The Apocalypse - Can YOU survive?

"Takes one to know one." Drake snapped in response, cradling his injured knee and glaring at Desire. "You people are f***ing insane! Shooting me down in the midst of a zombie battle..." He grumbled on to himself for a while, then fell silent - folding his arms sulkily over his chest.

Jeremy, meanwhile, was facing an even more dangerous predicament as Kareena sauntered over to him with eyes alive with fury. Thankfully, he was ready.
"No, no, nothing like that." Jeremy lied easily, flashing his charming smile to appease her. "I can't imagine there ever being anything bad to say about you." He added innocently, a hidden flirtatious tone playing behind his words.

Kai's eyes scanned the scene - glancing over friends, comrades, acquaintances... And wondering vaguely who was really on his side, and who was not. He found it somewhat disheartening to realise that, aside from Jeremy, he didn't know if any of them would truly have his back in a battle to the death. But that was the way the world had become, so he accepted it. In order to survive, one had to be selfish. Only fools had friends in the midst of an apocalypse. The wise simply had comrades - to be used for their own protection, but never protected. Kai wished he could have been like that... But he just couldn't do it. He was too soft at heart... And that was why, eventually, he would surely die.

With this thought in mind, Kai slipped quietly away - stepping outside into the chilly night air. The cruel wind tore at his skin with icy talons, and the rain pelted him viciously - but Kai didn't care. He needed to get away...

Desire smiled and traced a finger over his chest. "Well, you've been doing more harm than good, so shooting you down was the right thing. I've begun to see the mistake I made. You may be brave, but you have no skill or common sense when it comes to fighting. I'm sure I'd be able to teach you though..." She trailed off with a snicker. "Then again, you would never be willing to cooperate, so why try?" She smacked him playfully with a wink and stood up.

Kareena arched an eyebrow. "You're good at lying, Jeremy. If I didn't know Donovan, I might have actually believed you." She sighed. "You know what happens to people who lie to me, right?" Her hand came up and her nails dug into his arm, but at the same time, her other hand pulled his face closer to hers. Her forehead rested against his and her lips moved slowly. "They are punished. Severely punished, may I add." Her nails began to draw blood, but her lips moved ever closer to his. This would be a test to her, to see which was his true desire: his protection or his lust.

Donovan followed Kai up the stairs and into the rain. "I have a confession." He blurted out before he could stop himself. He glanced around quickly, making sure there were no obvious Listeners. "But you cannot tell anyone about it." He added quietly.

((I'm guessing mine is in the basement. If it's not then I'll look stupid. Are y'all ni the basement? XD ))

Amira sat down on the cold floor, and again looked up at the ceiling.

((Sorry about the suckish post. ))

[[Baha, s'okay. Currently all my characters are locked into a covnersation, but hopefully Polokinz will get someone for Amira xD]]

Feeling lonely, Ben scuttled over to the corner of the basement, where Amira was sitting. He was cold, he was scared, and he wanted somebody to protect him. Kai was gone - he had no idea where. Jeremy was messing around. Drake was terrifying enough to be more of a threat than a comfort, and Mattie seemed glued to Jeremy again.
Hopefully, Amira would be of some use to him. "Are you okay?" Ben asked through a whimper as he reached her - his plump face lined with worry. Though it was selfish worry - through and through. Ben was just good at hiding that...

"Huh." Drake scoffed, "As if I'd let you 'train' me." He rolled his eyes, "I just want to enjoy myself, I don't need you." He folded his arms and turned away in a huff - which brought Mattie scurrying to his side - petting and comforting. Drake ignored her, but it was obvious that he liked the attention, much as he pretended to hate it.

"What can I say? You caught me..." Jeremy whispered in response, pressing his forehead against Kareena's, so his lips were mere inches from hers. He felt her nails piercing his skin, and laid his hand firmly over hers - pulling it slowly away. "I guess you don't need to punish me, then..." He added sneakily, "Because the 'bad' that you mentioned before is more alike to 'interesting', for me." He smirked cryptically, his warm breath rushing over Kareena's face as he held his ground, just a few centimeters away now.

"I have a confession."
The statement was sudden and unexpected, and it caused Kai to jump. He whipped around, gun at the ready, but as he saw Donovan standing there, he slowly released his tension, and let his gun drop back to his side. "A c-confession...?" He repeated hesitantly - not even bothering trying to control his voice when he had chattering teeth to fight against as well.
It was cold.
"But you cannot tell anyone about it."
Kai frowned in curiosity, tilting his head slightly to one side. He considered this a moment, then straightened his head, and responded with a serious expression, "I'll take it to my grave."

