Re: Bircab Collapse Au

[Deathcap]

Raven watched the other stare unhappily at Horatio as he walked off, and felt some concern, standing up and watching the other for any sudden movements. He understood the others anger, but he wouldn't let him hurt Horatio. When nothing came of it, he relaxed a bit. "I'm sorry... I'm supposed to keep an eye on you." He apologized, heading over to follow the other. "I-I'll try to stay out of the way." He wasn't excited in the slightest to go out hunting or being around guns, but he wasn't going to leave the Kail to wander off alone when Horatio had told him he was responsible for the other and had told him to go out with him. While he didn't expect Kail to run off, if Horatio found out he wasn't doing his job he would suffer for it.

[FictionalPieces]

Kail shook his head slightly as Raven apologized "It's fine, I just wasn't sure if you actually wanted to tag along." He was sure that Horatio would be upset if he found out Raven hadn't, but it wasn't like he had to follow him around either. As the other came over to follow him, he headed to the woods. Staying silent for a few moments, he glanced over his shoulder at the other "Do you have any idea what the animals are like around here?" he asked quietly. He didn't want to go too far out if he didn't have to, but he didn't want to come back with something small or nothing either. It wasn't that he didn't mind going out further, but he was worried about how they were going to get something larger back. He chewed on the inside of his cheek as he looked around, keeping the gun pointed towards the ground.

[Deathcap]

Raven glanced up when the other spoke, then quickly away again, thinking. "There's deer around, a-and some domestic animals that escaped and survived the winter, but not a lot close to camp... those guys kill most of the stuff that comes by, or scare it off." He explained. "I-I dont know if you saw it before, but there's a marsh south of here, an-and a river through the town. Maybe something'll be there?" He suggested uncertainly. He wasn't much of a hunter, but those seemed like likely places.

[FictionalPieces]

Kail nodded slowly as he listened to the other. He wasn't surprised that things would have run off or been killed with the group around. "The river could be a good place to start, as long as it's still clean to drink from they'll likely keep going." He started towards the marsh - or where he hoped it would be anyway. He liked to think himself good with directions, but he had never been to this part of the woods either.
Finally stumbling upon the river, he looked around before over at Raven "Just find a place to hide and stay as quiet as you can, okay?" He wasn't sure if the other had been hunting before and was too worried about screwing the hunt up. He chewed on the inside of his cheek before setting the gun up in a tree, crawling up afterwards. He stayed stationed in the tree, turning the safety off and keeping it pointed down towards the ground.
Kail sat up in the tree for what felt like forever, keeping his eyes peeled for anything that he could bring back. When a deer walked out of some bushes, he raised the gun slowly. Making sure Raven was out of the way, he held his breath as he followed the animal until he could get a good shot. He didn't want to have to chase it too far, if at all. Sure he had it, he pulled the trigger, cursing as it jumped off into the bushes. He knew he had hit it, but he had been a little off. Climbing out of the tree, he glanced to where Raven was "It shouldn't go too far," he said before heading into the bushes.
He followed the blood the deer had left behind, letting out a sigh of relief when he finally came across the body. He looked oer his shoulder to make sure that Raven had followed.

[Deathcap]

Raven followed after the other as quietly as he could, keeping a wary eye out for animals or worse, other people as they went. When the brunet found a spot and instructed him to hide, he said nothing, but did as the other had told him, walking a little ways and sitting on the bank of a side stream where he was sheltered by some foliage, but able to keep an eye on their surroundings.  It wasn't his first time hunting alongside the others, but he hated it, he hated killing and the way Horatio seemed to take joy in it. While he waited, he watched the light through the trees and listened to the water, feeling himself growing calmer, just happy to be at peace for a while, to be outside of the camp, even though he knew he had to return soon. 
The serenity was broken by a gunshot and he jumped, his foot dipping into the water as he scrambled to his feet to watch Kail drop down from the tree, walking over to catch up to him and feeling uneasy at his companion's words, at the sight of the blood spattered over the deer's tracks. 
Raven kept up as the other tracked the wounded animal, trying to focus on the flowers and the gentle green light and ignore the scatterings of scarlet.
When they came up on the body, he swallowed and kept his gaze down, unable to look at the lifeless creature, feeling his stomach twist. He knew they needed to eat, that this was what they had to do to survive, but he couldn't just not feel sympathy and sorrow for the innocent animal. His thoughts kept pulling him back to Pel, the memory of the girl growing colder in his arms as she died suffering and afraid. He moved to help the other silently, shame and distress bubbling up as he felt hot tears sting his eyes, not sure if he was crying for the animal or Pel, everything felt like it was blurring together, and he didn't know which was which for a moment. 
He took a couple sharp breaths, trying to get a hold of himself and trying desperately not to cry in front of the other.

