A Million Howls <OPEN>

[Horizon]

Lyric Gray:
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Screams, howls of agony, how long had they been going on now? Lyric couldn't tell, he couldn't remember how long he sat with his back against the crumbling pharmacy wall. Clutching his pistols in his hands, sweat cascading down his face. He bit his tongue, hoping that maybe, just maybe, that that minuscule pain would distract him even for a moment of the sharp wails. The young man sat there, knowing he should be feeling guilt. It should be scratching at the walls in his mind, a gnawing guilt. Any decent human being would most likely be breaking down, what kind of human would sit here and let this happen? Listen to the howls of the people outside in broad daylight and doing nothing about it, simply waiting for it to die down so they could depart. 

    They'll attract more of the creeps at this rate..

This was Lyric's only present thought. A ruthless one, a sinful thought. He wanted the people to die already. The more they wailed, the more he was put in harms way. A growl emitted deep and long from within Lyric's stomach. The noise caused Lyric to subconsciously reach for his belly, and give it a gentle pat. As if this were enough to "cure" his hunger. He'd been trapped in the pharmacy almost all morning. Originally, this little field trip was supposed to just be a small raid, to stock up on some medicine, or, at least see if there was any left- which, there wasn't. He knew the probability of medicine in stock would be low, given these types of places are picked clean early on. Therefore, not only had this trip been a waste, but now, he was stuck within the dull grey walls of the pharmacy. Why? A large group of survivors had been making their way down the street when they were overrun by a massive horde. The group was just as massive though, and the battle that couldn't be won had been going on for awhile now. Lyric assumed most of them were being gobbled up now, considering gunshots were no more, and it was simple howls coming from the other side of the door. Some had tried to get into the pharmacy, banged on the door, twisted at the knob countless times, as if they thought if they gave it a good forty twists that it would finally open.

    Helping people only gets you killed..

This was Lyric's resolve, ever since his family slipped through his fingers. There had been moments where a group would have been beneficial, but Lyric was uncertain whether he'd ever belong. Suddenly, he was thrust back into his early teen years. All alone again. This time, he made a promise to himself that he wouldn't get sucked back up into the glamorous thought of a family. Look what happened when he tried previously. The last scream that pierced Lyric's ears was a young child's before it all faded into silence. Nothing but the small sound of the walking dead slumping by, leaving the pharmacy in their tracks, searching for their next meal.
        

[Argo]

POV: Alex Weston Grace
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    I heard the sound of several walkers behind me, the unsteady scrape of worn shoes and and skin against concrete. The unnatural hacking and growling, their constant and never ending hunger for human flesh. I would feel bad for them if they weren't trying to kill me. I ignored them, for now, I could tell they were far enough away. I focused my attention back on the door of a grocery store. I reached out my hand and jiggled the doorknob. Locked, like most of the others. I scowled at how pointless it was locking these doors. The scraping and snarling had gotten louder. Sighing, I drew my knife and turned to face the walkers. I calmly walked up to the nearest walker, grabbed its chest, and thrust the knife through the side of its head. I grimaced at the sucking sound it made as I pulled the blade out , it didn't even sound natural. Rotting flesh, does that I guess.

    I repeated the process on the others, sheathed my knife and turned to look at the door from there. The doors swing in....The hinges give it away. I ran towards the door and hit the door, right where the doors meet, with my shoulder. A sharp pain jolted in my arm as I connected with the door and it swung open, but I could tell that I'd be fine in a few minutes. I stopped and listened. None that I can hear. "Ashlyn?" I called out. "Ashlyn?" No luck...I have took keep looking. I know she is out there, I can feel it. I strolled down the nearest isle, to check for supplies. Nothing here. I turned the corner and went through the next. Still nothing. I turned into the next three and came up with a can of tuna and Lay's Potato Chips. Better than what I usually find in a grocery store. I was about to sit down and eat the scavenged food when I heard yells, gunshots, and growls.

    I stood up and grabbed my M4 from where it hung by my side. I jogged out of the store and started to make my way to the noises. I got to the corner in which the noises were all coming from and peaked around it. There were about thirty survivors and.... A LOT of walkers. Those aren't good odds. I sat down,with my back against the wall in a observant position behind the corner. The gunshots ceased after the first hour of fighting. They're out of ammo. I glanced around the corner again and they were down to ten survivors standing and about five wailing as they were devoured alive on the ground. There was still quite a bit of walkers here, but they had traveled down the street a bit.
   
     I had noticed earlier that some of the survivors tried opening a door into what looked like a pharmacy. It's locked; maybe it's Ashlyn? I stood up and sneaked my way over to the door and tried the knob. Locked, as I suspected. I took my knife out and began to work on the lock. I kept glancing over at the walkers that hadn't noticed me yet. It made me nervous being so close, sweat was pouring down my back between my bag, yet I continued to work on the lock. I finally popped the door open, hurried inside and closed the door. "Ashlyn?" I whispered loudly.

[Horizon]

<OOC Note: Sorry for taking so long Argo! :c>
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Lyric was just about to move up from his awkward crouch when he heard the jiggling of the door knob. He furrowed his brows, creases on his forehead appearing in the midst of his annoyance. A small period of silence came after the noise, and Lyric almost thought it was good to go when he heard the lock being picked.

