Drowning the pain away

Having kissed her girlfriend goodbye and done the same with the rest of her family to a less romantic extent Lauren Gathered her gear and quickly exited the apartment, It was a usual thing, Supply runs. With how fast San Fran had fallen a lot of the stores had laid untouched, and thanks to the amount of dead roaming the streets they stayed like that for the most part of the year or so since the fall.

Climbing through the window and out to the fire escape Lauren went through the checklist. Pack, rope, weapon, ammo, bat, flairs, flashlight. Satisfied she hadn't forgotten anything she glanced one last time to the ones she cared about before descending the ladders to the ground floor. Reaching the back alley that she used a hundred times before she first made sure that the rear exit gate was still secure, confirming that it was she nodded a greeting to the number of dead that pushed themselves on to it's secure metal bars in a vein attempt to get their next meal. "Friends." She greeted with a smile before setting on her way. Crossing through one alley then the next she carved a path through the secured pathways she had spent months getting just right, spikes lined the wall tops insuring nothing could crawl over them and on each exit there sat a jumble of spiked bars, metal rebar as well as a plethora of other things that were nasty if you fell on them.

Making her way through the secured parts of San Frans maze of alleyways Laurens guard went up. Crossing through the last secured metal door she made sure it was thoroughly shut behind her before creeping out in to the street. On the far end was the first horde but the immediate area sat clear. Taking a breath she darted across the street and into the next Alley. First on her list was the supply store to gather what perishables she could find, then the pharmacy for more gauze, Then the bar for some alcohol.

Getting through the first two stops with nothing more than the dead to contest with Lauren now found herself in front of the Bar in question, The sign long since warn down she couldn't quiet remember the name. Taking her usual walk around the building she noted a couple of corpses that hadn't died by any natural means. Her guard up she looked to the back door and crossed through it carefully. Making her way in she held her hand out and caught the door so it wouldn't make noise upon closing. If someone was in here she didn't want them to know she was as well just yet.

Crossing through the kitchen she gathered the alcohol she needed and decided to investigate further, crouching down she caught site of a man siting at the bar tending his wounds. Not one to leave a wounded person behind she remembered the bodies outside, keeping that in her mind Lauren cautiously stepped out. "Friendly?"

Steadfast as she saw the unknown man reach for his knife Lauren gripped the strap of her bag tighter in case she would need to make a break for it, for the time though she stayed her ground. Hearing the mans words Lauren sighed.

"No, Never seen'm in my life man." She answered honestly. Having seen nothing but the dead around her apartment for months the fact she was standing in the presence of a living, breathing human was something that amazed her, even now she was holding back a smile. Taking a breath Lauren let the grip on her bags fall and returned her hands to her side, looking the man over she could see that he was hurt, and by the way he shrugged it off she could also tell that he wasn't one that took pain that seriously. Watching him carefully Lauren kept her eyes on the man as she inched closer, Just out of lunging reach she saw the man grab a second glass, Filling it with liquor before shoving it her way he then made an educated guess that she wasn't far from home, chuckling Lauren sighed.

"That obvious huh?" She asked. He had no idea where or exactly how far 'home' was after all. Still on her guard Lauren took the glass the man had slid her way and drank what it contained, the sharp sting of the alcohol hitting her tongue Lauren held back a cough and waited for the burning sensation to subside. "And I'm guessing you got those wounds from the aforementioned 'assholes' outside?" Looking the man over she noted that most if not all of his wounds where on his hands, catching sight of a number of cuts and bruises on his face as well Lauren debated on offering treatment, but now wasn't the time. She hadn't even gotten his name yet, barely knew him. No, No medical treatment for this one just yet anyway.

Luckily it would appear they were making headway with each other and soon the man gave his name, or, at least, a name. Returning the gesture with her own shot glass as he cheered Lauren too downed what remained of her drink. Setting the glass down she yet again waited for the burning sensation to pass before speaking.

"Names Lauren, Most just call me Sparks though." She answered. Leaning against the counter out of reach of the man unless he got to his feet Lauren looked over his wounds yet again. "You want me to patch you up? Least I can do after you took such a thrashing, even if you did win in the end."

