, letting some of his worry seep into his tone.
“I’m Pilot, by the way.”
-
Mallory caught the roll easily with her good arm, surprise flashing through her eyes until she offered a quick nod of thanks. She set about wrapping her wound as best as she could, knowing she could get it cleaned and rewrapped when she met back up with Pilot. For now, she just needed to stop the bleeding.
That idiot better still be at the house, she thought to herself, tying the bandage off with her teeth and setting it gently on the floor as close to Finn as she could get without moving.
“Thanks… I can, uh, get you some food in return?” she offered, suddenly uncertain. “My companion has all of our supplies right now, but he’s not far, and he’s friendly with strangers. I just need a while to rest, first,” she added, exhaustion creeping into her tone.
Finn moved forward a bit to retrieve the bandages, carefully sticking them back in his bag once he had them back. He glanced up a bit at the offer, taking a few seconds to consider again. It could be a trap, but… then again, she has no reason to trick me. I'm of no use to her, and I didn't really ask for anything in return. "Uh… yeah, sure." He replied tentatively.
He ran his fingers through his hair again to try and get it to be remotely neat, sighing softly to himself. He definitely looked thinner than he should be in comparison to his size. His cheeks were vaguely gaunt, and his clothes seemed to hang loosely off of his frame. Food was difficult to come by in the world today, so he severely rationed every bit of it that he could find. All he had left at the moment was about a quarter of a bag of beef jerky that had expired a month earlier.
Hana shook her head. “You’re the only other person we’ve seen out here today. My name is Hana, and this,” she gestured to Abelin, “is my brother, Abe.” It was only polite to introduce yourself. As polite as one could be, anyways - not fully trusting the situation at the moment.
“Although..” She paused, a thought coming to mind. “My brother, Abe, is a vampire.” Abe glanced up at her words. He was familiar with the cover story, though he was unsure of Hana’s intentions at the time.
“He did catch a scent before he caught yours. Maybe it could be this girl you speak of?”
Pilot did little to hide his disappointment, visibly deflating at her reply and offering a glum nod in return. His eyes snapped up to meet hers as she spoke again, still hidden beneath his goggles from that distance, and his expression lightened.
“She’d definitely still be in the area! What direction?” he asked eagerly, actually taking a step towards them in his excitement.
-
Mallory noticed the other shifter’s hollow cheeks and unnaturally thin frame and more, hence her offer in the first place. Food wasn’t as much of a commodity for her and Pilot as many other infected survivors, seeing as she could hunt larger game for the two of them. Giving some away wouldn’t hurt them much, assuming her arm healed sometime within the week.
She let her eyes slip close, although she was too aware of Finn’s presence to actually doze off. After a few restless minutes, frustration set in and her eyes flickered open again. “What’s your name?”
Finn was nodding off a bit by the time Mallory spoke to him, but he snapped back to attention as soon as she did. "Hm…? Oh… um… you can just call me Finn…" He replied awkwardly. It wasn't like her knowing his name could really hurt much. There wasn't much she could do with just a nickname, anyway.
Since his shifted form was fairly small, and he wasn't an experienced hunter, it was usually hard for him to catch anything of substance. Most things were either too big or too fast, and he sometimes felt bad killing the little animals anyway. He preferred to find people food to eat. He liked the taste of it better, and it didn't require him to kill anything.
“Abe?” Aykhana turned to him, hoping, that he still had the scent. Confirming that question when he nodded.
“Not far from here. It’s towards the town,” Abe stated, pointing in direction of it. Hana slipped off her sunglasses for the time being, pocketing them. She nodded, then turned back to Pilot.
“I do have one question, though, and that is if you have any food to spare? Anything will do, but it’s fine if you don’t.” The earlier thought that the two were lacking food in their supplies came to mind. The question didn’t matter much to Abe - who could only eat a specific type of food, but it did to Hana, who still needed nourishment of some kind. Although, she didn’t want to hold back their new acquaintance either with conversation. He seemed to be worried about the other person, the girl that he was looking for. Two strangers looking for food may not be one’s priority. So Hana quickly added-
“You don’t have to answer right now, of course. We could tag along and ensure that you head in the proper direction.”
The pyrokinetic frowned a little at that but nodded his thanks. Why would she head towards town? She knows it’s dangerous…
Noting how Hana had removed her glasses, he mimicked the move with his goggles, letting the contraption hang from his neck. “I can spare some food,” he replied almost immediately. “Especially if you can show me where she might’ve gone!”
He moved to follow them, slinging Mall’s backpack onto one arm while reaching into his own for one of the carefully-wrapped packages of meat they’d cooked the previous night.
“Here, you can have this one,” he offered, handing her a bundle large enough for two people. “It’s venison. Thanks for doing this for me!”
-
Mallory nodded quietly. Finn, huh?
“Mallory,” she responded, continuing to watch Finn warily. “Do you always feel comfortable enough around strangers to sleep in front of them?”
She forced her body to relax a little more, switching to a more comfortable position on her side and resting her head on her good arm. Still her gaze never left the other shifter.
