Survival Shopping~Open~

[newmoon232]

The eighteen year old winced slightly as she tied the bandage around her upper forearm. She had stumbled into a store to escape an attack from the zombies. That was not the reason she was currently bandaging up her arm though. The young girl had, being the klutz that she was, tripped and broke a glass jar, then she fell, and sliced herself with the glass. Sounds like quite a scene right? Aphra cut and taped the bandage and then looked around the empty store. The zombies had wandered away for now, but she was still hesitant about going outside. What had happened to her?

Aphra Elektra had always been one of the 'tough kids' at school. Though she managed to get good grades she couldn't resist the lure of trouble and danger. Now though the tables were very much turned. She was still tough, but instead of jumping into the danger she was thinking twice about it. It wasn't very hard to forget that first day, one year ago, when everything had happened. She had teamed up with two others, but they got overtaken a few months back.

She looked down at her slightly ragged dark blue jeans and faded black tank top. Yep. Nothing would ever be the same now. Aphra let her dark brown eyes wander the store again before moving slightly closer to the store window. She ran a hand through her bright pink hair. “I need a weapon..before I go back out there..” She whispered to herself. Aphra turned around to do a quick scan of the store. It wasn't anything special, only a small convenience shop. But there had to be some pocket knives around here somewhere.

Aphra grabbed a candy bar, unwrapping it, eating it slowly as she started to look around. She hadn't eaten anything in awhile, she had been watching the zombies silently, studying them, trying to figure out the best ways to destroy them. She couldn't let them smell food on her. Aphra forced herself to relax a little, finishing the candy bar just as found the pocket knives. She looked at a few, opening and closing them, then slipped them into one of her pockets. She found the drinks and grabbed a bottle of water. “Time for another weapon check.” She mumbled, knowing just pocket knives wouldn't be nearly enough to fend off a horde of zombies.

[Jeremy Renner]

Renner felt relatively safe for the moment in the small alley as he did a full sweep of his M40 sniper rifle. Peering down the scope towards the street showed him no signs of dirt. He lowered the rifle upon the sound of interference behind him. He turned to glance over his shoulder to spot three of them stumbling towards him. Slinging the powerful anti-personnel weapon over his shoulder Renner did a quick reconnaissance of the seemingly empty street ahead of him. Then Renner jumped from the small dumpster he stood upon and immediately stopped at the mouth of the alley leading into the street. A legion of zombies turned to face him one at a time. "Not good." Renner raised his M40 and took a shot out of desperation knowing that it would wake the city. "Nothing would've smacked this city in the face louder than your library explosion."

Renner cracked a smile as he thought of his friend's antics one year ago to rescue a teacher's handful of classroom students. As Renner peered through the scope mounted on the rifle he felt hands on his shoulders and around his waist. Renner switched hands on the rifle and brought it around like a heavy club. He was successful in doing one of two things. Making the victimized zombie's head nothing but a bloody chunk of meat but he failed and being subtle. His rifle backfired causing a bullet to sear into the black pavement of the road at his feet. The shot echoed warningly fading slowly. "Shit." Renner slung the rifle over his shoulder yet again and ran for it. Towards a half finished building in the foreground. He jumped for the ladder instead of climbing from the bottom and hightailed it to the top where he managed to fail yet again at being evasive.

A part of the scaffolding broke underneath his feet and he plummeted through a thin sheet of wood and landed backfirst onto the ground. From his prone position he slid his automatic from his leg holster and fired off two shots hoping to hit one of the supports. A loud crashing scrape caused the entire scaffolding building to crash to the pavement. Renner made a running jump onto a scaffolding and then onto a fire escape ladder that nobody ever bothers to lower. He hauled himself onto the scaffolding then vaulted over the low wall to a roof of one building. He turned to admire his work. The entire project of the almost finished building was a high piled rubble on the ground with every zombie in the city moving towards it. Renner turned and walked a couple feet before seeing a dead body and an open hatch. He dragged the body to the edge and pushed it over to the ground below. Pulling out his flashlight and automatic he lowered himself into the open hatch into a small convenience store.

The first thing he noticed was a girl drinking a bottle of water. He lowered his pistol and saw the candy wrapper in her hand. "Wrapped items and tin cans is what you should be keeping an eye on because at this rate there won't be any left. When that happens you are going to need to resort to military rations and they taste like stale paper." Renner didn't bother with introductions. He flexed his fingers to gain some feeling back into his joints after his fall. His chiseled features gave off the impersonation that he wasn't a person who liked to be messed with. A true soldier who got down to business and got past foreplay.

[newmoon232]

Aphra jumped a bit hearing the man's voice, then she saw his gun. “Wrapped items, tin cans, got it.” Aphra nodded slightly, tossing the wrapped in a nearby trash can. She put the cap back on the water bottle and looked at him again. “I take it you were the one making all that racket outside then?” She asked leaning against the counter just a bit. Today must be the day to die, the zombies seemed to be around every corner..then again..they probably were.

“Military..Ex-Military?” She asked, mainly she guessed by the way he looked, but also the mention of military rations. Aphra's brother had been in the military, he died last year with the first wave of this 'virus'. So he was either dead..or still the walking dead. Aphra shook her head a bit and ran a hand through her hair. “Are they still out there or did you get rid of the ones chasing you?” She asked standing straight again.

Her eyes wandered to the window again. It was starting to get dark, well..it was better to be in here then out there. One year ago all you needed was a light and some damn good weapons and you could go out at night if you wanted to risk it. Now though it seemed there wasn't even a point. The humans were way out numbered for once. “My name is Aphra by the way.” She said absently looking back at the man.