[FictionalPieces]

Once he was sure Raven had followed him and not run off, he knelt down alongside the deer. With no knife it was only going to make things worse for dragging it back, having no way of gutting it. He supposed it'd be better in the long run, the leftovers could be used for the dogs. He sat in silence for a moment, silently thanking the deer for providing. It was one thing his father had taught him from a young age, to be thankful for the life given to provide for other life to continue.
Hearing the others sharp breaths, he frowned as he looked over at him. He wasn't sure if he should speak, but he was worried about the other as well. "Are you okay?" He asked quietly. He didn't want to pry either, but from how he had seen Horatio treating him he worried it was something about that. He continued to sit in silence as he waited for an answer.

[Deathcap]

Raven didn't know how to reply, glancing briefly - sheepishly, at the other as he spoke. No one had asked him that in a long time, and he hesitated, looking back down and shaking his head tearfully; he wasn't sure how to be okay anymore.
He tried to regain his composure, feeling embarrased by his emotions; Horatio berated him when he cried or denoted weakness, but he knew at heart that he wasn't brave or strong, when it came down to it, he was pathetic. "S-sorry. I'm fine." He added. What right did he have to be upset and sad when Kail had just lost his friend the night before? 
He moved to help carry the animal, sniffing once. "D-do you know the way back?"

[FictionalPieces]

Kail watched the other as he waited for a response to if he was okay. Even as no reponse came and he eventually said he was fine, the brunet didn't believe him. Raven seemed far from okay, but if he had been stuck with the group for a while, he wasn't that surprised.
"Don't be sorry. I'm not going to be angry or uoset you for being upset." Even if he had somewhat composed himself after losing Yuki, it was mainly out of fear. "If you need to cry or yell or do whatever, nows the timr while you're away from camp."
Helping pick up the animal, he looked around as he was asked about the way back. It wouldn't be a problem to find the river again, them being able to follow the blood. "I can get us to the river as long as you remember the way from there..."

[Deathcap]

Raven blinked at the other's words, confused but grateful for the other's kindness. He was still wary of Kail, but the other seemed a lot nicer than any of the other survivors he met. "Th-thanks." He voiced quietly, before nodding. He knew the way, but it might be difficult getting back with the animal. The town was dangerous; there was no cover and other, often violent survivors were drawn to it for supplies and shelter, and walking through with a full deer would paint a target on their backs. With the one gun, and no idea how Kail would fare in a fight, he wasn't sure the easier trek was worth the risk. "We should take the woods, stay out of view." He added softly.
Raven was small, and the deer was quiet a lot to carry for his size, but as much as he struggled, he didn't seem to tire out too much as they worked their way back along the river. Lost in thought as they traveled, he was startled when he heard a stick break and a heavy chuff of air, and looked up in alarm to see a massive brown bear. The animal was a ways off, but on it's hind legs, taking in the scent of the air and watching them before it dropped to all fours and began heading towards them.

[FictionalPieces]

Slinging the gun over his shoulder, Kail helped Raven pick the deer up and started back towards were they had come from. He nodded slightly as Raven mentioned staying in the woods "If you think that's the safetest way, we'll stay in the woods," he replied.
Falling silent, he took his time walking through the woods, unsure how the other was doing with helping to carry the animal. While it had been a little while at that point, he was use to carrying or moving large amounts of weight, but he was struggling a bit. He had been about to suggest taking a break when he heard the stick break, his gaze shooting up to see what had made the noise. Hos stomach churned as he noticed the bear as it started towards them. What the hell were they going to do? He set his end of the deer down, taking the gun from off his back and undoing the safety. He didn't have plans to kill the bear, but he was hoping he could at least scare it off. Aiming towards the animal, he let off a warning shot. His aim was a little off with hie shaky his arms had become, but he tried to push through, keeping the gun aimed at it.

