Number one Priority{Iain}

[ella]

It was a cold night in Georgia and Ella thought she heard something outside of her tent. She wasn't sure. She knew that there were other campers all around the campsite but she was just scared that a walker would appear and try to make her his dinner snack. Ever since the Walkers had appeared in her home town and knowing that her little girl was alive hopefully out there she was worried that she might never get a chance to see her again.

She stood up from her sleeping bag and opened her tent entrance. She looked around and so far saw nothing that would seem like the undead. Ella quickly took her handgun with her just incase before she left her tent in a hurry. She looked around throughout the dark wilderness and looked around. She swore she heard something and it had startled her. She kept hoping to herself that the noise that she had heard was a person looking for camp, or even better her daughter Valerie who she missed so much, but that was only a dream unless her daughter would appear behind those bushes and call out mommy.

She moved around all through the campsite. She was now worried that everyone would have to pick up and move again to somewhere else where Walkers wouldn't be so active. It was only a thought that kept running through her mind. She turned her body around in all directions as she looked but saw nothing. Maybe it was just her imagination thinking that there was a walker nearbye but she swore she heard something.

Instead of headin back into her tent she headed towards the fire pit and sat down on a slab of rock. She wanted to keep guard just incase and she knew that now she wouldn't be able to sleep because she would be to scared that there was something outside of her tent. She placed her handgun on her lap and just waited for something terrible to pop out so she could shoot it inbetween the eye's. It was the only thought that ran through her head and also getting her daughter back where ever would she be.

[iainbrandt]

Lying awake in his tent on top of his sleeping bag, Iain stretched apart a slinkie, occasionally looking over at the pistol that was laying next to him. Not being able to sleep was bad, but having nothing to do to keep himself occupied while he stayed awake was worse. He had good reason for staying awake: Worry. Worry that Walkers would come, and worry that someone might have seen him kill his brother. Not to mention he really needed a cigarette. There was only one left in the pack he had brought with him, and he had been meaning to save it for a while longer, but his self-control had been lacking as of late. There had to be someone else in camp who he could bum a cigarette off of, but who?

Sitting up quickly, he stayed motionless, listening for any other noise as his heart started to race. It was unbearably quiet; a sharp contrast to what it was during the daytime. The noise could have been his mind playing tricks on him - your brain tried to fill dead silence with uneccessary sounds so it had something to distract itself with, but he was going to check it out nonetheless. It would be just his luck that a Walker would kill him in the middle of the night all because he wrote the noise off as a trick. If there was one lurking outside, he would gladly kill it. It had been a while since he got the chance to shoot one, anyway. Putting the slinkie down next to him, he reached over and grabbed the pistol and in the dim light, he noticed that the chamber was empty. That would not have been good if one of those things had come after him. Pressing the magazine release, he pulled the magazine free from the gun, tossed it, and quickly grabbed a full one that was next to him to insert it in the other's place. When he heard the well known click that signaled it was ready, he pulled down on the new magazine to ensure that it was seated, then stood up, but not before grabbing the nearly empty pack of cigarettes. Pulling back the slide on top of the pistol with his mouth, he left the tent.

Thinking something was outside was a little better than lying tent and not being able to sleep, and he didn't mind the cold. If he hadn't been living in Colorado and then New York, the weather conditions wouldn't have been as welcome as they were. Keeping a vice-like grip on the pistol, he listened for any slow shufflings of feet and groans that belonged to the dead, shaking more from anticipation than fear. Not wanting to be caught in a tight space if he did encounter a Walker, he made his way to the middle of the camp where he would have enough escape routes and space should something come after him. Truthfully, he was surprised that he was surviving this ordeal as long as he was. He never thought he would have to go through something like this, but maybe having done as much research as he did for his book had something to do with it. It might have post-apocalyptic, but it had nothing at all to do with zombies. Now that the end of the world had come, the thought of having written something like that was a bit scary.

