Survival of the fittest - AmyMarie and Shadowfax

[Shadowfax]

The sun was coming up. That was something to appreciate more and more as days went past. The virus was working it's way through the human race and more and more people died each day. After another night of hearing nothing but screaming of pain and cries of anguish as people lost their loved ones, Ashelin awoke with her handgun gripped in one hand. She hadn't slept particularly well, so her mood was not going to be a pleasant one she could tell.

A cry rang through the air and woke a young boy sleeping behind Ashelin. He was only nine if that and startled by the noise, he began to panic and his breathing became heavy.

"Be quiet, Sam" Ashelin hissed at the boy.

He immediately calmed down seeing that she was there and his breathing returned to normal. Ashelin rolled her eyes and scanned the area to see if anyone was coming.

The virus had been active for about a week now and already three quarters of the population in the UK had died. Ashelin had taken to hiding out during the day unless in a small town, or countryside. Fortunately today she was in a small village in Somerset so could do some walking during the day. She wasn't sure where she was heading exactly, just to stay away from the larger cities as that would be where the virus would be more contagious. She herself felt fit and well, despite losing her entire family to the virus. For now, she just kept moving and staying alive.

"Can we go yet?" Asked Sam.

Ashelin turned her head to look at him before standing up slowly and slipping the gun back into it's holster on her leg.

"I still have no idea why you're following me kid.. But yes, I am going now"

[UncoordinatedPisces]

The room, for the most part, was dark. Light creeped in through the gaps either side of the curtains. The young man couldn't open them though. They could be waiting outside. Why the kept following him he did not know, but he knew they wouldn't stop until he was out of the city. George sat in the green velvet arm chair, mulling over his cup of coffee. He thought he could use a caffeine buzz right now. He took a sip and held back a sigh.

His sister, Aimee, was still asleep on the sofa. The two had slept in the living room. Well, Aimee wanted to sleep upstairs but George wanted her close, in case the gang turned up. As he drunk, he wondered how society could crumble in a matter of days. He wondered how he could loose almost all his loved ones in less than 72 hours. He also wondered how he was still able to function. Countless times he had just wanted to sit and cry, drown his sorrows in the many tears he had stored up. George had to stay strong for her though. If he cracked, Aimee would crack again.

"George?". The young man looked at his sister again. She was lying quite still, eyes half open.
"I'm here" he said quietly. Aimee closed her eyes again, she had to check he was there. George glanced at the clock, it was 8am, not that time mattered to him much anymore. It was still good to keep track though. A few moments later, Aimee had swung her legs off the sofa and was in a sitting position, still nestled into the blankets that George had pilled onto her. The heating hadn't been working and it was cold in the night. "You want something to drink?" he asked.

Aimee's eyes rested on her brother for a few seconds before replying,
"No thanks...not yet". He nodded in acknowledgement and rested his head back again. The pair sat in silence, neither of them wanting to address the issue of the day. George had been talking about leaving over last nights dinner. What did they have left in Cardiff? Just a gang out to get them. They even had to move into their grandparents house.

George was glad they died in hospital in the first day of the outbreak, it would of been worse to see them suffer. George and Aimee both had to watch helplessly as their parents died in their own household, and they never wanted to experience that again.

[Shadowfax]

Ashelin threw her backpack over her back after she had pulled out a bar of chocolate. Breakfast was never that much these days but she made do with what she currently had. It had been a while since she had been able to raid a supermarket. Gangs often operated there along with the dead. Ashelin had come to learn that the bodies could be contagious too so she carried a mask with her at all times just incase. She began to walk off without a look over her shoulder to see if Sam was following.

The boy stumbled over his feet in his rush to get up off the floor. He quickly got back up, grabbed the handle bars of his push bike and cycled after Ashelin. He kept to her left, casting hungry glances at the chocolate bar she was devouring. He too had learnt that Ashelin was very much only worried about herself and he was a liability to her. Even still, she had not turned the gun on him, nor told him to go away, though she often reminded him he was a pain and a burden. Sam couldn't leave her though, he was to afraid and too alone to turn away.

