Wolfcrest Pointe

I’m at the usual table, Holden texted before setting his phone down on the table. The booth in question was a little secluded from the rest of the area and offered some privacy but above all, the muffled sounds coming from the speakers meant they’d be able to actually maintain a conversation without straining to hear or shouting over the music.

It was a bit strange to be here though. They had good memories at this table so he hoped what he was about to do wouldn’t tarnish them. Because yeah, he’d decided that tonight, he would tell her that he saw her boyfriend doing just a few days ago. There was no easy way to reveal something like that but he figured it would be way harder for her to hear it so that encouraged him to stand his ground. She needed to know. He couldn’t wait to see her though. He’d even arrived 15 minutes early and just to avoid keeping her waiting, plus maybe, just maybe he wanted to see her arrive and make her way over to him. She was a snack, there was no denying that, and old habits die hard, right? His gaze kept drifting to his phone every now and then so he wouldn’t miss potential texts from her.

A few minutes after texting Holden that she was almost there, Rose arrived at the oh-so familiar spot her ex had picked to meet. She hadn't been here in years. Rose tried going a few times after they broke up, but it only made her think of him more. It was just easier for her to avoid the place altogether. Rose felt a little more confident this time around. She had moved on from Holden and was happily dating someone else. "Hey, I hope you weren't waiting too long." Rose slid into the booth, nervously running her fingers through her brown locks. "I'll be honest, I never thought I'd be sitting at this table with you again. It's a little trippy," she cracked a tiny joke.

Most wouldn't imagine that Raven was familiar with the harsh reality of violence. She was beautiful, posed, and always tried to make a good impression on people if only for her father's sake, or rather, to lessen any lecture or lesson he might have for her if she did not make people believe the image she wore. A model, high in the social ladder thanks to a rich father and her striking beauty, not to mention the abilities she had not everyone was aware of. It was no surprise to Raven she got so much attention at the club, or anywhere, really. Person after drunk person tried to approach her but all the woman wanted to do was get lost in the sea of bodies, dance, let her mind wander and she knew she could do that with Milo on watch. Raven liked him a little more than the other's that circled her personal security, something her father insisted upon despite her being quite capable of protecting herself, he hadn't cultivated her image for it to be ruined by truth.

There had been one particularly insistent drunk man that tried to get her attention, Raven evaded him a few times before he got close enough to touch her and she ignored him. Dancing into the mass of bodies easily enough but when she turned back around to spot the man, keep him in sight, he was gone and she noticed Milo was as well. That was how Raven found herself outside the club, the much muffled by the brick walls but still loud enough to be heard but it didn't drown out the sound of a fist hitting flesh and the harsh words coming from Milo. Raven remained quite, watching with a hand on the brick wall before she took a slow breath and moved closer, eyes scanning Milo for injuries but knowing the man on the ground bore most of them.

Milo rose up from the gritty concrete, spitting on the beaten male as his final blow. He felt confident that the creep wouldn't be coming back to this nightclub anytime soon. God help him if he did. Milo whipped his head to the side as the sound of Raven's voice caught him off guard. He rolled his shoulders, shaking off a few droplets of blood from his knuckles. "I am now." Milo wasn't concerned about Raven seeing his more violent side. That was the entire reason he had his job. To protect her by any means necessary.

His siblings and him were supposed to get together to plan a surprise for their parents but though he was happy at the idea of hanging out with his sisters, seeing his brother was the last thing he wanted right now. Just thinking about it, he could feel a knot form in the pit of his stomach, one that tightened when Rose confirmed that she wasn’t at the nightclub with her boyfriend. His face fell at her words; he just couldn’t help it. She deserved better. He wanted to tell her so bad but… wouldn’t that be too brutal? She was a good enough reason to stick around because though he might not know how to tell her what he saw, there was no way he’d let that guy take her for a fool. From now until they met again, he would try to come up with something. “Friday’s good for me”, he answered, willingly choosing to keep the other conversation at that for now. “Jake is a lucky guy by the way”, he had the audacity to add.

