Beatrice Rodríguez (busybea_) wrote in remains_rpg, @ 2015-10-27 18:22:00 |
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Entry tags: | # 2018 [10] october, beatrice rodríguez, ezra galloway |
Who: Bea Rodríguez and Ezra Galloway
Where: Regency Apartments and Travis County Pretrial building
What: Bea has an unlikely savior from some zombies!
When: October 9th, morning
This whole lockdown thing was total bullshit and Bea wasn’t having any of it. It wasn’t like people could keep an eye on her all of the time and after two years of living at Fox Grove she knew the school like the back of her hand. Sneaking out of one of the side entrances was easy enough without getting caught and then she was out on her own, walking towards one of her favorite spots to just sit and hang out. Before all the geeks came it was a courthouse or jail or some crap like that (and why they thought having that so close to a high school was a good idea, Bea would never know!) but it was one of the taller buildings around and the zombies couldn’t climb fire escape ladders so it had quickly become one of her favorite places to chill out. It was just a couple blocks away from Fox Grove so it wasn’t like it was all that dangerous for her to be out and she had a hard enough time sitting still as it was, even without a lockdown. Specifically being told not to go anywhere just increased that nervous energy coursing through her body so sneaking out was pretty much inevitable. Making her way down 11th street, everything was going just fine, until she spotted a small group of shufflers at the next intersection. When it was just one or two of them, Bea was totally capable of putting them down but it looked like there were three or four and she was already out here alone and Sepphy and Jason and Danny and Etty would be so mad if she died. Plus she would be mad at herself because this would just be a stupid way to go. Looking to her surroundings quickly, she scrambled to the nearest building -- an apartment complex -- and pulled herself up onto a balcony before lying down flat on her stomach, hoping the geeks hadn’t seen her. Ezra happened to be inside the building she took refuge in. He had already noticed her when she was outside, but then went to investigate when he heard noise on one of the balconies. He was silent as he moved up behind her, getting a good view of the girl, and of course, the zombies down below on the street. He considered for a moment, and when he spoke, his voice was soft – so it didn't carry just yet. “Hey,” he said. “You okay?” He didn't see any injuries, and he hadn't seen her get hurt, but he supposed there was also the possibility of her being scared to death too, so 'okay' was a broad term. Physically speaking, Bea was just fine. A zombie hadn’t gotten anywhere near her so she was all good on that front. Emotionally, though? She didn’t hear Ezra’s approach at all and his voice broke her focus away from her lookout, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin. Maybe it was her fault for not checking out the place better before she crawled up onto that balcony, but she’d been thinking on her feet. Rolling over onto her back, her heart beating wildly in her chest, she looked up at the boy with wide eyes. “Where did you come from?” She whispered back, not necessarily accusatory, but definitely confused. If he was going to hurt her, she figured he would have done it by now. So what did he want? Ezra put up both of his hands to show her he wasn't holding a weapon, that he didn't mean her harm. “I was in here already,” he told her. “Just taking a breather.” And he'd been trying to find a new picture for Maizie, though so far he hadn't found anything. This girl looked around her age though. And she was, of course, pretty. He did apparently have a thing for brunettes, after all. Either way, though, that wasn't really on his mind. “Give me a minute to get downstairs, then scream, or something, to get their attention,” he requested. “I'll take care of them.” “What?” Bea asked, incredulously, eyebrows raising at the idea of him running towards the danger. It was true that the zombies were still coming down the street towards them, and the longer they stayed out on this balcony the more likely they were to realize there were people there to nom on. But even still, why didn’t they just go hide somewhere until the coast was clear? “Are you sure? What if you get hurt?” Ezra flashed her a little smile – something he found himself able to do more these days. Even a month ago, he probably would have drawn them away, but never said a word to the girl. So, he was making progress, right? “Don't worry about it, I've got it,” he promised. Then he moved to head back downstairs, grabbing the nail bat he'd kept out of her view while he was at it. Now, all he had to do was survive, and not get himself dragged down into the strange state he'd gotten into when he'd been searching the barber shop with the dwarf. Bea hardly had a chance to put in another word or protest that they should just wait it out because he was gone. A few moments later she saw him appear back down on the street, and dutifully playing her part, she yelled at the zombies to call them over. She really should have gone down there to help him but, honestly, she was scared. Having any kind of contact with the shufflers was never pleasant and she liked to avoid it at all costs. It wasn’t her fault that this boy just marched off towards them… God, she hoped he would be okay. Ezra wasn't nervous. He felt a rush of adrenaline, but that was more just because he was getting ready for a fight than anything else. Since getting to the surface, he was even more efficient than he had been before, and he had a talent for dispatching zombies. So, he positioned himself between them and the door