As the two walked along in silence, they left the small village with nothing but open countryside in front of her. Along the country lane she saw a sign. It read; Cardiff 30 miles. Ashelin sighed. Another large town. But she couldn't get her bearings if she turned off at a random road and going back was not an option. She looked back at Sam.

"What is it Ash?" Sam asked hopefully.

"I need a car" She said with a frown.

[UncoordinatedPisces]

"We have to leave" George blurted out suddenly. The two had been eating breakfast, which consisted of cornflakes and milk today. He was thankful the fridge was still working. The electricity hadn't gone off yet, but George assumed each city would go down in a matter of time. Aimee stayed silent, not sure what to make of what he just said. She stopped eating and put her head in her hands.
"Where will we go?" she muttered back to him. George took a while to answer, and when he did it did not comfort her.

"To find any family that's alive". He stood up and cleared their bowls away, assuming that Aimee had probably lost her appetite now.
"B-But...we have family-"
"All over the place, I know". Aimee appeared to be deep in thought. Leaving Cardiff without her parents, in the middle of a killer flu epidemic with her brother didn't sound like the best of ideas. What else could they do though? "We'll have to go home first, get the car-"
"But you don't have a licence to drive!". George rolled his eyes for the first time in weeks,
"I still know how to drive, just because I didn't pass my test doesn't mean I'm completely clueless. It was because my parallel parking was terrible, that's all". Aimee seemed to mutter 'sure' before realizing what he had said.

"G-Go home? What if they're there?". George did his best to give her a reassuring look.
"They won't, we'll avoid them. We need to get some clothes and pack a few things before we leave". He didn't mention the virus. George had come to the conclusion that they must be immune somehow. They had been around their parents and grandparents leading up to their death and had not caught it, despite it being highly contagious. The virus was now the least of his worries. The people without it were.

[Shadowfax]

Ashelin strode up the road, gun in hand and her eyes sharp as she approached a stationed jeep. She was always cautious when approaching cars or buildings due to the possibilities of raiders, rapists, the sick or gangs. She tightened her grip on the gun and walked forwards slowly with Sam cowering behind a nearby tree. He hated the sound of gunfire and it often made him go into a frenzy of fear and panic. Ashelin had discovered this a few days ago when she'd shot a man who tired to steal from them. There were no laws now. Only survivors.

As she neared the jeep she saw that it was deserted, yet the keys were not in the ignition. Ashelin lowered the gun and reholstered it. She then smashed her hand through the glass and opened the door to allow herself into the jeep. Once inside, she knelt down and began to fiddle with the wires under the steering wheel.

Feeling it was safe to approach, Sam timidly pushed his little bike over towards the car to watch what his friend was doing. As he got nearer, the engine let out a roar of steam through the exhaust, causing him to squeak. Ashelin got to her feet and looked at the startled boy, a grin on her face.

"So what, you scared of cars now too?"

Sam slowly shook his head, but his tight grip remained on the bike.

"Are you going to leave me here?" He asked after a moments hesitation.

Ashelin studied the boy for a moment. Yes, she could easily leave him here to the dogs and gangs. She had some heart in there though, whether it was pity for Sam or her old army training of 'never leave a man behind' she could not say, but she found herself taking the bike from him and throwing it in the back of the jeep. It went in the open book nicely and Ashelin turned away from Same then.

"Your the one following me remember? It's up to you if you come along"

Sam looked up and nodded. He rushed around to the passenger door and flung himself into the seat. Ashelin rolled her eyes and pulled away from the side of the road.

"Damn.." She exclaimed as she then noticed how little petrol the jeep had left.

Still... it might be enough to get them to the next town.