Desire rolled her eyes and stood up. "Fine, enjoy yourself. You won't have that much time to do that, though." She said, letting the threat hang over his head. He really was an idiot. Having a second though, she kneeled down next to him and whispered. "A shame. You had so much potential. Guess I'm just going to have to kill you off like everyone else. That really is a shame. I find you very..." She brushed a hand along his neck. "Interesting."

Kareena pulled away laughing, shaking the blood from her fingers. "You need a shower was her only comment before she padded over to Desire and pulled her away. "How's your case going?"
"Not so good, I'm not sure how you're able to get someone to like you so quickly."
"I ggot the easy one." Kareena said, her fake French accent gone. "He's such a dork."
They both laughed.
"I've got another pair of heels if you need them. You know, a man's heart is lower than a girl's."
"I know where you mean."
"It's where Jeremy's is. That's why he's so easy."
Desire chuckled. "This is so fun."
"Agreed."

"We're killers." Donovan said shortly. "We're part of a big experiment. The person who created the zombie plague claims to be a scientist, rooting out the bad people of the human race. We are killing off the rest of us."

"Shame, because I find you boring as Hell." Drake snapped in response, slapping Desire's hand away. "And if you want to kill me Honey, go ahead. We're all gonna die anyway - so I honestly couldn't care less. Just don't expect for a moment that I won't try my utmost best to take you with me." He chuckled, then slowly shifted himself into an upright position - taking care not to put weight on his injured leg.

Jeremy merely laughed at Kareena's comment, not seeming too bothered. He was a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, and at that moment - he felt pretty darn lucky. Little did he know he was just a pawn in some bigger game...

Donovan's words left Kai staring at him in a combination of surprise and confusion. "I trusted you." He said quietly in response - though he did not sound accusatory. Quite the contrary: He sounded merely informative. He was stating a fact...
"You weren't cut out for such a job." He added, still in the same informative tone. It occurred to him briefly that his stutter had left him, but he did not dwell on it. "Why are you telling me?" He asked finally, this time questioning - curious and expectant. His eyes met Donovan's, and he held his gaze - waiting for an answer.

[[Drake is annoying me >.<]]

"Not me." Desire shouted over her shoulder. "And you couldn't take me down if you tried." She taunted, completely trusting her fighting skills. She went on, "I could snap your neck without trying. But I won't. That'd be too... nice. I'll let you suffer a bit first. Cause you're pissing the living shit out of me." She turned away and faced Kareena again, who watched with a bemused expression. "What?"
"No wonder, that's not how you get them on your team." She chuckled.
Desire sighed. "I'm not made for this. I'm not a natural flirt." She rolled her eyes, hiding the tears welling up.
"S'okay. If I learned, you can." Kareena's accent was back as she patted Desire's shoulders and walked up the stairs to check on Donovan.

"I know you trusted me." Donovan said softly. "And I'm still hoping you do because of what I'm telling you." He didn't meet Kai's eyes, too ashamed to do so. Instead, he looked off into the street where a building was on fire. He sighed. "I'm telling you this because you're the first real human I've met. Kareena and my little sister are ruthless killers, and the rest of your group is self-absorbed. Sorry." He chuckled. "Anyway, the creator of the zombie plague selected a few humans to take out the bad people that resisted the didease. Except the people he hired were more immoral then the people they were killing. And it was to create a better race, too. Ironic, huh?" He let out a bitter laugh. "I think I'm going to leave. I'm not going to tell Kareena or Desire, but they'll find out eventually. I just have to find a good time. And then I'll come back and help your group."
"No you won't." Kareena said smoothly, leaning against the door frame like a cat, her eyes glowing deviously.
"You won't even make it out of here." Desire added. "Good night big brother."
A dart came and hit Donovan in the neck, and his limp body sprawled to the floor.