to the building, not far beneath Bea, and he waited. The one that was fastest got a quick dispatch, nail bat singing through the air like he was aiming for the fences. The fight was ugly, but they all were. By the time he was done, he had to crouch down and catch his breath, wiping sweat away from his forehead with the back of his arm. Her savior must have thought she was a big scaredy cat, and with a bit of shame, she jumped down from the balcony and moved towards him. It was clear from the sight before her that he’d won the battle, though seeing twice dead zombies was never a pretty sight. They were so much uglier right up close and it sent a shiver through her. “You--you’re okay, right? Thank you.” He looked up at her, and gave a half smile, nodding as he coughed a touch, needing a drink of water, really. But he didn't have any, and so he needed to make due. Using the nailbat to help, he pushed himself to his feet. “I'm fine, and you're welcome,” he told her. “Told you I had it covered. Thanks for the help,” he said, nodding to the balcony. It was easier if they were headed in one direction, because zombies didn't move at a fixed rate or anything. It spread them out just enough to make the fight easier from a technical standpoint. Now that the imminent threat of zombies was no longer looming over them, Bea took a moment to really take in the appearance of the boy in front of her. He was taller than her and didn’t look as well-kept as the people at Fox Grove did. It wasn’t like they lived in luxury, but they didn’t have to be out here fighting for their lives every day. She really hadn’t done anything to help at all, but she accepted his thanks with a slight nod. “My name’s Bea. What’s yours?” “Ezra,” he told her. He was getting better about that, too. It was a process, but he was actively trying to kick down his own walls, even if it was easier said than done. “Did you come from the school?” he asked. He knew that the high school was back there. He hadn't ever attended there, he and Em had moved to Austin after they'd graduated in their home town. But he'd been by it before, never approaching. He had a feeling they wouldn't take kindly to it, with as fortified as the place looked. Her eyes lit up just a touch as recognition washed over her. She’d been thinking he looked familiar this whole time but hearing his name helped her connect the dots. He was the one from the interview. At least he didn’t look so sad right now… Blinking a few times she smiled back and nodded. “Yeah, I’m from Fox Grove. You never went there, did you? I mean, it was a pretty big school so if you did, I’m sorry that I don’t remember you.” He wasn't sure what the look in her eye was there, like something had clicked for her. It was a little confusing, but he didn't mention it. Instead, he just felt a little self conscious, and scratched at the back of his neck, sort of hoping that he didn't look as covered in gore as he felt like he was. “We didn't go there,” he said, not catching the 'we' as opposed to 'I'. It was something he still hadn't managed to fix in his own vocabulary. “So, you don't have any reason to remember me,” he assured her. From what Bea recalled from his interview, Ezra made it pretty clear that he was used to being one half of a whole. The ‘we’ must refer to his sister, but based on how upset he was talking about her in the video, she wasn’t about to bring it up right now. Sliding her backpack off her shoulder, she reached in and took out a bottle of water to drink, though before taking a sip, held it out to Ezra. “Want some?” It was the least she could do after he killed all those zombies for her. Plus, his voice sounded kind of scratchy like he had a sore throat or was thirsty. Maybe being out here on his own, he couldn’t find water very easily. That would suck to have to worry about. He looked at it and unconsciously licked his lips. He hesitated, then reached out and took the bottle, drinking a quarter of it before he made himself stop, and he handed it back to her. “thank you,” he told her. He did need more, but that was the problem with not being anywhere with an established water source. He had to find things, and so much of the city was already picked over. “What are you doing out, away from the school?” Bea watched Ezra as he drank the water, frowning slightly at how thirst he seemed. She held the partially drank bottle in her hand, replying, “Was trying to go to that building right there,” pointing to the tall building on the next block. “There’s one of those fire escape ladders that leads to the roof. Wanna come see?” Glancing down at the bottle of water, she paused a moment before holding it back out to him and adding, “And you should just take the rest of this. I have a couple more in my bag.” He hesitated, then took it, because he did need it. “Thank you,” he said. “And...sure,” he said, shrugging. It'd be safer if she was with someone like him, he guessed. Probably. “What's up on the roof? Are you looking for something?” he asked, so he had a better understanding of the mission at hand. Or maybe she was just out for a walk, he had no idea. Bea smiled at Ezra, partly because he’d actually accepted the water from her but also because he agreed to hang out with her for longer. It was always nice to make new friends, even during a zombie apocalypse. “It’s just a roof, but it’s high up and as far as I know the walkers can’t climb ladders yet so it’s, like, safe,” she said. It was honestly just on the next block, but the zombies had prevented her from finishing the short journey. But now that Ezra had taken care of that problem the rest of the walk would be safe. Smiling over at her new companion, she began to lead him back towards the Travis County Pretrial building, happy for the chance to get to know a new friend. |