kai watched her move, the guarded steps and the wary eyes never leaving him, and he couldn't blame her. her suspicion was a survival instinct, honed by a world that taught you to trust no one. he let out a small, almost inaudible sigh, a mixture of relief and empathy washing over him as she finally started to eat. it was a small victory, but in this world, you took what you could get. "yeah, i get it. 'nice' isn't a word usually associated with us," kai admitted, leaning back slightly to give her more space, a physical manifestation of the respect he was trying to convey. "but not everyone had a choice in becoming who they are now. the world went to hell, and well, people did what they had to do to survive. doesn't excuse everything, but it's not black and white either."

he paused, choosing his next words carefully, aiming to be truthful without revealing too much. "let's just say i've got my reasons for being here, and not all of them are by choice. but while i'm here, if i can make things a bit less crappy for someone else, then why not?" kai knew the road to earning rose's trust would be long and fraught with skepticism. but for now, he was content to have taken the first step, however small. in a world where darkness and despair were the norms, even the tiniest flicker of humanity could be a beacon of hope. "but enough about me. tell me about yourself. where did you come from?"

Her brows knitted together as Kai vaguely explained why he found himself immersed in the world of raiders. It wasn't entirely uncommon for decent people to join a raider group if left with no other choice. Rose had to wonder herself what option she would choose if forced to make that kind of decision. She stuffed a few more bits of food past her lips before setting down the tray. A weary look reached her dark brown hues as Kai inquired about her life. She really wasn't in the mood for small talk. Rose wanted her focus to be on planning her escape. Perhaps if she indulged Kai a little, he'd leave her be. "Before it all went to shit? San Diego. I used to teach dance," she added unexpectedly. "Um, now I move around a lot. It's not safe to stay in one place for too long."

leo watched robin, his eyes softening as he caught the storm of feelings on her face. it was like watching the fierce weather break, revealing the calm. he knew this side of her, hidden away under all that toughness, and it pulled at him. "no need for thanks." he moved a bit closer, his insides twisted up with a mix of feelings. the thought of her alone, holing up in some cheap motel, struck a chord in him. he felt an urge to do more than just say the right things, to somehow close the gap that had stretched out between them over time. his movements however were measured, betraying a hint of the pride and stubbornness that always seemed to simmer between them. despite the softened look in his eyes and the clear concern etched across his face, he stopped short of reaching out to her. this restraint spoke volumes of the complex dance of their relationship—always on the brink of closeness yet held back by their respective defenses. he managed a half-smile, trying to cut through the heaviness. "nonsense. you're not going anywhere. why don't you go freshen up? take a shower or something." he said, his tone easing into something more casual, an attempt to bridge the emotional gap with practicality. "i'll send someone to get your stuff from the motel. you'll have them here tomorrow morning." he scratched the back of his neck, a gesture of his lingering unease yet wanting to make things right in the only way he knew how. "i'll put some tea on. i've got that fancy herbal stuff you like somewhere around here." he added, a small joke to lighten the mood, remembering her preferences despite everything.

"Noted," she offered him a sly smile, watching him walk away, eyes drifting down to his ass. She waited for a few moments, until he had disappeared, before she bravely got up and followed his route, to the restrooms, feeling her core flutter excitedly.

♦️

kai shifted his weight, trying to strike that delicate balance between revealing too much and letting rose know he wasn't just another raider looking to make her life miserable. "hey, i've been on the wrong side of a locked door too, you know?" he said, keeping his tone light but his eyes serious. "not exactly here, but let's just say i've had my fair share of rough nights." he shrugged, as if to say he knew what it was like to be trapped, scared, and unsure who to trust. kai couldn't help but appreciate rose's spirit, even as she threw his attempt at lightening the mood back in his face. her skepticism was a clear indication of how much the apocalypse had jaded her, a sentiment kai knew all too well. he couldn't blame her for her distrust, especially not after everything she must have gone through.

he eased up a bit, trying to dial down the formal vibe and just talk to rose like they were two regular people, not prisoner and captor. "look, i get it," he said, leaning against the wall, trying to come off as less threatening and more like someone she could maybe, sort of, trust. "if i were in your shoes, i'd be giving me the side-eye too. but hey, the grub's actually decent. no nasty surprises, i promise." he gave her a small, understanding nod, signaling that he wasn't here to add to her misery. "i'm not trying to play some weird mind game with you," kai continued, hoping to find some common ground.

