Closed Starter
MARRISARAHMAYÂ Â /Â Â ?
The wind whipped through the trees, creating a pleasant breeze on the hot day the world was forced to endure. The sun shone down brightly and seemed to cancel out the chilly breeze. From her perched seat in the middle of an old tree, Sarah watched the man.Â
She had seen man before, but had never made an effort to speak with him. She was unsure if he had seen her, and he had a weapon. It was never wise to speak to someone with a weapon, unless you had one too. Which Sarah most certainly did not. Her knife was currently residing in the head of a dead one. She had narrowly escaped the hoard, and her knife had been the casualty.
Still, it had been days since she had managed to find food, and the man seemed prepared. She knew he was, at the very least, half of a pair. She wasnât sure if there were more, but she had seen another man with the red haired man. It was safest to assume there were more. And more was dangerous.
She hadnât seen the other man today, and the red haired man seemed to be alone. She knew her plan was unwise and unsafe, but so was hunger. Hunger meant an inability to fight the dead ones, and that meant becoming a dead one too.
With a sigh, Sarah quietly climbed down from the tree. âExcuse me,â She called quietly, keeping her distance, âSir?â
through  the  grass  he  trudged  ,  one  foot  in  front  of  the  other  ,  all  remnants  of  blood  on  the  soles  of  his  shoes  long  since  wiped  away  on  green  blades  .  the  night  had  been  unkind  ,  to  say  the  least  ,  with  the  dead  more  lively  than  ever  .  come  morning  he  emerged  ,  unscathed  save  for  fresh  crimson  staining  pant  leg       BRIGHT  RED  in  startling  contrast  against  PALE  KHAKI  .
COPPER  hair  shone  in  the  sunlight  ,  shifting  when  the  wind  was  kind  enough  to  blow  ,  a  small  reprieve  from  the  dry  heat  .  since  the  day  the  world  had  fallen  apart  ,  eric  had  taken  it  upon  himself  to  avoid  reminiscing  whilst  on  the  road  .  at  home  thoughts  were  aloud  to  stray  ,  but  in  the  open  ,  on  his  own  ,  focus  was  the  only  thing  keeping  him  alive       STILL  ,  as  sweat  began  to  soak  into  fabric  which  was  both  BORROWED  &&  CHEAP  ,  the  man  couldnât  help  but  to  think  ;   (  i  would  kill  for  an  air  conditioned  taxi  right  now  .  )
their  stints  outside  of  alexandriaâs  walls  found  eric  &&  aaron  with  an  abundance  of  time  .  time  enough  to  explore  both  together  &&  alone  .  the  two  would  part  with  a  kiss  ,  a  promise  to  BE CAREFUL  &&  STAY  SAFE  before  parting  ways  for  a  short  while  .  Â
to  hear  a  voice  seeking  his  attention  was  expected      more  than  expected  ,  it  was  the  plan  ,  though  by  the  time  the  SOUND  of  the  voice  had  registered  ,  eric  was  already  turning  with  a  smile  ,  practically  ready  to  throw  his  arms  around  the  stranger  .   â  I mi-whoa  ,  nope  .  â
hand  was  to  his  side  in  the  blink  of  an  eye  ,  warm  palm  closing  in  on  cool  metal  .  she  hadnât  done  anything  ,  at  least  no YET  ,  but  eric  would  be  damned  if  he  found  himself  unprepared  if  &&  when  she  tried  .   â  âŚÂ  did  you  just  call  me  SIR  ? â    Â
The red haired man seemed a bit startled, which startled Sarah in return. Stupid. She never should have approached him, and even from her safe distance, she felt quite unsafe in the moment. âF-forgive me, sir.â She stammered, holding her shaky hands in the air, hoping that he would recognize that she was not a threat to him. âI did not mean to disturb you.âÂ
The look of confusion was evident on Sarahâs face. Every single one of her features showed it plain as day. Her wrinkled nose, her furrowed brow. Had he actually asked how she had addressed him? âYes, sir, I did?â She tried to sound confident in her answer, but she feared she was just making things up in her head. What if he had asked something else, and Sarah had only heard that? She was probably some ten of fifteen yards away, so she very well could have misheard him. Of course they were both remaining quiet enough to not disturb the dead, so she really, that was probably the case.Â
After all, of all the things he might have asked, why would that be high on his priority list.
With her hands in the air, she cautiously took a step forward, nearly tumbling forward as she did. âI am truly sorry to disturb you, sir... but I have no weapons and no food. I have watched you and the man who you come with for a few days. I...â She bit her lip, feeling overwhelmingly embarrassed and awkward. âYou both seem very well prepared, which is something I am not. I was hoping, perhaps, that you might have a small bit of food to spare.â Her hands were visibly shaking, though whether that was from the hunger or nervousness was anyoneâs guess. âPlease forgive me for bothering you, sir.â The last words were barely even whispered, and she was certain the man would not have heard them.
