.𖥔 ݁ ˖ ✦ ‧₊˚ ⋅crimson

       #OPENSTARTER.       ⸺       (  4  / 5  ).               ⟢  LOCATION.       ventura county’s supermarket.                          with.             independent survivors & other scavengers.

stepping into the store, bash let his gaze settle onto the disheveled racks. he walked further into the store, peering under cabinets and attempting to find something. anything. without much luck, he continued to the storage unit. once the door peered open, gaze landed on the other lone survivor who seemed to successfully find a prized possession of -- something. thud. the door shut behind him and bash didn't even flinch upon the realization. brows rose at jack taking the defense, words leaving her mouth as attempted venom. " i'm not trying to fight , " sebastian clarified, choosing to take steps forward into the room. " seems like you got lucky , " bash mentioned, nodding towards the boxes that may only reveal disappointment.

open: all

Alex had been walking for days. He wasn't exactly sure how long it had been, but all he knew was that he was tired and he just wanted to find a place to lay his head that wasn't sounded by groaning walkers. Of course, he could've easily thinned the surrounding herd but for what point? He knew he was going to be dead soon. Everyone was. The sun starting setting and Alex couldn't help but to find a decent enough size log to sit on, just for a moment. Lost in thought, his mind flashed back to Caleb, to how he left him. Alone. Being so deep in thought he didn't even see anyone approaching. Was Alex about to meet the same fate as Caleb? He had no idea. And honestly..

He would deserve it.

the backpack slung across his shoulder before he exited the shit store and continued his walk. bash only stopped for a moment, steam still practically leaving his ears before another survivor came into view. he wasn't sure if it was worse to stumble upon the living or the dead nowadays. " did you find anything useful in there ? " sebastian asked, nodding towards the store he had left behind as he moved forward with approaching the other. bash's tone dwindled down to be even. calm.

🛠  »  STATUS  …  CLOSED 🛠  »  LOCATION  …  THE MARINA (RESTAURANT) 🛠  »  SURVIVOR(S)  …  SEBASTIAN BARNETT  [ @b1dsp1atter ]

having personally searched the streets connected to the main supply route between the protected communities, miles decided to scavenge farther from his current shelter. the trip came with its risks, of course. however, sooner or later, he would be forced to move. he left the house he was staying in before afternoon, hoping to make it back while there was still daylight in case anything went wrong. and, as most eventually learned, plans rarely went as expected. it took a little longer to reach the marina than miles had originally planned. the route there wasn't one of the safest, forcing him to take a couple of detours along the way. once he arrived, one of the first buildings miles went for was an abandoned restaurant by the marina. two months into the apocalypse had rendered most places already looted, but if one knew where to look, supplies could still be found tucked away in places most wouldn't think to search. it was getting late, which meant miles would have to wait the night out somewhere nearby. after thoroughly checking the restaurant, he found little more than a single pack of crackers. it would have to do. he quietly slipped through the back door just as an infected stumbled through the front. pressing his back against the wall, miles paused for a long moment, waiting for the infected to occupy itself before he could move. he held his breath, listening intently for any sounds coming from inside the restaurant. however, he picked up on something else entirely.

there was safety in numbers, but it didn't always need to be known. especially if information was on the line. sebastian parted ways when miles decided to take a detour in the restaurant. he stayed on the outskirts, leaning against the walls of a nearby building before an infected caught his eye. the undead then rummaged through the same doors miles did. bash's jaw tensed at that knowledge and debated if it was best to head back. miles, if anything, was not one who would meet his death from a single infected. he could handle it. honey hues lifted up to the sun tucking further away by every minute. a drawn breath left sebastian and he grasped a knife from his waistband.

feet carried bash around the building and towards the back, certainly not going the same direction that the dead seemed to want to explore. to sebastian's surprise, miles already seemed to have exited and bash, well, no longer lurking from who knows how far away. " you mean besides the infected ? " bash retorted, voice low but not the soundless approach that the other had taken.

she  looks  to  the  new  infected  that  begins  to  pass  and  sighs.  maybe  this  isn't  worth  it  after  all.  she  looks  over  at  him  and  nods.  “yeah..  you're  probably  right,”  she  mumbles,  a  little  disappointed  in  herself  for  insisting  that  they  come  this  way  in  the  first  place.  “let's  go  back  the  way  we  came  then,  and  i'm  sure  we'll  stumble  on  something  better.”  with  that  said,  she  does  just  that  –  heading  back  the  way  they  had  come.

the other turned on her feet and bash stayed still for a moment, fixed on the two creeping closer. gaze went broader to the territory left unexplored. what if this was the one place that still had some scraps left behind? if this was the one location that a loved one had been seeking shelter?

another bite was given and the tension in sebastian's muscles eased, if only ever so slightly. " do you plan on going right back? or are you scavenging? or do you ever just need a break from being watched all the time? " a brief pause. " . . . I sure would , " not that bash thought his company would bring any joy. honey hues took a lazy glance amongst the abandoned house. it wasn't too bad. he was beginning to get used to it. but it was far from anything called home. it could barely be considered a house.

lips are pressed together as sara speaks, fumbling with the paper quietly between his fingertips as he weighs her words. " odd of you to care about a stranger's survival , " sebastian accused, certain that most wouldn't feel the same sentiment. tearing off the corner of the sandwich, he pops the bite into his mouth as a smirk tempts to curve the corners of his lips upwards. " peace offering ? " bash echoed, gaze flickering out the half shattered window. shoulders raise slightly in a nonchalant shrug before falling back down. " no promises , " he huffed out a sound that was a mix of a scoff and a laugh.