((He's annoying me, too. XD ))

Kai dropped to his knees beside Donovan - instantly checking for a pulse.
Thud... Thud...
There is was! He was alive - for now, at least - but Kai had no idea how long that might last. Was the dart supposed to knock him out? Paralyse him? Kill him...?
What did it matter? It was as Don said... Everybody was doomed. Drake had been right all along. The thought was so bizarre that he almost laughed - but then he caught himself. This was no laughing matter.
He stared at Desire - whom he had trusted at the start - and let his gaze flick over to Kareena, who he had admittedly been somewhat wary of.
They were monsters, it was as simple as that.
"Why do you d-do it?" He stuttered - pausing a moment to get his stutter in check, and to pull Donovan's limp arm over his shoulders.
"Desire, I took you for a strong person. Not the sort of sheep who follows orders b-blindly."
He met her gaze with eyes ablaze - his hand holding his machine gun lightly by his side. He showed neither threat nor aggression - but if they attacked, he would defend himself. And, more importantly, he would defend whatever was left of Donovan.

"I ordered it." Desire hissed. "I am a strong person." She started to lunge for the older man, but Kareena held her back.
"Not yet." She said simply. She nodded sharply to someone on the rooftop, who dropped down and blew another dart at Kai, hitting him in the neck.
"He's so stupid. Anyone who followed the trajectory of the first dart would have known we weren't the threat." Desire rambled as she collected up the light body of Kai. "Where are we going?"
Kareena shrugged as she threw Donovan's body over her shoulder. "Yeah, where are we going?" She asked as the newcomer approached.
"Panama Hotel." The handsome boy said. His dark brown hair was covered in filth and blood, and his dark brown eyes gleamed dangerously. "Keiko's got our back." He nodded to the doorway where a girl dressed in black stood guard, sheltered behind a large rock.
Desire nodded and pulled out a gun. "Let's go."

Kai knew that he should move - but he couldn't bring himself to leave Don's side. So when the dart struck him in the neck, he was not altogether surprised - merely desperately disappointed. He had hoped that he could at least go down swinging...
Then again, he thought to himself as everything faded to black, This dart might not kill me, after all...
After that, he lost consciousness for a while.
When he finally awoke, he found himself in an old hotel. A somewhat familiar old hotel... The Panama. His group had visited here once before, and stayed for a while - so he remembered it well.
The real question wasn't where was he, but rather why was he here...?

Desire stood over Kai as he woke up, smiling as if nothing was wrong. "Good morning, sunshine." She called sweetly. "You sleep like an ogre." She giggled and handed him a bowl of fresh fruit. "Eat up if you want strength for today."
There was a reason it was Desire waking Kai and not Kareena. If she wasn't waking Kai, she'd would be waking Donovan. And she'd never be able to face that. She cringed, again wondering what came over her back at the porch. She was on the verge of a breakdown right there. Kai was right. She wasn't a strong person... But she wouldn't cry just yet. Not while she had some will left. And certainly not while Loki stood in the room next to her.
Loki was a 17 year old male who was nearly the opposite of Drake, except for maybe in courage. Well, real courage that is.
Loki was the one who had shot the two boys, and he was ready to do so again. He was the most ample with the dartgun, and he held it casually across his chest. He didn't particularly enjoy his job, but he didn't stop to dwell on the ethics of it. If he did that, he would end up like his good friend Donovan. Being the victim of the gun he was holding rather than the aggressor. He sighed. He was in this room because Donovan was his closest friend. He was the only other guy on their small neighborhood team of five. But now it was probably four. And he didn't want that grenade-happy idiot being the replacement.
His expression stayed stoic and he refused to meet the older man's eyes.

Donovan smacked his lips together as he woke up to get rid of the bitter taste in his mouth. He really wanted to brush his teeth. This doesn't feel like my bed... he thought, but payed no attention and started to get up,s till half asleep.
"Where do you think you're going, handsome?" Kareena asked with a smile, her cat-like eyes glowing. She was leaning against the doorframe in one of her skimpier outfits and all Donovan could think was damn!
"Damn is right." She said with a smile, walking slowly over to him and closing his open mouth with her finger. Only then did he realize he'd spoken his thoughts -or ratehr thought - out loud.
"You wouldn't be so happy," she continued on smoothly, "if you remembered what I wore when I got all of the prisoners we were going to execute."
Donovan's eyes narrowed as he concentrated on the thought. What had she worn...? Well, she always said she wanted to give them one more beautiful thing before they died... Oh shit.
His eyes flew open and every nerve in his body was wide awake as she stood a foot in front of him. "Oh shit."
Kareena nodded. "You're in luck. I'm only wearing this cause you're fun to mess with like this and I wanted to see how you'd react. We're not sure what we're going to do with you yet..." She trailed off and watch as his form flopped back onto the bed, relieved. "None of us really want to turn you in, but we're not sure if they know. And what are we going to do with the other one?" She asked to no one in particular.
"Let him go." Donovan said firmly. "He did nothing wrong."
"He knows." Kareena countered. "If only you'd thought before you put him into that situation.
Donovan buried his face in his hands. "I'm not made for this job." He whispered, drawing Kareena in closer with his voice.
"Aww, Donny, it's okay." She said, overcome with emotions for him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he let her. After a couple seconds he leapt up and slapped her butt. "Ow!" She cried. "That's the last time I'll ever hug you, you ungrateful mutt." But she was laughing, and Donovan knew she would at some point or another.

