ArchivedLogs:Survival Tips

Survival Tips
Dramatis Personae Sophie, Kelly
In Absentia	2013-11-05 (Part of Infected TP.)
Location <XS> Kitchen
This evening, Sophie is in a pretty unusual state - for one thing, she's in the kitchen, where she doesn't usually tread, and for another... it seems Zombie Apocalypse Looting Panic has taken root, because the girl has an open backpack - black with rainbow hearts, for those keeping track - open on a chair, and she's going through one of the pantries in search of things to cram into it. She isn't going entirely crazy, only taking things she would actually be able to eat, which, it seems, consist mainly of granola bars, cookies, saltines and juice boxes. Sophie is dressed in an olive green hoodie with an angry face printed on it, over a sparkly black skirt, purple tights printed to look like outer space, and her blue sneakers. A lacy blue beret and matching scarf complete the outfit, and the whole scene gives a very clear indication that the teen doesn't intend to stay here very long. "Don't forget the can opener." Kelly says from one side of the room as he watches the girl get to work on the food hoarding, leaining heavily against the door frame as he quirks an eyebrow, but keeps a very safe distance. He stands in the hall barefoot and in in a white T-Shirt and sweat pants, both marked with the school logo. The shirt has had its collar split open to let the bark plates on his neck and shoulders breath, and give the flowers and leaves on his hair and shoulders room to move without getting squished. "That's always the foil, isn't it? All the food in the world and no way to eat it." Sophie pauses long enough to look up at Kelly, mostly to confirm that he doesn't /look/ like a zombie, then shakes her head as she turns back to the pantry. "Not taking any cans 'cause of that. Though maybe I can get a Swiss Army knife..." She frowns thoughtfully for a moment and, after some thought, pulls out a few cans of vegetables as well. "Worst comes to worse I have plenty of other stuff and it isn't like I'm not coming /back/." This is mostly directed to herself, but she /is/ speaking loudly enough for Kelly to hear her. "I'll come /back/," she repeats, turning to face Kelly, and zipping up the bag. It takes a few yanks, but she gets it closed eventually. "But I don't wanna... I can't stay around here with it all. Like this." Biting her lip, then, she pulls the bag up to her shoulders and backs away from the doorway Kelly is standing in. "...Um, no offense, but don't get near me, okay?" Kelly holds up his hands, his thorns even spreading out wide as his fingers... and nods slowly as he turns around and realizes that he's kinda blocking the exit. "I'm all human." he says and then curses slightly under his breath. "Well, I'm all... whatever I am, promise, docs tested me eight ways to Sunday in the med lab to be sure all morning." But he doesn't make any moves towards her. "But... unless you're going to try and run for it... I don't think its going to help much, the food I mean. The other kids can probably make short work of any door..." Sophie starts to make a slow circle around the perimeter of the kitchen, keeping her eyes on Kelly as she goes. "If I can't get off the grounds I'll hide in the barn, or... or somewhere." Shaking her head a few times, she stops at one point, hooking her thumbs under the straps of her bag as she looks Kelly over. "The school gave you a cell phone, right?" She chews on her lip, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "Do you think maybe... if you could text me, or-- I'm in the directory, Sophie MacLachlan, I just--" Still chewing on that lip, her knees start to tremble, and after a moment she crumples into a nearby chair, elbows on her knees, face buried in her hands. "--I don't know what else to /do/, I want to help but I can't /do/ anything and if I stay-- I don't want that to happen to me, but I hate that I'm being so selfish, you know?" "Whoa whoa whoa, I get it, really." Kelly says as he looks over his shoulder again, and decides its best to just close the door... and then he picks up a wooden spoon and uses it to block the door closed. "I was ready to make a run for it, too, honest. And the first rule is to stay alive. You can't do anything unless you're ok yourself, right? Kept me alive a long time on the streets, I'll tell ya that." He moves a... little closer to Sophie, but keeps a nice respectful distance between the pair and simply grabs his own chair to sit in, a table between them at the least to keep her comfortable. "I just think being alone is probably the worst idea right now. No one to help you if things... well, if things get worse." Sophie almost doesn't seem to notice Kelly approaching her, but once he gets close enough she does look up sharply... but when he sits across from the table, she opts not to make any remarks about the closeness. It's an acceptable distance, apparently. "I'm not gonna be alone. I mean... I'm gonna try going to the city, maybe, and... and find someplace there I can stay. Or maybe I'll head back home. I'm... not really sure yet." Looking up at Kelly through suddenly tear-moistened eyes, but she does manage a weak smile. "I figured I'd start by hanging