“if  you're  so  confident,  why  don't  you  go  after  it?”she  counters,  looking  over  at  him  for  another  moment  before  putting  her  eyes  back  on  the  infected.  there's  another  one  coming  up  the  street  now,  and  she  curses  under  her  breath.  she  just  wants  to  get  to  the  house  across  the  street,  hoping  it'll  have  some  kind  of  resources  left.  from  what  she'd  been  able  to  tell,  this  neighborhood  hasn't  been  picked  clean  just  yet.

the corner of his lips twitch minutely as another undead slumbers within the vicinity. he takes a glance over his own shoulder, measuring how much distance they've managed to make. was this area even worth scavenging? " maybe we should just head the opposite way , " sebastian suggested, though his tone wasn't all that convincing. he wasn't one to play it safe, but perhaps it was different when he only had himself to account for.

gaze fixed on the offer and he took a moment to let silence drip between the two. measure what other strings were tied together with the offer. surely, there was more than just the blow to his confidence on admitting who needed the food more. " everyone's hungry. you don't need to lie , " finally, bash gave in and accepted the wrapped prepared food. strange, what he decided to give up in replacement of not sacrificing every ounce of freedom he had. " y'know, some people would kill for this nowadays. you should be careful, venturing around out here just to give something you don't owe , "

the paper was being peeled back as he spoke, attempting to ignore the desperation his body felt to inhale the whole thing right here and right now. " i'm not trading anything , " bash clarified, brows rose as honey hues linked back to the other.

STATUS ⸻ CLOSED STARTER @b1dsp1atter LOCATION ⸻ ABANDONED HOUSE, OUTSKIRTS OF CEDAR GROVE.

the knock startled him, even though he'd never admit as much. the second between a clank against the wooden structure and to a voice he barely knew felt like dreaded moments. who or what was it -- why were they there -- what did they have. the raw anxiety was replaced with a defensed styled of coping instead. bash stepped forward then, turning the corner that exited what once was probably a well stocked kitchen. not so much anymore. " something to eat? what, you stop at mcdonald's on your way over ? " there's a pause. a look. noting the item grasped in her hand. his nose crinkled in slight interested, brows knitting together.

🛠  »  STATUS  …  OPEN (0/4) 🛠  »  LOCATION  …  APARTMENT BUILDING ROOFTOP OVERLOOKING THE SUPPLY ROUTE BETWEN PROTECTED COMMUNITIES

there was no knowing the precise schedule for military patrols nor supply convoys passing through. miles had spent a couple of weeks observing them from afar, tracking the movements of guards protecting the lives of those stationed somewhere nearby. there were rumors, guesses, of the protected locations, but they differed from person to person, which could either mean that no one knew where the communities were located or that someone was indeed correct, but there was no way of knowing which whisper was correct without risking putting oneself in danger. every step was risky now, every decision could be your last. with that in mind, miles was more than fine to observe some more until he gained enough intel to decide on the next step in his plan. relying on silence and keeping a low profile, miles preferred to observe from a distance or from a certain height that would buy him some time to escape in case something unexpected were to take place. right before sunset, miles swiftly entered an abandoned apartment building, climbing all the way to the rooftop for a better view of the surrounding streets. it had become some sort of a habit of his by now. scavenge for supplies, secure a spot for the night, and climb somewhere high to observe. this evening happened to be one of note. miles marked down the approximate time and location in his notebook before resuming his surveillance.

hands stayed gripped on the ladder and he doesn't tense at the reaction. bash doesn't continue moving forward though, either. he keeps his body leaned against the ladder, propped over enough to lift himself up if needed, but an easy exit available all the same. " have you noticed anything ? " sebastian asked, attempting to dull out any true curiosity that piqued in his tone. " schedules ? what kind of supplies they have ? " the question was added onto as bash rose himself another step upwards on the metal frame.

daena  makes  her  way  cautiously  through  some  overgrown  shrubbery,  knife  gripped  tightly  in  her  hand.  she  has  yet  to  get  her  hands  on  a  gun…  though  even  then,  she  doesn't  exactly  know  how  to  use  one.  she  knows  there's  stuff  like  recoil  to  watch  out  for,  but  it'd  be  a  hell  of  a  lot  safer  to  have  a  gun  on  her  rather  than  just  a  knife.  it's  a  big  hunting  knife  but  still,  you  gotta  get  close  in  order  to  use  it.

she  spots  a  lone  infected  making  their  way  through  the  empty  street,  making  that  awful  noise  that  infected  make.  it  makes  her  stomach  turn,  even  still.

“c'mon…  get  outta  here  already…”  she  mumbles  under  her  breath.  still  not  confident  enough  to  just  jump  and  take  the  kill,  she  waits.

this wasn't one of those times. while he lingered behind a few feet, honey hues watched the survivor, trailed to the infected, and focused back on daena. " you choose to slow down over one infected ? " bash finally speaks, not bothering to dwindle his voice to a whisper. it was calm. steady. normal, as if rotting flesh wasn't in the vicinity.

there's a click of his tongue and his arms fall from being previously crossed over his chest, lackadaisically motioning forward. patience was never a virtue he was blessed with. " death by something else coming this way sounds more likely than not being able to take down one of them , "

DYLAN O'BRIEN