[UncoordinatedPisces]

"C'mon, we don't have a lot of time" George muttered to Aimee lowly as he opened the front door as quietly as he could. The two had left their grandparents house, and had arrived at their own. It was surprising to see that it hadn't been ransacked, well, only the TV was gone so far. Aimee crept up the stairs, checked all the rooms and then hung her head over the banister. George was in the hallway, looking into the cracked mirror.
"Its all clear up here" she said, looking down at him with, curious to why he was just standing there.
"I'll be up in a minute, pack as much as you can into a backpack, not a suitcase" he replied, not taking his eyes off the mirror.

Aimee nodded, then made her way to her room. She fumbled around the closet for a backpack. Once she had found one, she sat on the bed momentarily to decide what was important. She packed her hat, scarf & gloves, two changes of clothes, another pair of shoes, a rain coat and underwear into one compartment. Into another she decided to pack sentimental items. A photo of her mum, dad and George on their holiday to Disneyland Paris, her favourite book and her charms bracelet.

Satisfied, Aimee went to the bathroom. She got her toothbrush, not that she really cared about cleaning her teeth in a time of crisis but she wanted it just in case. She also packed some soap and a flannel, again, just in case. Aimee didn't forget what else she needed though, and she assumed most other girls would forget about womanly stuff in times like this. She heard George's footsteps on the stairs and him going into his own room, hopefully he wouldn't take too long now.

She exited from her own room and began walking down the stairs. "Aimee!" he called. She turned around and found him looking from behind his door.
"Yeah?"
"Pack some medical stuff". That's all the information Aimee received. Nonetheless, she continued down the stairs and went to the utility room. She flung open the cupboard and searched for important things. She ended up packing paracetamol, ibuprofen, plasters, antiseptic wipes and selections of other pills. She zipped up the bag and sat in the kitchen, waiting for George to come down.

[Shadowfax]

As they drove down the road, Ashelin's eyes kept darting to the fuel gauge. How long would it last? She kept thinking to herself as the little arrow would lower every so often. It was now on the orange 'empty' line, but she knew it had a few miles left. Hopefully they would find a petrol station soon as this car was ideal and they could sleep in it too. Sure enough, on the outskirts of Cardiff she finally saw a petrol station. Wether or not there would be any fuel left however.. that remained a mystery till they pulled over.

Still, it was going to be a risky business. Gang's often hid out at places such as this to catch people when they stopped so she needed to be careful. Sam was asleep in the passenger seat, so she decided not to wake him as they slowed to a halt. Before she entered the petrol station, she decided it was best to investigate. Slipping silently out the car, she grabbed the gun and began to slowly walk towards the petrol station.

From the outside it looked deserted. Two pumps were stood there along with a small shop. Excellent She thought as she approached. There was also to her horror all of a sudden, shadows. She gulped and became instantly more alert. Rushing to the petrol pump, she hid and peered around the corner. Inside were three men.. unarmed, but three strong looking men. Cursing under her breath she began to scan the area to see if there was anyway she could lure them out, rush in and atleast grab some supplies.

"Now what might you be doing?" Came a voice from behind her.

Ashelin turned and saw another man, this one was armed and had a smirk on his face.

[UncoordinatedPisces]

The two siblings slung their bags over their shoulders after packing a few bottles of water & a few snacks from the kitchen. George picked up the envelope of savings they had hidden at the back of the drawer in the hallway, but he wondered how long it would be until money had no value. He took the keys out of the door, and was surprised when Aimee handed over their parent's car keys before they exited the house.
"I thought you weren't too keen on me driving?" George said with a smile.
"Well, who's out there to stop you? The police?" Aimee replied with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, but with a smile all the same.

George glanced around for a moment, checking it was all clear. He then approached the car which hadn't suffered much damage, it seemed. It wasn't fancy, but it worked well and the family had been using it for at least 4 years. He opened it with the click of a button and the two of them climbed inside. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Aimee asked while putting on her seat belt, slightly more worried as he ignited the engine.
"We'll have to find out won't we?"