[[I'm going to be gone a lot of the day. I'll hopefully get back by 2 or 3 my time which should be... *takes out calculator* 9 or 10 for chu xD]]

[[YES I MADE A SUPER LONG POST Don't thin k you have to though xD I just got carried away ]]

"Thank you." Kai murmured simply, and he accepted the fruit politely - since good manners were in his nature, but he did not take a single bit. He had been trained well back in the army, and he knew well that there could be poison, a truth serum, anything in that fruit.
Perhaps he would be tortured... Perhaps killed. But he could deal with that - if only to buy his friends some time to live on.
"D-Donovan?" Kai asked quietly - and the boy's name alone was enough of a question. Desire would know what he was asking. Whether or not she would answer was another thing entirely.

Desire rolled her eyes. "What good would I get out of poisoning you?" She muttered to herself. "None, only a wailing zombie-magnet for days until you finaly die." She sighed tiredly before answering his question.
"Kareena is with him. We're trying to decide what to do with you two. We really don't want to turn you in - we're not that heartless - but we don't know if he saw." She said quietly, looking to Loki to see if he had anything to add. He simply nodded his agreement and arched an eyebrow expectantly.
"And I'm sorry for what happened. This is just standard procedure and we should be able to let you out soon. Maybe a couple months?" She said casually, hoping he wouldn't do anything irrational because of the time. "While you're here, I can assure you you'll be fed, clothed, and kept healthy. We also left a note for your pack. We said you were going away for a couple of months to try and find out where we went to. Apparently we stole something of yours?" She smiled.
"Nevertheless, we're sending them care packages every week so they don't starve and bring a bunch of the undead when they start moaning and groaning. Got it?"

"Thank you." Kai repeated, his tone still unchanging, "But I cannot accept kindness from an organisation whose cause I do not sympathise with." He rattled off the words as though reciting from a text book, then fell silent, and turned away. He was always quick to trust - but after his trust had been betrayed, it was not easily regained.
Though Kai did not say it, his meaning was clear. He was not going to accept anything offered to him from this group - therefore he was going to die here. Even to him, it seemed futile... Nay, it was futile - but he didn't care. At least he would die by his own terms, and - in some strange twisted way - standing for what he believed in.
No, that was wrong...
He was standing against what he didn't believe in. Yes... That was what this was.
Having a label for his madness strengthened him, and Kai raised his chin in determination.

Desire rolled her eyes. "Fine, starve to death. I don't really care. I'm trying my best, okay?" She glanced over at Loki, who gave her a significant look. The kind that said, 'You know what's right, are you going to do that?'
She started to whine. "Loki, do I really have to-"
"It's your choicee." His gravelly voice cut in. "I can't control you. Do whatever you want, you just know what's right. You've done it before and you can now."
"But they weren't watching last time!" She protested.
"Are they now?" Loki countered.
"I don't know!"
"You didn't know last time when you did."
Desire glared at him angrily, knowing that he'd won. "Fine."
Loki nodded simply, showing no arrogance of beating her. She was only a 115 year old girl, she had no skill in debates. What was the fun of winning that?
Desire turned to face Kai. "Fine." She reapeated. "Just 'overpower' us, take Donovan, and go back to your little girl scout troop." She muttered angrily, pulling out a fairly large switchblade.

Kai glanced from Loki to Desire and back again, trying to keep up with the conversation, and work out what was going on - and who could be trusted.
When the conversation finally turned to him, and Kai was able to make sense of it - it took him only a moment to decide...
Regardless of whether or not these people could be trusted, he was doomed. The offer he had just been given was his only ticket out. Sincere or not, it was worth a try.
After a moment's more indecisive mistrust, Kai slowly let a rare smile lift his lips - the sincere gratitude in his gaze was warming - and it said more than all the words he didn't.
"I must fight you, win, and escape?" He confirmed quietly, "And f-find Donovan...?" He trailed off, drawing in a slow breath to steady his stutter as it began to recur.