[Deathcap]

Raven felt terror pool in his chest as the other tried to fend of the bear, getting ready to run but not wanting to abandon Kail. He freed his shiv from his boot but barely had time to react before it charged into them in a mass of chestnut fur and ivory teeth.
Raven fell in his panic to escape the predator, scrambling back, his feet treading against the dead leaves. Everything seemed to move so quickly in that moment, but the bear seemed to be after the deer, not them, as it chuffed and roared and batted at them. he felt claws graze his arm and neck and a heavy paw pin his left hip as the creature trampled over him, lunging at Kail.

[FictionalPieces]

While he had kept the gun raised after giving off a warning shot, the brunet didn't have enough time to bring it up high enough to take another shot as the animal barreled towards them. He was sure he could have, but he didn't want to risk the gun being knocked off to the side and accidentally hitting the other. He was sure the smart move was to just let the bear have the deer and be done with it, but he wasn't sure he'd be able to find anything else to bring back to camp and that was the last thing he wanted. He didn't doubt that Horatio would hesitate from shooting him on the spot.

Noticing that Raven had ended up on the ground and essentially underneath of the massive animal, Kail stumbled backwards to try and lead it away from the other. He had no idea what kind of power the gun had and was afraid of trying to shoot the bear itself and just pissing it off more. He didn't want to risk climbing a tree and being knocked down either if the bear didn't go straight for the deer at that point. Falling backwards over a log that he hadn't noticed, he lifted the gun and let off another shot - this time aiming for the bear itself. As it came forward, he glanced towards Raven to make sure that he was okay. "Get up a tree!" he yelled when he was sure he hadn't been trampled.

[Deathcap]

Raven frantically scrambled up as soon as he could kick himself free from under the bear's weight, and backed up, but felt a pang of panic as the other fell to the ground, the heavy animal towering over the brunet. Without thinking, he let out a cry and lunged for the animals head, bringing down the shiv into it's temple and again into it's face repeatedly, hoping to deter it or do some kind of damage. He felt hot blood on his hand as the bear backed up, thrashing, but it's retreat was short lived as it turned and reared over him, hugging him with it's claws and sinking it's teeth into him where his neck met and shoulder and taking him to the ground, thrashing him about beneath it. Unable to lash out any further he let out a few cries of shock, hoping Kail had gotten up before his thoughts were clouded out by the pain, clutching and struggling against the bear as everything blurred into agony and breathlessness as the bear crushed him.

Two loud shots rang out, and he felt the grip on his neck  and shoulder lessen and the weight sink down over his body, suffocating him as the animal collapsed and voices filled the air.  Several men and women seemed to appear from the wilderness around them, all camouflaged green in army wear and carrying a array of weapons from pistols to automatics and shotguns, though they were clearly not military, given their ragged composure and variety of ages combined with a demeanor that a street gang would possess. 

A woman with a painted shotgun and red hair walked up to the two young men while the rest of the camo-clad individuals kept their guns trained on the strangers, looking unfriendly and wary, but smirking a little. "You two get the deer, Mark, get the scrawny one." She added to her companions, gesturing at Raven as he tried to claw his way out from under the dead bear, breathless and terrified. 
"Where are you two doing with one of our deer, hm?" She asked, looking at Kail in curiosity while Mark, a larger man, dragged Raven free easily even as the smaller struggled in what seemed to be panic. 

Raven fought against the other, unsure of who these people were for a moment until he saw the woman and his stomach filled with dread. He clutched at the wound at his neck, trying to pull up his ripped sweater to cover the freely bleeding injury, but Mark pulled his hand back, noting the healed brand on the other's chest. "Thought I recognized you," he pondered with a frown while Raven jerked back in alarm. "They're that crazy asshole's goons." Mark added, looking to the woman in charge. 
"J-just me-" Raven sputtered, looking up at the two in fear from where he was crumpled on the ground. "H-Horation got him yes-yesterday, he's not one of u-us." He tried to explain, but Mark gave him a harsh push to shut him up.

[FictionalPieces]

Kail was thankful to see the other able to get out from under the bear, keeping the gun trained on the bear as he waited for the other to hide somewhere. His grip tightened as Raven instead jumped on the bears back to attack it's head, jumping up himself. Aiming at the bear, he hesitated as it turned to attack Raven, bringing him down. He didn't want to risk shooting it now with the other underneath of the animal, but also knew that he'd be a goner if he let things carry on like they were.

