#:: 𝑖𝑐 ; 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑣𝑜𝑟 ღ 𝑏𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑦

[thesoulofasurvivor]

@wolfvirago sent:

“You’re just like me!” For the Sweet Tooth AU :3

She was half-hiding behind the tree, leaned up against it with both hands clutching the stuffed bear. Scared, a nagging feeling that tells her she should just run but the curiosity kept her still. Curious about what was said, because for reasons she couldn't quite understand, something about this person felt different.

An ear flicked forward, ❝ You don't look like me... ❞ She says, an attempt made to keep her voice steady, free of the fear she felt inside.

[thesoulofasurvivor]

continued from an open starter with @innerwar 🫡

Well... Shit. There was a moment of silence, perhaps a little too long. That was an unexpected turn of events and she was stood silent trying to figure out what she should say, which led to an awkward lapse of time, just staring at the guy.

❝ I don't lie. ❞ She blurted out. All that time and this was the best she could come up with, and that in and of itself was absolutely a lie. It was a big fat lie, yet she made the claim anyways thinking he'd actually believe it, which was stupid because she didn't even believe herself.

[thesoulofasurvivor]

continued from an ask with @innerwar 🧐

A gun to the face is usually how this went. Not much talking at all, actually, just sudden death, no questions asked. Suppose she couldn't really blame anyone for reacting the way that they do, because nobody wants to risk getting bit or anything. It scares them, and fear can make a person do horrible things.

But would she consider herself lucky that it was him who saw it and no one else? Not necessarily. She can't quite deny that it was nice not only to hear someone say they believed her, but that they believed her so easily.

A brief smile crossed her features and then she pressed her lips together, averting eye contact she shrugged her shoulders and looked at him again. ❝ Anyone who knew is gone now. ❞ People she loved... People she didn't give a rats ass about. Gone. ❝ Why? ❞

[thesoulofasurvivor]

moved from HERE @strictlyoc:

She didn't want to take a seat... She wanted to leave. Nonetheless, Bailey stepped toward the small couch in the office and dropped on the cushion like deadweight, an admittedly over-dramatic sigh blown through pursed lips. She didn't want to be here and she was going to make sure they all knew it.

The girl gave a light shrug of her shoulders, ❝ You all look like assholes to me. ❞ He wasn't a Firefly soldier, but is he really any different? They're all strangers to her and she was here against her will. Could he blame her for being rash? ❝ I'm not buying the whole friendly act. ❞

❝ I don't need anything from you, so what the fuck do you want from me? ❞ She growled at the Doctor. She just wanted to get it over with... Whatever it is, though she could take a wild guess.

[thesoulofasurvivor]

@midniightchanged

She listens, but she doesn't say anything. She doesn't move either, staying as still as possible and staring forward at the blanket that she had over her head with Teddy pressed against her chin. Being angry and refusing to speak was just so much easier... And it's become habit to just get mad about it, which was fine, she was fine with that.

Well, she was fine with it until Judith left with Dog Junior. Maybe it's because that gave her some time to herself to decompress. But that's exactly what she needed; a moment to herself to just calm down and collect her thoughts.

Eventually she came to the conclusion that she did want to talk about it. At least a little bit. By the time Judith would come inside with Dog Junior, Bailey would be back downstairs laying on the couch with teddy in her arms, waiting.

Judith knelt down to greet Dog Junior, laughing a little and scratching behind his ears. "Hey buddy, have you been keeping Bailey company? Good boy." She smiled softly, patting the dog on the head before looking up at the lump under the blanket that was Bailey, one eyebrow raised.

"Look, you may not wanna hear from me right now, but you don't get to walk into this house and be disrespectful, Bailey. If I did something you need to tell me because I can't fix it if I don't know. Even if it wasn't me. If something happened, I want you to feel like you can tell me." Judith sighed, standing up and leaning against the doorframe once again. "You left in a good mood this morning, but when you came home... look I'm gonna take Dog Junior out, so whenever you're ready come and find me, because we're not just sweeping this under the rug, or ignoring it. But we'll do it on your own time okay?"

Apparently, somewhere along the line she'd learned not to push Bailey, and let her come to Judith on her own. "C'mon buddy." She whispered to the dog, watching as the small puppy picked up his toy and clumsily headed towards the stairs. "Take your time bug, just know that I'm here for you."

[thesoulofasurvivor]

continued from an ask with @rubiesintherough 🤫

Gone to shit? That's certainly one way to put it. Bloaters may be rare to see but... The other infected? Other survivors who want to shoot you on sight? Not so much. But it's just the world she lives in, the world she was born into, it's all she's ever known and she was used to all of it's shit.

❝ Dawn of the dead? ❞ An eyebrow hiked, a slight grimace twisted her lips. Never heard of it, but in her defense she doesn't know a lot of things about before the outbreak. She shrugged her shoulders and eased her expression. ❝ The neighborhood seemed empty, I think it's safe for now... ❞ She waited a beat, ❝ So you wouldn't mind if I stayed here? ❞

[thesoulofasurvivor]

moved from HERE @twistedhxart:

The hotel was relatively small, there were only two floors, but there were a lot of rooms and a nice cafeteria on the lobby floor. The hope was to find some food, something edible, anything really.

Unfortunately they weren't alone in here. There were a few clickers, and at first when Lian asked if she could hear them she only nodded her head to say yes. She can hear them and so much more... The clicking bounced off the walls and echoed through the lobby, it was like an auditory map.

❝ I know exactly where they are. ❞ She kept her voice as low as possible. But unfortunately that didn't exactly make this an easy in and out. There's a lot of them in here, six? Too many, they had to be careful. ❝ There's a lot of them. We have to be careful, and quiet. ❞

[thesoulofasurvivor]

moved from HERE @handsbloodied:

❝ It is that easy... ❞ Groaned Bailey, obviously annoyed with the comment because she honestly couldn't quite grasp the logic behind it. Regardless, it wouldn't matter anyway because she would still argue. ❝ I've lost people too. ❞ That didn't seem like a reason to leave people behind, though. At least not in her eyes; she wanted to be there to help keep her loved ones safe.

That's an unfair promise to make... She doesn't need someone to pilot her every action or decision. She knows what's out there. ❝ Yeah okay, I will. ❞ She swayed her head, a silent puff of air came through parted lips. Her head bowed for a second, eyebrows came up. ❝ You know you can't keep up here forever, right? If I can't go with you then I'll just go wherever on my own. ❞

[thesoulofasurvivor]

The joy upon her expression had sunk quickly, the second she heard an eerie shriek and a door fly open. She knew that sound. Goddamn stalkers... She fucking knew something wasn't right. She pocketed the two working lighters and stood up just as the gunfire rang through her ears; she jumped at the sound and her heart skipped a beat, a sharp gasp left her lips.

It scared the shit out of her, but she quickly shook it off and bolted toward the noise, she wasted not a second to take her pistol into her hands, aim it for the head and shoot the creature. She looked to the entry of the store, adjusting her aim to another stalker that had scurried into frame, but only briefly, because when it seen her and she seen it, it shrieked and quickly retreated to hide around the corner just outside the store, falling silent.

Echoes in the distance, more infected, likely responding to the sound of gunfire. Of course, the mall truly being empty was too good to be true. She leaped to Ellie's aid, grabbing her arm and helping her to her feet and putting some distance between them and the entrance of the store. She hadn't realized just where they were backing up to until it was too late...

The floor creaked, cracked and shook and just as soon as she did realize, the floor buckled beneath them and they both fell through to the basement floor. The lower level was filled with spores.

Those nerves began to dig their claws more deeply into her back and under the base of her skull. She felt the need to run, felt eyes on her like a rabbit wandering the woods in the dead of night. Carefully, and as quickly as she could, she made her way about the store, checking shelves and drawers as she went, even lifting the lids of grills and opening shattered oven doors.

Then she noticed something; her light illuminated another small checkout counter, and behind it, a partially ajar metal door. Maybe it was the way her light played on the walls or how it mixed with the very faint ambient white light from the snowy exterior of the mall, but something deep down told her to move away; the shadows felt deep behind the door.

Bailey’s voice hit her ears and, unconsciously, she turned at the call of her name. No sooner than her eyes moved away from the door, a shriek erupted from behind it and it was fully thrown open. The door banged against the wall as a fungal covered figure scrambled over the counter, fell forward onto its back, and flailed as it quickly righted itself, limbs and eyes wild. Ellie quickly snapped back to look at it, aimed her pistol without thought, and fired. The pop filled the whole store and spilled out into the main walkway of the mall proper. Her ears rang and the stalker’s face whipped to the side. Half its jaw now gone, it sprinted forward and slammed into her. The two of them fell back, crashing into shelving and taking some of it down with them as both it and Ellie fought against one another.

[thesoulofasurvivor]

continued from an ask sent to @handsbloodied 🤗

For fuck sakes did she not hear what she just said? But first... Bailey bent down to greet Dog Junior, a sweet smile across her lips as she scratched one side of his neck, just below the ear. He always loved that.

She tucked her stuffed bear under her arm and scooped Dog Junior up into her arms, and then stood up to look back over at Judith, her whole disposition flipped almost immediately.

❝ I told you it's none of your goddamn business. ❞ She seethed, rolling her eyes and heaving an aggravated sigh through a frown, ❝ Fuck, ❞ She mumbled under her breath as she proceeded past Judith to go upstairs.

[thesoulofasurvivor]

moved from HERE @handsbloodied:

She only asked for one, but with the offer of two now in the air when the opportunity to bring home a new book came about, she'd definitely be expecting to bring back two instead of one. Wouldn't have to worrying about needing another book if you brought back more than just one, right?

She let go of Judith's hand to take the basket from her, her eyes searched the garden briefly before looking back to give a small shrug of her shoulders. It was an easy task, she should be able to handle it on her own. Knowing where the strawberries were made it easier. ❝ Yeah, I can do that, ❞ She said before immediately adding ❝ Don't go too far though. ❞

She just had to say it before she'd go off; she didn't want to lose sight of the one person that made her feel safe. Once that was said and done though she was off to visit the batch of strawberries, placing the basket on one side of her and the stuffed bear on the other side when she knelt down. She filled the basket as much as she could, but the lack of self control had her eating a lot of what she picked off instead of putting it in the basket. She couldn’t help herself, it was right there and it was so good.

[thesoulofasurvivor]

moved from HERE @handsbloodied:

But she wasn't wrong... Not totally wrong. She wouldn't have had to punch anyone in the face if she was within the comfort of her own bedroom. She shouldn't have to do anything she doesn't want to do, she doesn't need to get involved with the whole damn community. She was much more comfortable sticking to her own tiny circle of people and ignoring everybody else.

A smile came to her lips, but it was more smug than actual joy, she was just satisfied with herself and the overall results. It could've been so much worse; the girl's lucky it was just a punch in the face... Multiple punches in the face but the point still stands. She could have made it so much worse.

Surely she won't have the guts to test Bailey's patience ever again, and judging by Judith's claim that nobody else was saying anything about it, maybe they'd all just leave her alone? ❝ She calls me names, they all do. ❞ She shrugged it off. ❝ So are you still grounding me forever, orr...? ❞

[thesoulofasurvivor]

That smug smile across her features only grew bigger as she realized he had nothing to say in response to her previous comment, because obviously that meant she won, and winning feels pretty damn great. But the glorious feeling of victory lasted only several seconds before her expression turned neutral.

There hasn't been any electricity since she arrived at their camp... Guess that wasn't the usual. She was used to living without electricity, wasn't sure if she's ever actually seen lights powered in that way before. Not that she can recall.

But the more he explained it, the less exciting it got. ❝ So now we're going there... ❞ She began slowly, unsure of whether or not she had taken it the wrong way. She stepped beside him to lift a hand to offer it out to the horse, ❝ To clean up the mess? Or do you expect me to do something about the spores? Are all the people you sent gone? ❞

Bailey strokes the large animal's face only after it had smelled her, and as she did she looked at Skizzo, ❝ You can't go in without a mask. ❞ Not unless he was immune... And that's something you can only find out the hard way. The spores weren't a problem for her, but for him, they are.

Something that Skizzo himself would have called a frown but that would be described as a pout spread across his face at Bailey's sentence. That she would leave his sorry ass to die wasn't surprising; he didn't expected anything else, truly, and the feeling was pretty much mutual. Still, she didn't need to be such a little bitch. He let out an exhale so big all of his body seemed to momentarily deflate, puffy oversized coat and all. ❝To the power plant,❞ he replied, pulling his gun out of his back pocket to check the magazine. He then did the same with the sniper rifle he carried across his back.