Not that they would be around each other long enough for it to matter. Or maybe they would be, who knew. With everything the way it was now, anything was possible wasn't it? She looked away once more to the window again, finally setting the water on the counter. She started to walk a bit towards the window, glass from the broken jar crunching beneath her slightly worn out sneakers.

[Jeremy Renner]

Renner placed the sniper rifle across the counter next to Aphra's water. He slid the pistol back into his leg holster harboring his handgun ammo in a secret compartment. The human race was overloaded with a virus not withstand able. "Corporal Renner. United States Marines." So his military introduction went. "To answer your question with more clarity. As of E-Day I am no longer a corporal, obviously. Our structural economy fell that day. However there still some soldiers out there making their own way. Looking for something. Their families, their kids, their wives." Renner crossed the room to the window and looked out without saying another word for a full minute.

"Living off of military rations isn't good. I've been living off of this shit for years when I was stationed overseas. When they brought me back to the states when unknowingly this goddamn plague crucified us all I've been roaming the streets still eating rations. It's like living in hell." Renner pressed his gloved hand against the grime streaked window. "If I owned both the sun and hell. I would rent out the sun and live in hell then eat military rations." Renner drew a circle in the dirt covered window. "Here's to hoping rations won't be used as sustenance over there." Two dots formed eyes and a smaller line formed a sad face. A small bird like monkey flew past his small perception of the outside world. His finger hovered over the sad face. His eyes averted to ceiling to check the lights.

Renner checked the military watch on his wrist. It read back the numbers he always dreaded every night. 7:00. Renner pressed two fingers to his ear and spoke. "Smith. I won't be coming home for dinner tonight, honey. The monkey-birds are touching down. ~pause~ I'll keep you posted, Renner out." Renner then strode to the front door to make sure it was closed and locked. He then turned to Aphra. "This place won't hold out till morning. The flying bastards are out and looking for prey. We have to stay here for the night. We will take rotating shifts to make sure the lights stay on. If they fail high tail ass to the generator and turn it on. There's a little switch you flick, can't miss it." As Renner spoke he began piling boxes in front of the door. "I'll take the first shift." Renner's box stacking skill stopped. His eyes found something very amusing.

He dropped the box and knelt down. His hand hovered over a small beige clay portion stuck between the floor and wall. He trailed a detonation wire up to the ceiling and his worst fears came to light. "Oh shit." He said quietly. His eyes found the main detonation wire and trailed it to the final portion. A small countdown timer read .59. "Marvelous. What crazy son of a bitch rigs his own store with C4 and only leaves himself a minute to escape?" Renner said more to himself. He found himself slinging his rifle back over his shoulder and pulling out his flashlight. "Aphra, right? Grab any light you can. Aerosol works wonders with a small lighter." Renner tossed her a small can of coolant and his lighter. Renner then rummaged through the shelves and behind the counter to find a perfectly cut piece of sheet metal.

[newmoon232]

Aphra laughed softly. “Must be some hatred for them..” Then she watched him draw the sad face, then she saw the flying creature. The main reason it was useless to go out at night. “Damn.” She mumbled and then watched as he spoke into the microphone. She was curious, but now was no time at all to ask questions like that.

“Yeah alright.” Aphra said starting to walk back and turn on the light. “Wait what?!” She turned around quickly at his mention of C4. “You have got to be kidding me..” She breathed as he tossed her the aerosol and lighter. “Light..right..I'm on it.” She said nodding quickly and then moving off to scour for things.

She pocketed a few more lighters, and found a small broomstick almost as big as a torch. “This will work nicely.” She muttered. She grabbed the broomstick, wouldn't really be able to light it until they got outside though. She looked over at Renner again. “Well Corporal. Looks like we're stuck together for awhile.” Aphra said. Yeah, anything was possibly in the world they lived in now. Aphra couldn't say she liked that though.

[Jeremy Renner]

Renner didn't bother saying anything much after that. A faint little timer in his mind told him how much time they had left. He held the sheet metal in front of him while he laid it against the door. He checked his watch again as he pressed two fingers to his ear piece. "Smith. Uh, I've got a problem, buddy. Well, me and Aphra. ~~ Yeah, monkey-flyers. Anyway, we are mobilizing to an RV due two klicks east of my current position held up in some shitty convenience store. Timed. 0600. Smith.." Renner turned to look at Aphra who seemed to busy enough to listen in. Renner's fingers still pressed into his piece. "I've got a bad feeling about this, Smith."

Renner dropped his hand and slung his rifle over his shoulder. "Aphra we gotta go. 30 secs left 'till det." Renner now picked up his sheet metal. "We need to be away from here before the detonation." The thing that made Renner clench his jaw with anticipation was the fact that after the detonation every zombie in this city would converge on their location. Explosions and zombies = bad news. Renner walked to the back door knowing that the alley behind them was lit. "Get behind me. Stay low, move fast. Don't stray, don't think." Renner opened the door a crack and peered out. He turned to Aphra and placed two fingers to his eyes to gesture to keep her eyes open and slipped outside. He made it to the corner and peered out at the street. "10 seconds." Renner had no other choice. "Run." Renner slid out a aerosol can and a lighter. He pressed the can button down and ignited the lighter.

A steady stream of flame cast itself out of the small can from the nozzle giving Aphra light and a distraction to run in a direction that Renner would follow. "This is going to suck." Renner kept up the steady stream of fire waiting for his chance to move.