As he reached the fire pit, he smiled slightly as he noticed a figure sitting upon a rock. It couldn't have been a Walker; they were too restless and it would have sensed him by now. He couldn't tell which of the survivors it was from the back, but he would find out. From where he was standing, he noticed the handgun in their lap and frowned slightly. "You heard something, too?" Iain asked, moving closer to the figure. On second thought, the person probably wasn't able to sleep, like he wasn't. They might not have heard anything and it could have been his imagination. Hopefully. Glancing around, he walked over to the rock closest to them and sat down.

[ella]

Hearing footsteps behind her frightened her abit as she stayed seated down next to the fire pit. Images ran through her head of seeing peoples flesh getting torn off from Walkers. She remembered being able to escape the gruesome death of being torn to pieces and seeing limbs scattered all over the place. She shook her head erasing those images that she had to see from state to state. It was so tragic and the thought of knowing that mostly everyone she knew was now walking about dead and feeding off of flesh or rotting with a bullet in their head. Ever since the epidemic had occurred that was all that she saw and the sighting was never a good sight to see.

Ella rocked herself back on and forth, she was terrified that now Walkers had found themselves a snack to eat on and were closer now then they were a few hours ago. She knew that night time was like their feeding hour but also the best time to scatter to a new place if needed to because the sleepless people would be able to hear something unhuman like in the wilderness. She knew that, but the thing that mostly crossed her mind was the thought that her daughter Valerie was out there possibly alone and not having anything to protect herself with or another thought of her daughter getting torn into little pieces and getting eaten alive. The thoughts were scary and it seemed like the nightmare was becoming more and more realistic but she knew that she would never give up the search for her unless Ella herself would end up getting bitten.

The footsteps behind her were getting louder as the figure that was behind her was getting closer. At first she was thinking that a Walker had found her. She turned her head and saw a figure walking behind her but she heard no groaning so she knew that this must have been one of the other campers and her worries about the walking dead being in the area flew past her and that so far she was safe but she was still going to keep her gun close just encase of emergencies. She faced the fire pit after the figure sat down and realized it was no one other than Iain, the man that she had an on and off again affair even before Valerie was born. Deep down Ella was hiding a secret from him that her own flesh and blood could of been his, they did have their similarities and all but then at the same time if Gerry was still alive she wanted him to still be Valerie's dad as well.

Her grip tightened on her handgun a little bit more. Her body began to shake. She wasn't so sure on what to say for the moment being. It was a cold night and she had forgotten her blanket in her tent but at the moment she knew that there was no way in hell that she was going to go back to her tent after hearing what she heard. She was to scared and didn't want to seem scared at all. She was hoping that in a matter time the dim fire would keep her warm in some way instead of her freezing to death. She began to rub her shivering arms so in a way she would keep herself some what warm to say the least.

She nodded at Iain. "Yeah i did hear something, Iain i seriously think it might be a walker...the noise was close to my tent," She said to him but she felt like he should know because he seemed to be one of the guys with the most guts and wasn't so scared of the Walkers like most of the other campers. She gave him a small smile. It was good to have someone be right next to her by the fire pit instead of her sitting out here alone looking for a Walker to slowly walk over here looking for a dinner snack. "What exactly did you hear Iain? I mean what we both could of heard could of been two different things." She added as her body shivered once more.

[iainbrandt]

Before getting out the one cigarette he had left, he paused and looked at her. Noticing her body start to shiver, Iain put his pistol and pack of cigarettes (well, cigarette) down on the ground in front of him and stood up. Without a second thought, he took his jacket off and draped it around her shoulders, then sat back down. The long sleeved flannel he was wearing underneath it and the crackling fire in front of him was enough to keep him warm, so it didn't bother him to let her wear his jacket. Picking up the cigarette pack, he took out the only one he had left and pulled a set of matches out of his pants pocket. "You don't mind, do you?" he questioned, holding up the cigarette. "It's my last one. I'd appreciate it if I could at least enjoy it." There were too many kids running around during the day and too many things to do, so he didn't really get to savor a cigarette anymore.