Desire nodded grimly, wanting to make this look as real as possible. She had no intention of killing Kai or seriously injusring him, but she didn't want anyone to figure out she was letting him go. She crouched down, holding the knife's bejewled handle loosely, pointing it right at Kai. Loki dropped the dart-gun and drew his own weapon - pair of long, bronze swords. He held them naturally, as if they were extensions of his arms. He didn't crouch, but looked more prepared than he did before.
Desire smiled. "What are you waiting for, old man?"

Kareena and Donovan walked down the hallway, hand in hand. Don's cheeks were flushed from extertion, and even though Kareena did just as much, she retained her natural tan skin tone. She glanced up at him and smiled, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously.
"And you're sure you'll be okay?" He asked her, sounding concerned.
"Yeah." She replied, technically not lying. She knew she'd be okay no matter what. But if she answered the real question he'd asked, she'd have said, 'No, I'm not sure.'
"Good. I don't want another person to take care of." He smiled and stopped walking, pushing her against a wall so he could kiss her again.

Kai tensed as the weapons were drawn, preparing himself. His hand-to-hand combat skills had never been first rate - he was always better with guns - but he was sure he'd be good enough, anyway. He was a formidable fighter - even when not at his best.
He paused a moment, glancing around the room - then grabbed the nearest thing that might pass as a weapon and took on his 'captors'.

Desire lunged. She wasn't going 'down' without giving him a few scars. "You won't f*ck with us after this!" She hissed, leaping at him and slicing a gash down his arm. She grinned and whispered, "Good job."
Loki raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Just pretended to be back-up.

Kai winced slightly as the blade bit into his arm, but as he countered Desire's next strike, he flashed her a wink. He wasn't fighting to hurt her - but knowing that it had to be realistic, he threw honest attacks - and trusted her to counter them. His chosen weapon was a piece of metal pipe - kinked and dented - but it could still deal a hefty blow. He glanced toward Loki from time to time - and after a minute more fighting, Kai suddenly doubled his attempts. His footwork was more skillful, his attacks faster...
And there was more where that came from.
In all honesty, he was beginning to enjoy this. It felt great to be sparring with a human again!

Desire countered each blow easily, but as he started to get faster and deal heavier strikes, she began to pant and sweat. Loki still refused to join in, letting Desire do all the work. He knew that she wanted to prove herself - and this was the perfect oppurtunity. Even though it was supposed to be fake, it looked as though they were really sparring. Loki grinned, but his smile faded as he saw Desire go in for a strike and leave one side unprotected. He swore as Kai saw this and struck her shoulder heavily.
Desire let out a loud shriek as she dropped her knife and clutched her shoulder, rolling around on the ground screaming.
"Desire!" Loki yelled and sprinted across the room to her side. He rolled her onto her back and lifted her up, supporting her back and neck on his lap. "Shh, sweetie, it's okay, it's okay." He continued to console her before looking up at Kai and mouthing one word.
Run.

When Desire fell, Kai froze for a moment - but with Loki's assistance, he remembered that this was what was supposed to happen.
With a quick, near-invisible nod, Kai dashed from the room, swinging the metal pipe around in his hand. His close-combat skills had improved drastically, and he was glad. No doubt, it would make everything so much easier...
He dashed down the corridor, feeling rather like a fugitive, and glanced left and right for Donovan.
Where the Hell was he...?

Donovan glanced up from Kareena's face. He was in the middle of complimenting her on her beauty and all that.
"Kareena, I don't think anything could be more-" CRASH! "What the hell was that?" He yelled, spinning around, guarding her against the wall as Kai burst out the door and began to run down the hallway.
Kareena hissed and pushed Donovan away, slamming him into a wall. "Where are you going?" She asked, taunting him. Slowly, she slipped a large knife from the inside the pant leg of her right thigh.
Donovan glared at her. "What are you doing?"
"Oh nothing, sweetheart." She said sarcastically, "I'm just going to let our prisoner escape from under our noses."
Donovan stalked over to her and grabbed the knife - by the blade. Kareena instinctively pulled it back and sliced his hand open. He cried out in pain and she screamed in horror.
"Donny, Donny!"