out at the 7-11 in town for a while and go from there." "Whoa, if you're going to go, don't go to the city..." Kelly says shaking his head quickly at that. "First thing I thought of, too... and..." with a shivered breath in. "Its just as bad there... and so many more people. And who's going to watch your back when they've got their own to watch out for?" he positions her. "I'm just saying think it through. We've all got exactly one chance to get this right..." Kelly shrugs his shoulders as he says that. "Listen, I just got here, not a lot of friends or anything but... I kinda like you, you're nice, and I don't wanna see you get hurt, ok?" The phrase is said in a friendly tone, nothing romantic touching its edges, but it comes out in a sincere voice. "You said you haven't had anything bad happen to you, you've not had to live out on your own before, right?" Blushing at that commentary, Sophie does manage a more genuine smile, but she also nods in response to that question. "Yeah, I've pretty much... always either had my parents or had the school. I guess maybe I am being stupid about all this, I'm kind of... I'm running on panic mode." There's a little sigh, and she turns to look off in another direction, towards the woods. "I wonder if the school has tents around like, for field trips or anything. Maybe staying in the woods for a while /would/ be a better idea. What would you do?" Abruptly she looks back to Kelly, her expression serious as she looks into the boy's eyes. "If you were going to, and.. and weren't going to go to the city?" "Well, the woods is a better idea, less people you don't know the better." Kelly answers with a quick nod as he thinks about this. "But tents aren't a good idea, at all. People can... well, they can get in them easy and it lets everyone know that you're in there asleep." it sounds like this is something he's learned from... experience. "Up in a tree would be a lot better, makes it harder for anyone to get to you without you knowing about it. Also good if you can find someplace you can lock down. I used to sleep in utility rooms a lot, jam the doors shut with a pipe or wrench or something tough to break. No one can jump ya then. Doors are usually metal, too." Sophie nods, and as Kelly speaks, she's repeating his words to herself, under her breath; committing the advice to memory. "Do you, um, sleep in the trees? Wouldn't you fall out?" She pauses, blushing. "Or do you-- not have trouble with that kind of thing?" There's a grin there, but it's fleeting. "I guess you're right about tents, though. I don't know how many utility rooms I'll find, but... but if I stay on campus maybe there'll be like, a gardening shed or something that nobody's using since... y'know." With an awkward little cough, she suddenly pushes herself to her feet again, scratching the back of her neck with one hand and letting out a sigh. And just as suddenly as she stood she then asks, albeit in a quieter voice, "What made you decide not to leave?" "Well, you can sleep in a tree if you find the right one pretty easy." Kelly says as he looks up at her, and then lets his thorns wrap around his arm more tightly again. "But yeah, its a lot easier for me when I ask the tree to make a bed for me up there." He smiles a bit himself at that admission. Then he bites his lip to consider her other question more deeply. "The same reason I came here in the first place. When you're out there on your own? Really by yourself? It just takes one person, one mistake... and..." he shivered, closing his eyes and trying to push it back. "I've made more than one mistake. Only reason I'm still breathing is that at least a few of them saw the leaves... and well, didn't want anything to do with me after that. But I don't think that's going to work this time." And he makes a point to add at the end: "And... well, from what I can tell, if anyone's going to figure out what's wrong... it'll be here." "You're.. you're probably right about that," Sophie admits, quietly. "I know Dr. McCoy is working really hard, and... and I really, really hope he isn't sick, or he doesn't get sick, 'cause that would be really bad. Really bad." She shakes her head several times, closing her eyes and just trying to clear that thought out entirely. "But he's really smart, I guess if anyone can figure it out he can." Turning to slump against a wall, she pulls her phone out of the pocket of her hoodie, clicking a button as she looks at it with a sigh. And apparently something on the screen is startling to her, because the girl lets out a little yelp of surprise, and starts rushing towards the door. "I-- I gotta go. I should-- it's getting late, and it's really dark and-- thanks for the help," she finally finishes, as she heads to the door, pausing before she pulls the spoon out of the handle. "I'll text you, if I need any more help. Okay?" Kelly gets startled when he sees the sudden change in reaction, and he nods. Getting slightly nervous himself as she starts to leave him alone. "Ok, and I will, promise. Help that is." he swears as he stands up and starts to look over his own shoulder. "Just... remember, whatever you do, have a plan and... well, keep yourself safe first." And with that, waits for her to go.