Pressing his lips together, he pulled at his shirt sleeve and his fingers moved down to the buttons on the cuff. "I heard a sort of rustling noise. Something was moving around, I know that much," he answered, unbuttoning and buttoning his sleeve. Smirking slowly, he turned his attention to her. "Does poor little Ella need someone to walk her back to her tent or would she rather sleep in mine?" His smirk only grew wider as he couldn't help but tease her. He had felt no remorse after he had slept with her, even though he was friends with Gerry. Iain always did things that might have grave consequences later, but he couldn't help himself. Take it or leave it, that was just how he was.

"It's probably not anything to lose sleep over. If it was a Walker, it would have shown itself by now since we're kind of easy targets out here in the open, yeah?" Picking up his pistol, he moved over to a rock that was positioned in front of her. "So I can see if there's anything coming up behind you and you can see if anything's coming up behind me," he remarked, smiling slightly. "Feeling warmer yet?" Listening to the sounds of the fire was relaxing and reluctantly, he was reminded of home. Whenever it was cold out, his parents would start a fire in the fireplace downstairs where he would doze off on a couch that was closest to it. He may have detested his parents, but those memories were comforting, particularly now.

Setting the pistol down again, he folded his arms across his chest, feeling very warm despite the cold surrounding them. "But really, if you don't feel safe sleeping in your own tent, you can sleep in mine. I'll keep my hands to myself, I swear." Chuckling, he glanced behind her, trying to see if anything or anyone was approaching. The coast was clear, and he wished it would stay that way.

[ella]

Her shivering had stopped when he placed his jacket on top of her shoulder's. Another smile left her lips. He had just done a nice gesture and it had been awhile since he was that gentle well at least to her. Her hands rubbed the jacket as she could now feel the warmth touching her skin. Now she could say she felt relaxed and was enjoying the time outside of her tent and in the area where most walker's would be found. She shook her head slightly. "No i don't mind, anyways you know either a walker or getting lung cancer will end up killing you anyways." She spoke but she just couldn't help herself. She was not really into the smoking thing, but her past it seemed like she was always the time to fool around with men who did spoke.

She looked up at his body and she was picturing kinky images running in and out of her head. Those images were exactly what had happened on and off for the past eight years but she couldn't help herself. Sure she was married and all and looking for her daughter but she was able to have some fun and she knew it had been awhile since she had a good lay. Ella blinked a few times and listened to him speak to her. "See i heard that too, must be a rabbit or something, or maybe even a deer." She said and shrugged her shoulder's. She was trying to keep her thoughts happy even though the state the world was currently in was no crowd pleaser at all. A huge grin appeared on her face when he asked her that question. It seemed like everything was going back to sleeping with each other again. He was the best she ever had, but she thought maybe in the mean time she could talk to him about the possibility....She shook her head and mumbled to herself. What the hell am i getting myself into....i....i...just can't resist, but i have too..... She mumbled and then she looked back up at him and gave him a little wink as a innocent gesture. She bit her lip and nodded a yes to him. "Oh yes i would." She said in a more sexy tone.

She listened and nodded, but her eye's kept looking down at is chest and at other places. Yes Ella was a girl that was known for sleeping around and sometimes she even blamed it on her father who was a cheater to, but it was just how she worked and may behaving some fun with Iain would take her mind off of things. "Yes it would of shown itself unless its crawling." She mentioned since not all walker's had feet that were usable. She let out another soft smile. "I am warmer, and to be honest i am turned on too." Her cheeks became rosy when she had let that slip out of her lips but she couldn't help herself.

Ella watched the fire behind him, but still the same thoughts came rushing through her head like a stampede. Her body was telling her to tackle Iain and go into his tent, but her head was saying that even in a tent wasn't safe. Instead of just saying now Ella stood up before him and looked down at him with a grin. "This can be your's for the night, and we can keep each other safe and have some fun while doing so, but once we find Gerry and Valerie we cannot, and i mean cannot fool around anymore. Got it?" She asked. She was just wanting to make sure that if they ended up having some fun in a tent near bye that if Gerry and Valerie were ever found that Iain couldn't lay a single finger on her no matter what. So she looked down at him and awaited for his response, but she was already wanting to just rip his clothes off and have him do the same to her.

