The Runner Part 1

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Your gun had felt awkward in your grip when you finally held it in your sweating palms. The price of death for those who crossed the front of it had once again placed a weight high above your head.

But with that weight came a confidence that you relied on to live. The confidence to keep taking steps towards your destination and end goal.

With your gun finally back in your rightful grasp, you used ten minutes of your time walking through the streets, making sure the coast was clear, and efficiently dealing with the strays that hung around the sun bathed cement roads.

Your companion seemed especially violent this day. Growling at anything that moved and threatening to tear it to shreds. Maybe teaching and using a kill command wasn't a smart thing to do with him, you had supposed, the snarling quickly becoming annoying, while the hands that were constantly padding in your direction could only make you think of a needy child.

As long as he didn't show aggression towards you, you could put up with his constant tension, but there was a fine line between patience, and your will to have it.

Every time he growled, everything in the immediate area became invested in your location, and that was very, very, bothersome.

Your whole walk to the store went like that. Turning a corner, him growling at any movement, everything turning around curiously, before sprinting at you because you weren't infected like everyone else.

You killed them with your gun faster then they could reach you, but it was still bothering to waste ammo when there was a chance to just quietly pass by.

When you and your hunter had finally reached the store, you didn't quite mind him growling- it rounded everyone up rather quickly, so you made quick work before scavenging the shelves. Rather unfortunately, the electricity was out, which meant the beef had gone bad due to the refrigerators not operating.

A disappointment was what this shop was.

The most you scavenged was several boxes of macaroni, chips and crackers, at least ten chocolate bars, and a can of peanuts. They didn't fit in your bag, so you took to cradling them in your arms. Made you take note of the fact that you should get your hunter companion a backpack, split the supplies between two bags all smart like.

And you did just that, wandering around until you found an aisle with backpacks. It was a struggle to get him to put his hands through the straps, but your efforts paid off when you stuffed your food into the bag and zipped it closed. While you were at it, you put in some other things, like the tarp you got from the roof, and a box of matches.

He wandered around, and you'd like to imagine he was proud of his new duty, but in your mind you knew he thought nothing of it. 'Just more straps to hinder my jumping' would be a more appropriate thing to say.

After that fiasco, you wandered around the store, double checking and rechecking things to make sure you got everything. Ended up stuffing an axe in your filled bag, and some fruit gushers down your companions. The final item you found near the back was a mud stained health pack, on the floor and looking trampled over. That went in the hunter's bag as well.

You ended up back at the start of the store, windows still intact, but door looking busted.

The bag of chips and the crackers that was there, you ate, quickly chewing, and staring out the window to check for infected. By some miracle, there were half empty water bottles left over from someone else's doing. You put all of them into your companions bag, four in total, on being completely full.

Moseying over to a bench that sat facing the window, you plopped down, still munching on the potato chips you'd found. You may have just woken up, but it felt nice to take a breather after traversing the streets for this general store.

It began while you were keeping lookout near the window.

Your hunter was more alert then usual. That much you had known.

He paced across the floor, sitting down before trying to walk into your knees. With a stretch of your leg, you pushed him away from you. Your frown was one of displeasure, the sudden clinginess in his actions was bothering.

Just a week before, he had tried everything to keep moving forward, keeping distance, and only occasionally wandering close enough. You had several close calls with his biting mouth and sharp claws during that time.

Now, he just wanted to follow, not pushing ahead of you, and often times tripping your feet.

Sighing, you rolled your eyes. You'd have to deal with it. Putting another handful of chips into your mouth, you glanced out the window. To your utter bewilderment- a person was wandering on the other side of the street.

Pulse quickening with excitement, you stood from your spot.

Another person! Cheers to that! Groups had better chances of survival, and God knows you want to survive.

The first movement you took towards the door was one of firm confidence. Two more steps forward, and you faltered, turning to look at your companion- who mind you, was hot on your tail.

Your momentum died right then and there, the hunter bumping into you as you stopped.

If you greeted a survivor, there's a chance they'd hurt him. A chance they'll injure your friend, kill your friend, kill you...

You weren't sure if you wanted to greet him.

Glancing out the window one last time, you huffed, walking to the door. With a sly nudge of your leg, you pushed your hunter out of sight from the glass.

Pushing the door open a sliver, you called out, staying rooted in your place at the door.

"Hey! Survivor!"

Immediately, the survivor looked at you, worry worn look torn across his face with the way he scanned your standing.

"Yeah! You!"

His staring stroked your nerves- nerves that were specifically in place to keep away strangers.

A look of relief finally passed him, and he took off into a sprint towards your location. As quick as you could, you flung your arms up in a halting motion, the mild panic in your face freezing the man in his tracks.

"Before you come closer- promise not to shoot!"

He nodded frantically, yelling an agreement back.

"It's a warning- as what your going to see is... very, very unusual."

He took to thought again, before just nodding and running over anyways. Holding the door open, and simultaneously standing in front of your hunter- for obvious reasons- he ran right past you, heavily breathing.

"Aargh- Thank God almighty there are still other survivors..." He wiped his brow of the sun and exercise induced sweat. The healthy glow in his cheeks only grounded you firmly with your own humanity. Stranger or not, he was human, and humans needed to stick together.

