carracosta | beez in the trap

beez in the trap

[time is ruthless when unchecked, gnawing at sore ankles and palms tough as leather, drawing blood that draws walkers in turn. Murasa stopped keeping track after the day she watched her group get torn apart amidst gunfire and screams. only day and night exist now, monday and tuesday and everything after that gone. all gone, just like the world and society and everything she misses and wishes she could forget about.

finding Madoka shocked her out of her numb stupor (and in a sense, brought her back from the dead). they're not alone anymore- alone, in this world of death even after death, but not on their own. they've had too many close calls but somehow, by some random miracle, they're alive and unharmed.

they can't stay in one place too long. the walkers might move slower than the living, but they still move nonetheless. they made it out of the city and out into the countryside where they're less likely to be ambushed by a mob around any corner. there's a farmhouse visible just about half a mile away. the barn beside it could provide extra cover until they rest and gather more supplies as well.

or it could hold a crowd of walkers inside.

Murasa glances at Madoka. they've been walking for hours in the blistering sun and their water supply is nearly depleted. talking would only dry their throats so they haven't exchanged any words for a while now.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[fighting the walkers was hard at first when she was still clinging to the hope that they could be cured, somehow, even when their skin was rotting and falling off their bones.

there's no cure. they're not people anymore. Murasa delivers a vicious stamp to the walker's head, sloppy brains spurting from cracks in its skull. there, now it definitely won't be moving anymore.]

Yeah.

[she rubs her boot on the carpet, smearing blood.]

Ready to check out the rest of the house?

[ ... yes that's one way to make sure it wouldn't be getting up. she can't help but try to nudge the corpse's jacket up over his head to try to cover the wound. it'll be a mess and they'd probably have to live with it for however long this place was going to be a safehouse for. ]

I'm ready! Let's hope that was the last of them.

[ooookay off to sweep through the rest of the house!

it's too late and i dont feel like writing a descriptive tag so okay it's safe and there aren't any more walkers inside. yay!!!!

Murasa sheds her heavy pack on the kitchen counter (the kitchen has: a few non-perishable food cans left in the cupboards, no water, some cleaning products beneath the sink, the fridge containing a rancid stench from something that was meant to be tossed out a long, long time ago, utensils and a couple knives) , knife and gun still at her belt. she's tired. even more tired than i am rn ha ha!!]

We'll have to barricade any entrances and windows, take stock of our supplies, check the barn... [she trails off, slumping into a wooden chair.]

[ and then a walker crashes into the room like kool-aid man or a wrecking ball to tell you to get more sleep 18 hrs later or whatever.

... or not. but Madoka definitely would tell Murasa the same thing even as she searches the drawers for a can opener. true suffering was living through the apocalypse and trying to open nonperishable cans with a knife while trying not to cut themselves on the blade or jagged edges.

but she glances back over her shoulder, almost panicking at the sound before realizing it's Murasa hitting a chair, not the ground. still worrying though. ]

A-are you all right? I could do that while you rest. You look like you need it.

I'm fine. [she's not fine and I'm tired again why do I keep doing tags only when I'm half-asleep.

anyway!! it'd taken a toll on her both physically and mentally; she needs to sleep, but she can't, not when they hadn't checked the whole house and etcetera etcetera. it's just too much to deal with. whatever happened to her stress-free high school life? Murasa slowly exhales, rubbing her eyes.]

Don't search the house alone... could be things hiding in the corners and shadows.

[ she's not fine. neither of them were--nothing about the situation was fine and they knew it.

so she abandons the food hunt, even if she was starving. they were used to being malnourished now. some things were more important.

she tries to reach for Murasa's hands. ]

... We should take a rest. I think we both need it.

[she's too tired to object, allowing Madoka to take her hands- sweaty, grimy, blistered hands with dirt and blood beneath the nails.]

Upstairs, then. Let's take turns keeping watch from a window.

[ah, they'll also have to get rid of that walker corpse. it'll stink up the whole house.]

[ she had been afraid of that, yes. sleeping with a body in the room was... well, at least it was a dead body. undead body.

she'd take care of it. for now she stands, gently tries to coax Murasa up as well. ]

I'll take the first watch.

[even if she's still steady when she stands the fatigue is obvious in the way she drags her feet, carrying her pack as if it weighs a ton. she'd spent the last of her energy taking down those walkers, driven by fumes where food and water was lacking.]

One hour, then wake me up.

[but when she collapses on the bed upstairs, dirty boots and all, it's clear she's not gonna be waking up after an hour.]

... I'll do that.

[ a white lie. she can definitely tell that Murasa would be down for the count for a while, but that's fine. Murasa had been the one to take down the walkers and secure their safety. the least she could do was enjoy the security while it lasted.

Murasa was surely more tired than she was, anyway. for a long moment, she just sits quietly by her side, staring almost unseeingly out the window, almost in a trance or asleep while still upright. ]

[SHE SLEEPS

AND SLEEPS

AND SLEEPS

and sleeps until the sun is reaching for the horizon, at which point she begins to stir. surprisingly (or maybe unsurprisingly?) there hadn't been any attacks or signs of life, or the dead, around the farm. boring, but safe.