[iainbrandt]

"I think getting mauled by a Walker would be more likely than getting lung cancer, though I wouldn't be too happy if either of those happened." Being fed on while you were alive. Ha. What a way to go. Taking the last cigarette he had out of the pack, he pulled one of the matches out of the book and struck it, then lit the end of the cigarette. Inhaling deeply, he exhaled a cloud of smoke away from her. The possibility that this could be the last one he'll enjoy for a while was a tough thought, but he could always try going into the city and raiding stores, or asking people around camp if they had one. His pride didn't let him rely on people for things like that, but if that's what it had to come to, then he would. Everyone had to rely on one another now, anyway, whether they liked it or not.

'It better be a damn deer or rabbit,' Iain thought bitterly. 'And then I can kill it for worrying me so much.' Sighing, he found himself continuously looking over her shoulder - and on the ground - for Walkers. The ones that crawled freaked him out the most. Anything that could grab him by his ankle and pull him to the ground terrified him. Shuddering at the thought, he raised an eyebrow as she said that she would like to sleep in his tent. It wasn't what she said, it was how she said it, making it obvious that she was still into him. Clearing his throat, he scratched the back of his neck. Was now really the time for that, though? What about her family? Yeah, he had no regrets about sleeping with her, but if he found out that Gerry was dead, he didn't know if he would feel the same way about it anymore. Laughing slightly at the wink, he spoke, "Don't try that. You're not as innocent as you seem."

When she said that she was warm and turned on, Iain had been inhaling more smoke from the cigarette, and he coughed loudly. Yeah, she was definitely still into him. Using the ground to put the cigarette out so he could save the rest of it for a little later, he put it back into the pack and returned the matchbook to his pocket.

Looking up at her after she stood, he couldn't help but grin as he saw her own, but that grin quickly vanished as he allowed her words to process. What was making her want to stop? Of course, she always seemed to say things like this, but this seemed more final than any of the other things she had said before to end the affair. He didn't truly know why she cheated on her husband with him, but didn't that usually mean that the person was unhappy with the relationship? In his opinion, if that was the case, she should just leave him. It was understandable if she was staying with him for her daughter's sake, but the finality of her words was disheartening. Nevertheless, he nodded his head. If she wanted to find her family and be with him, so be it. He wasn't going to keep her from that. "Got it," he muttered, forcing a smile before grabbing the pistol that was on the ground and standing up.

He couldn't keep her from that.

[ella]

Her shoulders hanged low and her arms just hanged there. She knew that he was correct. Being mauled by a walker would most likely happen with the fact that the world was invaded by millions of them, and since the world turned to shit, most likely it would be hard to find a cigarette without having to go on a scavenger hunt into the city. "The only thing that i have to say about you getting mauled by a walker is that i would not ever let that fucking happen, besides i......." She drifted off. This was not the right time to let her feelings roam free and tell him that he always made her feel safe and secure. Even though he had and sleeping with him always made her feel wanted then she did at home.

Since she was standing over him she could see behind him. She was doing a good job looking out for the people that seemed like they deserved a chance to survive, but it was always sad when someone got bitten and someone had to put them out of their misery of turning into a walker. Ella kept her heads up there was no way she would not anyone know if she had seen them, but at the same time she was sick of going from place to place. She just wanted to stay in one place permanently and live a happy life, but that would also have to wait once her daughter was found.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that because you know all the moves i can do in the bedroom?" She asked looking down at him. Believe it or not since the outbreak had happened Ella was more happy, but the only thing missing from her happiness was her little girl that made her smile every single day and would give Ella advice to stay happy. Her daughter was very smart and knew that Ella and her daddy were not happy anymore. If only he didn't take her then Ella would have been happy to have her besides her. A Tear dripped down her chick and instead of still thinking kinky thoughts she fell back down to the slab of rock that she was sitting on. "God how much i miss Valerie." She said to Iain as tears rolled down her cheek. She wanted her daughter back so much and she wanted to do anything and ever thing to get her back.