"I thought nearly the same till I saw you out there." Was the only thing you could manage, stepping a little farther in front of your hunter. Your companion, curious as always to your actions, grumbled up at you sniffing at the leg you had placed protectively before him.

His grumble was all that was needed for the man to realize it wasn't just two humans in a room. His eyesight straying farther and farther down before landing on the lethal and poised body of your friend.

The girly scream that came after was the first thing you needed to know that his reaction was one none too pleasant. The stranger panicked and dumbly attempted to back further away, which only spurred the hunter's more predatory thought system, a deep and threatening growl rising as he tried to shuffle around your legs. Showing him your afraid, makes him want to pursue. You know from experience.

Stretching your hands out in a stay calm manner, you spoke with a hushed tone, "Running makes him jump. As long as you don't make frantic footsteps, he'll stand still."

The man re-thought your words, pausing in his backward tread. He huffed and puffed with a fear only a lamb could produce, so with a quick shove of your foot to the chest of the hunter, you took steps toward the stranger.

He looked uneasy, but he straightened himself up, watching as you held your chained arm out for a shake.

"You chain him to you?" Was what he asked, blankly staring at your hand, before lifting his own and placing it in your grip.

"Yes, I do suppose that's weird of me- but it's more of a personal thing." Honestly you felt a little hurt he would speak like that. As if you were freaky. But you could see were he was coming from.

He caught on quickly to your expression, "Oh- shoot- sorry, that was insensitive of me."

You simply waved a hand with a wary smile, "It's fine." Doesn't quite change the fact that you think I'm weird.

The hunter beside you had stopped growling, instead watching rather adamantly as you conversed with someone other then him. The tilt in his head was rather puppy-like.

"So." He started, "How long have you been with... him."

"This marks the second day of the second week." Was your simple reply.

With a shaking frame, he watched as the hunter stepped closer, in an attempt to sniff at his leg. You tugged the chain, "I don't let him get close- and usually things just kinda work out."

He nodded- unsurely albeit, "Names Ted."

With a smile, and another reminding tug on the chain, you answered, "(Y/N)."

A silence passed over the party. Subtle wary glances from the stranger reached your hunter, while you yourself stared full on at Ted. A simple name- simple looking survivor.

Your paranoia made you question his worry- the flickering of his brown eyes. Even the hunch in his back rose questions.

Swallowing whole the perfidious thoughts that gagged a course in your mind, you let off a chuckle, "Have you been alone long?"

His eyes snapped to you, "Alone?" You nodded, and he shook his head, "Not for very long, but my group and I... it didn't go so good."

"...Same- mine are still out there though." Sniffing a solemn breath, you shuffled in place, touching the shoulder of your companion with your shin before recoiling and pushing him farther from your feet.

"What's his name?" Ted asked- a fake curiosity in his voice as he looked to the hunter.

Pursing your lips, your facial expression went from neutral to disturbed rather fast.

"Sorry, but he doesn't have one. At least not yet."

Ted tilted his head at you, "What- did you not know the guy?"

Flickering your eyes from the hunter to Ted, you refrained from using the more frustrated tone you would have liked to use, "No. I did know him. I just.... prefer... to keep the person he was, from the thing he is now."

He said nothing at the sound of your irritation, instead making a move to glance around the market. He whistled, "Everyone scrapped this place."

"Yeah." Was the only thing you said, moving towards the door to open and keep a move on.

"Woah- woah- where you going?" Ted questioned, placing a hand on your shoulder.

You shrugged it off, uncomfortable with the contact, "Survival out here means to keep moving. Just common sense."

By now your hunter appeared to grow restless from the talking, looking to and fro between both Ted and you, deciding rather languidly that he would prefer if it were silent. By that, he released a deadly sounding snarl from his throat, shutting Ted up as fast as he opened his mouth to speak.

You simply looked at Ted neutrally.

"...Moving it is then....." his voice nearly gave out in a squeak.

And moving it was. You never really asked if Ted wanted to come with you, and you supposed if he didn't want to come with you he would've just left, but following behind you was Ted. Your hunter followed nearly on your heel, it was annoying to be occasionally tripped, as was having to keep forcing him further away from you.

Your destination, was once again another place with supplies. A big general type of store this time, with hopefully more supplies then the last.

Your previous luck had run out though, as the more streets you made your way through, the more infected you encountered. Ted seemed efficient in staying alive, as were you, but the moment you turned a corner you knew your survival skills were heavily outclassed.

Fast as you peeked, you pulled your head back around the corner, pressing your back into the wall and gripping the hunter's chain so he didn't wander over and alert everything.

Ted copied your actions, looking to you as if to ask what was on the other side, but the finger you pressed against your own lips shut him up.

Gravely and sore growling came from that next street. The shuffling of feet beat endlessly against your ears. Amid all of the drones of common infected, and gargling, and puking, stood a bulging mass of muscles, veins popping outwards in the most unnatural of ways.

You didn't care to process what it was, you just know you didn't want to deal with it.

The disfigurement was more then enough to force your head back behind the wall, and the smell of so many uncleaned bodies only added to that fact.

Shifting in the opposite direction, you motioned Ted to keep moving. If we get away fast enough- we won't have to deal with it.


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