... she's in a soft bed. it's quiet and warm. for a moment Murasa groggily thinks it had all been a nightmare, and her dad is gonna yell at her to get ready for school, then she'll go downstairs and cram down some toast and it'll be another normal day.

that way of waking up is normal these days, though. the crashing disappointment only lasts for a lingering moment before Murasa's staring up at the ceiling, fully awake.]

... How long was I asleep?

[ but at some point between the evening of clearing out the house of zombies and the zombie-free dawn--a rarity--Madoka had eventually passed out too despite her better efforts. still leaning heavily against the windowsill, cheek pressed to the glass in a vain attempt to continue keeping watch, mouth hanging open and possibly drooling a little.

it'd been a long day for the both of them. when was the last time they'd been in a relative safehouse like this... she'd have a hard time remembering for sure. ]

[Murasa can't fault Madoka for falling asleep during watch. getting mad would be a waste of time- even if it was risky, what if walkers swarmed around the house while they slept?- and she just can't bring herself to be angry at the only friend she has in this ruined world.

she learned not to take things for granted. they were lucky that nothing happened while they rested, that's all. for now, she'll let Madoka sleep. Murasa quietly gets off the bed, stretching sore muscles with a wince, and pulls up a chair to sit beside Madoka.

ah, it'll be dark soon. she stands again, and heads downstairs to check the doors and windows.]

[ it wasn't actually the footsteps of Murasa leaving that woke her. but after a while... there were other ways for a person to realize that they were suddenly totally alone, even without being fully conscious to recognize it. the absence of another's warmth and breath startled her into wakefulness moments after Murasa descended downstairs.

she nearly fell off her seat, but caught herself just in time, blearily rubbing her eyes. well... maybe it was a good thing that Murasa didn't see that. but she had to fight down sudden panic at the sight of the empty bed. ]

[there's a series of loud bangs coming from downstairs. not gunshots, but it's still pretty loud.

she had found some two-by-fours in the garage (do farmhouses even have garages i dont know idc whatever!!), plus a toolkit that was mostly empty but still had some useful things in it. Murasa's busy reinforcing the boarded up windows, and she had pushed the sofa all the way to the front entrance to block the door. the back door's blocked by a table.

bang bang bang bang hey Madoka maybe you should investigate!!]

[ will do!! she almost mistakes the sounds for gun rounds, but she knew how much value Murasa put in their limited munitions. even when fighting zombies, she'd rather risk close-melee with knives than using their handguns.

it couldn't be another walker... hopefully. she doesn't quite recognize that it was a hammer, just runs hurriedly downstairs, nearly tripping down the stairs in her haste. what's goin on! ]

Murasa-san?!

[also she got rid of that body in the other bedroom u r welcome. by heaving it out the window. yeah. they can deal with it later (tomorrow), but for now the body's splattered on the ground outside the house.

she's busy nailing a plank over an already-boarded window, sealing any gaps. a candle she found throws dim light across the room, just barely enough to illuminate outlines.]

Oh, you're awake. [the hammering stops.] Feeling better? Go eat something in the kitchen.

[Murasa certainly seems better, at least, even if she doesn't quite smile.]

[ thank... she notices the absence of the corpse but doesn't think to investigate out the window. maaybe will bump into later. for now she stares at Murasa's hammering, then heaves a sigh, tries to smile weakly back. ]

Ah... a bit better, yes. I guess I'll do that.

Good morni--I mean, evening.

[ it was pretty hard to keep track of time now. they were lucky to get sleep, let alone keep to a schedule. ]

I think the house should be secure now, unless someone hacked at the door with an axe.

[people rarely travel by night now, though, so it should be fine, and the zombies aren't strong enough to break through barricaded windows and doors. unless a huge mass of them pushed against them, but. well. Murasa would rather not think about that. besides, they'd have no reason to swarm around the house as long as they don't know there aren't two people inside.

they can catch up on all the sleep they'd lost. what a nice thought.]

We can stay here for a while, if there's water and food.

Let's hope the walkers don't find an axe, then.

And food... we should have enough for a while. Maybe a week, if we stretch it. And maybe there are more supplies we missed in the first sweep.

[ she goes into analytical mode almost automatically--it wasn't as if she was normally a thinker or a planner. she'd always been happy to let others take the lead.

things changed when your life was in danger every day. ]

[right. taking stock, rationing, estimating how long they'd last, figuring out what to do next- an arduous process, but that's just everyday life now.]

... I'm gonna go back to sleep.

[or at least try to. she'd like to savor this moment of peace and quiet while she can, before morning comes and they hunt for more supplies.]

Unless you want me to take the first watch?

[do they even need watch when the house is barricaded and they're in the middle of nowhere? better safe than sorry.]

I'll be able to do that. I think I'm awake enough for that...

[ it was a little embarrassing to be caught asleep when she was trying to be on watch. embarrassing and dangerous. she wouldn't let it happen again.

she peeks out the gaps between the boarded windows--no silhouettes against the sunset here, then moves to check another window on the far side of the room. ]

You've been working hard, so please rest if you need it.

We've both been working hard.

[walking hard. yes, walking hard. walking dead too ha ha look at that blatant reference.]

Don't force yourself to stay awake. It's not good for you.

[ blatant note to self to play the games sitting in backlog. ]

No, I feel better than I have for a long time. That was the most sleep we've gotten in a while, huh?

Let's not get too comfortable so soon.

[even if... real beds. real beds! and a house! with a real roof!]

We have a lot of work to do tomorrow.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject