It's just me & you kiddo

       she  feels  the  thin  coat  of  sweat  begin  drying  on  her  forehead.  as  he  lowers  the  gun,  she  feels  no  ease  lifted  rather  increased.  there’s  no  trust  gained  in  his  careful  offers,  nor  questionable  concern.  why  should  he  care  if  she  walks  into  marshland  ??  though  it  does  worry  her,  worry  her  that  she’s  gone  too  far  –  there  had  been  no  sign  of  marshland  on  their  initial  survey  of  the  area.  then  again,  they  hadn’t  gone  too  far.  maybe  she  should  meet  Theo  in  the  middle  –  go  upstream.  

“   I  don’t  have  a  gun,  and  I’m  not  stupid  enough  to  think  I  could  get  close  enough  to  TRY  anything.  ”  she  speaks  perhaps  a  tad  too  blunt,  but  she  sheathes  her  knife  in  good  faith.  it  wouldn’t  do  to  get  the  child  with  him  upset  –  cries  would  draw  everything  and  the  DEAD  didn’t  need  a  beacon  right  now.  “  I  shouldn’t,  really.  it  wouldn’t  be  right.  I – I  appreciate  it  but  I  have  my  own  food.  ”

   the banter was something alex was surprised to hear. it was strangely refreshing. ronan was so young that his arguments were almost nonexistent and alex had gone months, maybe years, without hearing a voice challenge him. he had almost forgotten what it sounded like. dark gaze watched her knife returned to its sheath and flicked over her small frame. she had her own food, perhaps, but the river had more than either of them could deplete.

He got it, he really did. People were untrusting in general,and people with kids had every reason to be incredibly skeptical. Still, didn’tmake the ongoing pointing of the gun at him any easier. Nervous people mademistakes, and the very last thing he wanted to do was take that gun away fromhim in front of the kid – but he wasn’t getting shot because the guy was onedge. “Can you not point that at me, please? I don’t want this to escalate anymore than it has to…” Understatement. “And yeah, I’m clean. Where I come fromwe have water and food – places for people to sleep. But they don’t take kindlyto people pointing guns at them either.”

⛸️   /   @refusedtodie··

HAPPY      BIRTHDAY      ,      BABY      GIRL      !                  or   at   least   a      close      approximation   .   although   her   exact  date   of   birth   could   never   be   precisely   narrowed   down   ,   the   day   gracie   entered   their   lives   had   always   felt   like   a   reasonable   excuse   to   celebrate      ;      &&      on   that   day   of   celebration   ,   the   little   princess   got   whatever   she   wanted      …      within   reason                  on   her   eight   year   ,   the      ‘   within   reason   ’      request   was   a   trip      OUTSIDE      the   walls   ,      &&      the   promise    of   at   least      trying      to   find   a      REAL      pair   of   skates   .

there   were   arguments   over      WHO      would   be   taking   gracie      &&      WHERE      they   would   be   going   ,   but   when   all   was   said      &&      done   things   were   figured   out      ;      eric   would   be   the   one   lucky   enough   to   accompany   her   ,      &&      an   old      DICK’S      SPORTING      GOODS      would   be   their   goal   .   the   building   had   been   scavenged     (      thanks   ,   heath   !      )      years   before   ,   but   the   survival   supplies   which   were   gathered   at   the   time   hadn’t   included      recreational   footwear      .                  

checked   over      once      ,      twice      ,      &&      three      times   just   to   be   safe   ,   by   the   time   gracie   raleigh   came      bouncing      through   the   front   doors   ,   there   wasn’t   a   doubt   in   her   father’s   mind   that   they   were   alone                  &&      that   may   have   been   true   ,      at   first      ,   but   half   way   through   trying   on   her   third   pair   of   skates   the   sound   of   footsteps   caused   eric   to   turn   ,   gun   quickly   aimed   at   a   pair   who   looked      JUST      AS      SURPRISED      to   see      him      as   he   was   to   see      them      .         ❝      GRACE      ,   skates   off                  ❞         he   instructed   ,   a   protective   arm   automatically   trying   to      PUSH      her   out   of   view   .

gauging   that   his   response   may   have   been      a   little   too   swift      ,   eric   lowered   his   weapon   ,   a   hesitant   smile   offered   to   the   two   strangers   .         ❝      sorry   about   that      ,   you   caught   me   off   guard   ….      ❞

   it was both a surprise and a blessing that the store was still so well stocked. sure, ‘dicks’ had fallen on hard times over the years. the roof had caved in a few areas and any sort of food or perishables were long gone, but as for equipment or clothing, there were still some gems to be found. alex had scoped out the building all morning. there was no evidence that the building was used frequently. grass and other vegetation had grown up around the windows and back doors - alex hadn’t gone near the front. the area was too exposed for his tastes - and broken out windows revealed no sign of the dead.

   still, alex had ronan at his back as they crept inside. there were children’s shoes near the front and ronan desperately needed a new pair of boots. ronan knew how much of a struggle it sometimes was to find him new clothes or adequate shoes. hell, alex hadn’t known his son had outgrown his last pair until he had caught ronan slashing out the toe and heel and resowing it himself to give his feet a few more precious millimeters.

   but as cautious as alex had been, he hadn’t prepared to stumble upon another scavenger and their daughter.

   his hand shot out, spayed across ronan’s chest with a quickly hissed ‘noho mālie’ for him to stay quiet as he pushed the boy behind him. knife in his grasp was met with the level aim of a gun and a man mirroring his reaction of shielding their children from the other. but when the gun dipped low and a smile graced the man’s features, alex slowly lowered his own weapon. “ likewise. ” dark eyes appraised them, head to toe for the father and just sparing a quick glance at the presumed daughter to check that she wasn’t aiming something equally dangerous at his head. he hadn’t expected to find a relatively clean child with skates cradled in her grasp.

Crystal blues fixated onto the male, flicking between himself and who he assumed was his son as the soles of his combat boots brushed against dirt. “A gated community?” The fences that shaped the proximity of what his father claimed to be his land. A way around the community he created but the fellow survivor, the stranger, setting foot onto their property. “We ain’t so fond of trespassers, partner.” His head nodding in the direction of his militia members, their rifles in hand as they as they were instructed. “Come on, see what the old man has to say about this.” The comment about their belongings, what was assumed would be taken from them, left for his mind to wonder.