[Z] The Outerworld

@♚Jeon Jungkook Taeyeon landed rather ungracefully on her backside. Her left elbow had grazed on the side of the pit as she fell, but other than that she seemed to be intact. She remained in a seated position on the ground, momentarily winded from the fall. Upon regaining her composure, she pushed her petite frame up and brushed herself down to rid of the dirt collected on her clothes.
 
Walking to the edge of the small crater, she reached out to gently touch the earth and peered upwards. The pitfall trap was somewhere between seven to eight feet deep. It was obviously man-made; and therefore the creator must've climbed out somehow. Perhaps it was the work of a group of raiders. In which case, she'd be in big trouble.

Amidst her thoughts, Taeyeon didn't notice a presence approaching her until the familiar click of a firearm safety. "Don't shoot." She breathed out of pure reflex. She held her empty hands out beside her in a surrender and looked square into the eyes of the stranger. She once learnt that you could attempt to empathise with an offender by maintaining eye contact. But that felt like a lifetime ago, and there is little empathy left in remnants of the world.

@Kim Taeyeon Jungkook heard the low growl rumbling in Seagull's throat while he sharpened the dull blades of the knives he'd scavenged on a homemade wheel and grindstone. He froze, catching the small bell that dangled among many others, one of which was attached by string to one of the pitfall traps. He was quick to set the knife aside in the pile of other dull weapons, instead bringing out his hunting rifle and two grenades in case he'd needed them.

His steps were quick and deft, knowing where each trip laid that protected his own small home from the infected and other unwanted guests. Seagull, trained to spot them followed too with valiant strides until they reached the pit. He quickly pulled the safety from the handheld as he edged towards the pit and aimed, intending to take the creature out of its misery.

He froze, however, when he found a human girl instead, and watched her warily with the barrel still aimed towards her face.

@Jeon Jungkook The days of endless supplies in the debris of broken towns and cities were long over. It had almost gotten normal to find dead bodies, starved to death or with a hole in the head from a bullet, or running bodies, only skin and bones. So fragile, so easy to break.
But not only had it gotten to the survivors, the food shortage had gotten to all of them – the animals were hungry and even the sweetest dogs were now wild hunter again.

Jimin was on his way back from a supply trip – he knew this city well, or at least the ruins of it. A few years ago he had been living in this abandoned city for quite a while, until, once again, those creatures had taken a well-cherished companion of his. It hadn't been the first time but Jimin had long understood that it would hurt every time he would lose someone, no matter how used to it he was. It would never be normal for people he held dear to be ripped out of his life.
He had taken a shortage, making his way through an old mall – the east part had long collapsed and beautiful plants had taken the ruins as their home but the center was still intact, even though full of moss and other plants Jimin did not know the name of. But it still was a lot faster to walk through it than walking the way around.

The striker had almost reached the end of his way when he heard shuffling. He cursed inaudibly and made a few steps backwards, gripping his weapon. He knew that some of these walking dead were faster than he expected but during the years he had learned to hold his breath and be as quiet as he could, hiding in corners that smelled the most disgusting.
On the way here he had seen a horde making its way towards the town but usually they were slower – had Jimin miscalculated? He bit his lip, hoping it was just one attacker – he could easily kill one opponent but if it was a horde he was in trouble.

@Jeon Jungkook The wilderness surrounding what used to be the buzzing capital had almost become a wasteland. But nature always finds a way to survive, and the occasional area of denser foliage can be found. On a lucky day, Taeyeon would come across a natural spring of fresh water to refill her supply. Unfortunately, today was not one of those days. She tilted her head to look at the sky that would soon darken, and with a small sigh she considered her daily mission unsuccessful.

Continuing forwards, she made her way through the wild in search of a place she could set up camp for the night. A solid tree with thick branches she could climb would be ideal. With her head craned upwards, analysing each tree she passed, she became oblivious to the peculiar pile of long twigs and leaves sprawled across the ground ahead. She hadn’t noticed her foot leaving the hardened soil of the ground until the layer of branches gave way with a crack, and followed the downfall of the broken pieces of wood into a crudely dug hole.

@Kwon Soonyoung ((slr! Bit of a busy few days ;A;))

Jennie kept her expression blank and stoic as she sat herself down on the blanket or whatever piece of cloth this was. She kept her left leg stretched out in front of her and tried to move her ankle to try and figure out as to what exactly was broken. She was pretty sure that it wasn't a bone but with the constant adrenaline coursing through her veins, one could never be so sure. She kept her gaze down and looked like she was not going to relax any time soon, just because she silently accepted help does not mean she trusts said person. This guy has her cooperation for now.

@Lee Hyunwoo Jungkook listed his eyes to the male, ducking low and almost narrowing them when the other spoke. He felt haughty, almost arrogant, in wanting to reply with 'you think I don't know how to handle these?'. Instead, he kept quiet, not wanting to draw attention. If there was one, there were many, and the last thing he wanted to do was alert a bunch of radiation-mutated hornets. He also didn't have a flamethrower handy.