Lifting the gun once more, he held his breath as he got ready to shoot - stopping as two other shots rang out. He looked up in confusion, almost certain that he hadn't pulled the trigger even the first time. The brunet was thankful to see the bear going down but not so much to see the strange group coming forward from the bushes. Keeping a tight grip on the gun, he did lower it some to not seem like he was going to shoot at any of them.

Watching as the red head walked forward, Kail tensed as he she instructed two from her group to grab the deer. Clenching his jaw, he furrowed his brow as she mentioned it being their deer. He didn't want to start a fight, especially considering that there were more of them that had weapons compared to the one gun he had.
"We uh... didn't realize that it was your deer," he replied, dipping his head slightly. He frowned as he listened to the one he could only assume to be Mark mention they belonged to Horatio's group, his stomach dropping. He didn't doubt any other groups that lived in the area didn't care much for the man.
"It was an honest mistake," he spoke up, turning his attention back to the woman in front of him. "He's right when he says that I only came yesterday." He hesitated a moment, lowering the gun a bit more. "I got separated from my own group, Horatio took me in," he lied. They didn't need to know that the few he had been with had been killed. "I was the one that went to the river to try and take something down, he tried to stop me," he said, nodding to where Raven was on the ground. "I didn't figure anyone else be out this far."

He didn't even care if they didn't get out of this with the deer, he was more worried about getting out and back to camp to get the other's injury looked after. Horatio would understandably be upset, but he didn't care too much at that point.
"By all means, take the deer and we'll be out of your way. And I promise that it won't happen again."

[Deathcap]

The woman listened seriously to the brunet as he went on, looking thoughtful and easing up a bit at his passiveness and respectful tone, so far he was a lot easier to deal with than any of Horatio's men she'd encountered before, but she didn't let her guard down. At his last words, she let out a sharp laugh. "I'm afraid you're not going anywhere, you'll come with us and we'll have a nice chat." She smirked, keeping her gun drawn as she spoke to the other. "Hand over your weapon and come with us and ill make sure you aren't harmed. Mark, if either of them try anything, shoot the branded one." 

The large man grunted, pulling Raven to his feet, who staggered and flinched away from the other. "D-don't do this- Horatio will come looking for us, he'll kill you, ju-just let us go and I won't tell him anything, please, you'll die-" Raven pleaded, following along without resisting, he seemed genuinely afraid for the others' well-being. 

"I'm not scared of that bastard, shut your mouth boy. You oughta walk yourself to camp so we can get that cleaned up before you bleed out." The woman warned angrily. So far her group had avoided Horatio's for the most part, but she was well aware what sort of messed up man he was, and hopefully those two sad sacks would have some helpful information about it. 

When Mark had taken Kail's gun, and two of the others were carrying the deer while the rest followed in a protective circle, she turned to shake Kail's hand. "I'm Rowan." She told him. "Trust me, you don't wanna be with that lot, help us out with this and maybe we can find a job for you, huh? You shoot that deer?" 
She asked hopefully; having good hunters around was never a bad idea. Though, she'd seen the dark haired boy before alongside Horatio, and she didn't like having him nearby, he was disturbingly anxious, and she doubted she could trust the other if he was close to the knife-happy mad-man.

[FictionalPieces]

Kail frowned as she said they were to go back with the group, tightening his grip even more as he was told to hand over the weapon. He wouldn't have minded so much if he knew that Horatio wouldn't come looking for them, but knew that whether they found their own way back or someone came looking for them Horatio would be pissed that they had lost the gun. "We'll just tell him a bear got to the food we had. He's already threatened to hunt us down himself if we don't come back," he said quietly.

Kail let in a sigh as she spoke of not being afraid of the man. He knew that she was right though about getting Raven's wound cleaned up. As Mark  came towards him for the gun, he didn't hesitate to hand it over. There was no way they were getting out of there now.
He blinked a little as she turned and held a hand out, reaching out a little hesitantly to shake her hand. "Kail," he said, nodding his head a bit. He didn't like the idea too much of joining another group, unsure of what they were like themselves, but anything was probably better than Horatio's group and he knew it. When asked about the deer, he nodded once more.
"I did. Before the world went to hell we use to have to hunt while our own animals were being raised and what have you," he explained.

