Ghost Ships of Troy (#FFFFFF and Tsemara)

[Tsemara]

"Hmm... we might need to take one of the cars for a bit. But I don't want to rely completely on having one. There's a chance that we're going to run into traffic. Having a vehicle isn't going to help us then. With a bike you don't need to worry about that. But you're sacrificing speed for manuverability," Quinn rambled slightly. "A motorcyle would be cool, but I don't know how to ride one. And I'd rather not end up as street pizza because I tried going somewhere and ended up crashing and breaking a bunch of stuff."

She looked around outside, tightening her grip on her weapon. She looked back at the man, realizing that neither one had introduced themselves. Well that would need to wait. They needed to move out.

"I don't usually take to the rooftops. But seeing that you can't exactly run alongside a bike, it's would probably be a better idea to be up there than to stay down here," Quinn commented. She bit her lip as she thought. She turned away from the entrance and started walking back through the store. "Come on, there should be a ladder to the roof out the back."

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"I wouldn't want to rely on them either because they're far too limited and there's bound to be road blocks at some parts... Not to mention broken down cars and whatnot," Dekkard said with a nod. He then heard a zombie that was a little close for comfort. It was rather close to the door, but it hadn't spotted them yet and that was insanely good. He then turned his attention back to the girl and he nodded his head again. He wasn't one for a motorcycle, but he's driven one several times. He just didn't like them very much...

Moving towards the back of the store, he figured there would be a ladder like she said. Most places had one for a fire escape and this place had storage upstairs. It was normal regulations to have one when there's two floors... Not to mention the need to get on the roof was rather large when you actually had a phone inside of the building. This place had a phone and he knew it. He'd been here a few times because he'd lived in town before all of this happened...

"I could try to run alongside a bike, but it probably wouldn't work out too well for me," he said with a small laugh, still being careful to stay quiet so they wouldn't attract any attention from the undead outside.

[Tsemara]

Quinn lead the man toward the back of the store. As they traveled, she heard the wail of a zombie behind them. It was joined by others. They had been spotted. Quinn swore under her breath but didn't push herself any faster. At this speed they could stay ahead of the zeds, as long as they didn't run into anymore or a locked door.

The back room was filled with semi-looted crates and overturned boxes. A couple zombies dressed as grocerie store workers shuffled around. The back doors were slightly ajar. The zombies lurched toward the humans, arms reaching. "Don't waste time trying to fight them all. Let's just get out of here," she said the the man. She scurried down one of the rows of boxes.

She managed to get to the door without a mishap, but the zombies were closing in. Slowly, but surely. She waited for the man to arrive before shoving the heavy door open. The ladder was located behind the dumpster. There were zombies outside at the end of the loading dock. They turned their heads at the sudden movement.

[#FFFFFF]

Shaking his head as he followed after her rather closely to keep from getting picked off by any of the zombies that were following him, he was cursing lightly just as she was. He didn't like this idea, obviously. He hadn't planned on getting surrounded by zombies and he knew that they would know how to climb the ladder when they saw them do it. That was unnerving to him. He sighed and he was honestly surprised as they got into the backroom.

Quickly, he pushed through some boxes and narrowly avoided getting grabbed. He had to lean back and he almost fell over, knowing that would be a very bad thing to do... He'd definitely become a Happy Meal then... Moving to the doors along with her, he groaned inwardly at the sight of even more zombies in the alleyway. This just wasn't turning out to be his day. Hopefully they wouldn't be able to jump over the alleys like they would be able to. He could only hope as his eyes landed on the ladder that was only a few feet away.

"Things turned ugly really fast. Let's get up there are as quickly as possible," he said as he made his way out of the door, allowing her to push it shut rather violently. Hopefully that would throw some of the ones inside off as he moved over to the ladder, waiting for her to go up before him.

[Tsemara]

Quinn wished she could find some sort of latch for the door, but there wasn't any time. Shaking her head in disgust, she followed the man toward the ladder. The zombies inside moaned as they pushed against the steel doors. There was a dull thudding as they vainly attempted to open the heavy portal.

She wondered, for a moment why the man was hesitating. Then she realized that he was waiting for her to go up first. She clambered onto the loaded dumpster and up the ladder. "See if you can shove the dumpster aside after you get on the ladder," She suggested once she was far enough up for her companion to follow. "They haven't shown that they're smart enough to figure out how to climb, but I don't want to take that chance."