He made sure to make eye contact with the male again, then jerked his chin for him to follow him if he wished. Clicking his tongue, he hurried away from the water hole with Seagull at his heel, making sure to remain in the shrubbery and out of the opening just to provide some sense of concealment. They needed fire, and without chemical spray, they wouldn't have an easy time taking down a mass of pests. He spotted an abandoned shelter nearby, but disregarded it completely due to the broken in roof that they could easily infiltrate. They needed shelter. Sturdy, closed off shelter unless they could outrun them.

@Jennie Kim Soonyoung was unfortunately wearing a v-neck black long sleeves shirt and they are kind of irritating when his sweats absorbed into the cloth but he had to throw the thoughts aside since they are in the middle of survival mode, otherwise they would be chased by million more and it will never be a good idea. As soon as his gaze landed on the lowest level of an abandoned premises, he carefully leads her into the place and it has been cleared. There were no trace of the monstrous creatures. He proceed to plump her gently onto the ground with an unused thin blanket underneath her.

( its okay! lol not that bad tho. )

@Jeon Jungkook Not one to start conflict, HYunwoo could sense that there had been someone, something hiding from him, and seeing as the infected didn't hide, he knew right away it was a person. Raiders didn't hide, most, not all, but most quick to attack. Hyunwoo said nothing, and curious as to whether or not the greenery contained someone dangerous, he took the moment to risk his safety and lift a hand in sign of innocence, much like a surrender to show he meant no harm. Soon after he began to take a few steps back. He was leaving, and wished for no trouble.
As he moved away, it was then his eyes snapped upward and he froze. A nest of hornets, or rather something that much resembled hornets began to build, leaving their home in sense of something getting too close. Many species had begun to mutate throughout the wide infection, many suffering mass extinction and others rapidly adapting to the disarray the world had become. In this case, many wasp like insects had grown in size and the poison they had once carried did far more than a harmless sting. Unable to see the stranger hiding within the brush, hyunwoo lowered his body to the ground some as slowly as possible, and with a cautious wave of his hand, gestured for whatever it was to move, soon after pointing upward.
"Don't. startle them."

@Kwon Soonyoung ((jfc, i had a good reply and the internet just- *sigh*))

Omg. Jennie did not like being manhandled and she could not control the growl that escaped her lips. She wanted to hit the guy so much. She really did but a voice in head (that suspiciously sounded like her uncle) had told her to just stop being so stubborn and just accept the help. With much reluctance, she just let it be, leaning up against the other's body. It was kind of disgusting since they both seemed to be drenched with sweat, and she even had some blood from a few fresh wounds. Welp, no use complaining. She grabbed her bag with her free hand and hopped along to follow where ever the guy wanted to take her.

If he tries anything funny then he's dead.

@Lee Hyunwoo Being a complete loner meant Jungkook had to be both. Strong, athletic, nimble, smart, cautious and crafty. He watched the unfamiliar boy with wild eyes, never one to attack first unless he showed signs of infection. He wasn't breathing haggardly nor slouched over, and his skin didn't seem ashen. His cheeks weren't sunken in, and there weren't deep dark circles hollowing his eyes. Still, the boy could have been a raider, and raiders always meant trouble, or he could be another wanderer who could be just as dangerous. He waited to see what the boy would do; clearly able to tell that the boy could sense his presence, but wasn't making any move to attack or defend. Not yet.

So he waited quietly until he heard a loud buzz descending from overhead.

@Jeon Jungkook Back at sanctuary, water had become something scarce, dangerously so. Without orders, nor the knowledge of any watchers back whence he came, Hyunwoo took it upon himself to escape in search of something salvageable.
Running water was his preferred discovery, was less likely to hold those contaminates still water harbored and could easily be boiled to remove any other parasites that might be present. Moving far east and well away from base, Hyunwoo slinked through the tall, unkept grass of the field, avoiding the danger lurking and soon coming across a long, yet stagnant stream. With a mental curse of frustration, he began walking the length of the water, specifically searching for a branch off that could potentially serve the movement he needed.
The longer he walked, the more hopeless it all seemed, and the greater danger he began to put himself in as he had walked farther out into a clearing of dead grass, completely in the open.
Running a hand through his hair in agitation, he turned to leave, caught off guard by a rustling in a far off patch of brush just to the right of him. He froze, knowing his position of vulnerability, however he did not reach for a weapon. He didn't fight, he snuck, he ran. Hid. He was far more agile and quick than he was strong.

@Lee Hyunwoo The water purification plants had long been shut down, and he found some dirty truths in the one he'd located within the dirty wastelands on the outskirts of the airport. The place was infested with infected rats, the water had -for some reason- turned green. It made him wonder just how safe those water bottles had been so many years ago. Canned air had became a new product as well, and he'd found it as laughable, yet profitable, as the water had been.

It was rare to come across bodies of water within the wilderness that hadn't dried up or turned to mud. The flow of water he came across was still -the grass tall, surrounded by trees and plantation. Various herbal plants both medicinal and poisonous. He abandoned the water altogether just to begin picking at the plants he'd read up on to make medicine with for wounds. He'd never been a kid who read books -until he'd spent 42 days holed up in a library as it was the safest place to be in at the time.