"W-What?" Finn seemed a bit taken aback, his face flushing lightly with embarrassment. "Ah, n-no, I just… uh… tired…" He stammered awkwardly, looking away and rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "I'm… uh… I'm not normally around anyone else, to be honest… I'm just really… I'm really exhausted. Sorry… and I figured you probably wouldn't kill me, considering I gave you bandages and you offered food and all, I dunno…"
He was telling the truth about everything, of course, even if it wasn't necessarily wise. He'd admitted that he was alone, and that he had been for a while, and also that he didn't have the energy to fight back if he were attacked. But he was exhausted, as he had said, and he was still somewhat struggling to stay awake.
Taking the bundle, Hana nodded in gratitude. “Thank you, this’ll last us a while.” She stored it away in her own bag. Despite her usage of the word ‘us’, it was really only her who could eat the meat. Still, it would last her a while.
“We can lead you to her, then. Abe? Are you able to track the scent?”
Abe inclined his head. Him walking forwards was his confirmation that he was ready whenever they were to start moving to the scent.
Giving a nod, Hana turned back to Pilot. “It’s no problem, no problem at all.” Her voice was genuine.
(Is… this still open for one more? I'm still in the process of becoming more active again so if you don't have room for me no worries, but if you do… this looks incredible.)
(Sure thing! Imma be honest—I'm barely awake right now, but you're free to get your character sheet up and jump in at any point. I'll get my response up soon, to anyone wondering!)
“Of course. We’re fortunate enough to be able to hunt regularly, so it’s really no detriment to us,” he assured the two. “I also have water if you need it.”
As they walked he pulled a wrinkled plastic bottle out of one of the packs, uncapping it and taking a long sip to rid himself of the leftover metallic taste of his own blood. Recalling the reasoning behind it, he lowered the bottle and recapped it, putting it back in the pack as he somewhat reluctantly asked, “You guys are infected, right? I don’t think I’ve met any other loners who weren’t.”
-
Mallory blinked at his show of submissiveness, the gears in her brain slowly turning. Instead of voicing her thoughts, however, she scoffed back matter-of-factly, “Why are you apologizing? Surviving out here is hard enough with a friend, let alone by yourself. Of course you’re going to be tired.”
Her eyes slipped shut again as she added, “But you’re right. I have no reason to kill you, nor would I want to if I did.”
Finn looked back up at Mallory, sighing softly to himself. "Uh… y-yeah. Right." He fidgeted a bit with his hands and closed his eyes, slumping against the wall as he yawned. He felt a bit more comfortable with the reassurance, so he was soon nodding off.
At a noise outside the building, he shot awake and pressed himself up against the wall, seeming uneasy. It's… probably nothing. I'm sure I'm just imagining things.
(Ah, thank you so much! I was up late last night looking at this RP, and I thought "Dang, this looks epic. I want in." I'll try to have my characters up later this evening hopefully; only reason I don't put them up right this second is because I'm supposed to be doing my chemistry midterm right now. Oops—)
(And…Hello, Fraust! :D Fancy meeting you here~)
(No worries, and good luck with your midterm! I just had mine last week c: )
“We’re good on water, but thank you for the offer.” Hana smiles. She continues to walk, Abe walking slightly ahead to lead them on the trail.
Thinking about his question, the smile fades, and Hana nods. “Yep. Early stage two, I believe. And..”
“…Late stage one, probably.” Abe answers for himself. He’s keeping alert, surveying the area as much as he can. With most of his focus on following the scent, it’s hard.
Hana nods. Thinking about Abe now, he’s probably getting close to stage two. Which worries her. The symptoms only get worse from there. Although she has been lucky, today - her symptoms don’t seem too bad.
After a moment, Hana decides to ask a question. “This girl that you’re looking for. Are you two travelling together?”
Pilot nodded solemnly beside her, his eyes lingering on Abe as he led the way. “I just progressed to stage two the other day, I think,” he replied, tightening his fingers around the strap to ground himself. “This shit’s scary,” he added with a poor attempt at a laugh.
He perked up at her question, though, reaching up to straighten his hat as the movement nearly dislodged it. “Yeah, we are! Have been for a while now, actually. I don’t think either of us would’ve made it this long, otherwise,” he answered, his lips twitching into a small smile as he remembered the first time they met.
“What about you two? You said you were siblings?”
-
Sensing Finn relaxing, Mallory was finally able to do the same. She fell into an odd state of half-sleep, eyelids twitching as if she were dreaming until the other shifter’s movement startled her into awareness.
Her eyes snapped open but she didn’t move, keeping her ears perked for whatever had prompted Finn’s fear-scent. Slowly, she lifted her upper body off the floor with her good arm, carefully pressing her ear to the thin wall. After a few moments of silence, she cast a questioning, somewhat irritated glance at the room’s other occupant.
“Is something wrong?” she asked bluntly, keeping her voice low in case there was something nearby that she just hadn’t picked up on yet.
"I'm… I'm not sure…" Finn replied quietly, keeping himself pressed up against the wall. "I-I thought I heard something outside…" Knowing that he wouldn't be able to sense things quite as well in this form, he shifted into a fox and silently approached the door, sniffing through the cracks and pressing his ears up against it to see if he could hear anything. He couldn't, although something smelled a bit off, and he was still obviously pretty uneasy.
He couldn't tell what the smell was, and the strong scent of Mallory's blood was masking it quite a bit anyway. He huffed a bit in frustration and stepped back, glaring at the door distrustfully.