❝You noticed we don't got any electricity anymore, yeah?❞ It stopped working long before Bailey had arrived to camp, together with hot water and assorted amenities. They had a diesel generator, an old, faulty piece of junk they had hooked up to the infirmary (stitching wounds and checking for Cordycept infections was easier said than done in only candle light), but fuel was always hard to come by. ❝We've been working on fixing that for a while.❞

Cautiously, he approached one of the horses stationed near the gate. The animal flicked its white tail, nostrils flaring as they took in the smell of Skizzo's expired aftershave, of his musty old coat, but remained calm. ❝Dunno what the hell happened in there, but the place was overrun with fucking infect. The people that went in there didn't come back.❞ Torres and Evans were far from his best men but Skizzo had deemed them capable enough to deal with the situation. Apparently, he had overestimated them. Or maybe it was worse than it looked from the outside.

❝I sent a group to take care of the situation, lure the infect out and get rid of 'em. Now the problem is, place is still full of corpses and fungi and shit. 'S full of spores and the men I sent in there had the last of our respirators.❞

[thesoulofasurvivor]

moved from HERE @ayakoito:

Guess everybody thinks about the past, she certainly does. Just... Different memories. Some good, some bad. It’s hard not to, especially when alone and all you really have is your own mind. At least she had her stuffed bear to keep her company, she always had Teddy to talk to. He’s her best friend, and she was fine with just him. Well, mostly fine. 

It seems like everyone has lost their parents, and it really sucks. Everyone has a story like that, don’t they? She shifted slightly on the cushion, intertwining her fingers in her lap, a shallow breath of air blew through her lips. 

❝ I was born into this shithole, it’s all I know, ❞ Bailey gave a dry laugh, she leaned back, head rested against the cushion behind her and she stared up at the ceiling above. Her fingers loosed from one another. ❝ Dad told me about things from before, but he never really talked much about those days. ❞ She swung forward to get up, a shrug of her shoulders as she stood. ❝ When it all started, I mean. ❞

She strolled over to and kneeled in front of the fire, holding her hands up near the flames to warm her fingers. The warmth from a fire is always so comforting, so nice. 

[thesoulofasurvivor]

moved from an ask with @demcnsinmymind​ 🤠

It has been pretty empty around here... Town seemed small, the homes spread out and about with big beautiful properties. Not many infected and she hasn't seen anyone else up until now, though she would have preferred to keep her people-encounters at zero. Every time she ran into strangers, it was a question of life or death; will they try to kill me? You can't trust anybody, even if they seem friendly, it's a risk that can get you killed when they suddenly decide they aren't friendly anymore.

She's young, but she is certainly no stranger to violence. She has blood on her hands, who doesn't? Her father raised her to survive. Nothing else mattered. She knew how to keep herself alive, and there really isn't anything she wouldn't do just to see another day. She had more than just blood on her hands.

❝ No, I'm just passing through. ❞ Quite frankly, she was wandering around for the same reason he claimed to be. But she didn't plan on sticking around any longer now that some stranger knew she was here. ❝ And I'll know if you're following me, so don't try anything or I'll put a bullet in your fucking head. ❞

He had to be alone; she couldn't hear anyone nor see anyone, and she had to have checked her surroundings multiple times already just to make absolute sure that they were alone. But maybe he's with someone who simply isn't here right now.

She couldn't help but look once more, though... At this point, it was barely even subtle, the way her eyes darted about as if she expected something bad to happen right then. ❝ That goes for anyone you might be with, too. ❞ The worry may have shown in her behavior, in her eyes, but her voice didn't waver. ❝ I just want to be left alone. ❞

[thesoulofasurvivor]

plotted starter for @betaofthedead for a Sweet Tooth AU!

Stupid... She should have known it was a trap. Who just leaves food lying out in the woods? But she let her curiosity get the better of her and she had to go see what the smell was, and from a distance she observed what looked to be some sort of packaged food. An ear twitched and turned, and before she had a chance to react someone had ran up behind and grabbed her.

The teddy bear that she was holding had been dropped on the ground, she screamed and kicked her feet as she was momentarily lifted off the grass. The first instinct was to bite; bite the arm around her chest and when she did the man yelled in pain and reflexively shoved her away from him.

❛ It fuckin' bit me! ❜ The man shouted, and as he did, the young hybrid tried to run — completely forgetting about her beloved stuffed toy in the moment. But she was stopped almost immediately by another. There was a group of them.

Again she was grabbed, this one laughing at his friend who was panicking over the chunk taken out of his arm. Quickly, he had something over her face, something that prevented her from biting; it was like some sort of make-shift muzzle for a person. He had her arms restrained and no matter how hard she fought him she just wasn't strong enough, all she could do was yell and cry.