[Deathcap]

Rowan nodded in approval at the other's explanation, before turning to hurry a little more in leading the group along, back towards what seemed to be opposite edge of town. Raven followed after them, staring at the ground hopelessly as he clutched his shoulder. This was going to end horribly for everyone involved if these people didn't listen, but he knew they wouldn't. He had no doubt in his mind that Horatio would take them down and kill them for simply interfering with a hunt, and they seemed like kind people. At the same time, he didn't know what awaited him. Horatio had made a reputation for the group, and he was tied to them, and had been half expecting them to shoot him dead on the spot when they'd seen the brand...Maybe they didn't know, or didn't care, but he had a feeling of dread in his gut as they headed into the camp that they might just be keeping him alive for information. He didn't care anymore what they did, but he couldn't push down his fear regardless.

They were brought inside the basement of what seemed to be an old hospital once they were inside, but was unrecognizable from the outside. The air inside was cool and gentle and a relief from the harsh autumn air, and the two were led to sit on a pair of cots, while the deer was carried off somewhere else with the gun.  "Get him patched up will you?" She gestured to one of the others in the basement, and they eventually approached Raven with cause and antisepitic. He looked concerned and unhappy, but was feel dizzy already and the pain was seering, so he grudgingly let them get close, but was flinching at every touch, his face pale and distressed.

"Alright, you two, start talking, I want numbers and maps, and don't bullshit me."
Raven glared at her in frustration. "I-I wont say anything. They're going to kill you." He stated again.
"That's not very nice, don't make this difficult, I'm trying to work with you, this doesn't have to get messy."
"L-Let me go back, Kail can stay here, I'll tell them the bear got him, I've got the injuries to prove it, he can tell you what he knows and stay h-here were it's safe. He won't bother you- but i-if you keep me and the gun here, he's going to find you and kill you." He tried to warn, clearly strained.

"Hah, let you run back and tell them about us, I don't think so. We can handle a couple brutes like him. How about you, are you going to make this any easier?" She asked Kail.

[FictionalPieces]

Kail followed along with the group in silence after the girl had sped up. He knew that Raven had no chance of getting through to them where they were aware he belonged to Horatio’s group but he doubted he’d have much luck either. Glancing over at the other, he frowned as he watch him clutch his shoulder, guilt settling in his stomach. While he hadn’t forced the other to attack the bear, he couldn’t help but blame himself either.

When they had arrived back in the groups camp, the brunet looked around a bit before they were lead inside to the basement. He was still weary of the group, uncertain of what they would do if they didn’t get what they wanted but he was nowhere near as fearful as he was of Horatio - especially if they made their way back without food or the gun. Sitting on the cot, he was ready for Raven to put up a fight when someone moved forward to patch him up but was surprised to see him sit through it. He didn’t know the other well, but he didn’t seem to like to get to close to others. As Raven spoke up, he let out a sigh, letting him finish before he turned his attention to Rowen.

“I don’t know anything,” he responded honestly. “I… lied when I said I had gotten separated from my own group.. We were passing through yesterday and Horatio and a few others found us… I.. I’m the only one he spared because I could use a gun..” he told her, voice growing quieter towards the end. “I wish I could tell you more, but Raven’s right when he says he’ll come looking for us. Before we left earlier to go out hunting, he threatened that he would hunt me down if I didn’t return… I’ve seen what he can do..”

[Deathcap]

Rowen hesitated at the others words, looking pitying but hardly more afraid. "I'm sorry that happened to you and your people... But you could have a good place here with us. We've been together since the beginning, and weve dealwith our fair share of awful people. You dont have to be afraid here." She assured the brunet.

When the other scavenger had cleaned the wound and had fastened the gauze over Ravens shoulder, he cautiously shifted his arm, looking pained and a little disoriented. "Th-Thank you." He mumbled, but was clearly still anxious.
"Thats not for your sake you bastard, this welcome doesnt extend to you, Ive heard enough about what your people do. You said that Horatio is going to come for you? We cant have you dying; youll make a good bargaining chip for some guns and food. Now you can talk and we'll let you go no worse off than you are, or you can make this difficult and youll be wishing the bear had killed you.
Raven looked up at the woman with shame and defiance in his eyes. If he told them, Horatio might be hurt, and the other was far more terrifying than these people. "Im sorry, I can't... please let me go, I wont tell him anything."