He put his foot on the throttle and the car went flying out of its previous parking space. It took five seconds for him to be able to control the car, five seconds too long for Aimee. "Jesus Christ never do that again" she murmured, gripped onto the handle above her. George laughed for the first time in what felt like years. He fastened his own seat belt, having forgotten to do so before he started driving. He glanced at his sister, she actually seemed shaken up. Feeling a little bad, he lent over, gave her a peck on the cheek and said quietly,
"I'm sorry" She smiled but shoved him away, "Eyes on the road". George looked straight ahead immediately, although he noticed how much petrol they had. It wasn't full, but it wasn't below halfway.
"We'll fill her up before we leave Cardiff completely, there is a petrol station on the way out".

[Shadowfax]

The man seized Ashelin by the back of the hair and held her up to his face so he was behind her. He kicked her gun out her hand and breathed heavily down her neck.

"Weren't thinking of stealing my petrol and food were you lass?" He asked, his words sharp and his breath stinking.

Ashelin didn't try to wriggle free, infact she remained quite calm. The man, seeing she hadn't been intimidated threw her forward and raised his own gun to her head.

"Move. In there, now" He ordered.

Ashelin's face was unreadable as she began to walk towards the shop. As she entered she prayed Sam would stay hidden, but her attention was soon drawn to the three men sitting around a small poker table. They must have been about twenty, thirty and thirty five she had to guess. All were a little over weight and all had a stale smell to them. The man slammed the door behind them and the men at the table laughed as Ashelin stood there with her hands on her head.

"Lookie what I found boys! A scavenger" The man snorted.

Ashelin looked up at the man, again her face unreadable. This was starting to annoy the man and he began to get angry. He pushed the end of the gun against Ashelin's face, but again she did not flinch, not move. He held it there a second before Ashelin slowly turned her head, a smirk creeping across her face.

"Nice gun"

With that she ducked, grabbed the gun and threw it up at the ceiling. At that moment the man holding the gun squeezed the trigger and the shot went through the roof.

(OOC: Totally wasn't ripped off from this scene at all http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk7u3vnOrMs)

[UncoordinatedPisces]

(OOC: Haha xD Sat here and watching that scene twice, was pretty cool actually xD)

The car pulled up alongside the petrol pump smoothly and came to not-so-sudden halt
"You're getting better at this" Aimee laughed "Not at all bumpy". George showed a glimmer of pride, for Aimee didn't sound sarcastic when she said it.
"Ha, thanks. You getting out?" he asked, undoing his seat belt. Aimee nodded,
"Yeah, I need some fresh air". She hopped out of the car, leaving her bag behind. George was more weary.
"Aimee, stay close yeah?" he said firmly to his sister, knowing that he couldn't trust any place until they were officially out of Cardiff.

His sister nodded in acknowledgement and then George began to fill the car up. He saw a car not too far away, but decided not to investigate. Last time he looked into a car window he saw a body. Aimee was at his side as he finished up. He fixed the latch on the car and Aimee pulled him into a hug. He hugged her back fondly, any other time he would of asked her why a hug was needed. She rested her head on his chest.
"Love you".
"Love you t-".

A loud bang echoed through the air and the two lept away from each other. Aimee, startled and unsure stood still. George had already opened the door to the car. "Aimee!" he called. She was still stood firmly. "Aimee, get in". His sister spun her head around towards him.
"George, what if someone's hurt?"
"Its not our problem! Don't you realise it could be them in there?"
"B-But, what if its a child or something?" George bit his bottom lip and held onto the car door. He was seriously considering helping, but his sister's safety was more important.

"No, we have to go. Now". Before he could stop her, Aimee had began to run towards the source of the sound, for it had come from inside the shop.
George began bounding after her, trying to grab her by the shoulder. It was too late, Aimee had reached the door and stopped harshly to prevent herself from going straight through. She pushed the door open softly, so that it was ajar slightly.