With a bit of effort, she made her way up to the roof. This was, thankfully, clear of the undead. She sat down by one of the air ducts to catch her breath and wait for her companion. She considered removing her mask. She didn't need now. But she would later.


"How are you doing?" Quinn asked, once the man had finished scaling the ladder. She stood up, adjusted her bag, and took a look at their surroundings. Things were a bit different from this height. She noticed a slight hitch in the plan. "Uh, what do you do when you need to cross the street?"

(Sorry, that's the way the dice rolled. But these are the classic ones. They'll break down doors by sheer force, but they can't operate any climbing device any more complicated than a staircase.)

[#FFFFFF]

Watching her climb up, he grabbed onto the bottom of the ladder and nodded his head when she asked him to move the dumpster. He could more than likely do that. He put his knife in his mouth as he grabbed the side of the dumpster and moved it over to the ladder just in time to not get his leg grabbed by a zed. He sighed with relief, eyes looking down at the rather frantic undead. He didn't like the situation one bit, but he was glad to have not become a snack.

Focusing on the ladder once more, he climbed up it and then sighed when he got to the roof. He pushed himself onto the comforting solid surface and sat down on the cement, leaning back against the ladder as he allowed his heart to slow its pace. He was slightly annoyed that there were so many after them when they were down on the ground, but what were you to expect? They were hungry because there weren't too many people left alive in this town anymore... That's why he wanted to leave because it would mean they were getting more and more frantic.

"Crossing the street? I go as far down this line of buildings I need to go and then climb down... Cross the street, get on the rooftops, and start the process over again. You can see where all of the zombies are from the roof, so it's a pretty safe plan as long as you're not loud as you scurry along the rooftops," he said with a shrug. It always worked for him.

[Tsemara]

Quinn pondered over the answer. Then, she nodded. "That makes sense," she said finally. "Yeah, I can get around without making too much noise. Well, shoot, I've been getting around alright so far, so I must be doing something right. Right?"

After a bit of time had passed, for the both of them to catch their breaths, Quinn nodded. The zombies continued to moan up at the roof, but only because that's what the zombie next to them was doing. "Okay, I think we're good to go now," she sighed. "Follow me. It's really not far."

The young woman walked to the far side of the roof. After a small calculation she leapt to the next building. She stumbled slightly upon her landing, but she managed not to fall. A small nervous laugh escaped her lips. The zombies below paid the sound no attention. She waited for the man to catch up, before moving on to the next roof.

[#FFFFFF]

The small break that was given really made things better for him. He knew it was going to be impossible for him to jump from this roof to the next with his heart racing like this. He couldn't help that his heart had been pounding though because he'd almost been caught by two different zombies... Who wouldn't have a mini heart attack when they were that close to being eaten... Twice in a row... That close together on the time scale? At least he knew he was sane and normal because of his so very human reactions... He couldn't help it though.

Thankfully, by the time she was ready his heart had officially calmed down as did his breathing. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and looked over the side of the roof for a moment, seeing the zombies crowded around the garbage dumpster he'd pulled in the way of the ladder. He then shoved his knife down into his boot again to make sure when he made the jump he didn't fall and end up stabbing himself. He didn't want to go out like that...

Starting from the opposite side of the roof, he ran to the edge on silent feet after her. He jumped effortlessly to the other roof. It was obvious he'd done things like this a lot. He was a bit of a stunt man at times and he enjoyed doing things like this. "I'm glad it's not too far," he whispered to her when he got to the same building. "I'm ready to sit down and feel at least a little safe again." He always felt safe at the warehouse and he was hoping he would feel safe at this woman's hideout as well.

[Tsemara]

Quinn stopped once they got to the end of the block. She crept to the edge of the building, partially to look for a safe-ish way down, and to plan their path to the next set of buildings. And this guy did this for three miles? Having been used to traveling in a different manner, she didn't feel like she was ever going to get used to roof hopping.

Down below, the undead milled about. They seemed to be moving toward something that she did not see. For all she knew, they were moving toward an imagined source of food, someone who hadn't been present for hours. They shuffled on by. In a few minutes, there should be a large enough break in the zeds to make a dash for the next buildings.