Her brown hues once again gravitated to the tray of food he had brought for her. Hunger was an unruly sensation. One would do just about anything to make the feeling go away. If she wanted any real chance of escaping this place, Rose would need her strength. She cautiously approached the tray, keeping her gaze locked on the man in her cell. "So, what then? You're just being.. nice? Raiders aren't exactly known for their hospitality." The nervous brunette quickly grabbed the small tray and inched back to her corner of the cell, eagerly pushing a few bites of food into her mouth. Rose hummed softly as the nourishment she needed reached her empty stomach.

connection: a zombie apocalypse in which y/m has been kidnapped by a band of raiders where kai infiltrated to dismantle as an act of vengeance for raiding his home, and he is tasked with feeding y/m and her group of friends, and they find themselves bonding amidst the chaos

♦️

in the wake of a devastating zombie apocalypse, society has crumbled, leaving behind a world where the dead roam freely and the living are often more dangerous than the undead. amidst this chaos, a group of raiders, known for their brutality and disregard for human life, have just captured a group of survivors, planning to use them for their own nefarious purposes. kai, a skilled survivor with a mysterious past, has infiltrated the raiders' ranks, aiming to dismantle their operations from the inside. his reasons are his own, a blend of vengeance for past wrongs and a sliver of hope to bring some semblance of order to the apocalyptic wasteland. the raiders have set up camp in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of what was once a bustling city. its walls, covered in graffiti and remnants of the world before, now serve as a fortress for the lawless. inside, the kidnapped survivors are kept in makeshift cells, guarded and awaiting their fate.

on his first night with the raiders, kai is tasked with a seemingly mundane duty—feeding the prisoners. as he walks through the dimly lit corridors, the air heavy with despair, he approaches the cell of the newest captive, a young girl whose spirit seems unbroken despite her dire circumstances. under the guise of just another raider, kai swung the creaky cell door open, aiming to break the ice with the girl they had just brought in. it was a risky move—chatting up a prisoner wasn't exactly protocol for raiders, but kai wasn't here to follow rules. he was on a mission, one that required blending in until the moment was right to turn the tables.

"hey there," he started, voice low and casual, as if they were just two people bumping into each other at a pre-apocalypse coffee shop rather than a makeshift prison in a world overrun by zombies. "not exactly the ritz, is it?" kai joked, attempting to lighten the mood with a bit of humor, despite the grimness of their surroundings. he handed over the food, a sorry excuse for a meal, but it was all they had.

It wasn't always about her own survival. Rose had family once upon a time. Her brother, Remy. Their parents had died during the initial outbreak and all they had was each other after that. They kept each other alive and did what they had to survive. After years of only relying on one another, Remy blindsided his sister by deciding to join a group. Rose was against the idea from the start. Small groups had a tendency of failing horrifically. She begged and pleaded with her brother to reconsider, but his mind had been made up. Fearing for his life, Rose begrudgingly joined as well. It only took a month before everything fell apart. Supplies were dwindling, so Remy and a few others volunteered to go out and scavenge what they could find. Not one of them returned. Two days later, raiders invaded their camp and took everyone hostage. All she had now was herself, and her unwavering determination to escape this hellhole.

Rose remained rooted to the other side of her cell, keeping a safe distance between her and the raider. She scoffed at his attempt at humor. "I don't know, why don't you stay in a cell for the night and let me know what you think." Her brown hues darted down to the tray of food he had placed in front of her. The sound of Rose's stomach growling practically echoed throughout her cell. She was desperate to fill the empty void of hunger clawing at her insides. What stopped her from eating was the paranoia. What if the food was laced and they were trying to drug her for God knows what? "...I'm not hungry."