Taking a step back as she sensed the man had been having a fair amount to drink already Lauren back peddled to door and gripped the cold brick wall. "Heh.. Well, Something like that anyway." She chuckled when asked about her nickname. In fact it wasn't about electricity at all but rather, how frequiently she would 'spark up' a cigarette back in the day, Not that you'd find any worth smoking these days though. Kicking the habit a few months back she felt better knowing that the cravings for the things that had plagued her for years before had fallen silent, Now, there was just the occasional fleeting thought of wanting a drag, Nothing more.

Gripping the edge of the wall ready to make a quick getaway if things went south Lauren watched the  man before her with weary eyes. At first she thought he was just a man down on his luck that had gotten hurt, but the more he talked and the more she listened to the stories he told she began piecing together a story. He mentioned that he was one of the guys on an old boxing poster hanging on the bar wall and talked in some length over his opponent. Flenching ever so slightly when the man began shadow boxing Lauren shifted her weight further into the doorway leading to the rear of the building, She'd begun thinking that coming here was a mistake, at least while the guy was fresh off a beat down and was clearly drowning his sorrows in the bottle.

The bottle in question being a particularly nasty one, Vodka. Lauren detested the stuff, It got you drunk too fast and it felt like drinking Gasoline straight from the nozzle. When offered Lauren raised her hand. "I'm alright, thank you though." She answered politely taking a few more steps back. After a few minutes more and the scene took a turn for the drunkeness Lauren shook her head, She wasn't dealing with drunks. She'd made that promise to Melody before her passing and again to Maddy when they hooked up. Shaking her head she gripped her bag.

"Look dude, I gotta get back. I got people waiting on me. You've had a rough night, I'm gonna lock the place up and make sure you're good and head out." Lauren explained before taking her leave from the conversation. Making the rounds from door to window making sure each one was as secure as they were getting she returned to stand a distance away from Joel. Grabbing a piece of paper and a pen from the bar she wrote down one of their meeting places for contacts and what time to look for them, Deciding back in the days of Melody that they'd keep their actual location hidden Lauren stuck to that plan to a T even after she was dead and gone.

Finishing writing down the location and how to get there from here Lauren sat it on the table. "Get some sleep dude, You've had a rough day from the looks of it. Look for me here at sunrise in two days. We can talk there yea?"

With those words Lauren gathered her belongings and left the building, Crossing the street and back through the alleyways she made it home with little interference, The dead alarm clock sounding on the gates as she passed one locked passageway and the next she soon made it home, Fresh supplies with her she was greeted with warm smiled, What would happen to Joel she didn't know, but after discussing it with the rest they all came to the conclusion that he was just having a rough night and that if he showed at the meeting place they'd give him a real chance. Until then though, they had time to relax, as best you could with the current goingsons anyway.

---

Two days would pass with little interaction with the outside world, having woken up to the same sounds she had countless times before Lauren kissed her girlfriend good morning before getting freshened up, today was the day she was set to head to the meeting place and see if Joel showed, She had told him sunrise, if he hadn't thrown the paper away in his drunken state she hoped that he'd seen it when he sobered up, but time would tell.

Getting dressed Lauren gathered her weapons and headed out, a chorus of 'be carefuls' and 'be on your guard' following her as the door closed she quickly crossed the hall and down the fire escape, her destination was the meeting place, a smalll courtyard about five blocks away. The path leading to it secured by herself months prior she zigzagged through one locked gate or barricaded side alley before finally reaching the courtyard. Looking around she noted she was the only one there for the time. "Okay, Well, Time to wait I suppose." She said taking a seat on the bench resting against the wall. Blinking she took a long steady breath and let it out slowly. "Wonder if he'll show."

Having brought her guitar with her for the journey Lauren sat plucking quietly away in the early morning air, both entrances to the courtyard in her sights she kept herself occupied while she waited for Joel, the man she had met in the bar a few days prior. Whether he showed or not was still up for debate but she had hope that he'd at least consider it. Looking back on that night she recalled the comment Joel had made about being the boxer on the poster on the wall and with the state he had left the people outside of the bar she wanted to at least extend the offer of joining them, Not that she'd extend that offer right away but the thought was there.