Rowan looked uncomfortable at this, but gestured to the other, looking at one of her companions. "Find out what he knows, whatever you have to do." She stated unhappily. She wasnt entirely surw what they were dealing with, but the sooner they knew, the better.

At her words, Raven tensed as if he was ready to fight, but made no move to attack of defend himself when one of the larger scavengers grabbed him by the shirt and raised his fist to strike him. He braced himself and shut his eyes just as the sound of a rifle shot rang from outside, and the hit never came. The man holding him eased him onto his feet while Rowan ran to the window. "Jaz, stay here with Kail and get him a gun," She instructed the dark haired girl who'd patched raven up. Ed, grab the bandit, we're going to see whats going on-"

Raven shot a hopeless glance at Kail as he was forced from the room before Rowan and Ed, While Jaz, looking just as bewildered, passed Kail her pistol and swung her rifle around to her front, glancing in fear at Kail as if to ask what was happening.

[FictionalPieces]

The offer was tempting, but would Horatio actually believe that he had been killed? Sure it could work for a little, but what if he were to run into him down the road? He doubted he would take too kindly to it. “I’ll think about it,” he said quietly, gaze down to the ground.

He wasn’t too shocked when Rowan shot down Raven’s thank you, keeping his gaze down. He didn’t want to speak up and ruin his own chance at being welcomed in the group, but he wasn’t really sure it was fair to just let the other be chased or bargained off. He tensed as one of the other scavengers stepped forward to lift Raven off his feet, ready to jump up and try and defend him the best he could. He was cut short of course as the gunshot rang out through the air, causing him to freeze in his spot and his blood to run cold.

It couldn’t have been Horatio yet, could it? It had been a while since they had set out to hunt, and even then how was it he knew to look here for the two of them? Kail watched as Rowan ran to the window, slowly forcing himself to stand up. He shot an apologetic look at Raven as he was forced out of the room. He hesitated a bit as he was handed the pistol, his stomach churning. He shook his head slightly as Jaz looked at him, just as unsure of what was actually going on. The brunet took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair before he cautiously headed out of the room to go and see what exactly was going on.

[Deathcap]

Raven avoided Kail's eyes as he was pushed out of the room, While Jaz caught Kail's arm. "Ah-ah- wait, stay here with me until we know what's up." She told him quietly, looking down the hall before leading him deeper into the building, into another room and looking out through the narrow, barred basement window, trying to see what was up.
There was yelling from outside and several more gunshots. She held out her hand to keep Kail in the room while running into the hall, scared for her friends before someone shouted back to get down. She practically leapt back into the room with Kail, slamming the door shut and bracing herself against it and holding her gun up. "Keep an eye on that window! We're being attacked, Fuck!" She snapped, trying to keep her composure, but was visibly shaking and her voice betrayed her fear.

The chaos in the hallway ended with a last gunshot, and silence ensued save for a  few shots and yells farther off outside. After a considerable amount of time, Jaz spoke up cautiously. "Rowan?" She called out, but heard no reply.
After a few seconds she opened her mouth to call again before several hard bangs brought door crashing open, the small handle lock half exposed through the splintered wood, and Jaz stumbled to the floor, aiming her gun at the intruder immediately.

Horatio raised his gun too late to fire, but held the girl at gunpoint as she held him. Raven followed behind him cautiously, looking horrified and trying to get Horatio to stop with sheepish pleads. Marta turned and kept an eye on the hall, guarding their backs. Horatio grinned, apparently unafraid of the rifle aimed at his chest.
"Kail?" He asked expectantly, without looking at the brunet. "You've got a gun, help me out here, would you?"
"She helped us-" Raven sputtered, "She's a medic, they saved us, they're good people, listen to me!" He cried, gripping the other's coat sleeve.
"She's got a gun on me, that doesn't look like good to me." Horatio scoffed in a playful manner, as if it was all a joke.
"Kail-" Jaz pleaded for help.
Raven tried to get between the two, putting his hand up in direction of the girl and trying to placate the two. "P-put it down-" He started, but Jaz's hands shook as she hesitated, her finger trembling over the trigger.
"KAIL!" Horatio boomed, reaching to drag Raven out of the way of fire, unable to shoot with the boy in the way but suddenly tense.