    You have got to be kidding me..!        

A small sigh escaped Lyric's chapped lips. Now, he just had to wait for the perfect moment to possibly attack. All depends how hostile the person, or group, was behind that door. He gripped his pistols, his fingers turning ghostly white, he scrunched his toes, and bit down on the insides of his cheeks. Should he try to scurry away and hide while he had the chance? Maybe then proceed to stealthfully take them out? Or did he put on a brave act and face them head on? Whatever option he chose, the probability of him getting away from here alive was close to the negatives. After what seemed like a painful eternity, the door lightly swung open.

    Fuuuu...

Lyric's forehead started to sweat cold beads, no doubt from the anticipation. Whoever it was, seemed to be alone and it didn't take them anytime scurrying into the rundown pharmacy. A voice called out, reaching for someone named Ashlyn. Lyric tried to think back. He didn't kill anyone named Ashlyn, did he? Sighing ever so smally, he slowly emerged from his cover behind the counter.

    "I take it I'm not who you're looking for?" Lyric said, giving a relieved smile. This person seemed rather sane, and well, probably wouldn't hurt him. 

    Just don't make any jokes about how this Ashlyn is probably dead.         
        

[Argo]

(OCC: Sorry for taking a while, school is killer right now. The teachers are cramming in last minute tests before finals. I'll use red for speak as well, just makes it easier to read. Good Idea!)

    When I heard the voice off to my left, my nerves yelled HOLY!! But I reacted by swinging my rifle in the direction of the voice.  Before me stood  a man, about my age as far as I could tell; he had shaggy brown hair and bright blue eyes, bright enough they even caught my attention. I lowered the muzzle of the rifle so it was aimed at the ground, but only when I was sure he wasn't going to shoot me. "No not exactly, unless you are a 17 year old girl that has a slight resemblance to me, I doubt it." I said jokingly to the man. I took a moment to size him up, just in case he tried anything. He had a slight build to him, so a fist fight wouldn't be pleasant, but winnable. I looked at the way he carried himself and what his eyes said. He's no soldier. That is good and bad. Good because some tend to be a little too enthusiastic when fighting and get carried away. Bad because the skill as a fighter is always nice to have around.

    Taking my chances on this man, I let my M4 hang beside me. I turned back to the door and put the deadbolt back into place. I could hear moaning and the scraping of feet upon the ground outside still. Not safe to leave yet. I faced him once again and started to make my way across the room, while rummaging through shelves to see if their were any medical supplies. There were a few things here and there that nobody had taken, probably because they had no clue what they did. I stuffed the things into my back, and continued to talk. "My name is Weston Grace, I'm from San Antonio. I came to Huston looking for her, but with not much luck. The city is big." With curiosity and a little bit of hope, I  asked, "You haven't seen a girl named Ashlyn, have you?" Then I realized he doesn't know why I'm looking, so I added,  "She's my sister."

[Horizon]

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Lyric's eyes strained to see through the dim lit pharmacy. As his body weakened from his current wound, a large gash in his abdomen area, many times his was starting to fail the poor young man, death not as far away. He'd managed to get a bandage around it, but the bandage was old and he was never able to properly clean the wound. His eyes left the world in a blur. 

Lyric didn't not respond to the man's wise crack, and merely watched as the man scanned the shelves, picking up a few things here and there. He cocked his head to this side, his eyes narrowed in confusion, noting the man did not care to have his gun aimed at Lyric. Perfect chance to send a bullet straight through his skull. Lyric gripped his pistols, but made no move to shoot. 

    Alex, huh? 

In response, he only muttered, "Lyric." He paused, listening as Alex finished up his sentence. 

"I don't ask for names when I kill," Lyric said bluntly, stating that it was possible he could have shot his sister, though, unlikely. It was true, this was a large place. The girl he shot yesterday could have very well not been his sister.

<OOC Note: Hope this post isn't too cringe worthy, I had to piece it together quickly..>

[Argo]

    Anger flashed through my eyes at his comment about the names. SHOOT HIM NOW! My instincts screamed. I knew I couldn't shoot him though, the noise would attract walkers quickly. Plus, I think he was trying to be an ass as a show of strength, could just be him though. I brought my full attention to Lyric and told him calm but cold voice, "Well, maybe you should start because if you killed my sister, you would wish there were a swarm of walkers in here." Intimidation tended to work, then again sometimes not.

    There was an awkward silence for about a minute. Meanwhile I looked the man up and down looking for injuries, due to habit. None that I could see but that doesn't mean a thing. Out of curiosity, I asked, "Got any injuries? I was a medic in the Army, so I could help if you wanted me to."  No reply came and I sighed. "Look, we may not be on best terms, but I don't take things lightly when it comes to my sister. I promise I wont hurt you, it would be against a medic's code," I said trying to reassure him. Hell, I wasn't going to let someone die from a cut from something, not in the God forsaken circumstances we're all in now.

(OOC: Btw, Lyric shouldn't know Alex's name. He should only know him as Weston.)

[Argo]

OOC: You there?