She reached under her mask to scratch at her chin. She hated making decisions like this. With a small sigh, Quinn moved away from the lip of the building and moved back toward the middle. She sat down, not liking the way the day had been progressing. "They're moving down the street. In a couple minutes we should have a big enough window to get across the street and up a building without having to worry about getting nabbed," she stated. "I just wish I knew what they were going after."

[#FFFFFF]

Rooftop hopping was something he actually enjoyed because it was so... Dangerous at times. One false jump and you'd hit the side of the building and end up a meal for zombies when they found your body. At least he would die of his own stupidity instead of just from getting eaten by zombies. That was a little... Comforting in a strange way to him. He was always a strange man to begin with and that was why he didn't really have too many... 'friends' until he became famous. Then things went uphill for him. But now life was completely a downhill ride.

Reaching the last building, he noticed how she stopped and he figured they needed to get across the street now. He didn't know where they were going, so he was obviously relying on her for the directions. He stretched out his shoulders lightly as his eyes scanned over the top of the building. He moved to the edge of it quietly and carefully, watching them move by slowly. He wished they weren't moving so slow because then they could get out here so much faster... He sighed and turned back to her, obviously annoying by the shape the town was in right now.

"I wish I knew what they were going after too... I don't see anything at all," he said with a slight shrug. He then sighed and looked back towards the direction they were headed. He then shook his head and took this break for a rest time. He sat down and crossed his legs, his bag going to the cement next to him.

[Tsemara]

With a sigh, Quinn sat down on the sun warmed rooftop. She removed her hood and mask. They weren't doing anything but making her hot right now. She'd put them on before she went back down. "Jeez," she said, wiping her forehead on her sleeve. "If they were going any slower, they'd be going backwards." She rubbed the back of her neck, feeling better for doing so.

She supposed she ought to be greatful they undead were just zombies. And they were the shambly stupid-ish kind too. If they were the running, smart enough to use tools kind, she probably would have joined their ranks days ago. She didn't like the situation she was in, but considering the circumstances, things could have been worse. They could always get worse.

She pointed to a cluster of buildings some blocks off. It looked like a residential area. "That's where we're headed. We should be able to make it most of the way on the rooftops. But we can't get to the roofs on any of the houses. They just suck like that. So we'll be hopping fences. The houses have been cleared of zeds, and the gates are, well, still should be locked."

[#FFFFFF]

Joining her in the lay down, he rested his head his bag as he closed his eyes for a moment. It was rather hot and he hadn't realized it before. He sat up for a moment and removed his dark shirt, revealing a just as dark tank top. He then stuffed his shirt in the side of the bag and laid back down, feeling a little better. He was glad he'd decided to wear something more... Airy today. He was also wearing shorts because he hadn't dressed for combat... He'd dressed for comfort because who wants to jump rooftops uncomfortably?!

"I know, right? They're so slow and stupid... But they're also hungry... Very hungry..." he said with a sigh. He then looked over at her, noticing she had removed the mask. That made him shrug lightly. He figured she was just wearing that to blend in more... Like he did with his hats. He usually wore a ski mask type thing just to hide his ungodly bright hair and pale skin. It was an issue when he was trying to hide from the zeds because it was easy to pick him out of a crowd...

Looking in the direction she was pointing, he nodded. It looked rather nice and the promise of it being locked off was even better. He liked that idea because that meant it would be so much harder for zeds to get in... He liked that idea a lot. His warehouse had a fence all the way around it as well. Fences were a good good thing to have now. "Alright. That's not too far away then."

[Tsemara]

Quinn looked at her companion. She envied him slightly for his thought to wear something more for comfort than for combat. True, her clothes comfortable. But she usually was moving faster, or in the shadows, where wearing a hooded jacket wouldn't be an issue. The mask was to keep the zombie juices from getting in her face or eyes. She didn't know if whatever was causeing the outbreak was transferable in any way outside of getting bitten, but she really didn't want to find out.

To be truthful, she probably should change her outfit slightly. If she was to believe the information that she was currently using to stay alive, her hood was just likely to get her killed, as her long braid would. Same with any other baggy article of clothing. If she could get a good handful of fabric, or whatever, zombies could too.