[FictionalPieces]

Kail opened his mouth to argue as he was told to wait, though nodded in the end. He didn't feel like standing here and arguing when he knew that she was probably right. He followed her silently though the building, keeping a tight grip on the pistol.
As she moved out to the hallway, his brow furrowed but he didn't get a chance to stop her before she was already leaping back into the room. He wasn't surprised when she told him they were being attacked, moving to the window.

Like instructed, Kail kept an eye on the window though did glance to the door now and again both out of fear and to make sure Jaz was doing okay. When she called out for Rowan, he shook his head "I wouldn't do that..." he said quietly. Not that it did much good anyway when the door was broken down. The brunet didn't bother raising the gun, knowing it would only make things worse if it was Horatio on the other side and not one of the other's in the group.
His stomach churned at the expectant tone in the male's voice, gaze turning to look at Jaz before up at Horatio. He knew that this could be his chance to get away from the group if he shot at Horatio. Sure maybe some of the other's would  chase him down, but as long as his shot was accurate enough..
Kail was pulled from his thoughts as his name was called once again, looking up at Horatio once more. He wasn't even sure what the male expected him to do at this point. He knew trying to convince Horatio to listen to them was out of the question, he doubted that he wanted another mouth to feed around the camp but did he really want him to shoot her? He took a deep breath before he set the gun down, not wanting Horatio to lash out if he moved the wrong way.
"Raven's right..." he said softly, watching the man. "She did save him. I'm not saying to bring her with us, but why kill her when she kept him alive?" he questioned, moving forward a little bit. "Jaz, I'd lower the gun."

[Deathcap]

Jaz looked horrified as Kail failed to back her up, and tensely, lowered the rifle and pushed it forward, where Raven reached down and pulled it back, looking apologetic but relieved as he stayed between her and Horatio.

Horatio looked at Kail with incredulous anger as he spoke up and lowered his own gun, but he eased up slightly as the brunet got the girl under control. He watched, then took the rifle from Raven, examining it with a smug look and slinging it over his back. He glanced down then at the girl and Raven with a contemplative look, reaching his hand out to help Raven back up, but the boy hesitated. "Horatio, please-"
"Get up, I'm not going to kill her."
Raven took the other's arm and stood back by his side, an arm at his neck where his injury throbbed with pain.
Horatio looked back to the girl then, keeping the gun aimed lazily. "You stay right there sweetheart. Wheres that deer and my gun?"
"Fuck you, where are my friends?!"
Jaz spat, her heart racing, but Horatio only laughed at this, waving the gun at her head. "Oh I don't think we're negotiating, where is it?" He growled, his tone becoming serious again.
"They're okay- they're outside..." Raven tried to assure her gently, as shaken up as he seemed.
Jaz looked between them in distrust before hesitantly speaking up. "I don't know-p-probably the cafeteria-" She hissed, staring at the floor with hatred in her eyes.
Horatio smiled in response. "Stay here." He ordered Kail, before heading off with Raven in tow.
As they left, Jaz looked back at Kail with tears of rage in her fiery green eyes. "We should have let the bear kill you both."

Horatio returned with Raven holding the rifle, and the deer slung around his broad shoulders. "Lets go."
He led the way out of the hospital basement and into the yard, where several of Horatio's group held hostages, including Rowan and a few others, but there were no bodies. Marta stood on the path, her gun aimed at the surrendered scavenger's, but stood unsteadily; she'd been shot, and blood had soaked her side and right hip.
Horatio turned to walk backward a bit as they moved away from the entrance, the gun still slung over his shoulders. He wasn't intimidated; this group was maybe a quarter of their size, but at the present, they were out numbered, and the others had more guns and resources than they could possibly need. "Thank you for your hospitality, and all those guns. We'll be taking our things and leaving now." He announced, patting an uneasy Raven on the back. "And if you interfere with us again, I can't promise things won't get ugly next time, so let's no meet again, eh?" He bellowed, a grin ever present on his face.

