ʙᴜᴍᴍᴇʀ.

              she's gasping on the ground after a hard meet and greet with the cement.

              she holds the rifle up to her shoulder, muzzle pointed directly at his head.

               ❝ are you bitten? ... ---- are. you. B I T T E N ?? ❞

               ❝ did you even READ World War Z? because Canada is probably the best idea                   in this crapfest. all those forests and shit. we could probably rebuild a whole                   community up there. they have a Pacific Playland in Vancouver, did you know? ❞

                 YOU’VE GOT TO BE SHITTING ME.

       She’s not going to leave him– just him– all alone in the dark on the side of the road with nothing but one gun, is she? Not after she stole their car again. Not after he’d finally started to think they could trust each other, just for a little while– just long enough to get the little girl in the backseat to Pacific Playland for what might be her last chance at a day filled with fun. He isn’t about to lose everything again so soon, is he? He just can’t catch a fucking break.

       But then she stops, just as his hand grabs at the door handle and his heart begins to break, and he drops his head forward in relief. He’s sure she got a good laugh at the look of pure horror on his face. But he knew, already, that he wanted to be in that car with her. He wanted to be in the car with Witchita, Little Rock, and even Tallahassee. Because for the first time in the last couple of months, he’s felt like maybe he has a connection with someone. Maybe this is really the first time he’s felt like that.

       Crazy, how it took the ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE for him to make friends.

       “Do you really think Tallahassee’s insane? I mean, yeah, the guy’s a little violent and he’s got a whole thing about twinkies that borderlines on being suicidal, but I think he’s just sad, you know? I mean, if you lost the one thing that meant the most to you, wouldn’t you be pretty weird, too?”

       And then she pats his cheek, and even though it’s a stupid little pat that says ‘I pity you’, he can’t help but feel a little warm from the touch. “Well, thanks for that. Kicking me out without even my bag would be kind of harsh.”

—- ᴡɪᴄʜɪᴛᴀ ⊱

               it isn’t that she doesn’t like him, nah. she’s grown quite fond of Columbus and hell, she’s even grown a little fond of Tallahassee. but it was in her nature. she can’t really recall the exact reason as to why she acts the way she does. maybe she was just a terrible person-- manipulation and backstabbing came easy to her, though far easier now that there were technically no rules. it was the apocalypse. why should there be any rules?                                                                                   ( maybe she wasn’t a very popular teen ) 

                his inquiry about her being weird if she lost the one thing that matters most to her had her tucking her bottom lip between her teeth to chew. an ache in her chest caused her to shift a little, feet swinging up to rest against the dash and body slumping down lazily into the seat. she chances a glance over her shoulder to gaze at Little Rock. yes, she thinks. i’d be more than a little weird. the girl smiles at her younger sister quietly a moment before her attention is brought back to Columbus.

                ❝ honestly, i think he needs to chill out. ❞ she admits casually, waving a hand with nonchalance.  ❝ we’re all a little sad here. but obsessing over something during all this instead of finding a safe zone? i’d say that’s a little insane. ❞ you’re one to talk, Wichita. you’re going to an amusement park instead of finding a safe zone yourself. 

@walktofirst

            He’s behaving himself, as well as anyone might expect from Tallahassee, and it had only taken being held at gunpoint – twice – to convince him to play nice. Columbus would probably consider that progress. “Not that I don’t just LOVE drivin’ the wrong way across the country with you an’ yer little mini-me back there, but exactly why is it yer bringin’ us along?”

            Not that he wanted to be left on the side of the road without transportation or protection (again) but he didn’t trust Wichita as far as he could throw her, and the fact that she hadn’t abandoned them like she had the first time had left the Texan feeling suspicious.

—- ᴡɪᴄʜɪᴛᴀ ⊱

               the drive had been quiet thus far - not that Wichita was complaining. she much preferred this quiet from the small group instead of bickering and all that obnoxious shit that people who didn’t get along tended to do. flicking her gaze off the road for a moment to stare at him silently, she sucks in a breath and smiles with feigned adoration.

           ❝ well, ‘cause i just couldn’t wait to go on the ferris wheel with you. ❞ Wichita tilts her head, turning her attention back to the road.  ❝ nothing more romantic than an undead world and an abandoned amusement park, hey stud ?? ❞ she’s JOKING, of course. but she does happen to glance in the rear view mirror just to be certain that Columbus and Little Rock were really sleeping. 

       Maybe it means nothing that she’s concerned for him– for the fact that he hasn’t slept since she has– but he’s into this girl, and reading too much into everything is one of the things he does best. At least the concern shows that she’d care if he fell asleep and died behind the wheel. Or maybe she only cared because she and Little Rock would be in the car. Still, it feels kind of nice, having a girl worry over him. 

         “–You know, that joke might be funny under literally any other circumstance,” he tells her, unbuckling his seat belt and arching his back until he feels it pop a few times. He releases a somewhat satisfied sigh before grabbing his gun from beside the seat and stepping out of the car, quickly switching sides with Witchita. Once they’re in and safe, he buckles again and grabs hold of the wheel.

         “Maybe the next gas station will have a twinkie so he can stop trying to get us killed at every convenience store we pass by.”

—- ᴡɪᴄʜɪᴛᴀ ⊱

               she offers a short, sarcastic laugh. hey, a joke was a joke. she happened to think she was quite funny, thank you very much. Wichita mirrors his actions, unbuckling her belt and arching her back in order to crack her spine. once he leaves the vehicle however, she smirks in what can only be described as pure EVIL intent. before he can reach for the driver’s side door handle, the girl throws the vehicle into drive and inches forward a bit-- she waits a few tense seconds before stopping and parking again. she just wanted to make sure he was really awake.

              holding back the urge to bark out a laugh, she opens the door and steps out quickly; a hand reaching next to the seat so she can grab her own handgun before making her way around the vehicle and into the passenger side. what can she say, she loves fuckin’ around with these two. shaking the hair from her eyes, she nods. Tallahassee was crazy for those treats, and in a strange way it was kind of awesome. 

@walktofirst

       I’ve always been a sap. I’m not like Tallahassee– I wasn’t born to kick ass. I’d like to think I was born with a purpose, with some kind of higher calling that meant I was important. My whole life, I’d avoided people with some sort of understanding that deep inside, I wasn’t meant to do more than stay up until six in the morning playing World of Warcraft alone in my apartment. In short, I had no real effect on the world. I could have died and no one would have noticed. No one, perhaps, including my family. I’m starting to think, though, that meeting Witchita might have been what I was always meant to do.

         He glances over at her, his own thoughts racing, keeping him wide awake, and he asks, “Do you want me to drive for a while? You look pretty tired.”

—- ᴡɪᴄʜɪᴛᴀ ⊱

                so what, he’s kinda cute. with that mop of curls and awkward nerd energy shrouding him, the girl can’t help but smirk slightly at the guy as he gazes out the window. normally, she’s quite focused on the road. not that there was anything to see except abandoned cars and empty road anyway-- but there came a point when even the numbest of people craved socialization and company in general. she blinks when he finally speaks, and she flicks dull blues on him lazily. quirking a brow, the girl is about to offer a snarky comment in response, but a yawn takes her instead. touche, Columbus. touche.

                    ❝ you haven’t had much sleep either. hey, cowboy, why don’t you-- ❞

              sleeping. they’re both sleeping in the back seat, Little Rock and Tallahassee. not that she minds, as the younger girl needed the rest. but, still though. Wichita heaves a sigh, nods and searches the road before finally pulling over. no abandoned cars, no rubble, buildings or anything for any of those zombies to hang around in. it’s safe. for the most part, really.