Memories flowed in her head of her daughter and how she had that feeling that she was alive some where with a survival group. She knew that she had to be. Her husband couldn't have been that stupid to let Valerie roam around or get himself killed. She shook her head, and looked directly at Iain. "I'll sleep in your tent with you, but how bout we just sleep." She suggested because she only wanted to be close to someone right now and he had been close with her since they had started the affair. She looked down at him and let out a weak smile.

[iainbrandt]

Iain had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling at her words. It was nice to know that someone here had his back no matter what. He would do the same for her in a heartbeat. Briefly, he wondered if she would still feel that same way if he told her about what he had done to his brother. Most likely not. That was a secret he was going to keep to himself and take to his grave. Unless they had experienced jealously like he had, no one would be able to grasp why he had done something like that, and by how frowned upon killing the living was, there was the possibility that someone could kill him for what he had done.

A smirk played on his features at her question, and he shrugged. "I don't know, is it?" It felt good to talk to her. Sure, there were other people that he could talk to, but he hadn't known any know them before the end of the world came. It was nice to have a conversation with someone once in a while that he actually knew, and a part of him wanted Gerry to be there. After all, he was his friend. His friend that he had betrayed by having sex with his girl. Many times before, he thought about telling him about the affair, but he knew that Ella wouldn't want that. It would mess everything up. If he had known that all of this was going to happen, that an infection was going to wipe out most of the planet's population and that Gerry was going to be separated from her after, he would have done it. When it came to her, he was selfish. He wanted her to be his and only his. Frowning heavily, he moved over to her and knelt down in front of her, reaching up to wipe the tear away from her cheek. The mood had changed so quickly from flirty to depressing.

"You'll find her," he stated, grabbing her hand and giving it a small squeeze. "Don't lose hope." If you lost hope, then you no longer wanted to live, and he didn't want to lose one of the only friends he had left. Saying everything would be fine would be a lie. There was no way the human population would recover from this in their lifetime. Not many people, if any, who could make a cure for this was alive. It wasn't doubtful that the infected would wipe out what was left of the living, and if that happened, nothing would ever be the same. The human race would no longer exist, there would be nothing to stop the disease. Truthfully, he was beginning to lose hope. Their numbers were dwindling. It could be weeks, months, or years from now, but everyone that was left was going to be turned into zombies. "I'll even help you find her." If he was going to die, he might as well do it for something that was worthwhile.

Looking into her eyes, he nodded softly. "Just sleep sounds good." If he could sleep, that is. It would help to have someone close to him, but after hearing what he did, it was going to be difficult to do so. Standing, he pulled her up off of the rock and smoothed back her hair with a small smile before starting to walk back in the direction of his tent, expecting her to follow.

[ella]

This was a moment in time where you start to think over the mistakes you had made and that was clearly what had been roaming through Ella's head. She knew she had made many, but while making that mistake she had found someone that she cared extremely about through having an affair and knowing that no matter what would happen that she would always love him, even though the world was filled with rotting corpses and she had other things to worry about then spilling her heart out to him. Everything seemed like the worst timing nowadays because everything around them was dead and able to walk on its legs without a problem but all she could think about was her Daughter and Iain and how much they looked alike. She shook her head as she began to think to herself.

She giggled at his question and nudged him playfully. "You already know that answer." She grinned. Iain was the only guy that she could really give herself too, and there had been times when she wanted to tell her husband about the affair and that there was a huge chance that Valerie wasn't his child and all but of course Ella never had the courage to do so, but then yet again she never really got the memo on why he just left her in Seattle without saying good bye or anything. Her grin turned into a frown. She had to let Iain know just because it felt right to tell him now then him wandering for a question. "Iain i have to tell you something, I know this is going to sound horrible well maybe horrible, but....um...." She drifted on unable to let the words escape her mouth. Her lips turned into a weak smile. It was great to hear that Iain himself would help find her daughter but he had to know that there was a greater possibility that he might be her father.