About an hour would pass before anything of particular note happened, a number of the dead had passed by the gates but none of them seemed all that too interested, partially thanks to the alarm that had been tripped further down the road, Not particularly concerned about what had caused it Lauren just smiled and listened to the soft music that came from her guitar until the sound of movement came from one of the entrances. Stopping her plucking she reached over and grabbed her weapon just in case the noises weren't coming from her expected company, Thankfully though, as time would show it was indeed who she expected. Seeing the somewhat rough face of Joel come around the corner Lauren smiled and nodded a greeting. "So you decided to come eh?" She asked with a smile. Setting her guitar back in it's case she zipped it up and moved it aside. "Come, Sit." She said looking back to Joel, the smile still on her face. Waiting for him to take a seat Lauren looked passed the man towards the exits and got to her feet, crossing her way to the first she closed the makeshift gate she had made and latched it before doing the same with the others, it was a wonder what a few simple bars could do to hold back the stupid, flesh hungry masses she thought with a chuckle.

Turning back she crossed to her bench and took her seat again before looking to Joel, a question clearly on his mind she let the smile return. "What's up?" She asked. Leaning back on the bench Lauren crossed her legs, hearing Joel ask what was on his mind she chuckled again, "Wasn't your finest?" She repeated. "Don't sweat it man, I get it. Rough night, Emotions running high from the fight. I get it." She answered. Going quiet she listened as he continued on, asking why she had stuck her neck out for him. With a shrug she answered honestly. "We live in a world where you don't know if the next day's gonna be your last, if the food you eat is gonna be the last meal you eat for a week." She started. "Never know what's around the corner. A world where the dead outnumber the living by a large margin." She explained further. "Us still with a heart beat gotta watch out for one another, Thought making sure you weren't killed due to some booze was the least I could do."

Uncrossing her legs Lauren sat up and brought her hands together, the smile still firmly on her face she chuckled again. "Besides, you gotta be half decent with those hands if you were a boxer good enough to end up on a poster, don't think I could get over knowing a guy like you died because something broke in while you were passed out." 

Pressing on the pad lock that served to secure the gate in position Lauren waited until she heard the tell tale click of the teeth sliding into place, taking a breath she fiddled with the padlock for a minute longer insuring it was in place before turning back to Joel who had taken up a seat on the bench as he waited for her to finish. Having answered his question on why she had stuck her neck out for him she moved to take up the seat next to him, looking to him as he began to speak again Lauren pulled her guitar case up to the spot next to her and used it as a cushion to learn again, Listening she began to understand why he was on a poster in a bar, A professional boxer huh? That must have been an interesting existence. Imagining what it would have been like if she was in his shoes Lauren chuckled to herself, the skills the profession brought would have been a welcome one but those outfits, they were a tad bit cheesy for her taste anyway.

"I see, Well. Hope it was all it was cracked up to be, Wasn't really my thing back in the day but knew a few people that liked it. Didn't talk to them much though, that was Melodies thing." Lauren answered, mentioning her deceased ex girlfriends name brought a tinge of sadness to her heart, the fleeting feeling going away quickly she refocused on the man before her. Studying him for a moment as he fell silent she then heard him bring up the letter she had left, mentioning that he assumed the reason she had left it was to recruit him, in reality it was just because she wanted to talk to a sober Joel rather than a drunk one, not that she'd tell him that though. "I'm with people." Lauren answered bringing her hands up to her head and looking to the sky, stretching out she yawned. "Actually, after seeing how you handled those guys out by the bar I was impressed, And like I said earlier, I didn't want to find out that you met your end while you were drunk. Besides, Booze make you a little off, at least they do for me." She answered giving Joel a side glance. "I wanted to meet the real Joel, The one that isn't in a haze of alcohol, ya know?" She answered honestly.

Going quiet again so he could speak again she listened for his answer, not surprisingly he mentioned that he was a lone wolf kind of guy, that he'd much rather be on his own than with a group. In all honestly if Lauren hadn't met Maddy after losing Melody she probably would have felt the same. Staying quiet as he continued on she then heard as he asked if the group she was with was family.