"Hungry, yeah," she repeated. "That's something I'd like to go without for a bit. And it really isn't that far off. It just will seem that way after a while of carrying the groceries and climbing up and down things." Quinn paused for a bit. She half mumbed her next statment. "We should be able to see farther from up here. Let me know if you see an motor home or something like that. Or an armored car. Those will be useful."

She stood up after a bit to check on the progress of the zombies. They seemed to have thinned out enough for them to be able to move again. As long as they moved quickly, and didn't make a hell of a lot of noise, they should be fine. She went back to retrieve her mask. "Most of them have moved far enough away for us to be able to get across. The ones that are left shouldn't give us any problems," she said as she pulled the mask back over her face. Once it was in place, she pulled her hood to it's previous resting spot.

She waited for the man to get himself ready before moving to the edge of the building. The alley below was dark, but quiet. Her sneakers make little sound as she decended the iron rungs. She wasn't expecting them not to reach the ground. Jumping from something that was higher than she was tall was not appealing, but unavoidable. She probably looked a bit silly and she hung from the bars, trying to get as close to the ground as she could before letting go. She fell heavily onto the concrete, but managed not to make a huge ruckus. Quinn stood at the opening of the alley for her companion, watching the zombies move obliviously away.

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Baggy clothes were not something he usually wore anymore. He used to wear plenty of baggy things when he was doing his shows and just walking around the streets. He wore those obnoxiously baggy black pants with the different colors accents and the random chains on them. He'd always worn those for some reason, but he couldn't do that now, obviously. Not if he wanted to survive. He couldn't take the chance of his pants getting caught on everything- which would happen...

"I'm used to carrying things like these over the rooftops, but... This even has me a little tired. I don't think I've ever had this much stuff in my bag as it is, so... That's always a problem. I was just really hungry and grabbing everything in sight," he said and then shook his head, laughing quietly and a little nervously. He didn't want to be too loud because he knew it would attract plenty of attention from the ones below... And he wanted to get out of danger so he could finally relax and calm down. He was always so nervous...

Nodding his head, he stood up and looked all around the building as far as he could see. He didn't really see anything that would be helpful to them... He didn't see a motor home or an armored car. That was most unnerving. He didn't like that thought because those would really be helpful, as long as they could get the gas for them. He knew that the gas pumps would run dry eventually and even turn off because the electricity was cut to the building. That was never a good thoughts for him because then he knew he'd truly be screwed.

"Sounds good," he said as he grabbed his bag and tossed it over his shoulder again. He wasn't going to bother about putting his shirt back on. Not when the breeze felt rather nice... And he still had some cover, which was good. He knew why she was wearing the mask now that he thought about it and it made sense to him. She didn't want to risk getting infected. That's why he normally wore a ski mask... Though, it didn't really do much for his eyes though. He just had to be careful. Very careful.

When she was off of the ladder, he grabbed onto the top rung and then pushed his body over. He allowed his feet to rest on whichever one they could reach and then he started to quickly move down them. He shimmied his body down as far it would go, holding onto the bottom bar and he looked down below him. He took a deep breath and let go, dropping rather silently to the ground. He was good at landing quietly because of all the jumping along the rooftops he did. He then nodded to her, preparing himself to cross the street.

[Tsemara]

After a couple moments of thinking, the young woman drew the machete from it's frog. With a little nod, she hustled out into the street. She was careful to note the locations of the shambling abominations. She didn't want to be grabbed, and she was certain her companion didn't either. They pair were across the streed before the zombies reacted to their presence.

The side of the building, where the ladder was located as devoid of the undead, much to Quinn's relief. The cries of the approaching zeds were unnerving enough as it was. She didn't want to avoid one horde just to walk into another. To her dismay, however, the lowest rung was out of her reach. There was nothing close or stable looking enough to move underneath. "This is stupid," she grumbled more to herself than the man nearby.

The turned to the man, scratching her chin. It was a stupid nervous habit. "Okay. Tell you what. I'll give you a leg up, if you'll release the catch," she said. "I should be able to reach then. If not, I can make my way back on foot, and you can follow from the roof." Her face might have been hidden, but her body language said that she didn't like her suggestion. She didn't know this guy, and there was no way to know if he would ditch once he was safe. She had that happen before. Not that it did the person any good. They got chomped not too long afterwards.