Ella opened her mouth again, but this time no words came out. It was like the truth was locked up in a box in her mind, and her mind wouldn't let her tell what she had to tell. She could feel his hands squeezing on heir's and it gave her a small blush. She loved to feel protected and this was the best way she could feel safe. She cleared her throat and tried again. This time she was successful at doing so. "Thank you Iain" She smiled at him. His presence made her feel so confortable and everything seemed just so right in her eye's.


Ella nodded at him. Sleep sounded great at this time and now she could finally sleep with someone and feel more guarded and protected from anything. "Sleep sounds wonderful at this point." She stated and followed him back to his tent.

[iainbrandt]

With his mind on whatever it was that she had to tell him and the possibility of getting attacked by a Walker, the short trip back to his tent seemed to take forever. He had a feeling that whatever she had to tell him wasn't going to be good, or it was, and he still wasn't going to like it. The sudden shift in her disposition was strange, but he did his best not to dwell on it. There was the possibility that whatever she had to tell him didn't have anything to do with her mood, but he knew it did. And whether he liked it or not, she was going to tell him. With a small frown, he went inside his tent and sat down beside his sleeping bag, keeping the pistol in his hand for a few seconds more before laying it down next to him. Maybe he could fall asleep (or pretend to) before she got the chance to tell him. It was going to be impossible to sleep now knowing that there was something she was keeping from him, and if he did fall asleep, he would wake up in the morning and he would find himself still wondering about it.

With his heart beginning to pound, he took a deep breath and asked, "What do you have to tell me? There's no going back on it now. You can't just say that you have to tell me something and then not do it." Iain didn't bother with looking at her then. She made it seem like what she had to say would be awful and he couldn't think of anything she would have to say to him. Was there something wrong with him so she didn't want to see him anymore? That was the only explanation he could come up with that could tie into the change in her emotions just a few minutes ago. Reaching over his sleeping bag, he picked up the slinkie he had been playing with before he went outside and saw her. It kept him distracted and at the same time, oddly entertained. There was little to nothing to do around camp other than sit around and talk to one another, and at times, he wasn't much of a people person. But if it meant staying alive, so be it.

Once she told him whatever she needed to, he was going to go back outside and stay there for a while, mostly to keep watch for any Walkers. Staring down at the plastic toy (unfortunately, he hadn't been able to find any of the metal ones) he stretched it apart, careful not to twist it to where it would be unable to use. Traveling to keep away from Watchers was getting tiresome and he was about to reach his breaking point. It was getting harder each day to find basic necessities and it wouldn't be long before it would all be gone.

[ella]

Looking both directions and walking into the tent did seem like it took forever. Was it her or something that made him seem a bit odd. There was actually two things she had to tell him now and she was worried that one of them would make him excited and thrilled while the other one would break his heart, at the time she was falling for him but something quickly changed as she remembered talking to a great guy one not and she felt more protected by him and all, but she had no idea how he would take it if she told him she was into another guy.

She sat down in his tent. Ella bit her lip and wasn't completely sure on how to exactly respond to him. This was just like high school running through her mind when she left one guy for another even though she wasn't going to start something serious with the other guy yet but he made her feel more like a woman now and everything and cheering him up made her feel accomplished and she was proud of that. "You know Valerie my daughter? Well there is a huge possibility that she is your's." She finally said taking in a deep breathe. Now that part wasn't hard but the other part she knew that he wasn't going to be taking it that well and she just had to hope that he was going to go crazy and all even though mostly that would be the case in the end and all hell with break loose because she wanted something different.

"And...." She began to stay but paused herself. She cared about Iain very much so but she just got interested in someone that seemed more her type, more heroic and sh could actually have decent conversations with him then just taking her clothes off. "I like someone else...we grew apart recently, and then i had this one amazing conversation with this guy at our camp and i don't know how to explain but i feel closer to him, we could actually have a decent conversation without being in the mood for some action." She finally let out and said and it felt good to say and all, but at least she was being honest and was not leading him on. People grew apart and she knew that Iain and her were growing apart and there was nothing that she could do. Instead of staying in the tent to talk it out with him she bolted out and went back to the fire and sat down with her arms crossed. Did she do the right thing? Oh hell she was hoping so.