"Not mine, no. But they are yes; It's my Friend, her dad and little brother." She answered quickly, choosing to save the details of her relationship with Maddy until she knew what his plans were she crossed her arms. "So what's your plan now Mr Lone Wolf?" She asked, giving him a moment to answer she looked to the gate leading out to the main road, a small herd of the dead shambled by but took no notice of them. "It's no hidden fact that supplies in town are getting harder and harder to find." She said looking back to Joel. "You, know. There was a military safe zone on the edge of town I scouted out a few days ago, looked nearly untouched from when it fell. Was gonna go check it out here in a few days if you wanna come with us." She explained. "You don't gotta come live with us or anything, just come back here in two days time if you want to join us. what do you think?"

Having finished saying what she needed to Lauren got to her feet and began gathering her things as she waited for Joel's answer, swinging her guitar case over her shoulder she did the same with her pack and her weapon in the time it took him to decide what to say. Looking in Joel's direction after crossing to the gate leading to the alley back to her apartment she heard him say that they shouldn't wait and that others would show up and take it out from under them if they didn't go that moment, frowning Lauren shook her head. Having spent the last two weeks scouting it out she knew that wouldn't happen. The base being a fallback location if the first fell and knowing from Lily and her families experience there she knew it was out of the way and not common knowledge.

Lily and her family being a few of the ones that remained after the main base had fallen they were being taken there when they were swarmed, it still baffled Lauren that her and her family had gotten out of that situation, but she sure was glad that she did. Looking through the gate towards the empty walled alleyway Lauren shook her head before looking back to Joel. "No one will be there. It wasn't common knowledge before  the end due to it being a fallback post. I've been scouting in for two weeks now, it's got a number of dead inside that we'll need to clear but it's tucked away far enough that no one can find it unless they look for it." she explained.

Unlatching the gate she crossed through and closed the gate behind her before baring it again. "Two days." She repeated before turning on her heels and making her way down the alley and around the corner. Returning to her apartment she let the rest of her companions know what she had done and after a bit of discussion they decided that given the man's skills that he would be a good asset, there was the concern that his attitude and clear want to rush things would be a problem at some point, but they learned to trust Lauren's instincts, which at the moment were telling her to give the guy a chance.

A couple of days later Lauren and the rest got up and gathered their things, securing the apartment Lauren and her girlfriend said goodbye to her father and younger brother before climbed out the window and descended the fire escape into the back alley. Making their way through the well traveled maze they soon found their way to the meeting place Lauren had met Joel, reaching the gate Lauren turned to Lily "Wait here, I'll be right back." she said before entering. Pushing the door open she looked around, just like last time he wasn't here when she arrived, but knowing that he arrived late last time she decided to sit on the bench and wait for him for a time, if he wasn't there in thirty minutes they'd head out without him.

Having told Lily to wait at the gate Lauren quickly and quietly made her way through the gate and down the small corridor leading to the small courtyard she had been using to meet Joel, it had been two days since their last meeting and as he wasn't there when she arrived she decided to wait for about thirty minutes, if he arrived awesome, if not, they'd head out without him. Closing her eyes she relaxed on the bench for a moment before pulling out her guitar and plucking softly as she waited.

Twenty minutes later or so she heard a noise from one of the alley ways, her hair standing up she quickly slid her guitar to the side and brandished her weapon. Getting to her feet she crossed the distance to the far wall and prepared herself for whatever or whoever was coming through the passage way. A number of tense seconds later she was greeted by the now familiar face of Joel who stood on the other side of the locked gate, greeting her with the nickname 'sport' she shook her head and lowered her weapon. "Yea, I'm ready, let me go get Lily." She answered. Turning away she returned to the bench and gathered her guitar and pack, stashing the guitar in the cutaway of one of the buildings she swung her pack fully onto her back before retreating back towards the ally she had left Lily in. "Hey, ready to go?" She asked as she rounded the corner. Getting a nod in return the two girls soon returned to Joel at the gate, unlocking it she let Lily pass through first before passing through herself and securing the fence from the other side. Stuffing the key back into her pocket she looked to Joel.

"Joel, this is Lily, she's the one that showed me the place." Lauren explained.

"How's it goin?" Lily greeted, her tone slightly nervous given their upcoming job she greeted Joel with a small smile before looking ahead. "We need to get going if we're gonna get back before nightfall."

Nodding to her girlfriends words Lauren looked to Joel, "She's right, we need to get going, It'll be a small hike to get there, you up for it?" she asked with a smile.