SLEEPING DEAD.

“Easy, Oscar the fuckin’ grouch.” Don’t, he reminded himself. Only to continue– “… Okay. That doesn’t make me feel better at all. What if you’re having an off day and you tell Cujo here to rip someone’s arm off ‘cause you’re in a pissy mood?  Don’t dogs like… sense their owners feelings or something? What if you just frown at a guy, and he takes it as ‘maul’…” 

  “Put your gun down. Don’t you know it’s impolite to point weapons at other people’s faces? Especially when one should save the munition for the monsters out there.

he tries to keep his heavy breaths to a minimum. after all the sprinting he did to get here, the task proves itself difficult. silence is key now, & he’s glad he at least has lack of light on his side for once. the sky is pitch black, & so are most of his surroundings. but that fire casting dancing shadows across the lit-up trees is where he’s headed. the closer he gets, the slower he moves, crouching low with a dagger in a white-knuckled grip.

the second he sees her ━ makes direct eye contact ━ it sets him on edge. there’s a brief moment of relief, but his rage consumes it all, burning more intense than that fire in the middle of the small circle of tents. a finger is raised to his lips, telling her to be quiet. there’s only three guys. three fucking guys. & they’re so fucking dead. the first two go down quietly. one’s back is to abel, & the other is sleeping. it’s when he’s pushing his dagger into the peaceful sleeper’s skull that he’s noticed. a gunshot is fired in the struggle, but abel doesn’t think it hit him. then again, his adrenaline is making him feel invincible, maybe he wouldn’t even notice. still, the guy goes down, nice & quick. not as quick as the other two, but he was scrawny & young, didn’t even know how to properly carry that pistol.

then he’s rushing over to her, hands shaking as he comes down from that adrenaline high. sudden aches & pains present themselves, but they’re muted. his focus is on tatum ━ trying to sever the zip ties around her wrists with the now-blood-covered knife he brought, all while trying not to accidentally cut her wrist in the process. he has a lot to say, but the words won’t come out yet ━ maybe he’s afraid to ask what the hell they did to her.

“   ‘cause the dead ain’t the only fuckin’ threat, that’s why. this ain’t about the dead, ‘s about survival, dumbass. fightin’ each other ain’t anythin’ new, it’s been goin’ on for as long as man has existed an’ shit, right ? why the fuck would it stop now ?   ”

“   might be. but it ain’t like i got time to go find a jacket right now,  so it don’t matter. got more problems to worry ‘bout than my body temperature bein’ a little low.   ”

she’s actually disappointed that he pulled away so quickly.. and will take a step closer to him while she still can. and then he’s stalking off, so she’ll trail behind him a bit, dixie by her side. she pulls herself up onto the rotted wood railing and gets comfortable, shooting him a thumbs up, fully taking the stay as if it’s meant for her. but after he’s gone she’s glancing down at dixie and realizing it was probably for the dog. right. she’ll get more comfortable, but as she situates a bit more, the wood gives way and splits down the middle. thankfully, the only thing she’ll walk away with is a few splinters and a scraped elbow. but it also causes dixie to bark a few times, concerned, so she’s quick to pick herself to show the pup that she’s alright. hopefully abel didn’t hear.

Ivan retracted his hand. Then folded his arms over his chest and eyed the murder dog. “Yeah, see, this is why I prefer cats. Is it smart to have him just…. not leashed?” 

“Then I will keep my hands to myself, thanks.”

“    good.   ”   he grunts out, resting his elbows on his knees from where he sits.   “   shit, didn’t anyone teach ya not to go an’ touch people’s pets without askin’ first, anyhow ? ‘s rude.   ”

if you’d tell me your name i wouldn’t have to, she thinks, but… she won’t say it outloud. she doesn’t want to upset him or anything, so she’ll keep quiet, now, leaning down to pet dixie’s head for a few seconds as they walk. the sudden shoulder grab catches her off guard, a soft, “ah–” escapes her throat. thankfully, it’s just him, obviously. she feels silly for getting surprised. her eyes follow his finger, then look back to his face. “got it,” she answers, flashing a smile. “you want me to stay on the road, or just… on the porch?”

“you’re quiet… did i get it? or do you just like those names better?” she’s not too keen on dropping it. she might, though, for now. mostly to avoid driving him up the wall. she smiles down at the dog, dixie, reaching to pet his ears again. “he’s cute. y'know, they say a lot of owners look like their dogs.” she’ll compare the two, looking between them. “i see some similarities.” as she’s already looking the man over, she might as well go ahead and sneak a peak at the rest of his body. he’s got nice arms, that’s for sure. and a wallet sticking out of his back pocket. interesting.

“   nope. why don’t ya drop it ? 'm tryna think, & you throwin’ out a bunch of random ass names ain’t helpin’.   ”   he doesn’t pick up on the compliment, thinking dixie being cute & the common saying are completely unrelated. it was how it was worded, after all. abel scoffs, picking up his pace.   “   similarities. a’right.   ”   does he even want to know what she meant ? he’s not sure.