As they made their way through the woods, the group was oddly quiet. A few joked about the appearances of the frightened scavengers, while Marta stumbled along near the back, silent for once and holding her side, rejecting any concern from the others. Finally, Horatio spoke up to Raven quietly, stretching a little under the weight of the deer. "How're you feeling?"
The darker haired boy didn't reply at first, staring down into the woods in silence.
"What's the matter? They shot first, And what would've happened if I hadn't come to get you both?"
After a pause and continued silence from Raven, he snapped a bit louder. "What? Are you mad at me for taking their guns? They shot at us unprovoked, and what were you two doing anyway, just hanging around? Would you like me to go back and kill them? Because that's a hell of a lot safer for us than letting them pick off the deer around here, but we didn't, b-" He broke off as Raven hugged him unsteadily, stepping alongside him before continuing to walk.
"Th-thanks. For just getting us out of there. Not hurting anyone." He murmured, but kept his eyes ahead.
Horatio nodded, apparently satisfied, before turning to Kail after a few moments of quiet. "I know you thought about it. About killing me. But you didn't, and be glad you didn't try." He laughed. "But keep the rifle. You... mostly did what I asked. I would've liked a little more kick, a little more enthusiasm but eh, you'll get there." He conceded. "You two are lucky I kept an eye on you and had time to radio some back up huh? Now we've got guns and dinner. I'm willing to overlook the hesitation and fuck up of running into a bear. Don't make it a habit, huh?"

[FictionalPieces]

Kail kept his gaze lowered and to the side as Jaz lowered the gun. He felt bad for her, but knew that if she didn’t lower the gun it would be trouble for all of them.

He awkwardly stood off to the side as Horatio tried to get answers out of her, his stomach churning as she snapped at him instead. It was obvious the group knew of Horatio and what he was like, and he understood that she was still shaken up over the whole thing but surely she was smart enough not to talk back to him like that. Despite that though, the brunet stayed quiet himself. He was sure he was already in enough trouble as was for all of this.
He looked up as he was ordered to stay there, nodding slightly. He continued to avert his gaze from Jaz, understanding her anger. “I wish you had,” he muttered. He was honestly expecting to be punished when they returned to camp.

As Horatio and Raven returned, he silently followed them out, hanging back a little ways. Upon reaching the outside, he was relieved to see that the group was okay and that Horatio hadn’t actually killed them. He shot the group an apologetic look as they made their way back to their own camp. They had tried to warn them though.
Kail wasn’t too sure where exactly to walk in the group as they made their way along the path. He didn’t want to make it seem like he was trying to wander off by staying to the back, plus he didn’t want to get too close to Marta either. He eventually fell into step a little behind Horatio and Raven, keeping a bit of distance from them. He had been lost in thought until Horatio started to speak to him, taking a moment to register that he was the one being spoken to. He tensed a little as Horatio mentioned he knew he had thought about killing him, turning his gaze back down to the ground. He hadn’t realized that it had been that obvious. “I’d have nowhere else to go,” he said quietly, looking over to him. “The group I was with, they were all I had.” Kail was a bit shocked as he was told to keep the gun, nodding a little. He didn’t want to use it but wasn’t going to argue either. “It won’t become a habit,” he promised. “I wouldn’t have shot had I know it was in the area.”

[Deathcap]

Horatio blinked at the other as he took the comment of the bear seriously. Was he actually accepting responsibility for a bear coming out of the woods at them? He would be fun to mess with. He gave a grunt in response but continued on until they reached camp.

As they headed into the camp and dispersed, Horatio left the two on their own after carefully prodding at Raven's bandages, concerned but knowing next to nothing about medicine. Raven headed to his tent at the edge of camp, still running on an hour's sleep and feeling worse than ever with the wounds on his torso, as well as shaky and scared from the encounter with the other scavengers. He hoped they were all okay.

Marta strayed aimlessly near the entrance, looking lost and still holding her side, not sure what to do. They had lots of cloth for bandages, weren't you supposed to boil them or something? But so far those who'd been injured had recovered on their own, or died soon after. She felt horrible, but she could still walk, right? She paced around, trying to resist the urge to lay down. Maybe that new guy knew something about medicine? Then again, she'd only been rude to him so far and encouraged Horatio to kill him. How was she supposed to know he wouldn't just lay around and eat their food? They had too many useless, cruel bastards around here.
As Horatio walked over to Connor with the deer, and began addressing dealing with the carcass, she felt worry settle in her chest. That was her job too.
She shot a glance at Connor, uncertain, but he looked her over and went back to his task without a word.
After a while, she finally wandered over to the two boys by the yellow tent, trying to keep her composure together and crossing her arms guardedly, keeping one hand pressed against the wound with her hat. "H-hey.. hunter guy, you know anything about fixing shot wounds?" She asked, her voice wary but strained, trying not to snap at the two for dragging them all into combat in the first place.

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