When seagull growled low, he paused in place and was quick to draw his weapon. He hated using a gun as it stirred and attracted hordes, thus he drew the hatched that was strapped to his back instead and ducked into the bush. Clicking his tongue, the white wolf followed suit beside him -her ears perked forward assertively as she watched the clearing. Her stance firm and stiff.

@Jennie Kim Had no clues on why would she darting deranged glares at him as if he was just committing murder on a cat and it does seems to loading exasperation into her. Soonyoung had to leaned backward when she forcefully made a way out of the tower to jump down into the ground and he heard a slight wail in which he shook his head leisurely. He emits an inaudible sigh then hasten to go back down, landing safely without injury but it could decrease a little of his strength at day then walks towards her. Though he already could expect protest and disapproving action against his intention to help in this chaotic situation. Especially the risks by roaming outside the big city and from shelters, is perilous to get stuck alone.

Soonyoung bend one knee next to her side as he voluntarily checks on the wounded area and he does suspecting a sprained ankle. He had to find an area of where they would at least avoiding to catch the soulless corpse's attention.

"Follow me."

He got no choice but to insistently grabbing her arm and swung it around his nape with his other hand attempts to transferring a little strength, so she could prop on him. He is, however, ready for a slap or anything.

@Kwon Soonyoung Of course, Jennie just had to run out of bullets when she one managed to kill 3 of the damn things. , she was going to die in the most pathetic possible, up in a stupid tower, surrounded by zombies. Great. She could not let herself die in such a pitiful manner so she pulled out her daggers from their holsters around her thighs and was just about to just hop down and take out the ers in hand-to-hand command. It was suicidal and would be one of the dumbest decisions of her life but Jennie would never go down without a fight. She was getting ready to jump down on two of the ugly ers when an arrow shot through one of the zombie's head. It had caught her off guard and soon enough the area was clear. She frowned, lowering her arms from their fighting stance.

There was someone approaching her and immediately, Jennie glared at the blond as if he hadn't just potentially saved her. Jennie does not accept help from strangers. Ever.

"Piss off." she said in English.

She kept her blades and adjusted her bag before hopping down, letting out a cry as her ankle gave out and she fell down, catching herself on a bent bar from the tower, "."

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@Jennie Kim Resizing his chinky eyes, attempting to get a clearer image of the figure struggling to run. But they are absolutely not working well since she is taking the opposite direction from where he stood. Before the hordes would be noticing his existence, Soonyoung grabs the opportunity and sprinting behind each incinerated cars puzzled everywhere. It has become an obstacle to run freely when the space is slim for them to do a proper run. As soon as he successfully arrived nearer the watchtower as he hide behind bricked borders from getting caught by those walkers. Soonyoung performs carefulness until he could aimed the desperate hordes of rotten corpses and shooting with his crossbow through one to another heads down. By the time he finished clearing the temporary chaos, he jogs closer to the building and clamber up the watchtower, so he could be able lending a helpful hand. "Are you alright?"

@Kwon Soonyoung Today is not a good day - actually, that's a huge understatement; This was without a doubt simply horrible. It was not a good time but Jennie could hear his uncle's deep and scolding voice about not checking her surroundings or not being careful or risking her life yet again without a fail. Knowing her uncle, it was most probably all three, an hour each condensed into one big scolding session. The retreating girl was pulled back to reality when of the undeads managed to get a scratch on her. She growled aimed her gloc back, making sure to get the bullet right between its rotting eyes. Jesus ing christ, since when did they grow in number? She hasn't realized that there was a small horde after but as soon as that information processed with her she began moving faster, the pain from her sprained ankle shooting straight up, making her bite back a whine. Jennie needed to get to a higher place and thankfully, she could see a crumbling tower of sort - most probably an old watch tower - and quickly hopped up to grab to a ledge and pulled herself up. She had almost failed since she could only rely on one foot for some kind of boost but at least she was safe for now. The young lady looked down the horde below her as she wiped away the dripping sweat from her forehead. There was no way to get up here but now she was stuck with a swollen foot. Great. She might as well start shooting at them and that's exactly what she started doing but the bullets were not going to last very long.

@Jennie Kim "!" muttered under his breath when he caught himself quitting the pharmacy to see his bike disappeared, assuming the bandits has snatch them away while he was busily collecting medications needed since one of his watchers were injured and resting in the shelter that he had to take over the position in the meantime. Sweats flowing down from his damped hair as he had to force himself using the machete and being possibly set the atmosphere to quietest steps he can get, trying to not drawing attention. Within seconds, Soonyoung borrowing the scorched walls as his shield when he peeks through the side and he heard a noise coming from the north. He tried to focus. The horde of walkers has crawling closer and closer, their smell turning even more unbearable. They had deformed bodies, and limbs sticking out at odd angles. They were chasing after an unfamiliar figure that he could not tell who.